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Working with the computer backup subsystem

Use the Computer backup subsystem to run one-time backups or create backup schedules for one client computer. If you want to specify files to include or exclude, see About computer selection lists before running the backup or creating a backup schedule.

Note:   These procedures are for file-level backups only. To protect an application (such as SQL), a virtual machine, or a NDMP volume, see the applicable chapter in this guide.

Computer backup procedures:

ClosedTo run a one-time backup

Note:   Use this procedure to backup one client. To run an on-demand backup of multiple clients on a schedule, see To execute an Enterprise backup schedule immediately.

1 Select the desired client in the Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 On the 1-Time Backup tab, choose backup type Full, Differential, Incremental, Selective, or Bare Metal. See Backup types for more information.

Note:  The bare metal backup type is supported only for Windows clients. These are not file-level backups, but they are included in this procedure because Windows bare metal backups are executed and scheduled using the same interfaces as file-level backups. In Unitrends version 7.4 and later, you can use the integrated bare metal feature with regular file-level backups, rather than running bare metals. See Windows Bare Metal Protection.

3 In the Select Items area, select to backup one of the following:
• All volumes (Protect all volumes)
• Selected volumes (Specify selected volumes and files)
4 If you selected to specify volumes and files and would like additional detail, see one of the following:
• To exclude files, see About computer selection lists.
• To specify includes for the selective backup type, see About computer selection lists.
• To specify includes or a combination of includes and excludes for full, differential, and incremental backups of a Windows client, see Windows selection lists.
• To specify includes or a combination of includes and excludes for full, differential, and incremental backups of a Linux client, see Linux selection lists.
5 If desired, check the Verify Backup box to perform an inline verification of the backup. If left unchecked, the backup is not verified.
6 If necessary, check Exclude System State to backup data only and not include OS protection.

Warning!      It is highly recommended that you include system state in all file-level backups where client aliases are not being used. Restoring a backup that does not include the system state is likely to result in inconsistencies on the client and cause highly undesirable results.

Notes:   

• About client aliases. If you are backing up an aliased client, see Working with client aliases before deciding whether to include or exclude the system state.
• About excluding system state without checking this box. If you exclude the system state using a selection list and do not check this box, the backup will run with a warning (yellow) indicating that the system state has not been included. If you check this box, no warning is issued.
• About Windows clients. The system state is required for backups you wish to use for Windows Instant Recovery (WIR) or integrated bare metal recovery (BMR). For more information, see System state backup and restore on Windows Server.
7 If desired, select a backup device. Backups are written to the default device unless otherwise specified.
8 Click Backup to execute the job.

To view the job, see Monitoring running backup jobs.

ClosedTo create a backup schedule
1 Select the desired client in the Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
3 Enter a Schedule Name.
4 Verify that the Schedule enabled box is checked.
5 Enter a Schedule Description.
6 Choose the data to back up by selecting one of the following:
• Protect all volumes
• Specify selected volumes and files
7 If you selected to specify volumes and files and would like additional detail, see one of the following:
• To exclude files, see About computer selection lists.
• To specify includes for the selective backup type, see About computer selection lists.
• To specify includes or a combination of includes and excludes for full, differential, and incremental backups of a Windows client, see Windows selection lists.
• To specify includes or a combination of includes and excludes for full, differential, and incremental backups of a Linux client, see Linux selection lists.
8 In the Schedule area, select a backup strategy from the list.
• Choose from Incremental Forever, Full with Incrementals, Full with Differentials, or Custom.
• For physical Windows clients only, check Perform Bare Metal Backup if desired to include hot bare metal backups in the schedule. In Unitrends version 7.4 and later, you can use the integrated bare metal feature with regular file-level backups, rather than running bare metals. See Windows Bare Metal Protection.
• Backups for the selected strategy display below.
9 Do one of the following:

For a non-custom strategy, define the frequency at which backups of each type will run using the fields below each backup.

For a custom strategy, click the Calendar icon to define the frequency at which backups of each type will run. Do the following for each backup instance:

• Drag a backup icon onto the calendar. Drag onto today’s date or later.
• In the Add Backup window, define the backup type, start date, start time, recurrence, and description (optional), then click Confirm.
10 If desired, check Set Retention Settings and modify the minimum, maximum, and legal hold values.
• If you have a client selected in the Navigation pane, settings apply to file-level backups run for this client.
• If you have an application selected in the Navigation pane (such as SQL,
Hyper-V, VMware, NDMP, or Exchange) these values apply to all selected VMs, databases, volumes, or instances included in this schedule. To set different values for each selected item, do not enter settings here. Instead, go to Settings > Storage and Retention > Backup Retention. See About retention control for details.
• Modifying retention settings here also updates values displayed on the Backup Retention page. Once you modify this setting in the schedule, you cannot change it again from the schedule itself. Instead, make changes from the Backup Retention page as described in About retention control.
• See About retention control for more information about these settings.
11 Click Advanced Settings and set additional options as desired.

Field

Description

Verify Backup

Check Verify Backup to perform an inline verify of the backup. If left unchecked, the backup is not verified.

Available Device

Select an Available Device to define the device where backups will be stored.

Mail Options tab

Backup Schedule and Failure reports are sent by default. To opt out of email reports, uncheck boxes on the Mail Options tab.

Exclude System State

Check Exclude System State to back up data only and not include OS protection. This option is used to back up data volumes.

Warning: It is highly recommended that you include system state in all file-level backups where client aliases are not being used. Restoring a backup that does not include the system state is likely to result in inconsistencies on the client and cause highly undesirable results.

Notes:   

• About client aliases - If you are backing up an aliased client, see Working with client aliases before deciding whether to include or exclude the system state.
• About excluding system state without checking this box - If you exclude the system state using a selection list and do not check this box, the backup will run with a warning (yellow) indicating that the system state has not been included. If you check this box, no warning is issued.
• About Windows clients - The system state is required for backups you wish to use for Windows Instant Recovery (WIR) or integrated bare metal recovery (BMR). For more information, see System state backup and restore on Windows Server.
12 Click Confirm to save the advanced settings you created.
13 Click Save to create the schedule.
ClosedTo view or modify a schedule

Schedules that are running cannot be modified.

1 Select the client protected by the schedule in the Navigation pane and click Backup.
2 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
3 Verify the desired schedule displays in the Schedule Name field. If not, select it.
4 Modify settings as desired. See To create a backup schedule for details.

Note:   If you created the schedule with a custom strategy, click on the Custom Strategy box, then double-click on the backup icon to update it. For example, if your custom strategy includes bare metal, double-click on the BareMetal icon to see a Modify Backup window where you can update the bare metal backup or delete it from the schedule.

5 Click Save.
ClosedTo delete a schedule
1 Running schedules cannot be deleted.
2 Select the client protected by the schedule in the Navigation pane and click Backup.
3 Select the Schedule Backup tab.
4 Verify the desired schedule displays in the Schedule Name field. If not, select it.
5 Click Delete Schedule, then Yes to confirm.