How to Create a Windows Server Backup

If you are a system administrator, backing up the servers you manage is essential to prevent the loss of important data. By configuring regular backups, you can restore your system in the case of an unexpected event, such as a crash. B. Hardware component failure, incorrect system configuration, or virus. You can find our article about backup strategies here.

If you use Windows Server, use the Windows Server Backup (WSB) solution from Microsoft to quickly and easily schedule backups of the entire server and specific storage volumes, files, or folders.

This tutorial will show you the process required to perform automated backups of cloud servers using Windows Server.

Installing Windows Server Backup 

Windows Server Backup is a feature provided by Microsoft to create backup copies of servers. First, open the Windows Server Management Panel Dashboard, click Add Roles and Features and proceed to install this backup feature. 

A multipart window will appear on the left. Feel free to skip the information requested in the first “Before You Begin” section and continue. Then in the second window “Installation type” select the “Role-based or feature-based installation” item and continue. In the Server Selection section, select the server on which to install Windows Server Backup and continue. Click Next to continue in the Server Roles section. Select the “Features” window, scroll and select the “Windows Server Backup” item and continue. 

 

In the Confirmation section, select Automatically restart target servers as needed, and then click Install. Then wait for the installation to complete, then click Close. 

Configuring Automatic Backup 

Once Windows Server Backup is open, select Local Backup on the left (1) and then click on Backup Schedule on the right (2) to configure the automatic backup rules. 

A multipart window will appear. In the Getting Started section, just click Next to get started. 

If you want to create a backup of the entire system, leave the entry “Full server” in “Choose a backup configuration“. Otherwise, select “Custom“ to specify only specific volumes, files, or folders for backup. Finally, click Next to proceed to the next section. 

In the Specify Backup Time section, specify whether you want to back up once a day at a specific time (first bullet), or you want to always perform multiple backups on the same day (second bullet). 

If you selected the “Several times a day” item, just select the desired time in the left column and click “Add”. To delete an incorrect time, simply click on the time in the right column and click Delete. After setting the backup frequency, click Next. 

In the “Specify Destination Type” section, you will be requested where to store your backup file. Each storage option has its pros and cons, each listed in its respective item. So, consider carefully where to store your backup. 

Available options

There are three options available: 

• Saving to local hard disk : by selecting this item, the backup will be carried out on a local hard disk installed on the server itself. Please note that the hard disk in question will be formatted, once selected, so remember to move any existing data to another hard disk. 
• Saving to volume: by selecting this item a part of the hard disk can be used as backup storage. However, keep in mind that, when choosing this option, the read / write speed on the hard disk may slow down considerably during the backup phase. If you plan to use this method, it may be a good strategy to schedule the backup at times when your server has fewer accesses. 
• Saving to a folder on the network: by selecting this item your server can be backed up to a hard disk on the network. This will allow you to store your data on a NAS or another available Cloud Server. In this case, however, as it is overwritten each time, only one backup at a time can be saved. 

After selecting the option that suits you, click on”Next”. In this example, the option “Saving to volume” is selected. 

At this point, the “Confirmation” section shows a summary of the backup settings you have chosen. Click on “Finish” to schedule the backup. When finished, click on “Close”.