Backups

The Backup Manager makes and restores backups at three levels:

Each backup can contain Configuration (always included, with passwords), Website files, Databases and Mail messages.

Backups stored on This server go to C:\Program Files\StackRegent\var\backups. To keep them on another disk, add "backup_dir": "D:\\Backups\\StackRegent" to etc\stackregent.json and restart the StackRegent services; only Administrators and SYSTEM can open that folder.

Back up now#

1. Open the Backup Manager at the level you want and click Back Up.
2. Under Content, untick anything you do not need. Configuration is always included.
3. You can add a Comment.
4. Choose Store on: This server, Remote storage, or This server and remote storage. The remote options are available only after remote storage is set up.
5. Choose the Protection (see below), then click Back Up.

The backup appears in the list with Being created… and the page updates by itself. The list shows when each backup was created and by whom, its content, size and where it is stored.

Encryption and backup passwords#

Passwords in a backup are always encrypted. You choose how:

• No password: the passwords are sealed with this server's Windows key (DPAPI). The backup can be restored on this server only.
• Protect with a password so the backup can be restored on another server: enter a Backup password of at least 8 characters. Backups protected this way have a Password badge. The password is not saved anywhere, and without it the backup cannot be restored.

Use a password for any backup you might restore on a new server, or convert for Plesk.

Schedule backups#

1. In the Backup Manager, click Schedule.
2. Tick Back up on a schedule.
3. Under When, choose Every day, Every week (and the weekday) or Every month (and the day, 1–28), and the hour.
4. Choose the Content and Store on.
5. Set Keep: how many scheduled backups to keep. Older ones are removed. 0 keeps all of them.
6. Choose the Protection: No password (restorable on this server only), Protect with a password, or, once a password is saved, Keep the saved password or Set a new password.
7. Click Save.

The line above the list shows the current schedule and the remote storage. Scheduled backups show Scheduled under their date.

Remote storage#

Remote storage keeps copies of backups on another server. To set it up for the server:

1. In Tools & Settings › Backup Manager, click Remote Storage.
2. Choose the Storage:
   • FTP server: Server and port (21), User name, Password and Folder (created if missing). Tick Use FTPS (explicit TLS); recommended.
   • SFTP server (SSH): the same fields, with port 22. After the first connection, the panel shows the server's Host key and connects only while the server shows that key.
   • S3-compatible storage: Endpoint (leave it empty for Amazon S3; for another provider, for example https://s3.eu-central-1.wasabisys.com), Region, Bucket, Access key ID, Secret access key and Folder. Tick Path-style addresses for MinIO and some other providers.
3. If you want, tick Keep a copy on this server when a backup is stored remotely only.
4. Click Test and Save. The panel tests the connection before it saves.

A customer or subscription can have its own storage too: click Own Remote Storage in its Backup Manager.

To stop using remote storage, set Storage to None and click Save. Backups already stored there stay there, but the panel can no longer download or remove them.

Restore a backup#

1. Click Restore next to the backup.
2. Under Subscriptions, tick All or only the ones you want.
3. Under Content, choose what to restore: website files, databases or mail messages. Configuration is always restored.
4. For a server backup, you can also tick Also restore service plans and panel settings.
5. If the backup has a password, enter the Backup password.
6. Click Restore and follow the task in Task Manager.

Subscriptions that already exist are restored into. Files and databases with the same names are replaced.

Download, upload and transfer#

• Download saves a backup file to your computer.
• Upload adds a backup: either A file on this computer or A file already on the server (enter its path; the original stays where it is). It accepts StackRegent backups (.zip) and Plesk backups.
• Transfer creates a one-time link that another server can download the backup from, for example with curl -o backup.zip LINK. Choose how long it is valid: 1, 6, 24 or 48 hours.
• The bin icon removes a backup, from this server and from remote storage.

Plesk backups#

Import. Upload a Plesk backup in the server Backup Manager, or use Add a Plesk Backup in the Migration & Transfer Manager. Plesk for Windows gives a backup_info_….xml.zip file and Plesk for Linux a .tar file. These backups show a Plesk badge. Restoring one creates the customers, subscriptions, domains, websites, databases, mail accounts and FTP accounts here. If Plesk encrypted a password with its own key, the panel cannot read it, so that account gets a new password. The task log lists those accounts as warnings.

Export. A password-protected StackRegent backup has a For Plesk button. It writes the backup in the Plesk for Windows format.

1. Enter the Backup password and choose the Content.
2. Tick Write the subscriptions as the administrator's if the customer does not exist in Plesk yet. Plesk accepts a customer backup only for an existing customer.
3. Enter the Plesk server IP, the Plesk version and SQL Server on Plesk (the instance name Plesk uses).
4. Click Convert. The result appears in the server Backup Manager.

The export includes the customer, subscriptions, domains, files, PHP and ASP.NET versions, virtual directories, databases and mail. Scheduled tasks and SSL certificates are not included. In Plesk, upload the file under Tools & Settings › Backup Manager › Upload with Upload backup files without a valid signature.

Troubleshooting#

• The remote options are greyed out: remote storage is not set up for this level.
• A restore asks for a password you do not have: a password-protected backup cannot be restored without its password.
• A backup made on the old server will not restore on the new one: it was made without a password. Make a new backup with a password.
• A backup shows Failed: the reason is shown under the file name. The task in Task Manager has the full log.

Related#

• Migration
• Customers and resellers