Backup Exec 21 Administrator's Guide
- Introducing Backup Exec
- Installation
- Methods for installing the Agent for Windows
- Using a command prompt to install the Agent for Windows on a remote computer
- Using a command script to install the Agent for Windows
- Installing the Remote Administrator
- Installing Backup Exec using the command line (silent mode)
- Updating Backup Exec with Veritas Update
- Backup Exec license contract information
- About upgrading to Backup Exec
- Getting Started
- Backups
- Backing up data
- Restores
- How Backup Exec catalogs work
- Job management and monitoring
- About the Job Monitor
- About the Job History
- Viewing the job log
- Error-handling rules for failed or canceled jobs
- Alerts and notifications
- Enabling active alerts and alert history to display on the Home tab
- Adding a recipient group for alert notifications
- Sending a notification when a job completes
- SNMP traps for Backup Exec alerts
- Disk-based and network-based storage
- Configuring disk storage
- Configuring disk cartridge storage
- Backup sets
- Cloud-based storage devices
- Amazon S3 cloud-based storage
- Google cloud-based storage
- Microsoft Azure cloud-based storage
- Private cloud-based storage
- About S3-Compatible Cloud Storage
- About the Backup Exec™ CloudConnect Optimizer
- Legacy backup-to-disk folders
- Legacy backup-to-disk folders
- Legacy backup-to-disk folders
- Tape storage
- Robotic libraries in Backup Exec
- Creating robotic library partitions
- Managing tapes
- Creating media sets for tapes
- Labeling tape media
- Default media vaults
- Storage device pools
- Storage operations
- Conversion to virtual machines
- Configuration and settings
- Changing network and security options for Backup Exec
- Using Backup Exec with firewalls
- Deleting DBA-initiated job templates
- Backup Exec logon accounts
- Reports
- Creating a custom report
- List of Backup Exec standard reports
- Instant Cloud Recovery
- Preconfigurations to be completed in the Azure portal
- GDPR Guard
- Troubleshooting Backup Exec
- Troubleshooting failed components in the SAN
- Generating a diagnostic file for troubleshooting Backup Exec
- Using Backup Exec in cluster environments
- Configurations for Backup Exec and Microsoft Cluster Servers
- Disaster recovery of a cluster
- Simplified Disaster Recovery
- Setting or changing the alternate location for the disaster recovery information file
- Creating a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image
- Preparing to recover from a disaster by using Simplified Disaster Recovery
- Recovering a computer with Simplified Disaster Recovery
- Performing manual disaster recovery
- Integration with Veritas™ Information Map
- Integration with Veritas SaaS Backup
- Forever Incremental Backup
- Appendix A. Backup Exec Agent for Windows
- About the Backup Exec Agent Utility for Windows
- Appendix B. Backup Exec Deduplication Feature
- Creating or importing deduplication disk storage
- Selecting storage devices for direct access sharing
- Appendix C. Backup Exec Agent for VMware
- About establishing trust for a vCenter/ESX(i) server
- Backing up VMware virtual machines
- About instant recovery of a VMware virtual machine
- About Recovery Ready for VMware virtual machines
- Appendix D. Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft Hyper-V
- Backing up Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines
- About instant recovery of a Hyper-V virtual machine
- About Recovery Ready for Hyper-V virtual machines
- Appendix E. Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft SQL Server
- Backing up SQL databases and transaction logs
- Restoring SQL databases and transaction logs
- Disaster recovery of a SQL Server
- Appendix F. Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft Exchange Server
- Backing up Exchange data
- Appendix G. Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft SharePoint
- Backing up Microsoft SharePoint data
- Appendix H. Backup Exec Agent for Oracle on Windows or Linux Servers
- Configuring the Oracle Agent on Windows computers and Linux servers
- Configuring an Oracle instance on Windows computers
- Viewing an Oracle instance on Windows computers
- About authentication credentials on the Backup Exec server
- About backing up Oracle databases
- About restoring Oracle resources
- Appendix I. Backup Exec Agent for Enterprise Vault
- About backup methods for Enterprise Vault backup jobs
- Restoring Enterprise Vault
- About the Backup Exec Migrator for Enterprise Vault
- Configuring the Backup Exec Migrator
- About retrieving migrated Enterprise Vault data
- About the Partition Recovery Utility
- Appendix J. Backup Exec Agent for Microsoft Active Directory
- Appendix K. Backup Exec Central Admin Server Feature
- About installing the Central Admin Server feature
- What happens when CAS communication thresholds are reached
- About job delegation in CAS
- How to use Backup Exec server pools in CAS
- How centralized restore works in CAS
- Appendix L. Backup Exec Advanced Disk-based Backup Feature
- Appendix M. Backup Exec NDMP Feature
- About restoring and redirecting restore data for NDMP servers
- Viewing the properties of an NDMP server
- Viewing storage properties for an NDMP server
- Appendix N. Backup Exec Agent for Linux
- About installing the Agent for Linux
- About establishing trust for a remote Linux computer in the Backup Exec list of servers
- Editing configuration options for Linux computers
- About backing up a Linux computer by using the Agent for Linux
- About restoring data to Linux computers
- Editing the default backup job options for Linux computers
- Uninstalling the Agent for Linux
- Appendix O. Backup Exec Remote Media Agent for Linux
- About installing the Remote Media Agent for Linux
- About establishing trust for a Remote Media Agent for Linux computer in the Backup Exec list of servers
- About the Backup Exec operators (beoper) group for the Remote Media Agent for Linux
- About adding a Linux server as a Remote Media Agent for Linux
- Editing properties for the Remote Media Agent for Linux
- Creating a simulated tape library
- Viewing simulated tape libraries properties
- Appendix P. Accessibility and Backup Exec
- About keyboard shortcuts in Backup Exec
- Backup and Restore tab keyboard shortcuts
- Storage tab keyboard shortcuts
Configuring Instant GRT and full catalog options to improve backup performance for GRT-enabled jobs
When you back up data, Backup Exec creates a catalog that contains information about the backup sets and about the storage device on which the backup sets are stored.
See How Backup Exec catalogs work.
The catalog operation can be time consuming. It requires access to the storage device that is used for the backup. Backup jobs that are enabled for Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) require more time to catalog because of the amount of granular information that they contain.
On the Instant GRT and Full Catalog Options dialog box, you can either choose the Instant GRT option or one of the full catalog options.
Note:
The Instant GRT and Full Catalog Options are not supported for backup to tape jobs. If you create a GRT-enabled backup to tape job for Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Hyper-V, or VMware data, the catalog operation runs as part of the backup job.
See Full catalog.
See Instant GRT.
See Differences between Instant GRT and full catalog.
See “To configure an Instant GRT or a full catalog operation”.
For GRT-enabled backup jobs, you can delay the catalog operation and run it as a separate operation to have less effect on your backup window. Because the catalog operation runs separately from the backup job, it does not prevent another scheduled backup job from starting on time.
See Granular Recovery Technology.
When you enable GRT for Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Hyper-V, or VMware backups, the full catalog operation runs immediately after the backup job by default.
For Exchange and SharePoint agent-based backups, the full catalog operation runs immediately after all full backups. It runs once every 24 hours for all incremental backups and differential backups, even if you schedule more than one GRT-enabled job to run in the 24-hour period.
For Hyper-V and VMware backups, the full catalog operation runs immediately after all full, incremental, and differential backups by default.
You can also configure the full catalog operation to run on a schedule if you do not want it to run immediately after the backup job.
You may want to schedule the full catalog operation to run outside of your backup window so that it does not interfere with your system resources. If you schedule the full catalog operation, it runs only for the most recent backup set since the last catalog operation. In this situation, only the most recent backup set since the last catalog operation can be used for granular recovery.
For example, if you schedule incremental backups to run every 11 hours and schedule the full catalog operation to run at midnight, you would have the following backup sets:
Full (11:00 A.M.)
Incremental 1 (10:00 P.M.)
Catalog 1 (Midnight) This job catalogs Incremental 1.
Incremental 2 (9:00 A.M.)
Incremental 3 (8:00 P.M.)
Catalog 2 (Midnight). This job catalogs Incremental 3. Incremental 2 is not cataloged.
Incremental 4 (7:00 A.M.)
Incremental 5 (6:00 P.M.)
Catalog 3 (Midnight) This job catalogs Incremental 5. Incremental 4 is not cataloged.
Incremental 6 (5:00 A.M.) This backup is not cataloged.
In the example, the full catalog operation runs only for Incremental 5, Incremental 3, and Incremental 1. For such jobs, you can use the Search wizard to search the data or you can quickly browse for individual items that you want to restore. You can perform a granular recovery using Incremental 2, Incremental 4, and Incremental 6 as well; however, it takes slightly longer to browse items because they are not fully cataloged. Backup Exec dynamically displays the granular data by mounting the backup set.
An Instant GRT operation runs as part of the backup job and collects only the minimum required catalog information. You cannot use the Search wizard to search the backup sets for individual items. When you browse the backup sets for individual items, Backup Exec reads and displays the granular information in the backup sets as you browse for items that you want to restore. Depending on the backup set you are browsing, full, incremental, or differential, it takes a few minutes or longer to browse individual items.
Before you run an Instant GRT operation, review the following requirements:
In a CAS environment, ensure that the logon accounts used for backups are added to the list of logon accounts on the central administration server and the managed Backup Exec servers.
The storage that hosts the backup sets must be online when you browse for individual items that you want to restore because Backup Exec mounts the backup sets dynamically. For incremental and differential backup sets, all such related backup sets should also be accessible during restore.
If a CAS environment, if a Backup Exec server tries to browse the backup sets of another Backup Exec server and if a firewall is configured between them, you must open ports on the servers.
It is recommended that you browse backup sets either from the managed Backup Exec server on which the backup jobs were run or from the central administrative server.
Table: Differences between Instant GRT and full catalog
Item | Instant GRT | Full catalog |
---|---|---|
Granular item search using the Search wizard | Not available. | You can search the backup sets for granular data. |
Backup sets browse | You can dynamically browse the backup sets to select the individual items that you want to restore. | You can search as well as browse the backup sets to select the individual items that you want to restore. |
Delay in catalog job | No delay in the catalog job. It runs as part of the backup job. | You can configure the catalog job to run immediately after the backup job or at a scheduled time. |
Catalog time | No separate catalog time because the cataloging happens as part of the backup job. Backup Exec collects only the minimum required catalog information. | The catalog operation runs as a separate job. It consumes time because Backup Exec collects detailed cataloging information for the backup job. |
Catalog file size | Smaller file size because only the minimum required data is cataloged. | Large file size because the complete backup set is cataloged. |
Time to browse granular data for granular restore | Slightly longer than the time taken for browsing data when you do a full catalog because Backup Exec dynamically browses the backup set for reading the GRT data when you expand backup sets to restore granular items. The restore time is the same as for a full-cataloged backup set. | Less than the time taken for browsing data when you do an Instant GRT because the GRT information is already available in the detailed catalog collected during the full catalog job. |
Device busy time | The device is not busy for a long time because the catalog is not detailed and it also runs as part of the backup job. | The device is busy for a long time. First when the backup happens, and then when the full catalog operation runs as a separate job. |
You can configure these options as default settings for all GRT-enabled backup jobs. If the default settings are not appropriate for a particular job, you can override them when you create the job. You do not have to create default settings for Instant GRT or full catalog options, however. If you want to configure these options only for specific jobs, you can configure the settings when you create those jobs.
To configure an Instant GRT or a full catalog operation
- Do one of the following:
To configure Instant GRT or full catalog options for all backup jobs
Complete the following steps:
Click the Backup Exec button, and then select Configuration and Settings.
Select Job Defaults, and then select the type of backup for which you want to configure the Instant GRT or full catalog settings.
To configure Instant GRT or full catalog options for specific backup jobs
Complete the following steps:
Create a new backup definition or edit an existing backup definition.
In the Backup box, click Edit.
- In the left pane, click Instant GRT.
- Select one of the following options:
Enable Instant GRT
Select this option if you want to run an Instant GRT operation for GRT-enabled backup jobs.
This option is the default setting for all new GRT-enabled backup jobs configured on a new Backup Exec installation. If you upgrade from Backup Exec 15 Feature Pack 5 and earlier to Backup Exec, the default cataloging option might change depending on your Backup Exec server environment and the version from which you are upgrading. After upgrade if this option is not set as the default, you can set this option as the default option to take advantage of faster backups.
For existing GRT-enabled backup jobs that protect Exchange, SharePoint, or virtual machines using the virtual-based backup, the default option for existing jobs does not change. The existing jobs retain the default option that was set before the upgrade. If a new device added after the upgrade, the default option is set to Enable Instant GRT.
If you select this option, the catalog operation runs as part of the backup job and collects only the minimum required catalog information.
You cannot use the Search wizard to search the backup sets for granular data. However, you can browse the backup sets. If you want to restore granular data from the backup sets, Backup Exec browses the backup sets for granular data as you browse for items that you want to restore. If you select this option, the time to browse granular data at the time of restore is slightly longer.
Run a full catalog operation as a separate job immediately after the backup job finishes
Select this option to run the full catalog operation immediately after a backup job finishes. The catalog operation runs as a separate job.
For Exchange and SharePoint agent-based backups, the full catalog operation runs immediately after all full backups. It runs once every 24 hours for all incremental backups and differential backups.
For Hyper-V and VMware backups, the full catalog operation runs immediately after all full, incremental, and differential backups.
Note:
Before the full catalog operation completes, instead of using the Search wizard, you must browse the backup sets to select the individual items that you want to restore. The Search wizard is available after the full catalog job is complete.
Schedule a full catalog operation as a separate job after the backup finishes
Select this option to run the full catalog operation as a separate, scheduled job. Then select the start time and the days of the week on which you want the full catalog operation to run.
If you schedule the full catalog operation, it runs only for the most recent backup set since the last catalog operation. In this situation, only the most recent backup set since the last catalog operation can be used for granular recovery.
Note:
Before the full catalog operation completes, instead of using the Search wizard, you must browse the backup sets to select the individual items that you want to restore. The Search wizard is available after the full catalog job is complete.
- Click OK.