Creating an image of a DL380G4, RAID1

[CypherBit]

I've experimented with Acronis True Image Workstation before, but never used the server and am a bit hesitant to do so since I have limited (no) experience.

Here's what I want to do. I have a HP DL380G4 in RAID 1 with two SCSI HDDs (NTFS) and I want to make an image of it. The other partitions don't interest me in this case. The OS is Win2k3 R2.

I only need to do this once (well not frequent at all to begin with). So my idea was to download the free trial, make a rescue disk then make an image. These are the questions that come to mind:

- what should I keep an eye on so I don't mess this up,
- how much different is it to make an image of a RAID 1 compared to imaging a simple XP workstation,
- if I don't buy the software will I be able to recover the image I created, using the rescue disk I created at any time or will it somehow expire,
- are the controllers used on this server of any importance when performing this operation,
- how much better if at all is it to make an image using Bart PE instead of making an image of a live system using the installed software (which resides on the same partition),
- what else should I know before making a full image of that C:\ partition.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me out.

[CypherBit]

Can anyone help me out, at least answering some of my questions?

[ashler]

I can't answer all of your questions but here are the ones I know.

1) Trial software. I'm not sure If the rescue disk you create will be good when you need it.

2) I've backed up RAID drives before. It really does not matter because it backs up the partition as windows reports it. You could back up a partition that is on a raid5 (as an example) and restore it to a single disk.

3) The controllers are important if you are restoring the OS partition. If you are restoring the OS partition you want the hardware to be the same. If you want to restore to different hardware you need to get the universal restore.

4) I use acronis 9.1 for a few different customers. Usually the first thing i do is grab an image and dump it to a backup drive (network,USB)

[CypherBit]

ashler, thank you for your reply.

Good to know about RAID as I said I have two 146GB SCSI drives in RAID I and that is all that needs backing up.

I'll definitely be restoring the image to the same hardware (even if this one fails).

If anyone else can answer these and my other questions please do so.

[Acronis Support]

Hello CypherBit,

Thank you for your interest in Acronis Remote Server Backup Software.

We are sorry for the delayed response.

- how much different is it to make an image of a RAID 1 compared to imaging a simple XP workstation

Basically, as ashler mentioned, there is no difference since in both cases Acronis True Image creates sector-by-sector snapshot of the disk, which includes the operating system, registry, drivers, software applications and data files, as well as system areas hidden from the user. However, servers usually operates with databases, such as MS SQL Server and MS Exchange, which prove to be troublesome to backup, partially due to open files and indexes and partially due to rapid data changes. Therefore it is usually recommended that the database be suspended just before the backup (data capture) moment. Please have a look at this FAQ article regarding backing up complex applications such as databases. You can also find more information in chapter 6.3.4 "Database support" in the Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Server User's Guide.

- if I don't buy the software will I be able to recover the image I created, using the rescue disk I created at any time or will it somehow expire

Please note that Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Server trial version is fully functional in Windows. The trial version evaluation period is 15 days. The limitations of Acronis True Image 9.1 Enterprise Server trial version is that you can only restore an image when you run the program from the bootable media (all other operations are not available when using Acronis True Image Bootable CD created with the trial version).

The Acronis True Image Bootable CD created with the trial version will not expire and you will be able to use it to restore the created image archive any time you want.

- are the controllers used on this server of any importance when performing this operation

Please note that Acronis True Image (any edition) fully supports RAID configurations (including RAID 0,1,5, etc.) even while booted from Acronis True Image Bootable Rescue media.

When Acronis True Image is running under Windows, it works with all the hard disk drivers detected by the operating system. If Acronis True Image is running in rescue mode (e.g. to restore the system partition), then it provides support for all hardware RAID controllers.

- how much better if at all is it to make an image using Bart PE instead of making an image of a live system using the installed software (which resides on the same partition)

Actually it does not matter since Acronis True Image utilizes a unique technology that allows creation of a disk\partition images on the live system without the need to reboot the computer. Please also take a look at this previous post for details. This article explaining in detail how Acronis True Image creates backups when it is running from under Windows might be useful. However, if it is more suitable for you, you could use BartPE-based bootable CD with Acronis True Image or Acronis True Image Bootable CD to create the image archives.

If you have any further questions concerning Acronis software, please feel free to submit a request for technical support or post any of them on this forum. We will certainly try to help you in resolving any issues.

Thank you.
--
Aleksandr Isakov

[CypherBit]

Dear Aleksandr,

thank you for the reply, however late, it's much appreciated.

I'll definitely have a long hard look at it over the upcoming holidays.
The plan is to install Acronis True Image 9.1 Server for Windows make a full backup of my system partition (probably to an external USB HDD) and create bootable rescue media (most lightly I'll make both a full and safe version).

I only need to do this once so that if the server goes down I can restore then I can go from there using the tape backups already in place.