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How to set up Offsite Copies over a WAN / VPN / Internet / Fiber connection

  • Updated

Version 9

With VM Backup, you can send a redundant copy of your backups to an offsite location via a WAN/VPN/Internet connection, this is an ideal tool for Disaster Recovery purposes. This is also required for fiber connections from site-to-site.


To do so, please follow the steps below:

 

A. Set up the Offsite Backup Server tool on the offsite machine

 

The Offsite Backup Server tool can be installed on a machine at the other end of a WAN connection and be used as a backup target for your offsite backups.

 

Important: TCP Ports 36000, 36001 & 36100 [used for Replication] are used for communication between the VM Backup software and the Offsite Backup Server and must be allowed through. 

Also, ensure the machine meets the minimum system requirements for Offsite Backup Servers.

 

To install and configure the Offsite Backup Server:

  1. Download and run the installer from here: http://www.altaro.com/vm-backup/download-tools.php

  2. Once installed, launch the Offsite Backup Server application from the Windows Start Menu

  3. You will then be prompted with this screen, choose to connect to [This Machine] and enter the Windows credentials to log in:

    mceclip0.png


  4. Once connected you will be able to monitor/configure your Offsite Backup Server. Once connected, click [Setup] > [Configure Accounts] and then [Add Account] to setup the connection account details for this Offsite Backup Server as shown below.

    Note: 
    - If you are using the Offsite Backup Server to host your customers' backups, make sure to create a separate account for each.

    -This location must be on the same premises as the Offsite Backup Server, this means the location cannot be going to a cloud location for example.

    mceclip0.png


  5. Set the Offsite Copy Location and credentials you prefer and then click [Save]

You can also monitor backups from the Dashboard section, which will show you current activity, backup/restore history and events. Note: One Offsite Backup Server can be used as an offsite location for multiple VM Backup installations.



B. Configure your new Offsite Backup Server as an Offsite Backup Location

 

To use your newly set up Offsite Backup Server as an offsite copy location for your VMs, please proceed as follows:

  1. Open the VM Backup management console and go to Setup Backup Locations

  2. Click [Add Offsite Location]

    mceclip2.png


  3. Choose the [Offsite Backup Server] option and click [Next]

    mceclip0.png


  4. Enter the IP address and credentials to connect to the Offsite Backup Server you configured in Section A, then click [Test Connection] to verify you have the correct settings.

    mceclip4.png

    Note: If the connection is failing, check that there is no more than a 5 minute time difference between the two machines, AND ensure your firewall is allowing through TCP Ports 36000, 36001 & 36100

  5. (Optional) At this stage you may choose to set a threshold of the maximum backup size that will be allowed to be transferred over the WAN connection. If this threshold is exceeded, the offsite copy task will fail and require you to Seed your data again (see Section C below). Once the connection test is successful, simply click on [Finish]

     

  6. Lastly, select the VMs you wish to assign to this rotation and Drag and Drop them from the VM list on the left into the newly created Drive Rotation, then click [Save Changes] to complete.

  7. Once done, either start an Offsite Copy manually from the [Offsite Copies] menu, or wait for your next Scheduled Offsite Copy job.

     

 

C. (Optional) Seed your first Offsite Backup to avoid a large offsite transfer

 

When backing up to an Offsite Backup Server, it's likely that the bandwidth to that server may be limited, so VM Backup has the option to manually transport the first full backup to the Offsite Backup Server on a removable disk. This will then allow you to import it on the offsite Offsite Backup Server and run only incremental copies over the WAN connection, we call this process Seeding to disk.

  1. Firstly, you will need a removable disk connected to your VM Backup console

     

  2. Once done, open the management console and go to [Offsite Copies]

     

  3. Select the tickbox(es) near the VM(s) you wish to transfer the backups for and click the [Seed To Disk] button at the top of the page as below:

    mceclip8.png

  4. You will then be prompted to select the location you wish to seed to. Select your location and click Seed To Disk. The seeding will proceed in the background, and when complete you can disconnect the drive and physically take it to your offsite Offsite Backup Server.

 

 

Once the removable disk has been connected to your offsite Offsite Backup Server:

  1. Launch the [Offsite Backup Server] console from the Start Menu

  2. Then go to [Setup] > [Configure Accounts], then click on [Import Seed...]

    mceclip6.png


  3. On the next screen, browse to the removable drive (and subfolder if applicable) where you exported the seeded data to, select it and click [Start Seed Import]. It will begin to import the seed data to the Offsite Backup Server's backup repository and show progress as below:

    mceclip9.png

  4. Once complete, the next offsite copy of the VM(s) you seeded will be of incremental changes (since the time the seeded data was exported) only.

Version 8

With VM Backup, you can send a redundant copy of your backups to an offsite location via a WAN/VPN/Internet connection, this is an ideal tool for Disaster Recovery purposes. This is also required for fiber connections from site-to-site.

 

To do so, please follow the steps below:

 

A. Set up the Offsite Backup Server tool on the offsite machine

 

The Offsite Backup Server tool can be installed on a machine at the other end of a WAN connection and be used as a backup target for your offsite backups.

 

Important: TCP Ports 35116, 35117 and 35120 [used for Replication] (V8) & 35116, 35117 (V7) are used for communication between the VM Backup software and the Offsite Backup Server and must be allowed through. 

Also, ensure the machine meets the minimum system requirements for Offsite Backup Servers.

 

To install and configure the Offsite Backup Server:

  1. Download and run the installer from here: https://www.altaro.com/vm-backup/download-tools_v8.php

  2. Once installed, launch the Offsite Backup Server application from the Windows Start Menu

  3. You will then be prompted with this screen, choose to connect to [This Machine] and enter the Windows credentials to log in:



  4. Once connected you will be able to monitor/configure your Offsite Backup Server. Once connected, click [Setup] [Configure Accounts] and then [Add Account] to setup the connection account details for this Offsite Backup Server as shown below.

    Note: 
    - If you are using the Offsite Backup Server to host your customers' backups, make sure to create a separate account for each.

    -This location must be on the same premises as the Offsite Backup Server, this means the location cannot be going to a cloud location for example.




  5. Set the Offsite Copy Location and credentials you prefer and then click [Save]

You can also monitor backups from the Dashboard section, which will show you current activity, backup/restore history and events. Note: One Offsite Backup Server can be used as an offsite location for multiple VM Backup installations.



B. Configure your new Offsite Backup Server as an Offsite Backup Location

 

To use your newly set up Offsite Backup Server as an offsite copy location for your VMs, please proceed as follows:

  1. Open the VM Backup management console and go to Setup Backup Locations

  2. Click [Add Offsite Location]



  3. Choose the [Offsite Backup Server] option and click [Next]



  4. Enter the IP address and credentials to connect to the Offsite Backup Server you configured in Section A, then click [Test Connection] to verify you have the correct settings.



    Note: If the connection is failing, check that there is no more than a 5 minute time difference between the two machines, AND ensure your firewall is allowing through TCP Ports 35116, 35117 & 35120

  5. (Optional) At this stage you may choose to set a threshold of the maximum backup size that will be allowed to be transferred over the WAN connection. If this threshold is exceeded, the offsite copy task will fail and require you to Seed your data again (see Section C below). Once the connection test is successful, simply click on [Finish]

     

  6. Lastly, select the VMs you wish to assign to this rotation and Drag and Drop them from the VM list on the left into the newly created Drive Rotation, then click [Save Changes] to complete.

  7. Once done, either start an Offsite Copy manually from the [Offsite Copies] menu, or wait for your next Scheduled Offsite Copy job.

     

 

C. (Optional) Seed your first Offsite Backup to avoid a large offsite transfer

 

When backing up to an Offsite Backup Server, it's likely that the bandwidth to that server may be limited, so VM Backup has the option to manually transport the first full backup to the Offsite Backup Server on a removable disk. This will then allow you to import it on the offsite Offsite Backup Server and run only incremental copies over the WAN connection, we call this process Seeding to disk.

  1. Firstly, you will need a removable disk connected to your VM Backup console

     

  2. Once done, open the management console and go to [Offsite Copies]

     

  3. Select the tickbox(es) near the VM(s) you wish to transfer the backups for and click the [Seed To Disk] button at the top of the page as below:



  4. You will then be prompted to select the location you wish to seed to. Select your location and click Seed To Disk. The seeding will proceed in the background, and when complete you can disconnect the drive and physically take it to your offsite Offsite Backup Server.

 

 

Once the removable disk has been connected to your offsite Offsite Backup Server:

  1. Launch the [Offsite Backup Server] console from the Start Menu

  2. Then go to [Setup] > [Configure Accounts], then click on [Import Seed...]




  3. On the next screen, browse to the removable drive (and subfolder if applicable) where you exported the seeded data to, select it and click [Start Seed Import]. It will begin to import the seed data to the Offsite Backup Server's backup repository and show progress as below:



  4. Once complete, the next offsite copy of the VM(s) you seeded will be of incremental changes (since the time the seeded data was exported) only.

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