Flowcharting your AD Recovery Process

Hi everyone,

Version 1.0 of my Active Directory Recovery Flowchart is now available.

What it is

• A flowchart that covers most of the high-level decisions you’re likely to encounter with recovering part or all of your Active Directory. Do you need to recover a domain controller? Should you rebuild the entire DC or can you just remove Active Directory from it? What do you do if it’s a DC with a FSMO role? What are your options for object recovery?
• An aid for the IT generalist that needs quick help on the steps they need to take to get their AD healthy again.
• A work in progress. It’s based on my nearly ten years of working with Intel’s worldwide Active Directory – but I make no pretense of knowing it all. It’s literally version 1.0, and I welcome your input in making it better.

What it isn’t

• It’s not a line by line operational document. It’s a decision process, leaving the details to you (e.g. “seize FSMO roles to another DC”).
• It isn’t the be-all and end-all of all possible situations you may encounter. If you’re a full-time AD administrator you should already have something like this in your own procedures :).
• It doesn’t (yet) contain an object recovery flowchart by operating system. In version 1.0 it does guide you through your object recovery  options depending on what OS your domain controllers are running.
• A shining example of how to create a Visio flowchart, though I expect to get better. (Dammit Jim, I’m an AD guy, not a Visio expert!)

I hope you find it useful, and I welcome your comments in making it better.

Have a favorite AD troubleshootingtips or trick? Send it to me at sdeuby at windowsitpro.com. You'll get your name in lights, and everyone will enjoy your pearls of wisdom!