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Browse and Restore Backup Data
Workstation Backup Client Console allows you to backup the client computer data to a centralized destination, and restore the backup data when required.
When the software is installed, the source and the destination location information are configured by default. You can manage the contents of the backup and execute the backup jobs. When required, the backup data stored in the centralized destination can be browsed at file-level, and selected contents can be restored to the client computer.
Workstation Backup supports all types of data on the local NTFS volume. Data for backup can be configured from the Client Console. Filters can be used to further refine the contents of the backup.
You can manage the contents of the backup by adding source path for backup. You can also remove existing backup contents, if the data is not required to be backed up any more. Data for backup can be configured from the Manage Content dialog box.
Consider the following when adding the source location:You can use filters to eliminate certain files or folders from the backup contents. Filters allow you to exclude paths and file names that match certain patterns. The use of wildcards or regular expressions is supported in defining Filters.
Filters for backup operations are configured in Manage Content dialog box. You can add, or remove, filters as required. Backup filters are applicable for the entire backup data. See Using Filters for more details on the different options available for using filters.
To manage backup contents and configure filters for backup, see Manage Backup Contents for step-by-step instructions.
The Summary page Content section displays the list of source locations currently configured for backup. When a backup job is run, the data from the source locations are backed up to the destination computer. The backup can either be executed immediately, or scheduled. See Start a Backup Job for step-by-step instructions.
The backup job activities from the client are enabled by default. If you wish to not to execute backup jobs to preserve network bandwidth, you can temporarily disable/enable backup activities. See Enable (or Disable) Backup Operations from the Client Console for step-by-step instructions. Note that you can restore data when backups are disabled.
The summary page displays the list of backup jobs that are currently running, in the Current Jobs section. Current jobs can be suspended/resumed/killed as required. See Suspend/Resume a Backup Job, and Kill a Backup Job for instructions.
Schedules for backup jobs can be created from the Client Console. The Client Console offers the following two types of schedules:
In the smart schedule, you can specify the frequency in which you wish to execute backup jobs. The smart schedule is sensitive to the status of the previously executed backup job. If the previous job is not completed in a certain specified time, you can choose to discard the job, and start a new backup job. See Create a Smart Schedule for step-by-step instructions.
If you are using Workstation Backup Agent on laptop computers, you might not always have the internet connectivity with necessary bandwidth to backup data on a regular schedule. Smart Schedule addresses this situation by considering the status of the previous backup, before proceeding with the current backup.
Classic schedule is the conventional time-based schedule, based on the standard calendar. It provides daily, weekly, monthly, and one-time scheduling options. See Create a Classic Schedule for step-by-step instructions.
If you are using Workstation Backup Agent on desktop computers, assuming you have a steady bandwidth available, we recommend you to use the Classic Schedule for backup operations.
The details of the backup job schedules can be viewed from the Client Console. See View Job Schedules for step-by-step instructions.
Backup data stored in destination computer can be restored using browse and restore. Data can be restored either from the latest backup copy, or from backup copy at a given point-in-time. If your source data is lost, you might want to restore from the latest backup copy. If you require a previous version of the data, you have two options to restore point-in-time data. You can either provide a specific time in the past, and restore from the nearest copy available at the destination, or select from the list of point-in-time data available in the destination.
Note that the availability of the point-in-time data is dependent on the frequency of recovery points created at the destination, ideally by your system administrator.
The following destinations are supported for when restoring data:
By default Workstation Backup Agent restores the backup data to the location from which it originated. Use the Unconditional Overwrite option to unconditionally overwrite any data that might be available in the restore location and is more recent than the data that is restored.
Data can also be restored to a location that is different from which the backup originated. Provide the path, or use the Browse option to locate the destination to which the data must be restored.
Filters allow you to exclude paths and file names that match certain patterns. The use of wildcards or regular expressions is supported in defining filters. Filters for data restore operations are configured in the Advanced Restore Options dialog box. You can add, or remove, file/folder filters as required.
Filters can specify the actual files/folders to be excluded, or can contain wildcards implying all files/folders that matches the filter specification. The following list summarizes the wildcards available for filters.
For example: *.doc - includes any file name with the extension ".doc" (e.g., status.doc, mission.doc)
For example: access? - includes any file name that begins with- "access" followed by any one character (e.g., access1, access5).
For example: [ei]nsure.doc - includes any file name that ends with "nsure.doc" and begins either "e" or "i". (e.g., ensure.doc, insure.doc)
For example: [!ei]nsure.doc - includes any file name that ends with "nsure.doc", but does not begin with "e" or "i". (e.g., unsure.doc)
For example: [A-K]* - includes any file that begins with any characters in the range of "A" through "K" inclusive, followed by any number of any characters.
Data objects that have been deleted by orphan file processing can be restored. Deleted objects can be restored from the live copy until a recovery point is created. Once recovery points are created, the objects can be restored from the corresponding recovery points. For convenience, objects that were deleted one hour before the last recovery point creation are available in the live copy for restore.
Note that deleted objects are not copied to tape when the recovery points are moved to tape. So orphan data can be restored from the live data or recovery points, but not from tapes.
To browse and restore deleted objects, select the Include deleted items option on the Browse Options dialog box.
See Browse and Restore Backup Data for step-by-step instructions.
Job history provides information on the status of the backup and restore jobs previously executed. History of the jobs executed from the client computer can be reviewed from the History page. Jobs can be queried based on the execution time and job status. File level details of the job such as the list of successful or failed files can be viewed for each job. See View Job History for step-by-step instructions to view the job history.
Also, the details of the last successfully executed backup are displayed in the Summary page Last Successful Job Statistics section.
Log files provide the processing details of operations that have occurred on your system. The Send Log Files feature allows you to send the log files to the system administrator for review and diagnosis. See Send Log Files from the Workstation Backup Client Console for step-by-step instructions.
By default, the log files are sent to the <software Installation Path>\Log Files\WBALogs\<Client Name> folder on the CommServe computer. If your system administrator has configured an FTP site to receive the log files, then the log files would be sent to the site as specified.
The following considerations apply:
Backup jobs can also be configured by the administrator from the CommCell Console. Such jobs follow the corresponding time-based schedule created by the administrator. These schedules are created and maintained by the administrator from the CommCell Console, and executed independent of the schedules from the Client Console. Note that the data to be backed up remains the same in both the schedules.
Filters for backup jobs can also be added by the administrators. See Manage Filters for more details. Such filters, though displayed in the Manage Content dialog box, cannot be modified from the Client Console. Contact your system administrator to make changes to any such filters.
The Workstation Backup icon displayed on the System Tray indicates the status of the data protection activities by the Workstation Backup agent. The following table illustrates the appearance of these icons and the corresponding statuses:
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Software is ready for backup and restore jobs. |
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Previous backup job failed. Review the reason for the job failure and take appropriate action. |
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A backup job is currently running. |
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Insufficient network availability. No data protection activity possible. |
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The computer needs a reboot following an update. Reboot the computer. Backup jobs can be successful only after the reboot. |
This section explains some common issues that you might encounter while using the Workstation Backup Agent, and their diagnosis and possible workarounds.