Using CA ARCserve Central Protection Manager › Run a Back Up Now

Run a Back Up Now

Typically, backups are performed automatically and controlled by the schedule settings. However, there may be times when you need to perform an ad-hoc backup (Full, Incremental, or Verify) immediately.

An ad-hoc backup is need-based, rather than being scheduled in advance as part of a backup plan. For example, if you have a repeat schedule for Full, Incremental, and Verify backups and you want to make major changes to your machine, you should perform an immediate ad-hoc backup without waiting for the next scheduled backup to occur.

An ad-hoc backup also allows you to add a customized (unscheduled) recovery point so that you can roll back to this previous point in time if necessary. For example, if you install a patch or service pack and then discover that it adversely affects the performance of your machine, you may want to roll back to the ad-hoc backup session that does not include the patch or service pack.

Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the application.
2. From the Navigation bar on the home page, click Node to open the Node screen.
3. Do one of the following actions to specify the nodes that you want to back up:
   • Node level: Click the group containing the nodes that you want to back up and then click the check box next to the nodes that you want to back up.
   • Group level: Click the group containing the nodes that you want to back up.
4. Then do one of the following actions to back up the node:
   • Click Backup on the toolbar.
   • Right-click the selected group or right-click the nodes and click Backup Now on the context menu.
5. On the Run a backup now dialog, specify a backup type by clicking one of the following types:
   • Full Backup--Initiates a Full Backup of your entire machine or the selected volumes.
   • Incremental Backup--Initiates an Incremental Backup of your machine. An Incremental Backup backs up only those blocks that have changed since the previous backup.

     Note: The advantages of Incremental Backups are that it is a fast backup and it produces a small backup image. This is the most optimal way to perform backups.

   • Verify Backup--Initiates a Verify Backup of your machine by examining the most recent backup of each individual block and comparing the content and information to the original source. This comparison verifies that the latest backed up blocks represent the corresponding information at the source. If the backup image for any block does not match the source, CA ARCserve D2D refreshes (resynchronizes) the backup of the block that does not match. Be aware of the following advantages and disadvantages to performing Verify backups:
     • Advantages--A very small backup image is produced when compared to a Full Backup because only the changed blocks (blocks that do not match the last backup) are backed up.
     • Disadvantages--The backup time is slow because all of source disk blocks are compared with the blocks of the last backup.

   Note: If you add a new volume to the backup source, the newly added volume is fully backed up regardless of the overall backup method selected.

6. (Optional) Specify the Backup Name and click OK. If you do not specify a name, by default, it is named Customized/Full/Incremental/Verify Backup.

A confirmation screen appears, and the selected type of backup is launched immediately.

Be aware of the following behavior:

• All values specified in the Policy dialogs are applied to the job.
• If a custom (ad-hoc) backup job fails, no makeup job is created. A makeup job is only created for a failed scheduled job.