Azure Backup update for Microsoft Azure Recovery Services Agent: May 2017

This article describes new features, improvements, and fixes in Azure Backup for Microsoft Azure Recovery Services (MARS) Agent version 2.0.9077.0 that is used by both Microsoft Azure Backup and Microsoft Azure Site Recovery (ASR) to transfer data to Azure.

• Windows Server System State Backup to Azure (preview)
  
  This update enables you to back up Windows Server System State directly to Azure by using the MARS Agent.
  
  Currently in preview, this feature extends the data backup capabilities of the MARS agent to enable customers to run comprehensive, secure, and reliable windows server recoveries. Azure Backup now integrates with the Windows Server Backup feature that is available natively in every Windows Server system, It provides seamless and secure backups of your Windows Server System State directly to Azure without requiring any on-premises infrastructure.
   
  This feature lets you protect your Active Directory servers, file servers and Internet Information Services (IIS) web servers for comprehensive disaster recovery.
  
  For more information about backing up the system state by using Azure Backup, see this Windows Azure blog article.
• Instant restore improvements
   
  Instant Restore was introduced in the January 2017 update of the MARS Agent. In this update of MARS Agent, users of Instant Restore experience further improvements in the speeds at which files and folders can be browsed and recovered by copying to a local computer from the mounted recovery volume.
  
  Additionally, the mounted recovery volume remains available after six hours (for a maximum of 24 hours) during an item-copy process. This improvement helps to ease the recovery of many items from the recovery volume.
• Integrity Check Improvements
   
  We have further improved the efficiency and speed of Integrity Checks to deliver quicker verification of data integrity and faster backups.

• Disambiguation of several product messages to provide comprehensive guidance for required corrective actions.
• Several stability and reliability issues that affect both backup and recovery operations.

To apply this update, install the latest version of the Microsoft Azure Recovery Services agent.

Microsoft Download Center

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Azure Recovery Services agent update package now.

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, see how to obtain Microsoft support files from online services.

Prerequisites

If you use System Center 2016 Data Protection Manager (SC DPM), you must have Update Rollup 1 for System Center 2016 Data Protection Manager or a later version installed.

If you use System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager (SC DPM), you must have Update Rollup 12 for System Center 2012 R2 Data Protection Manager or a later version installed.

Restart information

If you are using any edition of Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1), you must restart the computer after you apply this update. Users who have installed MARS Agent on other Windows Server versions don’t have to restart the computer after applying this update.

Replacement information

This update replaces the previously released update 4015082.

Learn about the terminology that Microsoft uses to describe software updates.