SureBackup - automatic verification of the ability to restore data from backup

When you make a backup, it is assumed that "in which case" it will be operational, that is, suitable for recovery. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and we know a lot of sad stories when data recovery was impossible due to problems with creating a “backup”. To prevent such incidents and timely troubleshoot it is recommended to regularly test backups; Moreover, testing should be an integral part of your backup strategy.

Backup checking can be of two types:

• Backup integrity check - checksums of backup data blocks are checked.
• Verification of recovery from a backup - in a special isolated environment (“sandbox”), the process of restoring a system from a backup is simulated and it is checked whether it will work correctly after recovery.

Testing - a problematic issue

Life experience shows that companies often “save” on backup testing. This may be due both to a lack of awareness regarding possible problems during the recovery phase, as well as to economic factors, since a complete testing process of restoring a system from a backup copy, if done manually, is a very time-consuming operation. Such a situation is fraught with consequences, because in the event of a failure, critical data may not be recovered at a given time or, even worse, may be partially or completely lost.

So that users can be confident in the restoration of critical data in case of failures, the developers of Veeam Backup & Replication implemented the SureBackup technology, which allows to automatically check the possibility of restoring data from a backup. Despite the fact that SureBackup has been around for more than 2 years, not everyone knows about this feature. We will try to clarify the short post below.

How it works

After each backup cycle, the SureBackup check starts automatically. The newly created backup file is read, virtual machines are automatically started from it in an isolated virtual network, your verification scripts are executed when available, and then a report on the test results is sent.
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Features:

1. Virtual machines are started (read) directly from the backup file without unpacking it.
2. Thanks to the first feature for testing, you need a minimum of disk space on existing equipment.
3. You can create bundles of machines for testing (Application Group), for example, for testing Microsoft Exchange you first need a domain controller.
4. Isolated virtual network (virtual lab) allows you to test virtual machines without changing the network configuration settings.
5. You yourself can create scripts for testing and thus check any applications.
6. After completing the SureBackup task, everything is neatly turned off and cleaned. The backup files themselves remain intact.

SureBackup is configured in a few simple steps:

1. Create a group of applications consisting of virtual machines that you want to test.


Fig. 1 Creating an application pool


Fig. 2 Creating an application group: specifying a name and description


Fig. 3 Creating an application pool: choosing virtual machines


Fig. 4 Creating an application pool: checking settings

2. Create a virtual lab that isolates these virtual machines from the production environment. Each virtual lab includes a set of isolated networks, virtual switches and a group of ports.


Fig. 5 Creating a virtual lab


Fig. 6 Creating a virtual lab: specifying a name and description


Fig. 7 Creating a Virtual Lab: Choosing a Host


Fig. 8 Creating a Virtual Lab: Choosing a Data Warehouse


Fig. 9 Creating a virtual lab: setting up a proxy


Fig. 10 Creating a virtual lab: network settings


Fig. 11 Creating a virtual lab: specifying isolated networks


Fig. 12 Creating a virtual lab


Fig. 13 Creating a virtual lab: network setup


Fig. 14 Creating a virtual lab: checking and saving settings

3. Create a SureBackup task that will link the virtual lab to a group of applications.


Fig. 15 Creating a SureBackup task


Fig. 16 Creating a SureBackup task: specifying a name and description


Fig. 17 Creating a SureBackup task: choosing a virtual lab


Fig. 18 Creating a SureBackup Task: Selecting an Application Group


Fig. 19 Creating a SureBackup task: connecting the SureBackup task to a backup task


Fig. 20 Creating a SureBackup task: setting up a report with test results


Fig. 21 Creating a SureBackup task: setting a launch schedule


Fig. 22 Creating a SureBackup task: checking settings

The SureBackup task can test any backup every time according to the configured schedule. During the scan, the SureBackup task will start the virtual machines in the application group inside the isolated environment, check the operating systems, applications, etc. At the end of the test, SureBackup will stop the virtual machines and send a report with the test results.


Fig. 23 SureBackup task performance statistics

Before the advent of SureBackup technology, test data recovery was an elusive goal. With the introduction of SureBackup, testing and verification of backups have become much easier, and now administrators can be sure that all backups are 100% reliable.

If you want to know more technical details, read this blog post on our official website (in English).

Other SureBackup resources (in English):

• Webinar Recording (43 min.) - 5 New ways to use SureBackup
• Video demo (6 min.) - vPower DEMO: SureBackup Recovery Verification