Ferro Backup System - The best Backup Software

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"Ferro Backup System is endpoint backup solution based on client/server architecture, intended to make backup copies of data stored on computers connected to network"

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How to Install Ferro Backup System

First installation

Ferro Backup System™ is based on client-server architecture. The installation file contains two applications:

FBS Server (server) - a backup server application
FBS Worker (client) - a workstation application

FBS Server is only installed once – on the computer which is used as a backup server. The other application – FBS Worker – is installed on all computers from which data will be backed up. In some situations FBS Worker is also installed on the backup server.

An incorrectly configured anti-virus software (the Windows Defender also) can disrupt disk operations and slow backup down. Before starting work with the software, the anti-virus software should be properly configured.

Fig. 1.1 Ferro Backup System™ - data backup system. Installation – application selection

Fig. 1.1 Ferro Backup System - data backup system. Setup – component selection

The order of installation is of no importance.

INSTALLATION OF THE SERVER APPLICATION ( FBS Server ).

Installation lcation:
FBS Server must be installed on the computer used as a backup server.

Description:
Two files are included in the server package: FBSServer.exe - a 915 KB executable file and FBSDataBase.abs – a configuration file with an initial size of 1.7 MB.
After copying FBSServer.exe and FBSDataBase.abs to the destination folder the installer will launch FBSServer.exe using the following parameters:

FBSServer.exe /INSTALL – FBSServer service installation

Thus FBSServer will be installed as a system service and launched automatically on system startup. The FBSServer service works by default on a local system account. To change the default startup method or change the account of the service, open the properties window in the MMC console – Services (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services).

After the installation is complete the program is ready to run.

Note. Although the FBSDatabase.abs configuration file immediately after installation takes less than 2 MB, after the program is configured, the file may grow (depending on the number of connected workstations) up to 150 MB.

INSTALLATION OF THE WORKSTATION APPLICATION ( FBS Worker ).

Installation location:
FBS Worker should be installed on all computers from which data will be backed up, that is on office computers, portable computers and servers working under Windows.

Description:
Two files are included in the workstation package: FBSWorker.exe - a 140 KB executable file and FBSWroker.ini– a configuration file with an initial size of 2 KB. During the installation you need to enter the name or IP address of the computer on which FBSServer is being installed.

Fig. 2.1 Ferro Backup System™ - data backup system. Installation and configuration of FBS Worker

Fig. 2.1 Ferro Backup System™. Installation and configuration of FBS Worker

This information is written in the FBSWorker.ini file.

After copying FBSWorker.exe and FBSWorker.ini to the destination folder the installer will launch FBSWorker.exe using the following parameters:

FBSWorker.exe /INSTALL – FBSWorker service installation

FBSWorker.exe /START - FBSWorker service launch

Thus FBSWorker will be installed as a system service and launched automatically on system startup. The FBSWorker service works by default on a local system account. To change the default startup method or change the account of the service, open the properties window in the MMC console – Services (Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services).

After the installation is complete, the program is already running in the background.

Note. The application does not have any window, so to make sure it is running, look for a process named FBSWorker in the Task Manager.

Automatic updates

Please note that Ferro Backup System includes automatic updates for FBS Worker. If new versions of the workstation application are released in the future, they will only need to be installed on the server. FBS Server will update FBS Worker automatically on all workstations. To update the application on the backup server, just install the new version in the same folder as previously. To preserve all settings, install the new version without uninstalling the previous one.

Remote installation of the client application (FBS Worker)

For users of Pro Package an MSI package is also available for automatic installation of the FBS Worker module via GPO (FBSWorker.msi).

The information in this chapter is for IT technicians only.

See below for details on remote installation of FBS Worker. Remote installation is not required to make full use of Ferro Backup System, but it saves time otherwise spent on local (manual) installations of FBS Worker on computers in the company’s network.

FBS Worker includes auto-installation and configuration mechanisms. Running the program with the necessary switches will install (or uninstall) the FBS Worker system service. Before installation, FBSWorker.exe must be uploaded to the target computer. FBSWorker.exe can be found on any computer on which FBS Worker has already been installed locally, in the

Program Files\Ferro Software\Ferro Backup System\ folder.

.

After the FBSWorker.exe file is copied to the target computer, it must be launched using the /INSTALL switch. This will install FBS Worker as a system service. It will be launched automatically on the local system account every time the system boots. If in addition to the /INSTALL switch, the /HOSTNAME:<backup_server>switch is used, an FBSWorker.ini configuration file will be created during installation. It will contain an entry specifying the name of the host (backup server). This entry tells FBSWorker which computer to connect to, and is vital to ensure correct operation of the software in a network environment.

A number of different commands and techniques can be used to install FBS Worker on a remote computer, including: netexec, rcmd, WMI, GPO. See below for a description of how to install the program using a free application PsExec - PsTools. PsExec will automatically copy the selected program to a remote computer and launch it there.

PsExec - command line syntax and switches

Syntax

psexec [\\computer[,computer2[,...] | @file][-u user [-p psswd]][-n s][-l][-s|-e][-x][-i [session]][-c [-f|-v]][-w directory][-d][-<priority>][-a n,n,... ] cmd [arguments]

Parameters:

Below only those switches have been described which are required to remotely install FBS Worker. For a full description of all switches see: PsExec By Mark Russinovich

computer

Runs the command on the selected computer(s). Using the "\\*" switch will run the command on all computers within a domain.

@file

Runs the command on each computer specified in the selected file.

-c

Before running the command, the selected program is copied to the remote computer.

-d

Does not wait for the program to stop (and does not remove the program when it is done)

-f

Copies the selected program to the remote computer even if the file already exists on the target computer

-p

User name (on the remote computer)

-u

User password (on the remote computer)

cmd

name of program for executing

arguments

Optional switches of the selected program

FBS Worker - command line syntax and switches

Syntax:

FBSWorker [[/install [/force] | /uninstall] [/hostname:n] [/silent]], [/start|/stop]

Parameters:

Below only those switches have been described which are required to remotely install FBS Worker. For a full description of all switches see: FBS Worker - command line syntax and switches

/install

installs the FBSWorker as a system service (automatic startup, SYSTEM account)

/hostname:backup_server_name

During the installation an FBSWorker configuration file will be created including the name (or IP address) of the backup server. During the uninstall operation using this parameter followed by an empty string (space) after the colon will delete the configuration file from the disk.

/silent

When used with the /install or /uninstall switch, the dialog showing FBSWorker install or uninstall progress will not be displayed.

Installation of FBS Worker using PsExec

To install FBS Worker on a remote computer, run:

psexec \\COMPUTER -u USER -p PASSWORD -c -f -d FBSWorker.exe /INSTALL 
                   /HOSTNAME:BACKUP_SERVER/SILENT

To install FBS Worker on multiple computers at once, create a text file containing the names of those computers, one per each line. Save this file on the disk (e.g. as COMPUTER_LIST.TXT) and then run PsExec with the following switches:

psexec @COMPUTER_LIST.TXT -u USER -p PASSWORD -c -f -d FBSWorker.exe /INSTALL 
            /HOSTNAME:BACKUP_SERVER /SILENT

Additional information

Remote installations are possible on computers working under Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 2008. The $IPC resource must be available and the TCP: 135 port must be open on those computers.

See also:

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