Back up the N-able N-central server
Backing up the N-able N-central database enables you to create a copy of the database on the N-able N-central server and upload a copy to an FTP server. This provides a backup that you can restore from in the event of a hard disk failure or data loss.
System backup and restore only is available at the System level.
If you are using the hosted version of N-able N-central, backups are automatically performed by N-able support. No further action is required on your part.
When you back up the database, N-able N-central creates a backup file and a backup digest file. The backup file contains the network, email, and service monitoring settings and historical data if specified. The backup digest file contains the checksum needed to detect any errors that may have occurred during the backup or movement of the file.
If you installed N-able N-central as a guest on an ESX or Hyper-V server, it is strongly recommended that you record a snapshot of the guest before upgrading the N-able N-central software. If there is an issue during the upgrade you can restore the guest back to the snapshot image.
Note that the daily N-able N-central system backup process runs with a low I/O priority. This results in backups taking longer to run than in previous versions of N-able N-central. The advantage to this is fewer spikes in CPU and disk I/O demands while the backup is running, as well as minimized impact on N-able N-central stability and UI responsiveness.
Third party backups/snapshots are not supported. However, if you choose use a third party backup solution, stop or shut down the N-able N-central server before performing the backup/snapshot.
N-able N-central does not support the use of SFTP or FTP-S as the remote FTP server for backups.
- Go to Administration > System Backup and Restore > Configure Backups.
- Configure the backup schedule and location.
- Click Save and Run Backup.
You can also run an immediate backup by clicking Administration > System Backup and Restore > Download Backups and click Run Backup.
N-able N-central saves the configuration and begins the backup process. Depending on the size of your database, the backup can take a few minutes or a few hours. It is a good idea to enable the notifications to alert you when the backup has completed.
If you only back up the database on the central server and do not upload a copy to an FTP server, N-able recommends that you download the backup files from the central server and store it on a different server or location. For more information, see Download database backups.