Recovery Manager for AD 10.3 - User Guide

Backup tab

On this tab, you can use the following elements:

• Backup type. There are two backup types available:

  • Active Directory (Standard). Select this option to create a standard Active Directory backup.

  • Bare Metal Recovery (Full). Select this option to create Bare Metal Recovery Backup. The storage for BMR backups is specified on the Remote Storage tab. Bare Metal backups require Recovery Manager for Active Directory Disaster Recovery Edition license.

• Encrypt and protect backups with password. Select this option to encrypt backups and protect them with a password. You will be prompted to specify a password for backup protection immediately after you select this check box.

  When restoring data from a password-protected backup, Recovery Manager for Active Directory prompts you to type the corresponding password. The password you specify using this option is case-sensitive and can contain any combination of letters, numerals, spaces, and symbols. If you forget or lose the password, you cannot use the corresponding password-protected backup.

• Set Password. Click this button to modify the password for backup protection.

• Backup description. Provides a space for you to enter an optional description of the backup. The description may include expressions such as %COMPUTERNAME% or %DATETIME%.

Local Storage tab

This tab includes the following elements:

• Save Backups on the Recovery Manager console computer. Select this check box to save backup files on the Recovery Manager for Active Directory (RMAD) computer. Enter the location for backup files in the Primary Backup Path box. If you specify a UNC share, backup files will be streamed to that share via the RMAD computer.

• Primary Backup Path. Use the provided space to specify format for paths and names of .bkf files where to store backups. The path format may include optional expressions that enable the automatic creation of subfolders. The file name format may also include expressions. For example, you might specify C:\DIRNAME\%COMPUTERNAME%\%DATETIME%. As a result, backups for different computers will be saved in separate subfolders. In addition, the file name of each backup will be composed of the date and time of the backup creation.

• Expression. Click this button to specify optional path and file name notations in Backup file name format. You can choose the following expressions:

  • Default backup storage (%BACKUPS%). Path to the default backup storage folder. The default path is as follows: %AllUsersProfile%\Quest\Recovery Manager for Active Directory\Backups.

  • Domain (%DOMAIN%). Name of the home domain of the computer being backed up.

  • Computer name (%COMPUTERNAME%). Name of the computer being backed up.

  • Date and Time (%DATETIME%). Date and time of the backup creation.

• Browse. Click this button to locate the folder where backups are to be stored.

• Sample path and file name matching the specified format. View an example of the path and file name that matches the format string supplied in Primary Backup Path.

• Additional backup path (optional). Select this checkbox to store a copy of each backup in an additional location.

• Sample path and file name matching the specified format. View an example of the path and file name that matches the format string supplied in Additional backup path(optional).

  As a result, copies of backups for different computers will be saved in separate subfolders. In addition, the file name of each backup will be composed of the date and time of the backup creation.

• For each computer, delete all backups except the last <Number>. Select this check box to retain a number of backups for each computer. Specify the number of backups to maintain. It is recommended to configure a backup retention policy to maintain backups created in the last two weeks. If you create backups on a daily basis specify 14 to maintain backups for each domain controller for two weeks.

  This check box can be selected only when RMAD stores backups separately. To ensure that RMAD does so, add the %DATETIME% expression to the path or file name in the Backup file name format box.

Remote Storage tab

This tab includes the following elements:

• Save backups on the backed up DC or a UNC share. Select this check box to save backup files either on the domain controller being backed up or on the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) share you specify. Enter the location for backup files. If you specify a UNC share, backup files will be directly streamed to that share from Backup Agent installed on the DC being backed up. Backup Agent accesses the DC being backed up and/or the specified UNC share under the account specified on the Agent tab.

• Primary Backup path:. Use the provided space to specify format for paths and names of files where to store backups. If you want to store backups on remote computers, the path must include UNC names. The path format may include optional expressions that enable the automatic creation of subfolders. The file name format may also include expressions. For example, you might specify \\RemoteHost\ShareName\%COMPUTERNAME%\%DATETIME%.

• Expression. Click this button to specify path and file name notations in Backup path or Alternative backup path (optional). You can choose the following expressions:

  • Domain (%DOMAIN%). Name of the home domain of the computer being backed up.

  • Computer name (%COMPUTERNAME%). Name of the computer being backed up.

  • Date and Time (%DATETIME%). Date and time of the backup creation.

• Sample path and file name matching the specified format:. View an example of the path and file name that matches the format string supplied in Backup path or Alternative backup path (optional).

• Additional backup path (optional).

• Use the following account to access the backup storage:. Allows you to explicitly specify a user account that will be used to access the backup storage. This option lets you work with network shares from different security realms, such as Azure® Files or Linux shares.

• For each computer, delete all backups except the last:. Select this check box to retain a number of backups for each computer. Specify the number of backups to maintain. It is recommended to configure a backup retention policy to maintain backups created in the last two weeks . If you create backups on a daily basis specify 14 to maintain backups for each domain controller for two weeks.

  This check box can be selected only when RMAD stores backups separately. To ensure that RMAD does so, add the %DATETIME% expression to the path or file name in the Backup file name format box.

Secondary Storage tab

This tab includes the following elements:

• Enable a Secure Storage server. Select this check box to enable a Secure Storage server for a backup. After creation and saving of backup to primary storage locations, a copy of the backup will be saved to the Secure Storage server.

• Select the radio button below Enable a Secure Storage server to choose the primary storage location for the backup file to be copied from. Select Copy backup from remote storage location to the selected Secure Storage server to pull the backup file from the remote storage location. Select Copy backup from local storage location to the selected Secure Storage server to pull backup file from the local storage location. If using both local and remote storage options for primary storage, the recommendation is to configure your Secure Storage server to communicate with the primary storage location closest for optimal network performance.

• Copy backup from remote storage location to the selected Secure Storage server. Select the DNS name or IP address of a Secure Storage host.

• Copy backup from local storage location to the selected Secure Storage server. Select the DNS name or IP address of a Secure Storage host.

• Enable Cloud Storage and select Cloud Storage locations. Select this checkbox to enable Cloud Storage. After creation and saving of backup to primary storage locations, a copy of the backup will be made to the configured Cloud storage locations.

• Select the checkbox for each registered Cloud Storage location to be used for this backup.

Access Credentials For Reading Data

• An account to read data from remote storage location. Select an account that has read permission to the remote storage location. This account will be used to read the backup from the remote storage location and copy to all secondary storage locations. The Secure Storage agent on the Secure Storage server and the Recovery Manager Cloud Upload service on the Recovery Manager console, use this account. If an account is incorrect and does not have the proper permissions, the copy of the backup to secondary storage will fail.

• An account to read data from local storage location. Select an account that has read permission to the local storage location. This account will be used to read the backup from the local storage location and copy to all secondary storage locations. The Secure Storage agent on the Secure Storage server and the Recovery Manager Cloud Upload service on the Recovery Manager console, use this account. If an account is incorrect and does not have the proper permissions, the copy of the backup to secondary storage will fail.