Note This functionality is not available in the Standard editions of the Cyber Protection service.
These options are effective for database-level backup of Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange Server.
These options are effective only if the cluster itself (Microsoft SQL Server Always On Availability Groups (AAG) or Microsoft Exchange Server Database Availability Group (DAG)) is selected for backup, rather than the individual nodes or databases inside of it. If you select individual items inside the cluster, the backup will not be cluster-aware and only the selected copies of the items will be backed up.
Microsoft SQL Server
This option determines the backup mode for SQL Server Always On Availability Groups (AAG). For this option to be effective, Agent for SQL must be installed on all of the AAG nodes. For more information about backing up Always On Availability Groups, refer to "Protecting Always On Availability Groups (AAG)".
The preset is: Secondary replica if possible.
You can choose one of the following:
If all secondary replicas are offline, the primary replica is backed up. Backing up the primary replica may slow down the SQL Server operation, but the data will be backed up in the most recent state.
If all secondary replicas are offline, the backup will fail. Backing up secondary replicas does not affect the SQL server performance and allows you to extend the backup window. However, passive replicas may contain information that is not up-to-date, because such replicas are often set to be updated asynchronously (lagged).
If the primary replica is offline, the backup will fail. Backing up the primary replica may slow down the SQL Server operation, but the data will be backed up in the most recent state.
Regardless of the value of this option, to ensure the database consistency, the software skips databases that are not in the SYNCHRONIZED or SYNCHRONIZING states when the backup starts. If all databases are skipped, the backup fails.
Microsoft Exchange Server
This option determines the backup mode for Exchange Server Database Availability Groups (DAG). For this option to be effective, Agent for Exchange must be installed on all of the DAG nodes. For more information about backing up Database Availability Groups, refer to "Protecting Database Availability Groups (DAG)".
The preset is: Passive copy if possible.
You can choose one of the following:
If all passive copies are offline, the active copy is backed up. Backing up the active copy may slow down the Exchange Server operation, but the data will be backed up in the most recent state.
If all passive copies are offline, the backup will fail. Backing up passive copies does not affect the Exchange Server performance and allows you to extend the backup window. However, passive copies may contain information that is not up-to-date, because such copies are often set to be updated asynchronously (lagged).
If the active copy is offline, the backup will fail. Backing up the active copy may slow down the Exchange Server operation, but the data will be backed up in the most recent state.
Regardless of the value of this option, to ensure the database consistency, the software skips databases that are not in the HEALTHY or ACTIVE states when the backup starts. If all databases are skipped, the backup fails.