Application Backup

The Backup subsystem allows you to schedule and execute backup operations for applications, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server, that are installed on previously-registered clients (where a "client" is your server, workstation, PC, notebook, and so on.) The backup system is designed so that users can protect their application environment in the simplest possible manner, either by scheduling backups or running manual backups.

Application backups are also supported on VMware virtual machines through the Virtualization Protector that is installed on the appliance and set up by configuring access to the vCenter or ESX servers by adding a special client named vCenter-RRC.

Schedule Backup

The schedule backup feature allows users to perform scheduled backups of their application(s). Scheduled backups form the foundation of the continuous protection of data. As the name implies, this feature allows the creation of a schedule of various types of backup operations as per a calendarized schedule.

Using the schedule backup screen, the user sees the list of existing schedules for this application by clicking the arrow in the dropdown box under 'Schedule Name'. The user may either edit an existing schedule by selecting it from the list or create a new schedule by entering a new schedule name in the dropdown box.

When editing or creating a schedule, the list of items to protect is shown on the left and is dependent upon the application:

If editing a schedule, the items that are already a member of that schedule will be checked. A protected item may be included in only one schedule. If you attempt to include a backup item in more than one schedule, you will see an error message when attempting to save the second schedule.

When "Include All New items" is selected, new items to protect are automatically added to the schedule when they are created on the application server. This inclusion of new protected items in the schedule is achieved through a process that detects application server changes either nightly or prior to the next scheduled time at which backup jobs are to run for the application. Alternatively, if you do not want to wait for new or removed items to be automatically detected in the schedule, you can click the refresh icon at the bottom right of the items grid after adding or deleting any item to force the item list on the appliance to be updated.

Options are available by selecting 'Advanced Settings' located on the lower left of the screen when creating or editing a schedule: for the backup options (options applied to each of the backups in the schedule) and the schedule options (options that apply to the overall schedule). The backup options include the name of the destination device and, if applicable, whether or not the backup will be verified. Report options are available under the 'Mail Options' tab.

The schedule area is where you can specify the time and date at which backup operations occur and with what frequency. By default, Full backups will be configured to occur on a weekly basis, and Differential backups on a daily basis, but this may be changed by selecting 'Custom' in the dropdown box. For Microsoft SQL Server, Transaction Log backups are also supported and default to daily but may be configured to occur more or less frequently. For VMware, Incremental backups are supported as well as Full and Differential backups.

At the bottom of the screen the user may either select the "Cancel" button in order to cancel the operation or the "Save" button in order to save the backup schedule.

If creating or modifying a schedule that includes a Microsoft SQL Server database that does not support the full recovery model, any scheduled Transaction Log backups will be skipped for these databases as they are not supported. Databases configured for the full recovery model support all backup types, while databases configured for the simple recovery model only support Full and Differential backups, and the master database only supports Full backups.

For virtual machine backups, the Virtualization Protector will attempt to turn on change tracking for the VMs that support it. If change tracking is enabled, Full, Incremental and Differential backups will be supported. If the virtual machine does not support change tracking, only Full backups are supported.

If you have the Auto-include new items option enabled on a schedule, it is highly recommended that you select the EMail Report option. In this way, not only will you get a comprehensive report of your application's backup activities, you will also see if any schedule incompatibilities ever occur, e.g., a database using the simple recovery model gets automatically added to a schedule that includes Transaction Log backups, as incompatible backups will be skipped and a message included in the report.

1-Time Backup

The 1-time backup feature enables users to be able to perform quick manual backups (also sometimes referred to as an immediate backup.) While this feature is useful for creating a one-time backup, it is not recommended as the basis for the continuous protection of applications.

When you select "1-Time Backup" for an application, a request is made to the application server to retrieve its list of items available for backup. The items are dependent upon the application:

When the request returns, the list of items is displayed on the left-hand-side of the screen, and you can select the ones you wish to backup. The backup type is selectable on the right, and backup options you wish to choose (whether or not to verify the backup and the name of the destination device).

At the bottom of the screen the user may either select the "Cancel" button in order to cancel the operation or the "Backup" button in order to perform the immediate backup.