You can protect your server running Windows Server 2008 R2 and its data automatically by scheduling daily backups to volumes. To configure scheduled backups, you will need to first:

Note
To create a backup schedule using the Windows Server Backup user interface

  1. Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Windows Server Backup.

  2. In the Actions pane of the snap-in default page, under Windows Server Backup, click Backup Schedule. This opens the Backup Schedule Wizard.

  3. On the Getting Started page, click Next.

  4. On the Select Backup Configuration page, do one of the following, and then click Next:

    • Click Full server (recommended) to back up all volumes on the server. This is the recommended option.

    • Click Custom to back up just certain items, and then click Next.

      1. On the Select Items for Backup page, click Add Items. In Select Items, select the check boxes for the items that you want to back up. If you want to back up just certain folders or files, expand the folder tree and select the items that you want to include. Click OK.

      2. On the Select Items for Backup page, click Advanced Settings, click the Exclusions tab, click Add Exclusions, and then expand the folder tree and select the items that you want to exclude.

      3. On the VSS Settings tab, select either VSS full Backup or VSS copy Backup. Click OK.

  5. On the Specify Backup Time page, do one of the following, and then click Next:

    • Click Once a day, and then select the time from the drop-down list to start running the daily backup.

    • Click More than once a day. Then, to select a start time, under Available time, click the time that you want the backup to start, and then click Add to move the time under Scheduled time. Repeat for each start time that you want to add.

  6. On the Specify Destination Type page, select Back up to a volume.

  7. Select Back up to a volume. On the Select Destination Volume page, click Add. In Add volumes, click the volume(s) that you want to use, and then click OK.

    Note

    You cannot select multiple volumes on the same disk to store backups. You can only add one volume per disk.

  8. On the Confirmation page, review the details, and then click Finish. If you have dedicated a disk for storage, the wizard formats the disk, which may take several minutes depending on the size of the disk.

  9. On the Summary page, click Close.

Additional considerations

  • To configure a scheduled backup, you must be a member of the Administrators group or Backup Operators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

  • You can also perform this task remotely for another server using the Connect To Another Computer option in the Windows Server Backup Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in. Make sure that you are a member of the Administrators or Backup Operators group on the remote server. If you are a Backup Operator, ensure that the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) security settings on the remote computer are set to allow Backup Operators to connect to it.

    You can only use this feature if the local and remote servers are running the same version of Windows—either both running Windows Server 2008 or both running Windows Server 2008 R2. In addition, you cannot use this feature to manage a computer running any version of Windows client operating system.

  • After you create a backup schedule, you should revisit the settings periodically to confirm that your hardware configuration has not changed and that you are still backing up everything you intended to. For instructions, see Modify or Stop an Automatic Backup Schedule.

Additional references

  • Configure Automatic Backups to an Attached Disk
  • Configure Automatic Backups to a Remote Shared Folder