Server backup using Windows Server Backup service

Windows Server Backup (WSB) is a built-in Windows Server feature that provides full and partial system backup capabilities. It supports scheduled and on-demand backups to a local disk or a network share. This tutorial covers installing WSB, connecting a network drive, and creating both one-time and scheduled backups of the entire server.

The examples use the CloudBox solution from INTROSERV as the backup destination. CloudBox supports the SAMBA/CIFS protocol required for WSB network backups. The steps are identical for any SAMBA-compatible backup share.

Installing the Windows Server Backup feature

Via PowerShell (recommended)

1. Check whether the feature is already installed:

Get-WindowsFeature Windows-Server-Backup

If the Install State column shows Installed, skip to the next section. If it shows Available, proceed to step 2:

2. Install the feature:

Install-WindowsFeature Windows-Server-Backup

3. Verify the installation was successful — the Install State column should now show Installed:

Get-WindowsFeature Windows-Server-Backup

Alternative option: install via the graphical interface

1. Go through Start - Server Manager - Manage - Add Roles and Features:

Select Role-based or feature-based installation and click Next:

2. At the server selection stage, select the current server and click Next:

3. Leave the Server Roles as they are and click Next. On the Features step, select Windows Server Backup and click Next:

4. At the confirmation stage, click Install and wait for the procedure to complete:

Backup limitations when using a network share

Important: When backing up to a network share (SAMBA/CIFS), WSB stores only one backup set. Each new backup replaces the previous backup set on that share. If you need to retain multiple recovery points, use a local disk as the backup destination, or consider the INTROSERV Backup Service, which supports incremental backups and multiple restore points.

Warning: Do not save backups to the same physical disk that contains the data you are backing up. If that disk fails, both the data and the backup will be lost.

Connecting file storage as a network drive

1. Open Explorer - This PC - Map network drive:

2. Enter the share address in the format \\your_network_share and click Finish. If the share requires credentials, a login prompt will appear. After authentication, the network drive will appear in Windows Explorer:

Note: If the mapped drive is not reconnected automatically after a reboot, reconnect it manually or configure a persistent mapping using net use or Group Policy.

Mapping the drive at this stage is only to confirm that the server can reach the share and that the credentials work — WSB itself does not use the mapped drive letter and requires the full UNC path, which you will enter directly in the backup wizard.

Creating a one-time backup

1. Launch the backup feature: Start - Server Manager - Tools - Windows Server Backup:

2. In the Local Backup section, click Backup Once. On the Backup Options screen, select Different options and click Next:

3. On the Select Backup Configuration screen, select Full server to back up all volumes and system state, then click Next. A Custom option is also available if you need to back up only specific volumes or folders:

4. On the Specify Destination Type screen, select Remote shared folder and click Next:

5. Enter the UNC path to your backup share and click Next. For example: \\storage.example.com\backups — replace this with your actual share path:

Important: WSB requires a UNC path. A mapped drive letter (for example, Z:) is not accepted here.

6. Review the summary and click Backup. Wait for the operation to complete:

This is how the window looks during the backup process:

WSB will create a WindowsImageBackup folder on the backup share. Existing files outside that folder are not affected.

Creating a scheduled backup

A scheduled backup runs automatically at the times you specify. The setup is similar to a one-time backup, with one additional step for the schedule.

1. In Windows Server Backup, click Backup Schedule in the Actions panel.

2. On the Select Backup Configuration screen, select Full server and click Next.

3. On the Specify Backup Time screen, choose how often to run the backup, then click Next:

• Once a day — select a time from the drop-down list.
• More than once a day — add each required time using the Add button.

4. On the Specify Destination Type screen, select Back up to a shared network folder and click Next:

Reminder: Scheduled backups to a network share keep only one backup set. Each run replaces the previous backup set on that share.

5. Enter the UNC path to your SMB share and click Next. WSB will prompt for credentials — enter an account that has read and write permissions on the backup share.

6. Review the summary and click Finish.

WSB will run the backup automatically at the scheduled times. To modify or remove the schedule, open Windows Server Backup, click Backup Schedule in the Actions panel, and select Modify backup or Stop backup.

Verifying backup success

After any backup — one-time or scheduled — verify the result using one of the following methods.

Windows Server Backup console

Open Windows Server Backup - Local Backup. The Status section shows the result of the last operation. A successful backup is listed with the status Successful:

PowerShell

The following command shows the last backup job, its start and end time, and whether it completed successfully:

Get-WBJob -Previous 1

wbadmin

This command lists all available backup versions on the target, confirming that the backup set was created and is accessible. Replace \\server\share with your actual share path (the command also works without the parameter if a backup target is already configured):

wbadmin get versions -backupTarget:\\server\share