We're having quite some trouble at work using Windows Server Backup.

We have a HyperV server (Win 2008) running 8 virtual web servers, these are running a variety of OS'es: Win 2003, Win 2008 and a lone Debian.

Each virtual server has a separate partition on the physical HyperV server, so e.g. E: is virtual server #1, F: is #2 and so forth.

For backup we use Windows Server Backup, or more exactly we use the commandline tool: wbadmin.exe

We need to make the backups without stopping the virtual servers, as we cannot afford the downtime (we've got users online both day and night), and Windows Server Backup offers to use the shadow copy provider to archive this.

We run wbadmin like this:

wbadmin start backup -backuptarget:\\remotebackuplocation\somefolder -include:E: -quiet

We run it once per partition, because we've got a script wrapped around that command, for sending us an email about how it went.

Each time we run wbadmin it'll delete the Backup xxxx folder it created in last backup, and just create a new. In order to prevent this from happening, we rename the backup xxx folder after each backup is run, before starting the next one.

I realize we must rename it back to its original name prior to recovering, and we obviously do this.

Now the issue is as follows:

Even though we have all the backed up files, and rename whichever backup we want to use, to its original name, we can only see the latest backup in the Windows Server Backup GUI when we select "Recover".

This means we can only recover the last partition we backup up, so e.g. E: can never be recovered.

In other words we're screwed :-(

My question is: Does anyone know how to use Windows Server Backup for a scenario like this ? Or is it simply not possible due to the simplicity of Windows Server Backup ?

If it's not possible, could you recommend some backup software for this purpose ? We've already looked at MS' System Center Data Protection Manager, however it's quite expensive and the boss doesn't like that :-/