SharePoint backup requirements and considerations

Unitrends protects the following SharePoint environments:

●   Farm deployments where the SharePoint installation type is full farm (all SharePoint releases) or single server farm (SharePoint 2016). In farm deployments, the SharePoint data and components may reside on one server or on multiple servers. For details, see these Microsoft articles: Install SharePoint Server 2016 across multiple servers, Install SharePoint 2013 across multiple servers for a three-tier farm, or Install SharePoint 2016 on a single server with SQL Server.

●   Single server deployments where the SharePoint installation type is single server (SharePoint 2010 and 2013). In single server deployments, all SharePoint data and components reside on one server. For details, see this Microsoft article: Install SharePoint 2013 on a single server with SQL Server.

For all installations, the Primary SharePoint server runs the Central Administration website service, which can be accessed using http://<machine name>:<admin port>

The Unitrends Windows agent provides protection of services and resources in a Microsoft standalone or multi-server SharePoint farm.

In a SharePoint deployment, the primary node installs SharePoint services on other member servers and initiates administrative commands to manage the farm. The Central Administration service runs on the primary node to perform farm management. All nodes directly access the SharePoint central configuration database for configuration of services, features, database connections, and the like. The central configuration database resides either on the primary node or on a stand-alone SQL server. Unitrends protects the farm from the primary node, where administrative commands are run to coordinate the backup of data across other nodes in the farm.

To ensure application consistency, the agent leverages SharePoint’s STSADM and PowerShell (SharePoint 2013 and higher) tools to run backup and recovery jobs . The agent invokes commands on the SharePoint primary node and supplies STSADM or PowerShell with a local share target (/backups/rae/<client_name>/<instance>) so that jobs run on the backup appliance itself.

The agent works with STSADM or PowerShell to back up the SharePoint-specific data and files on each node in the farm. STSADM or PowerShell discovers the online nodes and performs backup operations to the local backup appliance share. If a node is not available, the backup continues without error. The resulting backup does not include any nodes that were unavailable when the backup ran.

NOTES   

●   SharePoint protection includes SharePoint data only. To protect an entire node in the farm, add the node to the backup appliance and run file-level backups.

●   Full catastrophic farm recovery can only be performed for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments where the installation type is single server. For full farm (all SharePoint releases) or single server farm (SharePoint 2016) installations, you must recover items instead. To check your installation type, see To determine the installation type for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments.

Consider the following before implementing your SharePoint protection strategy:

The following requirements must be met for SharePoint protection:

●   SharePoint must be running a supported version listed in the Unitrends Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix.

●   Unitrends supports on-premise farm deployments only. Hybrid deployments, such as integration with Office 365, cannot be protected by Unitrends backups.

●   The SharePoint farm configuration must adhere to Microsoft best practice standards. An SPFarmBackup domain account that is a member of the local administrators group must be configured on each node in the farm.

NOTE  Farms containing a single server may have been set up as a full farm or as a single server during installation. For SharePoint 2013 and 2010, protection procedures vary by installation type. To check the installation type, see To determine the installation type for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments.

●   SharePoint administration and timer services must be running on the primary node.

●   The SharePoint administration and timer services must have local administrator privileges. Be sure the service is a member of the necessary Windows security groups or SharePoint groups.

●   SharePoint must be able to access the appliance's Samba share:

●   SMB 2.0 – The SMB 2.0 security option is enabled by default on Unitrends appliances that were originally imaged or deployed with version 10.4.8 or higher. To perform backup and recovery operations, SMB 2.0 must be enabled on each node in the farm.

NOTES   

●    SharePoint 2007 on Windows 2003 and prior is not supported on SMB 2.0 appliances. (To configure your appliance to use SMB 1.0, see How Unitrends supports SMBv2.)

●   SharePoint may require custom client configuration for use with SMB 2.0. If SharePoint backups do not run successfully, see this Microsoft article for client configuration details: SharePoint Ports, Proxies and Protocols...An overview of farm communications.

●    SMB 1.0 – The SMB 1.0 security option is enabled by default on appliances that were originally imaged or deployed with a pre-10.4.8 version. SMB 1.0 must be enabled on each node in the farm.

NOTE   Upgrading from a pre-10.4.8 version does not change the SMB 1.0 setting. (To configure your appliance to use SMB 2.0, see How Unitrends supports SMBv2.)

●   Prerequisite configuration steps must be performed on the primary node, as described in SharePoint backup requirements and considerations.

●   Trust credentials are needed to back up the SharePoint database. Adhere to the following requirements when creating SharePoint credentials:

NOTE  Beginning in Unitrends release 9.1, trust credentials are required for both single server and full farm installations. In 9.0, credentials were not supported for single server installations.

●   Credentials must be applied to the database instance.

●   To ensure sufficient privilege, the credential user must be a member of the administrators group on the local computer for each member of the farm, and a member of the farm administrator’s SharePoint group.

●   The SharePoint user must have permission to log on as batch job and log on as service.

●   Create the credentials and apply them using the procedures in Managing asset credentials. When applying credentials, be sure to expand the SharePoint server and select the Full Farm or Single Server application instance.

●   If you experience backup errors using new credentials, see the following Knowledge Base articles for more information: How Unitrends supports SMBv2, SharePoint backup failed when user account name or password is incorrect, SharePoint backup failed when user account password has been expired, SharePoint backup failed when user account has not been granted the requested logon type, SharePoint backup failed when user has not been granted the requested logon as service, and SharePoint backup failed with error: 'Object reference not set to an instance of an object'.

You must perform one of these procedures before you can begin protecting your SharePoint environment:

●   For all SharePoint 2016 deployments, see To configure a farm for Unitrends protection.

NOTE  Unitrends protects the SharePoint 2016 single server farm installation type just like any full farm installation. Use the standard farm procedures for your SharePoint 2016 environment, for both single server farm and full farm deployments.

●   For SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments where the SharePoint installation type is full farm and the SharePoint data and components reside on one or more servers, see To configure a farm for Unitrends protection.

●   For SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments where the SharePoint installation type is single server and all SharePoint data and components reside on one server, see To configure services on a standalone SharePoint 2013 or 2010 server.

●   If you are unsure of the installation type, see To determine the installation type for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments.

1.  On the Configure > Appliances page, select the appliance that is protecting the farm.

2.   Click Protected Assets and expand the SharePoint asset to view the farm instance:

●   If the instance is Full Farm, it was configured as a multi-server installation. Note that you must use the Untirends multi-farm procedures to protect this farm, even if there is only one physical server in the SharePoint installation.

●   If the instance is Single Server, it was configured as a single server installation.

Use this procedure for standalone SharePoint 2013 or 2010 servers where the installation type is single server. For the full farm installation type, see To configure a farm for Unitrends protection. To check your SharePoint installation type, see To determine the installation type for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments.

1.  Install the Unitrends Windows agent on the SharePoint server as described in Installing the Windows agent.

2.  Add the SharePoint server to the Unitrends appliance as described in To add an agent-based asset.

3.  Log in to the SharePoint server.

4.  Open Services and verify that the following services are running. If not, start them.

●   SharePoint 2010/2013 Timer or Windows SharePoint Services Timer

●   SharePoint 2010/2013 Administrator or Windows SharePoint Services Administration

5.  For each of the above services, set the startup type to automatic.

6.  Proceed to To create a SharePoint backup job to start protecting your SharePoint environment.

Use this procedure to configure a full farm (all SharePoint releases) or single server farm (SharePoint 2016) deployment containing one to many servers. For SharePoint 2013 or 2010 single server installations, see To configure services on a standalone SharePoint 2013 or 2010 server. To check your SharePoint installation type, see To determine the installation type for SharePoint 2013 and 2010 deployments.

This procedure assumes your SharePoint environment has been setup with a SPFarmBackup domain account that is a member of the local administrators group, in accordance with Microsoft best practices.

1.  Install the Unitrends Windows agent on the primary node as described in Installing the Windows agent.

The primary node is the one running the Central Administration service. To see services on each node, log in to any node in the farm, and select All Programs > Microsoft SharePoint Products > SharePoint Central Administration. On the Central Administration page, select System Settings > Manage servers in the farm.

2.  Log in to the primary node, and open Services.

3.  Verify that the following services are running. If not, start them.

●   SharePoint 2010/2013/2016 Timer or Windows SharePoint Services Timer

●   SharePoint 2010/2013/2016 Administrator or Windows SharePoint Services Administration

4.  For each of the above services, set the startup type to automatic.

5.  Add the primary node to the Unitrends appliance (as described in To add an agent-based asset) and apply administrative trust credentials to the Full Farm database instance.

6.  Proceed to To create a SharePoint backup job to start protecting your SharePoint environment.