About scheduling backups

You can use the scheduler to create and archive backups remotely automatically. Other system modules can integrate with the scheduler to provide additional automated maintenance tasks.

Tip: To set up a Windows SSH server with keys to back up system settings, see our knowledge base article, Setting up a Windows SSH Server with Keys to Backup Smoothwall Configuration.

Remote archiving

Scheduled remote archiving uses SSH keys to allow the Smoothwall to securely copy files to a remote SSH server without the need for passwords. To use SSH keys, you need to use the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall to generate a key pair, which it uses to encrypt all file transfers sent to the SSH server. You must configure the SSH server to accept connections from the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall in this manner. To do this, you need to install the public half of the key pair.

Remote SCP destinations

The SCP or the Securely Copy protocol is the default protocol used by Linux to transfer files.

for saving the backup archive files to a remote location. SCP allows secure transferring of files between a local host and a remote host or between two remote hosts. It uses the same authentication and security as the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol from which it is based.

Remote Windows/SMB destinations

The SMB or Server Message Block protocol is a file transfer protocol supported by nearly every type of file storage device or operating system and you can also use it to transfer the backup archive files to your remote Windows server destination.