Novastor NovaBACKUP User Manual

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NovaBACKUP

Storage Server

User Manual

NovaStor / April 2013

subject to change without notice. The information provided herein is provided for informational and planning purposes only.

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Page 1 NovaStor / April 2013 © 2013 NovaStor, all rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. The information provided herein is provided for informational and planning purposes only.
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents NovaBACKUP Storage Server ............................1 Installation ................................. 1 Configuration Manager ..............................13 Getting Started ................................. 13 Accounts Tab ................................15 Accounts ................................15 Properties ................................18 Data Restore Wizard ............................22 Group Policy Settings ............................25 General Tab ................................28 Security Tab ................................
Page 5: Novabackup Storage Server
Installation To start installation, click or run the Setup executable to begin the installer wizard. After a few seconds, the NovaBACKUP Storage Server Wizard will open. Click next, and the License Agreement screen opens. The NovaBACKUP Storage Server installer and Configuration Manager are compatible with Windows Server 2012 Core.
Page 6 NovaBACKUP Storage Server If you accept the terms of the license, click inside the box next to I accept the terms in the License Agreement. Click next to move to the next installation step. The Custom Setup screen opens: In this screen, the default location for the data files is shown. You can also select a different location by clicking on Browse and selecting an alternate location.
Page 7 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Click OK to return to the Setup screen.
Page 8 NovaStor recommends that you use the C: drive for the SQL databases associated with the NovaBACKUP Storage Server. Once you have selected the target drive, or if you choose to go with the defaults, press Next, and you will advance to the Service Account screen.
Page 9 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Select the SQL Server Provider, and Click Next. Coming to the next screen, you choose the correct instance of SQL, and use either Windows or SQL authentication. If you are not familiar at all with SQL please use Windows authentication.
Page 10 The SQL Server names available on the network are retrieved by the NovaBACKUP Storage Server installer. The server instances shown may not be the instance you choose to use. The database name field at the bottom will be the name given to the database when it is created.
Page 11 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Click Next.
Page 12 NovaBACKUP Storage Server If this is a new installation, as opposed to an upgrade, then you will be prompted for the name and password for the backup administrator account. Enter the required information and click Next.
Page 13 NovaBACKUP Storage Server If you are updating the backup server, and a database already exits, then you will be prompted to enable database backup. Setup will automatically create a backup copy of the database if this option is enabled. If you have taken steps to backup the database manually prior to running setup, then you can reduce installation time by turning off this option.
Page 14 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Enter your contact information which will be needed in the event you require technical support. All fields are required to activate the software. The license key is not needed if you are choosing to evaluate the software. Evaluation software may be activated later using the Configuration Manager, as discussed in the Licensing section.
Page 15 NovaBACKUP Storage Server A new installation should complete within a few minutes, whereas the time needed to perform an upgrade will depend on the size of the existing database. For large databases the installation could take hours. Once the software is installed you will be presented with the screen shown...
Page 16 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The Final screen shows Start the Backup Server Service and Launch the Backup Server Configuration Utility. These items are checked by default, and will run, if checked, once you click Finish. A good practice is to go to Windows services and set the service to run with your Administrator...
Page 17: Configuration Manager
All Programs to reveal the additional programs available. Then, click on NovaBACKUP Storage Server and select Configuration Manager, as shown here: Left-click on the Configuration Manager menu item to open the NovaBACKUP Storage Server Configuration Manager.
Page 18 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The NovaBACKUP Storage Server Configuration Manager is compatible with Windows Server 2012 Core. Simply run the BackupServerUtil.exe program from the command prompt. It is installed in the \Program Files\NovaBACKUP Storage Server folder on your system drive. For additional...
Page 19: Accounts Tab
Configuration Manager Accounts Tab Accounts This is the tab that is opened by default, as shown below. The primary function of this tab is to enable you to add, remove, or view the Properties of your client accounts that use this Storage Server for their backups.
Page 20 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Deleting an account In addition to adding and modifying accounts, you can remove an account from the system by selecting the account in the list, then pressing the Remove button. A confirmation dialog will prompt you for additional instructions, as shown below.
Page 21 Configuration Manager Select ”Preserve account” to keep the account active in the database. Preserving the account, while removing all the associated data, has the effect of resetting the account back to its initial state. Select ”Hide account” to keep the account in the database but mark it as deleted. Hidden accounts can be restored later if needed.
Page 22: Properties
NovaBACKUP Storage Server Properties Please be aware that you are only able to manage passwords in this screen if you have used SQL authentication during the installation. If Active Directory is handling authentication, these fields will not appear. If you want to change authentication methods after you’ve installed,...
Page 23 Configuration Manager The General Tab Pictured above is the General tab, which is used to set the general settings for a new or existing account. It specifies where the user’s data will be stored, assigns the account to a group, and sets the length of time that restorable data will be held.
Page 24 NovaBACKUP Storage Server You can set up quotas on individual accounts or set a quota on a group. By default when you create an account, there are no quotas or limitations in place. Also note that your Storage Server can send quota related warning reports, pop-up warning windows inside the client, or even disable a client’s backup.
Page 25 "Remote Settings" document. Returning to the Accounts tab will occur automatically after you press OK or Cancel in the Account Properties or Account Creation screen. There are two more features selectable from buttons on the Accounts Tab: Data Restore Wizard and Group Policy Settings.
Page 26: Data Restore Wizard
NovaBACKUP Storage Server Data Restore Wizard The Data Restore Wizard copies an account’s backed up files to a designated output folder. If desired, the output folder can be transferred to other media, such as optical disk, by whatever means you have available. After moving this output media so it is accessible to a backup/restore client, you can then run a restore process using local restore mode without any need to connect to the Storage Server.
Page 27 Configuration Manager Press Next, and you will be asked to select a Media root directory to which the restore files will be written. The option to ask to delete all files and folders in the destination directory if any are present appears as a check box. This should be checked if a single directory is used to create restore files for multiple accounts.
Page 28 NovaBACKUP Storage Server You may browse for a target directory or enter the name of a target directory. The default directory is C:\Data Restore Wizard\<account name>. The next screen provides information about the Data Restore process that you’ve configured. Press Prepare account data now! - And the process of creating data restore media will begin.
Page 29: Group Policy Settings
Configuration Manager Group Policy Settings Opens a list of groups, as shown below. This screen lists the Groups that are already defined, and also enables you to add, remove, or edit the properties of a group. Click the Add button to add a new group, or click Properties to modify an existing group. In either case, you are presented with a screen similar to the one below.
Page 30 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The Quota and Settings tabs serve the same function as already described in the section on account properties, except that they apply to all accounts in the group. The Redundant Files tab is used in conjunction with the Redundant File Manager to apply a redundant file list to the group.
Page 31 Configuration Manager...
Page 32: General Tab
NovaBACKUP Storage Server General Tab The General Tab has some powerful features that enable you to control certain global settings. The default Storage Server port is 308. Unless you have a reason to change the port, it should remain at 308. If you want to change the port number, you may do so by scrolling up or down in the Storage Server port: window, or by typing in a new port number.
Page 33 Configuration Manager The Limit bandwidth and connections section of the General tab allows you to create bandwidth limits for backup users. If you are running other processes on your computer besides functioning as a Storage Server, you may choose to create bandwidth limits.
Page 34: Security Tab
NovaBACKUP Storage Server Security Tab The Security Tab defines the authentication method you have chosen during the install. A word about the master decryption key: The master decryption key is a key that can be used to decrypt user backups. This little feature is often overlooked but it can be extremely valuable.
Page 35 Configuration Manager If the master decryption key feature is enabled, and the account has been configured to use the feature, then a small key appears to the left of the account name in the accounts list, as shown below for the "adam" account. In addition, "Keys" tab will appear on the account’s Properties screen.
Page 36: Directories Tab
NovaBACKUP Storage Server Directories Tab The Directories Tab specifies the location for the work directory used to store temporary files during the file rollup and restore process. The amount of work space needed will depend on the number of concurrent jobs and the size of the account’s files. Since this number can vary greatly for different environments it is recommended to specify a location that will always have a large reserve of disk space.
Page 37: Storage Tab
Configuration Manager Storage Tab This tab provides a way to define multiple storage locations for backed up files. Each time the server gets a request to store a file it looks at the accounts primary storage location (see Accounts tab) and checks if the free space is greater than the reserve specified for the location. If free space is greater than the reserve, then the file sent to that storage location, otherwise the test is repeated on all other defined locations, in order of rank, until a usable location is found.
Page 38 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Use the Add button to define a new storage location. Use the Properties button to view or modify a location’s settings. Use the Remove button to delete a storage location. You cannot remove a storage location if any accounts are using it. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to adjust the rank of the selected storage location.
Page 39: Logging
Configuration Manager Logging The logging tab provides the administrator with control of storage server logging through the screen shown below. The master log contains information describing the overall operation of the storage server. The name of the file is masterlog.txt. By default it is created in the same directory in which the storage server was installed.
Page 40 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Unless instructed to do otherwise, the storage server maintains a log of account requested in the SQL database, in a table named Requests. The information in this table can be used for billing purposed and to monitor account activity. The administrator can disable this feature if the...
Page 41: Notifications Tab
Configuration Manager Notifications Tab The Notifications tab is used for the following purposes:  Enable or disable email notifications.  Enable or disable event logging in the Windows event viewer.  Set the thresholds that determine when license notifications are sent. ...
Page 42 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The E-Mail Configuration menu requires the SMTP Server Address, From: To: and also allows you to send multiple copies. You may also use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to send your messages. The E-Mail Configuration screen looks like this: Additionally, you can select the Error Conditions that will trigger the sending of E-Mail, as shown on the next page.
Page 43 Configuration Manager You may also send E-Mail to inform you when a user account reaches certain quota thresholds. The three thresholds are:  Account reaches ”Near quota % threshold”  Account reaches ”At quota % threshold”  Account reaches ”Over quota % threshold”. The mail system can be set to attach user log files to the mail message, so that you can quickly identify which user accounts may be having problems or approaching quota limits.
Page 44 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The errors that you select will be written to the Event Log when they occur. When you have put a check mark in the box next to each system error you want added to the log, clicking the Set default button will save these conditions.
Page 45: Licensing Tab
Configuration Manager Licensing Tab The Licensing tab is used to get information about the Storage Server and to register or renew a license. It also contains the registration information required in order to obtain technical support. Entering a license or updating to a new license: Clicking on the Licensing tab will open the licensing screen.
Page 46 NovaBACKUP Storage Server The activation process should complete after a few seconds. There may a short delay if on-line activation is not available, in which case you will be presented with instructions for performing an off-line activation.
Page 47: Active Users Tab
Active Users Tab The Active Users tab is primarily an informational tab that provides information about backups and current connections to the NovaBACKUP Storage Server. Keep in mind that this screen will only display the accounts that were connected to the server when you started the configuration manager.
Page 48 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Configuration Manager and then open the Active Users tab, and you will be able to see what processes were running at the time the user reported the issue. In this screen, you can determine the Account Name and IP Address of the users who were using the Storage Server before the Storage Server Configuration Manager was launched.
Page 49: Command Line Reference
This command is used to fix storage errors that were known to occur in some backup file storage files prior to version 11.5 of NovaBACKUP Storage Server. The errors were a result of backing up certain combinations of files within the same folder that had non-ASCII characters in their file names.
Page 50 NovaBACKUP Storage Server Calculates the amount of server disk space used by a specified user account and updates the total recorded in the SQL database. Updates the disk usage for all users if ”r;*” is given as the account name. Older versions of the software used a floating point number to represent disk usage.
Page 51 To remove NovaBACKUP Storage Server from the command line, start by opening regedit and expanding the following key: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall Examine the subkeys to find the one for NovaBACKUP Storage Server and copy the value for ”r;UninstallString” to the command line. Execute the command to initiate the uninstall sequence.