Replicating Windows Active Directory yes or not

[kopper27]

hi guys

Any recommendation when replicating Windows Active Directory?

Do you recommend using Vmware Replication to do this?

or is it much better to deploy a second AD in the Secondary site instead of going through all the work when restoring a replica in this case a AD VM?

If replicating is the way to go do you recommend Guest OS Quiescing (VSS)? or normal replication no VSS support?

thanks a lot

someone knows when to use VSS or not in general?

thanks a lot

[memaad · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Here is statement from Vmware document  link  VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.1 Documentation Library

Protection and Recovery of Active Directory Domain Controllers

Do not use SRM to protect Active Directory domain controllers. Active Directory provides its own replication technology and restore mode. Use the Active Directory replication technology and restore mode technologies to handle disaster recovery situations.

Regards

Mohammed Emaad

[kopper27]

Thanks a lot

I suppose that applies to Replication 5.5

[memaad]

Hi ,

Yes, it applies for 5.5  too

Site Recovery Manager 5.5 Documentation Center

Regards

Mohammed EMaad

[jjohnsonclt]

And this includes replicating a domain controller for a Test Failover on a private network correct?

[cfsullivan]

I have done two things in the past to test AD in a private network.  We used to use the VMware Converter to do P2Vs, which actually worked quite well.  Our DCs at the time were Windows 2003 and later 2008 R2 VMs.  We later began to do a straight clone of a 2008 R2 DC, but that required shutting down the DC.  That particular DC didn't get much traffic, so we could afford to shut it down for an hour or two.  We now are at Windows 2012 R2 DCs and I have so far shut down a DC once for cloning.

I don't know why a P2V would be clean for copying a running DC, where cloning sets off a lot of VSS errors, etc.  There's probably an easily explained, known reason for it, but I'm not aware myself.  I haven't tried cloning a live 2012 R2 DC, but I assume it would react the same way.  2012 R2 DCs are much more VM friendly and they are even clonable for production, if done correctly, but the MS instructions for it do say to shut down the source DC.