BE 12.5 offsite tape storage (for disaster recovery) with encryption key... walkthrough example

[bearbeat99]

Good day- noobidy-noob here with a most basic question.

I am wishing to store my organization's data offsite to mitigate loss due to catastrophe. (I live along the OR Coast, with the Cascadia Subduction Zone a true and looming threat to our campus.)

Even after looking through the documentation, I feel I still need my hand held about how the data can be accessed to start a full recovery.

Example: Let's say I make a full file server backup using an encryption key. I ship these tapes offsite to Seattle for safekeeping. I give the encryption key name and password to a trusted agent also located offsite in Seattle. {{{shake-shake-shake}}}. Tsunami wipes me and my campus data closet off the map. As the wave slams into me, I can die peacefully knowing that the data can be loaded up, accessed with the key, and fully recovered because a catalog was created and written to the tape set. Right? Because, this is where it is a little hazy for me.

So, all the trusted agent has to do to recover that data is load up a [Backup Exec managed] tape library with the tape set, and then run Catalog, or Inventory, or Import? From what I have read, a catalog is created on both the media server and the media itself, right? So, I have nothing to worry about as long as the encryption key/passwrord is not lost or forgotten...

Thanks for any insight you may have...

Bear

[SuperBrain]

because a catalog was created and written to the tape set. Right?

Right!!

So, all the trusted agent has to do to recover that data is load up a [Backup Exec managed] tape library with the tape set, and then run Catalog, or Inventory, or Import? From what I have read, a catalog is created on both the media server and the media itself, right?

Kinda... Install Backup Exec - Connect it to the library - Insert the tape in library (using Import job) - Inventory - Run a Catalog job - Perform the disaster recovery to bring up your servers.

Yes it stores catalogs on both media server and the media itself.

So, I have nothing to worry about as long as the encryption key/passwrord is not lost or forgotten...

Yep you don't have to worry as long as:

1. You have a good Full (i.e. complete with all drives and System State + whatever extra databases you may have running on it) backup of your servers 

2. The encryption key/password is not lost or forgotten

You could also ask your trusted agent to keep the following document handy:

Disaster Recovery Shortcut List - http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH83015

[pkh]

You might want to familiarise yourself with the Preparing for Disaster Recovery chapter in the Admin which can be found in the BE installation directory.  This chapter goes into detail on how to do the recovery that you are looking at.

If the trusted agent is using a different hardware from your original server, then the recovery will probably fail because of lack of drivers, etc. so you might end up with have to load a new server and just recover the data.  Using IDR will be of no help because of the same reason.