Is it necessary for Backup Exec 2012 to join domain?

No.  It is not compulsory that the media server be part of the domain.  However, if it is not part of the domain, then it would be difficult to set up all the necessary permissions.  See the requirements for the BESA.

Requirements for the Backup Exec Service Account (BESA).

Hello there,

If this computer is in a workgroup, enter an Administrators account, or an equivalent account that is part of the Administrators group on the computer. In the Domain list, select or enter the computer name.

This is taken from the following technote. You ma want to refer to the following technote IN ADDITION to what PKH has already suggested.

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH23689 : What rights does the Backup Exec service account need?

Thanks,

-Sush...

Hi,

Can i use client server local administrator rather than domain user name for domain windows clients?

Please advice TQ

...yes you can, and this is where having your media server in a workgroup falls flat.

You need to have the same username/password per server you want to back up. You then need to add in each server's username/password into BE (either: IP_Addres\UserName, or ServerName\UserName), which means if you have 10 servers to backup, you have 10 user accounts to manage in BE, and 10 user accounts on 10 servers as well, which will increase security issues if not done properly!

Using a domain admin account with rights as per Symantec's best practice gets around all of this. You have 1 account to manage, which at a minimum is a member of the domain admins group, and therefore a member of each remote server's local admin group.

Thanks!