How to back up data

Backups are crucial for data protection, and Backup Exec offers you many choices for creating backup jobs to protect your data, including the following:

Using the Backup Wizard. Use this wizard to submit a backup job if you are a new or inexperienced Backup Exec user. The wizard guides you through the process of creating a backup job using most of the default options. After you become more experienced with Backup Exec, you will probably create backups by configuring backup job properties.
Configuring backup job properties. Experienced Backup Exec users can create customized backup jobs by selecting resources to protect and setting backup options. Using the backup job properties pages allows you to set some options, such as job priority and database options, that cannot be set per job using the Backup Wizard.
Creating a selection list. Select the data you want to back up and save the selections as a selection list. You can then choose the selection list when creating a backup job. You can use selection lists for multiple jobs. You can also choose a selection list and combine it with a policy to create a job.

Backup Exec allows you to set default options for backup jobs, but also gives you the flexibility to override these options for specific jobs. You can direct all backup jobs to a specified network segment, isolating the backup data so that other connected networks are not affected when backup operations are performed, or you can specify a LAN for a single job.

Backup Exec also provides the option of setting up backup jobs that take place on a routine basis (scheduled jobs), or set up one-time backup jobs.

In addition to creating backup jobs to protect data, you can create the following:

A test run of a scheduled backup job to determine whether or not it is likely to complete successfully.
A job that duplicates backup sets either from previously backed up data or data scheduled to be backed up. If the backup sets are to be duplicated from a scheduled job, the duplicate backup data job runs automatically after the backup job completes.
Verify jobs to test the integrity of the media.
Archive jobs to preserve storage space.
Resource discovery jobs to find new resources that may need to be backed up on a regular basis.

Before you begin backing up data, you should develop a backup strategy that includes the method, frequency, and media rotation methods that are appropriate for your organization. You may have different strategies for different areas of the organization.

You may also want to configure device and media management before creating backup jobs. You can set up Backup Exec to use specific storage devices or logical groupings of devices, such as device pools.

Specifically, you might want to perform the following tasks to help you manage storage hardware and media most effectively:

Set up drive pools for systems with more than one storage device.
Create media sets.

Caution:

To protect remote resources, you must install the Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows Systems on the remote computer. The Remote Agent is a system service that runs on Windows servers and workstations and provides efficient backup processing by locally performing tasks that, in typical backup technologies, require extensive network interaction.