Acronis True Image Echo User Guide Server for Windows
User's Guide
Acronis
®
True Image Echo
Server for Windows
Compute with confidence
www.acronis.com
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007. All rights reserved.
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2 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
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Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 3
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction ......................................................................................
1.1 Acronis® True Image Echo Server – a complete solution for corporate users...........................8
1.2 New in Acronis True Image Echo Server..............................................................................9
1.3 Supported file systems and storage media.........................................................................10
1.3.1 Supported file systems ..............................................................................................10
1.3.2 Supported storage media...........................................................................................11
1.4 Technical support............................................................................................................11
8
Chapter 2. Acronis True Image Echo Server installation and startup ..............12
2.1 System requirements.......................................................................................................12
2.1.1 Minimum hardware requirements ...............................................................................12
2.1.2 Supported operating systems.....................................................................................12
2.2 Installing Acronis True Image Echo Server.........................................................................12
2.2.1 Installation of Acronis True Image Echo Server............................................................13
2.2.2 Acronis Universal Restore installation..........................................................................13
2.3 Extracting Acronis True Image Echo Server components.....................................................14
2.4 Running Acronis True Image Echo Server..........................................................................14
2.5 Removing Acronis True Image Echo Server........................................................................14
Chapter 3. General information and proprietary Acronis technologies ............15
3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images............................................15
3.2 Full, incremental and differential backups..........................................................................15
3.3 Acronis Secure Zone®......................................................................................................16
3.4 Acronis Startup Recovery Manager....................................................................................17
3.4.1 How it works ............................................................................................................17
3.4.2 How to use...............................................................................................................17
3.5 Acronis Snap Restore.......................................................................................................18
3.5.1 Limitations in using Acronis Snap Restore....................................................................18
3.5.2 How it works ............................................................................................................18
3.5.3 How to use...............................................................................................................18
3.6 Acronis Universal Restore.................................................................................................19
3.6.1 Acronis Universal Restore purpose..............................................................................19
3.6.2 Acronis Universal Restore general principles................................................................19
3.6.3 Acronis Universal Restore and Microsoft Sysprep..........................................................20
3.6.4 Limitations in using Acronis Universal Restore..............................................................20
3.6.5 Getting Acronis Universal Restore...............................................................................21
3.7 Backing up to tape libraries and tape drives.......................................................................21
3.7.1 Backing up to tape libraries and autoloaders................................................................21
3.7.2 Backing up to tape drives...........................................................................................21
3.8 Viewing disk and partition information...............................................................................21
Chapter 4. Using Acronis True Image Echo Server ...........................................23
4.1 Main program window .....................................................................................................23
4.2 Available operations.........................................................................................................25
Chapter 5. Creating backup archives ................................................................28
5.1 Backing up files and folders (file backup)...........................................................................28
5.2 Backing up disks and partitions (image backup).................................................................32
5.3 Setting backup options.....................................................................................................34
5.3.1 Archive protection.....................................................................................................35
5.3.2 Source files exclusion ................................................................................................35
5.3.3 Pre/post commands ..................................................................................................36
5.3.4 Database support......................................................................................................36
5.3.5 Compression level.....................................................................................................37
5.3.6 Backup performance .................................................................................................37
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5.3.7 Fast incremental/differential backup ...........................................................................38
5.3.8 Archive splitting........................................................................................................39
5.3.9 File-level security settings.......................................................................................... 39
5.3.10 Media components..................................................................................................40
5.3.11 Error handling.........................................................................................................40
5.3.12 Dual destination backup...........................................................................................41
5.3.13 Additional settings...................................................................................................41
Chapter 6. Restoring the backup data ..............................................................43
6.1 Considerations before recovery.........................................................................................43
6.1.1 Restore under Windows or boot from CD?...................................................................43
6.1.2 Network settings in rescue mode................................................................................43
6.1.3 Recovering dynamic volumes.....................................................................................44
6.2 Restoring files and folders from file archives......................................................................44
6.3 Restoring disks/partitions or files from images ...................................................................47
6.3.1 Starting the Restore Data Wizard................................................................................48
6.3.2 Archive selection.......................................................................................................48
6.3.3 Restoration type selection..........................................................................................48
6.3.4 Selecting a disk/partition to restore ............................................................................50
6.3.5 Selecting a target disk/partition..................................................................................50
6.3.6 Changing the restored partition type...........................................................................51
6.3.7 Changing the restored partition file system..................................................................52
6.3.8 Changing the restored partition size and location.........................................................52
6.3.9 Assigning a letter to the restored partition...................................................................53
6.3.10 Restoring several disks or partitions at once..............................................................53
6.3.11 Using Acronis Universal Restore................................................................................53
6.3.12 Setting restore options.............................................................................................54
6.3.13 Restoration summary and executing restoration.........................................................54
6.4 Setting restore options.....................................................................................................54
6.4.1 Files to exclude from restoration.................................................................................55
6.4.2 Files overwriting mode...............................................................................................55
6.4.3 Pre/post commands ..................................................................................................55
6.4.4 Restoration priority....................................................................................................56
6.4.5 File-level security settings.......................................................................................... 56
6.4.6 Specifying mass storage drivers..................................................................................56
6.4.7 Additional settings.....................................................................................................57
6.5 Creating dynamic disks and volumes.................................................................................57
6.5.1 Converting disk to dynamic........................................................................................57
6.5.2 Creating dynamic volumes.........................................................................................58
Chapter 7. Scheduling tasks..............................................................................60
7.1 Creating scheduled tasks.................................................................................................. 60
7.1.1 Setting up daily execution..........................................................................................62
7.1.2 Setting up weekly execution.......................................................................................63
7.1.3 Setting up monthly execution.....................................................................................64
7.1.4 Setting up one-time execution....................................................................................64
7.1.5 Setting up event-driven execution ..............................................................................65
7.2 Managing scheduled tasks................................................................................................65
Chapter 8. Managing the Acronis Secure Zone .................................................67
8.1 Creating Acronis Secure Zone...........................................................................................67
8.2 Resizing the Acronis Secure Zone......................................................................................69
8.3 Changing the password for Acronis Secure Zone................................................................69
8.4 Deleting Acronis Secure Zone...........................................................................................70
Chapter 9. Creating bootable media .................................................................71
9.1 Creating Acronis rescue media..........................................................................................71
9.2 Creating a Win PE ISO with Acronis True Image Echo Server ..............................................73
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 5
Chapter 10. Operations with archives...............................................................74
10.1 Validating backup archives .............................................................................................74
10.2 Exploring archives and mounting images .........................................................................74
10.2.1 Exploring an archive................................................................................................75
10.2.2 Mounting an image..................................................................................................76
10.2.3 Unmounting an image .............................................................................................78
10.3 Consolidating backups....................................................................................................78
Chapter 11. Notifications and event tracing .....................................................81
11.1 Email notification...........................................................................................................81
11.2 WinPopup notification....................................................................................................81
11.3 Viewing logs..................................................................................................................82
11.4 Event tracing.................................................................................................................83
11.4.1 Windows event log..................................................................................................83
11.4.2 SNMP notifications...................................................................................................84
11.5 Managing System Restore..............................................................................................84
Chapter 12. Working with a virtual environment .............................................86
12.1 Backing up data on virtual machines ...............................................................................86
12.2 Recovering data on virtual machines...............................................................................86
12.3 Using the disk conversion feature....................................................................................87
12.3.1 Recover data on the VM...........................................................................................87
12.3.2 Recover both data and the VM .................................................................................87
12.3.3 Physical to virtual migration .....................................................................................87
12.3.4 Converting workloads..............................................................................................88
12. 4 Converting disk images to virtual disks ...........................................................................88
Chapter 13. Transferring the system to a new disk..........................................90
13.1 General information.......................................................................................................90
13.2 Security........................................................................................................................90
13.3 Executing transfers........................................................................................................91
13.3.1 Selecting Clone mode..............................................................................................91
13.3.2 Selecting source disk...............................................................................................91
13.3.3 Selecting destination disk.........................................................................................92
13.3.4 Partitioned destination disk ......................................................................................93
13.3.5 Old and new disk partition layout..............................................................................93
13.3.6 Old disk data ..........................................................................................................93
13.3.7 Destroying the old disk data.....................................................................................94
13.3.8 Selecting partition transfer method...........................................................................95
13.3.9 Partitioning the old disk ...........................................................................................96
13.3.10 Old and new disk partition layouts ..........................................................................96
13.3.11 Cloning summary...................................................................................................97
13.4 Cloning with manual partitioning.....................................................................................97
13.4.1 Old and new disk partition layouts............................................................................97
Chapter 14. Adding a new hard disk .................................................................99
14.1 Selecting a hard disk......................................................................................................99
14.2 Creating new partitions..................................................................................................99
14.3 Disk add summary.......................................................................................................100
Chapter 15. Command-line mode and scripting .............................................101
15.1 Working in the command-line mode..............................................................................101
15.1.1 Supported commands............................................................................................101
15.1.2 Common options (options common for most trueimagecmd commands) ....................104
15.1.3 Specific options (options specific for individual trueimagecmd commands)..................105
15.1.4 trueimagecmd.exe usage examples.........................................................................110
15.1.5 Command-line mode usage under DOS...................................................................115
15.2 Scripting.....................................................................................................................115
6 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
15.2.1 Script execution parameters...................................................................................115
15.2.2 Script structure .....................................................................................................115
15.2.3 Script usage examples...........................................................................................116
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 7
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 Acronis® True Image Echo Server – a complete solution for corporate users
Acronis True Image Echo Server is a comprehensive backup and recovery solution for a
Windows-based server.
Acronis True Image Echo Server creates a transportable image, independent of the
hardware platform that can be restored directly to and from any virtual or physical
environment.
Minimizes downtime
Acronis True Image Echo Server enables you to restore systems in minutes, not hours or
days. An entire system can be restored from an image that includes everything the
system needs to run: the operating system, applications, databases, and configurations. i t
is not necessary to reinstall software or reconfigure your system or n etwork settings. The
complete system restoration can be performed to an existing system, to a new system
with different hardware, or to virtual machines. With the Acronis Snap Restore feature,
users can access the server and begin working during the restore process, further
decreasing downtime. File-level backups provide you with the flexibility to only backup
specific, critic al files.
Eases Administration
Wizards guide users through backup and recovery tasks, ensuring the product can be
implemented with minimal user training.
Automates Backup
With the scheduling capability in Acronis True Image Echo Server, you simply create
backup tasks, tailored by group, or certain times or events.
To ensure that backups have occurred, or if user intervention is required, you can r equest
notifications via email or Windows Pop-up. You can view Acronis events in the Win dows
Application Events Log or Acronis own log files. Log messages can be automatically sent
out to SNMP clients.
The product also supports the creation of custom comman ds before and after backups.
For example, users can automatically run anti-virus products before an image is created
and verify the validity of backups after the image has been created. And because these
tasks can be scheduled, you need not recreate the script to run the pre- and post-event
tasks each time; you can set the scheduled events once and they will run each time
automatically.
Ensures 24 X 7 Uptime
With Acronis’ patented drive snapshot technology, systems can be imaged while they are
in use, ensuring 24-by-7 system availability. This technology enables the product to
backup and image critical operating system files, the master boot record and any
partition-based boot records without requiring a reboot. A CPU allocation feature allows
you to limit the amount of CPU usage for the application to maximize the CPU’s
availability for mission critical applications. Additionally, users can control hard disk drive
writing speeds and control network bandwidth used during backups, allowing minimal
disruption of business operations.
8 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
A feature that allows you to suspend database activity for several seconds is provided so
that you can create a valid image of mission-critical applications such as Microsoft
Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle. This database suspension process
supports Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). If your database or operating
system does not support VSS, Acronis True Image Echo Server will execute your custom
commands to execute database suspension.
Leverages Existing Technology Investments
The product can leverage your current storage infrastru cture by supporting a variety of
storage media, so you can avoid costly hardware purchases to implement the solution.
The product supports key storage technologies such as: Direct Attached Storage ( DAS),
Network Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN), Redundant Arrays of
Independent Disks (RAID), tapes, USB and IEEE-1394 (FireWire) compliant storage
devices, CDs, DVDs, removable drives (Floppy, Zip, etc.) and shared storage. Mor eover,
the product ensures that you maximize the space on these reso urces with four levels of
compression.
Disk cloning and new disk deployment
Acronis True Image Echo Server can be used to clone an im age onto m ultiple serve rs. Fo r
example, let’s say a company purchased several servers and needs similar environments
on each of them. Traditionally, the IT manager would install the operating system and
programs on every server. With Acronis True Image Echo Server, the IT manager would
configure a single server, then create a disk image of the sy stem. That i mage can th en b e
duplicated onto multiple servers.
If you need to upgrade the server hard disk drive, Acronis True Image Echo Server
simplifies the task to few mouse clicks creating the exact copy of your old disk to a new
one and adjusting partitions size to fit a new hard disk.
Volumes conversion
Acronis True Image Echo Server can back up and recover dynamic volumes.
Dynamic volume as is can be recovered over the same volume or unallocated space of a
dynamic group. Acronis True Image Echo Server has necessary tools for any-to-any disks
conversion in terms of basic disks and dynamic volumes of any type (simple, spanned,
striped, mirrored or RAID 5). The tools are available in bootable program version as well.
Having booted the Acronis environment, you can easily prepare the desired dynamic
group on bare metal or a computer with non-Windows operating system.
1.2 New in Acronis True Image Echo Server
Backup
Backup and restore of 2+TB volumes
Encrypting backups with industry-standard AES cryptographic algorithm (key size 128,
192, 256 bit)
Multi-volume snapshot for databases spread on several disks
Control network bandwidth usage when backing up to FTP
Error handling: ignore bad sectors, silent mode (no pop-ups, continue on all errors)
Dual destination backup: Acronis Secure Zone + network share
Support for VMware Consolidated backup
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 9
Archive bit reset (file-level backup only)
Generating time-based names for bac kup files
Recovery
Recovery of dynamic volumes
Recovery of system dynamic volumes on dissimilar hardware using Acronis Universal
Restore or Acronis Snap Restore
Scheduling
Schedule archive validation
Start every N hours within daily schedule
Start on free disk space change by the specified amount
Cloning a task
Notification via e-mail
Multiple e-mail addresses
From and Subject fields
Logon to incoming mail server
Operations with archives
Convert disk images to virtual disks for VMware, Microsoft and Parallels virtual machines
Consolidate backup files (create a consistent copy of archive while deleting selected
backups)
Explore archives (open in read-only mode any image or file-level backup)
Operations with hard disks
Convert basic disk to dynamic
Create dynamic volumes
CLI features
MBR restore
Backup to FTP server
Allow logs on net share
Merge unallocated space by moving partitions and create Acronis Secure Zone on the
space
1.3 Supported file systems and storage media
1.3.1 Supported file systems
• FAT16/32
• NTFS
• Ext2/Ext3
• ReiserFS
• Reiser4
10 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
• Linux SWAP
• XFS
• JFS
• DFS
If a file system is not supported or is corrupted, Acronis Tr ue Image Echo Server can copy
data using a sector-by-sector approach.
For XFS and JFS file systems the partition resizing feature is not supported.
1.3.2 Supported storage media
• Hard disk drives
• Networked storage devices such as Storage Area Networks (SANs) and Network
Attached Storage (NAS)
• Tape libraries, autoloaders, SCSI tape drives
• IDE and SCSI RAID controllers of any level
• FTP-servers*
• CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R (including double-layer DVD+R), DVD+RW, DVD-
RAM**
• USB 1.0 / 2.0, FireWire (IEEE-1394) and PC card storage devices
®
• ZIP
, Jaz® and other removable media
* - an FTP-server must allow passive mode for file transfers. Data recovery directly from
FTP-server requires the archive to consist of files no more than 2GB in size. It is
recommended that you change the source computer firewall settings to open ports 20
and 21 for both TCP and UDP protocols and disable the Routing and Remote Access
Windows service.
** - Burned rewritable discs cannot be read in Linux without kernel patch.
1.4 Technical support
Users of legally purchased copies of Acronis True Image Echo Server are entitled to free
technical support from Acronis. If you experience problems installing or using Acronis
products that you can’t solve yourself by using this guide, then please contact Acronis
Technical Support.
More information about contacting Acronis Technical Support is available at the following
http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/support/
link:
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 11
Chapter 2. Acronis True Image Echo Server installation and startup
2.1 System requirements
2.1.1 Minimum hardware requirements
Acronis True Image Echo Server requires the following hardware:
• Pentium processor or higher
• 256MB RAM
• FDD or CD-RW drive for bootable media creation
• Mouse (recommended).
2.1.2 Supported operating systems
Acronis True Image Echo Server
• Windows Professional 2000 SP4/ Professional XP SP2
• Windows Server 2000 /Advanced Server 2000 /Server 2003
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions
• Windows Vista all Editions (except for the Acronis Snap Restore feature)
Acronis Universal Restore (optional)
• Windows Professional 2000 SP4/XP Professional SP2
• Windows Server 2000 /Advanced Server 2000 /Server 2003
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions
• Windows Vista all Editions
Acronis True Image Echo Server bootable version enables disk-level backup and recovery
on a computer running any PC-ba sed operating system.
2.2 Installing Acronis True Image Echo Server
To install Acronis True Image Echo Server, run the Acronis True Image Echo Server setup
file.
If you have the trial version of Acronis True Image Echo Server installed on your system,
you must uninstall it before installing the commercial version of the product.
12 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
Acronis True Image Echo Server Install Window
2.2.1 Installation of Acronis True Image Echo Server
Typical, Custom and Complete installation i s available. Having pressed Custom, you
can choose to install, besides the Acronis True Image Echo Server, Rescue Media
Builder and Bart PE plug-in.
With Rescue Media Builder you can create bootable rescue disks or RIS packages (see
details in
Chapter 9. Creating bootable media
). Installing the Bootable Rescue Media
Builder will allow you to create bootable media, its ISO image or a bootable RIS package
at any time from the main program window or running Bootable Rescue Media
Builder on its own.
The widely used Bart PE utility provides a Windows-like operating environment invoked
via removable bootable media. Applications are installed into Bart PE in the form of plugins. Choosing Bart PE plug-in installation (disabled by default) provides the ability to
include Acronis True Image Echo Server into a Bart PE plug-in tab. The plug-in files will be
placed into the component installation folder along with other program files.
When installed, Acronis True Image Echo Server creates a new device in the Device
Manager list (Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager ->
Acronis Devices -> Acronis TrueImage Backup Archive Explorer). Do not disable
or uninstall this device, as it is necessary for connecting image backups as virtual disks
10.2.2 Mounting an image
(see
).
2.2.2 Acronis Universal Restore installation
Acronis Universal Restore is an option for Acronis True Image Echo Server. It is purchased
separately and installed from a separate setup file. Acronis Universal Restore has its own
serial number that is required at installation.
Acronis Universal Restore can only be installed on a computer where at least one of the
following Acronis components is installed:
Acronis True Image Echo Server
Bootable Media Builder.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 13
Acronis Universal Restore can be installed on a networked computer either locally, by
running the setup program, or remotely, using one of remote installation services such as
Systems Management Server (a component of Microsoft Windows NT BackOffice progra m
package).
After installation, Acronis Universal Restore automatically plugs in one or more of abov e
program components. Acronis True Image Echo Server name, displayed in its main
window, changes to Acronis True Image Echo Server with Universal Restore.
2.3 Extracting Acronis True Image Echo Server components
When installing Acronis True Image Echo Server, you can save the setup (.msi) file on a
local or network drive. This will help when modifying or recovering the existing product
installation.
To save the setup file:
• run the Acronis True Image Echo Server setup file
• in the Install Menu, right-click on the program name and select Extract
• select a location for the setup file and click Save.
2.4 Running Acronis True Image Echo Server
You can run Acronis True Image Echo Server in Windows by selecting Start ->
Programs -> Acronis -> Acronis True Image Echo Server -> Acronis True
Image Echo Server or clicking the appropriate shortcut on the desktop.
If your operating system fails to load, you can run Acronis Startup Recovery Manager.
prior
However, this must be activated
to learn more about this procedure. To run the program, press F11 during the server
bootup when you see a corresponding message that tells you to press that key. Acronis
True Image Echo Server will be run in the standalone mode, allowing you to recover the
damaged partitions.
If your disk data is totally corrupted and you cannot boot (or if you have not activated
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager), load the standalone Acronis True Image Echo Server
version from the bootable media (created by you using Rescue Media Builder) or RISserver. Then you will be able to restore the disk from a previously created image.
to use; see
3.4 Acronis Startup Recovery Manager
2.5 Removing Acronis True Image Echo Server
You can remove Acronis True Image Echo Server by selecting Control panel -> Add or
remove programs -> <Acronis True Image Echo Server> -> Remove. Then
follow instructions on the screen. You may have to reboot your computer afterwards to
complete the task.
In case you remove Acronis True Image Echo Server from the system, there is an option
to keep the Acronis Secure Zone along with its contents (which will enable data recovery
on booting from bootable media) or remove Acronis Secure Zone.
14 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
Chapter 3. General information and proprietary Acronis technologies
3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images
A backup archive is a file or a group of files (also called in this guide “backups”), that
contains a copy of selected files/folders data or a copy of all information stored on
selected disks/partitions.
When you back up files and folders, only the data, along with the folder tree, is
compressed and stored.
Backing up disks and partitions is performed in a different way: Acronis True Image Echo
Server saves a sector-based snapshot of the disk, which includes th e operating system,
registry, drivers, software applications and data files, as well as system areas hidden from
the user. This procedure is called “creating a disk image,” and the resulting backup
archive is often called a disk/partition image.
Acronis True Image Echo Server stores only those hard disk parts that contain data (for
supported file systems). Further, it does not back up swap file information (pagefile.sys)
and hiberfil.sys (a file that keeps RAM contents when the computer goes into
hibernation). This reduces image size and speeds up image creation and restoration.
A partition image includes all files and folders independent of their attributes (including
hidden and system files), boot record, FAT (file allocation table), root and the zero track
of the hard disk with master boot record (MBR).
A disk image includes images of all disk partitions as well as the zero track with the
master boot record (MBR).
All Acronis True Image Echo Server archives files have a “.tib” extension by default.
It is important to note that you can restore files and folders not only from file archives,
but from disk/partition images, too. To do so, mount the image as a virtual disk (see
10.2.2 Mounting an image
files or folders.
) or start the image restoration and select Restore specified
3.2 Full, incremental and differential backups
Acronis True Image Echo Server can create full, incremental and differential backups.
A full backup contains all data at the moment of backup creation. It forms a base for
further incremental or differential backup or is used as a standalone archive. A full backup
has the shortest restore time as compared to incremental or differential ones.
An incremental backup only contains data changed since the last full or incremental
backup creation. Therefore, it is smaller and takes less time to create. However, since it
all
does not contain all data needed to restore an image,
and
backups
the initial full backup are required for restoration.
the previous incremental
A differential backup creates an independent file containing all changes since the last
full archive. Generally, data from a differential backup will be restored faster than an
incremental backup, as it does not have to process through a long chain of previous
backups.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 15
A standalone, full backup could be an optimal solution if you often roll back the system to
the initial state (for example, systems in a gaming club or Interne t café where you need
to undo changes made by the guests). In this case, you need not re-create the initial full
image, so the backup time is not crucial and the restore time will be minimal.
Alternatively, if you are interested in saving only the most current data state to be able t o
restore it in case of system failure, consider the differential backup. It is particularly
effective if your data changes tend to be little as compared to the full data volume.
An incremental backup is most useful when you need frequent back ups and possibility to
roll back to any one of multiple stored states. For example, let’s say you create a full
backup once a month. If you then crea te an incremental backup each day of a month,
you will get the same result as if you created full backups every day. However, the cost in
time and disk space (or removable media usage) will be as little as one tenth as much.
It is important to note that the above arguments are just examples for your information.
Feel free to make up your own backup policy in accordance with your specific tasks and
conditions. Acronis True Image Echo Server is flexible enough to meet any real-life
demands.
An incremental or differential backup created after a disk is defragmented might be
considerably larger than usual. This is because the defragmentation program changes file
locations on disk and the backups reflect these changes. Therefore, it is recommended
that you re-create a full backup after disk defragmentation.
3.3 Acronis Secure Zone®
The Acronis Secure Zone is a special, hidden partition for storing archives on the
computer system itself. For archive security purposes, ordinary applicati ons cannot access
it. In the Acronis True Image Echo Server Wizards’ windows the zone is listed along with
all partitions available for storing archives. Acronis Secure Zone is necessary for using
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager and Acronis Snap Restore features (see below). The
three features, in combination, instantly make operational a system that fails to boot.
A consistent external copy of archives, saved on Acronis Secure Zone, can be created on
a network share using dual destination backup feature. See details in
destination backup
.
Acronis Secure Zone is always available for archive creation as long as there is space for
the backup file. If there is not enough space, older archives will be deleted to create
space.
Acronis True Image Echo Server uses the following approaches to clear space in the
Acronis Secure Zone:
• If there is not enough free space in the zone t o create a backup, the pro gram deletes
the oldest full backup with all subsequent incremental/differential backups.
• If there is only one full backup (with subsequent incremental/differ ential backups) left
and a full backup is in progress, then the old full backup and incremental/differential
backups are deleted.
5.3.12 Dual
• If there is only one full backup left, and an incremental or differential backup is in
progress, you will get an error message telling you there is a lack of available space.
In that case, you will have to either re-create the full backup or increase the size of
the Acronis Secure Zone.
You can back up data automatically on a schedule (see
Chapter 7. Scheduling tasks
), and
not worry about zone overflow issues. However, if you keep long chains of incremental
16 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
backups, it is a good practice to check the zone free space periodically. To do so, star t the
Manage Acronis Secure Zone wizard and see the zone free space that is displayed on
the wizard’s second page.
For information on how to create, resize or delete Acronis Secure Zone using this wizard,
Chapter 8. Managing the Acronis Secure Zone
see
.
In case you remove Acronis True Image Echo Server from the system, there is an option
to keep the Acronis Secure Zone along with its contents (which will enable data recovery
on booting from bootable media) or remove Acronis Secure Zone.
The Acronis Secure Zone should not be the only location where a backup is stored.
Should the disk have a physical failure, the Acronis Secure Zone could be lost. This is
particularly critical for backups of servers; the Acronis Secure Zone should only be one
part of an overall backup strategy.
3.4 Acronis Startup Recovery Manager
3.4.1 How it works
The Acronis Startup Recovery Manager enables starting Acronis True Image Echo Server
without loading the operating system. If the operating system won't load, you can run
Acronis True Image Echo Server by itself to restore damaged partitions. Unlike booting
from the Acronis removable media or RIS server, you will not need a separate media or
network connection to start Acronis True Image Echo Server. It is especially handy for
mobile users who need to run a server operating system on their laptop.
3.4.2 How to use
To be able to use Acronis Startup Recovery Manager at boot time, prepare as follows:
1. Install Acronis True Image Echo Server or Acronis True Image Agent on a computer.
2. Create Acronis Secure Zone on the computer hard disk (see
Acronis Secure Zone
).
3. Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager. To do so, click Activate Acronis Startup
Recovery Manager and follow the Wizard’s instructions.
If you try to activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager while Acronis Secure Zone is
missing from the system, you will be prompted to create the zone,
Recovery Manager will be activated. Otherwise, Acronis Startup Recovery Manager will be
activated immediately.
When Acronis Startup Recovery Manager is activated, it overwrites the master boot
record (MBR) with its own boot code. If you have any third-party boot managers
installed, you will have to reactivate them after activating the Startup Recovery Manager.
For Linux loaders (e.g. LiLo and GRUB), you might consider installing them to a Linux
root (or boot) partition boot record instead of MBR before activating Acronis Startup
Recovery Manager.
Here’s an example of how you would use this feature. If failure occurs on a computer,
turn on the computer and press F11 when you see the "Press F11 for Acronis Startup
Recovery Manager" message. This will run a standalone version of Acronis True Image
Echo Server that only slightly differs from the complete version. For information on
restoring damaged partitions, see
Chapter 6. Restoring the backup data
Chapter 8. Managing the
then Acronis Startup
.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 17
Be careful! Disk letters in standalone Acronis True Image Echo Server might sometimes
differ from the way Windows identifies drives. For example, the D: drive identified in the
standalone Acronis True Image might correspond to the E: drive in Windows.
3.5 Acronis Snap Restore
With this feature you can boot the OS on a crashed computer before the system is
completely restored from an image and start work seconds after the restoration is
launched. The restoration will be continued in the background.
3.5.1 Limitations in using Acronis Snap Restore
1. Acronis Snap Restore is currently available for images located in the Acronis Secure
Zone only.
2. Acronis Snap Restore does not support images of Windows Vista. If any Vista edition is
detected in an image, the Snap Restore option will not appear.
3. Acronis Snap Restore does not work if the image contains dynamic disks and volumes.
4. Acronis Snap Restore cannot be used if the image contains no operating system (a
logical partition or disk image) or when restoring file archives.
3.5.2 How it works
When the restoration procedure is started, Acronis True Image Echo Server:
1. Finds the sectors in the image which contain system files, and restores these sectors
first. First the OS is restored and can be star ted very quickly. Having started the OS, th e
user sees the folder tree with files, though file contents still is not recovered.
Nevertheless, the user can start working.
2. Next, the application writes on the hard disk its own drivers, which intercept system
queries to the files. When the user attempts to open files or launch applications, the
drivers receive the system queries and restore the sectors that are necessary for the
requested operation.
3. At the same time, Acronis True Image Echo Server proceeds with the complete sect orby-sector image restoration in the background. However, the requested sectors have the
highest priority.
Finally, the image will be fully restored even if the user performs no actions at all. But if
you choose to start working as soon as possible after the system failure, you will gain at
least several minutes, considering that restoration of a 10-20GB image (most common
image size) takes about 10 minutes. The larger the image size, the more time you save.
3.5.3 How to use
To be able to use Acronis Snap Restore, prepare your system this way:
1. Install Acronis True Image Echo Server.
2. Create the Acronis Secure Zone on the server hard disk (see
Acronis Secure Zone
3. Activate Acronis Startup Recovery manager (see
Manager
Server (see
18 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
) and create bootable media or RIS package with Acronis True Image Echo
Chapter 9. Creating bootable
).
3.4 Acronis Startup Recovery
media).
Chapter 8. Managing the
4. Back up (image) the server’s system disk to Acronis Secure Zone (see
disks and partitions (image backup)
the system image is mandatory.
When performing Snap Restore, the current Acronis True Image Echo Server version
always restores the entire system disk. Therefore, if your system disk consists of several
partitions, all of them must be included in the image. Any partitions which are missing
from the image will be lost.
If failure occurs, boot the server from the bootable media, or RIS server, or using F11.
Start the recovery procedure (see
select the system disk image from Acronis Secure Zone, choose Use Snap Restore and
in the next window click Proceed. In a few seconds the computer will reboot to the
restored system. Log in and start work – no additional reboots or other actions are
required.
You can perform Snap Restore running Acronis True Image Echo Server in Windows
operating systems as well. However, it is mandatory to have bootable media in case
Windows cannot boot.
). You can back up other disks/partitions as well, but
6.3 Restoring disks/partitions or files from images
5.2 Backing up
),
3.6 Acronis Universal Restore
3.6.1 Acronis Universal Restore purpose
A system disk image can be deployed easily on the hardware where it was created or to
identical hardware. However, if you change a motherboard or use another processor
version — a likely possibility in case of hardware failure — the restored system could be
unbootable. An attempt to transfer the system to a new, much more powerful computer
will usually produce the same unbootable result because the new hardware is
incompatible with the most critical drivers included in the image.
Using Microsoft System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) does not solve t his problem, because
Sysprep permits replacing drivers only for Plug-and-Play devices (sound cards, network
adapters, video cards etc.). As for system Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and mass
storage device drivers, they must be identical on the source and the target computers
(see Microsoft Knowledge Base, articles 302577 and 216915).
Acronis Universal Restore technology provides an efficient solution for hardwareindependent system restoration by replacing the crucial Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
and mass storage device drivers.
Acronis Universal Restore is applicable for:
1. Instant recovery of a failed system on different hardware
2. Hardware-independent cloning and deployment of operating systems
3. Real-to-virtual and virtual-to-real computer migration for system recovery, test and
other purposes.
3.6.2 Acronis Universal Restore general principles
1. Automatic HAL and mass storage drivers selection
Acronis Universal Restore searches the Windows default driver storage folders (in the
image being restored) for HAL and mass storage device drivers and installs drivers that
better fit the target hardware. You can specify a custom driver repository (a folder or
folders on a network drive or CD) which will also be used for drivers search.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 19
The Windows default driver storage folder is determined in the registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current version\DevicePath. This
storage folder is usually WINDOWS/inf.
2. Manual selection of mass storage device driver
If the target hardware has a specific mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or
Fibre Channel adapter) for the hard disk, you can install the appropriate driver manually,
bypassing the automatic driver search-and-install procedure.
3. Installing drivers for plug and play devices
Acronis Universal Restore relies on built-in plug and play discovery and configuration
process to handle hardware differences in devices that are not critical for the system
start, such as video, audio and USB. Windows takes control over this process during the
logon phase, and if some of the new hardware is not detected, you will have a chance to
install drivers for it later manually.
3.6.3 Acronis Universal Restore and Microsoft Sysprep
Acronis Universal Restore is
not
a system preparation tool. You can apply it to any s ystem
image created by Acronis products, including images prepared with Microsoft System
Preparation Tool (Sysprep). The following is an example of using both tools on the same
system.
Acronis Universal Restore does not strip security identifier (SID) and us er profile settings
in order to run the system immediately after recovery without re-joining the domain or remapping network user profiles. If you are going to change the above settings on a
recovered system, you can prepare the system with Sysprep, image it and restore, if need
be, using Acronis Universal Restore.
3.6.4 Limitations in using Acronis Universal Restore
1. The system recovered by Acronis Universal Restore might not start if the partition
structure in the image or the target disk partitioning does not coincide with that of th e
source disk. As a result, the loader, restored from the image, will point to the wrong
partition and the system will not boot or will malfunction.
Such might be the case if you:
- image only selected partitions but not the entire source disk
Keep in mind, that the source disk may have a hidden maintenance partition created by
the computer vendor. Therefore, if you check each partition for backup instead of
checking the disk, this hidden partition will not be included into the image.
- restore not the entire source disk, but only the selected partitions. In some cases,
especially if your system resides on a partition other than the first, this can confuse th e
loader and prevent the restored system from startup.
To avoid the problem, we recommend that you image and restore the entire system disk.
2. The Acronis Universal Restore option does not work if a computer is booted with
Acronis Startup Recovery Manager (using F11) or the backup image is located in Acronis
Secure Zone. This is because Acronis Startup Recovery Manager and Acronis Secure Zone
are primarily meant for instant data recovery on the same computer.
20 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
3.6.5 Getting Acronis Universal Restore
Acronis Universal Restore is an add-on to Acronis True Image Echo Server. It is purchased
separately, has its own license, and is installed from a separate setup file.
Let’s assume for a moment that you own Acronis True Image Echo Server but have not
purchased Acronis Universal Restore. When you create a task for restoring a Windows
system disk and select a target disk (either physical or virtual) in the Restore Data Wizard,
the program compares crucial for the system start devices found in the image registry and
the target computer registry. If the chipset, motherboard or mass storage device are
different, and therefore there is a risk that the system cannot boot, you will be prompted
whether you want to buy Acronis Universal Restore. To buy the option, follow the link.
If you already have Acronis Universal Restore, the prompt will not come up and you will
have an option to enable Acronis Universal Restore later in the Restore Data Wizard.
3.7 Backing up to tape libraries and tape drives
Acronis True Image Echo Server supports tape libraries, autoloaders and SCSI tape drives
as storage devices.
3.7.1 Backing up to tape libraries and autoloaders
A tape library is a high-capacity storage device consisting of one or mor e tape drives and
a loader that automatically selects and loads multiple tape cartridges using barcode
identification. Tape libraries with only one drive and loader are known as autoloaders.
Tape libraries are widely used as an efficient repository for long-term stored archiv al data.
Once the tape library is full, old data is progressively overwritten by new data. With tape
libraries support, Acronis True Image Echo Server can store several backup chains from
different disks and users.
3.7.2 Backing up to tape drives
Backup and restore on a tape drive proceed in the same way as with other devi ces with
the following exceptions.
1. A full backup can be stored on an empty tape only. If the tape already contains data,
its contents will be overwritten on prompt. You have an option to disable prompts. See
details in
2. In cases where you want to keep more than one archive on the tape , for example, you
want to back up two disks separately, select
backup when you create an initial backup for the second disk. In other situations,
incremental backup is used for appending changes to the previously created archive.
3. You do not have to provide filenames for backups.
You might experience short pauses that are required to rewind the tape.
5.3.13 Additional settings
.
incremental
backup mode instead of a
full
Low-quality or old tape, as well as dirt on the magnetic head, might lead to pauses that
can last up to several minutes.
3.8 Viewing disk and partition information
You can change the way data is represented in all schemes you see in various wizards.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 21
To the right are three icons: Arrange Icons by, Choose Details and i (Display the
properties of the selected item), the last duplicated in the context menu invoked by
right-clicking objects.
To sort messages by a particular column, click the header (another click will switch the
messages to the opposite order) or Arrange Icons by button and select the column.
To select columns to view, right-click the headers line or left-cli ck the Choose Details
button. Then flag the columns you want to display.
If you click the i (Display the properties of the selected item) button, you will see
the selected partition or disk properties window.
This window contains two panels. The left panel contains the properties tree and the right
describes the selected property in detail. The disk information includes its physical
parameters (connection type, device type, size, etc.); partition information includes both
physical (sectors, location, etc.), and logical (file system, fr ee space, assigned letter , etc.)
parameters.
You can change the width of a column by dragging its borders with the mouse.
22 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
Chapter 4. Using Acronis True Image Echo Server
Acronis True Image Echo Server supports the GUI mode, the command-line mode, and
can be used to execute XML scripts. Here we describe the operati ons available in the GUI
mode, which provides the widest functionality. For console commands and scripting
please see
Chapter 15. Command-line mode and scripting
4.1 Main program window
The main program window contains the menu, the toolbar, the sidebar and the main
area. The sidebar features a pane for selecting task category, the Tools and Help panes.
The main area displays operation icons or tasks depending on the category selected.
.
By default, the program displays operations included in the Backup and Recovery
category. Operation icons are divided into three groups.
The Task group contains the following operations:
• Backup – create a backup archive
• Recovery – restore data from a previously created archive
The Manage Tasks group contains the following operations:
• Tasks – schedule backup or archive validation tasks on your computer and manage
them
• Logs – open the Log Viewer window
The Tools group contains the following items:
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 23
• Explore and Validate Backup Archives – explore file-level archives, mount
disk/partition images as virtual drives, run the archive integrity checking procedure
• Manage Hard Disks – clone disk (i.e. transfer the OS, applications and data from
the old disk to the new one) or mark out partitions on a new hard disk added for dat a
storage with the OS and applications kept on the old one, convert basic disks to
dynamic and create dynamic volumes
• Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager – activate the boot restoration
manager (F11 key)
• Manage System Restore – turn on/off Microsoft Window s System Restore tool and
set its options directly from Acronis True Image Echo Server
• Create Bootable Rescue Media – run the bootable media creation procedure
Program menu
The program menu bar features the Operations, View, Tools and Help items.
The Operations menu contains a list of the available operations, including scheduling
tasks.
The View menu contains items for managing the program window look:
• Toolbars – contains commands that control toolbar icons
• Common Task Bar – enables/disables the sidebar
• Status Bar – enables/disables the status bar
The Tools menu contains the following items:
• Manage Acronis Secure Zone – create, delete and resize a special hi dden partition
for storing archives (Acronis Secure Zone)
• Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager – activate the boot restoration manager
(F11 key)
• Explore Backup Archive – explore file-level archives or mount disk/partition images
as virtual drives
• Validate Backup Archive – run the archive integrity checking procedure
• Consolidate archive – applicable for archives containing more than one backups.
This will create a consistent copy of the archive with an option to exclude backups
that are no more needed
• Convert Backup to Virtual Disk - convert a disk image, created with the progra m
(.tib), to a virtual disk file of the type you select (.vmdk, .vhd, .hdd)
• Create Bootable Rescue Media – run the bootable media creation procedure
• Dynamic Volume Creation Wizard – create dynamic volumes on basic or dynamic
disks
• Convert to dynamic disk – convert a basic disk to a dynamic one
• Show Log
– open the Log Viewer window
• Options – open a window for editing default backup/restore options, setting text
appearance (fonts), configuring e-mail or Windows pop-up notifications etc.
The Help menu is used to view help and obtain information about Acronis True Image
Echo Server.
24 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
Most of the operations are represented two or even three times in different window areas,
providing several ways to select them for more convenience. For example, you can start
the necessary operation or tool by clicking its icon in the main area or by selecting the
same item from the Operations or Tools menu.
Status bar
There is a status bar divided into two parts at the bottom of th e main window. The left
side briefly describes the selected operation; the right side indicates operation progress
and results. If you double-click on the operation results, you will see the log window.
Taskbar notification area icon
During most of the operations, a special indicator icon appears in the Windows taskbar
notification area. If you mouse over the icon, you will see a tool tip indicating the
operation’s progress. This icon doesn’t depend on the main program window b eing open.
It is present for background execution of scheduled tasks as well.
4.2 Available operations
You can perform the following operations.
Operation How to access
Back up and Recover
Back up and restore data, including system
disks/partitions
Click Backup or Recovery, then follow the
wizard’s instructions. See details in
5. Creating backup archives
Restoring the backup data.
Browse logs of Acronis True Image Echo
Server operation
Set up default backup or restore options,
such as system/network resources usage,
before/after backup commands etc.
Set up default parameters for sending
notifications about Acronis True Image
Echo Server operation and tracing this
operation in Windows Application Event Log
Click Logs in the Manage Tasks group or
select the Show Log tool on the sidebar to
navigate to the Event Log window. See
details in
Select Tools -> Options -> Default
backup options or Default restoration
options and make settings. See details in
11.3 Viewing logs
5.3 Setting backup options
restore options.
Select Tools -> Options -> Notifications
or Event tracing and make settings. See
details in
event tracing
Chapter 11. Notifications and
.
Chapter
and
Chapter 6.
.
and
6.4 Setting
Scheduling Tasks
Schedule backup and archive validation
operations
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 25
Click Tasks in the Manage Tasks group
or select the Task Scheduling category
on the sidebar to navigate to the Scheduled
Tasks window. Then click the Create
button on the toolbar and follow the
wizard’s instructions. See details in
7. Scheduling tasks
.
Chapter
Run, stop, edit, clone, rename, delete
backup and archive validation tasks
Archives Management
Explore any archive’s contents and restore
individual files from any archive
Validate backup archives wherever they
reside, be it local, network or removable
media
Consolidate backup files inside an archive
Convert disk images to virtual disk files of
the type you select (.vmdk, .vhd, .hdd)
Click Tasks in the Manage Tasks group
or select the Task Scheduling category
on the sidebar to navigate to the Scheduled
Tasks window. See details in
scheduled tasks
Select Tools -> Explore Backup Archive
and follow the wizard’s instructions. See
details in
Select Tools -> Validate Backup
Archive, then follow the wizard’s
instructions. See details in
backup archives
Select Tools -> Consolidate archive,
then follow the Wizard’s instructions. See
details in
Select Tools -> Convert backup to
Virtual Disk and follow the wizard’s
instructions. See details in
.
10.2.1 Exploring an archive
.
10.3 Consolidating backup.
Converting disk images to virtual disks
7.2 Managing
10.1 Validating
12. 4
Mount partitions’ images to explore and
modify their contents, or to restore
individual files
Unmount previously mounted partition
images
Hard Disk Management
Manage Acronis Secure Zone (create,
delete, resize, remove or change password)
Activate Acronis Startup Recovery Manager Click Activate Acronis Startup Recovery
Convert a basic disk to dynamic Select Tools -> Convert to dynamic
Select Operations -> Mount Image and
follow the wizard’s instructions. See details
in
10.2.2 Mounting an image.
Select Operations -> Unmount Image
and follow the wizard’s instructions. See
details in
Click Manage Acronis Secure Zone, then
follow the wizard’s instructions. See details
in
Chapter 8. Managing the Acronis Secure
Zone
Manager, then follow the wizard’s
instructions. See details in
10.2.3 Unmounting an image
.
Startup Recovery Manager
disk, then follow the wizard’s instructions.
See details in
dynamic.
6.5.1 Converting disk to
.
3.4 Acronis
.
Create a dynamic volume Select Tools -> Dynamic volume
creation wizard, then follow the Wizard’s
instructions. See details in
dynamic volumes.
26 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
6.5.2 Creating
Transfer the system to a new hard disk See
Format partitions on a new hard disk See
Other Tools
Create bootable rescue media, its ISO or
RIS package
Turn on/off Windows System Restore tool See
Some of the above operations can be executed in command-line mode. For more
information on Acronis True Image Echo Server command-line mode see
the command-line mode
.
Chapter 13. Transferring the system to
a new disk
.
Chapter 14. Adding a new hard disk
See
Chapter 9. Creating bootable media
11.5 Managing System Restore
15.1 Working in
.
.
.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 27
Chapter 5. Creating backup archives
To be able to restore the lost data or roll back your system t o a predetermined state, you
should first create a data or entire system backup file.
If you are not concerned about restoration of your operating system along with all
settings and applications, but plan to keep safe only certain data (the current project, for
example), choose file/folder backup. This will reduce the archive size, thus saving disk
space and possibly reducing removable media costs.
Backing up the entire system disk (creating a disk image) takes more disk space but
enables you to restore the system in minutes in case of severe data damage or hardware
failure. Moreover, the imaging procedure is much faster than copying files, and may
significantly speed the backup process when it comes to backing up large volumes of data
(see details in
3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images
5.1 Backing up files and folders (file backup)
1. Start the Create Backup Wizard by clicking on the backup operation icon in the main
program window.
).
2. Select My Data.
3. From the tree pane, select files and folders to back up. You can select a random set of
files, folders, partitions, disks and even computers.
In order to restore your operating system, you must image the system disk or partition; a
file-based backup is not sufficient for the operating system restore.
4. You can exclude specific files from a backup by setting filters for the types of files you
do not wish to back up. For example, you may want to exclude hi dden and system files
and folders or files with .~, .tmp and .bak extensions.
28 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007
You can also apply custom filters, using the common Windows masking rules. For
example, to exclude all files with extension .exe, add *.exe. My???.exe will exclude all
.exe files with names consisting of five symbols and starting with “my”.
All of these settings will take effect for the current task. For information on how to set the
default filters that will be called each time you create a file backup task, see
files exclusion.
5.3.2 Source
5. Select the name and location of the archive.
If you are going to create a full backup, type the file name in the File Name line, or use
the file name generator (a button to the right of the line). If you select an existing full
backup, it will be overwritten.
Including [date] in the backup file name will add to the name the time and date of the
backup creation formatted as <DD-Month-YYYY HH:MM:SS>. Example:
C:\MyBackup[date].tib.
If you are going to create an incremental backup (see
differential backup
In fact, if all incremental backup files are stored together with the basic full backup, it
doesn't matter which one you select, as the program will recognize them as a single
archive. If you stored the files on several removable disks, you must provide the latest
archive file; otherwise, restoration problems might occur.
), select the latest full or incremental backup you have.
3.2 Full, incremental and
If you are going to create a differential backup, select the full backup which will be a
base, or any of the existing differential backups. Either way, the program will create a
new differential backup.
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2007 29
The “farther” you store the archive from the original folders, the safer it will be in case of
data damage. For example, saving the archive to another hard disk will protect your data
if the primary disk is damaged, but won’t be useful if the computer is destroyed in a fire
or flood. Data saved to a network disk, ftp server or removable media will survive even if
all your local hard disks are down. You can also use Acronis Secure Zone (see details in
3.3 Acronis Secure Zone
) for storing backups. In this case, you need not provide th e file
name.
When backing up to Acronis Secure Zone, you have an option of dual destination backup.
If enabled, the program will automatically place a copy of your backup archives on a local
drive or network share as well as Acronis Secure Zone. See details in
destination backup
.
5.3.12 Dual
Dynamic volumes are fully supported as a backup destination place. Acronis True Image
Echo Server can access backup archives, created on dynamic volumes, in standalone
(rescue) mode as well as under Windows control.
See notes and recommendations for using the FTP server in
.
media
1.3.2 Supported storage
6. Select whether you want to create a full, incremental or differential backup. If you have
not backed up the selected files/folders yet, or the full archive seems too old to append
incremental changes to it, choose full backup. Otherwise it is recommended that you
create an incremental or differential backup (see
backup
).
3.2 Full, incremental and differential
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