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In a recent article I reviewed the ability to backup Windows client devices to Microsoft Azure using Online Backup. In this post, I will show you how to implement backup using Recovery Services.
Microsoft’s online backup solution supports three versions of the client operating system:
Any computer that you wish to protect must have .NET Framework 4.5 and PowerShell installed, and you must use version 2.0.8694.0 or later of the protection agent.
You cannot protect the system state of a computer with this tool. You may only backup and restore files and folders on client devices.
Azure Online Backup sends backup data directly to Azure where the data is stored in a backup vault. The vault is pretty simple to create. Before you do that you must decide if:
Log into the Azure management portal, navigate to Recovery Services, click New > Data Services > Recovery Services > Backup Vault > Quick Create. Enter a unique name for the new backup vault and select the Azure region where you want the data to be stored. It will take Azure a couple of minutes to provision the new vault.
Creating an Azure backup vault (Image Credit: Aidan Finn)
Stay in Azure for a couple of minutes. Browse into the new backup vault, and you’ll find yourself in the Quick Start screen, where you can configure your client backup. There are two steps for configuration:
Download the installer and vault credentials (Image Credit: Aidan Finn)
Securely copy the credentials and the MARSAgentInstaller.EXE setup program to the PC that you want to backup. Run MARSAgentInstaller.
The first screen in the install wizard will ask you where to install the program. The second setup screen allows you to configure a proxy with options for custom proxy settings and a username and password. The setup program will also download and install any missing pre-requisites. It doesn’t take long for the installer to complete the setup. When completed, you will be prompted to register the computer and create a scheduled backup.
The Register Your Server (yes, it says ‘Server’) will ask you to locate the previously downloaded credentials for the backup vault. Browse to and select the file, and the registration wizard will validate the secure connection to Azure.
Validate your connection to the Azure backup vault (Image Credit: Aidan Finn)
Generating and saving the encryption passphrase. (Image Credit: Aidan Finn)
Launch the Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent, labelled as Microsoft Azure Backup in the Start Menu or Start Screen. A console that is similar to Windows Server Backup will appear. It is here that you will configure your backup job, and it is here that you will restore files. Click Schedule Backup to create a new backup job.
In Select Items to Backup you can add files and folders that you want to protect. Note that this can include synchronized OneDrive files and folders. You can also set file type exclusions.
Selecting items to backup to Microsoft Azure. (Image Credit: Aidan Finn)
Scheduling your backup and configuring the retention period. (Image Credit: Microsoft).
Restoring files and folders is easy. Click Recover Data and a wizard starts up. You can recover data from a backup vault for the currently registered computer or another computer, assuming that you have the valid vault credentials.
You can select from any retained recovery point and then search for or specify specific files or folders. When you do decide to restore something, you can restore it:
Azure Online Backup is pretty simple, and if you’ve used it to protect a server, then the protecting a client will be a familiar process.
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