Acronis Backup & Recovery Online Advanced User Guide
Table of contents 1 Introduction to Acronis Backup & Recovery Online .................................................................4 1.1 What is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?.............................................................................4 1.2 What data can I back up and recover? ......................................................................................4 1.3 How long will my backups be kept in the online storage? ........................................................
2 Where do I start? ................................................................................................................. 18 3 Choosing a subscription ....................................................................................................... 18 4 Software installation ............................................................................................................ 19 4.1 What software do I need to install? ............................................................
This document explains how to do online backups using the Acronis Backup & Recovery Online service and advanced editions of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5. The advanced editions enable you to manage backups of multiple machines using a single server called Management Server. This server provides a single entry point to the backup infrastructure, as well as the monitoring and reporting functionality. Setting up a backup of each individual server or workstation is also possible.
For information about backing up virtual machines see "How to back up virtual machines to the online storage?" (p. 5) 1.3 How long will my backups be kept in the online storage? Your backups remain in the online storage until you delete them or until the subscription expires. Recovering data from the online storage is possible for 30 days following the subscription expiration date. For effective use of the storage space, you have the option to set up the "Delete backups older than" retention rule.
Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are described in the "Backing up Virtual Machines" document for Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 Virtual Edition. When installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 for online backup only, you do not need to enter a license key during installation. Because ESX(i) machines may be automatically redistributed among the agents, you need to manually bind the machines to their agents so that the machines always use the same subscription.
1.6.2 What recovery methods are available? There are two methods to recover your data from Acronis Online Backup Storage: Recovering (p. 30) disks or files by using Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 GUI or command line interface. This method enables you to use a wide range of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 functionality. Retrieving files (p. 32) from file-level backups by using a Web browser. To do this, you only need a machine with Internet access. 1.6.
Normally, there is no need to start and stop the cleanup task manually. But it is possible to do so in the Backup plans and tasks view. 1.6.8 How to make a recovered machine recognize its subscription? When you recover a physical machine from a backup, a new machine identifier is created. Therefore, the machine is not able to back up to the subscription it used before recovery. To continue backing up the machine to the same subscription, reassign (p. 24) the subscription to the machine.
1.7.5 Can I send more than one backup under a single Initial Seeding license? No. An Initial Seeding license allows you to create only one backup on the machine. However, if you have made a mistake or have decided to create another backup for any reason, you can cancel the initial seeding order. As a result, the license will become available again. 1.7.6 Can I send backups taken from a number of machines on a single hard drive? Yes. However, the number of required licenses is still one per machine. 1.
7. On the same Web page, mark the order as "shipped" and track (p. 12) the order status. 8. Once you observe that the backup has been uploaded on the online storage, you can edit the backup plan to do incremental backups: In Backup scheme, select the desired backup scheme and specify its settings. Click Save. When started manually or on schedule, your backup plan will add incremental backups to the initial backup stored in the online storage. 1.7.
Step 2 Place the hard drive into an anti-static bag to protect the drive from electrostatic discharge. If you do not have an anti-static bag, simply wrap the hard drive into aluminum foil. Step 3 Use a sturdy box that is at least twice the size of the drive. Pack the drive with a bubble wrap around all 6 sides so it can fit tight into the box and cannot be moved within. DO NOT use Styrofoam peanuts for packing as they do not provide enough protection.
You might want to use the most cost-efficient delivery method for having your hard drive returned. Step 5 Securely seal the box with a sturdy tape. Then, stick the shipping label for sending your hard drive to the top of the box, so the label does not wrap around the edge of the package. 1.7.10 How do I track an Initial Seeding order status? On the Acronis Web site, the Initial Seeding / Recovery tab shows you the status of all your orders.
You will receive a notification message when Acronis receives the order and when the order is completed. If necessary, Acronis may contact you during order processing. [Occasional] Backup creation error – An error occurred when backing up. Please check the backup plan parameters and try again. The media has been shipped – This status is set after you mark the order as "shipped". The data upload has started – The process of uploading data to Acronis Online Backup Storage has started.
1.8.3 Do I need to perform initial seeding to be able to use Large Scale Recovery? No, these services are independent. 1.8.4 Is Large Scale Recovery a paid service? Yes, you need to buy one Large Scale Recovery license per machine. The license enables you to get a disk with all of the currently available backups of this machine. To obtain backups that will be created in the future, you will need a new Large Scale Recovery license. 1.8.5 Can I perform large scale recovery on a different machine? Yes.
The order has been completed. The media has been shipped – The media has been shipped to you (the carrier and the tracking number are specified). [Occasional] The order is on hold – Your order was placed on hold due to technical difficulties processing the order. Acronis is working on resolving these issues. [Occasional] The order has been cancelled – The order has been cancelled.
The time count will begin as soon as the subscription is activated. The first activation occurs when you assign a subscription to a certain machine. To do so, you need to have Acronis software installed. 1.9.4 What happens when my subscription expires? A month before the subscription expiration date you receive an e-mail notification with an alert. In addition, you can see this alert on the account management Web page near the machine. This means you need to renew (p.
auto-renewal can be used. You can select auto-renewal for each individual subscription or set up bulk auto-renewal of all of the activated subscriptions you have. 1.9.6 How do I increase a storage quota for a machine? Replace the subscription assigned to the machine with another subscription that has a larger storage quota. The new subscription has the same type as the old one. For example, you can replace a workstation subscription only with another workstation subscription with a larger quota.
2 Where do I start? On the Acronis Web site, log in to your account (create one if you are not registered yet) and navigate to Online Backup > for Business. This is your account management Web page. Here you can get a trial subscription, locate an Acronis partner or buy subscriptions online. The newly obtained subscriptions are listed as available subscriptions in the Manage subscriptions tab.
The inverse usage is not possible. You cannot back up a server using a workstation subscription. If you try to back up ESX(i) or Hyper-V virtual machines from the host that uses a server subscription, the backup will fail. With a server subscription, you can only back up the Windows host. With a subscription for virtual machines, you can back up both the Windows host and its virtual machines.
Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 Management Server: Performs centralized management of the machines, such as backing up groups of machines Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 Management Console: Enables you to connect to machines and the management server to set up backup and recovery The minimum configuration that enables you to back up a machine includes Agent for Windows and Management Console.
Windows Server 2008 R2 – the Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Foundation editions. Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. Windows Small Business Server 2011. Workstation operating systems: Windows 2000 Professional SP4. Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64). Windows Vista - all editions except for Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium (x86, x64). Windows 7 - all editions except for the Starter and Home editions (x86, x64).
Creating a bootable media We recommend creating a bootable media at this point. 1. Start Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5. 2. In the welcome screen, under Tools, click Create bootable media. The Acronis Bootable Media Builder wizard will open. 3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Installing the agents Perform these steps on each machine that you will back up. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program. Click Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5.
2. Enter the server name or IP address. 3. If prompted for credentials, specify the user name and password. The user has to be a member of the Acronis Remote Users and the Acronis Centralized Admins groups on the server. The step-by-step instructions provided later in this document focus on managing the machine through the management server. The management console is referred to as the console later in this document.
Before activating the first subscription for your account, check the country selected in your profile. Depending on this country, the service determines the data center where your future backups will be sent. Make sure to select the country where all or most of the machines you want to back up to the online storage are located. Otherwise, the data may unnecessarily travel a long way. Later, you will not be able to change the data center even if you change the country in your profile.
2. From Activated subscriptions, select the activated subscription that you want to reassign to the machine. 3. Click Activate now. Example The diagram below shows what happens if you reassign a subscription to a different machine. Let's assume Machine 1 has four backups in Subscription 1. Machine 2 has two backups in Subscription 2. At that point, you reassign Subscription 1 to Machine 2. Machine 2 does its third backup to Subscription 1.
8 Creating a centralized vault for online backups In this step, you will create a centralized vault on the online storage. This will enable easy access to all your future backups from both the management server and managed machines. To create a centralized vault 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Connect the console to the management server. In the Navigation tree, click Vaults, and then click Create. In Name, type the name of the shortcut—for example: Online vault. In Type, select Unmanaged. Click Path.
To back up a machine to the online storage 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Connect the console to the machine you want to back up. Click Create backup plan. Under What to back up, click Items to back up. In Data to back up, select Files, and then select the files and folders that you want to back up. Click OK to close the window. Under Where to back up, click Location, and choose your online storage. If you are not authorized yet, click Log in and specify your credentials for the online storage.
13. In Retention rules, select Delete backups older than..., and then specify the value of 1 month. 14. Click OK to save the backup plan. Details. You will see the Backup plans and tasks view with the backup plan you have just created. 9.3 Backing up using Initial Seeding This section illustrates how to set up a backup plan to perform monthly disk-level backups of a machine. You will use the Initial Seeding scheme to upload the initial full backup.
9.3.3 Sending the full backup After the full backup has been created, send it to the online storage. 1. Copy or move the full backup to the hard drive you are going to send. You can place two or more full backups on a single hard drive. Make sure that the hard drive is of a supported type (p. 8). 2. Package (p. 10) the hard drive for shipment. Make sure to enclose a prepaid return shipping label if you want your hard drive to be sent back to you. 3. Send the hard drive to Acronis.
View the content of any backup of any machine Recover (p. 30) data from any backup of any machine Delete any backup of the machine to which the console is connected You cannot delete backups when the console is connected to the management server. For detailed information about these operations, please refer to the "Operations with backups" section of the Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 built-in help.
3. Click Select data and then click Browse. 4. Expand Centralized and select the centralized online vault. If prompted, specify the credentials for the online storage. Click OK to confirm your selection. 5. Select the backup from which you want to recover data. 6. In Backup contents, select Volumes. 7. Select the system volume and the boot volume. Click OK to confirm your selection. Details. It is assumed that you can identify the system and boot volumes by their labels.
If your archives are encrypted or password-protected, you will need to enter the password set by you or your colleague during backup. Acronis does not know the password to your archives. Recovering data Note: The following steps assume that the system is bootable and that the agent is operational on the machine. In case the system is corrupted, you must use a bootable media. To recover the system, boot the machine using this media and perform similar steps. 1.
To get an earlier version of a single file or folder, click the icon to the right of it and choose View versions. This opens a window with the version list. In this window, select the required version by its date and time and click Recover. [Not available if you used search] To get earlier versions of multiple files and folders, select the required date and time from the Versions list. Select the check boxes to the left of the files and folders and click the green Recover button. Details.
* An initial seeding backup is automatically validated immediately after its creation. Backup and recovery options Some backup and recovery options are not supported by online backups. For example, Backup splitting. By using the Backup performance > Network connection speed option, you can vary the transferring speed as kilobytes per second, but not as a percentage. 15 Upgrading to Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.
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17 Glossary A Activate a subscription Allow the machine to use the online storage according to the subscription. Subscription period (p. 37) starts counting down when the subscription is activated. Activated subscription A subscription that is currently being used by a machine. Assign a subscription to a machine Reserve a subscription for a particular machine. Subscription period (p. 37) does not start counting down until the subscription is activated.
L Large Scale Recovery An extra service (p. 36) that enables you to obtain a copy of the backups you have in the online storage. You can then recover data from this copy. The Large Scale Recovery service might be unavailable in your region. To find more information, click here: http://kb.acronis.com/content/15118. License Permission for a machine to use an extra service (p. 36) of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online. You can buy Initial Seeding licenses and/or Large Scale Recovery licenses.
U Unassign a subscription Make an assigned subscription available again. You can unassign a subscription as long as it is not activated.
