Backup Exec 20.1 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)
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
Improving backup performance in Backup Exec
Backup operations run in a group of systems. These systems can be compared to pipelines of various sizes, from the disk containing the data all the way to the backup destination. If any of these pipelines are constricted, they can become bottlenecks that cause the entire backup process to slow down. The troubleshooting steps in this section can help you identify bottlenecks in your backup or restore operations.
Some variables which can affect backup or restore performance include:
Item | Description |
---|---|
Hardware | Some hardware-related variables which can affect performance include:
Confirm that the controller is rated for the tape backup hardware. If it is not, you may experience unexpected performance limitations. Confirm that the SCSI BIOS Settings are set as follows:
|
System | The capacity and speed of the media server performing the backup, or the remote system being backed up, significantly affect performance. System activity during the backup also affects performance. Fragmented disks take a longer time to back up. Heavily fragmented hard disks not only affect the rate at which data is written to tape, but also affect overall system performance. Fragmented files take longer to back up because each segment of data is located at a different location on the disk. This fragmentation increases the time that is required to access the data. Make sure to defragment disks on a regular basis. |
Memory | The amount of available memory affects backup speed. Insufficient memory, improper page file settings, or a lack of available free disk space can all cause excessive paging and slow performance. Make sure that every program and every process release the memory that it allocates when it starts. If a program or process does not release as much memory as it originally allocated, a memory leak occurs. |
File types | An average file compresses at a 2:1 ratio when it is compressed using hardware compression. Higher and lower compression ratios occur depending on the type of files being backed up. If no compression is used, the tape device performs at its rated speed. Average compression ratios can double the backup speed. Image and picture files are fully compressed on disk. Hardware compression is performed by the tape device and not the backup software. |
Compression | Successful compression can increase the tape drive's data transfer rate up to twice the native rate. Compression can be highly variable depending on the input data. Image files from a graphical program might compress at 4.5:1 or more, while binary files might compress at only 1.5:1. Data that has already been compressed or encrypted may expand by about five percent if you attempt to compress it further. This data expansion can reduce drive throughput. |
Files | The total number of files on a disk and the relative size of each file affects backup performance. Disks containing fewer files, but where each file is large, run backups quickly. Backups run slower if a disk contains many small files. A large number of files which reside in the same directory path can be backed up more efficiently than files in multiple directory locations. |
Block size | Larger block sizes can improve the compression ratio, which helps the drive achieve better throughput and more tape capacity. Make sure that the block sizes and buffer sizes are set properly. Throughput increases in proportion to the compression achieved, until you reach the drive's maximum throughput. Do not increase the block size beyond the default settings. |
Network | The physical connection to a remote disk limits that disk's backup speed. The rate at which a remote server's hard disks can be backed up depends on the following factors:
A common cause of slow network backups is networking configuration. Features such as "full-duplex" and "auto-detect" may not be fully supported in every environment. To improve throughput, manually set the speed to 100 MB and the duplex to for the server side. Find out which Ethernet port the server is connected to on the switch, and set the SWITCH PORT setting to 100 MB and duplex. Do this for the backup server switch port, and any switch ports for computers being backed up.Note: When a hub is in place instead of a switch, full duplex may not be supported. See the Original Equipment Manufacturer for details on device features. Note: Both the switch and the network card must have matching settings. For instance, if the switch port is set to 100 half, the NIC for the server should also be set to 100 half. If a full duplex backup is slower than a half duplex backup, full duplex may not be supported for your combination of NIC, driver, and switch. Contact the NIC and switch manufacturer for updated drivers, firmware, or other support documentation. The NIC driver can be a common cause of slow throughput. The NIC driver can be easily overwritten by an operating system service pack. If a service pack has been applied and the driver has been overwritten, reinstall the Original Equipment Manufacturer driver. |
Debugging | Debugging that is enabled for troubleshooting purposes can also affect system performance. Debugging that occurs through the Services applet is temporary. Cycle the services or restart the computer to stop the debugging. Debugging configured through the Windows Registry allows for continuous debugging. Leaving the services in debugging mode causes the logs to accumulate. To improve performance, either take the services out of debugging mode when the problem is resolved, delete the older debug files, or compress the logs directory. |
Backup Exec Database | Installing the Backup Exec Database (BEDB) to an existing SQL instance that other applications use can also degrade performance. This is particularly relevant in a Central Administration Server (CAS) environment. Other applications may cause resource issues and use all the available resources within the instance. |