1.1 About this document ................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 About the backup service .......................................................................................................... 3
1.2.1Accounts and groups ....................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.3Supported web browsers ............................................................................................................................... 6
1.3.1Activating an administrator account ............................................................................................................. 7
1.3.2Creating a group .............................................................................................................................................. 7
1.3.3Creating an account ........................................................................................................................................ 8
1.3.4Accessing the backup management console ................................................................................................ 9
1.3.5Creating a report about the service usage .................................................................................................... 9
2.2.1Supported web browsers ............................................................................................................................. 12
2.2.2Supported operating systems and environments ...................................................................................... 12
2.2.3Supported Microsoft SQL Server versions ................................................................................................... 13
2.2.4Supported Microsoft Exchange Server versions ......................................................................................... 13
2.3 Activating the backup account ................................................................................................14
2.4 Accessing the backup service ..................................................................................................14
2.5 Installing the software .............................................................................................................14
2.7.1Backup plan cheat sheet ............................................................................................................................... 21
2.7.2Selecting data to back up .............................................................................................................................. 22
2.7.3Selecting a destination .................................................................................................................................. 27
2.8.2Creating bootable media .............................................................................................................................. 29
2.8.3Recovering a machine ................................................................................................................................... 30
2.8.5Recovering system state ............................................................................................................................... 34
2.8.7Recovering Exchange data ............................................................................................................................ 36
2.9 Operations with backups and backup plans ............................................................................37
2.9.1Operations with backups .............................................................................................................................. 37
2.9.2Operations with backup plans ...................................................................................................................... 37
This document is intended for Value-Added Resellers (VARs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
who want to provide backup as a service to their clients, as well as for End-User Company (EUC)
administrators who want to use the backup service.
This document describes how to quickly set up the backup service and perform backup and recovery.
1.2 About the backup service
The backup service is provided at the partner level (VAR, or MSP), down to the End-User Company
(EUC) level and the end-user level.
The backup service management is available through a web interface.
1.2.1 Accounts and groups
There are two account types: administrator accounts and backup accounts.
An administrator can create and manage groups, administrator accounts, and backup accounts on or
below their level in the hierarchy.
A backup account enables backing up physical and virtual machines. It is created by an administrator
and typically corresponds to an end user. Both the end user and the administrators can manage
backups of the end users' data.
Each account belongs to a group. The group hierarchy is supposed to match the client/vendor
relationships between the backup service users and providers.
EUC groups correspond to organizations that use the backup service. Unit groups typically
correspond to units or departments of the organization.
Administrators at the EUC level and higher can limit access to their groups for higher-level
administrators. This is done by disabling the Inherit administrator accounts from parent group
setting on the Administrators tab of the root group. When the inheritance is disabled, the parent
group administrators can only modify the group properties. They do not see the accounts and child
groups at all.
The following diagram illustrates three hierarchy levels—the MSP, EUC, and unit groups. Optional
Operation
Administrators
End users (using the backup
account credentials)
Create groups
Yes
No
Create administrator accounts
Yes
No
Create backup accounts
Yes
No
Download and install the backup
software
Yes, using the backup
account credentials
Yes
Manage backup
Yes
Yes
Manage recovery
Yes, using the backup
account credentials
Yes
Create reports about the service usage
Yes
No
groups and accounts are shown by a dotted line.
The following table summarizes operations that can be performed by the administrators and the end
users.
1.2.2 Components
This section describes the software components utilized by the backup service.
On the end-user side
At least one of the following components must be installed on the end-user side:
Agent for Windows backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running Windows.
Agent for VMware backs up ESX(i) virtual machines without installing agents into the guest
systems. The agent is installed on a Windows machine that has network access to vCenter Server
and to the storage where the backed-up virtual machines are stored.
Agent for Hyper-V backs up Hyper-V virtual machines without installing agents into the guest
systems. The agent is installed on a Hyper-V host.
Agent for Exchange backs up Microsoft Exchange Server databases.
Agent for SQL backs up Microsoft SQL Server databases.
Agent for Linux backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running Linux.
Agent for Mac backs up disks, volumes, and files on a machine running OS X.
The agents can be installed by the end users or by the administrators and registered on the backup
management server by using the backup account credentials.
On the data-center side
The servers are located in Acronis data centers.
Account server stores the user account hierarchy and enables administering the backup service
from the account management console. Only administrators can access this console.
Backup management server manages the agents. It enables users and administrators to set up
and monitor backups from the backup management console. End users log in directly to this
console by using their backup account credentials. Administrators access it from the account
management console.
The backup storages are located in Acronis data centers. Service providers can organize backup
storages in their own data centers (by using the Acronis Storage software). End users have the option
to store backups either in a data center or within their local networks.
The following diagram illustrates the default backup service architecture. Blue arrows () show the
software component interactions. Black arrows () show how administrators and end users access
the backup service.
1.2.3 Supported web browsers
The backup service web interface supports the following web browsers:
Google Chrome 29 or later
Mozilla Firefox 23 or later
Opera 16 or later
Windows Internet Explorer 10 or later
Safari 5.1.7 or later running in the OS X and iOS operating systems
In other web browsers (including Safari browsers running in other operating systems), the user
interface might be displayed incorrectly, or some functions may be unavailable.
1.3 Step-by-step instructions
The following steps will guide you through the installation and basic use of the backup service. They
describe how to:
Activate your administrator account
Create a group
Create a backup account and, optionally, an administrator account
Access the backup management console
Create a report about the service usage
For information about how to back up and recover data, refer to the User's Guide (p. 12).
1.3.1 Activating an administrator account
After signing the partnership agreement or signing up for the backup service, you will receive an
email message containing the following information:
An account activation link. Click the link and set the password for the administrator account.
Remember your login that is shown on the account activation page.
A link to the account management console login page. Use this link to access the console in
future. The login and password are the same as in the previous step.
Download links for the installation packages and documentation.
1.3.2 Creating a group
A VAR/MSP group is normally created for each partner that signs the partnership agreement.
An EUC group is normally created for each organization that signs up for the backup service.
You may want to create a new Unit group within a EUC group when expanding the backup service to
a new organizational unit.
To create a group
1. Log in to the account management console.
2. Select a group in which you want to create the new group.
3. On the bottom of the Groups pane, click "+".
4. In Name, specify a name for the new group.
5. [Optional] In Identifier, type a string that will act as the identifier for the group. This identifier
will appear in monthly reports, together with the group's usage data. You can use this identifier
to refer to this group in other software, such as in your billing or monitoring systems.
The identifier can consist of up to 256 Unicode characters (for example, numbers and Latin
letters). It does not need to be unique across groups.
6. In Type, select the type of the new group. The available types depend on the parent group type.
7. [Only when creating an EUC group] In Mode, select whether the group is using the backup
service in the trial mode or in the production mode. Monthly service usage reports do not
include usage data for trial-mode groups.
Important If you switch the mode from trial to production in the middle of a month, the entire mont h will
be included in the monthly service usage report. For this reason, we recommend that you switch the mode
on the 1st day of a month. The mode is automatically switched to production when a group remains in the
backup service for one full month.
8. In Language, select the default language of notifications, reports, and backup software that will
be used within this group.
9. [Only when creating an EUC group] In Storage, choose the data center where the backups will be
kept.
Detailed information about the data centers is available on the Storage tab, when the EUC's
parent group is selected in the Groups list. Click Add on the Storage tab to find information
about organizing a backup storage in your own data center.
If any of these values are exceeded, the group administrator and the administrators of the parent
group will receive an email notification. Restrictions on using the backup service are not applied.
12. [Optional] In Contact information, specify the contact information for the group.
13. Click Create.
The newly created group appears in the Groups tree.
If you want to specify the billing information for a group, select the group in the Groups list, click
Properties, and then complete the billing information section.
1.3.3 Creating an account
You must create at least one backup account within an EUC or unit group.
Administrator accounts are normally created within VAR/MSP groups. You may want to create an
administrator within an EUC or unit group as well.
To create an account
1. Log in to the account management console.
2. Select a group in which you want to create the account.
3. Click the Backup accounts or Administrators tab, and then click "+".
4. Specify the following contact information for the backup account.
Login
Important Each account must have a unique login. You can create multiple logins using the same
email address.
Email address
[Optional] First name
[Optional] Last name
5. [Optional, for backup accounts only] Specify the storage quota and the maximum number of
If any of these values are exceeded, a notification will be sent to the email address specified in
step 4. Restrictions on using the backup service are not applied.
6. [Optional] Change the Backup notifications level. If you disable backup notifications, the
notifications about backup failures, warnings, and successful backups will not be sent to the
specified email address.
7. [Optional] Disable Business notifications. If you do this, notifications about exceeded quotas will
not be sent to the specified email address.
8. Click Add.
As a result:
A new account appears in the Backup accounts or Administrators tab.
An email message containing the activation link is sent to the email address you specified.
1.3.4 Accessing the backup management console
Administrators can access the backup management console from the account management console.
End users log in directly to the backup management console.
To access the backup management console as an administrator
1. Log in to the account management console.
2. Select the EUC group that contains the machines you want to back up.
3. Click Manage backups.
For information about how to back up and recover data, refer to the User's Guide (p. 12).
1.3.5 Creating a report about the service usage
Usage reports provide historical data about using the backup service. This data can be used to charge
the EUCs and their units.
Only administrators can create these reports. The report data differs, depending on who created the
report.
Reports created by VAR/MSP administrators contain statistics for each of the EUCs.
Reports created by EUC administrators contain statistics for each of the units and for each of the
end users that do not belong to a unit.
Reporting parameters
The report includes the following data about an EUC, its units, and backup accounts:
Size of backups by group, by backup account, by machine type.
Amount of protected machines by group, by backup account, by machine type.
Price value by group, by backup account, by machine type.
The total size of backups.
The total amount of protected machines.
Total price value.
Enabling or disabling scheduled usage reports
Scheduled report covers system usage data for the last full calendar month. The reports will be
generated and sent on the second day of every month to all administrators of your group.
1. In the account management console, click Reports.
2. Select the Scheduled tab.
3. In Status, enable or disable the scheduled usage reports by clicking the on/off switch.
4. [Optional] To generate a report immediately, click Send report now.
Ad-hoc report covers system usage data for the specified period with one-day interval. This type of
report can be generated on demand and cannot be scheduled. The report will be sent to the email
address of your administrator account.
1. In the account management console, click Reports.
2. Select the Ad-hoc tab.
3. In Reporting period, select start and end dates of reporting period.
4. To generate a report immediately, click Send report now.
1.4 Advanced scenarios
1.4.1 Deploying agents on client machines
You can centrally install (or deploy) Agent for Windows onto machines that are members of an Active
Directory domain, by using Group Policy.
In this section, you will find out how to set up a Group Policy object to deploy agents onto machines
in an entire domain or in its organizational unit.
Every time a machine logs on to the domain, the resulting Group Policy object will ensure that the
agent is installed on the machine and the machine is registered in the backup service.
Prerequisites
Before proceeding with agent deployment, ensure that:
You have an Active Directory domain with a domain controller running Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 or later.
You are a member of the Domain Admins group in the domain.
You have downloaded the All agents for installation in Windows setup program. The download
link is available on the Add machine page in the backup management console.
Step 1: Creating the .mst transform and extracting the installation package
1. Log on as an administrator on any machine in the domain.
2. Create a shared folder that will contain the installation packages. Ensure that domain users can
access the shared folder—for example, by leaving the default sharing settings for Everyone.
3. Copy the setup program to the folder you created.
4. Start the setup program.
5. Click Create .mst and .msi files for unattended installation.
6. Specify the credentials of the backup account. This account will be used to register machines
with installed agents in the backup service.
7. Review or modify the installation settings that will be added to the .mst file.
8. Click Generate.
As a result, the .mst transform is generated and the .msi and .cab installation packages are extracted
to the folder you created. You can now move or delete the setup program .exe file.
Step 2: Setting up the Group Policy objects
1. Log on to the domain controller as a domain administrator; if the domain has more than one
domain controller, log on to any of them as a domain administrator.
2. If you are planning to deploy the agent in an organizational unit, ensure that the organizational
unit exists in the domain. Otherwise, skip this step.
3. In the Start menu, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Users and
Computers (in Windows Server 2003) or Group Policy Management (in Windows Server 2008
and Windows Server 2012).
4. In Windows Server 2003:
Right-click the name of the domain or organizational unit, and then click Properties. In the
dialog box, click the Group Policy tab, and then click New.
In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012:
Right-click the name of the domain or organizational unit, and then click Create a GPO in this
domain, and Link it here.
5. Name the new Group Policy object Agent for Windows.
6. Open the Agent for Windows Group Policy object for editing, as follows:
In Windows Server 2003, click the Group Policy object, and then click Edit.
In Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2012, under Group Policy Objects, right-click
the Group Policy object, and then click Edit.
7. In the Group Policy object editor snap-in, expand Computer Configuration.
8. In Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008:
Expand Software Settings.
In Windows Server 2012:
Expand Policies > Software Settings.
9. Right-click Software installation, then point to New, and then click Package.
10. Select the agent's .msi installation package in the shared folder that you previously created, and
then click Open.
11. In the Deploy Software dialog box, click Advanced, and then click OK.
12. On the Modifications tab, click Add, and then select the .mst transform that you previously
created.
13. Click OK to close the Deploy Software dialog box.
This service enables backup and recovery of physical and virtual machines, files, and databases to
local or cloud storage.
This service is available through a web interface.
2.2 Software requirements
2.2.1 Supported web browsers
The backup service web interface supports the following web browsers:
Google Chrome 29 or later
Mozilla Firefox 23 or later
Opera 16 or later
Windows Internet Explorer 10 or later
Safari 5.1.7 or later running in the OS X and iOS operating systems
In other web browsers (including Safari browsers running in other operating systems), the user
interface might be displayed incorrectly, or some functions may be unavailable.
2.2.2 Supported operating systems and environments
Agent for Windows
Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64)
Windows 2000 SP4 – all editions except for the Datacenter edition
Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 – Standard and Enterprise editions (x86, x64)
Windows Small Business Server 2003/2003 R2
Windows Vista – all editions
Windows Server 2008 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, and Web editions (x86, x64)
Windows Small Business Server 2008
Windows 7 – all editions
Windows Server 2008 R2 – Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Foundation, and Web editions
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010/2011/2012
Windows Small Business Server 2011 – all editions
Windows 8/8.1 – all editions except for the Windows RT editions (x86, x64)
Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 – all editions
Windows Storage Server 2003/2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2
Windows 10 - Home, Pro, Education, Enterprise editions
Agent for Linux
Linux with kernel from 2.4.20 to 4.1 and glibc 2.3.2 or later