Hello, I’m new here. Found out about UrBackup and I am super impressed with it.
Probably the biggest thing I expect from backup software is the option to copy to an offsite server. Seeing UrBackup has an Internet mode, I opted to try this but stumbled for a few days as the instructions are not very clear and the “tutorials” online are a little hard to follow. Since I finally got it working, I decided to document my process and make my own tutorial that aims to simplify the steps for others.
I do not know if this is the official way to get this working (I highly doubt it) so this may break in the future with further updates.
My setup:
I am on a Windows Server 2022 domain of about 300 users and PCs. I have UrBackup Server installed on a local Dell PowerEdge server on my LAN. On the offsite about 10 miles away, I have another Dell PowerEdge server running Windows Server 2022 with UrBackup Server installed behind a NAT. Linux users will need to modify some steps below as instructions/paths will obviously be different.
Pre-requisites:
- Open the following ports on the local and internet servers:
If your offsite is behind a NAT (most likely) you’ll need to forward these ports in your router.
TCP: 55413, 55414, 55415
UDP: 35623 - Open the following ports on the client PCs:
TCP: 35621, 35623
UDP: 35622 - Some form of remote file transfer or a way to get files to your offsite. I used my nextcloud file sharing server but you can use SCP, FTP, OneDrive/GDrive etc…
- If you don’t have a static IP on your offsite server, you’ll need a Dynamic DNS provider and a NUC. I use NoIP. It’s free to use as long as you verify the FQDN you choose every month via email. The NUC automatically updates the IP.
- If you run your own DNS server, add an A record for the offsite server’s FQDN.
Step 1 - Install UrBackup Server on a local server and offsite server, copy the .priv/.pub keys
Install UrBackup Server as an administrator on your local server and on your internet server. Configure any additional users or settings.
After installing UrBackup Server locally and on your Internet/offsite server:
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On the local server, go into C:\Program Files\UrBackupServer\urbackup.
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There are 4 files here: server_ident.priv, server_ident.pub, server_ident_ecdsa409k1.priv, and server_ident_ecdsa409k1.pub. Copy all 4 files to the offsite server. Put them on the desktop for now.
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On the offsite server, go into C:\Program Files\UrBackupServer\urbackup. Rename the same 4 files. I just added the word ‘old’ to them:
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Move the files you copied from the local server into the urbackup folder.
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Restart the UrBackup service on both the local and offsite servers.
Step 2 - Set up the Internet/active client settings on both servers
Note that this step assumes you have set up your backup paths and any additional users!
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Open the web interface for your local server and go to Settings > Internet/Active clients.
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Check the box that says “Clients try to connect via Internet/active client”.
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Under “Server URL clients connect to” enter your internet server’s address. I use NoIP’s Dynamic Update Client on my offsite server so I can use a FQDN. The box should say urbackup://yourFQDNhere.
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If you want to do image/full file backups to your offsite, check the two boxes for “Do image backups as Internet/active client” and “Do full file backups as Internet/active client”.
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Check the box that says “Connect as Internet/active client if connected to as local/passive client:”.
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Optionally, enter a different password in the “Internet/active restore authentication key” box.
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Click Save.
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On the internet server, do the exact same steps.
Step 3 - Install UrBackup Client, add client to both servers
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On your PC or another PC you plan to backup, install the UrBackup Client as an administrator. Set up whatever settings you want for backups.
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On the local UrBackup server, log into the web interface and click Status > Add New Client. I chose ‘Discover new local/passive client accross networks’ and added my hostname (IT-SysAdmin), then clicked Add Client. My PC was soon recognized and a backup started automatically".
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On the internet UrBackup server, log into the web interface and click Status > Add New Client.
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In the blue box, you’ll see a long key. Copy this key.
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On your client PC, open Notepad as an admin and browse to C:\Program Files\UrBackup. Open the server_idents.txt file. You will see a key is already in here. This is for your local server.
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Under this key, paste in the key you copied in sub-step 4 above and save the file.
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Back on the internet server under the add client window, choose ‘Add new Internet/active client’ and type in the exact name of the client PC. For me, it would be IT-SysAdmin. Click Add Client.
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You will see the client shown in the Status page. Note that mine says indexing but yours will not show any activity yet.
Step 4 - Set up Internet settings for the client on both servers
- On the local server, log into the web interface and go to Settings. Next to the Add New Group button, drop the box down and choose the PC you added earlier. The window should now say ‘Client PCNameHere’. This means we are managing just that client, which you will want to do from now on. Do not try to set individual settings in the client as the local server will just overwrite them.
- Click on Internet/Active client. Check the box for ‘Try to connect via Internet/active client’.
- For the Auth Key, enter a unique password. This password will also be used on the Internet server.
- Check the boxes for ‘Do image backups as Internet/active client’ and ‘Do full file backups as Internet/active client’.
- Check the ‘Connect as Internet/active client if connected to as local/passive client’.
- Click Save.
- On the internet server, do the exact same steps.
- Restart the UrBackup Client service on the PC.
Once UrBackup Client initializes, you should see it connect to both servers:
Your internet server should see your PC. The online column should show Yes and you should see your public IP listed under the IP column. Your local server should also show your PC online and you should see its private IP listed.
Troubleshooting
If your UrBackup Client fails to see the internet server, you will want to make sure you have the proper ports open. You can use something like PortQueryUI on the client PC to check if the ports are open on the internet server. You will see a LISTENING status if it is, and a FILTERED/CLOSED status if it is not:
Optionally, you can use PortChecker.co:
If your client connects to the internet server but says the authentication is incorrect, make sure you are using the same Auth Key password on both local and internet servers (check Step 4, sub-step 3). To verify, right-click the UrBackup Client tray icon and go to Settings. Under the Internet tab, verify the Auth Key is what you entered. If everything looks good, wait a bit or restart the UrBackup Client service and the client should then connect to both servers.
If your client says ‘not trying to connect to internet’, make sure you enabled the box for ‘Try to connect via Internet/active client’ (check Step 4, sub-step 2). Wait a bit or restart the UrBackup Client service and the client should then show up on the internet server.
Missing anything?
Let me know! My goal is to make sure this guide is easy for others to follow.