Adding Windows Servers & Windows Workstations for Backup

Adding Windows Servers & Windows Workstations for Backup

Prerequisites to Automatically install BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) on Microsoft Windows

To back up Microsoft Windows Servers/Workstations, BDRSuite will automatically install BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) on the target Windows machines when it is added for backup. Make sure the following prerequisites are met for BDRSuite to successfully install the VBA on the target Windows machines.

Access privilege for Microsoft Windows

Make sure the credential you use to add the Windows machines (Target Host) for backup has any one of the following privileges:
  1. Administrator
  2. User with administrator privilege
Notes
Note: In Windows Workstations the built-in Administrator account is disabled by default. It is recommended to create a user account with administrator privileges on the Windows Workstations. This user account credential has to be used while adding the Windows workstation for backup.

Access privilege in the BDRSuite Backup Server host

In the BDRSuite Backup Server host, make sure the Windows service ‘BDRSuite Backup Server for Virtual Physical Workloads’ runs in an administrator user account.
  1. Press the ‘Win + R’ keys on your keyboard to open the ‘Run’ window. Then, type ‘services.msc’ and click OK.
  2. Right-click on the service ‘BDRSuite Backup Server for Virtual Physical Workloads’ and then click ‘Properties’.
  3. Navigate to the ‘Logon’ tab. Click on the ‘This account’ radio button. Provide the administrator user privilege: username (Format: .\ username) and password. Then click ‘OK’.
  4. Then stop and restart the service for updating the new logon.

Access to the folder – “Admin$” in the target Windows host

Make sure the BDRSuite Backup Server host has access to the “Admin$” folder of the target host: Type \\IP Address of target host\admin$ in ‘Run’ and click OK.
  1. If the UNC path is accessible, move to the next Prerequisite.
  2. If the UNC path is not accessible, perform the steps below:

Step 1: Add the below-mentioned Inbound rule in the target host, to make sure your firewall doesn’t block the Windows Management Instrumentation function

  1. Open Control Panel and navigate to System and Security -> Windows Firewall -> Advanced Settings.
  2. On the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dialog box, click the Inbound Rules option on the left.
  3. Under the Actions pane on the right, click ‘New Rule’.
  4. On the New Inbound Rule Wizard, choose the option ‘Predefined’ as Rule Type.
  5. Then, select the ‘Remote Service Management’ rule from the dropdown, and click ‘Next’.
  6. Rules under the selected type will be listed, proceed with the option ‘Enabled by Default’ and click Next.
  7. On the Action page, choose the option ‘Allow the Connection’ and then click ‘Finish’.

Step 2: Make sure the following services are running in the target host

  1. Press the ‘Win + R’ keys on your keyboard to open the ‘Run’ window. Then, type ‘services.msc’ and click OK.
  2. Check the services ‘Server Service’ and ‘Windows Remote Management (WS-management)’ and confirm if their status is running.
Once the above two steps are performed, in the BDRSuite Backup Server host type ‘\\IP Address of target host\admin$’ in ‘Run’ and click OK. If you are able to access the Admin$ share, proceed with the next step.

Access to Windows Management Instrumentation

Add the below-mentioned Inbound rule in the target Windows host, to make sure your firewall doesn’t block the remote connection.
  1. Open Control Panel and navigate to System and Security -> Windows Firewall -> Advanced Settings.
  2. On the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security dialog box, click the Inbound Rules option on the left.
  3. Under the Actions pane on the right, click ‘New Rule’.
  4. On the New Inbound Rule Wizard, choose the option ‘Predefined’ as Rule Type.
  5. Then, select the ‘ Windows Management Instrumentation’ Rule from the dropdown, and click ‘Next’.
  6. Rules under the selected type will be listed, proceed with the option ‘Enabled by Default’ and click Next.
  7. On the Action page, choose the option ‘Allow the Connection’ and then click Finish.
  8. Make sure the following service is running in the target host:
    1. Press the ‘Win + R’ keys on your keyboard to open the ‘Run’ window. Then, type ‘services.msc’ and click OK.
    2. Check the service ‘Windows Management Instrumentation’ and confirm if its status is running.

Access to Remote Registry

In the target Windows host, press the ‘Win + R’ keys on your keyboard to open the ‘Run’ window. Then, type ‘services.msc’ and click OK.
Make sure the service ‘Remote Registry’ is running.

WBEMTest Verification

Once the above-mentioned prerequisites are done, perform the WBEMTest to test remote connectivity to the target host from the BDRSuite Backup Server host.
  1. On the BDRSuite Backup Server host, Press the ‘Win + R’ keys on your keyboard to open the ‘Run’ window. Then, type ‘wbemtest’ and click OK.
  2. In the namespace field: Enter the following: \IP Address of target host\root\cimv2
  3. Under the credential section: Enter the Username and Password of the target host and click ‘Connect’.
  4. If any error occurs on the WBEMTest, recheck the prerequisites.
Once the WBEMTest is successful, you can add the target Windows machine for backup in the BDRSuite Backup Server.

Prerequisites to Manually install BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) on Microsoft Windows

BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) runs with the service name – BDRSuite Delegation Service (BDS) is a mandatory component for backup operations and is installed on the target Endpoint (Windows).
When adding Endpoints (Windows/Linux) to the BDRSuite Server, you will have two options to install BBA. You can automatically Install BBA in the target Endpoint through Server (or) You can download and manually install BBA in the Target Endpoint.
The steps below are applicable in the following cases:
  1. If you add the Windows Endpoint using the option: I will manually Download BBA and install it on the target host
  2. If adding the Windows Endpoint has failed through the option: Automatically Install BBA in the target host.

Steps to Add Endpoints (Windows/Linux) using the option: Download and Manually Install BBA on the target host:

Step 1: Under the main Tab: Endpoints, navigate to the menu: Data Sources -> Add Microsoft Windows.
Step 2: Add Manually Option: Enter the target Endpoint’s Name/IP Address and Credential and save to the BDRSuite Backup Server.
Step 3: Install BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) on each of the target endpoints which runs as a Service with the name BDRSuite Delegation Service.

Steps to Download and Install BBA on Windows Endpoints

  1. Download the BBA installer.
  2. Open Command Prompt and run the below command (from the location where BBA is installed) to connect BBA to the backup server. Ensure you provide the backup server’s IP address/DNS name.
msiexec /i BDRSuite_Delegation_Service_5_3_0_0.msi /qn ISENDPOINTENABLED="1" BACKUPSERVERINFO="{Enter BDRSuite Backup Server IP Address/DNS Name}" BUILDTYPE="14"

Establishing Connection between the target Endpoint and BDRSuite Server

BBA installed on each target endpoint will automatically connect to the backup server.
1.If the BBA on the target Endpoint is successfully connected to the BDRSuite Server, then the status will be shown as ‘Idle’.
2.If the target Endpoint is not connected, then the status will be shown as ‘BBA Not Connected’. In this case, ensure the following on the target Endpoint:
Make sure BDRSuite Backup Agent(BBA) (runs with service name:BDRSuite Delegation Service) is installed. Make sure the ‘BDRSuite Delegation Service’ status is running.
3.BBA installed on the target Endpoint uses port 42005 to communicate with the BDRSuite Server. To check whether the port is open for communication between the Endpoint and BDRSuite Server, open Command Prompt on the Endpoint and execute the following command;
telnet [BDRSuite Server IP Address/DNS Name] [port]
If the port is not accessible, it can be due to the firewall settings. Make sure your firewall rules allow port 42005 to be open for communication.
4.If the connection to the target Endpoint has still not been established, please check the logs on the location below for more information. The errors you may encounter in the logs while adding Endpoints are listed below along with the solutions.

Target Endpoint:

Windows Log Location:
<installation location>\Vembu\VembuIntegrationService\log\server.log Example: C:\Program Files\Vembu\VembuIntegrationService\log\server.log Linux Log Location:<installationlocation>/vembuintegrationservice/Vembu/VembuIntegrationService/log/server.log Example: /home/vembuintegrationservice/Vembu/VembuIntegrationService/log/server.log

BDRSuite Server:

Windows Log Location: <installation location>\Vembu\VembuBDR\log\server.log Example: C:\Program Files\Vembu\VembuBDR\log\server.log Linux Log Location: /<installation location>/vembubdr/Vembu/VembuBDR/log/server.log Example: /home/vembubdr/Vembu/VembuBDR/log/server.log

How to resolve the issues you run into when adding Endpoints

  1. Error 117073: Unable to find the Endpoint – {Hostname/IP}. Make sure the Endpoint is added to the BDRSuite Server. — To resolve this issue, make sure you add the Endpoints details and save them on the backup server under the Data Sources menu
  2. Error 117074: Unable to connect to the BDRSuite Server. Make sure the BDRSuite Server is up and running. — To resolve this issue, make sure you have specified the valid backup server IP address/DNS name and BDRSuite service is up and running.
  3. Error 117076: BDRSuite Server isn’t compatible with the BDRSuite Delegation Service (BDS) version running on the target host. Make sure the BDS runs the same or lower version than BDRSuite Server. — To resolve this issue, ensure the BDRSuite Delegation Service runs on the same or lower version than the BDRSuite Server.
  4. Error 117072: Unable to register the target host as another host with the same BIOS UUID added already. Hosts with unique BIOS UUID can only be added/registered to the BDRSuite Server. — You can only add Endpoints that have unique BIOS UUID.
  5. Error 117011: Unsupported Operating System for backup. — Check the supported OS here.
  6. If the target Endpoint still didn’t establish connection to the BDRSuite Server, please contact our support team through vembu-support@vembu.com

Add Microsoft Windows (Disk Image/Files & Folders Backup)

This section provides details on various methods for adding a Microsoft Windows host to the BDRSuite Backup Server.
When a Microsoft Windows server/workstation is added to the BDRSuite Backup server, a BDRSuite Backup Agent (BBA) is automatically or manually  installed in the target machine. In order for the agent to be installed, certain prerequisites are to be met by the Windows target machine. 

Procedure to add Microsoft Windows Server

Windows Server has to be added before you begin configuring the backup schedule. In the Data Sources tab choose ‘Add Microsoft Windows(Disk Image Backup). You will be taken to a page where you will see a message stating ‘No host added’ if you adding host for the first time.
Click on ‘Add Microsoft Windows‘ and there are three distinct methods provided on the opening page for adding Microsoft Windows Machines, which are as follows;
  1. Manual Agent Installation
  2. Automatic Agent Installation
  3. Bulk Agent Installation

1. Manual Agent Installation

Step 1: Download Backup Agent

Windows (64-bit): Windows Server 2012 & above, Windows 8.1 & above – Download

Step 2: Backup Agent Installation on Individual Backup Hosts

  1. Run Backup Agent setup file on the target host and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the installation.
  2. During the installation, you will be prompted to enter the following information:
Display Name: Enter a name to identify the host in the backup server.
Backup Server DNS Name/IP Address: Enter the BDRSuite Backup Server’s DNS Name/IP Address to register this host with the backup server.
Choose Backup Component: Select the option ‘Files and Folders Backup’ or ‘Disk Image Backup’ based on which backup you plan to configure for the host.
Reboot Options for CBT driver Installation (Applicable for Disk Image Backup): If you have selected to install disk-image backup component, then changed block tracking (CBT) driver for disk image backup will be installed and disk image backups will be successful only after reboot. You can choose to reboot the host immediately after installation or you can manually reboot later.
  1. Complete the installation process by providing the necessary information.
  2. Once the installation is successful, the agent will automatically establish connection and register the host with the backup server.
  3. To verify the installation and connection, go to the Data Sources menu on the backup server. You will see the host details, including the display name, Hostname/IP address and connection status.
  4. You can configure backups for Windows Hosts that have successfully connected and registered with the BDRSuite Backup Server/Client.

2. Automatic Agent Installation

This option allows you to add each host  by entering their IP address and credentials. This will automatically install BBA on the target host.
Add Microsoft Windows Server by providing ‘Hostname/IP Address and its login credentials.
Notes
Note: You can add as many Windows Server host into the BDRSuite Backup Server whenever required
Display Name
Display Name typically refers to the name by which the host will be identified in the BDRSuite Backup Server.
IP Address/DNS Name
Enter the hostname or IP address of the hostname for which you have to proceed with the backup
The Hostname can be added using FQDN(Fully qualified domain name) ie., machine_name.domain_name. You can connect your host with BDRSuite Backup Server through the following combinations in the Hostname/IP Address section:
Hostname – Enter the Hostname alone
Hostname@Domain name – Enter the hostname followed by @ and domain name
Domain name/Hostname – Enter the domain name followed backslash (/) and the hostname
192.xxx.xxx.xxx – Enter the IP address
Notes
Note: If you have provided an invalid Hostname/IP address, the following alert message will be displayed “Unable to connect the remote Windows Machine. Please check network connection settings”
Credentials
You can add new credentials or select existing credentials. Click here to read more.
User Name: Enter the username of the specific host
Password: The password of the host or IP Address
Notes
Note: BDRSuite Backup Server communicates with the Microsoft Windows Server using the port that is set to 42005 as default. You can modify this port number as per your port number availability.
Email ID
Enter the Email ID where you want to receive the Reports (Backup/Restore/Missed) of all the task status( Success/Failed/Partial) for the host/endpoint that you are adding. Please note that the entered email ID will exclusively receive email reports for the tasks and status of this particular host/endpoint.
Notes
Note: If you want to receive email notifications only for any of the specific task status ( Success, Failed, Partial etc). then navigate to Reports -> Email Notification to configure the same.
Info
Example: Consider you are adding 4 different host/endpoints to the BDRSuite Backup Server and the 3 hosts are given particular email IDs (Entered while adding hosts/endpoint) to receive reports respectively. And since entering the email ID is optional consider not adding any email ID while adding the 4th host.
Host 1 – host1@gmail.com
Host 2 – host2@gmail.com
Host 3 – host3@gmail.com
Host 4 – no mail is mentioned
By navigating to the Reports tab -> Email Notification and configure the email notification by entering there an over all email id (Use same email ID for all the reports option) –  serverlevel@gmail.com.
In this example the overall email ID is configured using the following option – “Use the same Email ID for all the reports”. You can also use the “Use different Email ID for each report” option as well.
1) The Host 1’s Backup, Restore & Missed reports will be mailed to host1@gmail.com and serverlevel@gmail.com. Similarly for Host 2 the reports will be mailed to host2@gmail.com and serverlevel@gmail.com.
Note: Incase you want to receive the task status notifications only to the specific host1@gamil.com or the host2@gmail.com respectively and not receive any reports in the overall mail ID serverlevel@gmail.com then you need to update the DB entry at the backend.
2 ) Whereas for Host 4, the Backup, Restore, Missed report will receive mail to serverlevel@yopmail.com. mail id only.

Backup Type & Reboot Options

  1. I am going to configure disk image backup. Reboot the host immediately after BBA installation.
  2. I am going to configure disk image backup. I will reboot the host later. I understand that backups will be successful only after reboot.
  3. I am going to configure only files & folders backup.
Choose any of the above 3 options.
Save the added host after entering all the details. The Windows host will be added to the BDRSuite Backup Server.
BDRSuite Backup Server pushes VIS – BDRSuite Integration Service onto the added target machine. BDRSuite Integration Services: VIS acts as an agent in the target machine in which the data present in the machine has to be backed up. BDRSuite Integration Service reads the data from the added machine and lists the disks and drives in the BDRSuite Backup Server for backup. If there is any problem while connecting BDRSuite Integration Services, read the KB article.

3. Bulk Installation

BDRSuite offers support for various agent installation methods to perform bulk installation of backup agents on target Servers and Endpoints. Please follow the below steps.

Step 1: Download BDRSuite Backup Agent

Before proceeding with any agent installation method, make sure you download the backup agent (MSI) from the link below.
Windows (64-bit) : Windows Server 2012 & above, Windows 8.1 & above – Download

Step 2: Backup Agent Installation

Use any one of the following methods to proceed with the agent installation.
Method 1: Backup Agent Installation through Active Directory Group Policy Objects (GPO)
For bulk deployment of Backup Agents through Active Directory Group Policy, you can choose between two options below.
Option 1 – Deploy MSI and MST File through AD GPO: This method involves creating an MST file using the Orca tool, then deploying the generated MST file and downloaded MSI file through AD GPO. For step-by-step detailed instructions, refer KB: 115216
Option 2 – Deploy PowerShell file through AD GPO: This method involves creating a PowerShell script or batch script file using the MSI silent installation commands and deploying it using AD GPO. For step-by-step detailed instructions, refer KB: 115217
Method 2: Backup Agent Installation using Other Third-Party Tools (Silent Installation)
Download Backup Agent and install it on multiple backup hosts simultaneously using the command below through any third-party tool. For detailed installation instructions, Refer KB:115218
You can use the command based on your desired backup type and reboot option.
  1. To configure disk image backup and reboot the host immediately after Backup Agent installation, use the command below:
msiexec /i BDRSuite_Delegation_Service_7_0_1_0.msi /qn BACKUPSERVERINFO=”Enter Backup Server IP Address/DNS Name” IMAGEBACKUPENABLED=”1″ INSTALLDRIVER=”Yes” REBOOT=”Force”
  1. To configure disk image backup and to reboot the host later, use the command below:
msiexec /i BDRSuite_Delegation_Service_7_0_1_0.msi /qn BACKUPSERVERINFO=”Enter Backup Server IP Address/DNS Name” IMAGEBACKUPENABLED=”1″ INSTALLDRIVER=”Yes”
  1. To configure only files & folders backup, use the command below:
msiexec /i BDRSuite_Delegation_Service_7_0_1_0.msi /qn BACKUPSERVERINFO=”Enter Backup Server IP Address/DNS Name”
Method 3: Advanced Deployment
The advanced deployment method allows you to import hosts from Active Directory/LDAP Server and add them to the backup server for backup.
When selecting hosts, choose to install Backup Agent either automatically, manually, or using third-party tools.
To begin, click the button given in the UI.
Import Hosts from AD/LDAP Server
To import AD/LDAP Server you need to first add the AD/LDAP Server. Click here to learn more about the process.
a. AD/LDAP Server selection
  1. AD/LDAP Server: If the AD/LDAP Server is already added then choose it from the drop down menu .
  2. Filter Criteria: You can use the filter option to display only the hosts based on filter criteria such as All Organizational units or Domain Controllers (Criteria).
The hosts can be filtered by the following options;
  1. Selecting a criteria.
  2. Selecting a criteria and entering a distinguished name.
  3. Entering a distinguished name without selecting a criteria.
    1. Enter the distinguish Name : Enter the distinguished name of the host to be added as a data source. Once after entering all the details click on next.
b. Host Selection
  1. All the machines that are running in the AD will be listed here on this page. You can either select the entire host or just the machines based on the applied filter and click on Add.
  2. This will take you to the page where you need to add/select the credentials and also choose how you want to install the BBA. Check for BBA prerequisites here.  (Add link here)
  3. After selecting the hosts, they will appear on the page along with the option to search for hosts by name. Information such as the credential name, BBA installation type, and the option to edit credentials or installation types as needed are also available.
  4. In case you want to remove the added hosts you can do the same by selecting the respective host’s checkbox and click on the remove button.
  5. Now, you can click on Save and Ok, Proceed.

Overview Dashboard

Bulk Email Update

Bulk Email Update allows you to update user email IDs to multiple hosts simultaneously. If Email Reports (backup, restore, etc) for Servers/Endpoints are enabled, it will be sent to this configured Email ID. Email Reports can be enabled from the ‘Reports -> Email Notifications’ menu.
Incase you want to update the new or the already given email ID for individual host then you can do that using the ‘Edit’ option alongside the respective hosts listed.

Protection Status

Protection Enabled: You can click here to view all the hosts for which backups have been configured.
Protection Not Enabled: You can click here to view all the hosts for which backups have not been configured.

Agent Status

Active: You can click here to view all the backup agents (Installed on the host) that have recently connected to the BDRSuite Backup Server.
Disconnected: You can click here to view all the backup agents (Installed on the host) that have not connected to the BDRSuite Backup Server for more than few minutes.
Never Connected: You can click here to view all the backup agents (Installed on the host) that hasn’t established a initial connect yet with the BDRSuite Backup Server.

Hosts

Windows: You can click here to view all the added Windows hosts/machines.
Linux: You can click here to view all the added Linux hosts/machines.
Mac: You can click here to view all the added Mac hosts/machines.

 Agent’s Version

Up to Date Agents: Click to view all the hosts with backup agents running the latest version.
Outdated Agents: Click to view all the hosts with backup agents running the outdated version and need to be updated.
You can search for the host with its name using the search option and also apply filter based on ‘Type’, ‘Agent Status’, ‘Protection Status’ and  ‘Agent Version’.
You can also click on the ‘Download icon’ to download all the host details.
The added hosts will be listed with its OS Type, Name, IP Address/DNS Name, Email ID, Protection Status, Agents Status, Last Connected Time, Agent Version & Actions. Edit and Delete Actions can be performed for the respective hosts as per requirement.