Agent Deployment

Physical backup of Vinchin Backup & Recovery is an agent-based backup functionality which can perform file level, application level (database, Exchange) and volume level backups to meet the data protection needs of customers physical servers.

Before creating backup jobs for the file servers, database servers or the entire operating system of the physical servers, backup agents need to be deployed on the servers.

Deploy Agents for Linux Server

Step 1: Download Backup Agent for Linux Server

Open the web console of Vinchin Backup & Recovery, on the login screen, click on Download Backup Plugin to show the agent download options.

Or if you had already logged in Vinchin backup server web console, please go to Resources > Agents page, click on Download button to show the agent download options.

The downloaded backup agent installer for Linux server should be a .tar.gz package. If you’ve downloaded it on a Windows desktop, please upload it to the Linux server which you wish to backup.

Step 2: Install Backup Agent for Linux Server

Login to the command line interface (CLI) of the Linux server. Install the backup agent follow the steps below.

  1. By using the below command to decompress the .tar.gz package.

tar -zvxf vinchin-backup-agent-xxx-x86_64.tar.gz

Where the 'xxx' should be the version number and Linux distribution same as the actually downloaded installer.

  1. Enter the backup plugin package folder.

cd vinchin-backup-agent-xxx-x86_64

Where the 'xxx' should be the version number and Linux distribution same as the folder decompressed from the agent installer.

  1. Install with the below command.

./agent_install

Once you execute the agent install command, the installation will begin, and during the installation process, you need to specify the agent connection mode and maybe required to specify the backup server IP based on connection mode you choose.

  1. Choose the connection mode.
1) Server-to-client
2) Client-to-server
Please select connection mode [1,2] <default 2>:

Choose between 1 and 2 to determine “server to client” or “client to server” connection mode.

If 1 (input 1 and press enter), the agent will only be installed and will not connect to server, users will have to add the agent from Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console after the agent installation.

If 2 (directly press enter or input 2 and press enter), users will be asked to provide the Vinchin backup server IP for the agent being able to automatically connect to after the installation.

  1. Specify backup server IP.

Only if the connection mode is 2, users will be asked to specify the backup server IP.

Please select connection mode [1,2] <default 2>:2
Please input backup server IP:172.18.1.10

Please enter Vinchin backup server IP then press enter.

  1. Specify Access Key(Optional)

Access Key required only for subuers or tenant users' agent association, directly press enter to skip.

Find the key from top right of Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console by clicking on your username and then select Account Settings

  1. Specify client/server listening port.

If the connection mode is 1, users will be asked to specify the client listening port. It’s not recommended to change the port number, please press enter to continue.

If the connection mode is 2, users will be asked to specify the server listening and transmission port. It’s not recommended to change the port number, please press enter to continue.

  1. Specify client transport port.

It’s not recommended to change the client transport port, please press enter to confirm the installation.

Once the users completed the above settings, the installation will be done in a few seconds, if you had chosen connection mode 1 (server to client), after the agent installation, please open Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console to add the agent to Vinchin backup server.

Deploy Agents for Windows Server

Step 1: Download Backup Agent for Windows Server

Open the web console of Vinchin Backup & Recovery on the target Windows server which you wish to backup, on the login screen, click on Download Backup Plugin to show the agent download options.

Or if you had already logged in Vinchin backup server web console, please go to Resources > Agents page, click on Download button to show the agent download options.

The downloaded backup agent installer for Window should be a .exe package. If you’ve downloaded it on another Windows desktop, please upload it to the Windows server which you wish to backup.

Step 2: Install Backup Agent for Windows Server

Install the backup agent follow the steps below.

  1. Run the backup agent installer with administrator permission.

Right clicking on the installer and select Run as Administrator.

  1. Specify installation location.

It’s recommended to install the backup agent in the default location.

  1. Specify connection mode.

Choose between Connection mode 1 or 2 to determine “Server-to-client” or “Client-to-server” connection mode.

If Connection mode 1, the agent will only be installed and will not connect to server, users will have to add the agent from Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console after the agent installation.

If Connection mode 2, users will be asked to provide the Vinchin backup server IP for the agent being able to automatically connect to backup system after the installation.

  1. Specify backup server IP and Access Key(Optional)

If you chose Connection mode 2, please enter the backup server IP address and click on next to continue.

Access Key required only for subuers or tenant users' agent association, directly click Next to skip.

Find the key from top right of Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console by clicking on your username and then select Account Settings

  1. Port configurations

If Connection mode 1, users have to specify the Agent listening port and Agent transmission port. It's recommended to use the default port number.

If Connection mode 2, users have to specify the server listening port and agent transmission port. It's recommended to use the default port number.

Besides, you can select install driver If you want to turn on server CDP and server backup CBT function for fast incremental backup.

  1. Specify the start menu folder.

Please use the default folder and click on Next to continue.

  1. Confirm installation.

If there’s no issue with the installation location and the start menu folder, please click on Install to confirm the agent installation.

Once the installation is completed, the agent installation wizard will ask to either restart the Windows or later, it is recommended to restart the Windows system right after the agent installation or before perform any backups of the server.

If you had chosen Connection mode 1 (Server-to-client), after the agent installation, please open Vinchin Backup & Recovery web console to add the agent to Vinchin backup server from Resources > Agents page.

Agent Auto Deployment

Except manually download and install the backup agents for the Linux and Windows servers, users can also choose to auto deploy the agents.

For agent auto deployment of Linux servers, the Linux servers must have SSH services enabled. For agent auto deployment of Windows, it will not work with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Desktop.

Agent auto deployment is suitable with the scenario which the backup server and the physical servers are in the same LAN. For other network environments, auto deployment might not work.

There are 2 options for agent auto deployment.

Option 1: Single Server Auto Deployment

To deploy backup agent on a single Linux/Windows server, please go to Resources > Agents page. Click on Add button, and then in the pop-up dialog please select Auto Deploy.

In Method dropdown list, please select Single-server.

In the OS dropdown list, please select the physical server OS type.

In the IP Address field, please enter the IP address of the physical server for Vinchin backup server being able to connect and deploy backup agent.

In the Username and Password field, please provide the user credentials of root (if Linux) or administrator (if Windows). If with any other user accounts which lack of permissions, the agent deployment will fail.

In the Name field, users can define a customized name for identification of the server agent.

In Connection Mode dropdown list, please select the Agent-to-server or Server-to-agent.

Usually, it’s recommended to use the Agent-to-server mode with default server signaling port 22710.

Server Listening Address can be selected which address connected to server.

If select Server-to-agent, the agent signaling port can be modify.

Auto-switch Network can be enabled in a multi-NIC agent environment, if the current agent network has an abnormal communication with the backup server, the system will automatically switch to an available network.

Once done the configurations, click on OK to confirm adding the agent, Vinchin backup server will then try to connect with the specified server with provided user credentials and try to install the agent automatically.

While the screen is in loading state, please do not leave this page or refresh the page, otherwise it will fail to upload the agent installer to the server.

Once the uploading is done, the agent will be added in to the agent list, its status will be in “Offline(Deploying)” state. When the agent have been successfully deployed, the agent status will be changed to “Online(Deployed)” and the auto deployment process is completed.

Option 2: Import server list for bath auto deployment.

For deploying physical backup agents on a large amount of physical servers, Vinchin provides batch import option for users to import the server list from a template file.

Please go to Resources > Agents page. Click on Add button, and then in the pop-up dialog please select Auto Deploy.

In the Method dropdown list, please select Import.

Click on Download template to download the batch import template, a .xls file will be downloaded to your desktop, please edit this file with MS Excel.

In the IP Address column, please list the IP addresses of the servers which you wish to deploy backup agents.

In the Operating System column, please specify the operating system type corresponding to the IP addresses.

In User and Password columns, please provide the user credentials, if Linux, please use root; if Windows, please user administrator.

In the Alias column, you can optionally define a customized name for each server for identification.

As for the Connection Mode, Server Signaling Port and Automatic Switching Communication Network it’s recommended to leave these 2 columns as default.

Once done editing the template file with all the server information, save the modifications and then upload it to batch import the server list for Vinchin backup server to batch deploy agents on those servers.

While the screen is in loading state, please do not leave this page or refresh the page, otherwise it will fail to upload the agent installer to the server.

Once the uploading is done, the agents will be added in to the agent list, agents’ status will be in “Offline(Deploying)” state. When the agents have been successfully deployed, the agent status will be changed to “Online(Deployed)” and the auto deployment process is completed.

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