Documentation

ActiveImage Protector 2022 | New features

• File backup

  ActiveImage Protector's new File Backup can back up a specific file or folder. The file backup function is equipped with a new algorithm, which checks changes in the blocks of a file.

  Microsoft's VSS creates a snapshot of a file that detects the changes made to the file in its current state, can create an incremental backup of the changed blocks. The file backup function of ActiveImage Protector only backs up the changed blocks, thereby reducing significant backup storage requirements and backup time.

   

  Note

  • You are recommended not to specify a system file or a file / folder of database as the backup source. The file restored from the backup may not correctly behave or be recognized.
  • When no change is made to any of the backup source item, no backup image is created by incremental backup task execution.
• Disk-to-Disk copy

  ActiveImage Protector's "Disk-to-Disk copy" feature provides more flexibility when migrating to SSD and large capacity hard drives. The entire disk or individual volumes can be copied using the clone function. Volumes of different disks can be combined into one new hard disk.

  The function can be used with physical as well as virtual hard disks and iSCSI targets

  
  

  Note

  When copying the BIOS boot system disk to an enlarged disk, if disk signature is copied, the system copied on the following OS does not boot up. Even the system copied on the other OS may boot up but go in recovery mode. In this case please restart the system.

  • Windows 10
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2022
• Backup to SFTP / Cloud

  The main advantage of using cloud storage is the increased redundancy over location-based storage. The standardized management of backups ensures the availability of extended backup storage capacities.

  In addition, the use of cloud storage now enables remote workstation recovery and off-site replication of backup files, isolating backup data from a ransomware attack or for disaster recovery.

  With ActiveImage Protector 2022 you have the option to save your backup on an SFTP or in a cloud directly in the backup task and without replication. Amazon S3, Azure Storage and Google Drive are supported as cloud storage for the backup destination. As an alternative to cloud redundancy, you also have the option of redundantly outsourcing your backup via SFTP.

• Tape manager

  ActiveImage Protector 2022 now supports LTO tape drives as target storage. An additional backup to tape offers further security advantages, for example against ransomware threats, since the LTO tapes are not in direct contact with network storage. However, off-site tapes can avoid physical damage.

  Use Tape Manager to create a tape pool in which a group of multiple tapes is configured as a single target storage, supports tape library and virtual tape library.

  
  
  

  

  
  

  Note

  • [Used Space] is indicated only when the media is inserted in tape drive.
  • When using the library. [Eject] does not work. (Will be fixed in the next release)
• In-Cloud Recovery

  ActiveImage Protector now offers a direct cloud restore function. ActiveImageProtector Cloud-Recovery restores image backups from the cloud to a virtual machine in the cloud. In order to reduce the network traffic and thereby reduce costs, a cloud recovery agent IS placed in the cloud environment.

  Example for a Cloud-Recovery procedure:

  

  1. The image is deployed on AWS S3 or Microsoft Azure.
     
  2. ActiveImage Protector creates an instance with a user account.
     1. Since the instance is created in the same region as the target VM for recovery, there is no data transfer between regions. Associated data transmission costs are reduced.
     2. The appliance represents a virtual machine on which ActiveImage Protector for Linux resides specifically for the restore process.
  3. Creates a new target disk (volume) for restoring to the cloud storage and attaches it to the appliance.
  4. Restore the specified backup image file, which is located in the cloud storage, to the connected disk. If necessary, install the driver for the cloud storage and configure the required settings (P2C).
  5. When the recovery process is complete, disconnects the hard drive from the appliance and replaces it with the hard drive of the recovery target VM.
  6. Finally, the temporary appliance is deleted. If the appliance times out due to an error, the appliance is automatically deleted.

   

  Note

  • AWS
    • Only instances in the same region are supported and can be selected.

  • AZURE
    • When selecting a target of a non-Microsoft created VM, the VM can only be restored from its backup image or, the backup image of the VM from the same publisher can boot up.
    • Only instances in the same region only are supported and can be selected.
    • A global IP address is required to use the restore appliance. When the maximum number of the assigned IP addresses are already in use, it is required to get additional global IP addresses.
    • When executing a task, login to Azure as authentication is required for accessing Azure Blob storage and selecting a backup image file.