Hello and welcome to web and format.tv. I’m David Strum, your host and reviewer. Today, we look at semantics backup exec for windows servers version 12.5. This is backup software with a long storage lineage and offers some valuable new features that will save you time and money in protecting your servers. Let’s get started showing you what it can do by looking at its advanced restorative features.
Let’s say your user deletes a document from their SharePoint server and calls you in a panic. You can find and locate this document and restore towards original place as you see here as we navigate down inside the SharePoint document repository and locate a specific file. This feature is called Granular Recovery Technology or GRT for short. And it’s included in multiple backup exec application agents. Besides providing fast and simple SharePoint recovery for documents sites and list items, it is also included in the agent for exchange allowing you to restore individual messages from someone’s inbox as you can see in this screen here, all from a single past backup. And for those of you running exchange you can also leverage Granular Recovery Technology for active directory and do restores of an individual user profile without multiple system reboots.
Here, we are navigating the backup screens showing you where you enable this feature in each place. It’s just as simple as clicking on a particular check box. Speaking of exchange, another nice and easy ability support clustered servers and support continuous protection so you always have the latest data backed up and don’t have to take down your server. This is true for other servers such as SQL databases, lotus domino—version 12.5 are two agents that can backup virtual machines running VM ware in Microsoft’s Virtual Technologies. And backup exec also extends their granular recovery capabilities to virtual machines and allowing you to easily locate and restore a single file from within the guest machine in a single past backup of the host environment. Here, we’re browsing up the file system of the VM itself and we’re able to zero in on that specific file.
If you go into the virtual infrastructure manuals, the screen shows you how you have a choice of four different transports for backing up your VMs. For all of these GRT tests, backup exec just needs to perform a single past backup of the files. Something other backup programs need multiple passes to offer this level of protection. And there is flexible a 128 bit or 256 bit AES encryptions standard with the product allowing you to encrypt backup data running over your LAN or of to your backup repository. And you can easily manage the keys incase someone else loses them. We go into the backup job properties, network and security setting and you will see the place to manage the keys here.
This is a very mature product and one place you can tell is by the number of different ways to accomplish the same task. They are geared towards a wide variety of skill levels of potential users. They are wizards galore that can walk new users through a common backup and recovery test. And if you go to the tools in the Wizards pane, you will see this list here. Some of the other things that I like to include and perhaps the most comprehensive ability to give feedback on particular product features via comments link that is located at top right hand corner of almost every window. You can click here on a link and it brings up this form that you can send to the product team your feedback and suggestions.
Also on the top right hand corner of the screen is the ability to quickly search the knowledge base to find an answer to your problem. You type in what you’re interested in, say Linux servers and you will be taken to the web page with the appropriate info. Another nice feature is the integration with Semantics protection network called online storage for backup exec. So, you can save critical files to a secure off site online cloud storage repository rather than using traditional backup tape rotations. See my separate screen cast video on this service if you interested.
What are the things I didn’t like, there are almost too many options and for a first time user. it can be a little bit intimidating although the various Wizards help. And the job setup top level screen is a big confusing at first, but these are minor points. Semantics backup exec for windows servers a solid backup product and one that has a lot of flexibility for handling advance protection options for a wide variety of servers and clients. There's a 60-day fully functional free trial version available at backupexec.com.
Thanks for watching web and format.tv. This is David Strum. Feel free to send comments to me at david@strum.com.
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