Cloud Compute Backup Portal User Guide
Contents Service Overview... 4 Gaining Access... 5 Operational Guide... 6 Landing Page... 6 Profile View... 6 Detailed View... 8 Overview... 8 Cloud Backup... 8 Notifications... 9 Backup and Restores... 10 Simple Restores... 10 Restores from Archived Backups... 11 Advanced Restores... 12 Server Agent... 14 Installation... 14 Agent Activation... 15 Agent Usage... 16 Restoration... 17 Backing Up... 19
Service Overview Cloud Backup as a Service (BaaS) is a managed product that allows customers to automate the backup of the data stored on their servers onto a secure and highly resilient storage facility within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud infrastructure in the UK. The service consists of two elements: a user agent that is installed on the customer's servers and a portal from which the customer can configure the service to suit their needs. The service performs automated differential backup and restore functions including block-level deduplication, compression, and encryption. Files restoration can be managed through the agent or the dedicated web portal.
Gaining Access Each user will have user accounts as defined during the creation process, the usernames and default passwords can be found within the credential email. The login screen URL can be found in the credentials email and it will be in the format http://customername.mybaas.co.uk. Complete the Username and Password sections with the provided credentials, the password can be reset by using the Forgot your password. If this is the first time you are logging in you will be prompted to change your password.
Operational Guide This section explains the different sections of the Cloud Backup portal with the different options and capabilities of each. Landing Page Upon logging into the landing page, it will show the Device List that provides an overview of the systems being backed up and backup jobs. Initially this will be blank as no servers are currently being backed up. The details of each server backup can be seen next to the server: Username assigned to the server and online status Host name of the server Total backup from this server Last time a backup was performed Additional information can be seen on the screen. Add new device This will not be active as it is a managed service Total storage of assigned storage this will be the total of all the AWS instance volumes To explore detailed views, click on the server icon. To recover or view the backups click on Go to Backup Profile View The profile page shows the user name, name and email address associated with the account. We strongly advise that this email is changed to a secure user account. Click the circle in the top right to open the user menu.
Click My Profile and to access the user profile page. The email address can be changed by clicking on the pen next to the email address. This should be a known and secure email address within your company as it is used for password recovery.
Detailed View Overview The Overview page provides more details of the backup time and logging as well as a link to the Backup files for restoration. Cloud Backup The Cloud Backup page provides additional features such as the ability to start a backup immediately which can be used to mitigate risk in the case of a major system change or if access has been lost to the server. A detailed view of the log can also be seen per server to understand the data being backed up and transferred.
To return to the previous view click the back button in your browser. Notifications The notifications page provides information on any non-standard operations the most important of which would be errors, although agent upgrade information is also displayed.
Backup and Restores Each server has a unique backup page which displays the backed up directories and files. The device list along the top shows the server and current backup directory. The folders can be navigated into by clicking into them. To return to a higher level in the hierarchy users can click the navigation bar along the top. The Restoration bar details the options available for restoring the files which are covered in the "Advanced Restores" section Simple Restores Most backup restorations will be simple backups where a file has been corrupted or deleted and needs to be restored. In this case users can typically restore from the current or most recent backup. Using the navigation method above locate the required file in the backup and select it by highlighting the tick box to the left of it. The number of files selected will be listed and the Restore button will be activated. Clicking on this will bring up a window with the restoration options.
The backup popup box shows the date of the backup being restored from and the server that is being restored, to verify this is correct. The Backup Service allows different options in the case of a conflict where the file still exists on the server. 1. Overwrite it this will remove the file on the server and restore the backup 2. Overwrite if newer this will only overwrite newer (therefore changed) files. This is useful when restoring an entire drive or large directory and only certain files have been changed. 3. Rename restored files This will add a number to the end of the restored files allowed both files to exist at the same time for comparison. 4. Skip This skips the restore for any files that skill exist The user can also select a different folder on the server to restore the file to. This is useful in the case where an entire directory needs to be compared in detail and it s necessary to keep them entirely separate. Restores from Archived Backups In addition to restoring from the current or most recent backup, it is possible to view the archives for recovery from historical backups. As the service runs, the number of backups available will increase with the total number after one year being: 7 daily backups 4 weekly backups 11 monthly backups
Selecting the backup version will display the same backup restoration view as above with the same options for recovery. If the backup version is not correct then different archives can be viewed again by clicking the More Versions button. Advanced Restores In addition to the simple restorations directly to the server, it is possible to restore indirectly through a download or web link. Download Files can be downloaded from the portal directly to the machine accessing the portal. The procedure for navigating and selecting the files is exactly the same as the previous section however users should select the Download icon. N.B. The file will download immediately so ensure that the selected files are correct. The files and directories will be downloaded in a single zip file in the systems default download location. Web Link Files can be linked from the portal for external downloading and the links can be provided via emails to users without access to the portal. The folders can be navigated in the same way as detailed previously and the files selected. Clicking the Link icon will allow the portal user to provide an external link for download. Please note this currently only works for the latest version of the backup taken and not historic ones. A popup box will open providing the ability to create a new link, the folder or file being linked will be shown along the top of the box. Click the plus icon to continue to create the link and modify the options. A link will be immediately created which can be copied and sent to a user to download the restored files.
The icon of the pen is used to provide modify the viewing options of the file and is not currently supported through this service. The icon of the stopwatch provides a lifetime for the file. Clicking this will open a calendar to allow the portal admin user to schedule the deletion of the link automatically. This is good practise for security reason. The icon of the three dots allows the portal user to manually remove the link by clicking the Remove button.
Server Agent In addition to the portal, the backup service uses a low impact agent on each server. The agent provides a different method to restore the files. Installation The backup agent is installed via a standard installer wizard. This file will be provided via email or for green field installations the installer file will be pre-loaded onto the Administrator Windows desktop. Double-click the installer file to being the installation. Press Next to continue the installation and read the License Agreement. Choose I Agree to accept the terms and press Next Choose the directory for the installation if required and press Next. The Confirm Installation screen will appear.
Click Next. The installation will then progress, once it is complete the Installation Complete screen will appear. Ensure there are no errors and press Close to complete the installation Agent Activation Before the Agent can begin backups, the locally installed Agent needs to be connected to the backup Portal. Open the Agent by double clicking the icon in the task bar in the bottom right of the screen.
Complete the details from the credentials email provided including the password that you have changed. If there are any issues please consult us for troubleshooting assistance. Once the Installation is complete see the "Backing Up" section to back up the files and application required. Agent Usage When the agent is installed on the server it will appear in the task bar with a cloud icon. Clicking on this icon will open the quick view which provides an overview and access to other functionality. 1. The last scheduled cloud backup and the status of the backup 2. When the next scheduled backup is 3. Backup now Manually backs up the selected files 4. Restore Open the full agent with access to the restoration page
Restoration The backup agent can be expanded by clicking on the Restore button, this will open the restoration wizard. Simple Restoration Most backup restorations are likely to be simple backups where a file has been corrupted or deleted and needs to be restored. In this case users can typically restore from the current or most recent backup. Using the navigation method above locate the required file in the backup and select it by highlighting the tick box to the left of it. The snapshot window shows the date of the backup being restored from.
The Backup Service allows different options in the case of a conflict where the file still exists on the server. 1. Overwrite it this will remove the file on the server and restore the backup 2. Overwrite if newer this will only overwrite newer (therefore changed) files. This is useful when restoring an entire drive or large directory and only certain files have been changed. 3. Rename restored files This will add a number to the end of the restored files allowed both files to exist at the same time for comparison. 4. Skip This skips the restore for any files that skill exist The user can also select a different folder on the server to restore the file to. This is useful in the case where an entire directory needs to be compared in detail and it s necessary to keep them entirely separate. To complete the process, click Next and Finish. Restoration from Archived Backups In addition to restoring from the current or most recent backup it is possible to view the archived backups. The restoration process is identical to a normal restore process however before beginning the above process, select the date required from the Snapshot window.
As time passes the number of backups available will increase with the total number after one year being: 7 daily backups 4 weekly backups 11 monthly backups Selecting the backup version will display the same backup restoration view as above, with the same options. If the backup version is not correct then different archives can be viewed again by clicking the More Versions button. Backing Up Before a backup can be completed the files to be backed up need to be selected. In most cases this will be the entire contents of the drive with the exception of temporary files. Backup is completed through the Backup Agent. Open the Backup Agent by right clicking on it and pressing Settings. Within the Backup Agent expand the Backup Options from the side bar.
Only certain options will be used as this is a full disk backup. The details of this are below. 1. Backup Files choose the folder and files to be selected 2. Backup Sets not used 3. Exclude Sets excludes temporary files to save bandwidth and storage 4. Backup Applications backup at an application level 5. Schedule decide when backup is run 6. Throughput limit bandwidth based on time Changes are saved by pressing the Save button in each section. Once all the required changes are made close the agent and the backup will run at the scheduled time. Backup Files Use this page the volumes, folders and files protected by the backup can be selected. It is advised to back up every drive and folder for full protection.
Ensure all drives and folders are selected by expanding the folders. Once everything is selected press the Save button to verify the backup files. Once All Volumes are selected any new drives or folders that are created will be added automatically. Backup Sets This is not used. Exclude Sets This page removes any temporary files from the backup. This saves bandwidth, storage and CPU cycles without affecting the resilience of the system. This page should not be amended. Backup Applications The Backup agent can detect and backup the following applications using Microsoft s Volume Shadow Copy Service: Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft Exchange Microsoft Active Directory Microsoft SharePoint Microsoft Hyper-V Application level backups ensure proper recovery consistency. Schedule The backup is run every 24 hours as per the agreed retention policy. The default backup time is selected as the initial time the backup is run. This time can be changed via the Schedule tab in the agent. We recommend that the backup time is chosen at a time when network throughput will be under its lightest load. This is typically in the evening or night.
Click the Specific Time toggle to enable the ability to control the time and frequency of backups. The time and days for backups can be chosen from the drop down menus. Throughput The agent will default to using any available bandwidth during a backup. In some instances this can cause network delays if the on premise network connection is limited and there is a lot of data to be sent. Please note that in the case of servers in the cloud, this will not be a limiting factor. In instances like this, it is possible to throttle the outgoing bandwidth. Click the Throttle the internet bandwidth usage toggle to enable this.
The bandwidth (Kb/sec) and time of throttling can be selected to ensure business continuity during backups in the case of a smaller network bandwidth..