Back up the SMS database

Procedure

1. Go to Admin → Database → Backup.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click New on the Scheduled Backups panel to schedule a one-time or recurring backup.
   • Click Backup Now on the Backup and Restore panel to initiate an immediate backup.
3. For an immediate backup, skip to the next step. For a one-time or recurring backup, provide a Schedule Name and select the recurrence options for your scheduled backup, and then click Next.
4. Configure your backup from the available options.

   Setting	Description
   Include... most recent Digital Vaccine(s)	Select the number (1–6) of Digital Vaccines to include in the backup. The most recent Digital Vaccine is always included in a backup.
   Include... most recent Device TOS packages	Select up to the six most recent Device TOS packages to include in the backup.
   Include contents of events table	Select this option to include data from the Events table in the backup.
   Email the backup results	Select this option to send a copy of the backup results to members of the SMS notification list. The System Notification List is defined in the Server Properties.
   Use timestamp as suffix of the backup file name	Select this option to append the current timestamp to the end of the backup filename.
   Include certificate private keys	Select this option for the backup to include the web certificate's private keys in encrypted form.
   Include SMS logs	Select this option to provide diagnostic information for troubleshooting backups. You can skip this option if space or RAM is limited.
   Encrypt backup	Select this option to encrypt the backup file. If you select this option, you must provide an encryption password. Note that this password is not recoverable. You cannot restore the contents of an encrypted backup without this password.

5. Click Next.
6. Select the protocol the backup process is to use, and then click Next.

   Note If you choose HTTPS, the backup file is placed on the SMS server. Best practices imply that you move the file to other storage media. To do this, use a Web browser to connect to the SMS server and copy the file. (The backup location is provided in the backup configuration summary.) SMS local backups should be offloaded from the SMS as any subsequent backup attempts will remove the current backup file.

   If you choose NFS, ensure the NFS share grants the SMS Server write permissions for the anonymous user.
7. If prompted, provide the appropriate access information, and click Next.
   Depending on the protocol you select, access information might include one or more of the following:
   • Location path, including hostname, directory structure, and backup file name.
   • Username and Password for account with sufficient access to write to the identified storage location.
   • Domain in which the storage location resides.
   • Username and Password for account with sufficient access to write to the identified storage location.
8. On the Summary screen, verify your backup configuration and then click Finish.
   The backup procedure validates access to the storage location and then proceeds to back up the data. Backup time varies according to amount of data, server performance, and the performance of the storage location/device.

   Note An SMS backup includes the web certificate (and its private key in encrypted form) configured for the system. If the SMS is configured to use a custom web certificate, and a backup (that was created before the custom web certificate was imported) is restored, the custom web certificate will be overwritten with the original web certificate (and its private key) from the backup. If this happens, you will need to re-import the custom web certificate. To secure the private key, you can encrypt the backup.

   Note If the backup version does not match the current SMS version, the vulnerability scan (eVR) converters are not restored. The vulnerability scan (eVR) converters are only restored during a backup if the backup version and the current version of the SMS are the same.