Configuration Management with Backup Templates

Backup Templates (formerly Remote Deploy) enable configuration management across multiple computers. Using Backup Templates, you can create, import, edit, and delete configurations efficiently.

Required Permissions

To manage Backup Templates, ensure that the Backup > Backup Templates permission is granted under Organization > Administrators.

Applying Configurations

Configurations can be applied:

• To selected computers
• To specific companies
• To all companies, either automatically or manually

Configurations can include backup plans:

• Backup plans can be included if the target companies share at least one backup destination.
• If common backup destinations exist across the selected companies, the configuration can include backup plans.

Before You Begin

The following is required to deploy configuration remotely:

• A Backup Agent instance must be installed on each target computer (i.e., the computer where the configuration will be deployed).
• Target computers should be authorized.
• Administrator permissions:
  • Administrators can create or edit configurations for companies they have access to.
  • If an administrator has partial access (i.e., some target companies are not accessible), the configuration will be read-only.

Manage Configurations

To access Backup Templates perform the following steps:

1. Open the Management Console
2. On Computers select Backup Templates if you use the legacy main menu, or open Backup > Backup Templates page in the new main menu.

Configuration Deployment Workflow

The basic workflow for configuration deployment is shown on the below:

1. Add a new configuration on Backup Templates or import it from one of the managed computers
2. Edit the configuration to make it suitable for the computers this configuration will be applied to.
3. Enable the configuration to apply. On the Backup Templates you can create, edit, clone to re-use as a template, or delete the configurations.

Also, you can get any configuration from one of the managed computers.

By default, all configurations are added in a disabled state. To deploy configurations to the managed computers, enable them.

All enabled configurations are automatically deployed to selected computers only once.

To modify the configuration applied on a computer, select this computer in the Apply Configuration dialog box. This dialog pops up when you save the modified configuration. In case some settings or plans conflict during deployment, the latest ones will be used.

Note that on computers with running plans at the moment of deployment, execution of the deployed plan will be postponed until a running plan is completed. Backup Agents on managed computers request configurations periodically to deploy them.

If a computer has connection issues at the time a new or updated configuration is enabled for selected computers, a configuration cannot be deployed. As connection issues are resolved, you can forcibly apply the configuration to these computers in order the latest configuration is delivered.

Create New Configuration

To create a new configuration, proceed as follows:

1. On Computers select Backup Templates if you use the legacy main menu, or open Backup > Backup Templates page in the new main menu.
2. Click Add Configuration. The New configuration pane appears. This pane helps you to create a configuration from scratch.

3. Name the configuration.

4. Select the operating system type or apply the configuration to all OS types. This setting is mandatory.

5. It is reasonable to create different configurations depending on an operating system in order to avoid conflicts. Currently, image-based backup plans are supported only for Windows OS.

6. If needed, make a short description of the configuration.

7. Switch to the Settings tab, then specify configuration settings. You can protect the Backup Agent and CLI with a master password. To edit it, enable the appropriate setting. The master password can only be set in case you set the interface language of the Backup Agent. Note that you need to enter this master password on every target computer. Also, you can set the interface language, configure bandwidth for the local or cloud destinations, and/or configure proxy settings, if necessary.

8. On the Apply To tab you can set rules to apply the configuration to selected computers, selected companies, or to all companies. You may need to have multiple configurations for different computers.

   • To apply the configuration to all computers in specified companies, select Apply to All Computers in Selected Companies. Click Select Companies to select companies from the list.

Use one of the shared backup destinations for backup plans. If there are no shared backup destinations, you can only apply the configuration settings.

• To apply the configuration to specific computers, select Apply to Selected Computers only, then select target computers in the list

• To apply the configuration to all managed instances, select Apply to All Companies. In this case, the configuration applies to all your users even in case they are not assigned to any company By design, backup destinations for users that are not assigned to any company will be assigned according to the following rules:
• If a user has only one backup destination assigned, this backup destination will be selected for the backup plan even if the backup plan contains a different one
• If a user has multiple backup destinations assigned that do not match the backup destination in the backup plan, the backup destination will not be assigned with the following error reported: Account is not specified
• To exclude specific computers, select the Exclude Computers option

Select the computers to exclude from the list. The configuration will not be applied to excluded computers.

9. Save your selection. You can edit your selection later.
10. You can add the backup plan to be applied according to configuration settings on this step, or save the configuration to add backup plans later.
11. Click Create. The configuration appears in the Backup Templates grid. The configuration is created in a disabled state. Enable it to automatically apply it once to specified targets.

Create New Configuration from Side Panel

You can create a backup template based on any managed computer.

1. Open the Management Console.
2. On Computers select Remote Management if you use the legacy main menu, or open Backup > Computers page in the new main menu.
3. Find the required computer, then click on the computer name.
4. On the side panel, navigate to the Backup Plans tab
5. Expand the Template control and select Create template.

6. You will be redirected to the Backup Templates page to finalize the configuration. The configuration is enabled but not applied to any computers by default. Complete the configuration setup as described above

7. Save the configuration.

Edit Configuration

In case you edit the configuration that was already applied to some computers, it will be applied automatically only to the new computers in the list.

In case you need to modify the configuration applied on a specific computer, select this computer in the Apply Configuration dialog box. This dialog box pops up as you save the modified configuration.

All settings and plans will be overwritten in case of conflict and the latest settings will be used.

To change the configuration, on the Backup Templates select the configuration, and click Edit Configuration in the configuration menu.

Save the configuration. You will be provided with a computer list this configuration can be applied to. Select the computers you want to apply the modified configuration again, then click Save and Apply.

Add Backup Plan

1. To create a backup plan for a configuration, select the configuration and click Edit Configuration in the configuration menu.
2. On the Backup Plan tab, click + Add New Plan, then select the type of plan from available options. Follow the backup wizard steps. You can save the backup plan to the backup storage. In case you have enabled encryption, keep the encryption password in a safe place: for security reasons it is not kept anywhere. You will need the encryption password on restore.

Refer to the following chapters for instructions on how to create backup plans:

All types (Settings Only)

You cannot add any backup plans to this configuration.

Windows

• Image Based Backup
• File Backup

Linux

• File Backup

MacOS

• File Backup

Enable Configuration

To deploy the configuration, enable it using the configuration menu.

1. Open the Management Console.
2. On Computers select Backup Templates if you use the legacy main menu, or open Backup > Backup Templates page in the new main menu.
3. Select the configuration, then click Edit Configuration. Switch Enable the Configuration on.

The enabled configuration will be automatically applied to selected computers, selected companies, or to all companies as specified in the Apply to tab of the configuration pane. Note that on computers with running plans at the moment of deployment, execution of the deployed plan will be postponed until a running plan is completed.

If connection issues occur on a computer at the time you set the default configuration, you can forcibly apply the configuration from the Management Console for selected computers.

In case of a computer has several connection issues at the time you have set the default configuration for selected computers after the connection issues have been resolved, you can forcibly apply the configuration from the Management Console to be sure that those computers will have a default configuration too.

Clone Configuration

To clone the configuration, select Clone Configuration in the configuration menu on Backup Templates. Later you can edit this configuration to change settings and add new plans, if necessary.

Import Configuration

You can get (import) configuration from any of managed computers for future use. This configuration will contain combined settings and plans that are on selected computers at the moment the configuration is imported

To import configuration, proceed as follows:

1. Open the Management Console.
2. On Computers (legacy menu) or on Backup (new menu), select Backup Templates, then click Get Configuration
3. Select the computer to import the configuration. The imported configuration appears in the list of configurations.
4. This configuration will be named after the source computer it was imported from. This configuration contains combined settings and plans that were active at the moment of configuration import.

Delete Configuration

To delete the configuration, select the Delete Configuration option in the configuration menu on Backup Templates and confirm this action. This action cannot be undone.