Wiktel Backup Configuration Instructions
Configuring the Wiktel Backup software is a straightforward process. This page will guide you through the basic setup necessary.
First off, you need to open the Wiktel Backup application. This happens automatically after installation, but you may open it up directly from the Start Menu. Click "All Programs", then "Wiktel", then "Wiktel Backup". "All Programs", then "Wiktel", then "Wiktel Backup".
The Wiktel Backup application has three tabs. We'll cover them in order:
Backup Settings
| Account | The name of your Wiktel backup account. If you're not sure what to put here, use your username. |
| Username | The username used to connect to the backup server. For home or small business users, this will likely be the same as your backup account name. It's possible, though, for your account to be configured to allow access from multiple users, each with their own username. |
| Password (Enter) | This is easy; just enter your password. |
| Password (Confirm) | Enter your password a second time so the software can confirm that you have entered it correctly. |
| Backup Name | This is the name of the computer you're backing up. It's critical that each computer under a given backup account have a distinct name. If you try to backup two computers named "DESKTOP" for example, each will delete files that the other backed up (and replace them with its own copy). This field is automatically filled in with the system's hostname, so you shouldn't have to change it. |
| Internet Connection Speed | This configures the maximum bandwidth that the backup job is allowed to consume. We recommend you set this to approximate two-thirds of your total (upload) bandwidth. This leaves enough upload capacity to allow your computer/network to continue to function. If you completely max out the upload on a connection, everything (uploads & downloads) grinds to a halt. You should be able to choose one of the presets. Only pick a custom setting if you know what you're doing. |
Backup Directories
The next tab is the "Backup Directories" tab. This is where you decide which folders are backed up and which are not. Use the tree on the left side to navigate to a folder you want to include. Check its box, then click the "Add to Backup" button. This will cause the backup job to copy the contents of that folder and everything under it. If you want to exclude a folder under an included folder, navigate to the folder you wish to exclude, check its box, and click "Exclude from Backup". The "Remove from Backup" and "Remove Exclusion" buttons allow you to remove entries from the list of inclusions or exclusions, respectively. Simply highlight the entry to remove and click the appropriate button.
Backup Schedule
The "Backup Schedule" tab allows you to set a time for the backup to run. Check the days you wish to run a backup, and pick a time. Please use the random minute chosen for you, or pick another random minute. Picking random minutes spreads out the traffic to the backup server. If everyone were to start their backup jobs evenly on the hour, things could get overloaded. Since that's a hard thing to fix after the fact, we're asking you to please help us to prevent the problem.
Note that your computer must be on at the specified time for the backup to run and it won't "catch up" for missed backups. It will just wait until the next scheduled backup. You can force the backup to run, however, by navigating to the Schedule Tasks section of the Control Panel. From there, you can right-click on the "WiktelBackup" job and choose "Run". This will force the backup job to run immediately.
Scheduling the Backup
Customizing the settings won't actually make your backup happen. In order to "make it go", you need to click the "Schedule Backup" button. This will make your changes active. Regardless of whether or not you activate your changes, they are saved for the next time you start the Wiktel Backup application.
To summarize, the Wiktel Backup application allows you to modify your settings, but they don't take effect until you hit "Schedule Backup".
Restoration
We hope you'll never need it, but if you do, see the instructions on restoring files. It's a good idea to practice recovering some files so that you know you have everything properly backed up. There's nothing worse than having a disaster strike and then finding out that your backups are not working.