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6.Backup

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In the world of administration, there is a saying:

“Admins fall into two categories: those who haven’t yet been making backups, and those who already make them.”

You’re going into an MSP (outsourcing), and there client data is sacred. If a server goes down — that’s bad, but if data is lost and can’t be recovered — that’s lawsuits and bankruptcy. Let’s review the “Gold Standard” and implement it in your lab.

Part 1. Theory: The 3-2-1 Rule

This is the foundation that you must know by heart. If someone asks: “What’s the right way to do backups?”, you answer with this formula. Rule essence: To sleep soundly, you must have:

  • 3 copies of data (1 main copy you work with + 2 spare copies).
  • 2 different media (e.g., files on the server hard drive, copy on NAS storage or tape). Why? If a ransomware virus destroys the server’s file system, it shouldn’t be able to reach the NAS.
  • 1 off-site copy (Offsite). That’s the cloud (Azure/AWS) or a physical drive that the director takes home. Why? In case of fire, flood, or theft of servers from the office. Modern addition (3-2-1-1-0): Nowadays an Immutable copy is added. This is a backup that cannot be deleted or overwritten for X days, even if you’re a super-admin. This is the only protection against hackers who’ve broken into the admin console.

Part 2. Tools: Veeam Backup & Replication

In Austria and Germany in the Windows/VMware environment, Veeam (pronounced “Veem”) is the de-facto standard.

  • It’s the “Mercedes” of the backup world.
  • It can back up an entire virtual machine. If a server dies, you press a button and in 2 minutes it runs straight from the backup.
  • For job interviews: Just say: “I know the 3-2-1 theory and have heard that Veeam is the industry standard. In my lab I practiced with Windows Server Backup to understand the principle.”

Part 3. Practice: Your First Disaster Recovery

We won’t install heavy Veeam on VirtualBox (it needs a SQL database and lots of memory). We’ll use the built-in Windows Server Backup tool. It’s simple, reliable, and available everywhere. Scenario: You accidentally deleted a folder with important documents. You need to restore it.

Step 1: Preparing the “Repository” (Backup Repository)

Backing up drive C: to drive C: is silly (if the drive fails, everything is lost). We need a second drive.

  1. Shut down your Windows Server.
  2. In VirtualBox open the Server settings → Storage.
  3. Click the “Add hard disk” icon (next to the SATA controller).
  4. Create a new disk (Create):
    • Size: 10 GB (enough for the test).
    • Type: VDI.
  5. Start the Server.
  6. Inside Windows press Win + X → Disk Management.
  7. It will ask to initialize the disk (GPT) → OK.
  8. Create a simple volume (New Simple Volume) → Assign the letter B: (Backup).

Step 2: Installing “Windows Server Backup”

This feature is disabled by default.

  1. Open Server Manager → Add Roles and Features.
  2. Click Next until you reach the Features section. Don’t confuse with Roles!
  3. Find Windows Server Backup in the list (at the bottom).
  4. Check the box → Install.

Step 3: Creating a Backup (Backup Once)

  1. Open Tools → Windows Server Backup.
  2. In the right menu: Backup Once…. In reality we’d set up a Schedule, but now we need it fast.
  3. Backup Options: Different options → Next.
  4. Backup Configuration: Custom.
    • We don’t want to back up the entire server for 2 hours, just a folder.
  5. Select Items: Click Add Items.
    • Find your folder C:\CompanyData (the one we shared for drive Z:). Select it.
  6. Destination Type: Local drives.
  7. Select Destination: Select our new drive B:.
  8. Click Backup. Watch the percentage progress. When it says “Completed”, the copy is created.

Step 4: Disaster 😱

Imagine Hans Müller accidentally deleted a report.

  1. Go to folder C:\CompanyData.
  2. Create a text file there ImportantReport.txt.
  3. DELETE it (Shift + Delete). The file is gone. The Recycle Bin is empty.

Step 5: Recovery 🦸‍♂️

  1. Return to Windows Server Backup.
  2. Right menu: Recover….
  3. This server → Next.
  4. Select date (today) → Next.
  5. Recovery Type: Files and folders.
  6. Expand the folder tree and find your deleted file. Select it.
  7. Specify Recovery Options: Original location.
  8. Click Recover. Go to folder C:\CompanyData. Is the file back?

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