Backup Server Data

There are two main methods for backing up system data (including all server configuration data, application configuration data, user settings, messages, and greetings):

  • Server Manager Backup (to backup data to a local workstation or a network file server that supports SFTP or SMB/CIF), and

  • Server Console Perform Backup (to backup to a USB device or to a network file server)

If you are planning to restore a pre-existing MiCollab 1.1 backup, we recommend that you verify the file beforehand.

Note:

  • If your MiCollab system is integrated with a directory service, ideally you should back up both the MiCollab database and the directory server database at the same time.

  • You can use different filenames for backup files, but the filename must not contain spaces and the file extension must be .tgz. (Note that all backup files of systems prior to Release 9.0 will be titled "smeserver.tgz".)

  • The content of the system's /root directory will be included in the backup. To minimize the backup size, delete any temporary unwanted files that administrators might have created during system support activities. Do not delete the content of hidden files and directories such as /root/.ssh and /root/.bash* which are required for proper server functionality.

  • The backup file does not include OAuth 1.0 data. Accordingly, if you have implemented Google Apps integration with OAuth 1.0, you must re-enter the data after performing a restore procedure. (Note that OAuth 2.0 data is included in the backup file.)

  • To ensure that MiCollab has consistent Network Element (ICP) information, you must use one of these backup procedures. Restoring backups made from inside the individual applications may cause incorrect Network Element data to be presented to the MiCollab server.

  • To restore the data, you must transfer the backup file to a storage medium (CD/DVD or USB storage device ).

  • If MiCollab is deployed in LAN only mode with Teleworker running remotely on an MBG server in the DMZ, you should back up both the MiCollab server database and the MBG server database at the same time.

  • You cannot restore a MiCollab database backup to a Virtual MiCollab Release 2.1 deployment. For Virtual MiCollab Release 2.1 deployments you must use VMware tools to perform backups and restores. See the MiCollab Installation and Maintenance Guide for instructions. However, it is recommended that you continue to take scheduled MiCollab database backups from a Virtual MiCollab Release 2.1 deployment, because MiCollab database restores are supported in MiCollab Release 2.2 and later.

Server Manager "Backup"

Backup to Desktop

Use this procedure to save your system backup to a file or device on your desktop computer or maintenance PC if your MiCollab system has only one application installed .

A "Backup to desktop" saves all of the data to a single, large compressed file and is therefore limited by the file system and browser of the client operating system. For example, if you are backing up data to a Windows client that uses the FAT32 file system (the default for many older versions of Windows), you are limited to a maximum file size of 4 GB; newer Windows operating systems that use the NTFS file system have a much larger capacity. If the backup file exceeds the maximum file size of the client operating system, it cannot be properly restored. For this reason, we recommend that you use the Verify Backup File option in the MSL server console to ensure the backup was successful.

  1. Under Administration, click Backup.

  2. Select the Backup to desktop option.

  3. Click Perform. MSL prepares the system for backup.

    The "Operation status report" is displayed with the estimated backup size, along with the "Backup Encryption" option.

  4. (Optional) To encrypt the backup file, enter an Encryption Password, and then re-enter it. To create a strong password, use a mix of characters, numbers and symbols, plus both upper and lower case characters. The encrypted backup file is identifiable with an .aes256 extension.

    Note: You will be prompted to enter the password when you restore from backup. If you fail to remember the password, you will not be able to restore the data contained in the backup file.

  5. Click Download Backup File.

  6. When prompted to Open or Save, click Save.

  7. In the file download window that appears:

    • Name the file and then select the location where the file will be saved. Note the backup filename must not contain spaces; otherwise, you will get an error when you attempt to restore it.

    • Click Save. After saving, you can copy the backup file to a CD/DVD or USB storage device, if required. The backup file is identifiable by its extension, either .tgz (unencrypted) or .aes256 (encrypted).

Schedule Backups to Network File Server

Use this option to:

  • perform immediate system backups to a Network File Server

  • schedule daily, weekly, or monthly system backups to a Network File Server

Use this option if your system has more than one application installed.

Note:

  • You can only have one backup scheduled on the server. To cancel an existing backup schedule, select Disabled and then click Save.

  • If you are backing up to an MSL server, configure it to accept access from the backup server. See Configure Network Privileges for details.

  • Two file-sharing protocols are supported:

    • SMB/CIFS

    • Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

To perform a backup to a network file server:

  1. Under Administration, click Backup.

  2. From the Select an action list, click Configure network backup.

  3. Click Perform.

  4. Specify the following details.

    Field

    Description

    IP Address

    IP address of the network file server where you have stored the database backup file.

    Username

    User name to use when connecting to the network file server.

    Password

    Password to use when connecting to the network file server.

    Domain or Workgroup Name

    Domain or workgroup name. Applies only to SMB/CIFS. Leave the field blank for SFTP.

    Sets the SMB domain of the user name. If the domain specified is the same as the server's NetBIOS name, then the server's local Security Account Manager (SAM ) is used for authentication, instead of the domain SAM. This field is required only for the SMB/CIFS protocol.

    Sharename

    The file-share name. Applies only to SMB/CIFS. Leave the field blank for SFTP.

    The restore utility will try to connect to the server/shared folder as an SMB/CIFS resource. The shared folder must have permissions set to "Full Control."

    (Optional) Sub Directory

    Name of the sub-folder where you have stored the database backup file.

    For SMB/CIFS, the sub-directory is relative to the share.

    For SFTP, the sub-directory is relative to the root of the file system accessed through the SFTP protocol.
    Note: If you are backing up to an MSL server, enter its IP Address and the Username/Password of the "root" user. Leave the remaining fields blank..

  5. (Optional) Select the Maximum number of backup files to keep (1-999) on the server. When the number of stored files reaches this maximum count, the oldest version is deleted.

  6. (Optional) To encrypt the backup file, enter an Encryption Password, and then re-enter it. To create a strong password, use a mix of characters, numbers and symbols, plus both upper and lower case characters.

    Note: You will be prompted to enter the password when you restore from backup. If you fail to remember the password, you will not be able to restore the data contained in the backup file.

  7. Click Backup Now to test your server configuration by performing an immediate backup.

    The backup file is saved to the network file server. The file is identifiable by its extension, either .tgz (unencrypted) or .aes256 (encrypted).

To perform an immediate backup, Click Backup Now.

To schedule backups to a network file server:

  1. Under Administration, click Backup.

  2. From the Select an action list, click Configure network backup.

  3. Click Save.

  4. Select the frequency with which you want to perform backups. Backup file names will include timestamps, for example:

    mslserver_<hostname>_yyyy-mm-dd_hh-mm.tgz).

    • For Daily backups, select a time of day (hour, minute, AM/PM)

    • For Weekly backups, select a time of day, and day of the week

    • For Monthly backups, select a time of day, and day of month

    • To disable regularly scheduled backups, click Never.

  5. Click Save.

Server Console "Perform Backup"

You can save your system backup to a USB storage device (such as a memory stick or hard drive) or to a network file server that supports SFTP (typically a Linux server, including MSL) or SMB/CIF (typically a Windows server). Any USB storage device that is formatted as FAT32 (DOS), EXT3 (Linux), or NTFS (Windows and Linux) is compatible.

The backup file size limit via USB or network backup is set by the destination file system: 4 GB for a FAT32, 2 TB (terabyte or trillion bytes) for NTFS, and 16 GB to 16 TB for ext3 (depending on file system block size). The current MSL ext3 block size is 4096 bytes which allows file sizes of 2TB.

Optionally, you can encrypt the backup file if you are saving it to a USB device from the server console. This option is not available if you are saving the backup file to a network file server from the server console.

  1. Access the server console.

  2. Log in as " admin".

  3. From the console, select the option to Perform backup.

  4. Select a destination for the backup file:

    • Backup to a USB device.

    • Backup to a network file server.

Backing up to a USB Device

  1. Select Backup to a USB device.

  2. At the prompt, insert the USB device (if not already in place) and click Next.

  3. When prompted, enter a filename for the backup file (default is ' mslserver') and click Next. Note the backup filename must not contain spaces; otherwise, you will get an error when you attempt to restore it. The file extension, either .tgz (unencrypted) or .aes256 (encrypted), is automatically added.

  4. (Optional) To encrypt the backup file, enter an encryption password, and then re-enter it. To create a strong password, use a mix of characters, numbers and symbols, plus both upper and lower case characters. Click Next.

    Note: You will be prompted to enter the password when you restore from backup. If you fail to remember the password, you will not be able to restore the data contained in the backup file.

  5. MSL displays an estimate of the size of your backup. Click Proceed.

  6. When the backup is complete, remove the USB device at the prompt. Click Continue.

  7. Re-mount the USB and verify that the backup was performed successfully using the Verify Backup Data procedure.

Backing up to a Network File Server
Note: If you are backing up to an MSL server, enter its IP address and the username/password of the "root" user. Leave the remaining fields blank.

  1. Select Backup to a network file server.

  2. Enter the IP address of the file server where the backup will be stored.

  3. Enter the domain or workgroup name of the server. (For example, mitel.com.)

  4. Enter the name of the shared folder where the backup file will be stored. (For example, "Backups".) The shared folder must have permissions set to "Full Control".

  5. Enter an Optional Sub Directory for the backup file. The specified directory must exist in the share folder. The field accepts multi-level directories; for example"MAS/Sept/backups". If you leave this field blank, the system stores the file in the root directory of the specified network share.

  6. Enter the username to use when connecting to the backup server.

  7. Enter the password to use when connecting to the backup server.

  8. Click Next. A progress bar indicates backup status. When the backup is complete, file verification is performed automatically.

Verify Backup Data

When backing up to a USB device or when using a pre-existing backup file, it is important to verify the file before starting a restore procedure. If your backup file cannot be verified, then it cannot be used to restore system information.

To verify a backup file:

  1. Access the server console at the MiCollab server or from a maintenance PC.

  2. Log in as " admin".

  3. From the console, select the option to Verify backup file.

  4. At the prompt, insert your storage medium. (Note: if your USB device was left mounted after your last backup, you must remove it and re-mount it first.) A list of all storage devices found on your system is displayed.

  5. If more than one storage device is connected to your system, select the device containing the backup file.
  6. If more than one backup file is contained on the storage device, select the file you want to verify.
  7. Click OK. Verification of the file is confirmed. If you receive an error message, you cannot use this backup file for the restore. Check your storage media and try the backup procedure again. See the MiCollab Engineering Guidelines for a list of supported USB devices.

Restore (Disaster Recovery Situations)

When recovering from a disaster situation, it is necessary to reinstall MSL operating system software. Follow the instructions for Disaster Recovery in the MiCollab Installation and Maintenance Guide MSL Installation and Administration Guide.

Parent topic: Administration
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