New Features in DPM 2007

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Applies To: System Center Data Protection Manager 2007

DPM 2007 improves on DPM 2006 by adding continuous data protection for Microsoft application servers and integrating tape-based protection. DPM 2007 enables better backups in addition to rapid and reliable recoveries for both the IT professional and the end-user. DPM 2007 significantly reduces the costs and complexities that are associated with data protection through advanced technology for enterprises of all sizes.

Expanded Range of Protection

DPM 2007 expands the disk-based protection of file servers that is provided by DPM 2006 by providing the following capabilities:

  • DPM 2007 can be installed on a 32-bit computer or a 64-bit computer.

  • DPM 2007 can protect servers and workstations across trusted domains in the same forest.

  • DPM 2007 adds improved support for clustered servers to handle failovers.

  • DPM 2007 adds protection for the following types of data:

    • Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2007

    • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005

    • Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

    • Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 and its virtual machines

    • Files on workstations running the Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 operating system and all Windows Vista operating systems except the Vista Home operating systems

    • System state

  • DPM 2007 can back up its own databases to tape and can back up the databases and replicas for other DPM 2007 servers.

  • DPM 2007 includes additional software, the DPM System Recovery Tool, to enable a bare metal recovery solution.

Expanded Storage Media

DPM 2007 integrates disk-based and tape-based storage to help you meet your business needs for both short-term data recovery and long-term archives.

If you attach a physical tape device (library or stand-alone tape drive) to the DPM 2007 server, DPM automatically enables tape options for you to use with your protection groups. DPM can back up the disk-based replica to tape for offsite archives or protect data to tape directly from the protected computer.

DPM provides the option for encrypting protected data that is stored on tape.

Additionally, DPM can take advantage of a storage area network (SAN) by using custom volumes. Custom volumes are volumes that are not in the DPM storage pool and are specified to store the replica and recovery points for a protection group member.

Improved Management

DPM 2007 offers flexibility in managing your protection environment by providing pre-backup and post-backup scripts, increased administrator control over network bandwidth usage throttling, multiple instances of the console running simultaneously, and command-line scripting based on Windows PowerShell.

For managing multiple DPM servers, DPM 2007 provides a Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 and a Management Pack for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007.

Backup Scripts

You can configure DPM to run pre-backup and post-backup scripts for any data source in a protection group, which simplifies the process of protecting custom data sources. DPM runs the pre-backup script, takes a snapshot of the protected volume, and then runs the post-backup script that you specify to bring the virtual machine online. DPM runs pre-backup and post-backup scripts for the following jobs:

  • Express full backup to disk

  • Full backup to tape

  • Incremental backups to disk and tape (for SQL Server and Exchange data sources)

  • Consistency check

Network Bandwidth Usage Throttling

To better manage network traffic, you can configure network bandwidth usage throttling for each protected computer. In addition, you can specify different network bandwidth usage throttling rates for work hours, non-work hours, and weekends, and you can define the times for each of these categories.

Console Access

In DPM 2006, you were restricted to running a single instance of DPM Administrator Console at a time. In DPM 2007, you can run multiple instances of DPM Administrator Console simultaneously.

Command-Line Scripting

DPM 2007 provides its own set of Windows PowerShell commands that can be used to perform data-protection management tasks. Windows PowerShell is an interactive command-line technology that also supports task-based scripting. Windows PowerShell commands are called cmdlets.

DPM Management Shell can be installed on computers other than the DPM server, so you can administer multiple DPM servers remotely. Instead of connecting to DPM Administrator Console on each DPM server individually, you can perform an action (such as modifying a protection group property) on multiple DPM servers with a single script.

A DPM administrator can use cmdlets in DPM Management Shell to perform many of the administrative tasks that can be performed in DPM Administrator Console, including sets of cmdlets that are designed to be used for the following tasks:

  • Creating protection groups

  • Managing tapes and disks

  • Managing protection groups

  • Protecting and recovering data

Procedures in DPM Help include references to the cmdlet that accomplishes the same task as the procedure.

In addition, cmdlets enable administrators to perform several tasks that cannot be performed by using DPM Administrator Console, such as:

  • Removing recovery points.

  • Rescheduling library maintenance jobs, such as pruning the catalog and inventorying the library.

  • Scheduling consistency checks.

  • Backing up local area network (LAN) configurations.

For information about DPM cmdlets, open DPM Management Shell and run the cmdlet Get-Help. For information about using Windows PowerShell, see the Windows PowerShell techology center (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=87566).

Management Packs

Management Packs for Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 and System Center Operations Manager 2007 are available for DPM 2007. As part of your data management strategy, in Operations Manager, you can use the DPM Management Pack to centrally monitor the data protection, state, health, and performance of multiple DPM servers and the servers that they protect. From the Operations Manager Operations Console, an administrator can monitor both DPM and network infrastructure simultaneously, analyzing issues with data protection in the context of other factors in system and network performance. The administrator also can monitor other mission-critical applications, such as SQL Server.