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Symantec 250-312 (Admin of Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers) exam dumps vce, practice test questions, study guide & video training course to study and pass quickly and easily. Symantec 250-312 Admin of Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers exam dumps & practice test questions and answers. You need avanset vce exam simulator in order to study the Symantec 250-312 certification exam dumps & Symantec 250-312 practice test questions in vce format.
Embarking on a study of the topics for the 250-312 Exam is a journey into the specifics of a mature and historically significant data protection product: Symantec Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers. It is important to contextualize this exam. The 250-312 Exam and the associated certification are from a previous era of IT, and the Backup Exec 12 software is now considered a legacy product. Modern data protection has evolved significantly since its release. However, the need for knowledge on this platform persists in specific environments, such as organizations maintaining long-term archives or supporting critical legacy systems that have not been upgraded.
This five-part series is designed to provide a comprehensive and detailed overview of the objectives covered by the 250-312 Exam. We will explore the architecture, configuration, and day-to-day administration of Backup Exec 12, presented in a structured format to facilitate learning. The series will cover everything from initial installation and storage configuration to the creation of backup and restore jobs, protection of critical applications, and disaster recovery procedures. This guide is tailored for administrators, engineers, and support professionals who, for specific operational reasons, need to master this particular version of the software.
The 250-312 Exam was created to validate a candidate's ability to effectively install, configure, and manage Backup Exec 12. Success on this exam required not just a theoretical understanding but also the practical skills to handle real-world data protection scenarios. The questions were designed to test your ability to make correct decisions regarding backup strategies, storage management, and recovery operations. Therefore, this guide will focus on both the "how" and the "why" behind each function and feature.
As we proceed, remember that the core principles of data protection covered here remain relevant. Concepts like backup types, media rotation, and application-aware recovery are foundational to the entire data protection industry. By studying for the 250-312 Exam, you are not only learning the specifics of a legacy product but also reinforcing your understanding of the fundamental tenets of ensuring data availability and recoverability in a server environment.
Before diving into the specifics of the Backup Exec 12 software, it is crucial to have a firm grasp of the fundamental data protection concepts that underpin the entire field. The 250-312 Exam assumes you understand this terminology. Two of the most important concepts are the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and the Recovery Time Objective (RTO). These are business-defined metrics that drive the entire backup strategy.
RPO refers to the maximum amount of data, measured in time, that a business can tolerate losing. For example, an RPO of 24 hours means the business can afford to lose up to a full day's worth of data in the event of a disaster. This metric directly determines the required backup frequency. To meet a 24-hour RPO, you must perform backups at least once every 24 hours. A lower RPO, such as one hour, would require much more frequent backups.
RTO is the maximum amount of time that a business can tolerate an application or system being offline after a failure. An RTO of four hours means that the system must be fully recovered and operational within four hours of the disaster. This metric influences the choice of backup storage media, the type of recovery methods used, and the overall disaster recovery plan. A low RTO might require the use of faster disk-based storage and streamlined recovery processes like Intelligent Disaster Recovery.
The 250-312 Exam will present scenarios where you must apply these concepts. You need to understand how different backup methods, such as full, incremental, and differential backups, impact both RPO and RTO. For instance, restoring from a full backup is generally faster than restoring from a full backup plus a series of incrementals, thus affecting the RTO.
A deep understanding of the architecture of Symantec Backup Exec 12 is essential for success on the 250-312 Exam. The central component of any installation is the Backup Exec Media Server. This is the Windows server where the core Backup Exec software is installed. The Media Server acts as the brain of the operation. It hosts the Backup Exec database, runs the scheduling engine, manages the storage devices, and controls the flow of all backup and restore data.
To back up data from other servers on the network, Backup Exec uses the Agent for Windows Servers, often referred to as the remote agent. This is a small service that is installed on each client server that you wish to protect. The remote agent is responsible for gathering the data on the client machine and transmitting it to the Media Server during a backup. It also receives data from the Media Server during a restore. The 250-312 Exam will test your knowledge of installing and managing these agents.
Backup Exec 12 relies on a database to store all of its configuration information. This includes all the defined backup jobs, storage device configurations, media sets, and a history of all job activity. By default, Backup Exec 12 installs and uses a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition instance for this purpose. It is critical to understand that this database is essential for the functioning of Backup Exec, and it must be protected as part of your backup strategy.
Another key architectural component is the catalog. For every backup job, Backup Exec creates a catalog file. This file contains a detailed index of all the files and folders that were included in that specific backup set. When you need to perform a restore, Backup Exec uses these catalog files to quickly locate the correct piece of media and the exact version of the file you need. Understanding the role of the catalog is crucial for troubleshooting restore operations.
The 250-312 Exam covers the installation process for the Backup Exec 12 Media Server in detail. A successful installation is the foundation for a stable backup environment. Before beginning the installation, a candidate should be familiar with the system requirements. This includes the supported Windows Server operating systems, the required memory and disk space, and any necessary service packs or prerequisites.
The installation process is wizard-driven. During the installation, you will be prompted to make several key decisions. You will need to enter your license keys for the core product and any additional agents or options you have purchased. You will also be asked to provide credentials for the Backup Exec service account. This is a dedicated user account under which all the Backup Exec services will run. For security and functionality, this account should have specific rights, such as local administrator rights on the Media Server and the "Log on as a service" right.
The wizard will also handle the installation of the SQL Express database backend. It is a largely automated process, but it is important to understand that this is happening in the background. After the main software components are installed, the wizard will guide you through the initial configuration of devices and the installation of remote agents.
A crucial final step of the installation is to run LiveUpdate. Backup Exec 12, like any complex software, had service packs and hotfixes released during its lifecycle. The 250-312 Exam was based on a specific version, but in a real-world scenario, keeping the software patched and up-to-date was critical for stability and security. Understanding the complete installation and post-installation process is a key objective for the exam.
Once Backup Exec 12 is installed, all administrative tasks are performed through the Administration Console. Proficiency in navigating this console is a fundamental skill that the 250-312 Exam will test. The console is organized into several key tabs or sections that provide access to different functional areas of the product.
The Job Monitor tab is where you will spend much of your time as a backup administrator. This tab provides a real-time view of all job activity. You can see jobs that are currently running, jobs that are scheduled to run, and the history of completed jobs. From here, you can monitor the progress of a backup, pause or cancel a job, and view the detailed logs for any job that has completed, either successfully or with errors.
The Devices tab is where you manage all of your storage hardware. This includes tape drives, tape libraries (autoloader robots), and backup-to-disk folders. From this tab, you can configure new devices, check the status of existing devices, and manage the media within them. We will cover this in much greater detail in a later part of this series.
The Media tab is closely related to the Devices tab. It allows you to manage the individual media, such as tapes or disk-based backup sets. Here you can see which media belong to which media set, whether a piece of media is overwritable or appendable, and other properties. The Reports tab provides access to a library of pre-configured reports that can be used to track the success of your backups, monitor storage usage, and document your backup environment. A thorough familiarity with each of these sections is crucial for the 250-312 Exam.
As mentioned in the architecture section, the Backup Exec Database (BEDB) and the catalogs are critical components. The 250-312 Exam requires a deeper understanding of their function and management. The BEDB is the central repository for all configuration and job history data. Without a functioning database, the Backup Exec services will not start.
Because of its critical nature, the Backup Exec database must be protected. Backup Exec automatically creates a backup job to protect its own database. It is essential that this job is run regularly and that the resulting backup files are stored in a safe location, preferably on a different volume from where the database itself resides. In the event of a Media Server failure, you would need this database backup to recover your Backup Exec environment.
Catalogs, on the other hand, provide the index of the data within the backups. When you back up a server, a catalog file is created on the Media Server that lists every file and folder included in that backup. When you browse for a restore, you are actually browsing this catalog file, not the live media. This makes the process of finding a file to restore incredibly fast.
If a catalog file is lost or deleted, you will not be able to see the contents of that backup set when you browse for a restore. However, the data is not lost; it is still on the backup media. In this situation, you would need to perform a catalog operation, where Backup Exec reads the backup media and rebuilds the catalog file from the data stored on it. This can be a time-consuming process, so protecting the catalog files is important. Understanding the difference between the database and the catalogs is a key point for the 250-312 Exam.
A core competency for any backup administrator, and a major topic area for the 250-312 Exam, is the configuration and management of storage devices. Backup Exec 12 for Windows Servers supports a wide range of storage targets, and your ability to correctly configure and manage these devices is fundamental to the entire data protection process. The storage device is the destination for all of your backup data, and its proper management is critical for both backup performance and restore reliability.
In this part of our series on the 250-312 Exam, we will take a deep dive into the world of storage as it relates to Backup Exec 12. We will start with traditional tape storage, which was a very common backup target during the era of this software. This includes the configuration of standalone tape drives and more complex robotic or tape libraries. We will also cover the crucial concepts of media management, including how Backup Exec organizes tapes into logical groups called media sets.
Next, we will explore the use of disk-based storage, a feature that gained significant popularity with this version of the software. We will cover the creation and management of Backup-to-Disk (B2D) folders, which allow you to use hard disk space as a fast and convenient backup target. We will also discuss the concept of device pools, which allow you to group multiple storage devices together for load balancing and failover.
Finally, we will examine the strategic aspects of storage management. This includes the implementation of media rotation strategies, such as Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS), which is a time-tested method for balancing data retention requirements with storage costs. A comprehensive understanding of these storage concepts is absolutely essential for anyone preparing for the 250-312 Exam.
During the era of Backup Exec 12, tape was a primary medium for data backup, especially for off-site storage and long-term archiving. The 250-312 Exam will expect you to be proficient in managing both standalone tape drives and robotic libraries (also known as autoloaders or jukeboxes). Before Backup Exec can use a tape device, it must be properly configured within the software.
For a standalone tape drive, the process is relatively simple. After ensuring the drive is visible to the Windows operating system, you can use the device configuration wizard in Backup Exec to make it available as a backup target. You will need to manually insert and remove tapes for each job.
Robotic libraries are more complex and more powerful. These devices contain multiple tape drives and a robotic arm that can automatically move tapes between storage slots and the drives. The configuration wizard in Backup Exec is used to discover the library, its drives, and its slots. A key step after configuration is to perform an inventory of the library. This is where Backup Exec reads the barcode labels on each tape to identify them and determine which slots are empty.
Once a robotic library is configured, you can manage it from the Devices tab in the administration console. You can see the status of the drives, view the contents of each slot, and perform operations like importing new tapes or exporting tapes for off-site storage. The 250-312 Exam will test your knowledge of these operational tasks, as well as the initial configuration process.
Simply having a storage device is not enough; you must also manage the media within it. The 250-312 Exam requires a deep understanding of how Backup Exec organizes and uses media. The central concept for media management is the media set. A media set is a logical group of media (e.g., a group of tapes or a set of backup-to-disk files) that share the same properties, primarily the overwrite protection period and the append period.
The overwrite protection period is the most important property of a media set. It defines how long the data on a piece of media is protected from being overwritten. For example, if you set the overwrite protection period to two weeks, Backup Exec will not overwrite that media with a new backup until at least two weeks have passed. This is a critical setting for ensuring you do not prematurely delete your backup data.
The append period defines how long Backup Exec can append new backup sets to a piece of media that already contains data. Once the append period expires, the media can no longer be appended to, but it will remain protected until its overwrite protection period expires. Understanding the interplay between these two periods is a key topic for the 250-312 Exam.
When you create a backup job, you must target it to a specific media set. When the job runs, Backup Exec will first look for available, overwritable media within that media set. If it cannot find any, it may look for scratch media (media that does not belong to any set). This logic of media selection is a fundamental concept you must master. You can create different media sets for different purposes, such as daily, weekly, and monthly backups, each with its own retention requirements.
While tape was prevalent, Backup Exec 12 heavily promoted the use of disk-based backups. The 250-312 Exam will thoroughly test your knowledge of creating and managing Backup-to-Disk (B2D) folders. A B2D folder is simply a directory on a local hard drive, a SAN LUN, or a network share that Backup Exec uses as a storage target. Backup data is written to this folder as a series of files.
The primary advantage of backing up to disk is speed. Both backup and restore operations are significantly faster from disk than from tape, as there is no need for time-consuming tape seeks. This can dramatically improve your Recovery Time Objective (RTO). B2D folders also provide greater convenience, as there is no physical media to manage.
To create a B2D folder, you use the device configuration wizard in the Backup Exec console. You simply point the wizard to an existing folder, give the B2D device a name, and configure its properties, such as the maximum size and the number of concurrent jobs it can handle. Once created, the B2D folder appears as just another storage device in the Devices tab.
When using B2D folders, it is important to manage disk space. Backup Exec will write backup sets to the folder until it is full. The data will remain there until its overwrite protection period (defined by its media set) expires, at which point Backup Exec can reclaim the space by deleting the old backup files. The 250-312 Exam may present scenarios where you need to troubleshoot disk space issues related to B2D folders and media set retention periods.
For environments with multiple storage devices, Backup Exec provides a feature called device pools. The 250-312 Exam will expect you to understand the purpose and function of device pools. A device pool is a logical grouping of one or more similar storage devices. Instead of targeting a backup job to a single, specific device, you can target it to a device pool.
The primary benefit of using a device pool is load balancing. When a job targeted at a pool is ready to run, Backup Exec will automatically select the first available device within that pool. If you have multiple jobs running concurrently, this allows them to be distributed across all the available drives, improving overall backup performance and throughput.
Device pools also provide a measure of fault tolerance. If one of the devices in the pool is offline or unavailable, Backup Exec will simply use one of the other available devices in the pool, allowing the backup job to complete successfully. This can be particularly useful in environments with multiple tape drives.
You can create a device pool from the Devices tab in the administration console. You give the pool a name and then select the individual devices that you want to include in it. It is important to note that you should only group similar devices in a pool. For example, you should create a pool of LTO-3 tape drives and a separate pool of LTO-4 tape drives. The 250-312 Exam will test your understanding of the proper use cases for device pools.
The 250-312 Exam requires you to understand not just the technical configuration of storage but also the strategic application of that storage. A key part of any backup strategy is a media rotation scheme. A media rotation scheme defines how media is reused over time to provide multiple recovery points while balancing storage costs. The most common and time-tested strategy is Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS).
The GFS strategy uses three types of backups: daily (Son), weekly (Father), and monthly (Grandfather). The daily backups are typically incremental or differential and are retained for a short period, for example, for the rest of the week. The weekly backup is a full backup performed once a week (e.g., on Friday). These weekly backups are retained for a longer period, perhaps for a month.
The monthly backup is also a full backup, performed on the last day of the month. These monthly backups are the "Grandfather" and are typically retained for a very long period, sometimes for several years, for archival and compliance purposes. This tiered approach provides short-term, granular recovery points from the daily backups, and long-term recovery points from the weekly and monthly backups.
In Backup Exec 12, you can implement a GFS strategy by creating different backup jobs and targeting them to different media sets. For example, you would create a "Daily" media set with a one-week overwrite protection period, a "Weekly" media set with a one-month protection period, and a "Monthly" media set with a one-year (or longer) protection period. The 250-312 Exam will expect you to be able to design a backup schedule and media set configuration to meet a given GFS requirement.
The creation and management of backup jobs is the primary daily activity of a backup administrator and, consequently, a central focus of the 250-312 Exam. A backup job is a set of instructions that tells Backup Exec what data to back up, where to back it up, when to back it up, and how to perform the backup. A deep and practical understanding of all the options available when defining a backup job is essential for success on the exam and for implementing a sound data protection strategy.
This section of our guide for the 250-312 Exam will provide a detailed walkthrough of the entire lifecycle of a backup job. We will begin by exploring the fundamental backup methods—full, incremental, and differential—and the critical role of the archive bit in how they function. Understanding the differences between these methods and the trade-offs they present in terms of backup time, storage space, and restore complexity is non-negotiable.
Next, we will cover the step-by-step process of creating a backup job using the Backup Exec 12 wizard. This includes defining what to back up by creating selection lists, specifying the backup destination and media set, and configuring a recurring schedule. We will also discuss how to use backup policies to standardize and simplify the management of jobs in a larger environment.
Finally, we will examine the crucial post-backup operations, such as job verification, which ensures the integrity of your backup data. We will also cover the configuration of notifications to keep administrators informed of job status, and the use of the job monitor to track all backup activity. A comprehensive knowledge of these topics will prepare you for the many scenario-based questions on the 250-312 Exam.
The 250-312 Exam will rigorously test your knowledge of the three primary backup methods. The choice of backup method is a fundamental decision that impacts every aspect of your backup strategy, from storage consumption to recovery time. The most basic method is the full backup. A full backup copies all the selected data, regardless of whether it has changed since the last backup. It also clears the archive bit for every file it backs up.
An incremental backup is designed to be faster and smaller than a full backup. It only backs up the files that have been created or modified since the last backup (either full or incremental). It identifies these files by checking for a set archive bit. After backing up a file, the incremental backup clears the archive bit. This means that each incremental backup contains a unique set of changed files since the previous one.
A differential backup also only backs up files that have changed since the last full backup. Like the incremental method, it uses the archive bit to identify changed files. However, the crucial difference is that a differential backup does not clear the archive bit after it backs up a file. This means that each subsequent differential backup will contain all the files that have changed since the last full backup.
The trade-offs are important for the 250-312 Exam. A strategy of one full backup per week plus daily incrementals uses the least amount of storage space for the daily backups. However, a full restore would require the full backup tape plus every daily incremental tape since the full backup. A strategy of one full plus daily differentials uses more space each day, but a full restore only requires the full backup tape and the single most recent differential tape, making the restore process simpler and faster.
The 250-312 Exam requires you to be completely familiar with the process of creating a backup job in the Backup Exec 12 console. This is accomplished using the backup wizard, which guides you through a series of screens to define all the job's properties. The first step is to give the job a descriptive name.
Next, and most importantly, you must define what you want to back up. This is done in the selections pane. You can browse the network and select entire servers, individual volumes, or specific folders and files. You can also select system components like the System State, which includes critical OS files, the registry, and other components needed for system recovery. We will discuss these selection lists in more detail in the next section.
After making your selections, you must choose the backup method (full, incremental, or differential) and specify the destination for the backup. The destination can be a specific storage device, such as a tape drive, or a device pool. You must also select the media set that will be used for this job, which will determine the retention period for the data.
Finally, you configure the schedule for the job. You can choose to run the job immediately, schedule it to run once at a specific time, or create a recurring schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly). Once all these properties are defined, the job is saved and will appear in the job setup tab, ready to be run according to its schedule. The 250-312 Exam will test your knowledge of the options available at each of these steps.
A critical part of creating a backup job is defining exactly what data will be protected. This is done by creating a selection list. The 250-312 Exam will expect you to know how to create and manage selection lists effectively. In its simplest form, a selection list is created by browsing the network in the backup wizard and placing a checkmark next to the servers, volumes, and folders you wish to back up.
Backup Exec 12 also allows you to save selection lists as separate objects. This is a very useful feature for standardization. For example, you could create a selection list that includes all the standard data folders for a file server. You can then use this same named selection list in multiple backup jobs. If you ever need to add a new folder to the standard backup, you only need to modify the selection list, and all the jobs that use it will be automatically updated.
Selection lists also allow you to define include and exclude criteria. You can select an entire volume but then exclude specific folders or file types that you do not want to back up, such as temporary files or media files. This allows for more granular control and can help to reduce the size of your backups.
A crucial resource to select for any server is the System State. The System State is a collection of system-critical components, including the Windows Registry, the COM+ Class Registration database, and system boot files. For domain controllers, it also includes the Active Directory database. A backup of the System State is essential for a full system recovery. The 250-312 Exam will stress the importance of including the System State in your server backups.
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