Bare mteal DR question

[Dennis_Herbert]

Does Backup Exec require a different DR media for every backup run or can one bootable DR (CD/USB) be used with any backup tape for restoring?

Our old system (which has had it's support dropped) we could use a single CD to restore any tape backed up on the same version of the backup software as the DR CD was made. Another vendor we evaluated required an individual DR CD for every tape. I don't see that as practical.

[Colin_Weaver]

For the most part you can use one SDR disk, exceptions to this are usually to cover hardware differences, i.e. where special WINPE compatible hardware drivers may be needed (although in some cases they can be loaded from a USB disk as needed)

If doing a DR operations where the Backup Exec server still exists you won't need .DR files either as remote SDR uses the catalogs on the BE server (however if needing to protect the backup exec server (or servers) then .DR files need to be available and copied to USB disk to then be used with the existing SDR DVD/CD disk.)

Please be aware that Bare Metal Restore (in BE) is get back the OS and files it does not mean Single-Pass restore of all data types  - if a database application is installed on the server then you may need to run a separate restore after the OS has been recovered for the database content (this is because often to put the DB content back, the services for the DB application have to be running)

[Dennis_Herbert]

This would be for a standalone server. Other systems copy static files to it daily and there are no extra programs running.

[Steve-Young]

With Backup Exec you can create just one SDR Disk to boot from "generally".

I you have hardware that requires specific drivers you can add them to the SDR disk which is based off of WIndows WInPE.

The Backup Set information (Tape or Disk) is stored in .DR file on the Backup Exec media server

and also a alternate location (typically another server or share).

This article walks thru the SDR for BE 2012  and BE 16 is baically the same.

Step by step guide for Simplified Disaster Recovery (SDR) with Backup Exec
https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.100030844

Notice on Figure 14 you see server information or what server you may want to recover.  You can also provide the most recent  .DR files in the SDR restore wizard and have the ability to restore any server from a "generic" SDR disk assuming all drivers load and detect devices properly for the server being restored.

Creating a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image
https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/doc/59226269-99535599-0/v88181166-99535599

Recovering a computer with Simplified Disaster Recovery
https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/doc/59226269-99535599-0/v53943

[Dennis_Herbert]

What if I don't have a .DR file? Say all I have is a tape and the SDR disk I created a few months ago? The rest of my servers are a smoking crater.

In our current product (which is no longer supported, thank you Barracuda) all I needed was the bootable CD and a tape. It read everything from the tape.

[Colin_Weaver]

If you have lost the Backup Exec server then for SDR you MUST have the .DR file for any sets that are more recent than when the SDR disk was created. (this is why there is an alternate save location for .DR files to give you chance to have them automatically copied ot a different place)

If you do not have the .DR files then you have to do a manual DR where you install the OS from Microsoft's install media with te same name and IP adress but in a workgroup.

You then install enough components for Backup Exec run (if it is the BE server itself then specify a customized install and use a different folder) Then run catalog jobs etc and finally restore the drive contents and system state, before restoring any application databases.