Skip to main content

File Backup

File Backup protects your data at the file or directory level. Select individual files or directories you want to protect.

Prerequisites​

  • DPX Master Server
  • DPX Client on source machine
  • Storage device (DiskDirectory)
    • DPX Client node
    • Device cluster with at least one device
    • Media pool (automatically created when creating the device cluster)

Installing DPX Client on a Machine to be Protected​

DPX Client is a software agent installed on a Linux or Windows machine to perform backup and restore tasks managed from the DPX Master Server.

Important.

Allow all required ports for the Catalogic DPX Client:

  • TCP: 3260, 6123, 6124, 9104, 9202, 10000, 10001, 10566, and 15660
  • UDP: 6123 and 6124

To Install DPX Client:

  1. Download the .EXE client-only installer from the Catalogic MySupport website.
  2. Right-click the installation program and select Run as administrator.
  3. Follow the instructions in the installation dialog window, including accepting the Software License Agreement.
  4. In the Add Node to Enterprise step, select Yes, add this node to the Enterprise checkbox to register the client node and thus make it visible in the DPX Master Server. Leave other settings at their default and click Next.
  5. In the Master Server page, specify the Master Server Hostname or IP address. Click Next.
  6. Continue with the installation process. Reboot the machine after installation completes.
Note.

The installation procedure involves adding the DPX Client as a node to DPX Master Server. If this has not been done, go through the optional step below before proceeding with backups.

(Optional) Adding DPX Client Node to DPX Master Server​

This step is only required when a DPX Client node has not been properly added to the DPX Master Server during the DPX Client installation.

Note.

The DPX Client machines must be visible in the network that the DPX Master Server has access to.

  1. Log in to the DPX Master Server (see Logging in to the DPX Master Server above).
  2. Select Nodes from the sidebar, then click Add Node in the upper right corner of the Nodes tab.
[image expected here]
  1. Complete the required fields (*), including:
    • Type – leave default, i.e. DPX Client
    • Node name – must be unique within the DPX Master Server
    • Resolvable hostname or IP address
    • Group name – leave default or create a new node group.
  2. Click Save. Confirm your node has been added to the list.

Adding a Storage Node​

File Backup requires a Disk Directory device as storage. This requires adding the storage device to the DPX Master Server as a DPX Client. For this purpose, we recommend adding the already deployed vStor as a DPX Client node.

Note.

vStor must be visible in the network that the DPX Master Server has access to.

Tip.

If you encounter a CM exeption 10002 error when attempting to add a vStor as a DPX Client node, reboot the vStor machine and try again.

  1. Log in to the DPX Master Server (see Logging in to the DPX Master Server).
  2. Select Nodes from the sidebar, then click Add Node in the upper right corner of the Nodes tab.
[image expected here]
  1. Complete the required fields (*), including:
    • Type – leave default, i.e. DPX Client
    • Node name – must be unique within the DPX Master Server
    • Resolvable hostname or IP address
    • Group name – leave default or create a new node group.
  2. Click Save. Your vStor has been added to the list as a DPX Client node.

Creating a Device Cluster, Devices and Media Pool​

Device cluster is a grouping of virtual devices used as a storage for file backups.

To create a device cluster:

  1. Select Devices & Pools from the sidebar, then click Add device cluster in the upper right corner of the Devices tab.
[image expected here]
  1. Complete the required fields (*), including:
    • Device cluster type – leave default, i.e. Disk Directory
    • Automatically create corresponding media pool – keep enabled
    • Device cluster name – must be unique within the DPX Master Server
    • Storage Node – select the vStor that has been added as a DPX Client
    • Directory path – provide the existing path on the storage node. In this scenario, use the vStor volume local path (see Finding Volume Directory).
    • Devices Configuration – add one device, specifying its name.
  2. Click Save. The device cluster and a corresponding media pool with 100 media have been added.

Running a File Backup​

Backups in DPX are handled as jobs. Each job requires a definition, and multiple instances of a job may exist once the job definition is created.

Creating a File Backup Job Definition​

  1. Log in to the DPX Master Server.
  2. Select Job Manager from the sidebar, then click New Backup Job in the upper right corner of the Jobs tab.
[image expected here]
  1. Complete the required fields, including:
    • Job name – must be unique within the DPX Master Server
    • Job type – select File
    • Sources – click Add Source. Drill down the tree to select the files or directories you want to back up, then click Select.
    • Base Backup Destination – click Set Destination. Select the device cluster from the dropdown menu and select the corresponding media pool (the name will be the same, with the mp- prefix). Click Save. The selection will propagate to the remaining destination sections.
  2. Click Save in the lower right corner.
    You will be prompted to confirm you want to run the job.
[image expected here]
  1. Click Yes.
    You will be redirected to the Job Monitor view filtered by the job’s name, where you can monitor the progress of the job instance. The status will be Running.
[image expected here]

Switch on the Auto refresh toggle to track the progress in real time, or click the job name to view job instance details.

Once the job instance is finished successfully, you will see the Completed status in green. Your file backup is now done.