Backup Jobs

Create and Configure Jobs

Last adaption: 05.2023

New:

Notes on threat detection

notempty

This article refers to a Beta version

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Preliminary note

Backup jobs define the amount and type of data to be backed up and where to store it.

Agent-based jobs communicate directly with the agent installed on the client that is being backed up.
Host-based jobs communicate with the hypervisor via a management interface.

When scheduling agent-based backup jobs, you must also additionally distinguish between file-based and

image-based backup.

File-based backup Functionality

The backup software accesses the file system of the system to be backed up.
The files are processed and divided into 32KB blocks, for each of these blocks a checksum is calculated.
The checksums can be used to determine the delta in follow-on backups.
The blocks determined for backup are compressed and encrypted.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

BMR backup possible (Bare Metal Restore)
Included in the standard scope of the agent, no additional plug-in is required
No reboot required after installation
Granular troubleshooting possible
Files/directories can be excluded
Script-based recovery via VPR file possible

Disadvantages:

Slower with many small files (>20,000).
Navigation via portal when restoring individual files

Best Practice

For a new setup, file-based backup jobs should only be used for backing up individual files and folders.
For existing file-based BMR backup jobs, the "Entire Server" option should be added.
For new BMR backups, use image-based jobs.

Image-based backup

Functionality

The backup software backs up all blocks in a volume one after another.

The image plug-in installs a changed block tracking driver. (Requires a reboot)
This can be used to determine which blocks have changed since the last backup.

It is possible to set up a BMR backup when all system-relevant volumes are backed up.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

BMR backup possible
Faster with many small files
Recommended for 1TB or more of natively protected data
Requires less computing power than file-based backup
Convenient restore (image is attached)
Navigation via Explorer during restore

Disadvantages:

No exclusion of individual files and folders possible
Restore only possible to same size/larger disks
Restart required after agent installation/update
No granular troubleshooting possible

Best Practice

For protection of the entire system, including the possibility of a bare metal restore, the "Entire server" and "BMR" options should be selected.

Comparison

	File-based backup	Image-based backup
BMR backup
Bootable in the cloud
Restore to same size/larger disks
Restoration to smaller disks
Included in default installation		Plugin, selected by default during installation. Requires reboot.
Files/directories can be excluded
Script-based recovery via VPR file possible
Well suited up to approx. 20,000 files
Recommended above 1TB natively protected data volume
Navigation during the recovery of individual files	via Portal	via Explorer

Agent-based

Create new job under menu / End customer site selection / tab

Jobs

/ button
Edit existing job under menu / End customer site selection / tab

Jobs

/ button / option Edit job

File-based backup

Field	Value	Description
Select job task	Create new job for local system	Create a new backup job
Name: Job-Name	Unique job name
Description Job description	Description text that is displayed in the overview.
Destination Destination-Vault	Destination-Vault where configuration and backup will be stored. The vaults that can be selected are those that have been stored in the Vault-settings tab.
Advanced backup options	This is where the saving of open files and the suppression of the archive bit can be configured. The handling of the log files is also set here.
Encryption settings: AES (256 Bit)	AES 256 bit encryption is predefined.
Password: •••••••• Confirm password: ••••••••	Secure password that complies with the password policy (Menu Sites / End customer site selection / tab Security settings Password security section.)(maximum 31 characters). This password is used to encrypt the backup. The password is mandatory for recovery.
Password hint: Hint	Reference to the password, which helps only authorized parties.

Select files and folders to backup	Selection of files and folders to be backed up or excluded For a recovery including the operating system, the option Bare Metal Restore must be selected. This backs up the volume on which the operating system is stored. Further volumes must be explicitly included! The option Entire server also backs up hard disks connected in the future. ( Removable storage devices are excluded: E.g. external hard drives or USB sticks!)
Include	Copies the selection to the backup set
Exclude	Excludes the selection from the backup set

Backup set	Displays included and excluded files and folders.
Folder filter	a, b	The filter must not contain any slashes and only one *-element per filter term.
File filter	.exe, .dll	Applied only to specific files. The filter must not contain any slashes and only one *-element per filter term.
Recursive		Will be applied to subfolders as well.
		Cancel/Exit editing
		Removes the backup set
Activate threat detection	It is not a threat protection but threat detection! A backup is only marked as potentially dangerous after possible damage has already occurred.

Image-based backup

Field	Value	Description
Select job task	Create new job for local system	Create a new backup job
Name: Job-Name	Unique job name
Description Job description	Description text that is displayed in the overview.
Destination Destination-Vault	Destination-Vault where configuration and backup will be stored. The vaults that can be selected are those that have been stored in the Vault-settings tab.
Protocol file options Summary	Scope of the protocol file: Minimal Summary (≙ Default) Directory Files (≙ Maximum)
Encryption settings: AES (256 Bit)	AES 256 bit encryption is predefined.
Password: •••••••• Confirm password: ••••••••	Secure password that complies with the password policy (Menu Sites / End customer site selection / tab Security settings Password security section.)(maximum 31 characters). This password is used to encrypt the backup. The password is mandatory for recovery.
Password hint: Hint	Reference to the password, which helps only authorized parties.

Select volumes for backup	Selection of volumes to be backed up For a recovery including the operating system, the option Bare Metal Restore must be selected. This backs up the volume on which the operating system is stored. Further volumes must be explicitly included! The option Entire server also backs up hard disks connected in the future. ( Removable storage devices are excluded: E.g. external hard drives or USB sticks!)
Include	Copies the selection to the backup set

Backup set	Displays included volumes
		Removes the backup set

Host-based

Hyper-V

Create new job under menu / End customer site selection / tab

Jobs

/ button / Create new job for Hyper-V
Edit existing job under menu / End customer site selection / tab

Jobs

/ button / option Edit job

Field	Description	[[Datei: ]]
Select job task	Create new job for Hyper-V Create a new backup job
Name: Job-Name	Unique job name
Description Job description	Description text that is displayed in the overview.
Destination Destination-Vault	Destination-Vault where configuration and backup will be stored. The vaults that can be selected are those that have been stored in the Vault-settings tab.
Password: •••••••• Confirm password: ••••••••	Secure password that complies with the password policy (Menu Sites / End customer site selection / tab Security settings Password security section.)(maximum 31 characters). This password is used to encrypt the backup. The password is mandatory for recovery.
Password hint: Hint	Reference to the password, which helps only authorized parties.

Enable application consistent backups	Available for Windows VMs running: MS SQL Server Exchange SharePoint Active Directory Using VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service), databases and files are brought into a consistent state for backup. In an application-consistent backup, pending application transactions are written to hard drive before the data is backed up. This minimizes the amount of work required to restore the application.If application consistency is not enabled in a backup job, the backups are prone to crash consistency. With a crash-consistent backup, pending application transactions are rolled back and manual steps are required to ensure that applications are fully restored. An account with administrator rights is required for this. Hyper-V Host Hyper-V Host Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 VM/guest operating system VM/guest operating system VM configuration version from 6.2 The VM configuration version of the VMs can be determined with the PowerShell command Get-VM Backup (volume shadow copy) integration service must be enabled. This service can be selected on the Integration Services pane of a VM’s Settings. Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 Windows 10 Applications Applications SQL Server 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014 SharePoint Server 2019 and 2016 Exchange Server 2019 and 2016 Active Directory 2019 and 2016
Guest-VM-login-credentials Username Password: ••••••••	Login credentials for an account with administrator rights that can be used on multiple VMs
Shorten protocols	As part of an application-consistent backup, the Hyper-V agent can truncate SQL Server, Exchange, and SQL transaction logs for SharePoint Server. The agent can shorten protocols for standard SQL Server instances, but not for individually named SQL Server instances.
Virtual machines	Virtual machines can be selected by clicking on them and moved with the > arrow buttons so that they are included in the backup job Each VM can only be backed up in exactly one backup job.