## Personal Computer

To backup personal computers, the Active Backup for Business Agent is required on the target personal computers. To learn more about the agent, please refer to the article: Active Backup for Business Agent.

- Backup type

  Bare-metal, system volume and customized volumes are supported to be protected with Active Backup for Business.

#### To add a device:

The connection can only be made through the agent. To add a new device to the list, please download the agent first. You can either go to PC > Add device and download the 32-bit or 64-bit agent installer, or go to Download Center to download the right installer for the device.

- Add device in batch

  The installer can be installed to the target devices by using Microsoft AD server. For more information, please refer to the article: Active Backup for Business Agent.

#### To create a backup task:

Once the device has been connected to the server, a backup task of the connected server should have been created according to the matched template. It also supports creating more than one backup tasks to each device. To create a new task of a specific device: Go to PC, you can either start from the device view, select the target device ,and then click Create to enter the task creation wizard, or go to Task List > Create, and decide which device you wish to protect later in the task creation wizard.

- Create backup task:

  Task name: Configure the name of the task. It is suggested to have a naming pattern for faster filter/search for the task.

- Select target device:

  This step only appears if no device is selected before clicking Create. A list of personal computers that have been connected to the server will be shown in this step.

- Backup destination:

  During package installation, a Btrfs shared folder - ActiveBackupforBusiness will be created automatically. Only Btrfs shared folder can be selected as the backup destination on the NAS.

- Select source type:

  Three types of source are supported:

  - Bare metal: The entire PC including the device settings, applications and all the files will be backed up in this mode.
  - System volume: Only the system volumes will be backed up.
  - Customized volume: Click Select then choose the target volume you wish to protect. USB (Flash Driver) is not supported.

  Task settings: The source data can be compressed and encrypted according to the task settings. Click Task Settings and configure your preference.

- Schedule backup task:
  - Manual Backup: Manual Backup means one-time only backup. Unless you choose to backup now in the last step, you can only run the backup task by selecting the task then click Run now on the console.
  - Scheduled Backup: Define the desired backup schedule to be a daily or only on specific days’ backup. The task can run once a day or once an hour according to the settings.
- Select retention policy:
  In this step, you can choose either one of the following retention policy to apply to the created task:
  - Keep all versions: All the backed-up versions will be preserved.
  - GFS(Grandfather-Father-Son) retention policy:

    At least one rule needs to be configured if you select the GFS retention policy.

    Every configured rule overlaps with each other. You may decide how many days, weeks, months, or years of versions will be kept. Different retention policies can be set up to customize your own retention policy.

    For example, if you want to keep all versions for the first 30 days and the latest version of each day for the second 30 days . You should insert 30 days for Keep all versions for how many days and insert 30 days for Keep the last one version of the day for how many days.

- Backup now:

  The wizard allows an immediate backup regardless of the schedule.

#### Note:

Template is a feature of Active Backup for Business that allows admin to design backup task details in advance, and assign the backup task template to specific accounts or groups of users. For more information, please refer to this paragraph.

#### To create a template:

To avoid gap between deployment and protection, a default template set to protect personal computers will be on the list by default and cannot be removed. You can always edit the default template.

Go to Settings > Template > Create. During the template creation flow, you can decide the backup type, backup schedule, compression, and encryption settings as well as the version retention policy. The restore permission on PC backup is not adjustable, only admin (user), administrators (group), and the logged-in account (user) owner can access the backed up versions of the device.

You can set the task to be run once created when configuring the schedule of the template.

#### To edit one or more backup tasks:

It supports both editing tasks individually and in batch. Other than backup destination, most of the settings can be modified. However, in batch edit, the task name as well as the destination cannot be changed.

To avoid mistakenly change the settings that varied across different tasks, the settings are set to remain as they are by default. Tick the checkbox of the section that you wish to change when batch editing is required.

#### Note:

If you tick the unchecked the box before clicking Apply, the setting of the section would remain the same in every selected task.

#### To delete one or more backup tasks:

Go to Task List to select the task, and then click Delete. After confirming the action, the selected task will be removed while the data will remain in the backed up destination.

The device would still remain connected to the server even when no task attached to it. This device can always be found on the Device List, and you can create a task for the device at any time.

#### To enable the CBT function:

To streamline the backup process, Changed Block Tracking (CBT) technology is adopted when backing up personal computers by default. To ensure the service is working, please make sure the VSS service on each protected device has been turned on, as the CBT technology we adopted in Active Backup for Business leverages this service on Microsoft Windows to identify the changed block while avoid performance interference.

The CBT technology allows each device backup only the changed block from the second backup, and therefore saves the bandwidth resource and accelerate the backup speed.

#### Note:

- The first backup of each backup task will be a full backup, and CBT technology will not be applied to the first backup.
- From the second backup, Active Backup for Business will only conduct incremental backup unless the VSS service of the device is off.

#### To update the version of the agent on personal computer(s):

Agent can be updated remotely from the server. Click on More, and choose to Update Agent.

#### To upgrade the device to be backed up as a physical server:

Under the circumstance where a pc requires higher level protection and restoration like Instant Restore to VMware or Instant Restore to Synology Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), you may choose to upgrade this device to be protected as a physical server.

1. Click on More.
2. Choose to Upgrade Device.

### Restore Personal Computer

- Granular (file/folder level) restore: Personal Computer backup supports granular (file and folder-level) restore through Active Backup for Business Portal. Admins are able to delegate the restore permission to each end user through DSM Control Panel. For more information, please refer to the help article: Active Backup for Business Portal.
- Bare metal restore: Bare metal restore is possible with a customizable recovery media. To restore the entire device or the backed-up volume, please create a recovery media in advance. Please follow the creation guide to create and restore.

#### Note:

Backup tasks of personal computers can only be restored by admin, administrators group, and the logged-in account. This setting is not adjustable.