Data sources

Practically any file located on a workstation or server can be protected against loss using the Backup Manager. Some files are not subject to backup – for example files from the Backup Manager installation folder and temporary files on Windows.

Complex systems such as databases, virtual machines and content management systems require specific approaches to keep backup data consistent (this guarantees that the system will continue working after recovery). That is why you will find different data sources in the Backup Manager (a separate data source for each type of data).

Please view the full documentation data sources page and subsequent pages for backup and recovery requirements, recovery instructions and troubleshooting steps per data source.

Data source Description Available on Windows Available on macOS Available on Linux
Files and folders Individual files and directories located on the computer that the Backup Manager is installed on Yes Yes Yes
System state The operating system with its configuration Yes No No
MS SQL

Databases powered by Microsoft SQL Server:

  • 2008
  • 2008 R2
  • 2012
  • 2014
  • 2016 (mainstream editions)
  • 2022
 Yes No No
VMware

Virtual machines running on VMware ESXi

  • 6.0
  • 6.5
  • 7.0
 Windows 7 and later (64-bit versions) No No
Hyper-V

Virtual machines running on MS Hyper-V

  • 2.0
  • 3.0
 Windows 7 and later (64-bit versions) No No
MS Exchange

Messaging systems powered by Microsoft Exchange Server

 Yes No No
MS SharePoint

Content management systems powered by Microsoft SharePoint:

  • 2007
  • 2010
  • 2013
  • 2016 (single-server installations)

Windows Server.

At the moment MS SharePoint 2016 can be backed up only on Windows Server 2012 R2.

 No No
MySQL

Databases powered by MySQL Server versions:

  • 5.0.22
  • 5.1
  • 5.5
  • 5.6
  • 5.7
  • 8 and all its minor releases
 Yes Databases powered by MySQL Server:
  • 5.0.22
  • 5.1
  • 5.5
 Yes, as with Windows (glibc 2.5 or higher required)
Network shares Individual files and directories located on a local network resource Yes Yes (pre-backup setup required) Yes (pre-backup setup required)

Starting from the 18.6 release, a new data source has been available - Microsoft 365. It works as a service and does not involve the Backup Manager installation. Learn more.

Ensure you use the appropriate data source for the data you need to backup. For example, do not use the Files and folders data source to backup MS SQL databases.