General

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What is IDrive BMR?

IDrive BMR is an onsite bare-metal restore solution. You can perform full, incremental and manual backup of a computer including multiple hard drives and partitions. The backed up data is saved in the form of a single file (known as an image) onsite. You can maintain a ready-to-use, bare-metal restore (BMR) capability with each image-based backup. In addition to local backup, IDrive offers cloud replication, which lets you transfer backups stored on your IDrive BMR server to your cloud account. This advanced solution allows you to restore backed up data to multiple computers at the same time.

How do I access the BMR server interface?

You can access the BMR server interface from any machine that is on the same network as the BMR server. You can access the interface with any browser, using the BMR server's IP address, serial key, or the IDrive BMR web link bmrdevice.idrive.com.

Via IP address: Navigate to the BMR server interface by using the server IP address as the application's URL.To know the IP address of a BMR server,

1. Connect a monitor to the server.
2. Press the power button on the front panel to start the server.
3. Once the server has completed the start-up process, the dashboard will be displayed on the monitor along with the BMR server IP.

Via serial key: Enter the serial key of the BMR device in small case, followed by '.local' on the address bar of your browser. (For example: If your device serial number is BMR-34KF3ZQTYI, navigate to the following address: http://bmr-34kf3zqtyi.local.) The sign-in page of your BMR server interface will be displayed.

Via bmrdevice.idrive.com: Navigate to bmrdevice.idrive.com on your browser. The page will display a list of online BMR servers on the network along with their IP addresses. Click on the IP address of the required BMR server and you will be redirected to the sign-in page of the BMR server interface.

How do I install IDrive BMR on multiple PCs in one go?

You can use the IDrive BMR MSI package to remotely install the BMR application on multiple PCs.

Prerequisites for remote deployment of IDrive BMR MSI package:

• IDrive BMR MSI installer package
• Shared folder accessible via all the domain users
• Active Directory environment

First, follow the steps given below to create a Group Policy Object (GPO) under active directory environment:

1. Launch ‘Group Policy Management' from the Start menu.

2. Navigate to 'Forest', the folder for creating group policy.
3. Double-click ‘Domains’ and navigate 'Group Policy Object'.

4. Right-click 'Group Policy Object' and click ‘New’.

5. Assign a group name and click 'OK'.

Next, follow the steps given below to assign the IDrive BMR MSI package to the domain computers:

1. Right-click the new group policy and click ‘Edit’. This will launch the ‘Group Policy Management Editor’.

2. Go to 'Computer Configuration' > 'Policies' > 'Software Settings' > 'Software installation'.

3. Right-click 'Software installation' and navigate to 'New' > 'Package'.

4. Locate and select the shared network folder with the IDrive BMR MSI installer package and click 'Open' to add to the software installation container.
5. Select 'Assigned' and click 'OK'. The process may take a while, depending on the size of the software.

6. Right-click on the MSI package and click 'Properties'. The 'IDrive Properties' window appears.
7. Navigate to the 'Deployment' tab. Under ‘Deployment type’ select 'Assigned' and under ‘Deployment options’ select 'Install this application at logon’.

8. Click ‘OK’.
9. Right-click the domain and click 'Link an Existing GPO'. The 'Select GPO' screen appears.

10. Select the newly created Group Policy and click ‘OK’. The IDrive BMR application will be assigned to the domain computers on the next reboot and to the domain users on the next sign in.

What is BMR web console and what operations can I perform from here?

BMR web console is a centralized management system that lets you manage all your backup, recovery and cloud replication requirements. You can access IDrive BMR server, add your computers and ESXi/vCenter to the BMR server and schedule their data backups/restores from anywhere.

You can also,

• Perform local backup and restore operations
• Organize physical and VMware machines into groups, and apply separate settings for them
• Create up to four virtual instances of your machines on the BMR server instantly
• Enable cloud replication of your local backups and also schedule them as required
• Change the global server settings, backup settings and mail settings
• Manage control panel related settings
• View the health status of your drives and devices, and review storage utilization
• View system logs and logs of all backup, restore and cloud replication activities of physical and VMware machines

Can I perform power operations of BMR server via web interface?

Yes, you can shutdown or restart the BMR server from the 'Admin' dropdown.

Can I view and change my profile information?

Yes, you can change your email address and password from the IDrive BMR server web interface.

To change account password,

1. Click the username displayed on the top-right corner of the page and click 'Change Password'.

2. Enter new password and confirm the same in the 'Change Password' window.

3. Click 'Change Password'.

How can I configure my IDrive BMR server with encryption?

The encryption configuration for your BMR server is done only once, at the beginning of the device setup.

To configure encryption on your BMR server,

1. Sign in to the BMR web interface.
2. You will be prompted with a message to configure your server with encryption. Choose default encryption or private encryption based on your requirements.
3. To set 'Default encryption key', click 'Continue'.
4. Alternatively, to set 'Private encryption key', enter a private encryption key of your choice in the respective field and confirm the same. Click ‘Continue’.

How can I upgrade my local BMR device?

You can choose any of the hardware add-ons to upgrade your local BMR device.

To upgrade,

1. Sign in to the IDrive web interface with your user credentials. Click the 'Upgrade Now' button at the top-right corner of the page.

2. In the window that appears, enter your username, email address and phone number.

3. Choose a hardware add-on from the respective dropdown.

4. Click 'Submit Request'.

Once this is completed, our sales team will contact you to upgrade your BMR device.

How can I upgrade cloud storage space?

To upgrade cloud space,

1. Sign in to the IDrive web interface with your user credentials. Click the 'Upgrade Now' button at the top-right corner of the page.

2. In the window that appears, select 'Cloud'. Enter your username, email address and phone number.

3. Click 'Submit Request'.

Once this is completed, our support team will contact you to upgrade your cloud space.

Which network ports are to be used for IDrive BMR server and client computer?

Following network ports are to be used for IDrive BMR server and client computer:

For IDrive BMR server:

For client computer:

How do I perform manual cleanup of IDrive BMR server storage space?

I am not able to access the BMR server interface. Instead, a cleanup window is displayed. Why?

When the local storage utilization on your BMR device has exceeded 90%, all the backup and restore operations will be temporarily suspended to prevent the storage from filling up further. Click 'Cleanup Now' to run a local storage cleanup.

Note: If the cleanup does not reduce the storage utilization below 90%, you will again be redirected to this page and the backup and restore operation will continue to remain suspended. In such a case, contact the support team for assistance.

What is the hardware configuration of the IDrive BMR server?

In case of a server issue, will I be alerted?

How do I configure network settings for my IDrive BMR server?

During initial sign in, by default the server will be configured to DHCP mode. You can change the default settings from the 'Settings' tab.

To change network settings,

1. Sign in to the IDrive BMR server web interface.
2. Go to the 'Settings' tab and click 'Control Panel'.
3. Under 'Network Settings' tab, click against the required ethernet port entry. The 'Network Settings' window appears.

4. Select 'IP Mode' as 'Static' and provide the required information such as IP address, Netmask and Gateway in the respective fields.
5. Click 'Apply Settings'.

To change DNS settings,

1. In the 'Network Settings' tab, select 'Use the following DNS server address' under 'DNS settings' section.
2. Provide primary and secondary DNS server address in the respective fields and click 'Apply'.

Is it possible to change the time zone for the IDrive BMR server according to my location?

What happens when I reset the network settings?

When you click 'Reset Network' under the 'Network Settings' tab, the following actions take place:

• Both the network interfaces on this server will be set to DHCP mode.
• Server will reboot to apply the changes. Ensure no backups are in progress at this time.
• After reboot, the server will try to obtain DHCP provided IP from your network.

Data backed up to the IDrive BMR server is reliable for restore?

Yes, all data backed up to the IDrive BMR server is reliable for restore. To ensure the reliability of the backed-up data, the BMR server is programmed to perform a three-tier check:

• Firstly, a block-by-block checksum verification before and after data transmission.
• Secondly, a built-in error correction mechanism that verifies data before writing it on the server
• And finally, after the backup is completed, a filesystem mount check is executed to verify availability of the data needed for a successful restore. The status of this final check is displayed in the BMR device UI and also notified to email addresses specified in the 'Backup Report Notification' section.

Additionally, it is recommended that you perform routine local virtualization of your backups to ensure successful restores.

What are the system requirements for IDrive BMR?

IDrive BMR currently supports bare-metal backup only from client computers running on Windows OS.

Following are the system requirements for IDrive BMR:

Operating Systems:

• Windows Vista (with all Windows updates installed)
• Windows Server 2008 (with all Windows updates installed)
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows 7
• Small Business Server 2011 (with all Windows updates installed)
• Windows 8
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 10
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2019

File System:

• IDrive BMR supports backup from only NTFS formatted volumes

Disk Partition Style:

• MBR
• GPT

What does 'Firewall Checkpoint' do?

Firewall Checkpoint is a function within the BMR server that helps you check firewall restrictions, if any. Through this function, network restrictions on services such as email delivery, cloud replication and so on are identified.

To check these settings,

1. Sign in to the IDrive BMR server web interface.
2. Click 'Settings' displayed on the menu bar.
3. Go to the 'Control Panel' tab.
4. Scroll down and click 'Check Now' in the Firewall Checkpoint section.

Status of settings:

Successful - There are no firewall restrictions and you can continue to use all services related to BMR

Failure - The port has been blocked

If you receive a failure alert, contact your network admin to unblock the network firewall. Here are the port details:

• General Firewall Settings - Unblock Port '80' and Port '443' for 'www.idrive.com' and 'www1.idrive.com' servers.
• Mail Settings - Check your Mail Server Port details and unblock the port, if blocked.
• Cloud Replication - Contact the BMR support team to receive the Port details. Then share this information with your network admin to unblock the respective ports.

I am unable to save mail settings. Why is that?

This could be because the port number used to connect to the mail server may have been blocked. You can check whether the port is blocked or not from the BMR server.

To check,

1. Sign in to the IDrive BMR server web interface.
2. Click 'Settings' displayed on the menu bar.
3. Go to 'Mail' -> 'Mail Server Settings' tab.
4. Click 'Firewall Check Now'.

Contact your network admin to unblock the port, if it is blocked.

How do I connect a specific client machine to the IDrive BMR server?

Download the IDrive BMR installer on your machine. During installation, the installer will prompt you to enter a Server Identity Key.

To add the identity key,

1. Sign in to the IDrive BMR server web interface.

2. On the right-corner of the 'Physical Machines' tab, click the 'Add Client' button to add a physical machine.

3. To add a VMware ESXi host, click 'Add ESXi host'. Similarly, to add a vCenter server click 'Add vCenter Server'.

4. The server's Identity Key along with the following message will be displayed.
5. Enter the identity key in the 'Enter the server identity key' field on the IDrive BMR installer and click 'Next'.
6. Once this is complete, your backup will be automatically initiated.

Are backup settings and global server settings applicable for VMware machines?

No, backup settings and global server settings are only relevant for physical machines.

Can I link my BMR cloud account with my IDrive account?

If you have an IDrive Enterprise account and a BMR cloud account, you can contact BMR support to link both these accounts. This lets you directly access your BMR cloud account from IDrive, without the need to enter your BMR user credentials every time, to sign in.

Is my data encrypted at rest?

Yes, your data is encrypted at rest. BMR uses AES-256 CCM encryption to secure your data when stored on the BMR server and on the cloud. Your data is also encrypted when transferred to the cloud account.

What changes can I make using 'Backup Settings'?

You can update and propagate settings globally to all machines - be it a group or individual machines. This helps you conveniently manage all settings right from one place for your physical machines.

Note: When you specify a time period for the backup, the system will ensure that the backup will be initiated within the specified time period. However, backups may not necessarily commence exactly at the start time.

How does the statistics help me?

BMR provides timely statistics that help users monitor resource usage by virtualized machines. The graphics displayed on the dashboard lets you view the utilization details of all machines at one place.

Does IDrive BMR offer 24/7 support?

Yes, IDrive BMR offers 24/7 support via live chat. For priority assistance, call us on 1-855-815-8706 (ext 5), Monday - Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PST. You can also arrange a call-back by filling out the support form or via chat.

Can I add a VAT ID to my IDrive BMR account?

Yes, if your business is based in the EU region, you have the option to add your VAT ID to your IDrive BMR account.

To add your VAT ID,

1. Go to www.idrive.com and sign in with your BMR cloud account credentials.
2. Click 'My Account' on the left navigation bar.
3. Enter your VAT ID in the 'VAT Exemption Number' section and click 'Save Changes'. The VAT ID will be updated to your account and may be validated by IDrive BMR.

Note: The 'VAT Exemption Number' section will be displayed only if it is applicable for your chosen country.

Does IDrive BMR have a VAT number?

For information related to IDrive VAT number, send an email to support@idrive.com.

I subscribed to IDrive BMR via a Partner. Can I disable my Partner's access to my BMR device?

Yes, you can disable your Partner's access to your BMR device. Navigate to 'Settings' > 'Control Panel' > 'Partner Manage' and move the slider toggle to read 'Disabled'.