MultiSite Manager

User Guide
Contents
1. Getting Started ................................................................................................................................2
Opening the MultiSite Manager................................................................................................................................. 2
Navigating MultiSite Manager .................................................................................................................................... 2

2. The All Sites tabs .............................................................................................................................3

All Sites ................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Reports ................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Licenses ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

3. The Manage Site tabs .....................................................................................................................6

Manage Site – All computers....................................................................................................................................... 6
Manage Site – Single computer ................................................................................................................................. 8
Site Alerts ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Site Licenses...................................................................................................................................................................... 10

4. Remote control of BackupAssist ................................................................................................ 11

Initiating a remote session.......................................................................................................................................... 11
Using a remote session ................................................................................................................................................ 13

5. MultiSite Manager Welcome menu ........................................................................................... 13

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

1
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
1. Getting Started
BackupAssist MultiSite Manager is a web application that allows you to remotely administer
BackupAssist v8 and later computers over the internet. BackupAssist MultiSite Manager is installed onto
the computer that will manage your BackupAssist computers. This computer will be the MultiSite
Manager and you can interface with it using a web browser.

All of the computers to be managed by the MultiSite Manager are grouped into sites. One computer in
each site is made a Site Controller, which connects to the MultiSite Manager and communicates with it
on behalf of its site. All other BackupAssist computers in the site are added to the Site Controller.

To learn how to implement a MultiSite Manager solution, see our MultiSite Manager setup guide.
To learn more about MultiSite Manager licensing, see our licensing webpage.

Opening the MultiSite Manager

MultiSite Manager is opened in a web browser, using one of the following methods:

 From the computer MultiSite Manager is installed on - Select the Windows Start button > All
Programs > BackupAssist MultiSite Manager v8 > BackupAssist MultiSite Manager.
 From a remote computer - open a web browser and enter the MultiSite Manager URL. This URL is
HTTP (or HTTPS) ://< the MultiSite Controllers’ globally routable IP address >: port/index.

When the web application opens, you will be prompted to enter the username and password.

Navigating MultiSite Manager

MultiSite Manager has three tabs down the side. The top tab will display either All Sites or Manage
Site. The names and contents of tabs 2 and 3 will depend on what top tab is selected - as shown below.

Tab Tab name Displays Specific Features

 Access/ Edit site

1 All Sites All managed sites  Approve/Reject Site
Registrations

 Global email report

2 Reports MultiSite Manager reports and report configurations  Alerts
 Jobs status (all /last 24hrs)

3 Licenses Licenses of all BackupAssist installations on all sites  Info only

 Remote Update
Computers screen - displayed by accessing the site  Remote Session
 Add computers
1 Manage Site
 Backup job management
Backup jobs screen-displayed by accessing a
 View job reports
computer
 System Info

2 Site Alerts All Alerts for the site  Site email reports

3 Site Licenses All BackupAssist licenses in the site  Activate, buy and renew

Use the breadcrumbs at the top of the UI to navigate back.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

2
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
2. The All Sites tabs
When the All Sites tab is shown, the two tabs below it will be the Reports tab and Licenses tab, which
provide information for the sites displayed under the All Sites tab.

All Sites
The All Sites tab displays the BackupAssist sites that have been registered to the MultiSite Manager. A
site is a set of grouped computers (BackupAssist installations) located in the same local area network
(LAN). Computers from different networks cannot be grouped into the same site.

The example below shows three sites, with columns of information about each site. Selecting the right
edge of a column will open a drop down list of sorting options, filters and column selections.

Figure 1: MultiSite Manager - All Sites tab

The following functions are available on the All Sites tab:

Access site
This button will take you to the Manage Site screen, for the site selected.

Edit
This button allows you to change the site’s Username, Password and Site Name.

Remove
This button will remove the selected site from the MultiSite Manager.

Pending registrations
This button is used to approve Site Controllers that have been registered with the MultiSite Manager.
This button will be red if registrations are awaiting approval. Selecting the Pending Registrations button
will open a dialog and display any pending requests. You can then select the Approve tick next to the
Site Controller to add its site to the MultiSite Manager. Select Refresh to update the sites listed.

Refresh
This button will refresh the listed sites and their information.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

3
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Reports
The Reports tab displays information about all backup jobs on all computers managed by MultiSite
Manager. This information is divided into three screens: Alerts, Jobs (24hrs) and Last Status Of All
Jobs. The Reports tab is also used to configure a Global Email Report.

 The Reports tab will only display backup jobs that are enabled in BackupAssist.
 The drop-down arrow by each column’s heading allows you to select what columns are displayed.

Alerts

When you select this button, the Alerts screen will display:

 Backup jobs with Alerts sections - lists all backup jobs with alerts.
 If you click refresh, the alerts displayed will be updated.
 If you click on Full report in the Errors / Warning column, the backup report for that job opens.
 If you click the Knowledgebase BA error code, the knowledgebase article for that error opens.

Figure 2: MultiSite Manager - Reports tab

 Non-Contactable Machines section - lists all computers in all sites that are not currently accessible.
 Machines with expired BackupAssist Trial or Upgrade protection section.

Jobs (24Hrs)

When you select this button, all backup jobs that ran in the last 24 hours will be displayed. This will
include both successful backup jobs and backup jobs with errors / warnings.

 The View Reports button will display the past backup jobs run by the selected backup job.
 The Refresh button will update the status of the backup jobs displayed.

Last Status Of All Jobs

When you select this button, the last backup report for every backup job will be displayed. This will
include both successful backup jobs and backup jobs with errors / warnings.

 The View Reports button will display the past backup jobs of the selected backup job
 The Refresh button will update the status of the backup jobs displayed.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

4
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Global Email Report
This button opens the Global Email Report configuration screen. Use this screen to enable daily email
notifications. The Global Email Report provides a snapshot of all backup jobs in all sites.

To enable Global Email Reports, select Activate notification emails and enter the following information:
1. From: Use this field to enter the name you want to appear in the From field in the email’s header.
2. To: Enter the recipients email addresses in separate lines, by pressing enter after each recipient.
3. SMTP Server: Enter the mail server information for the mail account that will be sending the emails.
4. MultiSite Reports: Select the type of information to be included in the report.
5. Every day at: Select the time of day that the report is to be sent
6. Use the Test settings and connection type button, if you want to send a test email.

Licenses
The Licenses tab displays the status of all BackupAssist licenses in all sites. Use the drop down arrow by
each column’s heading to select the columns that are displayed and to sort their contents.

Figure 3: All Sites - Licenses tab

Info
This button will display the licenses of a selected computer and how long each license is valid for. To
update licenses you need to use the Site Licenses tab with the Manage Site tab selected

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

5
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
3. The Manage Site tabs
When you select a specific site in the All Sites tab, MultiSite Manager will display the Manage Site tab.
At the Manage Site level, the next two tabs displayed are Site Alerts and Site Licenses. The content
displayed in these three tabs is for the selected site.

The Manage Site tab displays two levels of information:

 Manage Site (All computers) - Default, for managing BackupAssist computers in the selected site.
 Manage Site (Single computer) - For managing all backup jobs on a selected computer.

This section explains the two Manage Site tab levels, the Site Alerts tab and the Site Licenses tab.

Manage Site – All computers

This tab is used to manage computers in the selected site, and includes the Remote Update and
Initiate Remote Session features.

A BackupAssist computer is added to a site using the BackupAssist Remote tab > Remote Setup option.
This section explains the options and features available for computers that have been added to a site.

Figure 4: Manage Site – Computers

Access Computer
This button (or double clicking a computer) will open the selected computer and display its backup jobs.

Edit
This button allows you to change a computer’s Port, Username, Password and Comment. For a Site
Controller, you can only edit the comment.

Remove
This button removes the selected computer from the site.

Manage update
This button is available (instead of Remote update) if the Site Controller is selected.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

6
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
The button opens a window that lists:
 The version of BackupAssist installed on the Site Controller.
 The version of BackupAssist downloaded from BackupAssist and ready for deployment.
 The current version of BackupAssist available from BackupAssist.com.

Download will download the most recent copy of BackupAssist and store it in the BackupAssist directory
of the Site Controller. This copy will be used to install and update BackupAssist on other computers.

Install will install the downloaded version of BackupAssist onto the Site Controller.

Support
The support button opens an email template, so you can send a support request to BackupAssist
Technical support. The template allows you to select BackupAssist installations within the site and send
their BackupAssist diagnostics, as well as the MultiSite Manager diagnostics, with the support request.

Remote update
Remote Update is used to update the version of BackupAssist installed on computers within the site.
The Remote Update button will appear when a Regular BackupAssist Computer is selected.

To perform an update:
1. Downloaded the latest version of BackupAssist using the Site Controller’s Manage Update feature.
2. Select the Remote Update button to open a dialog for the selected computer.
3. Enter the Remote Computer Credentials. The credentials can be the remote computer’s BackupAssist
User Identity or a Windows account with permission to install software onto the remote computer.
4. Select Update Computer.

Figure 5: Manage Site – Remote update

Initiate Remote Session

This menu item is used to initiate a remote session to the selected computer. This feature allows you to
remotely create and modify backup jobs and perform remote restores. See the, Remote Control of
BackupAssist section, for information about this feature and how to use it.

Refresh
This button will reload and update the list of computers in the site.
BackupAssist MultiSite Manager
7
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Manage Site – Single computer
When you open a computer from the Manage Site tab, you can view the backup jobs, reports and
system information for that computer using three screens: Manage, Reports and System Info.

This section explains each of these screens and their features.

Manage

This default screen is used to manage the backup jobs on the computer, using the following options:

 Edit Job: Initiates a BackupAssist remote session to the computer so that the backup job can be
edited. See the, Remote Control of BackupAssist section for more information.

 Enable Job & Disable Job: Enables or disables the selected backup job.

 View Reports: Lists past backup reports for the selected job. Selecting a backup will open its report.

 Run Job & Cancel Job: Start or stop the selected backup job.

 Launch Job Monitor: Displays a summary of the last backup job that was run. This window will
automatically open when Run Job is selected and display the job’s progress in real-time.

 Refresh: Updates the backup jobs displayed and their status.

Figure 6: Manage Site – computers screen

Reports
This screen lists the reports of all backup jobs that have been run on the BackupAssist computer. Select
View Backup Report or double-click the report to display its contents.

System Info
This screen displays system information such as the selected computer’s operating system and the
version of BackupAssist installed.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

8
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Site Alerts
The Site Alerts tab is used to manage alerts within a site by providing:

 A list all current alerts on all computers in the site.

 A list of computers with expired BackupAssist Trial or Upgrade Protection in the site.
 Email report configuration for all backup jobs on all BackupAssist computers within the site

Alerts requiring attention for the selected site

This section is used to access alert information within the site.

 An alert is an error / warning reported by a backup report.

 The alerts displayed are from a backup job’s most recent backup report.

The following actions can be performed:

 If you click on Full report in the Errors / Warning column, the backup report for that job will open.
 If you click the Knowledgebase BA error code, the knowledgebase article for that error will open.
 Select Refresh to recheck the backup reports and update the results displayed.

Figure 7: Manage Site- Site Alerts tab

Site Email report

This button opens the Site Email Report configuration window. Use this window to enable daily email
notifications to a defined selection of recipients. The email can provide a snapshot of all backup jobs in
the site. The Test settings and connection type button will send a test email.

The configurations for this email use the same setup as described in the Global Email Report item under
the All Sites Report tab section.

Machines with expired BackupAssist Trial or Upgrade Protection

This section displays any computer with expired BackupAssist Trial or Upgrade Protection.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

9
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Site Licenses
The Site Licenses tab displays the status of all BackupAssist licenses in the site. You can use this tab to
buy, renew, activate and deactivate any BackupAssist license or Add-on license.

To view the licenses for all sites, select the License tab while the All Sites tab is selected.

Figure 8: Manage Site – Site Licenses tab

The following buttons are used to administer BackupAssist keys and licenses.

Buy
This button will take you to the BackupAssist purchasing page, so you can buy BackupAssist licenses
and Add-on licenses.

Renew
This button will open the BackupAssist upgrade protection renewal page, where you can extend the
upgrade protection for you BackupAssist licenses.

Activate License
Selecting activate will open a dialogue that allows you to enter a license key to activate the selected
license.

Deactivate license
Selecting deactivate will open a confirmation prompt to deactivate the selected license.

Info
This button will display a list of all BackupAssist licenses on a selected computer, and how long each
license is valid for.

Refresh

Selecting refresh will recheck the licensing information and refresh the Site Licenses displayed.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

10
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
4. Remote control of BackupAssist
MultiSite Manager can be used to open a remote BackupAssist session on another computer.

The remote session will give you access to:

 The Backup tab so you can create and modify your backup jobs.
 The Restore tab so you can run:

 The BackupAssist Restore Console

 The BackupAssist SQL Restore tool
 The BackupAssist Hyper-V Restore Console
 The BackupAssist Exchange Granular Restore console

 The Settings and Remote tab so you can modify your BackupAssist settings.

Initiating a remote session

To start a remote BackupAssist session:

1. From the All Sites tab, select the site with the computer that you want to open a remote session to.

2. From the Manage Site tab, select the computer that you want to open a remote session to.

3. Select, Initiate Remote Session. If Initiate Remote Session is greyed out, review the MultiSite
Manager Setup guide's Remote Setup section.

Figure 9: MultiSite Manager – Initiate remote session

When you select Initiate Remote Session, an RDP configuration file will be downloaded by your web
browser. This download can prompt web browser specific messages.

If this is the first time you have opened a remote session, read the information in the dialog.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

11
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
4. Select and Open the RDP connection file

When you select the RDP connection file, a remote connection will be initiated and you will be
asked to confirm that you want to run the program.

 Select Connect to proceed with the remote session.

 Select the radio button if you do not want to be prompted with this message again.

5. Authenticate the remote connection

When you select Connect, the remote session’s authentication window will open.

Enter the username and password for the remote computer. These are the credentials you would
use to log into the computer locally.

6. Once you have authenticated, a remote BackupAssist session will be established.

If User Account Control is enabled on the remote machine, a Yes confirmation will be required to
allow the program to run before the remote session is established.

BackupAssist MultiSite Manager

12
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014
Using a remote session
When the connection is established, BackupAssist will open. The BackupAssist session is displayed on
the computer running the MultiSite Manager web application, but running on the remote computer and
updating the remote computer’s BackupAssist installation.

The heading at the top of the BackupAssist session will display the remote computer’s name.

You can use this remote BackupAssist session to access the Backup, Restore, Settings and Remote tabs.

5. MultiSite Manager Welcome menu

The MultiSite Manager Welcome menu appears at the top right of the MultiSite Manager web
application. This menu has five options available, and each one is explained below.

Edit Setup
Allows you to change the MultiSite Manager authentication information and HTTPS / Port settings.
These options are documented in detail in the MultiSite Manager Setup guide.

Support
The Support option allows you to send a support request to BackupAssist Technical Support. You can
also select and send diagnostics for the MultiSite Manager’s computer. To provide diagnostic
information for BackupAssist computers in a site, select the Support button from the Manage Site level.
License info
Provides information about the MultiSite Manager’s license subscription.
About
Displays the currently installed version of MultiSite Manager.
Logout
Selecting logout will take you back to the MultiSite Manager login screen.
BackupAssist MultiSite Manager
13
© Cortex I.T. 2001-2014 User Guide: Version September 16 2014