ACRONIS BACKUP AND RECOVERY 10 ONLINE ADVANCED User manual

User's Guide
Acronis® Backup & Recovery ™
Online Advanced

Table of contents
1Introduction to Acronis Backup & Recovery Online.................................................................4
1.1 What is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?.............................................................................4
1.2 What data can I back up and recover? ......................................................................................4
1.3 How long will my backups be kept in the online storage? ........................................................5
1.4 How to secure my data?............................................................................................................5
1.5 How to back up virtual machines to the online storage?..........................................................5
1.6 Backup and recovery FAQ..........................................................................................................6
1.6.1 What backup methods are available?........................................................................................................... 6
1.6.2 Is the online storage available under Acronis bootable media?.................................................................. 6
1.6.3 Can I use Acronis Universal Restore when recovering a system from the online storage? ...................... 6
1.6.4 What if a network connection is lost during online backup or recovery?.................................................. 6
1.6.5 What happens if I run out of space?.............................................................................................................. 7
1.6.6 What is the cleanup task for?......................................................................................................................... 7
1.6.7 How to make a recovered machine recognize its subscription?................................................................. 7
1.7 Initial Seeding FAQ.....................................................................................................................7
1.7.1 What is Initial Seeding?................................................................................................................................... 7
1.7.2 Why would I want to use Initial Seeding? ..................................................................................................... 8
1.7.3 Is Initial Seeding a paid service?..................................................................................................................... 8
1.7.4 What types of hard drive can I use for Initial Seeding?................................................................................ 8
1.7.5 Can I send more than one backup under a single Initial Seeding license? ................................................. 8
1.7.6 Can I send backups taken from a number of machines on a single hard drive?........................................ 8
1.7.7 How to buy an Initial Seeding license? .......................................................................................................... 8
1.7.8 How to perform initial seeding?..................................................................................................................... 8
1.7.9 How to package a hard drive for shipment?................................................................................................. 9
1.7.10 How do I track an Initial Seeding order status? .......................................................................................... 11
1.8 Large Scale Recovery FAQ........................................................................................................12
1.8.1 What is Large Scale Recovery?..................................................................................................................... 12
1.8.2 Why would I use Large Scale Recovery?...................................................................................................... 13
1.8.3 Do I need to perform initial seeding to be able to use Large Scale Recovery?......................................... 13
1.8.4 Is Large Scale Recovery a paid service? ....................................................................................................... 13
1.8.5 Can I perform large scale recovery on a different machine?..................................................................... 13
1.8.6 Can I obtain backups taken from a number of machines on a single hard drive?................................... 13
1.8.7 How to buy a Large Scale Recovery license?............................................................................................... 13
1.8.8 How do I track a Large Scale Recovery order status?................................................................................. 13
1.8.9 How to perform large scale recovery? ........................................................................................................ 14
1.9 Subscription lifecycle FAQ .......................................................................................................14
1.9.1 How to access my account management Web page? ............................................................................... 14
1.9.2 Where do I find the subscriptions that I purchased? ................................................................................. 14
1.9.3 When does my subscription begin?............................................................................................................. 15
1.9.4 What happens when my subscription expires?.......................................................................................... 15
1.9.5 How do I renew a subscription?................................................................................................................... 15
1.9.6 What is the “Group”column for?................................................................................................................. 16
1.9.7 Can I revoke a subscription from a machine?............................................................................................. 16
1.9.8 Can I cancel my subscription? ...................................................................................................................... 16

2Where do I start?.................................................................................................................16
3Choosing a subscription .......................................................................................................16
4Software installation............................................................................................................17
4.1 What software do I need to install? ........................................................................................18
4.2 About Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 advanced edition ........................................................18
4.3 Supported operating systems..................................................................................................18
4.3.1 Management Server and Management Console ....................................................................................... 18
4.3.2 Agent.............................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.4 Installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.................................................................................19
5Starting Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 ................................................................................21
6Configuring proxy settings....................................................................................................22
7Activating online backup subscriptions.................................................................................22
7.1 Activating subscriptions...........................................................................................................23
7.2 Reassigning an activated subscription.....................................................................................23
8Creating a centralized vault for online backups.....................................................................24
9Accessing backups stored in the online vault ........................................................................25
10 Backup to the online storage................................................................................................25
10.1 Backing up an individual machine ...........................................................................................25
10.2 Backing up multiple machines.................................................................................................26
10.3 Backing up using Initial Seeding...............................................................................................26
10.3.1 Preparation for initial seeding...................................................................................................................... 27
10.3.2 Creating the full backup................................................................................................................................ 27
10.3.3 Sending the full backup................................................................................................................................. 27
10.3.4 Creating subsequent backups...................................................................................................................... 28
11 Operations with backups stored in the online storage...........................................................28
12 Recovery from the online storage.........................................................................................28
12.1 Recovering data online ............................................................................................................29
12.2 Recovering using Large Scale Recovery...................................................................................29
13 Limitations of the online storage..........................................................................................30
14 Upgrading to Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.........................................................................31
15 Technical Support ................................................................................................................31
16 Glossary ..............................................................................................................................32

4 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
This document explains how to do online backups using the Acronis Backup & Recovery Online
service and advanced editions of Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.
The advanced editions enable you to manage backups of multiple machines using a single server
called Management Server. This server provides a single entry point to the backup infrastructure, as
well as the monitoring and reporting functionality. Setting up a backup of each individual server or
workstation is also possible.
This document contains an overview of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online and step-by-step
instructions for the typical software installation and usage scenarios. The instructions are intended to
help users who are not familiar with Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 with their first online backups.
For detailed information about the functionality provided by Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, please
refer to the product help system. Context-sensitive help is available in every program window by
pressing F1.
1Introduction to Acronis Backup & Recovery
Online
This section contains a brief overview of Acronis Backup & Recovery Online and answers questions
that may arise during evaluation and usage of this product.
1.1 What is Acronis Backup & Recovery Online?
Acronis Backup & Recovery Online is a service that enables you to back up data to Acronis Online
Backup Storage. To use this service, you need to buy a subscription that determines the amount of
storage space reserved for your backups (storage quota) and how long the online service will be
available to you.
A separate subscription is required for each physical machine you are going to back up. The server or
workstation subscription that you buy will depend on the Windows operating system that the
machine is running. Other operating systems are not supported by Acronis Backup & Recovery
Online.
Virtual machines hosted on a VMware ESX(i) or Microsoft Hyper-V host can be backed up using a
single subscription for virtual machines.
Example: A 250 GB/ 1 year workstation subscription means that you can back up data from a
machine running a non-server Windows operating system for a period of 1 year. The backups can
occupy no more than 250 GB.
1.2 What data can I back up and recover?
You can back up files, volumes, disks, or the entire physical machine as often as you wish. Unlike
most online backup solutions, Acronis Backup & Recovery Online enables bare metal recovery
directly from the online storage. Files can be recovered from disk-level backups as well as from
file-level backups.
For information about backing up virtual machines see "How to back up virtual machines to the
online storage? (p. 5)"

5 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
1.3 How long will my backups be kept in the online
storage?
Your backups remain in the online storage until you delete them or until the subscription expires.
Recovering data from the online storage is possible for 30 days following the subscription expiration
date.
For effective use of the storage space, you have the option to set up the "Delete backups older than"
retention rule.
Example
You might want to use the following backup strategy for a file server.
Back up the critical files twice a day on a schedule. Set the retention rule "Delete backups older
than" 7 days. This means that after every backup the software will check for backups older than 7
days and delete them automatically.
Run backup of the server's system volume manually as required. For example, after the operating
system updates. Manually delete the backups that you do not need.
1.4 How to secure my data?
Backups can be encrypted using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cryptographic algorithm
and the password you set. This guarantees that your data is not accessed by anyone else.
1.5 How to back up virtual machines to the online
storage?
Use either of the following methods or both.
Install Acronis software onto the virtualization host
This approach comes in handy when the virtualization product installed on the host server is VMware
ESX(i) or Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server.
You will be able to back up entire virtual machines or their volumes using a single subscription for
virtual machines. The subscription applies to all machines hosted on the host or to the entire vCenter
cluster. File-level backup and recovery is not possible for virtual machines, but is possible for a
Windows host.
Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are described in the Quick Start Guide for Acronis
Backup & Recovery 10 Virtual Edition. When installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 for online
backup only, you do not need to enter a license key during installation.
Host-based backup is available only for paid licenses of VMware ESXi. Choose the below approach if your ESXi
Server uses a free license.
Install Acronis software into the guest system
The machine will be treated as a physical one. You will need a separate server or workstation
subscription for this machine. This approach comes in handy when:

6 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
the machine is not hosted on a virtualization server
the virtualization product installed on the host server is not VMware ESX(i) or Windows Server
2008 with Hyper-V or Microsoft Hyper-V Server
you want to use pre/post backup or pre/post data capture commands on the machine
you want to perform file-level backup and recovery
you want to back up an independent disk or an RDM disk attached in the physical compatibility
mode on a running ESX(i) machine.
Installing the software, backing up, and recovery are the same as with a physical machine.
1.6 Backup and recovery FAQ
This section answers questions related to backup and recovery processes.
1.6.1 What backup methods are available?
Full and incremental backup methods are available through the following backup schemes.
Back up now (immediate start) or Back up later (postponed start). You can select either the full or
incremental backup method. On the first task run a full backup is created. If you run the backup task
again, the selected backup method will be applied. This way, you will obtain either a new full backup,
or an incremental one. Since full backups take more storage space, Acronis recommends that you
choose incremental backup if you want to run backups manually.
Simple (start on schedule). The first backup is full, the later backups are incremental. With this
backup scheme, you can set up a retention rule to automatically delete old backups.
An additional backup scheme that is available only for online storage is Initial seeding. This is the
Back up now scheme using local destination and full backup method. To use this scheme, you need a
license for the Initial Seeding (p. 7) service.
1.6.2 Is the online storage available under Acronis bootable
media?
Recovery from Acronis Online Backup Storage is available but backup to the storage is not.
1.6.3 Can I use Acronis Universal Restore when recovering a
system from the online storage?
Yes. Acronis Universal Restore is always available when recovering a system from the online storage.
Using Acronis Universal Restore when recovering from other types of storage will require a separate
license.
1.6.4 What if a network connection is lost during online backup or
recovery?
The software will try to reach the online storage every 30 seconds. After five unsuccessful attempts
the backup or recovery task will fail.

7 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
You can change the number of attempts and the interval between the attempts in the Error handling
> Re-attempt, if an error occurs option. Every backup plan or recovery task includes this option.
1.6.5 What happens if I run out of space?
When a machine's backups are about to exceed the storage space allowed by its subscription, you
receive an e-mail notification with an alert. In addition, you can see this alert on the account
management web page near the machine. This means you have to free some space for future
backups. You may also want to set or edit the retention rule (p. 5) so that an overflow does not
occur. Once the occupied space reaches the limit, the backups will cease to run.
1.6.6 What is the cleanup task for?
Any backup plan where the retention rule is set contains a cleanup task in addition to a backup task.
The cleanup task checks the archive created by the backup plan for backups that have outlived their
lifetime. If such backups are found, the task makes the online storage delete them. Since the deletion
is performed on the online storage side, it does not take your machine's CPU resource.
The cleanup task runs after every online backup, even if the backup has failed. The last successful
backup is always kept though. For more information about the retention rule please refer to "How
long will my backups be kept in the online storage? (p. 5)"
Normally, there is no need to start and stop the cleanup task manually. But it is possible to do so in
the Backup plans and tasks view.
1.6.7 How to make a recovered machine recognize its
subscription?
When you recover a physical machine from a backup, a new machine identifier is created. Therefore,
the machine is not able to back up to the subscription it used before recovery. This happens
regardless of recovery to new or to different hardware.
To continue backing up the machine to the same subscription, reassign (p. 23) the subscription to the
machine. If you do this, the next machine's backup can be incremental. If you assign a new
subscription to the machine, the software will have to do a new full backup.
1.7 Initial Seeding FAQ
This section explains what Initial Seeding is, why you would want to use it and provides some usage
details.
1.7.1 What is Initial Seeding?
Initial Seeding is an extra service that lets you save an initial full backup locally and then send it to
Acronis on a hard disk drive.
Acronis uploads the backup to the online storage. After that, you can add incremental backups to this
full backup, either manually or on a schedule.
The hard disk drive is sent back to you but it is not possible to recover from it. However, recovery
from a locally attached device is possible with the Large scale recovery (p. 12) option.

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1.7.2 Why would I want to use Initial Seeding?
This service helps you save time and network traffic during the initial full backup. It is useful when
backing up very large volumes of data or entire machines to the online storage.
1.7.3 Is Initial Seeding a paid service?
Yes, you need to buy one Initial Seeding license per machine.
1.7.4 What types of hard drive can I use for Initial Seeding?
Acronis accepts hard disk drives of the following interface types: IDE, ATA, SATA, USB connected
drives. SCSI drives are not accepted.
You can back up directly to the device or back up to a local or network folder and then copy the
backup to the device. Make sure that the device has only one volume and that the file system on that
volume is NTFS or FAT32.
1.7.5 Can I send more than one backup under a single Initial
Seeding license?
Yes, if the backups are taken on the same machine and sent on the same disk.
For example, you may want to upload a volume backup and a number of file backups. Do as many
"initial seeding" backups as you wish and then send them to Acronis on the same disk. The Initial
Seeding license gets used when uploading to the online storage starts. You will receive an e-mail
notification informing you about this. Afterwards, creating a new "initial seeding" backup on the
same machine will require a new Initial Seeding license.
1.7.6 Can I send backups taken from a number of machines on a
single hard drive?
Yes. However, the number of required licenses is still one per machine.
1.7.7 How to buy an Initial Seeding license?
You can buy an Initial Seeding license from an Acronis partner or in Acronis online store. Follow the
link www.acronis.com/my/backup-recovery-online/#buy
http://www.acronis.com/my/backup-recovery-online/#buy to locate a partner or to buy online.
Having purchased a license from an Acronis partner, you receive a confirmation e-mail with a
registration code. Click Enter new registration code on the same web page and register the license.
The license becomes available on the Initial Seeding / Recovery tab.
A license purchased in Acronis online store becomes available immediately after the payment is
processed.
1.7.8 How to perform initial seeding?
1. Decide on the media (p. 8) that you will send.

9 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
2. Attach the media to the machine you are going to back up. Alternatively, you can back up to a
local or network folder and then copy/move the backup to the media.
3. Start Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, click Back up and create a backup plan on this machine:
In Where to back up, specify Online Backup Storage.
In What to back up, select disks, volumes or files/folders you want to back up.
In Backup scheme, select Initial seeding. Specify the said media as the backup destination.
[Optional, but strongly recommended] Enable backup encryption in Backup options >
Archive protection.
The backup starts immediately after you click the final OK.
4. [Optional] If you want to add more backups to the media, repeat step 3 selecting the different
data in What to back up. (Do not edit the backup plan, create a new one!)
5. [Optional] If you want to add backups from another machine, attach the media to that machine
and perform the same steps.
6. Package (p. 9) the media along with a prepaid return shipping label and send it to Acronis by
physical mail. The address is available on your account management Web page > Initial Seeding /
Recovery tab > Orders in process > Initial Seeding orders > Datacenter address.
7. On the same web page, mark the order as "shipped" and track (p. 11) the order status.
8. Once you observe that the backup has been uploaded on the online storage, you can edit the
backup plan to do incremental backups:
In Backup scheme, select Back up now, Back up later for manual backups or Simple for
scheduled backups.
For Simple, specify the schedule and (optionally) the retention rule.
Click Save.
When started manually or on schedule, your backup plan will add incremental backups to the
initial backup stored in the online storage.
1.7.9 How to package a hard drive for shipment?
It is very important that your hard drive be packaged carefully. Careful packaging will protect your
drive from any damage during shipment.
Hard drive types
Acronis accepts hard disk drives of the following interface types: IDE, ATA, SATA, USB connected
drives.
SCSI drives are not accepted.
Packaging
If possible, use the original packaging. Otherwise, packaging materials can be obtained at any
shipping outlet or stationary store.
The following are instructions about how to package your hard disk drive.

10 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
Step 1
Delicately remove your hard disk drive from the machine.
Step 2
Place the hard drive into an anti-static bag to protect the drive from electrostatic discharge. If you do
not have an anti-static bag, simply wrap the hard drive into aluminum foil.
Step 3
Use a sturdy box that is at least twice the size of the drive. Pack the drive with a bubble wrap around
all 6 sides so it can fit tight into the box and cannot be moved within.
DO NOT use Styrofoam peanuts for packing as they do not provide enough protection.
DO NOT send your media in jiffy bags

11 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
Step 4
Choose the transport company that you will use for shipping. On this company's web site, prepare
and print two prepaid shipping labels:
1. Shipping label for sending your hard drive. This label is placed on the top of the box. You should
send your package to one of the Acronis data centers. The data center address can be obtained
on the Initial seeding/Recovery tab of your account management page by clicking Show data
center address.
We recommend that you use the overnight shipping, if you want to start doing incremental
backups as soon as possible. The data is generally available on the next business day after the
data center receives it.
2. Shipping label for returning your hard drive. Put this label in the box. When returning your hard
drive, we will reuse the same packaging unless it is damaged. If you do not enclose the label,
your drive will be securely discarded.
You might want to use the most cost-efficient delivery method for having your hard drive
returned.
Step 5
Securely seal the box with a sturdy tape. Then, stick the shipping label for sending your hard drive to
the top of the box, so the label does not wrap around the edge of the package.
1.7.10 How do I track an Initial Seeding order status?
On the Acronis Web site, the Initial Seeding / Recovery tab shows you the status of all your orders.
In addition, you will receive e-mail notifications about the most important events.
Available –The license is available for using on any machine.

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An order was created –The first backup is about to start and the license cannot be used for any
other machine. From this point on, you can cancel the order if something goes wrong. This will
return the license to the pool of available licenses.
A full backup has started –This status is set when the first backup starts. The order start time
occurs at this moment.
A full backup has been successfully completed –The backup has been completed and the order
is ready to ship. You can now ship the media:
Step 1. Package the media following the drive packaging and shipment instructions (p. 9) to avoid
damage during shipment. If you want the media to be returned to you after the data is uploaded,
prepare a prepaid return shipping label and place it inside the package together with the drive.
Step 2. Send the drive via your preferred carrier to the Acronis datacenter.
Step 3. Let us know when you have shipped the order by marking your order as "shipped".
You will receive a notification message when Acronis receives the order and when the order is
completed. If necessary, Acronis may contact you during order processing.
[Occasional] Backup creation error –An error occurred when backing up. Please check the
backup plan parameters and try again.
The media has been shipped –This status is set after you mark the order as "shipped".
The media has been received by Acronis –Acronis has started processing your order. From this
point on, you cannot cancel the order. Creating a new "initial seeding" backup on the same
machine will require a new Initial Seeding license.
The data upload has started –The process of uploading data to Acronis Online Backup Storage
has started.
The data upload has been completed –The initial full backup has been successfully uploaded to
the online storage. You can do incremental online backups now.
The order has been completed. The media has been returned (or: Returning the media was not
requested) –Your media has been shipped back (the carrier and the tracking number are
specified). If a prepaid shipping label was not provided with the media, the media will be
discarded.
[Occasional] The order is on hold –Your order was placed on hold due to technical difficulties
processing the order. Acronis is working on resolving these issues.
[Occasional] The order has been cancelled –The order had been cancelled before the media was
shipped, so returning the media is not required.
[Occasional] The order has been cancelled. The media has been returned (or: Returning the
media was not requested) –The order was cancelled while the media was in the datacenter. The
media has been shipped back (the carrier and the tracking number are specified). If a prepaid
shipping label was not provided with the media, the media will be discarded.
1.8 Large Scale Recovery FAQ
This section explains what Large Scale Recovery is, why you would want to use it and provides some
usage details.
1.8.1 What is Large Scale Recovery?
Large Scale Recovery is an extra service that enables you to obtain a copy of the backups you have in
the online storage. You can then recover data from this copy.

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Once you order Large Scale Recovery for a particular machine, Acronis sends you a USB hard disk
drive with all of the backups made from this machine. You can recover data directly from the disk or
copy the backups to a local or network folder.
1.8.2 Why would I use Large Scale Recovery?
In the event of a disaster or the need to recover large volumes of data or the entire machines quickly,
this service helps you save time and network traffic. Recovering hundreds of gigabytes over the
Internet may take days. This process will deliver a faster recovery.
1.8.3 Do I need to perform initial seeding to be able to use Large
Scale Recovery?
No, these services are independent.
1.8.4 Is Large Scale Recovery a paid service?
Yes, you need to buy one Large Scale Recovery license per machine. The license enables you to get a
disk with all of the currently available backups of this machine. To obtain backups that will be created
in the future, you will need a new Large Scale Recovery license.
1.8.5 Can I perform large scale recovery on a different machine?
Yes. You can recover the data an unlimited number of times on any machine you wish. Acronis
Universal Restore is included to help you recover an operating system to dissimilar hardware.
1.8.6 Can I obtain backups taken from a number of machines on
a single hard drive?
No. A separate hard drive is required for each machine.
1.8.7 How to buy a Large Scale Recovery license?
You can buy a Large Scale Recovery license from an Acronis partner or in Acronis online store. Follow
the link www.acronis.com/my/backup-recovery-online/#buy
http://www.acronis.com/my/backup-recovery-online/#buy to locate a partner or to buy online.
Having purchased a license from an Acronis partner, you receive a confirmation e-mail with a
registration code. Click Enter new registration code on the same web page and register the license.
The license becomes available on the Initial Seeding / Recovery tab.
A license purchased in Acronis online store becomes available immediately after the payment is
processed.
1.8.8 How do I track a Large Scale Recovery order status?
On the Acronis Web site, the Initial Seeding / Recovery tab shows you the status of all your orders.
In addition, you will receive e-mail notifications about most important events.
Available –The license can be used for any machine.

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An order was created –This status is set upon completion of the Large Scale Recovery order
form. This means that the license cannot be used for any other machine. From this point on, you
can cancel the order if something goes wrong. This will return the license to the pool of available
licenses.
The order is being processed - Order processing in the datacenter started.
Writing data –Your backups are being written onto the media. From this point on, you cannot
cancel the order.
Writing data has been completed –Your backups have been successfully written to the media.
Ready to ship the media –Your order has been processed and the media will be shipped shortly.
The order has been completed. The media has been shipped –The media has been shipped to
you (the carrier and the tracking number are specified).
[Occasional] The order is on hold –Your order was placed on hold due to technical difficulties
processing the order. Acronis is working on resolving these issues.
[Occasional] The order has been cancelled –The order has been cancelled.
[Occasional] Address is undeliverable –Acronis cannot send the disk. On the same Web page,
click Change my delivery address and specify the correct address for the order.
[Occasional] Address has been updated –This status is set after you have updated the delivery
address on Acronis web site.
1.8.9 How to perform large scale recovery?
The recovery procedure (p. 29) is the same as when recovering from the online storage. Just specify
the path to the location where your backups are. For detailed information about recovery please
refer to the context-sensitive help.
1.9 Subscription lifecycle FAQ
This section explains a subscription lifecycle and subscription operations that you can perform on
your account management Web page.
1.9.1 How to access my account management Web page?
To access this Web page from the Acronis Web site:
1. Select User Login.
2. Log in to your account (create one if you are not registered yet).
3. Navigate to Online backup > For Business.
To access this Web page from Acronis Backup & Recovery 10:
1. Click Activate online backup subscriptions in the Actions menu.
2. Click Go to account management Web page.
3. Log in to your account (create one if you are not registered yet).
1.9.2 Where do I find the subscriptions that I purchased?
If you purchased your subscriptions from an Acronis partner, you should have received an e-mail
confirming the registration codes for each subscription. Create an account on the Acronis web site, if
you do not have one already, and log in to it. Navigate to Online backup > For Business. This is your

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account management Web page. Click Enter new registration code and enter the registration codes.
The subscriptions will appear in the list of available subscriptions under the Manage Subscriptions
tab.
If you purchased your subscriptions online using the Acronis Web site, they are available immediately
on your account management Web page. The newly obtained subscriptions are listed at the Manage
Subscriptions tab.
1.9.3 When does my subscription begin?
Your subscription begins when you choose to have it begin, not at the time of purchase.
The time count will begin as soon as the subscription is activated. The first activation occurs when
you assign a subscription to a certain machine. To do so, you need to have Acronis software installed.
1.9.4 What happens when my subscription expires?
A month before the subscription expiration date you receive an e-mail notification with an alert. In
addition, you can see this alert on the account management web page near the machine. This means
you need to renew (p. 15) the subscription to continue backing up the machine.
If you do not renew the subscription, you will be able to back up data to the online storage for five
days following the expiration date. You will be able to recover data from the online storage for 30
days following the expiration date.
1.9.5 How do I renew a subscription?
Buy another subscription and specify it as the next subscription of the same machine. The new
subscription will be activated as soon as the current subscription expires.
An expired subscription can be renewed within five days after expiration. In such cases, the new
subscription will be activated immediately.
1.9.5.1 Renewing a single subscription
To renew a subscription
1. Go to the account management Web page.
2. Make sure that you have an available subscription with the same storage quota.
3. Select the machine that you want to renew the subscription for, and then click Renew.
The subscription appears in the Next subscription column for the selected machine.
1.9.5.2 Renewing a number of activated subscriptions at once
This operation is possible if the appropriate number of new subscriptions are identical to the
currently used subscriptions.
Make sure the new subscriptions are available on your account management Web page. Then click
Renew all. The confirmation window will summarize which subscriptions will be renewed. If identical
subscriptions are not found for some of the machines, you have the option to cancel automatic
renewal and renew each subscription individually.

16 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
1.9.5.3 What does "Auto-renew" mean?
Auto-renewal means that when the current subscription expires, the next subscription will be
automatically selected from the available subscriptions. The next subscription must be identical to
the current subscription.
If an identical subscription is not found, auto-renewal will not take place and your backups may fail.
No subscriptions will be bought automatically. Only those subscriptions available at the time of
auto-renewal can be used. You can select auto-renewal for each individual subscription or set up bulk
auto-renewal of all of the activated subscriptions you have.
1.9.6 What is the “Group”column for?
So you can apply actions, such as Renew all or Auto-renew all, to your selection of the subscriptions.
Specify the desired group name, for example, SalesDept, near each of the subscriptions you want to
group. Click the Group column header to sort the subscriptions and then apply the desired actions to
the group.
1.9.7 Can I revoke a subscription from a machine?
You cannot return an activated subscription to the list of available subscriptions, but you can reassign
(p. 23) it to a different machine in Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 GUI.
1.9.8 Can I cancel my subscription?
Just wait until the subscription expires. Refunds are not available for the online backup subscriptions.
2Where do I start?
On the Acronis Web site, log in to your account (create one if you are not registered yet) and
navigate to Online backup > For Business. This is your account management Web page. Here you can
get a trial subscription, locate an Acronis partner or buy subscriptions online. The newly obtained
subscriptions are listed as available subscriptions in the Manage Subscriptions tab.
If you purchased your subscriptions from an Acronis partner, register them manually using the Enter
new registration code link. The registration codes come with the purchase confirmation e-mail.
Next, install Acronis software (p. 18) (if not yet installed) and assign (p. 22) each subscription to a
machine. The subscriptions become activated. After that, you can start backing up (p. 25) to Acronis
Online Backup Storage.
3Choosing a subscription
Normally, you choose a subscription based on the operating system your machine is running.
Server operating systems supported by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online:
Windows 2000 Server/Advanced Server
Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server editions (x86,
x64)

17 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
Windows Server 2008 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Foundation editions
(x86, x64)
Windows Server 2008 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Datacenter,
Foundation editions
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010
Workstation operating systems supported by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online:
Windows 2000 Professional SP4
Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64)
Windows Vista - all editions except for Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium (x86, x64)
Windows 7 - all editions except for the Starter and Home editions (x86, x64)
Virtualization products supported by Acronis Backup & Recovery Online (host-based backup of
virtual machines):
VMware ESX Infrastructure 3.5 Update 2+
VMware ESX(i) 4.0 and 4.1
(Host-based backup is available only for paid licenses of VMware ESXi.)
Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 (x64) with Hyper-V
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008/2008 R2
If your backups are likely to exceed the storage quota for this type of subscription, you may want to
use a subscription with larger storage quota. For example, you can use a server subscription or a
subscription for virtual machines on a workstation. Or you can use a subscription for virtual machines
on a server which is not a virtualization server.
The inverse usage is not possible. You cannot back up a server using a workstation subscription. If
you try to back up ESX(i) or Hyper-V virtual machines from the host that uses a server subscription,
the backup will fail. With a server subscription, you can only back up the Windows host. With a
subscription for virtual machines, you can back up both the Windows host and its virtual machines.
Trial subscriptions
You can get one free workstation subscription, server subscription, or subscription for virtual
machines per account. The storage quota of the trial subscription is equal to that of the standard
subscription. The subscription period is limited to 2 months.
Obtaining a trial subscription is possible until you buy a paid subscription. You can use a trial
subscription along with paid ones. The same expiration rules apply to trial and paid subscriptions.
To continue using the service after the trial subscription expires, buy the same type subscription and
renew the trial subscription specifying the paid subscription. Your backed up data will be kept online.
Regular backups of your machines will continue uninterrupted. The service will not need to perform a
new full backup.
4Software installation
This section contains information on how to choose the necessary software and step-by-step
installation instructions.

18 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
4.1 What software do I need to install?
Download and install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Update 3 or later. A license key is not required if
you are going to back up to the online storage only.
You have a choice between Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 stand-alone and advanced editions. With
the stand-alone product edition, you can set up and monitor a backup locally on each machine you
want to back up. The advanced product edition enables remote and centralized management. Local
management is also available.
If you already use Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, be sure to update it to the above version.
The following sections describe advanced editions.
4.2 About Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 advanced
edition
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 advanced edition contains the following main components:
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Agent for Windows: Backs up and recovers data
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Management Server: Performs centralized management of the
machines, such as backing up groups of machines
Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Management Console: Enables you to connect to machines and
the management server to set up backup and recovery
The minimum configuration that enables you to back up a machine includes Agent for Windows and
Management Console. By adding Management Server, you obtain more powerful management
capabilities and a single entry point to the system.
Having connected the console to the management server, you can back up or recover any machine
that is registered on the server. You also can apply backup policies to individual machines or groups
of machines. Alternatively, you can connect the console to each individual machine and perform
backup and recovery directly on the machine.
Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Agent for Windows on each machine you want to back up.
Management Server can be installed on any machine that provides continuous services availability
and has a network connection to the machines that you want to back up. Management Console,
which provides the GUI to the agents and to the management server, should be installed on the
machine from where the backup will be set up and monitored.
4.3 Supported operating systems
4.3.1 Management Server and Management Console
You can install the management server and the management console in any of these operating
systems:
Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64)
Windows 2000 –all editions except for the Datacenter edition
Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server editions (x86,
x64)

19 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
Windows Vista - all editions except for Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium (x86, x64)
Windows 7 - all editions except for the Starter and Home editions (x86, x64)
Windows Server 2008 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Foundation editions
(x86, x64)
Windows Server 2008 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Datacenter,
Foundation editions
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010
4.3.2 Agent
You can install the agent in any of these operating systems:
Server operating systems:
Windows 2000 Server/Advanced Server
Windows Server 2003/2003 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server editions (x86,
x64)
Windows Server 2008 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Foundation editions
(x86, x64)
Windows Server 2008 R2 - the Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Datacenter,
Foundation editions
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010
Workstation operating systems:
Windows 2000 Professional SP4
Windows XP Professional SP2+ (x86, x64)
Windows Vista - all editions except for Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium (x86, x64)
Windows 7 - all editions except for the Starter and Home editions (x86, x64)
Whether you need a server or workstation subscription will depend on the operating system in which
the agent is installed.
4.4 Installing Acronis Backup & Recovery 10
The online backup functionality is provided by the Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 product.
If you have the Update 3 or a later version of this product, the online backup functionality is
included. Update to the latest version if you have an earlier one.
If you do not have this product, install it without a product license key. You will be able to back up to
the online storage only.
The following step-by-step instructions will guide you through basic installation when using default
settings. Please refer to Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 installation documentation if advanced
installation options are required. For example, you can install agents remotely or deploy them over
an Active Directory domain using Group Policy.
Downloading the setup program
Perform these steps on the account management Web page.

20 Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2010
1. Go to the Add Products section.
2. Download the setup program of Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, by clicking Download edition
with centralized/remote management capability.
Installing the management server and management console
Perform these steps on any Windows machine that has a network connection to the machines that
you will back up.
1. Start the setup program.
2. Click Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.
3. Click Next.
4. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
5. Click Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 for online backup only.
6. In the list of components, select Management Server, Management Console, and (optionally)
Bootable Media Builder. Clear the selection of any other components.
Details. Acronis Bootable Media Builder enables you to create a bootable CD, DVD or other
media. Using this media, you can recover a corrupted operating system or an entire machine
from a disk or volume backup. If you are planning file-level backups only, you need not install the
media builder.
7. Leave the default setting at Install to.
8. When prompted about credentials for the Acronis services, leave the default setting: Create a
new account.
Details. This account is needed to run the management server's service.
9. Confirm the opening of the Microsoft Windows Firewall port.
10. When prompted about the Microsoft SQL Servers that the management server will use, leave the
default settings.
11. Proceed with the installation.
12. After the installation, click Close to exit the setup program.
Creating a bootable media
If you installed Acronis Bootable Media Builder, we recommend creating a bootable media at this
point.
1. Start Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.
2. In the welcome screen, under Tools, click Create bootable media. The Acronis Bootable Media
Builder wizard will open.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. For detailed information about the settings please refer to the
context-sensitive help.
Installing the agents
Perform these steps on each machine that you will back up.
1. Log on as an administrator and start the setup program. (Skip this step if continuing installation
on the same machine.)
2. Click Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10.
3. Click Next.
4. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
5. Click Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 for online backup only.