System Backup and Restore Configuration - eSoft, Inc.

System Backup and Restore Configuration
InstaGate and ThreatWall

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conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials
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INTRODUCTION
Backup & Restore is available on all eSoft product lines to enable easy recovery
in the case of system failure, or upgrades to newer eSoft products in the same line.
Backup & Restore has the ability to save a virtually unlimited number of backups
which can be created either manually or on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule.
Backups currently save all System settings, Intrusion Prevention configuration, E-
Mails, SpamFilter Data, Web Security Data, User Directories, or any combination of
the above.
Backup & Restore currently connects to Windows Networking file shares (and
compatible file sharing systems) or FTP servers. We highly recommend performing
frequent backups of your system, especially the system configuration. This will ease
the recovery process in the case that something goes wrong. The following will guide
you through the backup and restore configuration as well as the entire process from
start to finish.
PART ONE – BACKUP AND RESTORE CONFIGURATION
1.1 Access the Backup and Restore Settings
On the InstaGate product line, Backup & Restore settings are accessed by
selecting System → Backup & Restore in the administrator interface. On ThreatWall
it is accessed by selecting System Administration → Backup & Restore. The rest of
this configuration guide applies to both product lines.
1.2 General Configuration
After accessing the Backup and Restore settings you will be presented form as
shown on the following page. Due to the differences in configuration between
Windows networking and FTP, these configuration sections will be covered in
separate sections. Note that these settings also dictate where Restore looks for
previous backups.
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Sections to Backup
All – Selecting this option will backup all pertinent system data, including System
configuration, Intrusion Prevention configuration, E-mail configuration and data,
SpamFilter configuration and data, and User Directories.
Selected – Use this option when you do not wish to backup all system data. For
instance, if your unit processes many thousands of messages per day, backup files
may become prohibitively large. You can select to back up only the data you wish
by checking the boxes that appear when selecting this option.
Schedule
Manual - Selecting this option requires you to perform backups manually, and
does not do any automatic backups. This is useful if your backup destination is
not always available.
Automatic (recommended) – Here you can choose how often to perform backups,
and what time of day the backups will be created. We recommend setting this to
run at times of low utilization to minimize interruption of services for users on the
network.
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Retain – Enter the number (numerical value) of backups to keep on the
destination server. Though the Backup & Restore system can keep an unlimited
number of backups, be aware that backup files can be very large, and new
backups may not be created if the destination does not have available space.
1.3 Windows Networking Configuration
The following settings pertain to backup and restore using Windows Networking:
Host Protocol - Set to Windows Networking here if you plan to backup or restore
from a Windows Networking or compatible network file share.
Windows Workgroup/Domain - Enter the Workgroup or Domain on which your
backup destination resides. You can find the value for this parameter by accessing
the System Properties menu on the backup destination machine, usually by rightclicking
the 'My Computer' icon and selecting Properties, or by entering Control
Panel and double-clicking the System icon. Generally, this will be all in CAPS.
Name or IP Address - Enter the network name or IP address of your backup
machine. If your machine has a statically assigned IP address, it is recommended
to use this. If it is using DHCP and does not have a static address, be sure the
InstaGate or ThreatWall is on the proper Workgroup/Domain to access this
computer by network name.
Destination Folder - Path to the backup folder, as you would see it by browsing
directly to the backup machine. For example, if the folder is
C:\backups\threatwall and is shared directly as 'threatwall', enter only 'threatwall'
here rather than the full system path. In the case the 'backups' folder is the root of
the share, you would use ‘backups/threatwall'. Note the use of the forward slash
instead of the backslash here, the InstaGate and ThreatWall use / to differentiate
folders in a path. For reliability, we recommend your share be on the root of your
backup machine ( C:\backup, shared as 'backup', for example. )
Username / Password - Use the same username and password you would use if
you connected to the backup fileshare on your PC. Note that this user must have
read and write permissions on the backup share.
Notification -Send a message on successful backup, when checked will send an email
to the administrator's e-mail address when the backup is complete.
*Note: If using this method review the troubleshooting section and linked articles.
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1.4 FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Configuration
The following settings pertain to backup and restore using FTP:
Host Protocol - Set to FTP here if you plan to backup to or restore from a
compatible FTP server.
Name or IP Address - Enter the FQDN (Fully qualified domain name, for
example ftp.esoft.com) or IP address of your destination FTP server. This can be a
local IP address if there is a valid FTP server on your network you plan to use.
Destination Folder - Path to the backup folder, as you would see it by browsing
directly to the backup machine. For example, if you would browse to
'ftp://ftp.esoft.com/backups/EX2/' to access the destination folder, this option
would be set to 'backups/EX2'. Note the use of forward-slash ( / ) here. We
recommend backing up or restoring from a folder on the root of the FTP server if
possible to reduce complexity. Be sure the destination folder has the required
space to hold your backup files.
Username / Password - Use the same username and password you would use if
you connected to the FTP server using an FTP client program such as CuteFTP or
Internet Explorer. Note that this user must have read and write permissions on the
backup destination folder.
Notification -Send a message on successful backup, when checked will send an email
to the administrator's e-mail address when the backup is complete.
PART TWO – BACKUP AND RESTORE PROCESS
2.1 Processing a Backup
To make an immediate backup click the ‘Backup Now’ button. You can also use
this button to test your settings after configuration. The backup process will show a
progress meter, and if you have selected 'Send a message on successful backup', your
administrator e-mail will receive a notice when the backup is complete. Note that this
can take some time if the connection to the FTP or File Sharing server is relatively
slow or you have selected to back up all data.
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2.2 Preparing a Replacement Unit for the Restore Process
When you take the replacement unit out of the box, there will be a few steps that
need to be completed before the backup can be restored to the unit. Once the unit is
fully powered up, the message InstaGate or ThreatWall will appear in the LCD
display along with the IP address the unit is assigned.
Note: The unit may take up to 5 minutes to power up. The LCD displays the current
status of the device.
Configure the Network
During the initial boot process, the unit will check to see whether a DHCP server
is present on the network. If a functioning DHCP server is found, the InstaGate or
ThreatWall network settings are configured automatically using data from the DHCP
server. If a DHCP server is not found on the network, the InstaGates DHCP server is
enabled and default network configuration settings are assigned.
You can view and change the network settings assigned to InstaGate using the
LCD panel. To configure network settings using the LCD panel:
1. Press the ENTER button on the LCD keypad to access the LCD menu. The
LCD screen displays the message SETUP NETWORK.
2. Press ENTER. The IP ADDRESS will appear. If you have a DHCP server on
your LAN, the IP address is assigned by the DHCP server. If you do not have
a DHCP server on your LAN, the unit is configured to use the default address
192.168.1.1. If there is already a machine on your network using 192.168.1.1
the unit will be configured to use the next sequentially available IP address
(for example, 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, etc.).
To change the address, use the arrow buttons. The left and right arrow buttons
move the cursor to the left or right. The up and down arrow buttons increase
or decrease the value at the current cursor position.
3. Press ENTER. The NETMASK (subnet mask) used on your network appears.
A subnet mask is a number used in conjunction with an IP address to define
the set of local addresses on a LAN. If you have a DHCP server on your LAN,
the subnet mask is assigned by the DHCP server. If you do not have a DHCP
server on your LAN, the default subnet mask assigned is 255.255.255.0. To
change the subnet mask, use the arrow buttons.
4. Press ENTER. The message SAVE CHANGES? will appear.
5. Press ENTER to save the network configuration settings, or the up arrow
button to cancel the configuration and return to the LCD menu.
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Complete Set Up
The Setup Wizard guides you through the process of configuring your new
InstaGate or ThreatWall to access the Internet. The first time you connect to the user
interface, you are automatically launched into the Setup Wizard.
To start the Setup Wizard: Open a Web browser on a client computer connected
to the network. In the address box, enter the appropriate URL as shown below. Note
that if you have changed your IP, or your IP was assigned using DHCP you may have
to change the IP address in the URL. Shown are the default IP addresses:
InstaGate – https://192.168.1.1:8001
ThreatWall – https://192.168.1.1
The SSL Certificate used to encrypt connections to the administrative interface
appears. You must accept the certificate to access the Setup Wizard. Complete the
Setup Wizard using the information provided by your ISP and the instructions in the
online help.
Install SoftPaks
After the unit has been connected to the network and the Setup Wizard is
completed, you will need to install the necessary SoftPaks and update the unit. The
same SoftPaks that were installed on the unit that is being replaced should be
downloaded from the SoftPak Director and installed on the new unit.
To install the SoftPaks, all that is needed is to click “Check Now” in the
ThreatMonitor interface, and then click “Install” after the updates have been
downloaded.
It is critical that SoftPaks and updates be installed before restoring from a
backup. If you find that the required SoftPaks do not install, please contact our
Customer Service Department as soon as possible.
2.3 Restoring a Backup
Restoring from a backup is a straightforward process. After all required
information has been filled in, clicking “Restore” will test the connection to the
backup location, as well as allow you to select the date of the backup you would like
restored.
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After selecting the date, you have the option to restore everything in the backup,
select which sections to restore, or select which files you would like restored, as
shown below. Once the restore options are configured as you would like click
“Apply”. The screen will display a message asking for confirmation, as restoring
from a backup can/will override existing system configuration. After clicking ‘Yes’,
the screen will refresh and you will see a message saying the “System is being
restored” at the top of the page.
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After the system is restored, the unit will reboot and should have the
configuration of the unit that had been backed up. After this process has completed it
is a good practice to check through the settings and make sure the process was
successful.
PART THREE – BACKUP AND RESTORE EXAMPLE
3.1 Windows File Sharing Example
This example will take you through backing up a unit to a Windows file share,
then restoring the backup on a new unit. This process would typically be used for
product replacement. These instructions are for Windows XP Professional and should
work on similar Windows operating systems. It is imperative that the steps under
section 2.2 are followed on the new unit to ensure there are no problems restoring the
backup. The following will go through backing up and restoring the system
configuration only.
3.2 Creating the Backup Destination
We’ll start by creating a folder on the Windows machine for the backup. Create a
folder on your C: drive or master hard drive. For this example we have named the
folder InstaGate. Next, access the Sharing and Security settings by right clicking on
the folder and clicking Sharing and Security.
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Select ‘Share this folder’ as shown above to allow users to connect to the folder.
You will also need to change the permissions on the folder by clicking the
‘Permissions’ button. Here, check the Full Control box to allow full control of the
folder, which is needed for the backup process.
3.3 Back up the System
In order to configure the backup location, select Backup and Restore from the
System menu. In this example, our Windows machine is located at 10.54.54.156 and
we are using the administrator account to perform the backup.
After entering all of the settings, click Apply to save the settings and test the
backup destination. If the unit is not able to connect to the Windows file share you
will receive an error at the top of the page. To start a backup, click the ‘Backup Now’
button. You should receive a progress bar as shown below.
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When the backup is finished you should receive an email if you have enabled the
notification option. You can also check the folder you created to make sure the
backup files have been saved.
3.4 Setting up the Restore
Now that we have the backup taken care of, we need to setup the new unit to
retrieve the backup and restore the configuration. Please make sure you have
followed the instructions in section 2.2 and that the unit is fully up to date before
restoring the backup. The first step is to configure the Backup and Restore settings
once again. The same settings that you used in section 3.3 will be set on the new unit.
After you are done, click Apply to test the destination.
Assuming the destination test passed, you are now ready to restore the backup.
Click the ‘Restore’ button. The unit will automatically connect to the backup location
and list any available backups by date.
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After selecting the appropriate date you have the option of which files to restore.
In this example, we backed up just the system configuration. In order to restore the
system configuration we can select ‘All’. If we had backed up more sections and just
wanted to restore the system configuration we would use the ‘Selected’ option and
choose System Configuration. Click ‘Apply’ to start the restore process. You will be
presented with the confirmation message as shown below. Once ‘Yes’ is clicked, the
screen will refresh to the Backup & Restore Settings page, and will display a message
saying “System is being restored.” The system will reboot and should be restored to
the same configuration as was in the backup.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
Most issues concerning backup and restore are due to configuration issues or
problems accessing the destination host. Your unit will need to have full permissions
(ability to read, write and delete) to the destination directory. Verify these
permissions on your FTP or file server. It can also be helpful to test the destination
using an FTP program or Windows file sharing on another machine to verify you can
perform the necessary operations.
Firewalls and Anti-Virus software can often interfere with the backup and restore
process. You can temporarily disable these applications to allow access to your file
share or FTP server. Windows security policies can also cause issues when backing
up to Windows workstations or servers. Follow the URL below for recommended
security policy configuration for backup and restore.
http://www.esoft.com/support/knowledge-base/backup-and-restore-windowsserver-and-file-sharing-configuration/
If you are unable to perform a backup or restore after verifying the configuration
and troubleshooting the destination host, please open a ticket with eSoft Technical
Support at 877-754-2986 or through online support at http://support.esoft.com.
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