User's Guide > Installing Backup Agent for Windows
Installing Backup Agent for Windows
The following topics provide installation instructions for Backup Agent on Windows
Note:  For instructions to install or uninstall Backup Agent on Linux, see Backup Agent on Linux.
Backup Agent Installation Overview
This section provides an overview of the requirements needed for installation, instructions for installing Backup Agent on your Windows machine, and information about the files included during installation.
See the chapter Backup Agent on Linux for installing and using Backup Agent on Linux.
Where to Install Backup Agent
Backup Agent must be installed on the same computer as the Zen database engine. (That is, not solely with the Zen Client.) The Backup Agent installation process detects the location of your Zen engine and automatically determines the installation location for Backup Agent. You cannot alter this location.
Note:  See Getting Started with Zen for detailed information on installation directory locations.
Backup Agent Windows Installation Checklists
This topic provides checklists and other information to prepare you for installation.
Precautions
The following lists important precautions to follow prior to installing Backup Agent.
o Your system hardware and software meets the minimum requirements to install Backup Agent. Hardware and software requirements are listed on the Actian website.
o As with any software application, you should always back up any important files on the hard drive before you begin the installation.
o If you are running Zen Control Center, you must close ZenCC before installation to Backup Agent to be added to the ZenCC Tools menu.
o If you have enabled Archival Logging, you must disable it before you can use Backup Agent.
o The Zen database engine is stopped and restarted during the installation of Backup Agent. If your business requirements prohibit stopping the database engine during certain hours, install Backup Agent during an acceptable period.
Backup Agent Zen Engine Requirements
Before You Begin
This section contains information with which you need to be familiar to successfully install Backup Agent on Windows. Before installing Backup Agent, review the following:
Backup Agent Installation Overview. This section provides important information including system requirements and platform specific notes that are relevant to your operation.
Release notes. The release notes are in a readme file (readme_ba.htm) and contain late-breaking product news that could not be included in the product documentation. The readme file is located in the distribution media and also posted online.
Windows Platform Notes
Be aware of the following conditions.
You must have full administrator-level rights on the machine where you install Backup Agent.
If you run with Advanced Power Management, disable it while installing Backup Agent. The power management can cause an installation to fail if the server is suspended during the install. You control the advanced power management through the Power Options on Control Panel.
You may need to disable antivirus software or change its settings to allow installation of Backup Agent.
Some installation settings can be specified in the installation configuration file (BAsetup.ini). Refer to comments in that file for details. This .ini file is located in the same folder as the .msi file that uses it.
Installing Backup Agent
Backup Agent must be installed after the Zen database engine. Be sure that your machine has a database engine before installing Backup Agent.
If your machine lacks a database engine, install one from your original CD media or download the appropriate Zen product from the Actian website. For Zen installation steps, see the user documentation for your Zen database engine product.
To install Backup Agent
1. Launch the installation program from your Windows machine.
Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive.
If the installation does not start automatically, run the following command at a prompt:
drive:\"Backup Agent - Windows"\Install_BackupAgent.exe
where drive is the letter of your CD-ROM device.
The installation wizard checks your system as it prepares to install Backup Agent.
Once the wizard checks and verifies the system, the Welcome screen appears.
2. Click Next to begin installation.
The License Agreement dialog appears.
3. Accept the license agreement and click Next.
4. If prompted for a key, enter your Backup Agent key in the License field.
Tip...  Leave the field blank to install an evaluation license.
The product license number is provided on the following:
The case of the Backup Agent installation CD
The product registration card
The printed license agreement
Caution!  If you install an evaluation copy, Backup Agent returns an error message when you attempt to use the program after the evaluation period.
You may install the evaluation version and apply a key later using the License Administrator utility. See Zen User’s Guide for detailed instructions on using License Administrator.
5. Click Next.
A dialog box indicates that the install program is ready to begin.
6. Click Install to proceed with installation. (If you need to return to the license agreement, click Back.)
7. The installation process continues, displaying a series of status messages that inform you what action is taking place. Most of the message dialogs contain a progress bar to indicate the progress.
At the end of the installation, a dialog informs you that setup is complete.
8. Click Finish.
What to Do After You Install Backup Agent
After you successfully install Backup Agent you are ready to begin using the agent to manage your Zen live backups. Using Backup Agent discusses using the graphical user and the command-line interfaces of the utility.
Common Questions After Installing Backup Agent
This topic contains information you should read after running the Backup Agent installation program.
Do I have to configure anything in Zen Control Center for Backup Agent?
No. Backup Agent requires no special settings in ZenCC, but you should make sure that you close ZenCC before installing or uninstalling Backup Agent.
Does Backup Agent create any log files?
Yes. See Log File.
How do I integrate Backup Agent with my backup software?
For help on integrating Backup Agent to work with your backup software, see Integrating with your Backup Software and your backup software user documentation.
Where are the Backup Agent files installed?
Backup Agent requires that you have a Zen database engine installed. Backup Agent installs to a PBA subdirectory of the Zen installation directories. The directory in which Backup Agent files are installed depend on the platform to which you are installing.
For the list of default Windows installation locations, see the topic “Where are the Zen files installed?” in Getting Started with Zen.
Installing Backup Agent as Part of Your Application
This guide explains how to install Backup Agent interactively from a CD. You can also install Backup Agent as part of your own application installation process. The Backup Agent installation can be noninteractive, with no input required from the user, to provide a silent installation.
How To Perform a Silent Install of Backup Agent
The following steps explain how to perform a silent installation of Backup Agent. It is important to note that these instructions are only for the installation of Backup Agent.
Before you begin, ensure that all Zen utilities, such as ZenCC, and all applications that use Zen are closed before performing a silent install.
To install Backup Agent silently
1. Copy all files from the Backup Agent CD to a temporary directory on a hard disk.
Use a machine that does not have Backup Agent already installed.
2. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory location where you copied the program files.
3. Execute the Backup Agent installer command, and specify a key if applicable, similar to the following:
Install_BackupAgent.exe /s /v" /qn PVSW_BA_LICENSE_KEY=key"
Where key is the Backup Agent key. Note that, for the current version of Zen Enterprise Server or Cloud Server, you may omit the string PVSW_BA_LICENSE_KEY=key. No separate key for Backup Agent is required if the product is installed on the same machine as the current version of Zen Enterprise Server or Cloud Server.
The product license number is provided on the following:
The case of the Backup Agent installation CD
The product registration card
The printed license agreement
Because the silent install has no user interaction, you will not receive notification of a successful installation. You will notice though, that Backup Agent is automatically installed in your Zen program group once installation has completed.
Uninstalling Backup Agent
The uninstall program removes all Backup Agent components from your system.
Caution!  If you are running Zen Control Center (ZenCC), you must close ZenCC before uninstalling. Closing ZenCC allows Backup Agent to be removed from the ZenCC Tools menu.
To uninstall Backup Agent
1. Access the Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel on your Windows operating system.
2. Click Backup Agent in the list.
3. Click the button to remove a program. The button may be labeled Add/Remove or Remove. A dialog appears to confirm the removal of Backup Agent.
4. Click Yes to confirm removal of Backup Agent.
A status box displays progress of the uninstall.
When the uninstall completes, you will be returned to the Add or Remove Programs dialog.
 
Last modified date: 06/20/2024