what and how Ntdsutil utility

what and how Ntdsutil utility

Ntdsutil.exe is a command-line tool that provides management facilities for Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) and Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS). You can use the ntdsutil commands to perform database maintenance of AD DS, manage and control single master operations, and remove metadata left behind by domain controllers that were removed from the network without being properly uninstalled. This tool is intended for use by experienced administrators.
Ntdsutil.exe is built into Windows Server 2008. It is available if you have AD DS installed. To use Ntdsutil.exe, you must run the ntdsutil command from an elevated command prompt. To open an elevated command prompt, click Start, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
If you have the AD LDS server role installed but not the AD DS server role, you can use the dsdbutil.exe and dsmgmt.exe command-line tools to perform the same tasks that you can perform with ntdsutil.exe. For more information about the dsdbutil command, see Dsdbutil. For more information about the dsmgmt command, see Dsmgmt.
For most of the Ntdsutil commands, you only need to type the first few characters of the command name instead than the entire command. For example, you can type either of the following commands to activate an instance for AD DS:
Copy Code
activate instance ntds
ac i ntds
The short form for each command is listed in the following table.
Syntax
Copy Code
Ntdsutil [activate instance %s authoritative restore change service account %s1 %s2 configurable settings DS behavior files group membership evaluation Help ifm ldap policies ldap port %d list instance local roles metadata cleanup partition management popups on popups off quit roles security account management semantic database analysis set DSRM password snapshot SSL port %d]
Commands

Command
Description
Activate instance %s
short form: ac i %s
Sets NTDS or a specific AD LDS instance as the active instance.
authoritative restore
Short form: au r
Authoritatively restores the Active Directory database or AD LDS instance.
Change service account %s1 %s2
Changes the AD LDS service account to user name %s1 and password %s2. Use "NULL" for a blank password. Use * to prompt the user to enter a password.
Ntdsutil
Short form: co s
Manages configurable settings.
DS behavior
Short form: ds b
Views and modifies AD DS or AD LDS behavior.
files
Short form: f
Manages AD DS or AD LDS database files.
group membership evaluation
Short form: g m e
Evaluates security IDs (SIDs) in the token for a given user or group.
Help
Shows this help information.
ifm
Short form: i
Creates installation media for writable (full) and read-only domain controllers (RODCs) and instances of AD LDS.
LDAP policies
Manages Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) protocol policies.
Ldap port %d
Configures an LDAP port for an AD LDS instance.
List instances
Short form: li i
Lists all AD LDS instances that are installed on a computer.
local roles
Short form: lo r
Manages local administrative roles on an RODC.
metadata cleanup
Short form: m c
Cleans up objects of decommissioned servers.
partition management
Short form: pa m
Manages directory partitions.
Popups off
Short form: po off
Disables popups.
Popups on
Short form: po on
Enables popups.
Quit
Short form: q
Quits the command.
roles
Short form: r
Transfers and seizes operations master roles.
security account management
Short form: sec a m
Manages SIDs.
semantic database analysis
Short form: sem d a
Verifies integrity of AD DS or AD LDS database files with respect to Active Directory semantics.
set DSRM password
Short form: set d p
Resets the Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) administrator password.
snapshot
Short form: sn
Manages snapshots of the volumes that contain the Active Directory database and log files.
SSL port %d
Configures a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) port for an AD LDS instance.