Windows Server Backup is a built-in component in Windows Server 2008 R2, which includes the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in, a command line tool, and the Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Windows Server Backup like its predecessor - Ntbackup (on Windows Server 2000/2003) - provides a complete solution for daily data backup and restore when needed.
Compared to Windows Server 2008 RTM, Windows Server 2008 R2 has extensive new features that allow you to back up, store backups and how to restore from backup.
Note: One point to remember is that Windows Server Backup cannot be used to restore a backup that was created by Ntbackup. However, there is a read-only version of Ntbackup (free) that can help you recover data generated by Ntbackup, which can be installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7. Download Details here.
Backup with Windows Server Backup
You can use Windows Server Backup to backup the entire server (all volumes), a select list of volumes, a system partition or a specific directory / file.
Note: In Windows Server 2008 RTM you will be limited to what can be backed up, with only a few options: volume and entire server.
You can use Windows Server Backup to create and manage backups for a local or remote computer, and can be scheduled to run backups automatically.
Install Windows Server Backup
When adding Windows Server Backup Features and subordinate components, you need to install the following tools:
- Windows Server Backup Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in
- Wbadmin command-line tool
- Windows PowerShell cmdlets for Windows Server Backup
To install Windows Server Backup, you can use one of the following 3 methods:
- Use Server Manager
- Use Servermanagercmd.exe
- Use PowerShell
To install Windows Server Backup, log on to the computer with either an Administrator account or an account with administrative privileges.
1. Install Windows Server Backup using Server Manager
Open Server Manager
- Click Features
- Click Add Features
On the Add Features Wizard page, scroll down and select Windows Server Backup features. If you also want to use the PowerShell command templates, choose Add Command Line Tools. You don't need this if you just want to use the GUI or the WBADMIN command line tool. Click next.
On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.
- No need to restart the server after setup is complete
2. Install Windows Server Backup using Servermanagercmd.exe
Using the Servermanagercmd.exe command is an easy way, however this command can be deprecated in later versions of Windows, so don't use it too much ...
- Open a command prompt with advanced administrative privileges (right click CMD and choose Run as Administrator).
- Import: servermanagercmd -i Backup-Features
3. Install Windows Server Backup using PowerShell
In Windows Server 2008 R2, PowerShell is installed by default. However, to install the roles using this tool, you need to import the Server Manager module.
- Open a PowerShell window with advanced permissions (right mouse click PowerShell and choose Run as Administrator)
- Import: Import-Module servermanager
- After importing, enter: Add-WindowsFeature Backup-Features.
