Configuration Management with Remote Deploy

Remote Deploy is a feature designed for configuration management on multiple computers. With Remote Deploy, you can create/import, edit, and delete configurations. Configurations can be applied to selected computers, selected companies, or all companies automatically or manually.

Configurations can include backup plans if target companies have at least one shared backup destination.

Configurations can include backup plans in case of common backup destinations presence for the companies configuration are to be applied to.

Before you Begin

The following is required to deploy configuration remotely:

  • Backup Agent instance must be installed on every target computer (computer the configuration is to be deployed to)
  • Online Backup accounts for target computers must be added as users to your organization
  • Administrator can create or edit configurations applied to companies they have access to. If an administrator has partial access to target companies (there are companies administrator is not granted access), a configuration will be available only as a read-only one

It is recommended to group computers in companies in order to make configuration deployment simpler by using the same configuration. In this case, you can use the company backup destination in backup plans that are in configuration. In case more than one company is included in a configuration intended to enhance with backup plans, make sure these companies have at least one shared backup destination you can use in these plans

Manage Configurations

To access Remote Deploy perform the following steps:

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

New main menu

Legacy main menu

You can use grid view or switch to the tile-based dashboard.

Configuration Deployment Workflow

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

On the Remote Deploy you can create, edit, clone to re-use as a template, or delete the configurations.

Also, you can import 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 Remote Deploy if you use legacy main menu, or open Backup > Remote Deploy 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.

With the All types (Settings Only) option selected, you can set configuration settings for all operating systems, but this configuration cannot contain backup plans

  1. 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.

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

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Save your selection. You can edit your selection later.

  5. 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.

  6. Click Create. The configuration appears in the Remote Deploy grid. The configuration is created in a disabled state. Enable it to automatically apply it once to specified targets.

Edit Configuration

As of Management Console version 5.5, the configuration is applied to the target computer only once

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 Remote Deploy under Computers tab select the configuration, and click Edit Configuration in the configuration menu.

An administrator can edit a configuration only if they have access to all companies included in the configuration. In case this administrative account has access to some of the companies included in the configuration scope, this configuration is read-only. If an administrator does not have access to these companies, this configuration is not visible in the grid

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

Linux

MacOS

Refer to Example chapter to learn how to create a configuration with plan for Remote Deploy

Enable Configuration

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

  1. Open the Management Console.
  2. On Computers select Remote Deploy if you use legacy main menu, or open Backup > Remote Deploy 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.

Note: if a configuration was not changed, it won't be re-applied. Workaround: you can make a minor change in the configuration to re-apply it.

Forcible Configuration Deployment (Legacy)

To forcibly apply configurations to the selected computer:

  1. Open the Management Console.
  2. On Computers select Remote Management.
  3. Find the required computer, then click the action button.
  4. Select Remote Deploy > Apply Configurations. The latest configurations that contain this computer will be forcibly applied. In case some settings or plans during deployment will conflict, the latest will be used.

Backup Agents instances on managed computers periodically request the applied configurations. In case some settings or plans during deployment will conflict, the latest will be used.

Clone Configuration

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

Cloned configuration is disabled by default

Import Configuration

You can 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. In the Computers menu, select Remote Deploy, 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.

The imported configuration is disabled by default. If required, edit it, then enable it to apply

Delete Configuration

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

Note: if a configuration is removed, plans that were already deployed to remote computers remain unchanged. To change these plans, import the configuration from one of the user computers, edit these plans, apply the configuration to computers these plans are subject to change, then enable this configuration