Clarification needed for Backup Exec Agent for Windows

[John_Santana]

Hi All,

I'd like to know some of the capabilities and the limitation of Backup Exec 15 agent for Windows, so I wonder if anyone here can calrify the following statements:

1. To be able to backup the remote windows server, the Windows agent must be installed on the remote server (push install) automatically from BE 15 Media server.
2. This backup method allows me to backup all windows server with crash consistent only.
3. I can install this agent on any physical server with any role like SQL Server or domain controller but the backup and restore is crash consistent as if the server were powered off abruptly.
4. To restore from the tape backup of remote windows server backup, it will be brick level restore (cannot be bare metal restore), meaning that I must build the server to the OS level and then restore the files overwriting everything else.

Thanks in advance.

[pkh]

1. Yes. The remote agent is needed to backup the remote server. 2. What do you mean by crash consistent? 3. When you do a server recovery, you are back to the point in time of the backup that you are restoring

[VJware]

1) Either push install or local (manual) install, yes, the remote agent must be installed.

4) If the backup is SDR enabled, you can restore to dissimilar hardware as well, i.e. a bare metal restore.

[John_Santana]

My current license that I got is just like the following:

SYMC BACKUP EXEC 15 SERVER WIN PER SERVER BNDL STD LIC EXPRESS BAND S ESSENTIAL

SYMC BACKUP EXEC 15 AGENT FOR WINDOWS WIN PER SERVER BNDL STD LIC EXPRESS BAND S ESSENTIAL

SYMC BACKUP EXEC 15 OPTION LIBRARY EXPANSION WIN PER DEVICE BNDL STD LIC EXPRESS BAND S ESSENTIAL

What I mean crash consistent is when the server restored and then started, the server will be as if it were from crash.

Regarding the Simplified Disaster Recovery mode, does that included as part of the license above ?

How do I restore the server into dissimilar hardware when the data to be restored is from the Tape ?

[VJware]

SDR is included with the product. No additional license is required for this feature. Would recommend you to go through this - https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/symantec-backup-exec-2014-blueprint-simplified-disaster-recovery

Lastly, BE leverages VSS and is thereby crash / application consistent

[pkh]

No. BE is not crash consistent. As I said earlier, when you restore a server it is back to the state when the backup is taken. How can BE be crash consistent when there is no backup taken at the time of the crash?

[maurijo]

I think you understand the term crash consistent wrongly...

Crash consistent backup means a backup that uses VSS for example, so that it freezes all applications and stuff necessary to have a viable backup.

Doing a normal file backup with AOFO disabled is an example of a non crash consistent backup.

[pkh]

This is the OP's earlier definition, "What I mean crash consistent is when the server restored and then started, the server will be as if it were from crash."

[Colin_Weaver]

Points 1 and 4 have already been answered (other than for 4 be aware that SDR only brings back the operating system and fiel system data - data held in database technologies will need a separate restore operation after the server is up and running)

for 2 and 3:

AFAIK, Crash Consistent is an older term used to refer to a scenarios where the backup was taken with things like databases active but no knowledge of the database was understood by the backup product. As such a file level backup of your database was taken whilst it was running which might result in inconsistencies after restore that then need manual steps in the databse technology to be up and running (especially if any of the databse files were locked at the time of the backup)

As we primarily use VSS Snapshots for both File System and Database Technologies, the backups of nearly all data types are considered to be snapshot conististent and the term "Crash Consistent" is not usually heard.

[John_Santana]

ok, so in this case there will be no side effect installing this Windows Agent on Physical AD domain controller and then restoring it from the tape to the new server in the event of the crash ?

[pkh]

No.

[maurijo]

Still wrong then :)

[John_Santana]

Thanks all for the clarification, I'll just use this Agent for Windows Server to fully backup remote physical file servers.

So with this AWS backing up my remote file servers, can I still do the following:

1. Single File recovery 
2. Restore / rebuild the file server from the full backup from the tape using new hardware

are those options possible ?

[pkh]

1. Yes

2. Yes, if the hardware is similiar.  If you are using dissimiliar hardware, then you need to use SDR for the recovery.  This is because only SDR can load the necessary drivers for the new hardware.