EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS

Transcription

1 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide P/N REV 06

2 Copyright EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. Published September 2013 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. EMC 2, EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. For the most up-to-date regulatory document for your product line, go to the technical documentation and advisories section on the EMC online support website. 2 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

3 CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Preface Introduction Architecture Microsoft SharePoint topology How Avamar works in a SharePoint environment Using Avamar with Data Domain Backup Backing up a SharePoint farm Backing up the operating system Multi-streaming Backup limitations Restore Restoring to the original location Restoring to a different location Granular level recovery Restore limitations Disaster recovery Understand SharePoint technology, architecture, and data protection strategies Develop a comprehensive backup plan Perform regular full operating system and SharePoint farm backups Installation System requirements Supported configurations VSS snapshot volume requirements Hardware requirements Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR requirements Multi-streaming recommendations Database requirements Required account privileges Avamar Backup Agent service runs as LocalSystem Services and writers Installation road map Installing and running the Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows Installing the Avamar Client for Windows Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Fixing Microsoft SharePoint VSS Writer installation errors Changing the installation type Two-node cluster installation task list Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls Ontrack PowerControls software requirements Ontrack PowerControls components Ontrack PowerControls installation settings Upgrading the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Uninstalling the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide 3

4 Contents Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Appendix A Appendix B Backup On-demand backups Backing up an entire SharePoint farm Scheduled backups Creating a dataset Creating a group Enabling scheduled backups Restore SharePoint farm restore workflow Preparing to restore specific components Preparing to restore a deleted web application Preparing to restore a deleted search database Finding a backup for restore Finding a backup by date Finding a backup by file or folder Restoring to the original location Restoring an entire farm to its original location Restoring a content database to its original location Restoring to a different location Performing granular level recovery Granular level recovery task list Restoring the Avamar backup and mounting the Avamar Virtual Drive Restoring items from the Avamar Virtual Drive Disaster Recovery Preparing for disaster recovery Backing up SharePoint 2013 Search Application Topology Avamar backups required for each SharePoint server Backing up configuration settings Backing up customizations Backing up databases Performing disaster recovery Rebuilding the SharePoint environment Reinstalling the Avamar software Restoring the SSA, Search, and Index Restoring the SharePoint farm from the Avamar backup Bringing restored servers back online Plug-in Options How to set plug-in options Backup options Restore options Restore options for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Restore options for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR Command Line Interface Understanding the SharePoint VSS plug-in CLI CLI architecture Launching the CLI Available operations EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

5 Contents Options Help Command reference Synopsis Operations Options CLI examples Example backup commands Example restore commands EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide 5

6 Contents 6 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

7 Preface As part of an effort to improve its product lines, EMC periodically releases revisions of its software and hardware. Therefore, some functions described in this document might not be supported by all versions of the software or hardware currently in use. The product release notes provide the most up-to-date information on product features. Contact your EMC representative if a product does not function properly or does not function as described in this document. This document was accurate at publication time. New versions of this document might be released on the EMC online support website. Check the EMC online support website to ensure that you are using the latest version of this document. Purpose Audience This guide describes how to install EMC Avamar in a SharePoint environment and how to back up and restore data in a SharePoint environment by using Avamar with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology. This document is intended primarily for: System administrators who are responsible for installing software and maintaining servers and clients on a network. Microsoft SharePoint administrators who are responsible for backing up and maintaining Microsoft SharePoint servers. Persons using this document should have current practical experience with the following: Operating system shell commands on the SharePoint platform. Root permission is required. The specific version of Microsoft SharePoint currently deployed at the site. EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide 7

8 Preface Revision history The following table presents the revision history of this document. Table 1 Revision history Revision Date Description 06 September 30, 2013 Minor typo correction. 05 August 1, 2013 Corrected inaccuracies in Installation chapter, Multi-streaming recommendations. Updated notice in Data Domain that DDOS 5.3 or later is required to support Remote BLOB Storage. 04 December 7, 2012 Updates for release Service Pack 1: SharePoint 2013 added to Supported configurations on page 38. Note added to several sections that GLR for SharePoint 2013 is not supported yet because the third-party Kroll PowerControls software does not support SharePoint Added special instructions for backup preparation and disaster recovery for SharePoint 2013 search, index, and query paths, Backing up SharePoint 2013 Search Application Topology on page 95 and Restoring the SSA, Search, and Index on page October 25, 2012 Updates for release 6.1 Service Pack 1: Added note about Microsoft VSS framework limitation of 64 volumes and shadow copies. 02 July 31, 2012 Updated Where to get help on page 10 in the Preface. A01 April 25, 2012 First release of Avamar 6.1. Related documentation The following EMC publications provide additional information: EMC Avamar Administration Guide EMC Avamar for Windows Server User Guide EMC Avamar for SQL Server User Guide EMC Avamar Backup Clients User Guide EMC Avamar Operational Best Practices EMC Avamar Release Notes EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix EMC Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows Technical Note Conventions used in this document EMC uses the following conventions for special notices: DANGER indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. 8 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

9 Preface WARNING indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. CAUTION, used with the safety alert symbol, indicates a hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. NOTICE is used to address practices not related to personal injury. Note: A note presents information that is important, but not hazard-related. IMPORTANT An important notice contains information essential to software or hardware operation. Typographical conventions EMC uses the following type style conventions in this document: Normal Used in running (nonprocedural) text for: Names of interface elements, such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus Names of resources, attributes, pools, Boolean expressions, buttons, DQL statements, keywords, clauses, environment variables, functions, and utilities URLs, pathnames, file names, directory names, computer names, links, groups, service keys, file systems, and notifications Bold Used in running (nonprocedural) text for names of commands, daemons, options, programs, processes, services, applications, utilities, kernels, notifications, system calls, and man pages Used in procedures for: Names of interface elements, such as names of windows, dialog boxes, buttons, fields, and menus What the user specifically selects, clicks, presses, or types Italic Used in all text (including procedures) for: Full titles of publications referenced in text Emphasis, for example, a new term Variables Courier Used for: System output, such as an error message or script URLs, complete paths, file names, prompts, and syntax when shown outside of running text Courier bold Used for specific user input, such as commands Courier italic Used in procedures for: Variables on the command line User input variables < > Angle brackets enclose parameter or variable values supplied by the user EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide 9

10 Preface [ ] Square brackets enclose optional values Vertical bar indicates alternate selections the bar means or { } Braces enclose content that the user must specify, such as x or y or z... Ellipses indicate nonessential information omitted from the example Where to get help The Avamar support page provides access to licensing information, product documentation, advisories, and downloads, as well as how-to and troubleshooting information. This information may enable you to resolve a product issue before you contact EMC Customer Service. To access the Avamar support page: 1. Go to 2. Type a product name in the Find a Product box. 3. Select the product from the list that appears. 4. Click the arrow next to the Find a Product box. 5. (Optional) Add the product to the My Products list by clicking Add to my products in the top right corner of the Support by Product page. Documentation The Avamar product documentation provides a comprehensive set of feature overview, operational task, and technical reference information. Review the following documents in addition to product administration and user guides: Release notes provide an overview of new features and known limitations for a release. Technical notes provide technical details about specific product features, including step-by-step tasks, where necessary. White papers provide an in-depth technical perspective of a product or products as applied to critical business issues or requirements. Knowledgebase The EMC Knowledgebase contains applicable solutions that you can search for either by solution number (for example, esgxxxxxx) or by keyword. To search the EMC Knowledgebase: 1. Click the Search link at the top of the page. 2. Type either the solution number or keywords in the search box. 3. (Optional) Limit the search to specific products by typing a product name in the Scope by product box and then selecting the product from the list that appears. 4. Select Knowledgebase from the Scope by resource list. 5. (Optional) Specify advanced options by clicking Advanced options and specifying values in the available fields. 6. Click the search button. 10 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

11 Preface Live chat To engage EMC Customer Service by using live interactive chat, click Join Live Chat on the Service Center panel of the Avamar support page. Service Requests For in-depth help from EMC Customer Service, submit a service request by clicking Create Service Requests on the Service Center panel of the Avamar support page. Note: To open a service request, you must have a valid support agreement. Contact your EMC sales representative for details about obtaining a valid support agreement or with questions about your account. To review an open service request, click the Service Center link on the Service Center panel, and then click View and manage service requests. Facilitating support EMC recommends that you enable ConnectEMC and Home on all Avamar systems: ConnectEMC automatically generates service requests for high priority events. Home s configuration, capacity, and general system information to EMC Customer Service. Your comments Your suggestions help us to continue to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of the user publications. Send your opinions of this document to: BSGDocumentation@emc.com Please include the following information: Product name and version Document name, part number, and revision (for example, 01) Page numbers Other details that will help us address the documentation issue EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide 11

12 Preface 12 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

13 CHAPTER 1 Introduction The following topics provide an introduction to using EMC Avamar for SharePoint VSS as a complete backup and recovery solution for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1(SP1) and SharePoint Server 2010: Architecture Backup Restore Disaster recovery Introduction 13

14 Introduction Architecture Microsoft SharePoint topology The following topics explain the architecture of a SharePoint environment and how the various Avamar components fit in the environment to provide backup and recovery: Microsoft SharePoint topology on page 14 How Avamar works in a SharePoint environment on page 16 Using Avamar with Data Domain on page 25 SharePoint servers are organized as farms. In a standalone farm, all SharePoint roles and components reside on one server. In a distributed farm, these components and roles are spread across multiple servers. Avamar SharePoint backup and recovery scales to all farm sizes. The following figure shows the topologies of small, medium, and large distributed farms and the Avamar components installed on each machine by SharePoint server roles. 14 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

15 Introduction SharePoint server roles Each server in a SharePoint farm can assume one or more roles. Roles are not assigned directly to a server. A server assumes a specific role, depending on the components installed and the services it runs. The following table describes the different types of SharePoint server roles. Table 2 SharePoint server roles Server type Web server Application server Query server Crawl or index server Database server Role Also called a Web front-end (WFE), the web server hosts all web pages, web parts, and web services used when the server farm receives a request for processing from the end user. The application server hosts the service applications running in the farm, such as Visio services, Forms service, Excel calculations services, and more. The query server is responsible for querying the index, finding the matching content, and returning content back to the Web servers for presentation to users. The crawl or index server crawls the content sources, writes the results to the database, and then the database is propagated to the query servers. The crawl server uses a crawl database in a Microsoft SQL Server to store the URLs of all sources crawled. The database server is a SQL Server that stores most of the data associated with a SharePoint 2010 or 2013 implementation, including configuration settings, administration information, service applications data, and user content. SQL Server in SharePoint Storage for all content, data, and configuration information in a SharePoint environment is provided by Microsoft SQL Server. The following table lists the SQL Server databases in a SharePoint environment. Table 3 Microsoft SQL Server databases in a SharePoint environment (page 1 of 2) Database Configuration Content Shared Service Provider (SharePoint 2007) Service Applications (SharePoint 2010 or 2013) Functions Stores all configuration information for the farm, including topology information and content database information. Stores: Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) site details Structure details User content Files Security information Stores: User profiles Audience data Business application data Excel services functions Site usage data InfoPath forms Services session state information Architecture 15

16 Introduction Table 3 Microsoft SQL Server databases in a SharePoint environment (page 2 of 2) Database Search Custom Search indexes Functions Stores: Search data History log Search log Calculation tables for crawl statistics Links tables Statistical tables Separate databases that store third-party application data. Stores search indexes on the file system. How Avamar works in a SharePoint environment Avamar provides complete protection for a SharePoint farm by using the Avamar Client for Windows, Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR for use with optional third-party recovery tools, such as Kroll Ontrack PowerControls, purchased separately. Though you can also use the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server to independently back up the SQL Server databases in the farm, there are some limitations and disadvantages, described in detail in Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server (optional) on page 18. Avamar provides protection for SharePoint for all scales of deployment, from standalone farms that contain all SharePoint roles on a single server, to small, medium, or large enterprise distributed farms as described in Microsoft SharePoint topology on page 14. Avamar Administrator Avamar Administrator is a graphical management console software application that is used to remotely administer an Avamar system from a supported Windows or client computer. Logging in to the Avamar Administrator program provides access to a specific Avamar server. Backups and restores are configured and run through Avamar Administrator. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides complete instructions for installing and using Avamar Administrator. Avamar clients and plug-ins The following topics describe how the Avamar clients and plug-ins provide protection for a SharePoint farm: Avamar Client for Windows on page 17 Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on page 17 Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server (optional) on page 18 Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR (optional) on page 20 Though all servers in a SharePoint farm require both the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, the configuration on each server varies, depending on the SharePoint farm role and whether you will be setting up the farm for granular level recovery. 16 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

17 Introduction The following sections describe Avamar client and plug-in installations for standalone or distributed farms and granular level recovery options: Standalone SharePoint farm on page 21 Standalone SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 22 Distributed SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 24 Avamar Client for Windows You must install the Avamar Client for Windows on every server in the SharePoint environment. The Windows client is required for the SharePoint VSS plug-in to run. In addition, you can use the Windows client to back up operating system and SharePoint binary files, which are required for disaster recovery. Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS provides Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) backup of SharePoint at the SharePoint farm level, and recovery at the farm level, discovered components level, or web application level. The plug-in uses the VSS writer provided by SharePoint 2010 or 2013, the SharePoint Foundation VSS Writer (SPF-VSS Writer), to determine what content and information from the SharePoint farm to back up. The features and capabilities of the SPF-VSS Writer are described by Microsoft on MSDN in SharePoint Foundation VSS Writer, The VSS-based backup is the foundation for scheduled full backups, which can be used to perform disaster recovery or recovery of entire databases, components, or applications. The plug-in can back up and restore an entire SharePoint farm or content components in WSS 3.0, including: Website collections Content databases Web applications Content publishing web services Search Windows service, including databases and indexes Some listed components cannot be selected for backup or restore but are automatically included by Avamar, based on their dependency on other components that you select. In addition, the plug-in can back up and restore the additional functionality provided by Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP1 and 2010, including Shared Service Providers. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS also includes any third-party databases that are built on top of SharePoint foundation and have been registered properly within the configuration database. If a third-party database is registered properly, it is included by SharePoint in the SPF-VSS Writer and is picked up when the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS backs up the SPF-VSS Writer. Architecture 17

18 Introduction Install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on all machines in the farm. During installation, you must select whether the server is a front-end or back-end server: Front-end server A front-end server is the main WFE server in a distributed farm or the sole SharePoint server in a standalone farm. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS coordinates the farm backups through the WFE server. If there is no SharePoint data on a WFE server, then the SharePoint VSS writer skips that machine during backups. However, you still must install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on the WFE server. Back-end server Back-end servers are all other servers in the SharePoint farm. On a sole SharePoint server in a standalone farm, you do not configure any back-end servers. Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server (optional) The Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server enables you to back up all SQL databases from a SharePoint database server, except for the search database, independently from the SharePoint backups. This enables you to perform full, differential, and incremental backups of the databases and to restore individual databases, if necessary. Use of this plug-in is optional. If you do use this plug-in, install the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server on the database servers with SQL Server in the SharePoint farm. The SQL Server plug-in backup does not include the search index file, which must be synchronized with the search database backup so that they can both be restored together. The EMC Avamar for SQL Server User Guide provides details on installing the plug-in and performing backups and restores. Limitations of using the Avamar plug-in for SQL Server It might appear to be convenient to include the SQL Server databases used by SharePoint in an existing Avamar SQL Server plug-in backup schedule that you use for other SQL Server databases outside of SharePoint. However, there are several disadvantages to SQL Server backups created with the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server. The SQL Server backups: Cannot be used for granular level recovery. Cannot be used for SharePoint disaster recovery. Are not a replacement for a backup with the SharePoint VSS plug-in. For restore of a SharePoint farm or disaster recovery, you need the full backup provided by the SharePoint VSS plug-in. Require extra storage and resources because you are backing up all databases twice: once in the SharePoint VSS plug-in backups for full farm protection and disaster recovery and once with the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server to back up just the databases. Cannot be used for restore of the configuration database and Central Administration content database. 18 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

19 Introduction Microsoft does not recommend using any separate SQL backup tool for SharePoint data protection, so many of these disadvantages are not just specific to Avamar software. The Microsoft white paper, Data protection and recovery for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, available on the Microsoft website, describes the benefits and disadvantages of using a separate SQL Server backup tool. The benefits of using a separate SQL Server backup tool include: Existing SQL Server disaster recovery strategies can be reused. Full and differential backups can be configured with added verification. The backup tool provides a full-fidelity data backup. Backups with the tool can be faster than Office SharePoint Server backups. The disadvantages of using a separate SQL Server backup tool include: The backup tool does not replace the need for a full backup with the SharePoint VSS plug-in. The backup tool cannot be used for a full farm restore. The backup tool is not formally supported by Microsoft. The backup tool does not include front-end web server custom solutions. The backup tool can back up the configuration database and Central Administration content database, but restoring is not supported. The Avamar SharePoint VSS plug-in supports restoring of the configuration and Central administration content database as part of a full farm restore. The backup tool does not back up Internet Information Services (IIS) settings set outside of Office SharePoint Server, including host headers, dedicated IP addresses, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. If using search, you must re-crawl after restoring content because indexes are not backed up in SQL Server. The backup tool should not be used to back up the search database because it cannot be synchronized with the search index. You must manually reattach your databases to the web applications after a recovery. Architecture 19

20 Introduction Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR (optional) The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR provides support for granular level recovery of SharePoint items when used with a supported third-party recovery tool. With the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, you can display SharePoint content and database backups in the Avamar Virtual Drive and then browse the backup and select items for recovery by using a third-party tool, such as Kroll Ontrack. Kroll Ontrack must be purchased separately and is not included in the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS installation package. IMPORTANT Though Avamar supports SharePoint 2013, GLR is not yet available. The Kroll Ontrack PowerControls software which is required for performing the data restore in GLR does not yet support SharePoint Avamar configurations for SharePoint farms Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is available for resale through the EMC Select program. It can be ordered from within the EMC ordering system. The Avamar ordering flow on Direct Express and Channel Express provides the option of selecting PowerControls. For details about the software, go to Powerlink.EMC.com and select Products > EMC Select > Kroll Ontrack to access the Kroll Ontrack landing page. If you intend to perform granular level recovery, install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR on the SharePoint Administrator Console, which is the computer to which you initially restore data before you browse and select the data for granular level recovery. You should also install Kroll Ontrack on the computer. All servers in the SharePoint farm must have the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS installed, but how these Avamar components are installed depends on the roles of each server, the scale of the farm, and whether granular level recovery capabilities are planned. The following sections describe the most common types of installation and configuration: Standalone SharePoint farm on page 21 Standalone SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 22 Distributed SharePoint farm on page 23 Distributed SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 24 Distributed farms can contain multiple WFE servers. WFE servers provide access to SharePoint content on the other SharePoint farm servers, but the WFE servers do not always contain SharePoint content of their own. When you run a backup of a SharePoint farm, Avamar skips any WFE servers that do not contain SharePoint data. As part of your SharePoint farm backup plan, you should back up all SharePoint servers with the Avamar for Windows client to protect the server file system, non-critical volumes, and system state. The Avamar for Windows client backups are required for disaster recovery of each Windows server. 20 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

21 Introduction Standalone SharePoint farm In a standalone SharePoint farm, all of the SharePoint roles reside on one server: the WFE, Search data, and all SharePoint databases. The following figure illustrates the relationship of the Avamar server, Avamar Administrator console, and Avamar installation on the SharePoint standalone server. Architecture 21

22 Introduction Standalone SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery The following figure illustrates the additional installation requirements for granular level recovery support. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR and Kroll Ontrack PowerControls are described in Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR (optional) on page EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

23 Introduction Distributed SharePoint farm In a distributed SharePoint farm, such as the small, medium, or large SharePoint deployments described in Microsoft SharePoint topology on page 14, the SharePoint roles reside on multiple servers. The following figure illustrates the relationship of the Avamar server, Avamar Administrator console, and Avamar installation on multiple SharePoint servers in a distributed farm. Architecture 23

24 Introduction Distributed SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery The following figure illustrates the relationship of the Avamar server, Avamar Administrator console, and Avamar installation on multiple SharePoint servers in a distributed farm, and additional installation requirements for the support of granular level recovery.the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR and Kroll Ontrack PowerControls are described in Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR (optional) on page EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

25 Introduction Using Avamar with Data Domain You can store SharePoint VSS and SQL Server backups on either the Avamar server or on an EMC Data Domain system. By default, backups are stored on the Avamar server. To store backups on a Data Domain system, use Avamar Administrator to configure the Data Domain system for use, then select the Data Domain system during an on-demand backup or when configuring the dataset for a scheduled backup. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides details on how to configure the Data Domain system in Avamar Administrator. The individual backup procedures in this guide provide the steps for selecting the Data Domain system to use. The Data Domain system requires DDOS 5.3 or later to support Remote BLOB Storage. Architecture 25

26 Introduction Backup The backup strategy for a SharePoint farm should include the backup of the entire farm as well as the backup of the operating system, as described in the following topics: Backing up a SharePoint farm on page 26 Backing up the operating system on page 28 Multi-streaming on page 28 Chapter 3, Backup, provides instructions on how to perform on-demand and scheduled backups of the entire farm by using the Avamar plug-in for SharePoint VSS: Backing up an entire SharePoint farm on page 60 Scheduled backups on page 63 A separate backup of most of the SQL Server databases with the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server is possible but not recommended or necessary. Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server (optional) on page 18 describes the limitations and disadvantages of using the Avamar plug-in for SQL Server to back up SharePoint databases, and provides an overview of using the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server. Backing up a SharePoint farm Backup workflow for standalone farms The SharePoint VSS plug-in discovers the topology of the entire farm, which enables you to perform a unified or federated backup and recovery through a single machine in the farm, the main WFE server. The following figure illustrates the backup workflow for a standalone farm, where the single SharePoint server is the WFE server. 26 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

27 Introduction Backup workflow in a distributed farm In a distributed farm, one or more machines can serve as a WFE server. One machine is designated by the SharePoint administrator as the main WFE server. Use the main WFE server for backups and recoveries, as illustrated in the following figure. Backup 27

28 Introduction Backing up the operating system Multi-streaming To perform a complete disaster recovery, for each Windows server in the farm you must back up the entire server, system state, critical volumes, and Active Directory. This backup is provided by the Avamar Client for Windows. In a farm with more than one web front-end server, use the Avamar Client for Windows to protect IIS on the other web front-end machines. The EMC Avamar for Windows Server User Guide provides complete details on performing backups and restores with the Avamar Client for Windows. Multi-streaming enables parallel processing of backup jobs by using multiple processors. You can use as many as six streams. Each stream requires a separate processor. By taking advantage of multi-processors or multi-core processors, you can improve backup performance when storing backups on either the Avamar server or on a Data Domain system. You can configure multi-streaming for group backups by volume or by database. If volumes have varying database sizes, for example, 500 GB on g:\, 100 GB on h:\, and 100 GB on z:\, it takes more time for streams to release the volumes with bigger sizes. For balanced multi-stream backup performance, configure multi-streaming by volumes if all volumes are similar in overall size or configure multi-streaming by database if all databases are similar in size. Do not use multi-streaming for the first full backup of a SharePoint farm. During the first full backup, all of the data is backed up for the first time, and it is scanned for deduplication. Because the first backup is very intensive, the use of multi-streaming adversely affects performance. Subsequent backups can take advantage of multi-streaming since those backups include only incremental changes and data that has not been deduplicated. Multi-streaming places additional demands on computer hardware and resources beyond the base requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. Multi-streaming recommendations on page 41 provides details. Backing up an entire SharePoint farm on page 60 includes details on performing a backup with multi-streaming. 28 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

29 Introduction Backup limitations Review the following limitations when using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to back up a SharePoint environment: You can only back up or restore an individual website, list, or list item as part of the backup or restore of the entire site collection to which it belongs. You can only back up the configuration database or the Central Administration content database of a SharePoint farm as part of the backup or restore of the entire farm. These databases are special databases that must be backed up or restored with everything (all content databases). A backup of these components provides a snapshot that can be useful for troubleshooting. For instance, the backup can be used with SQL Server tools to compare the present state of the components. You cannot use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to back up a SharePoint farm to tape. You cannot use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to back up an IIS metabase. You cannot use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to back up registry keys or files on front-end servers. This content includes files located outside any content database, such as certain master pages,.ascx files, web.config files, and other configuration files. However, to back up this content, you can use the Avamar Client for Windows, which includes these in a full Windows Server backup, or the WSS development kit. Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR is for recovery only When you install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, it appears in the list of plug-ins when you browse for backups. However, there is no checkbox to select this plug-in for backup because the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR is for recovery only. When you perform granular level recovery, it uses backups created with the Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in. Browsing to specify backups fails when using an SQL alias over Named Pipes Currently, Avamar cannot browse clients when you use an SQL alias over Named Pipes. When you try to browse the SharePoint client in the Avamar Administrator Backup and Restore window to select a client or databases for backup, Avamar displays an error message similar to the following: Client refused browse request Unable to resolve IP address for back-end client: <SHAREPOINT_CLIENT_NAME> You can resolve this issue by using the SQL Server Client Network Utility to change the SQL alias from type Named Pipes to TCP/IP. Consult Microsoft documentation for information on using the SQL Server Client Network Utility. Backup 29

30 Introduction Backup might fail when farm servers have multiple NICs or IP addresses A backup might fail when web front-end or back-end servers have multiple NICs, multiple IP addresses, or both, such as when network load balancing is used. Network load balancing might cause the back-end client to see the Web front-end client's secondary IP address instead of the primary IP address. Avamar might report an error similar to the following: Client refused browse request Unable to connect to the back-end client '<MACHINENAME>', error code: 2 Please ensure that the Back-end backup agent is running. If this error occurs, it can be fixed by adding an avagent.cmd file and adding persistent routes through the windows command line to both clients: 1. Add avagent.cmd file with --netbind=<ip address of primary NIC interface> on both clients. 2. Add persistent routes through the Windows command line on both clients. Add routes for outgoing traffic to both each client and to the Avamar grid to exit only the primary NIC interface. NTFS softlinks are skipped by default in Windows VSS backups Avamar Windows file system backups with the Avamar Client for Windows skip NTFS softlinks, also known as symbolic links or symlinks. In addition, if an Exchange, SharePoint, or Windows server is configured to save either database files or log files to a softlink path, the backups fail. EMC plans to fix this in a future release. Avamar does make an exception, as noted in Backing up a single directory or file on a mount point, directory junction, or directory softlink on page 30. Backing up a single directory or file on a mount point, directory junction, or directory softlink Avamar supports the backup and restore of individual files and directories on the following: Mount point Directory junction Directory softlink This support is only for local file systems; not for network drives. Re-create the mount point, directory junction, or directory softlink before performing the restore. The content is restored to the original location as long as the mount point, directory junction, or directory softlink exists. If it does not exist, Avamar creates a directory path matching the backup path and the content is restored to a local directory with the link name. Restore The following restore options are available when you perform regular backups as described in Backup on page 26: Restore the SharePoint farm or components to the original location Restore the SharePoint farm or components to a different location Perform granular level recovery of SharePoint items 30 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

31 Introduction Restoring to the original location When you use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to perform regular backups of the entire SharePoint farm, you can directly restore the entire farm or one or more of its components to the original location. The following figure illustrates the restore of a standalone SharePoint farm. The following figure illustrates a federated restore of a distributed SharePoint farm. The following topics provide instructions for restoring to the original location: Restoring an entire farm to its original location on page 80 Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82 Restore 31

32 Introduction Restoring to a different location You can restore an entire SharePoint farm or one or more of its components to another server or to a different directory on the same server, as shown in the following figure. This enables you to use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to restore content without directly overwriting existing content in the production SharePoint server databases. Restoring to a different location on page 84 provides instructions for restoring to a different location. 32 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

33 Introduction Granular level recovery A standard recovery allows you to recover databases or entire farms. Using standard recovery techniques to restore individual SharePoint items can take a long time and use a lot of resources because you cannot select and restore a file, object, or items at a granular level. You must restore entire farms or databases. Individual databases in real world use can easily range from hundreds of bytes or gigabytes to several terabytes. If you want to restore a few files, directories, or items, this process can take a lot of time and resources and affect SharePoint performance if the data is restored to the original farm or a folder on the original server. The restore process can require the following types of resources: Time, network, and processors to copy the backup set to the recovery location. Disk space to stage and store the recovered data. Hardware resources to open the restored databases and then locate the items to restore. Avamar granular level recovery, used with an optional third-party recovery tool like Kroll Ontrack PowerControls, can significantly reduce the time, resources, and space needed to recover individual items, files, or folders. With the Windows SharePoint GLR feature, the backup dataset is mounted to the Avamar Virtual Drive. The Avamar Virtual Drive enables you to browse the contents of the backup without physically moving any files, folders, or databases. It only takes Avamar a minute or two to recover the contents to the mounted virtual drive. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is available for resale through the EMC Select program. It can be ordered from within the EMC ordering system. The Avamar ordering flow on Direct Express and Channel Express provides the option of selecting PowerControls. For details about the software, go to Powerlink.EMC.com and select Products > EMC Select > Kroll Ontrack to access the Kroll Ontrack landing page. With these tools, Avamar only has to copy and move the items you want to restore, not entire databases or farms. The process of granular level recovery involves the following steps: 1. In Avamar Administrator, you locate the backup that contains the items you want to restore, and then you perform the restore. 2. When you open Kroll Ontrack PowerControls and the recovery wizard prompts you for the location of the mounted virtual drive. In Kroll Ontrack PowerControls, you locate and select the items you want to restore. 3. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls sends your request to the Avamar server, to restore the items you selected. Up to this point, you have only been viewing a virtual mounted drive. No databases have been moved. 4. The Avamar server receives the restore request and restores the selected items to the alternate location (farm or server). It is at this step in the process that actual files are copied and transferred. Since the dataset actually retrieved is limited to the items you want, and not a complete database or farm, the impact on resources (memory, network, processor, disk space, and SharePoint performance) is considerably reduced. Restore 33

34 Introduction The following figure illustrates the granular level recovery process. 34 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

35 Introduction Performing granular level recovery on page 87 provides detailed steps for performing granular level recovery. Restore limitations Disaster recovery The following sections describes known issues and limitations for restore operations. Restore of SQL databases from multiple SQL instances on the same physical machine Currently, when you attempt to restore multiple SQL databases in two or more instances on the same physical machine, only databases in one instance are restored. The databases in the other instances are not restored, and web navigations or requests for content in those databases results in errors such as FILE NOT FOUND or FORBIDDEN. This issue can be resolved by performing recoveries of the databases again, one SQL instance at a time. Restore over locked files incorrectly appears to be successful When you attempt to perform a redirected restore over files that are locked, such as restoring over database files, the restore shows that it completed successfully, but the files are not restored. Disaster recovery is required when a catastrophic physical or software event occurs, damaging major or all parts of a SharePoint farm. For example, a catastrophic event can be any of the following: Fire, water, flood, heat, or electrical damage to the physical machines or site. Data corruption. Virus infection of all or parts of the farm. These events can be the result of natural or man-made disasters. You cannot prevent many of these events, so your best recourse is to be prepared for them. In a SharePoint disaster recovery, you must rebuild many or all servers, reinstall SharePoint, configure each server for its farm role, and restore the SharePoint data, configuration, or databases on each server. The following recommendations are not intended to replace a good disaster recovery plan, but rather to outline considerations beyond good backup practices with Avamar. SharePoint disaster recovery requires extensive knowledge of SharePoint installation and configuration. Understand SharePoint technology, architecture, and data protection strategies Keep up-to-date with SharePoint technology knowledge as well as the software versions, service packs, and update levels installed on your SharePoint farms. SharePoint backup and recovery requires very specific sequences and synchronization. Disaster recovery 35

36 Introduction Develop a comprehensive backup plan Microsoft provides comprehensive information in the TechNet white paper Data protection and recovery for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, To ensure that you have all of the necessary backups and information needed to perform a complete disaster recovery of a SharePoint environment, you must develop a comprehensive backup strategy to protect each component in the environment as well as the entire farm structure. There are many good resources on the web for disaster planning, from protecting small server farms to large global data centers. A disaster plan can include: Plans for alternate physical sites and equipment for rebuilding the servers, farms, or sites Identification of key people and resources, who have the required skills and knowledge, as well sufficient administration levels Documentation of physical hardware requirements, network configurations, and software versions Location and safekeeping of all installation media required for reinstalling the operating systems and applications Perform regular full operating system and SharePoint farm backups Avamar software plays an integral part in disaster recovery, by providing full system (server operating system, system state, and volumes) backups with the Avamar Client for Windows, as well as application backups with the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS and Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server. Disaster Recovery on page 93 provides information on using Avamar software for backup and restore of a SharePoint farm, whether it be a standalone farm with all SharePoint roles on one server, or a distributed farm with separate WFE, application, and database servers. Preparing for disaster recovery on page 94 describes how to use Avamar software as part of your comprehensive backup strategy. Prepare for disaster recovery by performing regular backups of all computers with Avamar Client for Windows and regular backups of SharePoint data and configuration of each computer in the SharePoint farm with the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS and Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server. Performing disaster recovery on page 101 describes how to rebuild and restore the environment from Avamar backups. There are many parts of the recovery process that require extensive knowledge and use of Microsoft SharePoint technology and tools. Microsoft provides detailed information on the entire disaster recovery process, as well as their recommended best practices, in Data protection and recovery for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, 36 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

37 CHAPTER 2 Installation The following topics explain how to install and configure Avamar client and plug-in software on a supported SharePoint server in either standalone or high-availability configurations: System requirements Installation road map Installing and running the Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows Installing the Avamar Client for Windows Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Fixing Microsoft SharePoint VSS Writer installation errors Changing the installation type Two-node cluster installation task list Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls Upgrading the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Uninstalling the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Installation 37

38 Installation System requirements Supported configurations The following topics list the system requirements for Avamar in a SharePoint environment: Supported configurations on page 38 VSS snapshot volume requirements on page 39 Hardware requirements on page 39 Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR requirements on page 39 Multi-streaming recommendations on page 41 Database requirements on page 42 Required account privileges on page 43 The following table lists the SharePoint environments supported by the Avamar plug-in. Table 4 Avamar client or plug-in required for SharePoint environments SharePoint version Operating system SharePoint 2013 Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 SharePoint 2010 SP1 Windows Server 2012 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, SP2 SharePoint 2007 SP2, SP3 Windows Server 2008 SP2 (x64) Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, SP2 Unsupported configurations The EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix, also available from EMC Online Support, provides the most up-to-date and accurate listing of supported SharePoint versions and operating systems. Windows Small Business Server not supported The Avamar software does not support backup and recovery of Windows Small Business Server. Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint Server installations on same machine not supported The Avamar software does not support Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SharePoint Server installed on the same machine. This configuration is not supported by Microsoft, and Microsoft best practices advise to install these roles on separate machines. Hardware providers are not supported All Avamar VSS-based backup operations use the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy provider, also known as the Microsoft system provider. Hardware providers are not supported. 38 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

39 Installation VSS snapshot volume requirements The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to take snapshot copies of data for backups. The Microsoft VSS framework allows up to 64 volumes in a VSS snapshot. When creating a dataset, do not include more than 64 volumes. If more than 64 volumes are included in a snapshot, backup fails and the Avamar event log lists the error: VSS_E_MAXIMUM_NUMBER_OF_VOLUMES_REACHED. The VSS framework also limits the number of shadow copies to 64 per volume. If the number of shadow copies in a volume exceeds 64, backup fails and the Avamar event log lists the error: VSS_E_MAXIMUM_NUMBER_OF_SNAPSHOTS_REACHED. Hardware requirements The following table lists the hardware requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. Table 5 Hardware requirements Requirement Memory (RAM) File systems Minimum 2 GB NTFS Notice: You must convert FAT 16 and 32 systems to NTFS. Network interface 10BaseT minimum; 100BaseT or higher recommended, configured with latest drivers for the platform. Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR requirements The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR places additional demands on computer hardware and resources beyond the base requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. The following topics describe the requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR. Memory The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR may require additional memory (RAM). The amount of additional or total memory required depends on the current system performance with the existing memory: If resources are already strained and performance is slow with regular operations of the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, then add significantly more memory to support SharePoint granular level recovery operations. If performance is currently adequate with regular operations of the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, then additional memory may not be required to support SharePoint granular level recovery operations. Third-party recovery tools may require additional memory. Consult the documentation for the tool for specific memory requirements. System requirements 39

40 Installation Database size SharePoint 2010 SP1 and 2013 support Content Databases up to 4 TB, and the Avamar software supports databases up to the maximums allowed by SharePoint. However, the maximum database sizes recommended by Microsoft for rapid backup and recovery are 200 GB for SharePoint 2010 and 2013, and 100 GB for SharePoint The Microsoft TechNet articles, Capacity Management for SharePoint Server 2010 at and Database maintenance (Office SharePoint Server 2007) at provide more information about sizing databases for best performance. Third-party recovery tool A third-party recovery tool, such as Kroll Ontrack, is required to browse and restore individual items from the data restored to the Administrator Console with the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. Kroll Ontrack must be purchased separately and is not included in the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS installation package. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is available for resale through the EMC Select program. It can be ordered from within the EMC ordering system. The Avamar ordering flow on Direct Express and Channel Express provides the option of selecting PowerControls. For details about the software, go to Powerlink.EMC.com and select Products > EMC Select > Kroll Ontrack to access the Kroll Ontrack landing page. IMPORTANT Though Avamar supports SharePoint 2013, GLR is not yet available. The Kroll Ontrack PowerControls software which is required for performing the data restore in GLR does not yet support SharePoint The EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix, available from EMC Online Support ( provides the most up-to-date and accurate listing of supported third-party recovery tools. Mapped network drive Granular level recovery requires the creation of an Avamar Virtual Drive, which appears as a local drive in folder windows, such as Windows Explorer. If another user or user session has mapped a network drive within a user session on a client machine, the Avamar software cannot detect those drive mappings when assigning a drive letter for the Avamar Virtual Drive. If you select a drive letter that is already mapped during SharePoint granular level recovery, then the folder view of the drives shows the mapped network drive. The drive letter assignment for the Avamar Virtual Drive is not visible. To prevent this from occurring, use a drive letter that you know is not in use when you specify the drive letter for the Avamar Virtual Drive during the recovery. If the Z drive is already mapped to a network drive, do not use the default value of slash (/) because that causes the Avamar Virtual Drive to map to the Z:\ drive. If you notice the drive mapping issue after you create the Avamar Virtual Drive, then disconnect the conflicting network mapping in the granular level recovery sessions where it does not appear. The Avamar Virtual Drive then appears. 40 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

41 Installation Multi-streaming recommendations Multi-streaming places additional demands on computer hardware and resources beyond the base requirements for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. In addition, there are several configuration recommendations for multi-streaming. Multi-streaming hardware and software requirements The following table lists the hardware and software recommendations for multi-streaming. Table 6 Multi-streaming hardware and software recommendations Requirement CPU Memory (RAM) Hard disks Network adapter Description At least one processor core per stream 48 GB or more 1 disk drive for operating system/sharepoint common files Separate disk drive or RAID drive group for each large SharePoint content database 7200 RPM or faster disk drives 1 GB Operating system Windows Server bit w/sp2 or later (SharePoint 2010 and 2013 requirement) SharePoint database Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 or later (SharePoint 2010 and 2013 requirement) Multi-streaming SharePoint configuration requirements When you configure multi-streaming for a backup, you can group by database or by volume. Regardless of whether you group by database or by volume, do not use multi-streaming for the first full backup of a SharePoint farm. Multi-streaming on page 28 provides more information about the differences between grouping by database or by volume and the performance issues with using multi-streaming on the first full backup. Multi-streaming requirements when grouping by database When you group by database, perform the following to ensure that the SharePoint configuration meets the multi-streaming requirements: Split large databases so that all databases are relatively close in size. For example, if you have a 200 GB database, then move some site collections to new databases and create four 50 GB databases instead. Distribute larger databases to separate disks. For example, if there are six 50 GB databases on the same disk drive, then redistribute each database to a separate disk drive. System requirements 41

42 Installation Multi-streaming requirements when grouping by volume When you group by volume, perform the following to ensure that the SharePoint configuration meets the multi-streaming requirements: Ensure that each volume is on its own disk drive spindle. Balance the total database size on each volume to be as equal as possible. For example, consider the following four drives: Multi-streaming Avamar configuration requirements Drive 1 is 110 GB and holds Application and Administrative databases. Drive 2 is 105 GB and holds Content_Database_01. Drive 3 is 115 GB and holds Content_Database_02a. Drive 4 is 108 GB and holds Content_Database_02b. When you specify multi-streaming options for a backup, specify a maximum of one backup stream for each disk in the backup set. For example: If you back up two databases with each database on its own disk, you can specify a maximum of two streams. If you back up two databases with each database and its logs on two disks (for a total of four disks), you can specify a maximum of four streams. Database requirements The Microsoft SharePoint documentation provides a list of SQL Server versions that SharePoint supports. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS supports all SQL Server versions that SharePoint supports. IMPORTANT Full farm recovery and disaster recovery requires a full backup provided by the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. You cannot use a backup from the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server. Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server (optional) on page 18 provides more information about the advantages and disadvantages of using the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server for SharePoint database backups. If you plan to use the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server to back up SharePoint databases, then review the EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix, available from EMC Online Support at for a list of SQL Server versions that the SQL Server plug-in supports. You can use the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server to back up all databases in the environment except for the search database. The Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server backup does not include the search index file, which must be synchronized with the search database backup so that they can both be restored together. In addition, the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS only performs full backups of SharePoint SQL content databases. A full backup does not manage SQL log file truncation. To work around this limitation, set the SQL databases to Simple Recovery Model so that log truncation is not necessary. 42 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

43 Installation Required account privileges The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS agent service and the SharePoint administrator must be run with the same domain account. In addition, to perform a federated farm restore, which is a full farm restore of a distributed farm, you must have domain-level administrator access. Typically, the Administrator account you used when installing and configuring the SharePoint farm is a member of the Administrators group on each server, and can be used as a valid account for the federated restore. If you use a different administrator account other than the one you used to install SharePoint, you must do both of the following: Add the SharePoint Administrator account to the Domain Administrators group. Assign the Log on as a service right to the SharePoint Administrator account on each server that runs any of the SharePoint services. This setting is specified in Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Log on as a service. Avamar Backup Agent service runs as LocalSystem Services and writers The Avamar Backup Agent service must be running as LocalSystem on all machines. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS relies on several services and writers to complete backup and recovery operations. Usually, when the SharePoint farm is running normal operations, all of the needed services and writers are running. However, if a needed writer or service is not running, backup or recovery operations may fail. The writer or service may have been stopped because a server was taken offline, it crashed, or maintenance operations are being performed. The following list of services and writers are required for Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS plug-in operations. Each of these may be on a different machine if in a federated environment. This list may be useful for troubleshooting backup or recovery failures: Table 7 Services and writers used by Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS (page 1 of 2) Microsoft application SharePoint 2013 Service or writer name SqlServer Writer OSearch15 VSS Writer SharePoint Services Writer System requirements 43

44 Installation Table 7 Services and writers used by Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS (page 2 of 2) Microsoft application SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2007 SQL Server Service or writer name SharePoint 2010 Administration (SPAdminV4) SharePoint 2010 Timer (SPTimerV4) SharePoint Foundation Search V4 (SPSearch4) SharePoint Server Search 14 (OSearch14) SharePoint 2010 VSS Writer (SPWriterV4) Windows SharePoint Services Administration (SPAdmin) Windows SharePoint Services Timer (SPTimerV3) Windows SharePoint Services Search (SPSearch) Office SharePoint Server Search (OSearch) Windows SharePoint Services VSS Writer (SPWriter) SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) SQL Server VSS Writer (SQLWriter) Installation road map The installation and configuration of Avamar software in a SharePoint environment depends on the type of farm, and whether the granular level recovery feature and optional third-party recovery tool are installed. The following topics provide an overview of the common types of installation, including diagrams of the client and plug-in installations by SharePoint farm type and roles: Standalone SharePoint farm on page 21 Distributed SharePoint farm on page 23 To install the necessary Avamar software to back up and restore a SharePoint environment: 1. Install and configure Microsoft SharePoint for standalone server or distributed server farm deployment, following the respective Microsoft guidelines for the selected deployment type. 2. (Optional) Install and run the Avamar Config Checker to verify that your Windows and SharePoint setups are properly configured for backup and recovery when using the Avamar software, as described in Installing and running the Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows on page Install the Avamar Client for Windows on every server in the SharePoint farm, as described in Installing the Avamar Client for Windows on page Install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on every server in the SharePoint farm, as described in Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on page 48. If you intend to perform granular level recovery, then select the option to install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR as well as the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on the SharePoint Administrator Console, which is the computer you will use to browse and select the data for granular level recovery. 44 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

45 Installation When you restore, the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS must be installed on the target, or destination servers. If you restore to the same location/server, the client and plug-in should already be installed because that software enabled you to perform the backups. However, if you restore to a different location, ensure the client and plug-in are installed on those servers. 5. If you intend to perform granular level recovery, then install the third-party recovery tool, such as Kroll Ontrack, on the Administrator Console, as described in Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls on page 56. Kroll Ontrack must be purchased separately and is not included in the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS installation package. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is available for resale through the EMC Select program. It can be ordered from within the EMC ordering system. The Avamar ordering flow on Direct Express and Channel Express provides the option of selecting PowerControls. For details about the software, go to Powerlink.EMC.com and select Products > EMC Select > Kroll Ontrack to access the Kroll Ontrack landing page. 6. If you plan to back up the SQL Server databases in the environment with the Avamar Plug-in for SQL Server, then install the plug-in on the database servers following the instructions in the EMC Avamar for SQL Server User Guide. 7. In some standalone installations, the SQL Server VSS Writer service might be in a disabled or stopped state after you install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. Without this service running, backups and recoveries might fail. Before you perform a backup, check Services.msc to verify that the SQL Server VSS Writer service is enabled and set to automatic. 8. Prepare the SharePoint standalone server or distributed server farm and its related components for disaster recovery, as discussed in Preparing for disaster recovery on page 94. Installing and running the Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows The Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows is an optional tool that you can use before or after Avamar client and plug-in installation. You can use the Config Checker to verify that your setup is properly configured for backup and recovery when using the Avamar software. This section provides an overview of the Config Checker and instructions on how to download and install it. The EMC Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows Supplemental Notes provides complete instructions for running and uninstalling the Config Checker, as well as examples of HTML results files. Installing and running the Avamar Config Checker for Microsoft Windows 45

46 Installation The Config Checker checks and captures configuration errors that can lead to failure in the Avamar installation, data backup, or data recovery for the following: Application host (operating system environment) Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft Exchange Microsoft SQL Microsoft Hyper-V The Config Checker is supported on only English operating systems. The Config Checker runs in the following modes: Preinstall mode: If Avamar software is not installed. If upgrading from an older version of Avamar software to a newer version. Postinstall mode: If Avamar software is already installed and the same release of Avamar software is selected when running the Config Checker. To install the Avamar Config Checker: 1. Log in to the computer where the software will be installed. On Windows Vista platforms, you must log in as Administrator. 2. Open a web browser and type the following URL: where AVAMARSERVER is the network hostname as defined in DNS or the IP address of the Avamar server. You are redirected to the Avamar secure web server. 3. If a security alert dialog box appears due to browser security settings, click Yes or OK to allow redirection to the Avamar secure web server. The Secure Log On page appears. 4. Scroll down and then click the Documents and Downloads hyperlink. The Documents and Downloads page appears. 5. Locate the link for the correct operating system for the client computer, and then click the corresponding install package: Windows for x86 (32 bit) > Avamar_ConfigChecker_win_x86.zip or Windows for x86 (64 bit) > Avamar_ConfigChecker_win_x64.zip 6. Save the install package, unzip the folder, and then run the installation program. 46 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

47 Installation Installing the Avamar Client for Windows To install the Avamar Client for Windows: 1. Log in to the client computer with an account that has Administrator privileges. 2. Open a web browser and go to the following URL: where AVAMARSERVER is the network hostname (as defined in DNS) or IP address of the Avamar system. You are automatically redirected to the Avamar secure web server. Depending on the browser security settings, a security alert dialog box might appear. 3. If a security alert dialog box appears, click Yes or OK to allow redirection to the Avamar secure web server. The Secure Log On page appears. 4. Page down and then click the Documents and Downloads hyperlink. The Documents and Downloads page appears. 5. Click the Windows for x86 (64 bit) operating system hyperlink. A directory listing appears. 6. Select the AvamarClient-windows-x86_64-VERSION.msi install package, where VERSION is the client version that you are installing. The browser prompts you to either run the file or save it to the local computer. 7. Start the installer by using one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether the User Account Control (UAC) feature is enabled on the computer: If UAC is disabled, open the file in place on the server or download the file to a temporary directory on the computer, and then open the file. If UAC is enabled, perform the following steps: a. In Windows, right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator. b. In the command prompt window, change the working directory to the location of the installation package: cd INSTALL_PATH where INSTALL_PATH is the full path of the temporary directory that contains the installation package. c. On a single line, type the following command to launch the installer: msiexec /i AvamarClient-windows-x86_64-VERSION.msi where VERSION is the version number of the available install package. Installing the Avamar Client for Windows 47

48 Installation UAC is designed to provide additional operating system security by preventing software from being installed with administrator privileges, unless an administrator authorizes the elevated privileges. The installation wizard appears. 8. Follow the instructions to proceed through the wizard. 9. Click Finish. Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS To install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS: 1. Log in to the client computer with the same domain account that you use for the SharePoint administrator. This account is used for the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS agent service and must be the same domain account as the SharePoint administrator account. 2. Open a web browser and go to the following URL: where AVAMARSERVER is the network hostname (as defined in DNS) or IP address of the Avamar system. You are automatically redirected to the Avamar secure web server. Depending on the browser security settings, a security alert dialog box might appear. 3. If a security alert dialog box appears, click Yes or OK to allow redirection to the Avamar secure web server. The Secure Log On page appears. 4. Page down and then click the Documents and Downloads hyperlink. The Documents and Downloads page appears. 5. Click the Windows for x86 (64 bit) operating system hyperlink. A directory listing appears. 6. Select the AvamarMossVSS-windows-x86_x64-VERSION.msi install package, where VERSION is the version number of the package. The browser prompts you to either run the file or save it to the local computer. 48 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

49 Installation 7. Start the installer by using one of the following sets of steps, depending on whether the UAC feature is enabled on the computer: If UAC is disabled, open the file in place on the server or download the file to a temporary directory on the computer, and then open the file. If UAC is enabled, perform the following steps: a. In Windows, right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator. b. In the command prompt window, change the working directory to the location of the installation package: cd INSTALL_PATH where INSTALL_PATH is the full path of the temporary directory that contains the installation package. c. On a single line, type the following command to launch the installer: msiexec /i AvamarMossVSS-x86_x64-VERSION.msi where VERSION is the version number of the available install package. UAC is designed to provide additional operating system security by preventing software from being installed with administrator privileges, unless an administrator authorizes the elevated privileges. The EMC Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS Setup Wizard appears. 8. Follow the instructions in the wizard. A Windows security dialog box might appear during installation, indicating a possible security risk because of an unsigned driver or device. The exact message can vary, depending on the version of Windows you are installing this on. The message might identify the software publisher EldoS Corporation. If this message appears, click Install or Install this driver software anyway. Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS 49

50 Installation 9. If you intend to perform granular level recovery and the server on which you are running the installation is the Administrator Console, then select the SharePoint GLR plug-in when the wizard displays this option, as shown in the following figure. For full SharePoint granular level recovery functionality, in addition to installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, you must purchase and install a third-party granular level recovery tool such as Kroll Ontrack PowerControls. Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls on page 56 provides more information about ordering the software and which machines in the Avamar and SharePoint farm environments it must be installed on. 10. When the Select the type of installation page appears, select the type of SharePoint server on which you are installing the plug-in: If the server is the main WFE server in a distributed farm, or the sole SharePoint server in a standalone farm, select Front-end plug-in. If there is more than one WFE, select the Front-end plug-in option for only one WFE. If the server is an application server, database server, or another WFE, select Back-end plug-in. The following figure illustrates the Select type of installation page. 50 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

51 Installation 11. Click Finish. Fixing Microsoft SharePoint VSS Writer installation errors During the installation of the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, an error message might appear, stating that the Microsoft SharePoint VSS Writer failed to register. This can occur when a machine has been unregistered from the farm prior to installation and was not re-registered. If this occurs, you can fix this after completing the installation wizard. You can use the Microsoft Stsadm tool to fix this. This tool is located on the drive where SharePoint is installed, typically: %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\bin for SharePoint %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\microsoft shared\web server extensions\14\bin for SharePoint %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\microsoft shared\web server extensions\15\bin for SharePoint To use this tool, you must be an administrator on the local computer. Run the command by typing the following text on a command line: stsadm.exe -o registerwsswriter Microsoft TechNet provides documentation on using this tool in Stsadm command-line tool (Office SharePoint Server) at Fixing Microsoft SharePoint VSS Writer installation errors 51

52 Installation Changing the installation type After you install the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, you can change the mode of a SharePoint machine from front-end to back-end or back-end to front-end. You might need to change the mode if you change which server is your main WFE or you specified the wrong mode for a server during installation. To change the installation type: 1. On the server for which you want to change the installation type, open the Windows Control Panel. 2. Click Programs and Features. 3. Select the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, and then click Change. The setup wizard appears. 4. Click Next. The Change, repair, or remove installation page appears. 5. Click Change. 6. Select Front-end plug-in or Back-end plug-in, and then click Next. 7. Complete the remaining steps in the wizard. Two-node cluster installation task list To install the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS in a Windows cluster, complete the following tasks: 1. Installing the Avamar Client for Windows on page Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on page Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters on page 52. The Avamar Client for Windows Clusters is separate software from the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS plug-in. You must install both for Windows cluster configurations. Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters You configure the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters only on the active node of the cluster. The following instructions assume that you have installed the Avamar Client for Windows and the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on all nodes of the cluster. Installing the Avamar Client for Windows on page 47 and Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on page 48 provide instructions. 52 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

53 Installation To configure the cluster client: 1. Log in to the active node in the Windows cluster. Before you configure a Windows cluster by using the Avamar Cluster Configuration tool, ensure that the WFE is activated and registered to the Avamar server. 2. From the C:\Program Files\avs\bin directory, double-click AvamarClusterConfiguration.exe. The Setup - Cluster Backup Agent for Windows dialog box appears. 3. Complete the settings as described in the following table. Table 8 Cluster Backup Agent for Windows settings (page 1 of 3) Setting Choose a Group for Install or Update Description Select the correct cluster group, on which you want to install this software, from this list box. Group resources Network name for backup agent communication Select the network name to use for Avamar client and server communication. Note: This list contains all network names (hostnames) assigned to the cluster group. Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters 53

54 Installation Table 8 Cluster Backup Agent for Windows settings (page 2 of 3) Setting Shared volume for backup agent configuration and log files Description Select the shared external storage drive on which to install this software. Note: This list contains all shared external storage drives assigned to this cluster group. Var folder Specify the path to a shared network folder where the configuration and log files are to be placed. If a shared volume is available, this field is automatically filled in by default. Type the UNC path or click Browse to specify an existing folder, or click Share Dir to create a shared folder. Note: All nodes of the cluster must have write access to the shared network folder. Registration Do not register client now Administrator server host name or IP address Administrator server listen data port Backup domain for this client Override automatic backup client name with this name Select to prevent client registration with the Avamar server. If you select this, you must manually register and activate the client before you can back up any data. Type the Administrator server network hostname as defined in DNS. Use the default data port of for Avamar client-server communication unless you are using a different data port. Consult the Avamar system administrator for the specific data port to use when registering this client. Type the name of the Avamar domain for this client. The default domain is clients. However, the Avamar system administrator might have defined other domains and subdomains. Consult the Avamar system administrator for the specific domain to use when registering this client. If typing a subdomain (for example, clients/myclients), do not include a slash (/) as the first character. A slash as the first character causes an error and prevents you from registering this client. To use a name other than the cluster group name, type another name in this field for this Avamar backup client. 54 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

55 Installation Table 8 Cluster Backup Agent for Windows settings (page 3 of 3) Setting Description Plug-ins Install following plug-ins Displays all plug-ins currently installed that will work on clusters. Usually, changing the defaults is not necessary. To prevent Avamar from using a particular plug-in, select it and click Remove. To reload the complete list of plug-ins that were displayed when you opened this window, click Set All. Note: The plug-in avmossvss.pin must be included in this list. Cluster nodes Perform installation on following nodes Displays a list from Windows cluster services of all nodes that are part of the cluster. Usually, changing the defaults is not necessary. If there is a node on the cluster that you do not want the cluster backup agent service installed on, select the item and then click Remove. To reload the complete list of nodes that are part of this cluster, click Set All. 4. Click Configure. If you are not an administrator, you might be prompted for credentials to run the Avamar service. When the installation completes, the Info confirmation dialog box appears. 5. Click OK. The Configure button in the setup dialog box is unavailable. 6. If the folder specified by the Var folder option is on a network share, start the backup cluster agent from an account that has full access permissions to the folder where Avamar log files are written. Configuring the Avamar Client for Windows Clusters 55

56 Installation Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR enables you to recover a backup to the Avamar Virtual Drive. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is a third-party tool that enables you to browse the Avamar Virtual Drive to select items and restore them to any of the following: A server in the farm where the backup was performed. A server outside of the farm where the backup was performed. A server that does not host SharePoint or SQL services. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls must be purchased separately and is not included in the Avamar SharePoint VSS client installation package. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls is available for resale through the EMC Select program. It can be ordered from within the EMC ordering system. The Avamar ordering flow on Direct Express and Channel Express provides the option of selecting PowerControls. For details about the software, go to Powerlink.EMC.com and select Products > EMC Select > Kroll Ontrack to access the Kroll Ontrack landing page. The EMC Avamar Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix, available from EMC Online Support ( provides the most up-to-date and accurate listing of supported third-party recovery tools. Ontrack PowerControls software requirements The setup requirements for Ontrack PowerControls are as follows: Windows Server 2003 or later Any setup that is compatible with Hyper-V or VMware environments Intel Pentium compatible processor 1024 MB RAM minimum Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 For the most up-to-date requirements and instructions for installing Ontrack PowerControls software: Visit the Kroll website at Call Techsupport@krollontrack.com. 56 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

57 Installation Ontrack PowerControls components When performing an item-level or granular recovery by using Ontrack PowerControls, you must install two components: Ontrack PowerControls Ontrack PowerControls Agent for Content Transfer Services (ACTS). These components must be installed on separate servers, as shown in the following table: Table 9 Kroll Ontrack PowerControls installation for SharePoint farms On this type of farm Standalone farm Distributed farm Perform these installations Install the PowerControls software on a server outside of the standalone farm. Install ACTS on the standalone server. Standalone SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 22 illustrates a standalone SharePoint farm with the PowerControls installed. Install the PowerControls software on a server outside of the distributed farm. Install ACTS on the SharePoint server, typically on a central administration machine. Distributed SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 24 illustrates a small distributed farm with the PowerControls installed. ACTS runs a check during the install to ensure it is being installed on the correct machine. Ontrack PowerControls installation settings To enable granular recovery using Ontrack PowerControls, ensure the following: The default port is You can change the port if the default port is already in use. An exception within the firewall is allowed, no matter which port you choose. The machine running Ontrack PowerControls has twice the amount of space of the data that is being restored. This is temporary space and is not used continuously. This space covers the actual file data and all associated metadata fields. The install path is C:\Program Files (x86)\kroll Ontrack\Ontrack PowerControls Agent for Content Transfer Service. The configuration file name is PC.SharePoint.Service.exe.config. The location for the temporary path is <appsettings> <add key="temppath" value="c:\windows\temp\pc" />. The Ontrack documentation on the Ontrack website provides information about installing and using Ontrack PowerControls. Installing Kroll Ontrack PowerControls 57

58 Installation Upgrading the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS To upgrade the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to version 6.1 from an earlier version, run the installation wizard for version 6.1 on the server. You do not need to uninstall earlier versions of the plug-in before you install a new version. Uninstalling the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS To uninstall the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, use the Programs and Features function in the Windows Control Panel. 58 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

59 CHAPTER 3 Backup The following topics describe how to use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to perform on-demand and scheduled backups of SharePoint farms: On-demand backups Scheduled backups Backup 59

60 Backup On-demand backups You can perform an on-demand backup of an entire SharePoint farm either with or without multi-streaming. Multi-streaming enables parallel processing of backup jobs using multiple processors. You can use as many as six streams. Each stream requires a separate processor. By taking advantage of multiple processors, you can improve backup performance when storing backups on either the Avamar server or a Data Domain system. Multi-streaming recommendations on page 41 provides details. The following topics provide an overview of Avamar backups of SharePoint servers, including diagrams of how backups are processed: Backing up a SharePoint farm on page 26 Backup workflow for standalone farms on page 26 Backup workflow in a distributed farm on page 27 The following topic is useful for troubleshooting and understanding backup issues and limitations: Backup limitations on page 29 To prepare for disaster recovery, you must back up additional files and databases. Preparing for disaster recovery on page 94 provides details. Backing up an entire SharePoint farm To perform an on-demand backup of an entire SharePoint farm: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 2. In the clients tree, select the SharePoint server. You cannot view clients outside the domain for the login account. To view all clients, log in to the root domain. 3. Click the Select for Backup tab. A list of plug-ins installed on the selected client appears in the left pane of the Select for Backup tab. 4. Expand the Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in node in the tree on the Select for Backup tab. 60 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

61 Backup 5. Select the checkbox next to the farm to back up, as shown in the following figure. When you select a farm, all of the components in the farm are automatically selected. If you change the selections for individual components, then the backup fails with an error that only full backups are supported. You can only back up an entire farm with the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. 6. Select Actions > Back Up Now. The On Demand Backup Options dialog box appears. On-demand backups 61

62 Backup 7. Select the backup retention setting: To automatically delete this backup from the Avamar server after a specific amount of time, select Retention period and then specify the number of days, weeks, months, or years for the retention period. To automatically delete this backup from the Avamar server on a specific calendar date, select End date and browse to that date on the calendar. To keep this backup for as long as this client remains active in the Avamar server, select No end date. 8. Select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this backup. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for a client/server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 9. Click More Options. The Backup Command Line Options dialog box appears. 10. Select the Show Advanced Options checkbox. Additional options appear in red on the Backup Command Line Options dialog box, as shown in the following figure. 11. Set the plug-in options: a. To write maximum information to log files, select Enable debugging messages. If selected, very large log files are created. b. To store the backups for this dataset on a Data Domain system instead of the Avamar server, select Store backup on Data Domain system and select the Data Domain system from the list. 62 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

63 Backup c. To use multi-streaming: 1. Select the Enable multi-streaming checkbox. 2. From the Maximum number of streams list, select the maximum number of streams to use for the backup. Specify a maximum of one backup stream for each disk in the backup set. For example: If you are backing up two databases with each database on its own disk, then specify a maximum of two streams. If you are backing up two databases with each database and its logs on two disks (for a total of four disks), then specify a maximum of four streams. Note: When using multi-streams by volume, performance will be degraded when backing up with a stream number that does not match the volume number. 3. From the Group by list, select whether to group the backups by Database or by Volume. Plug-in Options on page 105 provides additional information about plug-in options. 12. If you want to specify command line flags, such as those listed in Command line flags on page 107: a. Click More. b. In Enter Attribute, type the flag. c. In Enter Attribute value, type the value, if applicable. d. Click the + button. 13. Click OK to close the Backup Command Line Options dialog box. 14. Click OK to close the On Demand Backup Options dialog box. The following status message appears: Backup initiated. 15. Click OK. Scheduled backups To use the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS to perform scheduled backups of a SharePoint farm: 1. Create a dataset for the backups, as discussed in Creating a dataset on page Create a group for the backups, as discussed in Creating a group on page 67. During the group creation process: a. Assign the new dataset to the new group. b. Assign a schedule to the new group. c. Assign a retention policy to the new group. d. Add the SharePoint server to the new group. Scheduled backups 63

64 Backup 3. Enable scheduling for the group, as discussed in Enabling scheduled backups on page 70. A thorough discussion of groups, group policy, datasets, schedules, and retention policies is beyond the scope of this guide. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides additional information. Creating a dataset To create a dataset for scheduled backups: 1. In Avamar Administrator, select Tools > Manage Datasets. The Manage All Datasets window appears. 2. Click New. The New Dataset dialog box appears. 3. In the Name box, type a name for the dataset. Do not use any of the following characters in the dataset name: ~!@$^%(){}[],`;#\/:*?<>' &. 64 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

65 Backup 4. On the Source Data tab, choose whether the dataset includes data from all plug-ins installed on the client or only specific plug-ins installed on the client: To include data from all plug-ins installed on the client, select Select All Data for All Local Filesystems. To include data from only specific plug-ins installed on the client, select Enter Explicitly. 5. If you chose Enter Explicitly, you can customize the dataset by including a subset of the installed plug-ins: a. To remove a plug-in from the dataset, select the plug-in from the list in the bottom portion of the New Dataset dialog box, and then click - (Remove From List). Repeat this step as necessary. b. To add a plug-in to the dataset, select the plug-in from the Select Plug-In Type list, and then click + (Add to List). Repeat this step as necessary. If you select the Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in, then the All SharePoint VSS Data option is selected by default and cannot be changed. This option indicates that all SharePoint data in the farm is included in the backup with this plug-in. 6. Skip the Exclusions and Inclusions tabs. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS does not support include or exclude lists in datasets. 7. Click the Options tab and set the plug-in options: a. Select the Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in from the Select Plug-In Type list. The plug-in options appear on the Options tab, as shown in the following figure. b. To store the backups for this dataset on a Data Domain system instead of the Avamar server, select Store backup on Data Domain system and select the Data Domain system from the list. Scheduled backups 65

66 Backup c. To use multiple processors to back up multiple targets in parallel, select Enable multi-streaming, and then select the maximum number of streams to use for the backup from the Maximum number of streams list. Specify a maximum of one backup stream for each disk in the backup set. For example: If you are backing up two databases with each database on its own disk, then specify a maximum of two streams. If you are backing up two databases with each database and its logs on two disks (for a total of four disks), then specify a maximum of four streams. d. To specify advanced backup options, select the Show Advanced Options checkbox. Otherwise, proceed to step 8 on page 66. Additional options appear in red on the Options tab in the New Dataset dialog box, as shown in the following figure. e. To write maximum information to log files, select Enable debugging messages. If selected, very large log files are created. f. If you enabled multi-streaming, choose whether to group the backups by Database or by Volume using the Group by list. 8. Click OK to close the New Dataset dialog box. 9. Click OK to close the Manage All Datasets dialog box. 66 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

67 Backup Creating a group To create a group for scheduled backups: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Policy launcher button. The Policy window appears. 2. Select the Groups tab. 3. In the left pane, select the Avamar domain to which the group should belong. 4. Select Actions > New Group. The New Group wizard appears. 5. In the Name box, type a name for the new group. Do not use any of the following characters in the group name: ~!@$^%(){}[],`;#\/:*?<>' &. Scheduled backups 67

68 Backup 6. Clear the Disabled checkbox to use this group to perform scheduled client backups. Selecting the checkbox disables backups for the group. 7. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption method for client/server network communications. This is the method that all clients in the group use unless the method is overridden at the client level. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for any given client-server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 8. Choose whether to use the assigned schedule for the group or override the assigned schedule: To use the assigned schedule, leave the Override Schedule checkbox clear. To override the schedule: 9. Click Next. a. Select Override Schedule. Selecting Override Schedule enables the Skip Next Backup and Run Next Backup Once options. b. Choose whether to skip the next scheduled backup entirely or to perform the next scheduled backup one time only by selecting either Skip Next Backup or Run Next Backup Once. The next New Group wizard screen appears with dataset information. 10. From the Select An Existing Dataset list, select the dataset that you defined during Creating a dataset on page EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

69 Backup 11. Click Next. The next New Group wizard screen appears with schedule information. 12. From the Select An Existing Schedule list, select a schedule for the group. You cannot edit schedules from this screen. Detailed schedule properties are shown so that you can review them prior to making a selection. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides additional information about editing schedule properties. 13. Click Next. The next New Group wizard screen appears with retention policy information. Scheduled backups 69

70 Backup 14. From the Select An Existing Retention Policy list, select a retention policy for the group. You cannot edit retention policies from this screen. Detailed retention policy properties are shown so that you can review them prior to making a selection. The EMC Avamar Administration Guide provides additional information about editing retention policy properties. 15. Click Next. The final New Group wizard screen appears with a tree of domains and clients. Enabling scheduled backups 16. Select the SharePoint server from the client list. 17. Click Finish. The New Group wizard closes and the new group appears in the Policy window. To ensure that the group is enabled for scheduled backups: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Policy launcher button. The Policy window appears. 70 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

71 Backup 2. On the Policy Management tab, select the Groups tab. 3. Select the group that you created in Creating a group on page Select Actions > Group > Disable Group. This clears the Disable Group option on the Actions > Group menu. A confirmation message appears. 5. Click Yes to enable this group. Scheduled backups 71

72 Backup 72 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

73 CHAPTER 4 Restore The following topics explain how to restore data in a SharePoint environment by using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS: SharePoint farm restore workflow Preparing to restore specific components Finding a backup for restore Restoring to the original location Restoring to a different location Performing granular level recovery Restore 73

74 Restore SharePoint farm restore workflow The workflow and restore options vary depending on whether you are recovering to the original location, a different location, or performing a granular level recovery. The following topics provide an overview of each of these types of restore, including diagrams of the workflow and which Avamar components and optional components are used: Restoring to the original location on page 31 Restoring to a different location on page 32 Granular level recovery on page 33 Preparing to restore specific components When you restore certain individual SharePoint components, additional steps may be required to prepare the environment before the restore. The following topics explain how to prepare to restore a deleted web application or search database. Preparing to restore a deleted web application The steps to restore a deleted web application depend on whether you need to restore just the web application data, the data and the web application configuration, or the entire web application and other critical components. Note: To properly restore a search component, the search index flat files and associated search databases must be restored together. If you are restoring only selected web applications or other components, then shut down the web applications or components during the restore. 74 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

75 Restore The following table describes the processes to restore a deleted web application. Table 10 Restore steps for a deleted web application Web application and other SharePoint component status The web application with attributes still exists, and you want to restore only the web application data. The web application has been deleted, but the IIS website and content database still exist. The web application, the IIS website, and the content database were all deleted. Restore steps Restore the deleted web application database using the steps in Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82. You do not need to stop SharePoint or any services. Re-create the deleted web application and attach it to the content database before you restore the web application: 1. Open the SharePoint Central Administration page. 2. On the Applications Management tab, manually re-create the deleted web application. Ensure that all configuration attributes match the original web application environment. You can only restore data to an environment that matches the environment in which the backup was performed. 3. Attach the re-created web application to the appropriate content database. 4. Restore the deleted web application using the steps in Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82. Perform the steps in Restoring the SharePoint farm from the Avamar backup on page 103. Preparing to restore a deleted search database The steps to restore a deleted search database depend on whether you need to restore just the database, the database and the Search Web application, or the database and other critical components. If you are restoring only selected web applications or other components, then shut down the web applications or components during the restore. Preparing to restore specific components 75

76 Restore The following table describes the processes to restore a deleted search database. Table 11 Restore steps for a deleted search database Search database and other SharePoint component status The Search web application with attributes still exists, and you want to restore only the search database. The Search Web application has been deleted, but the IIS website and search database still exist. The Search Web application, the IIS website, and the search database were all deleted. Restore steps Restore the deleted Search Web application using the steps in Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82. You do not need to stop SharePoint or any services. Re-create the deleted Search Web application and attach it to the content database before you restore the web application: 1. Open the SharePoint Central Administration page. 2. On the Applications Management tab, create the Search Service in Manage Search Services. Ensure that all configuration attributes match the original search database environment. You can only restore data to an environment that matches the environment in which the backup was performed. 3. On the Operations tab, re-enable Search Services in Services on Server. 4. On the Applications Management tab, verify that the Office SharePoint Server Search service is running in Manage Search Services. 5. Restore the deleted search database using the steps in Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82. Perform the steps in Restoring the SharePoint farm from the Avamar backup on page 103. Finding a backup for restore You can find Avamar client backups for a restore either by date or by files and folders. Some plug-ins, content, or restore types use only one method to locate backups. When only one method applies, it is noted within the restore procedure. You can only locate and browse SharePoint backups through the primary WFE machine. Though the non-primary WFE machines or other back-end machines may be displayed in the Avamar clients list, you cannot browse them. The following topics provide details on finding a backup for a restore: Finding a backup by date on page 77 How to find a backup by date on page 77 How to find a backup by date on page 77 How to find a backup by file or folder on page EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

77 Restore Finding a backup by date You should locate backups by date when: All SharePoint data to restore is backed up in a single backup set. The exact path or name of the file, folder, or data you want to restore is unknown. The content from a backup you want to restore is before a specific date or event. For example, you know approximately when a file or folder was lost or corrupted, and need to find the last backup before that date. The specific types of backups are known. For example, you run scheduled disaster recovery backups every Wednesday and Saturday night, and you run full volume backups daily. If you need to rebuild a server, you can select the disaster recovery backup with the date closest to the event that caused the loss of data. Finding a backup by file or folder You should locate backups by the specific files or folders contained within each backup when: Each database is backed up in a separate backup set. For example, you know that \\Server_Name\Databases\Database_1 is backed up in one backup set and \\Server_Name\Databases\Database_2 is backed up in another backup set. If you know the content you need is in Database_2, or is the entire Database_2 database, then you can specify the path or browse to the Database_2 folder. You want to see multiple versions of the same file. The date of the backup or what was saved in a backup is unknown, but you know the name of the file or folder. You need to restore a SharePoint database that is no longer in the SharePoint farm, but you know the farm path to the SQL server, machine name, or database to recover. How to find a backup by date To find backups for a restore by date: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 2. In the clients tree, select the SharePoint server. You cannot view clients outside the domain for the login account. To view all clients, log in to the root domain. 3. Click the Select for Restore tab. 4. Click the By Date tab. 5. Select a backup from the calendar: a. Use the year and month navigational arrows to browse to a backup. Dates highlighted by yellow indicate a valid backup was performed on that date. b. Click a date highlighted by yellow. Finding a backup for restore 77

78 Restore A list of backups that were performed on that date appears in the Backups table next to the calendar. 6. Select the backup to restore from the Backups table. The following figure shows: The client bv-moss-test selected. The date of a backup selected, September 30. The backup available on that date in the backup list, MOD #0. The contents of the selected backup, a Farm. How to find a backup by file or folder 7. Select the data to restore from the Contents of Backup pane at the bottom of the Select for Restore tab, as described in the following topics: Restoring an entire farm to its original location on page 80 Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82 Restoring to a different location on page 84 To find a backup by specific files or folders in that backup: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 2. In the clients tree, select the SharePoint server. You cannot view clients outside the domain for the login account. To view all clients, log in to the root domain. 3. Click the Select for Restore tab. 4. Click the By File/Folder tab. 78 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

79 Restore 5. In the Enter path to retrieve history for text box, specify the path by either of the following methods: Type the full path to the client directory or file in the Enter path to retrieve history for text box. or Browse to the file or folder: a. Click Browse. The Select File or Folder window appears. b. Select the client. c. Select the plug-in. A list of folders appears in a table to the right of the plug-ins pane. d. Select the file or folder to restore. e. Click OK. 6. Click Retrieve. The selected file or folder appears in the Enter path to retrieve history for text box. The Version History table lists all versions and sizes for that directory or file that have been backed up from the selected client. 7. Select the directory or file version in the Version History table. All backups for the selected client that contain the selected version appear in the Backups table next to the Version History table. 8. Select the backup to restore from the Backups table. Restoring to the original location 9. Select the data to restore from the Contents of Backup pane at the bottom of the Select for Restore tab, as described in the following topics: Restoring an entire farm to its original location on page 80 Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82 Restoring to a different location on page 84 When you perform backups of a SharePoint farm using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, you can restore either the entire farm or a content database to its original location. The following topics provide details: Restoring an entire farm to its original location on page 80 Restoring a content database to its original location on page 82 If you are restoring an entire federated farm, ensure that the Log on as a service right is assigned to the SharePoint Administrator account on each server that runs any of the SharePoint services, as discussed in Required account privileges on page 43. Restoring to the original location 79

80 Restore Restoring an entire farm to its original location To restore an entire SharePoint farm to its original location using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 2. Find the backup to restore, as discussed in How to find a backup by date on page 77. The backup to restore from is selected in the Backups pane. 3. In the bottom left pane, select the checkbox next to the farm to restore. 4. Select Actions > Restore Now. The Restore Options dialog box appears. The Restore Destination Client box displays the client that you previously selected for recovery. 5. From the Restore Plug-In list, select Windows SharePoint VSS. 80 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

81 Restore 6. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this restore. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for a client/server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 7. Select Restore everything to its original location. 8. If you are recovering to a standalone farm, proceed to step 10. If you are recovering to a distributed SharePoint farm, specify an account for the restore that has administrator rights on all SharePoint clients in the farm: a. Click More Options. The Restore Command Line Options dialog box appears with Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in options. b. Type the username and password for the account in the User name and Password boxes, respectively. Plug-in Options on page 105 provides additional information about plug-in options. 9. If you want to specify command line flags, such as those listed in Command line flags on page 107: a. Click More. b. In Enter Attribute, type the flag. c. In Enter Attribute value, type the value, if applicable. d. Click the + button. e. Click OK. 10. Click OK on the Restore Options dialog box. If a confirmation dialog box appears, click OK. The following status message appears: Restore initiated. 11. Click OK. 12. After the restore completes, restart IIS. Restoring to the original location 81

82 Restore Restoring a content database to its original location You can restore a SharePoint content database to its original location from a backup that you performed with the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. To restore a content database in a SharePoint farm to its original location using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS: 1. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 2. Locate the backup to restore by date, as described in How to find a backup by date on page 77. The backup to restore from is selected in the Backups pane. 3. In the bottom left pane, expand the node for the farm. 4. Expand the SQL Server farm host to display either the SQL instance folder or databases. 5. Select the checkbox next to the content database to restore. 82 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

83 Restore 6. Select Actions > Restore Now. The Restore Options dialog box appears. The Restore Destination Client box displays the client that you previously selected for recovery. 7. From the Restore Plug-In list, select Windows SharePoint VSS. 8. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this restore. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for a client/server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 9. Select Restore everything to its original location. 10. If you are recovering to a standalone farm, proceed to step 11. If you are recovering to a distributed SharePoint farm, specify an account for the restore that has administrator rights on all SharePoint clients in the farm: a. Click More Options. The Restore Command Line Options dialog box appears with Windows SharePoint VSS plug-in options. b. Type the username and password for the account in the User name and Password boxes, respectively. c. Click OK. Restoring to the original location 83

84 Restore 11. Click OK on the Restore Options dialog box. If a confirmation dialog box appears, click OK. The following status message appears: Restore initiated. 12. Click OK. Restoring to a different location When you perform backups of a SharePoint farm using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS, you can restore either the entire farm or individual components to another server s directory or to a different directory on the same server. This enables you to restore content without directly overwriting existing content in the production SharePoint server databases. When you restore, the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS must be installed on the target or destination servers. Installation road map on page 44 provides details on what to install on each server in a SharePoint farm. To restore a SharePoint farm or individual components to a different location using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS: 1. Ensure that the computer to which you are restoring data has enough free space to hold the total size of data you have selected to restore. 2. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 3. Find the backup to restore, as discussed in How to find a backup by date on page 77. The backup to restore from is selected in the Backups pane. 84 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

85 Restore 4. In the bottom left pane, select the farm or component to restore. 5. Select Actions > Restore Now. The Restore Options dialog box appears. The Restore Destination Client box displays the client that you previously selected for recovery. 6. From the Restore Plug-In list, select Windows SharePoint VSS. 7. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this restore. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for a client/server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 8. Select Restore everything to a different location. The Reset Default and Edit Destination buttons are now available. 9. In the Items Marked for Restore box, click Edit Destination to specify the target drive for the restore. The Edit Destination dialog box appears. 10. Specify the target destination in the Destination box. If you leave this field blank or use incorrect syntax, an error occurs. Restoring to a different location 85

86 Restore Click the Browse button. In the Browse for File, Folder, or Directory dialog box, expand Windows File System, select the volume or location, and then click OK, as shown in the following figure. 11. When you have completed the Destination entry in the Edit Destination dialog box, click OK. 12. To specify additional plug-in options, click More Options in the Restore Options dialog box. The Restore Command Line Options Windows SharePoint VSS dialog box appears. 13. Select or clear the desired options where applicable. When restoring to an alternate location, the username credentials are not required. The only option you might want to change is Enable debugging messages, which appears when you select Show Advanced Options. By default, this setting is off because it can create very large log files. Selecting this option might be useful if you are troubleshooting. 14. Click OK to close the Restore Command Line Options dialog box. 15. Click OK to close the Restore Options dialog box. The following status message appears: Restore initiated. 16. Click OK. 86 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

87 Restore Performing granular level recovery With the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, you can use granular level recovery to restore specific content from an Avamar backup of the SharePoint farm without directly overwriting existing content on a production SharePoint server. IMPORTANT Though Avamar supports SharePoint 2013, GLR is not yet available. The Kroll Ontrack PowerControls software which is required for performing the data restore in GLR does not yet support SharePoint Before you perform granular level recovery, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements, installation, and features of the specific components required in addition to the Avamar Client for Windows and Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. The following table lists the sections in this guide that will help you prepare for using granular level recovery. Table 12 Granular level recovery information in this guide This section Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR (optional) on page 20 Distributed SharePoint farm with optional granular level recovery on page 24 Granular level recovery on page 33 Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR requirements on page 39 Installing the Avamar Client for Windows on page 47 Installing the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS on page 48 Provides the following information Describes this optional plug-in and where it should be installed in the SharePoint farm. Illustrates the topology of a SharePoint distributed farm in an Avamar grid, including where the Avamar clients, plug-ins, and Kroll Ontrack PowerControls components are installed on each SharePoint server role. Describes: The advantages of granular level recovery over conventional recoveries. How to obtain information about purchasing and ordering the Kroll Ontrack PowerControls from EMC. Overview of the end-to-end process using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR and Kroll Ontrack PowerControls. Illustrates the granular level recovery process with a diagram that includes information flow and recovery roles of the machines. Describes memory, database size, third-party recovery tool, and Avamar Virtual Drive requirements. Provides the steps for installing the Avamar client for Windows. This client must be installed on all servers in the SharePoint farm before installing the Avamar plug-in for SharePoint. Provides the steps for installing the SharePoint plug-in after installing the Avamar client for Windows. The Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR is an installation option within the Avamar plug-in for SharePoint, but is required for granular level recovery functionality. Performing granular level recovery 87

88 Restore Table 12 Granular level recovery information in this guide This section Third-party recovery tool on page 40 Restoring the Avamar backup and mounting the Avamar Virtual Drive on page 89 Restoring items from the Avamar Virtual Drive on page 91 Provides the following information Describes how to obtain information about purchasing, ordering, and downloading the Kroll Ontrack PowerControls from EMC. Kroll Ontrack PowerControls are not included in the Avamar product kits or downloads. Describes the process of restoring the backup using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR and mounting the Avamar Virtual Drive for granular level recovery. Describes the process of browsing and selecting the actual items for recovery from the Avamar Virtual Drive, using a third-party recovery tool, Kroll Ontrack PowerControls. Granular level recovery task list The process of granular level recovery might appear to be similar to the steps in Restoring to a different location on page 84. However granular level recovery is different in the following ways: The restore is performed using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, not the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS. At the end of the granular level recovery, the backup set is mounted to The Avamar Virtual Drive, which is very quick and uses very little memory, storage, or processor resources. A conventional restore requires physically moving or copying the data to another drive or location, which can take a long time with large databases, using considerable processor, memory, and storage resources. In granular level recovery, an optional third-party tool, such as Kroll Ontrack PowerControls, is used to browse and select the individual folders, files, or items you want to restore. Only the items selected for restore are physically copied to the SharePoint farm or other destination you have chosen. Perform the following two major tasks for a granular level recovery: 1. Locate, restore, and mount the backup you want to retrieve data from, following the steps in Restoring the Avamar backup and mounting the Avamar Virtual Drive on page 89. Granular level recovery is performed through the Avamar Administrator console. The backup is restored to the Avamar Virtual Drive, which is temporarily mounted for the purposes of granular level recovery. 2. Use the third-party recovery tool to browse, select, and restore the data from the Avamar Virtual Drive to the SharePoint farm, as described in Restoring items from the Avamar Virtual Drive on page EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

89 Restore Restoring the Avamar backup and mounting the Avamar Virtual Drive To restore the backup using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR and mount the Avamar Virtual Drive for granular level recovery: 1. Ensure that the computer to which you are restoring data has enough free space for the VSS snapshot size of the largest component of the Microsoft SharePoint farm. 2. Ensure that the Avamar Client for Windows and the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint VSS are installed on the computer to which you are restoring data. 3. In Avamar Administrator, click the Backup & Restore launcher button. The Backup and Restore window appears. 4. Find the backup to restore, as discussed in How to find a backup by date on page 77. The backup to restore from is selected in the Backups pane. 5. In the bottom left pane, select the checkbox next to the farm with the data to restore using granular level recovery. Performing granular level recovery 89

90 Restore 6. Select Actions > Restore Now. The Restore Options dialog box appears. The Restore Destination Client box displays the client that you previously selected for recovery. 7. From the Restore Plug-In list, select Windows SharePoint GLR. 8. From the Encryption method list, select the encryption method to use for client/server data transfer during this restore. The exact encryption technology and bit strength used for a client/server connection depends on a number of factors, including the client platform and Avamar server version. The EMC Avamar Product Security Guide provides additional information. 9. Select Restore everything to a different location. 10. In the Items Marked for Restore box, click Edit Destination to specify the target drive for the restore. The Edit Destination dialog box appears. 11. Specify the target destination. Type a forward (/) or backward (\)slash. The system starts with the letter Z and works its way backward until an available drive is located. If you specify a drive letter, ensure that the drive letter is not already in use on the target server. 90 EMC Avamar 6.1 for SharePoint VSS User Guide

91 Restore If another user or user session has mapped a network drive within a user session on the client machine, the Avamar software cannot detect those drive mappings when assigning a drive letter for the Avamar Virtual Drive. If you regularly use network drive mapping, then specify a drive letter that you know is not in use instead of specifying a forward or backward slash. 12. Click OK to close the Edit Destination dialog box. 13. In the Restore Options dialog box, click More Options. The Restore Command Line Options dialog box appears with Windows SharePoint GLR plug-in options. 14. From the Amount of time to leave AvFS mounted list, select the amount of time to leave the Avamar Virtual Drive mounted before a timeout occurs. The drive is disconnected after the timeout, even if the drive is in use. Select a length of time that enables you to perform the granular level recovery. 15. Click OK. to close the Restore Command Line Options dialog box. 16. Click OK. to close the Restore Options dialog box. The following status message appears: Restore initiated. 17. Click OK. The restored content can now be used as a source for recovery by Kroll Ontrack PowerControls or possibly other third-party recovery software. Restoring items from the Avamar Virtual Drive After you restore the Avamar backup using the Avamar Plug-in for SharePoint GLR, you can use a third-party recovery tool, such as Kroll Ontrack, to recover specific items to the SharePoint farm. Performing granular level recovery 91