How Simplified Disaster Recovery uses disaster recovery information files
For each computer that you back up and for which the Simplified Disaster Recovery indicator is ON, Backup Exec creates a disaster recovery information file. A disaster recovery information file contains computer-specific information for the computer that is backed up. Each time that a backup of all critical system components runs, the disaster recovery information files are automatically updated. Each disaster information recovery file uses the file name \<computer_name\>.DR. SDR uses the computer-specific information that is contained in the file when you run the Recover This Computer wizard. Without a disaster recovery information file, a recovery of the computer is not possible with SDR.
Note: Backup Exec by default supports the latest three full SDR backup chains required for system recovery using SDR. Each backup chain includes one full backup set, its dependent incremental and differential backups, and their duplicate backup sets.
A disaster recovery information file contains the following information for the computer that is backed up:
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Hardware-specific information, such as hard disk partition information, mass storage controller information, and network interface card information.
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A list of catalog entries that identify the backup sets and storage media that are needed to recover the computer.
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The Windows Automated System Recovery configuration information file (asr.xml) for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows 8.0, or Windows 8.1. The ASR file is necessary to recreate partitions on systems that run Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 12, Windows Server 2012 R2, or Windows Server 2016 during the recovery process.
Backup Exec stores the disaster recovery information file in the following locations:
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With the backup sets if the backup storage is disk storage or a disk cartridge device.
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On the Backup Exec server's hard drive in the following path:
C:<Backup Exec install path>\Backup Exec\sdr\Data\
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In an alternate location that you specify, on a different computer than the Backup Exec server.Note: It is recommended that you specify an alternate storage location. If the Backup Exec server crashes, you cannot retrieve the disaster recovery information file from the default location. However, you can retrieve it from the alternate location. You should also create additional copies of the disaster recovery information files and store them in a safe place. Use Windows Explorer or another Copy utility to copy the disaster recovery information files from the default location to another storage location of your choice. Backup Exec does not automatically update these copies, but they do let you restore a computer to an older point-in-time if the other disaster recovery files are not available.
If the disaster recovery information file is stored with the backup sets, then SDR automatically uses that file to perform the recovery. If the backup sets are stored on a tape storage device, deduplication storage, or on a virtual disk, then SDR cannot store the file with the backup sets. Instead, you must provide the path to the default location or the alternate location of the disaster recovery file when the Recover This Computer wizard prompts you.
More Information
Setting or changing the alternate location for the disaster recovery information file
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