User Guide

Quest Software Inc.

User Guide - Quest Software

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RapidRecovery 6.4 UserGuide-en-us ";filename*

Rapid Recovery 6.4
User Guide

© 2019 Quest Software Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software license or nondisclosure agreement. This software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use without the written permission of Quest Software Inc.
The information in this document is provided in connection with Quest Software products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property right is granted by this document or in connection with the sale of Quest Software products. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AS SPECIFIED IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS PRODUCT, QUEST SOFTWARE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AND DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY RELATING TO ITS PRODUCTS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL QUEST SOFTWARE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF INFORMATION) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS DOCUMENT, EVEN IF QUEST SOFTWARE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. Quest Software makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and reserves the right to make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without notice. Quest Software does not make any commitment to update the information contained in this document.
If you have any questions regarding your potential use of this material, contact:
Quest Software Inc. Attn: LEGAL Dept 4 Polaris Way Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Refer to our Web site (https://www.quest.com) for regional and international office information.
Patents Quest Software is proud of our advanced technology. Patents and pending patents may apply to this product. For the most current information about applicable patents for this product, please visit our website at https://www.quest.com/legal.
Trademarks Quest and the Quest logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Quest Software Inc. For a complete list of Quest marks, visit https://www.quest.com/legal/trademark-information.aspx. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. Legend
NOTE: An information icon indicates supporting information.
Rapid Recovery User Guide Updated - December 2019 Version - 6.4

Contents

Introduction to Rapid Recovery

The Core Console

Accessing the Rapid Recovery Core Console

Understanding the Quick Start Guide

Navigating the Rapid Recovery Core Console

Understanding the left navigation area

Viewing the Rapid Recovery Core Console Home page

Understanding the Home page (summary tables view)

Understanding Core dashboard reports

Viewing the Protected Machines menu

Viewing summary information for a protected machine

Viewing the Summary pane

Viewing Volumes on a protected machine

Viewing replication information

Viewing the Exchange Server Information pane

Viewing the SQL Server Information pane

Viewing summary information for a hypervisor or cluster host

Viewing recovery points for a machine

Viewing events for a protected machine

Viewing reports for a protected machine

Viewing replicated machines from the navigation menu

Viewing the Recovery Points Only menu

Viewing the Custom Groups menu

Using the Error dialog box

Repositories

Understanding repositories

Deduplication in Rapid Recovery

When deduplication occurs

Managing a DVM repository

Storage location guidance

Creating a DVM repository

Expanding a DVM repository

Changing DVM repository settings

About checking the integrity of DVM repositories

Performing an integrity check on a DVM repository

About DVM repository optimization

Optimizing a DVM repository

Interrupting or resuming DVM repository optimization

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Connecting to an existing repository

Viewing or modifying repository details

Checking a repository

Deleting a repository

Core settings

Core settings key functions

Backing up and restoring Core settings

Restarting or shutting down the Core service

Rapid Recovery Core settings

Configuring Core general settings

Configuring update settings

Understanding nightly jobs

Configuring nightly jobs for the Core

Modifying transfer queue settings

Adjusting client timeout settings

Understanding deduplication cache and storage locations

Optimizing deduplication

Configuring DVM deduplication cache settings

Configuring Replay engine settings

Configuring deployment settings

Core-level tools

Viewing system information for the Core

Accessing Core logs

Configuring database connection settings

Modifying local database connection settings

Managing SMTP server settings

Configuring cloud account connection settings

Managing report settings

Managing Core SQL attachability settings

Understanding Core jobs

Core job settings

Adding Core jobs to settings

Editing Core job settings

Understanding SNMP settings

Configuring SNMP settings

Downloading the SNMP MIB file

Configuring vSphere settings

Managing VMware proxy settings

Configuring vFoglight settings

Managing privacy

General Data Protection Regulation compliance

How Rapid Recovery uses personal information

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Non-phone-home license restrictions

Obtaining and using non-phone-home licenses

Encryption

Understanding encryption keys

Encrypting data in transport over a network

Applying or removing encryption keys

Associating an encryption key with a protected machine

Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page

Disassociating an encryption key from a protected machine

Managing encryption keys

Adding an encryption key

Importing an encryption key

101

Unlocking an encryption key

101

Locking an encryption key

102

Editing an encryption key

103

Changing an encryption key passphrase

103

Exporting an encryption key

104

Removing an encryption key

104

Changing encryption key types

105

Protecting machines

107

About protecting machines with Rapid Recovery

107

Factors when choosing agent-based or agentless protection

108

General recommendations

108

Release 6.4 license consumption concepts

109

Licensing benefits of using agentless protection

109

About protecting Linux machines with Rapid Recovery

110

About protecting Oracle database servers

111

Entering or editing credentials for Oracle databases

112

Enabling archive log mode and adding VSS writer for protected Oracle databases

114

About truncating Oracle logs

115

Manually truncating Oracle database logs

116

About managing Exchange and SQL servers in Rapid Recovery Core

117

About protecting server clusters

118

Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual

118

Protecting VMware vCenter/ESXi VMs

118

Protecting VMs on Hyper-V servers and clusters

120

Application support

121

Benefits of installing hypervisor tools for agentless protection

122

Understanding crash-consistent and application-consistent backups

122

Support for Hyper-V guest cluster

123

Understanding the Rapid Recovery Agent software installer

123

Downloading the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer

124

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Deploying Agent to multiple machines simultaneously from the Core Console

124

Using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard to deploy to one or more machines

126

Deploying to machines on an Active Directory domain

126

Deploying to machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host

127

Deploying an upgrade of the Rapid Recovery Agent to protected machines

129

Deploying to machines manually

129

Verifying the deployment to multiple machines

130

Modifying deploy settings

131

Understanding protection schedules

131

Protecting a machine

132

Protecting a cluster

136

Protecting nodes in a cluster

142

Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode

143

Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode

145

Pausing and resuming protection

146

About protecting multiple machines

148

Protecting multiple machines on an Active Directory domain

149

Protecting multiple machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host

153

Protecting vCenter/ESXi virtual machines using agentless protection

157

Protecting multiple machines on a Hyper-V virtual host

161

Protecting Hyper-V virtual machines using host-based protection

165

Protecting multiple machines manually

170

Monitoring the protection of multiple machines

173

Enabling application support

173

Settings and functions for protected Exchange servers

174

Setting credentials for an Exchange server machine

175

Forcing log truncation for an Exchange machine

176

About Exchange database mountability checks

176

Forcing a mountability check of an Exchange database

176

Forcing a checksum check of Exchange database files

177

Settings and functions for protected SQL servers

178

Setting credentials for a SQL Server machine

178

Forcing log truncation for a SQL machine

179

About SQL attachability

179

Forcing a SQL Server attachability check

180

Managing protected machines

182

About managing protected machines

182

Viewing protected machines

182

Viewing cluster summary information

183

Configuring machine settings

183

Viewing and modifying protected machine settings

185

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Changing the settings for a Hyper-V host or node

190

Changing the settings for a Hyper-V protected virtual machine

191

Changing the vSphere settings for a VMware protected virtual machine

192

Understanding Active Block Mapping

193

Changing ABM settings

193

About modifying transfer settings

194

Throttling transfer speed

195

Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine

196

Understanding system information for a protected machine

197

Viewing system information for a protected machine

197

Managing machines

198

Removing a machine

198

Removing a cluster from protection

198

Removing cluster nodes from protection

199

Removing all nodes in a cluster from protection

199

Viewing license information on a machine

200

Downloading and viewing the log file for a protected machine

200

Converting a protected cluster node to a protected machine

201

Understanding custom groups

201

Creating custom groups

202

Modifying custom group names

203

Removing custom groups

203

Performing group actions

203

Viewing all machines in a custom group on one page

204

Credentials Vault

205

Understanding the Credentials Vault

205

Adding accounts to the Credentials Vault

206

Viewing or changing accounts saved in the vault

207

Using credentials from the vault

208

Snapshots and recovery points

209

Managing snapshots and recovery points

209

Viewing the recovery points page of a protected machine

210

Understanding recovery point status indicators

212

Recovery status point colors for Exchange databases

212

Recovery status point colors for SQL databases

212

Mounting a recovery point

213

Dismounting recovery points

214

Working with Linux recovery points

215

Mounting a recovery point volume on a Linux machine

216

Unmounting a recovery point on a Linux machine

217

Forcing a snapshot

218

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Removing recovery points

218

Deleting an orphaned recovery point chain

219

Migrating recovery points manually to a different repository

220

Replication

222

Replication with Rapid Recovery

222

Recovery point chains and orphans

226

When replication begins

227

Determining your seeding needs and strategy

227

When seeding data is required

227

Approaches to seeding data

228

archives

previously created Core archive.

Add

Maintain

Performs a check of the repository. Process:

Add

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

Job Name Description

repository
Mount recovery point snapshots

l Check repository file system. l Mount recovery point. l Recalculate deduplication cache for repository. l Load recovery points from repository.
Performs mount of recovery point to the specified path.

Maximum Try Settings Concurrent Count
Jobs

Add

Protect ESX Adds all specified virtual machines to agentless protection.

virtual machines

Job is performed immediately after adding agentless protection of one or more VMs to the Core using the Protect

Multiple Machines Wizard.

Job sets ID number for each specified VM, writes

information about the Core to a configuration file, and

retrieves metadata from the file.

Add

Restore from Performs a restore from a recovery point to a specified

recovery

target machine. Process:

point

l Mount recovery point.

l Write all data from the recovery point to the specified machine.

l Dismount the recovery point.

Uploading Uploads logs to specified server.

logs

Add

Some Core jobs are included in Settings. The Jobs settings let you specify how many concurrent jobs of the same type the Core can run, and how many retries should be attempted if the first job attempt fails. For more information about these Settings, see Core job settings. For information on adding jobs to Core Settings, see Adding Core jobs to settings. For information on editing settings for jobs in the Settings list, see Editing Core job settings.

Core job settings
When you select (Settings) from the icon bar, you can access settings for some Core jobs. The Jobs area on the Core settings page lets you determine two settings for each job type listed:
1. The maximum number of jobs of this type for the Core to attempt at one time. This must be set to a value between 1 to 50.
2. The number of times a job should be attempted if a network or other communication error prevents the job from succeeding the first time. This must be set to a value between 0 to 10.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

Several jobs are automatically included in Core settings. These jobs include a value of "Default" in the Settings column (as shown in the topic Understanding Core jobs). You can add some other jobs to settings if you want to configure those settings to control the maximum number of jobs or retries for those functions. These jobs include a value of "Add" in the Settings column. For information on how to add these jobs to the Settings table, see Adding Core jobs to settings. Core jobs not available in Settings do not provide the ability to set these two parameters. For jobs that are listed in settings, you can edit existing settings. This lets you customize the two parameters, delete a job type from the job settings list, or restore default settings. For detailed information, see the topic Editing Core job settings.
Adding Core jobs to settings
Core job settings let you define, for each job type, the maximum number of jobs for the Core to attempt at one time, and how many times that job should be retried if the first attempt failed. Each Core job type has default values for these two parameters, as described in the topic Core job settings. This list also indicates which of the job types are included in the Core settings by default. Adding a Core job to settings lets you change these parameters for the job type you added. Complete the steps in the following procedure to add a job to Core settings.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click Jobs. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the Jobs heading.
The Jobs settings for the Core appear.
3. On the Core Settings page, under Jobs, click Add. The Job Settings dialog box appears.
4. In the Job Settings dialog box, from the Jobs field, select the name of a job you want to add to the Core settings. These jobs are described in the topic Core job settings.
5. To set the maximum number of jobs for the Core to attempt at one time, in the Maximum concurrent jobs text box, enter a new value between 1 to 50.
6. To set the number of attempts the Core should make before abandoning the job, in the Try count text box, enter a new value between 0 and 10.
7. Click Save. The Job Settings dialog box closes, and your new job settings are applied.
Editing Core job settings
Core job settings let you define, for each job type, the maximum number of jobs for the Core to attempt at one time, and how many times that job should be retried if the first attempt failed. Each Core job type has default values for these two parameters, as described in the topic Understanding Core jobs. This list also indicates which of the job types are included in the Core settings by default. When you edit Core job settings, you can accomplish the following:

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

l You can customize the settings for each Core job type.
l You can delete a job type from the list of Core settings. This feature is not available if the job type is included in settings by default.
NOTE: Deleting a job from Core settings simply removes the job type from this list. To edit Core settings for that job type again in the future, you can add it to the list as described in the topic Adding Core jobs to settings.
l You can restore the settings for any job type to the default settings.
NOTE: Although you can only use this feature for the job types included in Core settings by default, you can set other job types to defaults by removing them from the list and adding them again.

Complete the steps in the following procedure to edit the settings of a job.

3. From the Job grid, select a job you want to remove from the list. From the drop-down job, select Delete. The job is removed from the list.

menu for that

4. From the Job grid, select a job from the list for which you want to reset settings. From the drop-down menu for that job, select Reset to defaults. The job settings for this job are reset to default settings.

5. From the Job grid, select a job you want to change. From the drop-down select Edit. The Job Settings: [JobName] dialog box opens.

menu for that job,

6. To change the maximum number of jobs for the Core to attempt at one time, in the Maximum concurrent jobs text box, enter a new value between 1 to 50.

7. To change the setting for the number of additional attempts the Core should make before abandoning the job, in the Try count text box, enter a new value between 0 and 10.

8. Click Save. The Job Settings dialog box closes, and your new job settings are applied.

Understanding SNMP settings
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is a protocol for managing devices on an IP network. SNMP is used primarily to monitor devices on a network for conditions that require attention. This protocol uses software components (agents) to report information to administrative computers (managers). An SNMP agent handles the manager's requests to get or set certain parameters. The SNMP agent can send traps (notifications about specific events) to the manager. Data objects that the SNMP agents manage are organized into a Management Information Base (MIB) file that contains Object Identifiers (OIDs). Each OID identifies a variable that can be read or set using SNMP. Rapid Recovery includes support for SNMP version 1.0.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

You can configure the Rapid Recovery Core as an SNMP agent. The Core then can report information such as alerts, repository status, and protected machines. An SNMP host can read this information using a standalone application called an SNMP browser. You can install the SNMP browser on any machine accessible over the network to the Rapid Recovery Core. To ensure the Core SNMP event notifications can be received by the SNMP browser, verify that the notification options for a notification group are properly configured to notify by SNMP trap.
NOTE: You can use the default group, or create a custom notification group. The process is identical.
Open the notification group, select the Notification Options tab, and ensure the Notify by SNMP trap option is enabled. The notification group specifies trap number 1 by default. If necessary, you can change the trap number to ensure that it matches the setting that the SNMP browser expects. For more information and specific details about configuring notification options, see Configuring notification groups. Alternatively, you can download a MIB file from the Rapid Recovery Core. This file is readable using an SNMP browser in a more user-friendly fashion than data it receives directly from the Core. This section includes the following topics:
l Configuring SNMP settings l Downloading the SNMP MIB file
Configuring SNMP settings
Use the SNMP settings to control communication, such as alerts, between the Rapid Recovery Core and an SNMP browser. Available settings include the incoming and outgoing SNMP ports, trap receiver port, and the host name for the trap receiver.
NOTE: Rapid Recovery builds prior to release 6.1 do not include the ability to change the Community string setting. Release 6.4 and later have the option to specify an outgoing SNMP port. Use this procedure to configure SNMP settings for the Core.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click SNMP Configuration. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the SNMP Configuration
heading.
The SNMP Configuration settings are displayed.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

3. Modify the SNMP settings as described in the following table.

Table 33: SNMP connection settings information

Text Box

Description

Handle incoming request

To let the Core recognize incoming SNMP protocols, select this option. To block incoming SNMP protocols, clear the option.
NOTE: Selecting the option to handle incoming requests lets you edit the community string setting.

Community string

Enter a name for the community.
NOTE: You can only change this setting if the Handle incoming request setting is set to Yes.

Incoming port

Enter a port number for the SNMP connection. NOTE: The default setting is 8161.

Outgoing port
Send traps
Trap receiver port Trap receiver host name

Optionally, enter a port number for the outgoing SNMP connection. NOTE: If not explicitly set, Rapid Recovery Core chooses the most appropriate port.
To allow alerts (traps) to be sent using the SNMP protocol, select this option. To block alerts, clear the option.
Enter a port number for the incoming alert. The default setting is 162.
Enter a host name for the SNMP connection. NOTE: The default host name is localhost.

4. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click click to exit edit mode without saving.

to save the change and exit edit mode, or

Downloading the SNMP MIB file
The Simple Network Management Protocol is used to monitor devices on a network for conditions that require attention. When the Rapid Recovery Core is set as an SNMP agent, the Core report information such as alerts, repository status, and protected machines. This information can be read by an SNMP host using a standalone application called an SNMP browser. Data objects managed by SNMP agents are organized into a Management Information Base (MIB) file that contains Object Identifiers (OIDs). Each OID identifies a variable that can be read or set using SNMP. You can download a MIB file from the Rapid Recovery Core. This file, named quest-rapid-recoverycore.mib, can then be read by an SNMP browser in a more user-friendly fashion than data it receives directly from the Core. Use this procedure to download the SNMP MIB file from the Rapid Recovery Core.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then click Downloads. The Downloads page appears.
3. Scroll down to the Other Files pane. 4. To download the MIB file, click the SNMP MIB file download link.
The SNMP Configuration settings appear. 5. In the Opening quest-rapid-recovery-core.mib dialog box, do one of the following:
l To open the log file, select Open with, then select an SNMP browser application for viewing the text-based MIB file, and finally click OK. The MIB file opens in the selected application.
l To save the file locally, select Save File and click OK.
Configuring vSphere settings
VMware vSphere is a suite of virtualization software, from which you can manage ESXi or vCenter Server virtual machines. If using vSphere, you no longer need to load the Rapid Recovery Agent software onto individual VMs to protect them. This is called the agentless protection feature, which applies only to virtual machines. Use this procedure to configure vSphere settings for the Core.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click vSphere. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the vSphere heading.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

3. Modify the vSphere settings as described in the following table.

Table 34: vSphere Core settings information

UI Element

UI Type Description

Connection lifetime

Spin box

Establishes duration of time before a timeout for the connection with the ESXi server. Uses HH:MM:SS format.
NOTE: The default setting is 00:10:00 or ten minutes.

Maximum simultaneous consolidations

Text field

Sets the maximum number of simultaneous consolidations for protected virtual machines.
NOTE: The default setting is 0.

Maximum retries

Text field

Sets the maximum number of attempts for connection to a virtual disk or read and write operations before a timeout.
NOTE: The default setting is 10.

Allow parallel restore Boolean (check box)

When this option is checked, enables parallel restore for an agentless virtual machine. When this option is cleared, this function is disabled.
NOTE: The default setting is No (cleared).

4. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click click to exit edit mode without saving.

to save the change and exit edit mode, or

Managing VMware proxy settings
The VMware proxy settings are intended for protected VMware ESXi machines that require Virtual Disk Development Kit (VDDK) APIs to access the VMware disk storage. Rapid Recovery addresses this access and possible timeouts associated with it by using a process called the VMware proxy. This service is automatically installed with the Rapid Recovery Core and only runs when it is needed. The Core Settings page lets you adjust the service timeout settings as you see appropriate.
1. On the icon bar of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click VMware Proxy.
l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the VMware Proxy heading.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

2. Under VMware Proxy, modify the timeout settings described in the following table.

Table 35: VMware proxy settings information

UI Element Description

Connection The maximum amount of time that should pass before the VMware proxy should stop

timeout

trying to connect to the VMware disk storage, designated by hh:mm:ss.

NOTE: The default setting is 5 minutes (00:05:00).

Read/Write The maximum amount of time that should pass before the VMware proxy should stop

timeout

trying to read or write to the VMware disk storage, designated by hh:mm:ss.

NOTE: The default setting is 5 minutes (00:05:00).

Start service timeout

The maximum amount of time that should pass before Rapid Recovery should stop trying to start the VMware proxy service, designated by hh:mm:ss.
NOTE: The default setting is 1 minute (00:01:00).

Stop service timeout

The maximum amount of time that should pass before Rapid Recovery should stop trying to stop the VMware proxy service, designated by hh:mm:ss.
NOTE: The default setting is 1 minute (00:01:00).

3. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click the check mark to save the change and exit edit mode, or click X to exit edit mode without saving.
Configuring vFoglight settings
If you provide vFoglight information in the Core settings, the Core Console displays a vFoglight URL for each protected VM on its Summary page. Clicking this URL opens information about the VM in vFoglight. Complete the following steps to integrate your vFoglight server with your Rapid Recovery Core server.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click vFoglight. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the vFoglight heading.
The vFoglight configuration settings are displayed.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

3. Modify the vFoglight settings as described in the following table.

Table 36: vFoglight connection settings information

Text Box

Description

Use https

Enables or disables secure hypertext transfer protocol. Secure HTTPS is the default.

Host

Enter a host name or IP address for your vFoglight server. Consult your vFoglight server administrator for details.

Port

Specify the appropriate port. The default port is 32896. Consult your vFoglight server

administrator for details.

Authentication Provide the proper authentication to let the Core communicate with your vFoglight

token

server. Consult your vFoglight server administrator for details.

4. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click click to exit edit mode without saving.

to save the change and exit edit mode, or

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Core settings

Managing privacy

This section describes the personal information that Rapid Recovery can collect, what that information is used for, and how you can control the privacy of that data. Topics include:
General Data Protection Regulation compliance How Rapid Recovery uses personal information Non-phone-home license restrictions Obtaining and using non-phone-home licenses

General Data Protection Regulation compliance
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is legislation crafted to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU). It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU, which makes it relevant to software manufacture in the US and other countries. It updates rules governing the handling of individuals' personal data. GDPR is being widely adopted throughout the software industry.
To comply with the GDPR, the collection of any personally identifiable information (PII) by Rapid Recovery has been carefully considered. Data collection has been streamlined, and the information collected and how it is used is clearly documented.
When installing the Rapid Recovery Core or running the Rapid Recovery Info Gathering Tool, you are provided a description of the information Rapid Recovery collects and our purposes for collecting the information.
If you accept the stated use of personal data, you can then associate a license (running in standard "phonehome" mode) with your Core. If you choose to decline the use of personal data described in the privacy policy, you must request a special "non-phone-home" license. After you receive that license and associate it with your Core, your PII will not be used, and certain functions (auto update, and enabling integration between the Core and the QorePortal) are disabled.
Regardless of the privacy option you selected during installation, from the Core General setting Agree to use of personal data, you can change this setting. To switch between phone-home and non-phone-home modes in either direction, you must have access to the appropriate license.
For more information about the GDPR, see the EU General Data Protection Regulation website at https://eugdpr.org/the-regulation/.

Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide

Managing privacy

For more information about managing your privacy, see the following topics in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 User Guide:
l Certain business rules apply when changing between phone-home and non-phone-home mode using the Agree to use of personal data general setting. For more information, see the topic Configuring Core general settings.
l To see what information Rapid Recovery collects, in which circumstances, and why the information is collected, see How Rapid Recovery uses personal information.
l To see what functions you cannot perform when using a non-phone-home license, see the topic Nonphone-home license restrictions.
l To download a phone-home license, log into the Rapid Recovery License Portal. From the navigation menu, click Licensing, and from the drop-down menu on the top right, select License Key.
l To learn how to obtain a license in non-phone-home mode, see the topic Obtaining and using nonphone-home licenses.
How Rapid Recovery uses personal information
As detailed in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide topic "Understanding Rapid Recovery licenses," Rapid Recovery uses three types of software licenses: subscription, perpetual, and trial licenses. There are two modes in which licenses can be used:
l Phone-home mode. All licenses are issued in phone-home mode unless otherwise requested. If you register a phone-home license with theRapid Recovery License Portal , Rapid Recovery collects some personally identifiable information (PII). The information it collects, and how the information is used, are described below.
l Non-phone-home mode. Even when connected to the internet, if you obtain and register a non-phonehome license, Rapid Recovery will not share your PII. Using this mode precludes you from performing certain functions, as described in the topic Obtaining and using non-phone-home licenses.
Subscription licenses can only be used in phone-home mode. Perpetual and trial licenses can be used in either phone-home or non-phone-home mode. If you register a phone-home license, you give Rapid Recovery permission to collect the following PII:
l The IP addresses and hostnames of hosts that run on or interact with Rapid Recovery Core and Agent. l The email addresses associated with Rapid Recovery licenses; and l The consumption of licenses against the amount of licenses in the license pool.
This information is sent to Quest Software Inc. for the following purposes:
l To properly apply the appropriate license terms for the product; l To provide customer support; for example, when you run the Info-Gathering Tool, logs and diagnostic
data you specify is gathered to a local folder to send to Quest, or may be uploaded to Amazon, accessible only to Quest Data Protection Support. l To notify users of available updates (if the Update settings on your Core specify an option other than Never check for updates); and

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l To allow communication between your Core and the QorePortal. This communication can be enabled or disabled using the QorePortal setting on the Core. This portal lets licensed users with a current Support contract monitor the health of Cores and protected machines, manage multiple Cores, and generate reports on demand for the relevant Cores and protected machines.
You have the right to choose whether or not to share this information with Quest. First, when installing or updating the Rapid Recovery Core, you can choose whether to share this information on the Privacy Policy page of the installer. Also, if you decide not to share information with Quest, you can change the Core general setting Agree to use of personal data. Changing this setting prompts you to enter a license. If you enter a nonphone-home license, auto-update is disabled, as is your connection to the QorePortal. For more resources on this topic, see the following related links.
l For more information about the functions you cannot perform when using non-phone-home mode, see the topic Non-phone-home license restrictions.
l For more information about obtaining a license that uses non-phone-home mode, contact the Quest licensing team by web form, as described in the topic Obtaining and using non-phone-home licenses.
l For more information about changing your general settings, including the sharing of PII, see the topic Configuring Core general settings.
l For more information about viewing licensing information for a single protected machine, see Viewing license information on a machine.
l For more information about the types of licenses available, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide topic "Managing licenses" and its subtopics. For example, for more information about updating license key or file information, see "Updating or changing a license." To see how to add a license to an appliance, see "Adding a license." For more information about contacting the license portal server, see "Contacting the Rapid Recovery License Portal Server." In this release, these topics all appear only in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide.
l For additional topics regarding the management of licenses, see the Rapid Recovery License Portal User Guide.
Non-phone-home license restrictions
Registering a Rapid Recovery license in non-phone-home mode precludes the Core from sharing your personal information. This includes email address, IP addresses, and license consumption information. After you register a non-phone-home license, you will not be able to do the following:
l View license server information from the Settings page on the Core Console (since your Core is not permitted to communicate with the Rapid Recovery License Portal).
l Manage the consumption of licenses from the Core Console.
l Submit information to Quest Data Protection Support from the Rapid Recovery Info Gathering Tool.
l Monitor the health of Cores and protected machines, manage multiple Cores, and generate reports on demand for the relevant machines on multiple Cores from the QorePortal.
l Use the auto update feature to update a new version of Rapid Recovery Core (your Core is not notified that new versions are available).
l Use the auto update feature to directly update protected Linux machines using package managers such as yum, zypper, or apt (you can still download an installation package from an internet-accessible Linux machine and move installation files to the secured computer manually).

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Obtaining and using non-phone-home licenses
If you obtain the non-phone-home license before you upgrade or install Rapid Recovery Core, transfer the license to the Core server. When you run the installer, on the Privacy Policy page, select the option to decline to share data, and when prompted, register the non-phone-home license. If your Rapid Recovery Core is already registered with a phone-home key, access the General settings on the Core, change the setting Agree to use of personal data to No, and when prompted, register the non-phonehome key. For more information or step-by-step instructions for changing General settings for your Core, see the topic Configuring Core general settings. For more information about managing licenses from the Rapid Recovery Core, see the topic "Understanding Rapid Recovery licenses" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide. Complete the steps in this procedure to contact the Quest licensing team to obtain a non-phone-home license.
1. In a web browser, navigate to the Quest Licensing Assistance website at https://support.quest.com/contact-us/licensing.
2. From the How can we help you drop-down menu, select Obtain a license for my product.
3. From the Select Product drop-down menu, select Rapid Recovery.
4. From the Product Version drop-down menu, select the appropriate option. For example, select 6.4.

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5. In the Contact Information section of the form, add information as described in the following table.

Field Name
Business Email

Description

Required Field

Enter the email address to which you want the Quest licensing team to

Yes

respond. If you have access to the email account associated with your Rapid

Recovery license, use that address for fastest response.

Contact Enter your first name.

Yes

First Name

Contact Enter your last name.

Yes

Last Name

Company Enter the name of the company associated with your Rapid Recovery

Name

license.

Select if your license is related to a US federal organization.

Federal

Country Select your country.

Yes

Phone

Enter your phone number, including area code. If outside the US, include

Yes

Number country code.

License

Number (if

available)

License License keys were used in AppAssure 5.4.1 and earlier. This is typically a

Key (if

string of 30 characters (6 groups of 5 numbers and upper-case alphabetic

available) letters, separated by hyphens).

Machine The name of the registered Core machine.

Service Enter the service tag if available.

Tag (if

available)

License Indicate in this field that, per GDPR, you want a non-phone-home license to Yes

Request replace your phone-home license to protect your PII.

Details

NOTE: By making this request, you agree that you will delete the

phone-home license key when you receive and register the non-

phone-home key. You also agree that you will not share this key.

License If you have a phone-home license, you can attach the license file.

File

6. To validate your request and submit the form, select I'm not a robot, and then click Next. The form is submitted, and you receive an email message with a Service Request (SR) number.
When you receive the non-phone-home license file, upload it to the Core server to register the license. For more information, see "Updating or changing a license" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide.

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Encryption
This section describes the process of securing data in your environment using encryption keys and machinelevel snapshot encryption settings. Topics include:
Understanding encryption keys Encrypting data in transport over a network Applying or removing encryption keys Managing encryption keys
Understanding encryption keys
The Rapid Recovery Core can encrypt snapshot data for all volumes within any repository using encryption keys that you define and manage from the Core Console. Instead of encrypting the entire repository, Rapid Recovery lets you specify an encryption key for one or more machines protected on a single Rapid Recovery Core. Each active encryption key creates an encryption domain. There is no limit to the number of encryption keys you can create on the Core. In a multi-tenant environment (when a single Core hosts multiple encryption domains), data is partitioned and deduplicated within each encryption domain. As a result, Quest recommends using a single encryption key for multiple protected machines if you want to maximize the benefits of deduplication among a set of protected machines. You can also share encryption keys between Cores using one of three methods. One method is to export an encryption key as a file from one Rapid Recovery Core and import it to another Core. A second method is to archive data secured with an encryption key, and then import that archived data into another Rapid Recovery Core. The third method is to replicate recovery points from a protected machine using an encryption key. After you replicate protected machines, the encryption keys used in the source Core appear as replicated encryption keys in the target Core. In all cases, once imported, any encryption key appears in the Core with a state of Locked. To access data from a locked encryption key, you must unlock it. For information about importing, exporting, locking or unlocking encryption keys, see the topic Managing encryption keys. Key security concepts and considerations include:

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l Encryption is performed using 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode that is compliant with SHA-3.
l Deduplication operates within an encryption domain to ensure privacy.
l Encryption is performed without impact on performance.
l You can apply a single encryption key to any number of protected machines, but any protected machine can only have one encryption key applied at a time.
l You can add, remove, import, export, modify, and delete encryption keys that are configured on the Rapid Recovery Core. CAUTION: Rapid Recovery takes a new snapshot whenever you apply an encryption key to a protected machine. A new snapshot is also triggered after you disassociate an encryption key for a protected machine.

Encryption keys generated from the Rapid Recovery Core are text files that contain four parameters, as described in the following table:

Table 37: Components of an encryption key

Component Description

Name Key ID Comment

This value is equivalent to the key name given when adding a key in the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
This parameter consists of 107 randomly generated English alphabetic, numeric, and mathematical operator characters.
The key ID consists of 26 randomly generated upper-case and lower-case English characters.
The comment contains the text of the key description entered when the key was created.

Encrypting data in transport over a network
Rapid Recovery Core includes an encryption feature. You can encrypt all data in transport over a network. Quest recommends enabling this encryption setting when data between your Core and protected machines (or between two Cores such as for replication) must flow over the public or untrusted networks such as the internet. While there is only a small performance cost involved in enabling this encryption, if your Cores and protected machines are within the confines of a private local area network, you can disable this option with confidence. Please read the following information and adjust your environment accordingly. By default, when protecting a machine using the Protect Machine wizard or the Protect Multiple Machines wizard, encryption for the data in transport over a network is enabled. If you select advanced options for the wizard, you can view the Encryption options. On the Encryption page of the wizard, if preferred, you can clear the option Encrypt the data in transport over a network.
NOTE: If you do not select Advanced options in the wizard, encryption for data in transport is enabled nevertheless.
After completing the relevant protection wizard, you can always enable or disable encryption for snapshot data by changing transfer settings at the machine level. Select the protected machine, click Settings, and under

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Transfer settings, for the setting Encrypt snapshot data, select Yes to enable encryption or select No to disable encryption during transport. For specific details, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
Applying or removing encryption keys
You can secure the data protected on your Core at any time by defining an encryption key and applying it to one or more protected machines in your repository. You can apply a single encryption key to any number of protected machines, but any protected machine can only use one encryption key at a time. The scope of deduplication in Rapid Recovery is limited to protected machines using the same repository and encryption key. Therefore, to maximize the value of deduplication, Quest recommends applying a single encryption key to as many protected machines as is practical. However, there is no limit to the number of encryption keys you can create on the Core. Thus, if legal compliance, security rules, privacy policies, or other circumstances require it, you can add and manage any number of encryption keys. You could then apply each key to only one protected machine, or any set of machines in your repository. Any time you apply an encryption key to a protected machine, or dissociate an encryption key from a protected machine, Rapid Recovery takes a new base image for that machine upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot. The data stored in that base image (and all subsequent incremental snapshots taken while an encryption key is applied) is protected by a 256-bit advanced encryption standard. There are no known methods for compromising this method of encryption. If you change the name or passphrase for an existing encryption key currently used for a protected machine, then upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot, Rapid Recovery Core captures and reflects the updated properties of the key. The data stored in that image (and all subsequent incremental snapshots taken while an encryption key is applied) is protected by a 256-bit advanced encryption standard. Once an encryption key is created and applied to a protected machine, there are two concepts involved in removing that encryption. The first is to disassociate the key from the protected machine. Optionally, once the encryption key is disassociated from all protected machines, it can be deleted from the Rapid Recovery Core. This section includes the following topics:
l Associating an encryption key with a protected machine
l Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page
l Disassociating an encryption key from a protected machine
Associating an encryption key with a protected machine
You can apply an encryption key to a protected machine using either of two methods:
l As part of protecting a machine. When using this method, you can apply encryption to one or multiple machines simultaneously. This method lets you add a new encryption key, or apply an existing key to the selected machine or machines. To use encryption when first defining protection for a machine, you must select the advanced options in the relevant Protect Machines Wizard. This selection adds an Encryption page to the wizard workflow. From this page, select Enable encryption, and then select an existing encryption key or specify parameters for a new key. For more information, see Protecting a machine or About protecting multiple machines, respectively.

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l By modifying the configuration settings for a machine. This method applies an encryption key to one protected machine at a time. There are two approaches for modifying configuration settings for a machine in the Rapid Recovery Core: l Modify the configuration settings for a specific protected machine. The encryption key you want to use for this approach must already exist on the Rapid Recovery Core, be a universal key type, and must be in an unlocked state. Encryption is part of the General settings. For more information, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
l Click the Not Encrypted icon on the Protected Machines page. Using this approach you can create and apply a new encryption key, or assign an existing unlocked universal key to the specified protected machine. For more information, see Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page.
Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page
Once an encryption key has been added to aRapid Recovery Core, it can be used for any number of protected machines. If you select an encryption key during the initial protection of one or more machines, that key is automatically applied to any machines you protect using that wizard. In such cases, this procedure is not required. Perform this procedure:
l If you want to apply an existing, universal, unlocked encryption key to any protected machine in your Core.
l If you just added a new encryption key using the process described in the topic Adding an encryption key and want to apply that key to a protected machine.
l If encryption is already applied to a protected machine in your Core, but you want to change the key to a different universal, unlocked key available in your Core.
CAUTION: After you apply an encryption key to a protected machine, Rapid Recovery takes a new base image for that machine upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console and click Protected Machines. The Protected Machines page appears, listing all the machines protected by this Core. An open lock appears for any machine that does not have an encryption key applied. A closed lock indicates that a protected machine has encryption applied.
2. In the Protected Machines pane, click the lock icon for the protected machine you want to configure. The Encryption Configuration dialog box appears.

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3. Do one of the following:
l If you want to apply an existing encryption key to this machine, select Encrypt data using Corebased encryption with an existing key, and from the drop-down menu, select the appropriate key. Click OK to confirm.
l If you want to change an existing encryption key to a different universal, unlocked key, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and from the drop-down menu, select the appropriate key. Click OK to confirm.
l If you want to create a new encryption key and apply it to this protected machine, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key. Then enter the details for the key as described in the following table.

Table 38: New encryption key details

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Enter a descriptive comment for the encryption key. This information appears in the Description field when viewing a list of encryption keys in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Descriptions may contain up to 254 characters.
Best practice is to avoid using prohibited characters and prohibited phrases.

Passphrase Enter a passphrase used to control access. Best practice is to avoid using prohibited characters.
Record the passphrase in a secure location. Quest Data Protection Support cannot recover a passphrase. Once you create an encryption key and apply it to one or more protected machines, you cannot recover data if you lose the passphrase.

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

Passphrase

4. Click OK. The dialog box closes. The encryption key you specified has been applied to future backups for this protected machine, and the lock now appears as closed.
Optionally, if you want the encryption key applied immediately, force a snapshot. For more information, see Forcing a snapshot.
CAUTION: Rapid Recovery uses AES 256-bit encryption in the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode with 256-bit keys. While using encryption is optional, Quest recommends that you establish an encryption key, and that you protect the passphrase you define. Store the passphrase in a secure location as it is critical for data recovery. Without a passphrase, data recovery is not possible.

Disassociating an encryption key from a protected machine
Once an encryption key is applied to a protected machine, all subsequent snapshot data stored in the Rapid Recovery Core is encrypted.

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You can disassociate an encryption key from a protected machine. This action does not decrypt the existing backup data, but does result in a new base image for that machine at the time of the next scheduled or forced snapshot.
NOTE: If you want to remove an encryption key from the Core, as described in the topic Removing an encryption key, you must first disassociate that encryption key from all protected machines.
Perform this procedure to disassociate an encryption key from a specific protected machine.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console and click Protected Machines. The Protected Machines page appears, listing all the machines protected by this Core. An open lock appears for any machine that does not have an encryption key applied. A closed lock indicates that a protected machine has encryption applied.
2. In the Protected Machines pane, click the Encrypted icon for the protected machine you want to configure. The Encryption Configuration dialog box appears.
3. Select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the drop-down menu, select (None) and then click OK.
4. If you want to remove this encryption key from the Rapid Recovery Core, first repeat this procedure for all protected machines using this key. Then perform the procedure described in the topic Removing an encryption key.

Managing encryption keys

To manage encryption keys for the Rapid Recovery Core, from the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears. For each encryption key added to your Rapid Recovery Core (if any have been defined yet), you see the information described in the following table.

Table 39: Information about each encryption key

UI Element Description

Select Item For each encryption key, you can select the checkbox to perform actions from the list of menu options above the table.

Name

The name associated with the encryption key.

Thumbprint This parameter is a 26-character alphabetic string of randomly generated English upper and lower case letters that helps uniquely identify each encryption key.

Type

Type describes the origin point of an encryption key and its ability to be applied. An encryption key can contain one of two possible types: Universal. Universal type is the default condition when you create an encryption key. A key with a type of Universal, combined with a state of Unlocked, indicates that the key can be applied to a protected machine. You cannot manually lock a universal key type; instead, you must first change its type as described in the procedure Changing encryption key types.
Replication. When a protected machine in a source Core has encryption enabled, and recovery points for that machine are replicated in a target Core, any encryption keys used in the source appear automatically in the target Core with a type of Replication. The default state after receiving a replicated key is locked. You can unlock an encryption key with a type of Replication

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UI Element Description

by providing the passphrase. If a key has a type of Unlocked, you can manually lock it. For more information, see the topic Unlocking an encryption key.

State

The state indicates whether an encryption key can be used. Two possible states include:
l Unlocked. An Unlocked state indicates that the key can be used immediately. For example, you can encrypt snapshots for a protected machine, or perform data recovery from a replicated recovery point on the target Core.
l Locked. A Locked state indicates that the key cannot be used until it is unlocked by providing the passphrase. Locked is the default state for a newly imported or replicated encryption key.

If the state of an encryption key is locked, it must be unlocked before it can be used.
If you previously unlocked a locked encryption key, and the duration to remain unlocked has expired, the state changes from unlocked to locked. After the key locks automatically, you must unlock the key again in order to use it. For more information, see the topic Unlocking an encryption key.

Description The description is an optional field that is recommended to provide useful information about the encryption key such as its intended use or a passphrase hint.

At the top level of the Encryption Keys pane, you can add an encryption key or import a key using a file exported from another Rapid Recovery Core. You can also delete keys selected in the summary table. Once an encryption key exists for a Core, you can manage the existing keys by editing the name or description properties; changing the passphrase; unlocking a locked encryption key; or removing the key from the Rapid Recovery Core. You can also export a key to a file, which can be imported into another Rapid Recovery Core. When you add an encryption key from the Encryption Keys page, the key appears in the list of encryption keys, but is not applied to a specific protected machine. For information on how to apply an encryption key you create from the Encryption Keys pane, or to delete a key entirely from the Rapid Recovery Core, see Applying or removing encryption keys. From the Encryption Keys pane, you can manage security for the backup data saved to the Core for any protected machine in your repository by doing the following:
l Adding an encryption key
l Importing an encryption key
l Unlocking an encryption key
l Editing an encryption key
l Changing an encryption key passphrase
l Exporting an encryption key
l Removing an encryption key
l Changing encryption key types
l Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page

Adding an encryption key
Rapid Recovery uses AES 256-bit encryption in the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode with 256-bit keys.

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While using encryption is optional, Quest recommends that you establish an encryption key, and that you protect the passphrase you define.
CAUTION: Store the passphrase in a secure location. Without a passphrase, you cannot recover data from encrypted recovery points.
After an encryption key is defined, you can use it to safeguard your data. Encryption keys can be used by any number of protected machines. This step describes how to add an encryption key from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. This process does not apply the key to any machines currently being protected on the Core. You can also add an encryption key during the process of protecting a machine. For more information on adding encryption as part of protecting one machine, see Protecting a machine. For more information on adding encryption to two or more machines while initially protecting them, see About protecting multiple machines. Complete the steps in this procedure to add an encryption key.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears.
3. Click Add Encryption Key. The Create Encryption Key dialog box appears.
4. In the Create Encryption Key dialog box, enter the details for the key as described in the following table.

Table 40: Create encryption key details. Text Box Description

Name

Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters and prohibited phrases.

Description

Enter a comment for the encryption key. This information appears in the Description field when viewing encryption keys from the Core Console. You can enter up to 254 characters. Best practice is to avoid using prohibited characters and prohibited phrases.

Passphrase Enter a passphrase used to control access. Best practice is to avoid usingprohibited characters.
CAUTION: Record the passphrase in a secure location. Quest Data Protection Support cannot recover a passphrase. Once you create an encryption key and apply it to one or more protected machines, you cannot recover data if you lose the passphrase.

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

5. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the encryption key you created is visible on the Encryption Keys page.
6. If you want to apply the encryption key to a protected machine, see Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page.

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Importing an encryption key
You can import an encryption key from another Rapid Recovery Core and use that key to encrypt data for a protected machine in your Core. To import the key, you must be able to access it from the Core machine, either locally or through your network. You must also know the passphrase for the encryption key. Complete the steps in this procedure to import an encryption key.
NOTE: This procedure does not apply the key to any protected machines. For more information on applying the key, see Applying an encryption key from the Protected Machines page.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears.
3. Click Import. The File Upload dialog box appears.
4. In theFile Upload dialog box, navigate to the network or local directory containing the encryption key you want to import. For example, navigate to the Downloads folder for the logged-in user. The key filename starts with "EncryptionKey-," followed by the key ID, and ending in the file extension .key. For example, a sample encryption key name is EncryptionKey-RandomAlphabeticCharacters.key.
5. Select the key you want to import, and then click Open. 6. In the Import Key dialog box, click OK.
The dialog box closes and the encryption key you imported is visible on the Encryption Keys page. If the encryption key was used to protect a volume before it was exported, the state of the key is Locked.
Unlocking an encryption key
Encryption keys may contain a state of unlocked or locked. An unlocked encryption key can be applied to a protected machine to secure the backup data saved for that machine in the repository. From a Rapid Recovery Core using an unlocked encryption key, you can also recover data from a recovery point. When you import an encryption key into a Rapid Recovery Core, its default state is Locked. This is true regardless of whether you explicitly imported the key, or whether the encryption key was added to the Rapid Recovery Core either by replicating encrypted protected machines or by importing an archive of encrypted recovery points. For encryption keys added to the Rapid Recovery Core by replication only, when you unlock a key, you can specify a duration of time (in hours, days, or months) for the encryption key to remain unlocked. Each day is based on a 24-hour period, starting from the time the unlock request is saved to the Rapid Recovery Core. For example, if the key is unlocked at 11:24 AM on Tuesday and the duration selected is 2 days, the key automatically re-locks at 11:24 AM that Thursday.
NOTE: You cannot use a locked encryption key to recover data or to apply to a protected machine. You must first provide the passphrase, thus unlocking the key. You can also lock an unlocked encryption key, ensuring that it cannot be applied to any protected machine until it is unlocked. To lock an encryption key with a state of Universal, you must first change its type to Replicated. If an unlocked encryption key is currently being used to protect a machine in the Core, you must first disassociate that encryption key from the protected machine before you can lock it. Complete the steps in this procedure to unlock a locked encryption key.
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1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears. The State column indicates which encryption keys are locked.
3. Locate the encryption key you want to unlock, click its drop-down menu , and select Unlock. The Unlock Encryption Key dialog box appears.
4. In the dialog box, in the Passphrase text box, enter the passphrase to unlock this key. 5. To specify the length of time that the key remains unlocked, in the Duration option, do one of
the following: l To specify that the key remains unlocked until you explicitly lock it, select Until locked manually. l To specify that the key remains locked for a duration which you configure in hours, days, or months, do the following: l Select the number field and enter a value between 1 and 999. l Specify the duration number as hours, days, or months, respectively. l Then click OK. This option is available for encryption keys added by replication. The dialog box closes and the changes for the selected encryption key are visible on the Encryption Keys page.
6. To specify that the key remains locked until a date and time that you specify, do the following: l Select the Until option. l In the text field or using the calendar and clock widgets, explicitly specify the data and time you want the encryption key to lock. l Then click OK. This option is available for encryption keys added by replication. The dialog box closes and the changes for the selected encryption key are visible on the Encryption Keys page.

Locking an encryption key

When an encryption key state is locked, it cannot be applied to any protected machine until it is unlocked. To lock an encryption key with a type of Universal, you must first change its type to Replicated. Complete the steps in this procedure to lock an encryption key.

1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.

2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears. The State column indicates which encryption keys are unlocked, and shows the type for each key.

3. Locate the encryption key you want to lock. If its type is Universal, then click its drop-down menu select Change the type to Replicated. The Change Encryption Key Type dialog box appears.
4. In the dialog box, confirm that you want to change the key type to Replicated.

, and

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5. If you successfully changed the encryption key status to Replicated, then click its drop-down menu , and select Lock. The Lock Encryption Key dialog box appears.
6. In the dialog box, confirm that you want to lock the key. The dialog box closes, and the state of the selected encryption key is now locked. NOTE: This option is available for encryption keys added by replication.
Editing an encryption key
After an encryption key is defined, you can edit the name of the encryption key or the description of the key. These properties are visible when you view the list of encryption keys in the Encryption Keys pane. Complete the steps in this procedure to edit the name or description of an existing unlocked encryption key.
CAUTION: After you edit the name or description an encryption key that is used to protect one or more machines, Rapid Recovery takes a new base image. That base image snapshot occurs for that machine upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears. 3. Locate the encryption key you want to edit, and do the following:
l If the key is locked, you must first unlock it. See Unlocking an encryption key. l If the key is unlocked, proceed as described below. 4. Click the drop-down menu for the specified encryption key, and select Edit. The Edit Encryption Key dialog box appears. 5. In the dialog box, edit the name or the description for the encryption key, and then click OK. The dialog box closes, and the changes for the selected encryption key are visible on the Encryption Keys page.
Changing an encryption key passphrase
To maintain maximum security, you can change the passphrase for any existing encryption key. Complete the steps in this procedure to change the passphrase for an encryption key.
CAUTION: After you edit the name or description an encryption key that is used to protect one or more machines, Rapid Recovery takes a new base image. That base image snapshot occurs for that machine upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears.
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3. Locate the encryption key you want to update, click its drop-down menu passphrase. The Change Passphrase dialog box appears.

, and select Change

4. In the dialog box, in the Passphrase text box, enter the new passphrase for the encryption.

5. In the Confirm passphrase text box, re-enter the identical passphrase.

6. Click OK. The dialog box closes and the passphrase is updated.

7. Optionally, if you use a hint in the Description field, edit the encryption key to update the hint. For more information, see Editing an encryption key.
CAUTION: Rapid Recovery uses AES 256-bit encryption in the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode with 256-bit keys. Quest recommends that you record the passphrase in a secure location and keep this information updated. Quest Data Protection Support cannot recover a passphrase. Without the passphrase, you cannot recover information from encrypted recovery points.

Exporting an encryption key
You can export an encryption key from any Rapid Recovery Core with the express purpose of using it in another Core. When you perform this procedure, the key is saved to the Downloads folder for the active Windows user account. Complete the steps in this procedure to export an encryption key.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears.
3. Locate the encryption key you want to export, click its drop-down menu , and select Export. The Opening EncryptionKey-[name.key] dialog box appears.
4. In the dialog box, select Save File to save and store the encryption keys in a secure location, and then click OK. The encryption key downloads as a text file to the default location, such as the Downloads folder of the active Windows user account.
5. Optionally, if you want to import this key into a different Core, copy the file to a location accessible from that Core.
Removing an encryption key
When you remove an encryption key from the Encryption Keys page, the key is deleted from the Rapid Recovery Core.
NOTE: Removing an encryption key does not decrypt the recovery points already saved using the key. You must still retain and provide the passphrase for the key to recover data for existing encrypted recovery points. You cannot remove an encryption key that is already associated with any protected machine. You must first view the encryption settings for each protected machine using the key, and disassociate the encryption key you want to remove. For more information, see the topic Disassociating an encryption key from a protected machine.

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Complete the steps in this procedure to remove an encryption key. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys. The Encryption Keys page appears. 3. Locate the encryption key you want to remove. Click its drop-down menu , and select Remove. The Remove Encryption Key dialog box appears. You see a message confirming the action to remove the encryption key. 4. In the dialog box, confirm that you want to remove the encryption key. NOTE: Removing an encryption key does not decrypt the recovery points already saved using the key. You must still retain and provide the key to recover data for existing encrypted recovery points. The dialog box closes, and the encryption key you removed no longer appears on the Encryption Keys page.
Changing encryption key types
Encryption keys list one of two possible types on the Encryption Keys pane: Universal or Replication. The type indicates the likely origin of the encryption key, and determines whether you can change its details or passphrase. You can modify these attributes only if the type is Universal. If you need to modify these attributes for a key with Replicated type, you must change its type to Universal using this procedure. When you change the type of an encryption key to Universal, it is unlocked manually and can be used to encrypt other protected machines.
NOTE: You must know the passphrase to change the type from Replicated to Universal.
Encryption keys also have two possible states: Locked or Unlocked. The state controls your ability to apply an encryption key to a protected machine, or to restore data from a recovery point with encryption. You can change the type of an encryption key manually only if the state is Unlocked. When you first create an encryption key, its type is Universal, and its state is Unlocked. You can use such a key immediately (for example, to encrypt backups for a protected machine). However, a Universal key type cannot be locked manually. If you want to manually lock an encryption key with a type of Universal, you must change the type to Replicated using this procedure. You cannot change an encryption key type if it is already in use encrypting recovery points for one or more protected machine. Follow this procedure to change an encryption key type.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (More) and then select Encryption Keys.
The Encryption Keys page appears. Any encryption keys accessible to the Core appear in a summary table. Each lists a type of Universal or Replicated. 3. Locate the encryption key you want to update.
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4. If you want to change a Universal encryption key to Replication, do the following: a. Click its drop-down menu , and select Change the type to Replicated. The Change Encryption Key Type dialog box appears. You see a message confirming that you want to change the type to Replicated. b. In the dialog box, confirm that you want to change the type to Replication. The dialog box closes, and the encryption key type updates to Replication.
5. If you want to change a Replication encryption key to Universal, do the following: a. Click its drop-down menu , and select Change the type to Universal The Change Encryption Key Type dialog box appears. You see a message confirming that you want to change the type to Universal. b. In the dialog box, in the Passphrase text box, enter the passphrase and then click OK to confirm that you want to change the type to Universal. The dialog box closes, and the encryption key type updates to Universal.
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7
Protecting machines
This section describes how to protect, configure, and manage the protected machines in your Rapid Recovery environment. Topics include:
About protecting machines with Rapid Recovery Understanding the Rapid Recovery Agent software installer Deploying Agent to multiple machines simultaneously from the Core Console Using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard to deploy to one or more machines Modifying deploy settings Understanding protection schedules Protecting a machine About protecting multiple machines Enabling application support Settings and functions for protected Exchange servers Settings and functions for protected SQL servers
About protecting machines with Rapid Recovery
To protect your data using Rapid Recovery, you need to add the workstations, servers, desktop, and laptop machines you want to protect to your Rapid Recovery Core. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, using one of the Protect Machine wizards, you can identify the machines you want to protect. You can do the following:
l Protect a single machine using the Protect Machine wizard, which connects to the machine using network hostname or IP address. For more information about how to protect a single machine, see Protecting a machine.
l Protect a network cluster using the Protect Cluster wizard, which connects to the cluster and its nodes using network hostname or IP address. For more information about how to protect a cluster, see Protecting a cluster.
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l Protect multiple machines simultaneously using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard. This wizard lets you connect to the machines associated with a Microsoft Active Directory server; machines on a vCenter or ESXi host; or to machines on a Hyper-V host or a Hyper-V cluster. You can also manually enter connection information (network hostname or IP address, username and password) for multiple machines. For more information about how to protect multiple machines, see About protecting multiple machines.
NOTE: Quest recommends limiting the number of machines you protect simultaneously to 50 or fewer, to preclude experiencing resource constraints that may cause the protect operation to fail. When identifying your protection requirements for a single machine in the wizard, you can specify which volumes to protect. When you protect multiple machines, all volumes are protected by default. (You can change this later on an individual machine basis). When protecting a virtual machine on a vCenter/ESXi or Hyper-V host, you must define whether to protect the machine using the Rapid Snap for Virtual feature or by installing Rapid Recovery Agent. For more information, see Factors when choosing agent-based or agentless protection. The wizard also lets you define a customized schedule for protection (or re-use an existing schedule). Using advanced options, you can add additional security measures by specifying or applying an encryption key to backups for the machines you want to protect. Finally, if one does not already exist, you can define a repository using the wizard. After installing the Agent software, each machine must be restarted after installation. For more information on how to protect workstations and servers, see Protecting a machine.
Factors when choosing agent-based or agentless protection
The Rapid Snap for Virtual feature of Rapid Recovery is supported on vCenter/ESXi or on Hyper-V hypervisors. This feature, also known as agentless protection, lets you protect VMs running on your protected hypervisor in your Core without installing the Rapid Recovery Agent software on each guest machine.
General recommendations
Rapid Snap for Virtual has nearly achieved parity with protection provided by installing the Rapid Recovery Agent software. As a general rule, Quest recommends using agentless protection on ESXi or Hyper-V virtual machines. If the Agent software is installed on ESXi or Hyper-V VMs, unless there is a compelling reason to explicitly protect your VM using Rapid Recovery Agent, Quest recommends removing the Agent software, and protecting your VMs agentlessly. There are some advantages to protecting agentlessly, and some limitations. These are clearly described in the topic Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual. Exceptions to the recommendation to use agentless protection are as follows:
l Gathering metadata for agentless machines is slower than for machines protected by the Rapid Recovery Agent software. If you experience performance issues related to metadata (specifically for agentlessly protected Exchange Server or SQL Server machines), Quest Data Protection Support may suggest installing the software-based Agent on specific application servers for troubleshooting purposes.
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l If protecting only one or two VMs on a hypervisor with multiple sockets, you may consume fewer licenses by installing Agent directly on the VMs instead of the host.
l If you require features exclusive to Rapid Recovery Agent, install the Agent software on relvant VMs.
Some features are unique to protection by installing the Rapid Recovery Agent software. The following examples apply:
l Performing a SQL attachability check is a capability of the Rapid Recovery Agent software. If protecting your SQL Server machine agentlessly, you must perform SQL Attachability checks using an instance of SQL Server installed on the Core server. To perform this check, you must adjust your Core Attachability setting on the Core to Use SQL Server on the Core.
l Dynamic volumes protected agentlessly are protected at the disk level, not the volume level. l Live Recovery is a feature of the Rapid Recovery Agent software. You cannot use this feature when
restoring volumes protected using Rapid Snap for Virtual (nor for Linux machines or when restoring CSVs).
If you require any of the features described in the previous list for a specific VM, Quest recommends installing Agent instead of protecting the VM agentlessly. For more information, see the topic Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual.
Release 6.4 license consumption concepts
As described in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide topic "Understanding Rapid Recovery licenses," Rapid Recovery 6.2 and later uses only two license pools: Capacity, and Enterprise. If licensing for your Core is set up to use a capacity-based pool, you cannot use another pool type.
NOTE: In the future, Quest may add license pools based on other units of measure. Capacity and Enterprise pools continue to be supported. DL series backup appliances use back-end capacity-based licensing, and are not affected by license pool restrictions. Software-based Rapid Recovery environments using front-end capacity licensing likewise receive no license benefits from using agentless protection. Other benefits for using agentless protection are relevant even when Capacity license pools are in use. If your Rapid Recovery release 6.2 or later environment uses an Enterprise license pool, then the following rules apply:
l Hyper-V or vCenter/ESXi hypervisor hosts protected with Rapid Recovery Agent consume one license from the pool for each processor socket. If your hypervisor host has six CPU sockets, it consumes 6 licenses from the Enterprise pool.
l Any other machine (physical or virtual) protected in your Core with Rapid Recovery Agent consumes one license from that pool. This is true even for application servers (such as Exchange Server, SQL Server, or Oracle Database 12c) with multiple CPU sockets.
Licensing benefits of using agentless protection
You can protect guest VMs on a vCenter/ESXi hypervisor host by running the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. On the Connection page of this wizard, if you specify Protect selected VMs agentlessly, the guest VMs on that host are protected agentlessly. For those VMs, no licenses are consumed from your license pool. While Rapid Recovery Agent is not installed on the host, adding that host to your Core consumes one license for each CPU socket.
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When you protect a Hyper-V Server, Rapid Recovery Agent is installed on the host. For each CPU socket on that hypervisor host, one license from your Enterprise pool is consumed. If you specify protecting the Hyper-V server agentlessly, guest VMs are protected agentlessly, and for those VMs, no licenses are consumed from your available license pool. When you protect a Hyper-V cluster, Rapid Recovery Agent is installed on each node in the cluster. Only a single license is consumed from your license pool. The total number of CPU sockets in the cluster are consumed. If you specify protecting the Hyper-V cluster agentlessly, guest VMs are protected agentlessly, and for those VMs, no licenses are consumed from your available license pool on the cluster. The chief licensing benefit to using Rapid Snap for Virtual is a reduction in consumption of licenses from your Enterprise license pool for the VMs you protect. If you specify agentless protection for an ESXi hypervisor host, or a Hyper-V server or cluster, all new VMs created on the host are automatically protected agentlessly, and do not consume licenses from your Enterprise license pool. If some of the VMs on that hypervisor host previously had Rapid Recovery Agent installed, and your Core is running Rapid Recovery release 6.2 or later, you should do one of the following:
l Remove the Agent software and protect the VM agentlessly. No licenses from your pool are consumed.
l If you require the machine to be protected by Agent, and the host is added to the Core, associate the VM with its parent host. You get the benefit of Agent-based protection, and no license is consumed.
l Make no changes. The VM is protected using the APIs in Rapid Recovery Agent, and a single license is consumed.
Each virtual machine on a hypervisor added to your Core is protected agentlessly without consuming a license. To obtain this benefit, you must do the following: The chief licensing benefit to using Rapid Snap for Virtual is a reduction in consumption of licenses from your Enterprise license pool for the VMs you protect. Each virtual machine on a hypervisor added to your Core is protected agentlessly without consuming a license. To obtain this benefit, you must do the following:
l Protect VMs agentlessly. You can explicitly protect VMs by using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard. When protecting a hypervisor host, you can also select the option to Auto protect new virtual machines, which implicitly protects new VMs when they are created.
l Associate the guest VM with its protected hypervisor host. If Rapid Recovery Agent is installed, its APIs (not those native to the hypervisor) are used to protect the VM. However, you can reduce licenses consumed by associating the VM with the host that has been added to the Core. This association is performed at the machine level for each virtual machine. The process of linking the guest VM with its parent hypervisor host is described in step 3 of the procedure Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
l Uninstall Agent. Unless otherwise recommended, remove any copies of the Agent software from the virtual machine.
For a discussion of benefits and limitations regarding agentless protection, additional software recommended, minimum requirements for the host, and so on, see the topic Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual.
About protecting Linux machines with Rapid Recovery
The Rapid Recovery Agent software is compatible with multiple Linux-based operating systems (for details, see the system requirements defined in the Rapid Recovery System Requirements Guide). The Rapid Recovery Core is compatible only with Windows machines. While you can manage protected Linux machines from the
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Rapid Recovery Core Console, several procedures for Linux machines have steps that differ from their Windows counterparts. Additionally, you can perform some actions directly on a protected Linux machine by using the local_mount command line utility. If you want to protect a single Linux machine, you can now use the Protect Machines Wizard. See the topic Protecting a machine. To protect multiple Linux machines simultaneously using the wizard from the Core Console, see the topic Protecting multiple machines manually. To deploy or install the Agent software to a Linux machine from the Core Console, you must have the following:
l The user account must have SUDO privileges. l The Linux machine you want to protect must have access to an SSH server.
If a Linux machine you want to protect does not meet these prerequisites, consult with a Linux administrator. Comply with these requirements and then you can complete the relevant wizard to deploy and install the Agent software.
About protecting Oracle database servers
Rapid Recovery includes application support of Agent-based protection of Oracle 12c and oracle 18c relational database management systems (RDBMS). You can protect an Oracle database server and all of its databases, and perform related tasks. In this release, the following restrictions apply:
l Oracle 12c and Oracle 18c are the only tested and supported versions for protection on the Rapid Recovery Core. Use any other Oracle versions at your own risk.
l Protected Oracle database servers must run 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2012 R2or Windows Server 2016.
l You must install the Rapid Recovery Agent software (release 6.2 or later) on your Oracle server. Agentless protection is planned for a future release.
l Protection of Oracle 12c and Oracle 18c databases is limited to using Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) in the ARCHIVELOG mode.
NOTE: Support for NOARCHIVELOG (the default Oracle database log mode) is planned for a future release. Oracle databases with ARCHIVELOG mode enabled must also be set to archive all online redo logs using the ARCH (archive) process. A database administrator (DBA) can change the mode and set archiving of redo logs using Oracle SQL*Plus or Oracle Enterprise Manager. For more information about enabling ARCHIVELOG mode and archiving, see Oracle documentation or consult a qualified Oracle 12c or 18c DBA. To fully protect Oracle servers, perform the following tasks:
l Install the Rapid Recovery Agent software (release 6.2 or later) on your Oracle server and begin protection. Use the Protect Machine Wizard to locate the Oracle server on your network, deploy the Agent software, and establish a protection schedule. For more information, see About protecting machines with Rapid Recovery.
l Enter credentials for each database in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. The Core securely caches your credentials and lets you access the metadata from the UI. Before you enter credentials, you cannot view details for databases on your protected Oracle server. For more information, see Entering or editing credentials for Oracle databases.
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l Enable ARCHIVELOG mode for the protected Oracle server, and verify the Oracle VSS writer, from the Core Console. For more information, see Enabling archive log mode and adding VSS writer for protected Oracle databases.
l Review log truncation deletion policies offered in Rapid Recovery Core and implement a log truncation regime. When an Oracle database is set to ARCHIVELOG mode, the logs accumulate quickly and consume substantial disk space. You can truncate Oracle logs manually on demand, or configure automatic log truncation using the "Log truncation for Oracle" nightly job. Both methods offer the same Deletion policies for Oracle log truncation. To avoid eventual errors and snapshot failures when storage for the logs is full, implement a consistent approach for managing Oracle logs. For more information, see About truncating Oracle logs. You can also truncate Oracle database logs manually on demand. For more information about this procedure, see Manually truncating Oracle database logs.
Once you install the Agent, protect the machine in your Core, and configure settings properly, you can do the following:
l View metadata. From the protected machine Summary page, you can view metadata about each database on your Oracle server, including connection and status for each log file, control file and data file.
l Check database integrity. You can perform integrity checks from the Core Console using the DBVERIFY utility.
l Truncate archive logs, using one of three deletion policies.
l Restore databases. Restore entire volumes, or volumes that contain selected databases. Once you enable Archive log mode, snapshots of the Oracle database are crash-consistent from the point of view of the Oracle service.
l Perform virtual export. You can make a one-time export, or set up a virtual standby VM that continually updates a VM with new information as backups on your protected database are captured. If you boot up a VM of an Oracle database, you may have to manually start the database services, and manually disable backup mode for database data files.
Entering or editing credentials for Oracle databases
Before performing this procedure, you must first add an Oracle database server to protection on your Core. To enter or edit Oracle database credentials:
l The Windows user account of the Rapid Recovery user performing this procedure must have SYSDBA privileges on the protected database server.
l The database must be accessible to the Rapid Recovery Core server, and a connection must be successfully established.
NOTE: SYSDBA is an Oracle systems database administrative privilege required to perform high-level administrative operations. These functions include creating, starting up, shutting down, backing up, or recovering an Oracle database.
After protecting your Oracle database server, you cannot access database metadata or view database details until you enter credentials for each database. This one-time step caches your database credentials securely and provides the Core Console with access to status information about all protected transaction log files, control files, and data files that comprise your Oracle databases. For example, on the Summary page for the protected Oracle machine, before entering credentials, you cannot expand details about any of the protected databases in the Oracle Server Information pane.
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NOTE: This is a one-time step required for each new protected Oracle database.

Complete the steps in this procedure to provide the Rapid Recovery Core Console with access to the required metadata for your protected Oracle databases.
1. Navigate to the protected Oracle machine in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. The Summary page displays for the protected machine.
2. On the Summary page, scroll down to the Oracle Server Information pane.
3. For the first database in the table, click the (More options) drop-down list and select Edit Credentials. The Edit Instance Credentials dialog box displays.
4. Two connection types are supported: basic, and Transparent Network Substrate (TNS, a proprietary Oracle networking technology). Do one of the following:
l To connect using a basic connection, enter the information in the following table:

Option

Description

Connection Type
Host Name
Port
SID or Service Name

Basic
Enter the host name or IP address. Enter the appropriate port. The default port open for this purpose is 1521. Select the appropriate connection method. You can use one of the following:
l SID. The Oracle System Identifier (SID) is a unique ID that uniquely identifies your database instance.
l Service Name. The service name is the TNS alias used to remotely connect to your database.

NOTE: The service name can be found in the TNSNAMES.ORA file.

Service Name The service name is the TNS alias that you give when you remotely connect to your database and this Service

l To connect using TNS, enter the information in the following table:

Option

Description

Connection TNS Type

Network Alias

Select this drop-down menu to view database aliases available to the network, and select the appropriate alias.

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5. Two credential types are supported: Oracle, and Operating System. Do one of the following: l To connect with Oracle credentials, enter the user name and password for the Oracle database in the relevant text fields. NOTE: Your Windows user account must have SYSDBA privileges.
l To connect using cached credentials from the operating system, select Operating System. NOTE: Your Windows user account must be a member of the ORA_DBA local group, which ensures the user has SYSDBA privileges.
6. To verify credentials, click Verify. A dialog box displays, indicating if the test connection was successful.
7. Do one of the following: l If the verification succeeded, click OK to close the message dialog box. l If not successful, close the dialog box and revise the instance credentials until connection is verified. Consult your system administrator if you have questions about credentials.
8. In the Edit Instance Credentials dialog box, after successful verification, click OK. The dialog box closes, and Rapid Recovery Core Console immediately applies and caches the credentials. Very soon afterward, metadata is available in the Core Console, and the status indicator for the selected database displays a green (online) status.
9. Repeat step 3 through step 8 for each database listed in the Oracle Server Information pane. After entering and caching credentials for all databases on this protected Oracle machine, perform the procedures described in the topic Enabling archive log mode and adding VSS writer for protected Oracle databases.
Enabling archive log mode and adding VSS writer for protected Oracle databases
Before performing this procedure, you must first add an Oracle database server to protection on your Core, and enter credentials for each database into the Core Console. Database applications require the presence of a combination of specific files (such as configuration, log, and control files), each set to a specific state, to be able application-consistent. In Rapid Recovery Core release 6.2 and later, Oracle databases require archive log mode to be enabled. Until you perform this procedure, your snapshots of the database server will be crash-consistent, but not application-consistent. Oracle VSS writer captures snapshots using Volume Snapshot Service. This writer must be enabled.
NOTE: These are one-time steps required for each new protected Oracle database.
Complete the steps in this procedure to verify if archive log mode is enabled; to enable that mode if required; and to add VSS writer to your Core.
1. Navigate to the protected Oracle machine in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. The Summary page displays for the protected machine.
2. On the Summary page, scroll down to the Oracle Server Information pane.
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3. In the Oracle Server Information pane, if you see a warning notification that archive log mode is disabled, click Enable archive log mode for these databases and then click to confirm restart of the database instances. NOTE: Enabling archive mode causes the relevant database instances to restart. This could take a few minutes.
4. In the Oracle Server Information pane, if you see a warning notification that the Oracle VSS writer is excluded from snapshots, click Include Oracle VSS Writer and then click to confirm. The warning message closes, and the VSS writer is added to your Core.
5. Optionally, you can track the progress towards enabling archive log mode or adding a VSS writer. For more information, see Viewing tasks.
About truncating Oracle logs
Currently, protection of Oracle 12c databases in Rapid Recovery Core release 6.2 and later is limited to using Volume Snapshot Service (VSS) in the ARCHIVELOG mode. In this mode, the database is configured to archive all online redo logs using the ARCH (archive) process. The Oracle VSS writer calls the Oracle service to archive the existing re-do logs to Oracle's fast_recovery_area folder, and creates a new archive log file. ARCHIVELOG mode causes a substantial number of log files to accumulate on the database server, using valuable storage space. Each time a recovery point of the Oracle server is captured, the new Oracle logs generated since the last snapshot are included. This renders the local copies of the logs superfluous. For this reason, Rapid Recovery Core includes several methods for truncating Oracle logs.
1. Enable Oracle log truncation on the Core as a nightly job. Rapid Recovery Core includes a nightly job setting called Log truncation for Oracle.This nightly job is disabled by default. If you enable this nightly job, Oracle ARCHIVELOGS are truncated according to the deletion policy specified in the settings for this job.
2. Enable and customize Oracle log truncation as a nightly job. For each specific Oracle server protected on your Core, you can customize the Oracle log truncation nightly job configuration. As with the Core nightly job, you can select from any of the three deletion policies, described in the following section.
3. Manually truncate logs on demand. Regardless of whether you set a log truncation schedule using nightly jobs, you can manually truncate Oracle ARCHIVELOGS on demand at any time.
Truncation of Oracle logs, by nightly job or on demand manually, occurs without requiring a transfer job. When you specify truncation of Oracle logs by nightly jobs, truncation occurs according to the deletion policy at the time nightly jobs are scheduled to occur. Conversely, when you elect to manually truncate Oracle logs, a log truncation job queues. If the system is not busy, the job executes immediately and the logs are truncated.
Deletion policies for Oracle log truncation
When configuring log truncation for Oracle database servers, you can choose from one of three deletion policies:
l The Automatic deletion policy truncates all Oracle ARCHIVELOGS stored in the fast_recovery_area folder one time daily when nightly jobs run.
l The Keep newest deletion policy lets you specify the duration of time (n days, weeks, months, or years) to retain the Oracle logs before truncating. When the time period expires, log files past the threshold are then truncated one time daily when nightly jobs run.
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l The Keep specified number deletion policy lets you specify a specific number of log files to retain. After that threshold is reached, newer logs are retained, and the older logs are then truncated one time daily when nightly jobs run.
If you need a truncated ARCHIVELOG file, you can obtain it from the latest recovery point captured prior to truncating the logs. For more information about truncating jobs as a nightly job, see the topic Understanding nightly jobs. For more information about manually truncating Oracle logs on demand, see Manually truncating Oracle database logs.
Manually truncating Oracle database logs
This procedure is only appropriate for Oracle database severs protected on your Core. When protecting an Oracle database in ARCHIVELOG mode, substantial log files accumulate on the local database server. To support the protection of Oracle databases in Rapid Recovery, you can enable a nightly job to truncate Oracle logs.
NOTE: Log truncation for Oracle is disabled by default.
For any protected Oracle server, you can also manually truncate Oracle database logs on demand at any time, as described in this topic. Truncating will delete the logs from the local server. In each recovery point saved to your repository, the database logs persist to reflect the state of the database at the time the backup snapshot was captured. Complete the steps in this procedure to manually truncate Oracle log files.
1. Navigate to the protected Oracle machine in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. The Summary page displays for the protected machine.
2. On the Summary page, scroll down to the Oracle Server Information pane. 3. In the table row representing the Oracle database instance for which you want to truncate logs, click the
(More options) drop-down list and select Force Log Truncation. The Force Log Truncation dialog box displays. 4. If you want to delete all of the Oracle logs from the local database server, from the Deletion policy dropdown menu, select Automatic, and then click Force. A log truncation job queues. If the system is not busy, the job executes immediately and the logs are truncated. 5. If you want to delete all of the locally stored logs from the Oracle server (copies of which are stored in the most recent recovery point), do the following:
a. From the Deletion policy drop-down menu, select Keep newest. b. In the Keep logs for text field, enter a number, and then from the time period drop-down menu,
select the relevant a period of time (days, weeks, months, or years). c. Click Force.
A log truncation job queues. If the system is not busy, the job executes immediately and the logs are truncated.
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6. If you want to keep a specific number of Oracle log files, and truncate the remaining logs, then do the following: a. From the Deletion policy drop-down menu, select Keep specified number. b. In the Number of archive files text field, enter a number representing the amount of the newest database logs to retain. c. Click Force. A log truncation job queues. If the system is not busy, the job executes immediately and the logs are truncated.
7. If you want to truncate logs for other database instances on this server, repeat step 3 through step 6 for each relevant database listed in the Oracle Server Information pane.
About managing Exchange and SQL servers in Rapid Recovery Core
Options specific to Exchange Server and SQL Server appear in the Rapid Recovery Core Console only when an instance of the software and related files are detected on protected servers. In those cases, additional options are available when you select the protected machine in the Core Console. For example, if you select a protected Exchange server in the left navigation menu, then the menu options that appear for that protected machine include an Exchange drop-down menu option. If you select a protected SQL server in the left navigation menu, then the menu options that appear for that protected machine include a SQL drop-down menu. While these options may work differently, there is some commonality. Functions you can accomplish for protected Exchange and SQL servers (and for no other protected machines) include:
l Forcing server log truncation. Both SQL servers and Exchange servers include server logs. The process of truncating SQL logs identifies available space on the server. When you truncate logs for an Exchange server, in addition to identifying the available space, the process frees up more space on the server.
l Setting credentials for the relevant server. Exchange servers allow you to set credentials for the protected machine on the Summary page for the protected server. SQL servers allow you to set credentials for a single protected SQL Server machine, or to set default credentials for all protected SQL servers.
l Viewing status for checks on recovery points from Exchange Server or SQL Server. Recovery points captured from a protected SQL or Exchange server have corresponding color status indicators. These colors indicate the success or failure of various checks relevant for SQL servers or Exchange servers.
This section includes the following topics specific to managing protected machines that use Exchange Server or SQL Server:
l Understanding recovery point status indicators l Settings and functions for protected Exchange servers l Settings and functions for protected SQL servers
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About protecting server clusters
In Rapid Recovery, server cluster protection is associated with the Rapid Recovery protected machines installed on individual cluster nodes (that is, individual machines in the cluster) and the Rapid Recovery Core, which protects those machines, all as if they were one composite machine. You can easily configure a Rapid Recovery Core to protect and manage a cluster. In the Core Console, a cluster is organized as a separate entity, which acts as a container that includes the related nodes. For example, in the left navigation area, under the Protected Machines menu, protected clusters are listed. Directly below each cluster, the associated individual nodes or agent machines appear. Each of these is a protected machine on which the Rapid Recovery Agent software is installed. If you click on the cluster, the Summary page for the cluster appears in the Core Console. At the Core and cluster levels, you can view information about the cluster, such as the list of related nodes and shared volumes. When showing information for a cluster in the Core Console, you can click Protected Nodes in the top navigation menu to view a summary table of individual nodes in the cluster. From that summary table, for each node, you can perform functions such as forcing a snapshot; performing a one-time export or setting up virtual standby; mounting or viewing recovery points; restoring from a recovery point; converting the cluster node to its own protected machine; or removing the node from protection. If the node is an Exchange or SQL Server, you will also see the option to truncate logs. At the cluster level, you can also view corresponding Exchange and SQL cluster metadata for the nodes in the cluster. You can specify settings for the entire cluster and the shared volumes in that cluster. If you click on any node in the cluster from the left navigation menu, the information displayed in the Core Console is specific to that node of the cluster. Here you can view information specific to that node, or configure settings just for that node. For more information about CSV clusters, see topics "Supported applications and cluster types" and "Support for Cluster-Shared Volumes" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 System Requirements Guide.
Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual
The Rapid Snap for Virtual feature of Rapid Recovery is also known as agentless protection, because you can protect virtual machines (VMs) in your Core without installing the Rapid Recovery Agent on every VM.
CAUTION: Quest recommends that you limit initiating agentless protection to no more than 200 VMs at once. Do not select more than 200 VMs when using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Attempting to start protection of more than 200 VMs results in slow UI performance. There is no limit to how many VMs a Core can agentlessly protect over time. For example, you could protect 200 VMs today and another 200 VMs tomorrow.
Whether adding protection for a single machine agentlessly or multiple machines simultaneously, the tool to access agentless protection is the Protect Multiple Machines wizard.
Protecting VMware vCenter/ESXi VMs
Rapid Recovery lets you protect vCenter/ESXi VMs without installing the Rapid Recovery Agent on the VM or ESXi host, resulting in fully agentless protection. Rapid Recovery uses the ESXi client and the application program interface (API) native to VMware to detect and protect selected VMs on a single host. The Rapid Recovery Core then communicates with the virtual machine disk (VMDK) to determine the necessary details of the protected volumes. Because Rapid Recovery creates recovery points based on volumes, not VMDKs, each volume can be separately mounted, restored, and exported. Rapid Recovery does not technically protect a VMware vCenter/ESXi hypervisor host. When you select a vCenter/ESXi host using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard, you add the host as a parent entity on your
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Rapid Recovery Core. No data files or data from the actual host are included in snapshots on the Core. However, the VM guests on the host can be protected. The protected VMs are represented in the Core GUI as children under the parent host. If you select agentless protection for ESXi VMs, the icon for the protected VM appears differently than the icon on an ESXi VM protected using Rapid Recovery Agent .
NOTE: Quest recommends that VMware Tools be installed on virtual machines (VMs) you want to protect on vSphere or ESXi hosts. When VMware Tools are installed on a VM using a Windows operating system (OS), the backups that the Rapid Recovery Core captures use Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS). This provides the capacity for application-consistent backups. For information on the behavior of agentless VMs with or without VMware Tools, see Benefits of installing hypervisor tools for agentless protection and also Understanding crash-consistent and application-consistent backups. When VMware Tools are installed, agentless protection uses VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to reduce the time needed for incremental snapshots. CBT determines which blocks changed in the VMDK file, letting Rapid Recovery back up only the portions of the disk that have changed since the last snapshot. This backup method often results in shorter backup operations and reduced resource consumption on network and storage elements. There are multiple benefits to using agentless protection. Some of the most useful attributes include the following characteristics:
l No additional software is required on the host machine. l Agentless protection lets you opt to automatically protect new VMs added to the ESXi host or Hyper-V
host. l A restart is not required during the protection process. l Credentials are not required for each individual VM. l Agentless protection lets you protect a VM even if it is powered off. l Agentless protection lets you restore to disks. l Agentless protection supports all guest operating systems. l If you associate a guest VM with its protected parent hypervisor host, an Enterprise license is not
consumed when protecting the VM in your Core. l You can optionally protect and collect metadata for SQL Server and Exchange. l The Core (not the Agent) can perform attachability checks, log truncation, and mountabillity checks on
recovery points captured from protected Oracle, SQL and Exchange servers. l Agentless protection lets you export dynamic disks or volumes.
NOTE: If dynamic volumes are complex (striped, mirrored, spanned, or RAID), they export as disk images and parse into volumes after the export operation completes on the exported VM.
While there are many reasons to use agentless protection for ESXi VMs, opt for the protection method that best suits your environments and business needs. Along with the previously mentioned benefits, there are also the following considerations to keep in mind when choosing agentless protection:
l Agentless protection of Oracle database servers does not gather Oracle-related metadata. While files and the operating system are backed up in snapshots, no Oracle-related features are supported. For Oracle database application support, protect your server using Rapid Recovery Agent.
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l Agentless protection does not support protection of dynamic volumes (for example, spanned, striped, mirrored, or RAID volumes) at the volume level. It protects them at the disk level.
l Agentless protection does not support Live Recovery. For more information about this feature, see Understanding Live Recovery.
l During the restore process of a single volume to the protected VM, the VM is automatically restarted.
l Agentless protection does not display the actual amount of space used on a VM if the virtual disk type is thick provision eager zeroed.
If you choose to use agentless protection for your ESXi VMs, the host must meet the following minimum requirements for agentless protection to be successful.
l The host machine must be running ESXi version 5.0.0 build 623860 or later.
l The host machine must meet the minimum system requirements stated in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 System Requirements Guide.
l For volume-level protection, VMDKs must include either Master Boot Record (MBR) partition tables or GUID partition tables (GPTs). VMDKs without these partition tables are protected as whole disks rather than as individual volumes.
l Each VMware virtual machine must have VMware Tools installed to ensure snapshot consistency.
Protecting VMs on Hyper-V servers and clusters
To protect Hyper-V VMs agentlessly, you do not need to install the Rapid Recovery Agent on each VM. You need only install it on the host machine or cluster nodes. The Agent protects the virtual hard disk on the host and converts any changes to the hard disk files to a volume image or disk image, depending on the file system. A new driver provides file-level support for VMs on hosts and on cluster-shared volumes (CSVs). Agentless support for Hyper-V is determined by the operating system on the host. A complete list of operating systems, and Rapid Recovery components supported for each, is maintained in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 System Requirements Guide. For more information, see the topic "Rapid Recovery release 6.4 operating system installation and compatibility matrix" in that document. Quest recommends that Hyper-V Integration Services be installed on virtual machines (VMs) you want to protect on Hyper-V hosts. When Hyper-V Integration Services are installed on a VM using a Windows OS, the backups that the Rapid Recovery Core captures use Microsoft VSS. This provides the capacity for application-consistent backups. For information on the behavior of agentless VMs with or without Hyper-V Integration Services, see Benefits of installing hypervisor tools for agentless protection and also Understanding crash-consistent and application-consistent backups.
NOTE: Rapid Recovery supports the VHDx disk file format. It does not support the VHD format.
For protecting VMs on a CSV, the Rapid Recovery Agent and driver must be installed on each cluster node using the auto deployment feature in the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. From the nodes, the Agent can protect all VMs operating on CSVs by creating two types of changes for every file. The first type of change is saved only before or after a snapshot or clean system restart. The second type of change resides on the disk, which makes an incremental snapshot available even if there is a power failure or dirty shutdown. The Agent installed on the node merges all of the changes into one before transferring the data. When a host or node is running, Rapid Recovery creates a backup. If the host is not running, no backup can be created; however, if one of the nodes is not running, then Rapid Recovery can continue taking snapshots of the VMs on the cluster.
NOTE: For best performance, it is recommended that the maximum concurrent transfers for the Hyper-V host or node be set to 1, which is the default setting.
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Agentless Hyper-V protection has many of the same capabilities as traditional protection where the Agent is installed on every VM, including:
l Archiving l Recovery point integrity checks l Mounting recovery points l Auto discovery of new VMs (unique to agentless protection) l Protecting SQL and Exchange servers and collecting their metadata l Performing Exchange mountability checks l Performing SQL attachability checks l Replication l Restoring VMs, including restoring to CSVs, or to CIF shared folders l Restoring files in a guest VHDX format l Rollup l Virtual export to Hyper-V VMs and other hypervisors, including ESXi, VMware Workstation, and
VirtualBox However, there are limitations to consider when choosing agentless Hyper-V protection. Capabilities that are not performed include:
l Live Recovery l Restoring VMs on CIFS using VHD format l Restoring files in a guest VHD (.vhd) format l Restoring files in a guest VHD Set (.vhds) format
NOTE: For an application-consistent snapshot, you must have the SCSI Controller installed on each VM. Without this controller, the result is always a crash-consistent snapshot.
Application support
Rapid Snap for Virtual lets you enable agentless protection of SQL Server and Exchange applications running on Hyper-V and ESXi VMs. This optional capability is available for VMs running Windows operating systems.
NOTE: Application support does not apply to applications installed on Linux VMs.
After you enable application support, application metadata displays on the Summary page for the VM, as does an icon beside the VM name on the Machines page. If there is an error preventing healthy application support, the icon changes from green to red. Before you opt to agentlessly protect an SQL Server or Exchange Server, take note of the following considerations:
l To protect the application, the VM must be powered on. The Core does not retrieve metadata from machines that are off.
l VMware Tools or Hyper-V Integration Services utilities must be installed on VMs you want to protect.
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l On a VM that has both Exchange Server and SQL Server installed, there is no ability to truncate the logs separately. If both applications are installed, then the logs truncate together.
l SQL Server attachability checks are available only on the Core and cannot be conducted on the protected machine.
l To run log truncation on an ESXi VM, the host must use ESXi version 6.5 or later.

Benefits of installing hypervisor tools for agentless protection

When protecting virtual machines (VMs) without using the Rapid Recovery Agent Agent, Quest recommends installing VMware Tools on protected VMs on vSphere or ESXi hosts. In the same way, Quest recommends installing Hyper-V Integration Services on VMs you want to protect on Hyper-V hosts.
Installing these native hypervisor utilities lets Rapid Recovery take full advantage of Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) functionality.
When these utilities are installed on VMs running Windows operating systems, the backups that the Rapid Recovery Core captures can also use VSS. When these tools are not installed, Rapid Recovery still collects snapshots, but only in a crash-consistent state. For more information, see Understanding crash-consistent and application-consistent backups.
The following conditions apply based on whether VMware Tools or Hyper-V Integration Services are installed and on the powered-on state of the VM:

Table 41: Backup type conditions for VMs

Hypervisor Tool VM Powered On

Not installed Not installed Not installed Installed Installed Installed

Yes No (dirty shut-down) No (clean shut-down) Yes No (dirty shut-down) No (clean shut-down)

Backup Type Crash-consistent Crash-consistent Application-consistent Application-consistent Crash-consistent Application-consistent

Understanding crash-consistent and applicationconsistent backups
When protecting virtual machines agentlessly using the Rapid Snap for Virtual feature, the data in the backup snapshots you capture can be in one of two states:
l Crash-consistent. At minimum, all agentless backups captured by the Rapid Recovery Core are crashconsistent. The backup is a snapshot in time of all the data and operating system files on each protected volume, at the time those files were captured. If you restore from a crash-consistent recovery point, the VM OS starts and can read and understand the file system, and all files in it. If you recover a transactional application from a crash-consistent state, the database returns to the last valid state. That most recent valid state may be from the time of the crash, or it may be from earlier than the crash. If it is from earlier, then the database must roll forward some work to make the data files match

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the information in the logs. This process takes some time when you first open the database, which causes a delay when starting up the machine.
l Application-consistent. Application-consistent backups use Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to ensure the consistency of application data when a shadow copy is created. Using VSS writers, pending input/output operations are completed and log files committed prior to snapshots being captured. As a result, if you restore from an application-consistent recovery point, the VM OS starts and can read and understand the file system. Additionally, files for transactional applications such as SQL Server or Exchange are in a consistent state. For example, SQL Server logs match the data files, and the database opens quickly without needing any repairs.
Support for Hyper-V guest cluster
Rapid Recovery can protect shared virtual hard disks in the VHDX format on a Hyper-V host by using agentless protection.
NOTE: Rapid Recovery does not support protection of shared VHD sets.
A shared VHDX is a virtual hard disk on a Hyper-V host that is shared among a cluster of guests. When the Agent is installed on the Hyper-V host for agentless -- or host-based -- protection, protects the shared VHDXs at the host level. can also protect a shared VHDX at the guest level when the Agent is installed on the guest. When you select and protect the virtual machines (VMs) available on the host, protects all virtual hard disks associated with those VMs, including any shared VHDXs. After protection is complete, you can edit the protection schedule and remove or protect shared VHDXs at the host level under Volumes on the Summary page for the host. All recovery points of these shared virtual hard disks are displayed on the Recovery Points tab for the host, not for the individual VMs. When using agentless protection, automatically detects new VHDXs and offers the option to protect them. Unprotected disks are displayed in a separate Shared Disks section. Metadata is not gathered for these disks until after they are protected. On the Summary page for a guest virtual machine, shared VHDXs are listed under Shared Volumes. A clickable icon next to the volume name opens a dialog that displays the VMs that are connected to that disk. If a connected VM is not protected, then the option to protect that VM is available.
Understanding the Rapid Recovery Agent software installer
You can download installers from the Rapid Recovery Core. From the Downloads page on the Core Console, you can choose to download the Agent Installer, the Local Mount Utility (LMU), or an SNMP MIB file For more information about SNMP, see Understanding SNMP settings.
NOTE: For access to the Agent Installer, see Downloading the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer. For more information about deploying the Agent Installer, see the Rapid Recovery Installation and Upgrade Guide. The Agent installer is used to install the Rapid Recovery Agent application on machines that are intended to be protected by the Rapid Recovery Core. If you determine that you have a machine that requires the Agent Installer, you can download the web installer from the Downloads page of the Rapid Recovery Core Console. NOTE: You can download the Core, Agent, and other Rapid Recovery software from the QorePortal. Log into the QorePortal at https://qoreportal.quest.com/ and click Settings, and then click Downloads.
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Downloading the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer

Download the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer and deploy it to any machine that you want to protect on the Rapid Recovery Core. Complete the steps in this procedure to download the installer.
1. To download the Agent installer directly from the machine you want to protect, do the following:
a. In a web browser, open the QorePortal at https://qoreportal.quest.com/.
b. Click Settings, and then click Downloads.
c. Under Applications, locate Agent Software. If you want a full Windows 64-bit installer, click Full Installer. To download a smaller package that streams the latest version of the installer over the web, click Web Installer. The installer file, for example Agent-X64-6.3.xxxx.exe, saves to the downloads destination folder.

2. To download the web installer from the Core, on the Core Console icon bar, click the then select Downloads.

More icon and

3. On the Downloads page, from the Agent pane, click Download web installer.

4. If prompted, from the Opening Agent-Web.exe dialog box, click Save File. The installer file, for example Agent-X64-6.3.xxxx.exe, saves to the downloads destination folder.

5. Move the installer to the appropriate machine and install the Rapid Recovery Agent software. For more information about installing the Rapid Recovery Agentsoftware, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide.

Deploying Agent to multiple machines simultaneously from the Core Console
You can deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software simultaneously to multiple Windows machines. The machines can be part of an Active Directory domain, a vCenter or ESXi virtual host, or a Hyper-V virtual host; or they can be machines already protected by the local Rapid Recovery Core, as in the case of a Rapid Recovery Agent software upgrade. You also have the option to manually deploy the software to machines that are not necessarily associated with a specific domain or host. You can also manually deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software to one or more Linux machines from the Core Console.
CAUTION: If AppAssure Agent was previously installed on a Linux machine, then before installing Rapid Recovery Agent, remove the AppAssure Agent from the machine using a shell script. For information about removing the Agent from a Linux machine, see the topic "Uninstalling the AppAssure Agent software from a Linux machine" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide. T o successfully deploy the Agent software to Linux machines, see the prerequisites in the topic "About installing the Agent software on Linux machines" in the same document.
Deploying the Rapid Recovery Agent software does not protect the machines automatically. After deploying, you must then select the Protect Multiple Machines option from the button bar of the Core Console.

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NOTE: The feature in which you deploy to multiple machines simultaneously was previously referred to as bulk deploy. The feature in which you protect multiple machines simultaneously was previously referred to as bulk protect. To deploy and protect multiple machines simultaneously, perform the following tasks: l Deploy Rapid Recovery Agent to multiple machines. See Deploying Agent to multiple machines simultaneously from the Core Console. l Monitor the deployment. See Verifying the deployment to multiple machines. l Protect multiple machines. See About protecting multiple machines.
NOTE: If you selected the Protect Machine After Install option during deployment, skip this task. l Monitor the activity of the bulk protection. See Monitoring the protection of multiple machines.
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Using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard to deploy to one or more machines
You can simplify the task of deploying the Rapid Recovery Agent software to one or more machines by using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard. If deploying to Linux machines, this method is appropriate.
NOTE: In the past, this feature was called "bulk deploy."
When you use the Deploy Agent Software Wizard, Rapid Recovery Core can:
1. Detect Windows machines on an Active Directory domain, and push the Agent software to the machines you select.
2. Connect to a VMware vCenter or ESXi host, detect the guests, and push the Agent software to the machines you select.
3. Connect to a local Rapid Recovery Core and deploy the current (newer) Agent software to Windows machines that Core already protects. (For Linux machines, use the option to deploy manually.)
4. Connect to a Hyper-V server or cluster, detect the guests, and push the Agent software to the machines you select.
5. Manually specify Linux or Windows machines, using IP addresses and credentials, and push the Agent software to the machines you select.
From within the Core Console, you can complete any of the following tasks:
l Deploying to machines on an Active Directory domain l Deploying to machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host l Deploying an upgrade of the Rapid Recovery Agent to protected machines l Deploying to machines manually
NOTE: Quest recommends limiting the number of machines to which you deploy simultaneously to 50 or fewer, to preclude experiencing resource constraints that may cause the deploy operation to fail. NOTE: The target machines must have internet access to download and install bits, because Rapid Recovery uses the web version of the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer to deploy the installation components. If internet access is unavailable, use the Core Console to download the installer to a storage medium such as a USB drive. Then, physically install the software on the machines that you want to protect. For more information, see Downloading the Rapid Recovery Agent Installer.
Deploying to machines on an Active Directory domain
Before you begin this procedure, have the domain information and login credentials for the Active Directory server on hand. Use this procedure to simultaneously deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software to one or more machines on an Active Directory domain.
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1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect drop-down menu, , and then select Deploy Agent Software. The Deploy Agent Software Wizard opens.
2. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select Active Directory. 3. Enter the domain information and login credentials as described in the following table.

Table 42: Domain information and credentials

Text Box Description

Host

The host name or IP address of the Active Directory domain.

User name

The user name used to connect to the domain; for example, Administrator or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator).

Password The secure password used to connect to the domain.

4. Click Next.
5. On the Machines page, select the machines to which you want to deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software.
6. Optionally, to automatically restart the protected machines after the Agent is installed, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically (Recommended).
7. Click Finish. The system automatically verifies each machine that you selected. If Rapid Recovery detects any concerns during automatic verification, the wizard progresses to a Warnings page, where you can clear machines from selection and manually verify the selected machines. If the machines you added pass the automatic verification, they appear on the Deploy Agent to Machines pane.
8. If the Warning page appeared and you are still satisfied with your selections, click Finish again.
The Rapid Recovery Agent software deploys to the specified machines. CAUTION: The machines are not yet protected. Protection begins after you complete the steps in the topic Protecting multiple machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host.

Deploying to machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host
Use this procedure to simultaneously deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software to one or more machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host. Before starting this procedure, you must have the following information:
l Logon credentials for the VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host. l Host location. l Logon credentials for each machine you want to protect.
NOTE: All virtual machines must have VMware Tools installed; otherwise, Rapid Recovery cannot detect the host name of the virtual machine to which to deploy. In lieu of the host name, Rapid Recovery uses the virtual machine name, which may cause issues if the host name is different from the virtual machine

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name

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect drop-down menu, , and then select Deploy Agent Software. The Deploy Agent Software Wizard opens.
2. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select vCenter / ESXi. 3. Enter the host information and logon credentials as described in the following table.

Table 43: vCenter/ESXi connection settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The name or IP address of the VMware vCenter Server/ESXi virtual host.
The port used to connect to the virtual host. The default setting is 443.

User name

The user name used to connect to the virtual host; for example, Administrator or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator.

Password The secure password used to connect to this virtual host.

4. Click Next.
5. On the Machines page of the wizard, select one of the following options from the drop-down menu:
l Hosts and Clusters
l VMs and Templates
6. Expand the list of machines, and then select the VMs to which you want to deploy the software. A notification appears if Rapid Recovery detects that a machine is offline or that VMware Tools are not installed.
7. If you want to restart the machines automatically after deployment, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically (Recommended).
8. Click Next. Rapid Recovery automatically verifies each machine you selected.
9. On the Adjustments page of the wizard, enter the credentials for each machine in the following format: hostname::username::password. NOTE: Enter one machine on each line.

10. Click Finish. The system automatically verifies each machine that you selected. If Rapid Recoverydetects any concerns during automatic verification, the wizard progresses to a Warnings page, where you can clear machines from selection and manually verify the selected machines. If the machines you added pass the automatic verification, they appear on the Deploy Agent to Machines pane.
11. If the Warning page appeared and you are still satisfied with your selections, click Finish again.
The Rapid Recovery Agent software deploys to the specified machines.
CAUTION: The machines are not yet protected. Protection begins after you complete the steps in the topic Protecting multiple machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host.

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Deploying an upgrade of the Rapid Recovery Agent to protected machines
You can use the Deploy Agent Software Wizard to push an upgrade of the Rapid Recovery Agent software to Windows machines that are already protected by the local Rapid Recovery Core.
NOTE: For Linux users, if the prior version of Agent is branded AppAssure (release 5.4.3 or earlier), you must first remove the Agent software using the shell script appropriate to your specific AppAssure Agent version. Removing AppAssure Agent after installing Rapid Recovery Agent can break the connection between the Linux machine and the Core. For more information on uninstalling AppAssure Agent from a Linux machine, see "Uninstalling the AppAssure Agent software from a Linux machine" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect drop-down menu, and then select Deploy Agent Software. The Deploy Agent Software Wizard opens.
2. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select Local Core. 3. Click Next. 4. On the Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machines to which you want to deploy an
upgrade of the Rapid Recovery Agent software. NOTE: At this time, you cannot use this process to update protected Linux machines.
5. Best practice is to restart each machine after installing or updating the Agent software. If you want to restart the machines after deploying, leave the default option After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically (Recommended). If you do not want to restart upgraded machines immediately, clear this option.
6. Click Finish. The system automatically verifies each machine that you selected. If Rapid Recovery detects any concerns during automatic verification, the wizard progresses to a Warnings page, where you can clear machines from selection and manually verify the selected machines. If the machines you added pass the automatic verification, they appear on the Deploy Agent to Machines pane.
7. If the Warning page appeared, and you are still satisfied with your selections, click Finish again.
Deploying to machines manually
Use the following procedure to deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent to multiple machines on any type of host other than the local Core, Active Directory, vCenter/ESXi, or Hyper-V.
CAUTION: If AppAssure Agent was previously installed on a Linux machine, then before installing Rapid Recovery Agent, remove the AppAssure Agent from the machine using a shell script. For information about removing the Agent from a Linux machine, see the topic "Uninstalling the AppAssure Agent software from a Linux machine" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide. To successfully deploy the Agent software to Linux machines, see the prerequisites in the topic "About installing the Agent software on Linux machines" in the same document.
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1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect drop-down menu, , and then select Deploy Agent Software. The Deploy Agent Software Wizard opens.
2. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select Manually. 3. Click Next. 4. On the Machines page of the wizard, for each machine to which you want to deploy Agent, enter the
machine details in the dialog box. Press Enter to separate information for each machine. Use the format hostname::username::password::port. For Windows machines, the port setting is optional. For Linux machines, always include the SSH port, which by default is 22. Examples include:
10.255.255.255::administrator::&11@yYz90z abc-host-00-1::administrator::99!zU$o83r::8006 Linux-host-00-2::administrator::p@$$w0rD::22 5. If you want to restart the machines automatically after deployment, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically (Recommended). 6. Click Finish. The system automatically verifies each machine that you selected. If Rapid Recovery detects any concerns during automatic verification, the wizard progresses to a Warnings page, where you can clear machines from selection and manually verify the selected machines. If the machines you added pass the automatic verification, they appear on the Deploy Agent to Machines pane. 7. If the Warning page appeared, and you are still satisfied with your selections, click Finish again. The Rapid Recovery Agent software deploys to the specified machines. CAUTION: The machines are not yet protected. Protection begins after you complete the steps in the topic Protecting multiple machines manually.
Verifying the deployment to multiple machines
Once you have deployed the Rapid Recovery Agent software to two or more machines simultaneously, you can verify the success by viewing each machine listed under the Protected Machines menu. You can also view information regarding the bulk deploy process from the Events page. Complete the steps in this procedure to verify the deployment.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click (Events), and then click Alerts. Alert events appear in the list, showing the time the event initiated and a message. For each successful deployment of the Agent software, you will see an alert indicating that the protected machine has been added.
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2. Optionally, click on any link for a protected machine. The Summary page for the selected machine appears, showing pertinent information including:
l the host name of the protected machine l the last snapshot, if applicable l the time of the next scheduled snapshot, based on the protection schedule for the
selected machine l the encryption key, if any, used for this protected machine l the version of the software.

Modifying deploy settings

Complete the steps in this procedure to modify deploy settings.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click (Settings). 2. On the Settings page, in the left column, click Deploy to navigate to the Deploy section. 3. Modify any of the following options by clicking the setting you want to change to make it editable as a text
box or drop-down list, and then click to save the setting.

Table 44: Deploy options

Option

Description

Agent installer name
Core address
Failed receive timeout
Maximum parallel installs

Enter the name of the agent executable file. The default is Agent-web.exe.
Enter the address for the Core. Enter the number of minutes to wait without activity before timeout.
Enter a number for the maximum installations you want to install simultaneously. The default and limit is 100.

Understanding protection schedules
A protection schedule defines when backups are transferred from protected agent machines to the Rapid Recovery Core.
The first backup transfer for any machine added to protection on the Core is called a base image snapshot. All data on all specified volumes (including the operating system, applications, and settings), are saved to the repository, which can take a significant amount of time depending on the amount of data being transferred. Thereafter, incremental snapshots (smaller backups, consisting only of data changed on the protected machine since the last backup) are saved to the repository regularly, based on the interval defined (for example, every 60 minutes). This type of backup contains less data than a base image, and therefore takes a shorter amount of time to transfer.
Protection schedules are initially defined using the Protect Machine Wizard or the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Using a wizard, you can customize protection schedules (choosing either periods or a daily protection time) to accommodate your business needs. You can then modify the existing schedule or create a new

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schedule at any time in the Protection Schedule dialog box from the summary page of a specific protected machine. Rapid Recovery provides a default protection schedule, which includes a single period spanning all days of the week, with a single time period defined (from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM). The default interval (the time period between snapshots) is 60 minutes. When you first enable protection, you also activate the schedule. Thus, using the default settings, regardless of the current time of day, the first backup will occur every hour, on the hour (12:00 AM, 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM, and so on). Selecting periods lets you view the default protection schedule and make adjustments accordingly. Selecting a daily protection time causes Rapid Recovery Core to back up the designated protected machines once daily at a time you specify. You can customize the schedule to define peak and off-peak times using the weekday and weekend periods available. For example, if your protected machines are mostly in use on weekdays, you could decrease the interval for the weekday period to 20 minutes, resulting in three snapshots every hour. Or you can increase the interval for the weekend period from 60 minutes to 180 minutes, resulting in snapshots once every three hours when traffic is low. Alternatively, you can change the default schedule to define peak and off-peak times daily. To do this, change the default start and end time to a smaller range of time (for example, 12:00 AM to 4:59 PM), and set an appropriate interval (for example, 20 minutes). This represents frequent backups during peak periods. You can then add an additional weekday time range for the remaining span of time (5:00 pm to 11:59 pm) and set an appropriate (presumably larger) interval (for example, 180 minutes). These settings define an off-peak period that includes 5:00 PM to midnight every day. This customization results in snapshots every three hours from 5:00 PM through 11:59 PM, and snapshots every 20 minutes from 12:00 AM until 4:59 PM. When you modify or create a protection schedule using the Protection Schedule dialog box, Rapid Recovery gives you the option to save that schedule as a reusable template that you can then apply to other protected machines. Other options in the protection wizards include setting a daily protection time. This results in a single backup daily at the period defined (the default setting is 12:00 PM). When protecting one or multiple machines using a wizard, you can initially pause protection, which defines the protection schedule without protecting the machines. When you are ready to begin protecting your machines based on the established protection schedule, you must explicitly resume protection. For more information on resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection. Optionally, if you want to protect a machine immediately, you can force a snapshot. For more information, see Forcing a snapshot. For more information, see Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode.
Protecting a machine
The protecting procedure requires the following tasks be completed before you begin:
l The Rapid Recovery Agent has been deployed and installed on the machine you want to protect. l The machine you want to protect was restarted after the Agent installation. l A repository has been created and is accessible from the Rapid Recovery Core.
This topic describes how to start protecting the data on a single machine that you specify using the Protect Machine Wizard. To protect multiple machines using one process simultaneously, see About protecting multiple machines.
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NOTE: Unless using agentless protection on a VMware or ESXi host, or a Hyper-V host, the machine you want to protect must have the Rapid Recovery Agent software installed to be protected. You can choose to install the Agent software prior to this procedure, or you can deploy the software to the target machine as a part of completing the Protect Machine Wizard. For more information about agentless protection and its restrictions, see Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual.
For more information about installing the Agent software, see "Installing the Rapid Recovery Agent software" in the Rapid Recovery Installation and Upgrade Guide. If the Agent software is not installed prior to protecting a machine, you will not be able to select specific volumes for protection as part of this wizard. In this case, by default, all volumes on the agentlessly protected machine will be protected. Rapid Recovery supports the protection and recovery of machines configured with EISA partitions. When you add protection, you need to define connection information such as the IP address and port, and provide credentials for the machine you want to protect. Optionally, you can provide a display name to appear in the Core Console instead of the IP address. If you change this, you will not see the IP address for the protected machine when you view details in the Core Console. You will also define the protection schedule for the machine. The protection process includes optional steps you can access if you select an advanced configuration. Advanced options include repository functions and encryption. For example, you can specify which Rapid Recovery repository you want to use. You can also specify an existing encryption key (or add a new encryption key) to apply to the data saved to the Core for this machine. For more information about encryption keys, see Encryption. The workflow of the protection wizard may differ slightly based on your environment. For example, if the Rapid Recovery Agent software is installed on the machine you want to protect, you will not be prompted to install it from the wizard. Likewise, if a repository already exists on the Core, you will not be prompted to create one.
CAUTION: Rapid Recovery does not support bare metal restores (BMRs) of Linux machines with ext2 boot partitions. Any BMR performed on a machine with this type of partition results in a machine that does not start. If you want to be able to perform a BMR on this machine in the future, you must convert any ext2 partitions to ext3 or ext4 before you begin protecting and backing up the machine.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click Protect. NOTE: If you have not yet create a repository, a dialog box alerts you that no repository was found and prompts you to create one. Clicking Yes opens the Create Repository wizard. For more information about repositories, see Repositories.
The Protect Machine Wizard appears.
2. On the Welcome page, select one of the follow installation options:
l If you do not need to define a repository or establish encryption, select Typical.
l If you want to define a repository or if you want to establish encryption, select Advanced (show optional steps).
Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.
3. When you are satisfied with your choices on the Welcome page, then click Next. The Connection page appears.
4. On the Connection page, enter the information about the machine to which you want to connect, as described in the following table, and then click Next.
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Table 45: Machine connection settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The host name or IP address of the machine that you want to protect.
The port number on which the Rapid Recovery Core communicates with the Agent on the machine. The default port number for Windows machines is 8006. The default port number for Linux machines is 22 (SSH).

User name

The user name used to connect to this machine; for example, Administrator (or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator).
Enter the user name or, to use a set of credentials saved to Credentials Vault, use the drop-down list and select a user name.
Optionally, to save your credentials to Credentials Vault, click the plus sign next to the text box. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password used to connect to this machine, or select a set of credentials from the drop-down list, which are listed by user name.

If the Install Agent page appears next in the Protect Machine Wizard, that means that Rapid Recovery does not detect the Rapid Recovery Agent on the machine and will install the current version of the software. Go to step 6. If the Upgrade Agent page appears next in the wizard, that means that an older version of the Agent software exists on the machine you want to protect.
NOTE: The Agent software must be installed on the machine you want to protect, and that machine must be restarted, before it can back up to the Core. To have the installer reboot the protected machine, select the option After installation, restart the machine automatically (recommended) before clicking Next.
5. On the Upgrade Agent page, do one of the following:
l To deploy the new version of the Agent software (matching the version for the Rapid Recovery Core), select Upgrade the Rapid Recovery Agent software to the latest version.
l To continue protecting the machine without updating the Agent software version, clear the option Upgrade the Rapid Recovery Agent software to the latest version.
6. Click Next. The Protection page appears.
7. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.

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8. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
9. At the bottom of the Protection page, if you are re-protecting a machine previously protected in this Core, and want to keep the previous configuration, select Keep current settings.
10. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 , and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 13 to see repository and encryption options.
The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) will transfer to the repository on the Rapid Recovery following the schedule you defined, unless you specified to initially pause protection.
11. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next. NOTE: Typically, it is good practice to protect, at minimum, the System Reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C drive).
12. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode. If you already have repository information configured, did not indicate that you want to change the repository, and you selected the Advanced option in step 2, then the Encryption page appears. Proceed to step 16. If you already have repository information configured, and you selected the Advanced option in step 2, or if you indicated you want to change the repository, then the Repository page appears. Proceed to step 13.
13. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
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14. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 46: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters and prohibited phrases.

Description

Enter a descriptive comment for the encryption key. This information appears in the Description field when viewing a list of encryption keys in the Rapid Recovery. Descriptions may contain up to 254 characters.
Best practice is to avoid using prohibited characters and prohibited phrases.

Passphrase

Enter a passphrase used to control access. Best practice is to avoid using prohibited characters.
Record the passphrase in a secure location. Quest Data Protection Support cannot recover a passphrase. Once you create an encryption key and apply it to one or more protected machines, you cannot recover data if you lose the passphrase.

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

l If you want to encrypt all data that transports over a network, select Encrypt the data in transport over a network.
NOTE: This option is enabled by default, so if you do not want to encrypt data in this fashion, clear this option.
15. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

Protecting a cluster
This topic describes how to add a cluster for protection in Rapid Recovery. When you add a cluster to protection, you need to specify the host name or IP address of the cluster, the cluster application, or one of the cluster nodes or machines that includes the Rapid Recovery Agent software.

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NOTE: A repository is used to store the snapshots of data that are captured from your protected nodes. Before you start protecting data in your cluster, you should have set up at least one repository that is associated with your Rapid Recovery Core.
For information about setting up repositories, see Understanding repositories.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect select Protect Cluster. The Protect Cluster Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then

2. On the Welcome page of the wizard, select one of the following options: l Typical l Advanced (show optional steps)
3. Optionally, if you want to skip this step the next time you open the Protect Cluster Wizard, select Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.
4. Click Next. 5. On the Connection page of the wizard, enter the following information.

Table 47: Connect to Cluster settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The host name or IP address of the cluster, the cluster application, or one of the cluster nodes.
The port number on the machine on which the Rapid Recovery Core communicates with the Agent. The default port is 8006.

User name

The user name of the domain administrator used to connect to this machine: for example, domain_name\administrator.
NOTE: The domain name is mandatory. You cannot connect to the cluster using the local administrator user name.

Password The password used to connect to this machine.

6. Click Next. NOTE: If the cluster nodes already have an older version of the Rapid Recovery Agent installed, an Upgrade page appears in the wizard and offers the opportunity to upgrade the Agent.
7. On the Nodes page of the wizard, select the nodes that you want to protect. The system automatically verifies each machine you selected.
8. Click Next. If the Protection page appears next in the Protect Cluster Wizard, skip to step 11. If the Agent software is not yet deployed to the machines you want to protect, or if any of the machines you specified cannot be protected for another reason, then the selected machines appear on the Warnings page.
9. Optionally, on the Warnings page of the wizard, you can verify any machine by selecting the machine and then clicking Verify in the toolbar.

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10. Optionally, on the Warnings page, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically. NOTE: Quest recommends this option. You must restart agent machines before they can be protected.
11. If the status indicates that the machine is reachable, click Next to install the Rapid Recovery Agent software. The Protection page appears.
12. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.
13. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine. l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection.
14. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.
15. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine. l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection.
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16. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified default protection, and if a repository exists, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified default protection, and if no repository exists, then click Next and proceed to step 19 to create a repository. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 19 to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to choose which volumes to protect.
17. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next. NOTE: Typically, it is good practice to protect, at minimum, the System Reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C drive).
18. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode. If you already have repository information configured, and you selected the Advanced option in step 1, then the Encryption page appears. Proceed to step 22.
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19. On the Repository page, do the following: If you already have a repository and want to store the data from this machine for protection in the existing repository, then do the following:
a. Select Use an existing repository.
b. Select an existing repository from the list.
c. Click Next.
The Encryption page appears. Skip to step 22 to optionally define encryption. If you want to create a repository, then on the Repository page, enter the information described in the following table, and then click Next or Finish, as appropriate.

Table 48: Repository settings

Text Box Description

Name

Location

Enter the location for storing the protected data. This volume should be a primary storage location. The location could be local (a drive on the Core machine) or it could be a CIFS share network drive. For a CIFS share, the path must begin with \\. When specifying the path, use only alphanumeric characters, the hyphen, and the period (only to separate host names and domains). The letters a to z are case-insensitive. Do not use spaces. No other symbols or punctuation characters are permitted.
CAUTION: Define a dedicated folder within the root for the storage location for your repository. Do not specify the root location. For example, use E:\Repository\, not E:\. If the repository that you are creating in this step is later removed, all files at the storage location of your repository are deleted. If you define your storage location at the root, all other files in the volume (e.g., E:\) are deleted, which could result in catastrophic data loss.
For example, type X:\Repository\Data.
When specifying the path, use only alphanumeric characters, the hyphen, and the period (only to separate host names and domains). You can use the backslash character only to define levels in the path. Do not use spaces. No other symbols or punctuation characters are permitted.

User name

Enter a user name for a user with administrative access. This information is only required when the repository location specified is a network path.

Password Enter the password for the user with administrative access. This information is only required when the repository location specified is a network path.

Metadata path

Enter the location for storing the protected metadata. For example, type X:\Repository\Metadata.
When specifying the path, use only alphanumeric characters, the hyphen, and the period

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Text Box Description
(only to separate host names and domains). You can use the backslash character only to define levels in the path. Do not use spaces. No other symbols or punctuation characters are permitted.

20. On the Repository Configuration page, configure the amount of space on the disk to allocate to the repository. Quest recommends reserving 20 percent of the volume for metadata, which is the default. Optionally, using the slider control or the Size field, you can allocate more or less space on the volume for the repository.
21. Optionally, if you want to view and enter detailed information regarding storage location settings, select Show advanced options, and adjust the settings as described in the following table. To hide these options, clear the option Show advanced options. When you have completed your repository configuration, click Next or Finish, as appropriate.

Table 49: Storage configuration details

Text Box

Description

Bytes per sector

Specify the number of bytes you want each sector to include. The default value is 512.
NOTE: Quest recommends setting the bytes per sector to match the physical sector size of the storage location in which the repository resides. For example, if the disk on the intended storage location has a 4096 byte sector size, change the bytes per sector setting to 4096.
If using multiple storage locations with different sector sizes, Quest recommends retaining the default setting of 512 bytes per sector.

Bytes per record Specify the average number of bytes per record. The default value is 8192.

Write caching policy

If you chose the Advanced option in Step 1, the Encryption page appears.

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22. Optionally, on the Encryption page, if you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 50: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

23. Optionally, on the Encryption page, to encrypt all data that transports over a network, select Encrypt the data in transport over a network. This option is enabled by default, so if you do not want to encrypt data in this fashion, clear this option.
24. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

Protecting nodes in a cluster
This task requires that you first protect a cluster. For more information, see Protecting a cluster. This topic describes how to protect the data on a cluster node or machine that has a Rapid Recovery Agent installed. This procedure lets you add individual nodes to protection that you may have omitted when you protected a cluster.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machine, click the cluster with the nodes that you want to protect.
2. On the Summary page for the cluster, click the Protected Nodes.

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3. On the Protected Nodes page, click Protect Cluster Node. 4. In the Protect Cluster Node dialog box, select or enter as appropriate the following information.

Table 51: Protect Cluster Node settings

Text Box Description

Host

A drop-down list of nodes in the cluster available for protection.

Port

The port number on which the Rapid Recovery Core communicates with the Agent on the

node.

User name

The user name of the domain administrator used to connect to this node; for example, example_domain\administrator or administrator@example_domain.com.

Password The password used to connect to this machine.

5. To add the node, click Connect.
6. To start protecting this node with default protection settings, go to step 11. NOTE: The default settings ensure that all volumes on the machine are protected with a schedule of every 60 minutes.
7. In the Protect [Node Name] dialog box, if you want to use a repository other than the default setting, use the drop-down list to select a repository.
8. If you want to secure the recovery points for this cluster using Core-based encryption, use the drop-down list to select an encryption key.
9. If you do not want protection to begin immediately after completing this procedure, select Initially pause protection.
10. To enter custom settings (for example, to customize the protection schedule for the shared volumes), do the following:
a. To customize settings for an individual volume, next to the volume that you want to customize, click Function next to the relevant volume.
b. See Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
11. Click Protect.

Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode
The procedure for creating a custom protection schedule from within a protection wizard is identical to the procedure for creating a protection schedule for an existing machine in Simple Mode. Protection schedules created in a wizard or in Simple Mode are not saved as templates. To create templates or multiple protection schedules, see Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode. Complete the steps in this procedure to create custom schedules for using Rapid Recovery to back up data from protected machines.
1. Complete one of the following options:
l If using a protection wizard (Protect Machine, Protect Multiple Machines, Protecting a Cluster), on the Protection page of the wizard, select Custom protection, and then click Next.

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l If creating a protection schedule for a machine that is already protected, on the Summary page for the protected machine, expand the volumes of the protected machine, select the applicable volumes, and then click Set a Schedule.
The Protection Schedule page or dialog appears. 2. On the Protection Schedule page or dialog, complete one of the following options:
l To set a protection period that runs on set days and at specified times, select Periods, and then continue to step 3.
l To set a specific time to back up the machine every day, select Daily protection time, and then continue to step 7.
3. To change the interval schedule for any period, complete the following steps: a. Create a span of time by selecting a From time and a To time. b. For each period, click in the interval text box, and then enter an appropriate interval in minutes. For example, highlight the default interval of 60 and replace it with the value 20 to perform snapshots every 20 minutes during this period.
4. To customize snapshots for peak and off-peak business hours, complete the following steps: set an optimal interval for the peak range, select Take snapshots for the remaining time, and then set an offpeak interval by doing the following: a. Select Weekdays. b. Set the From and To times to create a span of time during your peak business hours. c. In the Every X minutes box, enter an interval in minutes for how often Rapid Recovery should create recovery points during this span of peak business hours. For example, highlight the default interval of 60 and replace it with the value 20 to perform snapshots every 20 minutes during the time range you selected for this period.
d. To schedule snapshots during off-peak business hours, select Take snapshots for the rest of the time.
e. In the Every X minutes box, enter an interval in minutes for how often Rapid Recovery Core should create recovery points during this span of off-peak business hours. For example, because there is less business activity during these hours, and fewer changes to back up, you may decide to take fewer snapshots and keep the default interval of 60 minutes.
5. Continue to step 7. 6. To set a single time of day for a single backup to occur daily, select Daily protection time and then enter
a time in format HH:MM AM. For example, to do a daily backup at 9:00 PM, enter 09:00 PM. 7. To define the schedule without beginning backups, select Initially pause protection.
After you pause protection from the wizard, it remains paused until you explicitly resume it. Once you resume protection, backups occur based on the schedule you established. For more information on resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.
8. When you are satisfied with changes made to your protection schedule, click Finish or Next, as appropriate. If you are using a wizard, proceed to the next step in the wizard. Refer to the procedure for the appropriate wizard to complete any remaining requirements.
For more information, see the following related topics:
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l Understanding protection schedules l Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode
Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode
A protection schedule defines when backups are transferred from protected machines to the Rapid Recovery Core. Protection schedules are initially defined using the Protect Machine Wizard or the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. You can modify an existing protection schedule at any time from the Summary page for a specific protected machine.
NOTE: For conceptual information about protection schedules, see Understanding protection schedules. For information about protecting a single machine, see Protecting a machine. For information about bulk protect (protecting multiple machines), see About protecting multiple machines. For information on customizing protection periods when protecting an agent using either of these wizards, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode. For information about modifying an existing protection schedule, see Creating multiple protection schedule periods in Advanced Mode. Complete the steps in this procedure to modify an existing protection schedule for volumes on a protected machine.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, from the list of protected machines, click the name of the machine with the protection schedule that you want to change.
2. On the Summary page for the machine you selected, in the Volumes pane, expand the volumes of the protected machine, select the applicable volumes, and then click Set a Schedule. Initially, all volumes share a protection schedule. To select all volumes at once, click in the checkbox in the header row. Click on (Protection Group) to expand the volumes being protected, so you can view all volumes and select one or more. NOTE: It is best practice to protect, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C:/ drive). The Protection Schedule dialog box appears.
3. On the Protection Schedule dialog box, do one of the following: l If you previously created a protection schedule template and want to apply it to this protected machine, click Advanced mode, select the template from the Templates drop-down list, click OK to confirm, and then go to step 7. l If you want to remove an existing time period from the schedule, clear the check box next to each time period option, and then go to Options include the following: l Weekdays (Mon - Fri): This range of time denotes a typical five-day work week. l Weekends (Sat, Sun): This range of time denotes a typical weekend.
If you want to save a new protection schedule as a template, click Advanced mode, and then continue to step 4.
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4. A period is a specified span of time during which you determine how many minutes should pass between each snapshot taken. When the weekday start and end times are from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM, then a single period exists. To change the start or end time of a defined period, do the following: a. Select the appropriate time period. b. To change the start time for this period, use the clock icon under Start Time. For example, use the arrows to show a time of 08:00 AM. c. To change the end time for this period, use the clock icon under End Time. For example, use the arrows to show a time of 06:00 PM. d. Change the interval according to your requirements. For example, if defining a peak period, change the interval from 60 minutes to 20 minutes to take snapshots three times hourly. A blue bar provides a visual representation of this interval.
5. If you defined a period other than 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM in step 7, and you want backups to occur in the remaining time ranges, you must add more periods to define protection by doing the following: a. Under the appropriate category, click Add Period. b. Click the clock icon and select the desired start and end times, as appropriate. For example, set a start time of 12:00 AM and an end time of 07:59 AM. c. Change the interval according to your requirements. For example, if defining an off-peak period, change the interval from 60 minutes to 120 minutes to take snapshots every two hours.
6. If needed, continue to create more periods, setting start and end times and intervals as appropriate. NOTE: If you want to remove a period you added, click the trash icon to the far right of that period, and then click Yes to confirm.
7. To create a template from the schedule you set, click Save as a Template. 8. In the Save Template dialog box, enter a name for the template, and then click Save. 9. When your protection schedule meets your requirements, click Apply.
The protection Schedule dialog box closes.
For more information, see Understanding protection schedules.
Pausing and resuming protection
When you pause protection, you temporarily stop all transfers of data from the selected machine to the Rapid Recovery Core. You can pause protection for any protected machine:
l When establishing protection using the Protect Machine Wizard or the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. l From the Protected Machines drop-down menu in the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core
(pausing protection for all protected machines). l From the Protected Machines page (accessible when you click on the Protected Machines menu). l From a specific protected machine in the Protected Machines drop-down menu. l From the top of every page for a specific protected machine.
If you pause protection using the Protect Machine Wizard or the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard, protection is paused until explicitly resumed. If protection is paused using this procedure, you are prompted to specify whether to pause until resumed, or to pause for a designated amount of time (specified in any combination of days, hours and minutes).
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l If you pause protection for a period of time, then when that time expires, the system automatically resumes protection based on the protection schedule.
l If you select Pause until resumed, then protection is paused until explicitly resumed using the Resume function described in this procedure.
If protection for a machine is paused, and you force a snapshot, a single backup snapshot is captured. If it is the first backup, a base image is captured; otherwise an incremental image is captured. Until you explicitly resume protection using this procedure, paused protection remains suspended. You can resume protection for any paused protected machine:
l From the Protected Machines drop-down menu in the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core (resuming protection for all protected machines).
l From a specific protected machine in the Protected Machines drop-down menu. l From the Protected Machines page (accessible when you click on the Protected Machines menu). l From the top of every page for a specific protected machine.
Use the procedure below to pause or to resume protection, as appropriate. 1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, to pause protection for all machines, click the Protected Machines drop-down menu in the left navigation area, and then do the following:
a. Select Pause Protection. The Pause Protection dialog box appears.
b. Select the appropriate setting using one of the options described below, and then click OK. l If you want to pause protection until you explicitly resume it, select Pause until resumed. l If you want to pause protection for a specified period, select Pause for and then, in the Days, Hours, and Minutes controls, type or select the appropriate pause period as appropriate.
2. To resume protection for all machines, do the following:
a. Select Resume Protection. The Resume Protection dialog box appears.
b. In the Resume Protection dialog box, select Yes. The Resume Protection dialog box closes, and protection is resumed for all machines.
3. To pause protection for a single machine, then in the left navigation area, click the drop-down menu to the right of the machine you want to affect, and then do the following:
a. Select Pause Protection. The Pause Protection dialog box appears.
b. Select the appropriate setting using one of the options described below, and then click OK. l If you want to pause protection until you explicitly resume it, select Pause until resumed. l If you want to pause protection for a specified period, select Pause for and then, in the Days, Hours, and Minutes controls, type or select the appropriate pause period as appropriate.
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4. To resume protection for a single machine, do the following:
a. Select Resume Protection. The Resume Protection dialog box appears.
b. In the Resume Protection dialog box, select Yes. The Resume Protection dialog box closes, and protection is resumed for the selected machine.
5. To pause protection for a single machine from the machine pages, navigate to the machine that you want to affect. The Summary page displays for the selected machine.
a. At the top of the page, click Pause. The Pause Protection dialog box appears.
b. Select the appropriate setting using one of the options described below, and then click OK. l If you want to pause protection until you explicitly resume it, select Pause until resumed. l If you want to pause protection for a specified period, select Pause for and then, in the Days, Hours, and Minutes controls, type or select the appropriate pause period as appropriate.
6. If you want to resume protection, do the following:
a. At the top of the page, click Resume. b. In the Resume Protection dialog box, click Yes.
The Resume Protection dialog box closes, and protection resumes for the selected machine.
About protecting multiple machines
You can add two or more Windows machines for protection on the Rapid Recovery Core simultaneously using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. To protect your data using Rapid Recovery, you need to add the workstations and servers for protection in the Rapid Recovery Core Console; for example, your Exchange server, SQL Server, Linux server, and so on. As with protecting individual machines, protecting multiple machines simultaneously requires you to install the Rapid Recovery Agent software on each machine you want to protect.
NOTE: As an exception to this rule, if protecting virtual machines on a VMware/ESXi or Hyper-V host, you can use agentless protection. For more information, including restrictions for agentless protection, see Understanding Rapid Snap for Virtual. Protected machines must be configured with a security policy that makes remote installation possible. To connect to the machines, they must be powered on and accessible. There is more than one method to deploy the Agent software to multiple machines simultaneously. For example:
l You can install the Rapid Recovery Agent software to multiple machines using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard. For more information, see Using the Deploy Agent Software Wizard to deploy to one or more machines.
l You can deploy the Rapid Recovery Agent software as part of the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard workflow.
The process of protecting multiple machines includes optional steps that you can access if you select an advanced configuration. Advanced options include repository functions and encryption. For example, you can
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specify an existing Rapid Recovery repository to save snapshots, or you can create a new repository. You can also specify an existing encryption key (or add a new encryption key) to apply to the data saved to the Core for the machines you are protecting. The workflow of the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard may differ slightly based on your environment. For example, if the Rapid Recovery Agent software is installed on the machines you want to protect, you are not prompted to install it from the wizard. Likewise, if a repository already exists on the Core, you are not prompted to create one. When protecting multiple machines, follow the appropriate procedure, based on your configuration. See the following options for protecting multiple machines:
l Protecting multiple machines on an Active Directory domain
l Protecting multiple machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host
l Protecting multiple machines on a Hyper-V virtual host
l Protecting multiple machines manually

Protecting multiple machines on an Active Directory domain

The protecting procedure requires the following tasks be completed before you begin:

Use this procedure to simultaneously protect one or more machines on an Active Directory domain.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect Protect Multiple Machines.
The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then click

2. On the Welcome page, select one of the follow installation options: l If you do not need to define a repository or establish encryption, select Typical. l If you want to define a repository or if you want to establish encryption, select Advanced (show optional steps).

Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.

3. Click Next. 4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select Active Directory.

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5. Enter the domain information and credentials as described in the following table.

Table 52: Domain information and credentials

Text Box Description

Host

The host name or IP address of the Active Directory domain.

User name

The user name used to connect to the domain; for example, Administrator or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator).

Password The secure password used to connect to the domain.

6. Click Next.
7. On the Select Machines page of the wizard, select the machines you want to protect. The system automatically verifies each machine you selected.
8. Click Next. If the Protection page appears next in the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard, skip to step 12. If the Agent software is not yet deployed to the machines you want to protect, or if any of the machines you specified cannot be protected for another reason, then the selected machines appear on the Warnings page.
9. Optionally, on the Warnings page of the wizard, you can verify any machine by selecting the machine and then clicking Verify in the toolbar.
10. Optionally, on the Warnings page, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically.
NOTE: Quest recommends this option. You must restart agent machines before they can be protected.
11. If the status indicates that the machine is reachable, click Next to install the Rapid Recovery Agent software. The Protection page appears.
12. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.
13. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below:
l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.

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14. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to step 15 to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 17 to see repository and encryption options.
15. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next. NOTE: It is best practice to protect, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C:/ drive).
16. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
17. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
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18. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 53: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

l If you want to encrypt all data that transports over a network, select Encrypt the data in transport over a network.
NOTE: This option is enabled by default, so if you do not want to encrypt data in this fashion, clear this option.
19. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

The Rapid Recovery Agent software is deployed to the specified machines, if necessary, and the machines are added to protection on the Core.

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Protecting multiple machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host

While you can protect multiple machines simultaneously using this wizard, all the machines you protect in a single installation using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard must either use the Rapid Recovery Agent software, or use agentless protection. This process describes protection using the Agent software. For the procedure to protect multiple machines simultaneously using agentless protection, see Protecting vCenter/ESXi virtual machines using agentless protection.
The protecting procedure requires the following tasks be completed before you begin:

l The Rapid Recovery Agent has been deployed and installed on the machine you want to protect. l The machine you want to protect was restarted after the Agent installation. l A repository has been created and is accessible from the Rapid Recovery Core.
Use this procedure to simultaneously protect one or more machines on a VMware vCenter/ESXi virtual host using Rapid Recovery Agent.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect select Protect Multiple Machines. The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then

Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.

3. Click Next.

4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select vCenter / ESXi.

5. Enter the host information and logon credentials as described in the following table.

Table 54: vCenter/ESXi connection settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The name or IP address of the VMware vCenter Server/ESXi virtual host.
The port used to connect to the virtual host. The default setting is 443.

User name

Password The secure password used to connect to this virtual host.

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6. To use agentless protection, select Use Rapid Snap for Virtual host-based protection, and then see Protecting vCenter/ESXi virtual machines using agentless protection.
7. Click Next. 8. On the Select Machines page, do one of the following:
l From the visible list of VMs, select the VMs you want to protect. l To navigate through the VMware tree structure to locate more VMs, click View Tree and then
select either Hosts and Clusters or VMs and Templates. Select the VMs you want to protect.
A notification appears if Rapid Recovery detects that a machine is offline or does not have VMware Tools installed.
9. Click Next. 10. On the Adjustments page, enter the credentials for each machine in the following format:
hostname::username::password. NOTE: Enter one machine on each line.
11. Click Next. If the Protection page appears next in the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard, skip to step 15. If the Agent software is not yet deployed to the machines you want to protect, or if any of the machines you specified cannot be protected for another reason, then the selected machines appear on the Warnings page.
12. Optionally, on the Warnings page, you can verify any machine by selecting the machine and then clicking Verify in the toolbar.
13. Optionally, on the Warnings page, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically. NOTE: Quest recommends this option. You must restart agent machines before they can be protected.
14. If the status indicates that the machine is reachable, click Next to install the agent software. The Protection page appears.
15. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.
16. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
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17. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 20 to see repository and encryption options.
18. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next. NOTE: It is best practice to protect, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C:\ drive).
19. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
20. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
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21. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 55: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

l If you want to encrypt all data that transports over a network, select Encrypt the data in transport over a network.
NOTE: This option is enabled by default, so if you do not want to encrypt data in this fashion, clear this option.
22. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

The Rapid Recovery Agent software is deployed to the specified machines, if necessary, and the machines are added to protection on the Core.

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Protecting vCenter/ESXi virtual machines using agentless protection

This procedure requires that you first create a repository that is accessible from the Rapid Recovery Core. For more information, see Understanding repositories. Complete the following procedure to agentlessly protect one or more ESXi virtual machines (VMs).
NOTE: Quest recommends that VMware Tools be installed on virtual machines (VMs) you want to protect on vSphere or ESXi hosts. When VMware Tools are installed on a VM using a Windows operating system (OS), the backups that the Rapid Recovery Core captures use Microsoft Volume Shadow Services (VSS). For information on the behavior of agentless VMs with or without VMware Tools, see Benefits of installing hypervisor tools for agentless protection.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect drop-down menu, and then select Protect Multiple Machines.
The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens. 2. On the Welcome page, select one of the follow installation options:
l If you do not have multiple repositories defined for this Core, or you do not need to establish encryption, select Typical.
l If you have multiple repositories defined, or if you want to establish encryption, select Advanced (show optional steps).
Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.
3. Click Next. 4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select vCenter/ESXi. 5. Enter the host information and logon credentials as described in the following table.

Table 56: vCenter/ESXi connection settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The name or IP address of the virtual host.
The port used to connect to the virtual host. The default setting is 443.

User name

Password The secure password used to connect to this virtual host.

6. Ensure that Use Rapid Snap for Virtual host-based protection is selected. (This option is selected by default).
7. Click Next.

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8. On the Select Machines page, select the VMs you want to protect. You can use the drop-down menu to display a tree of Hosts and Clusters or of VMs and Templates exactly as they appear in your vCenter/ESXi environment. CAUTION: Quest recommends that you limit agentless protection to no more than 200 VMs at once. For example, do not select more than 200 VMs when using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Protecting more than 200 VMs results in slow performance. There is no limit to how many VMs a Core can agentlessly protect over time. For example, you could protect 200 VMs today and another 200 VMs tomorrow. NOTE: VMware Changed Block Tracking (CBT) must be enabled on each of the VMs you want to protect. If it is not enabled, Rapid Recovery automatically enables CBT to ensure protection.
9. If you want to automatically protect new VMs when they are added to the host, select Auto protect new machines, and then complete the following steps. a. Click Next. b. On the Auto Protection page, select any containers in which you expect to add new machines. NOTE: You may need to switch between views of Hosts and Clusters and VMs and Templates.
10. Click Next.
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11. On the Protection Rules page, select any of the following options:

Table 57: ESXi and vCenter agentless protection options

Option

Description

Protect machine if it is Lets the Core protect a machine that was previously protected but was then orphaned by this Core removed from protection because the hypervisor became unreachable. This
option is selected by default.

Protect machine if it already has recovery points

Shows existing recovery points alongside the new recovery points after protection. This option is selected by default.

Protect machine agentlessly if it is already protected with the Rapid Recovery Agent

If a Core detects that a machine is already protected by the Rapid Recovery Agent, this option permits duplicate protection (both agentlessly and with the Agent). The protected VM must be powered on and VMware Tools must be installed. This option is selected by default.

Protect machine if it is paired with a different Core

Protects the VM with this Core and discontinues protection from the other Core.

Delete old VMware snapshots in order to enable Changed Block Tracking

Lets the Core delete previous VMware snapshots, including snapshots created by a user or another program, if required to enable Changed Block Tracking (CBT).

Save rules

Saves the selected rules to use for future VM agentless protection on this hypervisor host. These rules apply to machines protected automatically or by using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard.

12. Click Next.
13. On the Protection page, select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below:
l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core takes snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
14. Proceed with your configuration as follows:
l If you specified default protection, then click Next and continue to step 16 to the ABM Settings page.
l If you specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to configure a protection schedule.

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15. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
16. Optionally, on the ABM Settings page, select Enable Active Block Mapping, and then complete the following information:

Table 58: Active Block Mapping settings

Option

Description

Enable Active Block Mapping

Lets you enable or disable the ABM feature.

Enable swap file blocks exclusion

Excludes the content of system files, such as pagefile.sys, hyberfill.sys, and swapfile.sys, from the backup.

Exclude subdirectories

Lets you exclude specific files by specifying '<file name>' or '<folder>\<subfolder>\<file name>'. Only the files will be excluded. The folders or subfolders that contained excluded files are included in the mount point, with no contents.
NOTE: This option may affect the performance of the "determining data" phase of transfers.

+ Add

If you opted to exclude subdirectories, click Add and enter the location in the Path table for each item you want to exclude.

For more information, see Understanding Active Block Mapping. NOTE: Active Block Mapping only supports NTFS file systems.

17. Click Next.
18. Proceed with your configuration as follows:
l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified.
l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options.
19. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.

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20. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 59: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

21. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

Protecting multiple machines on a Hyper-V virtual host
The protecting procedure requires the following tasks be completed before you begin: l The Rapid Recovery Agent has been deployed and installed on the machine you want to protect. l The machine you want to protect was restarted after the Agent installation. l A repository has been created and is accessible from the Rapid Recovery Core.
Use this procedure to simultaneously protect one or more machines on a Hyper-V virtual host.

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CAUTION: If you use agentless protection, Quest recommends that you limit protection to no more than 200 VMs at once. For example, do not select more than 200 VMs when using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Protecting more than 200 VMs results in slow performance. There is no limit to how many VMs a Core can agentlessly protect over time. For example, you could protect 200 VMs today and another 200 VMs tomorrow.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect select Protect Multiple Machines. The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then

2. On the Welcome page, select one of the follow installation options:

l If you do not need to define a repository or establish encryption, select Typical.
l If you want to define a repository or if you want to establish encryption, select Advanced (show optional steps).

Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.

3. Click Next. 4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select one of the following
options: l Hyper-V Server l Hyper-V Cluster
5. Enter the host information and logon credentials as described in the following table.

Table 60: Hyper-V connection settings

Text Box Description

Host Port

The name or IP address of the virtual host.
The port used to connect to the virtual host. The default setting is 8006.

User name

The user name used to connect to the virtual host; for example, Administrator or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator.

Password The secure password used to connect to this virtual host.

6. To use agentless protection, select Use Rapid Snap for Virtual host-based protection, and then see Protecting Hyper-V virtual machines using host-based protection.
7. Click Next.
8. On the Machines page, select the VMs that you want to protect.
9. Optionally, if you want to automatically protect new VMs when they are added to the host, select Auto protect new virtual machines.
10. Click Next.
11. On the Adjustments page, enter the credentials for each machine in the following format: hostname::username::password. NOTE: Enter one machine on each line.

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12. Click Next. l If the Protection page appears next in the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard, skip to Step 15. l If the Agent software is present the machines you want to protect, or if the machines you specified cannot be protected for another reason, then the selected machines appear on the Warnings page.
13. Optionally, on the Warnings page, you can verify any machine by selecting the machine and then clicking Verify in the toolbar.
14. Optionally, on the Warnings page, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically. NOTE: Quest recommends this option. You must restart agent machines before they can be protected.
15. If the status indicates that the machine is reachable, click Next to install the agent software. The Protection page appears.
16. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of these prohibited phrases.
17. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
18. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to step 19 to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 21 to see repository and encryption options.
19. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next. NOTE: It is best practice to protect, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C:\ drive).
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20. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
21. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
22. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 61: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

l If you want to encrypt all data that transports over a network, select Encrypt the data in transport over a network. NOTE: This option is enabled by default, so if you do not want to encrypt data in this fashion, clear this option.
23. Click Finish to save and apply your settings. NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.
The Rapid Recovery Agent software is deployed to the specified machines, if necessary, and the machines are added to protection on the Core.

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Protecting Hyper-V virtual machines using hostbased protection

This procedure requires that you first create a repository that is accessible from the Rapid Recovery Core. For more information, see Understanding repositories.
The Rapid Snap for Virtual feature lets you protect Hyper-V virtual machines or clusters agentlessly by installing the Rapid Recovery Agent on only the Hyper-V host instead of every virtual machine (VM).
CAUTION: Quest recommends that you limit agentless protection to no more than 200 VMs at once. For example, do not select more than 200 VMs when using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Protecting more than 200 VMs results in slow performance. There is no limit to how many VMs a Core can agentlessly protect over time. For example, you could protect 200 VMs today and another 200 VMs tomorrow.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect select Protect Multiple Machines. The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then

2. On the Welcome page, select one of the follow installation options:

l If you do not have multiple repositories defined for this Core, or you do not need to establish encryption, select Typical.

l If you have multiple repositories defined, or if you want to establish encryption, select Advanced (show optional steps).

Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.

3. Click Next.

4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select one of the following options:

l Hyper-V Server l Hyper-V Cluster

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5. Enter the host information and logon credentials as described in the following table.

Table 62: Hyper-V connection settings Text Box Description

Host

The name or IP address of the virtual host.

Port

The port used to connect to the virtual host.

The default setting is 8006.

User name

Password The secure password used to connect to this virtual host.

6. Depending on your choice from step 4, ensure that Use Rapid Snap for Virtual host-based protection is selected. (This option is selected by default).
7. Click Next.
8. On the Select Machines page, select the VMs that you want to protect.
CAUTION: Quest recommends that you limit agentless protection to no more than 200 VMs at once. For example, do not select more than 200 VMs when using the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard. Protecting more than 200 VMs results in slow performance. There is no limit to how many VMs a Core can agentlessly protect over time. For example, you could protect 200 VMs today and another 200 VMs tomorrow.
9. Optionally, if you want to automatically protect new VMs when they are added to the host, select Auto protect new virtual machines.
10. Click Next.

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11. On the Protection Rules page, select any of the following options:

Table 63: Hyper-V agentless protection options

Option

Description

Install the Agent on the host on which the virtual disks for VMs are located

Installs the Agent on the same machine as the virtual disks, which may be located on Hyper-V Server, a Hyper-V cluster node, SMB Server, or Scale-Out File Server (SOFS). If necessary, the host restarts automatically after the installation is complete. This option is selected by default.

Upgrade the Agent on the hosts on which virtual disks for VMs are located

If the Agent is located on the same host as the virtual disks, this option upgrades the Agent to the latest release. Virtual disks may be located on Hyper-V Server, a Hyper-V cluster node, SMB Server, or Scale-Out File Server. If necessary, the host restarts automatically after the upgrade is complete. This option is selected by default.

Protect SMB/SOFS server if a disk is located on an SMB or SOFS server

If any of the virtual disks for VMs are located on an SMB Server or Scale-Out File Server, then the server that hosts the share is also protected. This option is selected by default.

Protect machine if it is orphaned by this Core

Lets the Core protect a machine that was previously protected but was then removed from protection because the hypervisor became unreachable. This option is selected by default.

Protect machine if it already has recovery points

Shows existing recovery points alongside the new recovery points after protection. This option is selected by default.

Protect machine agentlessly if it is already protected with the Rapid Recovery Agent

Protect machine with both supported and unsupported virtual disk types

The Core does not support VHD or VHD Set virtual disk formats. If selected, only the support virtual disk types will be protected. If not selected, virtual machines with an unsupported disk format will not be protected.

Save Rules

Saves the selected rules to use for future VM agentless protection on this hypervisor host. These rules apply to machines protected automatically or by using the Protect Multiple Machines wizard.

12. When satisfied with the set of rules selected, click Next.

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13. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below:
l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
14. Proceed with your configuration as follows:
l If you specified default protection, then click Next and skip to step 17 to the ABM Settings page.
l If you specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to the next step to configure a protection schedule.
15. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
16. Optionally, on the ABM Settings page, select Enable Active Block Mapping, and then complete the following information:

Table 64: Active Block Mapping settings

Option

Description

Enable Active Block Mapping

Lets you enable or disable the ABM feature.

Enable swap file blocks exclusion

Excludes the content of system files, such as pagefile.sys, hyberfill.sys, and swapfile.sys, from the backup.

Exclude subdirectories

+ Add

If you opted to exclude subdirectories, click Add and enter the location in the Path table for each item you want to exclude.

For more information, see Understanding Active Block Mapping.
NOTE: Active Block Mapping only supports NTFS file systems. Any type of dynamic disk is not supported.

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17. Proceed with your configuration as follows:
l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified.
l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, then click Next to see repository and encryption options.
18. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
19. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 65: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

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20. Click Finish to save and apply your settings.
NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.

Protecting multiple machines manually

The protecting procedure requires the following tasks be completed before you begin:

Use this procedure to manually specify details for multiple machines that you want to protect simultaneously using the Agent software. The details identify each machine on the network uniquely, and include connection information and credentials. This approach is often used when protecting Linux machines. However, using this process, you can protect only Windows machines, only Linux machines, or a combination of both.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the Protect select Protect Multiple Machines. The Protect Multiple Machines Wizard opens.

drop-down menu, and then

Optionally, if you do not wish to see the Welcome page for the Protect Machine Wizard in the future, select the option Skip this Welcome page the next time the wizard opens.

3. Click Next.
4. On the Connection page of the wizard, from the Source drop-down list, select Manually.
5. Click Next.
6. On the Select Machines page, for each machine you want to protect, enter the machine details in the dialog box. Press Enter to separate information for each machine you want to add. Use the format hostname::username::password::port. The port setting is optional. The default port for installing Agent on Windows machines is 8006. For Linux machines, the default port is number 22 (SSH port). Examples include:

10.255.255.255::administrator::&11@yYz90z

Linux-host-00-2::administrator::p@$$w0rD::22

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7. Click Next. If the Protection page appears next in the Protect Multiple Machines Wizard, skip to step 11. If the Agent software is not yet deployed to the machines you want to protect, or if any of the machines you specified cannot be protected for another reason, then the selected machines appear on the Warnings page.
8. Optionally, on the Machines Warnings page, you can verify any machine by selecting the machine and then clicking Verify in the toolbar.
9. Optionally, on the Machines Warnings page, select After Agent installation, restart the machines automatically. CAUTION: Quest recommends this option. You must restart agent machines before they can be protected. Restarting ensures that the Agent service is running, and that proper kernel module is used to protect the machine, if relevant.
10. If the status indicates that the machine is reachable, click Next to install the Agent software. The Protection page appears.
11. Optionally, on the Protection page, if you want a name other than the IP address to display in the Rapid Recovery Core Console for this protected machine, then in the Display name field, type a name in the dialog box. You can enter up to 64 characters. Do not use the special characters described in the topic prohibited characters. Additionally, do not begin the display name with any of the character combinations described in the topic prohibited phrases.
12. Select the appropriate protection schedule settings as described below: l To use the default protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Default protection (hourly snapshots of all volumes). With a default protection schedule, the Core will take snapshots of all volumes on the protected machine once every hour. To change the protection settings at any time after you close the wizard, including choosing which volumes to protect, go to the Summary page for the specific protected machine.
l To define a different protection schedule, in the Schedule Settings option, select Custom protection. Schedule options are added to the wizard workflow.
13. Proceed with your configuration as follows: l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2 and specified default protection, then click Finish to confirm your choices, close the wizard, and protect the machine you specified. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next to see repository and encryption options. l If you selected a Typical configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard and specified custom protection, then click Next and continue to step 14 to choose which volumes to protect. l If you selected Advanced configuration for the Protect Machine Wizard in step 2, and default protection, then click Next and proceed to step 16 to see repository and encryption options.
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14. On the Protection Volumes page, select which volumes you want to protect. If any volumes are listed that you do not want to include in protection, click in the Check column to clear the selection. Then click Next.
NOTE: Typically, it is good practice to protect, at minimum, the System Reserved volume and the volume with the operating system (typically the C drive).

15. On the Protection Schedule page, define a custom protection schedule and then click Next. For details on defining a custom protection schedule, see Creating custom protection schedules in Simple Mode.
16. On the Repository page, select the repository you want to use to store recovery points for this machine, and then click Next.
17. On the Encryption page, do one of the following:
l If you want to use encryption keys for data stored in the repository, select Encrypt the data at rest in a repository, and then do one of the following:
l To select an existing encryption key to apply to all new data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with an existing key, and from the Select encryption key drop-down menu, select the encryption key.
l To define a new encryption key at this time to apply to all future data stored in your repository, select Encrypt data using Core-based encryption with a new key, and then enter information about the key as described in the table below:

Table 66: Define new encryption key

Text Box Name

Description
Enter a name for the encryption key. Encryption key names must contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Description

Passphrase

Confirm

Re-enter the passphrase. It is used to confirm the passphrase entry.

passphrase

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18. Click Finish to save and apply your settings. NOTE: The first time protection is added for a machine, a base image (that is, a snapshot of all the data in the protected volumes) transfers to the repository indicated in your Rapid Recovery Core following the schedule you defined, unless you specified that the Core should initially pause protection. For information on pausing and resuming protection, see Pausing and resuming protection.
The Rapid Recovery Agent software is deployed to the specified machines, if necessary, and the machines are added to protection on the Core.
Monitoring the protection of multiple machines
You can monitor the progress as Rapid Recovery applies the protection polices and schedules to the machines.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Home page and then click (Events). The Events page displays, broken down by Tasks, Alerts, and Events. As volumes are transferred, the status, start times, and end times display in the Tasks pane. You can also filter tasks by status (active, waiting, completed, queued, and failed). For more information, see Viewing tasks.
NOTE: To only see tasks that are waiting to be performed, make sure that you select the (Waiting Tasks) icon. As each protected machine is added, an alert is logged, which lists whether the operation was successful or if errors were logged. For more information, see Viewing alerts. For information on viewing all events, see Viewing a journal of all logged events.
Enabling application support
After a VM has been placed under agentless protection, you can support the Exchange or SQL application installed on that machine. Before you begin, the following prerequisites must be in place.
l Protect the VM with the Rapid Recovery Core. The option to enable application support is not available during the protection process. The button to enable this capability is displayed on multiple pages in the UI after the SQL or Exchange machine is placed under protection. For more information, see Protecting vCenter/ESXi virtual machines using agentless protection or Protecting Hyper-V virtual machines using host-based protection.
l Enable remote WMI access. To allow WMI access, you must install and configure Windows Remote Management on the target virtual machine (VM). For more information, see the Microsoft knowledge base article at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa384372(v=vs.85).aspx.
l Grant administrative rights remotely to local users. Configure LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy by running the following administrative command prompt: winrm quickconfig
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l Obtain WMI root namespace access authorization. For the Core to connect to applications without the Agent, the VM must allow incoming network traffic on TCP ports 135 and 445, and to dynamically assigned ports 1024 to 1034.
l Allow remote access to SQL Server and Exchange. This prerequisite varies depending on the application you want to support. l SQL: Configure the Windows Firewall by opening ports 1433 and 1434. l Exchange: Open the TCP and UDP 389 ports.
l Integrate the guest with the host. Integration is done by installing the optimization package specific to the hypervisor: l For ESXi VMs, use VMware Tools, which are required for agentless ESXi VM protection. l For Hyper-V, use the Integration Services bundle, which is preinstalled on most Windows Server operating systems.
Complete the following steps to enable application support for agentlessly protected VMs.
1. From the Core Console, go to the Machines page. 2. Complete one of the following actions:
l To enable application support for single VM, click the Actions menu for that VM, and then click Enable application support.
l To enable application support for multiple VMs simultaneously, select the VMs, click the Application Support drop-down, and then click Enable application support.
3. In the Edit Application Support dialog, enter the credentials for the VM. A green icon is displayed next to the name of the protected machine for which application support is enabled. If you want to add application credentials, you can do so by clicking SQL or Exchange at the top of the Summary page for the specific machine.
Settings and functions for protected Exchange servers
If you are protecting a Microsoft Exchange Server in your Core, there are additional settings you can configure in the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and there are additional functions you can perform. A single setting, Enable automatic mountability check, is available in the Core Console related to Exchange Server. If enabled, Exchange server mountability checks are conducted automatically. This setting is available when the status for the protected machine is green (active) or yellow (paused). For more information, see About Exchange database mountability checks. You can also perform a mountability check on demand, from the Recovery Points pane on a protected Exchange server machine. For more information, see Forcing a mountability check of an Exchange database. Following are functions you can perform for an Exchange server protected by the Core.
l Specify Exchange server credentials. Rapid Recovery Core lets you set credentials so the Core can authenticate to the Exchange server to obtain information. For more information about setting credentials for Exchange servers, see Setting credentials for an Exchange server machine.
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l Truncate Exchange logs. When you force log truncation of Exchange server logs, this process identifies the available space and reclaims space on the protected Exchange server. For more information about truncating Exchange server logs on demand, see Forcing log truncation for an Exchange machine. This process can also be performed as part of the nightly jobs.
l Force a mountability check of an Exchange database. This function checks that Exchange databases are mountable, to detect corruption and alert administrators so that all data on the Exchange server can be recovered successfully. For more information about forcing a mountability check on demand, see Forcing a mountability check of an Exchange database. You can also force a mountability check to occur automatically after each snapshot. For more information about mountability checks, see About Exchange database mountability checks.
l Force a checksum check of Exchange Server recovery points. This function checks the integrity of recovery points containing Exchange database files. For more information about forcing a checksum check on demand, see Forcing a checksum check of Exchange database files.
You can truncate Exchange logs and force a checksum check as part of nightly jobs. For more information about the tasks you can schedule as nightly jobs, see Understanding nightly jobs. For information on configuring nightly jobs, see Configuring nightly jobs for the Core.
Setting credentials for an Exchange server machine
In order to set login credentials, an Exchange server must be present on a protected volume. If Rapid Recovery does not detect the presence of an Exchange server, the Set Credentials function does not appear in the Core Console. Once you protect data on a Microsoft Exchange server, you can set login credentials in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Complete the steps in this procedure to set credentials for each Exchange Server.
1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected Exchange server machine for which you want to set credentials. The Summary page appears for the protected Exchange server.
2. On the Summary page, from the links at the top of the page, click the downward-facing arrow to the right of the Exchange menu, and then from the resulting drop-down menu, select Set Credentials. The Edit Exchange Credentials dialog box for the protected Exchange server appears.
3. In the Edit Exchange Credentials dialog box, enter your credentials as follows: a. In the User name text field, enter the user name for a user with permissions to the Exchange server; for example, Administrator (or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator). b. In the Password text field, enter the password associated with user name you specified to connect to the Exchange server. c. Click OK to confirm the settings and close the dialog box.
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Forcing log truncation for an Exchange machine
In order to force log truncation, an Exchange database must be present on a protected volume. If Rapid Recovery does not detect the presence of a database, the log truncation check does not appear in the Core Console. When you force log truncation for a protected Exchange Server, the size of the logs are reduced. Complete the steps in this procedure to force log truncation on demand.
1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected Exchange server for which you want to force log truncation The Summary page for the protected machine appears.
2. At the top of the page, click the Exchange drop-down menu and select Force Log Truncation. 3. In the resulting dialog box, click to confirm that you want to force log truncation.
The dialog box closes. The system starts truncating the Exchange server logs. If Toast alerts are enabled for this type of event, you see a message that the log truncation process starts.
About Exchange database mountability checks
When using Rapid Recovery to back up Microsoft Exchange Servers, mountability checks can be performed on all Exchange databases after every snapshot. This corruption detection feature alerts administrators of potential failures and ensures that all data on the Exchange servers will be recovered successfully in the event of a failure. To enable or disable this feature, go to the Settings menu for a protected machine, and set the Enable automatic mountability check option to Yes or No, respectively. For more information about modifying settings for a protected machine, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings. Mountability checks are not part of nightly settings. However, if the automatic mountability check is enabled, and if the Truncate Exchange logs nightly job is enabled, then the mountability check is triggered after the completion of log truncation. You can also perform a mountability check on demand, from the Recovery Points pane on a protected Exchange server machine. For more information, see Forcing a mountability check of an Exchange database.
NOTE: The mountability checks only apply to Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016. Additionally, the Rapid Recovery Agent service account must be assigned the Organizational Administrator role in Exchange.
Forcing a mountability check of an Exchange database
In order to force a mountability check, an Exchange database must be present on a protected volume. If Rapid Recovery does not detect the presence of a database, the mountability check function does not appear in the Core Console. Complete the steps in this procedure to force the system to perform a mountability check for a specific Exchange server recovery point on demand.
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1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected Exchange server machine for which you want to force the mountability check, and then click the Recovery Points menu.
2. Scroll down to the Recovery Points pane. 3. Navigate through the recovery points to find the desired recovery point. Optionally, click the arrow to
the right of a recovery point in the list to expand the view. In the expanded recovery point information, you can see volumes included in the recovery point. 4. In the Recovery Points pane, from the row representing the correct recovery point, click , and from the drop-down menu, select Force Mountability Check. 5. In the resulting dialog box, click to confirm that you want to force a mountability check. The dialog box closes. The system performs the mountability check. If Toast alerts are enabled for this type of event, you see a message that the mountability check starts. For instructions on how to view the status of the mountability check, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.
Forcing a checksum check of Exchange database files
In order to force a checksum check, an Exchange database must be present on a protected volume. If Rapid Recovery does not detect the presence of a database, the checksum check function does not appear in the Core Console. Complete the steps in this procedure to force the system to perform a checksum check for a specific Exchange server recovery point.
1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected Exchange server for which you want to force a checksum check, and then click the Recovery Points menu. The Recovery Points page appears for the protected Exchange server.
2. Scroll down to the Recovery Points pane. 3. Navigate through the recovery points to find the desired recovery point. Optionally, click the arrow to
the right of a recovery point in the list to expand the view. In the expanded recovery point information, you can see volumes included in the recovery point. 4. In the Recovery Points pane, from the row representing the correct recovery point, click , and from the drop-down menu, select Force Checksum Check. 5. In the resulting dialog box, click to confirm that you want to force a checksum check. The dialog box closes. The system performs the checksum check. If Toast alerts are enabled for this type of event, you see a message that the checksum check starts. For instructions on how to view the status of the checksum check, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.
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Settings and functions for protected SQL servers
If you are protecting a Microsoft SQL Server in your Core, there are additional settings you can configure in the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and there are additional functions you can perform. A single setting, Attachability, is available in the Core Console related to SQL Server. Rapid Recovery Core lets you perform a SQL attachability check to verify the integrity of recovery points containing SQL databases. This action checks the consistency of SQL databases and ensures that all supporting MDF (data) and LDF (log) files are available in the backup snapshot. In previous releases, SQL attachability checks have historically required a licensed version of SQL Server on the Core machine. Rapid Recovery Core now provides the ability to perform SQL attachability checks from an instance of SQL Server on the Core, or from a licensed version of SQL Server on a protected SQL Server machine. The attachability settings let you specify which licensed version of SQL Server is used to perform this check. For more information about configuring attachability settings, see Managing Core SQL attachability settings. For more information on SQL attachability, see About SQL attachability. Following are functions you can perform for a SQL server protected by the Core.
l Specify SQL Server credentials. Rapid Recovery Core lets you set credentials so the Core can authenticate to the SQL server to obtain information. You can set credentials for a single protected SQL Server machine, or set default credentials for all protected SQL Servers. For more information about setting credentials for SQL servers, see Setting credentials for a SQL Server machine.
l Truncate SQL logs. When you force log truncation of SQL Server logs, this process identifies the available space on the protected server. This process does not reclaim any space. For more information about truncating SQL Server logs on demand, see Forcing log truncation for a SQL machine.
l Force an attachability check of a SQL Server. This function checks the consistency of SQL databases and ensures that all supporting MDF (data) and LDF (log) files are available in the backup snapshot. For more information about forcing an attachability check for SQL servers on demand, see Forcing a SQL Server attachability check.
Other than specifying credentials, each of the functions described in the preceding list can be accomplished on demand, and can also be configured to occur as part of the nightly jobs performed for the Core. For more information about the tasks you can schedule as nightly jobs, see Understanding nightly jobs. For information on configuring nightly jobs, see Configuring nightly jobs for the Core.
Setting credentials for a SQL Server machine
You must add the SQL Server machine to protection on the Rapid Recovery Core before performing this procedure. For more information about protecting machines, see Protecting a machine. Once you protect data on a Microsoft SQL Server machine, you can set login credentials for a single instance, or for all SQL Servers, in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Complete the steps in this procedure to set credentials for each SQL Server.
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1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected SQL Server machine for which you want set credentials. The Summary page displays for the protected SQL Server.
2. On the Summary page, from the links at the top of the page, click the downward-facing arrow to the right of the SQL menu, and then from the resulting drop-down menu, do one of the following: If you want to set default credentials for all SQL Server database instances, click Set Default Credentials for All Instances, and in the Edit Default Credentials dialog box, do the following: a. In the User name text field, enter the user name for a user with permissions to all associated SQL servers; for example, Administrator (or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator). b. In the Password text field, enter the password associated with the user name you specified to connect to the SQL server. c. Click OK to confirm the settings and close the dialog box. If you want to set credentials for a single SQL Server database instance, click the display name of the protected SQL Server machine, and then in the Edit Instance Credentials dialog box, do the following: a. Select the credential type (Default, Windows, or SQL) b. In the User name text field, enter the user name for a user with permissions to the SQL server; for example, Administrator (or, if the machine is in a domain, [domain name]\Administrator). c. In the Password text field, enter the password associated with the user name you specified to connect to the SQL server. d. Click OK to confirm the settings and close the dialog box.
Forcing log truncation for a SQL machine
Log truncation is available for machines that use SQL Server. Complete the steps in this procedure to force log truncation.
NOTE: When conducted for a SQL machine, truncation identifies the free space on a disk, but does not reduce the size of the logs.
1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the machine for which you want to force log truncation. The Summary page appears for the protected machine.
2. From the Summary page (or from any page for this protected machine), at the top of the page, click the SQL drop-down menu and select Force Log Truncation.
3. Click Yes to confirm that you want to force log truncation.
About SQL attachability
The SQL attachability feature lets the Rapid Recovery Core attach SQL master database files (.MDF files) and log database files (.LDF files) to a snapshot of a protected SQL Server. The snapshot is captured using a local instance of Microsoft SQL Server. Issues relevant for Rapid Recovery users protecting SQL Server machines include which instance of SQL Server performs attachability, and the method of performing SQL attachability (on demand, or as part of nightly jobs).
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The attachability check lets the Core verify the consistency of the SQL databases and ensures that all MDF and LDF files are available in the backup snapshot. Attachability checks can be run on demand for specific recovery points, or as part of a nightly job. To perform the SQL attachability check on demand, see Forcing a SQL Server attachability check. To perform SQL attachability once daily, at the time specified for your nightly job operations, enable the option Check attachability for SQL databases in nightly jobs. For more information about setting nightly jobs for the Core, see Configuring nightly jobs for the Core. For more information about setting nightly jobs for a specific machine (in this case, a protected SQL Server), see Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine. In previous versions, SQL attachability required a local instance of Microsoft SQL Server to be installed and configured on the Core machine. Rapid Recovery Core now lets you choose to perform the attachability check from a SQL Server instance on the Core, or from a SQL Server instance on a protected SQL Server machine. The instance you select must be a fully licensed version of SQL Server, procured from Microsoft or through a licensed reseller. Microsoft does not allow the use of passive SQL licenses. Whichever SQL Server instance you specify is then used for all attachability checks. Attachability is synchronized between Core settings and nightly jobs. For example, if you specify using the Core instance of SQL Server for nightly jobs, on-demand attachability checks then also use the Core. Conversely, if you specify using a SQL Server instance on a specific protected machine, all on-demand and nightly attachability checks then use the local instance on the protected machine. Select the SQL Server instance to use as part of global Core settings. For more information, see Managing Core SQL attachability settings.
NOTE: Performing the attachability check from a protected SQL Server machine requires the Rapid Recovery Agent software to be installed on that server. Agentless protection is not supported for SQL attachability. Attachability in Rapid Recovery Core supports SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, and 2014. The account used to perform the test must be granted the sysadmin role on the SQL Server instance. The SQL Server on-disk storage format is the same in both 64-bit and 32-bit environments and attachability works across both versions. A database that is detached from a server instance that is running in one environment can be attached on a server instance that runs in another environment. NOTE: The version of SQL Server on the Core must be equal to or newer than the SQL Server version on all of the protected machines with SQL Server installed.
Forcing a SQL Server attachability check
In order to force an attachability check, a SQL database must be present on a protected volume. If Rapid Recovery does not detect the presence of a database, the attachability check function does not appear in the Core Console. Complete the steps in this procedure to force the system to perform an attachability check for a specific SQL server recovery point.
1. In the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, select the protected SQL Server machine for which you want to force the attachability check, and then click the Recovery Points menu.
2. Scroll down to the Recovery Points pane.
3. Navigate through the recovery points to find the desired recovery point. Optionally, click the arrow to the right of a recovery point in the list to expand the view. In the expanded recovery point information, you can see volumes included in the recovery point.
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4. In the Recovery Points pane, from the row representing the correct recovery point, click drop-down menu, select Force Attachability Check.
5. In the resulting dialog box, click to confirm that you want to force an attachability check. The dialog box closes. The system performs the attachability check.

, and from the

For instructions on how to view the status of the attachability check, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.

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8
Managing protected machines
This section describes how to view, configure and manage the protected machines in your Rapid Recovery environment. Topics include:
About managing protected machines Viewing protected machines Configuring machine settings Managing machines Understanding custom groups
About managing protected machines
You can manage protected machines from the Rapid Recovery Core Console, including the following tasks: l You can view protected machines in the Rapid Recovery Core Console using options described in the topic Viewing protected machines. l You can configure settings for a particular machine, which supersede Core default settings. Some configuration tasks include changing hypervisor host or VM settings, accessing system information, modifying transfer settings, customizing nightly jobs, or configuring notifications for events. For more information, see Configuring machine settings. l You can remove a machine or cluster from protection, view license information for a protected machine, or diagnose problems by viewing the log file for a protected machine. For more information on these and other tasks, see Managing machines. l You can view and manage data saved in the Core. For more information, see Managing snapshots and recovery points.
Viewing protected machines
From the Home page on the Rapid Recovery Core Console, when viewing the Summary Tables view, you can see summary information for any machines protected by the Core in the Protected Machines pane.
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NOTE: A software agent acts on behalf of the user to take specific actions. Protected machines are sometimes referred to as agents, since they run the Rapid Recovery Agent software to facilitate data backup and replication on the Rapid Recovery Core. You can view the status, the display name for each machine, which repository it uses, the date and time of the last snapshot, how many recovery points exist in the repository for the machine, and the total amount of storage space the snapshots use in the repository. To manage aspects of any protected machine, start by navigating to the machine you want to view, configure, or manage. From the Home page, there are three ways to navigate to a protected machine:
l You can click on the IP address or display name of any protected machine from the Protected Machines pane. This takes you to the Summary page for the selected protected machine.
l In the left navigation area, you can click on the title of the Protected Machines menu. The Protected Machines page appears. On this page, you can see summary information about each machine. For a detailed description of this page, see Viewing summary information for a protected machine.
l In the left navigation area, under the Protected Machines menu, you can click any protected machine IP address or display name. This takes you to the Summary page for the selected protected machine. For a detailed description of this page, see Viewing summary information for a protected machine.
Viewing cluster summary information
Complete the steps in this procedure to view summary information about a cluster including information about the associated quorum for the cluster.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines, click the cluster you want to view. The Summary page for the machine appears.
2. On the Summary page, you can view such information as the cluster name, cluster type, quorum type (if applicable), and the quorum path (if applicable). This page also shows at-a-glance information about the volumes in this cluster, including size and protection schedule. If applicable, you can also view SQL Server or Exchange Server information for a different cluster.
3. To view the most current information, click Refresh.
For information about viewing summary and status information for an individual machine or node in the cluster, see Viewing protected machines.
Configuring machine settings
Once you have protected a machine in your Rapid Recovery Core, you can easily view and modify the settings that govern the behavior of that protected machine. When you modify settings for a specific machine, those settings supersede the behavior set at the Core level. You can view and configure the following machine settings in the Rapid Recovery Core Console:
l General. General machine configuration settings include display name, host name, port, encryption key, repository, and links to a hypervisor host. For information about configuring general settings for a machine, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
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l Credentials. You can view the current logged-in user name for the protected hypervisor host, and you can update credentials (user name and password) to connect to the host. This setting appears only for vCenter/ESXi or Hyper-V hypervisor hosts.
l Transfer Queue. This setting establishes the maximum number of concurrent transfers from a single Hyper-V host. This option appears only for protected Hyper-V hosts.
l Nightly Jobs. The subset of Core nightly job settings that appear for a specific protected machine allow you to supersede nightly job settings set at the Core level. This includes rollup, which lets you manage the retention policy. Some settings may differ based on the type of machine that is protected.
l Transfer. Settings specific to managing data transfer processes for the selected protected machine. For information about the types of data transfer affected by these settings, see About modifying transfer settings. This setting appears only for machines protected with Agent, or agentlessly protected machines (not hypervisor hosts).
l ABM. This setting, when enabled, lets Rapid Recovery Core protect only active blocks in backup snapshots. This option is not available for machines protected with Rapid Recovery Agent. Agentlessly protected machines can use ABM settings of the host or can have customized settings per machine. For more information, see Understanding Active Block Mapping.
l Excluded Writers. These settings let you exclude writers. These are machine-specific. A writer is a specific API published my Microsoft to allow other software components to participate in using Microsoft Volume Shadow Services (VSS). Each of the writers in Rapid Recovery that participate in volume snapshots are listed in the Excluded Writers settings. In the event that a writer is interfering with or precluding successful backup transfers, these can be disabled one by one. Quest recommends leaving these settings alone, unless you are otherwise directed by a Quest Data Protection Support representative.
l License details. These are details about the license for the specific protected machine. These settings report information from the Core and the Rapid Recovery License Portal. These settings are read-only. To change these settings, update your license information between the Core and the license portal. See your license administrator for details. For more information, see the Rapid Recovery License Portal User Guide. These settings are not available for hypervisor hosts.
l Hyper-V. This setting, available only on agentlessly protected machines on a Hyper-V server, lets Rapid Recovery Core try to create a VSS snapshot during transfer. If this operation fails, it lets Core create a checkpoint.
l vSphere. These settings let Rapid Recovery Core manage some aspects of protected vSphere hosts. One setting lets Core delete user-created VMware snapshots required before capturing Rapid Recovery snapshots). One setting allows transfer of volumes with invalid used capacity. The third setting lets Core take quiesced snapshots.
l Auto Protection. This setting, when enabled, results in automatic agentless protection of any new hypervisor guest VMs added to the Hyper-V or vCenter/ESXi host.
The procedure for viewing or changing machine-level settings is identical for general, excluded writers, and license details. For more information, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings. The procedure for modifying nightly jobs for a machine is different. For information about configuring nightly job settings for a machine, see Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine. The procedure for modifying vSphere settings differs slightly. For more information, see Configuring vSphere settings. In some cases, you may want to adjust the data transfer rate for a protected machine. For more information, see About modifying transfer settings.
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Viewing and modifying protected machine settings
Machine settings help determine the behavior of a machine protected by the Core. When you modify settings for a specific machine, those settings supersede the behavior set at the Core level. Likewise, a protected Hyper-V virtual host has different machine settings than the virtual machines it manages. For more information, see Viewing summary information for a hypervisor or cluster host. Complete the steps in this procedure to view and modify general settings, transfer settings, settings for excluded writers, and licensing settings for a protected machine.
NOTE: To view and modify nightly job settings, see Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under the Protected Machines menu, click the IP address or machine name for the machine you want to view or modify. The Summary page for the selected machine displays.
2. Click the Settings menu. The Settings page displays, showing settings for the selected machine. Optionally, to display setting categories from anywhere on the page, click the appropriate hyperlink on the left side of the page. When you click on a setting you want to change, that setting becomes an editable control. Do one of the following: l When the control is a drop-down menu, click the downward arrow to list the options, and select the desired option from the menu. l When the control is a text field, enter a value. l When the option displays Yes or No, click the value, which is replaced by a check box. For a setting of Yes, select the check box. For a value of No, clear the check box. l When the option displays a time value (for example, showing hours, minutes, and seconds), you can click on each component and type a new value or use the up and down arrows to select new values. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click to confirm and save the change and exit edit mode, or click to exit edit mode without saving.
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3. To modify general settings for a protected machine, click the appropriate setting, and then enter the configuration information as described in the following table.

Table 67: General settings for a protected machine Text Box Description

Display name

Enter a display name for the machine.
This is the name that displays for a protected machine in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. You can enter up to 64 characters. By default, this is the host name of the machine. You can change this to something more user-friendly if needed. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Host name This is the name of the protected machine as it appears in the machine's metadata.
NOTE: Do not change this setting, as doing so could break the connection between the protected machine and the Core.

Repository

This setting only appears for protected Hyper-V clusters, which support shared virtual hard disks. Displays the repository configured on the Rapid Recovery Core in which recovery points of shared virtual hard disks for the protected Hyper-V cluster are stored.

Port

Enter a port number for the machine.

The port is used by the Rapid Recovery Core service to communicate with this machine. The default port is 8006.

Encryption key

If you want an encryption key that is already defined for this Rapid Recovery Core to be applied to the data for every volume on this protected machine, you can specify the encryption key here. The key must be unlocked. If no encryption keys exist, you can add an encryption key. For more information on managing encryption keys, see Managing encryption keys.
If the volumes on this protected machine are encrypted, you can change to a different encryption key. Alternatively, you can disassociate an encryption key by selecting (none) from the Encryption key drop-down menu.

NOTE: After you apply an encryption key, change an encryption key, or disassociate an encryption key for a protected machine, Rapid Recovery takes a new base image upon the next scheduled or forced snapshot.

Repository Select a repository for the recovery points. Displays the repository configured on the Rapid Recovery Core in which to store the data from this machine. The repository volume can be local (on storage attached to the Core server), or on a volume on a CIFS shared location.
NOTE: The Repository setting on this page can only be changed if there are no recovery points or if the previous repository is missing.

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Text Box Description

Hypervisor This setting only appears for virtual machines. The value of this setting indicates whether the selected virtual machine is associated as the child of a protected hypervisor host.
l If you see the IP address or display name of a protected host, the association exists. This result indicates that the protected machine is not unnecessarily consuming a license from your available license pool.
l If you want to remove the association, click the IP address or display name of the hypervisor host, select Not linked from the drop-down menu, and click the check mark to confirm your change. Afterward, this protected VM will consume a license from your pool.
l If you see "Not linked," the machine is not currently associated in your Core as a VM on a protected host, and consumes a license from your pool. If you want to save a license, and the host is protected by Agent, you can associate it by clicking Not linked, and selecting the host from the drop-down menu.

OS version

This setting only appears for guest virtual machines associated with a protected hypervisor host. Generally, Rapid Recovery detects and displays the operating system running on the protected VM.

4. To modify nightly job settings for a protected machine, see Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine.
5. To modify Exchange settings for a protected Exchange server, in the Exchange Server Settings section, click Enable automatic mountability check, and do the following: l To enable automatic mountability checks, select the check box, and then click .
l To disable automatic mountability checks, clear the check box, and then click .
For more information about automatic mountability checks, see About Exchange database mountability checks.

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6. To modify transfer settings for a protected machine, click the appropriate setting, and then enter the configuration information as described in the following table.
NOTE: For conceptual information about transfer settings, see About modifying transfer settings.

Table 68: Transfer Settings for a protected machine Text Box Description

Restore Default

This control restores all transfer settings to the system default settings.

Priority

Sets the transfer priority between protected machines. Enables you to assign priority by comparison with other protected machines. Select a number from 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest priority. The default setting establishes a priority of 5.
NOTE: Priority is applied to transfers that are in the queue.

Maximum Concurrent Streams

Sets the maximum number of TCP links that are sent to the Core to be processed in parallel per protected machine, for machines protected in a DVM repository.
NOTE: Quest recommends setting this value to 8. If you experience dropped packets, try increasing this setting.

Maximum Concurrent Writes

Sets the maximum number of simultaneous disk write actions per protected machine connection.
NOTE: Quest recommends setting this to the same value you select for Maximum Concurrent Streams. If you experience packet loss, set slightly lower--for example, if Maximum Current Streams is 8, set this to 7.

Use Core Default Maximum Retries

Select this option to use default retries number for each protected machine, if some of the operations fail to complete.

Maximum Segment Size

Specifies the largest amount of data, in bytes, that a computer can receive in a single TCP segment. The default setting is 4194304.
Do not change this setting from the default unless directed to do so by a Quest Support representative.

Maximum Transfer Queue Depth

Specifies the amount of commands that can be sent concurrently. The default setting is 64.
You can adjust this to a higher number if your system has a high number of concurrent input/output operations.

Outstanding Specifies how many queued read operations will be stored on the back end. This Reads per setting helps to control the queuing of protected machines. The default setting is 0. Stream

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Text Box Description

Transfer

Sets the port for transfers. The default setting is 8009.

Data Server

Port

Transfer Timeout

Specifies in minutes and seconds the amount of time to allow a packet to be static without transfer.

Snapshot Timeout

Specifies in minutes and seconds the maximum time to wait to take a snapshot.

Snapshot Cleaning Timeout

Specifies in minutes and seconds the maximum time for process of deleting VSS snapshot on a protected machine.

Network Read Timeout

Specifies in minutes and seconds the maximum time to wait for a read connection. If the network read cannot be performed in that time, the operation is retried.

Network Write Timeout

Specifies the maximum time in seconds to wait for a write connection. If the network write cannot be performed in that time, the operation is retried.

Encrypt snapshot data

Specifies whether data transported between the protected machine and the Core is encrypted. This option is enabled by default. This setting applies to data in transit over a network. When this option is enabled, all snapshot data transported to a DVM repository are encrypted.
NOTE: Quest recommends setting this to Yes when data between your Core and protected machines must flow over the public or untrusted networks such as the internet.

7. To modify settings for excluded writers, click the appropriate setting, and then select a writer if you want to exclude it.
NOTE: Because the writers that appear in the list are specific to the machine you are configuring, you will not see all writers in your list.

8. License details for a protected machine are read-only. License detail information is described in the following table.

Table 69: License details for a protected machine

Text Box

Description

Expiration Date Indicates the expiration date of the license for the selected protected machine.

License Status Indicates the current status of the license for the selected protected machine.

License Type Indicates the type of the license for the selected protected machine.

Agent type

Indicates if the current protected machine is a physical or virtual agent.

Related topics:

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l Changing the settings for a Hyper-V host or node l Changing the settings for a Hyper-V protected virtual machine l Changing the vSphere settings for a VMware protected virtual machine

Changing the settings for a Hyper-V host or node
This procedure applies to Hyper-V hosts or nodes that use Rapid Recovery Rapid Snap for Virtual (agentless protection) to protect virtual machines (VMs). A Hyper-V host that is using Rapid Snap for Virtual (agentless protection) to protect VMs is indicated in the left
navigation area by the host icon .

The settings for a Hyper-V host with VMs that are protected agentlessly are not the same as a typical protected machine. All changes made to the settings for a host apply to the VMs on that host.
1. On the Core Console, under Protected Machines in the left navigation area, click the Hyper-V host whose settings you want to change. The Summary page for the host opens.
2. On the menu bar for the host, click Settings. The Settings page opens.
3. Under General, click the setting you want to change. The setting you selected becomes editable, as a text field or a drop-down menu.
4. Enter the configuration information as described in the following table.

Table 70: General settings information

Text Box

Description

Display Name

The name that displays for a protected machine in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. You can enter up to 64 characters. By default, it is the host name of the machine. You can change the display name to something more user-friendly if needed. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Host Name

The name of the protected machine as it appears in the machine's metadata.
NOTE: Do not change this setting, as doing so could break the connection between the protected machine and the Core.

5. Under Transfer Queue, to change the number of transfer jobs that can occur on the host at one time, click the setting for Maximum concurrent transfers.
NOTE: For best performance, it is recommended that the maximum concurrent transfers for the Hyper-V host or node be set to 1, which is the default setting.
6. Under Nightly Jobs, to change the settings for the available nightly jobs, click Change. The Nightly Jobs windows appears.

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7. Enter the configuration information as described in the following table.

Table 71: Nightly Jobs settings information

Text Box

Description

Clear orphaned registry keys on protected Hyper-V host

Removes the unnecessary files from the registry that result from attaching and detaching virtual disks during data transfers.

Check integrity of recovery points Conducts an integrity check of each recovery point created for the virtual machines on the Hyper-V host.

8. Click OK.
9. Under Auto Protection, to determine whether to automatically protect new virtual machines when they are added to the Hyper-V host, click the setting for Auto protect new virtual machines.

Changing the settings for a Hyper-V protected virtual machine
This procedure applies to Hyper-V virtual machines (VMs) that are protected using Rapid Recovery Rapid Snap for Virtual (agentless protection). A Hyper-V VM that is being protected by Rapid Snap for Virtual (agentless protection) is indicated in the left
navigation area by the host icon . The settings for a Hyper-V agentless VM the same as a typical protected machine with the exception of the Hyper-V section at the bottom of the Settings page. The following task provides instructions for only the Hyper-V section settings. For all other protected machine settings, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
1. On the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the left navigation area under Protected Machines, click the Hyper-V VM whose settings you want to change. The Summary page for the VM opens.
2. On the menu bar for the host, click Settings. The Settings page opens.
3. In the list on the left side, click Hyper-V. The setting you selected becomes editable, as a text field or a drop-down menu.
4. Under Hyper-V, click Snapshot configuration. The setting you selected becomes editable a drop-down menu.

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5. From the drop-down menu, select one of the options described in the following table.

Table 72: Hyper-V settings information

Text Box

Description

Try to create VSS snapshot during transfer first, if it fails, create a checkpoint

If the VSS snapshot succeeds, the recovery point will be in an application-consistent state. If the VSS snapshot fails and a checkpoint is created, the recovery point will be in a crashconsistent state.

Do not create VSS snapshot during transfer

Generates a recovery point in a crash-consistent state.

Use only VSS snapshots during transfers. If VSS snapshot creation fails, the entire transfer will fail

Generates only application-consistent recovery points. If the VSS snapshot fails, no recovery point is generated.

Changing the vSphere settings for a VMware protected virtual machine

This procedure applies to VMware ESXi or Workstation virtual machines (VMs) that are protected using Rapid Recovery Rapid Snap for Virtual (agentless protection). The settings for a VMware VM that is protected agentlessly include the same settings that are used for a typical protected machine, with one exception. The vSphere section of the Settings page includes settings that apply only to agentlessly protected VMware VMs. The following task provides instructions for only the vSphere section of the Settings page. For all other protected machine settings, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
1. On the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines in the left navigation area, click the display name of the Hyper-V host you want to change. The Summary page for the host opens.
2. On the menu bar for the host, click Settings. The Settings page opens.
3. In the list on the left side, click vSphere. The setting you selected becomes editable, as a text field or a drop-down menu.
4. Under vSphere, click the setting that you want to change. The setting you selected becomes editable, as a text field or a drop-down menu.
5. Enter the configuration information as described in the following table.

Table 73: vSphere settings information

Text Box

Description

Allow Rapid Recovery to delete user created in VMware The default setting is No.

Allow transfer for volumes with invalid used capacity

The default setting is Yes.

Allow quiesced snapshots

The default setting is Yes.

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Understanding Active Block Mapping
Active Block Mapping (ABM) is a patent-pending technology that filters out inactive blocks of data from managed images, thereby letting Rapid Recovery protect only the active blocks, which optimizes function and performance. This feature is only available for agentless (Rapid Snap for Virtual) protection of ESXi or vCenter virtual machines (VMs) and Hyper-V servers and clusters. ABM delivers a query to the file system header of a volume. The query returns a list of active blocks within the image. For this reason, ABM only works with NTFS file systems. When protecting ESXi and vCenter VMs, ABM can be combined with Changed Block Tracking (CBT), to read only active and changed blocks when taking incremental or differential snapshots. When configuring agentless protection of a VM with the Protect Multiple Machines wizard, you have the option to enable ABM. If you opt to automatically protect new VMs added to the specified host, then the ABM rule also applies to any new VMs subsequently added to protection on the host. You can change your ABM choice at any time in the Settings page for the host or VM. For more information, see Changing ABM settings.
Changing ABM settings
To change the Active Block Mapping (ABM) settings for a supported hypervisor host or virtual machine (VM), complete the following steps.
NOTE: For more information, see Understanding Active Block Mapping.
1. From the Core Console, in the left navigation area, click the host or VM for which you want to change the ABM settings.
2. From the Summary page of the machine, click Settings. 3. From the list of machine settings on the left side of the Settings page, click ABM Settings. 4. Do one of the following:
a. If changing ABM settings for an agentlessly protected ESXi or Hyper-V virtual machine, proceed to step 5.
b. If changing ABM settings for a supported hypervisor host, skip to step 6. 5. If you are on the Settings page of a VM, select whether to use the settings from the host (the default
option) or to use the settings for this machine. l If you want this VM to use the same ABM settings as the host, select Use the settings of the Hyper-V host. If you made any changes, click Apply. This procedure is complete. l If you want this VM to use different ABM settings than the host, select Use the settings of this protected machine, click Apply, and then continue to the next step.
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6. Review the ABM settings and change them if desired. For each of the following options, click the current setting, select (or clear) the selection, and then click to accept the change or click to cancel.

Table 74: Active Block Mapping settings

Option

Description

Enable Active Block Mapping

Lets you enable or disable the ABM feature.

Enable swap file blocks exclusion

Excludes the content of system files, such as pagefile.sys, hyberfill.sys, and swapfile.sys, from the backup.

Exclude subdirectories

+ Add

If you opted to exclude subdirectories, click Add and enter the location in the Path table for each item you want to exclude.

About modifying transfer settings
In Rapid Recovery, you can modify the settings to manage the data transfer processes for a protected machine. The transfer settings described in this section are set at the protected machine level. To affect transfer at the Core level, see Modifying transfer queue settings. There are three types of transfers in Rapid Recovery:
l Snapshot. Backs up the data on your protected machine. Two types of snapshots are possible: a base image of all protected data, and an incremental snapshot for data updated since the last snapshot. This type of transfer creates recovery points, which are stored on the repository associated with the Core. For more information, see Managing snapshots and recovery points.
l Virtual Machine Export. Creates a virtual machine (VM) from a recovery point, containing all of the data from the backup of the protected machine, as well the operating system and drivers and associated data to ensure the VM is bootable. For more information, see VM export.
l Restore. Restores backup information to a protected machine. For more information, see About restoring volumes from a recovery point.
NOTE: The entire volume is always rewritten during restore of Windows systems using EFI system partitions.
Data transfer in Rapid Recovery involves the transmission of a volume of data along a network from protected machines to the Core. In the case of replication, transfer also occurs from the originating or source Core to the target Core. Data transfer can be optimized for your system through certain performance option settings. These settings control data bandwidth usage during the process of backing up protected machines, performing VM export, or performing a restore. These are some factors that affect data transfer performance:

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l Number of concurrent agent data transfers l Number of concurrent data streams l Amount of data change on disk l Available network bandwidth l Repository disk subsystem performance l Amount of memory available for data buffering
You can adjust the performance options to best support your business needs and fine-tune the performance based on your environment. For more information, see Throttling transfer speed.

Throttling transfer speed

When transferring backup data or replicated recovery points between protected machines and Cores over the network, you can intentionally reduce the speed of the transfer. This process is known as throttling.
When you throttle the transfer speed, you limit the amount of your network bandwidth dedicated to file transfers from Rapid Recovery. When setting up replication, for example, throttling can reduce the likelihood that the transfer of prior recovery points to the replicated Core consumes all of your network bandwidth.
CAUTION: Throttling transfer speed is not always required or recommended. This information is provided to provide insight into a potential solution for performance issues in your Rapid Recovery environment. For example, sometimes, throttling may solve issues related to repeated transfer failures or network slowdowns caused by transferring a substantial amount of data for your protected or replicated Cores.
There are several factors involved in determining the best approach to throttling. The type of machine being protected is a key factor. For example, a busy Microsoft Exchange server has a much higher change rate than a seldom-used legacy web server.
The input and output capabilities of the storage volumes on your protected machines can also contribute to more or less efficiency.
The speed of your network is another critical factor, with many variables. The network backbone in place (for example, 1GbE versus 10GbE), architecture, configuration, intentional use of NIC teaming, and even the type of cables used can all affect network transfer speed. If your environment has a slower wide area network, and if transfer jobs fail for backup or replication, consider throttling the transfer speed using some of these settings.
Ultimately, the process of network throttling involves trial and error. Quest recommends that you adjust and test your transfer settings, and revisit these settings periodically to ensure that your settings continue to meet your needs.
Adjusting transfer speed should be accomplished on an individual machine basis. In the Core Console, navigate to a specific machine, select Settings, and adjust the Transfer speed. For specific information about viewing and changing these settings, see Viewing and modifying protected machine settings.
That topic also includes descriptions of each of the settings used for throttling transfer. Those descriptions may be useful in determining which settings you should experiment with first.
The four main settings involved in throttling transfer speed are described in the following table:

Table 75: Transfer speed settings

Machine-Level Setting

Default Setting Suggested Throttle Setting

Maximum Concurrent Streams 8

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Machine-Level Setting

Default Setting Suggested Throttle Setting

Maximum Concurrent Writes 8

Maximum Segment Size

4194304

Outstanding Reads per Stream 0

4 2097152 Start at 24

Quest recommends adjusting and testing the other settings prior to changing the default setting for outstanding reads per stream, unless directed otherwise by a Quest Support representative. When tuning and testing this setting, start with a value of 24.
When you specify limitations to protected machine transfer parameters, these limitations apply per job. If two transfer jobs occur simultaneously or overlap, twice the bandwidth is used. If four transfer jobs across the network overlap, four times the bandwidth is used; and so on.

Customizing nightly jobs for a protected machine
Nightly jobs can be configured at the Core level or at the machine level. When nightly jobs are set at the Core level, the changes are applied to all relevant machines protected by that Core. Changes made to the nightly jobs at the machine level supersede the changes made at the Core level, and apply only to the machines specified. For a list of all nightly jobs, including descriptions and the scope available for each, see the topic Understanding nightly jobs. Complete the steps in the following procedure to make changes to the nightly jobs for a single protected machine.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under the Machines menu, click the IP address or machine name for the machine for which you want to customize nightly jobs. The Summary page for the selected machine appears.
2. Click the Settings menu. The Settings page appears, showing configuration settings for the selected machine.
3. Optionally, click the Nightly Jobs link to scroll down in the Settings page to view nightly jobs settings.

4. Under the Nightly Jobs heading, click The Nightly Jobs dialog box appears.

Change.

5. In the Nightly Jobs dialog box, select the jobs you want to include to run nightly, or clear the options you want to omit for this machine.
NOTE: Options may vary by machine. For example, a protected machine using Exchange Server may include Check checksum of Exchange databases and Truncate Exchange logs.

NOTE: For information about the Rollup setting, including setting a custom retention policy, see Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine.

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6. Click OK.
NOTE: The results of this procedure apply only to the selected protected machine. To apply elsewhere, repeat the procedure for each machine you want to customize. To change the nightly job settings for all machines protected by a Core, see Configuring nightly jobs for the Core.

Understanding system information for a protected machine

You can view system information about each machine protected in your Rapid Recovery Core. To see how to access this information, see Viewing system information for a protected machine
NOTE: This topic describes system information for a specific protected machine. For information about accessing system information for the Core, see Viewing system information for the Core.
You can see the following information on the System Information page for each protected machine. Each of the following elements appears in its own pane, if applicable:

Table 76: Protected machine system information

Topic

Description

System Information

For the protected machine you are viewing, this pane includes the following information: Host name, OS version and architecture, physical memory, display name, domain name, and VM type. If available, click Summary on the bottom of this pane to return to the Summary page for this protected machine.

Volumes

This pane includes the volume name, device ID, file system, formatted capacity, and capacity used.

Processors

This pane includes the architecture, number of microprocessor cores and threads, clock speed, and description.

Network Adapters

This pane includes the physical or virtual network adapter type and speed.

IP Addresses This pane includes the IP address and family.

Viewing system information for a protected machine
The Rapid Recovery Core Console provides you with easy access to system information about the machines protected on your Core. System information viewed at the machine level includes relevant information about the protected machine. For more information, see Understanding system information for a protected machine. Complete the steps in this procedure to view detailed system information for a protected machine.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the protected machines menu in the left navigation area, click a protected machine name. The Summary page appears for the selected protected machine.

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2. On the Summary page, at the bottom of the Summary pane, click System Information. The System Information page appears.
Managing machines
This section describes a variety of tasks you can perform to manage your protected machines managing your machines. Topics include:
l Removing a machine l Removing a cluster from protection l Downloading and viewing the log file for a protected machine l Converting a protected cluster node to a protected machine
Removing a machine
When you remove a machine from protection on the Rapid Recovery Core, you are presented with two options: you can keep the recovery points saved thus far to the Core, or you can remove the recovery points. If you keep the recovery points, you have what is known as a "recovery points only" machine. Restore and mount operations continue to be available from the recovery points captured from the machine when it was under protection. However, backups for the protected machine no longer continue. If you remove the recovery points, this action deletes any snapshot data for that formerly protected machine from the Rapid Recovery Core. Complete the steps in the following procedure to remove a machine from protection in your Rapid Recovery environment.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the left navigation pane under Protected Machines, click the machine you want to remove.
2. On the Summary page for the relevant machine, click Remove Machine. 3. In the dialog box, if you want to also delete all recovery points for this machine from the repository, select
Remove with recovery points. 4. To confirm your choice to remove the machine, click Yes.
CAUTION: If you delete recovery points, you will no longer be able to restore data for that machine. Rapid Recovery removes the machine from protection and cancels all active tasks for that machine.
Removing a cluster from protection
Complete the steps in the following procedure to remove a cluster from protection. 1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines, click the cluster you wish to remove. 2. On the Summary page for the cluster, click Remove Cluster.
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3. Optionally, in the dialog box, to remove all currently stored recovery points for this cluster from the repository, select Remove with recovery points. CAUTION: If you delete recovery points, you will no longer be able to restore data for that cluster.
4. In the dialog box, click Yes to confirm.
Removing cluster nodes from protection
Complete the steps in the following procedures to remove cluster nodes from protection. If you just want to remove a node from the cluster, see Converting a protected cluster node to a protected machine.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines, click the cluster node that you want to remove.
2. On the Summary page for the node, click Remove Machine. The Remove Node dialog box appears.
3. Optionally, in the dialog box, to remove all currently stored recovery points for this cluster from the repository, select Remove with recovery points. CAUTION: If you delete recovery points, you will no longer be able to restore data for cluster nodes.
4. In the dialog box, click Yes to confirm.
Removing all nodes in a cluster from protection
Complete the steps in this procedure to remove all nodes in a cluster from protection. CAUTION: If you remove all cluster nodes, the cluster is also removed.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines, click the cluster whose nodes you want to remove.
2. On the Summary page for the cluster, click Protected Nodes. 3. On the Protected Nodes page, select all of the nodes.
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4. Click the Remove Machines drop-down menu, and then select one of the options described in the following table.

Table 77: Remove Nodes options Option Description

Remove and Keep Recovery Points

To keep all currently stored recovery points for this cluster.

Remove Recovery Points

To remove all currently stored recovery points for this cluster from the repository.
CAUTION: If you delete recovery points, you will no longer be able to restore data for that cluster.

5. In the Delete Nodes dialog box, click Yes to confirm.

Viewing license information on a machine
You can view current license status information for a machine protected on the Rapid Recovery Core.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under Protected Machines, click the machine that you want to modify. The Summary page for the selected machine appears.
2. Click the Settings menu. The Settings page appears, showing configuration settings for the selected machine.
3. Click the Licensing link to scroll down to the Licensing Details section of the Settings page. The page refreshes, showing machine-specific licensing settings.

Downloading and viewing the log file for a protected machine
If you encounter any errors or issues with a protected machine, you can download the machine logs to view them or to share them with your Quest Support representative.
1. In the left navigation area of the Core Console, under the Protected Machines menu, click the arrow if necessary to expand the list of protected machines.
2. For the relevant machine, then click the machine name. The Summary page for the selected machine appears.
3. From the horizontal context-sensitive menu for the relevant protected machine, click More and then select Agent Log. The Download Agent Log page appears.
4. On the Download Agent Log page, click Click here to begin the download.

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5. In the Opening AgentAppRecovery.log dialog box, do one of the following: To open the log file, select Open with, then select an application (such as Notepad) for viewing the textbased log file, and finally click OK. The AgentAppRecovery.log file opens in the selected application. To save the file locally, select Save File and then click OK. The AgentAppRecovery.log file saves to your Downloads folder. It can be opened using any text editor.
Converting a protected cluster node to a protected machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can convert a protected cluster node to a protected machine so that it is still managed by the Core, but it is no longer part of the cluster. This is helpful, for example, if you need to remove the cluster node from the cluster but still keep it protected.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the cluster that contains the machine you wish to convert, and then click Protected Nodes.
2. On the Protected Nodes page, from the specific node you want to convert, click the Actions drop-down menu and select Convert to Agent.
3. To add the machine back to the cluster, select the machine, and then on the Summary page, from the Actions menu, select Convert to Cluster Node, and then click Yes to confirm the action.
Understanding custom groups
The Rapid Recovery Core Console shows a Protected Machines menu in the left navigation area. This includes all machines or server clusters added to protection on your Rapid Recovery Core. Beneath this, other menus may appear, based on whether you include those objects in your Core. In the same manner, you can create a custom group, which displays as the last menu type in the left navigation area. The main benefit of a custom group is the ability to group Core objects together in a logical container. This can help you organize and manage Core objects for a specific purpose (for example, by organization, cost center, department, geographical region, and so on). The act of creating a group always adds one group member (for example, a protected machine or server cluster, a replicated machine, or a recovery points-only machine) to the new custom group. The object added is determined by your origin point when you create the group. Ideally, you would then add additional members to the group. Thereafter, you can perform group actions that apply to all like members of that custom group, as described in Performing group actions. Custom groups can include protected machines, server clusters, replicated machines, and recovery point-only machines. Server clusters behave the same as protected machines, with the exception that a server cluster and its nodes behave as a single entity. If you attempt to add a node from a server cluster to a group, the entire cluster is added. A custom group may contain similar or dissimilar members. For groups of similar members, all group actions apply to all members of the group. For example, if you force a snapshot for a custom group of protected machines, each machine will be backed up. For groups with dissimilar members (for example, protected machines and replicated machines), if you apply a group action such as forcing replication, this will only apply to the replicated machines.
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You can create one or more groups. A single protected machine or replicated machine can be included in one or more groups. This way, you can group machines on your Core in any way you choose, and can perform actions on that specific group. Each custom group appears in the left navigation area, with a label you designate. Groups with standard protected machines appear first in the custom group; replicated machines appear below protected machines, as applicable. If there are any recovery point-only machines, these are listed below replicated machines. In the left navigation area, the objects that are protected on the Core appear each in their own menu. Of these menus, custom groups appear last. Including a machine in a group does not remove it from its original location. For example, if you have three protected machines called Agent1, Agent2, and Agent3, and you add Agent1 to CustomGroup1, then Agent1 appears in both locations. Related topics:
l Creating custom groups l Modifying custom group names l Removing custom groups l Performing group actions l Viewing all machines in a custom group on one page
Creating custom groups
When you scroll your cursor over the name of any machine in the Protected Machines or replicated machines menu, you will see an arrow that opens a drop-down menu. From this menu, you can create a custom label. Use the procedure below to create a custom group.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. From the Protected Machines, replicated machines, or recovery points-only menu, do the following:
a. Place your cursor over a machine in the menu.
b. Click on the (More) drop-down menu for that machine.
c. Scroll down to Label as, scroll right, then click New Label. The Create Label dialog box appears. 3. In the Name text box, enter an appropriate label for your custom group. Use a descriptive name that communicates the purpose of the group. For example, to group protected machines, replicated machines, and recovery point-only machines by department, type Accounting Department. You can rename a group later.
NOTE: Labels must be 50 or fewer characters. You can include a single space between words. You must provide a label for your custom group.
4. When you are satisfied with the label name, click OK. The dialog box closes, and the custom group appears as the last element in the left navigation area.
5. Optionally, you can add other protected machines, replicated machines, or recovery point-only machines to this group. Navigate to the machine name in the appropriate menu, click its drop-down menu, scroll down and select Label as, and then click the name of the custom group. You can now perform group actions on this group. For more information, see Performing group actions.
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Modifying custom group names
When you modify the name of a custom group, only the label changes. The machine names remain the same. Use the procedure below to modify a custom group name.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. In the Protected Machines menu, scroll your cursor over the custom group you want to modify.
3. Click on the (More) drop-down menu for that group, and then click Edit. The Edit Label dialog box appears, within which the name of the custom group becomes editable.
4. In the Name field, update the text, or delete the existing label text and type a new label or your custom group. Use a descriptive name that communicates the purpose of the group. For example, to group protected machines, replicated machines, and recovery point-only machines by geographic region, type Tokyo. You can rename a group later. NOTE: Labels must be 50 or fewer characters. You can include a single space between words. You must provide a label for your custom group.
5. When you are satisfied with the label name, click OK. The dialog box closes, and the modified custom group appears as the last element in the left navigation area.
6. Optionally, you can add other protected machines, replicated machines, or recovery point-only machines to this group. Navigate to the machine name in the appropriate menu, click its drop-down menu, scroll down and select Label as, and then click the name of the custom group.
Removing custom groups
When you remove a custom group, you delete that group from the Protected Machines menu. The machines that were in the group are not removed, and can still be found in the appropriate standard menu. Use the procedure below to remove a custom group.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. In the Protected Machines menu, scroll your cursor over the custom group you want to remove.
3. Click on the (More) drop-down menu for that group, and then click Remove label. You see a message asking to confirm the removal of the group.
4. Confirm the removal of the custom group. The confirmation dialog box closes, and the custom group is removed from the navigation area.
Performing group actions
You can perform group actions on any group appearing in the left navigation area of the Rapid Recovery Core Console. If the group contains dissimilar members (for example, replicated machines and recovery points-only machines), then the actions you request will only be performed on the relevant group members. Use the procedure below to perform group actions on a custom group.
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1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. In the Protected Machines menu, scroll your cursor over the custom group for which you want to perform
a group action. 3. Click on the (More) drop-down menu for that group, and then select an action as follows:
l To force an incremental snapshot or base image for all of the protected machines in the group, click Force Snapshot or Force Base Image, as appropriate.
l To pause protection for all of the protected machines in the group, click Pause Protection and then specify resumption parameters.
l To resume protection for all of the protected machines in the group for which protection has been paused, click Resume Protection and then confirm that you want to resume.
l To refresh the information for all of the objects in the group, click Refresh Metadata. l To pause replication for all replicated machines in this group, under Replication, click Pause. l To resume replication for all replicated machines in this group for which replication has been
paused, under Replication, click Resume. l To force replication for all replicated machines in this group, under Replication, click Force. l To remove replication for all replicated machines in this group, under Replication, click Remove. l To remove recovery points-only machines from this Core and discard the recovery points, under
Recovery Points Only, click Remove Recovery Points. l For custom groups only, to modify the label for the custom group, select Edit. l For custom groups only, to remove the custom group from the navigation menu, select Remove
label. For more information, see the following related topics:
l Forcing a snapshot l Forcing replication l Pausing and resuming replication l Removing incoming replication from the target Core l Modifying custom group names
Viewing all machines in a custom group on one page
Clicking the name of a custom group takes you to a Machines page that lists all the machines in that custom group. You can then perform some functions on all machines from the Actions menu, or you can perform functions individually by selecting commands from each individual machine.
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9
Credentials Vault
This section describes the Credentials Vault feature of Rapid Recovery. Topics include:
Understanding the Credentials Vault Adding accounts to the Credentials Vault Viewing or changing accounts saved in the vault Using credentials from the vault
Understanding the Credentials Vault
Credentials Vault is a usability feature of Rapid Recovery release 6.4 and later that manages account login credentials used within the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Use of this feature is optional. When performing operations such as adding a machine or cluster to protection, setting up virtual export or replication, connecting to a repository, archiving or restoring archived recovery points, and so on, you are prompted to enter account credentials. For each user account, credentials include the user name, password, and a description field to identify the account. After you enter your credentials, if you choose to, you can add them to the Credentials Vault. Thereafter, the next time you want to perform an operation in the Core Console that uses the same account, instead of manually entering your user name and password, you can select the account from a drop-down menu. The Credentials Vault simplifies management of your passwords. For example, if your organization has a security policy mandating password changes at frequent intervals, one visit to the Credentials Vault page can let you easily update your password for each user account accessed from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. The Credentials Vault is unobtrusive. Sections of the Core Console UI that are enabled for the Credentials Vault include a + sign next to the User name field when prompted for credentials. As its name implies, the Credentials Vault includes security features. For example:
l Credential information in the vault is encrypted. l Once entered and saved, passwords are not displayed. This reduces the chance of exposure of
individuals' passwords when multiple users access the Core. l By design, Cloud credentials are managed separately in the Core Console.
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At any time, you can open the Credentials Vault page in the Core Console to view and manage accounts saved in the Credentials Vault. If no accounts have been entered yet, optionally, you can add them directly from this page.
l For information on adding accounts to the vault, see Adding accounts to the Credentials Vault. l For more information on viewing and modifying account credentials held in the vault, see Viewing or
changing accounts. l For information on using account credentials saved in the vault, see Using credentials from the vault. Command Line and PowerShell scripts exist to support this feature. For more information about the Credentials Vault, see the most recent edition of the Rapid Recovery Commands and Scripting Reference Guide.
Adding accounts to the Credentials Vault
You can add accounts to the Credentials Vault from the Credentials Vault page, or from practically any Rapid Recovery Core Console window or wizard in which account credentials are requested. Follow this procedure to add accounts to the Credentials Vault.
1. Do one of the following: a. If you are on the Credentials Vault page of the Core Console, click + Add New Account. b. If you are viewing a Credentials Vault-enabled wizard page, window, or dialog box in the Rapid Recovery Core Console, next to the User name field, click +.
The Add New Account dialog box opens. If you already entered your account user name and password, those fields are populated. By default, the Description field populates with the current system date and time. 2. In the User name field, if required, enter the user name for this account. 3. In the Password field, i required, enter the password for this account. 4. In the Description field, enter a meaningful text description of this account. Do not skip this step.
CAUTION: Replace the default text with a unique text string that clearly describes the account it represents. Quest strongly recommends adding well-planned descriptions for accounts held in the vault. Consider the following points: l Some users will have two or more accounts saved to the Credentials Vault with the same user
name. Particularly in these cases, it is the description field that lets you identify the correct account in the vault. l For security purposes, passwords saved to the vault are never displayed. l Since passwords are not displayed, you cannot rely on the combination of user name and password to later identify the purpose of the account. l If you add the same credential to the vault, you can later merge them.
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5. When satisfied with your selections, click OK. The Add New Account dialog box closes, and your account credentials information is saved securely to the vault.
Viewing or changing accounts saved in the vault
Follow this procedure to view accounts in the Credentials Vault, or to edit, merge, or remove accounts.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the (More) menu, and then select Credentials Vault. The Credentials Vault page appears. For each account, the user name, description, and utilization appears.
2. In the User name field, if you want to see when the account information was last modified, click . 3. In the Description field, read the descriptive text to help identify which account this record represents. 4. In the Utilization field, see how many systems reference this account from the vault. 5. To edit any record, do the following:
a. From the row for the appropriate account, click (More) and then select Edit. The Edit Account dialog box appears.
b. If you want to change the user name associated with this account, in the User name field, update the information.
c. If you want to change the password currently saved for this account, in the Password field, enter the appropriate password. NOTE: Since passwords are not viewable, if you have any concerns about the password associated with this account, simply re-enter the appropriate password in the Password field.
d. If you want to update or change the description, enter the updated information in the Description field.
e. When satisfied, click OK. 6. To merge account records (for example, if you created more than one entry for the same account), do
the following: a. From the row for the appropriate account, select Merge to account. The Merge to Account dialog box appears. b. From the Target account field, select the other account with which you want to merge this account record. c. Click Merge. The Merge to Account dialog box closes, the screen refreshes, and the account records are merged.
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7. To remove an account from the Credentials Vault, from the row for the appropriate account, click (More) and then select Remove.
Using credentials from the vault
Many actions in the Rapid Recovery Core Console require you to enter account credentials. After accounts have been added to the Credentials Vault, when prompted to authenticate, you can view the list of accounts and select an account with one click, rather than manually entering your account user name and password. Follow this procedure to use an account from the Credentials Vault.
1. From a location on the Rapid Recovery Core Console in which you are asked for credentials, click the downward-facing arrow in the User name field to expand the view. The Credentials Vault drop-down grid appears. Each row shows the user name and description associated with an account held in the vault.
2. If necessary, scroll through the list to identify the account for which you want to enter credentials. Then click on the row for the appropriate account. The grid closes, and the account information is passed to the window or dialog box. Since passwords are hidden, the password field is not shown.
3. Complete the function requiring credentials.
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10
Snapshots and recovery points
This section describes how to use and manage the snapshots and recovery points generated by Rapid Recovery. It includes information about mounting, viewing, and forcing, as well as migrating and deleting recovery points. Topics include:
Managing snapshots and recovery points Viewing the recovery points page of a protected machine Mounting a recovery point Dismounting recovery points Working with Linux recovery points Forcing a snapshot Removing recovery points Deleting an orphaned recovery point chain Migrating recovery points manually to a different repository
Managing snapshots and recovery points
A recovery point is a collection of snapshots taken of individual disk volumes and stored in the repository. Snapshots capture and store the state of a disk volume at a given point in time while the applications that generate the data are still in use. In Rapid Recovery, you can force a snapshot, temporarily pause snapshots, and view lists of current recovery points in the repository as well as delete them if needed. Recovery points are used to restore protected machines or to mount to a local file system. The snapshots that are captured by Rapid Recovery are done so at the block level and are application aware. This means that all open transactions and rolling transaction logs are completed and caches are flushed to disk before creating the snapshot. Rapid Recovery uses a low-level volume filter driver, which attaches to the mounted volumes and then tracks all block-level changes for the next impending snapshot. Microsoft Volume Shadow Services (VSS) is used to facilitate application crash consistent snapshots.
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Viewing the recovery points page of a protected machine
Complete the steps in the following procedure to view the full list of recovery points for a protected machine. For more information on viewing specific recovery points, see Viewing recovery points for a machine.
NOTE: If you are protecting data from a DAG or CCR server cluster, the associated recovery points do not appear at the cluster level. They are only visible at the node or machine level. 1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the protected machine for which you want to view recovery points.
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2. From the menu at the top of the page, click Recovery Points. The Recovery Points page appears, showing a Recovery Points Summary pane and a Recovery Points pane.
You can view summary information about the recovery points for the machine as described in the following table.

Table 78: Recovery point summary information

Info

Description

Total recovery points Total protected data Repository Repository status

Lists the total number of recovery points saved to the repository for this machine.
Indicates the amount of storage space used in the repository for these recovery points.
Lists the name of the repository in which these recovery points are stored.
Graphically displays the amount of space consumed by the recovery points. Shows percentage of the repository used, the amount of space, and the total space of the repository. Click on the graph to see the amount of space remaining.

You can view information about the recovery points for the machine as described in the following table.

Table 79: Recovery point information

Info

Description

Icon
Encrypted Status Contents and More Information

Graphic depiction of either a recovery point or, if expanded, a volume within the recovery point. Recovery points show an arrow indicating that detail can be expanded (or, if expanded, an arrow showing that the menu can be contracted).
Indicates if the recovery point is encrypted.
Indicates current status of the recovery point.
Lists the volumes included in the recovery point. For Exchange servers, click to display information about the server.
Hover over the More Information icon to see the space usage and the file system in the recovery point or volume displayed.

Type
Creation Date Size

Defines a recovery point as either a base image or an incremental (differential) snapshot.
Displays the date when the recovery point was created.
Displays the amount of space that the recovery point consumes in the repository.

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Info

Description

The [More] drop-down menu lets you perform certain functions for the selected recovery point.

3. Optionally, expand a recovery point to view the protected volumes.

Understanding recovery point status indicators
Once a recovery point is captured for a protected SQL or Exchange server, the application displays a corresponding color status indicator in the Recovery Points grid. This grid appears in the Recovery Points pane when viewing recovery points for a specific machine. The color that displays is based on the check settings for the protected machine and the success or failure of those checks, as described in the following tables.
NOTE: For more information on viewing recovery points, see Viewing the recovery points page of a protected machine.

Recovery status point colors for Exchange databases
The following table lists the status indicators that display for Exchange databases.
Table 80: Exchange database status indicators
Status Description Color
White Indicates that an Exchange database is not detected within the recovery point, volume, or volume group.
Yellow Indicates that the Exchange database mountability checks have not yet been run. Red Indicates that either the mountability or checksum checks failed on at least one database. Green Indicates that the recovery point contains one or more database, and that mountability checks are
enabled, and that mountability check passed or that the checksum check passed.

Recovery status point colors for SQL databases

The following table lists the status indicators that display for SQL databases.

Table 81: SQL database status indicators

Status Color

Description

White Yellow

Indicates that a SQL database is not detected within the recovery point, volume, or volume group.
SQL database was offline, indicating that attachability checks were not possible and have not been performed.

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Status Color
Red Green

Description
Indicates that the attachability check failed, or SQL database is offline. Indicates that the attachability check passed.

NOTE: Recovery points that do not have an Exchange or SQL database associated with it appear with a white status indicator. In situations where both an Exchange and SQL database exists for the recovery point, the most severe status indicator displays for the recovery point.

Mounting a recovery point
In Rapid Recovery, you can mount a recovery point from the Core Console to access stored data through a local file system.
NOTE: To mount a Linux recovery point with the local_mount utility, see Mounting a recovery point volume on a Linux machine.

NOTE: When mounting recovery points from data restored from a machine that has data deduplication enabled, you must also enable deduplication on the Core server.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the machine that you want to mount to a local file system. The Summary page appears for the selected protected machine.
2. From the navigation links at the top of the page, lick the Recovery Points menu. The Recovery Points page appears for the selected machine.

3. Optionally, in the Recovery Points pane, from the list of recovery points, click the right arrow symbol to expand the recovery point detail, showing volumes included in the recovery point.

4. In the row for the recovery point that you want to mount, click the Mount. The Mount Wizard appears, displaying the Volumes page.

(More) drop-down menu and select

5. On the Volumes page, select each volume of the recovery point that you want to mount, and then click Next. The Mount Options page of the wizard appears.

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6. In theMount Options page, edit the settings for mounting a recovery point as described in the following table.

Table 82: Mount Options settings

Option

Description

Destination and other options Local folder

Choose from one of the following options:
Mount to the next available drive letter. This option will provide an alphabetic designation (for example, F:\) for the volume you want to mount, using the next available letter. This option is only accessible if you selected a single volume in step 5.
Mount to a drive letter. This option assigns the alphabetic designation you select (for example, Z:\) for the volume you want to mount. The letter must not already be in use. This option is only accessible if you selected a single volume in step 5.
Mount to a folder. Specify the path used to access the mounted recovery point. For example, select C:\ProgramData\AppRecovery\MountPoints\MountPoint1 .

Mount type
Create a Windows share for this mount

Specify the way to access data for the mounted recovery point: l Read-only
l Read-only with previous writes
l Writable
Optionally, select this check box to specify if the mounted recovery point can be shared, and then set access rights to it, including the Share name and Allowed groups.

7. Click Finish to mount the recovery point.
NOTE: If you want to copy directories or files from a mounted recovery point to another Windows machine, you can use Windows Explorer to copy them with default permissions or original file access permissions. For details, see Restoring a directory or file using Windows Explorer or Restoring a directory or file and preserving permissions using Windows Explorer.

8. Optionally, while the task is in process, you can view its progress from the Running Tasks drop-down menu on the Core Console, or you can view detailed information on the Events page. For more information about monitoring Rapid Recovery events, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.

Dismounting recovery points
Complete the steps in this procedure to dismount recovery points that are mounted on the Core. NOTE: When dismounting a recovery point mounted remotely, the action is referred to as disconnecting.

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1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, from the icon bar, click (More) and then select Mounts. The Mounts page appears. There is a pane for Local Mounts (recovery points mounted from the Core) and another for Remote Mounts (recovery points mounted using the Local Mount Utility). In each pane, the respective mounted recovery points appears in a list.
2. To dismount local mounts, in the Local Mounts pane, do the following: a. Select the local mount point or points you want to dismount. l To dismount all recovery points, click the check box in the title bar of the Local Mounts table. All mounts are selected. l To dismount one or more recovery points, click the check box in the first column of each row representing the mount point you want to disconnect.
b. Click Dismount. A confirmation dialog box appears.
c. Confirm that you want to dismount the selected recover points. The local recovery points dismount. NOTE: If toast alerts are enabled, you may see a message that the appropriate mount points are being dismounted.
3. To disconnect recovery points mounted remotely, in the Remote Mounts pane, do the following: a. Select the remote mount point or points you want to disconnect. l To disconnect all recovery points, click the check box in the title bar of the Remote Mounts table to select all mount points. l To disconnect one or more recovery points, click the check box in the first column of each row representing the mount point you want to disconnect.
b. Click Disconnect. A confirmation dialog box appears.
c. Confirm that you want to disconnect the selected recover points. The local recovery points disconnected. NOTE: If toast alerts are enabled, you may see a message that the appropriate mount points are being dismounted.
4. Confirm that the previously mounted recovery points no longer appear in the Local Mounts or Remote Mounts list, as appropriate.
Working with Linux recovery points
The recommended and supported method to mount and unmount recovery points from a protected Linux machine is to use the local_mount utility.
l Mounting a recovery point volume on a Linux machine l Unmounting a recovery point on a Linux machine
The procedures referenced above specifically address using local_mount to mount and unmount Linux recovery points.
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NOTE: For managing Linux recovery points from the Rapid Recovery Core Console, see Managing snapshots and recovery points.
Mounting a recovery point volume on a Linux machine
Using the local_mount utility in Rapid Recovery, you can remotely mount a volume from a recovery point as a local volume on a Linux machine.
NOTE: When performing this procedure, do not attempt to mount recovery points to the /tmp folder, which contains the rapidrecovery-vdisk files. 1. Create a new directory for mounting the recovery point (for example, you can use the mkdir command). 2. Verify the directory exists (for example, by using the ls command). 3. Run the Rapid Recovery local_mount utility as root, or as the super user, for example:
sudo local_mount 4. At the Rapid Recovery mount prompt, enter the following command to list the protected machines.
lm 5. When prompted, enter the IP address or hostname of your Rapid Recovery Core server. 6. Enter the logon credentials for the Core server, that is, the user name and password.
A list of the machines that are protected by the Rapid Recovery server displays. Each machine is identified by the following: line item number, host/IP address, and an ID number for the machine. For example: 7d658e5f-fa08-4600-95f0-5f486bc1b6a4#de0896fd-571a-4cc5-aeed264d2c3c72f4#f377e145-dd4d-3ac3-5b15-37ce8f4913ba 7. Enter the following command to list the recovery points that are available for a specified machine:
lr <line_number_of_machine> NOTE: You can also enter the machine ID number in this command instead of the line item number. A list of the base and incremental recovery points for the machine appears. The list includes the line item number, date and timestamp, location of volume, size of recovery point, and an ID number for the volume, which includes a sequence number at the end to identify the recovery point. For example, 7d658e5f-fa08-4600-95f0-5f486bc1b6a4#de0896fd-571a-4cc5-aeed264d2c3c72f4#f377e145-dd4d-3ac3-5b15-37ce8f4913ba:2
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8. Enter the following command to select and mount the specified recovery point at the specified mount point/path.
m <volume_recovery_point_ID_number> <volume-letter> [flag] <path>
The flag in the command determines how to mount the recovery point. You can use one of the following options: [r] - mount read-only (default). This flag lets you mount a recovery point but does not let you make changes to it. [w] - mount writable. This flag lets you mount the recovery point and lets you make changes. [v] - mount with previous writes. Mounting with the "v" flag lets you mount the recovery point and include any changes that were made during the previous writable mount but are not present in the recovery point. [n] - do not mount nbd to <path>. A nbd (network block device) makes a socket connection between the Core and the protected machine when you perform a local mount. This flag lets you mount the recovery point without mounting the nbd, which is useful if you want to manually check the file system of the recovery point.
NOTE: You can also specify a line number in the command instead of the recovery point ID number to identify the recovery point. In that case, you would use the machine line number (from the lm output), followed by the recovery point line number and volume letter, followed by the path, such as, m <machine_line_number> <recovery_point_line_number> <volume_letter> <path>. For example, if the lm output lists three protected machines, and you enter the lr command for number 2 and you mount the twenty-third recovery point volume b to /tmp/mount_dir, then the command would be: m 2 23 b /tmp/mount_dir. NOTE: If you are mounting a BTRFS volume from a compatible operating system (see the "Rapid Recovery release 6.4 operating system installation and compatibility matrix" topic in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 System Requirements Guide), then you must include the following parameter:
mount -o nodatasum,device=/dev/xxx /dev/xxx /mnt/yyy
9. To verify that the mount was successful, enter the following command, which should list the attached remote volume:
l
Unmounting a recovery point on a Linux machine
Complete the steps in this procedure to unmount a recovery point on a Linux machine.
1. Run the Rapid Recovery local_mount utility as root, or as the super user, for example:
sudo local_mount
2. At the Rapid Recovery mount prompt, enter the following command to list the protected machines.
lm
3. When prompted, enter the IP address or hostname of your Rapid Recovery Core Core server. 4. Enter the logon credentials (user name and password) for the Core server.
A list of the machines that are protected by the Rapid Recovery Core server displays.
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5. Enter the following command to list the recovery points that are available for a specified machine: lr <line_number_of_machine>
Note: Note that you can also enter the machine ID number in this command instead of the line item number. A list of the base and incremental recovery points for the machine will display and includes. The list includes the line item number, date and timestamp, location of volume, size of recovery point, and an ID number for the volume that includes a sequence number at the end, which identifies the recovery point. For example: 7d658e5f-fa08-4600-95f0-5f486bc1b6a4#de0896fd-571a-4cc5-aeed264d2c3c72f4#f377e145-dd4d-3ac3-5b15-37ce8f4913ba:2 6. Run the l or list command to obtain a list of mounted Network Block Device (NBD)-devices. If you mount any recovery point, you will get a path to NBD-device after executing the l or list command. 7. Enter the following command to unmount a recovery point.
unmount <path_of_nbd-device> 8. Run the l or list command to verify that the unmount of the recovery point was successful.
Forcing a snapshot
Forcing a snapshot lets you force a data transfer for the current protected machine. When you force a snapshot, the transfer starts immediately or is added to the queue if other jobs are running. You can choose from two types of snapshots. If you select an incremental snapshot and there is no previous recovery point, a base image is captured. Forcing a snapshot does not change the timing for any schedules snapshots.
l A base image is a snapshot of all data on the selected volumes of the machine. l An incremental snapshot captures all data that has been changed since the last snapshot. 1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the machine or cluster with the recovery point for
which you want to force a snapshot. 2. On the Summary page, in the Summary pane, click Force Snapshot.
The Force Snapshot dialog appears. 3. In the Force Snapshot dialog box, in the check box, click one or more volumes or protection groups. 4. Click Force Snapshot or Force Base Image, respectively. 5. If you selected a base image, click to confirm that you want to take a base image.
A base image could take a substantial amount of time, based on the amount of data in the volumes you want to back up. The snapshot you selected is queued and begins as soon as other jobs have completed.
Removing recovery points
You can easily remove recovery points for a particular machine from the repository. When you delete recovery points in Rapid Recovery, you can specify one of the following options.
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l Delete All Recovery Points. Removes all recovery points for the selected protected machine from the Repository.
l Delete a Range of Recovery Points. Removes all recovery points in a specified range before the current, up to and including the base image, which is all data on the machine as well as all recovery points after the current until the next base image.
NOTE: You cannot recover the recovery points you have deleted. If you need the data stored in the recovery points, considering archiving the data first.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, under the Protected Machines menu, click the name or IP address of the machine for which you want to view and remove recovery points. The Summary view for the selected protected machine appears.
2. Next to the machine name or IP address, click the Recovery Points menu. The Recovery Points page for the selected machine appears.
3. Scroll down to the Recovery Points pane. Options appear under the pane title, including Refresh, Delete Range, and Delete All.
4. To delete all currently stored recovery points, under the Recovery Points pane title, click Delete All, and in the confirmation dialog box, click to confirm deletion.
5. To delete a set of recovery points in a specific data range, do the following: a. Under the Recovery Points pane title, click Delete Range. The Delete Recovery Points Within Range dialog box appears. b. In the Delete Recovery Points Within Range dialog box, in the From field, select the date and time from which you want to start deleting recovery points. c. In the To field, select the date and time defining the last recovery point you want to delete. d. Click Delete. e. In the confirmation dialog box, click to confirm deletion.
Deleting an orphaned recovery point chain
An orphaned recovery point is an incremental snapshot that is not associated with a base image. Subsequent snapshots continue to build onto this recovery point; however, without the base image, the resulting recovery points are incomplete and are unlikely to contain the data necessary to complete a recovery. These recovery points are considered to be part of the orphaned recovery point chain. If this situation occurs, the best solution is to delete the chain and create a new base image. For more information about forcing a base image, see Forcing a snapshot.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, navigate to the protected machine for which you want to delete the orphaned recovery point chain.
2. From the menu at the top of the page, click Recovery Points. 3. In the Recovery Points pane, expand the orphaned recovery point.
This recovery point is labeled in the Type column as "Incremental, Orphaned."
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4. Next to Actions, click Delete. The Delete Recovery Points window appears.
5. In the Delete Recovery Points window, click Yes. CAUTION: Deleting this recovery point deletes the entire chain of recovery points, including any incremental recovery points that occur before or after it, until the next base image. This operation cannot be undone.
The orphaned recovery point chain is deleted.
Migrating recovery points manually to a different repository
If you want to remove the recovery points of a protected machine from a repository without deleting them, you can migrate them to a different repository manually by using this procedure. This process involves archiving recovery points from the source repository, and then importing the archive into the target repository. For example, you can perform this procedure if your existing repository is full, or if your needs change and you want to protect a machine using a different Core and repository.
CAUTION: If your repository was upgraded previously from AppAssure 5.3 or 5.4 and used replication, Quest recommends performing the Check Repository Job on each repository in that target Core before migration. Performing this job will preclude copying any data irregularities to the new destination repository. The Check Repository Job is only available in the UI if it is applicable to your Core, and could take a substantial amount of time to run. For information about this job, see About checking the integrity of DVM repositories. For information on performing this job, see Performing an integrity check on a DVM repository.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, pause protection for any protected machines that have recovery points you want to migrate. For more information, see Pausing and resuming protection.
2. Cancel all current operations for any protected machines that have recovery points you want to migrate, or wait for them all to complete.
3. Archive the recovery points for the machine or machines you paused. For more information, see Creating an archive.
4. After archiving and verifying the archive, remove the existing recovery points for the protected machine you want to migrate. For more information, see Removing recovery points. NOTE: Without removing existing recovery points, you cannot change repositories for a protected machine.
5. Create a new repository for the migrated recovery points, or ensure a new destination repository exists. For more information, see Creating a DVM repository. If you want to use an existing repository, continue to step 6.
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6. Change the repository for each machine that you paused by completing the following steps: a. On the Core Console, click the protected machine in the navigation tree. b. On the Summary page of the protected machine, click Settings. c. On the Settings page, in the General pane, click the Repository drop-down list, and then select the name of the repository you created in step 4. If you want to use an existing repository, select the name of an existing repository. NOTE: When migrating recovery points to an existing repository, ensure that the existing repository has enough free space to contain the migrated recovery points. d. Click to save the change to settings.
7. Resume protection for the machine or machines that you paused. For more information, see Pausing and resuming protection.
8. Take a new base image for each of the protected machines you moved. For more information, see Forcing a snapshot and use the Force Base Image option.
9. Import the archived data for the machines you want to migrate. For more information, see Importing an archive.
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11
Replication
This section describes how to configure and manage the replication of protected data from a Rapid Recovery source Core to a Rapid Recovery target Core for disaster recovery. Topics include:
Replication with Rapid Recovery Recovery point chains and orphans When replication begins Determining your seeding needs and strategy Performance considerations for replicated data transfer Viewing incoming and outgoing replication Configuring replication Replicating to a self-managed target Core Replicating to a third-party target Core Adding a machine to existing replication Consuming the seed drive on a target Core Managing replication settings Removing outgoing replication from the source Core Removing incoming replication from the target Core Recovering replicated data
Replication with Rapid Recovery
This section provides conceptual and procedural information to help you understand and configure replication in Rapid Recovery. Replication is the process of copying recovery points from one Rapid Recovery Core and transmitting them to another Rapid Recovery Core for disaster recovery purposes. The process requires a paired source-target relationship between two or more Cores. The source Core copies the recovery points of selected protected machines, and then asynchronously and continually transmits that snapshot data to the target Core. Unless you change the default behavior by setting a replication schedule, the Core starts a replication job immediately after completion of every backup snapshot, checksum check, mountability check, and attachability check. Log truncation of any type also triggers a replication job, as does checking the integrity of recovery points
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or of an Oracle database. If any of these actions are included in nightly jobs, then completion of nightly jobs also triggers a replication job. For more information, see Scheduling replication.
NOTE: When you replicate data for a cluster, you must replicate the entire cluster. For example, if you select a node to replicate, the cluster is automatically selected. Likewise, if you select the cluster, all nodes in that cluster are also selected. For optimum data security, administrators usually use a target Core at a remote disaster recovery site. You can configure outbound replication to a company-owned data center or remote disaster recovery site (that is, a "selfmanaged" target Core). Or, you can configure outbound replication to a third-party managed service provider (MSP) or cloud provider that hosts off-site backup and disaster recovery services. When replicating to a thirdparty target Core, you can use built-in work flows that let you request connections and receive automatic feedback notifications. Replication is managed on a per-protected-machine basis. Any machine (or all machines) protected or replicated on a source Core can be configured to replicate to a target Core. Possible scenarios for replication include: l Replication to a local location. The target Core is located in a local data center or on-site location, and replication is maintained at all times. In this configuration, the loss of the Core would not prevent a recovery. l Replication to an off-site location. The target Core is located at an off-site disaster recovery facility for recovery in the event of a loss. l Mutual replication. Two data centers in two different locations each contain a Core and are protecting machines and serving as the off-site disaster recovery backup for each other. In this scenario, each Core replicates the protected machines to the Core that is located in the other data center. This scenario is also called cross replication. l Hosted and cloud replication. Rapid Recovery MSP partners maintain multiple target Cores in a data center or a public cloud. On each of these Cores, the MSP partner lets one or more of their customers replicate recovery points from a source Core on the customer's site to the MSP's target Core for a fee.
NOTE: In this scenario, customers only have access to their own data.
Possible replication configurations include: l Point-to-point replication. Replicates one or more protected machines from a single source Core to a single target Core.
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Figure 1: Point-to-point replication configuration
l Multipoint-to-point replication. Replicates protected machines from multiple source Cores to a single target Core.
Figure 2: Multipoint-to-point replication configuration
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l Point-to-multipoint replication. Replicates one or more protected machines from a single source Core to more than one target Core.
Figure 3: Point-to-multipoint replication configuration
l Multi-hop replication. Replicates one or more protected machines from one target Core to another target Core, producing additional failover or recovery options on the replicated Core.
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Figure 4: Multi-hop replication configuration
Recovery point chains and orphans
Rapid Recovery captures snapshots of a protected machine, and saves the data to a repository as a recovery point. The first recovery point saved to the Core is called a base image. The base image includes the operating system, applications, and settings for each volume you choose to protect, as well as all data on those volumes. Successive backups are incremental snapshots, which consist only of data changed on the protected volumes since the last backup. The base image plus all incremental snapshots together form a complete recovery point chain. From a complete recovery point chain, you can restore data with ease and confidence, using the full range of recovery options available to Rapid Recovery. These options include file-level restore, volume-level restore, and bare metal restore. Since logically you cannot restore from data that does not exist, in the case of an incomplete recovery point chain, you cannot restore data at the volume level or perform a bare metal restore. In such cases, you can still restore any data that does exist in a recovery point at the file level. If the information you want to restore from a recovery point is in a previous backup that is not available to the Core (an earlier incremental snapshot or the base image), the recovery point is said to be orphaned. Orphaned recovery points are typical in some replication scenarios. For example, when you first establish replication, your options for restoring data from the replicated recovery points are limited. Until all backup data from the source Core is transmitted to the target Core, creating full recovery point chains from the orphans, you can only perform file-level restore.
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When replication begins
By default, replication transfer jobs are automatically queued by the Core immediately after each regularly scheduled backup transfer completes. Thus, unless the replication schedule for a protected machine is customized, its replication schedule is based on its standard backup snapshot schedule. When you first set up replication, if one or more recovery points exist on the source Core, the replication process begins immediately, unless:
l You select the option to initially pause replication, or l You select the option to use a seed drive to perform the initial transfer.
If you pause replication initially, replication begins when you explicitly resume replication. If you set up replication and specify the use of a seed drive, replication to the target Core begins with the next regularly scheduled backup snapshot.
NOTE: You can also force a backup of the protected machine after establishing replication. This causes replication to begin immediately after the protected machine snapshot completes. If you specify a seed drive when you set up replication, only future backup transfers are replicated. If you want existing recovery points from the original protected machine to exist on the target Core, you must seed data from the protected machine. To seed data, create a seed drive from the source Core, and then consume the seed drive on the target Core. You can also customize the replication schedule for a protected machine. For example, if you use the default protection schedule of one backup per hour, you can specify that the source Core replicate to the target Core at a different schedule (for example, once daily at 2AM).
Determining your seeding needs and strategy
The following topics discuss restoring from replicated data and whether you need to seed recovery point data from the source Core.
When seeding data is required
When you first establish replication, unless you specify the use a seed drive, the source Core begins transmitting all of the recovery points for the selected machines to the target Core. Transmitting your data over the network can take a good deal of time. Factors involved include the speed of your network, the robustness of your network architecture, and the amount of data to be transmitted to the target Core. For example, if the backup data on the source Core measures 10GB and the WAN link transfers 24Mbps, the transfer could take approximately one hour to complete. Based on the amount of information you want to copy to the target Core, the seed drive can add up to hundreds or thousands of gigabytes of data. Many organizations choose not to consume the network bandwidth required, and instead opt to define and consume a seed drive. For more information, see Performance considerations for replicated data transfer. If you specify the use of a seed drive when defining replication, then only recovery points saved to the source Core after you establish replication are replicated to the target Core. Backups saved on the source Core before
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replication was established will not be present on the target Core until you explicitly seed the data, using the following process. To avoid slowing down your network with an intensive transfer of historical data, seed your prior backup data to the target Core using a seed drive. A seed drive is an archive file that copies a set of deduplicated base images and incremental snapshots from the source Core. The seed drive file contains the full set of previous recovery points for the protected machines you want to replicate from the source Core to the target Core. Move the seed drive file to a storage volume which you then make available to the target Core. Then you consume the information from the seed drive. This involves attaching the volume with the seed drive image to the target Core and importing the data to the repository from the Core Console. This process repairs orphans, uniting incremental snapshots replicated to the target Core with their base images, to form one or more complete recovery point chains. This process is sometimes called copy-consume. Seeding data from your source Core is not always required. For example:
l If you are setting up replication for a new Rapid Recovery Core, seeding is not required. l If the data from previous snapshots are not critical for your replicated data, and you only need to recover
data saved after replication is set up, seeding is not required. NOTE: In this case, Quest recommends capturing a new base image immediately before or immediately after setting up replication. This step ensures a full recovery point chain exists on the target Core from which to restore data in the future.
l If you captured a base image immediately before setting up replication, and only have a need to restore from data captured after that date, seeding is not required.
l If you set up replication without specifying a seed drive, then the snapshot data transmits over the network from the source Core to the target Core.
If one of these situations applies to you, you do not need to seed data. In such cases, replication can be completed entirely from the source Core. If you set up replication for a Core with existing recovery points and may need to restore at the volume level, want to perform a BMR, or want to restore data from an earlier base image or incremental snapshot, seeding is required. In these situations, consider your seeding needs and strategy. Review the information in this topic and decide whether you will seed to your target Core, and which approach you will use.
Approaches to seeding data
If you want your replicated machines on a target Core to have access to data saved previously on the original source Core, seed your target Core using one of the following approaches:
1. Seed to the target Core over a network connection. Specify the use of a seed drive when you define replication. You can then share the folder containing the seed drive with the target Core, and consume the seed drive file over the network. For large data or slow connections, seeding by this method can take a substantial amount of time and consume substantial network bandwidth. NOTE: Quest does not recommend seeding large amounts of data over a network connection. Initial seeding potentially involves very large amounts of data, which could overwhelm a typical WAN connection.
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2. Transfer backup data from the source Core using physical storage media. Transfer the seed drive file to a portable external removable storage device. This approach is typically useful for large sets of data or sites with slow network connections. Seeding using this method requires you to perform the following steps: a. Create a seed archive from the source Core, saving it to removable media. b. Transport the seed drive to the physical location of the target Core. c. Attach the drive to the target Core. d. Consume the data from the seed drive to the repository of the target Core. If replicating to a third-party Core, once your media is received by the MSP, a data center representative typically attaches the media and notifies you when it is ready for you to consume (or import) the seed data into the Core. NOTE: Because large amounts of data need to be copied to the storage device, an eSATA, USB 3.0, or other high-speed connection is recommended. If the total size of the seed data archive is larger than the space available on the removable media, the archive can span across multiple devices.
3. For source and target Cores stored on virtual hosts, transfer backup data using a virtual hard disk. If your source Core and target Core are both on a virtual host, you can define and consume a seed drive on virtual storage media. Seeding using this method requires you to perform the following steps: a. Create a seed drive file from the source Core, saving it to a virtual storage volume. b. Detach the volume from the source Core and attach it to the target Core. c. Consume the data from the seed drive to the repository of the target Core.
NOTE: While replication of incremental snapshots can occur between the source and target Cores before seeding is complete, the replicated snapshots transmitted from the source to the target remain orphaned until the initial data is consumed, and they are combined with the replicated base images.
Related links
l For details on the process of consuming the seed drive, see the topic Consuming the seed drive on a target Core.
l For more information about orphaned recovery points, see Deleting an orphaned recovery point chain. l For information on preparing a seed drive, see Consuming the seed drive on a target Core. l For more information on seeding a physical drive to the Azure data center, see the Azure
document center. See article https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/storage-importexport-service/.
Performance considerations for replicated data transfer
If the bandwidth between the source and target Cores cannot accommodate the transfer of stored recovery points, set up replication and specify the use of a seed drive. This process seeds the target Core with base images and recovery points from the selected servers protected on the source Core. The seeding process can
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be performed at any time. Seeding can be performed as part of the initial transfer of data, which serves as the foundation for regularly scheduled replication. You can also seed data for a previously replicated machine if replication has been paused or deleted. In this case, the "Build recovery point chains" option lets you copy notyet replicated recovery points to a seed drive. When preparing for replication, consider the following factors:
l Change rate. The change rate is the rate at which the amount of protected data is accumulated. The rate depends on the amount of data that changes on protected volumes and the protection interval of the volumes. Some machine types typically have a higher change rate, such as an Exchange email server. One way to reduce the change rate is to reduce the protection interval.
l Bandwidth. The bandwidth is the available transfer speed between the source Core and the target Core. It is crucial that the bandwidth be greater than the change rate for replication to keep up with the recovery points snapshots create. For very large data transfers from Core to Core, multiple parallel streams may be required to perform at wire speeds up to the speed of a 1GB Ethernet connection.
NOTE: Bandwidth that ISPs specify is typically the total available bandwidth. All devices on the network share the outgoing bandwidth. Make sure that there is enough free bandwidth for replication to accommodate the change rate.
l Number of protected machines. It is important to consider the number of machines protected per source Core and how many you plan to replicate to the target. You are not required to replicate every machine protected on the source Core; Rapid Recovery lets you replicate on a per-protected machine basis, so you can choose to replicate only certain machines, if you want. If all protected machines on a source Core must be replicated, the change rate is typically higher. This factor is relevant if the bandwidth between the source and target Cores is insufficient for the amount and size of the recovery points being replicated.
The maximum change rate for WAN connection types is shown in the following table, with examples of the necessary bandwidth per gigabyte for a reasonable change rate.

Table 83: Examples of bandwidth per gigabyte

Broadband Bandwidth

Max Change Rate

DSL Cable T1 Fiber

768 Kbps and up 1 Mbps and up 1.5 Mbps and up 20 Mbps and up

330MB per hour 429MB per hour 644MB per hour 8.38GB per hour

NOTE: For optimum results, adhere to the recommendations listed in the preceding table.
If a link fails during data transfer, replication resumes from the previous failure point of the transfer (once link functionality is restored). Depending on your network configuration, replication can be a time-consuming process. Ensure that you account for enough bandwidth to accommodate replication, other Rapid Recovery transfers such as backups, and any other critical applications you must run. If you experience issues successfully transferring data over the network, especially for certain protected or replicated machines, considering adjusting the rate of data transfer for those machines. For more information, see About modifying transfer settings and Throttling transfer speed.

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About replication and encrypted recovery points
While the seed drive does not contain backups of the source Core registry and certificates, the seed drive does contain encryption keys from the source Core if the recovery points being replicated from source to target are encrypted. The replicated recovery points remain encrypted after they are transmitted to the target Core. The owners or administrators of the target Core need the passphrase to recover the encrypted data.
About retention policies for replication
Retention policies on the source and target Cores are not synchronized. Rollup and on-demand deletion perform independently on each Core on initial action, as well as when running nightly jobs. For more information on retention policies, see Managing retention policies.

Viewing incoming and outgoing replication

If you click the Replicate icon from the icon bar, the Replication page appears. This page gives you an understanding of replication from the scope of this Core. It includes two panes:
l The Outgoing Replication pane lists any machines protected in this Core that are replicated on another Core.
l The Incoming Replication pane lists the machines replicated on this Core, and the source Core from which these machines are replicated.
This section describes the information shown in these panes. Information about outgoing replication from this Rapid Recovery Core is described in the following table.

Table 84: Information about outgoing replication

UI Element Description

Select item For each row in the summary table, you can select the checkbox to perform actions from the list of menu options above the table.

Type

Shows the machine type. You can expand a target Core to show individual replicated machines.

Status indicator

Status of replication. Colored circles in the Status column show whether a replicated machine is online or unreachable. If you hover the cursor over the colored circle, the status condition is displayed. Status conditions include green (replication established and online), yellow (replication paused), red (authentication error), and gray (offline or unreachable).

Replication The display name of the Core machine to which machines from this source Core are replicated. Name

Machines Lists the number of machines replicated to the selected target Core.

Sync

The date and time of the last replication transfer to the target Core.

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UI Element Description
When you click the More drop-down menu in this column, you see a list of actions to perform to affect the specific replication relationship.

You can perform actions on two or more of the target Cores listed in the Outgoing Replication grid. To perform actions on multiple target Cores, select the checkbox for each Core in the grid, and then, from the menu above the grid, select the action you want to perform. You can perform the actions described in the following table.

Table 85: Global actions available in the Outgoing Replication pane

Description

Element

Add Target Core

Lets you define another target Core to replicate machines protected on this source Core.

Refresh Refreshes the information shown in the table.

Force Forces replication.

Pause Pauses established replication.

Resume Resumes paused replication.

Copy

Opens the replication wizard, letting you copy existing recovery points for selected protected machines to a seed drive.

Delete Deletes outgoing replication.

Seed Drives

This menu option appears if data was copied to a seed drive when replication was set up.
Displays information about the seed drive file, including the data and time the seed drive was saved. Collapsible menus indicate the target Core and the protected machines from which the seed drive files were generated.

When you click the More drop-down menu in this column, you see a list of actions to perform to affect the specific replication relationship.

Information about incoming replication from another Core is described in the following table.

Table 86: Information about incoming replication

UI Element Description

Select item For each row in the summary table, you can select the checkbox to perform actions from the list of menu options above the table.

Type

Shows the machine type. You can expand a source Core to show individual replicated machines.

Status indicator

Replication The display name of the source Core machine containing protected machines that are

Name

replicated on this target Core.

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UI Element Description

This name can be optionally specified when establishing replication on the source Core using the Replication Wizard.

Machines Sync

Lists the number of machines protected on the source Core that are replicated to this target Core.
The date and time of the last replication transfer from the source Core.
When you click the More drop-down menu in this column, you see a list of actions to perform to affect the specific replication relationship.

You can perform actions on two or more of the source Cores listed in the Incoming Replication grid. To perform actions on multiple source Cores, select the checkbox for each Core in the grid, and then, from the menu above the grid, select the action you want to perform. You can perform the actions described in the following table.

Table 87: Global actions available in the Incoming Replication pane

Description

Element

Refresh Refreshes the information shown in the table. Force Forces replication. Pause Pauses established replication. Resume Resumes paused replication. Delete Deletes incoming replication.

Configuring replication
To replicate data using Rapid Recovery, you must configure the source and target Cores for replication. After you configure replication, you can then replicate protected machine data, monitor and manage replication, and perform recovery. The version of Rapid Recovery Core on the server used as the target can be equal to or later than the version of Rapid Recovery Core installed on the source Core. The source Core must never run a version of Rapid Recovery more recent than the target Core runs. When upgrading Cores that use replication, do the following:
l Always upgrade the target Core first, then upgrade the source Core, and lastly upgrade the Agent software on your protected machines.
l If using the automatic update feature, to ensure the proper upgrade order is followed, set up automatic update on target Cores only. After each automatic update, manually upgrade source Cores before updating Rapid Recovery Agent on your protected machines.
For more information on updating cores configured for replication, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide, including topics "Upgrading factors to consider" and "Automatically installing updates."
NOTE: When you replicate data for a cluster, you must replicate the entire cluster. For example, if you select a node to replicate, the cluster is automatically selected. Likewise, if you select the cluster, all nodes in that cluster are also selected.

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Performing replication in Rapid Recovery involves performing the following operations:
l Set up a repository on the target Core. For more information on adding a repository to the target Core, see Creating a DVM repository.
l Configure self-managed replication. For more information on replicating to a self-managed target Core, see Replicating to a self-managed target Core.
l Configure third-party replication. For more information on replicating to a third-party target Core, see Replicating to a third-party target Core.
l Replicate an existing protected machine. For more information on replicating a machine that is already protected by the source Core, see Adding a machine to existing replication.
l Consume the seed drive. For more information on consuming seed drive data on the target Core, see Consuming the seed drive on a target Core.
l Set the replication priority for a protected machine. For more information on prioritizing the replication of protected machines, see Setting replication priority for a protected machine.
l Set a replication schedule for a protected machine. For more information on setting a replication schedule, see Scheduling replication.
l Monitor replication as needed. For more information on monitoring replication, see Viewing incoming and outgoing replication.
l Manage replication settings as needed. For more information on managing replication settings, see Managing replication settings.
l Recover replicated data in the event of disaster or data loss. For more information on recovering replicated data, see Recovering replicated data.
Replicating to a self-managed target Core
This configuration applies to replication to an off-site location and to mutual replication. The following steps are prerequisite:
l The Rapid Recovery Core must be installed on all source and target machines. l If you are configuring Rapid Recovery for multi-point to point replication, you must perform this task on all
source Cores and the one target Core. For descriptions of these replication configurations, see Replication. l If you need to create a seed drive and transfer it to a physical removable storage volume to perform the initial transfer of existing recovery points, you must have a suitable portable storage device prepared. You must also have physical access to the source Core machine, to attach the drive to copy the seed drive archive. l If using a seed drive in a self-managed target Core, you or a trusted administrator must have physical access to the target Core.
A self-managed target Core is a Core to which you have access. For example, a self-managed Core is often managed by your company at an off-site location, or is hosted at a different geographic location than the source Core. Replication can be set up entirely on the source Core, unless you choose to seed your data using a seed drive. In such cases, you must create a seed drive using this procedure, and later attach the seed drive to the target Core to consume the archived recovery point data. For more information, see Determining your seeding
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needs and strategy. Complete the steps in the following procedure to configure your source Core to replicate to a self-managed target Core.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console of the source Core.
2. On the button bar, click Replicate. The Replication Wizard appears.
3. On the Target Core page of the Replication Wizard, if you are establishing replication with a target Core that has been paired with this source Core previously, select Use an existing target Core, and then select the appropriate target Core from the drop-down list. Skip to step 5.

4. On the Target Core page of the Replication Wizard, if you are establishing replication with a target Core from this source Core for the first time, select I have my own Target Core, and then enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 88: Target Core information

Text Box

Description

Host Name

Enter the host name or IP address of the Core machine to which you are replicating.

Port

Enter the port number on which the Rapid Recovery Core will communicate with the

machine.

The default port number is 8006.

User Name

Enter the user name for accessing the machine.

Password

Enter the password for accessing the machine.

5. Click Next. NOTE: If no repository exists on the target Core, a warning appears notifying you that you can pair the source Core with the target Core, but that you are unable to replicate agents (protected machines) to this location until a repository is established. For information about how to set up a primary repository to a Core, see Creating a DVM repository.
6. On the Request page, enter a name for this replication configuration; for example, SourceCore1. This is the display name used for the Incoming Replication pane on the target Core's Replication page.
7. Click Next.
8. On the Protected Machines page, select the protected machines you want to replicate, and then use the drop-down lists in the Repository column to select a repository for each protected machine.

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9. If you want to perform the seeding process for the transfer of the base data, complete the following substeps. If you do not want to seed your data, proceed to step 10. NOTE: Because large amounts of data need to be copied to the portable storage device, Quest recommends using an eSATA, USB 3.0, or other high-speed connection to the portable storage device. a. On the Protected Machines page of the Replication Wizard, select Use a seed drive to perform the initial transfer. l If you currently have one or more protected machines replicating to a target Core, you can include these protected machines on the seed drive by selecting Include already replicated recovery points in the seed drive. l If you do not want replication to begin immediately after completing this procedure, select Initially pause replication. NOTE: If you select this option, replication does not begin until you explicitly resume it. For more information, see Pausing and resuming replication. b. Click Next. c. On the Seed Drive Location page of the Replication Wizard, use the Location type drop-down list to select from the following destination types: l Local l Network l Cloud
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d. In the Location field, enter the details for the seed drive file as described in the following table, based on the location type you selected in step c.

Table 89: Archive details Option Text Box Description

Local

Output location

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the seed drive archive to reside; for example, D:\work\archive.

Network Output location

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the seed drive archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User Name

Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder Name

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be saved. The default name is Rapid-Recovery-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]

e. Click Next.

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f. On the Seed Drive Options page of the Replication Wizard, enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 90: Seed drive options

Item

Description

Maximum Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the maximum

Size

size of the segment you want to reserve for creating the seed drive by doing one of

the following:

l Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path provided on the Seed Drive Location page for future use. For example, if the location is D:\work\archive, all of the available space on the D: drive is reserved if required for copying the seed drive, but is not reserved immediately after starting the copying process.

l Select the text box, enter an amount, and then select a unit of measurement from the drop-down list to customize the maximum space you want to reserve. The default is 250MB.

Recycle action

In the event the path already contains a seed drive, select one of the following options:
l Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing seed data from the location. If the location is not empty, the seed drive write will fail.
l Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing seed data pertaining to this Core but leaves the data for other Cores intact.
l Erase completely. Clears all seed data from the directory before writing the seed drive.

Comment Enter a comment that describes the seed drive.

Add all agents to seed drive

Select this option to replicate all protected machines on the source Core using the seed drive. This option is selected by default.

Build recovery point chains (fix orphans)

Select this option to replicate the entire recovery point chain to the seed drive. This adds some already replicated recovery points to the seed drive, preventing orphans from occurring. This option is selected by default.

g. Do one of the following: l If you cleared the Add all agents to seed drive check box, click Next. l If you selected Add all agents to seed drive, go to step 10.
10. Click Finish.

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11. If you created a seed drive, send it to your target Core. The pairing of the source Core to the target Core is complete.
Unless you selected the option to initially pause replication, the replication process begins immediately. 1. If you selected the option to use a seed drive, replication produces orphaned recovery points on the target Core until the seed drive is consumed and provides the necessary base images. 2. If you specified the use of the a drive, transfer the seed drive archive file to a volume (shared folder, virtual disk, or removable storage media). Then, consume the seed drive.
Replicating to a third-party target Core
A third-party Core is a target Core that it managed and maintained by an MSP. Replicating to a Core managed by a third party does not require the customer to have access to the target Core. The process of replicating to a third-party Core involves tasks that must be completed by the customer as well as the third party. After a customer submits a request for replication on the source Core or Cores, the MSP must complete the configuration on the target Core by reviewing the request.
NOTE: This configuration applies to Hosted and Cloud Replication. The Rapid Recovery Core must be installed on all source Core machines. If you are configuring Rapid Recovery for Multi-Point to Point replication, you must perform this task on all source Cores. To replicate to a target Core managed by a third party, complete the following tasks: l Submitting a replication request to a third-party service provider l Reviewing a replication request from a customer l Ignoring a replication request from a customer
Submitting a replication request to a third-party service provider
If you are an end user who subscribes to a Core managed by a third party, such as an MSP, complete the steps in this procedure to submit a replication request to your third-party service provider.
1. From the icon button bar of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click Replicate. The Replication Wizard appears.
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2. On the Target Core page of the Replication Wizard, select I have a subscription to a third-party providing off-site backup and disaster recovery services, and then enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 91: Third-party target Core information

Text Box Description

Host Name Enter the host name, IP address, or FQDN for the third-party Core machine.

Port

Enter the port number that was given to you by your third-party service provider.

The default port number is 8006.

If the Core you want to add has been paired with this source Core previously, you can do the following: a. Select Use an existing target Core. b. Select the target Core from the drop-down list. c. Click Next. d. Skip to step 7.
3. Click Next. 4. On the Request page of the Replication Wizard, enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 92: Third-party target Core details

Text Box

Description

Email Address
Customer ID (optional)

Enter the email address associated with your third-party service subscription.
Optionally, enter the customer ID that was assigned to you by the service provider.

5. Click Next.
6. On the Protected Machines page of the Replication Wizard, select the protected machines you want to replicate to the third-party Core.

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7. If you want to perform the seeding process for the transfer of base data, complete the following steps. Note: Because large amounts of data need to be copied to the portable storage device, an eSATA, USB 3.0, or other high-speed connection to the portable storage device is recommended.
a. On the Protected Machines page of the Replication Wizard, select Use a seed drive to perform initial transfer.
l If you currently have one or more protected machines replicating to a target Core, you can include these machines on the seed drive by selecting the option Include already replicated recovery points in the seed drive.
b. Click Next.
c. On the Seed Drive Location page of the Replication Wizard, use the Location type drop-down list to select from the following destination types:
l Local
l Network
l Cloud
d. Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table, based on the location type you selected in step c.

Table 93: Archive details

Option Text Box Description

Local

Output location

Network Output location

User Name

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the seed drive archive to reside; for example, D:\work\archive.
Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.
Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Cloud

Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.
Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder Name

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be saved. The default name is Rapid-Recovery-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]

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e. Click Next.
f. On the Seed Drive Options page of the Replication Wizard, enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 94: Seed drive options

Item

Description

Maximum Size

Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the maximum amount of space you want to reserve for creating the seed drive by doing one of the following:
l Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path provided on the Seed Drive Location page (for example, if the location is D:\work\archive, all of the available space on the D: drive is reserved).
l Select the blank text box, enter an amount, and then select a unit of measurement from the drop-down list to customize the maximum space you want to reserve.

Recycle action

Comment

Enter a comment that describes the seed drive.

Add all Agents Select this option to replicate all protected machines on the source Core using to Seed Drive the seed drive. This option is selected by default.

Build recovery Select this option to replicate the entire recovery point chain to the seed drive. points chains This option is selected by default. (fix orphans)

g. Do one of the following: l If you cleared the Add all Agents to Seed Drive check box, click Next. l If you selected Add all Agents to Seed Drive, go to step 9.
h. On the Machines page of the Replication Wizard, select the protected machines you want to replicate to the target Core using the seed drive.
8. Click Finish. 9. If you created a seed drive, send it as directed by your third-party service provider.

Reviewing a replication request from a customer
After an end user completes the procedure Submitting a replication request to a third-party service provider, a

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replication request is sent from the source Core to the third-party target Core. As the third party, you can review the request, and then approve it to begin replication for your customer, or you can deny it to prevent replication from occurring. Choose from the following options:
l Approving a replication request l Denying a replication request
Approving a replication request
Complete the following procedure to approve a replication request on a third-party target Core. 1. On the target Core, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. From the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears. 3. On the Replication page, click Request (#). The Pending Replication Requests section appears. 4. Under Pending Replication Requests, click the drop-down menu next to the request you want to review, and then click Review. The Review Replication Request window appears. NOTE: The information that appears in the Source Core Identity section of this window is determined by the request completed by the customer. 5. Under Source Core Identity, do one of the following: l Replace an existing replicated Core, and then select a Core from the drop-down list. l Select Create a new source Core, and then confirm that the Core Name, customer Email Address, and Customer ID, provided are correct. Edit the information as necessary. 6. Under Agents, select the machines to which the approval applies, and then use the drop-down lists in the Repository column to select the appropriate repository for each machine. 7. Optionally, in the Comment text box, enter a description or message to include in the response to the customer. 8. Click Send Response. Replication is accepted.
Denying a replication request
Complete the steps in the following procedure to deny a replication request sent to a third-party Core from a customer. To deny a request without reviewing it, see Ignoring a replication request from a customer.
1. On the target Core, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. From the icon bar, click (Replication).
The Replication page appears.
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3. On the Replication page, click Request (#). The Pending Replication Requests section appears.
4. Under Pending Replication Requests, click the drop-down menu next to the request you want to review, and then click Review. The Review Replication Request window appears.
5. Click Deny. Replication is denied. Notification of denial appears under Alerts on the Events page of the source Core.
Ignoring a replication request from a customer
As a third-party service provider of a target Core , you have the option to ignore a request for replication sent from a customer. This option could be used if a request was sent by mistake or if you want to deny a request without reviewing it. For more information about replication requests, see Reviewing a replication request from a customer. Complete the following procedure to ignore a replication request from a customer.
1. On the target Core, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core. 2. From the icon bar, click (Replication).
The Replication page appears. 3. On the Replication page, click Request (#).
The Pending Replication Requests section appears. 4. Under Pending Replication Requests, click the drop-down menu next to the request you want to ignore,
and then click Ignore. 5. On the Ignoring request dialog box, click Yes to confirm the command.
Notification that the request has been ignored is sent to the source Core, and the request is removed from the Replication page on the target Core.
Adding a machine to existing replication
After replication is established between a source and target Core, it is possible to add new protected machines to replicate to the target. Complete the steps in the following procedure on the source Core to add a new protected machine to a paired target Core for replication. For more information about replication, see Replication and Replicating to a self-managed target Core.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core console of the source Core. 2. On the button bar, click Replicate.
The Replication Wizard opens to the Protected Machines page. 3. On the Protected Machines page, select the protected machines you want to replicate, and then use the
drop-down lists in the Repository column to select a repository for each protected machine.
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4. If you want to perform the seeding process for the transfer of the base data, complete the following steps: NOTE: Because large amounts of data need to be copied to the portable storage device, an eSATA, USB 3.0, or other high-speed connection to the portable storage device is recommended.
a. On the Protected Machines page of the Replication Wizard, select Use a seed drive to perform initial transfer. l If you currently have one or more protected machines replicating to a target Core, you can include these machines on the seed drive by selecting the option Include already replicated recovery points in the seed drive.
b. Click Next. c. On the Seed Drive Location page of the wizard, use the Location type drop-down list to select
from the following destination types: l Local l Network l Cloud
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d. Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you selected in step c.

Table 95: Archive details

Option Text Box Description

Local

Output location

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the archive to reside; for example, D:\work\archive.

Network Output location

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User Name

Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Cloud

Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder Name

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be saved. The default name is Rapid-Recovery-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]

e. Click Next.

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f. On the Seed Drive Options page of the wizard, enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 96: Seed drive options

Item

Description

Maximum Size

Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the maximum amount of space you want to reserve for creating the seed drive by doing one of the following:
l Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path provided on the Seed Drive Location page (for example, if the location is D:\work\archive, all of the available space on the D:\ drive is reserved).
l Select the blank text box, enter an amount, and then select a unit of measurement from the drop-down list to customize the maximum space you want to reserve.

Recycle action

In the event the path already contains a seed drive, select one of the following options:
l Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing seed data from the location. If the location is not empty, the seed drive write will fail.
l Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing seed data pertaining to this Core but leaves the data for other Core s intact.
l Erase completely. Clears all seed data from the directory before writing the seed drive.

Comment

Enter a comment that describes the seed drive.

Add all Agents to Seed Drive

Select this option to replicate all protected machines on the source Core using the seed drive. This option is selected by default.

Build recovery point chains (fix orphans)

Select this option to replicate the entire recovery point chain to the seed drive. This option is selected by default.

g. Do one of the following: l If you cleared the Add all Agents to Seed Drive check box, click Next. l If you selected Add all Agents to Seed Drive, go to step 5.
h. On the Protected Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machines you want to replicate to the target Core using the seed drive.
5. Click Finish.

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Consuming the seed drive on a target Core

Complete the follow procedure to consume the data from the seed drive file on the target Core. This procedure is only necessary if a seed drive file was created as part of Replicating to a self-managed target Core or Replicating to a third-party target Core.
1. If the seed drive file was saved to a portable storage device, such as a USB drive, connect the drive to the target Core. NOTE: If the seed data is comprised of multiple segments, all segments must be available in the location type you specify in step 4. For example, all segments should be attached to the local target Core server, in the same network directory, or in the same cloud account container.
2. On the target Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
3. On the Replication page, under Incoming Replication, click the drop-down menu for the correct source Core, and then select Consume. The Consume dialog box appears.
4. In the Location type field, select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
l Local
l Network
l Cloud
5. Enter the details for the seed drive archive file, as described in the following table based on the location type you selected in step 4.

Table 97: Archive details

Option Text Box Description

Local Location Enter the path for the archive.

Network Location Enter the path for the archive.

User name

Enter the user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Password Enter the password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.

NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder name

Enter the name of the folder in which the archived data is saved; for example, Rapid-Recovery-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]

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6. Click Check File. The Core searches for the file. After finding the file, the following text boxes appear in the Consume dialog box, pre-populated with the data gathered from step 4, step 5, and the file.
l The Date Range displays the dates of the oldest and newest recovery points contained in the seed drive.
l Any comments entered when the seed drive was created are automatically imported. 7. On the Consume dialog box, under Agents, select the machines for which you want to consume data. 8. Click Consume.
9. To monitor the progress of consuming data, view the Events page.

Abandoning a seed drive

If you create a seed drive with the intent of consuming it on the target Core, but later choose not to consume it, you can abandon the seed drive. Until you abandon the seed drive or consume it, a link for the outstanding seed drive remains on the Outgoing Replication pane on the source Core. Until you transmit information from the seed drive, orphaned recovery points (which exist on the original protected machine, but not the target Core) cannot be used to restore data.
CAUTION: If you abandon the seed drive, then the original recovery points (defined in the seed drive file) are then transmitted over the network to the target Core during the next replication job. Transmitting old recovery points over the network could slow down the network considerably, especially if there are many recovery points.
Complete the steps in the following procedure to abandon an outstanding seed drive.
NOTE: Abandoning the seed drive in the Core Console does not affect the seed drive file from its storage location.

1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
2. On the Replication page, in the Outgoing Replication pane, click Seed Drives (#). In the Outgoing Replication pane, a section appears containing information about the outstanding seed drives.

3. Optionally, click the arrow to expand the collapsible menu. Information appears about outstanding seed drives, including the target Core and the date range of the recovery points included in the seed drive.

4. For the seed drive file you want to abandon, click

(More options) and then select Abandon.

5. In the confirmation window, confirm that you want to abandon the seed drive. The seed drive is removed.
If no more seed drives exist on the source Core, the Seed Drives (#) link and outstanding seed drives section are removed from the Outgoing Replication pane.

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Managing replication settings
Rapid Recovery Core lets you monitor, schedule, and adjust replication at the overall, Core, and protected machine levels.
You can edit the following replication settings:
l To schedule replication jobs, see Scheduling replication. l To create a seed drive of a protected machine that is already paired for replication, see Using the Copy
function to create a seed drive. l To monitor the progress of a replication job, see Viewing incoming and outgoing replication. l To pause or resume a paused replication job, see Pausing and resuming replication. l To force replication of an incoming or outgoing protected machine, see Forcing replication. l To manage settings for all target Cores and replication procedures, see Managing settings for outgoing
replication. l To manage settings for an individual target Core , see Changing target Core settings. l To manage priority settings for an individual protected machine being replicated to a target Core, see
Setting replication priority for a protected machine.

Scheduling replication

Unless you change the default behavior by setting a replication schedule, the Core starts a replication job immediately after completion of every backup snapshot, checksum check, attachability check, and the nightly jobs. You can change the replication schedule to reduce the load on the network. Complete the steps in the following procedure to set a replication schedule for any replicated machine.

1. On the target Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.

2. In the Outgoing Replication pane, on the Core for which you want schedule replication, click options) and then select Schedule. The Replication Schedule for [CoreName] dialog box opens.

(More

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3. Select from one of the following options: l At All Times. Replicates after every new snapshot, checksum check, and attachability check, and after the nightly jobs complete. l Daily (Start replication only during the specified time period). Begins replicating only within the time range provided. a. In the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication should begin. b. In the To text box, enter the latest time at which replication should begin. NOTE: If replication is in progress when the scheduled time ends, the replication job completes after the allotted time period. l Custom. Begins replicating only within the time range provided, letting you set one time range for weekdays and another time range for weekends. a. Next to Weekdays, in the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication should occur on a weekday; and then in the To text box, enter the latest time at which replication should occur on a weekday. b. Next to Weekends, in the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication should occur on weekends; and then in the To text box, enter the latest time at which replication should occur on weekends.
4. Click Save. The schedule is applied to all replication to the selected target Core.
Using the Copy function to create a seed drive
If you chose not to create a seed drive when you configured replication, you can create a seed drive using the Copy function in the protected machine drop-down menu.
1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
2. On the Replication page, in the Outgoing Replication pane, click to expand the Core that protects the machine for which you want to create a seed drive. The selection expands to show each protected machine in the specified Core.
3. Click in the first row of the table to select each machine for which you want to create a seed drive. 4. In the menu under the Outgoing Replication pane, click Copy.
The Replication Wizard appears. 5. On the Seed Drive Location page of the wizard, use the Location drop-down list to select from the
following destination types: l Local l Network l Cloud
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6. Enter the details for the seed drive archive, as described in the following table, based on the location type you selected in the preceding step.

Table 98: Archive details Option Text Box Description

Local

Output location

Network Output location

Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the archive to reside; for example, D:\work\archive.
Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the location path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User Name

Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder Name
7. Click Next.

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be saved. The default name is Rapid-Recovery-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]

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8. On the Seed Drive Options page, enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 99: Seed drive options

Item

Description

Maximum Size

Recycle action

In the event the path already contains a seed drive, select one of the following options:
l Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing seed data from the location. If the location is not empty, the seed drive write will fail.
l Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing seed data pertaining to this Core but leaves the data for other Core s intact.
l Erase completely. Clears all seed data from the directory before writing the seed drive.

Comment

Enter a comment that describes the seed drive.

Add all Agents Select this option to replicate all protected machines on the source Core using the to Seed Drive seed drive. This option is selected by default.

Build recovery point chains (fix orphans)

Select this option to replicate the entire recovery point chain to the seed drive. This option is selected by default.
NOTE: Typical seeding in Rapid Recovery 5.4.x replicated only the latest recovery point to the seed drive, which reduced the amount of time and space required for creating the seed drive. Opting to build recovery point chains to the seed drive requires enough space on the seed drive to store the latest recovery points from the specified protected machines, and may take additional time to complete the task.

9. Do one of the following: l If you cleared the Add all Agents to Seed Drive check box, click Next. l If you selected Add all Agents to Seed Drive, go to step 10.
If you selected Add all Agents to Seed Drive, go to step 10. 10. On the Protected Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machines for which you want to
create a seed drive. 11. Click Finish.

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Monitoring replication
When replication is set up, you can monitor the status of replication tasks for the source and target Cores. You can refresh status information, view replication details, and more.
1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
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2. On this page, you can view information about and monitor the status of replication tasks as described in the following table.

Table 100: Replication tasks Section Description

Available Actions

Seed Drives (#)

After you specify the use of a seed drive when defining replication, until you abandon or consume it, a Seed Drives (#) link appears on the Outgoing Replication pane on the source Core. The number displayed indicates how many seed drives are pending.
NOTE: This link does not appear unless a seed drive is pending.
Click this link to list seed drives that have been written but not yet consumed by the target Core. Further expand the collapsible menu to show information about outstanding seed drives, including the target Core and the date range of the recovery points included in the seed drive.

In the drop-down menu, click Abandon to abandon or cancel the seed process.

Outgoing Replication

Lists all target Cores to which the source Core is replicating. It includes a state indicator, the target Core name, the number of machines being replicated, and the progress of a replication transmission.

On a source Core, from the (More) drop-down menu, you can select the following options:
l Details. Lists the ID, URL, display name, state, customer ID, email address, and comments for the replicated Core.
l Change Settings. Lists the display name and lets you edit the host and port for the target Core.
l Schedule. Lets you set a customized schedule for replication to this target Core.

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Section Description

Available Actions

l Add Machines. Lets you select a host from a dropdown list, select protected machines for replication, and create a seed drive for the new protected machine's initial transfer. You can optionally choose to include recovery points for machines already added to replication.
l Delete. Lets you delete the replication relationship between source and target Cores. Doing so ceases all replication to this Core.

Incoming Replication

Lists all source machines from which the target receives replicated data. It includes the remote Core name, state, machines, and progress.
Lists all source Cores from which the target receives replicated data. The display name for the source Cores listed are populated from the value in the Replication Wizard when defining replication. It includes a state indicator, the remote Core name, and the progress of a replication transmission.

On a target Core, from the (More) drop-down menu, you can select the following options:
l Details. Lists the ID, host name, customer ID, email address, and comments for the replicated Core.
l Consume. Consumes the initial data from the seed drive and saves it to the local repository.
l Delete. Lets you delete the replication relationship between target and source Cores. Doing so ceases all replication from this Core.

Pending Replication Requests

This information applies to managed service providers only. When a customer clicks he Requests link in the Incoming Replication pane, a summary table section appears listing the customer ID, email address, and host name for the request.

In the drop-down menu, click Ignore to ignore or reject the request, or Review to review the pending request.

Pausing and resuming replication
You can pause replication temporarily for the source (outgoing) or target (incoming) Cores. The option to pause replication is only available when replication is active. The option to resume replication is only available if replication is paused.

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Complete the steps in the following procedure to pause or resume replication. 1. Open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears. 2. To pause replication for all replicated machines, do the following: a. Click the checkbox at the top of the summary table to select the source or target Core. b. Click Pause from the menu preceding the summary table. Replication for all protected machines in the selected Core is paused. 3. To pause replication for only certain machines, do the following: a. Click the arrow to the right of any Core. The view expands to show each of the protected machines from the selected Core that are being replicated. b. Click in the first column to select each machine for which you want to pause replication. Click any selection again to clear the checkbox for machines you do not want to pause. c. Click Pause from the menu preceding the summary table. Replication for the selected protected machines is paused. 4. To resume replication for all replicated machines, do the following: a. Click the checkbox at the top of the summary table to select the source or target Core. b. Click Resume from the menu at the top of the summary table. Replication for all protected machines in the selected Core is resumed. 5. To resume replication for only certain machines, do the following: a. Click the arrow to the right of any Core. The view expands to show each of the protected machines from the selected Core that are being replicated. b. Click in the first column to select each machine for which you want to resume replication. Click any selection again to clear the checkbox for machines you do not want to resume. c. Click Resume from the menu at the top of the summary table. Replication for the selected protected machines is resumed.
Forcing replication
From the source Core, you can force replication at any time, instead of waiting for a replication job to queue after a specific event such as a backup or attachability check. Complete the steps in the following procedure to force replication on either the source or the target Core.
1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
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2. Do one of the following:
l To force replication on a source Core, from the Outgoing Replication pane, select a Core, and from the menu at the top of the summary table, click Force.
l To force replication on a target Core, from the Incoming Replication pane, select a Core, and from the menu at the top of the summary table, click Force.
The Force Replication dialog box appears.
3. Optionally, if you want to repair any orphaned chains of recovery points, select restore orphaned recovery point chains.
4. To confirm, in the Force Replication dialog box, click Yes. The dialog box closes, and replication is forced.

Managing settings for outgoing replication

The changes made to these settings affect the data transfer to all target Cores associated with this source Core.
1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
2. In the Outgoing Replication pane, at the top of the summary table, click (Settings). The Replication Settings dialog box appears.
3. In the Replication Settings dialog box, edit the replication settings as described in the following table.

Table 101: Replication settings

Option

Description

Cache lifetime (seconds)
Volume image session timeout (minutes)
Maximum parallel streams
Maximum transfer speed (MB/s)
Maximum transfer data size (GB)

Specify the amount of time between each target Core status request performed by the source Core. Specify the amount of time the source Core spends attempting to transfer a volume image to the target Core.
Specify the number of network connections permitted to be used by a single protected machine to replicate that machine's data at one time. Specify the speed limit for transferring the replicated data.
Specify the maximum size in GB for transferring blocks of replicated data.

Restore Defaults

Select this option to change all replication settings to the system defaults.
NOTE: Take note of any customized settings before selecting this option. You will not be prompted to confirm this action

4. When satisfied, click Save to save the replication settings and close the dialog box.

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Changing target Core settings
You can change the host and port settings for individual target Cores from the source Core. 1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears. In the Outgoing Replication pane, the summary table includes a row for each target Core that has been configured to replicate recovery points from this source Core. 2. Click the (Settings) drop-down menu for the target Core you want to modify, and then select Change Settings. The Settings dialog box appears. 3. Edit any of the options described in the following table.
Table 102: Target Core settings Option Description
Host Enter the host for the target Core.
Port Enter a port for the target Core to use for communication with the source Core. NOTE: The default port is 8006.
4. Click Save.
Setting replication priority for a protected machine
Replication priority determines which replication jobs are sent to the Core first. Prioritization is set ordinally, on a scale of 1 to 10, where a priority of 1 is the first priority, and a priority of 10 is the last priority. When you first establish replication for any machine, its priority is set to 5. You can view and change priority at the protected machine level from the source Core. In some cases, it is possible that some replication jobs are abandoned. For example, replication jobs can be abandoned if your environment is experiencing unusually high change rates or if your network does not have enough bandwidth. This situation is particularly likely if you set schedules which limit the hours when replication occurs in your environment. For more information about setting schedules replication, see Scheduling replication. To ensure replication occurs for important machines first, set critical servers to a priority with a lower number (between 1 and 5). Set priority for less important machines to a higher number (between 6 and 10). Setting replication priority to 4 for any protected machine assures its replication job is started before a machine with the default replication priority of 5. Replication jobs for machines with a priority of 3 are queued before 4, and so on. The lower the priority number, the sooner its replication jobs are sent. It is easy to remember that priority 1 is most important. Machines with a replication priority of 1 are the first machines queued for replication. Complete the steps below to edit the settings that prioritize when a protected machine replicates.
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1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.

2. In the Outgoing Replication pane, click the arrow to the right of any source Core. The view expands to show each of the protected machines from this source Core that are being replicated to the designated target Core.

3. Click the

(More) drop-down menu for the protected machine you want to prioritize, and then click

Change Settings.

A dialog box appears.

4. Click the Priority drop-down list and select a priority, from 1 (Highest) to 10 (Lowest), based on your requirements.

5. Click Save. The dialog box closes, and the replication priority for the selected machine updates.

Removing outgoing replication from the source Core

Complete the steps in this procedure to remove one or more protected machines from replication on the source Core.

1. On the source Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears.
In the Outgoing Replication pane, the summary table includes a row for each target Core that has been configured to replicate recovery points from this source Core.

2. Optionally, click the arrow to the right of any target Core. The view expands to show each of the protected machines from this source Core that are being replicated to the designated target Core.

3. Select the protected machines you want to remove from outgoing replication as follows:

l To completely remove the existing replication relationship between this source Core and any

target Core, click the

(More) drop-down menu for any target Core, and then select Delete.

l To remove outgoing replication for a subset of machines in the specified target Core, expand the view to show all machines being replicated, and select the check box for each replicated machine that you want to remove. Clear the checkbox for any machine you want to continue

replicating. Then, from the menu above the summary table, click Delete. A confirmation message appears asking if you want to remove the replication relationships. 4. In the resulting dialog box, click Yes to confirm removal.

For more information, see the following related topics:

l Replication with Rapid Recovery l Removing incoming replication from the target Core l Removing outgoing replication from the source Core

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Removing incoming replication from the target Core

Complete the steps in this procedure to remove one or more protected machines from replication on the target Core.
NOTE: You can also remove replication of protected machines from the Outgoing Replication pane on the Replication page of the source Core. For more information, see Removing outgoing replication from the source Core.

1. On the target Core, open the Rapid Recovery Core Console, and from the icon bar, click (Replication). The Replication page appears. In the Incoming Replication pane, the summary table includes a row for each source Core with protected machines that this target Core replicates.

2. Select the replicated machines to remove as follows:

l To delete all machines replicated from the source Core to your target Core, in the Incoming Replication pane, select the check box for that Core.

l To delete a smaller subset of machines from the same source Core, do the following:

a. Click the arrow to the right of the source Core. The view expands to show each of the machines from the selected source Core that are replicated on your target Core.

b. Select the check box for each replicated machine that you want to remove.

c. From the parent row of the selected source Core, click the and then select Delete. The Remove Replication dialog box appears.

(More) drop-down menu,

3. In the Remove Replication dialog box, do one of the following:

l If you want to leave the replicated recovery points on the target Core, clear the option Delete existing recovery points.

l If you want to delete all replicated recovery points received from that machine as well as remove the source Core from replication, select Delete existing recovery points.

4. Click Yes to confirm deletion.
CAUTION: If you select this option, all of the recovery points replicated to this Core will be deleted.
The selected machines protected on the source Core are removed from replication on this target Core. Optionally, if you selected the option to delete recovery points, they are removed from the repository of this Core.

For more information, see the following related topics:

l Replication with Rapid Recovery l Removing incoming replication from the target Core l Removing incoming replication from the target Core

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Recovering replicated data
Day-to-day replication functionality is maintained on the source Core, while only the target Core is capable of completing the functions necessary for disaster recovery. For disaster recovery, the target Core can use the replicated recovery points to recover the protected machines. You can perform the following recovery options from the target Core:
l Mount recovery points. For more information, see Mounting a recovery point. l Roll back to recovery points. For more information, see About restoring volumes from a recovery point
or Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line. l Perform a virtual machine (VM) export. For more information, see Exporting to virtual machines using
Rapid Recovery. l Perform a bare metal restore (BMR). For more information, see Performing a bare metal restore using
the Restore Machine Wizard.
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12
Events
The Rapid Recovery Core includes predefined sets of events. These events can be used to notify administrators of critical issues on the Core or about issues with jobs pertaining to backups, virtual export, replication and so on. This section describes how to view events displayed on the Rapid Recovery Core Console. You can also learn about event notification methods and configuration, including setting up email notifications. Finally, you can configure notifications to change the amount of time event logs are retained, and reduce repetitive event notification. Topics include:
Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery Configuring event settings
Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages
From the Core console, you can view events for the Core, and you can view events for a specific protected or replicated machine. The Events pages on the Core Console display a log of all system events related to the Rapid Recovery Core. To access and view events for the Core, click (Events). The Events pages for a specific protected or replicated machine display a log of events related to that specific machine. To access and view events for a selected machine, click the machine name in the Protected Machines menu, and from the machine Summary page, click the Events menu. Events pages (on the Core or a specified machine) are available in three views: Tasks, Alerts, and Journal. Added to definition of Task. All items shown in any category is an event. These views allow you to filter details about various subsets of events, as appropriate. The default view is to show tasks.
l A task is an event related to a job. A job is a process that the Rapid Recovery Core must perform. Each job has a current state, and a start and end time and date. Some tasks are initiated manually or
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scheduled by the user. Examples include forcing a snapshot, scheduling a backup, or performing a restore from a recovery point. Other tasks are automatic functions, such as running nightly jobs, or performing rollup using the default retention policy. l An alert is a priority event, such as an error, warning, or important informational message. If you request notifications of any specific events, these notifications appear in the Alerts subset. l The journal shows a complete list of all logged events (for the Core, or the selected machine, as appropriate). This list is more comprehensive, showing jobs, high priority events, and lower priority events. This category includes passive and non-job events (such as the Core starting successfully, or reporting status from the license portal). Complete the steps in the following procedures to view tasks, alerts, or a journal of all events: l Viewing tasks l Viewing alerts l Viewing a journal of all logged events l Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal
Viewing tasks
A task is a job that the Rapid Recovery Core must perform, such as transferring data in a regularly scheduled backup, or performing a restore from a recovery point.
NOTE: As a task is running, it is listed in the Running tasks drop-down menu at the top of the Core Console. Clicking a running task opens the Monitor Active Task dialog box. From here you can cancel one or more running tasks. For more details, see the topic Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page. You can also suspend the scheduling of future tasks on the Core. This is useful, for example, when performing OS upgrades or server maintenance. For more information about this function, see the topic Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks. Complete the following steps to view tasks specifically for the Rapid Recovery Core, or to view tasks associated with a specific machine. 1. To view all tasks for the Rapid Recovery Core, from the icon bar, click (Events). The default view displays all tasks for the Core. If you want to view tasks for a specific protected machine, then navigate to the Summary page of the specified machine, and then click the Events menu. The default view displays all tasks for the selected machine.
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2. Optionally, to filter the list of tasks by keyword, start date, end date, or any combination, do the following, and then press Enter: a. To filter by keyword, enter the keyword in the Search keyword text box. For example, you can filter by key words such as "rolling up," "archive," "export," or "transfer." b. To filter by start date and time, enter the starting date and time using one of the following options: l In the From text box, type the date and time in format MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM. For example, to search from the first day of January in 2016 at 8:00 AM, enter 1/1/2016 8:00 AM. l To select the current date and time, click the Calendar widget in the From text box and then click the current date. The current time automatically appears. l Click the Calendar widget, select the date, then click the Clock widget and select the desired time using the controls. Click away from the calendar to accept the selected changes. c. To further refine the list of tasks that appears, you can also define an end date and time in the same format. The list of tasks is immediately filtered based on the criteria you selected.
3. Optionally, you can filter the tasks appearing in the list as follows: Option Description To see only active tasks, click the Active tasks icon. To see only tasks that are in the queue awaiting performance, click the Queued tasks icon. To see only tasks that are waiting to be performed, click the Waiting tasks icon. To see only tasks that have been completed, click the Completed tasks icon. To see only tasks that have failed, click the Failed tasks icon. To see all events, including the service events for the Core that are not displayed by default, click the Service icon.
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4. To export the list of tasks, select a format from the list and then click box, confirm the export and then click OK. You can export using the following formats:

Export. In the resulting dialog

Table 103: Export formats

Format Description

PDF HTML CSV XLS XLSX

Portable Document Format (default export format) Web page format Comma-separated values Microsoft Excel 1997 - 2003 Workbook Excel Workbook

The file of the type you selected is downloaded to the default location on the Core server.

5. Click the Job Details icon for any task to launch a new window with task details.

Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page
To complete this procedure, there must be a task currently running on the Rapid Recovery Core. Rapid Recovery Core offers a quick way to view tasks that are currently running on the Core from any page of the Core Console. On the right side of the button bar is the Running tasks queue. In lower screen resolutions, or if the browser window is not fully expanded, the queue appears as an Events icon. When one or more tasks are running, a number indicating the number of tasks currently running on the Core appears next to the queue, and the icon becomes animated. You can click the queue to reveal a drop-down list of running tasks and complete the actions described in the following procedure.
1. On the Core Console, while a task is running, click Running tasks. A small box appears, showing the type of tasks running and their progress, and presents options for canceling one or more of the tasks or for seeing more details.
2. To cancel one or more of the running tasks, complete one of the following options: l To cancel a single task, click the X beside the task description. l To cancel all running tasks, click Cancel All.
3. To view more details about a running task, click the task description. The Monitor Active Task window opens and displays details such as progress and start time.
For more information, see the following related tasks:
l Viewing tasks l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal l Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks

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Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks
To resume the Core scheduler, it must first be paused, as described in step 3. The Core tracks tasks based on a schedule. Transfers for backup, replication, and archiving can all be scheduled; reports can be generated weekly or monthly; and so on. When the time comes for a scheduled task to occur, the job is placed in a queue, and jobs are accomplished consecutively or concurrently, based on priority. This feature is known as the Core scheduler. Users can now notify the Core to suspend the scheduler. When suspended, future jobs that otherwise would be scheduled automatically to run on the Core are held temporarily in a queue, and no new tasks are scheduled. This function is useful in situations such as performing OS updates, software installations, or maintenance on the Core server. When suspended, jobs accumulate in the queue but do not start until the Core scheduler function is explicitly resumed. In the interim, a banner is displayed across the Core Console indicating that the Core scheduler is paused.
NOTE: This feature prevents tasks that would soon be scheduled from running. To view or cancel tasks that are already queued without suspending future tasks, see the topic Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page. Complete the following steps to suspend or resume the Core scheduler function. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (Events). The Tasks page is displayed. 3. To suspend the Core scheduler function, do the following:
a. Click Suspend Scheduler. b. In the dialog box, if you want to cancel all running tasks and suspend future tasks, select Cancel
Active Tasks and Suspend. c. To suspend future tasks only, click Suspend. Tasks are suspended, and a banner is displayed on all pages of the Core Console notifying you that all scheduled tasks are suspended.
4. To resume suspended tasks, from the Tasks page, click Resume Scheduler.
NOTE: When the scheduler is suspended, you can also click Resume at the top of the Core Console.
For more information, see the following related tasks: l Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page l Viewing tasks l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal l Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks l Viewing alerts l Viewing a journal of all logged events
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Viewing alerts

An alert is a priority notification of an event. Any event for which you specifically requested notification appears in the list of alerts, along with errors, warnings, or important informational messages.
Rapid Recovery Core ships with a default set of events that are prioritized as alerts. You can customize the events which appear as alerts by editing the default notification group (or by setting up a new notification group). In addition to these events appearing on the Alerts page, you can change the methods used to notify you by changing your notification options. For more information on changing the events that appear as alerts, or changing notification options, see the topic Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery.
Complete the following steps to view alerts specifically for the Rapid Recovery Core, or to view alerts associated with a specific machine.

1. To view alerts for the Rapid Recovery Core, from the icon bar, click (Events). Click on the drop-down menu to the right of the Tasks page title, and select Alerts.
If you want to view alerts for a specific protected machine, navigate to the Summary page of the specified machine, click the Events menu, and then click Alerts. The list of events is filtered to display only important alerts for the Core or for the machine you selected.
2. Optionally, to filter the list of important alerts by start date, end date, alert message description, or any combination, do the following:
a. To filter by alert category (errors, informational messages, or warnings), click the status drop-down menu, and select the status condition or conditions. Alert category filter options

include three.

errors, informational messages, and

warnings, or any combination of the

b. To filter by start date and time, enter the starting date and time using one of the following options:

l In the From text box, type the date and time in format MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM. For example, to search from the first day of January in 2016 at 8:00 AM, enter 1/1/2016 8:00 AM.

l To select the current data and time, click the Calendar widget in the From text box and then click the current date. The current time automatically appears.

l Click the Calendar widget, select the date, then click the Clock widget and select the desired time using the controls. Click away from the calendar to accept the selected changes.
c. To filter by alert message description, enter the description in the Search message text box. For example, to see alerts only related to agents, enter "agent," or to see alerts related to transfers, enter "transfer;" and so on.
d. To further refine the list of alerts that appears, you can also define an end date and time in the same format. The list of alerts is immediately filtered based on the criteria you selected.
3. Optionally, if you want to remove all alerts, click Dismiss All.
For more information, see the following related tasks:
l Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery l Configuring notification groups l Viewing a journal of all logged events

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l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal l Viewing tasks l Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks l Viewing alerts l Viewing a journal of all logged events l Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page

Viewing a journal of all logged events

The journal lists all logged events. This list is comprehensive, including both job- and non-job-related events. It includes specific events for which you requested notification. The journal also lists passive events and status events from the Core, the license portal, and so on.
NOTE: If your environment is set to use repetition reduction, some repeated events may not be logged each time the event occurs. For more information about this feature, see About repetition reduction.
Complete the following steps to view a journal of all events for the Rapid Recovery Core, or to view a journal of all events for a specific machine.

1. To view a journal of all events logged for the Rapid Recovery Core, from the icon bar, click (Events). Click on the drop-down menu to the right of the Tasks page title, and select Journal. If you want to view a journal of all events for a specific protected machine, then navigate to the Summary page of the specified machine, click the Events menu, and then click Journal.
2. Optionally, to filter the list of all events by start date, end date, alert message description, or any combination, do the following:
a. To filter by event category (errors, informational messages, or warnings), click the status drop-down menu, and select the status condition or conditions. Event category filter options

include three.

errors, informational messages, and

warnings, or any combination of the

b. To filter by start date and time, enter the starting date and time using one of the following options:

l In the From text box, type the date and time in format MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM AM/PM. For example, to search from the first day of January in 2016 at 8:00 AM, enter 1/1/2016 8:00 AM.

l To select the current data and time, click the Calendar widget in the From text box and then click the current date. The current time automatically appears.

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For more information, see the following related tasks: l About repetition reduction l Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page l Viewing tasks l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal l Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks l Viewing alerts l Viewing a journal of all logged events
Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal
The events recorded in the Core logs are visible from the Core Console, and fall into three categories: tasks, alerts, and a journal of all logged events. Regardless of whether you are viewing events for the Core for a specified machine, the default view for events is the Tasks page. By clicking the drop-down menu to the right of the page title, you can select another view of events. Perform the following steps to view events and navigate between tasks, important alerts, and a journal of all events. You can view events that pertain to the Core by clicking (Events) from the icon bar. If you first navigate to a protected or replicated machine, and then select Events from the menu at the top of the page, you can view events for the specified machine. Regardless of whether you are viewing events for the Core for a specified machine, the default view for events is the Tasks page. Click on the drop-down menu to the right of the Tasks page title to select another view of events.
1. If you want to view all tasks for the Rapid Recovery Core, from the icon bar, click (Events). The default view displays all tasks for the Core. Proceed to step 3.
2. If you want to view tasks for a specific protected machine, navigate to the Summary page of the specified machine, and then click the Events menu. The default view displays all tasks for the selected machine. Proceed to step 3.
3. From the top left of the Tasks pane, click (the downward-facing arrow to the right of the Tasks title). A drop-down menu appears.
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4. Select one of the following:

Option Description

Task

A task is a job that the Rapid Recovery Core must perform, such as transferring data in a regularly scheduled backup, or performing a restore from a recovery point.

Alert

An alert is a priority notification related to a task or event, such as an error, warning, or important informational message.\

Journal The journal shows a complete list of all logged events. This list is more comprehensive than the set included in alerts.

The selected view of events appears. For example, if you selected Alerts, the Alerts page appears 5. To see a different view, return to the drop-down menu to the right of the Tasks, Alerts, or Journal pane,
and select the option for the view you want. The list of events is filtered to display only the relevant set of events for the current view.
For more information, see the following related tasks:
l Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery l Configuring notification groups l Viewing a journal of all logged events l Navigating between tasks, alerts, and the events journal l Viewing tasks l Suspending or resuming scheduled tasks l Viewing alerts l Viewing a journal of all logged events l Viewing running tasks from any Core Console page

Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery
The Rapid Recovery Core tracks many events, and logs the information for diagnostic and operational purposes. You can set up notification of specific events. Rapid Recovery lets you choose the method of notification, and the duration of time for which the system should retain a record of those events. With the repetition reduction feature, you can even adjust the frequency for notifying you about the same event. Jobs and events tracked on the Core are saved by default for 30 days. To change the retention period for tracking events, see Configuring event retention. You can be notified of events through different methods. The notification methods supported are listed in the following table:

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Table 104: Supported event notification methods

Option type

Description

Default setting

Notifies specified user by email, using SMTP configuration settings in the Core, and

Off

based on the email notification template.

Windows Logs events using the Windows Event Log API. This log can be read using the Windows On Event Event Viewer or custom applications. Log

syslogd Logs events intended to be read on a Linux logging server that also supports the syslog Off message protocol.

Toast alert

When this notification method is selected, messages appear briefly as a pop-up in the On lower-right corner of the Rapid Recovery Core.

SNMP If you configure the Rapid Recovery Core as an SNMP agent, and this notification

trap

method is selected, events are sent to a logging server using the trap number

designated in the Notification Options dialog box.

Notification groups let you specify the types of events for which you want to be notified, and set the notification method.
Rapid Recovery Core requires at least one notification group, and ships with a default group which is automatically applied. You can use the default settings, or you can edit them.
Optionally, you can add and configure additional notification groups. For example, you can use the default group as is, and you can set up another group that uses email notifications.
As another example, you can set up a custom notification group for one type of event (for example, Microsoft Exchange), and send all related notifications to an Exchange administrator.
For more information, see Configuring notification groups.
Email notifications are disabled by default. To sent notifications by email, you must set up an email server, and edit or add a notification group with the Notify by email option enabled. This setting requires you to enter the email address to which the notifications are sent. For more information, see Configuring an email server.
If using an Exchange server, you must set up relay on the server. Otherwise, despite successful email tests, no email notifications are sent. For more information, see your Exchange Server administrator.
The Core uses an email notification template. The template includes a subject line and specific content for the message body. A default email notification template is included. The template identifies the Core and the server host, the date and time of the event, the nature of the event, and error details if relevant. Optionally, you can modify the default template, or revert any customization to restore the default. For more information, see Configuring an email notification template.
You can reduce the number of events of the same type and scope that are logged and visible from the Core Console by using the repetition reduction feature. This feature is enabled by default. You can disable this feature, or you can control the span of time for which events are combined into a single occurrence in the event log. For more information, see About repetition reduction.

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Configuring notification groups

NOTE: You must first configure Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server settings if you want to send notifications as email messages, as described in this procedure. For more information on setting email server configuration settings, see Configuring an email server. Notification groups let you define sets of specific events for which users are alerted, and the manner in which that notification takes place. You can configure alerts to be sent by the following methods:
l By email l In the Windows event log l Using syslogd l Using toast alerts l Using alerts l Using SNMP trap
Rapid Recovery Core ships with a default notification group for the Core. You can edit that group to suit your needs. Optionally, you can configure more than one notification group with different notification parameters. Notification groups can be set at the Core level, or for each specific protected machine. Complete the steps in this procedure to configure notification groups for alerts.

1. To set notifications at the Core level, from the icon bar, click (More), and then select Notifications. The Notifications page appears. Skip to step 3.

2. To set notifications for a specific protected machine, do the following:

a. From the Protected Machines menu, click the machine for which you want to specify notifications. The Summary page appears.

b. In the Summary page of the protected machine, from the More drop-down menu, select Notifications. The Custom Notification Groups page appears.

3. If you want to add a new notification group, click Add Group. Skip to Step 5. The Add Notification Group dialog box appears, showing a general description area and two tabs.

4. If you want to edit the default notification group or an existing notification group, in the Notification

Groups pane, click the

(More) drop-down menu for the appropriate notification group, and select

Edit. The Edit Notification Group dialog box appears, showing a general description area and two tabs.

5. In the general description area, enter the basic information for the notification group, as described in the following table.

Option Name

Description
Enter a name for the event notification group. This information is required. CAUTION: The value you enter for the notification group name cannot be changed later.

Description Enter a description that clarifies the purpose for the event notification group. This information is optional.

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6. In the Enable Alerts tab, configure the set of system events that result in alerts. These appear on the Alerts page when you view events in the Core Console. You can select sets of events as described in the following table:

Option Description

All Alerts

To create alerts for all events, select

Errors

To create alerts for errors, from the Select Types menu, click Error. This is represented by a red X.

Warning To create alerts for errors, from the Select Types menu, click Warning. This is represented by a yellow exclamation point icon.

Info

To create alerts for informational messages, from the Select Types menu, click Info. This is

represented by a blue i.

Restore For the default Core notification group, to restore the set of events to appear as alerts to the Default default, from the Select Types menu, click Reset to defaults.
NOTE: This option is available when editing the default Core notification group only. It is not available for new Core notification groups or for configuration notifications for a specific protected machine.

7. To create alerts for a specific event type (error, warning, or informational message), do the following:
a. If the All Alerts option does not display alert groups, click the right angle bracket > symbol preceding the All Alerts label. The symbol changes to a downward-facing arrow, and the view expands to show groups.
b. Then click the right angle bracket > symbol next to any specific alert group to display related events in the group.
l To define alerts for all events in every group, select the checkbox for All Alerts.
l To define alerts for all events within any alert group, select the checkbox next to that group.
l To select only some alert types within an alert group, expand the group and then select only those specific events for which you want to log, report, and set alerts.
8. Click the Notification Options tab.

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9. On the Notification Options tab, specify how to handle the notification process.

Option Description

Notify by Designate the recipients of the email notification. You can choose to specify separate

multiple email addresses as well as blind and carbon copies.

NOTE: If using Exchange Server, SMTP relay must be set up on the server. Otherwise event notifications will not be sent to the designated email address. For more information, consult your Exchange Server administrator.

Notify by Windows Event Log

Select this option if you want notifications to be reported through the Windows Event Log.

Notify by Select this option if you want notifications to be reported through syslogd. Specify the syslogd details for the syslogd in the following text boxes:
l Host: l Port:

Notify by Select this option if you want notifications to appear as pop-up messages in the lower-right

Toast

corner of your screen.

alerts

Notify by SNMP Trap

The Rapid Recovery Core serves as an SNMP agent, sending traps (notifications about specific events) to an SNMP manager. The result is the reporting of Core information such as alerts, repository status, and protected machines. Select this option if you want to notify Core events by SNMP trap. You must also specify a trap number, which is used by the SNMP manager.

10. Click OK. If creating a new group, you will see a message indicating that the notification group name you defined cannot be changed after creating the group. Other properties within the notification group can be changed at any time.
l If you are satisfied with the group name, confirm this message and save your work.
l If you want to change the group name, click No to return to the Create Notification Group window, update the group name and any other notification group settings, and save your work.
The notification group appears in the summary table. You can create different notification groups using any set of parameters.

Understanding email notifications
You can set up Rapid Recovery Core to notify you of specific events by sending an email message to an email address that you specify. The events which trigger alerts, and the notification methods, are defined in the notification group.
NOTE: Notification groups must be established regardless of whether you use email as a notification method. For more information, see Configuring notification groups.

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Rapid Recovery uses an email notification template, which determines the information sent in each notification. The template defines the email subject line for each alert, and the content in the email message body. The template has default settings; you can use the default as-is, or you can test and make modifications to serve your needs. At any point after customizing the notification template, you can choose the Restore Defaults option to return to using the default template. For information on viewing and customizing the email template, see Configuring an email notification template. If you choose email as one of your notification options, you must first configure an email SMTP server. The Rapid Recovery Core uses the server you define to send alerts based on the parameters in the notification group. Additionally, to receive email notifications, you must enable the Notify by email option within the notification group. This notification option is disabled by default. The Notify by email setting requires a "To" address defined at minimum. (Optionally, you can add copy and blind copy addresses if desired.) This section includes the following topics:
l Configuring an email server l Configuring an email notification template The following topics are also relevant: l Configuring notification groups l Configuring an email server l Configuring an email notification template
Configuring an email server
Complete the steps in this procedure to configure an email server. NOTE: You must also configure notification group settings, including enabling the Notify by email option, before email alert messages are sent by the system. For more information on specifying events to receive email alerts, see Configuring notification groups.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click SMTP Server. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the SMTP Server heading. 3. Click on the setting you want to change. The setting you selected becomes editable.
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4. Enter the configuration information as described in the following table.

Option Description

SMTP server

Enter the name of the email server to be used by the email notification template. The naming convention includes the host name, domain, and suffix; for example, smtp.gmail.com.

From

Enter a return email address. It is used to specify the return email address for the email notification template; for example, noreply@localhost.com.

User name

Enter a user name for the email server.

Password Enter the password associated with the user name required to access the email server.

Port

Enter a port number. It is used to identify the port for the email server; for

example, the port 587 for Gmail.

The default is 25.

Timeout Enter an integer value to specify how long to try to connect to the email server. (seconds) It is used to establish the time in seconds before a timeout occurs.
The default is 60 seconds.

TLS

Select this option if the mail server uses a secure connection such as

Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

5. For each setting, when satisfied with your changes, click to save the change and exit edit mode, or click to exit edit mode without saving. CAUTION: If you do not confirm each change, your settings will not change.

6. Click Send Test Email and then do the following: a. In the Send Test Email dialog box, enter a destination email address for the test message and then click Send. b. If the test message fails, exit the error dialog box and the Send Test Email dialog box, and revise your email server configuration settings. Then send the test message again. c. Once the test message is successful, click OK to confirm the successful operation. d. Check the email account to which you sent the test email message.
Configuring an email notification template
When you enable notifications of Rapid Recovery events by email, a default template is created for you by default. The SMTP email server defined for the Core uses this template to send notifications regarding Rapid Recovery events by email. This topic describes the process of configuring the default email notification template or customizing the content. Using the Restore Default option, you can restore changes to the default notification template at any time.

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CAUTION: Modify the template at your own risk. You are responsible for testing any modifications to the template. Only the default template is supported. Complete the steps in this procedure to configure an email notification template. NOTE: You must also configure an email server and notification group settings, including enabling the Notify by email option, before email alert messages are sent. For more information about configuring an email server for sending alerts, see Configuring an email server. For more information on specifying events to receive email alerts, see Configuring notification groups. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (More), and then select Notifications. The Notifications page appears. 3. In the Email Settings pane, click Change. The Edit Email Notification Configuration dialog box appears. 4. Select Enable Email Notifications. The email template is enabled and is visible. The values of the default email template are described in the following step.
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5. Review the contents in the Edit Email Notification Configuration dialog box and determine if the default

content suits your needs.

Option

Description

Enable email notificati ons

This setting enables or disables the email notification template. l To enable email notification, select this option. l To disable email notification, clear this option.

Email Subject

The contents of this text field control the subject line for email messages sent as notifications of system events. The default email subject line is as follows:
<hostName> <level>: <name> for <agentName>

The contents of this text area control the body for email messages sent as notifications of system events. The default email body message is as follows:

<shortCompanyName> <coreProductName> on <hostName> has reported the <level> event "<name>"

Date/Time: <localTimestamp>

<details.ErrorDetails.Details> <endif> ---

About this event: <description>

Send Test Email Restore Defaults
OK
Cancel

<coreAdminUrl>
Clicking this button sends a test email message to the email address you specify in the resulting Send Test Email dialog box.
Clicking this button removes any customized changes from the email template, and restores the Email Subject and Email fields with the default contents described in this table. Clicking this button confirms and saves the settings in the Edit Email Notification Configuration dialog box. Clicking this button cancels any changes in the Edit Email Notification Configuration dialog box.

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6. If you want to customize the email template, make changes to the text or variables described in the

preceding step. The variables used in the default are described in the following table.

Option

Description

hostName

The host name of the Core

details

The details object of the specific event.

agentName

The name of the protected machine associated with this event, if the event has a scope of a single protected machine.

repositoryName

The name of the repository associated with this event, if the event has repository scope.

jobSummary

The summary of the job associated with this event, if the event has job scope.

remoteSlaveCoreName

The name of the remote target Core associated with this event, if the event has target Core scope.

remoteMasterCoreName

The has

name of the remote source Core scope.

source

Core

associated

with

this

event,

the

event

productName

The name of the product, for example 'AppAssure Core' or 'Rapid Recovery Core.' This product name can be changed for branding using white labeling.

companyName

The name of the company selling the product.

7. In the Email Subject text box, enter a subject for the email template. The Email Subject is used to define the subject of the email notification template, for example, <hostname> - <level>: <name>.

8. In the Email text box, enter the information for the body of the template which describes the event, when it occurred, and the severity.
9. Click Send Test Email , and then do the following:
a. In the Send Test Email dialog box, enter a destination email address for the test message and then click Send.
b. If the test message fails, exit the error dialog box and the Send Test Email dialog box, click OK to save the current email template settings. Then modify your email server settings as described in the procedure Configuring an email server. Ensure that you reenter the password for that email account. Save those settings and then return to this procedure.
c. Once the test message is successful, click OK to confirm the successful operation.
d. Check the email account to which you sent the test email message.

Once you are satisfied with the results of your tests, return to the Edit Email Notification Configuration dialog box, and click OK to close the dialog box and save your settings.

Configuring event settings
You can configure certain setting specific to events. For example, you can set repetition reduction settings to reduce the amount of notifications you see for identical repeated events. You can also set the amount of time, in days, that event records are retained in the database. View the following topics to learn about configuring event settings.
l About repetition reduction l Configuring event retention

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Related topics: l Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages l Understanding event notifications in Rapid Recovery

About repetition reduction
The ability for administrators to receive notification upon the occurrence of certain events is critical. Nonetheless, in certain circumstances, receiving repeated notification of events that you are aware of can also be frustrating or inconvenient. Even if a notification is generated due to an environmental failure that you wish to know about immediately, it is possible for the same error condition to generate hundreds or thousands of events in the event log. To reduce repetition in the event log, and reduce the inconvenience of receiving repeated Toast alerts or e-mail notifications for the same event in the Core Console, Rapid Recovery includes a repetition reduction setting, which is enabled by default and set at 5 minutes. This setting can be set as low as 1 minute and as high as 60 minutes. It can also be disabled entirely.
To set, change, or disable repetition reduction settings, see Configuring repetition reduction.
When repetition reduction is disabled, then every time an event of the same type and scope occurs, it is logged in the database. Regardless of how much time passed since that event previously occurred, each new occurrence is shown in the Alerts portion of the Events page.
When repetition reduction is enabled (for example, with the default time of 5 minutes), then the first time that specific event occurs, it is logged in the event database and shown in the Alerts log. If subsequently an event of the same type and scope is again logged within the threshold of time established, then the count for the event in the database increases by 1 for each repeat occurrence within that threshold. The log shows in the Alerts portion of the Events page. However, it displays the event only once, with the date and time of the most recent occurrence. The event log is not updated with the same event until the threshold of time from the first occurrence expires. For example, if set for 5 minutes and the event occurs again 6 minutes later, it appears in the log and you receive another notification.

Configuring repetition reduction

Complete the steps in this procedure to configure repetition reduction for events.

1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. From the icon bar, click Notifications. The Notifications page appears.
2. In the Repetition Reduction pane, view the existing settings.

(More), and then select

3. To enable, disable, or change the stored events threshold time, click The Edit Repetition Reduction dialog box appears

Change.

4. Do one of the following:

l To disable repetition reduction, clear the Enable Repetition Reduction option.

l To enable repetition reduction, select the Enable Repetition Reduction option.

l To change the time threshold (in minutes) for which repeated identical events are ignored, in the __ minute(s) text box, enter a number between 1 and 60.

NOTE: The Enable Repetition Reduction option must be selected in order to change this value.

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5. Click OK to save your settings and close the dialog box.

Configuring event retention

Events and jobs tracked on the Core are saved for a specified amount of time. The default setting is 30 days. This number can be set between 0 days and 3652 days (approximately 10 years). Complete the steps in this procedure to configure retention for events.

1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.

2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click Database Connection. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the Database Connection
heading.

The Database Connection settings appear.

3. To change the amount of days for which event information is saved to the database, click on the

Retention Period (days) text area, enter a value between 0 and 3652, and then click change. The events retention period is adjusted as specified.

to save the

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Reporting

This section provides an overview of reporting available in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Topics include:
About Rapid Recovery reports Generating reports from the Core Console Managing scheduled reports from the Core Console Using the Reports menu Using the Reports toolbar Understanding the Job report Understanding the Job Summary report Understanding the Failure report Understanding the Summary report Understanding the Repository report Understanding the Classic Summary report

About Rapid Recovery reports

You can generate these reports from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Other reports are also expected to be available from the QorePortal. The reports available from the Core Console are described in the following table.

Table 105: Rapid Recovery reports

Report type

Description

Job report Provides a basic report on the status of successful jobs, failed jobs, and jobs with errors. Failed jobs can be further viewed in a Failure report.

l By default, the report time range is for the last 31 days. This can be customized.

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Report type

Description
l When run from the Core, this report can specify details for one or more Cores. By default, this set of information includes jobs for all machines -- database servers, protected machines, replicated machines, and recovery point-only machines -- in the specified Cores. In the report parameters, you can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude some machines. You can also select or exclude jobs that are machine independent, in which case the report shows status for Core jobs only.
For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Job report.

Job summary report

Provides a more detailed report on the status of successful jobs, failed jobs, and jobs with errors, showing a separate line in the report for each job type, allowing better diagnosis of potential issues.
l By default, the report time range is for the last 31 days. This can be customized.
l Unlike the Job report, this report does not offer a selection of Cores as a parameter.
l By default, this set of information includes jobs for all machines -- database servers, protected machines, replicated machines, and recovery point-only machines -- and jobs that are machine dependent, by job type. You can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude some machines. You can also select or exclude jobs that are machine independent.
l When run from the perspective of a protected machine from the Core Console, the resulting report displays the status for jobs only for that protected machine.
For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Job Summary report.

Failure report

Provides information on failed Core jobs for the specified criteria. This report can include protected machine details or exclude them. Like the Job report, this report can also be run only from a protected machine selected in the Core. The resulting report displays detail about failed jobs only for the selected protected machine.
For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Failure report.

Summary report

Provides summary information. By default, this set of information includes jobs for all machines-- every protected machine, replicated machine and recovery point-only machine in the specified Cores. In the report parameters, you can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude some machines. You can also select or exclude jobs that are machine independent, in which case the report shows status for Core jobs only.
This report is not available from the perspective of any single protected machine. The categories of information in this report include Core, license, and repository. The information is displayed in list, chart, and table form
For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Summary report.

Repository This report type provides you with a report of all repositories on the selected Core or Cores. You

report

can also select any single repository available to the Core. This report is only from the

perspective of the Core.

For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Repository report.

Classic

This report provides a summary view of job statistics success, repository summaries by GB,

summary snapshots success, repository usage trends, and a summary of protected machines on your

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Report type

Description

report

Core. Report parameters include date range and the relevant Core. For more information on this report type, see Understanding the Classic Summary report.

Scheduled report

You can also schedule any of these reports from the Core Console. Scheduling a report causes the report you specify to generate repeatedly on the schedule you define.
Optionally, you can establish email notifications each time a report is generated. For more information about scheduling, modifying, pausing, or deleting reports, see Managing scheduled reports from the Core Console.

Based on the report type and the parameters that you select, you can generate a report on one or more Rapid Recovery Cores or for one or more protected machines.

Generating reports from the Core Console
You can generate reports on demand from the Core Console. The following rules apply:
l All Rapid Recovery reports can be generated from the perspective of the Core. l Additionally, two job types (the Job report and the Failure report) can be generated from the perspective
of a protected machine. For such reports, data is generated only pertaining to the selected machine. l Failure reports contain data only if jobs on the selected Cores (or protected machines) have failed.
The method for generating on-demand reports is similar, whether the report is generated from the focus of the Core, or whether it is generated from the perspective of a protected machine. However, navigation differs slightly.
l For more information about generating Core-level reports on demand, see Generating a Core report on demand.
l For more information about machine-level reports, see Generating a protected machine report on demand.
l You can also schedule reports to generate on a repeated basis at the Core level only. For more information about scheduling, modifying, pausing, or deleting reports, see Managing scheduled reports from the Core Console.
Generating a Core report on demand
As described in the topic About Rapid Recovery reports, you can generate the full range of available reports from the Core Console. Complete the steps in the following procedure to generate a report from the perspective of the Rapid Recovery Core.

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1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. From the icon bar, click (More), and then select Reports. The Job Report page appears. To the right of the report name in the page title, a downward-facing arrow appears, from which you could select another report type. If you want to generate a Job report, proceed to step 6 to begin specifying your report criteria.
3. To choose another report type, click the arrow to the right of the report name to see a menu of available reports.
4. For defining scheduled reports, see Scheduling a report.
5. To generate a Repository report only, skip to step 11.
6. For a Job, Job Summary, Failure, or Summary report, from the Date Range drop-down menu, select a date range. If you do not choose a date range, the default option (Last 31 days) is used. You can choose from the options in the following table.

Option

Description

Last 24 hours

Reports activity for the last day, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 7 days Reports activity for the last week, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 31 days

Reports activity for the last 31 days, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 90 days

Reports activity for the last 90 days, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 365 days

Reports activity for the last year, relative to the time you generate the report.

All Time

This time period spans the lifetime of the Core.

Custom

This time period requires you to further specify start and end dates.

Month to date

Reports activity from the first day of the current calendar month to the date you generate the report.

Year to date Reports activity from the first day of the current calendar year to the date you generate the report.

NOTE: In all cases, no report data is available before the Core software was deployed, or from before machines were protected on the Core.
7. For a Job or Failure report, from the Target Cores drop-down menu, select the appropriate Core or Cores for which you want to generate a report. The default selection includes all available Cores.

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8. From the Protected Machines drop-down menu, select the machine or machines for which you want to generate the report. By default, this set of information includes jobs for all machines--every protected machine, replicated machine and recovery point-only machine in the specified Cores. In the report parameters, you can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude some machines. You can also select or exclude jobs that are machine independent, in which case the report shows status for Core jobs only.
You can choose from:

Option Select all

Description
This option selects all protected machines protected on this Core. NOTE: You can select all machines, and then clear some of the selections to specify a subset of all machines.

Machine independent

Select this option to generate a report which includes jobs from a Core perspective. Job types such as creating or deleting a repository, or creating a boot CD, are not associated with a specific machine. If deploying the Agent software to a machine that is not yet protected, this job type is also considered machine independent. These jobs do not list a protected machine in the Protected Machine column of the resulting report.

In contrast, if you deploy the Agent software to a machine that is already protected in the Core, the protected machine name is included in the report. It is not considered machine independent.

Protected machines

This option lists the machines protected on this Core. You can select them all, or a subset of the protected machines.

Recovery This option lists machines that were once protected, but still have recovery points points only saved in the repository.

[Source cores]

If your Core is a target Core, and replicates recovery points for any machines protected on a source Core, then the name of that source Core appears (in all uppercase letters). This option lists all machines protected on that source Core. You can select all machines replicated in this target Core, or you can select a subset of them.

[Custom groups]

If you have any custom groups created on this Core, the name of each custom group appears as an option. Each object in that custom group appears. You can select all objects in the group, or a subset of them.

9. If generating a Summary report, skip to step 12.
10. For a Job, Job Summary, or Failure report, from the Job Types drop-down menu, select the appropriate job types. By default, this set of information includes all jobs for the selected protected machines. In the report parameters, you can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude every job in the Main Jobs category, and every job in the Other Jobs category. Or you can expand each of these categories when defining job parameters, and select only the job types from either category that you want to appear in the report. Click the checkbox for any job type to select or clear that type. You can select some or all jobs from either category.
You can choose from the following other job types:

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11. For a Repository report, from the Repositories menu, select the repository or repositories that you want included in the report. The default selection includes all available repositories.
12. Click Preview to generate the report with the specified criteria. If the report criteria you selected is not found, the report still generates, but the report contains an empty row. For example, if there are no errors, the contents of the Error column are null in the report.
13. Do one of the following: l View the generated report online. l Update the report dynamically by changing any of the criteria; then click Preview again. l Use the Reports menu to select an export format (including the default format, PDF) and click to export the report. For more information about the Reports menu, see Using the Reports menu. l Use the Reports toolbar to view, manipulate, or print the report. For more information about the Reports toolbar, see Using the Reports toolbar.
Generating a protected machine report on demand
You can generate a Job report or a Failure report for any protected machine on demand. NOTE: Scheduled reports at the machine level are not supported.
Complete the steps in the following procedure to generate a report for a protected machine. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. From the Protected Machines menu, click the protected machine for which you want to see a report. The Summary page for the selected protected machine appears. 3. At the top of the page, from the menu options next to the protected machine name, click the downwardfacing arrow next to Reports, and then select a report type. l If you want to generate a report on all jobs pertaining to this protected machine, including failed jobs, click Job Report, and begin specifying your report criteria. l If you want to generate a list of failed jobs only pertaining to this protected machine, click Failure Report, and begin specifying your report criteria.
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4. For a Job or Failure report, from the Date Range drop-down menu, select a date range. If you do not choose a date range, the default option (Last 31 days) is used. You can choose from the options in the following table.

Option

Description

Last 24 hours

Reports activity for the last day, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 7 days Reports activity for the last week, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 31 days

Reports activity for the last 31 days, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 90 days

Reports activity for the last 90 days, relative to the time you generate the report.

Last 365 days

Reports activity for the last year, relative to the time you generate the report.

All Time

This time period spans the lifetime of the Core.

Custom

This time period requires you to further specify start and end dates.

Month to date

Reports activity from the first day of the current calendar month to the date you generate the report.

Year to date Reports activity from the first day of the current calendar year to the date you generate the report.

NOTE: In all cases, no report data is available before the Core software was deployed, or from before machines were protected on the Core.
5. From the Job Types drop-down menu, select the appropriate job types. By default, this set of information includes all jobs for the selected protected machines. In the report parameters, you can customize the report.
l Use the filters to select or exclude every job in the Main Jobs category, and every job in the Other Jobs category.
l Or you can expand the Main Jobs and Other Jobs categories, respectively, and select only the desired job types for that category that you want to appear in the report. Click the check box for any job type to select or clear that type. You can select some or all jobs from either category.
6. Click Preview to generate the report with the specified criteria. If the report criteria you selected is not found, the report still generates, but the report contains an empty row. For example, if there are no errors, the contents of the Error column are null in the report.
7. Do one of the following:
l View the generated report online.
l Update the report dynamically by changing any of the criteria; then click Preview again.
l Use the Reports menu to select an export format and export the report. For more information about the Reports menu, see Using the Reports menu.
l Use the Reports toolbar to view, manipulate, or print the report. For more information about the Reports toolbar, see Using the Reports toolbar.

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Managing scheduled reports from the Core Console
You can schedule any of the reports available from the Core Console. Scheduling a report causes it to be generated repeatedly in the future. The schedule defines whether to generate the report on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Optionally, Rapid Recovery lets you send an email notification to one or more recipients when each report is generated. The email specifies the report type, report format, and date range, and includes the report as an attachment.
NOTE: Before you can send reports by email, you must configure an SMTP server for the Core. For more information, see Configuring an email server. Whether or not you choose to send email notifications, you can save the generated reports locally, or on a network location accessible to the Core server. You must specify email notification and delivery, or you must specify a location to save reports. You can also choose both options. This section includes the following topics: l Scheduling a report l Modifying a report schedule l Pausing, resuming, or deleting a scheduled report
Scheduling a report
You can schedule a report available from the Core Console. The report then generates on the schedule you defined until you pause or delete the report. You must specify email notification and delivery, or you must specify a location to save reports. You can also choose both options. Complete the steps in this procedure to schedule a report.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. From the icon bar, click (More), and then select Reports.
The Job Report page appears. A downward-facing arrow appears to the right of the current report name. 3. Click the arrow to the right of the report name, and from the drop-down menu, select Scheduled
Reports. The Scheduled Reports page appears. 4. To schedule a report to generate on a repeated basis, click Add. The Set Reporting Schedule Wizard appears.
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5. On the Configuration page of the wizard, enter the details for the report you want to schedule, and then click Next. The configuration options are described in the following table.

Table 106: Scheduled report configuration options

Machine Available Reports

Name

Type the display name you want to assign to this particular schedule. The default name is Schedule report 1. Limit your name to 64 or fewer characters.
Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

Report format
Report type
Labels

Select a report output format. If you do not select a value, the default format (pdf) is used.
Select the type of report you want to generate on a repeated basis.
Select the labels you want to appear on your scheduled report. At least one label is required. The Custom Groups feature allows you to group Core objects in one logical container, for which you define a label. Using the Labels parameter in the Set Reporting Schedule Wizard, you can select a custom group for which scheduled reports are run. If no custom labels exist, the available options in the Labels drop-down menu include Select All and Protected Machines. If custom groups appear, each group appears as an option. You can select or clear any of the options to include or exclude those objects in the scheduled report.

Protected Select one or more protected machines to be included in the report. machine This option is not available for the Repository report.

Job Types

Select the job types you want to appear in the report. By default, this set of information includes jobs for all machines--every protected machine, replicated machine and recovery point-only machine in the specified Cores. In the report parameters, you can customize the report. Use the filters to select or exclude some machines. You can also select or exclude jobs that are machine independent, in which case the report shows status for Core jobs only.
The Job Types parameter is not available for the Core Summary and Repository scheduled report types.

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6. On the Destination page of the wizard, select a destination for the reports you want to schedule. You must choose one of the following, and may select both. When satisfied, click Next.
l In the Send to email addresses text box, enter one or more valid email addresses to notify users by email message when a scheduled report is generated.
NOTE: If you do not specify email notifications and delivery, then you must specify a storage location.

l Select Save as file to save the generated report files to a location you specify, and in the Location type drop-down menu, select a local, network, or cloud storage option. Then, in the Location text box, specify additional location information as described in the following table.

Table 107: Location options for scheduled reports

Location Location type description type

Local

Select location type Local to save generated reports in a local path accessible to the Core.

Location
Specify the path in the Location text box. Type a location accessible to the Core locally. For example, to store reports in the Reports folder on the D drive, enter D:\Reports\.

Network

Select location type Network to save generated reports in a path accessible to the Core on the network. Specify the path in the Location text box.

Specify the path in the Location text box.
Type a location accessible to the Core from the network. Use format \\servername\sharename.
For example, to store reports on the Data server in the shared folder called Reports, enter \\Data\Reports\.
Specify network credentials in the User name and Password text boxes.

Cloud

Select location type Cloud to save generated reports in a Cloud storage account configured in the Core. The storage account must already be defined before performing this step. For information on setting up a Cloud storage account to work with the Core, see Cloud accounts.

From the Account text box, select the appropriate Cloud storage account to use to store generated reports.
From the Container text box, specify an appropriate container in the storage account.
From the Folder Name text box, specify a folder into which to store future generated reports.

7. When satisfied with your Destination options, click Next.

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8. On the Schedule page of the wizard, from the Send data menu, select an option to determine how frequently to generate the report that you specified. You can generate reports daily, weekly, or monthly. Each option has its own parameters, as described in the following table.

Table 108: Frequency options for generating scheduled reports

How

Frequency details

frequent

Frequency parameters

Daily

Generates and saves or sends the specified report once daily at the specified time.
Default time for this action is 12:00 AM (based on the time on the Core server).

To change the default time that the report generates, in the time text text box, type a new value or use the controls to change the hour, minutes, and AM or PM.

Weekly

Generates and saves or sends the specified report once weekly at the specified time of the specified day.
Default time for this action is 12:00 AM on Sunday (based on the time on the Core server).

To change the default day that the report generates, from the day of week menu, select a day of the week.
To change the default time that the report generates, in the time text text box, type a new value or use the controls to change the hour, minutes, and AM or PM.

Monthly

Generates and saves or sends the specified report once monthly on the specified date and time of day.
Default date for this action is the first of each month at 12:00 AM (based on the time on the Core server).

To change the default date that the report generates, from the day of month menu, select a date.
To change the default time that the report generates, in the time text text box, type a new value or use the controls to change the hour, minutes, and AM or PM.

9. Optionally, on the Schedule page of the wizard, if you want to prevent the scheduled report from generating until you resume paused reports, select Initially pause reporting. If you want this report to generate as scheduled, clear this option.
10. When satisfied with the schedule, click Finish to exit the wizard and save your work. The new report schedule appears in the Summary Reports summary table.

Modifying a report schedule
Once a report is scheduled, you can modify any of its parameters or details. You can edit report configuration information (report name, output format, report type, included repositories. You can also change email notification options, and the destination to save the generated report. Finally, you can also change the schedule of the report. Complete the steps in this procedure to modify parameters for a scheduled report.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. From the icon bar, click (More), and then select Reports. The Job Report page appears. A downward-facing arrow appears to the right of the current report name.

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3. Click the arrow to the right of the report name, and from the drop-down menu, select Scheduled Reports. The Scheduled Reports page appears.

4. In the Scheduled Reports summary table, from the row of the report you want to modify, click options) and then select Edit. The Set Reporting Schedule Wizard appears.

(More

5. Navigate through the pages of this wizard, changing any parameters necessary. For information on any of the parameters in this wizard, see the topic Scheduling a report.

6. On the Schedule page of the wizard, click Finish to close the wizard and save your changes. The wizard closes, and the report schedule is modified.

Pausing, resuming, or deleting a scheduled report
Once a report is scheduled, it generates on the schedule defined. If you want to temporarily stop the generation of a scheduled report, then you can pause the schedule. If a scheduled report is paused, and you wish to resume the generation of the report, then you can resume the report as described in this procedure. If you are currently generating a scheduled report, and no longer need to generate that report, you can delete it. To determine if any scheduled report is paused, check the status column in the scheduled reports summary table. A green sphere indicates an active scheduled report; a yellow sphere indicates a paused schedule; and a red sphere indicates an error. Complete the steps in this procedure to pause, resume, or delete a schedule for a report.
1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
2. From the icon bar, click (More), and then select Reports. The Job Report page appears. A downward facing arrow appears to the right of the current report name.
3. Click the arrow to the right of the report name, and from the drop-down menu, select Scheduled Reports. The Scheduled Reports page appears.
4. In the Scheduled Reports summary table, view the status of all scheduled reports, using the colored indicators.
5. For each report you want to pause or resume, select the check box in the first column.
6. From the Scheduled Reports options above the summary table, do one of the following:
l To pause the generation of the selected reports, click Pause.
l To resume generation of scheduled reports that have been paused, click Resume.
l To delete the selected schedules for existing scheduled reports, click Delete. Deleting a scheduled report only prevents the generation of future reports. If previous scheduled reports have been saved, they are not removed.

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Using the Reports menu

The Reports menu appears at the top of the page when viewing Reports. This menu includes a report title, which is also a drop-down menu that lets you see which report types are available. Below this menu are one or more filters that help you to define your report criteria.
The specific filters available depend on the report type. For information on the parameters that apply to each report type, see the topic for understanding that report type.
On the right side of the reports menu, some controls appear. These controls, described in the following table, help you generate and export the report.

Table 109: Reports menu controls

UI Element

Description

Preview button

Click the preview button to generate a report based on the selected report type and the report parameters specified in the filters.

Export format drop- The Export format drop-down menu lets you select a report output format. If you do not

down menu

select a value, the default format (pdf) is used.

Download button

The Download button exports the generated report in the format type selected in the Export format menu

Reports include units of measure which make it easier to determine if a column is represented in GB, TB, or in seconds. If you are not satisfied with the appearance of a generated or exported report, you can change the font used in the reports. For more information, see Managing report settings. Once a report is generated, you can use the reports toolbar, as described in the topic Using the Reports toolbar. For more information, see the following topics:
l Managing report settings l Understanding the Job report l Understanding the Failure report l Understanding the Summary report l Understanding the Repository report

Using the Reports toolbar
After you generate it from the Reports menu, the report appears below a Reports toolbar. The toolbar can help you manipulate report output, including saving and printing the reports. On the left of the toolbar, there is a Toggle sidebar option. This tool expands or contracts the sidebar, giving access to a few more display options. To the right of the toolbar, the Tools option expands a drop-down menu providing report navigation controls. The elements of the Reports toolbar are described in the following table.

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Table 110: Reports toolbar icons

Icon

Description

Toggle sidebar. All report pages are displayed as thumbnails. Other options in the sidebar are not supported.
Sidebar: Show thumbnails. This is the default view for all pages of a generated report.
Sidebar: Show document outline. This feature is not supported.

Sidebar: Show attachments. There are no attachments for reports. This feature is not supported.
Find. Allows you to search text within the generated report. Includes options to highlight all text that matches the criteria you enter, and also to match or ignore case.
Previous page. Move the report view to the previous page.

Next page. Progress to the next page in the report view.
Enter page number. Click in the page number text field, enter a valid page number, and press Enter to progress to that page in the report view.
Zoom out. Lets you zoom out the view of the generated report. Each successive click zooms out further, to a minimum of 25%.
Zoom in. Lets you zoom in the view of the generated report. Each successive click zooms in further, to a maximum of 1000%.
Automatic Zoom. Lets you control the zoom view of the generated report, including viewing by actual size, fit page, full width, or by percentage, including 50%, 75%, 100%, 125%, 150%, 200%, 300%, or 400%.
Open file. Lets you navigate your file system to locate and open a saved report.
Print. Lets you print the generated report.

Tools. The Tools drop-down menu expands or contracts when you click this icon. The Tools options are described below.
Tools: Go to first page. Navigates you to the first page of the generated report.
Tools: Go to last page. Navigates you to the last page of the generated report.
Tools: Rotate clockwise. This option rotates the canvas of the generated report in a clockwise direction.
Tools: Rotate counterclockwise. This option rotates the canvas of the generated report in a counterclockwise direction.

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Icon

Description
Tools: Hand tool. When you select this tool, it Lets you move the report by clicking and dragging across the screen.
Tools: Document properties. Provides information about the document properties of the generated report. Click Close to close this window.

For information about generating a report, see Generating reports from the Core Console.

Understanding the Job report
The Job report is available for the Rapid Recovery and for machines protected on the Core. This report provides you with a method to view the status of jobs performed by a selected Core or a protected machine. Rows or columns of data that appear in the report with no data indicate that the tested parameter was null. For example, if a column (such as Errors) appears with no information, then no errors are occurred for the selected record. If the report generates a blank row, the job for the selected record reflects machine-independent activity. For information on how to generate a Job report from the Core, see Generating a Core report on demand. For information on how to generate a Job report for a protected machine, see Generating a protected machine report on demand. When you generate a Job report, report details include the following:
l Selection criteria for the report
l A summary table showing a row for each job in the date range you specified. In addition to listing the appropriate Core, protected machine, and job type, each row includes:
l A summary of the job
l The job status
l Any errors related to the job
l The start and end dates for the job
l The job duration in seconds
l The total work in MB
If information is not relevant for a specific category, that cell appears with no information in the report. For example, if the Core for a specified protected machine has no errors, the Error column is blank for that row in the report.

Understanding the Job Summary report
The Job Summary report is available when reporting from the Core perspective only; this report is not available from reports for a protected machine. This report has a single summary, showing summary information about all jobs performed on the Core, including a count of failed, passed, and canceled jobs. It shows more detail than the Job report, because it specifies each job as a separate line in the report. For information on how to generate a Job Summary report, see Generating reports from the Core Console.

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Report parameters for this report type include: l Date range l Protected machines l Job types
When you generate a Job Summary report, report details include selection criteria for the report, as well as information about protected machines, volumes, and job types.
Core information
The Core portion of the Summary Report includes data regarding the Rapid Recovery Core being reported. This information includes:
l The number of machines protected in the Rapid Recovery Core l The number of machines with failed jobs
Protected machines summary
The Protected machines portion of the Summary report includes data for all machines protected by the selected Rapid Recovery Core, and the volumes on those machines. The chart shows a line for each job type for each machine, and includes the ratio of successful jobs (of any type), number of jobs passed, number of jobs failed, and canceled jobs. (Canceled jobs are not considered for these statistics.)
Understanding the Failure report
The Failure report is a subset of the Job report and is available for the Rapid Recovery Core and for machines protected on the Core. A Failure report includes only the canceled and failed jobs listed in the Job report, and compiles them into a single report that can be printed and exported. If the report generates with a blank row, there are no errors within the date range specified in your report criteria.
NOTE: Results for target Cores and protected machines parameters appear for the Core-level report only. For information on how to generate a Job report from the Core, see Generating a Core report on demand. For information on how to generate a Job report for a protected machine, see Generating a protected machine report on demand. When you generate a Failure report, a summary table appears, showing a row for each job in the date range you specified. In addition to listing the appropriate Core, protected machine, and job type, each row includes: l A summary of the job l The job status l Any errors related to the job l The start and end dates for the job
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l The job duration in seconds l The total work in MB
Understanding the Summary report
The Summary report is available for one or more Cores. This report is not available from reports for a protected machine. The Summary report includes information about the repositories on the selected Rapid Recovery Core and about the machines protected by that Core. The information appears as two summaries within one report. For information on how to generate a Summary report, see Generating reports from the Core Console. Report parameters for this report type include:
l Date range l Protected machines When you generate a Summary report, report details include selection criteria for the report, as well as information about repositories and protected machines.
Core information
The Core portion of the Summary Report includes data regarding the Rapid Recovery Core being reported. This information includes:
l The license key (identifier) l The current version of the Rapid Recovery Core software
Repositories summary
The Repositories portion of the Summary Report includes data for the repositories located on the selected Rapid Recovery Core. This information includes:
l The number of repositories in the Rapid Recovery Core l A summary of repositories on the Core.
Protected machines summary
The Protected machines portion of the Summary report includes data for all machines protected by the selected Rapid Recovery Core or Cores. This includes a chart and a summary table. The chart shows protected machines by the ratio of successful jobs (of any type), compared to failed jobs. (Canceled jobs are not considered for these statistics.) The X or horizontal axis shows the number of protected machines. The Y or vertical axis shows tiers of success. Specifically, the Y axis shows, by protected machine, how many had:
l No jobs performed l Less than 50% success rate
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l 50% or more success rate l 100% success rate Below the chart, information appears about protected machines. This information includes: l The amount of protected machines l The number of protected machines with failed jobs l A summary table, by protected machine, which shows:
l Protected machine name l Volumes protected by the machine l Protected space, in GB (total and current) l Daily change rate (average and median) l Job statistics (success, completed, failed, canceled) l If encryption was applied l The Core version
Understanding the Repository report
The Repository report includes information about the repositories on the selected Rapid Recovery Core and about the machines protected by that Core. The information appears as two summaries within one report. For information on how to generate a Repository report from the Core, see Generating a Core report on demand. Report parameters for this report type include only repositories. When you generate a Repository report, report details for each repository includes a summary list of repositories on the Core.
Understanding the Classic Summary report
The Classic Summary report provides a summary over the selected period for a variety of useful metrics for your Core. The top portion includes three pie charts:
l The first shows job statistics (successful, canceled, and failed jobs). l The second pie chart shows space consumed per repository in GB. l The third pie chart displays snapshot statistics (successful, canceled, and failed jobs). Following the pie charts in the report is a trend chart showing repository usage. Finally, the report includes a summary of protected machines. For information about how to generate a Classic Summary report, see Generating reports from the Core Console.
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NOTE: In release 6.2x, this report was known as the Core Nostalgia Report. Report parameters for this report type include:
l Date range l The Core on which you want to report
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14
VM export
This section describes how to export a recovery point to create a virtual machine. Topics include:
Exporting to virtual machines using Rapid Recovery Exporting data to an ESXi virtual machine Exporting data to a VMware Workstation virtual machine Exporting data to a Hyper-V virtual machine Exporting data to a VirtualBox virtual machine Exporting data to an Azure virtual machine Managing exports
Exporting to virtual machines using Rapid Recovery
From the Rapid Recovery Core, you can export a recovery point of a Windows or Linux machine from a repository to a virtual machine (VM). If the original machine protected on the Core fails, you can boot up the virtual machine to quickly replace it temporarily, allowing you time to recover the original protected machine without substantial downtime. This virtual export process results in a VM with all of the backup information from a recovery point, as well as the operating system and settings for the protected machine. The VM becomes a bootable clone of the protected machine.
NOTE: The recovery point used must be part of a complete recovery point chain. For more information about recovery point chains, see the topic Recovery point chains and orphans. You can perform a virtual export from the Virtual Standby page in the Core Console, or by selecting VM Export from the Restore drop-down menu on the button bar. When you perform a virtual export from Rapid Recovery Core, you have two choices: l You can perform a one-time virtual export, which creates a bootable VM representing a single snapshot in time from the information in the selected recovery point. The export job is queued immediately, and when it completes, the cloned VM exports to the location you specified. The
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configuration information used for a one-time export is not saved. l You can set up continual export. This process creates a bootable VM for the protected machine you
specify, saving the VM in a location you designate. The configuration information for performing that virtual export is saved in the Virtual Standby page in the Core Console. Subsequently, each time a new snapshot of the protected machine is captured, the Core queues a new virtual export job, and the bootable VM is refreshed with the updated information. Because this creates a high-availability resource for data recovery, this feature is also called virtual standby. In between the time a virtual export job queues and is completed, the job is listed on the Export Queue pane of the Virtual Standby page in the Core Console. The following diagram shows a typical deployment for exporting data to a virtual machine. Virtual standby deployment
NOTE: In a continual export configuration involving replication set up between two Cores (source and target), you can export from either Core. However, you can only perform virtual export from the target Core after the initial replication is complete. Subsequently, each time a new snapshot of the protected machine is captured, replication from a source Core queues a new virtual export job after each snapshot is captured. Replication from a target Core queues a new virtual export job after replication job.
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Compatible VM hypervisors include vCenter/ESXi, VMware Workstation, Hyper-V, Oracle VM VirtualBox, and Azure. For information about supported versions of these hypervisors, see the topic " Hypervisor requirements" in the Rapid Recovery 6.4 System Requirements Guide. For ESXi, VMware Workstation, or Hyper-V, the virtual machine version must be a licensed version of these virtual machines, not the trial or free versions. Exporting to Azure requires you to have an account on Azure, with other prerequisites.
NOTE: Working with Azure involves aspects unique to that cloud service provider. Like all other Azure features in Rapid Recovery, virtual export now uses the Azure Resource Management (ARM) deployment method. Azure setup steps and prerequisites to performing virtual export from the Rapid Recovery Core Console have changed accordingly. For details on Azure prerequisites prior to export, see Before virtual export to Azure.
Related Topics
l Exporting data to an ESXi virtual machine
l Exporting data to a VMware Workstation virtual machine
l Exporting data to a Hyper-V virtual machine
l Exporting data to a VirtualBox virtual machine
l Exporting data to an Azure virtual machine
l Managing exports

Exporting data to an ESXi virtual machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can export data to ESXi by performing a one-time export, or by establishing a continual export (for virtual standby). Complete the steps in the following procedures for the appropriate type of export. Topics include:
Performing a one-time ESXi export Setting up continual export to ESXi

Performing a one-time ESXi export

Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a one-time export to ESXi.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console button bar, click the select VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

2. In the wizard, select One-time Export, and then click Next. 3. On the Machines page, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

4. On the Recovery Points page, select the recovery point that you want to use for the export, and then click Next.

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5. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select vCenter/ESXi, and then enter the parameters for accessing the virtual machine as described in the following table.

Table 111: Virtual machine parameters

Options

Description

Host name Enter a name for the host machine.

Port

Enter the port for the host machine. The default is 443.

User name

Enter the user name for logging on to the host machine.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password for logging on to the host machine.

6. Click Next.

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7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the information described in the following table, and then Click Next.

Table 112: Virtual machine options

Option

Description

Resource pool Select a resource pool from the drop-down list.

VM configuration Select a data store from the drop-down list. location

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine you want to export. The VM name that automatically appears by default is the name of the machine from which the recovery point originated.

Amount of RAM

Specify the memory usage for the virtual machine by clicking one of the following:
l Use the same amount of RAM as source machine
l Use a specific amount of RAM, and then specify the amount in MB The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 1,035,264MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

Number of processors

Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The minimum is 1.

Cores per processor

Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1.

Disk provisioning

Select the type of disk provisioning from the following options:
l Thin. Thin provisioning creates a virtual disk the size of the used space on the original volumes, rather than the entire volume size. For example, if the original volume is 1 TB, but contains only 2 GB of used space, Rapid Recovery creates a virtual disk of 2 GB.
l Thick. Thick provisioning creates a new disk or volume that is the same size as the original volume from the protected server, even if only a portion of the original volume is being used. For example, if the volume is 1 TB large but contains 2 GB of used space, Rapid Recovery creates a virtual disk of 1 TB.

Disk mapping

Specify the type of disk mapping as appropriate. You can choose from:
l Automatic. Using this option, the VM is exported to any available datastore with sufficient space.

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Option
Version Network adapters
Secure boot Restore all configuration data

Description
l Manual. Select this option to manually specify the datastore onto which to export the VM.
l With VM. Select this option to export all virtual disks to the same datastore as the VM configuration.
Select the version of the virtual machine.
Optionally, specify network adapter options for the VM to be exported.
NOTE: This option appears when exporting to a hypervisor of the same type (in this case, when exporting to ESXi).
You can choose from:
l Same as source machine. If you select this option, the VM include the same amount of network adapters as on the source, and they are assigned to the default network on the host.
l Specific. Select this option to see the Network Adapters page of the Virtual Machine Export wizard. Here you can add one or more network adapters to the VM and assign a specific network to each adapter.
Optionally, choose the secure boot option for the exported VM.
NOTE: This option appears only when secure boot is configured for the source protected machine.
If you want to recover all VM configurations for volumes being recovered, select this option. If you want to restore data only and not the VM configurations, clear this option. This option appears only when performing virtual export of an agentless VM and after a resource pool is selected. For more information on the VM configuration backup and restore feature of Rapid Recovery, see VMware VM configuration backup and restore.

8. Optionally, on the Network Adapters page of the wizard, if you want to add a virtual network adapter to the VM to be exported, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks drop-down menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
9. Optionally, to add additional network adapters, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks dropdown menu, select the name of another network available on the hypervisor host.
10. Click Next.

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11. On the Volumes page, select the volumes from the source recovery point that you want to export to the VM, and then click Finish to complete the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.
12. On the Summary page, click Finish to complete the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

Setting up continual export to ESXi

Complete the steps in this procedure to set up continual export to an ESXi virtual machine (VM) using Rapid Recovery. This process is also known as setting up virtual standby.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, do one of the following:

l From the Core Console, in the button bar, click the select VM Export.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

a. In the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select Continual export (virtual standby).

b. Click Next.

l From the Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).

l On the Virtual Standby page, click Add to launch the Virtual Machine Export Wizard.

2. On the Machines page of the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

3. On the Destination page of the Export Wizard, in the Export a machine to drop-down menu, select vCenter/ESXi.

4. Enter the information for accessing the virtual machine as described in the following table, and then click Next.

Table 113: ESXi credentials

Option

Description

Host name Enter a name for the host machine.

Port

Enter the port for the host machine. The default is 443.

User name

Enter the credentials for the host machine.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the credentials for the host machine.

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5. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the information described in the following table.

Table 114: Virtual machine options

Option

Description

Resource pool Select a resource pool from the drop-down list.

VM configuration Select a data store from the drop-down list. location

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine you want to export. The VM name that automatically appears by default is the name of the machine from which the recovery point originated.

Amount of RAM

Number of processors

Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The minimum is 1.

Cores per processor

Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1.

Disk provisioning

Disk mapping Version

Specify the type of disk mapping as appropriate. You can choose from:
l Automatic. Using this option, the VM is exported to any available datastore with sufficient space.
l Manual. Select this option to manually specify the datastore onto which to export the VM.
l With VM. Select this option to export all virtual disks to the same datastore as the VM configuration.
Select the version of the virtual machine.

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Option Network adapters
Secure boot

Description
Optionally, specify network adapter options for the VM to be exported. NOTE: This option appears when exporting to a hypervisor of the same type (in this case, when exporting to ESXi).
You can choose from:
l Same as source machine. If you select this option, the VM include the same amount of network adapters as on the source, and they are assigned to the default network on the host.
l Specific. Select this option to see the Network Adapters page of the Virtual Machine Export wizard. Here you can add one or more network adapters to the VM and assign a specific network to each adapter.
Optionally, choose the secure boot option for the exported VM. NOTE: This option appears only when secure boot is configured for the source protected machine.

Restore all configuration data

If you want to recover all VM configurations for volumes being recovered, select this option. If you want to restore data only and not the VM configurations, clear this option.
This option appears only when performing virtual export of an agentless VM and after a resource pool is selected.
For more information on the VM configuration backup and restore feature of Rapid Recovery, see VMware VM configuration backup and restore.

Perform initial Select this option to queue the export job immediately. Clear this option if you want one-time export the Core to wait until the next forced or scheduled backup snapshot.

6. Click Next.
7. Optionally, on the Network Adapters page of the wizard, if you want to add a virtual network adapter to the VM to be exported, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks drop-down menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
8. Optionally, to add additional network adapters, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks dropdown menu, select the name of another network available on the hypervisor host.
9. Click Next.
10. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, C:\ and D:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard and start the export. NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

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Exporting data to a VMware Workstation virtual machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can export data to VMware Workstation by performing a one-time export or by establishing a continual export (for virtual standby). Complete the steps in the following procedures for the appropriate type of export. Topics include:
Performing a one-time VMware Workstation export Setting up continual export to VMware Workstation

Performing a one-time VMware Workstation export

Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a one-time export to VMware Workstation.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the button bar, click the
click VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

2. In the wizard, from the Select VM Export Type page, select One-time Export and then click Next.

3. On the Machines page, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

4. On the Recovery Points page, scroll through the list of recovery points if necessary, and select the recovery point that you want to use for the export. Then click Next.

5. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select VMware Workstation.

6. To export the VM to a local drive, in the VM location field, specify the path of the local folder in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter E:\VirtualExports\. Then proceed to step 9.

7. To export the VM to a network shared directory, enter the required information as described in the following table.

Table 115: Network shared location parameters

Option Description

VM location
User name

Specify the path of the network shared directory in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter \\ServerName\MySharedDirectory\VirtualExports\.
Enter the user name for an account that is registered on the target machine. The account must have read and write permissions to the network share.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password for the specified user account.

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8. Click Next.
9. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 116: Virtual machine parameters

Option VM name

Description Enter a name for the virtual machine being created; for example, VM-0A1B2C3D4.
NOTE: The default name is the name of the source machine.

Version Specify the version of VMware Workstation for the virtual machine.

Amount of RAM

Specify the amount of RAM, in megabytes, for the exported virtual machine to use. The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 65536 MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

Number of Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The processors minimum is 1.
Cores per Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1. processor

10. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, C:\ and D:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

Setting up continual export to VMware Workstation

Complete the steps in this procedure to set up continual export to a VMware Workstation virtual machine (VM) using Rapid Recovery. This is also known as setting up virtual standby.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, do one of the following:

l From the Core Console, in the button bar, click the select VM Export.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

a. In the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select Continual export (virtual standby).

b. Click Next.

l From the Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).

l On the Virtual Standby page, click Add to launch the Virtual Machine Export Wizard.
2. On the Machines page of the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

3. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select VMware Workstation.

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4. To set up continual export to a local drive, in the VM location field, specify the path of the local folder in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter E:\VirtualExports\. Then proceed to step 9.
5. To set up continual export to a network shared directory, enter the required information as described in the following table.

Table 117: Network shared location parameters

Option Description

Specify the path of the network shared directory in which to create the exported virtual

location machine. For example, enter \\ServerName\MySharedDirectory\VirtualExports\.

User name

Enter the user name for an account that is registered on the target machine. The account must have read and write permissions to the network share.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password for the specified user account.

6. Click Next.
7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 118: Virtual machine parameters

Option

Description

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine being created; for example, VM-0A1B2C3D4. NOTE: The default name is the name of the source machine.

Version
Amount of RAM

Specify the version of VMware Workstation for the virtual machine.
Specify the amount of RAM, in megabytes, for the exported virtual machine to use. The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 65536 MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

Number of processors
Cores per processor
Perform initial onetime export

Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The minimum is 1. Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1.
Optionally, select to perform the virtual export immediately instead of after the next scheduled snapshot.

8. Click Next.

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9. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, C:\ and D:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard. If you selected Perform initial one-time export, the export job is immediately queued. NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.
Exporting data to a Hyper-V virtual machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can export data to Hyper-V Export by performing a one-time export, or by establishing a continual export (for Virtual Standby). Rapid Recovery supports first-generation Hyper-V export to the following hosts:
l Windows 8 l Windows 8.1 l Windows 10 x64 l Windows Server 2008 l Windows Server 2008 R2 l Windows Server 2012 l Windows Server 2012 R2 l Windows Server 2016 Rapid Recovery supports second-generation Hyper-V export to the following hosts: l Windows 8.1 l Windows 10 x64 l Windows Server 2012 R2 l Windows Server 2016 l Windows Server 2016
NOTE: Not all protected machines can be exported to Hyper-V second generation hosts.
Only protected machines with the following Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) operating systems support virtual export to Hyper-V second generation hosts:
l Windows 8 (UEFI) l Windows 8.1 (UEFI) l Windows 10 (UEFI) l Windows Server 2012 (UEFI) l Windows Server 2012 R2 (UEFI) l Windows Server 2016 (UEFI)
NOTE: Hyper-V export to second-generation VM can fail if the Hyper-V host does not have enough RAM allocated to perform the export. In such cases, you will see an error message on the VM
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Complete the steps in the following procedures for the appropriate type of export. Topics include:
Performing a one-time Hyper-V export Setting up continual export to Hyper-V

Performing a one-time Hyper-V export

Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a one-time export to Hyper-V.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the button bar, click the
click VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

2. In the wizard, from the Select VM Export Type page, select One-time Export and then click Next.

3. On the Machines page, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

4. On the Recovery Points page, scroll through the list of recovery points if necessary, and select the recovery point that you want to use for the export. Then click Next.

5. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select Hyper-V.

6. To export to a local machine with the Hyper-V role assigned, click Use local machine. Then proceed to step 8.

7. To export a virtual machine to a remote Hyper-V server, click Remote host, and then enter the information for the remote host as described in the following table.

Table 119: Remote host information

Text Box

Description

Hyper-V host Enter an IP address or host name for the Hyper-V server. name

Port

Enter a port number for the machine. It represents the port through

which the Core communicates with this machine.

User name

Enter the user name for the user with administrative privileges for the workstation with the Hyper-V server. It is used to specify the logon credentials for the virtual machine.

NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password

Enter the password for the user account with administrative privileges on the workstation with Hyper-V server. It is used to specify the logon credentials for the virtual machine.

8. Click Next.

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9. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 120: Virtual machine parameters

Option

Description

VM location

Specify the path of the local folder in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter E:\VirtualExports.
You can specify a directory name that does not yet exist; this process will create the directory.

CAUTION: Do not attempt to manually create a directory.

NOTE: Export to shared folders (for example, to \\data\share) is not permitted.

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine you want to export; for example, VM-0A1B2C3D4.
The VM name that automatically appears by default is the name of the machine from which the recovery point originated. The name entered in this text box appears after export in the list of virtual machines in the Hyper-V Manager console.

Amount of RAM

Specify the amount of RAM for the exported virtual machine to use by selecting one of the following:
l Same as source machine. Select this option to specify that the amount of RAM allocated to the exported VM is identical to the RAM allocated to the source machine.
l Specific. Select this option, and then enter the amount of RAM in megabytes for the exported virtual machine to use.
The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 65536 MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

Number of Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The processors minimum is 1.

Cores per Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1. processor

Generation Specify the Hyper-V generation type.

Disk format You can select from: l VHDX l VHD

NOTE: Hyper-V Export supports VHDX disk formats if the target machine is running Windows 8 (Windows Server 2012) or later. If the VHDX is not supported for your environment, the option is disabled.

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Option

Description

Network adapters

Optionally, specify network adapter options for the VM to be exported.
NOTE: This option appears when exporting to a hypervisor of the same type (in this case, when exporting to Hyper-V).
You can choose from:
l Same as source machine. If you select this option, the VM include the same amount of network adapters as on the source, and they are assigned to the default network on the host.
l Specific. Select this option to see the Network Adapters page of the Virtual Machine Export wizard. Here you can add one or more network adapters to the VM and assign a specific network to each adapter.

Secure boot

Optionally, choose the secure boot option for the exported VM.
NOTE: This option appears only when secure boot is configured for the source protected machine.

Perform

Select this option to queue the export job immediately. Clear this option if you want the

initial one- Core to wait until the next forced or scheduled backup snapshot.

time export

10. Optionally, on the Network Adapters page of the wizard, if you want to add a virtual network adapter to the VM to be exported, then from the Available Networks drop-down menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
11. Optionally, to add additional network adapters, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks dropdown menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
12. Click Next.
13. On the Volumes page, select the volume(s) to export; for example, C:\. NOTE: If the selected volumes are larger than the appropriate maximum allocations supported by the application as indicated below, or exceed the amount of space available, you will receive an error.
l For VHDX disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 64 TB.
l For VHD disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 2040 GB.
14. On the Volumes page, click Finish to complete the wizard and to start the export. NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

Setting up continual export to Hyper-V
Complete the steps in this procedure to set up continual export to a Hyper-V virtual machine (VM) using Rapid Recovery. This process is also known as setting up virtual standby.

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1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, do one of the following:

l From the Core Console, in the button bar, click the select VM Export.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

a. In the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select Continual export (virtual standby).

b. Click Next.

l From the Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).
l On the Virtual Standby page, click Add to launch the Virtual Machine Export Wizard.
2. On the Machines page of the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.
3. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select Hyper-V.
4. To export to a local machine with the Hyper-V role assigned, click Use local machine. Proceed to step 8.
5. To export a virtual machine to a remote Hyper-V server, click Remote host, and then enter the information for the remote host as described in the following table.

Table 121: Remote host information

Text Box

Description

Hyper-V host Enter an IP address or host name for the Hyper-V server. name

Port

Enter a port number for the machine. It represents the port through

which the Core communicates with this machine.

User name

Enter the user name of a user with administrative privileges on the protected machine you are exporting. This is also the user name you must use when logging into the exported VM.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password associated with the user name above.

6. Click Next.

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7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 122: Virtual machine parameters

Option

Description

VM location

CAUTION: Do not attempt to manually create a directory.

NOTE: Export to shared folders (for example, to \\data\share) is not permitted.

VM name

Amount of RAM

Specify the amount of RAM for the exported virtual machine to use by selecting one of the following:
l Same as source machine. Select this option to specify that the amount of RAM allocated to the exported VM is identical to the RAM allocated to the source machine.
l Specific. Select this option, and then enter the amount of RAM (in MB) that you want to specify for the exported VM.
The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 65536 MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

Number of Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The processors minimum is 1.

Cores per Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1. processor

Generation Specify the Hyper-V generation type.

Disk format You can select from: l VHDX l VHD

NOTE: Hyper-V Export supports VHDX disk formats if the target machine is running Windows 8 (Windows Server 2012) or later. If the VHDX is not supported for your environment, the option is disabled.

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Option

Description

Network adapters

Secure boot

Optionally, choose the secure boot option for the exported VM.
NOTE: This option appears only when secure boot is configured for the source protected machine.

Perform

Select this option to queue the export job immediately. Clear this option if you want the

initial one- Core to wait until the next forced or scheduled backup snapshot.

time export

8. Click Next.
9. Optionally, on the Network Adapters page of the wizard, if you want to add a virtual network adapter to the VM to be exported, then from the Available Networks drop-down menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
10. Optionally, to add additional network adapters, click + Add, and then from the Available Networks dropdown menu, select the name of a network available on the hypervisor host.
11. Click Next.
12. On the Volumes page, select the volume(s) to export; for example, C:\. NOTE: If the selected volumes are larger than the appropriate maximum allocations supported by the application as indicated below, or exceed the amount of space available, you will receive an error.
l For VHDX disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 64 TB.
l For VHD disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 2040 GB.
13. Select Perform initial one-time export to perform the virtual export immediately instead of after the next scheduled snapshot.
14. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, C:\ and D:\. NOTE: If the selected volumes are larger than the appropriate maximum allocations supported by the application as indicated below, or exceed the amount of space available, you will receive an error.
l For VHDX disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 64 TB.
l For VHD disk format, your selected volumes should be no larger than 2040 GB.

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15. On the Volumes page, click Finish to complete the wizard and to start the export. On the Virtual Standby page, the continual export requirements you just confirmed appear in the Virtual Standby pane.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

Exporting data to a VirtualBox virtual machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can export data to Oracle VM VirtualBox by performing a one-time export, or by establishing a continual export (for virtual standby). Complete the steps in the following procedures for the appropriate type of export.
NOTE: To perform this type of export, you should have VirtualBox installed on the Core machine.
Topics include:
Performing a one-time VirtualBox export Setting up continual export to VirtualBox

Performing a one-time VirtualBox export

To export to Oracle VM VirtualBox on a remote Windows host, you should have VirtualBox installed on the Core machine.
NOTE: For exporting to VirtualBox on a remote Linux host, VirtualBox is not required on the Core machine.
Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a one-time export to VirtualBox.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the
select VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu on the button bar, and then

2. In the wizard, select One-time Export, and then click Next.

3. On the Machines page, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

4. On the Recovery Points page, select the recovery point that you want to use for the export, and then click Next.

5. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select VirtualBox.

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6. To export a Windows VM to a local directory or to a network shared directory, do the following:
l Select Use Windows machine.
l To export locally, in the Target path text box, type a local path; for example, type E:\VirtualExports.
l To export the VM to a network shared directory, enter the required information as described in the following table.

Table 123: Network shared location parameters

Option Description

Target path

Specify the path of the network shared directory in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter \\ServerName\MySharedDirectory:\VirtualExports\.

User name

Enter the user name for an account that is registered on the target machine. The account must have read and write permissions to the network share.
NOTE: Credentials are required to address the case in which multiple user accounts exist on the virtual machine. When the user is authenticated, only this user will see this Virtual Machine in VirtualBox manager. If an account is not specified, then the Virtual Machine will be registered for all existing users on the Windows machine with VirtualBox.

NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password for the specified user account.

l Click Next.

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7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 124: Virtual machine parameters

Option

Description

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine being created; for example, VM-0A1B2C3D4. NOTE: The default name is the name of the source machine.

Amount of Specify the amount of RAM for the exported virtual machine to use by selecting one of

RAM

the following:

l Same as source machine. Select this option to specify that the amount of RAM allocated to the exported VM is identical to the RAM allocated to the source machine.

l Specific. Select this option, and then enter the amount of RAM in megabytes for the exported virtual machine to use.

The minimum amount is 1024 MB and the maximum allowed by the application is 65536 MB. The maximum amount of memory usage is limited by the amount of RAM available to the host machine.

8. Click Next.
9. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, C:\ and D:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.

Setting up continual export to VirtualBox

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, do one of the following:

l From the Core Console, in the button bar, click the select VM Export.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

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a. In the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select Continual export (virtual standby). b. Click Next.
l From the Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).
l On the Virtual Standby page, click Add to launch the Virtual Machine Export Wizard. 2. On the Machines page of the Virtual Machine Export Wizard, select the protected machine that you want
to export, and then click Next. 3. On the Destination page of the wizard, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select
VirtualBox. 4. On the Destination page of the wizard, to set up continual virtual export of a Windows VM to a local
directory or to a network shared directory, do the following: l Select Use Windows machine. l To export locally, in the Target path text box, type a local path; for example, type E:\VirtualExports. l To export the VM to a network shared directory, enter the required information as described in the following table.

Table 125: Network shared location parameters

Option Description

Target path

Specify the path of the network shared directory in which to create the exported virtual machine. For example, enter \\ServerName\MySharedDirectory:\VirtualExports\.

User name

NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Enter the password for the specified user account.

l To set up continual virtual export to a remote Linux machine, do the following: l Click Next. l Proceed to step 6.

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5. On the Destination page of the wizard, to set up continual virtual export to a remote Linux machine, select Remote Linux machine, and then enter information about the virtual machine as described in the following table.

Table 126: Remote Linux machine settings

Option

Description

VirtualBox host name
Port

Enter an IP address or host name for the VirtualBox server. This field represents the IP address or host name of the remote VirtualBox server.
Enter a port number for the machine. This number represents the port through which the Core communicates with this machine. For Linux machines, the default is port 22.

Target path

Specify a target path to create the virtual machine. For example, enter /home/username/VirtualExport/VMname.
NOTE: It is recommended that you create a root folder from root so that the virtual machine runs from root. If you do not use root, you will need to create the destination folder manually on the target machine prior to setting up the export. You will also need to manually attach or load the virtual machine after the export.

User name

User name of the account on the target machine, for example, root.
NOTE: Optionally, you can select credentials for a user in the Credentials Vault, or you can save credentials you add here to the vault. For more information, see Credentials Vault.

Password Password for the user account on the target machine.

6. Click Next.

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7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the settings for the new virtual machine, as described in the following table.

Table 127: Virtual machine parameters

Option

Description

VM name

Enter a name for the virtual machine being created; for example, VM-0A1B2C3D4. NOTE: The default name is the name of the source machine.

Amount of RAM

Number of processors
Cores per processor
Perform initial onetime export

Enter the number of virtual CPUs you want for the exported virtual machine. The minimum is 1. Enter the number of cores to use for each processor. The minimum is 1.
Select this option to queue the export job immediately. Clear this option if you want the Core to wait until the next forced or scheduled backup snapshot.

Exporting data to an Azure virtual machine
In Rapid Recovery, you can export data to Azure by performing a one-time export, or by establishing a continual export (for virtual standby). One-time export to the Azure platform includes deployment in the workflow. If using a continual export, you can also later deploy the exported files to a bootable VM. Azure supports virtual export of machines with 64-bit operating systems that use BIOS firmware only. For specific information about operating systems that support export to Azure, see the operating system installation and compatibility matrix in the appropriate edition of the Rapid Recovery System Reqirements Guide..

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NOTE: If using virtual export to Azure in Rapid Recovery 6.2.x or earlier, you will see a compatibility warning when you upgrade. Since Microsoft no longer supports its classic Azure Service Management model, users upgrading to Rapid Recovery as of this release must re-create virtual standby to Azure using the updated Rapid Recovery Core Console. When you create a new continual export to Azure, the virtual standby definition uses the Azure Resource Manager model.
Working with Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is a subscription-based cloud computing platform. The following information is provided to Rapid Recovery customers to facilitate using Azure with our product. Azure login requires JavaScript. You may need to enable JavaScript or otherwise adjust security settings in the browser accordingly. For more information, consult your systems administrator.
l Azure interface disclaimer l Country codes used on the Azure website
l
l Creating an Azure storage account l Creating a container in an Azure storage account l Creating an Azure Active Directory web application l Obtaining Azure subscription information
l
l Obtaining a secret key for your Azure web application l Microsoft Azure documentation
Azure interface disclaimer
CAUTION: The Microsoft Azure interface is subject to change.
The information provided in this document relating to steps required in Azure were current as of the date of publication. This information is provided as a service to our customers to assist them with Azure prerequisites. However, when working with Azure, be aware that specific steps, URLs or even the Azure interface may change at any time, which is beyond our control. If you are having difficulty performing any steps related to your Azure subscription, please seek the advice of a Microsoft Azure representative.
Country codes used on the Azure website
The Azure website uses language and country codes for its web addresses, which affect display of the content in the appropriate language. The typical URL construction uses the format: https://[Microsoft or Azure domain]/[country-code]/[destination]/, in which the country code controls the language display and the remainder of the URL specifies the content. For example, when viewing the documentation center for US English, the URL is https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/. If viewing the same page for Spanish (Spain), the correct URL is https://docs.microsoft.com/es-es/azure/.
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The URLs for Azure used throughout this document include the country code for English in the United States. For other languages, URLs may differ based on the settings on your computer, and the languages and country codes Microsoft supports. If you are browsing in a language other than US English, or if your machine settings are configured for a different language, the language and country code portion of the various URLs cited in this guide may differ accordingly.
Before virtual export to Azure
Before you can perform virtual export to Azure, you need to meet all of the following prerequisites.
l You must have a protected machine with at least one recovery point in a Rapid Recovery Core that you want to export as a VM to Azure.
l Remote access must be enabled on the protected machine for the deployed VM to boot successfully. l You must have administrative access to an account on Azure. l You must have an Azure Active Directory (AD) web application. Each web application must have the
following characteristics: l A secret key. Immediately save the secret key to a secure location, as it cannot be recovered or viewed later. l A valid URL. The URL that you assign to your web application must contain valid URL syntax. However, from a Rapid Recovery perspective, this URL is not required to be active. l Appropriate permissions. An Azure administrator for your subscription must grant the web application the appropriate Identity and Access Management (IAM) permissions (specifically, the Owner role). NOTE: For details on creating and setting up your AD web application, see Creating an Azure Active Directory web application.
l Your Azure subscription must be associated with a resource group created using Azure Resource Manager. If using an older resource group created using Azure Service Manager, create a new resource group, since Microsoft no longer supports ASM objects.
l Within Azure, you must create (or have access to) a virtual network that is associated with your Azure subscription, location, and resource group. Since this controller is required when deploying a VM to Azure, it is a prerequisite for performing one-time virtual export, or for deploying a continual export (virtual standby) to an active VM in Azure.
l You must have access to specific information for your Azure subscription, as described in Required Azure subscription information later in this topic.
About Azure storage containers
Before performing virtual export to Azure, you must have an Azure storage account. For information about creating a storage account, see Creating an Azure storage account. When you complete the one-time VM export, the necessary files are exported to the specified storage account in format <storageAccountName>/<exportContainer>/<export_folder>. The default name for the export container is "export" and the default name for the export folder is the name of the protected VM. Since one-time virtual export automatically includes deployment of the exported VM, the export files are then copied into a deployment folder (of the same name) within a deployment container (named "deploy" by default). The VM is then deployed from this second location.
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If you select Show advanced options in the Storage page of the export wizard, you can select different existing container names, or you can enter new names for the export container and folder name and the deployment container.
Required Azure subscription information
When adding an Azure cloud account to your Rapid Recovery Core, or when performing virtual export to Azure, you must be able to identify specific information related to your Azure account. You are required to have details about your account or subscription (including account name and ID), region or location, your Azure web application and its appropriate role (Owner) and properties (directory or tenant ID, secret key, and virtual network). You must identify your resource group, and you must know the name of your storage accounts and their containers and sub-folders. Some of this information is described using more than one term. The following matrix can help guide you to the Azure information you may be asked to identify, and how to find it.

Rapid Recovery text box label

Corresponding Description Azure item label

Cloud account name

Subscription name (or Subscription)

Using the Cloud account name drop-down menu in the Virtual Machine Export Wizard is optional.
The first time you perform virtual export to Azure, no information is available from this menu.
After you successfully enter all credentials for an Azure subscription into the Rapid Recovery Core Console, the information is cached. Subsequently, instead of entering all credential information, you can select the appropriate subscription from the Cloud account name drop-down menu.

Region Application ID

Each Azure portal is associated with a geographic region. Choose the region your portal is accessed from. Options include:
l Azure Global Cloud
l Azure China Cloud
l Azure German Cloud
l Azure US Government Cloud
Each Azure AD web application created is assigned an application ID. For information about creating an Azure AD web application and its associated secret key, see Creating an Azure Active Directory web application.

Secret key

Keys

Each web application must have one or more secret keys that you can use to authenticate using Azure APIs.
CAUTION: When creating any secret key, immediately record the description and key value in a secure location for the long term. If you do not

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Rapid Recovery text box label

Corresponding Description Azure item label

Tenant ID Subscription ID Storage account name

retain the secret key for your Azure AD web application when you create it, it cannot be recovered.
For information about creating an Azure AD web application and its associated secret key, see Creating an Azure Active Directory web application.

Directory ID

This is the directory ID for the AD web application that connects the Core to your Azure subscription.

Subscription ID This ID is associated with your Azure subscription and your unique subscription name.

Resource group

The resource group is a container for resources that share a common life cycle. Using resource groups, you can deploy, manage, and monitor all the services for your solution as a group.

Export container

Storage container

Export folder name Deployment container
Resource group Virtual network

None None

An export container is a child object of the Azure storage container (resource group). When deploying a VM to Azure, this information is stored in a storage container within its parent resource group. Optionally, before exporting, you can create an appropriate storage container from within Azure into which the exported data is stored. You can also create the export storage container dynamically. In Rapid Recovery6.4, the default name provided is "export." Storage requirements grow as your protected machine protects more data. In your Azure account, the container you specify must be associated with a storage location with sufficient space to accommodate the VM. For more information, see the topic Creating a container in an Azure storage account.
By default, this folder is named after the VM you want to export.
This is the container name into which the VM is deployed. The default name provided is "deploy."
Specify the resource group to be used.
Specify the virtual network to be associated with the selected resource group. You must create this in Azure before deploying a VM to

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Rapid Recovery text box label

Corresponding Description Azure item label

Azure. Thus, it is required before performing a one-time virtual export, or before deploying an existing continual export to a VM.

For more information
l For more information on working with Azure, see Working with Microsoft Azure. l For a detailed description of aspects of virtual export that are unique to Azure, see Exporting and
deploying VMs for Azure. l For more information on Azure configurations and pricing, see the virtual machines pricing page on the
Azure website. l For links to other useful Azure-related references on Microsoft websites, see Microsoft Azure
documentation.
Related topics: For procedures related to exporting or deploying VMs on Azure, see the following topics:
l Before virtual export to Azure l Performing a one-time Azure export l Setting up continual export to Azure l Deploying a virtual machine in Azure

About Azure storage accounts
Users are advised to research features of Azure before using them with Rapid Recovery. Proper research enables you to balance your needs, preferences, and costs. Take the example of an Azure storage account, which contains data objects: Binary Large OBjects (or "blobs",) files, queues, tables, and disks. When creating an Azure storage account, consider the following aspects:
l What type of objects are you storing?
l Is the retention length expected to be brief or long?
l Do you intend to access data frequently or rarely?
l How quickly do you need access to the information stored there (immediately, minutes, hours)?
When performing virtual export to Azure, you must select or create a storage account that supports the relevant type of blobs. For export, Rapid Recovery uses page blobs, which are a collection of 512-byte pages optimized for random read and write operations. Azure now supports a maximum page blob size of 8TB. Eventually, this Azure restriction is likely to be increased in the future. Accordingly, as of release 6.4, Rapid Recovery Core has doubled the supported maximum data disk size for virtual export and deploy to Azure from 4TB to 8TB. Azure storage offers different access tiers, which affect cost, restrict data types, affect speed of access, and apply to the frequency of use. Select the Azure storage account kind that best reflects your needs. For Azure storage, there are 3 account kinds, which is relevant when determining which blobs you want to store and how quickly or often you need to access them. These are shown in the following table:

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Kind

Description

Recommendations

Storage (general purpose v1), or GPV1

Legacy storage type. Supports page blobs, required for virtual export. Does not have an access tier.

Can be used for virtual export or archiving to Azure. Microsoft documentation suggests using GPV2 instead when possible.

Storage V2 (general purpose v2), or GPV2

Contemporary and default storage account type. Supports page blobs, required for virtual export. Lets you select an access tier when creating the storage account. Incorporates all of the functionality of GPV1 and BlobStorage accounts.

Recommended by Microsoft. Hot access tier has higher storage costs, but the lowest access costs. Use GPV2 with hot access tier for continual export to Azure; consider GPV2 with cool access tier for one-time export.

BlobStorage

Legacy account kind. Supports only block and append blobs, not page blobs, and thus does not support virtual export. Lets you select an access tier when creating the storage account.

Can be used for archiving but not for virtual export. Microsoft documentation suggests using GPV2 instead when possible.

NOTE: You can upgrade a GPV1 or BlobStorage account to a GPV2 account with no downtime and without the need to copy data. For more information, see Azure article Upgrade to a General-purpose v2 storage account.

Creating an Azure storage account
You must have administrative access to an account on Azure. NOTE: The Microsoft Azure interface is subject to change. For more information, see Azure interface disclaimer.
To perform certain functions (including virtual export from Rapid Recovery Core to an Azure account), you must first create a storage account on Azure.
NOTE: When creating a storage account, many of the options have additional information available by clicking the information icon. Place your cursor over the icon for more information. Complete the steps in this procedure to create an Azure storage account.
1. Open the Microsoft Azure dashboard. 2. From the left navigation area, click All resources. 3. From the All resources pane, click + Add.
4. In the New blade, click Storage Account.

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5. On the Create storage account page, enter the parameters for your Azure storage account as described in the following table:

Option Subscription Resource group
Storage account name
Location Performance Account kind Replication Access tier (default)

Description
Required. Select the subscription into which you want this storage account to be created.
Required. Select the resource group in which you want this storage account to be created.
NOTE: For successful virtual export, this owning resource group must be created using Azure Resource Manager.
Required. Provide a clear unique description for your storage account, using between 3 and 24 characters consisting only of lower-case letters and numbers. For example, companyabcstorage1.
Required. Choose the appropriate Azure region.
Select Standard or Premium.
Select an account kind. The default, StorageV2 (general purpose v2), is recommended for most scenarios.
Choose a replication strategy for your storage account. The default is Read-access geo-redundant storage (RA-GRS).
Choose from Cool or Hot, based on frequency of access.

6. Optionally, to change the requirement for secure transfer or to associate with a virtual network, click Next: Advanced. Otherwise, skip to step 10.
7. On the Advanced page, in the Security area, to disable or enable secure transfer, click the appropriate selection. Secure transfer is enabled by default.

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8. Optionally, on the Advanced page, in the Virtual Networks area, to select an existing virtual network associated with your subscription, location, and resource group, from the Virtual network drop-down menu, select a network and skip to step 9. To create a new virtual network associated with this subscription, location, and resource group, do the following:
a. Under the Virtual network option, click Create new.
b. On the Create virtual network page, in the Name text field, enter a name for your new virtual network. NOTE: Restrict the name to letters, numbers, underscores, periods, or hyphens. See additional name restrictions in the Azure UI.
c. In the Address Space area, select the default address range to restrict access to IP addresses between 10.1.0.0 and 10.1.255.255. To restrict to a narrower set
d. In the Subnets area, select a subnet name contained by the address range specified in the previous step. For example, select default.
e. When satisfied with your virtual network settings, click Create. The Advanced page closes and the virtual network you created is selected.
9. On the Advanced page, in the Virtual Networks area, if you selected an existing virtual network, from the Subnets drop-down menu, select an appropriate subnet for your virtual network.
10. When satisfied with your storage account details, click Review + create to validate the settings.
11. If validation errors are found, visit the page with the error, update the parameters you defined, and review again.
12. When satisfied, click Create. You see a message indicating that the deployment of your storage account has started. If toast alerts are active, you see another message when the deployment is completed.

Creating a container in an Azure storage account

The following items are prerequisites:
l You must have administrative access to an account on Azure. l You must have a storage account defined within your Azure account.
When you perform virtual export, the information is stored in a container within an Azure storage account. You can define the container from your Azure account before performing virtual export, using the procedure below.
NOTE: If you do not define containers in advance, you can choose default containers (named export and deploy, respectively) Complete the steps in this procedure to create a container in an Azure storage account.
1. Open the Microsoft Azure dashboard.
2. From the left navigation area, click All resources.

3. From the All resources pane, click the name of the from your Rapid Recovery virtual exports.

storage account in which you want to store data

4. In the Settings pane, under Services, click Blobs. 5. From the top of the Blob service pane, in the header, click + Container.

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6. From the New container pane, in the Name field, type the name for your new container. NOTE: Type a name between 3 and 63 characters, using only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.
7. From the New container pane, from the Public access level drop-down menu, select an access level to define whether the container can be accessed publicly. Use the following as guidance.

Option

Description

Private (no anonymous access)
Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only)
Container (anonymous read access for containers and blobs)

This option restricts the container to the account owner. This option allows public read access for Binary Large Objects (Blobs). This option allows public read and list access to the entire container.

For example, select Container (anonymous read access for containers and blobs).
l Click OK. If Toast alerts are active, you should see a message indicating that the container was successfully created. The Blob service page refreshes, with the new container name displayed in the list.

Creating an Azure Active Directory web application
Perform these steps before attempting virtual export to Azure. You must use an Azure Active Directory (AD) web application to serve as a connection between your Rapid Recovery Core and your Azure subscription. After creating the web application, record its application ID, and create a secret key associated with the application. You should also gather the tenant ID. Finally, associate the appropriate privileges to your web application. Complete the steps in this procedure to create an Azure AD web application with the appropriate keys and privileges.
1. From the Azure navigation menu, click Azure Active Directory and select App registrations.
2. Click + New application registration. 3. On the Create page, in the Name field, provide a name for your application. Your name must have at
least 4 characters. 4. From the Application type drop-down field, select Web app / API. 5. In the Sign-on URL field, enter the URL where a user can sign into Azure and use the app. This value
can later be changed, but it must be a valid URL, for example: http://YourAppLogin.com or https://YourSecureAppLogin.net.
6. When satisfied click Create. The details pane for your web application appears.
7. From the details pane for your web application, copy the Application ID to an easily accessible location (for example, to a Notepad document on your Core server).
8. From the details page for your web application, click Settings.

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9. From the Settings pane, click Keys. 10. From the Keys pane, do the following:
a. In the Description field, enter a text description to describe the secret key. b. From the Expires drop-down menu, select a duration for this secret key, for example, 2 years. c. From the top of the Settings pane, click Save.
CAUTION: Immediately record the secret key description and value in a secure location for the long term. If you do not retain the secret key for your Azure AD web application when you create it, it cannot be recovered. 11. Now obtain the Directory ID for the AD web application (described in the Rapid Recovery Core Console as the Tenant ID) by doing the following: a. From the Azure navigation menu, click Azure Active Directory. b. From the Properties pane, scroll down if necessary and click Properties. c. From the Properties Details pane, copy the Directory ID value to an easily accessible location. 12. Finally, as an Azure user with administrative privileges, add the Owner role to your web application by doing the following: a. From the Azure navigation menu, click All services. b. From the General category, click Subscriptions and then click on your Azure subscription. c. In the Subscription blade, click Access control (IAM), and then click + Add. The Add permissions dialog box appears. d. From the Role drop-down menu, select Owner. e. From the Assign access to drop-down menu, select Azure AD user, group, or application. f. From the Select drop-down menu, search for and select the name of your AD web application, and then click Save.
Obtaining the application ID for an Azure web application
Complete the steps in this procedure to obtain the application ID for an existing Azure AD web application.
1. From the Azure navigation menu, click Azure Active Directory. The Overview page appears.
2. From the Overview page, click App registrations. The Application registrations page appears.
3. Review the list of application registrations, and click the appropriate application. The details page for the specified application appears.
4. Click Click to Copy to copy the application ID to your clipboard. Retain this information for connecting your Azure account to your Rapid Recovery Core.
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Obtaining Azure subscription information
This step requires you to have an Azure subscription. You must have the Owner role. NOTE: If you are not the owner, contact your Azure administrator and request ownership.
When you have an Azure subscription, certain information associated with your subscription is required to perform virtual export to Azure. Complete the steps in this procedure to obtain information about your Azure subscription.
1. Open the Microsoft Azure dashboard. 2. From the Azure left navigation area, click All services. 3. From the All services pane, click + Subscriptions. 4. From the Subscriptions pane, locate the correct subscription. Note the subscription name, and ID, and
verify that your role is Owner.
Obtaining the directory ID for your Azure web application
As a prerequisite for this task, you must create an Active Directory (AD) web application in your Azure subscription. For more information, see Creating an Azure Active Directory web application. When associating an Azure cloud account with the Rapid Recovery Core, one parameter you must provide is the tenant ID. Azure calls this parameter the directory ID. The directory ID is a property of the Active Directory (AD) web application you create within your Azure subscription. Complete the steps in this procedure to obtain the directory ID for your AD web application from your Azure account.
1. From the Azure navigation menu, click Azure Active Directory. 2. From the Properties pane, scroll down if necessary and click Properties. 3. From the Properties Details pane, copy the Directory ID value to an easily accessible location.
This parameter is referred to in the Rapid Recovery Core Console as the tenant ID. 4. Finally, as an Azure user with administrative privileges, add the Owner role to your web application by
doing the following: a. From the Azure navigation menu, click All services. b. From the General category, click Subscriptions and then click on your Azure subscription. c. In the Subscription blade, click Access control (IAM), and then click + Add. The Add permissions dialog box appears. d. From the Role drop-down menu, select Owner. e. From the Assign access to drop-down menu, select Azure AD user, group, or application. f. From the Select drop-down menu, search for and select the name of your AD web application, and then click Save.
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Obtaining a secret key for your Azure web application

As a prerequisite for this task, you must create an Active Directory (AD) web application in your Azure subscription. You must have a secret key to connect to and use your Azure Active Directory (AD) web application with Rapid Recovery. Typically, a key is created as part of the process for defining the web application. When creating the secret key, immediately save the secret key to a secure location, as it cannot be recovered or viewed later.
NOTE: The steps for defining your secret key after creating the web application is described in the topic Creating an Azure Active Directory web application
If you do not record the secret key value, you can create a new secret key for your web application in Azure. Complete the steps in this procedure to create a new secret key associated with an existing Azure AD web application.

1. From the Azure navigation menu, click Azure Active Directory and select
2. Click the name of the appropriate AD web application in your Azure account. Details for the selected web application appear.

App registrations.

3. From the details page for your web application, click Settings.
4. From the Settings pane, click Keys. 5. From the Keys pane, do the following:
a. In the Key description text area, enter a text description to help identify the purpose of the secret key. For example, to describe this key as the one you will use with Rapid Recovery Core, type RRCore-key.
b. From the Expires drop-down menu, select a duration for this secret key, for example, 2 years.
c. From the top of the Settings pane, click Save.

CAUTION: Immediately record the secret key description and value in a secure location for the long term. If you do not retain the secret key for your Azure AD web application when you create it, it cannot be recovered.

Microsoft Azure documentation
Microsoft has substantial documentation on using Azure available in its documentation center. For information on creating an Azure subscription or user account, selecting Azure resources for VMs you create on Azure, adding a storage account to your VMs, and more, see the Microsoft documentation at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation. For example, for information on provisioning or managing Windows VMs, see https://azure.microsoft.com/enus/documentation/services/virtual-machines/windows/. For online videos about using Azure, see http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/get-started/.
Relevant Microsoft links
Some relevant articles on Microsoft websites are listed below:
l Azure login page (US) l Microsoft Azure home page

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l Microsoft documentation center l Windows virtual machines documentation l Subscriptions, licenses, accounts, and tenants for Microsoft's cloud offerings l Videos: Get started with Azure l Azure Virtual machines pricing l Azure services by region l About Azure storage accounts l Creating a storage account on Azure l How to attach a data disk to a Windows VM in the Azure portal l Use the Microsoft Azure Import/Export Service to Transfer Data to Blob Storage l Import/Export Pricing l Storage: Import/Export Hard Disk Drives to Windows Azure (blog post) l Overview of Availability Zones in Azure
Third-party related links
l Azure VM comparison. This third-party website offers comparisons on Azure VM costs. If using PowerShell or Command Line commands to perform Azure tasks at the command line, you can obtain the VM name parameter from the first column in the this table.
Exporting and deploying VMs for Azure
Unlike virtual export for other platforms, virtual export for Azure is divided between two processes: exporting, and deploying. Be advised that Microsoft Azure customers are responsible for their own fees. Some aspects of our integration with Azure are designed with this fee structure in mind. For example, Microsoft charges fees when you deploy a VM on Azure, and when data is transmitted from Azure to another source.
NOTE: Since Microsoft can change prerequisites, requirements, costs, and so on, always verify such information with Azure. For more information, see the Azure website or contact an Azure representative. To avoid incurring unnecessary charges, virtual export to Azure consists of two separate processes. The process of exporting extracts the necessary set of files from Rapid Recovery, validates them, and uploads them to the specified container in Azure. These files include:
l One virtual hard disk (VHD) file for each volume in the recovery point. l One XML file, which contains metadata information about each disk (a list of files present on each disk
and a flag indicating if a volume is a system disk). l One VHD file containing the backup snapshot.
Other than costs for the required storage, exporting by itself does not incur any Azure fees. The deployment process combines these files into a bootable virtual machine. Deployment directly uses Azure cloud REST APIs. The original set of files placed on Azure during the export process is read-only in Azure, and consumes space but does not otherwise incur Azure charges. When you deploy these files, a duplicate copy of them is created, stored in a separate container you define, and combined into a working virtual machine. From an Azure account perspective, after you deploy, you are then charged fees for the VM on its servers. Since the
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deployed VM is a copy of the exported files, the deployment process also doubles the amount of storage space used in Azure for that virtual export. For a one-time virtual export, there is no mechanism for deploying as a separate process. Thus, for the export to be useful, you should deploy to Azure when you create the virtual machine on demand. As a result, one-time exports to Azure have an immediate cost associated with the VM you deploy. When establishing virtual standby for a protected machine on Azure, to avoid use of extra storage space and VM charges, you can simply define the export process. The result is an initial virtual export to Azure which is continually updated. Each time a snapshot is captured on the Core, the exported files are refreshed in your Azure account with updated information. Before the virtual export can be used as a bootable VM, you must deploy it, which triggers VM costs on Azure. If you do not need to convert the exported files for a protected machine to a bootable VM, no VM costs are incurred in your Azure account. For information about performing a one-time export to Azure, including deployment, see the topic Performing a one-time Azure export. For information about setting up continual export to Azure, excluding deployment, see the topic Setting up continual export to Azure. For information about deploying the most recent exported files to create a bootable virtual standby VM in Azure, see the topic Deploying a virtual machine in Azure.
Performing a one-time Azure export
For prerequisites, see Before virtual export to Azure. Before you can perform a one-time Azure export, you need the following:
l You must have a protected machine with at least one recovery point in a Rapid Recovery Core that you want to export to Azure.
l Remote access must be enabled on the protected machine for the deployed VM to boot successfully.
l You must have administrative access to an account on Azure.
l Optionally, before exporting, you can create an appropriate container within your Azure storage account into which the exported data is stored. For more information, see the topic Creating a container in an Azure storage account.
As described in the topic Exporting and deploying VMs for Azure, virtual export to Azure consists of two processes: exporting and deploying. The process of exporting extracts the necessary set of files from Rapid Recovery, validates them, and uploads them to the specified container in Azure. These files include:
l One virtual hard disk (VHD) file for each volume in the recovery point
l One XML file, which contains metadata information about each disk (a list of files present on each disk and a flag indicating if a volume is a system disk)
l One VHD file containing the backup snapshot
The deployment process combines these files into a bootable virtual machine. Deployment uses direct Azure cloud REST APIs. The original set of files placed on Azure during the export process is read-only in Azure, and consumes space but does not invoke additional Azure charges. When you deploy these files, a duplicate copy of them is created, stored in a separate container you define, and combined into a working virtual machine. From an Azure account perspective, after you deploy you are then charged fees for the VM on its servers. The deployment process also doubles the amount of storage space used in Azure for that virtual export. For a one-time virtual export, there is no mechanism for deploying as a separate process; thus, for the export to be useful, you should deploy when you create the virtual machine on demand.
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When establishing virtual standby for a protected machine on Azure, to avoid use of extra storage space and VM charges, you can export, and continually update the recovery point automatically, without the need to deploy. You can then deploy in Azure only when and if you need to use the VM. For information about deploying a virtual standby in Azure to a functioning VM, see the topic Deploying a virtual machine in Azure.
Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a one-time export to Azure on demand, including deploying to a VM.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the button bar, click the
then click VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu, and

2. In the wizard, from the Select VM Export Type page, select One-time export and then select Next.

3. On the Machines page, click the row in the Machines grid representing the protected machine that you want to export, and then click Next.

4. On the Recovery Points page, scroll through the list of recovery points if necessary, and click to select the recovery point that you want to use for the export. Then click Next.

5. On the Destination page, in the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select Azure.

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6. Enter the parameters for accessing the virtual machine as described in the following table, and then click Next.

Table 128: Azure credentials

Options

Description

Cloud account name

Entering this parameter is optional. Each time you successfully connect to a cloud account, Rapid Recovery Core caches your credentials so you can use them again. Do one of the following:
l If you previously connected this Core with the Azure account you want to export to, then optionally, from the Cloud account name drop-down menu, select the appropriate Azure subscription name, and then click Next. Skip to step 5.
l If no value appears in the drop-down menu, or if you want to export to a different cloud account, provide the credential information requested for your Azure account, starting with Region.

Region

Application ID

Provide the application ID or client ID associated with your Azure Active Directory (AD) web application.
NOTE: If you do not have an Azure AD web application to serve as a connection between your Rapid Recovery Core and your Azure subscription, create one using the steps described in Creating an Azure Active Directory web application. Step 7 describes how to obtain the application ID. Step 10 describes how to create a secret key. Step 11 describes how to obtain the tenant ID or directory ID. Ensure you perform step 12 to provide this application with the Owner role.
If you already have an AD web application to use for the Core and you need the application ID, see Obtaining the application ID for an Azure web application.

Secret key

Each web application must have one or more secret keys that you can use to authenticate using Azure APIs. Provide the secret key (or authentication key) associated with your web application.
NOTE: Immediately after creating your secret key in Azure, be sure to copy the key value and store it in a secure location. Once that page is closed, you will no longer be able to view or obtain the secret key. You can, however, create a new secret key.
For information about creating a secret key, see Obtaining a secret key for your Azure web application.

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Options

Description

Tenant ID

Provide the tenant ID, also known as the directory ID. For information about obtaining this ID, see Obtaining the directory ID for your Azure web application.

Subscription This is the ID associated with your Azure subscription.

For information about obtaining this ID, see Obtaining Azure subscription information.

7. On the Storage page, from the Storage account name drop-down menu, select the existing Azure storage account name in which you want to store your exported Azure VM.
8. Optionally, if you want to specify the container and folder names for exporting or deploying, select Show advanced options, and proceed to the next step. Otherwise, skip to step 11.
NOTE: When you complete the one-time VM export, the necessary files are exported to an export folder within an export container in the specified storage account. These files are then copied into a deployment folder within a deployment container, and the VM is then deployed from this second location.

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9. On the Storage page, with advanced storage options displayed, enter information as described in the following table:

Table 129: Continual export to Azure advanced storage options

Option

Description

Export container

Do one of the following:
l When using Rapid Recovery for virtual export, each Azure storage account has a default export container named export. If you want to use the default export container, leave that name in this text box.
l If you want to specify a different container to hold the exported VM, in the Export container text box, type a new name following Azure's required naming conventions.
NOTE: The container name must be between 3 and 63 characters, starting with a letter or number, and must consist of lower-case letters, numbers, and single hyphens only.

Export folder name

l If you want to specify a different folder name to hold exported VM components, in the Export folder name text box, type a new name.

NOTE: The export folder name does not have the same naming or character restrictions. Nonetheless, best practice is to name the folder with upper and lower-case letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. Quest recommends that you avoid using prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

When the VM is deployed, a copy of the export folder becomes the deployment folder, containing the same name.

Deployment container

Do one of the following:
l When your VM is deployed, Rapid Recovery provides a default deployment container named deploy. If you want to use the default deploy container, leave that name in this text box.

l If you want to specify a different container to hold the deployed VM, in the Deployment container text box, type a new name following Azure's required naming conventions.

NOTE: The container name must be between 3 and 63 characters, starting with a letter or number, and must consist of lower-case letters, numbers, and single hyphens only.

Resource group

Select an Azure resource group created using Azure Resource Manager.

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Option

Description
NOTE: If you only have older resource groups created using Azure Service Manager, stop here and create a new resource group in Azure, since Microsoft no longer supports ASM objects. Then return to this step of the procedure and continue.

10. When satisfied with your advanced storage options, click Next.
NOTE: If any custom field values do not pass validation, place your cursor over each highlighted text box to see the restrictions. Change the custom values to comply with those rules and then click Next.

11. On the Virtual Machine Options page, enter the information described in the following table.

Table 130: Virtual machine options

Option

Description

Virtual machine name

Enter a name for the virtual machine.
NOTE: Type a name between 3 and 15 characters, using only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.

Virtual machine size

From the drop-down menu, select an appropriate VM size.
NOTE: For more information on Azure configurations and pricing, see the virtual machines pricing page on the Azure website. For links to other useful references on Microsoft websites, see Microsoft Azure documentation.

Virtual network

Select a virtual network created in Azure. You can associate a container created in Azure with a virtual network, as described in the topic Creating an Azure storage account.
NOTE: If you do not yet have a virtual network, stop here and create a new virtual network in Azure. Then return to this step of the procedure and continue.

12. Click Next.
13. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, the system reserved volume and C:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the export queue on the Virtual Standby page, or on the Events page.

Setting up continual export to Azure
For prerequisites, see Before virtual export to Azure. Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a continual virtual export of the selected machine to a specified container in an Azure cloud account using Rapid Recovery. This process is also known as setting up virtual standby.
NOTE: This process does not include deploying the exported files to create a bootable VM. For steps on deploying, see Deploying a virtual machine in Azure.

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1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, do one of the following:

l From the Core Console, in the button bar, click the select VM Export. The Virtual Machine Export Wizard appears.

Restore drop-down menu, and then

a. In the wizard, select Continual export (virtual standby). b. Click Next.

l From the Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).
l On the Virtual Standby page, click + Add to launch the Virtual Machine Export Wizard. 2. On the Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machine that you want to export, and then
click Next. 3. On the Destination page, from the Export a virtual machine to drop-down menu, select Azure.

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4. Enter the parameters for accessing the virtual machine as described in the following table, and then click Next.

Table 131: Azure credentials

Options

Description

Cloud account name

Region

Application ID

Provide the application ID or client ID associated with your Azure Active Directory (AD) web application.
NOTE: If you do not have an Azure AD web application to serve as a connection between your Rapid Recovery Core and your Azure subscription, create one using the steps described in Creating an Azure Active Directory web application. Step 7 of that procedure describes how to obtain the application ID. Step 10 describes how to create a secret key. Step 11 describes how to obtain the tenant ID or directory ID. Ensure you perform step 12 to provide the web application with the Owner role.
If you already have an AD web application to use for the Core and you need the application ID, see Obtaining the application ID for an Azure web application.

Secret key

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Options

Description

Tenant ID

Provide the tenant ID, also known as the directory ID. For information about obtaining this ID, see Obtaining the directory ID for your Azure web application.

Subscription This is the ID associated with your Azure subscription.

For information about obtaining this ID, see Obtaining Azure subscription information.

5. On the Storage page, from the Storage account name drop-down menu, select the existing Azure storage account name in which you want to store your exported Azure VM.
6. Optionally, if you want to specify the export container or provide an export folder name different than the name of your protected machine, select Show advanced options, and proceed to the next step. Otherwise, skip to step 11.
7. On the Storage page, with advanced storage options displayed, enter information as described in the following table:

Table 132: One-time export to Azure advanced storage options

Option Description

Export container

l If you want to specify a different container to hold the exported VM, in the Export container text box, type a new name following Azure's required naming conventions.

NOTE: The container name must be between 3 and 63 characters, starting with a letter or number, and must consist of lower-case letters, numbers, and single hyphens only.

Export folder name

Do one of the following:
l By default, the export folder is named after the protected machine from which this recovery point was captured. If you want to use the default export folder name, leave that name in this text box.
l If you want to specify a different folder name to hold exported VM components, in the Export folder name text box, type a new name. NOTE: The export folder name does not have the same naming or character restrictions. Nonetheless, best practice is to name the folder with upper and lower-case letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. Quest recommends that you avoid using prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.
When the VM is deployed, a copy of the export folder becomes the deployment folder, containing the same name.

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8. When satisfied with your advanced storage options, click Next. NOTE: If any custom field values do not pass validation, place your cursor over each highlighted text box to see the restrictions. Change the custom values to comply with those rules, and then click Next.
9. If you see an export warning indicating that the export will replace files from the previous export, if this is acceptable, confirm to close the dialog box and continue.
10. On the Virtual Machine Options page, if you want to queue the export job immediately, select Perform initial one-time export. Clear this option if you want the Core to wait until the next forced or scheduled backup snapshot.
11. When satisfied with your virtual machine options, click Next.
12. On the Volumes page, select the volumes to export (for example, the system reserved volume and C:\), and then click Finish to close the wizard and start the export.
NOTE: You can monitor the status and progress of the export by viewing the Virtual Standby or Events pages.
The virtual standby parameters you define in this procedure cause the export of the files necessary to create a VM in your Azure account. After every snapshot (forced or scheduled), these files are updated in Azure with any new backup information. Before you can boot these files as a VM, you must deploy the VM on Azure. For steps on deploying, see Deploying a virtual machine in Azure.

Deploying a virtual machine in Azure

Before you can deploy a VM in Azure, you must have a protected machine on a Rapid Recovery Core with at least one recovery point, and you must set up continual export (virtual standby) in the Core Console.
On the Azure side, you must have already created a virtual network.
For more information about setting up continual export, see Setting up continual export to Azure. This process also requires you to have an Azure account with sufficient storage associated with your Core.
When you set up virtual standby for a protected machine to Azure, the latest backup information is continually exported from the Core to your Azure account after every backup snapshot. This process overwrites the previous set of export files stored on the Azure VM in the export folder location with updated backup information. Before you can boot the virtual export as a VM (for example, if your original protected machine has failed), you must first select the appropriate virtual standby machine in the Core Console, and deploy it. This process generates a bootable VM in the deployment container within Azure.
Complete the steps in this procedure to deploy your most recent virtual standby export files to a bootable VM in Azure.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby).

2. In the Virtual Standby pane, identify the machine in your Rapid Recovery Core that is set up for continual export to Azure.

3. From the row representing the virtual standby machine you want to deploy, click

(More options) and

then select Deploy Virtual Machine.

The Deploy to Azure Wizard appears on the Destination page. Several parameters are automatically

populated with information.

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4. On the Destination page, do one of the following: l If you want to use a deployment container that already exists in your Azure account, then from the Deployment container drop-down menu, select the appropriate container name. l If you want to create a new deployment container in your Azure account, then in the Deployment container text box, type the name for your new deployment container.
5. From the Resource group drop-down menu, select the Azure resource group with which you want to associate the deployed virtual machine.
6. Click Next. The Virtual Machine Options page appears.
7. On the Virtual Machine Options page, in the Virtual machine name text box, enter a name for the virtual machine. NOTE: Type a name between 3 and 15 characters, using only letters, numbers, and hyphens. The name must start with a letter and cannot end with a hyphen.
8. From the Virtual machine size drop-down menu, select the appropriate size for the new VM you want to create within Azure. The size includes a number of processor cores, the desired amount of virtual memory, and the required number of data disks. NOTE: For more information on Azure configurations and pricing, see the virtual machines pricing page on the Azure website. For links to other useful references on Microsoft websites, see Microsoft Azure documentation.
9. From the Virtual network drop-down menu, select the appropriate virtual network controller to associate with your new VM.
10. Click Next. The Disks page appears. If multiple disk volumes exist in the source recovery point, each disk appears in a separate row on the Disks table.
11. From the Disks page, select the disks you want to export to your new VM. NOTE: Your VM must include a system disk. Accordingly, the system disk is automatically selected and cannot be excluded from the new VM.
12. When satisfied, click Finish to close the wizard and start the deployment. The Deploy to Azure Wizard closes and a Deploy job is queued. If resources are available, the deployment begins immediately. NOTE: If Toast alerts are enabled, you can open the Monitor Active Task dialog box to view the progress. Alternatively, you can monitor the progress of the deployment by viewing tasks on the Events page.
Once the deployment completes, in your Azure account, you can see the new VM in Azure's Virtual machines view.
CAUTION: Once the VM is available, you are also paying fees. To avoid ongoing charges from Microsoft, delete the deployed VM when it is not needed. You can always deploy a VM from the latest set of virtual export files by repeating this procedure.
Managing exports
If your Core has continual export set up, the configuration parameters for each virtual export appear as a row on
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the Virtual Standby page. From here you can view the status of established continual exports, and manage your virtual standby machines. You can add a virtual standby, force export, pause or resume virtual standby, or remove the requirements for continual export from your Core Console. When a one-time export takes place, the job is listed in the export queue on the Virtual Standby page. During this time, you can pause, resume, or cancel the one-time export operation. Virtual export to a virtual standby VM does not occur if the VM is powered on. Complete the steps in this procedure to manage virtual exports.

1. On the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the icon bar, click (Virtual Standby). The Virtual Standby page appears. Here you can view two tables of saved export settings. They include the information described in the following table.

Table 133: Virtual standby information

Column Description
Select item For each row in the summary table, you can select the check box to perform actions from the list of menu options preceding the table.

Status indicator

Colored spheres in the Status column show the status of virtual standby. If you hover the cursor over the colored circle, the status condition is displayed.

l Green. Virtual standby is successfully configured, is active, and is not paused. The next export is performed immediately following completion of the next snapshot.
l Yellow. Virtual standby pauses, but the parameters are still defined and saved in the Core. However, after a new transfer, the export job will not start automatically and there will be no new exports for this protected machine until the status changes.

Machine Name

The name of the source machine.

VM Status This column shows for each virtual standby definition whether continual export has been initiated.

Destination The virtual machine and path to which data is being exported.

Export Type

This column shows the type of virtual machine platform for the export, such as vCenter/ESXi, VMware Workstation, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, or Azure.

Hypervisor This column displays the availability of the hypervisor host. Status

Last Export

This column shows the date and time of the last export. If an export has just been added but has not completed, a message displays stating the export has not yet been performed. If an export has failed or was canceled, a corresponding message also displays.

Settings

The

(More options) drop-down menu lets you perform the following functions:

l Edit. Lets you edit the virtual standby settings.

l Force. Forces a virtual export.

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Column

Description
l Pause. Pauses virtual export. Only available when status is active. l Resume. Resumes virtual export. Only available when status is paused. l Remove. Removes the requirement for continual export. Does not remove the
exported VM most recently updated. l Start VM. Starts an already-exported virtual machine.
NOTE: New data cannot be written to the virtual standby machine when the VM is started.
l Stop VM. Stops an already-exported virtual machine. l Network Adapters. Lets you add or modify virtual network adapters. l Deploy Virtual Machine. For Azure continual export only, this option converts the
exported files in your Azure account to a bootable VM.

Table 134: Export queue information

Column Description

Select item For each row in the summary table, you can select the check box to perform actions from the list of menu options preceding the table. These options include:

l Cancel. Cancel the current one-time virtual export. l Settings. Lets you update the maximum concurrent exports setting.

Status indicator

Shows as a percentage the status of the current export. When no one-time exports are queued, this column has no value.

Machine Name

The name of the source machine.

Destination The virtual machine and path to which data is being exported.

Export Type

This column shows the type of virtual machine platform for the export, such as vCenter/ESXi, VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, or Azure.

Schedule Type

Click on to see the schedule type. This shows the type of export as either One-time or Continuous.

2. To manage saved export settings, select an export, and then click one of the following:
l Edit. Opens the Virtual Machine Export Wizard to the VM Options page. Here you can change the location of the exported VM, change the version of the VM type, or specify RAM or processors for the export. To immediately start the VM export, select Perform initial one-time export.
l Force. Forces a new export. This option could be helpful when virtual standby is paused and then resumed, which means the export job will restart only after a new transfer. If you do not want to wait for the new transfer, you could force an export.
l Pause. Pauses an active export.
l Resume. Resumes the requirement for continue export at the next scheduled or forced snapshot.

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3. To remove an export from the system, select the export, and then click Remove. The export configuration is permanently removed from the system. Removing the virtual standby configuration does not remove any virtual machine exported as a result of the configuration.
4. To deploy a VM to Azure, select Deploy Virtual Machine and complete details in the Deploy to Azure Wizard. Data from the most recent virtual export saved to your Azure account is deployed within your associated Azure account as a bootable VM.
5. To manage the number of exports that run at the same time, do the following: Under Export Queue, click Settings. In the Maximum Concurrent Exports dialog box, enter the number of exports you want to run simultaneously. The default number is 5. Click Save.
6. To cancel a one-time or continual export currently listed in the Export Queue, select the export, and then click Cancel.
7. To add a new virtual standby export, you can click Add to launch the Export Wizard. Completing the resulting wizard results in a continual export for the selected protected machine. For further information about setting up virtual standby for a specific virtual machine, see one of the following topics: l Setting up continual export to ESXi l Setting up continual export to VMware Workstation l Setting up continual export to Hyper-V l Setting up continual export to VirtualBox l Setting up continual export to Azure
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15
Restoring data
This section describes how to restore data from recovery points saved to your repository using Rapid Recovery Core. Topics include:
About restoring data with Rapid Recovery Understanding Live Recovery Restoring data from recovery points VM configuration backup and restore for VMware and Hyper-V About the file search and restore feature About restoring volumes from a recovery point Restoring clusters and cluster nodes Restoring from an attached archive Mail Restore in Rapid Recovery
About restoring data with Rapid Recovery
The Rapid Recovery Core can instantly restore data or recover machines to physical or virtual machines from recovery points. The recovery points contain agent volume snapshots captured at the block level. These snapshots are application aware, meaning that all open transactions and rolling transaction logs are completed and caches are flushed to disk before creating the snapshot. Using application-aware snapshots in tandem with Verified Recovery enables the Core to perform several types of recoveries, including:
l Recovery of files and folders l Recovery of data volumes, using Live Recovery l Recovery of data volumes for Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SQL Server, using Live
Recovery l Bare metal restore, using Universal Recovery
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l Bare metal restore to dissimilar hardware, using Universal Recovery l One-time on demand and continual export to virtual machines
NOTE: When you restore data or perform virtual export, the recovery point used must be part of a complete recovery point chain. For more information about recovery point chains, see the topic Recovery point chains and orphans.
Understanding Live Recovery
Live Recovery is a feature of restoring data in Rapid Recovery Core. If your protected machine experiences data failure of a non-system Windows volume, you can restore data from a recovery point on the Rapid Recovery Core. Selecting Live Recovery in the Restore Machine Wizard allows users to immediately continue business operations with near-zero downtime. Live Recovery during restore gives you immediate access to data, even while Rapid Recovery continues to restore data in the background. This feature allows near-zero recovery-time, even if the restore involves terabytes of data. Rapid Recovery Core uses unique block-based backup and recovery technology that allows full user access to target servers during the recovery process. Requested blocks are restored on-demand for seamless recovery. Live Recovery applies to physical and virtual machines protected by Rapid Recovery Agent, with the following exclusions:
l Live Recovery is accessible to Windows volumes, excluding system volumes. The C:\ drive and the system-reserved partition cannot be restored using Live Recovery.
l Live Recovery is accessible to Windows-based volumes using the Rapid Recovery Agent. Agentless volumes or Linux volumes cannot take advantage of Live Recovery.
Live Recovery lets you instantly restore physical or virtual servers directly from the backup file. When a nonsystem volume is being restored, Rapid Recovery presents the volume metadata to the operating system instantly, making that data available on demand. For example, if the database volume of Microsoft Exchange is corrupt, Live Recovery can restore the volume, database, and Exchange services in minutes. This feature provides the fastest method of recovering large quantities of data with minimal downtime. Users can immediately continue business operations. Once Live Recovery begins, the restored volume and its contents become instantly available. Rapid Recovery Core continues to restore the data in the background, even though the volume, its data, applications and services are already back in production. If specific data is requested, the background process prioritizes the restoration of this data immediately. This powerful functionality allows even the most stringent service-level agreement to be met. Once you start Live Recovery, metadata (directory structure, security descriptors, NTFS file attributes, free space map, and so on) of the target volume is quickly restored on the protected machine. Thereafter, the volume and its contents become available to the system. The Rapid Recovery Agent begins restoring data blocks from the Rapid Recovery Core server, writing the blocks to the target volume. Requests for data that has not yet been restored are immediately answered, with the requesting program or system unaware that the blocks were just restored.
Restoring data from recovery points
Rapid Recovery protects your data on Windows and Linux machines. Backups of protected machines are saved to the repository associated with your Rapid Recovery Core as recovery points. From these recovery points, you
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can restore your data using one of the following methods.
l From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, you can restore entire volumes from a recovery point of a nonsystem volume, replacing the volumes on the destination machine. This process uses the Restore Machine Wizard. For more information, see About restoring volumes from a recovery point.
l You can also restore entire volumes on Linux machines from recovery points using the command line from the protected Linux machine. For more information on using the command line local_mount utility, see Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line.
When restoring data for agentlessly protected machines only, the Volume Mapping page of the Restore Machine Wizard includes the option Restore all configuration data. This option is associated with the VM configuration and restore feature. For more information, see VMware VM configuration backup and restore. You cannot restore a volume that contains the operating system directly from a recovery point, because the machine to which you are restoring is using the operating system and drivers that are included in the restore process. If you want to restore from a recovery point to a system volume (for example, the C drive of the protected machine), you must perform a Bare Metal Restore (BMR). This involves creating a bootable image from the recovery point, which includes operating system and configuration files as well as data. You then start the target machine from that bootable image to complete the restore. The boot image differs if the machine you want to restore uses a Windows operating system or a Linux operating system. If you want to restore from a recovery point to a system volume on a Windows machine, see Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard. If you want to restore from a recovery point of a system volume on a Linux machine, see Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. If you have a software RAID on a Linux machine protected by Rapid Recovery Agent release 6.2 or later, you can restore the software RAID from a recovery point.
NOTE: Since this feature was introduced in release 6.2, it is not compatible for snapshots taken on earlier Agent versions. If you upgrade Rapid Recovery Agent to release 6.2 or later and then capture snapshots in your Rapid Recovery Core, you will be able to restore the software RAID from the new snapshots.
Finally, in contrast to restoring entire volumes, you can mount a recovery point from a Windows machine, and browse through individual folders and files to recover only a specific set of files. For more information, see Restoring a directory or file using Windows Explorer. If you need to perform this while preserving original file permissions (for example, when restoring a user's folder on a file server), see Restoring a directory or file and preserving permissions using Windows Explorer. The topics in this section describe information about restoring data on physical machines. For more information on exporting protected data from a recovery point to a virtual machine, see VM export.
NOTE: When recovering data on Windows machines, if the volume that you are restoring has Windows data deduplication enabled, you will need to make sure that deduplication is also enabled on the Core server.
VM configuration backup and restore for VMware and Hyper-V
You can back up and restore your VM configuration for supported hypervisors using Rapid Recovery. Rapid Recovery Core release 6.4 introduces a new feature, the ability to back up and restore VMware VM configurations, including the option to include VM configurations during virtual export to VMware/ESXi virtual machines.
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Backup. Rapid Recovery Core release 6.3 and later automatically saves agentlessly protected VMware/ESXi virtual machine configurations in each volume image when snapshots are captured. Rapid Recovery Core release 6.4 and later also captures agentlessly protected Hyper-V VM configurations. The relevant files are saved in the custom metadata for each respective VM volume, and includes hypervisor version information to ensure compatibility. For example, for VMware, VM configurations are stored in .vmx files, and related BIOS settings are stored in .nvram files. For Hyper-V, VM configurations are stored in .vmcx files. Restore. Optionally, when restoring data from a recovery point of an agentlessly protected Hyper-V or ESXi machine, you can choose whether to include in the VM all VM configurations and data, or only the data. This choice is presented in the UI through the Restore all configuration data check box. This option appears only for Hyper-V or VMware machines protected agentlessly (replacing the Show advanced options check box that is relevant only for machines protected by Rapid Recovery Agent). When the Restore all configuration data option is selected, all VM configurations for volumes being recovered are restored. When the option is cleared, only data (and not VM configurations) are restored for those volumes. Virtual export. Optionally, when performing virtual export from a recovery point of an agentlessly protected Hyper-V or ESXi machine, you can choose whether to export all VM configurations and data, or export only the data. This choice is presented in the UI through the Restore all configuration data check box. This option appears only for agentlessly protected Hyper-V or ESXi machines. When the option is selected, all VM configurations for volumes being exported to a VM are included in the exported VM. When the option is cleared, only data (and not VM configurations) are included in the exported VM. Based on the restore or virtual export type, The Restore all configuration data option is selected by default in the following situations:
l When restoring data or performing virtual export from a recovery point to the same agentless virtual machine.
l When performing virtual export to a different server of the same hypervisor type. For example, when exporting from a vCenter/ESXi recovery point to a different ESXi VM, or from a Hyper-V recover point a different Hyper-V VM. For both ESXi and Hyper-V, there is no backward compatibility between hypervisor versions.
Otherwise, the Restore all configuration data option is not selected by default, although you can change the default option by selecting or clearing this setting.
About the file search and restore feature
The Rapid Recovery file search and restore feature lets you find one or more files in the recovery points of a protected machine. You can then restore one or more of the results to a local disk.
Searching guidelines
On the File Search page of the Core Console, you can search for a file from a set of recovery points from the machine that you select. The search criteria are divided into two groups: basic and advanced. The basic group includes the following parameters:
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l The protected machine whose recovery points you want to search. l A time range that limits the search to only recovery points that were created between the start time and
end time. l The name or mask of the file that you want to find. You can use the "?" wildcard to replace any single
character and the "*" to replace zero or multiple characters; however, more specific filenames produce more specific results. l A list of paths to directories in which to search.
NOTE: All basic criteria is required. If no directory is provided, Rapid Recovery searches all volumes of the specified protected machine. The More Options button reveals the advanced group, which includes the following parameters: l The option to search recursively in subdirectories of the search location or only in the specified location. l The ability to run an algorithm that increases the speed of searches on NTFS volumes. l The ability to limit the number of search results to a more manageable sum.
NOTE: Specific search criteria produce faster and more accurate your search results. Including subdirectories (for example, C:\work\documents\accounting instead of C:) reduces the amount of time it takes to complete the search, as does providing restrictive file masks (for example, invoice*.pdf instead of in*.*). Because the feature continues to search through recovery points and locations even after the requested file is found, you can pause or stop a search before it completes. You can run multiple searches can simultaneously, but you cannot begin them at the same time. For example, to find another file, you can begin a second search while the first search is still in progress. However, you can only search one protected machine at a time. NOTE: In the previous example, pausing the first search makes more memory available for the second search, which helps the second search finish faster. Running multiple searches at one time is memory intensive and increases the amount of time it takes to complete a search. Each search appears as a tab on the page. When you are finished searching, you can close the tabs individually or all at once.
Restoring guidelines
After you find the file, you can restore it directly from the File Search page. The file search and restore feature limits restoring capabilities to only locations on the Core. You cannot restore a file to a protected machine.
Finding and restoring a file
When you want to restore a file instead of a volume, you can use Rapid Recovery to find that file among the recovery points for your protected machine. Search criteria, such as date range and directory, let you narrow the search to a small group of relevant recovery points.
NOTE: Specific search criteria produce faster and more accurate your search results, and consume less memory. Including subdirectories (for example, C:\work\documents\accounting instead of C:) reduces the amount of time it takes to complete the search, as does providing restrictive file masks (for example, invoice*.pdf instead of in*.*).
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After you find the file, you can then restore it directly from the list of search results.

1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console icon bar, click the Search. The File Search page opens.

More drop-down menu, and select File

2. On the File Search page, to search for a file within the recovery points of a specific protected machine, complete the information described in the following table.

Table 135: File search criteria

Text Box

Description

Machine

Select the protected machine that you want to search from the drop-down list.
NOTE: You can search through the recovery points of only one protected machine at a time.

Recovery points Specify the date and time of the oldest recovery point and the newest recovery

date range

point that you want to search. Only the recovery points created within this span of

time are searched.

NOTE: The default time span is the previous month. For example, if conducting the search on August 22, 2018 at 2:04 PM, the default date range is 7/22/2018 2:04 PM to 8/22/2018 2:04 PM.

Filename (can use * and ? wildcards)
Directories to search

Enter the name of the file or a file mask for the file that you want to find and restore. Wildcards may be used as substitutes for unknown characters.
NOTE: You can use the "?" wildcard to replace any single character and the "*" wildcard to replace zero or multiple characters.
List one or more directories on the protected machine to limited the search to only those locations.
NOTE: If no directory is provided, Rapid Recovery searches all volumes of the specified protected machine.

3. Optionally, click More Options, and then complete the information described in the following table.

Table 136: More file search options

Text Box

Description

Include subdirectories

Searches all the subdirectories of the directories listed in step 3. Enabled by default.

Use fast search algorithm for NTFS volumes

Searches NTFS volumes without mounting them by parsing file system data structures, which is faster and consumes less memory while searching. Enabled by default.
NOTE: If you encounter an issue during a search of an NTFS volume, attempt the search again without this option selected.

Limit search results Enter the maximum number of results that you want to appear in the results. The

default is 1000.

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4. Click Start Search The search begins. Each search appears as a tab under Search Results. You can use the buttons for each tab to pause or stop a search, or you can click the X on the tab to delete the search. Multiple searches can run simultaneously.
5. From the search results, select the file that you want to restore.
6. Click Restore. The Restore Files dialog box opens.
7. For Location, enter a destination path for the restored file on the machine on which the Core is installed and running.
8. Click Restore. The file you selected is restored to the specified destination path with the original directory tree in which the file appeared on the protected machine.
About restoring volumes from a recovery point
You can restore the volumes on a protected machine from the recovery points stored in the Rapid Recovery Core using the Restore Machine Wizard.
NOTE: In earlier releases, the restore process was referred to as performing a rollback.
NOTE: Rapid Recovery supports the protection and recovery of machines configured with EISA partitions. For Windows or Linux machines, you can begin a restore from any location on the Rapid Recovery Core Console by clicking the Restore icon in the Rapid Recovery button bar. When you start a restore in this manner, you must specify which of the machines protected on the Core you want to restore, and then drill down to the volume you want to restore. Or you can go to Recovery Points page for a specific machine, click the drop-down menu for a specific recovery point, and then select Restore. If you begin a restore in this manner, then follow start with step 5 in the topic Restoring volumes from a recovery point. You can also restore from a recovery point on a Linux machine from the command line. For more information, see the topic Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line. If you want to restore from a recovery point to a system volume, or restore from a recovery point using a boot CD, you must perform a Bare Metal Restore (BMR). For information about BMR, see Bare metal restore. You can access BMR functions for both Windows and Linux machines using the Restore Machines Wizard, accessible from the button bar of the Core Console. Ensure you read Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines before attempting the process. For specific instructions, see the procedure Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.
Restoring volumes from a recovery point
To restore volumes from a recovery point, your machine must be protected on the Core at the volume level, and the Core must contain recovery points from which you perform the restore operation. Complete the following procedure to restore volumes from a recovery point.
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1. To restore a volume on a protected machine, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console and click Restore from the Rapid Recovery button bar. The Restore Machine Wizard appears.
2. From the Machines page, select the protected machine for which you want to restore data, and then click Next. The Recovery Points page appears.
3. From the list of recovery points, search for the snapshot you want to restore to the protected machine. If necessary, use the buttons at the bottom of the page to display additional pages of recovery points. Optionally, to limit the number of recovery points showing in the Recovery Points page of the wizard, you can filter by volumes (if defined) or by creation date of the recovery point.
4. Click any recovery point to select it, and then click Next. The Destination page appears.
5. On the Destination page, choose the machine to which you want to restore data as follows: l To restore data from the selected recovery point to the same machine, and if the volumes you want to restore do not include the system volume, then select Recover to a protected machine, verify that the destination machine is selected, and then click Next. The Volume Mapping page appears. Proceed to step 9.
l To restore data from the selected recovery point to a different protected machine (for example, replace the contents of Machine2 with data from Machine1), then select Recover to a protected machine, select the destination machine from the list, and then click Next. The Volume Mapping page appears. Proceed to step 9.
l If you want to restore from the selected recovery point to the same machine or a different machine using a boot CD, this process is considered a bare metal restore (BMR). For information about BMR, see Bare metal restore.
NOTE: Performing a BMR has specific requirements, based on the operating system of the machine you want to restore. To understand these prerequisites, see Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines. If the volumes you want to restore include the system volume, then select Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD. This option prompts you to create a boot CD.
l To continue and create the boot CD with information from the selected recovery point using the Restore Machine Wizard, click Next and proceed to Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.
l If you have already created the boot CD and the target machine has been started using the boot CD, then proceed to step 8 of the topic Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.
If you want to restore from a recovery point to a system volume (for example, the C:/ drive of the agent machine named Machine1), this process is also considered a BMR. Select Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD. This option prompts you to create a boot CD.
l To continue and create the boot CD with information from the selected recovery point using the Restore Machine Wizard, click Next and proceed to Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.
l If you have already created the boot CD, then proceed to step 6.
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6. Start the machine you want to restore to using the boot CD. For more information, for BMR on a Windows machine, see Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine and for BMR on a Linux machine, see Loading the Live DVD and starting the target machine.
7. On the Core server, in the Destination page of the Restore Machine Wizard, select I already have a Boot CD running on the target machine, and then enter the information about the machine to which you want to connect described in the following table.

Table 137: Machine information

Text Box

Description

IP Address

The IP address of the machine to which you want to restore. This is identical to the IP address displayed in the URC.

Authentication The specific password to connect to the selected server. This is identical to the

Key

Authentication Key displayed in the URC.

8. Click Next. If the connection information you entered matches the URC, and if the Core and the target server can identify each other properly on the network, then the volumes for the selected recovery point are loaded. The Disk Mapping page appears. To complete your BMR from the Restore Machine Wizard, proceed to step 9 of the topic Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.
NOTE: Rapid Recovery supports FAT32 and ReFS partitions. Only full restore and BMR are supported as a driver limitation exists with ReFS. Restore is implemented in user mode, VM export, and so on. If a Core is protecting at least one agent volume that contains the ReFS file system, it should be installed on Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2016, which provide native support of ReFS. Otherwise, functionality is limited and operations that involve such things as mounting a volume image do not work. The Rapid Recovery Core Console presents applicable error messages in these occurrences. Bare metal restore of Storage Spaces disks configuration (a feature of Windows 8.1) is also not supported in this release. For details, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide.
9. On the Volume Mapping page, for each volume in the recovery point that you want to restore, select the appropriate destination volume. If you do not want to restore a volume, in the Destination Volumes column, select Do not restore.
NOTE: You must restore at least one volume.

10. If restoring a machine protected by Rapid Recovery Agent, skip to step 14.
11. If restoring an agentlessly protected machine, review the Restore all configuration data option and do one of the following:
l If you want to restore backed-up VM configurations from the recovery point, select this option.
l If you want to restore data only and not VM configurations, clear this option. For more information, including an explanation of when this option is selected or cleared by default, see VMware VM configuration backup and restore.
12. Click Next.

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13. For agentlessly protected machines, if a Warnings page appears, read the message, make changes if necessary, and then click Next. Skip to step 18.
14. Select Show advanced options and then do the following: l For restoring to Windows machines, if you want to use Live Recovery, select Live Recovery. Using the Live Recovery instant recovery technology in Rapid Recovery, you can instantly recover or restore data to your physical machines or to virtual machines from stored recovery points of Windows machines, which includes Microsoft Windows Storage Spaces. Live Recovery is not available for Linux machines or VMs using agentless protection. l If you want to force the selected volumes to dismount before the restore begins, select Force Dismount.
CAUTION: If you do not force a dismount before restoring data, the restore may fail with an error stating that the volume is in use.
15. Click Next. 16. On the Dismount Databases page, if the volumes you want to restore contain Oracle, SQL or Microsoft
Exchange databases, you are prompted to dismount them. If you want to remount these databases automatically after the restore is complete, select Automatically remount all databases after the recovery point is restored. Otherwise, clear this option.
NOTE: The appropriate VSS writer captures snapshots of database in backup mode. If you do choose not to remount all databases automatically (the default option), then after you restore, you must manually start the databases.
17. Click Next. The Warning page may appear and prompt you to close all programs on the volumes that you want to restore. If it does, click Next again.
18. On the Summary page, select the option IMPORTANT! I understand that this operation will overwrite selected volumes with the data from the selected recovery point to acknowledge that you understand the consequences of a volume restore. CAUTION: This option emphasizes the consequence that any data that was saved on the selected volume after the date and time of the selected recovery point is lost upon restore.
19. Click Finish.
Restoring a directory or file using Windows Explorer
You can use Windows Explorer to copy and paste directories and files from a mounted recovery point to any Windows machine. This can be helpful when you want to distribute only a portion of a recovery point to your users. When you copy directories and files, the access permissions of the user who is performing the copy operation are used and applied to the pasted directories and files. If you want to restore directories and files to your users while preserving original file permissions (for example, when restoring a user's folder on a file server), see Restoring a directory or file and preserving permissions using Windows Explorer.
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1. Mount the recovery point that contains the data you want to restore. For details, see Mounting a recovery point.
2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the mounted recovery point and select the directories and files that you want to restore. Right-click and select Copy.
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the machine location to where you want to restore the data. Right-click and select Paste.
Restoring a directory or file and preserving permissions using Windows Explorer
You can use Windows Explorer to copy and paste directories and files from a mounted recovery point to any Windows machine while preserving file access permissions. For example, if you need to restore a folder accessed only by specific users on a file server, you can use the Copy and Paste with Permissions commands to ensure that the restored files retain the permissions that restrict access. In this way, you can avoid having to manually apply permissions to the restored directories and files. Some files have file access restrictions that require administrative privileges. Especially for Windows Server 2012 and later operating systems, the user attempting the restore must have the correct NTFS permissions for restoring with permissions to be successful. For example, to copy full NTFS permissions from a mount point, the user must have administrative privileges (with full NTFS permissions).
NOTE: The Paste with Permissions command is installed with Rapid Recovery Core and Agent software. It is not available in the Local Mount Utility.
1. Mount the recovery point that contains the data you want to restore. For details, see Mounting a recovery point.
2. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the mounted recovery point and select the directories and files that you want to restore. Right-click and select Copy.
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the machine location to where you want to restore the data. Right-click and select Paste with Permissions. NOTE: In this step, if the Paste with Permissions command is disabled on the right-click menu, then Windows Explorer is not aware of the files that you want to copy. Repeat step 2 to enable the Paste with Permissions command on the right-click menu.
Restoring clusters and cluster nodes
A restore is the process of restoring the volumes on a machine from recovery points. For a server cluster, you perform a restore at the node, or machine, level. This section provides guidelines for performing a restore for cluster volumes.
Performing a restore for CCR and DAG (Exchange) clusters
Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a restore for CCR and DAG (Exchange) clusters.
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1. Turn off all nodes except one. 2. Perform a restore using the standard Rapid Recovery procedure for the machine as described in About
restoring volumes from a recovery point and Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line. 3. When the restore is finished, mount all databases for the cluster volumes. 4. Turn on all other nodes. 5. For Exchange, navigate to the Exchange Management Console, and, for each database, perform the Update Database Copy operation.
Performing a restore for SCC (Exchange, SQL) clusters
Complete the steps in this procedure to perform a restore for SCC (Exchange, SQL) clusters.
1. Turn off all nodes except one. 2. Perform a restore using the standard Rapid Recovery procedure for the machine as described in About
restoring volumes from a recovery point and Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line. 3. After the restore is finished, mount all databases from the cluster volumes. 4. Turn on all other nodes one-by-one.
NOTE: You do not need to roll back the quorum disk. It can be regenerated automatically or by using cluster service functionality.
Restoring from an attached archive
There are two ways you can restore data from an archive: You can use an archive as a source for a bare metal restore (BMR); or you can attach an archive, mount a recovery point from the archive, and then restore the archived data. When you attach an archive, it appears under Attached Archives on the Archives page of the Core Console, while the contents of the archive become accessible from the left navigation area. The contents appear under the name of the archive. Machines that were archived appear as recovery-points-only machines so that you can access the recovery points in the same way that you would for a currently protected machine: by mounting a recovery point, locating the item that you want to recover, and using Windows Explorer to copy and paste the item to your destination. There are advantages to restoring from an attached archive rather than importing an archive to a repository.
l Restoring from an attached archive saves the time you may spend importing an entire archive to a repository.
l Also, when you import an archive, the archived recovery points are added to the repository. Because these archived recovery points are likely the oldest items in the repository, they may be rolled up according to your retention policy during the next nightly job. (Although, this action does not delete them from the archive; you could re-import them the next day.)
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l Lastly, the Core remembers the attachment association with archives, even after you detach an archive, making it easier and faster to attach the archive again later. You can remove the association by deleting the attachment.
To restore data from an attached archive, complete the following steps using the related links: NOTE: The procedure for restoring from an attached archive assumes that you already have an archive of rolled-up recovery points.
1. Attach the archive. 2. Mount the recovery point that contains the data that you want to recover. 3. Restore data using any of the following methods:
l Restore data, such as file or folder, from the recovery point. l Restore the entire recovery point. l Export the recovery point to a virtual machine. For more information, see the following related topics: l Understanding archives l Attaching an archive l Importing an archive l Mounting a recovery point l Restoring volumes from a recovery point l Exporting to virtual machines using Rapid Recovery l Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard
Mail Restore in Rapid Recovery
The Mail Restore feature in Rapid Recovery lets you restore a mailbox, folder, or item -- such as a message, calendar event, or contact -- from the data store of a protected Exchange Server machine. You can restore your selection to a recovery folder, to the original source, or to one or more PST files. You can access the Mail Restore page from the (More) menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console. From there, you can complete the following actions:
l Open an Exchange database l Restore an item from the open database l Close the database l Search for an item in the open database For more information, see Opening an Exchange database in Rapid Recovery Core and Restoring a mail item in Rapid Recovery.
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Mail Restore prerequisites
Before you can restore mail items, you must meet the following prerequisites:
l Outlook 2007 or later is installed on the Core machine. l There is at least one profile configured in Microsoft Outlook. l The Outlook profile has full-control permissions, including Send As and Receive As permissions. For
more information, see Granting the required permissions in Microsoft Exchange Server. l The Outlook Cached Exchange Mode option under the Outlook profile associated with Rapid Recovery
is disabled. l The Core machine is in the same domain as the Exchange database. l The required Exchange database is open and you are on the Mail Restore page of the Rapid Recovery
Core Console. For more information, see Opening an Exchange database in Rapid Recovery Core.
Without the proper permissions and an instance of Outlook installed on the Core machine, it is not possible to perform Exchange-item recovery, even if the Exchange server is protected by a Rapid Recovery Core.
Granting the required permissions in Microsoft Exchange Server
Certain permissions must be set on Microsoft Exchange Server to complete a recovery with Rapid Recovery. For example, add the Administrator role to the mailbox, and then grant full access permission to the mailboxes you want to restore. The procedures for these permissions are specific to the version of Exchange installed on the server. Rapid Recovery requires that you have full access permissions in Exchange to complete a recovery. For Exchange 2016, 2013, and 2010, you need to add a mailbox as a member of a role group and then grant full access permissions for the mailbox. For more information about setting permissions for Exchange, refer to the following topics found on the Microsoft Web site http://www.technet.com, which contains a knowledge base of helpful procedures and topics that pertain to Microsoft Exchange:
NOTE: Use the drop-down list below the topic title to select your version of Exchange, when applicable.
l Add-MailboxPermission. All Exchange versions. Shows how to use the Add-MailboxPermission cmdlet to grant Full Access permissions for a mailbox. NOTE: You must have the proper role permissions to complete these procedures. Refer to the topic, Role Management Permissions on http://www.technet.com for the required permissions.
l Permissions. Exchange 2016, 2013, and 2010 only. Provides an overview of permissions topics for the selected version of Exchange.
l Manage Role Group Members. Exchange 2016 and 2013 only. Provides instructions for using the Exchange Administration Center (EAC) to add members to a role group, and using the Shell to add members to a role group.
l Add Members to a Role Group. Exchange 2010 only. Provides instructions for using the Exchange Administration Center (EAC) to add members to a role group, and using the Shell to add members to a role group.
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l Manage Full Access Permissions. Exchange 2010 and 2007 only. Provides instructions for how to use the Exchange Management Console (EMC) or the Shell to manage Full Access permissions for a mailbox. NOTE: You must have the proper role permissions to complete these procedures. Refer to the topic, Role Management Permissions, and then Role Groups on http://www.technet.com to determine which permissions are required.
l Allow Mailbox Access. Exchange 2010 and 2007 only. Explains how to use the Exchange Management Console to grant the Full Access permission for a mailbox. NOTE: Any administrator delegated with Exchange administrator permissions must be a member of the local administrators group. Microsoft does not recommend delegating local administrator permissions to Exchange Recipient or Exchange View Only administrator roles.
l How to Add a User or Group to an Administrator Role. Exchange 2007 only. Explains how to use the Exchange Management Console (EMC) to add a user or group to an administrator role.
For more information, see the following topics in the Mailbox Restore for Exchange 6.3 User Guide.
l Mailbox Restore system requirements l Microsoft Outlook criteria
Opening an Exchange database in Rapid Recovery Core
Before you begin this task, assure that the following prerequisites are complete:
l Outlook 2007 or later is installed on the Core machine. l The Core machine is in the same domain as the Exchange database. l The proper permissions are set in Exchange. For more information, see Granting the required
permissions in Microsoft Exchange Server.
Rapid Recovery lets you restore mail items without leaving the interface. The mail items exist in the Exchange database within the recovery point of a protected Exchange Server machine, which you can open using the Open Exchange Databases Wizard.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the (More) menu, and then click Mail Restore. 2. On the Mail Restore page, to access the Exchange database where the mail item is stored, click Open
Database. The Open Exchange Databases Wizard opens. 3. On the Location page of the wizard, you can open a database from a protected machine or from a local path such as your current machine or a file share. Do one of the following:
l Open from protected machine: Click Next, and then continue to the next step in this task. l Open from local path: Enter the following information for the location, and then click Finish:
l Database file path l Logs path l System path
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4. On the Machines page, select the protected machine that houses the Exchange database, and then click Next.
5. On the Recovery Points page, select the recovery point for the point in time from which you want to open the database, and then click Next.
6. On the Databases page, select the Exchange database that you want to open, and then click Finish. Rapid Recovery opens the selected database and displays it on the Mail Restore page, with the mailboxes and folders listed on the left in an expandable navigation tree. Items within folders display on the right. NOTE: The amount of time it takes for Rapid Recovery to open the Exchange database depends on the size of the database.
To restore an item from the open database, see Restoring a mail item in Rapid Recovery.
Restoring a mail item in Rapid Recovery
Before you begin this task, assure that you have met the prerequisites for completing a mail restore. For more information, see Mail Restore prerequisites. The Rapid Recovery Mail Restore feature lets you restore a mailbox, folder, or item -- such as a message, calendar event, or contact -- from the data store of a protected Exchange Server machine. You can restore your selection to a recovery folder, to the original source, or to one or more PST files. To restore a mail item from the Rapid Recovery Core Console, complete the following steps.
1. From the open Exchange database on the Mail Restore page, select the item that you want to recover and then, on the Mail Restore actions bar, click Restore. The Email Restore Wizard opens.
2. On the Restore Session page, complete one of the following options, and then click Next. l If you are restoring mail items for the first time, enter a display name and your Outlook credentials for the restore session. You can then select this session for a future restore. l If you have previously created restore sessions, select one of the following options: l Select Use an existing restore session, and then select a session from the drop-down list. l Select Create a new restore session, and then enter a display name and your Outlook credentials for the restore session.
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3. On the Destination page, select the target location of the restored item from the following options, and then click Next:

Table 138: Mail restore destinations

Option

Description

Restore to the recovery folder

Recovers the selected items (including the folder hierarchy) to a recovery folder in an online mailbox of your choice. Go to step 4.

Restore to the original location

Directs the selected item (including the folder hierarchy) to the email box in the online data store in which it originally resided. Go to step 5.

Restore to the PST file

Saves the selected items (including the folder hierarchy) by creating a Personal Storage Table (PST) file or writing to an existing PST file. Go to step 6.

Restore to the PST file(s) (separate file for each mailbox)

Saves each mailbox as a Personal Storage Table (PST) file. Go to step 6.

4. If you selected Restore to the recovery folder, on the Configuration page, select a Profile from the drop-down list, browse for and select the Outlook address book, and then go to step 7. Optionally, select Show advanced options, to further customize the restore with the following options:

Table 139: Advanced mail restore options

Option

Description

Error handling
Restore deleted objects

Determines the way to address and manage any errors that may occur during the restore process. Select one of the following options:
l Log and continue. Collects error messages in a log and continues with the restore process.
l Notify user. Pauses the restore and displays a message in the Monitor Active Task dialog when it encounters an error, and gives you the option to continue with or cancel the restore.
l Abort restore. Ends the restore process when an error occurs.
For an Exchange 2010, 2013, and 2016 database, restores items that were permanently deleted. For an Exchange 2007 database, restores strikethrough items from the current folder.

Restore Restores any rules the user had in place at the time that the data was backed up. email rules

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5. If you selected Restore to the original location, on the Configuration page, select the target Outlook Profile, select a Restore type from the following options, and then go to step 7:
l Restore only differences. Identifies whether the item being restored is already present in the destination folder and completes the restore only if there is no duplicate item. Also known as a differential restore.
l Create duplicate entries. Restores every item selected without overwriting existing items, resulting in duplicates of the previously existing items.
l Overwrite if more recent. Restores newer items that are not present in the online data store. It also restores items that are present in the online data store but are older than the items in the copy of the Exchange database.
Optionally, select Show advanced options, to further customize the restore with the following options:

Table 140: Advanced mail restore options

Option

Description

Error handling
Restore deleted objects

Restore

Restores any rules the user had in place at the time that the data was backed up.

email rules

Restore user permissions

Restores the custom permissions set for a public folder.
NOTE: This option is only available when you restore a public folder to its original location. If you do not select to restore permissions, then the default folder permissions are restored with the content.

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6. If you selected Restore to the PST file or Restore to the PST file(s) (separate file for each mailbox), on the Configuration page, complete the following selections, and then go to step 7:
a. Profile. Select an Outlook profile from the drop-down list.
b. Primary PST storage. To locate and select the initial destination folder for the PST file, enter the path or select an existing file.
c. Overflow PST storage (optional). If the primary destination has insufficient space for the PST file, select a secondary destination for the PST file. NOTE: Do not assign the overflow location to the same disk as the primary location.

Optionally, select Show advanced options, to further customize the restore with the following options:

Table 141: Advanced mail restore options

Option

Description

Error handling

Restore deleted objects

For an Exchange 2010, 2013, and 2016 database, restores items that were permanently deleted. For an Exchange 2007 database, restores strikethrough items from the current folder.

7. Click Finish. The items restore to your selected destination. You can monitor the progress of the job in on the Events page.

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16
Bare metal restore
When operating as expected, servers perform the tasks for which they are configured. If a server protected in your Rapid Recovery Core suffers a catastrophic failure that renders the server inoperable, administrators must take immediate action to restore the full functionality of that machine. In such cases, especially when the data loss includes a system volume, you can use Rapid Recovery to perform a bare metal restore (BMR) for your protected machines. BMR is a process that restores the full software configuration for a specific system. It uses the term "bare metal" because the restore operation recovers not only the data from the server, but also reformats the hard drive and reinstalls the operating system and all software applications. Rapid Recovery Core lets you perform bare metal restore for protected Windows or Linux machines. The protected system can be restored to similar or dissimilar hardware. As of release 6.4, in addition to BMR of volume-level backups, you can also perform BMR for disk-level backups of Linux machines. This section describes how to restore a recovery point from a protected machine to bare metal using similar or dissimilar hardware. Most of the tasks for a BMR are performed from the Restore Machine Wizard. When restoring a Linux machine to bare metal, you can also accomplish several tasks from the command line. These procedures are also included in this section. Topics include:
About bare metal restore Differences in bare metal restore for Windows and Linux machines Managing a Windows boot image Managing a Linux boot image Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines Verifying a bare metal restore
About bare metal restore
Bare metal restore is the process of restoring all content from a specific computer system -- data, applications, user accounts, and the operating system -- from a recovery point.
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NOTE: Before performing bare metal restore, ensure you have a healthy hardware system with which to replace the failed system. BMR is used not only in disaster recovery scenarios, but also to migrate data when upgrading or replacing servers. To perform a BMR, Rapid Recovery uses an ISO image as a boot disk, which lets you connect the BMR target machine with the Rapid Recovery Core using a restore interface called the Universal Recovery Console. NOTE: An ISO image is a single archive that contains data for every sector of a disk, including the disk file system. ISO images are saved in ISO-9660 format, set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The file format uses the .iso file extension. For more flexibility, Rapid Recovery supports BMR both to similar and dissimilar hardware. Examples of restoring to similar hardware include replacing the hard drive only of the existing system, or swapping out a failed server with an identical machine. An example of restoring to dissimilar hardware is the case where you replace the failed system with a server produced by a different manufacturer or with a different configuration. The process of performing a BMR includes several separate procedures. At the top level, it involves creating or downloading a bootable ISO image; transmitting that image to an accessible location (removable media, network location, or hypervisor); starting up the BMR target server from the boot image; connecting it to the recovery console instance; mapping volumes; initiating the recovery; and then monitoring the restore progress. Once the bare metal restore is complete, you can continue with the task of loading the operating system and the software applications on the restored server, followed by establishing unique settings required for your configuration. NOTE: Bare metal restore is supported for virtual machines (VMs) as well as for physical machines. However, to be practical, if the machine you want to replace is a VM, it is generally quicker and easier to perform virtual export from a recovery point to achieve the same goal. For more information on performing a VM export, see Exporting to virtual machines using Rapid Recovery. Rapid Recovery supports BMR for both Windows and Linux machines using the Restore Machine wizard from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Some steps differ. For a list of general BMR steps, differentiated for Windows and Linux restores, see Differences in bare metal restore for Windows and Linux machines. For Linux, you can also accomplish many tasks required for BMR from the command line. If that is your preference, both approaches are included in this User Guide when applicable. This section includes conceptual topics throughout, including prerequisites and information about boot ISO images used for BMR for Windows and Linux machines. Before performing any BMR, consider requirements as described in Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines. An ISO image is a single archive that contains data for every sector of a disk, including the disk file system. The topic Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard describes the process to start a BMR from the wizard in the Core Console. Following that process, and referring to other topics for additional information, users can perform a BMR from the Restore Machine Wizard for both Windows and Linux machines.
Differences in bare metal restore for Windows and Linux machines
The main tasks for performing BMR are described in the following table. Differences are noted between the process for Windows and Linux bare metal restores.
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Step General BMR Steps

Windows

Linux

Prepare the destination machine. Repair or

prepare hardware to replace the failed

system. The fixed or replaced system is

referred to as the BMR target machine.

Specify a recovery point. When restoring to Select the appropriate You have two options:

bare metal, you must select the recovery point from which to restore all data, the OS, and applications. Often this is the most recent snapshot. However, there are cases in which you want to select an earlier recovery point (for example, if the failure was due to a recent change in software configuration).

recovery point from the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
To perform a BMR from the Recovery Points page of a specific machine, see see About restoring

1. Use the Restore Machine wizard (see steps 2 and 3 in the task Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard).

For restore of any machine (Windows or

volumes from a

2. Use the command line

Linux), including BMR, you can identify the recovery point.

local_mount utility. If

recovery point from the Rapid Recovery Core Console in two ways:
1. Navigate to a protected machine, view its recovery points, and launch a restore from the Recovery Points page of the Core Console.

See steps 2 and 3 in the task Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.

using the command line, do so following step 3 as described in this table. For more information, see Launching a bare metal restore for a

2. Launch the Restore Machine Wizard, select the machine, and then the

Linux machine using the command line.

recovery point, and select Restore.

In either case, for BMR, choose to restore from a boot image such as a Windows boot CD or the Linux Live DVD.

Manage the boot image. This step involves For descriptive

For more descriptive

the following sub-steps:

information on

information about managing

managing a boot CD the boot image for Linux, see

image for a Windows Managing a Linux boot image.

machine, see

Managing a Windows

boot image.

l Injecting missing drivers. If

Windows machines The Live DVD has a variety of

additional Ethernet controller,

may require driver

necessary drivers. Driver

storage, network adapter, or other

injection, which can injection is typically not

drivers are needed, inject drivers into be performed on the required for Linux machines.

the boot image.

Driver Injection page

of the Restore

NOTE: The process of injecting

Machine Wizard. See

drivers is particularly relevant when

step 11 in the task

restoring to dissimilar Windows

Performing a bare

hardware.

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Step General BMR Steps

Windows

Linux

metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard.

l Obtaining a bootable ISO image.

Define the

Download the Linux Live

Define and create the image for

requirements for the DVD boot ISO image for the

Windows, or download the image for boot ISO image from appropriate version of Rapid

Linux bare metal restores.

the Restore Machine Recovery Core from the

Wizard. Define an

Downloads page on the

export path and

QorePortal or the Rapid

generate the boot CD Recovery License Portal.

to a location you

specify. See steps 6 to

10 in the task

Performing a bare

metal restore using

the Restore Machine

Wizard.

l Transmitting the image to an

accessible location. Place the boot

disk image in a location from which

the BMR target machine can boot

from it. Options include:

l Transferring the ISO image to physical storage media (for example, a CD, DVD, or a bootable USB flash drive) and moving it to the physical BMR target server.

l Storing the ISO image on a network location visible to the BMR target machine.

l Mounting the ISO image. Boot the

BMR target machine from the ISO

image.

l If restoring a hypervisor guest, mount the boot media on the hypervisor.

l If restoring a physical machine, access the boot menu options, point to the ISO boot image, and reboot.

Obtain URC login credentials. On the

BMR target machine, launch the Universal

If the machine is not able to find the IP address, you may

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Step General BMR Steps

Windows

Recovery Console (URC) user interface, and capture the session-unique IP address and authentication key credentials provided in the URC.

Connect the BMR target machine to the

See step 14 in the

Core Console. From the Core Console,

task Performing a

connect to the BMR target machine using the bare metal restore

credentials from the URC.

using the Restore

Machine Wizard.

Map volumes to be restored. From the Core See step 16 in the

Console, map volumes to be created during task Performing a

the restore process.

bare metal restore

using the Restore

Machine Wizard.

Begin restoring data. The next step is to

begin the actual restore process.

From the Core Console, start the restore process.

Monitor the restore process. You can

monitor the progress on the Events page. For

more information, see Viewing events using

tasks, alerts, and journal pages.

Linux
be required to manually configure it.
If using complex LVM or RAID volumes, use the automatic mapping feature in the Restore Machine Wizard if you want to automatically create the appropriate partitions. Otherwise, the partitions must be created manually before you begin the restore process. If mapping volumes manually, you must first ensure the number and size of volumes from the recovery point matches the number and size of volumes on the machine to which you are restoring data. To manually create partitions, see Creating partitions on the destination drive.
Starting the restore process can be performed both from the Restore Machine Wizard in the Core console and from the command line. For more information on using the command line, see Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line.

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Step General BMR Steps

Windows

Linux

Verify the restore process. During the

You can verify from You can verify from the Core

restore process, and when it completes, you the Core Console.

Console or from the command

can verify the restore process.

See Verifying a bare line. For this second option,

metal restore.

see Verifying the bare metal

restore from the command

line.

10 Complete your custom configuration. Optionally, establish any unique settings required for your new configuration.

Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines
Before you can begin the process of performing a bare metal restore for a Windows machine, you must ensure that the following conditions and criteria exist:
l Backups of the machine you want to restore. You must have a functioning Rapid Recovery Core containing recovery points of the protected server you want to restore.
l Hardware to restore (new or old, similar or dissimilar). The BMR target machine must meet the installation requirements for a protected machine. For details, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide. At minimum, the BMR target must have a 64-bit central processing unit (CPU). The Windows boot CD created by the Core uses the Windows Preinstallation Environment (Win PE) 10 operating system. Rapid Recovery BMRs are not compatible with x86-based CPUs. You can only perform a BMR on a 64-bit CPU.
NOTE: Prior to generating a boot CD, you must install Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). If not installed, you are prompted to download the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit and the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit Add-Ons from the Microsoft website.
l Compatible storage drivers and network adapter drivers. If restoring to dissimilar hardware, then you must have compatible storage drivers and network adapter drivers for the target machine, including RAID, AHCI, and chipset drivers, as appropriate. These should be injected to the boot ISO image.
l Bootable ISO image. You must have an ISO image from which to boot the BMR target machine. The steps are different for Windows or Linux BMR targets:
l Windows: Generate a Boot CD. You must generate a boot CD ISO image from the Rapid Recovery Core from which to boot the BMR target machine. The boot CD contains the Rapid Recovery Universal Recovery Console UI. From the URC, you can connect the BMR target to the Core to perform the restore. If restoring from a network location, you may be able to boot directly from the ISO image.
l Linux: Live DVD boot image. Obtain the Linux Live DVD ISO image, which includes a bootable version of Ubuntu Linux. You can download it from the QorePortal at https://qoreportal.quest.com/ or from the Rapid Recovery License Portal at https://rapidrecovery.licenseportal.com. If you have any issues downloading the Live DVD, contact Quest Data Protection Support. When booted from this ISO image, a simplified version of the Universal Recovery Console appears.

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l Image media and software. If you cannot boot directly from the ISO image, move the image to physical storage media such as a bootable USB flash drive, CD, or DVD. This process requires blank storage media and disk burning software, or software to create an ISO image or make one bootable. For BMR on Windows, if managing machines remotely using virtual network computing software such as UltraVNC, then you must have VNC Viewer.
l Storage space and partitions, as appropriate. Ensure that there is enough space on the hard drive of the BMR target to create destination partitions to contain the volumes you want to restore from the recovery point source volumes. Any destination partition should be at least as large as the original source partition. To perform a BMR, you must restore at least the system volume. NOTE: If recovering LVM volumes and RAID volumes on Linux machines (including LVMs and RAIDs with partitions, and complex LVMs and RAIDs), you must either specify automatic volume mapping, or create the partitions prior to starting the BMR.
l Windows: compatible partitions. Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016 operating systems that are booted from FAT32 EFI partitions are available for protection or recovery, as well as are Resilient File System (ReFS) volumes. UEFI partitions are treated as simple FAT32 volumes. Incremental transfers are fully supported and protected. Rapid Recovery provides support of UEFI systems for BMR including automatic partitioning GPT disks, LVM and software-based RAID volumes.
l Linux: Restore path. Identify the path for the restore, which is the path for the device file descriptor. To identify the path for the device file descriptor, use the fdisk command from a terminal window.
Managing a Windows boot image
A bare metal restore for Windows requires a boot CD, which you create from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. This is a bootable ISO image which contains the Universal Recovery Console (URC) interface, an environment that is used to restore the system drive or the entire server by connecting the target machine with the Rapid Recovery Core.
NOTE: BMR for a Linux protected machine requires an ISO image called the Live DVD. For information about the Live DVD, see Managing a Linux boot image.
You can create a Windows boot CD using one of two methods: by defining parameters in the Rapid Recovery Core using the Restore Machine Wizard, or from the Boot CDs page of the Core Console accessible under the (More) menu. Tailor each boot CD ISO image to your specific needs. For example, each boot CD must contain the correct Ethernet network and mass storage drivers. If you anticipate that you will be restoring to different hardware from the machine on which the recovery point originated, then you must include storage controller and other drivers in the boot CD. For information about injecting those drivers in the boot CD, see Understanding driver injection in a boot CD. If you plan to connect to the BMR target remotely, you cannot use RDS, but you can use UltraVNC. If using UltraVNC, you will need to provide the UltravVNC password defined when creating the boot CD to access the target machine. For more information, see Using UltraVNC for remote access. After it is created, you will use the boot CD image to boot your Windows-based BMR target machine when restoring to bare metal. To boot from it, based on the specifics of your environment, you may need to transfer the image to physical media. Then virtually or physically load the boot image, and boot the Windows server from the boot image. You will then start the URC, note the single-session authentication information provided, and use that information on the Rapid Recovery Core to connect the target machine to the Core to perform the restore process.
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This section includes the following relevant topics:
l Understanding driver injection in a boot CD l Using UltraVNC for remote access l Creating a boot CD ISO image l Transferring the boot CD ISO image to media l Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine
Understanding driver injection in a boot CD
The boot CD image requires storage drivers to recognize the drives of the server, and network adapter drivers in order to communicate with the Rapid Recovery Core over the network. To suit this purpose, a generic set of Windows10 x64 storage controller and network adapter drivers are included automatically when you generate a boot CD for Windows. These generic drivers satisfy the requirements of many newer systems. Data restored from the recovery point also includes drivers from the hardware previously in place. If restoring to the same or similar hardware, the included drivers or restored drivers may be sufficient. Creation of a successful boot CD can be a trial and error effort. When creating the boot CD, you can use driver injection to facilitate interoperability between the recovery console, network adapter, and storage on the target server. If performing a BMR to dissimilar hardware, or if restoring an older system, you may need to inject storage controller or network adapter drivers when creating the boot CD. If you discover the boot CD you created does not contain the drivers necessary to complete the restore, you can also load drivers on to the target machine using the URC. After successfully completing the restore process and booting the OS, you can download and install any additional drivers needed by the OS to interact with its new hardware. For more information, see Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console.
Using UltraVNC for remote access
You cannot log onto the BMR target remotely using Remote Desktop Services while using the boot CD. To remotely access the BMR target and interact with the Universal Recovery Console, you can use UltraVNC (a third-party tool). UltraVNC is an open-source utility that lets users access a computer remotely as if they were in front of it. Use of this product with Rapid Recovery to perform BMR requires two components, VNC Server and VNC Viewer. If you need to remotely access the BMR target machine, then UltraVNC Server can be added to the boot CD when you create it in the Rapid Recovery Core Console. Before you can select the option to embed UltraVNC into the boot CD, you must have a qualifying version of UltraVNC installed on the Core machine. For this release, supported VNC versions include 1.1.8.9, 1.0.9.6, 1.0.9.6.1, 1.0.9.6.2, and 1.1.9.3. Install both the UltraVNC Server and UltraVNC Viewer components. You can visit https://www.uvnc.com/downloads/ultravnc/ to download UltraVNC for x64 architecture. After installing, copy the executable file for the server component only (winvnc.exe) to the following path: C:\Program Files\AppRecovery\Core\BootCdKit\Tools\UltraVnc_x64.
NOTE: Do not move the executable from its original installation location. Place a duplicate copy in the specified directory.
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Creating a boot CD ISO image

A boot CD is the term Rapid Recovery uses to refer to the ISO image reserved for performing a bare metal restore (BMR) for Windows machines. The image includes the Rapid Recovery Universal Recovery Console (URC). To perform a BMR on a machine, you must start the machine from the boot CD, which launches the URC. The URC enables you to connect the BMR target to the recovery point you want to use to complete the restore. You cannot log onto the BMR target machine using Remote Desktop Services while using the boot CD. If you need to connect remotely to the BMR target machine, see Using UltraVNC for remote access.
NOTE: You can also create a boot CD image from the Restore Machine Wizard workflow. When you select Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD, the next steps in the wizard let you create a boot CD. If you create a boot CD from that wizard, this task is not required.
Use this procedure to create a boot CD for a Windows machine independent of the Restore Machine Wizard.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console where the server you need to restore is protected, in the icon bar, click the (More) menu, and then click Boot CDs.
2. On the Boot CDs page, click + Create Boot CD. The Create Boot CD dialog box displays.
3. In the Create Boot CD dialog box, in the Output path text box, enter the path in which you want to store the boot CD ISO image. For example, to create a boot CD for a protected machine named Protected Machine 1, enter the path C:\ProgramData\AppRecovery\Boot CDs\ProtectedMachine1BootCD.iso.
NOTE: If you want to store the image on a shared drive which has insufficient disk space, you can create a disk as needed in the path; for example, F:\filename.iso.
NOTE: The file extension must be .iso. When specifying the path, use only alphanumeric characters, the hyphen, the backslash (only as a path delimiter), and the period (only to separate host names and domains). The letters a to z are not case sensitive. Do not use spaces in the name of the boot CD image. No other symbols or punctuation characters are permitted.
4. Under Connection Options, do one of the following:
l To obtain the IP address dynamically using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), select Obtain IP address automatically.
l To specify a static IP address for connecting to the URC on the BMR target, select Use the following IP address, and then enter the information described in the following table.

Table 142: Network connection options

Option

Description

IP address Subnet mask Default gateway DNS server

The IP address for the restored machine. The subnet mask for the restored machine. Specify the default gateway for the restored machine. Specify the domain name server for the restored machine.

NOTE: You must specify all four of these parameters.

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5. UltraVNC is a third-party utility that lets you manage the URC remotely. If you require remote access to the recovery console, and you have UltraVNC installed, under UltraVNC Options, select Add UltraVNC, and then enter the information described in the following table.

Table 143: UltraVNC connection credentials

Option

Description

UltraVNC password UltraVNC port

Define a password. You must enter this password to connect from the boot CD using UltraVNC.
The port you want to use to connect to the BMR target. The default port is 5900.

6. If you plan to restore to dissimilar hardware, inject the appropriate storage controller and other drivers for your target system by completing the following steps:
a. Download the drivers from the server manufacturer's website and unpack them.
b. Compress each driver into a .zip file using an appropriate compression utility (for example, WinZip).
c. In the Create Boot CD dialog box, in the Drivers pane, click Add an Archive of Drivers. The Choose File to Upload dialog box appears.
d. From the dialog box, navigate through the filing system to locate the compressed driver file. Select the file, and then click Open. The Choose File to Upload dialog box closes. The driver file you selected appears in the Drivers pane of the Create Boot CD dialog box.
e. Repeat step c and step d, as appropriate, until you add all necessary drivers.
f. In the Drivers pane, select the drivers that you want to inject.

NOTE: Automatic driver injection is supported by Windows 8.1 and higher, and Windows Server 2012 R2 and higher. If creating a boot CD ISO image for earlier versions of Windows, manually save drivers to C:\Program Files\AppRecovery\Core\BootCdKit\Drivers\.
For more information about injecting drivers, see Understanding driver injection in a boot CD.
7. Click Create Boot CD. Rapid Recovery creates the boot CD and saves it with the file name you provided.

8. To monitor the progress of this task, go to the icon bar and click the Events icon.

For more information about monitoring Rapid Recovery events, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts,

and journal pages.

When the ISO image creation is complete, a record of the image appears on the Boot CDs page, which

you can access from the

(More) menu in the icon bar.

To access the ISO image, navigate to the output path you specified or click the link on the Boot CDs page. Then save the image to a location from which you can then load it onto the new system, such as a network drive.

Transferring the boot CD ISO image to media
When you create the boot CD file, it is stored as an ISO image in the path you specified. You must be able to mount this image as a drive on the server on which you are performing a bare metal restore.

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You can burn the boot CD ISO image onto compact disc (CD) or digital video disk (DVD) media accessible at system startup. When you start the machine from the boot CD, the Universal Recovery Console launches automatically. If performing a BMR on a virtual machine, this step is not required. Simply load the ISO image in a drive and edit settings for that VM to start from that drive.
Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine
After you create the boot CD image, you need to boot the target server using that image. To connect the BMR target machine to the Rapid Recovery Core Console or to use Chromium for downloading additional drivers, you must first load an Ethernet controller and network adapter. For more information, see Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console.
1. On the BMR target machine, load the boot CD image from the appropriate location, and then start the server from the boot CD image to load Win PE 10 and the Universal Recovery Console (URC) environment. The target machine displays a blue Quest screen with three URC function buttons at the top of the screen.
2. To start the URC user interface, from the buttons at the top of the screen, click (Start URC). The URC splash screen appears, and you are prompted to choose a display language.
3. From the language drop-down menu, select a display language and click OK. The Universal Recovery Console appears. The URC applies network settings, starts Rapid Recovery Agent, and searches the boot CD image for available drivers.
4. On the right side of the console, under Authentication, If the IP address does not appear, the target machine cannot find the appropriate network adapter. Stop this task, and perform one of the tasks described in the topic Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console.
5. On the right side of the console, under Authentication, if the IP address of the target machine populates, you also see a single-use password. NOTE: If you specified an IP address in the Create Boot CD dialog box, the Universal Recovery Console displays that IP address in the Authentication area.
6. If you want to change the IP address, do the following:
a. To the right of the IP address, click (Change). The Change network adapter settings dialog box appears.
b. Enter the appropriate IP address, completing values in IP address, gateway, subnet mask, and DNS server areas as appropriate.
c. When satisfied, click OK. The Change network adapter settings dialog box closes, and the new IP address appears in the Authentication area. 7. If you want to keep this IP address, record the authentication information. You will use it to connect the URC to the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
The machine is ready for you to connect to the Core, select a recovery point, and continue the bare metal restore process.
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Managing a Linux boot image
A bare metal restore for Linux requires a Live DVD boot image, which you download from an appropriate download location, such as the QorePortal or the Rapid Recovery License Portal. You will use this image to boot the destination Linux machine and connect to the Rapid Recovery Core to restore from a specified recovery point. Based on the specifics of your environment, you may need to transfer this image to physical media. You must then virtually or physically load the boot image, and start the Linux server from the boot image.
NOTE: The Live DVD was previously known as the Live CD.
Managing a Linux boot image is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. This section includes the following relevant topics:
l About the boot ISO image for Linux l Downloading a boot ISO image for Linux l Saving the Live DVD ISO image to media l Loading the Live DVD and starting the target machine l Connecting to the BMR target from the Rapid Recovery Core
About the boot ISO image for Linux
The first step when performing a bare metal restore (BMR) for a Linux machine is to download the Linux Live DVD ISO image from the Downloads page of either the QorePortal or the Rapid Recovery License Portal. The Live DVD functions with all Linux file systems supported by Rapid Recovery, and includes a bootable version of Ubuntu Linux, the GNU Screen utility (a terminal multiplexer), and a limited version of the Rapid Recovery Universal Recovery Console (URC) interface. The Rapid Recovery Universal Recovery Console is an environment that is used to restore the system drive or the entire server directly from the Rapid Recovery Core.
Downloading a boot ISO image for Linux
To complete a bare-metal restore for a Linux machine, you need a Live DVD ISO image that matches your version of Rapid Recovery Core. The current version of Live DVD is available from the Downloads page from both the QorePortal and the Rapid Recovery License Portal. If you need a different version, contact Quest Data Protection Support. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Managing a Linux boot image. To download the Live DVD ISO image, complete the steps in this procedure.
1. In a web browser, open the QorePortal at https://qoreportal.quest.com/.
2. Click Settings, and then click Downloads. 3. Under Utilities, locate Linux Live DVD, and then click Download.
The Linux boot ISO image, for example rapidrecovery-livedvd-6.3.x.iso, saves to the downloads destination folder. 4. If restoring from a physical machine, transfer the Live DVD ISO image onto physical media. For more information, see Saving the Live DVD ISO image to media.
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5. Optionally, if restoring a Linux virtual machine, you can save the ISO image to a network location, and then edit the VM settings to boot from it. Or you can transfer the Live DVD ISO image onto physical media, and change your VM settings to boot from a DVD or CD drive containing that physical media.
Saving the Live DVD ISO image to media
When you download the Linux Live DVD file, it is stored as an ISO image in the path you specified. You must be able to boot the target Linux machine from the Live DVD image. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Managing a Linux boot image.
1. Copy the boot CD ISO image onto removable media supported by your Linux machine; for example, a bootable USB flash drive, digital video disk (DVD), or compact disc (CD).
2. If necessary, take the proper steps to ensure that the media with the Live DVD ISO image is bootable. For example, change the boot order of devices to ensure the volume or drive containing the Live DVD boot image.
If performing a BMR on a virtual machine, this task is not required. Simply edit the VM settings to boot from the volume or drive containing the Rapid Recovery Live DVD ISO image instead of from physical media. You can also use virtual export to restore a Linux VM. For more information, see VM export.
Loading the Live DVD and starting the target machine
After you obtain the Live DVD ISO image, you need to start the Linux machine from the Live DVD ISO image that matches your version of Rapid Recovery Core. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Managing a Linux boot image.
1. Navigate to the BMR target machine and load the Live DVD image from the appropriate location. 2. If necessary, access settings for the BMR target machine, and modify the boot order so that the server
will start from the device containing the Live DVD image. 3. Boot the machine.
A Quest splash screen displays. A terminal window opens, displaying the IP address and authentication password for the machine.
NOTE: A new temporary password is generated each time the machine is started with the Live DVD image. 4. Write down the IP address and the authentication password displayed on the introduction screen. You will need this information to connect the BMR target machine with the Rapid Recovery Core Console to complete the bare metal restore.
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Connecting to the BMR target from the Rapid Recovery Core
After you boot the target Linux machine from the Live DVD ISO image, this machine is ready for you to connect to it from the Core and begin the bare metal restore process. You can perform this process using either of two methods:
l Launching a restore using the Restore Machine wizard accessed from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. For more information, see Launching a bare metal restore for Linux.
l Launching a Restore from the command Line using the local_mount utility. For more information, see Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line.
Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard
You can use the Restore Wizard to perform a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines. NOTE: A bootable ISO image is required to complete a BMR. For Windows restores, you need to create a boot CD image from the Core Console. For Linux restores, you need to download the Live DVD boot ISO image for the appropriate version of Rapid Recovery Core from the QorePortal or Rapid Recovery License Portal. This procedure includes a description of creating and managing a Windows boot CD image from the Restore Machine Wizard. Independent of the wizard, you can also create a Windows boot CD from the Boot CDs page, accessible from the (More) menu of the Core console. For information on managing a Windows boot CD image outside of the Restore Machine Wizard, see Managing a Windows boot image. For information on downloading and managing the Live DVD image, see Managing a Linux boot image.
Before performing a BMR, see Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines. You cannot log onto the BMR target machine using Windows Remote Desktop Services while using the boot CD. If you need to connect remotely to the BMR target machine, see Using UltraVNC for remote access. Complete the steps in the following procedure to perform BMR using the Restore Machine Wizard.
1. To restore volumes (including a system volume) on a protected machine, navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console and click Restore from the Rapid Recovery button bar. The Restore Machine Wizard appears.
2. On the Machines page, select the protected machine you want to restore, and then click Next. The Recovery Points page appears.
3. Select the recovery point you want to use to restore the machine. Optionally, if you want to limit the number of recovery points displayed, you can filter by volumes (if defined) or by creation date of the recovery point. You can also conduct a search for a specific recovery point.
4. Click Next. 5. On the Destination page, select Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD.
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6. If restoring a Windows machine, on the Destination page, do one of the following: l If you have already created a boot CD ISO image for restoring a Windows machine, load the boot CD into the BMR target machine now, reboot the target machine, and then on the Core machine, continue to step 8. For conceptual information about Windows boot CDs, see Managing a Windows boot image. For information about transferring the ISO image to removable media, see Transferring the boot CD ISO image to media. For information about how to load the boot CD, see Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine. l If you have not yet created a boot CD for restoring a Windows machine, click Next, and then continue to step 9.
7. If restoring a Linux machine, do the following: a. Download the Live DVD boot ISO image, as described in Saving the Live DVD ISO image to media. b. Transfer the image to removable media and boot the BMR target server, as described in Loading the Live DVD and starting the target machine. c. On the Core machine, return to this procedure and continue with step 15.
8. On the Destination page, under the selected Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD option, select I already have a boot CD running on the target machine, click Next, and then go to step 15.
9. On the Boot CD page, in the Output path text box, enter the path in which you want to store the boot CD ISO image. For example, to create a boot CD for a protected machine named Protected Machine 1, enter the path C:\ProgramData\AppRecovery\Boot CDs\ProtectedMachine1-BootCD.iso. NOTE: If you want to store the image on a shared drive which has insufficient disk space, you can create a disk as needed in the path; for example, F:\filename.iso. NOTE: The file extension must be .iso. When specifying the path, use only alphanumeric characters, the hyphen, the backslash (only as a path delimiter), and the period (only to separate host names and domains). The letters a to z are not case sensitive. Do not use spaces in the name of the boot CD image. No other symbols or punctuation characters are permitted.
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10. Optionally, to set up network parameters for the target machine, or to add UltraVNC capabilities, select Show advanced options, and then complete the following steps:
l To specify a static IP address for connecting to the URC on the BMR target, select Use the following IP address, and then enter the information described in the following table.

Table 144: Network connection options

Option

Description

IP address Subnet mask Default gateway DNS server

The IP address for the restored machine. The subnet mask for the restored machine. Specify the default gateway for the restored machine. Specify the domain name server for the restored machine.

l If you have UltraVNC installed and would like to use it to complete the BMR remotely, select Add UltraVNC, and then enter the information described in the following table.

Table 145: UltraVNC connection credentials

Option

Description

Password Port

Define a password. You must enter this password to connect from the boot CD using UltraVNC.
The port you want to use to connect to the BMR target. The default port is 5900.

NOTE: UltraVNC Options are only available if you already have UltraVNC installed on your Core. For more information, see Using UltraVNC for remote access.
11. When you are satisfied with your selections on the Boot CD page, click Next.

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12. Optionally, on the Driver Injection page, especially if you plan to restore to dissimilar hardware, inject the appropriate storage controller and other drivers for your target system by completing the following steps:
a. Download the drivers from the server manufacturer's website and unpack them.
b. Compress each driver into a .zip file using an appropriate compression utility (for example, WinZip).
c. On the Driver Injection page of the Restore Machine Wizard, click + Add an Archive of Drivers.
d. Navigate through the filing system to locate the compressed driver file, select the file, and then click Open.
e. Repeat step c and step d, as appropriate, until you inject all necessary drivers. For more information about injecting drivers, see Understanding driver injection in a boot CD.
NOTE: Automatic driver injection is supported by Windows 8.1 and higher, and Windows Server 2012 R2 and higher. If creating a boot CD ISO image for earlier versions of Windows, manually save drivers to C:\Program Files\AppRecovery\Core\BootCdKit\Drivers\.
f. On the Driver Injection page, click Next.
Rapid Recovery creates the boot CD ISO image.
13. On the ISO Image page, click Next.
14. If you can start the BMR target machine from the boot CD ISO image, do so now. If you cannot boot the BMR target machine directly from the image, do the following:
l Copy the ISO image to a physical medium (such as a bootable USB flash drive, DVD, or CD).
l Load the storage medium in the target machine.
l Configure the machine settings to load from the selected storage medium, and restart the BMR target machine from the boot image.
NOTE: You may need to change the BIOS settings of the target machine to ensure that the volume that loads first is the boot image.

The target machine, when started from the boot image, displays the Universal Recovery Console (URC) interface. This environment is used to restore the system drive or selected volumes directly from the Rapid Recovery Core. Note the IP address and authentication key credentials in the URC, which refresh each time you start from the boot image.
15. From the Core Console, on the Destination or Connection page of the Restore Machine Wizard, enter authentication information from the URC instance of the machine you want to restore as follows:

Table 146: Authentication options

Option

Description

IP Address
Authentication Key (or Password)

The IP address provided in the URC on the target machine.
The authentication key (or password, for Linux machines) provided in the URC on the target machine.

16. Click Next. A connection is made between the Core and the BMR target machine. Then, the Disk Mapping page of the wizard appears.

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17. On the Disk Mapping page, if you want to map volumes manually, proceed to step 18. If you want to map volumes automatically, complete the following steps: a. From the Volume mapping drop-down menu, select Automatic. b. From the list of volumes in the grid on the left, ensure that the volumes you want to restore are selected. All volumes are selected by default. If you do not want to restore a listed volume, clear the option. NOTE: At least one volume must be selected to perform the restore.
c. From the list of disks in the grid on the right, select the destination disk (or disks) for the restore. d. Click Next. e. In the Disk Mapping Preview page, review the parameters of the restore actions you selected. Do
one of the following: l If you see a warning that the automatically mapped volumes are not properly mapped, click Back, and proceed to step18. l If the mapping is sufficient, select the option to overwrite selected volumes, and then click Finish.
18. To map volumes manually, on the Disk Mapping page, complete the following steps: a. From the Volume mapping drop-down menu, select Manual. b. In the Destination column for each volume listed, select a destination volume you want to restore. Optionally, for each volume listed, if you do not wish to restore the volume, select Do not restore from the Destination drop-down menu. NOTE: At least one volume must be selected to perform the restore.
19. Click Next. 20. If the volumes you want to restore contain Oracle, SQL Server, or Microsoft Exchange databases, and if
you are performing a Live Recovery, then on the Dismount Databases page, you are prompted to dismount them. Optionally, if you want to remount these databases after the restore is complete, select Automatically remount all databases after the recovery point is restored. 21. On the Summary page, do the following:
a. Verify the bare metal restore details. b. When satisfied, select IMPORTANT! I understand that this operation will overwrite selected
volumes with the data from the selected recovery point. CAUTION: All existing partitions and data on the target drive will be permanently removed and replaced with the contents of the selected recovery point, including the operating system and all data.
c. Click Finish. The Restore Machine Wizard closes. The restore begins. If Toast alerts are enabled for this type of event, you see a message that the restore process has begun. You can monitor the progress on the Events page. For more information, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.
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Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR
The Universal Recovery Console (URC) is a recovery environment embedded into a bootable ISO image, and is used to perform bare metal restore. When you boot the BMR target from the boot CD ISO image, the URC environment appears. The user interface appears slightly differently for Windows and Linux targets.
l The URC for Windows targets uses a graphical user interface based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (Win PE) 10 OS.
l The URC for Linux targets uses a Linux Ubuntu 16 command line interface.
On a Linux recovery target machine, the sole purpose of the URC is to provide single-use credentials to connect the BMR target machine with a running Rapid Recovery Core instance to perform the restore process. In addition to providing single-use credentials for BMR, the URC for Windows contains a full-featured recovery environment. It includes function buttons and (when launched) a console. The buttons in the Windows-based URC perform the following functions:

Button Button Label Start Universal Recovery Console
Useful Tools
Power menu

Description
Launches the console from which you can manage drivers on the boot CD, manage additional drivers on the BMR target, perform bare metal restore from a Rapid Recovery archive, and monitor the restore progress.
Menu to access tools that may be required to help with your bare metal restore. For example, to launch a browser that runs on Windows PE, select Chromium from the Tools menu. For specific information, see About Windows Universal Recovery Console tools.
This menu includes options to reboot or shut down the BMR target machine. Each time you reboot, the authentication key is refreshed.

The Windows-based URC includes the following tabs:

Tab Name Boot CD Driver Manager
Existing Windows Driver Manager

Description
Lets you manage the drivers available on the boot CD. Click the arrow next to each item to expand to show its child objects. After you make changes, click Force Load to apply the changes and test the drivers.
NOTE: Items listed under Other devices do not yet have the correct drivers associated with them.
Lets you load and manage drivers not included on the boot CD.

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Tab Name

Description

Restore from Archive
Restore Progress

Lets you perform a BMR from a Rapid Recovery archive.
Lets you monitor the process of the bare metal restore. This tab only appears when a restore takes place.

For both Windows and Linux BMR target machines, the Authentication area shows the following information:

Button Purpose IP address

Description
When an appropriate network adapter is loaded, the IP address of the BMR target machine is displayed.

Authentication A new single-use password generates each time the BMR target machine is started

key

using the boot ISO image.

Write down the authentication information. You will need this information to connect the BMR target machine with the Rapid Recovery Core Console to complete the restore process.

About Windows Universal Recovery Console tools
The Windows-based Universal Recovery Console (URC) includes access to tools that may assist you in completing a bare metal restore (BMR). You can find the following tools by clicking (Useful tools) from the top buttons displayed on the BMR target machine when booted into the URC. These tools include the following:
l Far Manager. This tool is similar to Windows Explorer. It provides a way to browse for files on the server until you complete the BMR and install an operating system with its own browsing function, such as Windows Explorer.
l Chromium. This open-source browser lets you access the Internet on a server that has a network controller loaded through the URC.
l PuTTY. This tool is an open-source terminal emulator. In the context of performing a BMR in Rapid Recovery, it lets you connect to a NAS storage device that does not include a user interface. This capability may be necessary if you want to restore from an archive stored on a NAS.
l Notepad. As in a Windows operating system, this text tool lets you type unformatted notes and view log files.
l Task Manager. As in a Windows operating system, this tool lets you manage processes and monitor the performance of the server while the restore is in progress.
l Registry Editor. As in a Windows operating system, this tool lets you change the system registry of the BMR target.
l Command Prompt. This tool lets you perform commands on the BMR target outside of the URC until you install a user interface.

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Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console
The following tasks are prerequisites for this procedure.
l Creating a boot CD ISO image l Transferring the boot CD ISO image to media l Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine
The Universal Recovery Console lets you add any drivers that were not included in the ISO image but are required for a successful bare metal restore. This task is part of the process for Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR. When creating a boot CD, you can add necessary drivers to the ISO image. After you boot into the target machine, you also can load storage or network drivers from within the Universal Recovery Console (URC). If you are restoring to dissimilar hardware, you must inject storage controller, RAID, AHCI, chipset, and other drivers if they are not already on the boot CD. These drivers make it possible for the operating system to operate all devices on your target server successfully after you restart the system following the restore process. Complete the steps in one of the following procedures to load drivers using the URC:
l Loading drivers in the Universal Recovery Console using portable media l Loading a driver in the URC using Chromium
Loading drivers in the Universal Recovery Console using portable media
Complete the following procedure to use a portable media device to load drivers in the Universal Recovery Console (URC).
1. On an internet-connected machine, download the drivers from the manufacturer's website for the server and unpack them.
2. Compress each driver into a .zip file using an appropriate compression utility (for example, WinZip). 3. Copy and save the .zip file of drivers onto a portable media device, such as a USB drive. 4. Remove the media from the connected machine and insert it into the BMR target machine. 5. On the target server, load the boot CD ISO image from removable media and start the machine.
The Quest splash screen appears.
6. To start the URC, click the (Start URC) button. The URC opens to the Boot CD driver manager tab.
7. Expand the Other devices list. This list shows the drivers that are necessary for the hardware but are not included in the boot CD.
8. Right-click a device from the list, and then click Load Driver. 9. In the Select driver load mode window, select one of the following options:
l Load single driver package (driver will be loaded without verification for device support) l Scan folder for driver packets (drivers for selected device will be searched in selected folder)
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10. Expand the drive for the portable media device, select the driver (with file extension .inf), and then click OK. The driver loads to the current operating system.
11. In the Info window, click OK to acknowledge that the driver successfully loaded. 12. Repeat this procedure as necessary for each driver you want to load.
Loading a driver in the URC using Chromium
Complete the following procedure to use the Chromium browser that comes installed on the boot CD to load drivers while in the URC.
1. On the target server, load the boot CD and start the machine. The Quest splash screen appears.
2. To start the URC, from the buttons at the top of the screen, click (Start URC). The URC opens to the Boot CD driver manager tab.
3. From the buttons at the top of the screen, click (Open useful tools), and then click Chromium. The Chromium browser opens.
4. Using Chromium, navigate to a website where you can download the necessary driver. 5. Download the driver or drivers to your location choice, such as a local folder or a network file share.
If you do not specify a download location, by default Chromium downloads files to the path Boot (X:)\Program Files\Chromium. 6. Expand the Other devices list. This list shows the drivers that are necessary for the hardware but are not included in the boot CD. 7. Right-click a device from the list, and then click Load Driver. 8. In the Select driver load mode window, select one of the following options:
l Load single driver package (driver is loaded without verification for device support) l Scan folder for driver packets (drivers for selected device are searched in selected folder) 9. Navigate to the location where you saved the driver, select the driver, and then click OK. The driver loads to the current operating system. 10. In the Info window, click OK to acknowledge that the driver successfully loaded. 11. Repeat this procedure as necessary for each driver you want to load.
Selecting a recovery point and initiating a BMR
After the Universal Recovery Console (URC) is accessible on the bare metal restore (BMR) target machine, you must select the recovery point that you want to restore. Navigate to the Core Console to select which recovery point you want to load, and then designate the recovery console as the destination for the restored data.
NOTE: This step is required to perform BMR on all Windows machines and optional to perform BMR on Linux machines. This task is part of the process for Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR.
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If performing a BMR for a Linux machine from the Core Console, then this task is also a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line.

1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, from the list of protected machines (or attached archives, if relevant), click the name of the protected machine you want to restore. The Summary page for the selected machine appears.
2. Click Recovery Points.
3. Next to the recovery point you want to use for the BMR, click the drop-down menu, and then click Restore. The Restore Machine Wizard appears.
4. Select Recover to any target machine using a Boot CD.
5. Select I already have a Boot CD running on the target machine. The authentication text boxes appear.
6. Enter the information about the machine you want to restore as described in the following table.

Table 147: Target machine information

Text Box

Description

IP Address

The IP address of the machine to which you want to restore. This is identical to the IP address displayed in the URC.

Authentication The specific password to connect to the selected server. This is identical to the

Key

Authentication Key displayed in the URC.

7. Click Next. If the connection information you entered matches the URC, and if the Core and the target server can identify each other properly on the network, then the volumes for the selected recovery point are loaded, and the Disk Mapping page appears. In this case, your next step is to map volumes.
8. Proceed to About disk mapping for a bare metal restore to learn about your disk-mapping options.

About disk mapping for a bare metal restore
After you connect to the Universal Recovery Console, you need to map volumes between those listed in the recovery point and the volumes existing on the target hardware. Rapid Recovery attempts to automatically map volumes. If you accept the default mapping, then the disk on the destination machine is cleaned and re-partitioned and any previously existing data is deleted. The alignment is performed in the order the volumes are listed in the recovery point, and the volumes are allocated to the disks appropriately according to size, and so on. Assuming there is enough space on the target drive, no partitioning is required when using automatic disk alignment. A disk can be used by multiple volumes. If you manually map the drives, note that you cannot use the same disk twice. For manual mapping, you must have the new machine correctly formatted already before restoring it.
NOTE: When restoring a Linux machine and using manual mapping, additionally, the partitions must be mounted prior to completing the restore.
The destination machine must have a separate partition for each volume in the recovery point, including the system reserved volume. For more information, see Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR. As of Rapid Recovery Core release 6.4, you can use automatic mapping when performing BMR for LVM and software-based RAID volumes on Linux machines without first creating the partitions.

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Complete the procedure for one of the following disk-mapping options:
l Automatically mapping disks for a BMR l Manually mapping disks for a BMR
NOTE: ReFS is supported for Rapid Recovery on machines with Windows Server 2012 R2 or later. If protecting machines with the ReFS file system, the version of Windows that hosts the Rapid Recovery Core must be newer than the Windows version on the protected machine.
CAUTION: Bare metal restore of Storage Spaces disks configuration (a feature of Windows 8.1) is not supported. For details, see the Rapid Recovery 6.4 Installation and Upgrade Guide. This task is part of the process for Using the Universal Recovery Console for a BMR. If performing a BMR for a Linux machine from the Core Console, then this task is also a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Launching a bare metal restore for Linux.
Automatically mapping disks for a BMR
This procedure lets you automatically map disks during a bare metal restore (BMR) using the Restore Machine Wizard. Complete the steps in the following procedure to automatically select the volumes you want to recover and where to restore them.
1. On the Disk Mapping page of the Restore Machine Wizard, next to Volume mapping, select Automatic from the drop-down menu.
2. In the left table, verify that the appropriate volumes are listed and are selected. NOTE: Typically for a BMR, you should restore, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the system volume (usually, but not always, the C:\ volume). You must select at least one volume to perform a BMR.
3. In the right table, select the disk or disks to which you want to map volumes on the target machine. 4. Click Next. 5. On the Disk Mapping Preview page, review the mapping of the recovery point volumes and the
destination volume for the restore. 6. To begin the restore, click Finish.
CAUTION: If you select Begin Restore, all existing partitions and data on the target drive are permanently removed and replaced with the contents of the selected recovery point, including the operating system and all data.
Manually mapping disks for a BMR
This procedure describes how to designate the drive or volume locations on the BMR target volume when performing BMR from a recovery point. To manually map disks on Linux BMR target machines, you must first use DiskPart from the Command Line on the BMR target machine to create and format target volumes. For more information, see DiskPart CommandLine Options (Standard 7 SP1) on the Microsoft Developer Network. Complete the steps in the following procedure to manually select the volumes you want to recover and where to restore them.
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1. On the Disk Mapping page of the Restore Machine Wizard, next to Volume mapping, select Manual from the drop-down menu. NOTE: If no volumes exist on the drive of the machine on which you are performing a bare metal restore (BMR), you cannot see this option or manually map volumes.
2. In the Volume Mapping area, under Source Volume, verify that the source volume is selected, and that the appropriate volumes are listed beneath it and are selected.
3. For each source volume, from the Destination drop-down menu, select the appropriate destination to restore on the BMR target volume. If you do not want to restore a specific volume, select Do not restore.
4. When mappings for all listed volumes are selected, then click Next. 5. In the confirmation dialog box, review the mapping of the source of the recovery point and the
destination volume for the restore. 6. To begin the restore, click Finish.
CAUTION: When you proceed with the restore, all existing partitions and data on the target drive is removed permanently, and replaced with the contents of the selected recovery point, including the operating system and all data.
Performing a BMR from an archive
Rapid Recovery lets you restore a machine from bare metal using an archived recovery point. NOTE: This topic applies to Windows machines. If you want to restore a Linux machine from an archive, mount or attach the archive, and then restore the data from the desired recovery point.
The following tasks are prerequisites for this procedure. l Creating an archive l Creating a boot CD ISO image l Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine
From the Universal Recovery Console (URC) on a Windows-based BMR target machine, you can perform a bare metal restore from a recovery point stored in a Rapid Recovery archive. The URC lets you reach this archive whether it is on a local drive, a network share, or a cloud account.
NOTE: This procedure assumes you have an archive from which to restore, and a boot CD ISO image; and that you have started the BMR target machine from the boot ISO image.
1. From the Universal Recovery Console of the BMR target machine, click Restore from Archive. The Restore from Archive tab displays the Location page, and shows the remaining steps required to restore from an archive.
2. From the Location type drop-down menu, select the location of your archive. You can choose from the following options. l Local l Network l Cloud
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3. Based on the location type selected in the previous step, enter the credentials described in the following table.

Table 148: Location type credentials options

Location Type

Option

Description

Local

Local path

The current location of the archive. For example, D:\work\archive.

Network

Network path

The current location of the archive. For example: \\machine\shared_folder\archive.

Cloud

User Password Cloud type

The user name for network share access. The password for network share access. The provider of your cloud storage location. Select from the following options:
l Microsoft Azure l Amazon S3 l Powered by OpenStack l Rackspace Cloud Files l Google Cloud l Microsoft Azure Resource Management

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4. If you selected a cloud type, complete the credentials that pertain to your cloud provider. l For Microsoft Azure, complete the following steps: a. Enter the following credentials: l Storage Account Name l Access Key b. For the Container name, from the drop-down list, select a container. c. For the Cloud path, from the drop-down list, select the path to the archive. l For Amazon S3, complete the following steps: a. Enter the following credentials: l Access key l Secret key b. For the Container name, from the drop-down list, select a container. c. For the Cloud path, from the drop-down list, select the path to the archive. l For Powered by OpenStack or Rackspace Cloud Files accounts, complete the following steps: a. Enter the following information: l Region l User b. Select one of the following options: l Password l API Key c. In the text box, enter the information based on your selection in Step c. d. Enter the following information: l Tenant ID l Authentication URL e. For the Container name, from the drop-down list, select a container. f. For the Cloud path, from the drop-down list, select the path to the archive. l For Google Cloud accounts, complete the following steps: a. Upload the certificate file b. Enter the following credentials: l Private key c. Enter the following information: l Project ID l Service account email d. For the Container name, from the drop-down list, select a container. e. For the Cloud path, from the drop-down list, select the path to the archive. f. If prompted for the Bucket name, from the drop-down list, select the appropriate bucket.
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5. Click Next. 6. On the Machines page, select the machine you want to restore, and then click Next. 7. On the Recovery Points page, select the recovery point you want to use to restore the machine, and then
click Next. 8. On the Mapping page, select one of the following options, and then complete the corresponding steps:
l From the Volume Mapping drop-down list, select Automatic. a. In the left table, verify that the appropriate volumes are listed and are selected. NOTE: Typically for a BMR, you should restore, at minimum, the system reserved volume and the system volume (usually, but not always, the C:\ volume). You must select at least one volume to perform a BMR.
b. In the right table, select the disk or disks to which you want to map volumes on the target machine.
l From the Volume Mapping drop-down list, select Manual. NOTE: To manually map disks, you must first use DiskPart on the Command Line to create and format target volumes. For more information, see DiskPart Command-Line Options (Standard 7 SP1) on the Microsoft Developer Network.
NOTE: If no volumes exist on the drive of the machine on which you are performing a bare metal restore (BMR), you cannot see this option or manually map volumes.
l Under Destination Volumes, from the drop-down menu, select the appropriate target volume for each volume in the recovery point.
9. In the mount maps path text box, enter a destination for the temporary storage of mapping files. The default location is X:\ProgramData\AppRecovery\IndexEntriesMaps. NOTE: To ensure that your destination has sufficient free space, divide the total mount volume capacity by 1,024. For example, using the formula (Mount volume total capacity) / 1024 = Free space, then 1 TB / 1024 = 1 GB.
10. Click Restore. The URC maps the volumes to the new disk or disks.
11. Click Restore. The URC restores the data to the target machine. You can view the progress on the Restore progress tab.
12. After the restore is complete, remove the boot CD. 13. To boot the BMR target machine into Windows, restart the machine.
Loading drivers to the operating system
This procedure describes how to load drivers to the operating system on a bare metal restore (BMR) target. You can use this procedure to troubleshoot driver conflicts for the restored machine. After performing a BMR, you can load or inject additional drivers to the OS of the restored machine from the URC. You must have the drivers accessible in a compressed format.
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1. From the URC of the BMR target machine, click Existing Windows driver management. The Existing Windows driver management tab of the console appears.
2. From the drop-down list, select an operating system. The URC searches for available drivers.
3. To load additional drivers, click Force Load. 4. Navigate through the filing system to locate the compressed driver file, and then select the file. 5. Click OK.
The URC loads the driver into the operating system you selected. 6. Repeat step 3 through step 5 for each additional driver you need to load. 7. Restart the BMR target machine.
The BMR is complete. If you experience an issue when you restart, see Repairing boot problems.
Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines
In Rapid Recovery, you can perform a Bare Metal Restore (BMR) for a protected Linux machine, including a restore of the system volume. BMR functionality is supported for Linux using the Restore Machine Wizard from the Core Console, and also using the command line local_mount utility.
CAUTION: Rapid Recovery supports ext2 partition types only if the kernel is version 3.10 and above. If using an earlier kernel, convert any ext2 partitions to ext3, ext4, or XFS before you begin protecting and backing up the machine.
CAUTION: When you boot a restored Linux machine for the first time after a BMR, Rapid Recovery Core first attempts to capture an incremental snapshot of the restored machine. If incremental capture is not possible due to the amount of data and the state of the machine, then Rapid Recovery Core captures a base image of the restored machine. This process takes more time than taking an incremental snapshot. For more information about base images and incremental snapshots, see Understanding protection schedules. To perform a bare metal restore for Linux machines, perform the following tasks.
l Manage a Linux boot image. The Linux Live DVD boot ISO image is used to start up the BMR target machine, from which you can access the Universal Recovery Console to communicate with backups on the Core. See Managing a Linux boot image. l To obtain the boot image for BMR, make sure the Live DVD version matches your Core version. For more information, see About the boot ISO image for Linux followed by Downloading a boot ISO image for Linux. l If you require physical media to start up the destination Linux machine, you will need to transfer the ISO image to media. See Saving the Live DVD ISO image to media. l In all cases, you will need to load the boot ISO image into the BMR target machine and boot the server from that image. See Loading the Live DVD and starting the target machine. l After you load the media and boot, you must connect the Linux BMR target machine to the Rapid Recovery Core. See Connecting to the BMR target from the Rapid Recovery Core.
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l Manage Partitions. You may need to create or mount partitions before performing a BMR on a Linux machine. See Managing Linux partitions. l The Linux system on which you are performing a BMR must have the same partitions as the source volumes in the recovery point. You may need to create additional partitions on the target system, if required. See Creating partitions on the destination drive. l If you are performing a manual BMR, you must first mount partitions. See Mounting partitions from the command line. Steps to mount partitions are included in the process to perform a BMR from the command line. See Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line. If you are using auto-partitioning for BMR within the Core Console, you do not need to mount partitions. Rapid Recovery will restore the same partitions as those included in the recovery point being restored.
l Launch a Bare Metal Restore for Linux. Once the destination machine is started from the Live DVD boot image, you can launch the BMR. The tasks required depend on whether you will perform this from the Rapid Recovery Core Console user interface or from the command line using the local_mount utility. See Launching a bare metal restore for Linux. l If using the Core Console, you will need to initiate a restore from a recovery point on the Core. See Selecting a recovery point and initiating a BMR. l If using the Core Console, you will need to map the volumes from the UI. See About disk mapping for a bare metal restore. l Optionally, if restoring from the command line, you can use the GNU Screen utility to enhance your ability to scroll and see commands in the terminal console. This utility opens by default. If you close it, you can start it again. For more information, see Starting the Screen utility. l If using local_mount, all tasks will be performed at the command line. For more information, see Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line.
l Verify a Bare Metal Restore. After starting the bare metal restore, you can verify and monitor your progress. See Verifying the bare metal restore from the command line. l You can monitor the progress of your restore. See Viewing the recovery progress. l Once completed, you can start the restored server. See Starting a restored target server. l Troubleshoot the BMR process. See Troubleshooting connections to the Universal Recovery Console and Repairing boot problems.
Managing Linux partitions
When performing a BMR, the destination drive onto which you will be restoring data must have the same partitions as in the recovery point you are restoring. You may need to create partitions to meet this requirement. You can launch the restore from the command line using the local_mount utility, or you can launch the restore from the Rapid Recovery Core Console. If restoring using the user interface, you must first mount the partitions. Managing Linux partitions is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. You can perform the following tasks:
l Creating partitions on the destination drive l Formatting partitions on the destination drive l Mounting partitions from the command line
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Creating partitions on the destination drive
Often, when performing a BMR, the destination drive is a new volume that may consist of a single partition. The drive on the destination machine must have the same partition table as in the recovery point, including the size of the volumes. If the destination drive does not contain the same partitions, you must create them before performing the bare metal restore. Use the fdisk utility to create partitions on the destination drive equal to the partitions on the source drive.
Formatting partitions on the destination drive
After creating partitions on a new volume on the destination drive to perform bare metal restore, if you are not using auto partition, you must format the partitions before they can be mounted. If this situation applies to you, format partitions in ext3, ext4, or XFS formats. For all other scenarios, you do not need to format partitions.
Mounting partitions from the command line
If performing manual partitioning for BMR of a Linux machine using the Restore Machine Wizard, you must first mount the appropriate partitions on the destination machine. Perform this action from the command line in the Universal Recovery Console. This process is a step in performing a BMR for Linux machines from the command line.
Launching a bare metal restore for Linux
Before launching a bare metal restore (BMR) for a Linux machine, the following conditions are required:
l To restore a recovery point saved on the Core, you must have the appropriate hardware in place. For more information, see Prerequisites for performing a bare metal restore for Windows or Linux machines.
l The BMR target machine must be started using the Live DVD boot ISO image. For more information, see Managing a Linux boot image.
l The number of volumes on the Linux machine to be restored must match the number of volumes in the recovery point. You must also decide whether to restore from the Restore Machines wizard in the Rapid Recovery Core Console, or from the command line using local_mount. For more information, see Managing Linux partitions.
l If restoring from the Core Console UI, the first step in launching a BMR is to select the appropriate recovery point, then initiate the restore to the hardware by specifying the IP address and temporary password you obtained from the Universal Recovery Console. You must then map the drives and start the restore.
This process is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. To launch a BMR from the Rapid Recovery Core Console, perform the following tasks.
l Selecting a recovery point and initiating a BMR l About disk mapping for a bare metal restore
If restoring from the command line using the local_mount utility, then you must first set appropriate privileges, mount volumes, execute local_mount, obtain information about the Core from the list of machines, connect to
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the Core, obtain a list of recovery points, select the recovery point you want to roll back onto bare metal, and launch the restore. Optionally, you may want to start the Screen utility. To launch a BMR from the command line, perform the following tasks.
l Starting the Screen utility l Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line
Starting the Screen utility
Included on the Live DVD is Screen, a GNU utility which is available when you boot from the Live DVD into the Universal Recovery Console. Screen allows users to manage multiple shells simultaneously over a single Secure Shell (SSH) session or console window. This allows you to perform one task in a terminal window (such as verify mounted volumes) and, while that is running, open or switch to another shell instance to perform another task (such as to run the local_mount utility). The Screen utility also has its own scroll-back buffer, which enables you to scroll the screen to view larger amounts of data, such as a list of recovery points.
NOTE: This utility is provided for convenience; use of the Screen utility is optional.
The Screen utility starts on the machine booted with the Live DVD by default. However, if you have closed this application, you must start the Screen utility from the Live DVD using the procedure below.
1. If the machine was booted from the Live DVD, then in the terminal window, type screen and press Enter. The Screen utility starts.
Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line
Once the Live DVD ISO image is accessible on the machine on which you want to perform a BMR, and the number and size of volumes matches between the target machine and the recovery point you want to restore to bare metal, then you can launch a restore from the command line using the local_mount utility. If you want to perform a BMR using the Rapid Recovery Core Console user interface, see Selecting a recovery point and initiating a BMR.
NOTE: When performing this procedure, do not attempt to mount recovery points to the /tmp folder, which contains the rapidrecovery-vdisk files. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Launching a bare metal restore for a Linux machine using the command line. Complete the steps in this procedure to select a recovery point on the Core to restore to the physical or virtual BMR target machine.
1. To run the Rapid Recovery local_mount utility as root, type the following command and then press Enter:
sudo local_mount
2. To list the protected machines, type the following command and then press Enter:
lm
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3. When prompted, enter the connection information for the Rapid Recovery Core as described in the following table, pressing Enter after each required command:

Table 149: Rapid Recovery Core connection information

Text Box

Description

Required

Rapid Recovery Core IP address or The IP address or hostname of the Rapid Recovery Yes

hostname

Core.

Domain User Password

The domain of the Rapid Recovery Core. This is

optional.

The user name for an administrative user on the

Yes

Core

The password used to connect the administrative Yes user to the Core.

A list displays showing the machines protected by the Rapid Recovery Core. It lists the machines found by line item number, the host display name or IP address, and an ID number for the machine.
4. To list the recovery points for the machine that you want to restore, type the list recovery points command using the following syntax and then press Enter:
lr <machine_line_item_number>
NOTE: You can also enter the machine ID number in this command instead of the line item number. A list displays the base and incremental recovery points for that machine. This list includes:
l A line item number l Date and time stamp l A numbered list of volumes within the recovery point l Location of the volume l Size of the recovery point l An ID number for the volume that includes a sequence number at the end, which identifies the
recovery point

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5. To select the recovery point for a restore, enter the following command and then press Enter: r <recovery_point_ID_number> <path>
CAUTION: You must ensure that the system volume is not mounted.
NOTE: If you started the machine from the Live DVD, then the system volume is not mounted.
This command restores the volume image specified by the ID from the Core to the specified path. The path for the restore is the path for the device file descriptor and is not the directory to which it is mounted.
NOTE: You can also specify a line number in the command instead of the recovery point ID number to identify the recovery point. In that case, use the agent/machine line number (from the lm output), followed by the recovery point line number and volume number (from the numbered list of volumes within the recovery point), followed by the path. For example: r <machine_ line_item_number> <base_image_recovery_point_line_number> <volume_number> <path> In this command, <path> is the file descriptor for the actual volume. For this syntax, when variables shown in brackets are replaced with values, the command looks like this example:r 1 24 1 /dev/sda1
6. When prompted to proceed, enter y for Yes and then press Enter. After the restore begins, a series of messages display that notify you of the restore completion status. NOTE: If you receive an exception message, the details regarding that exception can be found in the local_mount.log file. The local_mount.log file is located in /var/log/apprecovery.
7. Upon a successful restore, exit local_mount by typing exit and then press Enter. 8. Your next step is to verify the restore. For more information, see Verifying the bare metal restore from the
command line.
Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line
Before restoring from a recovery point using the command line, you must dismount the disk on which you will be restoring data. This procedure describes how to restore the volumes on a protected Linux machine from the recovery points stored in the Rapid Recovery Core using the command line local_mount utility.
NOTE: In previous releases, this process was referred to as performing a rollback.
For information about performing restore for Linux volumes from the Rapid Recovery Core Console, see Performing a bare metal restore using the Restore Machine Wizard. You can begin a restore from any location on the Rapid Recovery Core Console by clicking the Restore icon in the Rapid Recovery button bar. When you start a restore in this manner, you must specify which of the machines protected on the Core you want to restore, and then drill down to the volume you want to restore. In Rapid Recovery, you can restore volumes on your protected Linux machines using the command line local_ mount utility.
CAUTION: To restore the system or root (/) partition or entire operating system, see Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines.
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1. Run the Rapid Recovery local_mount utility as root, for example:
sudo local_mount
2. At the Rapid Recovery mount prompt, enter the following command to list the protected machines.
lm
3. When prompted, enter the IP address or hostname of your Rapid Recovery Core server. 4. Enter the logon credentials, that is, the user name and password, for this server.
A list displays showing the machines protected by this Rapid Recovery Core server. It lists the protected machines found by line item number, host or IP IP address, and an ID number for the machine (for example: 7d658e5f-fa08-4600-95f0-5f486bc1b6a4#de0896fd-571a-4cc5-aeed264d2c3c72f4#f377e145-dd4d-3ac3-5b15-37ce8f4913ba:2). 5. Enter the following command to list the currently mounted recovery points for the specified machine:
lr <machine_line_item_number>
NOTE: You can also enter the machine ID number in this command instead of the line item number. A list displays that shows the base and incremental recovery points for that machine. This list includes a line item number, date and time stamp, location of volume, size of recovery point, and an ID number for the volume that includes a sequence number at the end (for example, "293cc667-44b4-48ab-91d844bc74252a4f:2"), which identifies the recovery point. 6. Enter the following command to select a recovery point to restore:
r <volume_recovery_point_ID_number> <device path>
This command restores the volume image specified by the ID from the Core to the specified path. The path for the restore is the path for the device file descriptor, not the directory to which it is mounted. You can also specify a line number in the command instead of the recovery point ID number to identify the recovery point. In that case, you would use the protected machine line number (from the lm output), followed by the recovery point line number and volume letter, followed by the path, such as, r <machine_ line_item_number> <recovery_point_line_number> <volume_letter> <path>. In this command, <path> is the file descriptor for the actual volume. For example, if the lm output lists three protected machines, and you enter the lr command for protected machine number 2, and you want to restore the 23 recovery point volume b to the volume that was mounted to the directory /dev/sda5, the command would be:
r 2 23 b /dev/sda5
NOTE: It is possible to restore to / if needed. If performing a Bare Metal Restore using a Live DVD, it is assumed you want to restore to a different machine. For more information, see Launching a bare metal restore for Linux.
7. When prompted to proceed, enter y for Yes. Once the restore proceeds, a series of messages will display to notify you of the status.
8. Upon a successful restore, the local_mount utility will automatically mount and re-attach the kernel module to the restored volume if the target was previously protected and mounted. If not, you will need to mount the restored volume to the local disk and then should verify that the files are restored (for example, you can use the sudo mount command and then the ls command.)
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Verifying a bare metal restore
After you perform a bare metal restore (BMR), you can verify the progress of the restore. When the action is completed successfully, you can start the restored server. Some troubleshooting steps are included if you encounter difficulties connecting to the Universal Recovery Console to complete the restore, and if you need to repair startup problems with the restored machine. You can perform the following tasks:
l Viewing the recovery progress l Starting a restored target server l Troubleshooting connections to the Universal Recovery Console l Repairing boot problems
Viewing the recovery progress
Complete the steps in this procedure to view the progress of restoring data from a recovery point (including bare metal restore) initiated from the Rapid Recovery Core Console.
1. After you initiate the process restoring data from a recovery point, while the task is in process, you can view its progress from the Running Tasks drop-down menu on the Core Console.
2. Optionally, you can view detailed information in the Events page. Fore more information about monitoring Rapid Recovery events, see Viewing events using tasks, alerts, and journal pages.
3. Additionally, only in the case of performing a restore or BMR of a protected Linux machine from the command line, you can view the recovery progress within the same command shell (window) from which you initiated the restore.
Starting a restored target server
Complete the steps in this procedure to start the restored target server. NOTE: Before starting the restored target server, you should verify that the recovery was successful. For more information, see Viewing the recovery progress.
This task is part of the process for Verifying a bare metal restore. 1. On the target server, verify that the Rapid Recovery Universal Recovery Console is active. 2. Eject the boot CD (or disconnect physical media with the boot CD image) from the restored server. 3. In the Universal Recovery Console, from the top function buttons, click (Power menu), and then select Reboot. 4. Specify that you want to start the operating system normally. 5. Log on to the machine. The system should be restored to the state captured in the recovery point.
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Troubleshooting connections to the Universal Recovery Console
The following are troubleshooting steps for connecting to the boot CD image as part of the process for Selecting a recovery point and initiating a BMR. If an error displays indicating that the Core could not connect to the remote server, then any of several possible causes are likely.
l Verify that the IP address and Current Password displayed in the URC are identical to the information you entered in the Recovery Console Instance dialog box.
l To reach the server on which to restore data, the Core must be able to identify the server on the network. To determine if server identification is possible, you can open a command prompt on the Core and ping the IP address of the target BMR server. You can also open a command prompt on the target server and ping the IP address of the Rapid Recovery Core.
l Verify that the network adapter settings are compatible between Core and target BMR server.
Repairing boot problems
The following tasks are prerequisites for this procedure.
l Creating a boot CD ISO image l Loading the boot CD and starting the target machine l Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console
Complete the steps in this procedure to repair startup problems. Keep in mind that if you restored to dissimilar hardware, you must have injected storage controller, RAID, AHCI, chipset and other drivers if they are not already on the boot CD. These drivers make it possible for the operating system to operate all devices on your target server successfully. For more information, see Loading drivers using the Universal Recovery Console. Complete the following procedure to repair startup problems on your target server.
1. From the Universal Recovery Console, click the Existing Windows driver manager tab. 2. Click Repair Boot Problems.
The startup parameters in the target server boot record are automatically repaired.
Verifying the bare metal restore from the command line
Quest recommends performing the following steps to verify a bare metal restore completed from the command line. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines.
l Performing a file system check on the restored volume l Using the command line to make a restored Linux machine bootable
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Performing a file system check on the restored volume
Once you execute a bare metal restore from the command line, you should perform a file system check on the restored volume to ensure the data restored from the recovery point was not corrupted. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Verifying the bare metal restore from the command line. Perform the task below to perform a file system check on the restored volume.
1. From the command line in the Universal Recovery Console of the Linux machine you have restored, to verify whether the appropriate partitions are mounted, type the following command and then press Enter:
df
2. If the restored volume is not mounted, then skip to Step 3. If the restored volume is mounted, unmount it by typing the following command and then pressing Enter:
umount <mount point>
3. Run a file system check on the restored volumes by typing the following command and then press Enter:
fsck -f <volume>
If the fsck returns clean, the file system is verified.
4. Mount the appropriate volumes once again by typing the following command in format mount <volume> <folder>, and then press Enter. For example, if the volume path is prod/sda1 and the folder you want to mount to is mnt, then type the following and then press Enter:
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
Using the command line to make a restored Linux machine bootable
Once you complete a clean file system check on the restored volume, you must create bootable partitions. GNU Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB) is a boot loader that allows administrators to configure which operating system or specific kernel configuration is used to start the system. After a BMR, the configuration file for GRUB must be modified so that the machine uses the appropriate universally unique identifier (UUID) for the root volume. Before this step you must mount the root and boot volumes, and check the UUIDs for each. This ensures that you can boot from the partition.
NOTE: This procedure applies to Linux machines that use GRUB1 or GRUB2. When using this procedure, ensure that the boot partition is healthy and protected. GRUB or GRUB2 is typically installed with Linux operating systems. You can perform this procedure using the version that comes with your Linux distribution. If a version of GRUB is not installed, you will have to re-install the default version appropriate for your Linux distribution. CAUTION: When you boot a restored Linux machine for the first time after a BMR, Rapid Recovery takes a base image of the restored machine. This process typically takes longer than taking an incremental snapshot. For more information about base images and incremental snapshots, see Understanding protection schedules. This task is a step in Performing a bare metal restore for Linux machines. It is part of the process for Verifying the bare metal restore from the command line.
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Perform the task below to create bootable partitions using the command line. 1. You must mount the root volume first and then the boot volume. Mount each restored volume by using the following commands: a. To mount the root volume, type the following command and then press Enter: mount /<restored volume[root]> /mnt
For example, if /dev/sda2 is the root volume, then type mount /dev/sda2 /mnt and then press Enter. b. To mount the boot volume, type the following command and then press Enter:
mount /<restored volume[boot]> /mnt/boot
For example, if /dev/sda1 is the boot volume, then type mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot and then press Enter.
NOTE: Some system configurations may include the boot directory as part of the root volume. 2. If the volume size is increasing -- that is, if the destination volume on the new Linux machine is larger than the volume was in the recovery point -- then you must delete any existing bitmap data files. 3. Obtain the Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of the new volumes by using the blkid command. Type the following and then press Enter: blkid [volume]
NOTE: You can also use the ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid command.
4. If performing a BMR on a brand new disk on the destination machine, comment out the swap partition in fstab in your root volume.
5. Modifying fstab and mtab paths should occur on the restored volume, not the Live DVD. There is no need to modify paths on the Live DVD. Prepare for the installation of Grand Unified Bootloader (GRUB) by typing the following commands. Following each command, press Enter: mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
6. Change root directory by typing the following command and then press Enter: chroot /mnt /bin/bash
7. Obtain the old UUID of the partition or partitions from the mounted recovery points /etc/fstab file and compare it to the UUIDs for the root (for Ubuntu and CentOS), boot (for CentOS and RHEL), or data partitions by typing the following command and then press Enter: less /mnt/etc/fstab
8. Obtain the old UUID of the partition or partitions from the mounted recovery points /etc/mtab file and compare it to the UUIDs for the root (for Ubuntu and CentOS), boot (for CentOS and RHEL), and data partitions by typing the following command and then press Enter: less /mnt/etc/mtab
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9. If using SLES 11, install GRUB by typing the following commands, pressing Enter after each: grub-install --recheck /dev/sda grub-install /dev/sda
10. If using Ubuntu, CentOS 6.x, RHEL 6.x, or Oracle Linux 6.x, install GRUB by typing the following command, and then press Enter: grub-install /dev/sda
11. If using SLES 12, CentOS 7, RHEL 7, or Oracle 7, install GRUB2 by typing the following command, and then press Enter: grub2-install /dev/sda
12. After you complete installation, run one of the following updates: For SLES: grub-install.unsupported --recheck /dev/sda grub-install.unsupported /dev/sda update-grub NOTE: If the update-grub command does not exist on your Linux distribution, omit this option. For other distributions: grub-install /dev/sda update-grub NOTE: If the update-grub command does not exist on your Linux distribution, omit this option.
13. Remove the Live DVD disk from the CD-ROM or DVD drive and restart the Linux machine.
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17
Managing aging data
This section describes how to manage aging snapshot data saved to your repository. It includes information about retaining recovery points in your repository, retention policies, and the resulting process of rolling up recovery points to conserve space. This section also describes how to manage retention policies that control rollup, and how to force rollup on demand. Topics include:
Data retention and archiving Managing retention policies
Data retention and archiving
Each time your Core captures a snapshot, the data is saved as a recovery point to your repository. Recovery points naturally accumulate over time. The Core uses a retention policy to determine how long snapshot data is retained in the repository. When nightly jobs run (specifically, during the rollup process), the Core enforces the retention policy to reduce the amount of storage space consumed. The date of each recovery point is compared to the date of the most recent recovery point. The Core then rolls up (combines) older recovery points. Over time, older recovery points in the repository are continually replaced with newer ones as the oldest recovery points eventually reach the oldest age defined in the retention period. To keep recovery points that would otherwise be combined and eventually deleted, you can create an archive from the Core Console. An archive is a file containing a copy of the full set of recovery points for machines protected on your Core at the point in time in which it was created. You can later access archived information from the Core Console. In contrast with recovery points in the repository, recovery points in an archive do not get rolled up. Archives are useful for maintaining compliance data; backing up your Core; seeding replication data to a remote replica Core; and for saving space in your Core for retaining recent business-critical transaction while maintaining backups for a longer period of time. For more information about archives, see Archiving.
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Managing retention policies
A retention policy is a set of rules that dictates the length of time for the Core to retain recovery points before starting to roll them up. Retention policies can be set to roll up based on hours, days, weeks, months and years. You can set up to six rules (the default policy sets five rules). Since you can back up as frequently as every 5 minutes, the first rule in the retention policy typically sets how long to retain all recovery points. For example, if you back up a machine every quarter hour, 96 recovery points are saved to the repository for that machine per day, until rollup begins. Without managing your retention policy, that amount of data can quickly fill a repository.
NOTE: Administrators should note that frequent backups can have an impact on network traffic. Other factors affecting network traffic include other transfers (such as replication), the change rate of your data, and your network hardware, cables and switches. The Core comes preset with a default retention policy. The default policy retains:
l All recovery points for three days l One recovery point per hour for two days l One recovery point per day for four days l One recovery point per week for three weeks l One recovery point per month for two months l One recovery point per year for X years (disabled in default policy).
Following this default policy, the oldest recovery point is typically 92 days old. Data past that origination date for a default policy is deleted. Setting the retention policy at the Core level applies automatically to all machines that the Core protects. You can change the default policy to suit your needs. For any machine, you can also create a custom retention policy. Setting the policy at the machine level lets you specify a different retention policy than the default Core policy. For more information about configuring retention policies, see Configuring Core default retention policy settings and Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine.
Configuring Core default retention policy settings
The retention policy for the Core specifies how long the recovery points for a protected machine are stored in the repository. The Core retention policy is enforced by a rollup process which is performed as one component of running nightly jobs. Then, recovery points beyond the age specified in the retention policy are "rolled up" (combined) into fewer recovery points that cover a less granular period of time. Applying the retention policy on a nightly basis results in the ongoing rollup of aging backups. This eventually results in the deletion of the oldest recovery points, based on the requirements specified in that retention policy. Different retention settings can be configured for source and target Cores.
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NOTE: This topic is specific to customizing retention policy settings on the Rapid Recovery Core. When you save customized retention policy settings on the Core, you establish the default retention policy settings which can be applied to all machines protected by this Core. For more information on customizing retention policy settings for individual protected machines, see Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine. 1. Navigate to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. 2. On the icon bar, click (Settings), and then do one of the following:
l From the list of Core settings on the left side of the Settings page, click Nightly Jobs. l Scroll down on the right side of the Settings page until you can see the Nightly Jobs heading. The Nightly Jobs settings for the Core appear. 3. Under Nightly Jobs, click Change. The Nightly Jobs dialog box displays. 4. To specify the time intervals for retaining the backup data as needed, in the Nightly Jobs pane, select Rollup, and then click Settings. The Retention Policy dialog box for the Core default retention policy displays. 5. To restore Core retention policy settings to the default values at any time, at the bottom of the dialog box, click Restore Defaults and then click Yes to confirm. All settings are restored to the default values described in the table in step 6.
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6. Enter the default schedule for retaining recovery points as described in the following table. The first setting specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Each additional setting, when enabled, provides a more granular level of retention by specifying the intervals between which recovery points should be rolled up. These settings define the duration for which recovery points are maintained. The retention policy options are described in the following table.

Table 150: Schedule options for default retention policy

Text Box

Description

Keep all recovery points for n [retention time period]...

Specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository.
Enter a number to represent the retention period and then select the time period. The default is 3 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.

...and then keep one recovery point per hour for n [retention time period]

If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per hour for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point hourly, clear this option.

...and then keep one recovery point per day for n [retention time period]

If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per day for a time period that you specify. The default is 4 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point daily, clear this option.

...and then keep one recovery point per week for n [retention time period]

If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per week for a time period that you specify. The default is 3 weeks. You can choose from weeks, months, and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point weekly, clear this option.

...and then keep one recovery point per month for n [retention time period]

If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per month for a time period that you specify. The default is 2 months. You can choose from months and years.
If you do not want to save at least one recovery point monthly, clear this option.

...and then keep one recovery point per year for n [retention time period]

If selected, this setting keeps one recovery point per year for a number of years that you specify. The default (1 year) is disabled by default.
If you do want to save at least one recovery point yearly, select this option and specify a number of years. If you do not want to save at least one recovery point yearly, clear this option.

The oldest recovery point is determined by the retention policy settings. The following is an example of how the retention period is calculated.

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Keep all recovery points for three days. ...and then keep one recovery point per hour for three days ...and then keep one recovery point per day for four days ...and then keep one recovery point per week for three weeks ...and then keep one recovery point per month for two months ...and then keep one recovery point per month for one year In this example, the oldest recovery point would be one year and three months old.
7. When satisfied with your retention policy settings, click Save. The Retention Policy dialog box closes.
8. In the Nightly Jobs dialog box, click OK. The Nightly Jobs dialog box closes. The retention policy you defined is applied during the nightly rollup. You can also to apply these settings when specifying the retention policy for any individual protected machine. For more information about setting retention policies for a protected machine, see Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine.
Customizing retention policy settings for a protected machine
The retention policy for a protected machine specifies how long recovery points are stored in the repository. By default, each protected machine uses the retention policy established for the Core unless you specify a custom retention policy, as described in this procedure. Starting with AppAssure version 5.4.1, Rapid Recovery includes the ability to set disparate retention policies between a protected machine on the source Core and the corresponding replicated machine on the target Core. Use this procedure to define a custom retention policy for a protected machine, including a replicated machine.
NOTE: The following applies to environments upgrading from AppAssure release 5.3.x to release 5.4.1 or any version of Rapid Recovery Core. If you want to customize a retention policy for any replicated machine, first upgrade the source and target Cores to AppAssure Core release 5.4.1, and then perform the Checking Repository job on each repository in that target Core. Completing this job is likely to take a substantial amount of time, based on the size of your repository and the underlying storage system. For background information about this job, see About checking the integrity of DVM repositories. For information on how to perform this job, see Performing an integrity check on a DVM repository.
1. From the Protected Machines menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the name of the machine that you want to modify. The Summary page for the selected machine displays.
2. Click the Settings menu. The Settings page displays, showing configuration settings for the selected machine.
3. Optionally, click the Nightly Jobs link to scroll down in the Settings page to view nightly jobs settings.
4. Under the Nightly Jobs heading, click Change. The Nightly Jobs dialog box displays.
5. To specify the time intervals for retaining the backup data as needed, select Rollup and then click Settings. The Retention Policy dialog box displays.
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6. If customizing retention policies settings for a replicated machine, and if you see a caution notifying you to perform an Integrity Check on your repository, proceed with this step. Otherwise, skip to step 7. a. If you are prepared to perform the job, click Check Integrity b. Click Yes to confirm the Integrity Check job. NOTE: Running this job could take a substantial amount of time, based on the size of your repository. During this time, you can perform no other actions (snapshots, replication, virtual export, and so on) in the repository. For information about this job, see About checking the integrity of DVM repositories. Once the Checking Repository job completes all child jobs successfully, return to this procedure and continue with the next step.
7. In the Retention Policy dialog box, do one of the following: l To use the default retention policy for this protected machine, select Use Core default retention policy, and then click Save. The default policy is applied to this protected machine. l To define a custom retention policy for this agent, select Use custom retention policy, and then continue with the next step.
The Retention Policy dialog box expands to show custom retention policy information.
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8. Enter the custom schedule for retaining recovery points as described in the following table. The first setting specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Each additional setting, when enabled, provides a more granular level of retention by specifying the intervals between which recovery points should be rolled up. These settings define the duration for which recovery points are maintained.

Table 151: Schedule options for custom retention policy

Text Box

Description

Keep all recovery points for n [retention time period]...

Specifies the primary retention period for all recovery points saved to the repository. Enter a number to represent the retention period and then select the time period. The default is 3 days. You can choose from days, weeks, months, and years.

...and then keep one recovery point per hour for n [retention time period]

...and then keep one recovery point per day for n [retention time period]

...and then keep one recovery point per week for n [retention time period]

...and then keep one recovery point per month for n [retention time period]

...and then keep one recovery point per year for n [retention time period]

The following is an example of how the retention period is calculated. Keep all recovery points for three days. ...and then keep one recovery point per hour for three days ...and then keep one recovery point per day for four days

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...and then keep one recovery point per week for three weeks ...and then keep one recovery point per month for two months ...and then keep one recovery point per month for one year In this example, the oldest recovery point would be one year, 3 months old.
9. Click Save. The Retention Policy dialog box closes.
10. In the Nightly Jobs dialog box, click OK. The Nightly Jobs dialog box closes. The retention policy you defined for this machine is applied during the nightly rollup.

Forcing rollup for a protected machine

You can bypass your scheduled retention policy by forcing recovery points to roll up at the protected machine level.
1. From the Protected Machines menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the name of a specific protected machine. The Summary page for the selection machine appears.

2. Click the More drop-down menu at the top of the protected machine view, and then select Policy. The Retention Policy page for the specified machine appears.

Retention

3. Click Force Rollup.

4. In the dialog box, click Yes to confirm. Rapid Recovery Core initiates rollup for this machine, regardless of the retention policy schedule.

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18
Archiving
This section provides conceptual information about Rapid Recovery archives, including business cases for creating them, storage options, and uses. It also describes how to create a one-time archive, or how to create an archive that is continually updated on a schedule. Topics describe how to pause or edit scheduled archives, how to force or check an archive, and how to attach or import an archive. Topics include:
Understanding archives Creating an archive Editing a scheduled archive Pausing or resuming a scheduled archive Forcing an archive job Checking an archive Attaching an archive Detaching an archive Importing an archive
Understanding archives
The Rapid Recovery Core saves snapshot data to the repository. While a repository can reside on different storage technologies (such as SAN, DAS, or NAS), the most critical performance factor is speed. Repositories use short-term (fast and more expensive) media. To prevent a repository from filling up quickly, the Core enforces a retention policy, which over time rolls up recovery points and eventually replaces them with newer backup data. If you need to retain recovery points, whether for historical significance, legal compliance, to fulfill offsite data storage policies, or other reasons, you can create an archive. An archive is a copy of recovery points from your repository for the specified machines over a date range that you designate. Archiving a set of recovery points does not delete the original recovery points in your repository. Instead, the archive freezes the collection of recovery points at the point in time in which the archive was created, as a separate copy in a storage location that you specify. Unlike recovery points in your repository, the data in an archive are not subject to rollup. You can create, import, and attach archives from the Archive option on the button bar, or from the Archives page accessible from the (More) icon on the Core Console.
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Related topics:
l Archive creation and storage options l Amazon storage options and archiving l Recovery point chain options for archives l Methods to access an archive l Uses for archives l Creating an archive
Archive creation and storage options
You can create a one-time archive on demand at any time. You can also define requirements for continual scheduled archive. This action creates an archive of recovery points for the machines you select, in the location you designate. Additional recovery points for those machines are then continually appended to the archive on a schedule you define (on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis). When you create an archive, you specify where you want to save it. You can store an archive in a file system (locally or on a network), or in a storage account in the cloud.
NOTE: Before archiving to a cloud account, you must first add the credentials to the storage account on your Rapid Recovery Core. For more information about defining a cloud account in the Core, see Adding a cloud account. If storing your archive in an Amazon cloud storage account, you must define the storage class when creating the account. To archive directly to Amazon Glacier, you can specify Glacier storage when defining the location in the Archive Wizard. For more information about Amazon storage classes, see Amazon storage options and archiving.
l One-time archives are read-only. When creating a one-time archive, the destination location you specify must be empty.
l When using scheduled archive, the Core appends additional recovery points to the existing archive. l If the storage medium you selected runs out of space, Rapid Recovery pauses the archive job, letting
you specify another location. Your archive is then split into segments, which can reside in different locations, as space allows.
Amazon storage options and archiving
When archiving data in an Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) account, you can choose from various storage classes. Each has different associated costs, benefits, and access restrictions. Prices may differ by region. Rapid Recovery release 6.2 extends support of Amazon storage accounts to all storage classes. This is useful when planning to store Rapid Recovery archives in the Amazon cloud. Understanding storage classes available and the difference in lead times to access those classes is critical to control storage costs effectively while being able to access your archives within acceptable time frames.
NOTE: Quest provides this information as a courtesy to its Rapid Recovery customers to help raise awareness of storage pricing factors. These concepts can help you plan and budget accordingly. You are responsible for all storage costs on Amazon or for any other cloud service provider. Since Amazon can change prerequisites, requirements, costs, storage tier definitions, and so on, use the Amazon website as the primary and authoritative source for that information.
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In general, Amazon currently offers the following storage classes. Standard. This storage class is for data you plan to access frequently or access quickly. This class is the default storage option from all Rapid Recovery wizards, windows, and dialog boxes. There are no separate fee to retrieve information in the standard storage class. Standard Infrequent Access (IA). This storage class is more economical than standard, intended for data that you do not intend to access frequently. There is a retrieval fee associated with accessing data in the storage class. However, availability is immediate. Amazon charges fees for objects deleted from Infrequent Access storage before 30 days. Glacier. This storage class is for long-term storage of data that does not require real-time access. It is most economical for long-term storage of data that is rarely retrieved. There is a retrieval fee associated with accessing data in this storage class. Amazon charges fees for objects deleted from Glacier before 90 days. Retrieval of data stored in Glacier is not immediate. Standard retrieval times require 3 to 5 hours; bulk retrieval for large amounts of data can take up to 12 hours. Expedited retrievals can take up to 5 minutes. Fees apply to each retrieval option.
NOTE: Unlike the other Amazon storage classes, Rapid Recovery does not support the creation of a cloud account that is specific to Glacier. To archive data in Glacier, choose an Amazon cloud account, and select the Use Glacier storage option in the Location page of the Archive Wizard. Reduced Redundancy Storage (RRS). This category is a lower-cost storage class is designed for noncritical reproducible data with less redundancy than the standard storage class. There is a minimal retrieval fee associated with accessing data in this storage class. A fractional percentage (Amazon cites as much as .01%) of objects stored in this class are expected to be unrecoverable. For the most recent information, always review materials on Amazon's website. In general, the following guidelines apply:
l If you expect to restore data on any regular basis from a Rapid Recovery archive, Standard is likely to be the best option.
l From a cost perspective, if you plan to restore data occasionally, consider Standard Infrequent Access. l Glacier is intended for cold storage of archived recovery points from which you rarely expect to restore. A
good example of when to use Glacier storage is when saving data for regulatory compliance. Glacier is available as an archive option from the Archive Wizard. l For storage of noncritical, reproducible data, consider RRS.
Recovery point chain options for archives
Before creating your archive, you must decide on the proper approach for recovery point chains. Use the following information to determine which option you select in the Options page of the Archive Wizard.
l Build complete recovery point chains, including referenced base images outside the date range. If you select the option to build complete recovery point chains, then you can perform the full range of restore actions for any recovery point in the archive. This range includes file-level restore, volume-level restore, and bare metal restore. When you select this option, full recovery point chains are saved with your archive. You can restore data even if the base image corresponding to the selected recovery point is earlier than the date range of your archive. However, the file size of this archive is larger, to ensure that you have access to data in the full recovery point chain.
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l Include only the recovery points in the date range. This saves space, but you are responsible for archiving any needed base images. If you include only the recovery points in the specified date range in your archive, the file size of the archive is smaller. For data in which the base image is included in the date range you specified, you have access to the full range of restore options. However, if you want to recover data captured in a base image from a date earlier than the date range you specified, you may be restricted to file-level recovery only. Data outside the range of the archive is orphaned.
For more information on recovery point chains, see the topic Recovery point chains and orphans.
Methods to access an archive
When you need to access the data in an archived recovery point, you have two options.
l For archives created with Rapid Recovery Core version 6.0.1 and later, you can attach the archive. The attached archive is displayed in the left navigation menu of the Core Console. You can browse the recovery points in the archive, and take the same actions on that data as with any other recovery points currently in your repository, without importing that data into your repository.
l You can import an archive, restoring those recovery points to your repository. You can then take the same actions on that data as with any other recovery points currently in your Core. Rapid Recovery Core is backward compatible, supporting import of archives from all AppAssure and Rapid Recovery versions.
CAUTION: Since the Core recognizes the original dates of recovery points in an archive, recovery points imported from an archive may be rolled up or deleted during the next nightly job period, if their age exceeds the retention period. If you want to retain older recovery points imported from an archive, you can disable rollup or extend the retention period for the relevant protected machines. When you need to access the data in an archived recovery point, you can attach (for Rapid Recovery 6.x and later) or import the archive, restoring those recovery points to your repository.
Uses for archives
Once an archive is created, it can be used in the following ways:
l An archive can be used to move data between repositories. l An archive can be attached to the Core Console, and mounted as a file system for simple file or folder
recovery. Some restrictions apply. l An archive can be imported into a repository. If any recovery points in the archive have already been
rolled up or deleted from the repository, this action restores them. l An archive can be used as the source for a bare metal restore, or for export to a virtual machine.
Creating an archive
You can use this procedure to create a one-time or scheduled archive. If you plan on creating an archive to a cloud location, first add your cloud account to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account. A one-time archive is an archive created on demand for a specified machine. A scheduled archive is an archive
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that automatically recurs on the date and time you specify in the wizard. When you schedule a recurring archive, you meet the need for archiving data from protected machines frequently without the inconvenience of repeatedly defining a one-time archive.
Before creating a scheduled archive, ensure that you are satisfied with the name of each folder and subfolder in the archive structure. After performing an initial archive, Quest recommends making no changes to the resulting folder structure. Changing any folder name in the archive path may result in capturing a base image instead of an incremental image. It could also cause difficulty restoring or importing data from an archive due to an inability to properly locate the files.
When creating your archive, you must decide whether to include a full recovery point chain in your archive. For more information, see Recovery point chain options for archives.

1. On the button bar of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click The Archive Wizard opens.

Archive.

2. On the Archive Type page of the wizard, select one of the following options:

l One-time archive

l Continual archive (by schedule)

3. Click Next.

4. On the Location page, select an option from the Location type drop-down list and then enter the information as described in the following table.

Table 152: Archive location type options Option Text Box Description

Local

Location Enter the local path where you want the archive to reside; for example, d:\work\archive.

Network Location Enter the network path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User name

Enter the user name for the user with access to the network share.

Password Enter the password for the user with access to the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder name

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is saved.

Use Glacier storage

To store your archive in Amazon Glacier storage, select this option. This option is intended for long-term storage of archives. For more information, see Amazon storage options and archiving.

5. Click Next.

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6. On the Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machine or machines you want to archive and then click Next.
7. Do one of the following: l If you chose to create a one-time archive, skip to step 14. l If you chose to create a scheduled archive, continue to step 8.
8. On the Schedule page, select one of the following options from the Send data drop-down list: l Daily l Weekly l Monthly
9. Enter the information described in the following table based on your selection from step 8.

Table 153: Send data options

Option Text Box Daily At time Weekly At day of week
At time Monthly At day of months
At time

Description
Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Select a day of the week on which to automatically create the archive.
Select the hour of the day you want to create an archive.
Select the day of the month on which to automatically create the archive.
Select the hour of the day you want to create an archive.

10. Optionally, if you do not want the archive job to begin at the next scheduled time after you complete the wizard, select Pause initial archiving.
NOTE: You may want to pause the scheduled archive if you need time to prepare the target location before archiving resumes. If you do not select this option, archiving begins at the scheduled time.

11. Click Next.
12. On the Options page for a continuous archive, select one of the recycle actions described in the following table.

Table 154: Continuous archive recycle options

Text Box Description

Replace this Core

Overwrites any pre-existing archived data pertaining to this Core but leaves the data for other Cores intact.

Erase

Clears all archived data from the directory before writing the new archive.

completely

Incremental Lets you add recovery points to an existing archive. It compares recovery points to avoid duplicating data that exist in the archive.

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13. On the Options page for a continuous archive, determine whether to include full recovery point chains in your archive. For more information about recovery point chain options, see Recovery point chain options for archives. Do one of the following: l Select Build complete recovery point chains, including referenced base images outside the date range, and then skip to step 17. l Select Include only the recovery points in the date range. This option saves space, but you are responsible for archiving any needed base images, and then skip to step 17.
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14. On the Options page for a one-time archive, enter the information described in the following table.

Table 155: One-time archive options

Text Box

Description

Maximum size

Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the maximum amount of space you want to reserve for creating the archive by doing one of the following:
l Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path provided on the destination provided in step 4. (For example, if the location is D:\work\archive, all the available space on the D: drive is reserved).
l Select the text box, enter the amount of space, and then select a unit of measurement from the drop-down list to customize the maximum space you want to reserve.

NOTE: Amazon cloud archives are automatically divided into 50 GB segments. Microsoft Azure cloud archives are automatically divided into 200 GB segments.

Recycle action
Comment Build complete recovery points chains, including referenced base images outside the date range.

Select one of the following recycle action options:
l Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing archived data from the location. If the location is not empty, Rapid Recovery lets you select a different location.
l Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing archived data pertaining to this Core but leaves the data for other Cores intact.
l Erase completely. Clears all archived data from the directory before writing the new archive.
l Incremental. Lets you add recovery points to an existing archive. It compares recovery points to avoid duplicating data that already exist in the archive.
Enter any additional information that is necessary to capture for the archive. The comment is displayed if you import the archive later.
Select this option to archive the entire recovery point chain. This option is selected by default.

Include only the recovery points in the Select this option to archive only the incremental recovery

date range. This saves space, but

points and no base images.

you are responsible for archiving any

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Text Box needed base images.

Description
NOTE: This option results in an archive of orphaned recovery points. You will not be able to use them for recovery until you also archive their related base images.
For more information about recovery point chain options, see Recovery point chain options for archives.

15. If you selected the option to include only recovery points in the date range, click Next. Otherwise, click Finish.
16. On the Date Range page, either manually enter the start date and end date of the recovery points to be archived, or select the date time by clicking the calendar icon followed by the clock icon below the calendar window.
17. Click Finish. The wizard closes.

Archiving to a cloud
When data reaches the end of a retention period, you may want to extend that retention by creating an archive of the aged data. When you archive data, there is always the matter of where to store it. Rapid Recovery lets you upload your archive to a variety of cloud providers directly from the Core Console. Compatible clouds include Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, any OpenStack-based provider, Rackspace Cloud Files, and Google Cloud. Exporting an archive to a cloud using Rapid Recovery involves the following procedures:
l Add your cloud account to the Rapid Recovery Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.
l Archive your data and export it to your cloud account. For more information, see Creating an archive.
l Retrieve archived data by attaching an archive, or importing it from the cloud location. For more information, see Attaching an archive or Importing an archive, respectively.

Editing a scheduled archive
Rapid Recovery lets you change the details of a scheduled archive. To edit a scheduled archive, complete the steps in the following procedure.
1. In the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the (More) drop-down menu on the icon bar, and then select Archives.
2. On the Archives page, under Scheduled Archives, click the drop-down menu next to the archive you want to change, and then click Edit. The Archive Wizard opens.

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3. On the Location page of the Archive Wizard, select one of the following options from the Location Type drop-down list: l Local l Network l Cloud
4. Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you selected in step 3.

Table 156: Archive details Option Text Box Description

Local

Location Enter the local path where you want the archive to reside; for example, d:\work\archive.

Network Location Enter the network path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User name

Enter the user name for the user with access to the network share.

Password Enter the password for the user with access to the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder name
Use Glacier storage

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is saved.
To store your archive in Amazon Glacier storage, select this option. This option is intended for long-term storage of archives. For more information, see Amazon storage options and archiving.

5. Click Next. 6. On the Machines page of the wizard, select the protected machine or machines that contain the recovery
points that you want to archive. Clear the machines that you do not want to archive. 7. Click Next. 8. On the Schedule page, select one of the following options from the Send data drop-down list:
l Daily l Weekly l Monthly

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9. Enter the information described in the following table based on your selection from step 8.

Table 157: Send data options

Option Text Box Daily At time Weekly At day of week
At time Monthly At day of months
At time

Description
Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Select a day of the week on which to automatically create the archive.
Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Select the day of the month on which to automatically create the archive.
Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.

10. Optionally, to postpone archiving to resume at a later time, select Pause initial archiving.
NOTE: You may want to pause the scheduled archive if you need time to prepare the target location before archiving resumes. If you do not select this option, archiving begins at the scheduled time.

11. Click Next.
12. On the Options page, use the Recycle action drop-down list to select one of the options described in the following table:

Table 158: Archive recycle options

Text Box Description

Incremental Lets you add recovery points to an existing archive. It compares recovery points to avoid duplicating data that already exists in the archive.

Replace this Core

Overwrites any pre-existing archived data pertaining to this Corebut leaves the data for other Cores intact.

Erase

Clears all archived data from the directory before writing the new archive.

completely

13. On the Options page of the wizard, determine whether to include full recovery point chains in your archive. For more information about recovery point chain options, see Recovery point chain options for archives. Do one of the following:
l Select Build complete recovery point chains, including referenced base images outside the date range.
l Select Include only the recovery points in the date range. This saves space, but you are responsible for archiving any needed base images.
14. Click Finish. Rapid Recovery applies your changes to the archive.

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Pausing or resuming a scheduled archive
If you have an archiving job scheduled to recur, you can pause or resume this action as necessary. There may be times when you want to pause a scheduled archive job, such as if you need to change the destination archive location. Also, if you opted to initially pause archiving when you performed the Creating an archive procedure, you likely want to resume the scheduled archive later. Complete the steps in the following procedure to pause or resume scheduled archive.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console , click the (More) menu on the icon bar, and then click Archives.
2. On the Archives page, under Scheduled Archives, do one of the following: l Select the preferred archive, and then click one of the following actions as appropriate: l Pause l Resume l Next to the preferred archive, click the drop-down menu, and then click one of the following actions as appropriate: l Pause l Resume
The status of the archive displays in the Schedule column.
Forcing an archive job
Using this procedure, you can force Rapid Recovery to perform the archive job on a scheduled archive at any time. To force an archive job, you must have an archive scheduled on the Core.
1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the icon bar, click the (More) menu on the icon bar, and then click Archives.
2. On the Archives page, under Schedule Archives, click the drop-down menu next to the archive you want to force, and then click Force. Rapid Recovery archives the recovery points according to the settings you chose for that archive, regardless of the scheduled archive time you set.
Checking an archive
Checking an archive verifies whether an archive and its contents are healthy enough to be restored. You can scan an archive for the integrity of its structure, data segments, and index files by performing an archive check. The archive check verifies the presence of all necessary files within the archive and that the files are healthy. To perform an archive check, complete the steps in the following procedure.
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1. From the Rapid Recovery Core Console, in the icon bar, click the (More) menu on the icon bar, and then click Archives.

2. On the Archives page, click Check. The Check Archive dialog box appears.
3. For Location type, select one of the following options from the drop-down list: l Local l Network l Cloud
4. Based on the location type you selected in step 3, enter the details for the archive as described in the following table.

Table 159: Archive details

Option Text Box Description

Local Location Enter the local path for the archive.

Network Location Enter the network path for the archive.

User name

Enter the user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Password Enter the password for the network path. It is used to establish logon credentials for the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder name

Select the folder in which the archived data is saved; for example, RapidRecovery-7-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED].

5. Select or clear the checks described in the following table. All are selected by default.

NOTE: Do not clear all checks. You must select at least one option.

Option
Index files mapping offsets
Structure integrity
Checksum integrity

Description
This option checks that all the data on the internal structure of the archive is in the correct location.
This option verifies the presence of certain internal files and the folder structure of the archive. If any files or folders are missing, the check fails. This option checks the integrity of the data segments in the archive to ensure that the segments are healthy.

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6. Click Check File. Rapid Recovery checks the archive according to your selections.

Attaching an archive

Attaching an archive lets you see recovery points from the archive. You must have a pre-existing archive created in Rapid Recovery Core release 6.0.1 or later to complete this procedure. For more information, see Creating an archive. When you attach an archive, the archive name you provide appears as an archive menu in the left navigation menu of the Core Console. Each protected machine with recovery points in the archive is listed separately below the archive menu. You can click any machine name in the archive and browse its recovery points. You can then take the same actions as with any other recovery points currently visible in your Core.
Attaching the archive also caches the credentials for accessing the information. Unless you delete the attached archive permanently, you can easily detach and re-attach an archive, making its recovery points easily accessible without cluttering the Core Console. For information about detaching an archive, see Detaching an archive. Use this procedure to attach an archive.

1. On the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the Attach Archive. The Attach Archive dialog box appears.

Archive drop-down menu, and then select

2. In the Name text box, enter a name for this attached archive. The value you type in this field appears in the left navigation menu as the archive menu name.
Following best practice for display names, the archive name should contain between 1 and 64 alphanumeric characters, including spaces. Do not use prohibited characters or prohibited phrases.

3. In the Location type drop-down list, select the location type of your archive from the following options:

l Local l Network l Cloud

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4. Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you selected in step 3.

Table 160: Location type details Option Text Box Description

Local Location Enter the path to the archive; for example, D:\Work\Archive.

Network Location Enter the path to the archive; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User name

Enter user name for logging in to the network share.

Password Enter the password for logging in to the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select the container of the archive associated with your account from the dropdown menu.

Folder name

Enter the name of the folder of the archived data; for example, Rapid-RecoveryArchive-[DATE CREATED]-[TIME CREATED].

5. Click Attach. The archive attaches to this Core and mounts the contents as a file system.

Detaching an archive

You must have an archive attached to your Core to perform this task. When an archive is attached to your Core, you can navigate through the data in the archive as if the data were currently protected machines.Once you attach an archive, its credentials are cached and it remains visible in your Core until you detach it. Perform this task after you have accomplished your objectives for attaching the archive, to remove it from view on your Core.
NOTE: Detaching the archive does not delete the data; it only removes the data from current view.

Use this procedure to detach an archive. 1. On the left navigation menu of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, locate the archive you want to detach.

2. Click on the

ellipsis for the archive, and from the context-sensitive menu, select Delete.

3. In the resulting dialog box, confirm that you want to remove the selected archive. The dialog box closes. After a brief pause, the attached archive is removed from the Core Console. This action is logged as an alert.

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Importing an archive

You can use this procedure to import an archive one time, or schedule an archive to import on a recurring basis. When you want to recover archived data, you can import the entire archive to a specified location.
CAUTION: Perform this step only after careful consideration. Importing an archive repopulates the repository with the contents of the archive, replacing any new data in the repository since the archive was captured.
To import an archive, complete the steps in the following procedure.

1. On the menu bar of the Rapid Recovery Core Console, click the Archive drop-down menu, and
then select Import Archive. The Import Archive Wizard opens.
2. On the Import Type page of the wizard, select one of the following options: l One-time import l Continual import (by schedule)
3. Click Next. 4. On the Location page, select the location of the archive you want to import from the drop-down list, and
then enter the information as described in the following table:

Table 161: Imported archive location type options

Option Text Box Description

Local

Location Enter the local path where you want the archive to reside; for example, d:\work\archive.

Network Location Enter the network path where you want the archive to reside; for example, \\servername\sharename.

User name

Enter the user name for the user with access to the network share.

Password Enter the password for the user with access to the network share.

Cloud

Account

Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud account.

Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-down menu.

Folder name

Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is saved.

5. Click Next.
6. On the Archive Information page of the wizard, if you want to import every machine included in the archive, select Import all machines.

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7. Complete one of the following options based on your selection:
l If you selected One-time import in step 2, you selected Import all machines in step 6, and all the machines are present on the Core--as protected, replicated, or recovery points only machines-- go to step 12.
l If you did not import all machines in step 6, click Next, and then continue to step 8.
8. On the Machines page, select the machines that you want to import from the archive.
l If you selected One-time import in step 2, and at least one machine is not present on the Core-- as a protected, replicated, or recovery points only machine--use the drop-down lists to select a repository for each machine you want to import, and then go to step 12.
l If all machines are already present on the Core--as protected, replicated, or recovery points only machines--go to step 12.
9. Click Next.
10. On the Repository page, complete one of the following options:
l If a repository is associated with the Core, select one of the options in the following table.

Table 162: Repository options

Option

Description

Use an

Select a repository currently associated with this Core from the drop-down list.

existing

Repository

Create a In the Server text box, enter the name of the server on which you want to save the Repository new repository--for example, servername or localhost--and then see Creating a
DVM repository.

l If no repository is associated with the Core, enter the name of the server on which you want to save the new repository--for example, servername or localhost--and then see Creating a DVM repository or Connecting to an existing repository.

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11. If you chose to Continuous import (by schedule) in step 2, on the Schedule page, select the options described in the following table.

Table 163: Schedule import options

Option

Description

Daily

Click the clock icon and use the up and down arrows to select at what time you want to the archive job to begin. If you are using a 12-hour time system, click the AM or PM button to specify the time of day.

Weekly

Select the day of the week and then the time you want the archive job to begin. If you are using a 12-hour time system, click the AM or PM button to specify the time of day.

Monthly

Select the day of the month and the time you want the archive job to begin. If you are using a 12-hour time system, click the AM or PM button to specify the time of day.

Pause initial importing

Select this option if you do not want the import job to begin at the next scheduled time after you complete the wizard.
NOTE: You may want to pause the scheduled import if you need time to prepare the target location before importing resumes. If you do not select this option, importing begins at the scheduled time.

12. Click Finish.

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19
Cloud accounts
Rapid Recovery lets you define connections between existing cloud storage or cloud service providers and your Rapid Recovery Core. Compatible cloud services include Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), any OpenStack-based provider (including Rackspace), and Google Cloud. US government-specific platforms include AWS GovCloud (US) and Azure Government. You can add any number of cloud accounts to the Core Console, including multiple accounts for the same provider. The purpose of adding cloud accounts to your Core Console is to work with them as described in the topic About clo