Configure File Backup

Setup Backup Job

• File Backup allows you to backup your local files/folders to Vembu Cloud. Once the backup schedule is configured, the client's data is backed up to the selected backup server.

• Go to Backup tab and select File Backup option from the top menu

Configuring File Backup

Step 1: Select Files and Folders to Backup

• On "Choose the file(s)/folder(s) you wish to configure" page, you will have a tree with the list of drives and directories of the client machine.
• The listing will also contain hidden-system files and folders along with essential features like IE/Firefox settings, Windows registry, Outlook backup, etc.
• Select the files and folders, you want to backup and proceed. You can also choose the essential features for backup. You can either select files/folders or essential features in a single backup job but cannot configure both on the same backup job.

• Cross icon against a file/folder denotes that it has been excluded from the backup.
• Greyed '-' icon against a drive/folder denotes that some of the files/folders are excluded from the backup.

Step 2: Configure Scheduling

Users can configure their backup schedules flexibly based on their requirements. They can choose from Hourly/Daily/Weekly options for backup schedules.

• Run Every- Lets the user decide the hour frequency at which backup schedule should be triggered. It also lets the user decide the days when the hourly schedules should be carried out.
• Run Daily- Allows the user to set a specific time in a day to trigger a backup schedule.
• Run Weekly- Lets the user decide the days when a backup schedule can be triggered in a week and choose a time period as well.
• Continuous- Allows the user to backup scheduled data, whenever there is a change in it.
• Run Once- Users can also configure a one-time scheduled backup job which can also be triggered manually when needed.

Step 3: Retention Policies (Optional)

The retention feature helps in having multiple versions for a backed-up file stored in the backup server. OnlineBackup provides retention with two types of retention policies:

• Version-Based retention
• Time-Based retention

Retention policy for backed-up files

Version-Based Retention

This option lets OnlineBackup retain multiple versions for a backed-up file based on version count. The default value chosen is 5, while it can have any value chosen between 0 to 99.

When the Intelli-delta option is disabled, Vembu OnlineBackup will backup the entire file in each incremental (If a file is modified) and keeps multiple versions of the complete file, based on retention configured.

Time-Based Retention

This option lets OnlineBackup retain multiple versions for a backed-up file based on its age. The default value chosen is for 5 years(version files will be retained for 5 years) and can be configured based on user requirement with two options:

Any number of versions can be created within the retention period- This is the default setting chosen, where OnlineBackup can create n number of version files within the specified retention period.

Restrict the maximum number of versions that can be created within retention period- This option, if enabled, lets the user define a value for retention version file to be maintained for the specified time period. If exceeded, the oldest file will get removed with the entry of the new version.

Retention policy for deleted files[Windows only]

When a file configured in a backup job is deleted at the client machine after successful completion of the backup schedule, the backed up data will be flagged as deleted during subsequent schedules and will not be removed. OnlineBackup allows the user to decide whether to retain or delete those files in the backup server with this option.

Time-Based Retention: This option lets OnlineBackup retain all available versions of a backed-up file for a specified time period. The default value chosen for retain is 5 years and can also be configured.

Don't retain deleted files: Enabling this option is not recommended, as it will delete files on a backup server permanently when they are deleted on the client-side during the immediate next schedule.

Step 4: Additional Full Backups

In an enterprise environment, configuring a backup job with one full backup and forever incremental is not a recommended practice. Users from such an environment will tend to configure additional full backups periodically and that can be automated with our additional backup option.

Additional Full Backups can be configured in following order of schedule:

• For Continuous and Run every few hours schedules- Configuring daily/weekly/monthly additional full backup is possible.
• For Run Daily schedule- Configuring weekly/monthly additional full backup are the possible options.
• For Run Weekly schedule- 'Monthly full backup' is the only possible additional full backup.
• For Run Once schedule- You cannot configure additional full backup.

Advanced Options (Optional)

Advanced Backup Schedule Settings

Automatic Directory Monitoring- By default this option is enabled in Windows so that OnlineBackup will be auto-notified with the list of changed files/folders. This saves the time period taken to rescan every file/folder configured in a backup job during each incremental. If disabled, it rescans files/folders configured for each incremental and is time-consuming. This option is recommended and by default, is disabled in Linux and Mac OS X machines.

Backup NTFS Permissions for the files and folders configured(if applicable)- By default, this option is enabled in Windows, so that OnlineBackup backs up NTFS file permissions along with the files configured. This NTFS file permissions are restored along with restored files during the restore process initiated on the client end.

Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)- This option is enabled by default in Windows. Thus OnlineBackup creates and backups a snapshot copy(read-only) of volume corresponding to the configured files/folders in a backup job. VSS ensures consistency with backups taken avoiding problems with file locking as we use a read-only snapshot copy for backup.

Pre/Post Backup Commands

Pre/post commands allow the user to configure system-level actions that are to be executed before and after a backup process. This action includes running an application or executing script files.

Pre & Post Backup commands settings:

• Enter the commands that you need to run before and after the backup.

• Command Name: The command can be an executable file such as application .exe files, batch files, script files, etc.

For Example:

Windows - Commands, *.bat, *.cmd files

Linux - Commands, bash(shell scripting),  *.sh files

• Arguments: You can provide any command-line arguments for the command to be executed.

• Working path: The command should be provided with the full path. If the command name is in the system command path then providing the full path for the command is not necessary.

For Example: C:\MyTools\myzip.exe. A simple zip tool that compresses the given files or folders that are present in the system command path.

• From the user's backup scheduling information, OnlineBackup will start the Pre Backup commands and wait until the timeout value.

• Once the backup files and folders are transferred to the backup server, the Post backup commands are executed.

• You can provide a maximum of 5 Pre-Backup commands and a maximum of 5 Post-Backup commands for each backup schedule. Both the Pre and Post Backup commands are optional.
• Once command details are provided, click 'Save'.

Encryption Setting

Backups configured under OnlineBackup can be encrypted with a user-defined password which can be provided during backup configuration.

Steps to add Encryption Password

• To encrypt your backup, select Enable Encryption checkbox. You can add your own password or encrypt the backup with a System Generated Password.

• To create a new password, click Add Password option. Provide the password of your choice along with a password hint and save it

• The newly created password will be available in the drop-down list. Choose the password and click Next. All the added passwords will be listed in the drop-down box. With the help of the encryption hint, you can easily identify the required password. Click Save once you have provided the required details.

• Once done configuring Encryption Password, click Save.

Step 5: Review Configuration

• The last step in the File Backup configuration is to enter the Backup Schedule Name. OnlineBackup supports creating multiple backup schedules each with its own configuration. The backup schedule name will uniquely identify the backup. While restoring your backup data, you need to choose the data to be restored using its schedule name.
• Review the configuration provided and enter an appropriate name for the backup schedule. Once done, click Save the Backup to initiate the backup progress as per schedule configured and it gets completed successfully.

• You can verify the progress of your backup in the progress schedule window. In the List Jobs page, click the arrow mark next to your backup schedule to open the backup progress window. The overall progress of your backup along with details such as :

• Job Name - Name of your backup job
• Backup Server - The backup server to which the backup is currently happening
• Warning - Warning if any
• Reconnection Attempts - The count of the number of times OnlineBackup client attempted to reconnect to the backup server
• Transfer Rate - Rate at which the backup data is transferred to your backup server. (Bytes,KB,MB,GB)
• Original Size of the file - The actual size of your backup file
• Added, Modified, Deleted, Skipped files and Folders count
• Time Left - Time remaining for your backup to complete.

• You can abort your backup if not required from the Abort option available in the List Jobs page. You will get a pop up as shown below. Click Yes to Abort your backup.

• You can Abort your backup from the backup progress window page also. Select the Abort (-) option in that window. You will be alerted with a pop-up as shown below. Click OK to abort your backup.