Centrally managed job - unexpected results from three servers
Hi,
I'm new to the forums. I do pay an annual fee for support but have had mixed experiences, usually just end up reinstalling the software. I don't want to keep doing this so I thought perhaps someone on here know's whats happening.
So I've spent the weekend configuring my server backup tasks. I'm testing one backup task first before I deploy it to the rest.
Essentially it's told to backup
[BOOT]
[SYSTEM]
D:\
I haven't selected [ALL FIXED DISKS] because there's a partition on there I don't want. The backup went through last night and appeared to have worked. However, there's inconsistencies in the results.
The management server event log for Server01 shows...
"Command Backup is Running"
"Analizing Parition D:"
"Locking Partition D:"
I thought that's weird because I told it to backup the system drive (c:\)
The same goes for Server02. However, Server03 shows all partitions being backed up.
My next test was a restore to see what actually got backed up.
Server01 and Server02 Show...
MBR / Disk 1
DYNAMIC / D:
As available
Server03 however lists all the partitions the backup plan was supposed to backup.
How can I trouble shoot this? It's almost like Server01 and Server02 did not see the system driive. However it did not fail or anything or warn me. I've since Directly connected to Server01 and looked at the backup job. It lists [BOOT][SYSTEM][D:] to be backed up.
Please help, your advice is very much appreciated.
Side Note: It failed to send email alerts. However when I input the configuration when setting up email alerts, it tested successfully!
Hey,
I'm back again. Although my backup job on all three servers show reflect what my centralised policy states to backup, it still does not backup the [System]. I've ran my backups over the weekend as expected only they're about 100GB short which I thought was odd. I went through the restore process and they're only showing [D:] as being backed up.
What steps would you recommend I take to try again? Personally I'd delete the job from the servers it's been assigned to and try again. But perhaps the Acronis Guru's have experienced this before?
Many thanks and all feedback is really appreciated. I've never got this to work properly! :(
Kind Regards
Phil
Hello Phil Halford,
Thank you for posting this issue in our forum. I am happy to assist you.
When backing up a Windows 7 system, it could be a conflict by choosing [Boot], while the 100MB partition is not shown under [System].
Please follow this recommandation:
Windows operating systems prior to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 keep system files and the loader on the same volume, unless a different volume has been specified during the system installation. If Windows files and the loader are on the same volume, selecting either [SYSTEM] or [BOOT] is enough to back up the entire operating system. Otherwise, select both [SYSTEM] and [BOOT].
See for more information this section from our user guide. As a workaround choose [Fixed Volumes] and exclude partitions from backup.
If you need additional assistance, please create a system report of the affected machine and contact support. You will find all available support options in our Customer handbook.
If there is anything else we can do for you, please let me know.
Thank you.
Hi Peter,
Thank you for your reply. I've checked your recommendations. My servers using this backup plan are Windows Server 2008 x64 (sp2). Two of the three are working fine. I've checked diskpart and listed the disks and partitions. There's no hidden partitions as such (no 100mb reserved section etc). Simply disk 0 is split into three partitions. C:\ (Contains all the boot files and windows dir) D:\ (data) E:\ (Reserved for Windows Volume Shadow Copies).
I'd like to try using the [Fixed Volumes] but I'd like to know what's causing it please. All three servers have identical hardware and disk partitioning.
I'll attach the system report soon.
On a side note: If I used [Fixed Volumes] and wanted to exclude the E: partition, I'd use the following exclusion E:\* or would it be E:\*.*?
Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.
Hello Phil Halford,
Thank you for your reply.
If all of your servers have the same setup, you also can choose the drive letters in backup plan. Then you did not have to exclude the drive E. If using the exclusion, you need to add a '\' sign at every entry. For excluding drive E, it is e:\*.*\.
If you need additional assistance, please create a system report of the affected machine and contact support. You will find all available support options in our Customer handbook.
If there is anything else we can do for you, please let me know.
Thank you.