Windows® SharePoint® Services 3.0 Inside Out

Using Stsadm to Back Up and Restore a Site, Server Farm, Database, or Web Application

WSS 3.0 comes with Stsadm.exe, a command-line program that can back up and restore SharePoint sites. You can also use it to perform actions such as restoring a server farm, database, or Web application.

Inside out: Advantages of using Stsadm

There are several advantages to using the Stsadm program:

• It works with most any kind of database.

• Each backup creates a single file in the server’s file system. This file retains all the sites in the collection including all Web pages; all files in document libraries; all lists; and all security, permission, and feature settings.

• A restored backup can replace the original collection, or it can create a new one.

• Replacing a collection ...