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User Guide

Online Backup

Online Backup User Guide

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Table of contents

Table of contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Adding the Online Backup Service to your Account .............................................................................................. 2

Getting Started with the Online Backup Software................................................................................................... 4

Downloading and Installing the Online Backup Software......................................................................................... 5

Configuring a Device ................................................................................................................................................ 7

Simple vs. Advanced View ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Simple Interface ........................................................................................................................................................ 9

Advanced Interface................................................................................................................................................. 10

Performing a One-off Backup .................................................................................................................................. 11

Creating a Backup in Simple View ......................................................................................................................... 11

One-off Backup .................................................................................................................................................... 13

Scheduling a Backup ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Creating a Backup in Advanced View .................................................................................................................... 15

One-off Backup .................................................................................................................................................... 18

Scheduling a Backup ........................................................................................................................................... 19

Backup Modes........................................................................................................................................................... 20

Full .......................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Incremental ............................................................................................................................................................. 20

Differential .............................................................................................................................................................. 20

SnapShot ................................................................................................................................................................ 21

Restoring a Backup .................................................................................................................................................. 21

Restoring with the Simple View .............................................................................................................................. 21

Restoring with the Advanced View ......................................................................................................................... 23

Modifying the Online Backup Settings ................................................................................................................... 24

Managing Email Notifications ................................................................................................................................. 24

Filtering Files during Backup Operations ............................................................................................................... 27

Enabling Anti-Virus Scanning ................................................................................................................................. 28

Managing Usage Alerts ............................................................................................................................................ 29

Managing your Backup Quota ................................................................................................................................. 30

Deleting Files from the Backup Server ................................................................................................................... 32

Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................................................ 33


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Introduction

The Online Backup service allows easy, fast, and reliable backups from multiple

computers to one secure off-site storage server. Using our simple software you can

create backups of your entire computer or individual files, schedule backups to run

when convenient to your needs, restore files to any computer, and retrieve historical

versions of your documents.

Note: The Online Backup service is currently only available for Windows

operating systems.

The service is designed to ensure you have enough space for all of your files and

data, with up to 1 Terabyte of storage available on your backup server.

Adding the Online Backup Service to

your Account

The Online Backup service can be added through your control panel.

Step 1 Log in to your Fasthosts control panel.

Step 2 Select Online Backup from the Solutions menu.


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Step 3 Click Add Backup.

Step 4 Drag the slider to choose how much space you require on your backup storage

server.

Quick tip: If your needs change in the future you can upgrade the storage

space allocated to you at any time within your control panel.

Step 5 Select whether you would like to pay annually or on a monthly basis, and click Buy

Now.

Step 6 Select a customer from your existing client base to assign the Online Backup service

to, or create a new customer, then click Continue.

Step 7 Confirm the charges.


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The Online Backup service will be added to your account within a few moments.

Step 8 The new backup folder will appear in the Current Backup Space list with the name

“Not set”. Click the new backup space In this list.

Step 9 Enter the following details:

Backup Name: Choose a name for the backup space to help you identify it

within your control panel.

Username: Select a username with which you will connect to the backup

space.

Password: Choose and confirm a password. You will use this password,

along with the username, to connect to your storage space.

When you have entered the details click Next.

You will receive an on-screen confirmation that your new backup folder has been

created.

Getting Started with the Online Backup

Software


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Our simple software will allow you to back up your data to your online backup space,

schedule backups, and restore any backups to any computer.

You are not limited to the number of computers you can install the software to, in

order to back up your files.

Downloading and Installing the Online Backup Software

Step 1 Locate the Download Backup Client Software box and click the Download link.

Step 2 Save the download executable file to your computer and run it.

Step 3 Ensure Backup Client is selected and click Install.

Note: The Online Backup Client requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. If

this is not already installed on your computer you will have the option to

install at this stage before you install the Backup Client.

Step 4 Select your preferred language and click Next, then Next again.


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Step 5 You will be presented with the licence agreement. Confirm you agree with the licence

by selecting I accept the terms in the Licence Agreement and click Next.

Step 6 Select Typical and click Next.

Quick tip: If you are an experienced user the Custom option will let you

change the installation folder and select which components you would like

to install.


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The Online Backup software installation will take a few moments to complete. You

can open the application by clicking the icon on your desktop or in your Windows

Start Menu.

Configuring a Device

Before you can start backing up your files you must configure a device, which stores

all the connection details to your backup server.

Step 1 The first time you open the Online Backup software after installation, you will be

prompted to create a new device automatically, and you can skip to Step 3.

If you are adding an additional device you will need to make sure you are using the

Advanced view. Click the Switch to Advanced View button at the bottom of the

window.

Step 2 Select the Device tab at the top of the window, and then click Add.

Step 3 On the Account tab, enter a name to help you identify the backup server in the

Device Name text field.

Step 4 Enter 88.208.254.19 in the Server Name or IP Address field.


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Step 5 Enter the Username you chose when you added the Online Backup service, and

then enter and confirm your Password.

Make sure Use my current Windows login credentials is not selected, and click

Test Connection.

You should receive a confirmation that the connection test was successful.

Step 6 The Security tab allows you to choose your secret key. The secret key is used to

encrypt your data and ensures only users with your key can restore your backups.

The default option is to use your Online Backup password as your secret key, which

should be suitable for most users. It is possible to choose your own secret key to use

instead of the password. Specifying another secret key will ensure that any other

Online Backup clients on other computers that connect to the same account will not

be able to restore your files.

Important: If you specify your own secret key make sure you keep it safe.

We do not keep a record of your secret key, and if you lose it you will not be

able to restore your files.


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Step 7 If you connect through a Firewall/Proxy Server enter the details on the Proxy tab.

Step 8 Click OK to create the new device.

You are now ready to perform your first backup or create a backup schedule.

Simple vs. Advanced View

The Online Backup software has two interfaces for you to choose between: Simple

and Advanced.

Simple Interface

The Simple interface is the default interface and provides an uncluttered and easy to

use interface which most users will find suitable. It provides a Home tab with the

following four options:

Refresh my Backup: Run your default backup job to backup new copies of


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your files to the server.

Setup my Backup: Use a simple wizard to perform a one-off backup or

create a backup schedule.

Restore: Restore files from a previous backup.

Online Storage: Configure your default device settings, including updating

the login details, security options, and proxy settings.

As well as removing all but the most necessary backup options, the Simple Interface

also uses wizards for any configuration tasks to helpfully guide you through the

process.

You can only manage one backup device in the Simple interface. If you have created

more than one Online Backup account in your control panel and wish to use one

client on one computer to backup to multiple accounts, you will need to use the

Advanced interface.

Advanced Interface

The Advanced interface provides several additional options and features from the

Simple interface, and is recommended for experienced users. It gives much more

control and flexibility over the configuration of your backups. Using the additional tabs

at the top of the window you can access:

Home: The home tab provides shortcuts to backup documents, emails,

music, and pictures as well as shortcuts to backup and schedule tasks.

Backup: Shows a list of the files on your local machine. Simply select the

file(s) you want to backup and click Backup.

Restore: Shows a list of previous backups, select the file(s) you want to

restore and pull them straight down to your computer.

Logs: View log files from previous backups. Useful for troubleshooting

information.

Schedule: Manage your backup schedules in one place.

Device: Add and manage your devices. The Simple interface only allows one

device, but in the Advanced interface you can manage as many Online

Backup accounts as you wish.

Delete: Allows you to delete files from your storage server.

Status: The status tab shows the status of any active jobs. This tab is also


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available in the Simple view.

Performing a Backup

The Online Backup software makes it very easy to perform or schedule a backup of

one or more files at the click of a few buttons.

This article assumes you have already created your Online Backup server device. If

you haven’t see the chapter Configuring a Device on page 7.

There are several ways to back up your files, and the method you use may depend

on whether you are using the Simple or Advanced view.

Creating a Backup in Simple View

Step 1 On the Home tab click Setup My Backup.

Step 2 The Backup Wizard will appear. Choose which files you would like to back up:

Entire Drive: Back up all the files on your entire hard disk drive, including

operating system files.

Personal Files: This will back up all files and folders within your "My

Documents" folder.

Let me choose specific files to backup: Select this option if you want to


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choose which files or folders are backed-up.

Step 3 Select whether you want to backup all files, or only the files that have been modified

since your last backup. All files will be backed up if they are not found on the server.

Step 4 Select the Online Backup server device you would like to back your files up to and

click Next.

Step 5 If you selected Let me choose specific files to backup in Step 2 you will be

prompted to select the files and folders to backup. When you are finished click Next.


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Step 6 This step will depend on whether you want to create a one-off backup or schedule a

backup to run at regular intervals.

One-off Backup

Select Run my backup now to run the one-off backup immediately, and click Finish.

The process will take several minutes to several hours; depending on the size and

number of files you are backing up, and the speed of your connection. A progress bar

will display during the backup.


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Scheduling a Backup

Select Run my backup later and several scheduling options will appear.

Select how often you would like to run the backup from the Schedule Type drop

down list and choose the dates and times in the Schedule Settings box on the right.

Click Finish to create the schedule.


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Creating a Backup in Advanced View

Step 1 Click Backup Wizard on the Home tab.

Step 2 The Backup Wizard will appear. Select what you would like to backup from the

following options:

All of my <drive>: Choose to backup all files and folders on your entire hard

drive.

Smart select: Choose whether to backup your My Documents folder, email,

music, or pictures.


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Let me select items manually: Choose which files to backup.

Use previously saved job: If you have performed a backup in the past you

can re-run it again.

Step 3 If you selected Let me select items manually choose the files and folders you wish

to backup and click Next.

Step 4 Enter a name to help you recognise this backup in the Backup Name field. Click the

Backup to… button and choose your Online Backup server device.


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Step 5 Select the Write Mode and Backup Mode you wish to use. The different backup

modes are explained in the chapter Backup Modes on page 20.

Step 6 Select the options you want for your backup and click Next.

Use Software Compression: If you enable this option your backups will be

compressed, reducing the backup space required on the server but

increasing the time it takes to backup and restore your files.

Verify Data After Backup: Select this option to check the data was copied

successfully after the backup is complete.

Enable Open File Backup: If this option is selected any files that are

currently in use will be closed before backup. If it is not selected any open

files will be ignored.

Enable Virus Scanning: This option scans each file for viruses and notifies

you if one is found. You can choose to ignore the warning and continue to

back up the files, or to skip the file.

Note: The virus software provided with the Online Backup software is only

able to detect the presence of viruses. It is not able to clean infected files.


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The following steps will depend on whether you are creating a one-off backup, or

scheduling a backup to run at regular intervals.

One-off Backup

Step 7 Select Run now from the Type of Schedule drop down list.

Step 8 If you want to run the Online Backup software under a different Windows user, select

Run as specific user and enter the necessary login credentials.

Step 9 Click Finish.

The process will take several minutes to several hours, depending on the size and

number of files you are backing up, and the speed of your connection. A progress will

display during the backup.


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Scheduling a Backup

Step 7 Select how often you would like the schedule to run from the Type of Schedule drop

down list.

Step 8 Click the Job Name drop down and select a file.

Step 9 In the Scheduling Information box select the first date and time and the frequency

with which you would like the backup schedule to run.

Step 10 If you want to run the Online Backup software under a different Windows user, select


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Run as specific user and enter the necessary login credentials.

Step 11 Click Finish.

Backup Modes

The Online Backup software offers four different backup modes when creating a one-

off or scheduled backup job: Full, Incremental, Differential, or SnapShot.

Full

Performs a full backup of all selected files, regardless of whether or not they have

changed since the last backup.

Incremental

Backs up all files that have been modified since the last Full or Incremental backup.

For example if the first backup occurs on a Monday all files will be copied. Another

backup on Tuesday will back up only the files that have been modified since the

Monday backup. Another backup on Wednesday will only back up files that have

been modified since the Tuesday backup and so on.

Differential

Backs up all files that have not been modified since the last full backup.

If the first backup occurs on Monday all files will be copied. Another Differential

backup on Tuesday will back up all files modified since Monday, and another backup

on Wednesday will ignore Tuesdays backup and will also backup all files modified

since the Monday backup. In fact, all Differential backups will backup files modified

since the Monday backup until another Full backup of all files is made.


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SnapShot

Fully backs up all of the selected files, but does not mark them as backed up.

For example, if a full backup occurs on Monday, a SnapShot backup on Tuesday will

also back up all selected files. However an Incremental or Differential backup on

Wednesday will ignore the Tuesday backup completely and back up files that were

modified since the Monday backup.

Restoring a Backup

You can restore data from your Online Backup server to your computer in a few

simple steps. The method you use to back up your files you use may depend on

whether you are using the Simple or Advanced view.

Restoring with the Simple View

Step 1 On the Home tab click Restore.

Step 2 In the Media box at the top of the Restore Wizard, select the backup containing the

files you wish to restore. This will be located under your chosen device name.


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Quick tip: You can also sort your backups by the date they were created by

clicking To Time Mode.

Step 3 Select the files you want to restore. You can select entire drives or folders from the

panel on the left or individual files from the right hand panel.

Step 4 Click Next.

Step 5 Choose what you would like to happen if the Online Backup software restores a file

that already exists on your machine. The default is to replace the file on your

computer with the backup copy, but you can choose to keep your local file or only

update if the backup copy is newer than your local copy.


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Step 6 The Online Backup client will restore your files to their original location by default.

However, you can specify to restore the files to a different folder on your local

machine.

Step 7 Click Finish to begin the restore process. This process may take anything from a few

minutes to several hours.

Restoring with the Advanced View

Step 1 Click the Restore tab.

Step 2 Under Restore Files By Device select the backup containing the files you wish to

restore. This will be located under your chosen device name.

Quick tip: You can also sort your backups by the date they were created by

clicking To Time Mode.


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Step 3 Select the files you want to restore. You can select entire drives or folders from the

panel on the left or individual files from the right hand panel.

Step 4 Click Restore in the bottom-right of the Online Backup client main window. The

restore process may take anything from a few minutes to several hours.

Modifying the Online Backup Settings

The Online Backup client has a number of configuration settings to make the

software work in the way that best suits your needs.

On the Home tab, expand the Settings panel on the left of the window and click

Default Settings.

Managing Email Notifications

The Online Backup software can send email notifications containing the log files or


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errors created during a backup process. This is useful if you schedule backups to

occur on a regular basis when you are away from your computer.

Note: Email notifications will not warn you if you are nearing your backup

server disk space limit. You will need to enable Usage Alerts for this

feature. See Managing Usage Alerts on page 29.

Step 1 Click on the Notification tab.

Step 2 Under Log Creation Options, select the option that suits you.

None: No log files are created. This is not recommended and should only be

selected if you are low on disk space on your computer.

Summary: This is the default option and stores general information on your

backup jobs and any errors encountered.

Detail: This option enables detailed log files, which will send out advanced

information on the backup. This option will greatly increase the size of the

emails and is only recommended for troubleshooting purposes.

Step 3 In the Notification Options box, select E-mail. If you would like the log file created for

the backup job to be emailed to you as an attachment select Attach log file in E-mail.

Step 4 Select whether you want the notifications to be sent out only if errors or warnings are


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encountered during a backup job, or whenever a job is completed.

Step 5 Click E-mail Settings.

Step 6 In the User Information box enter your name and the email address of the mailbox

you will be sending the email notification from.

Step 7 In the Server Information box, enter:

SMTP Server Name: The host name or IP address of your SMTP server. For

example smtp.ralphsdomainname.com.

SMTP Server Port: The port to use to send the mail. 25 is the default.

Use SSL: Select this if your email server uses a secure connection.

My SMTP server requires authentication: Enter the username and

password required.

Retries: Set the number of times to retry if the email fails to send. The default

is 1.

Timeout Interval: This is the number of seconds to wait before retrying to

send the email. The default is 5 seconds.

Quick tip: If you are sending the email notifications through a Fasthosts

Advanced Mailbox, enter smtp.<your domain name> in the SMTP Server


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Name box. Make sure the My SMTP server requires authentication

option is selected, and enter your email address in the User Name text box

and mailbox password in the Password field.

Step 8 In the Recipient Information box enter the email address you would like to send the

email notifications to. You can enter multiple email addresses in either the To or CC

fields, separated by semi-colons (;).

Step 9 Click Test Email Settings and the Online Backup client will attempt to send a test

message. If there are any errors check your User Information and Server Information

settings are correct and try the test again.

Filtering Files during Backup Operations

You can set the Online Backup client to filter files during the backup process. You

can filter files based on their file name, file type, dates created or modified, or

attributes.

For example you could set the software to back up all selected files except PDF's, or

all files with the exception of read-only or system files.

Step 1 Click on the Filters tab.

Step 2 If you would like to ensure certain file types are copied, select Include Wildcard. To

exclude certain file types select Exclude Wildcard.

Enter the file types you would like to include or exclude in the relevant box, in the

format *.<extension>. Separate file types with a comma. For example to include or

exclude images, enter *.jpg, *.gif, *.png, *.bmp.


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Step 3 If you would like to filter any files by date, select the criteria in the Include Files with

these Dates and Size box. You can select to filter by the date the file was created,

modified or last accessed, or any combination of these dates.

You can also choose to filter files by their file size, selecting files that are above a

certain size, below a certain size, or between two specified sizes.

Step 4 If you would like to filter by attribute, select the required options in the Exclude Files

with these Attributes box. You can filter read-only, hidden, or system files.

Enabling Anti-Virus Scanning

The Online Backup software is able to scan files for virus during a backup and notify

you if any are found. You can choose whether to skip affected files or ignore the virus

and copy the file.

Note: The virus software provided with the Online Backup software is only

able to detect the presence of viruses. It is not able to clean infected files.


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Click the Anti-Virus tab and select Enable Virus Scanning.

Choose whether to skip files that are found to contain a virus or to ignore the warning

and back the file up regardless.

Managing Usage Alerts

You can setup Usage Alerts to send you a notification email when you are nearing

your Online Backup disk space allowance. These alerts can be fully customized to

suit your needs.




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Step 3 Click on the backup space you would like to manage.

Step 4 Click on Manage Alerts.

Step 5 Select Enable Alerts to activate the usage alert service.

Step 6 Use the slider to adjust the thresholds that must be met before the usage notifications

are sent.

Step 7 Specify the email addresses to send the usage alerts to and click Save. You can

specify up to four recipients.

You will receive an on-screen confirmation that the Usage Alert changes have been

saved.

Managing your Backup Quota


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You can increase the quota of your Online Backup space when you need, resulting in

a backup solution that can be perfectly tailored to suit your needs.



Step 3 Click on the backup space you would like to manage.

Step 4 In the Backup Used box, use the slider to select your new quota. As you move the

slider, the new cost will be displayed.


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Step 5 Click the Upgrade button.

Step 6 Confirm any charges

Deleting Files from the Backup Server

You can delete files from the Online Backup server if they are no longer required.

Important: Be careful when deleting files from the backup server. Deletion

will remove all historical versions of a file, and there is no way to recover

deleted data.

Step 1 The ability to delete files is only available in the Advanced view. If you are currently

using the Online Backup software in Simple view, click Switch to Advanced View at

the bottom of the window.

Step 2 Click on the Delete tab.

Step 3 In the left panel browse to the folder which contains the files and folders you want to

delete. This will be listed under your device name.


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Step 4 Select the files and folders you want to delete in the right-hand panel and click Delete

in the bottom-right of the window.

Quick tip: You can select multiple files or folders by holding the [CTRL]

button on your keyboard while you click them.

Step 5 Confirm you would like to delete the selected files by clicking Yes.

Troubleshooting

If you experience any issues when using the Online Backup software to connect to


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your backup server and copy your files, our online article Troubleshooting Online

Backup should help.

https://help.fasthosts.co.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/1566

https://help.fasthosts.co.uk/app/answers/detail/a_id/1566