Backup Exec logon accounts
A Backup Exec logon account stores the credentials of a user account that you use to access a computer. Backup Exec logon accounts enable Backup Exec to manage user names and passwords and can be used to browse computers or process jobs. Using Backup Exec logon accounts enables you to apply credential changes to the jobs that use them.
Backup Exec logon accounts are used to browse local and remote computers. Whenever the Backup Exec logon credentials are passed between the Backup Exec server and the remote computer, the credentials are encrypted.
Backup Exec logon accounts can also be associated with backup data at the device level such as shares, databases, etc. If you need to edit the credentials, you can edit the Backup Exec logon account. Any changes are applied to the selected computers that use the Backup Exec logon account.
Backup Exec logon accounts are not user accounts. When you create a Backup Exec logon account, an entry for the account is entered into the Backup Exec database; no operating system accounts are created. If your user account credentials change, you must update the Backup Exec logon account with the new information. Backup Exec does not maintain a connection with the user account.
You can view, create, edit, replace, and delete Backup Exec logon accounts.
The following types of logon accounts are included in Backup Exec:
Default Backup Exec logon account
The default Backup Exec logon account enables you to browse, make selections, or restore data. The first time you start Backup Exec, you must specify a default Backup Exec logon account using the Logon Account Wizard. You can select an existing Backup Exec logon account or create a new one.
You can create multiple Backup Exec logon accounts; however, each Backup Exec user can have only one default Backup Exec logon account.
Your default Backup Exec logon account enables you to perform the following:
-
Browse data. Your default Backup Exec logon account enables you to browse local and remote computers when you create backup jobs. To browse computers, each user must have a default Backup Exec logon account that is associated with their user account. The Backup Exec logon account does not have to be the same user name as the user that is used to log on to Backup Exec.
For example, you are logged on to a Backup Exec server named BACKUPSERVER as the local Windows administrator. When you start Backup Exec, you are prompted to create a default Backup Exec logon account for the local administrator because one does not exist. You can create a Backup Exec logon account for the local administrator that has the credentials for a domain administrator. The Backup Exec logon account has the following properties:
User name: DOMAIN\Administrator
Description: BACKUPSERVER\Administrator Default Account
Owner: BACKUPSERVER\Administrator
When you change your default Backup Exec logon account, you can use your new default Backup Exec logon account to browse computers immediately. You do not have to restart your system in order for the changes take effect.
-
Make backup selections. You can select a different Backup Exec logon account when you make selections for backup. If your default logon account does not have rights, the Logon Account Selection dialog box appears and lets you create or select a different Backup Exec logon account.
-
Restore. You can assign Backup Exec logon accounts to computers when you create restore jobs. The default Backup Exec logon account is used unless you choose a different Backup Exec logon account when you create the restore job.
Backup Exec System Logon Account
The Backup Exec System Logon Account (SLA) is created when you install Backup Exec. When the SLA is created, the user name and password match the credentials that were provided during install for the Backup Exec Services credentials. The owner of the SLA is the user that installed Backup Exec. It is a common account, by default. Common accounts are the shared accounts that all users can access.
The Backup Exec System Logon Account may have access to most or all of your data since it contains the Backup Exec Services credentials. If you want to make Backup Exec more secure, you can change the SLA to be a restricted account. You can also delete it after making another logon account the default. However, if you delete the SLA, the jobs in which it is used may fail. If the SLA is deleted, you can re-create it using the Logon Account Management dialog box.
The SLA is used for the following tasks and jobs:
-
Jobs that were migrated from a previous version of Backup Exec
-
Duplicate backup data jobs
-
Command Line Applet (bemcli.exe)
Restricted logon accounts
Backup Exec logon accounts can be common or restricted. When you create a Backup Exec logon account, you can designate it as a restricted account. To use a restricted logon account, you must be the owner of the logon account or you must know the password for the logon account. The person who created the logon account is the owner. If you authorize only a few people to back up or restore data, you can make the logon account a restricted logon account.
The main reasons to restrict a logon account are as follows:
-
To help you limit access to the computers available for backup.
-
To help you limit the computers to which you can restore.
When you use a restricted logon account to select the data for a job, the logon account information is saved with the selection list. Anyone who tries to edit the job must provide the password to the restricted logon account. Backup Exec loads the selections for that job only when the password for the restricted logon account is provided.
More Information
Related information
Configuration and settings
Creating a Backup Exec logon accountEditing a Backup Exec logon accountChanging the password for a Backup Exec logon accountReplacing a Backup Exec logon accountDeleting a Backup Exec logon accountChanging your default Backup Exec logon accountCreating a new Backup Exec System Logon AccountCopying logon account information to another Backup Exec serverTesting logon accounts