Hardware support for Windows Server Backup
Due to implementation details known only to Microsoft, hardware support on Server 2008 Backup varies considerably based on device. Each device has its own level of restorability as well. Please consult the compatibility matrix below to choose the correct hardware device for you.
Feature |
USB HDD |
rdx |
Iomega REV |
NAS |
| Support Native Windows / BackupAssist Support |
  |
|
|
|
# backups per device |
Multiple |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Compression |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Backup method |
Smart1 |
Overwrite |
Overwrite |
Overwrite |
Can restore to bare metal? |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Can restore to dissimilar hardware?2 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Can restore volumes?3 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Can restore individual files? |
Yes4 |
No |
No |
Yes4 |
Can restore individual applications? |
Yes4 |
No |
No |
Yes4 |
1 Backup Method for USB HDD – the first backup that runs will be a full backup. All future backups will be incremental backups, with changes being merged into the original image. Past versions of the images will appear as shadow copies within the main backup. As the hard drive fills up, old versions will be automatically deleted off the device.
2 Restore to dissimilar hardware – our testing has shown that complete server restores can be performed to dissimilar hardware. The restore wizard (on the Recovery CD) allows you to load up the drivers of the new hardware while restoring the system. We have run several different tests – physical to physical, physical to virtual (using VMware Server), and virtual to physical, using a range of desktop and server grade hardware (with RAID) and each test has been successful. However, you are strongly advised to perform your own testing to confirm our findings.
3 Restoration of volumes, individual files and applications – can be performed through the Windows Server Backup management console on Windows Server 2008.
4 Note that the restore of individual files and applications is not possible on Vista. However, you can use a 3rd party tool to mount the Microsoft Virtual Disk file to retrieve your data.
2 Restore to dissimilar hardware – our testing has shown that complete server restores can be performed to dissimilar hardware. The restore wizard (on the Recovery CD) allows you to load up the drivers of the new hardware while restoring the system. We have run several different tests – physical to physical, physical to virtual (using VMware Server), and virtual to physical, using a range of desktop and server grade hardware (with RAID) and each test has been successful. However, you are strongly advised to perform your own testing to confirm our findings.
3 Restoration of volumes, individual files and applications – can be performed through the Windows Server Backup management console on Windows Server 2008.
4 Note that the restore of individual files and applications is not possible on Vista. However, you can use a 3rd party tool to mount the Microsoft Virtual Disk file to retrieve your data.