Back Up or Restore a Vault

The server console automates the backup and restore process by locating the databases and file store for all vaults, including the master vault, and backing them up to a specified location. It also returns archived files to their correct locations. This process is called the Back Up and Restore Wizard.

Back Up Statistics

The data management server summary displayed in the main pane summarizes server statistics including:

• The number of days since the last incremental backup.
• The number of incremental backups performed since the last full backup.
• Whether the server is currently eligible for an incremental restore.

This section of the summary is grayed out if Incremental Backup and Restore is disabled because administrative operations or other events have occurred that require a full backup. Incremental Backup and Restore is enabled by default.

Creating incremental backups at different sites in a multi-site environment may prevent data from being restored. As a best practice, perform all back up and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.

Rules for Creating a Backup in a Multi-Site Environment

• Before you create a backup, enable all vaults at a site.
• Before you create a backup, replicate the data. If any of the vaults are not replicated, you are prompted to either continue with the backup or cancel the backup operation. If you choose to continue, the data is synchronized automatically during the back up process; however, this extends the time required to back up the data, and other sites cannot access the database for the duration of the back up process.
• As a best practice, perform all backup and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.
• For best performance, create the backup on a server that is in close network proximity to the SQL database.
• Perform all backup and restore operations from the main Vault server (adms) site. See Start the Back Up and Restore Wizard.
• For an AVFS site, 3rd party software can be used to back up the file store location incase all files are not replicated back to the main Vault server before the backup is executed.

Rules for Restoring a Backup in a Multi-Site Environment

• As a best practice, perform all backup and restore operations at a single site in a multi-site environment.

• All existing data, both the database and the file store, are overwritten when a backup is restored on a site. Any remote file stores are abandoned once data is restored on a site. The vault administrator must either clean up or remove the old, unused file stores.

• If the site at which the data is being restored is not configured for a multi-site environment, the site list will be empty once the data is restored.

• If the site at which the data is being restored is configured for a multi-site environment, the site list is restored as well; however, all vaults on remote sites are disabled. The vaults for the current site are enabled. The vaults at the remote sites must be enabled by the administrator at the remote sites.

• To restore the main Vault server site, follow the steps in the Restore section in Back Up or Restore a Vault.

• To restore an AVFS site in this environment, remove the AVFS site from the Vault console on the main site (adms), rebuild the AVFS site and connect it to the main Vault site using the steps in Basic File Server Configuration Settings.

  Note: If the AVFS file store was backed up using a 3rd party software, restore the file store and point to that location while enabling a Vault.

Rules for Creating a Backup in a Connected Workgroup Environment

• All backups in a Connected Workgroup environment is performed from a Vault server (adms) in the publisher workgroup.

  Note: Subscriber workgroups cannot be backed up with a Vault server (adms) connected to the subscriber workgroup.

• Use the Backup and Restore Vault with 3rd party tools to back up a publisher or subscriber workgroup.

Rules for Restoring a Backup in a Connected Workgroup Environment

• If it becomes necessary to restore a subscriber, remove that subscriber from the connected workgroup environment, rebuild the subscriber server, and add it back to the connected workgroup environment.
• Use the Backup and Restore Vault with 3rd party tools to restore a publisher or subscriber workgroup.

Rules for Restoring a Backup with Remote SQL

• On the remote SQL Server, create a local Windows user account with the same credentials as the impersonation user account on the Vault server.
• Restore Vault backup using the steps in the Restore section in Back Up or Restore a Vault.