Backup4all supports backing up to a remote computer or device using FTP (File Transfer Protocol) connection. This is a practical backup destination because the backed up data can be easily accessed from any other computer with an Internet connection.
Defining FTP configuration
Before using FTP as a destination for backing up, you should define a new FTP configuration using the Tools->Options->FTP window. Once defined, you will be able to apply this FTP configuration to individual backup jobs.
Press the Add button once in Tools->Options->FTP to add a new FTP connection . The New FTP configuration name will appear in the list and you can enter the other settings for this connection:
| • | Configuration name - Enter here an arbitrary name for the connection. |
| • | Server name or IP - In this field you have to enter the name or IP address for the FTP server |
| • | Port - In this field you have to enter the port number if different than the default FTP ports (21). |
| • | Destination folder - Here you can enter the destination path if different than root. |
| • | User name - If this is a private FTP server (no anonymous access allowed) enter the user name for your account. |
| • | Password - In this field enter the password for the FTP server. |
There are FTP servers that allow anonymous access (public FTP servers). You can connect to these types of FTP servers using as user name Anonymous and your email address as password. It is not recommended to backup important files to public FTP servers.
In the When destination server is not ready section you can enter the number of attempts and time between those attempts to connect to the FTP server. By default, if the FTP server is not reachable, Backup4all will try 3 times at a 5 seconds delay before aborting the backup. You can increase or decrease these values using the Retry and wait fields.
Additional settings like bandwidth, SSL connection and firewall can also be configured from this page.
Once you have finished defining the connection, press the Test button to check if the FTP details you have entered are correct. If the test was successful, The ftp connection was tested successfully message will be displayed.
Setting the destination to FTP
When defining a new backup job using the New Backup Wizard, select the FTP option in the destination section (1st page of the wizard). If you already have a backup job defined and want to change the destination to FTP, select that backup job, open the Properties window (Ctrl+P), go to the Destination page and select FTP server. After that, go to FTP server page and specify an existing FTP configuration or create a new one.
From the Use existing configuration select an already defined FTP configuration (given that you added one in the Tools->Options->FTP window). The description of the selected FTP configuration will be listed bellow.
You can change the defined settings by selecting the Custom configuration option and pressing the Edit configuration button. Here you can modify the data in the fields and press OK to save. However, if you do changes, it is recommended to use the Test FTP connection button to see if the FTP settings are correct.
Once you press the OK button, Backup4all will try to connect to the FTP server to see if a backup catalog already exists on the destination. If the FTP destination is not available, a Cannot connect to the FTP server message is displayed in the status bar (bottom of the main window).
In the Tools->Options->Backup window you can set the number of retries and the time between the retries when the FTP server is unavailable (the When destination not ready section).
Recommendations for backing up to FTP
1) After each change to the FTP configuration be sure to use the Test function.
2) Most FTP sites have policies against hammering (trying repeatedly to connect to an unavailable FTP server with little or no time between connection attempts). Thus they require FTP clients to set retry times at specific intervals, commonly at least 120 seconds between each attempt to connect. Most FTP sites can also monitor for devices that hammer, and once detected the server will ban access to the offending IP address either permanently or for a limited amount of time. Thus, when you set the retry times intervals in Tools->Options->FTP, you should use 60 seconds or more.
3) If you backup important data to a remote location using FTP, encrypt the zip files for increased security. In this case, even if another person manages to gain unauthorized access to the FTP, your files will still be protected.
4) Use XCRC when testing the FTP backups (faster)
