Frequently Asked Questions
How does bare metal recovery differ from image-based backup?
Bare metal recovery uses file-based backups that capture individual files and system configurations, while image-based backup creates block-level copies of entire disk volumes. File-based BMR offers smaller backup sizes, easier incremental backups, and granular file recovery capabilities. Image-based solutions provide faster full system restoration but require more storage space and offer limited flexibility for partial recovery scenarios.
Can Bacula Enterprise perform bare metal recovery on virtual machines?
Bacula Enterprise supports both physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-physical bare metal recovery operations. The platform can restore physical servers to virtual machine environments and vice versa, making it ideal for infrastructure modernization projects. For virtualized environments specifically, Bacula Enterprise also offers specialized VMware backup capabilities that may be more efficient than BMR for routine virtual machine protection.
What operating systems does Bacula Enterprise’s bare metal recovery support?
Bacula Enterprise provides comprehensive bare metal recovery for both Linux and Windows environments. Linux BMR supports major distributions including RedHat, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu LTS versions (64-bit). Windows BMR handles all versions from Windows XP through Windows Server 2022, supporting both 32-bit and 64-bit systems with BIOS and UEFI boot configurations. Bacula itself runs on over 33 different OS’s.
Does Bacula Enterprise bare metal recovery include data deduplication?
Bacula Enterprise incorporates advanced deduplication technology including both client-side and storage-side deduplication with Global Endpoint Deduplication capabilities. This significantly reduces storage requirements for BMR backups while maintaining fast recovery performance. The platform also supports incremental and differential backups to minimize storage consumption and backup windows for routine operations.