Setting Up and Using Home Server Storage : Working with Server Backup Drives

Adding a Drive for Server Backups

Windows Home Server 2011 may not have Drive Extender’s folder duplication to protect the files stored on the server, but it does come with a decent Server Backup program that can backup not only the shared folder data, but also the client computer backups, and any extra hard drives you have added to the system. You can also use Server Backup to create a system image, which you can use to restore your entire system should your system drive go belly up.

With a new (ideally external) hard drive installed and formatted, follow these steps to add it as the Windows Home Server backup drive:

1.	Open the Windows Home Server Dashboard.
2.	Click Server Folders and Hard Drives.
3.	Display the Hard Drives tab.
4.	In the Hard Drives section, click the drive you want to add.
5.	Click Add the Hard Drive to Server Backup. Windows Home Server launches the Set Up Server Backup Wizard.
6.	Click Next in the wizard’s initial dialog box. The wizard displays a list of hard drives that are suitable (and available) for use as server backup drives.
7.	Activate the check box beside the drive you want to use, and then click Next. The wizard asks whether you want to format the new hard drive.
8.	Click Yes. The wizard prompts you for a drive name.
9.	Type a name for the drive, and then click Next. The wizard prompts you to specify a backup schedule, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. When you set up a hard drive to use as a server backup drive, you also need to specify a backup schedule.
10.	You have two choices: Twice a Day—Select this option to run a twice-daily backup, and use the First Backup and Second Backup lists to select the backup times. Custom—Select this option if you want to run only a single backup, or if you want to run three or more daily backups. Use the check boxes in the Custom Schedule list to select the backup time or times you want to use.
11.	Click Next. The wizard prompts you to select the items you want to include in the backup.
12.	Activate the check box beside each item you want to include in the backup, and then click Next.
13.	Click Apply Settings. The wizard sets up the server backup.
14.	Click Close. Windows Home Server Dashboard creates a new section in the Hard Drives tab called Server Backup, and it displays your new drive in that section (see Figure 2). (Your Windows Home Server machine also now appears in the Computers and Backup section of the Dashboard.) Figure 2. In the Hard Drives tab, you now see a Server Backup section that displays the hard drive (or drives) that you use for backing up Windows Home Server.

Removing a Server Backup Drive

If you have a hard drive that’s currently being used as a backup device for Windows Home Server, follow these steps to remove it: