In the SoAI WebUI, select the Settings button at the right of the header, then select Settings from
its menu and open Backup to create a recovery point before an upgrade, a storage move, or another
change that affects the instance. The Backup tab is available only to an
Administrator with Backup administration (BACKUP_ADMIN). It is not shown to Standard users.
Create and verify a backup
- Select Create backup, then confirm the request.
- Wait for the progress indicator to finish. While a backup task is running, the backup actions are unavailable.
- In Available backups, find the new entry. It shows its ID, creation time, size, and a Valid or Invalid status.
- Select Verify before relying on a backup for recovery or before taking a copy off the host.
Verify and Restore are available only for a backup marked Valid. An Invalid entry is not a recovery point. Resolve the reported backup issue and create a new backup instead of attempting a restore from it.
Download a copy
Select Download beside a completed backup to save an archive named after its backup ID with a
.tar.gz extension. Keep that archive somewhere other than the SoAI host if it is part of your
disaster-recovery plan. The WebUI lists the backups in SoAI's managed backup store; it does not offer an archive
import control.
What a managed backup includes
The default target set includes the primary database, active Core configuration, the system encryption
key, plugin sidecar configuration, user data, and saved GPU settings slots. User data includes the managed files
directory, the account workspaces that Files uses (data/user_files) and the wallpaper directory when
they exist. Restoring a backup that does not include account workspaces leaves the current workspace files
unchanged. Create a new backup to include them. Application and plugin logs are excluded by default.
A restore puts each of these directories back at the location configured on the installation that restores it,
so they must stay separate. When one of the managed files directory
(DATA.FILES.PATHS.FILES_STORAGE),
the wallpaper directory
(SERVER.WEBUI.WALLPAPER_STORAGE_PATH)
and data/user_files is inside another, a backup that includes user data stops with an error that names
both directories. Move the configured directory to a separate location, update its setting and back up again.
A downloaded backup is a sensitive, unencrypted .tar.gz archive. Because the default targets include
both application data and the installation encryption key, anyone who obtains the archive may be able to read
stored data and decrypt persisted secrets. Keep downloaded copies on access-controlled storage, do not place them
in a shared folder or source repository, and read
Protect backups and the installation key.
An Administrator with Configuration changes (CONFIG_PATCH) can review the target set by selecting the
Settings button at the right of the header, then selecting Settings from its
menu. Select Advanced in the page header, select the Data tab, then open the
Backup group. The Targets group contains the individual switches. See
DATA.BACKUP.TARGETS.DATABASE
through
DATA.BACKUP.TARGETS.LOGS
for the full list and defaults.
Set the automatic policy
The same Data > Backup area controls whether managed backups are enabled, the schedule, and retention. The factory policy is enabled, attempts a backup every 24 hours, keeps up to seven completed backups, and removes completed backups older than 720 hours. You can change Interval hours, Run on startup, On shutdown, Max backups, and Max age hours, then select Save.
Review the exact behavior and defaults in
DATA.BACKUP.ENABLED,
DATA.BACKUP.SCHEDULE.INTERVAL_HOURS,
DATA.BACKUP.RETENTION.MAX_BACKUPS,
and
DATA.BACKUP.RETENTION.MAX_AGE_HOURS.