📋 GRC compliance for CMMC 2.0, CPCSC, CPA Canada, IIROC…SaaS discovery for data governanceFree enriched web chat widget🚀 Enriched remote support without your laptop

Endpoint Backup

Back up folders, drives and databases on your Windows computers. Data is encrypted on the computer, only changes are sent, and backups step aside for calls and busy users.

Open Endpoint Backup in your console

Where to find it
Backup & Recovery › Endpoint Backup
Who can use it
Administrators. Recovery keys, turning backup on or off and opening a backup key need a super-admin.
For
Windows computers running the Lavawall agent 2.0 or later
Plan
Lavawall Backup. See pricing

What the page is for

Endpoint Backup is a page in the Lavawall® console, in the Backup & Recovery area. Lavawall is the RMM, security, and compliance platform from ThreeShield, built and hosted in Canada.

Use it to choose what to back up on each Windows computer (folders, whole drives, databases or the whole computer), how far back you can restore, when backups may run (up to three times a day, or every few hours), and the rules that keep backups out of the way: only when nobody is using the computer, never during calls or while the camera is on, and not on battery. You also browse past backups and restore files from here.

Each computer encrypts its own backup before anything leaves it, using a key that only that computer and your recovery keys can open. Only the parts of files that changed since the last backup are sent, so later backups are small. Dates are shown in your local time.

What you see

  1. Backup relay: the address computers send their encrypted backups through, and whether it serves your organization. A super-admin presses Use this relay for our computers once.
  2. Recovery keys: the keys that can open any computer's backup if the computer is lost, with Create recovery key and Send key list to computers. Each key can be retired.
  3. Computers: every Windows computer with its backup state (Up to date, Backing up, Paused, Waiting or Needs attention, with the reason), last backup and space used, and Turn on backup or Manage on each row.
  4. Computer panel: Back up now, Pause backups, Resume backups, Verify backup, Recover backup key and Turn off backup, then three tabs: What and when, Restore and Activity.

How to use Endpoint Backup

How to set up backup for your organization (super-admin, once)

  1. Under Backup relay, click Use this relay for our computers and confirm.
  2. Under Recovery keys, click Create recovery key and give it a name, for example who keeps it.
  3. Your browser downloads a key file. Store it offline in two safe places, for example two encrypted USB keys kept apart. Lavawall does not keep a copy.
  4. Tick I have stored the file somewhere safe and offline and click Register the key.

How to turn on backup for a computer (super-admin)

  1. In Computers, click Turn on backup on the computer's row.
  2. Compare the fingerprint shown with the computer's own, then click It matches: turn on.
  3. The computer starts within a minute when it is online. It locks its backup key to your recovery keys before it uploads anything.

How to choose what to back up and when

  1. Click Manage on the computer, then Add backup set on the What and when tab.
  2. Give it a Name. To protect everything on the computer, tick The whole computer. Otherwise add folders or drives: type a path such as C:\Users\name\Documents or D:\ and click Add, or click Browse this computer… and add folders from the computer itself.
  3. Leave Skip OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox folders ticked if those are backed up from the cloud. Add any patterns to leave out, one per line.
  4. Under When, choose At these times of day and set up to three periods with the days they apply, or choose Every and a number of hours.
  5. Under Stay out of the way, choose whether to back up Only while nobody is using the computer, and keep Pause during calls, Pause while the camera is on and Wait while on battery ticked. Set an Upload limit if the connection is slow.
  6. Under Keep, choose Restore up to: 90 days, 3, 6 or 12 months, 3, 5 or 7 years back, or No limit. Choose Custom counts to set how many latest, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly backups to keep instead.
  7. Optionally, under Databases, click Add database for SQL Server, MySQL or PostgreSQL.
  8. Click Save.

How to set a size limit for a computer (super-admin)

  1. Click Manage on the computer.
  2. Under Size limit for this computer's backups, choose a size and click Save limit.
  3. If the limit is lower than before, confirm. When the computer's backups are over the limit, it removes its oldest restore points a few at a time until they fit. Backups from the last 7 days and the newest backup of each folder are always kept.

When computers pause because of your backup plan

Computers back up only while Lavawall Backup is enabled for your organization, the organization is active, and the plan has storage left. Otherwise:

  • When storage is full, computers stop uploading new backups, and Back up now is refused. New backups can run again once there is room.
  • When backup is not enabled, or the organization is not active, computers do not back up, and you cannot Turn on backup for another computer or add a new backup set. You can still change an existing set, for example to keep less.
  • In every case, restores keep working and nothing is deleted because backups are paused.

The message you see says why and what to do. The Storage & capacity card on Backup & Recovery shows your plan and how much of it is used.

When a computer moves to another organization

A computer's backups belong to the organization that turned backup on for it. When the computer is moved to another organization, for example between two of an MSP's clients, it stops backing up for its old organization. The old organization can no longer send it commands or restore files onto it, and its earlier backups stay with the old organization.

To back the computer up in its new organization, contact Lavawall support. Until then, Turn on backup in the new organization says the computer cannot be enabled. Earlier backups are not moved to the new organization automatically.

How to restore files

  1. Open the computer and choose the Restore tab.
  2. Pick the Backed-up folder and the time under Backup from.
  3. Browse the folders and tick the files or folders you want. Tick nothing to restore the whole folder.
  4. Under Restore to, choose A new folder (LavawallRestore), where nothing existing changes, or The original location and what to do If a file exists: Keep both, Skip it or Replace it.
  5. Click Restore. When it finishes, the window shows where the files are.

How to open a lost computer's backup key (super-admin)

  1. Open the computer and click Recover backup key.
  2. Choose the Recovery key and select its key file. The file is read in your browser only and is never uploaded.
  3. Click Open. Keep the key that is shown private and use it only in the recovery procedure with our support team.

Tips

  • Add a second recovery key held by another person, then click Send key list to computers. Do the same after you retire a key.
  • A backup that is cut off at the end of its period continues from where it stopped in the next period. Nothing already sent is sent again.
  • Open and locked files, such as an open Outlook data file, are included through a Windows shadow copy.
  • Back up now runs outside the schedule but still pauses for calls and the camera.
  • Verify backup reads back a share of the stored data to prove it can be restored.
  • A whole-computer backup and folder backups on the same computer share storage: files are stored once however many sets include them.
  • Only a super-admin can shorten how long backups are kept. Administrators can lengthen it.
  • To choose which bucket a computer's backups go to, or to see space used per computer, open Backup Storage.
  • For SQL Server, give the computer's system account the db_backupoperator role on each database. MySQL and PostgreSQL need a credentials file placed on the computer by your technician.

Troubleshooting

"Waiting for a recovery key"
Create a recovery key, then click Send key list to computers.
"Waiting for the recovery key list"
Click Send key list to computers. Offline computers receive it when they come online.
"Paused: a call is in progress" or "Paused: the camera is on"
The backup continues when the call ends or the camera turns off.
"Waiting: someone is using the computer"
The set backs up only while the computer is idle. It runs when the user steps away or locks the computer.
"Agent update needed"
The computer runs an older Lavawall agent. Update the agent, then turn on backup.
A folder is listed as skipped
It is not on the computer right now (for example an unplugged drive) or it is a shortcut to another place. Select the real folder instead.
"The computer did not answer"
The computer is offline or asleep. Try again when it is online.
"Removing older backups did not help"
The computer is over its size limit but the backups it is allowed to remove would not free enough space. Raise the limit, or back up less on that computer.
"Only a super-admin can shorten how long backups are kept"
Ask a super-admin to change Restore up to, or choose a longer period.
"Backups paused: storage is full (…)"
Your plan's storage is full. Restores and downloads still work and nothing is deleted. Ask your provider to add capacity, or back up less on your computers.
"Backups are not enabled for this company, so no new backups run."
Lavawall Backup is not turned on for your organization. Backups already taken can still be restored. Contact your provider to add Lavawall Backup to your plan.
"Company is not active, so no new backups run."
Restores still work. Contact your provider to reactivate the company.
"This computer is not enabled for backup."
Backup is off for the computer, or the computer has moved to another organization. See When a computer moves to another organization.
"This computer cannot be enabled. Contact Lavawall support."
The computer is still linked to another organization's backups, usually because it was moved. Lavawall support can move its backup identity to your organization.

Still need help?

Search the support centre, or contact our support team and tell us which page you were on:

We use privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics to count visits, and one cookie to run our live chat. Both load only if you accept. We do not use advertising trackers, and we do not profile you across other websites. The essential cookies that keep the site working are always on. See our privacy policy.