How Backup Exec works

You use the Backup Exec Administration Console to interact with Backup Exec for tasks like submitting backups, restoring data, configuring storage, and monitoring jobs. You can run the Administration Console from the Backup Exec server, which is a Windows server on which Backup Exec is installed, or from a remote computer. After backups, restores, or other operations are created, the Backup Exec server processes the jobs or delegates the jobs for processing in multi-Backup Exec server environments.

Backup Exec includes the following features:

Backup Exec administrators can set up scheduled backups for Windows and Linux computers across the network. Backup Exec's flexible calendar-based administration lets you easily schedule backups for processing during off-peak hours.

Backup Exec's Simplified Disaster Recovery takes all of the guesswork out of recovering an entire system. While configuring a backup, you get a clear indication that you have selected the data that is necessary to perform a Simplified Disaster Recovery-enabled backup. After you back up a computer's critical system components, use the Create Simplified Disaster Recovery Disk Wizard to create a Simplified Disaster Recovery disk image. You can then use the disk image to perform a disaster recovery of the computer.

The Job Monitor provides a single location to monitor and manage all of your backup, restore, installation, and storage operation jobs. The Home tab lets you view statistics for your entire Backup Exec environment. From the Servers view, you can monitor the backup status for all of the computers on your network. Interactive alerts display the situations that require your attention.

Backup results can be viewed from a backup's job history. The job history contains statistics, errors, and other information pertaining to the backup. Backup Exec's catalog is a database of all backed-up data, and Backup Exec uses the catalog to track restore selections.

Wizards guide you through most Backup Exec operations, including the creation of backup and restore jobs, and the configuration of storage.

Backup Exec uses data lifecycle management to automatically delete expired backup sets on disk storage, disk cartridge media, deduplication storage, storage arrays, cloud storage, and virtual disks. You specify how long to keep backup data when you create a backup job that is sent to a disk-based storage device. When the amount of time to keep the backup data expires, the data lifecycle management feature deletes the backup sets and reclaims the disk space for use by new backup sets.

See How data lifecycle management (DLM) deletes expired backup sets on disk-based storage.

Backup Exec uses the Advanced Device and Media Management (ADAMM) feature to manage data retention on tapes. ADAMM expires the backup sets that are stored on media according to a set of rules that you apply to the media.

Backup Exec is available on the AWS and Azure Marketplace as a trial version, allowing you to evaluate the features, performance, scalability, and compatibility with your specific business needs. This approach minimizes the risk associated with adopting a new technology. By trying Backup Exec through the marketplace, you can get a hands-on product experience.

There is additional information available about deploying Backup Exec on AWS and Azure Marketplace. For more information, refer to the Veritas Open eXchange documentation.