Managing preferred server configurations for Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Groups

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
Preferred server configurations are collections of one or more servers and sites that you select as preferred backup sources. Preferred server configurations take priority as backup sources in instances where database copies are replicated between multiple servers. You can create preferred server configurations for Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Groups (DAG).
You do not have to create a preferred server configuration to back up replicated database copies. You can let Backup Exec choose the best server from which to back up the replicated database copies. Designating a preferred server configuration gives you more control over your backup jobs. For example, you can select a local preferred server configuration to avoid having to back up replicated data over your WAN.
Backup Exec automatically includes the children of any site or DAG that you select as part of the preferred server configuration. To ensure that a backup is performed locally, you can select the local site as the preferred server configuration. Backup Exec selects from any of the local servers that belong to that site during the backup job. To ensure that a specific server is used for the backup, select only that server as the preferred server configuration.
You can create preferred server configurations for Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Groups. Preferred server configurations give you more control over your backup jobs since you can specify a preferred server from which Backup Exec backs up replicated data.
This topic contains information about the following subjects:
Creating preferred server configurations
To create preferred server configurations
  1. Click the Backup Exec button, select Configuration and Settings, and then selectPreferred Servers.
  2. Click New.
  3. Select an Active Directory forest that contains the Exchange DAG members that you want to specify as preferred servers for backup.
  4. Type a name for the group of preferred servers.
You must enter a name before the preferred server configuration can be created.
  1. Click New to enable the lists of available and selected servers from which you designate the preferred server.
  2. In the Available Servers list, select the servers and sites that you want to use in the preferred server configuration.
  3. On the Preferred Servers dialog box, click OK.
  4. On the Manage Preferred Servers dialog box, click OK.
Deleting preferred server configurations
To delete preferred server configurations
  1. Click the Backup Exec button, select Configuration and Settings, and then selectPreferred Servers.
  2. Select the preferred server configuration you want to delete.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Click OK.
Designating a default preferred server configuration
You can designate a preferred server configuration to use as the default for all of your backup jobs that contain the appropriate replication data. When you back up data from a Microsoft Exchange Database Availability Group, you can set up Backup Exec to use your preferred server configuration that you selected as the default. You can override the selected preferred server configuration for specific jobs in the backup job settings.
When you designate a preferred server configuration to use as the default, it is not applied to existing backup jobs. The configuration is used for any subsequent backup jobs that you create.
To designate a default preferred server configuration
  1. Click the Backup Exec button, select Configuration and Settings, and then selectPreferred Servers.
  2. Select the preferred server configuration you want to set as the default.
  3. Click Set as Default.
  4. Click OK.
Removing the default status for a preferred server configuration
If you no longer want the preferred server configuration to be the default, you can remove its default status.
To remove the default status for a preferred server configuration
  1. Click the Backup Exec button, select Configuration and Settings, and then selectPreferred Servers.
  2. Select the preferred server configuration from which you want to remove the default status.
  3. Click Remove as Default.
  4. Click OK.