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RMAD - Missing Features.

Setting up RMAD FE for the first time and seeing some things that I would really like to see in the future versions.

Nested Collections - ability to have nested collection folders which would inherit settings from the higher level.  Would be important to see 'collated' settings on each level and where they are inherited from.

Improved Collection view :

  • Expandable containers/sites to see individual servers enumerated for it
  • OS, agent version, AD site, FSMO, etc. for each domain controller.  
  • Ability to export this information.
  • Additional variables for backup / folder names.

Improved Sessions view.  Badly missing Start / End times  in each session view.  Could also use some additional server-specific metadata, such as agent version, AD site, etc.

Parallel Backup Tuning - make it domain / site aware.  Idea behind it is not to overwhelm your environment and going down to site level seems like most optimal way of achieving that.

Parallel Backups - seems like next batch doesn't kick in until every single domain controller in previous batch either completed the backup or timed out.  Ideally, should keep track of number of DCs going through backup and kick off additional ones as some complete.

Better Agent Management.  

  • Additional manipulation options (uninstall, upgrade, reinstall, etc.)
  • Default agent management could use improvement.  
    • If agent is already installed, use it
    • If agent is installed but different version, upgrade it
    • If cannot upgrade agent (connectivity / firewall), try using existing one
    • If not installed, install it and leave installed.

Separate credential store.   Instead of managing credentials on individual collection level.  Would also simplify moving configurations between different RMAD servers.

Backup / Recovery Agents should act as proxies.   We have a dozen forests with many domain controllers behind various firewalls and it's extremely difficult TechRisk conversation to open SMB/RPC ports to deliberately segregated environments.  Would be great to have agents act as proxies for both, collecting the metadata about the forest AND brokering all communication to the environment.

Better logging / alerting.  You can't build much useful alerting on top of existing backup logs.  If a single server fails in collection of 50, is this really a failure requiring immediate attention?  No alerting configuration for backups running over (other than "Limit maximum backup time")

Standardize on single database format.  It's a bit odd seeing that collections are stored as MS Jet, backups - SQLite and Forest Recovery State is MSSQL...   Would be great to see everything in single MS SQL database (and could help with migration of settings / maintaining configuration accross multiple RMAD servers).

  • Few immediate afterthoughts

    Client Log Rotation.  Pretty decent job is done with RMAD server-side logging (number of days to keep, rotation mechanism, etc.) but no clear settings for logs generated on Domain Controllers during backup and we have a few that have BackupAgent64.log that are gigs in size.

    Backup Archiving Options.  I think we're not the only ones who would love to keep historical backups for reference (say, weekly or monthly from 1-2 Domain Controllers).  Would be good to have an option to include an option for that 

    Active Directory forests.  When you add new forests to the view, configuration appear to be user-specific.  Some of the lists drop off the view after a while, too (in my experience).  Would be good to have a server-based configuration.  Perhaps, coupled with credential store option mentioned above.

    Active Directory Forests - Choose protocol for connection.  Currently, no choice of LDAP/LDAP SSL/GC/GC SSL.  Would be good to have that level of control.  Also, would be good to proxy these topology discovery requests through agents pre-installed in the environment ("agent as proxy" thought from above)