To create a protection plan

1. On the left, click Protection > Protection plans and then click Add.
2. In Basic properties, enter a Name, Description, and select a Workload from the drop-down list.

   Optional selection:

   • Policy name prefix:

     Use this option for policy names. A prefix is added to the policy name when NetBackup automatically creates a policy when users subscribe assets to this protection plan.

   • Enable Continuous Data Protection

     For VMware workloads, select this option to use Continuous data protection for the workload. See the Continuous data protection chapter of the NetBackup Web UI VMware Administrator's Guide for details.

3. In Schedules, click Add.

   If you have selected cloud as workload of Azure or Azure Stack, see the Configuring backup schedules for cloud workloads section of the NetBackup Web UI Cloud Administrator's Guide.

   You can set up a daily, weekly, or monthly backup and then set retention and replication of that backup. Also depending on workload, you can set up the following backup schedules: a Automatic, Full, Differential incremental, Cumulative Incremental, or Snapshot only.

   If you select Monthly as a frequency, you can select between Days of the week (grid view) or Days of the month (calendar view).

   Note:

   If you select Automatic for the schedule type, then all schedules for this protection plan are Automatic. If you select a Full, Differential incremental, or Cumulative Incremental for the schedule type, then all schedules for this protection plan must be one of these options.

   If you select Automatic for the schedule type, NetBackup automatically sets the schedule type for you. NetBackup calculates when to do a Full or Differential incremental based on frequency you specify.

   Note:

   The protection plan creation does not work for the VMware workload when certain schedule frequencies are set with WORM storage lock duration. The protection plan creation does not work when: schedule frequencies are set to less than one week and WORM storage Lock Maximum Duration less than one week greater than the requested retention period.

   If you use a protection plan to protect VMware with WORM capable storage, set the WORM storage Lock Maximum Duration to greater than one week. Or, explicitly select the schedule type in the protection plan.

   In the Attributes tab:

   • Select the Backup type, how often it runs, and how long to keep the backup for this schedule.

     • The selections in the Backup type are dependent on workload that is selected and any other backup schedules that are currently active in this protection plan.

   • (Optional) To replicate the backup, select Replicate this backup.

     • To use the Replicate this backup option, the backup storage must be a source in a targeted A.I.R. environment. The Replication target is configured in step 4.

     • For more information about replication, review About NetBackup Auto Image Replication in the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.

   • (Optional) To keep a copy in long-term storage, turn on Duplicate a copy immediately to long-term retention.

     • NetBackup immediately duplicates a copy to long-term storage after the backup completes.

     • The schedule options that are available for long-term storage are based on the frequency and the retention levels for the regular backup schedules that you created.

   In the Start window tab:

   • Define a Start day, Start time, End day, and End time for this schedule using the options available on the screen. Or you can drag your cursor over the time boxes to create the schedule.

   • Use the options on the right to duplicate, remove, or undo changes to a schedule.

   Click Save after all options are selected in the Attributes and the Start window tabs.

   Review the Backup schedule preview window and verify that all schedules are set correctly.

4. In Storage options, configure the storage type per schedule you configured in step 3.

   The options vary depending on storage options currently setup to work with NetBackup.

   A protection plan can only use the storage that a NetBackup 8.1.2 or newer media server can access.

   Storage option	Requirements	Description
   Snapshot storage only	CloudPoint is required for this option.	Configure CloudPoint in the NetBackup Administration Console using the Snapshot Management Server feature. If you use the Snapshot only storage option, no other storage option can be selected. Go to step 5.
   Perform snapshot backups	Microsoft SQL Server is required for this option.	For instructions on configuring protection plans for Microsoft SQL Server, see the NetBackup Web UI Microsoft SQL Server Administrator's Guide.
   Backup storage	OpenStorage is required for this option. Tape, storage unit groups, and Replication Director not supported.	Click Edit to select the storage target. Click Use selected storage after selecting the storage target. The NetBackup Accelerator feature allows protection plans to execute faster than traditional backups, by creating a compact data stream that uses less network bandwidth. If the storage server on the NetBackup primary server supports NetBackup Accelerator, this feature is included in the protection plan. For more details on NetBackup Accelerator, contact the NetBackup administrator or see the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I or the NetBackup for VMware Administrator's Guide. The Instant access feature allows the plan's recovery points to support the creation of instant access VMs or databases.
   Replication target	The backup storage must be a source in a targeted A.I.R. environment.	Click Edit to select the replication target primary server. Select a primary server and then select a storage lifecycle policy. Click Use selected replication target to return to the storage options screen. Cloud workloads support the MSDP and MSDP-C storage units for replication (AIR). If the replication target primary server is not in the list, you must add one in NetBackup. For more information on how to add a replication target primary server, review Adding a trusted primary server in the NetBackup Deduplication Guide.
   Long-term retention storage	OpenStorage is required for this option. Tape, storage unit groups, and Replication Director not supported.	Click Edit to select the cloud storage provider. Click Use selected storage after selecting the cloud provider target. Cloud workloads support the AdvancedDisk, Cloud storage, MSDP, and MSDP-C as storage units for duplication.
   Transaction log options	Microsoft SQL Server is required for this option.	If you use the option Select custom storage options, click Edit to select the backup storage.

5. In Backup options, configure all options based on your workload type. The options in this area change depending on workload, schedule, or storage options selected.

   For the Cloud workload:

   • For any of the selected cloud provider option, if you select Enable granular recovery for files or folders, ensure that you have opted to retain a snapshot while adding a backup schedule, as granular recovery can be performed only from a snapshot image.

   • For any of the selected cloud provider option, if you select Exclude selected disks from backups, then the selected disks would not be backed-up and hence the VM would not be recovered completely. Any application running on the excluded disks might not work.

     Note:

     The boot disks cannot be excluded from the backups even if they have data or tags associated with them.

   • If you have selected the cloud provider as Google Cloud Platform, select Enable regional snapshot, to enable regional snapshots.

     If the regional snapshot option is enabled, the snapshot is created in the same region in which the asset exists. Otherwise, the snapshot is created in a multi-regional location.

   • (Microsoft Azure or Azure Stack Hub cloud provider) Select Specify snapshot destination resource group to associate snapshots to a particular peer resource group. This resource group is within the same region in which the asset exists. Select a configuration, subscription, and a resource group for a snapshot destination.

   • If you have selected Enable Continuous data protection for a VMware workload, select a Continuous data protection gateway from the list. Click Next.

6. In Permissions, review the roles that have access to protection plans.

   To give another role access to this protection plan, click Add. Select the Role in the table and customize the role by adding or removing permissions in the Select permissions section.

7. In Review, verify that the protection plan details are correct and click Finish.