Add ActiveProtect appliances

You can add multiple ActiveProtect appliances to an ActiveProtect site. Once the backup appliance joins the site:

• Workload details and versions on the backup appliance will sync to the management server.
• Protection plans configured on the backup appliance will be replicated to the management server.
• Remote storage and hypervisors linked to the backup appliance will automatically become shared resources within the site.
• Domain and LDAP settings of the backup appliance will reset after joining the site.
• All local users on the backup appliance, except for the super administrator, will be deactivated.

Before you start

Set up an external address

We strongly recommend configuring your management server's external address as a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) so all backup servers can connect to it. This prevents the need to reconfigure each backup server's connection if the IP address changes, ensuring smooth failovers.

1. On your management server, go to Infrastructure > Site Management.
2. Click Set Up under External address and port:
   • External address: The default is the Out-of-band (OOB) interface's IP address. If you set it as an FQDN, make sure the FQDN maps to the OOB interface address on your DNS server.
   • Port: The default is 443. If the managed server and the management server are on different networks, make sure the external port is redirected to port 443 on your gateway or router.

Import certificates

By default, the system uses a self-signed certificate to secure connections for site management. You can also manually import certificates to allow other servers to trust the management server. Learn how to import certificates for site management

Check backup server quota and activate licenses

To manage multiple ActiveProtect appliances, make sure you have enough backup server quota.

To check your quota, sign in to your management server and go to Infrastructure > Site Management. If the quota is insufficient, you'll need to activate a license for your ActiveProtect site. Learn how to activate licenses

Synchronize time between servers

To ensure data consistency, synchronize the time on both servers:

1. Go to Infrastructure > Backup Servers and select your server.
2. Click More > Open Appliance Console.
3. Go to Control Panel > Regional Options > Time and select Synchronize with NTP server.
4. Make sure both servers are synchronized to the same NTP server.

Add backup appliances

On the management server

1. Do either of the following to launch the wizard:
   • Go to Infrastructure > Site Management > Site settings > Add backup server and click Add.
   • Go to Infrastructure > Backup Servers and click Add.
2. Copy the server address and connect key.

On the backup appliance to be managed

1. Go to Infrastructure > Site Management > Site Settings > Join an ActiveProtect Site and click Join.
2. Paste the external address and connect key copied from the management server.
3. Follow the wizard to complete the process.