Getting started

  Direct management
  1. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Management Console and Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Agent.
  2. Start the console.

    Windows

    Start the console by selecting it from the start menu.

    Linux

    Log in as root or log in as an ordinary user and then switch user as required. Start the console with the command

    /usr/sbin/acronis_console

  3. Connect the console to the machine where the agent is installed.

Where to go from here

For what to do next see “Basic concepts“.

For understanding of the GUI elements see “Using the management console“.

For how to enable non-root users to start the console under Linux see “Privileges for local connection“.

For how to enable remote connection to a machine running Linux see “Privileges for remote connection in Linux“. 

  Centralized management

We recommend that you first try to manage the single machine using direct management as described above.

To start with centralized management:

  1. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Management Server.
  2. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Agents on the machines that need data protection. When installing the agents, register each of the machines on the management server. To do so, enter the server’s IP or name and the centralized administrator’s credentials in one of the installation wizard’s windows.
  3. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Management Console on the machine from which you prefer to operate. We recommend that you use the console that installs on Windows if you have a choice between Windows and Linux console distributions. Install Acronis Bootable Media Builder.
  4. Start the console. Create the bootable media.
  5. Connect the console to the management server.

The simplified way of centralized management

  • Backup

Using the Back up control, select the machine which you want to back up and then create a backup plan on the machine. You can create backup plans on multiple machines in turn.

  • Recovery

Using the Recover control, select the machine where the data recovery is required and create a recovery task on the machine. You can create recovery tasks on multiple machines in turn.

To recover the entire machine or the operating system that fails to start, use the bootable media. You cannot control operations under bootable media using the management server, but you can disconnect the console from the server and connect it to the machine booted from the media.

  • Managing plans and tasks

To manage the plans and tasks existing on the registered machines, select Machines > All machines in the Navigation tree and then select each machine in turn. The Information pane below shows the state and the details of plans and tasks existing on each machine and enables you to start, stop, edit, and delete the plans and tasks.

You can also use the Tasks view that displays all tasks existing on the registered machines. The tasks can be filtered by machines, backup plans and other parameters. Refer to the context help for details.

  • Viewing log

To view the centralized log, collected from the registered machines, select Log in the Navigation tree. The log entries can be filtered by machines, backup plans and other parameters. Refer to the context help for details.

  • Creating centralized vaults

If you opt for storing all backup archives in a single or a few networked locations, create centralized vaults in these locations. After a vault is created, you can view and administer its content by selecting Vaults > Centralized > ‘Vault name’ in the Navigation tree. The shortcut to the vault will be deployed to all the registered machines. The vault can be specified as a backup destination in any backup plan created by you or by the registered machines’ users.

The advanced way of centralized management

To make the best use of the centralized management capabilities offered by Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, you can opt for:

  • Using deduplication
    1. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Storage Node and add it to the management server.
    2. Create the deduplicating managed vault on the storage node.
    3. Install the Acronis Deduplication add-on to the agent on all machines that will back up to the deduplicating vault.
    4. Ensure that the backup plans you create use the managed vault as destination for the backup archives.
  • Creating a backup policy rather than backup plans

Set up a centralized backup policy and apply it to the All machines group. This way you will deploy backup plans on each machine with a single action. Select Actions > Create backup policy from the top menu and then refer to the context help.

  • Grouping the machines registered on the management server

Group the registered machines by appropriate parameters, create several policies and apply each policy to the appropriate group of machines. For more information please refer to “Grouping the registered machines“.

The comprehensive example of advanced centralized management is provided in the “Setting up centralize
d data protection in a heterogeneous network” section.

Getting started