Remote Backup via FTP

For extra safety you can back up your data to a remote location using FTP. By having an offsite backup you greatly improve the safety of your backed up data. In order to use this feature you must have access to an FTP server. Many internet service providers offer web space that is available via FTP. There are also many inexpensive hosting providers that offer FTP access. (Search the internet for "web hosting")

To enable the remote FTP backup, turn on the compressed backup option under the Advanced tab in the configuration properties dialog. Select the Remote Backup... button and then the FTP tab.

Fill in this dialog with the requested information. You can obtain the server address and login information from your FTP provider.

The Directory on FTP Server to Store Backup is a directory relative to the location where you start out when FTP'ing into your account. You can leave this field empty to upload the compressed ZIP right into the directory where you start out. If not empty, this directory must already exist. You can use any 3rd party FTP application to browse the current directory structure on your FTP server, or to create a new directory. There are a wide variety of 3rd party FTP applications. Searching the web for "FTP client software" will yield a long list of such programs. An example of a good (and free) FTP client program is "FileZilla".

Once you have filled in this dialog, press the Test FTP Settings button to perform a test upload of a small file. This will verify that all of your settings are correct.

Some important points about using the FTP backup feature:

By default you must enable encryption on your compressed backup before you can use the FTP backup. Although it is not recommended, you can override this behavior by turning off the option File / Options... / Never Allow Non-Encrypted Remote Backup.
When selecting a backup directory, it is best to select a folder that is not publicly visible, so that the number of people who can potentially access your file is reduced. Even if your backup is encrypted, you are still safer by keeping the backup file private. Usually on a hosted account you have a folder where you place your publicly visible files for your web site. It is best to not use this folder. Instead, create a new folder, that is not within this publicly visible folder, and store your backups there.
You should always encrypt your compressed backup, and use a strong password, to make sure only you can ever access your compressed backup.
Safe Data Backup supports resuming broken connections when uploading. This is very helpful when uploading very large files. See File / Options... / Resume Broken FTP Connection.
When choosing the "Protocol / Encryption" method for your server it is recommended to use one of the encrypted protocols. The "Plain FTP" protocol is not encrypted and is not recommended.
When using the "Plain FTP" protocol, the FTP session details are logged in the normal job log. When using any of the secure/encrypted protocols, additional FTP session details are stored in the FTPsLog.txt file located in the hidden folder: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Safe Data Backup. The option File / Options... / Verbose Logging controls the amount of detail placed in the FTP log.

See Also