[Forum FAQ] Introduce Backup in Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials

Question

Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials provides reliable ways to perform regular backups of your server and backups of your network computers.
1. Server Backup
Description:
Backs up your server running Windows Server Essentials. The data is backed up to an external USB drive. You can also perform full system restore of server.
Operations:
On Dashboard, please select DEVICES and then navigate to the server which you need to backup. Right click the server and select Set up backup. When set up complete, you will be able to
Start a backup for the server. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
More information:
Manage server backup in Windows Server Essentials
Restore or repair your server running Windows Server Essentials

Answer 1

3. Microsoft Azure Backup
Descriptions:
Performs an online backup of files or folders on your server. When you use Azure Backup to back up server data, the information is encrypted by using your passphrase before it is uploaded to a secure datacenter on the Internet.
Operations:
1) Open Dashboard and follow the path: HOME-> Get Started-> ADD-INS-> Integrate with Windows Azure Backup. Then as Figure 3 shows, you need to “Click to sign up for Windows Azure Backup” and “Click to download Windows Azure
Backup integration module”.
Figure 3
Please note: when you click to download, you may encounter the issue as Figure 4 shows. If so, please follow the path:
Tools-> Internet Options-> Security->
Trusted sites-> Add this website to the zone and add
http://downlaod.microsoft.com,
https://activedirectory.windowsazure.com in Trusted sites in IE. (Please uncheck
Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone). Then please check if you can download as normal.
Figure 4
2) After you download the OnlineBackupAddin, please run it. Then begin to install the add-in. (if any issue occurs in your installation of add-in, please navigate to C:\PrgramData\Microsoft\Windows Server\Logs folder and check
InstallAddin log file if you can find some clues.)
3) During your installation, KB 2873390 may be required. Please download the update package and run it. Then Windows Azure Backup Agent Upgrade Wizard appeared. Please follow it and complete as Figure 5
and Figure 6 show.
Figure 5
Figure 6
4) Then please re-open Dashboard, you will find ONLINE BACKUP option. (Figure 7) There will be three steps that you need to do: (i)
Upload a certificate. (ii) Register your server.
(iii) Configure backup settings.
Figure 7
(i). Upload a certificate. (In this example, we use the second option: Upload certificate to Windows Azure Backup vault)
Please logon Windows Azure, select RECOVERY SERVICES and click
NEW. Follow the path: RECOVERY SERVICES-> BACKUP VAULT->
QUICK CREATE. Please type NAME and select
REGION, then click CREATE VAULT. When create completes, please click the name of this new recovery service that you create. As Figure 8 shows. Then select Manage Certificate to add or update the certificate file (.cer) that contains
a public key for the vault. The certificate is used to register servers with the vault.
Figure 8
(ii). Register your server
On Dashboard, navigate to Online Backup and click Register. (Figure 9)
Figure 9
Then it will check the certificate. And then you need to set a passphrase to secure your data. (Figure 10)
Figure 10
When you set passphrase complete, please click Next to continue. When register successfully. You will see Figure 11.
Figure 11
(iii). Configure backup settings
When register completes, please click Configure Online Backup. Then you can follow the Configure Online Backup wizard to configure online backup (add folders), specify the backup schedule, specify the backup retention policy and choose bandwidth usage. The
all process will be shown in Figure 12-16.
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
After all configurations complete, you will be able to see that the server integrates with Windows Azure Backup. (Figure 17)
Figure 17
On the Dashboard in server essentials, you will be able to start backup online. (Figure 18)
Figure 18
After backup online, you will see the protected data as Figure 19 and Figure 20 show in Dashboard and Windows Azure.
Figure 19
Figure 20
More information:
Manage Online Backup in Windows Server Essentials