Manually setting data paths for the *.dr files

If you did not use the IDR Configuration Wizard to set an alternate data path for the *.dr files, you can set it manually.

Copies of the *.dr files, which contain the computer-specific information for the computer being protected, are necessary to automate the recovery of an IDR-protected computer.

Backup Exec automatically creates the *.dr file during a backup and stores it in the Disaster Recovery Data Path default location on the media server's hard drive, which is

C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\IDR\Data\<computer name>.dr.

Symantec recommends that you do not change this default.

You can also specify an alternate location where a second copy of the *.dr file is stored so that the *.dr file is available even if the media server has been damaged. It is recommended that the alternate location be on another computer or on a different physical drive than the default location, and that it be a mapped network drive.

To manually set the default and alternate data paths for the *.dr file

  1. From the Tools menu, click Options.

  2. Under Settings, click Intelligent Disaster Recovery.

  3. Enter the data paths as described in the following table:

    Data path

    Enter a directory path where a copy of the *.dr file for the protected computer will be stored. Backup Exec automatically creates the *.dr file during a backup and stores it in the default location on the media server's hard drive, which is

    C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\IDR\Data\<computer name>.dr.

    Alternate path

    Enter an alternate directory path where a copy of the *.dr files for the protected computers will be stored. Backup Exec automatically creates or updates the *.dr file during a backup and stores it in the specified location during a backup.

    It is recommended that you specify an alternate data path that is not on the media server, or is on a different physical drive than the default location. During a recovery, you can copy the *.dr file from the alternate path to any location to recover the target computer if the media server's hard drive is unavailable.

    To use a remote computer's hard drive as the alternate data path, establish a valid connection to the remote computer. Specify a UNC path as the alternate path, and then check the directory to make sure the *.dr files were copied.

    If you are specifying a directory on a different physical hard drive on the local computer, browse to or type the drive name and the path:

    d:\drfiles

    When using Backup Exec's Remote Administrator, do not specify a floppy drive (A:, B:) as the alternative data path.