Setting Up a Master / Slave Configuration with Multiple PRO Servers

Backing up to multiple destinations means your machines are backed up to two or more locations, which provides the highest level of availability and protection. A common configuration is to have onsite backup for fast, convenient restores and offsite backup for disaster recovery. Each server acts as an independent backup destination and backup archives do not replicate across servers. Full capabilities are here.

Multi-server support provides the flexibility to set up both local and remote server backup destinations, when you want central, enterprise level control and management of your backup archives, policies and users.

• Make sure your firewall is configured to allow bi-directional traffic for both master and slave servers on port TCP 4282.
• Make sure both PRO Servers have Network Addresses configured. The Primary Address must be accessible to each PRO Server.
• You should be familiar with:
  • installing PRO Server software
  • concepts in this article about PRO Server in Multi-server configurations Master / Slave Capabilities
  • concepts relating to default destination settings in this article Default Destinations

Adding a slave as a destination involves:

• Installing PRO Server on the machine you want to slave.
• Identifying the slave as a destination for a group of users (at the server or organization level)
• Setting the destination options for the slave, including deciding to make the slave destinations available to existing users or to new users only.

Using the same master license key as the master server, install PRO Server on the machine you wish to slave. Then follow these steps to attach the slave to your master PRO Server.

Make sure your Slave PRO Server is a clean install and no one has backed up to it yet.

1. Log into your slave PRO Server.
2. Choose Settings > Edit Master Server.
3. In the Master Host and Port fields, enter your Master PRO Server's hostname and port, 4282.
4. In the Master GUID field, enter the GUID for the Master PRO Server.
5. Click Save.

With slaving complete, the slave is now available as a backup destination for new users. Follow the next steps to enable the slave destination for existing users.

Use these instructions to enable a new destination for existing users.

WARNING: The Edit Default Destinations page allows you to make significant system changes that can affect users' ability to restore their backup, including removing all of the backup archives. Be sure to review the summary of other options for a complete understanding of the options.

1. Log in to the master server admin console.
2. Click Settings > Edit Default Destinations on the navigation menu.
   This page displays the destinations available for organizations belonging to this server, including the slave you added in the previous section.
   
3. (optional) Click Apply all changes to existing users if you want to make this destination (and all other changes you make on this page) to all existing computers on this server.
4. Click Save.

If any of organizations do not get their Default Destinations from the server level, you need to edit the organization's Default User Settings to make the slave available as a destination.

1. Log in to the admin console.
2. Navigate to the organization to which you want to add a slave as a destination.
3. Click Default User Settings on the navigation menu.
4. In the Add new destination by guid box, enter the GUID of the master.
5. Click Apply all changes to existing users to make this destination and to make all other changes on this page available to all existing computers in this org or any of its child orgs that inherit backup destination settings.
6. After you click Save all computers entering this org will be granted permission to back up to both destinations in the list.
   If you re-enable Inherit Backup Destinations, and apply that change to all users, a list of the destinations that will be removed appears in the admin console.
   

If you choose to apply these settings to existing users, subsequently clicking the Remove or Stop Backups options result in removing the backup archives for existing users. This table identifies the effect of applying these options to existing users on their backup archives.

• Service Providers Offering Onsite and Offsite Backup
• PRO Server Reference Guide - Add Storage (Service Provider model)
• PRO Server Reference Guide - Edit Master Server (Enterprise Backup model)