what do i need to backup to enable a full restore if the server fails to boot.

[dirkdigs]

what are the essentials needed for a backup of a windows server to enable a full restore in case of disaster?

i know the system state and c:\windows folder ?

is there anything else i need to select?

[SymTechie]

You need to backup the complete C: drive and the system state along with the Shadow copy components(Windows 2003). Also please backup the other drives as well if you need to restore the data in them. Normally it is recommended to backup everything you see in the servers selection list.

[sksujeet]

Backup what Sym Techie suggested also make sure if you have any database installed like exchange,sql etc then make sure you backup that as well otherwise restore will be a problem for those databases

[dirkdigs]

am i  correct that in the case of the server not being able to boot, i would need to do a new install from cd, once install is completed then restore over top of this fresh install?

[CraigV]

Hi,

That is correct. Restore the server to a state that it is functioning (OS, networking and Remote Agent for Windows Servers installed), and then do a restore of that server.

Laters!

[SymTechie]

You need to install the OS using the Windows CD and then install Backup Exex Remote agent once the server is up
- Then need to push restore the C drive and the system state first and then a reboot of the machine will be required
- Once the machine is back up after the reboot push restore the other drives and data

[dirkdigs]

if i have a server with 3 partition, would i rebuild the server with the same drive structure in order to restore partitions?

[SymTechie]

Yes, rebuild the server with same drive structure and also everything you see on that servers resource in the backup selection list should be backed up before the disaster. At the time of restore C: and system state will be restore first and then after the reboot the other drives can be restored.

[pkh]

You can use IDR (Intelligent Disaster Recovery) to help you restore the system.  In this case, you boot up from the IDR ISO image and then it will restore the system to the state when the backup is taken.

[dirkdigs]

where do i find IDR? does this come with backup exec 2010 ? is it an extra component?

[pkh]

IDR is a free component of BE 2010.  If you see "The .DR file that is required for Intelligent Disaster Recovery is created/updated" in your backup joblogs then it is already installed.  Otherwise, go to Tools -->  Install Options and License Keys...  to install IDR.

You can read up on IDR in the Admin Guide.

[Frauke]

Hi,

we have a Windows Server 2008 R2 installed on ESX 4.0. The server has 3 partitions. I backed up the C-partition including system state ane shadow copy and I generated the .dr file as well as an ISO-Image to boot from.

Now I want to have only the c-partition on another virtual hardware.

I can boot from the ISO-Image and restore all files successfully from a "backup-to-disk" folder. But when I try to boot the server, it always fails with the message: Operating sytem not found.

Any help is highly appreciated.

Frauke

[Turls]

@Frauke, please start a new forum discussion with the question you are asking here on this thread. Thanks!

[Turls]

@dirkdigs, did any of the comments resolve your issue?