Backup Manager Encryption/Compression Options

Arcserve Backup lets you encrypt, compress, or encrypt and compress backup data.

Be aware of the following:

• Arcserve Backup does not support compressing and encrypting data on deduplication device groups.
• Note: For more information, see Compression and Encryption with Deduplication.
• If you specify encryption and compression options, and the backup destination is a drive that does not support compression, Arcserve Backup encrypts the backup data and does not compress the backup data.

The following options define how Arcserve Backup processes backup data during a backup job and during the migration phase of a staging backup job.

Session/Encryption Password

• Session/Encryption password--Specify a Session/Encryption password to restore this data from media.
• If you specify a Session Encryption password, you must specify the password to perform the following operations:
  • Restore operations where the encryption, compression, or both were processed at the agent or at the backup server.
  • Compare operations where the encryption, compression, or both were processed at the agent or at the backup server.
  • Merge and Scan operations where the encryption, compression, or both were processed at the backup server. (You do not need to specify the password to perform Merge and Scan operations where the encryption, compression, or both operations were processed at the agent.)

  Note: The Session/Encryption password is not required when you Merge or Scan only the session headers.

• Save Current Session/Encryption Password to the Arcserve Backup database--Use this option to save the password to the Arcserve Backup database and enable password management. This option is selected by default. This option is available for both local and global option passwords.
• Note: You can modify only the Global Option password from the Session/Encryption password dialog by right clicking on the job in the job queue.
• Remind to change password n days after specifying a password--Specify the number of days a password is valid. Seven days prior to the specified number of days, a message prompting you to change your password will be logged in the Activity Log.
• Example:
• On Jan. 1 you set n to 30 days. On Jan. 24 the message The backup job password will expire in 7 days, will appear in the Activity Log. On Jan. 31 the message The backup job password has been expired. Please change it now appears in the Activity Log.

Encryption/Compression methods

• Encrypt data--Use this option to encrypt the backup data. You can specify one of the following options:
  • At agent--Select this option to encrypt the backup data prior to the actual backup process. For more information about this option, see Data Encryption at the Agent Server.
  • At backup server during backup--Select this option to encrypt the backup data at the backup server during the backup process. For more information, see Data Encryption During Backup.
  • At backup server during migration--Select this option to encrypt the backup data during the migration phase of a staging backup job. For more information, see Data Encryption During Migration.

  Note: This option can be enabled when submitting migration jobs for cloud devices whether the compression is enabled or not.

• If you encrypt data during the backup phase, Arcserve Backup will not encrypt the data again during the migration phase of the staging backup operation.
• Compress data--Use this option to compress the backup data. You can specify one of the following options:
  • At agent--Select this option to compress the backup data on the system where the agent is installed and running.

  Note: Arcserve Backupdoes not support data compression at the agent system when the backup source consists of UNIX, Oracle RMAN data.

  • At backup server--Select this option to compress the backup data at the Arcserve Backup server during the backup process. This option lets you compress files before backing them up using a software compression algorithm.

• Be aware of the following behavior:

• You must specify either Encrypt data at backup server during backup or Encrypt data at backup server during migration to enable compression at backup server.
• With the Compress data, At backup server options specified, and the Encrypt data at backup server during backup option, or the Encrypt data at backup server during migration option specified, Arcserve Backup uses software compression to compress the data at the backup server before the data is encrypted at the backup server.
• If the storage device associated with the job does not support hardware compression, Arcserve Backup ignores the setting Compress data, At backup server.