Quick Start Guide for Zmanda Free Trial Package
This guide explains all about the 14-day free trial of Zmanda. It includes an overview of installation steps, the backup-restore process, and tips to help you try the full set of features offered.
Zmanda offers a free trial for 14 days with access to all the features and full software. You can request for the trial to experience Zmanda in your environment. Once your trial is approved, you will receive licenses, credentials, videos, and documentation on your registered email account to start with Zmanda.
At the start of the trial period, we provide you with a trial license for one backup server and one backup agent for each of the supported endpoints. However, if you want more licenses to test Zmanda, you can get in touch with the sales team at [email protected].
Meanwhile, one of our customer specialists will reach out to you to understand your requirements. You can implement your backup architecture as per your requirements to make the most of Zmanda. For help during implementation, one of our specialists will get in touch with you for a free 30-minute call.
The below sections will walk you through all the important steps to install and experience Zmanda in your backup environment.
Network Zmanda is the licensing portal of Zmanda that lets you download licenses, backup server binaries, and raise support tickets, among other product lifecycle-related actions. To begin with the installation process, it is essential to authenticate yourself at Network Zmanda using the credentials received in the email.
Network Zmanda
Note: The login id and password are case-sensitive.
You can now begin the installation process. Zmanda's installation process consists of two parts, one is installing a backup server, and the other is installing backup agents.
Tip: We recommend updating all the systems before you begin with the backup server and backup agent installation. Also, please read through the system requirements for a smoother installation.
Installing a backup server is the first step in installing Zmanda in your environment. The backup server installation consists of two parts; one is the backup server binary, and the other one is ZMC UI binary. Both these installations require you to log in to Network Zmanda and download binaries.
Once you log in to Network Zmanda, navigate to the Downloads tab on the left-side navigation bar to download the Backup Server and Backup Clients for the operating system of your choice.
First, you need to install a backup server. You can install the backup server and the ZMC control plane on the below Linux systems.
- CentOS 8, 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 7
- Debian 10, 9, 8
- Suse Linux 15.2, 12.5
- Fedora 32, 31, 30, 29, 28
- Ubuntu 20.10, 20.04, 18.04, 16.04
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 8, 7
There are 4 ways to install Zmanda’s Backup Server in your environment. The first three are the recommended options as they are preconfigured and include all dependencies which will simplify deployment.
- 1.Booting a VM from a .ova file - Zmanda Backup Appliance is a system image file with a preloaded Zmanda configuration. We use a .ova system image file to boot a VM with the backup server, and the ZMC control plane preconfigured. It is the quickest way to get started with Zmanda. You can check out the detailed process in Zmanda backup appliance installation guide.
- 2.Docker image – If you are looking for a more controlled operating environment, we recommend going this way. Here, you will install the backup server and the ZMC control plane via a docker container. This process enables easy version upgrades. You can find detailed instructions to install a backup server via a docker container in the docker installation guide.
- 3.AWS cloud marketplace - Building Zmanda on AWS infrastructure enables you to deploy a backup server in any geography in a few minutes. In this way, you can Run a backup server entirely within AWS, from building, deploying, and managing Zmanda. It is an ideal way when the workloads to backup run within AWS. For detailed steps, please check out the AWS marketplace installation documentation.
- 4.Linux install - We recommend Linux installation in setting up Zmanda on black sites, air-gapped networks, etc. Zmanda offers extensive CLI commands to make the installation smooth for you. If you opt for this method, you will have to install the backup server and the Zmanda control plane binaries separately. Know the detailed process of installing the backup server on Linux systems using this guide.
The backup server runs on port 8002, and the ZMC control plane runs on port 8008. Now, the next step is to build a backup cluster.
If Zmanda is installed via Docker or Linux installation, you need to add the backup server to ZMC. However, if you install Zmanda via the .ova or the cloud marketplace image, the backup server and the ZMC control plane are auto-configured to communicate with each other.
Multiple backup servers can be linked to ZMC, creating a cluster for better backup performance and data isolation.
In order to configure your backup server/s, you need to log into ZMC.
To access ZMC, make sure the firewall is disabled on the machine where the backup server is installed. If the firewall is enabled, there will be issues accessing ZMC on your PC.
Once you log in to ZMC, select the Settings drop-down from the left-side navigation bar, and then select Clusters. To link a backup server to this ZMC control plane, click on the ADD SERVER button on the top right corner of the screen and enter the IP address of the machine running the backup server.
Click on ADD SERVER button
And once you click on save, the control plane runs a traceroute to the backup server. If the connection is healthy, ZMC will notify you that the backup server is now successfully linked to the ZMC control plane.
Follow the same steps mentioned above to add multiple backup servers to form a cluster.
Once the Backup Server is installed and configured with ZMC, it is time to install and configure the backup agent.
Installing a backup agent is the last step to installing Zmanda in your environment. Backup agents are installed on the source you want to back up or in the same network as the source you want to back up. They help interface the source data to the ZMC control plane. You can check out all the sources Zmanda support below.
Linux
- CentOS 8, 7
- Debian 10, 9, 8
- Fedora 32, 31, 30, 29, 28
- Oracle Enterprise Linux 8, 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, 7 (server & desktop)
- Suse Linux 15.2, 12.5
- Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, 16.04
Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012, 2008
- Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7
Compatible Virtualization Platforms
- Hyper-V Cluster & Hyper-V Windows Server 2019, 2016, 2012
- VMware vSphere 6.7, 6.5
Mac OS X
- Mac OS X Server
- Mac OS X 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10
Compatible Applications
- Microsoft Exchange Server 2016, 2013
- Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013
Compatible Databases
- Microsoft SQL Server 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012
- Oracle Server 19C, 18C, 12C on Linux
- Oracle Server 19C, 18C, 12C on Solaris
- Oracle Server 19C, 18C, 12C on Windows
- PostgreSQL 12.x, 11.x, 10.x, 9.x
You can configure a backup client in one of two ways, agent or agentless installations.
- Agent-based: An executable service is installed directly on the source OS to backup. This installation method ensures that the backup agent can actively monitor the changes done on the source system, to shorten the duration of the backup windows. You can install an agent-based backup agent on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices. Even the databases supported by Zmanda, Oracle (Linux), Oracle (Windows), MS SQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL server, comes under an agent-based backup agent. The agent installation guide can help you with all the required steps.
- Agentless: When the source to backup doesn't contain active processing capabilities like in network-connected storage systems, or you want to back up all VMs on a hypervisor, you proceed with an agentless setup. This enables the backup intelligence to be centrally located and performs backup runs from a single point of administration. You can have an agentless setup on HyperV, VMWare vCenter, NFS/iSCSI/Lustre File System, CIFS Share, and NDMP. The agentless installation guide can help you understand how to set it up.
You can retain all these installation configurations if you decide to make a purchase. All you need to do is replace the trial license with the paid one. After the installation, you can start using Zmanda for backup and restore in your enterprise.
You can start taking backups after installing Zmanda. To start with backups, you need to create a backup set using ZMC.
The backup set consists of sources, storage, and schedule plans. All operations, such as backup, restore, reporting, monitoring, etc., are performed within the context of a backup set. You have to create the source, storage, and schedule plan individually before creating a backup set.
Using a source, you define what to back up. A source could range from workloads, directories, or applications you want to back up and can be linked to multiple backup sets. You can refer to the documentation on sources to know how to create it.
Storage defines the storage destination that stores your backups, which can vary from disks, clouds, or tapes. Different fields will be visible based on your selection among cloud, legacy, simple disk, or tape storage. To know the detailed steps for creating storage on ZMC, please refer to the guide on storage.
A ZMC schedule plan defines the interval in which a backup happens. You can share one schedule plan across multiple backup sets. With the help of schedule plan documentation, you can set the date, time, and backup type for your organizational backup.
A backup set groups the sources you want to backup in parallel and creates a virtual data boundary to separate data between backup sets. A single backup set might suffice when you want to back up one or two servers to one destination. Multiple backup sets are helpful for configurations where 100's systems have different backup requirements.
After you create sources, set up a storage and a schedule plan, you can create a backup set. For detailed instructions, please refer to the guide on the backup set. Once the backup set is created, you can configure what, where, how, when, now, and backup media for it.
You can take an immediate backup or activate the backup set to take backups at the scheduled times.
Backup now screen, which assists in activating the backup set.
You have now successfully backed up your data. The data backed up using Zmanda will remain available just as it was backed up, even after the trial period ends. Data protected by Zmanda is always recoverable without active licenses.
Check out the below section to know how to restore backups on Zmanda.
In the restore process, you can choose to restore a single file, folder, or all files and directories from a specific path. You can start the restore process by signing into the ZMC control plane, navigating to the restore tab, and selecting the backup set from the top right drop-down.
The first step in the restore process where you identify what file/directory you want to restore.
After selecting the backup set, you need to go through 4 steps to restore your backup successfully:
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.Restore How - Configure the conflict resolution policies when files or directories have the same names during a restore.
- 4.Restore Now - Review your restore configurations and trigger the process to restore the file to your local host.
Once you start the restore, the ZMC control plane will redirect you to the monitor page, where you can check the status of your restore. To follow step-by-step instructions for restoring the backup, you can go through our detailed guide on restore overview.
You can also check out our legacy docs for help with backup and restore processes for specific client and application agents.
If you have any issues or problems using Zmanda, you can fill in the contact support form, and our experts will get in touch with you at the earliest. We offer 24*7 premium support even during your trial period. You can also call 888-496-2632 (US) and 408-732-3208 (INTL) or write to us at [email protected] and [email protected] for support.
Our knowledge base can help you with solutions for common problems encountered while using Zmanda in your backup environment. You can also raise concerns via Network Zmanda. To make modifications to the trial period and feature count you can reach out to our sales team at [email protected] and let them know the required modification.
Our team of experts will be happy to help you in every step of your backup journey with Zmanda.
Last modified 21d ago