ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE ECHO - FOR LINUX User manual

User’s Guide
Acronis®
True Image Echo
Server for Linux

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009. All rights reserved.
“Acronis”, "Acronis Compute with Confidence" and the Acronis logo are trademarks of
Acronis, Inc.
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ARE DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THAT SUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE
LEGALLY INVALID.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction.....................................................................................6
1.1 Acronis® True Image Echo Server – a complete solution for corporate users..........................6
1.2 Acronis True Image Echo Server key features.......................................................................7
1.3 New in Acronis True Image Echo Server...............................................................................8
1.4 Supported file systems and storage media............................................................................9
1.4.1 Supported file systems..................................................................................................9
1.4.2 Supported storage media ..............................................................................................9
1.5 Technical support................................................................................................................9
Chapter 2. Acronis True Image Echo Server installation and startup..............11
2.1 System requirements......................................................................................................... 11
2.1.1 Minimum hardware requirements................................................................................. 11
2.1.2 Supported operating systems ...................................................................................... 11
2.2 Installing Acronis True Image Echo Server.......................................................................... 11
2.3 Running Acronis True Image Echo Server........................................................................... 11
2.4 Removing Acronis True Image Echo Server......................................................................... 12
Chapter 3. General information and proprietary Acronis technologies ...........13
3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images ............................................ 13
3.2 Full, incremental and differential backups........................................................................... 13
3.3 Acronis Secure Zone®........................................................................................................ 14
3.4 Working from a rescue CD................................................................................................. 15
3.5 Working from a remote terminal ........................................................................................ 15
3.6 Backing up software and hardware RAID arrays.................................................................. 15
3.7 Support for LVM volumes................................................................................................... 16
3.8 Backing up to tape drive.................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 4. The program interface under X Window System ...........................18
4.1 The main window and available operations......................................................................... 18
4.1.1 The main area............................................................................................................ 18
4.1.2 The menu .................................................................................................................. 19
4.1.3 Status bar .................................................................................................................. 19
4.2 Viewing disk and partition information................................................................................ 20
Chapter 5. Creating backup archives...............................................................21
5.1 Backing up files and folders (file backup)............................................................................ 21
5.2 Backing up disks and partitions (image backup).................................................................. 25
5.3 Setting backup options ...................................................................................................... 27
5.3.1 Archive protection....................................................................................................... 27
5.3.2 Source files exclusion.................................................................................................. 28
5.3.3 Pre/post commands.................................................................................................... 28
5.3.4 Before/after data capture commands........................................................................... 28
5.3.5 Compression level....................................................................................................... 29
5.3.6 Backup performance................................................................................................... 29
5.3.7 Fast incremental/differential backup ............................................................................ 30
5.3.8 Archive splitting.......................................................................................................... 30
5.3.9 Media components...................................................................................................... 31
5.3.10 Error handling........................................................................................................... 31
5.3.11 Dual destination backup............................................................................................ 32
5.3.12 Additional settings .................................................................................................... 32
Chapter 6. Restoring the backup data under X Window system .....................34
6.1 Considerations before recovery.......................................................................................... 34

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
6.1.1 Restore under OS or boot from CD?............................................................................. 34
6.1.2 Network settings in rescue mode................................................................................. 34
6.2 Restoring files and folders from file archives ....................................................................... 35
6.3 Restoring disks/partitions or files from images .................................................................... 38
6.3.1 Starting the Restore Data Wizard................................................................................. 38
6.3.2 Archive selection......................................................................................................... 38
6.3.3 Restoration type selection ........................................................................................... 39
6.3.4 Selecting a disk/partition to restore.............................................................................. 40
6.3.5 Selecting a target disk/partition................................................................................... 40
6.3.6 Changing the restored partition type............................................................................ 41
6.3.7 Changing the restored partition file system .................................................................. 42
6.3.8 Changing the restored partition size and location.......................................................... 42
6.3.9 Restoring several disks or partitions at once................................................................. 42
6.3.10 Setting restore options.............................................................................................. 43
6.3.11 Restoration summary and executing restoration.......................................................... 43
6.4 Restoring data with a rescue CD ........................................................................................ 44
6.5 Setting restore options ...................................................................................................... 44
6.5.1 Files to exclude from restoration.................................................................................. 45
6.5.2 Files overwriting mode................................................................................................ 45
6.5.3 Pre/post commands.................................................................................................... 45
6.5.4 Restoration priority..................................................................................................... 46
6.5.5 File-level security settings ........................................................................................... 46
6.5.6 Additional settings ...................................................................................................... 46
6.5.7 Error handling ............................................................................................................ 47
Chapter 7. Scheduling tasks............................................................................48
7.1 Creating scheduled tasks ................................................................................................... 48
7.1.1 Setting up daily execution ........................................................................................... 49
7.1.2 Setting up weekly execution........................................................................................ 50
7.1.3 Setting up monthly execution...................................................................................... 51
7.1.4 Setting up one-time execution..................................................................................... 51
7.2 Managing scheduled tasks ................................................................................................. 52
Chapter 8. Managing Acronis Secure Zone......................................................53
8.1 Creating Acronis Secure Zone ............................................................................................ 53
8.2 Resizing Acronis Secure Zone............................................................................................. 54
8.3 Changing the password for Acronis Secure Zone ................................................................. 55
8.4 Deleting Acronis Secure Zone............................................................................................. 55
Chapter 9. Creating bootable media................................................................57
Chapter 10. Operations with archives.............................................................59
10.1 Validating backup archives............................................................................................... 59
10.2 Mounting partition images................................................................................................ 59
10.2.1 Mounting an image ................................................................................................... 59
10.2.2 Unmounting an image............................................................................................... 61
10.3 Consolidating backups ..................................................................................................... 61
Chapter 11. Notifications and event tracing....................................................64
11.1 Email notification............................................................................................................. 64
11.2 WinPopup notification...................................................................................................... 65
11.3 Viewing logs.................................................................................................................... 65
Chapter 12. Console mode ..............................................................................67
12.1 Backup, restore and other operations in the console mode (trueimagecmd)........................ 67
12.1.1 Supported commands ............................................................................................... 67
12.1.2 Common options (options common for most trueimagecmd commands) ...................... 69
12.1.3 Specific options (options specific for individual trueimagecmd commands) ................... 70
12.1.4 Trueimagecmd usage examples................................................................................. 73

12.2 Automatic image creation using cron service..................................................................... 75
12.3 Restoring files with trueimagemnt .................................................................................... 76
12.3.1 Supported commands ............................................................................................... 76
12.3.2 Trueimagemnt usage examples ................................................................................. 77
Chapter 13. Transferring the system to a new disk.........................................78
13.1 General information......................................................................................................... 78
13.2 Security .......................................................................................................................... 79
13.3 Executing transfers.......................................................................................................... 79
13.3.1 Selecting Clone mode................................................................................................ 79
13.3.2 Selecting source disk................................................................................................. 79
13.3.3 Selecting destination disk .......................................................................................... 80
13.3.4 Partitioned destination disk........................................................................................ 81
13.3.5 Old and new disk partition layout............................................................................... 81
13.3.6 Old disk data............................................................................................................ 81
14.3.7 Destroying the old disk data ...................................................................................... 82
13.3.8 Selecting partition transfer method ............................................................................ 83
13.3.9 Partitioning the old disk............................................................................................. 83
13.3.10 Old and new disk partition layouts ........................................................................... 84
13.3.11 Cloning summary .................................................................................................... 84
13.4 Cloning with manual partitioning ...................................................................................... 84
13.4.1 Old and new disk partition layouts ............................................................................. 84
Chapter 14. Adding a new hard disk................................................................86
14.1 Selecting a hard disk ....................................................................................................... 86
14.2 Creating new partitions.................................................................................................... 86
14.3 Add disk summary........................................................................................................... 87

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1 Acronis® True Image Echo Server – a complete solution for
corporate users
You have come to rely on your servers to run your business and retain key enterprise
data. Acronis True Image Echo Server provides comprehensive, reliable, and cost-
effective system protection and recovery for corporate servers, running Linux. With
Acronis True Image Echo Server you have peace of mind knowing you are protected and
can recover from any situation.
Minimizes downtime
Acronis True Image Echo Server for Linux enables you to restore systems in minutes, not
hours or days. An entire system can be restored from an image that includes everything
the system needs to run: the operating system, applications, databases, and
configurations. No reinstallation or reconfiguration is required. Moreover, complete system
restoration can be performed to an existing system or to a new system with different
hardware or to virtual machines. File-based backups provide you with the flexibility to
only backup selected critical files.
Eases Administration
Wizards guide users through backup and recovery tasks, ensuring the product can be
implemented with minimal user training.
Automates Backup
With the scheduling capability in Acronis True Image Echo Server, you simply create
backup tasks, tailored by group, at certain times or at certain events, automating
backups.
To ensure that backups have occurred, or user intervention is required, you can request
notifications via email or pop-up. You can view events in Acronis own log.
The product also supports the creation of custom commands before and after backups.
For example, users can automatically run anti-virus products before an image is created
and verify the validity of backups after they have been created.
Ensures 24 X 7 Uptime
With the Acronis Drive Snapshot systems can be imaged while they are in use, supporting
24 by 7 availability. This technology enables the product to backup and image critical
operating system files, the master boot record and any partition-based boot records
without requiring a reboot. A CPU allocation feature allows you to limit the amount of CPU
usage for the application to maximize the CPUs available for mission critical applications.
Moreover, users can control hard disk drive writing speeds and control network bandwidth
used during backups, allowing you minimally disrupt business operations.
For correct backup of mission critical databases, Acronis True Image Echo Server will
execute your custom commands, that suspend and resume database processing, before
and after data capture.
Supports Cutting Edge Technology
Businesses today are moving to leverage the latest technologies, dual-core 64 bit
processors and 64 bit operating systems. With Acronis True Image Echo Server, you can
protect these new machines, as well as legacy ones, running one solution.

Leverages Existing Technology Investments
The product can leverage your current storage infrastructure by supporting a wide variety
of storage media, so you can avoid costly hardware purchases to implement the solution.
The product supports key storage technologies such as: Direct Attached Storage (DAS),
Network Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Networks (SAN), Redundant Arrays of
Independent Disks (RAID) devices, tapes, USB and IEEE-1394 (FireWire) compliant
storage devices, CDs, removable drives (Floppy, Zip, etc.) and shared storage. Moreover,
the product ensures that you maximize the space on these resources with four levels of
compression.
Disk cloning and new disk deployment
Acronis True Image Echo Server can be used to clone an image onto multiple servers. For
example, a company purchased several servers and needs similar environments on each
of them. Traditionally, an IT manager should install the operating system and programs
on every server. With Acronis True Image Echo Server, the IT manager can create a disk
image of the first system deployed. That image can then be duplicated onto multiple
servers.
If you need to upgrade the server hard disk drive, Acronis True Image Echo Server
simplifies the task to few mouse clicks creating the exact copy of your old disk to a new
one and adjusting partitions size to fit a new hard disk.
1.2 Acronis True Image Echo Server key features
Backup
Creating a system image without system shutdown
Imaging only the sectors that contain data (for supported file systems)
File-level backup with exclude files feature
Full, incremental and differential backups
Restore
OS-independent operation of Acronis True Image Echo Server from bootable CD including
restore over NFS or Samba Network
Restore of individual files and directories from disk images
Backup and restore options
Data compression level
CPU/Network bandwidth/Disk write speed throttling
Splitting image
Password protection for backup archives
Hardware compatibility
x86_64-bit processors support
Backup and restore all hard disks, regardless of capacity
Backup and restore software RAIDs (md devices) both on running system and with
bootable CD

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Backup Archive Store Places
A wide variety of IDE, SCSI, USB, FireWire, and PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) storage
media. CD-R/RW and tape drives are supported as well (except for console mode)
Acronis Secure Zone
FTP servers
Placing backup archives on Bootable Acronis CD
Hard disk management
The ability to migrate data from one drive to another (disk cloning)
The ability to change a partition type, file system, size and location during recovery or
disk cloning
Ease of use
Transparent NFS and Samba network drives access (in X Window mode NFS and Samba
appear among available devices, in console mode a path to the network drive may be
specified)
Mounting images in X Window environment in Read-Only or R/W mode
Scheduling backups in X Window environment
Scheduled and periodical image creation using cron jobs utility
Notifications (e-mail, Winpopup)
Viewing logs
Comprehensive wizards in X Window environment simplify complex operations
Context Help
1.3 New in Acronis True Image Echo Server
Backup
Encrypting backups with industry-standard AES cryptographic algorithm (key size 128,
192, 256 bit)
Control network bandwidth usage when backing up to FTP
Error handling: ignore bad sectors, silent mode (no pop-ups, continue on all errors)
Generating time-based names for backup files
Scheduling
Schedule archive validation
Cloning a task
Notification via e-mail
Multiple e-mail addresses
From and Subject fields
Logon to incoming mail server
Operations with archives
Consolidate backup files (create a consistent copy of archive while deleting selected
backups)

CLI features
MBR restore
Backup to FTP server
Allow logs on net share
1.4 Supported file systems and storage media
1.4.1 Supported file systems
•Ext2/Ext3
•ReiserFS
•Reiser4
•Linux SWAP
•XFS
•JFS
If a file system is not supported or is corrupted, Acronis True Image Echo Server can copy
data using a sector-by-sector approach.
For XFS and Reiser4 file systems the partition resizing feature is not supported.
1.4.2 Supported storage media
•Hard disk drives
•SCSI tape drives
•FTP-servers*
•CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R (including double-layer DVD+R), DVD+RW, DVD-
RAM**
•USB 1.0 / 2.0, FireWire (IEEE-1394) and PC card storage devices
•ZIP®, Jaz® and other removable media
* - an FTP-server must allow passive mode for file transfers. Data recovery directly from
FTP-server requires the archive to consist of files no more than 2GB in size. It is
recommended that you change the source computer firewall settings to open ports 20
and 21 for both TCP and UDP protocols.
** - Burned rewritable discs cannot be read in Linux without kernel patch.
1.5 Technical support
As part of a purchased annual Support charge you are entitled to Technical Support as
follows: to the extent that electronic services are available, you may electronically access
at no additional charge, Support services for the Software, which Acronis shall endeavor
to make available twenty four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days per week. Such electronic
services may include, but are not limited to: user forums; software-specific information;
hints and tips; bug fix retrieval via the internet; software maintenance and demonstration
code retrieval via a WAN-accessible FTP server; and access to a problem resolution
database via Acronis customer support system.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Support shall consist of supplying telephone or other electronic support to you in order to
help you locate and, on its own, correct problems with the Software and supplying
patches, updates and other changes that Acronis, at its sole discretion, makes or adds to
the Software and which Acronis makes generally available, without additional charge, to
other licensees of the Software that are enrolled in Support.
Upon mutual agreement by both parties, Acronis shall:
(i) supply code corrections to you to correct Software malfunctions in order to bring such
Software into substantial conformity with the published operating specifications for the
most current version of the Software unless your unauthorized modifications prohibit or
hamper such corrections or cause the malfunction;
or (ii) supply code corrections to correct insubstantial problems at the next general
release of the Software.
More information about contacting Acronis Technical Support is available at the following
link: http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/support/

Chapter 2. Acronis True Image Echo Server
installation and startup
2.1 System requirements
2.1.1 Minimum hardware requirements
Acronis True Image Echo Server requires the following hardware:
•Pentium processor or higher
•512MB RAM
•CD-RW drive for bootable media creation
•Mouse (recommended).
2.1.2 Supported operating systems
•Operating systems based on Linux 2.4.9 or later kernel including 2.6.x.
•x64 versions of Linux distributions are also supported in case of a 32-bit library is
present in the selected Linux x64 distribution.
To obtain the up-to-date information about distributions, supported by your copy of
Acronis True Image Echo Server, see the readme.txt file supplied with the program.
Acronis True Image Echo Server bootable version enables disk-level backup and recovery
on a computer running any PC-based operating system.
2.2 Installing Acronis True Image Echo Server
To install Acronis True Image Echo Server for Linux:
•Assign to the setup file the attribute Executable
•Run the setup process
•Follow setup program instructions.
If the setup could not compile the necessary module for your Linux distribution, please
refer to the file HOWTO.INSTALL:
/usr/lib/Acronis/TrueImageServer/HOWTO.INSTALL
You can choose to install, besides Acronis True Image Echo Server, the Rescue Media
Builder tool. With Rescue Media Builder you can create bootable rescue disks or their ISO
images.
2.3 Running Acronis True Image Echo Server
To run the program under the X Window System interface, use the trueimage command
or select Acronis True Image Echo Server from the system tools menu.
To work in the console mode, use trueimagecmd and trueimagemnt tools, described
in
Chapter 12. Console mode . See also man trueimagecmd or man trueimagemnt.
If your disk data is totally corrupted, load the bootable Acronis True Image Echo Server
version from removable media (created by you using Rescue Media Builder). Then you
will be able to restore the disk from its previously created image.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
2.4 Removing Acronis True Image Echo Server
To remove Acronis True Image Echo Server, do the following:
1. Execute the following commands:
# cd /usr/lib/Acronis/TrueImageServer/uninstall/
# ./uninstall
2. Remove the sources of the SnapAPI module:
# rm -rf /usr/src/snapapi*

Chapter 3. General information and
proprietary Acronis technologies
3.1 The difference between file archives and disk/partition images
A backup archive is a file or a group of files (also called in this guide “backups”), that
contains a copy of selected files/folders data or a copy of all information stored on
selected disks/partitions.
When you back up files and folders, only the data, along with the folder tree, is
compressed and stored.
Backing up disks and partitions is performed in a different way: Acronis True Image Echo
Server saves a sector-based snapshot of the disk, which includes the operating system,
registry, drivers, software applications and data files, as well as system areas hidden from
the user. This procedure is called “creating a disk image,” and the resulting backup
archive is often called a disk/partition image.
Acronis True Image Echo Server stores only those hard disk parts that contain data (for
supported file systems). This reduces image size and speeds up image creation and
restoration.
A partition image includes all files and folders independent of their attributes (including
hidden and system files), a boot record and file system super block.
A disk image includes images of all disk partitions as well as the zero track with master
boot record (MBR).
By default, files in all Acronis True Image Echo Server archives have a “.tib” extension.
It is important to note that you can restore files and folders not only from file archives,
but from disk/partition images, too. To do so, mount the image (see
10.2 Mounting
partition images
) or start the restore wizard, select image and select Restore specified
files or folders.
3.2 Full, incremental and differential backups
Acronis True Image Echo Server can create full, incremental and differential backups.
A full backup contains all data at the moment of backup creation. It forms a base for
further incremental or differential backup or is used as a standalone archive. A full backup
has the shortest restore time as compared to incremental or differential ones.
An incremental backup only contains data changed since the last full or incremental
backup creation. Therefore, it is smaller and takes less time to create. But as it doesn’t
contain all data, all the previous incremental backups and the initial full backup are
required for restoration.
Unlike incremental backup, when every backup procedure creates the next file in a
“chain,” a differential backup creates an independent file, containing all changes
against the initial full archive. Generally, data from a differential backup will be restored
faster than an incremental one, as it does not have to process through a long chain of
previous backups.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
A standalone full backup may be an optimal solution if you often roll back the system to
the initial state (like in a gaming club or Internet café, to undo changes made by the
guests). In this case, you need not re-create the initial full image, so the backup time is
not crucial, and the restore time will be minimal.
Alternatively, if you are interested in saving only the last data state to be able to restore it
in case of system failure, consider the differential backup. It is particularly effective if your
data changes tend to be little as compared to the full data volume.
The same is true for incremental backup. In addition, it is most useful when you need
frequent backups and possibility to roll back to any of stored states. Having created a full
backup once, if you then create an incremental backup each day of a month, you will get
the same result as if you created full backups every day. However, the cost in time and
disk space (or removable media usage) will be as little as one tenth as much.
It is important to note that the above arguments are nothing but examples for your
information. Feel free to make up your own backup policy in accordance with your specific
tasks and conditions. Acronis True Image Echo Server is flexible enough to meet any real-
life demands.
An incremental or differential backup created after a disk is defragmented might be
considerably larger than usual. This is because the defragmentation program changes file
locations on disk and the backups reflect these changes. Therefore, it is recommended
that you re-create a full backup after disk defragmentation.
3.3 Acronis Secure Zone®
The Acronis Secure Zone is a special partition for storing archives on the computer system
itself. In the Acronis True Image Echo Server Wizards’ windows the zone is listed along
with all partitions available for storing archives.
Acronis Secure Zone is always available for archive creation as long as there is space for
the backup file. If there is not enough space, older archives will be deleted to create
space.
Acronis True Image Echo Server uses the following scheme to clean up Acronis Secure
Zone:
•If there is not enough free space in the zone to create a backup, the program deletes
the oldest full backup with all subsequent incremental/differential backups.
•If there is only one full backup (with subsequent incremental/differential backups) left
and a full backup is in progress, then the old full backup and incremental/differential
backups are deleted.
•Otherwise, (only one full backup left, and an incremental/differential backup is in
progress) you will get a message about space error. In that case you will have to
either re-create the full backup or increase Acronis Secure Zone.
Thus, you can back up data automatically on a schedule (see
Chapter 7. Scheduling
tasks
), and not worry about the zone overflow issues. However, if you keep long chains of
incremental backups, it will be a good practice to periodically check the zone free space,
indicated on the second page of the Manage Acronis Secure Zone wizard.
For information on how to create, resize or delete Acronis Secure Zone using this wizard,
see
Chapter 8. Managing Acronis Secure Zone .

In case you remove Acronis True Image Echo Server from the system, there is an option
to keep Acronis Secure Zone along with its contents (which will enable data recovery on
booting from bootable media) or remove Acronis Secure Zone.
The Acronis Secure Zone should not be the only location where a backup is stored.
Should the disk have a physical failure, the Acronis Secure Zone could be lost. This is
particularly critical for backups of servers; the Acronis Secure Zone should only be one
part of an overall backup strategy.
3.4 Working from a rescue CD
In some situations (e.g. if the operating system fails to boot, or when cloning a mounted
disk), you might have to work with Acronis True Image Echo Server without loading the
OS. In those cases, you can use the Acronis rescue CD. It is highly recommended that
you create it as described in
Chapter 9. Creating bootable media .
3.5 Working from a remote terminal
You can control the image creation or restoration process remotely from any computer in
the local network or Internet, operating under Windows, Mac OS or any UNIX clone.
To act as a remote terminal, this computer must have X Server software installed. Start
the X Server and log on to the server using SSH-enabled software. For example, Putty is
one of the most popular Windows programs of that type.
Then you can invoke Acronis True Image Echo Server GUI with the trueimage command
or use the trueimagecmd command line tool.
3.6 Backing up software and hardware RAID arrays
Acronis True Image Echo Server supports software and hardware RAID arrays as if these
were simple single hard drives. However, as such arrays have a structure different from
typical hard disks, there are peculiarities affecting the way data is stored.
Software RAID arrays under Linux OS combine several hard disks partitions and make
solid block devices (/dev/md0, ... /dev/md31), information of which is stored in
/etc/raidtab or in dedicated areas of that partitions. Acronis True Image Echo Server
enables you to create images of active (mounted) software arrays similar to typical hard
disk images.
Partitions that are part of software arrays are listed alongside other available partitions as
if they had a corrupted file system or without a file system at all. There’s no sense in
creating images of such partitions when a software array is mounted, as it won’t be
possible to restore them.
Parameters of software disk arrays are not stored in images, so they can only be restored
to a normal partition, or unallocated space, or previously configured array.
Operating from a rescue CD, Acronis True Image Echo Server tries to access parameters
of a software disk array and configure it. However, if the necessary information is lost,
the array cannot be configured automatically. In this case, create a software array
manually and restart the restoration procedure.
Hardware RAID arrays under Linux combine several physical drives to create a single
partitionable disk (block device). The special file related to a hardware disk array is
usually located in /dev/ataraid. Acronis True Image Echo Server enables you to create
images of hardware disk arrays similar to images of typical disks and partitions.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Physical drives that are part of hardware disk arrays are listed alongside other available
drives as if they had a bad partition table or no partition table at all. There’s no sense in
creating images of such drives, as it won’t be possible to restore them.
3.7 Support for LVM volumes
When running in Linux environment with 2.6.x kernel, Acronis True Image Echo Server
supports disks, managed by Logical Volume Manager (LVM). You can back up data of one
or more LVM volumes and restore it to a previously created LVM volume or MBR disk
(partition), likewise it is also possible to restore MBR volume data to an LVM volume. In
each case, the program stores and restores volume contents only. The type or other
properties of the target volume will not be changed.
A system, restored from an LVM volume image over an MBR disk, cannot boot because
its kernel tries to mount the root file system at the LVM volume. To boot the system,
change the loader configuration and /etc/fstab so that LVM is not used. Then reactivate
your boot manager as described in section 6.3.11.
When restoring an LVM volume over an MBR partition, resizing of the partition is possible.
LVM volumes appear at the end of the list of hard disks available for backup. Hard disk
partitions included in LVM volumes are also shown in the list with None in the Type
column. If you select to back up such partitions, the program will image it sector-by-
sector. Normally it is not needed. To back up all available disks, specify all dynamic
volumes plus partitions not belonging to them.
The following is an example of a list of drives obtained with the --list command (GUI
wizards display a similar table). The system has three physical disks (1, 2, 3). Two
dynamic volumes 4-1 and 4-2 are arranged across partitions 1-2 and 2-1. Hard drive 3
includes Acronis Secure Zone which is not normally imaged.
Num Partition Flags Start Size Type
------------------------------------- ---------- ---------- -----------
Disk 1:
1-1 hda1 (/boot) Pri,Act 63 208782 Ext3
1-2 hda2 Pri 208845 8177085 None
Disk 2:
2-1 hdb1 Pri,Act 63 8385867 None
Disk 3:
3-1 hdd1 Pri,Act 63 1219617 Ext3
3-2 Acronis Secure Zone Pri 1219680 2974608 FAT32
Dynamic Volumes:
4-1 VolGroup00-LogVol00 15269888 Ext3
4-2 VolGroup00-LogVol01 1048576 Linux Swap
To image dynamic volume 4-1, select partition 4-1.
To image all three physical drives, select partitions 1-1, 3-1, 4-1, 4-2.
If you select disk 2, partition 1-2 or 2-1, the program will create a sector-by-sector copy.

3.8 Backing up to tape drive
Acronis True Image Echo Server supports SCSI tape drives. It can store backups on the
tape and restore data from the tape, store large backups to multiple tapes, and append
incremental/differential changes to a tape with the existing archives.
If a SCSI tape drive is connected to the server, the list of devices available for storing
backups will be extended with a name corresponding to the drive type.
Backup and restore using tape drive proceed in the same way as with other devices, with
the following exceptions.
1. A full backup can be stored on an empty tape only. If the tape already contains data,
its contents will be overwritten on prompt. You have an option to disable prompts. See
details in
5.3.12 Additional settings .
2. In case you want to keep more than one archive on the tape, for example, back up two
disks separately, choose
incremental backup mode instead of a full backup when you
create an initial backup for the second disk. In other situations, incremental backup is
used for appending changes to the previously created archive.
3. You do not have to provide filenames for backups.
You might experience short pauses that are required to rewind the tape.
Low-quality or old tape, as well as dirt on the magnetic head, might lead to pauses that
can last up to several minutes.
Implementation notice
Due to the wide variety of tape libraries and configuration complexity, for detailed
information on how to implement Acronis True Image Echo Server with tape devices
please contact Acronis support specialists.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
Chapter 4. The program interface under X
Window System
Acronis True Image Echo Server features both the console mode and a user-friendly
interface under X Window System. The GUI mode, described in this chapter, provides the
widest functionality. For console commands please see
Chapter 12. Console mode .
4.1 The main window and available operations
The main program window contains the menu, the toolbar, the sidebar and the main
area. The sidebar features the Tools pane. The main area displays operation icons
(default view), tasks (after clicking Tasks) or logs (after clicking Logs).
4.1.1 The main area
Operation icons are divided into three groups.
The Task group contains the following operations:
•Backup – create a backup archive
•Recovery – restore data from a previously created archive
The Manage Tasks group contains the following operations:
•Tasks – schedule backup or archive validation tasks on your computer and manage
them
•Logs – open the Log Viewer window
The Tools group contains the following items:
•Validate Backup Archives – run the archive integrity checking procedure
•Manage Acronis Secure Zone – create, delete and resize a special hidden partition
for storing archives (Acronis Secure Zone)
•Clone Disk – transfer the OS, applications and data from the old disk to the new one

•Add New Disk – add a new disk for data storage leaving the OS and applications on
the old one.
4.1.2 The menu
The menu bar features the Operations, View, Tools and Help menus.
The Operations menu contains the following list of operations:
•Backup – create a backup archive
•Recovery – restore data from a previously created archive
•Mount image – mounts a partition image
•Unmount image – unmounts a partition image
•Clone Disk – transfer the OS, applications and data from the old disk to the new one
•Add New Disk – add a new disk for data storage leaving the OS and applications on
the old one
•Schedule task - schedule backup or archive validation tasks on your computer and
manage them
The View menu contains items for managing the program window appearance:
•Toolbars – contains commands that control toolbar icons
•Common Task Bar – enables/disables the sidebar
•Status Bar – enables/disables the status bar
The Tools menu contains the following items:
•Manage Acronis Secure Zone – create, delete and resize a special hidden partition
for storing archives (Acronis Secure Zone)
•Validate Backup Archive – run the archive integrity checking procedure
•Consolidate archive – applicable for archives containing more than one backups.
This will create a consistent copy of the archive with an option to exclude backups
that are no more needed
•Create Bootable Rescue Media – run the bootable media creation procedure
•Show Log – open the Log Viewer window
•Options – open a window for editing default backup/restore options, setting text
appearance (fonts), configuring notifications etc.
The Help menu is used to view help and obtain information about Acronis True Image
Echo Server.
Most of the operations are represented two or even three times in different window areas,
providing several ways to select them for more convenience. For example, you can start
the necessary operation or tool by clicking its icon in the main area or by selecting the
same item from the Operations or Tools menu.
4.1.3 Status bar
At the bottom of the main window, there is a status bar indicating the Acronis True Image
Echo Server operation progress and results. Double-clicking the operation results will
open the Log Viewer window.

Copyright © Acronis, Inc., 2000-2009
4.2 Viewing disk and partition information
You can change the way of data representation in all schemes you see in various wizards.
To the right are three icons: Arrange Icons by, Choose Details and i (Display the
properties of the selected item), the last duplicated in the context menu invoked by
right-clicking objects.
To sort messages by a particular column, click the header (another click will switch the
messages to the opposite order) or Arrange Icons by button and select the column.
To select columns to view, right-click the headers line or left-click the Choose Details
button. Then flag the columns you want to display.
If you click the i (Display the properties of the selected item) button, you will see
the selected partition or disk properties window.
This window contains two panels. The left panel contains the properties tree and the right
describes the selected property in detail. The disk information includes its physical
parameters (connection type, device type, size, etc.); partition information includes both
physical (sectors, location, etc.), and logical (file system, free space etc.) parameters.
You can change the width of a column by dragging its borders with the mouse.