How to setup SMTP Email Notifications in Backup Exec 2012

1. Click the Backup Exec Button [Top left] 
2. Select Configurations and Settings > Alerts and Notifications > Recipient configurations.
3. Click add a recipient, Click yes if a configuration pop up box appears
4. Under Email Server: Type the name of the exchange server.  The IP address can also be used.  (i.e. exchange.com or 192.1.2.3)
5. Enter in the name of the sender in the Sender Name: field.  (i.e. Administrator)
6. Enter in the Email address of the sender in the Sender Email address: field (Administrator@mydomain.com)
7. Click OK
8. In the next window that opens, enter in the user name of the person to send the notification to in the Name:  field
9. Check the Send notifications by Email  box and then enter in the Recipient's email address (i.e. user@mydomain.com)
10. Make sure to send a test Email
11. Alternately, a notification can be sent via text message as well by checking the Send notifications by text message box and entering in the phone number of the device
12. Click Ok and view the test Email.

Tape Device BUFFER SIZE - Tape

Tape Device BUFFER SIZE selected value is not saved in the Backup Exec 2012 User Interface


The issue is fixed with Backup Exec 2012 Service Pack 1a.

Media description - Tape

Media description is deleted after the backup job on the tape.

By Default any Media Description applied to Tape or VTL media in Backup Exec 2012 will be removed during any form of Overwrite Operation. A method to change this behaviour is available by registry modification.

Warning: Incorrect use of the Windows registry editor may prevent the operating system from functioning properly. Great care should be taken when making changes to a Windows registry. Registry modifications should only be carried-out by persons experienced in the use of the registry editor application. It is recommended that a complete backup of the registry and workstation be made prior to making any registry changes

1) Use Regedit to locate

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Backup Exec for Windows\Adamm

2) Within the ADAMM key create a REG_DWORD value called

PreserveMediaDescriptions

3) Set the value data to 1 to maintain the media descriptions during overwrite operations (default behaviour would be set the value data to 0)

How an existing Backup Exec configuration is migrated to Backup Exec 2012

When upgrading, Backup Exec automatically converts the existing configuration to the current version. The following items provide information about how the configuration is migrated to Backup Exec 2012. Review this information before using Backup Exec 2012. 

·         If multiple backup-to-disk folders are on the same volume, Backup Exec 2012 converts one backup-to-disk folder on the volume to a disk storage device.  Disk storage is a location on a locally attached internal hard drive, a USB device, a FireWire device, or a network-attached storage device to which you can back up data.  All of the other backup-to-disk folders on the volume become read-only so that the data can be restored from them.   The read-only backup-to-disk folders are called legacy backup-to-disk folders.  Backup Exec no longer creates new backup sets in the legacy backup-to-disk folders.  All backup jobs that were sent to the legacy backup-to-disk folders are now sent to the disk storage device that Backup Exec 2012 creates on the volume. Backup Exec’s data lifecycle management feature manages the existing data in the legacy backup-to-disk folders, eventually expiring and deleting the data according to the overwrite protection period that you specified when you created the backup.  When a legacy backup-to-disk folder becomes empty, Backup Exec deletes it.  The data lifecycle management feature also manages the backup data on the disk storage device.

o    Note: If upgrading from a release prior to Backup Exec 2010 R2, all backup-to-disk folders that have the same drive letter are considered as being on the same volume.

·         Removable backup-to-disk (RB2D) folders are now called disk cartridge devices. Disk cartridge devices are a type of storage that usually remains attached to the Backup Exec server while you remove the media, such as RDX.  If you are not sure if the storage has removable media, you can open the Computer folder on your Windows computer. The devices that contain removable media are listed. You can manage data retention on disk cartridge devices by associating the media with media sets.  Media sets specify append periods, overwrite protection periods, and vaulting periods.

·         Existing storage device pools that contain exclusively disk storage, or disk cartridge devices, or tape cartridge devices remain intact. Storage device pools that contain a mix of storage device types are labeled as disk storage device pools, and all cartridge devices are removed.  New storage device pools are created to contain the cartridge devices.

By default, Backup Exec automatically creates the following storage device pools:

·         Any disk storage – contains any backup-to-disk folders that Backup Exec converts to disk storage devices.

·         Any tape cartridge storage – contains any tape devices that Backup Exec detects as attached to the Backup Exec server.

·         Any disk cartridge storage – contains any disk cartridge devices that were previously used as removable backup-to-disk folders, or that have been configured to be used as a backup destination.

·         Any virtual disk storage – contains the virtual disks that are on storage arrays. This pool is created only if the Storage Provisioning Option is installed.

o    Note: In a Central Admin Server Option environment, the storage device pools that Backup Exec 2012 creates contain all of the storage devices that are on all Backup Exec servers in the environment.

Best practices for Backup Exec 2012 Agent for Microsoft Exchange Server

Best practices include tips and recommendations to help you use the Exchange Agent effectively. For more information about the Exchange Agent, see the Backup Exec 2012 Administrator's Guide.

For best practices on preparing the Exchange Server for backup, do the following on the Exchange Server:

·         Circular logging must be disabled if you want to do the following:

o    Run incremental and differential backups.

o    Recover data up to the point of failure.

·         Put transaction log files on a separate physical disk from the database. If the disk that contains the database is damaged, the transaction logs are available as a recovery resource.

·         Set the retention period for deleted items and mailboxes to a length of time that is appropriate for the available disk space. The longer the retention period, the more disk space is required. However, some retention period can prevent you from having to restore a mailbox or database. If possible, configure the Exchange server so that items are not deleted until a full backup is performed.

·         Make Write Cache unavailable on the SCSI controller. Data corruption can occur if the computer fails before the operation is written to disk.

·         Monitor the Application, Security, and System logs for any relevant events that may affect Exchange Server functionality.

·         Allow sufficient disk space for maintenance and recovery procedures. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

·         Document the Exchange server configuration in detail.

·         Avoid making the Exchange server a domain controller. You can more easily restore Exchange if you don't have to restore the Active Directory first.

·         Install the Exchange Server into a domain that has at least two domain controllers. With two domain controllers in a domain, databases on a failed domain controller can be updated with replication.

·         For Exchange Server 2003, ensure that the latest version of the Esebcli2.dll file is installed. If the Esebcli2.dll file is installed in more than one location, ensure that all locations contain the latest version.

·         For Exchange 2010, use a Database Availability Group (DAG) with at least one passive database copy for each database to protect against data loss. If you can make more than one passive copy, the second passive copy should use a log replay delay of 24 hours.

·         For Exchange 2010, a Windows 2008 SP2 or Windows 2008 R2 x64 Backup Exec server with the Exchange 2012 Management tools that are installed on the Backup Exec server is required.

The following best practices are for backing up Exchange Information Store data:

·         When you run full backups, enable the option for Granular Recovery Technology (GRT). The GRT option lets you restore individual mail messages and folders from a database backup without the need for a separate mailbox backup.

Note:

For information on best practices for Backup Exec Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) with an Exchange Information Store backup, refer to the Granular Recovery Technology Best Practices. Exchange 2007/2010 does not support individual mailbox backup.

·         Change your default staging location if you run GRT-enabled backup jobs. The default location is used for recovery as well as staging GRT-enabled restore jobs. You should change the location to a volume that is not your system volume for faster performance.

·         Ensure that the scheduled maintenance for the Information Store does not run at the same time as the database backup. If you run these operations at the same time, it can cause issues with the Exchange Server databases.

·         Run Exchange backup jobs separately from other backup jobs.

·         Back up the Active Directory on a regular basis.

·         Run a regular backup for System State and Shadow Copy Components, if applicable. These selections back up the Internet Information Service (IIS) metabase and the Windows registry.

·         Run a backup after you make any changes to system settings or application settings.

·         When you run offline backups, back up all of the files that make up the storage group, including any .Edb and .Stm files, and all transaction log files.

·         For Exchange 2010 DAGs that have three or more copies of the database, the consistency check can be disabled.

The following best practices are for using the Backup Exec continuous protection feature as part of your backup strategy:

·         Create a separate selection list for each Exchange server resource.

·         To copy backup sets to tape for off-site storage, create a job to duplicate backup data. You can schedule the job to copy the backup data to tape before or after each occurrence of the full backup job. The duplicate backup data job copies all of the transaction logs and the full backup sets to tape.

·         If you duplicate Information Store backup data to tape and then back to disk, specify the same volume for the full and the incremental backups. The backup data must be on the same volume if you want to restore individual items from the incremental backup.

·         Create a custom filter to limit the number of recovery points that appear in the Job History view.

The following best practices are for recovering data for all versions of Exchange Information Store:

·         Be aware of the effect of the Restore all transaction logs; do not delete existing transaction logs option. After an operation runs with this option enabled, transactions in existing transaction logs are applied when you start or mount the Information Store database. If those transactions include any deletions that occurred after the backup ran, those deletions are also applied. As a result, the very data that you intend to recover may be deleted. In this situation, enable the Purge existing data and restore only the databases and transaction logs from the backup sets option. This option discards the Exchange data that was generated after the backup. Alternatively, you can use a second recovery server. You can also use the Recovery Storage Group feature in Exchange 2003/2007 or Exchange 2010 recovery database to perform the restore.

·         If you must use the Microsoft Eseutil utility to repair the database, ensure that the recovery server has sufficient disk space. You may need as much as 125% of the actual size of the Information Store database. You can also specify another disk or volume as a temporary location on which to run the Eseutil utility. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

The following best practices are for restoring data for Exchange Server 2003 or later:

·         Ensure that you specify a valid temporary location on the Exchange server for log and patch files. The temporary location must have enough space to accommodate the transaction logs that you want to recover.

·         Read the Restore.env file if issues occur when you mount a database after a restore operation. Information in this file can help you troubleshoot issues. To read the file, run the Eseutil utility with the /cm switch. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

·         Select the Commit after restore completes option when you configure a restore job so that the database can be mounted. Run the Eseutil utility with the /cc switch to perform a manual hard recovery. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

·         Ensure the following if you restore to an Exchange server other than the source server:

o    The recovery server is in a different Active Directory forest than the source server.

o    The recovery server has the same Organization and Administrative Group names as the source server.

o    The storage groups and databases already exist on the recovery server, and have the same names as the original storage groups or databases.

The following best practices are for restoring individual mailboxes and public folders for Exchange 2003:

·         If you redirect the restore of individual mailbox or public folder items to an alternate location, ensure that the mailbox or public folder already exists.

·         If there are problems with a restore operation, select specific mail messages for restore.

·         If errors about permissions occur, try to restore to the mailbox that is associated with the Backup Exec logon account that you used for the restore. An example of a permissions error is Access denied.

·         After a successful restore of public folders, you may need to rehome some or all of the folders. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for more information.

·         If the error Unable to attach occurs, on the Exchange server, run Fixmapi.exe. Then, retry the operation.

·         If you cannot attach to the mailboxes node when Outlook is installed on the Exchange server, then stop the Exchange and Remote Agent services. Run Fixmapi.exe, and then on the Microsoft Web site, look up any return codes. If there are no return codes, restart the services and retry the operation.

·         If you redirect a mailbox restore to an Active Directory in a different forest than the Exchange server, you must associate an external account with the mailbox. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

·         If you redirect public folder data, ensure that the Backup Exec user account has the Owner role on both the source and destination public folders. Refer to your Microsoft documentation for details.

The following are best practices to plan for disaster recovery of an Exchange Server:

·         Perform tests periodically to ensure that disaster recovery and data recovery scenarios produce the expected results.

·         Become familiar with the Microsoft documentation for Exchange database management, disaster plans, and recovery.

·         Document the Exchange Server configuration in detail. Document any subsequent changes. Note all hotfixes and service packs that are applied.

Backup Exec 2012: Overview (video)

Best practices for Backup Exec 2012 tape and disk cartridge media management

 If you use backup jobs for which Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) is enabled, there are additional best practices for media management.

For more information about tape and disk cartridge media management, see the Backup Exec 2012 Administrator's Guide.

The following best practices are for effective tape and disk cartridge media management:

• Be aware of the following consequences of the infinite setting for the overwrite protection period for all tape media and disk cartridge media:
  • Backup data may consume tape and disk cartridge media capacity quickly.
  • Tape and disk cartridge media do not become recyclable automatically. You must specify when to overwrite each media.
• Create new media sets with the append and overwrite protection periods that accommodate your needs. When the overwrite protection periods expire, the tape media and disk cartridge media are recyclable and Backup Exec has access to overwritable media.
• Overwrite tape and disk cartridge media periodically to keep the media family at a manageable size so that Backup Exec can rebuild the catalog if necessary. You can use a media rotation strategy so that media is periodically overwritten, or select the option Overwrite media when you run a full backup.

  Note:

  A media family is a set of tape and disk cartridge media that is related because one or more backup jobs span from one media to another. For example, you back up Resource A to Media 1. When Media 1 runs out of space, Backup Exec uses Media 2 to complete the backup. Media 1 and Media 2 are now in the same media family because the backup job started on Media 1 and finished on Media 2. If you append more backups to Media 2 until it runs out of space, then Backup Exec uses Media 3. Media 3 is now part of the same media family as Media 1 and Media 2. The media family continues to grow as Backup Exec appends backup jobs. A new media family starts when a backup job overwrites the first media it uses.