SQL Server Magazine

Running Ntdsutil
The Microsoft article "Performing Offline Defragmentation of the Active Directory Database," (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=232122) explains the offline defragmentation process. I've summarized the process, adding a few steps as a safety measure to ensure that any mistakes you make won't be catastrophic.

1. Use NTBackup to create a system state backup of the DC.
2. Use the F8 option to boot the DC into Directory Services Restore Mode, which lets you boot the server without starting AD so that you can work with AD files that are open during typical operations.
3. If the DC has enough free disk space to hold a complete copy of the current ntds.dit file, copy ntds.dit to a temporary directory as a backup until you're sure that the defragmentation worked properly. Keep in mind that you can't rename the file; the compaction process won't run if you do so.
4. At a command prompt, enter the following commands in sequence:

ntdsutil
files
info

Note the path to the active ntds.dit file.

5. Type

compact to "c:\new"

to create a new compacted ntds.dit file in C:\new. Ntdsutil automatically creates the directory if it doesn't exist.

6. To exit Ntdsutil, enter the following commands in sequence:

quit
quit

7. Replace the current ntds.dit file (at the location you noted in Step 4) with the compacted ntds.dit file from C:\new.
8. Delete all log (*.log) files in the active AD database location, according to Ntdsutil's instructions, which Figure 2 shows.
9. Restart the DC, letting it boot as usual.

After completing an offline defragmentation, immediately back up the DC or at least perform a system state backup. After you've completed this backup and you're sure that AD is working properly, you can delete the temporary backup copy of ntds.dit that you created in Step 3.

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