Getting started

These brief installation instructions enable you to start using the product quickly. For the complete description of installation methods and procedures, please refer to the Installation documentation.

Before installation, make sure that:

• Your hardware meets the system requirements.
• You have license keys for the product of your choice.
• You have the setup program. You can download it from the Acronis website.
• In Linux, make sure that the RPM Package Manager (RPM) and the following Linux packages are installed: gcc, make, and kernel-devel. The names of these packages may vary depending on the Linux distribution.

Acronis Backup

Run the Acronis Backup setup program and follow the on-screen instructions.

Acronis Backup Advanced

When following the instructions below, you can select more than one machine role.

1. Install the management server to be able to manage multiple machines.

   A central server that drives data protection within the enterprise network. Acronis Backup Management Server provides the administrator with:

   • a single entry point to the Acronis Backup infrastructure
   • an easy way to protect data on numerous machines using centralized backup plans and grouping
   • enterprise-wide monitoring and reporting functionality
   • the ability to create centralized vaults for storing enterprise backup archives
   • the ability to manage storage nodes
   • the centralized catalog of all data stored on the storage nodes.

   If there are multiple management servers on the network, they operate independently, manage different machines and use different centralized vaults for storing archives.

   1. Run the setup program and click Install Acronis Backup.
   2. After accepting the terms of the license agreement, select the Centrally monitor and configure the backing up of physical and virtual machines check box.
   3. Type your license keys or import them from a text file.
   4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

   Details. The console will also be installed so that you can control the management server locally.

2. Install an agent on each machine you want to back up.

   An application that performs data backup and recovery and enables other management operations on the machine, such as task management and operations with hard disks.

   The type of data that can be backed up depends on the agent type. Acronis Backup includes the agents for backing up disks and files and the agents for backing up virtual machines residing on virtualization servers.

   1. Run the setup program and click Install Acronis Backup.
   2. After accepting the terms of the license agreement, select the Back up this machine's data check box.
   3. Select I purchased a license or a subscription.
   4. Click Add licenses, select the Use the following license server check box, and then enter the name or IP address of the previously installed management server.
   5. When prompted, register the machine on the management server.
   6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

   Details. The console will also be installed on each machine.

3. [Optional] Install the storage node on the machine that will serve as a storage for backups of other machines.

   A server aimed to optimize usage of various resources required for protection of enterprise data. This goal is achieved by organizing managed vaults. Storage Node enables the administrator to:

   • use a single centralized catalog of data stored in the managed vaults
   • relieve managed machines of unnecessary CPU load by performing cleanup, validation and other operations with backup archives which otherwise would be performed by agents
   • drastically reduce backup traffic and storage space taken by the archives by using deduplication
   • prevent access to the backup archives, even in case the storage medium is stolen or accessed by a malefactor, by using encrypted vaults.
   1. Run the setup program and click Install Acronis Backup.
   2. After accepting the terms of the license agreement, select the Store the backups of other machines on this machine check box.
   3. When prompted, register the storage node on the management server.
   4. Follow the on-screen instructions.
4. [Optional] Install the console on a machine from which you prefer to operate, if this machine is not the management server and does not have an agent.

   Acronis Backup Management Console is an administrative tool for access to Acronis Backup agents and, in Acronis Backup Advanced, to Acronis Backup Management Server.

   The console has two distributions: for installation on Windows and installation on Linux. While both distributions enable connection to any Acronis Backup agent and Acronis Backup Management Server, we recommend that you use the console for Windows if you have a choice between the two. The console that installs on Linux has limited functionality:

   • Remote installation of Acronis Backup components is not available.
   • The Active Directory-related features, such as browsing the AD, are not available.
   1. Run the setup program and click Install Acronis Backup.
   2. After accepting the terms of the license agreement, select the Connect to remote machines check box.
   3. Follow the on-screen instructions.

	In Windows	Start the console by selecting Acronis Backup from the Start menu.
	In Linux	Log in as root or log in as an ordinary user and then switch user as required. Start the console with the command /usr/sbin/acronis_console

For understanding of the GUI elements see "Using the management console".

To be able to recover an operating system that fails to start, or deploy it on bare metal, create bootable media.

Select Tools > Create bootable media in the menu. Click Next in the welcome screen. Keep clicking Next until the list of components appears. Proceed as described in "Linux-based bootable media".

Acronis Backup

Skip this step since in your case the console is always connected to the machine.

Acronis Backup Advanced

Connect the console to the managed machine, or to the management server.

On the first page of the console, click one of the following:

Manage this machine If the agent is installed on the same machine as the console.   Manage a remote machine If the agent is installed on a remote machine.  Connect to a management server To manage multiple physical and virtual machines.

    Back up now

Click Back up now to do a one-time backup in a few simple steps. The backup process will start immediately after you perform the required steps.

To save your machine to a file:

Under Where to back up, click Location, and select the location where the backup will be saved. Click OK to confirm your selection. Click OK at the bottom of the window to start the backup.

Tip. Using the bootable media, you can do off-line ("cold") backups in the same way as in the operating system.

    Create backup plan

Create a backup plan if you need a long-term backup strategy including backup schemes, schedules and conditions, timely deleting of backups, or moving them to different locations.

Notes for users of Acronis Backup Advanced: When creating a backup plan on the management server, you can:

- Select entire machines or groups of machines.

- Select different data items on each machine.

- Use selection rules to select the same data items on different machines.

This way, you will create a centralized backup plan to be deployed to the selected machines. For more information, please refer to "Creating a centralized backup plan".

    Recover

To recover data, you need to select the backed-up data and the destination the data will be recovered to. As a result, a recovery task will be created.

Recovery of a disk or volume over a volume locked by the operating system requires a reboot. After the recovery is completed, the recovered operating system goes online automatically.

If the machine fails to boot or if you need to recover a system to bare metal, boot the machine using the bootable media and configure the recovery operation in the same way as the recovery task.

Notes for users of Acronis Backup Advanced: You cannot control operations under bootable media by using the management server. But you can disconnect the console from the server and connect it to the machine booted from the media.

The Navigation pane (at the left part of the console) enables you to navigate across the product views that are used for different administering purposes.

• Use the Backup plans and tasks view to manage backup plans and tasks: run, edit, stop and delete plans and tasks, view their states and progress.
• Use the Alerts view to rapidly identify and solve the problems.
• Use the Log view to browse the operations log.
• The location where you store backup archives is called a vault. Navigate to the Vaults view to obtain information about your vaults. Navigate further to the specific vault to view backups and their contents. You can also select the data to recover and perform manual operations with backups (mounting, validating, deleting).

Administering the management server

• Use the Machines with agents view to manage machines registered on the management server. To effectively work with a large number of machines, organize them into groups.
• Use the Virtual machines view to manage supported virtualization environments.
• If you opt for storing all backup archives in a single or a few networked locations, create centralized vaults in these locations. After a vault is created, you can view and administer its content by selecting Vaults > Centralized > 'Vault name' in the Navigation pane. The shortcut to the vault will be deployed to all the registered machines. The vault can be specified as a backup destination in any backup plan created by you or by the registered machines' users.
• Create centralized managed vaults on the storage node to be able to:
  • Search the Data catalog for the required version of backed up data in all of the managed vaults.
  • Back up multiple machines to tape devices attached to the storage node.
  • Use deduplication to minimize storage space taken by the data and reduce network load during backup.