4 4 3:SEP sesam BSR Pro – Disaster Recovery for Windows

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Icon archived docs.png This is not the latest version of SEP sesam documentation and, as such, does not provide information on features introduced in the latest release. For more information on SEP sesam releases, see SEP sesam Release Versions. For the latest documentation, check SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows.


Overview

This article describes how to prepare your Windows system for disaster recovery with SEP sesam BSR Pro 1.0, introduced in SEP sesam version 4.4.2. Note that this is not the latest version of SEP sesam BSR Pro documentation and, as such, does not provide information on features introduced in 4.4.3 Tigon and described in SEP sesam BSR Pro – Backup Configuration. For details on any of the previous BSR Pro extensions, check SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows archive.

SEP sesam BSR Pro is a fast and efficient disaster recovery solution for Windows systems that fully substitutes the old SEP sesam BSR 2.3 (also known as BSR dissimilar). It is based on O&O DiskImage. This solution enables you to recover and have a fully functional Windows system within a very short period of time by simply recovering your system to the same or a different (dissimilar) hardware configuration (M.I.R.). BSR Pro meets Microsoft's licensing requirements by supporting the creation of a bootable disk on the customer side with only a few clicks.

For details on supported Windows versions, see the latest SEP sesam OS and Database Support Matrix. To find out more about creating the images of the computer or the system partition, check O&O DiskImage 11 – Frequently asked questions.

Key features

  • BSR Pro is a part of the SEP sesam Client and Server installation and only needs to be selected during SEP sesam installation.
  • It is used locally on the client to create a boot image which is later used to recover the client system (as required by Microsoft). The BSR ISO boot image contains the SEP sesam Server component that allows the disaster recovery of a SEP sesam Client or Server system.
  • BSR Pro images can be stored in any SEP sesam-managed storage.
  • BSR Pro's Machine Independent Restoration (M.I.R.) automatically adjusts the recovered system if the hardware and drivers are changed. During the recovery, it scans the system for missing drivers and automatically adapts the restored OS and its drivers to the dissimilar hardware (if the drivers are unavailable, they must be provided manually).
  • All BSR-backups required for the recovery of your system are stored to save sets and managed by SEP sesam.

Prerequisites

  • The BSR Pro component must be installed on each SEP sesam Client you want to prepare for recovery. Note that BSR Pro can be installed with SEP sesam package v. 4.4.2 or higher on any supported Microsoft Windows system. For details on supported Windows versions, see the latest support matrix at SEP sesam BSR Pro – Bare Metal Recovery Windows.
  • If the Windows Firewall is enabled on the SEP sesam Client, you will have to create an exception for oodiag.exe (a process used by BSR Pro) to explicitly allow a connection through the Windows Firewall. To create an exception, select Advanced Settings in the Windows Firewall, right-click Inbound Rules then click New Rule. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens. For the rule, select Program then specify the path to the SEP sesam BSR Pro executable file oodiag.exe. The default path is most likely C:\Program Files\SEPsesam\SEP sesam BSR Pro\oodiag.exe.
  • The BSR Pro component must be installed on your SEP sesam Server.
  • Ensure that you have sufficient space for your boot image on your target device (USB drive, local disk space or network share) (max. 2 GB).
  • On the SEP sesam Server, run a test to ensure that the SEP sesam file system backup of the corresponding client is working and that data can be restored.
  • Recovery from tape media is not supported with BSR Pro. If your save sets are stored on tape media, they must be migrated to a SEP sesam data store or restored to a network share before recovery.

Hardware

Hardware requirements/en

Migration from obsolete BSR CBMR

BSR Pro substitutes the old SEP sesam BSR 2.3, also known as BSR dissimilar. To upgrade to the new version, the SEP sesam version must be upgraded to version 4.4.2 or higher and the optional package SEP sesam BSR Windows Pro must be selected during upgrade on the Windows system. Old BSR Windows backup tasks will be automatically applied to the new BSR Pro for backup.

Information sign.png Note
Save sets created by previous SEP sesam BSR 2.3 version can only be restored with the same BSR Windows old version. For disaster recovery with the new BSR Pro, only the save sets backed up with BSR Pro can be used.

Preparing for a disaster recovery

Preparing for a disaster recovery consists of several steps that must be performed on the Windows client and the SEP sesam Server. First, back up your Windows system using BSR Windows backup to introduce the required credentials and security information. Only then should you proceed to create a bootable image on your Windows client.

Follow the general recommendations for disaster recovery preparation to ensure successful recovery.

Configuring BSR backup on the SEP sesam Server

Configuring a BSR backup on a SEP sesam Server involves creating a BSR Windows backup task for your Windows client, setting up a backup schedule (specifying when you want to back up your data) and linking the schedule to a backup event (specifying how to back up the data and where to back it up to).

For general information on backup configuration and prerequisites, see Standard Backup Procedure. This section deals only with BSR-specific information.

  1. In the Main Selection -> Tasks -> By clients, select your Windows client then click New backup task. The New backup task window appears. To specify the Source, click the browse button and select BSR Windows. This specifies your system configuration as the source and sets the BSR backup type and the task name automatically. If BSR Pro is working, the specification "BSR Pro Version ..." appears under the Description column. If the field under the Description column is empty, BSR Pro is not working (this is the case if an older version of BSR (Cristie) is still installed).
    Click OK to save the task.
  2. BSR backup-select source.png


  3. Once your BSR task is configured, create a backup schedule. For details, see Creating a backup schedule.
  4. Create an event to link to the schedule. Under Backup type, select COPY. It is recommended that you choose a BSR-dedicated media pool for storing all your BSR save sets. For general information on creating a backup event, see Creating a backup event.
  5. BSR backup event.png


  6. Finally, run the BSR backup. You can use the Immediate start button to start your BSR backup instantly.

After the BSR backup of your Windows client finishes successfully, you can create a bootable image on your Windows client.

Information sign.png Note
To successfully recover your clients from disaster, you should ensure that consistent backups of your client's file system data are performed regularly and that all data can be successfully restored.

Creating a bootable image on a Windows client

Keep in mind that the information about the image data must always be kept up to date. Create a new bootable disk with the latest configuration whenever you upgrade your Windows operating system. Make sure that the latest version is safely stored to a bootable disk (CD/DVD/USB drive/local disk space) or network share. To find out more about creating the images, check O&O DiskImage 11 – Frequently asked questions.

  1. Start the SEP sesam BSR Pro application on the Windows client you are preparing for recovery.
  2. BS Pro 2.0 create boot image.png


  3. On the start page, click Create bootable disk. The Creating a bootable CD image window appears.
  4. Depending on your Windows installation, the available system configuration will already be selected. BSR Pro automatically selects the most appropriate option, so you only need to click Create.
  5. Wait until BSR Pro processes the volume image. Note that some errors may be encountered during processing but they do not affect the overall operation. Ignore these errors and wait until the message "Processing was successful" is displayed. Click Next.
  6. BS Pro-create boot image03.png


  7. Choose a location to which you want to save your bootable image. Create a bootable USB drive or save the image to a safe place on the network. If you are creating a bootable USB drive, all data previously stored on the drive will be deleted. Select your target device from the drop-down list or enter a path if you are storing the image as an ISO file. Click Create.
  8. BS Pro-create boot image05.png


  9. Optionally, you can burn the ISO image onto a CD or DVD using BSR Pro. This will create a bootable CD or DVD. In BSR Pro, under the Tools tab, click Burn image files and follow the wizard. Note that the Burn image file(s) option will not appear if your CD/DVD is not ready.
  10. BSR Pro-burn image01.png

Once the Windows client bootable image has been created and is available for disaster recovery, you are prepared to perform a direct recovery by using SEP sesam BSR Pro, option Execute BSR Pro Quick-Start.

Information sign.png Note
If your Windows client has very large system volumes, e.g., save set size is larger than 120 GB, it is recommended to use a 2-step network share restore instead. In such cases, throughput via network share could be better than via STPD data store restore. For example, a direct recovery of a 120 GB save set could last approx. 2 hours because of the slow throughput (30 - 60 GB) of a direct restore via STPD data store. If a 2-step restore via network share is used instead, the restore time can be significantly reduced. Note, however, that the given time estimates are only approximate and depend on each individual environment.
See the step below for additional preparation task which is required for a network share restore.

Preparation step for subsequent recovery via network share

You only have to configure the following restore task if you intend to perform a network share restore instead of a direct recovery with SEP sesam BSR Pro. This step is also required if your save sets are stored on tape media. In this case, they must be restored to the network share or migrated to a SEP sesam data store to be available for disaster recovery with SEP sesam BSR Pro.

To perform a network share restore, you must have the latest BSR backup save set ready for disaster recovery. You have to create a daily restore task and schedule as a first step of this disaster recovery procedure. For details on the prerequisites and configuration of a restore, see Standard Restore Procedure. This section deals only with BSR-specific information.

  1. From the SEP sesam GUI menu bar, select Activities -> Restore. The New restore task window appears.
  2. From the drop-down list, select the BSR task name, choose Show external results and click Next.
  3. The search results are displayed. Select the latest BSR version from the save set list and click Next.
  4. In the final step of the wizard, the name of the restore task is generated automatically. You can rename the task and give it a meaningful name, e.g., Client_XY_Restore_every_day_10am.
  5. From the Target node drop-down list, select the target server for restore.
  6. Click the Expert options button and select the Backup type tab. Select the option Write save set into file and click OK.
  7. Restore-expert options.png


  8. In the Name of dump file under the Target Path Settings, enter or browse for the target path and name.
  9. Under the Execution options drop-down list, select the option overwrite existing files. This way, any existing BSR data on the target server will be replaced by the restored version.
  10. BSR restore task corr.png


  11. Save your restore task. You will still have to create a schedule for the restore task and a corresponding restore event. For details, see Scheduling Restore.

What is next?

Recovering Windows Using SEP sesam BSR Pro

See also

O&O DiskImage 11 – Frequently asked questionsBacking up System StateStandard Backup ProcedureTroubleshooting SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows