Store copy tasks allow you to copy a selection of archives from one store to another. You can copy archives between stores within the same Archive Manager system , or you can copy archives to or from a store on another Archive Manager system .


Before you create a store copy task, both stores, source and destination, must exist. They must also be of the same generation.


The store copy task is associated with the store it is created from. This store can be the source store or the destination store. Initially it will be the source store, but this can be changed before the task is actually created.


When copying stores to or from a different Archive Manager system, performance is generally better when pushing data rather than pulling it. Beginning with version 9.0 the software performs a verification of the latest restore points prior to copying data. Because this verification is quickest when performed on the source store it is better to push the data from the source store rather than pull it from the destination store. Just the opposite was true with earlier versions of the software where pulling was the recommended method. If stores have recently been converted to the version 9.0 generation, new store copy tasks should be created on the source stores, if they do not already exist, so that data is being pushed to the destination store.


Note: The source and target stores must be of the same generation. For example, if you want to copy an older legacy store that was created with a version of the software prior to version 9, you would need a target store of the same generation. If one of the stores is a new (version 9) generation the older store must be converted. If you are targeting a single store and it is not compatible a message box will pop up telling you to first convert the store and then create the task. If you are targeting a Store Group no message popup will occur and the task will fail when it is run. In this case the task history log will indicate the problem. See Store Generations for more information.



Creating a Store Copy Task


Assuming both a source and destination store exist, select the store from the Archive Manager console tree that you want the store copy task to be associated with and then click the Create Store Task action, then select Create Store Copy Task. This action opens the Create Store Copy Task wizard with the selected store shown in the Source Store window of the Create Store Copy Task screen. Other stores configured for this Archive Manager server are listed in the Destination Store window. Click the Browse button to select a store on another Archive Manager server.


You can reverse the source and destination lists by clicking the double-ended arrow button. You would do this if you wanted the store listed in the Source Store window to actually be the destination store.


Select your destination store from the Destination Store window. Contents of the highlighted store in the Source Store window are copied to the highlighted store in the Destination Store window. Click Next to continue.


If there is more than one archive in this store (for example, more than one protection plan is writing to this store), you can copy all archives or a subset of archives. Click Next to continue.


On the Configure Restore Points to Copy screen, you can choose to copy all restore points or copy only the most recent restore point. Make your choice, then click Next to continue.


Enter a meaningful name for this task on the Copy Task Name screen, then click Next to continue to the Schedule Copy Task screen.


You can schedule this task to run automatically or click Next to accept the No Schedule default. The task runs as the currently-logged-on user unless you change the Run as account information on the Task tab of the task scheduler.


Review the store copy task settings shown on the Completing the Add Store Copy Task wizard screen. If you need to make changes, navigate back via the Back button. When you are satisfied with the settings, click the Finish button. If you have not entered account information on the User Account tab of Archive Manager Properties, you will be prompted for the password of the account specified to run the plan. After you enter the password, the task is created, the Create Store Copy Task wizard closes, and the new task appears in the store tasks results of the store where the task was created.



Common usage scenarios for the Store Copy task


Copy local drive store to store on removable storage


A good backup plan often includes taking the backup media to an off-site location. You could set up a store copy task to run, for instance, once a week, and only copy the most recent restore point from each archive, thereby allowing for many weekly backups on removable disk or USB storage.



Copy a store from one Archive Manger server to another Archive Manager server


As mentioned above, performance is better when pushing data rather than pulling it. For best performance, you should create the store copy task on the Archive Manager server that you are copying the data from and set the store to be the source store.



Seeding a store from a remote site


This software employs source-based deduplication, in which data processing is distributed across a network of servers and only the deduplicated data is moved across a LAN or WAN to a store. If a large amount of deduplicated data has to travel across a slow WAN link during the baseline run of a system in a remote office, the baseline run time may be unacceptably long due to the bandwidth bottleneck. Once the baseline run has completed, however, subsequent runs will skip items already in the store and only process new and changed data. Only the deduplicated versions of active data moves across the WAN and into the store, greatly reducing the backup window and making protection of remote systems across the WAN feasible. To facilitate the baseline run of a system in a remote office, the deduplicated data may be saved to a removable storage device plugged directly into the remote system, and then shipped to the location of the Archive Manager server for synchronization, thus seeding the store for future runs.


Follow these steps for seeding a store from a remote site:


  1. Configure storage at the remote site for the plan to use.

Attach a removable storage device to the remote computer that you want to protect. If USB connected, make sure the server supports at least USB 2.0. It will appear in the Computer window with a local drive letter, for example, H:. Share the root of the drive and allow Full NTFS permissions to the Domain Admins Group. You can configure a NAS device with a share instead, as long as the share is accessible to Archive Manager.

  1. Add a store to the share at the remote site.

In Archive Manager, click the Stores folder and choose the Add a Store action. In the Add Store wizard, select Network Drive, click the link to map a network drive (or add a network location). Map a drive to the share on the removable storage device, choosing a drive letter for the mapped drive and entering the UNC path to the share, e.g. \\<remote computer name>\<share name>. Once mapped, the share appears in the Select a Network Drive window. Select the share and click Next. Name the store with a unique name (for example, the permanent store name plus "_temp"). Click Next. Prepare the store by clicking Prepare Now and complete the Add Store wizard.

  1. Add a protection plan for the remote computer.

In Archive Manager, expand the Remote Computers folder, select the All Computers group, right-click and select Add Computer. Add the remote computer by machine name or IP address. (Note: Exchange and SQL require the machine name.) Click on the newly-added computer. In the Actions pane, select Create Protection Plan. Step through the protection plan wizard. Give the plan its permanent name. The plan name will not change. Add the folders to be protected and select to use the store created in step two.

  1. Run the plan one time. The baseline is generated and stored.
  2. Run the plan at least two more times so items in the store are verified.
  3. Set the plan to run to the permanent store.

Once the protection plan completes, in Archive Manager, under Remote Computers, All Computers, select the remote computer. The plan appears in the center pane. Highlight the plan. In the Actions pane, select Plan Settings. On the Settings tab, click the Change button. Choose the permanent (seeded) store from the list of available stores. Click OK. Click OK again.

  1. Remove the USB device properly with the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray. This action will flush buffers prior to removal. Ship the USB device and connect to the Archive Manager server.
  2. From the Archive Manager list of stores, remove the store on the removable media, since it has an incorrect device path now.

In Archive Manager, select the store. In the Actions pane, select Remove Store. Accept the default to keep the data on the media for future use. Click Continue.

  1. Reconnect Archive Manager to the store.

In Archive Manager, select Stores. In the Actions pane, select Add a Store. If the store is located at the root of a removable USB device, in the Add Store wizard, select Disk Drive, then select the drive letter of the USB device. Click Next. In the Storage Name window, select the Use existing radio button. The field becomes active, and you can then select the store on the USB device. Click OK. Click Next, then click the Reconnect button, then click Finish. If the store is located in a folder on the USB device, do not select Disk Drive, select File Folder and click the link to select a folder. Browse to the folder on the USB device that contains the store, then finish reconnecting to the store. If the store resides on a NAS share, in the Add Store wizard select Network Drive, browse to the folder that contains the store, then finish reconnecting to the store.

  1. Create a store copy task to synchronize the store on the removable device with a permanent store. (If you have not created the permanent store yet, do so now.)

In Archive Manager, select the store on the removable media. In the Actions pane, select Create Store Task. In the dialog box that opens, choose Create Store Copy Task. Select the source and destination stores. The source store is the store on the removable media. Select the destination store from the list of available stores. The destination store is the permanent store that the plan will use in the future. Click Next. Keep the default selection to copy all archives. Click Next. Choose the default selection to copy all restore points. Click Next. Accept the default name for the store copy task and enter proper credentials for the task to use when it runs.

  1. Run the store copy task.

In Archive Manager, with the store on the removable media selected, click Store Tasks in the Actions pane. In the center pane, highlight the store copy task. Right-click the store copy task and select Run.

  1. Run the plan to the new store. Configure a schedule for the plan (optional).
  2. You may remove the store on the removable device from Archive Manager once you are satisfied the new configuration is working properly.

In Archive Manager, select the store on the removable device. In the Actions pane, select Remove Store. Accept the default to keep the data on the media for future use or delete the contents permanently. Make sure you are deleting the correct store or permanent protection plan data loss may result. Click Continue.