Dell Appassure 5 User Guide

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B249 …and then keep one recovery point per month for 2 months
…and then keep one recovery point per month for 1 year
Newest Recovery Point is set to the current day, month, and year.
In this example, the oldest recovery point would be 1 year, 4 months, and 6 days old.
8Click Save.
Understanding archives
Retention policies enforce the periods for which backups are stored on short-term (fast and expensive) media. 
Sometimes certain business and technical requirements mandate extended retention of these backups, but use 
of fast storage is cost prohibitive. Therefore, this requirement creates a need for long-term (slow and cheap) 
storage. Businesses often use long-term storage for archiving both compliance and non-compliance data. The 
archive feature in AppAssure is used to support the extended retention for compliance and non-compliance 
data; and it is also used to seed replication data to a remote replica core.
Creating an archive
Complete the steps in this procedure to create an archive.
To create an archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then click the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Create.
The Add Archive Wizard opens.
3 On the Create page of the Add Archive Wizard, select one of the following options from the Location 
Type drop-down list: 
•Local
•Network 
•Cloud
4 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step 3.
Table 124. 
Option Text Box Description
Local Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, d:\work\archive.
Network Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, \\servername\sharename.
User Name Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for 
the network share.
Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish 
logon credentials for the network share.  
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B250 5Click Next.
6 On the Machines page of the wizard, select which protected machine or machines contains the recovery 
points you want to archive.
7Click Next.
8 On the Options page, enter the information described in the following table.
9Click Next. Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be 
saved. The default name is AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE 
CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]
Te x t  B o x D e s c r i p t i o n
Maximum Size Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the 
maximum amount of space you want to reserve for creating the archive by doing 
one of the following:
•Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path provided on 
the destination provided in Step 4. (for example, if the location is 
D:\work\archive, all of the available space on the D: drive is reserved).
•Select the blank text box, use the up and down arrows to enter an 
amount, and then select a unit of measurement from the drop-down list 
to customize the maximum space you want to reserve.
NOTE: Amazon cloud archives are automatically divided into 50 GB segments. 
Microsoft Azure cloud archives are automatically divided into 200 GB segments.
Recycle action Select one of the following recycle action options:
•Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing archived data from 
the location. If the location is not empty, the archive write fails.
•Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing archived data pertaining 
to this core but leaves the data for other cores intact.
•Erase completely. Clears all archived data from the directory before 
writing the new archive.
• Incremental. Lets you add recovery points to an existing archive. It 
compares recovery points to avoid duplicating data that already exists in 
the archive.
Comment Enter any additional information that is necessary to capture for the archive. The 
comment will be displayed if you import the archive later.
Use compatible 
formatSelect this option to archive your data in a format that is compatible with 
previous versions of cores.
NOTE: The new format offers better performance; however it is not compatible 
with older cores. Table 124. 
Option Text Box Description 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B251 10 On the Date Range page, enter the Start Date and Expiration Date of the recovery points to be archived.
•To enter a time, click on the time shown (default, 8:00 AM) to reveal the slide bars for selecting 
hours and minutes.
•To enter a date, click the text box to reveal the calendar, and then click on the preferred day.
11 Click Finish.
Setting a scheduled archive
The Scheduled Archive feature lets you set a time when an archive of a selected machine will be automatically 
created and saved to the specified location. This accommodates situations where you would want frequent 
archives of a machine to be saved, without the inconvenience of needing to create the archives manually. 
Complete the steps in the following procedure to schedule automatic archiving.
To set a scheduled archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then click the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Scheduled.
3 On the Scheduled Archive page, click Add.
The Add Archive Wizard opens.
4 On the Location page of the Add Archive Wizard, select one of the following options from the Location 
Type drop-down list: 
•Local
•Network 
•Cloud
5 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step 4.
6Click Next. Table 125. 
Option Text Box Description
Local Output location Enter the location for the output. It defines the location path 
where you want the archive to reside; for example, 
d:\work\archive. 
Network Output location Enter the location for the output. It defines the location path 
where you want the archive to reside; for example, 
\\servername\sharename.
User Name Enter a user name. It establishes logon credentials for the 
network share.
Password Enter a password for the network path. It establishes logon 
credentials for the network share. 
Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be 
saved. The default name is AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE 
CREATED]-[TIME CREATED] 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B252 7 On the Machines page of the wizard, select which protected machines contain the recovery points you 
want to archive.
8Click Next.
9 On the Options page, select one of the following Recycle Actions from the drop-down list:
•Replace this Core. Overwrites any existing archived data pertaining to this core but leaves the 
data for other cores intact.
• Erase completely. Clears all archived data from the directory before writing the new archive.
• Incremental. Lets you add recovery points to an existing archive. It compares recovery points to 
avoid duplicating data that already exists in the archive.
10 On the Schedule page, select one of the following Send data frequency options: 
•Daily
•Weekl y
•Monthly
11 Enter the information described in the following table based on your selection from Step 10.
12 To pause archiving for resuming at a later time, select Initial pause archiving.
13 Click Finish. Option Text Box Description
Daily At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Weekly At day of week Select a day of the week on which to automatically create the 
archive.
At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Monthly At day of months Select the day of the month on which to automatically create 
the archive.
At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
NOTE: You may want to pause the scheduled archive if you need time to prepare the target 
location before archiving resumes. If you do not select this option, archiving begins at the 
scheduled time.  
						

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Pausing or resuming a scheduled archive
There may be times when you want to pause a scheduled archive job, such as if you need to make changes to 
the destination archive location. Also, if you opted to initially pause archiving when you performed the Setting 
a scheduled archive procedure, you likely want to resume the scheduled archive at a later time. Complete the 
steps in the following procedure to pause or resume scheduled archive.
To pause or resume scheduled archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then click the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Scheduled.
3 On the Scheduled Archive page, do one of the following:
•Select the preferred archive, and then click one of the following actions as appropriate:
•Pa u s e
•Resume
•Next to the preferred archive, click the drop-down menu, and then click one of the following 
actions as appropriate:
•Pa u s e
•Resume
The status of the archive displays in the Schedule column.
Editing a scheduled archive
AppAssure lets you change the details of a scheduled archive. To edit a scheduled archive, complete the steps in 
the following procedure. 
To edit a schedule archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then click the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Scheduled.
3 On the Scheduled Archive page, click the drop-down menu next to the archive you want to change, and 
then click Edit.
The Add Archive Wizard opens.
4 On the Location page of the Add Archive Wizard, select one of the following options from the Location 
Type drop-down list: 
•Local
•Network 
•Cloud
5 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step 4.
Table 126. 
Option Text Box Description
Local Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, d:\work\archive.  
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B254 6Click Next.
7 On the Machines page of the wizard, select which protected machines contain the recovery points you 
want to archive.
8Click Next.
9 On the Schedule page, select one of the following Send data frequency options: 
•Daily
•Weekl y
•Monthly
10 Enter the information described in the following table based on your selection from Step 9.
11 To pause archiving for resuming at a later time, select Initial pause archiving.
12 Click Finish. Network Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, \\servername\sharename.
User Name Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for 
the network share.
Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish 
logon credentials for the network share. 
Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be 
saved. The default name is AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE 
CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]
Option Text Box Description
Daily At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Weekly At day of week Select a day of the week on which to automatically create the 
archive.
At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
Monthly At day of months Select the day of the month on which to automatically create 
the archive.
At time Select the hour of the day you want to create a daily archive.
NOTE: You may want to pause the scheduled archive if you need time to prepare the target 
location before archiving resumes. If you do not select this option, archiving begins at the 
scheduled time.  Table 126. 
Option Text Box Description 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B255
Checking an archive
You can scan an archive for structural integrity by performing an archive check. This check verifies the presence 
of all necessary files within the archive. To perform an archive check, complete the steps in the following 
procedure.
To check an archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then click the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Check Archive.
3 The Check Archive dialog box appears.
4For Location type, select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
•Local
•Network
•Cloud
5 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step 4.
6 To also perform a structure integrity check, select Structure integrity.
7Click Check File. Table 127. 
Option Text Box Description
Local Location Enter the path for the archive. 
Network Location Enter the path for the archive. 
User Name Enter the user name. It is used to establish logon credentials 
for the network share.
Password Enter the password for the network path. It is used to establish 
logon credentials for the network share. 
Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter the name of the folder in which the archived data is 
saved; for example, AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-
[TIME CREATED] 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B256
Importing an archive
When you want to recover archived data, you must import the entire archive to a specified location. 
Afterwards, you are able to browse the data. To import an archive, complete the steps in the following 
procedure.
To import an archive
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console, and then select the Tools tab.
2 From the Archive option, click Import.
3For Location type, select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
•Local
•Network
•Cloud
4 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step 3.
5Click Check File to validate the existence of the archive to import.
6 In the dialog box, verify the name of the source core shown from the Core drop-down list.
7 Select the agents to be imported from the archive.
8 Select the repository in which to save the archived data.
9Click Restore to import the archive. Table 128. 
Option Text Box Description
Local Location Enter the path for the archive. 
Network Location Enter the path for the archive. 
User Name Enter the user name. It is used to establish logon credentials 
for the network share.
Password Enter the password for the network path. It is used to establish 
logon credentials for the network share. 
Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. 
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter the name of the folder in which the archived data is 
saved; for example, AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE CREATED]-
[TIME CREATED]
NOTE: The repository selected must be the same repository in which all current recovery points for 
the selected agent are stored. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B257
Archiving to a cloud
When data reaches the end of a retention period, you may want to extend that retention by creating an archive 
of the aged data. When you archive data, there is always the matter of where to store it. AppAssure lets you 
upload your archive to a variety of cloud providers directly from the Core Console. Compatible clouds include 
Microsoft Azure, Amazon, Rackspace, and any OpenStack-based provider.
Exporting an archive to a cloud using AppAssure involves the following procedures:
• Add your cloud account to the AppAssure Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
• Archive your data and export it to your cloud account. For more information, see Creating an archive.
• Retrieve archived data by importing it from the cloud location. For more information, see Importing 
an archive. 
						

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Managing cloud accounts
This chapter describes how to define links to existing cloud storage provider accounts, and how to manage those 
cloud accounts for use with AppAssure. For example, you can archive AppAssure data to the cloud, or import 
archived data from the cloud. This chapter includes the following sections:
•Adding a cloud account
•Editing a cloud account
•Configuring cloud account settings
•Removing a cloud account
AppAssure lets you archive data to a variety of cloud providers, or import archived data stored in a cloud 
account. Compatible clouds include Microsoft Azure, Amazon, Rackspace, and any OpenStack-based provider.
You can add an existing cloud account to the AppAssure Core console. Once added, you can edit the 
information, configure the account connection options, or remove the account from AppAssure.
Adding a cloud account
Before you can export your archived data to a cloud, you must add the account information for your cloud 
provider to the AppAssure Core Console. To add a cloud account, complete the steps in the following procedure.
To add a cloud account
1 On the AppAssure Core Console, click the Tools tab.
2 In the left menu, click Clouds.
3On the Clouds page, click Add New Account.
The Add New Account dialog box opens.
4 Select a compatible cloud provider from the Cloud Type drop-down list.
5 Enter the details described in the following table based on the cloud type selected in Step 4.
Table 129. Cloud account details
Cloud Type Text Box Description
Microsoft Azure Storage Account 
NameEnter the name of your Microsoft Azure storage account.
Access Key Enter the access key for your account.
Display Name Create a display name for this account in AppAssure; for 
example, Microsoft Azure 1.
Amazon S3 Access Key Enter the access key for your Amazon cloud account.
Secret Key Enter the secret key for this account.
Display Name Create a display name for this account in AppAssure; for 
example, Amazon 1.