Backup Storage from Tu Cloud Server Online provide a safe and convenient way to store your data in our data centers.
With our Backup Storage, you can access your files at any time and from any place with an internet connection. It is also easy to connect Backup Storage to your own drive on your PC and to access Backup Storage with your smartphone and/or tablet. Tu Cloud Server Online Backup Storage work with a variety of standard protocols, which are supported by a wide array of apps.
Various Backup Storage classes allow you to choose the storage option that is best for your specific needs. And you can always upgrade or downgrade your Backup Storage.
Reliability
Your files on Backup Storage are safeguarded with a RAID configuration which can withstand several drive failures. Therefore, there is a relatively small chance of data being lost. Please note, however, that you are responsible for your data and there is no guarantee from Tu Cloud Server against potential loss of data. The data is not mirrored onto other servers.
Ordering
Backup Storage can be ordered by using the administration interface Customer Console or via Tu Cloud Server.com.
General Information
The speed at which your data can be transferred to your Backup Storage is dependent on how many other customers simultaneously attempt to access the same server. If the transfer takes too long, it is best to try doing the upload at another time of day.
It is very important to use the DNS name (<username>.your-storagebox.de) instead of the IP address for your Backup Storage; this is because the IP address can change. With the DNS address, you can access your Backup Storage via IPv4 and IPv6.
It is not possible to create the directories "/etc" and "/lib" on Backup Storage.
Access to Backup Storage
FTP/FTPS
You can access your Backup Storage by using FTP. Please use your assigned hostname (<username>.your-storagebox.de), username, and password. Please note that an FTP connection is unencrypted; only FTPS (FTP+FTPS) is encrypted.
Active and Passive Modes
FTP protocol is built upon two connections: the first connection, via port 21 for all commands, and the second, for the transfer of all file content. The second connection can be differentiated into active and passive modes. With the active mode, the ftp server attempts to establish a connection to the client (server -> client). However, this can be blocked with the client's firewall, and a timeout may occur. As a solution to this problem, you can use the passive mode. With the passive mode, a connection is built from the client to the server (client -> server). The method for activating the passive mode differs between different client programs. For that reason, you should check the help guides of your program.
Instructions
Windows
In Windows, use the following instructions to add your Backup Storage as a network address via FTP:
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Windows 7: On the left, click on "Computer" and then at the top on "Add a network location".
Windows 8/10: On the left, click on "This PC". Finally, at the top, click on "Computer" and then on "Add a network location". - Now click in the new dialog two times on "Next".
- Now enter "ftp://<username>.your-storagebox.de" in the text field and click on "Next".
- Unclick "Log in anonymously" and enter the name of your Backup Storage.
- Click two times on "Next" and then on "Finish".
- Enter your username and password in the open window. Alternatively, you can save your password from Windows.
- After clicking on "Log on", you will be able to access your Backup Storage under "This PC" (Windows 8.1/10) or "Computer" (Windows 7/8).
Software
Please note that this text only addresses a limited selection of software that can be used for this protocol.
Windows
- Windows Explorer
- FileZilla
- WinSCP
Linux
- FileZilla
- ftp
- ncftp
- lftp
Android
- AndFTP
- ES File Explorer
SFTP/SCP
By using SFTP and SCP, you can access your Backup Storage. This is completely encrypted.
Authentication Using SSH Keys
If you access your Backup Storage by using SFTP/SCP, you can also authenticate yourself with a public key.
Connection Error
11: Application Error
If you receive this error while connecting via SFTP or SCP, then that is the result of the SSH key forwarding. Please deactivate the forwarding and try again.
Software
Please note that this text only addresses a limited selection of software that can be used for this protocol.
Windows
- WinSCP (SFTP)
- FileZilla (SFTP)
Linux
- scp
- sftp
- sshfs
- FileZilla (SFTP)
Android
- ES File Explorer (SFTP)
- AndFTP (SFTP)
SAMBA/CIFS
It is also possible to connect to your Backup Storage via Samba/CIFS. To do this, you can use the following UNC path: (Please note that the share name 'backup' is mandatory.)
\\<username>.your-storagebox.de\backup
Instructions
Linux
In Linux-based systems you can use the following command on the CLI to mount the file system:
mount.cifs -o user=<username>,pass=<password> //<username>.your-storagebox.de/backup /PATH/FOLDER
By adding the following line to /etc/fstab, your system will automatically mount the file system at boot. (It is a single line!):
//<username>.your-storagebox.de/backup /mnt/backup-server cifs iocharset=utf8,rw,credentials=/etc/backup-credentials.txt,uid=<systemuser>,gid=<systemgroup>,file_mode=0660,dir_mode=0770 0 0
The file /etc/backup-credentials.txt (mode 0600) should contain two lines as follows:
username=<username> password=<password>
In Debian-based distributions, the command is provided via the package cifs-utils.
apt-get install cifs-utils
Windows
In Windows, use the following instructions to connect your Backup Storage as a network drive with its own drive letter:
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Windows 7: On the left, click on "Computer" and then at the top on "Map network drive".
Windows 8/10: On the left, click on "This PC". And then at the top click on "Computer" and then on "Map network drive". - In the new dialog, select a network drive letter of your choice and enter \\<username>.your-storagebox.de\backup for the folder. Enter a check next to "Reconnect at login" if you want to automatically establish a connection upon starting the system.
- When you are asked for login information, you should here enter the username and password you used for your Backup Storage. Optional, you can save the login information in Windows.
- The setup of your Backup Storage as a network drive is now finished and can be found as separate drive under "This PC" (Windows 8.1/10) or "Computer" (Windows 7/8).
WebDAV
You can access your Backup Storage by using WebDAV; through this connection, it is encrypted.
By default, WebDAV for Backup Storage is deactivated. You can activate it for free via the Customer Console. Please note that it can take a few minutes after the activation before your Backup Storage will be accessible via WebDAV.
Unfortunately, the WebDAV protocol does not support the output of the available memory and it may produce false values. Please use sftp instead as is described in Determining available memory.
Instructions
Linux
To create a link to the WebDAV directory, use the following command:
mount -t davfs https://<username>.your-storagebox.de /MOUNTPOINT
By adding the following line to /etc/fstab, your system will automatically mount the file system at boot. (It is a single line!):
https://<username>.your-storagebox.de /MOUNTPOINT davfs rw,uid=<systemuser>,gid=<systemgroup>,file_mode=0660,dir_mode=0770 0 0
In order to be able to automatically mount the WebDAV directory, enter the following line in the file /etc/davfs2/secrets:
https://<username>.your-storagebox.de <username> <password>
In Debian-based distributions, the command davfs is provided via a package of the same name:
apt-get install davfs2
Windows
In Windows, use the following instructions to connect to your Backup Storage via WebDAV:
- Open Windows Explorer.
- Windows 7: On the left, click on "Computer" and then at the top on "Map network drive".
Windows 8/10: On the left, click on "This PC". And then at the top click on "Computer" and then on "Map network drive". - Click on "Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures".
- In the new assistent, click on "Next".
- Select "Choose a custom network location" and click on "Next".
- Under "Internet or network address" enter the address of your Backup Storage with the protocol https (For example: https://<username>.your-storagebox.de) and click on "Next".
- Now you can assign a new name for the network address under the one that should be visible in Windows. Then, click on "Next".
- Now click on "Finish".
- Now enter the user name and password of your Backup Storage in the login dialog.
- The setup of your Backup Storage as a network address is now finished and can be found under "This PC" (Windows 8.1/10) or "Computer" (Windows 7/8).
Software
Android
- ES File Explorer
Errors in Files Larger than 50 MB (Windows)
If you see the following error message during a copying process from Windows to a WebDAV directory, it is likely caused by a file that is larger than 50 MB:
The file size exceeds the limit allowed and cannot be saved.
This is blocked by a security setting in Windows. The following link demonstrates how you can remove this limit: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/900900
Determine available disk space
The amount of available disk space can be displayed on the Customer Console. Please note that the usage is updated approximately every 10 minutes.
To determine in a script how much available disk space you have, use the program "sftp" in Linux-based systems:
echo "df" | sftp <username>@<username>.your-storagebox.de echo "df -h" | sftp <username>@<username>.your-storagebox.de echo "df -hi" | sftp <username>@<username>.your-storagebox.de
Snapshots
Snapshots are full images of a Backup Storage. These can be created via the Customer Console under Backup Storage. A snapshot does not need any space when it is created. It grows as files are changed or deleted. No space is required for newly added files in the snapshot. The storage space consumption of the snapshots is calculated with the storage capacity of the Backup Storage.
The Backup Storage can be reset to the state of a snapshot. This restores changed and deleted files, while new files are deleted. Also, all snapshots that are newer than the snapshot which was restored to, are deleted. The restored snapshot and all older ones are retained.
Access to Snapshots
Access to a snapshot is possible via the directory "/.zfs/snapshots" on the Backup Storage, if activated in the Customer Console. In this directory, there is a subfolder for each snapshot that maps the Backup Storage at the time of the snapshot. Individual files or entire directories can be downloaded as usual. It is not possible to write to the "/.zfs" directory or its subfolder.
Upgrade and Downgrade
An upgrade or downgrade to another Backup Storage is possible at any time without data loss. The access data remains the same. A downgrade is only possible if less space is used than what would be available after the downgrade.
