Readme

Revised on October 2, 2020

This document contains the important information regarding the use of this product. It is highly recommended that you read this document carefully before using this product.

* For system requirement, please visit here.

Table of Contents

Precautions to observe when upgrading/updating

Basic Points

Backup

Deduplication Compression

Post Backup Process

Recovery

Volume Recovery

File Recovery

Image File Management

Consolidation and Archiving Incremental Backup Files

Mount Backup Image

iSCSI Target Server

Boot Environment Builder (Windows PE)

Boot Environment (Linux)

Boot Environment (Windows PE)

Image Explorer

Push Installer

Remote Client Management Console

Connect to Remote Host

Other Utilities

Others

Precautions to observe when upgrading or updating

• Since the upgrading process includes un-installation of the product, upon completion, a system reboot is required. In the event that an error occurs during the upgrade process, the product is recognized as uninstalled. If this issue is encountered, re-install the program by using the update files.
• If the product's package includes the patch program, please apply the patch upon installation of the product.
• Before applying the patch program, ensure that no task such as backup task is running.
• The Detail Log of the tasks executed by using AIP Version 2016 is not allowed to monitor from Version 2018 Console.
• The credentials to access network shared folder recorded in Version 2016 Console are not migrated to Version 2018 when upgraded. You will be prompted to enter the credentials information when you try to access the shared folder from Version 2018 console.
  * If the backup schedules are migrated, the credentials information is included in the schedule settings, even when you skip to update the credentials in Console, it does not cause any problem in its behavior.
• If there exists the backup schedule configured by enabling Post Backup Process, please edit to update or recreate the schedule after upgrading to this version.
• After upgrading to this version of ActiveImage Protector from AIP 2018 SP3 or earlier and migrating your schedule settings, be aware that the first time a task is executed, ActiveImage Protector will create a base backup image file (*.aiv), even if the next task is scheduled to run an incremental backup.
• Before starting upgrading / updating process, please ensure that no tasks are running. Also make sure no backup image is mounted. If any backup image is mounted, please unmout it beffore upgrading / updating.
• When upgrading from Update 6 or earlier version to Update 7 or later version, you will be prompted to restart the system. However, the system may not reboot even when you click [OK] in the prompt message. In this case, please manually restart the system.
• When upgraded from Update 6 or earlier to Update 7 or later version, the subsequent and first backup task creates a full backup file.
• When push-upgrading from Update 6 or earlier version to Update 7 or later version, please push-uninstall the program before starting a push-upgrade.

Back to Table of Contents

Basic Points

• ActiveImage Protector supports up to the maximum number of 128 disks per system.
  Up to the maximum number of 24 volumes per disk, and 64TB per volume are supported.
  
• You are not allowed to edit Deduplication Compression level or Password Protection / Encryption by editing schedule setting.
  
• Please ensure that you select an image file in image file set that is not in use on any other host. If you select an image file in image file set that is in use on another host, the task may fail in error or may not be completed successfully.
  Ex. 1: Restore incremental image file included in image file set that is in use for Consolidation process on another host. → Restore task failed with error.
  Ex. 2: Consolidate image files in an image file set mounted as writable on another host. → Consolidation task is logged to be successfully completed in history, however, the files are not consolidated.
• Backup images version "208" created with ActiveImage Protector Version 3.5 SP7 or later are supported.

• If login credentials to access a network shared folder are changed, you may be prompted to restart the system.
• If [SMB 1.0/CIFS file sharing support] option is disabled on the system, the list of networked hosts is not displayed when using the following features. Please directly specify the host name to proceed with the further operation.
• Browse file/folder for selection
• Restore Image Wizard
• Push Installer

* The same behavior occurred on Windows PE-based boot environment built by using Windows ADK for Windows 10 Version 1703 or later.

• Activation is automatically performed at the following timing:
• 3 minutes after system restart
• One day after the last activation performed
• If an agent is managed by ActiveVisor, activation will need to be done via ActiveVisor. Please keep in mind that a network connection to the ActiveVisor host is required; otherwise, the activation process will fail.
• If the product key currently in-use is set to offline bundle by the system administrator and the agent is managed by ActiveVisor in internet-offline mode, Check Update does not work.
• If you deployed ActiveImage Protector via the Group Policy's [Software Installation] feature, the installer will not display progress during the uninstallation process. Please make sure the install folder is empty before restarting the system.
• Your task may fail if you run a task that requires access to a network shared folder at the same time as a wizard creating another task is accessing that folder.
• After a [Typical] or [Custom] installation and, enabling [Windows PE Boot Environment], if the system is not rebooted then the [Boot Environment Builder (Windows PE)] and [Boot Environment Builder (vStandby)] are not displayed in the console window. If this occurs, please reboot the system or restart the ActiveImage Protector Service.
• Please do not select the backup image file of which file version is not supported. That image file will not be displayed in the console.
• Even after uninstalling this product, the added iSCSI Server may not be deleted. In this case, please uninstall the iSCSI Servers respectively. Before uninstallation, ensure that the iSCSI Server is not used by any other application.
• Operating a Linux FS in a backup image on Windows system is not supported.
• Before staring uninstallation of the program, please make sure no task is running.

Back to Table of Contents

Backup

• Incremental backup of a volume formatted with the file system other than NTFS and CSVFS uses differential backup process.

* Backup of CSVFS volume combined with a volume fromatted with other file system is not supported.

* Backup by disk does not support a disk including CSVFS volume.

• Backup of exFAT volume uses full sector backup process (both base and incremental backup).
• You can configure multiple schedules for the same backup source, however, only one schedule can be started at a time. Please make sure not to configure the multiple schedules at the same time.
• Should an incremental file become compromised, deleted or corrupted, the subsequent incremental backup can be taken, keeping continuity in the incremental chain with a valid incremental file.
• Backup by Disk does not support dynamic disks. Only mirroring or simple dynamic volumes are supported.

• Incremental backup process takes longer in case the backup source volume includes a large file, then changes are made and identified in the file.
• When running online backup on Windows 10/Server 2016 or later system, ID513 error is recorded in Windows Event Log.
• We do not support the combined use of this software with any other products that use VSS. If another VSS-related product is already installed, please ensure that no ActiveImage Protector tasks are scheduled while the other VSS product is running.
• In order to execute hot backup including snapshot of database using Oracle VSS writer in the system environment where Oracle Database 11g for Microsoft Windows is configured, backup source database must be up and running in ARCHIVELOG mode.
  The following URL in Oracle Database Platform Guide provides description about how to perform Database Backup and Recovery using VSS.

http://otndnld.oracle.co.jp/document/products/oracle11g/111/windows/E05885-02/vss.htm

• If an image file including system volume created by a scheduled task is restored to boot for the first time, the following error may be logged. The following error does not affect consistency of restore source image file and restored system.

"Creation of image file by using <Schedule Name> did not successfully complete."

• While backup schedule settings are configured with [Separate image file for each disk] option enabled, and the disk number of the backup source is changed or replaced, base (full) backup of the above mentioned disk will be created instead of incremental backup by the consequently scheduled backup task.
• Boot Environment (Linux) does not recognize virtual disks converted from ReFS volume and storage space. Please do not select such virtual disk as converted from ReFS volume and storage space for the storage destination to save system backup image file.
• You cannot use the Smart Sector backup option on a VMware vSphere hypervisor (ESXi) datastore larger than 2TB. Instead, enable the [Include free space in image] option and perform a full-sector backup.
  Also, if the volume is formatted using VMFS version 6, a full-sector backup will occur since Smart Sector information is not available.
• If you have configured backups for dynamic volumes which are on multiple disks, the image file name will not be displayed correctly in the Summary page of the Backup Wizard.
• After a base backup image file is created for a new image set, when the image file was lost or corrupted for some reason, the subsequently created incremental keeps continuity with the incremental image set of the previous generation.
• (6700)If a backup image file is successfully created, but an error is logged in the task log, that error will be displayed on the [Dashboard] -> [System Protection Status] screen and may be regarded as an alert.
• If the schedule is defined and applied within five minutes or less before the scheduled start time, the first scheduled task will not be executed according to the schedule.
• When the host is restarted in the midst of backup process, the running backup task will not be automatically resumed. You need to execute the backup task again.
• If you change the destination for saving backup image files from Volume A to Volume B, the files from Volume A will be duplicated on Volume B. This is necessary to maintain consistency. All backup files must be contained on the same volume in order to guarantee the consistency of the backup.
• While executing an incremental backup task on the backup source host machine, a consolidation task for the image file set cannot be executed from another host. Please execute the consolidation task only after the incremental backup task is completed on the backup source host machine.
• If you enable [Remove the removable USB device after the backup image is saved in the USB device] option, only the removable USB device is removed. In addition, when this option is enabled, the post backup option is disabled.
• If a Microsoft BitLocker encrypted volume is included in the backup source for cold backup in Windows PE boot environment, full sector backup of the encrypted volume is taken.
• During Windows Update, backup tasks will be skipped.
• Please keep the following in mind when backing up CSVFS volume on Windows Server 2008 R2.
• Backup of a disk or a volume with no ownership is not supported.
• Before starting backup task, please make sure that every virtual guest machines on CSVFS volume are shut down.
• Only full backup is supported. Incremental backup is not supported.
• Before configuring backup schedules for the same CSVFS source volumes on multiple nodes in cluster environment on Windows Serve 2012 or later, you will need to go into the [Preferences] -> [General] settings and ensure that the [Skip CSVFS volume with no ownership] option is enabled. If this option is disabled and multiple backup tasks are scheduled to start at the same time, a VSS conflict could occur, depending on the ownership of the source volume, whenever backup tasks run.

• If you add CSVFS volume restored from a backup image to cluster shared volume, or delete the backup source CSVFS volume from cluster shared volume and add again, because a different ID is assigned, the subsequently executed backup task will fail in error -455. In this case, please edit the backup schedule and select the CSVFS volume as the backup source again.
• When configuring the settings for Post-backup Process, please schedule the incremental backup tasks with a suitable interval. With insufficient interval, the post-backup process may not behave properly within the interval.

Deduplication Compression

• You cannot use a letter or a symbol other than single byte alphanumeric characters to specify the path of temporary work folder when using the Deduplication Compression feature.
• Execution of a task using a backup image file created with Deduplication Compression feature takes longer process time than a task executed using a backup image file created with Common Compression feature.

Back to Table of Contents

Post Backup Process

• The tasks other than HyperBack / HyperStandby tasks and post-backup processes run sequentially.
  For example, if a replication task is configured for the target that can deliver only slow write speed, the subsequent tasks will run only after the replication task completes. In this case, you need to shift the replication task to a later schedule.
• The multiple post-backup tasks configured for one backup task will run in the following order:
• Immediately / When new xx image files are created:1 Verify Image, 2 BootCheck and Replication, 3 Consolidation
• At xx:xx:

*The tasks run at the specified time.

• Using Destination Isolation option with a Post Backup Process is not supported.

Replication

• If WebDAV is selected as the replication target, the progress percentage of the task does not increase since the start until the completion of the task. If you select multiple files for replication source, the progress percentage increases for the ratio of the processed files to the total source files upon completion of the replication task.
• If WebDAV is selected as the replication target, Pause/Resume does not work for the task.
• In the system environment with 8GB or above memory, network throttle does not work.
• While you are configuring the replication target setting and you select Amazon S3, a new bucket cannot be created.

Back to Table of Contents

Recovery

Volume Recovery

• Backup images cannot be restored to disk which differ in sector size of the backup source.
• When a number of hard disks are connected to the system, and there exists a hard disk with the same signature as the restore source disk other than restore target, please select [Use disk signature of restore target] to restore.
• Restore to two or more than two bare-metal hard disks connected to the system is not supported.
• Restore a backup image file including a volume formatted with a file system other than NTFS in enlarged size is not supported.
• When you restore the MBR or first track of a disk, the MBR or first track in the base backup image is used during the restore process.
• The Restore drive letter option is not supported.
• Tasks that restore backups to bare-metal disks or that restore multiple backups at the same time may result in a -701 error. If you encounter this problem, please retry the restore task again.
• You will need to select the restore target from the context menu in boot environments created using Windows 10 ADK. Dragging and dropping restore sources to restore targets is not supported in this scenario.
• When you select Restore by Disk to restore an image of an MBR disk onto a bare-metal disk, the largest supported volume size is 2TB.
• Partitions created using Create Partition will be unformatted.
• There is a limitation in the Restore Wizard that won't allow you to create multiple partitions via the Create Partition drop-down menu and then restore multiple volumes to those partitions. To work around this limitation, you will need to create a single partition and then restore a volume to that partition. You will need to repeat this process, one partition at a time, until you have restored all volumes into these new partitions.
• You cannot recover an entire system on mirror-configured dynamic volumes.
• You cannot restore split-images with deduplication compression from optical media.
• You cannot restore uEFI system-disk images with ratio expanding, even if you select a larger disk than original disk as the restore target.
• When restoring only the system volume on a bare-metal recovery, if you use the option Restore as BIOS boot system, the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) will be created with hypervisorlaunchtype set to "Auto".
• When restoring a backup source volume / disk which backup schedule is configured, incremental backup is executed after restoring the volume / disk, keeping continuity in the existing incremental chain.
• When restoring mirror-configured dynamic volumes, you need to restore both primary and secondary disks.
• Backup by Disk does not support dynamic disks as the restore target. Only mirroring or simple dynamic volumes are supported.
• Creation of a partition on dynamic disk is not supported.
• Restore of dynamic volume supports overwriting restore on existing volume on dynamic disk and restore by volume to basic disk.

File Recovery

• Before using the feature, please make sure that the mount driver (ActiveImage Mount Component) is configured.
• File Recovery does not support backup images including a volume formatted with the file system which the computer to run the task does not support.
• If a copy of a backup image or archived image exists in the specified backup destination, the date/time-stamped "Recovery Point" is indicated.
• If 25 or more of volumes are included in an image set, or 25 or more of the total number of images that are mounted or file recovery is in progress, restore of the 25th or later volume fails.
• If restore source files include the files under the root of the image or in hidden attributes folder, the restore target folder attribute is "hidden" until the recovery process completes.
• In the event of restoring a folder including a massive amount of items or a huge file, the progress bar may indicate as follows:
• The progress bar remains to be % for some time.
• The indication of the percentage remains to be the same for some time (in the event that you selected a number of items for restore source).
• It takes some time from 99% until the task completes.
• When you select a folder to restore, the restoring folder name is appended with "-Recovering". In the event that you cancel the task in process, the folder name remains to be appended with "-Recovering".
• Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are not retained. If you selected the destination in FS which does not support ADS, the file's ADS is not retained.
• Restoring from an optical media is supported only if the image is saved in one media. Restoring an image that spans multiple media is not supported.
• ActiveImage Protector does not support the recovery of EFS encrypted files and folders.

Back to Table of Contents

Image File Management

Consolidation and Archiving Incremental Backup Files

• Before running a consolidation task, please make sure that at least the same or more available space than the size of consolidated image files is in the storage of source image files.
• While executing an incremental backup task on the backup source host machine, a consolidation task for the image file set cannot be executed from another host. Please execute the consolidation task only after the incremental backup task is completed on the backup source host machine.
• If any of the following conditions are met in the system environment or consolidation source, even if some data are deleted from incremental image files up to the latest one, the processed image size is not decreased by the deleted data size but may increase.
• Mount driver is not configured in the system environment.
• Source volume is formatted with file system other than NTFS.

Mount Backup Image

• Up to the maximum number of 24 volumes are supported to mount in the product. Other than this feature, [File Recovery] feature allows to mount the volumes included in an image.
• The entire volumes included in the image are mounted, when you proceeded with [2. File Recovery] in Restore File Wizard.
• While File Recovery is in progress, the volume including the items to restore is mounted.

iSCSI Target Server

• Please make sure Actiphy iSCSI Service is running and remember that this service is not automatically started if Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or later is not configured when installed.
• The volume formatted with FS which the connected system does not support cannot be used even after iSCSI Target is connected.

Back to Table of Contents

Boot Environment Builder (Windows PE)

• To create USB boot media, please make sure 1GB or more available space in USB device. If USB HDD is selected as the target device, the boot area is built in the first 2GB and the rest is reserved as data storage space.
• To create (Windows PE-based) Boot Environment (ISO or PreBoot environment), please make sure Windows AIK or Windows ADK is configured in the system.
  Windows ADK needs to include the following components:
• Deployment Tools
• Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)
• To create boot media or to create PreBoot environment on BIOS boot system, it is recommended to use Windows AIK or Windows ADK of the same version as the system.
  
• To create PreBoot environment in a uEFI boot system, please use the following Windows AIK or Windows ADK depending on the system environment.

Windows 10/2016

Windows ADK for Windows 10 (Windows Assessment & Deployment Kit for Windows 10)

Windows 8.1/2012R2

Windows ADK 5.1（Windows Assessment & Deployment Kit for Windows 8.1 Update）

Windows 8/2012

Windows ADK 4.0（Windows Assessment & Deployment Kit for Windows 8)

Windows 7/2008R2

Windows AIK 3.0（Windows auto-installation kit for Windows 7 SP1)

• To create 64-bit Boot Environment (Windows PE), a 64-bit OS is required.
• Built-in device drivers must support Windows PE based OS version to create the boot environment. Windows PE based OS version will be displayed in "Detailed information of the Windows PE tool" in [Windows PE kit] of [Windows PE based boot environment builder].
• Boot environment in USB device using Windows AIK 3.0 (Windows auto installation kit for Windows 7 SP1) is not supported to build in uEFI environment.

Back to Table of Contents

Boot Environment (Linux)

• uEFI boot with secure boot option is not supported. With CSM (Compatibility Software Module) enabled, uEFI boot is supported in legacy mode (MBR) or compatible mode. With CSM disabled or if CSM boot is enabled in uEFI mode only, uEFI boot is not supported.
• Add Device Driver feature is not supported.
• If a single byte space is included in the path to storage destination for saving volume backup image, you may encounter an error.
• If a Windows 7 or later system disk is created in Boot Environment and restored in Windows module (including Windows PE boot environment), please execute restore task without changing restore settings. Should you change restore settings, disk meta data is not restored and the restored system fails to boot up.
• Once Boot Environment is booted up, please do not remove the media until all operations are complete.
• If clicking on [Create Support Info], the message dialog is not displayed. The support information file is created in "/opt/BE" in the following format:
  AipSupportInfo_yyyymmdd_hhmm.tgz
• Drive letters indicated in disk map are not consistent with those in Explorer for browsing a file.
• When overwriting to restore the mounted volume, please unmount the target volume by selecting [Utilities]-[Mount (Local)] before you proceed with further operation.
• You cannot restore split image from optical media.
• (7669) You cannot mount image.
• Before you start using USB HDD, please make sure that the USB HDD is connected to the system before booting up. If you use network shared folder mounted to the system, ensure that the network shared folder is mounted before launching Restore Image Wizard. In the event that you connect USB HDD to the system or mount the network shared folder only after Restore Image Wizard is launched, the USB HDD or network shared folder may not be displayed in [Backup Destination].

Back to Table of Contents

Boot Environment (Windows PE)

• You can access a network shared folder by taking the following operating procedures:
• Directly access in Explorer.
• Go to [Utilities] - [Network Setting] and create network drive to access.
• Japanese language input is not supported.
• To use the Deduplication Compression feature, folders on local storage can be selected as temporary work folders.
  
• Once Boot Environment is booted up, do not remove the media until all operations are complete.
• Conversion to VHDX file is not supported in boot environment created by using Windows AIK 3.0 (Windows Automated Installation Kit for Windows 7 SP1).
• In the event [Utility] - [Restore Boot Setting] - [Create BCD] is selected to run for the system which has no Boot Configuration Data (BCD), BCD is created with [hypervisorlaunchtype] set to "Auto".

Back to Table of Contents

Image Explorer

• Copying a large number of files takes long in time.
• A file cannot be booted from an image file.
• Browsing the contents in ReFS and Linux FS are not supported.
• File property copied from directly opened image file is not maintained. If the file property needs to be maintained, please use Mount Image feature.
• Items in an image file are grayed out, however, you can browse or copy items in folders.

Back to Table of Contents

Push Installer

• Push Installer supports version 2016 R2 or later installation packages.
• You cannot select a remote host which does not return response to Ping command.
• To obtain a host list from Active Directory, please make sure that the settings for Ping command with Active Directory name to be responded from searching host.
• If incomplete search result is obtained, please retry the searching.
• Cancelling host search may take long.
• Before you execute Push Installer, please make sure that the log-in user has administrative right and is authorized to access administrative shared resource on the target host.
• Upgrading by Push Installer supports the version 2016 SP1 or later.
• Upgrading by Push Installer can migrate the entire existing files including setting files and schedules.
• Uninstallation by Push Installer deletes the entire files. If you select [No reboot on uninstall] option, some of the files are not deleted until the system is rebooted.
• The use of the installation package for Version 2016 installs the package in every languages licensed with the product key.
• The combined use of unsupported installer and the product key enables you to push installation. Upon completion of push installation, even if "Succeeded" is indicated for the status, the installation is not completed on the target host. Please check and see if the installer is combined with the proper product key.

Back to Table of Contents

Remote Client Management Console

• Remote Host Management List supports the following versions for monitoring the status :
• Windows Edition：Version 3.5 SP7 or later
• Linux Boot Environment：Version 2016 or later
• Windows PE Boot Environment：Version 2016 or later
• Linux Edition：Version 2016 or later
• Boot Environment：Version 2016 or later
• When multiple schedules are created on the remote host, only the schedules for the most immediate execution are listed.
• (7532) To select any host from the search result, please click on the host name. The checkboxes may be disabled even if you click on.
• In the event that the host name on Remote Host Management List is changed, please delete the host name from the list and add it to the list again.
• When adding the remote host which booted into Boot Environment to the list, please enter "root" to user name/password.
• HyperBack task is not supported.

Connect to Remote Host

• Connection only to version 2018 agent is supported.
• If AIP was installed by selecting [Typical] or [Custom] - [Firewall Setting], the following TCP/UDP port rules required for network communication with the agent are applied to the inbound rule settings for Windows Firewall.
• AIP Console（TCP/UDP）
• AIP Push Installer（TCP/UDP）
• AIP Service（TCP/UDP）

If AIP was installed with otherwise configured settings, ensure that the Windows Firewall exception settings are configured for the following TCP/UDP ports on both managing and managed host's OS in order to include the remote networked computers in [Connect to Remote Host] list on which the AIP agent is installed.

• TCP Port 48236
• UDP Port 48238
• UDP Port 48239
• Windows File and printer sharing
• If you change any of the above port numbers, a restart the service (ActiveImage Protector Service) is required.
• To connect to an AIP agent on a remote host, the same or lower version of AIP agent as on local host must be configured on the managed remote host. A connection to AIP agent of upper version than the AIP agent on the local host cannot be established.
• To connect to Boot Environment agent, please enter "root" in User Name and Password.
• To connect to AIP agent Linux Edition, log in as "root" user.
• When connected to Boot Environment (Windows PE) agent, AIP CLI is disabled.
• To disconnect from a remote computer, select [Connect to local host]. The same is true if there is no agent installed on local host.
• When connecting to Version 2016 or later Linux Edition agent, you cannot use the following functions.
• [Image Manager] - [Mount] menu
• [Advanced Options] - [Scripting] - "Run on" menu in Schedule Backup

Back to Table of Contents

Other Utilities

• The use of Event Log Viewer allows you to monitor the latest 200 events. If the number of events logged in the period you specify exceeds 200, no events are displayed.
• All contents may not be displayed in Task Summary.
  

Back to Table of Contents

Others

• Before using this product, ensure that [Windows System Restore] (System Protection) is disabled.
  
• If using a disk defrag utility along with this product, it is highly recommended to execute a backup task to create a full (base) backup image immediately after completion of a defrag (defragmentation). When running disk defragmenter software, the sectors on the disk are changed and the size of incremental backup file may increase.

Back to Table of Contents

Back to Index