How to Backup a Windows Server

Backing up a server is an important part in keeping your data secure and intact. Whenever a situation occurs that your server experiences a hard crash, format, hacker attack or failure, it is important to have your data backed up before those situations occur. Backing up your data before something happens that could potentially make you lose your data, is also as important as restoring your data after losing your data in your server. You must restore your data from a backup that was created to avoid complete data loss.

In this article, we will be listing steps to show how to successfully backup a windows server and perform a windows server backup. In order to backup a windows server, you must first install Windows Server Backup. Windows Server Backup is a software that allows you to backup your windows server. It’s an officially licensed windows software from Microsoft so you can be sure to trust this software. Remember to install the software and run the software so that you will be able to back up your windows server and save important data in case your server experiences any type of failure or data loss. We will start listing the steps of how to backup your windows server using windows server backup below.

To install Windows Server Backup

1. Open Server Manager and click Add roles and features.
2. On the Add Roles and Features Wizard click Next.
3. On the Installation Type screen, leave the default Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next.
4. On the Server Selection screen, click Next.
5. On the Server Roles screen click Next.
6. On the Features screen, select Windows Server Backup and click Next 
7. Click Install.
8. Once the installation is complete, click Close.

To perform backup using Windows Server Backup

1. Open Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Windows Server Backup.
2. If you are prompted, in the User Account Control dialog box, provide Backup Operator credentials, and then click OK.
3. Click Local Backup.
4. On the Action menu, click Backup once.
5. In the Backup Once Wizard, on the Backup options page, click Different options, and then click Next.
6. On the Select backup configuration page, click Full server (recommended), and then click Next.
7. On the Specify destination type page, click Local drives or Remote shared folder, and then click Next.
8. On the Select Backup Destination page, choose the backup location. If you selected local drive choose a local drive or if you selected remote share choose a network share.
9. On the confirmation screen, click Backup.
10. Once this has completed click Close.
11. Close Windows Server Backup.

Using Wbadmin.exe to backup your windows server

Wbadmin.exe is a command line utility that enables you to backup and restore your operating system, files, folders, volumes, and applications from a command prompt.

To perform a full server backup using Wbadmin.exe 

Open an elevated command prompt, type the following command and press ENTER:

wbadmin start backup -backuptarget:<Drive_letter_to store_backup>: -include:<Drive_letter_to_include>:

In conclusion, you should always regularly backup your windows servers regularly using windows server backup. You do not want to permanently lose your important server data. For more articles like this, click here