About offhost backup

Article:HOWTO23518

Created: 2010-01-01

Updated: 2011-07-31

Article URL http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO23518

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About offhost backup

Offhost backup enables Backup Exec to move backup processing from the host computer, which is the remote computer that contains the volumes selected for backup, to the Backup Exec media server. The offhost backup creates a snapshot of the volume or volumes that are selected for backup on the remote computer. The snapshots are then imported to the media server, where they are backed up.

The following illustrates the basic method for performing an offhost backup.

Figure: Offhost Backup

After the backup, the snapshots are deported from the media server and mounted back on the remote computer and resynchronized with the source volume. This process requires solutions from hardware or software providers that can support transportable snapshots, that is, snapshots that can be imported to and deported from the media server. The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) provider that you select is used for each volume in the offhost backup. An offhost backup job is performed on one remote computer at a time.

Offhost backup supports the following:

Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS).
Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows (VSFW).
Backups for NTFS volumes that use the full, incremental, and differential backup methods.
SQL Agent backups for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 databases.
Exchange Agent backups for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 (Service Pack 1)/ 2007 instances that run on Windows Server 2003. Support for the option to use Backup Exec Granular Recovery Technology for Exchange Agent backups is included.

Advanced Disk-based Option offhost backup does not support the following:

The option Checkpoint Restart.
Volumes that run Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption.
The option Use the Microsoft Change Journal if available for differential and incremental backups, unless you select the modified time method.
Exchange Agent backup jobs that are configured to use Symantec Continuous Protection Server (CPS).