Save a backup and restore from it
Copy link to the page “Save a backup and restore from it”Save an encrypted copy of the appliance’s data outside the machine so you can restore it after a failure.
What you need
Copy link to the section “What you need”- An administrator sign-in that can be confirmed again; the export policy may require Owner.
- Storage outside the appliance for the backup file.
- A password of at least 12 characters for the file, kept separately from it.
Create and download a backup
Copy link to the section “Create and download a backup”- Open Appliance › Maintenance › Backup, optionally enter Note (optional) and click Create backup.
- Wait for the backup to appear under Existing backups and click Download next to it.
- Confirm your sign-in. Enter Password and Repeat the password, then click Download encrypted backup.
- Save the
.sslbrain-backupfile outside the appliance. Keep its password and the 12 backup words somewhere else.
Check that it works
Copy link to the section “Check that it works”The backup appears under Existing backups with the expected time and version, and the encrypted file is on your external storage. Check your recovery procedure by restoring on an isolated machine; the original appliance must be off before the copy connects.
If it fails
Copy link to the section “If it fails”- The backup was not taken → free space or extend the disk and create the backup again.
- Download is unavailable → use an Owner if required by the export policy and a sign-in you can confirm, see Private key export.
- The two passwords do not match → enter the same password in both fields.
- The restore does not start → read the page’s error. Free space for the safety backup or wait for the current action to finish.
- The backup file could not be opened → check its password and download the file from the source again if the copy is incomplete.
What the downloaded file contains
Copy link to the section “What the downloaded file contains”The backup contains the database, vault, certificate private keys, the appliance’s TLS key and identity towards sslbrain Cloud (EU), modules and integrations. The downloaded file is encrypted with the password you choose. Without it, nobody can open the file, including FairSSL.
A backup on the appliance’s own disk is lost with that disk. Create and download a backup before major changes and after changing the signing key. The defaults keep 5 backups and 3 safety backups taken before restores.
Restore from the appliance’s list
Copy link to the section “Restore from the appliance’s list”A restore replaces the state with the backup’s contents. Changes since the backup are lost.
- Open Appliance › Maintenance › Backup and choose a backup from the same or a lower version.
- Click Restore and confirm. The appliance takes a safety backup and restarts.
- Open it with the 12 backup words, see Installation locked.
- Check the contents under Certificates › Certificates and Installation plans. Service agents receive work once they have answered the appliance’s challenge.
The 12 backup words
Copy link to the section “The 12 backup words”The file’s password opens the file; the 12 backup words open the encrypted keys after restoring. The words cannot be replaced. Keep them separate from the backup file, see Security.
Restore on another machine
Copy link to the section “Restore on another machine”Use Restore from file as described in Move or restore the appliance. The file can come from the same or another appliance.