The Symantec Backup Exec Central Admin Server Option (CASO) enables a central administration server to delegate jobs to managed Backup Exec servers across the network. Job delegation is the automatic load balancing of jobs across available managed Backup Exec servers in the CASO environment. If your organization includes more than one Backup Exec server, you can benefit from using CASO.

All backup information in the CASO environment can be centralized on the central administration server. The managed Backup Exec servers perform the actual processing of backup and restore jobs. You create jobs on the central administration server and then delegate the jobs to run on a managed Backup Exec server. The jobs are delegated, or load-balanced, across the available storage devices on the managed Backup Exec server. Multiple Backup Exec servers can share a storage device when sharing is enabled. Centralized restore jobs can also be delegated to managed Backup Exec servers. Additionally, the central administration server can function as a managed Backup Exec server and process delegated jobs. A managed Backup Exec server can also run jobs that are created locally at its local administration console.

The following graphic shows a local area network (LAN) environment with a central administration server and several managed Backup Exec servers.

Figure: CASO-configured Backup Exec environment - LAN

The same communications that occur over a LAN between the central administration server and the managed Backup Exec servers take place over a WAN.

Figure: CASO-configured Backup Exec environment - WAN

See About sharing storage devices

See How to choose the location for CASO storage and media data

See About installing the Central Admin Server Option

See About upgrading an existing CASO installation