NTBackup
Encyclopedia
NTBackup is the built-in backup
application introduced in Windows NT
around 1997 and part of all subsequent versions up to and including Windows 2000
, Windows XP
and Windows Server 2003
. It uses a proprietary backup format (BKF) (also known as "Microsoft Tape Format
" or MTF) to back up files. Files can be backed up to tape
, ZIP drives, floppy disk
s, and hard drives. It also features integration with Task Scheduler
and has several command line switches for scheduled automated backups.
In Windows Vista
and later operating systems, NTBackup was replaced by Windows Backup and Restore, which uses the Virtual Hard Disk
(VHD) file format, supports backup to modern media such as DVDs and image-based full system backups.
For server operating systems, Microsoft has replaced NTBackup with Windows Server Backup beginning with Windows Server 2008, which includes the new
For reading/restoring older backups, Microsoft has made available the NTBackup Restore utility for Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008 and for Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2 which can only read BKF files.
When used with tape drives, NTBackup uses the Microsoft Tape Format
(MTF), which is also used by BackupAssist
and Backup Exec
and is compatible with BKF.
-controllers
, this includes the Windows Registry
, boot files, files protected by Windows File Protection
, Performance counter configuration information, COM+ class registration database, IIS metabase, replicated data sets, Exchange Server data, Cluster service information, and Certificate Services database. On domain controllers, NTBackup can back up Active Directory
, including the SYSVOL
directory share.
NTBackup supports Encrypting File System
, NTFS hard links
and junction point
s, alternate data streams
, disk quota
information, mounted drive and remote storage information. It saves NTFS permissions, audit entries and ownership settings, respects the archive bit
attribute on files and folders and can create normal, copy, differential, incremental
and daily backups, backup catalogs, as well as Automated System Recovery
. It supports logging and excluding files from the backup per-user or for all users. Hardware compression is supported if the tape drive supports it. Software compression is not supported, even in Backup to files.
NTBackup can use removable media devices that are supported natively by the Removable Storage Manager (RSM
) component of Windows. However, RSM supports only those tape devices which have RSM-aware WDM
drivers.
NTBackup from Windows XP and newer includes Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) support and thus can back up locked files
. In the case of Windows XP Home Edition, NTBackup is not installed by default but is available on the Windows XP installation disc. Windows XP introduced a wizard-style UI for NTBackup in addition to the advanced UI.
An expert system administrator can use the NTBackup scripting language to create a functional backup system. Scripting enables the system administrator to automate and schedule backups of files and system state, control the RSM to follow a media rotation strategy
, reprogram the RSM to work with external HDD and NAS as well as tape, send email reminders to prompt users to insert the media and compile backup reports that include logs and remaining capacity. An alternative to scripting is GUI software such as BackupAssist
, which automates NTBackup and can perform automatic, scheduled backups of Windows-based servers and PCs using NTBackup.
Third-party plug-ins can be used with the deprecated Removable Storage component in Microsoft Windows to support modern storage media such as external hard disks, flash memory
, optical media such as CD
, DVD
and Blu-Ray and network file systems exposing the pieces of media as virtual tape to NTBackup which is based on Removable Storage.
NTBackup can be used under Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 by enabling the Removable Storage Manager component in Turn Windows features on or off control panel and then copying the NTBackup files from a Windows XP machine. NTBackup can no longer be used on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 as the Removable Storage Manager component has been removed in these operating systems.
Backup
In information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup....
application introduced in Windows NT
Windows NT
Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. It was a powerful high-level-language-based, processor-independent, multiprocessing, multiuser operating system with features comparable to Unix. It was intended to complement...
around 1997 and part of all subsequent versions up to and including Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
, Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
and Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
. It uses a proprietary backup format (BKF) (also known as "Microsoft Tape Format
Microsoft Tape Format
Microsoft Tape Format is the tape format used by several backup tools for the Microsoft Windows platform. Notable examples include Microsoft's NTBackup program, Backup Exec and the backup utilities included in Microsoft SQL Server....
" or MTF) to back up files. Files can be backed up to tape
Tape drive
A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and performs digital recording, writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.A tape drive provides...
, ZIP drives, floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s, and hard drives. It also features integration with Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...
and has several command line switches for scheduled automated backups.
In Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and later operating systems, NTBackup was replaced by Windows Backup and Restore, which uses the Virtual Hard Disk
VHD (file format)
A Virtual Hard Disk is a virtual hard disk file format, meaning it can contain what is found on a physical hard disk drive, such as disk partitions and a file system, which in turn can contain files and folders. It is typically used as the hard disk of a virtual machine...
(VHD) file format, supports backup to modern media such as DVDs and image-based full system backups.
For server operating systems, Microsoft has replaced NTBackup with Windows Server Backup beginning with Windows Server 2008, which includes the new
wbadminWbadminWBAdmin is a command-line utility built into Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The command is used to perform backups and restores of operating systems, drive volumes, files, folders, and applications from a command-line interface.WBAdmin replaces the...
command. This new backup application, wbadmin, no longer supports tape drives, which means that users have to install third-party applications to back up to tape on these new operating systems.For reading/restoring older backups, Microsoft has made available the NTBackup Restore utility for Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008 and for Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2 which can only read BKF files.
When used with tape drives, NTBackup uses the Microsoft Tape Format
Microsoft Tape Format
Microsoft Tape Format is the tape format used by several backup tools for the Microsoft Windows platform. Notable examples include Microsoft's NTBackup program, Backup Exec and the backup utilities included in Microsoft SQL Server....
(MTF), which is also used by BackupAssist
BackupAssist
BackupAssist is a backup software product created for use with the Microsoft Windows environments. Developed by Cortex I.T Labs, it is aimed primarily at the small to medium business market and provides protection for Windows Server, Hyper-V, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL...
and Backup Exec
Backup Exec
Backup Exec is proprietary backup software currently developed by Symantec. Backup Exec has a long history of being sold from one company to another. Its earliest roots stretch back to the early 1980s when Maynard Electronics created a bundle of software drivers to help sell their tape drive...
and is compatible with BKF.
Features
NTBackup supports several operating system features including backing up the computer's System State. On computers that are not domainWindows Server domain
A Windows domain is a collection of security principals that share a central directory database. This central database contains the user accounts and security information for...
-controllers
Domain controller
On Windows Server Systems, a domain controller is a server that responds to security authentication requests within the Windows Server domain...
, this includes the Windows Registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
, boot files, files protected by Windows File Protection
Windows File Protection
Windows File Protection , a sub-system included in Microsoft Windows operating systems of the Windows 2000 and Windows XP era, aims to prevent programs from replacing critical Windows system files. Protecting core system files mitigates problems such as DLL hell with programs and the operating system...
, Performance counter configuration information, COM+ class registration database, IIS metabase, replicated data sets, Exchange Server data, Cluster service information, and Certificate Services database. On domain controllers, NTBackup can back up Active Directory
Active Directory
Active Directory is a directory service created by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems. Server computers on which Active Directory is running are called domain controllers....
, including the SYSVOL
File Replication Service
File Replication Service is a Microsoft Windows Server service for distributing shared files and Group Policy Objects. It replaced the Lan Manager Replication service , and has been partially replaced by Distributed File System Replication...
directory share.
NTBackup supports Encrypting File System
Encrypting File System
The Encrypting File System on Microsoft Windows is a feature introduced in version 3.0 of NTFS that provides filesystem-level encryption...
, NTFS hard links
Hard link
In computing, a hard link is a directory entry that associates a name with a file on a file system. . The term is used in file systems which allow multiple hard links to be created for the same file. This has the effect of creating multiple names for the same file, causing an aliasing effect: e.g...
and junction point
Junction Point
Junction Point may refer to:*NTFS junction point*Junction Point Studios...
s, alternate data streams
Fork (filesystem)
In a computer file system, a fork is byte stream associated with a file system object. Every non-empty file must have at least one fork, and depending on the file system, a file may have one or more other associated forks, which in turn may contain primary data integral to the file, or just metadata...
, disk quota
Disk quota
A disk quota is a limit set by a system administrator that restricts certain aspects of file system usage on modern operating systems. The function of using disk quotas is to allocate limited disk space in a reasonable way.-Types of quotas:...
information, mounted drive and remote storage information. It saves NTFS permissions, audit entries and ownership settings, respects the archive bit
Archive bit
The archive bit is a file attribute used by Microsoft operating systems and by OS/2. Typically it's state indicates whether or not the file has been backed up....
attribute on files and folders and can create normal, copy, differential, incremental
Incremental backup
An incremental backup preserves data by not creating multiple copies that are based on the differences in those data: a successive copy of the data contains only that portion which has changed since the preceding copy has been created.-Incremental:...
and daily backups, backup catalogs, as well as Automated System Recovery
Automated System Recovery
Automated System Recovery is a feature of the Windows XP operating system that can be used to simplify recovery of a computer's system or boot volumes. ASR consists of two parts: an automated backup, and an automated restore...
. It supports logging and excluding files from the backup per-user or for all users. Hardware compression is supported if the tape drive supports it. Software compression is not supported, even in Backup to files.
NTBackup can use removable media devices that are supported natively by the Removable Storage Manager (RSM
RSM
RSM may refer to:* Removable Storage Manager, a Windows program to manage removable-media storage systems.* RSM File Extension for a Delphi Remote Debugging Symbols file....
) component of Windows. However, RSM supports only those tape devices which have RSM-aware WDM
Windows Driver Model
In computing, the Windows Driver Model — also known at one point as the Win32 Driver Model — is a framework for device drivers that was introduced with Windows 98 and Windows 2000 to replace VxD, which was used on older versions of Windows such as Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, as well...
drivers.
NTBackup from Windows XP and newer includes Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) support and thus can back up locked files
File locking
File locking is a mechanism that restricts access to a computer file by allowing only one user or process access at any specific time. Systems implement locking to prevent the classic interceding update scenario ....
. In the case of Windows XP Home Edition, NTBackup is not installed by default but is available on the Windows XP installation disc. Windows XP introduced a wizard-style UI for NTBackup in addition to the advanced UI.
An expert system administrator can use the NTBackup scripting language to create a functional backup system. Scripting enables the system administrator to automate and schedule backups of files and system state, control the RSM to follow a media rotation strategy
Backup rotation scheme
A backup rotation scheme is a method for effectively backing up data where multiple media are used in the backup process. The scheme determines how and when each piece of removable storage is used for a backup job and how long it is retained once it has backup data stored on it...
, reprogram the RSM to work with external HDD and NAS as well as tape, send email reminders to prompt users to insert the media and compile backup reports that include logs and remaining capacity. An alternative to scripting is GUI software such as BackupAssist
BackupAssist
BackupAssist is a backup software product created for use with the Microsoft Windows environments. Developed by Cortex I.T Labs, it is aimed primarily at the small to medium business market and provides protection for Windows Server, Hyper-V, Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL...
, which automates NTBackup and can perform automatic, scheduled backups of Windows-based servers and PCs using NTBackup.
Third-party plug-ins can be used with the deprecated Removable Storage component in Microsoft Windows to support modern storage media such as external hard disks, flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
, optical media such as CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-Ray and network file systems exposing the pieces of media as virtual tape to NTBackup which is based on Removable Storage.
NTBackup can be used under Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 by enabling the Removable Storage Manager component in Turn Windows features on or off control panel and then copying the NTBackup files from a Windows XP machine. NTBackup can no longer be used on Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 as the Removable Storage Manager component has been removed in these operating systems.