• Backup

Using the Back up control, select the machine which you want to back up and then create a backup plan on the machine. You can create backup plans on multiple machines in turn.

• Recovery

Using the Recover control, select the machine where the data recovery is required and create a recovery task on the machine. You can create recovery tasks on multiple machines in turn.

To recover the entire machine or the operating system that fails to start, use the bootable media. You cannot control operations under bootable media using the management server, but you can disconnect the console from the server and connect it to the machine booted from the media.

• Managing plans and tasks

To manage the plans and tasks existing on the registered machines, select Machines > All machines in the Navigation tree and then select each machine in turn. The Information pane below shows the state and the details of plans and tasks existing on each machine and enables you to start, stop, edit, and delete the plans and tasks.

You can also use the Tasks view that displays all tasks existing on the registered machines. The tasks can be filtered by machines, backup plans and other parameters. Refer to the context help for details.

• Viewing log

To view the centralized log, collected from the registered machines, select Log in the Navigation tree. The log entries can be filtered by machines, backup plans and other parameters. Refer to the context help for details.

• Creating centralized vaults

If you opt for storing all backup archives in a single or a few networked locations, create centralized vaults in these locations. After a vault is created, you can view and administer its content by selecting Vaults > Centralized > 'Vault name' in the Navigation tree. The shortcut to the vault will be deployed to all the registered machines. The vault can be specified as a backup destination in any backup plan created by you or by the registered machines' users.

To make the best use of the centralized management capabilities offered by Acronis Backup & Recovery 10, you can opt for:

• Using deduplication
  1. Install Acronis Backup & Recovery 10 Storage Node and add it to the management server.
  2. Create the deduplicating managed vault on the storage node.
  3. Install the Acronis Deduplication add-on to the agent on all machines that will back up to the deduplicating vault.
  4. Ensure that the backup plans you create use the managed vault as destination for the backup archives.
• Creating a backup policy rather than backup plans

Set up a centralized backup policy and apply it to the All machines group. This way you will deploy backup plans on each machine with a single action. Select Actions > Create backup policy from the top menu and then refer to the context help.

• Grouping the machines registered on the management server

Group the registered machines by appropriate parameters, create several policies and apply each policy to the appropriate group of machines. For more information please refer to "Grouping the registered machines".