User`s guide
369  Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010 
8.1.3  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. 
Example 
You might want to use the following backup strategy for a file server.  
Back up the critical files twice a day on a schedule. Set the retention rule "Delete backups older 
than" 7 days. This means that after every backup the software will check for backups older than 7 
days and delete them automatically. 
Run backup of the server's system volume manually as required. For example, after the operating 
system updates. Manually delete the backups that you do not need. 
8.1.4  How to secure my data? 
Backups can be encrypted using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptographic algorithm 
and the password you set. This guarantees that your data is not accessed by anyone else. 
8.1.5  How to back up virtual machines to the online storage? 
Use either of the following methods or both. 
Install Acronis software onto the virtualization host  
This approach comes in handy when the virtualization product installed on the host server is VMware 
ESX(i) or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server. 
You will be able to back up entire virtual machines or their volumes using a single subscription for 
virtual machines. The subscription applies to all machines hosted on the host or to the entire vCenter 
cluster. File-level backup and recovery is not possible for virtual machines, but is possible for a 
Windows host. 
Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are described in the Quick Start Guide for Acronis 
Backup & Recovery 10 Virtual Edition. When installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 for online 
backup only, you do not need to enter a license key during installation. 
Host-based backup is available only for paid licenses of VMware ESXi. Choose the below approach if your ESXi 
Server uses a free license. 
Install Acronis software into the guest system 
The machine will be treated as a physical one. You will need a separate server or workstation 
subscription for this machine. This approach comes in handy when: 
  the machine is not hosted on a virtualization server  
  the virtualization product installed on the host server is not VMware ESX(i) or Windows Server 
2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server 
  you want to use pre/post backup or pre/post data capture commands on the machine  










