Configure Automatic Backups to a Remote Shared Folder
Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012
You can protect your server running Windows Server 2008 R2 and its data automatically by scheduling daily backups to a remote shared folder. To configure scheduled backups, you will need to first:
Identify a location for storing your backups. (For more information about choosing a storage location, see Backing Up Your Server.) If you store your scheduled backups in a remote shared folder, the backup will be overwritten each time you create a new backup. Do not choose this option if you want to store multiple backups.
Make sure you have access to an account that is a member of the Administrators or Backup Operators group for the computer that you are using to perform the backup and the computer that contains the remote shared folder. In addition, make sure that you have write access to the remote shared folder.
Decide what to include in the backup−the full server or only certain items. (For more information about choosing what to back up, see Backing Up Your Server.)
Important
If you create a backup to a remote shared folder that already contains a backup, if the backup process fails, you might be left without any backups.
Note
To create a backup schedule using the Windows Server Backup user interface
Click Start , click Administrative Tools , and then click Windows Server Backup .
In the Actions pane of the snap-in default page, under Windows Server Backup , click Backup Schedule . This opens the Backup Schedule Wizard.
On the Getting Started page, click Next .
On the Select Backup Configuration page, do one of the following, and then click Next :
Click Full server (recommended) to back up all volumes on the server. This is the recommended option.
Click Custom to back up just certain items, and then click Next .
On the Select Items for Backup page, click Add Items . In Select Items , select the check boxes for the items that you want to back up. If you want to back up just certain folders or files, expand the folder tree and select the items that you want to include. Click OK .
On the Select Items for Backup page, click Advanced Settings , click the Exclusions tab, click Add Exclusions , and then expand the folder tree and select the items that you want to exclude.
On the VSS Settings tab, select either VSS full Backup or VSS copy Backup . Click OK , and then click Next .
On the Specify Backup Time page, do one of the following, and then click Next :
Click Once a day , and then select the time from the drop-down list to start running the daily backup.
Click More than once a day . Then, to select a start time, under Available time , click the time that you want the backup to start, and then click Add to move the time under Scheduled time . Repeat for each start time that you want to add.
On the Specify Destination Type page, select Back up to a shared network folder .
On the Specify Remote Shared Folder page, type the path to the folder. In this folder, a folder named WindowsImageBackup will be created. The backup that you create will be saved at: \\<RemoteServer>\<SharedFolderPath>\WindowsImageBackup\<ComputerBackedUp >. Click Next .
The Register Backup Schedule dialog box will appear. Type a user name and password for a user account that is a member of the Administrators group or Backup Operators group and has write permissions on the computer that is hosting the remote shared folder, and then click OK .
On the Confirmation page, review the details, and then click Finish .
On the Summary page, click Close .
Additional considerations
To configure a scheduled backup, you must be a member of the Administrators group or Backup Operators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.
You can also perform this task remotely for another server using the Connect To Another Computer option in the Windows Server Backup Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. Make sure that you are a member of the Administrators or Backup Operators group on the remote server. If you are a Backup Operator, ensure that the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) security settings on the remote computer are set to allow Backup Operators to connect to it.
You can only use this feature if the local and remote servers are running the same version of Windows—either both running Windows Server 2008 or both running Windows Server 2008 R2. In addition, you cannot use this feature to manage a computer running any version of Windows client operating system.
After you create a backup schedule, you should revisit the settings periodically to confirm that your hardware configuration has not changed and that you are still backing up everything you intended to. For instructions, see Modify or Stop an Automatic Backup Schedule.