Azure Backup Server- Understanding Disaster Recovery
Microsoft Azure Backup Server (MABS), also called Azure Backup Server, is a server product that you can use to protect application workloads such as Hyper- V VMs, Microsoft SQL Server, SharePoint Server, Microsoft Exchange, and Windows clients using a single console. With Azure Backup Server, you can back up your on- premises workloads, and if MABS is deployed in Azure, you can also back up your Azure VMs. You can also set up the machines on your on- premise or Azure VMs to back up to MABS, which will then back up your data to a Recovery Services Vault in the Azure Cloud.
Azure Backup Server backs up system state and provides bare- metal recovery (BMR) protection.
System State Backup backs up operating system files. This backup allows you to recover when a computer starts, but system files and the Registry are lost. The following elements are included in a system state backup:
■ Domain member: Boot files, COM+ class registration database, Registry
■ Domain controller: Windows Server Active Directory (NTDS), boot files, COM+ class registration database, Registry, system volume (SYSVOL)
■ Computer that runs cluster services: Cluster server metadata
■ Computer that runs certificate services: Certificate data
Bare- Metal Backup backs up operating system files and all data on critical volumes, except for user data. By definition, a BMR backup includes a system state backup. BMR provides protection when a computer will not start and you have to recover everything.
In order to start working with MABS, you need to set up a Windows Server, either on- premises or in Azure. Installing Azure Backup Server is not supported on Windows Server Core or Microsoft Hyper- V Server. You will always want to join MABS to a domain and move an existing MABS machine to a new domain afterward if deployment is not supported. The Azure Backup Server must be registered with a Recovery Services Vault. There are a few other rules when working with MABS.
For a server on- premises:
■ The Azure Backup Server must be located on- premises and be connected to the domain.
■ MABS can run on a Hyper- V VM, a VMware VM, or a physical host.
■ Microsoft recommends at least a minimum of two cores and 8 GB of RAM for the server.
■ The supported operating systems for the on- premises server are Windows Server 2019/2022, 64- bit, Standard, Datacenter, or Essentials or Windows Server 2016 with the latest service packs, 64- bit, Standard, Datacenter, or Essentials.
For a server in Azure:
■ The Azure Backup Server must be located in Azure, running as an Azure VM, and be connected to the domain.
■ Microsoft recommends that you start with a gallery image of Windows Server 2016 Datacenter or Windows Server 2019/2022 Datacenter.
■ The recommended minimum requirements for the server VM should be Standard_A4_ v2 with four cores and 8 GB of RAM.
MABS is designed to run on a single, dedicated server and cannot be installed on any of the following:
■ A domain controller
■ A computer that has the Application Server role installed
■ A computer that is a System Center Operations Manager management server
■ A computer that has Exchange Server running
■ A computer that is a node of a cluster
How to Install MABS
Your MABS server must be a member of your AD domain prior to starting the installation process. Then, the first step is creating an Azure Recovery Services Vault, which I discussed earlier in this chapter. All the steps to creating an Azure Recovery Services Vault are the same as I outlined earlier, but when you get to the Backup Goal pane, from the Where Is Your Workload Running? drop- down menu, select On- Premises and from the What Do You Want To Back Up? drop- down menu, select the workloads you want to protect using Azure Backup Server, Then click OK, as shown in Figure 17.25.
FIGURE 17.25 Backup Goal
The Getting Started With Backup Wizard will switch the Prepare Infrastructure option to back up workloads to Azure. When the Prepare Infrastructure pane that opens, click the Download links for Install Azure Backup Server and Download Vault Credentials. You will use the vault credentials that were created during the registration of Azure Backup Server to the Recovery Services Vault. The links take you to the Download Center, where you can download the software package, as shown in Figure 17.26.
FIGURE 17.26 Prepare Infrastructure
Next, select all the files and click Next, as shown in Figure 17.27. Download all the files coming in from the Microsoft Azure Backup download page and put all the files in the same folder.
FIGURE 17.27 Choose the Download You Want
