How to Replace your Backup Server and Start Over with New Backup Data

Read this page when you need to replace your Backup Server AND you want to START OVER with new backup data. Notice that you are doing 2 things in this situation - (1) you are setting up a NEW Backup Server, and (2) you want your Backup Clients to re-baseline, or perform a new backup with no references to past backup data. 

If you do not want to do BOTH of these things, you should return to the main BFW Support Page to read the other entries to find one that better matches what you want to do.

To replace your BFW Backup Server

Step 1 - Setup Backup for Workgroups on your new replacement Backup Server

1. Get your new hardware in place, make sure Windows is installed and running.  Attach/install your new backup storage device to the computer that will act as your new Backup Server. Make sure that Windows can access this new storage drive and you have formatted the drive using NTFS and that the drive has normal, read/write access such that the local System Account has full access to the drive.  Windows should see this drive as a drive letter or through a network share.  At this point, you have a new, operational drive, ready to be used by BFW.
2. Download the Backup for Workgroups Setup program to this new Backup Server computer.
   
   Click here to download the Backup for Workgroups Setup program.
3. Run the BFW Setup program.
4. The opening screen shows the license agreement, press the large button to accept the license agreement.
5. The next screen asks you 3 questions - If you only intend to backup just this computer choose the top item to backup only this computer.  For all other cases choose the middle item to backup this computer and / or any other computer on your network.  For the purposes of these instructions we will assume you are backing up more than one computer, so we will assume you will select the middle item to backup this computer and other computers.
6. The setup program asks if this computer is to be the Backup Server or a Client Computer (only).  Choose Backup Server.
7. The setup will ask where you want to store the backup data.  Specify a local drive that is empty and has enough storage space to hold the backup data for the computers you plan to backup.
8. The setup will then ask for the names of the computers to backup.  You can enter the computer names at this time or you can create the account list at any time at the clients panel.  Note that the setup will limit you to 10 accounts.  If you have more, then enter a few at this time and the rest after you enter your license keys.
9. The last step in the setup is to make sure that the computer running the Backup Server has Inbound TCP Port 2125 open to allow connections from the Backup Clients.  The Clients connect to the backup server using TCP/IP Port 2125.  The Clients are Outbound TCP and the backup server is Inbound TCP.

Step 2 - Repeat the following at each Backup Client

1. Go to each Backup Client computer that you were including in the backup process before you needed to replace your Backup Server and Backup Storage Device.  You should already have Backup for Workgroups installed on these computers. 
2. Run the Backup for Workgroups Admin.
3. Go to Tools > Preferences > Account Information.
4. At the Account Information dialog, you want to change the name of the computer running the Backup Server from the old computer name to the new computer name. After making your changes, press the Test Login button to make sure the Backup Client can access the Backup Server properly.
5. Press OK to save your changes.  The Backup Client typically "re-synchronizes" its cached data with the new Backup Server.  This process should remove the backup history from the backup client but retain its settings.  So the next backup is a baseline backup and a new backup history will be created.