Windows system state backups

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The most recently released versions of the IBM Storage Protect backup-archive client and IBM Storage Protect server software include updates that improve the performance of Windows system state backup and restore operations.

There are no user-configurable options or settings that can be adjusted to improve the efficiency of Windows system state protection. Backing up or restoring the Windows system state is a resource-intensive and time consuming operation. If you decide that you must back up the Windows system state, consider whether you can define server policy settings that retain fewer versions of system state backups. For example, your organization might require you to retain data files for 60 days, but require only 10 days of retention for system state information. The client include.systemstate option can be used to specify a different management class to be used for system state backups.

The decision to explicitly back up the Windows system state depends on how you plan to restore a node, after a node fails. The following factors can influence your decision to back up the Windows system state data:
  • If you plan to restore a node by reinstalling the operating system from the Windows installation media, or from a repair disk and image backup, you do not need to back up the Windows system state data.
  • If you plan to restore a physical machine from an image backup or from a snapshot image backup, back up all volumes because system state data might exist on other disks, and not just on the C drive.
  • If you plan to restore a Windows virtual machine, system state objects are backed up when you perform a full backup of the virtual machine. A separate backup of the system state data is not required to restore a Windows virtual machine from a full virtual machine backup.
  • If you plan to perform a bare metal restore of a client node, you must explicitly back up the system state files so they are available to restore the system state objects to the same, or a different, system. To reduce storage requirements, associate system state backups with policies that limit the number of backup copies that are retained on the server or in storage pools.
    Restriction: Bare metal restore of Microsoft Windows servers and workstations that adhere to the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification is possible only from IBM Storage Protect backup-archive clients that are version 7.1, or later.