Use the following disaster management information about how to safely shut down a server and implement disaster recovery in the case of an emergency.

Shutting down a server

You can shut down a server by using either 1) shutdown.exe or 2) PsShutdown.

1. To locally or remotely shut down a server by using the built-in command shutdown.exe (applies to Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2):
   • English: Restart or Shut Down a Remote Computer and Document the Reason (TechNet Library)
   • Japanese: Restart or Shut Down a Remote Computer and Document the Reason 
     
     NOTE: To see the parameters for Shutdown.exe, type shutdown /? at the command prompt, and then press ENTER. The account you use must have Administrator permissions to shut down the server.
2. To use the System Internals tool PsShutdown to initiate a shutdown of the local or a remote computer, log off a user, lock a system, or abort an imminent shutdown (PsShutdown requires no manual installation of client software):
   • English: Download PsShutdown v2.52 (SysInternals TechNet site)
   • PsShutdown: Make remote shutdowns a cinch (Windows IT Pro site)
3. Use Stop-Computer cmdlet from Windows PowerShell. Requires Windows PowerShell 2.0 installed on the client side (i.e. where you initiate the command from). Note that it is in-box component of Windows 7 and higher and downloadable add-in for Windows XP and higher. 
   • Detailed cmdlet help: Stop-Computer (TechNet Library)

Detailed info and recovery techniques for DFS Replication (DFS-R), DFS Namespaces (DFS-N) and File Replication Service (FRS)

No special actions are usually required to recover DFS Replication, DFS Namespaces, or FRS. Internal databases for these technologies should recover automatically following power failures. If you experience problems, the following articles can provide additional recovery steps:

• Backup/Restore of DFSR Replicated Data - Part 1: Introduction (FileCab blog)
• Backup/Restore of DFSR Replicated Data - Part 2: Inspecting DFSR's Footprint (FileCab blog)
• How can files be recovered from the ConflictAndDeleted or PreExisting folders? (TechNet Library)
• Recovering from data corruption on volumes where replicated files are stored (FileCab blog)

Windows Server Backup

• Windows Server Backup Step-by-Step Guide for Windows Server 2008 (TechNet Library)
• Backup and Disaster Recovery for Server Virtualization (TechNet Magazine)

Disaster Recovery

The following external topics are in TechNet Library:

• Planning for Disaster Recovery
• Disaster Recovery: Active Directory Users and Groups
• Simplify File Recovery with Data Protection Manager
• Recovering Data (Data Protection Manager 2010) 
• Performing Self-Service Recovery of SQL Data (Data Protection Manager 2010)

Post-Recovery Tasks for Windows Server 2008 R2

After disaster recovery on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, perform Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) scans on your server roles to help ensure that they are configured and running optimally.  You can scan a single role at one time in the Server Manager GUI, or multiple roles by using BPA cmdlets for Windows PowerShell.  For more information about running BPA scans, see Best Practices Analyzer (TechNet Library).


BPA cmdlets for Windows PowerShell can be installed on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2, but they are not installed by default.  For more information about configuring the Server Core installation option to run BPA scans, see "To configure remote management on the Server Core installation option of Windows Server 2008 R2" in Remote Management with Server Manager (TechNet Library).

For information about how to fix noncompliant results of your BPA scans, see Best Practices Analyzer Rule Resolution Topics (TechNet Library).

Virtualization

• Planning for  Disaster Recovery Using Virtualization (Microsoft Virtualization Site)

Windows Azure Migration

Consider moving some aspects of your server workload to the cloud. The following articles, blogs, and tools provide information on moving applications and data from your on-premises resources to the Microsoft's cloud platforms, Windows Azure or SQL Azure.

• Tips for Migrating Your Applications to the Cloud (MSDN Magazine article): This article explains the basic aspects of application architecture that need to be considered when migrating on-premises applications to the cloud, plus some tips and tricks to help migrations go smoothly.

• Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 5.5 (TechNet Library): A powerful set of tools for assessing your current IT infrastructure and planning your move to Windows Azure. It’s Free!

• SQL Azure Migration Wizard v3.5.7 (CodePlex page): SQL Azure Migration Wizard (SQLAzureMW) is designed to help you migrate your SQL Server 2005 and 2008 databases to SQL Azure. SQLAzureMW analyzes your source database for compatibility issues and allows you to fully or partially migrate your database schema and data to SQL Azure.

• Migrating an Existing ASP.NET App to run on Windows Azure: Max Salad, a contributor to Cloudy in Seattle, provides information about using an existing ASP.NET Web Application as a Web Role and about migrating an existing database running on SQL Express and ASP.NET providers to SQL Azure.

• 5 Ways to Use Microsoft Azure to Ease Cloud Migration (CodeGuru blog): Brian H. Prince, an Architect Evangelist at Microsoft, discusses some of the issues that might come up while you are trying to achieve phase 1, just getting it to work. Most migration projects start with a sort of 'cloud fit' analysis that helps you identity what parts might need some work to make a migration possible.

• Windows Azure Migration Assessment Tool (MAT) (external link): This tool simplifies the Windows Azure migration process by guiding you through considerations related to migration and for how to update your applications when migrating to Windows Azure.

• Moving Applications to the Cloud on the Microsoft Windows Azure Platform (MSDN Library): Patterns and practices book. This book demonstrates how you can adapt an existing, on-premises ASP.NET application to one that operates in the cloud. The book is intended for any architect, developer, or information technology (IT) professional who designs, builds, or operates applications and services that are appropriate for the cloud. This book is primarily written for people who work with Windows-based systems.

---

Community Resources

• PowerShell scripts for managing backup and restore on Script Center
• KB815273 HOW TO: Perform an Unattended Emergency Management Services Installation of Windows Server 2003
• Blog post: VBScript for Windows Server shutdown
• Scripts to monitor and manage UPS batteries