Switch to cloud storage from on-premises storage

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This article applies to version 6.

Other available versions:

Available in:

StandardPremiumEnterprise

Small Business

Overview

This tutorial explains how to stop using on-premises backup destinations and start backing up to the Code42 cloud. The process described in this article allows you to continue to:

Maintain your onsite authority server
Keep your encryption keys on-premises, behind a firewall

Before you begin

You should be familiar with the following terms:

Destinations:
1. Location where your files are backed up. For example: your server, an external drive, or Code42 cloud storage.
2. Highest level in the Code42 storage hierarchy. A group of Code42 servers and store points at a single data center or on a single LAN.
Storage server:

A type of Code42 server used only for storage in multi-server deployments. A storage server cannot function as a failover for an authority server. A storage server depends on user authorization provided by the authority server.
Store point:

A storage location in a server that can store archives. The lowest level in the Code42 storage hierarchy.

Considerations

This article shows you how to replace your Code42 environment's onsite storage with cloud storage, while continuing to use your onsite authority server for authentication.

To plan for removal of store points from a Code42 server or removal of a destination with attached store points, you must take into account the following:

Make sure you retain your users' data according your organization's data retention policy.
A store point can be removed only when:
- All archives on the store point have been deleted and purged.
- All organizations and users have been disassociated from the store point.
- All archives in cold storage have been purged manually.
A destination can be removed only when:
- All devices and organizations have stopped backing up data to the destination.
- The destination is no longer offered for storage.

Data loss occurs when store points and destinations are removed
This process starts your backups over in the Code42 cloud and removes old backups from your on-premises storage. Follow these directions closely and make sure that your end users' computers have fully backed up to the new cloud destination before removing the old store point or destination.

If you have questions about this process, contact our Customer Champions for Code42 for Enterprise support.

Step 1: Add the Code42 cloud as a destination

Add the Code42 cloud as a destination to your Code42 environment. You will need the provider key. Contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) for enterprise support at csmsupport@code42.com to get the provider key.

Step 2: Start backing up to the Code42 cloud

Confirm that your organizations and users start using the new cloud destination.

Sign in to your administration console.
Go to Settings > Organization.
Select Destinations and verify that the checkbox next to the cloud destination is enabled.
Go to Settings > Device Backup.
Select Backup. In the Destinations section, select the Auto-start checkbox.
After you select the checkbox, its label changes to Use.
Click to push the change to your devices. You can also lock the setting on this screen.
Click Save.
If you have child organizations that do not inherit settings from their parent organizations, update each organization's destinations individually.
1. Go to Organizations and click an organization name.
  The organization details appear.
2. Click the action menu and choose Edit.
3. Click Destinations.
4. Select the cloud destination to offer it to the devices in the child organization.
5. Click Save.
Sign in to a test user's Code42 app.
Click Details and confirm the device is backing up to the cloud destination.

Step 3: Stop using local store points

Go to Storage > Store Points.
Select each store point that you want to stop using.
Click the action menu and choose Reject New Archives.
If you have another store point in the local destination that you want to migrate the archives to, you can migrate the archives off the store point to be removed.

Step 4: Stop offering the local destination

Stop offering the local destination to make sure all backups are only sent to your cloud storage.

Wait until cloud backups are completed
If you are keeping the backup archives on a local destination until backups to the new cloud storage are finished, wait to do this step until all backups to the cloud destination have completed.

Go to Settings > Organization > Destinations and deselect the local destination.
The Remove Destination From Org warning appears.
Type "I AGREE" and then click OK.

The archives that were stored in the selected destination are placed into cold storage.
For any child organization that does not inherit settings from its parent organization:
1. Go to Organizations and select the organization.
2. Click the action menu and then choose Edit.
3. Click Destinations and then deselect the local destination.
4. Type "I AGREE" and click OK.
  The archives that were stored in the selected destination are placed into cold storage.

Step 5: Purge the archives in cold storage

You must purge the archives of all backups to remove the store points and destinations permanently.

Data retention policy
You may need to keep the local store points and destination online until your data retention policy allows you to permanently delete the archives. Those original local archives contain file versions and deleted files that the new archives in cloud storage do not have.

To purge cold storage:

Go to Storage > Store Points and click the number in the Cold column.
A list of archives in cold storage appears.
Click the top-left checkbox to select all archives in cold storage on this store point.
Note: You must remove all archives to remove the store point.
From the action menu select Purge Archive.
The Purge Archives warning appears.
Click OK to immediately delete the cold storage archives.

Step 6: Remove the store point

Once all archives have been deleted and all organizations and users have been disassociated from the store point, you can remove the store point.

Go to Storage > Store Points.
Select a store point.
Select the action menu and then choose Remove.
In the Remove Storepoint dialog, select Remove, even if files are still present and then click Remove.

This removes the local store point and all associated archives, users, and devices. Continue to Step 7 and Step 8 to remove the local storage server and destination.

Step 7: Remove storage server

You must remove any storage servers that are contained in a destination you want to remove. Alternatively, you can move the storage server to a different destination.

To permanently remove the storage server (after completing Steps 3-6 above for the storage server):

Go to Storage > Servers.
Select a server.
Click the action menu and choose Remove.
The Successfully removed storage server message appears.

Step 8: Remove the destination

After moving to cloud storage, you can remove destinations that are no longer needed. For example, a destination that contained a storage server that was on your LAN may no longer be needed after the move to the cloud. In that case, repeat Steps 3-7 above for each local storage server that is no longer needed after the move to cloud storage. However, you do not remove the default destination for the authority server.

Once you remove all of the storage server, you can remove the destination:

Go to Storage > Destinations.
Select the local destination.
Click the action menu and choose Remove.
The warning message appears: Removing this destination will no longer allow users to back up to this destination.
Click OK.
This message appears: Successfully removed destination.

Troubleshooting: Unable to remove destination

Failed to remove destination

If you are unable to remove a destination, you may receive the following warning message in the lower-left corner of the administration console: Failed to remove destination.

This warning is usually caused by trying to remove the destination while organizations are still offering it. Deactivated organizations that still offer the destination can prevent destination removal. Confirm that none of your deactivated organizations are offering the destination.

Go to Organizations > Show Deactivated.
Follow Step 4 above for each deactivated organization that is visible on the Deactivated Organizations page.

If these steps don't resolve the issue, or you have a prohibitively large number of organizations, you may want to search the logs for organizations that are still offering the destination.

Search the main application log (com_backup42_app.log.0) for the associated organizations using the following steps:

Go to Settings > Logs.
From the logs menu, choose com_backup42_app.log.0.
Search for the expression: CommandException: Unable to delete destination
You should find a text similar to this entry in the log search results:

[12.06.13 23:06:31.794 INFO jetty-web-5834 com.code42.core.ws.lib.RESTResource ] Unexpected exception: DELETE /console/api/Destination/4, SYSTEM com.code42.core.CommandException: Unable to delete destination; orgs still assigned: , [OrgDestination [orgDestinationId=7, orgId=3, destinationId=4, autoStart=false, name=null, creationDate=Fri Dec 06 15:12:51 CST 2013, modificationDate=Fri Dec 06 15:12:51 CST 2013]]

You may need to scroll to the right to record all of the organization IDs (orgId) that are identified. These organization IDs identify the organizations that are still offering the destination and are therefore preventing you from removing the destination.
In the logs menu, select history.log.0.
Search for the following expression for each organization ID you identified: modified org: <orgId>, where <orgId> is replaced with the actual organization ID you recorded.

In the screenshot above, a deactivated organization named Deactivated Org was still offering the destination. Once you have identified the organizations that are still offering the destination, stop offering the destination as described in Step 4.

Client configuration

Occasionally, a client configuration prevents the removal of a destination. To fix this problem:

Sign into the administration console.
Open the CLI by double-clicking the Code42 for Enterprise icon in the upper-left.
Execute the following command: config.fix fix all
The CLI responds with SUBMITTED.
Wait a few minutes for the command to execute.
Attempt to remove the destination again.