Managed Backup Exec Server Configuration options

Last published : Apr 02, 2026
The following information can help you to determine which configuration options to choose when you install a managed Backup Exec server.
The following information applies if you select the option Centrally managed Backup Exec server and also select the option Unrestricted access to catalogs and backup sets for restore:
  • This Backup Exec server becomes a managed Backup Exec server.
  • A persistent network connection is required between the managed Backup Exec server and the central administration server.
  • The catalogs are centralized and are stored on the central administration server. Note that this combination of options may not be suitable if you have a low-bandwidth network connection to the central administration server.
  • This managed Backup Exec server can access and restore backup sets for all storage devices that it shares with other Backup Exec servers.
    Note: A managed Backup Exec server that has been configured with the catalog mode as 'centralized unrestricted' can only browse its own sets. This server cannot browse the backup sets created by any other managed Backup Exec server or the central administration server.
  • The backup jobs that are created on the central administration server can be load-balanced and delegated to this managed Backup Exec server.
  • A rolling upgrade cannot be performed with this configuration. This managed Backup Exec server must be upgraded at the same time as the central administration server.
The following information applies if you select the option Centrally managed Backup Exec server, but do not select the option Unrestricted access to catalogs and backup sets for restore:
  • This Backup Exec server becomes a managed Backup Exec server.
  • A persistent network connection is required between the managed Backup Exec server and the central administration server.
  • The catalogs are in distributed mode by default, but can be changed. The catalogs for the jobs that run on this managed Backup Exec server are stored locally.
  • This managed Backup Exec server can access and restore any backup set that is stored on the storage devices that it hosts, regardless of which Backup Exec server ran the backup job. However, for the shared storage devices that other Backup Exec servers host, this managed Backup Exec server can access and restore only the backup sets that were created from backup jobs it ran.
  • The backup jobs that are created on the central administration server can be load-balanced and delegated to this managed Backup Exec server.
  • This option is recommended for use with the private cloud configuration.
The following information applies if you select the option Locally managed Backup Exec server:
  • This Backup Exec server becomes a managed Backup Exec server.
  • A persistent network connection is not required between the managed Backup Exec server and the central administration server. Therefore, this option may be useful when a very low-bandwidth connection exists between the managed Backup Exec server and the central administration server. It may also be useful when the managed Backup Exec server cannot always be connected to the central administration server.
  • The catalogs are in distributed mode by default. The catalogs for the jobs that run on this managed Backup Exec server are stored locally.
  • The central administration server does not delegate jobs to this managed Backup Exec server.
  • This managed Backup Exec server cannot be used in a private cloud configuration.
More Information
Push-installing a managed Backup Exec server from the central administration server