Table of Contents<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
- <\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
- Two Windows systems in separate locations - either virtual or physical. We will use Windows 10<\/b> clients as an example.<\/li>\n
- External static IP for the remote \u201crepository\u201d system, which will act as a VPN server. You should be able to connect to this system over the Internet directly.<\/li>\n
- Administrator rights on both systems, since VPN configuration, involves network adapters settings change and running of background system services.<\/li>\n
- SoftEther VPN server<\/b><\/a> & client<\/b><\/a> distributions.<\/li>\n
- MSP360 Backup Desktop Free or higher edition.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Note that the free edition is limited to 200 GB of user data and doesn\u2019t support image backups. For using advanced features, choose MSP360 Backup Desktop PRO Edition. (To check all the main features available in this edition, please visit the product page of MSP360 software for Windows cloud backup<\/a>.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
For a VPN backup scenario, we need at least one network share support, which is present in all MSP360 Backup editions.<\/p>\n
How to Create a VPN Connection to the Remote PC<\/h2>\n
First of all, you need to install SoftEther VPN server <\/b>on the remote system, which will act as a remote connections server. Then install SoftEther VPN client <\/b>to the local machine, which will initiate the remote connection to the VPN server. SoftEther installation is a wizard-driven process, but if you face any difficulties - please check the vendor\u2019s manual<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Server Configuration<\/h2>\n
When the software is up and running, let\u2019s create a VPN connection profile on the remote system:<\/p>\n
\nConnect to the remote machine (here and after - remote PC<\/b>) by using your favorite remote management tool - for example, Microsoft Remote Desktop.<\/p>\n
Note: please ensure that your remote PC has an external IP. If it is not connected to the Internet directly, you may need to set up port-forwarding on the remote network router - please refer to the device manufacturer documentation.<\/em><\/p>\n
First, you need to create a local Windows user on the remote PC - we will use it to authenticate the VPN connection. Despite allowing you to create an internal user account in SoftEther VPN, it is better to use a Windows-based account since you will also need it to set up network sharing:<\/p>\n
Right-click Start <\/b>button and choose Computer Management<\/b>:
![\"Computer](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image1-1.png\")
<\/p>\nNavigate to Local Users and Groups<\/b> and choose New User <\/b>in the context menu of Users<\/b> folder.
![\"Local](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image3-1.png\")
<\/p>\nSet User name<\/b> and Password<\/b>, uncheck option User must change password at next login<\/b> and click Create<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Now create a VPN server configuration - launch SoftEther VPN Server Manager<\/b> on the remote PC and click Connect<\/b> in the window that appeared:
![\"SoftEther](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image2-1.png\")
<\/p>\nIn the Manage VPN Server\u2026<\/b> window click Create a Virtual Hub:<\/b>
\n<\/b>
\n![\"Create](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image5-1.png\")
Enter the hub name in the New Virtual Hub<\/b> window, leave other settings at their defaults, and click OK<\/b>.<\/p>\nAt this moment you should verify that the remote PC is available from the Internet. Here is one of the possible ways of checking it:
\n
\n- Find out the external IP address assigned to the remote PC. For example, you can visit My External IP website<\/a> from the remote PC - your IP will be shown at the top.
\n
\n- On the local<\/b> computer for which you will create a backup (here and after - local PC) open Windows Terminal<\/b> by pressing WIN+R and then typing CMD<\/b>.
\n
\n- In the terminal window type the following command and press Enter<\/b>:
\n![\"terminal](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Capture.png\")
\nIf the remote PC is accessible from the outside, you will get a similar output:
\n![\"terminal](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image4-1.png\")
If you get the \u201cRequest timed out\u201d message instead, then you need to check network connectivity between local and remote PCs.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s specify which users can connect to the VPN server. Click Manage Virtual Hub<\/b> button:
\n![\"Manage](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image7-1.png\")
<\/p>\nIn the Management of Virtual Hub<\/b> window press Manage Users<\/b>:
\n![\"Press](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image6-1.png\")
<\/p>\nClick New<\/b> to change settings. Since we are going to use Windows internal accounts - enter \u2018*<\/b>\u2019 as new User Name <\/b>and select NT Domain Authentication<\/b> in the list below:
\n![\"NT](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image9-1.png\")
Click OK<\/b> and then close all opened windows.<\/p>\nNow you need to obtain the local IP which we will use as our backup repository address. You can use one of the remote PC network adapters and its network address<\/a> and mask. Check the settings using this command:
\n![\"ipconfig](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/ipconfigall.png\")
<\/p>\nNote the network adapter desired and its IP\/mask. Here is the example output:
\n![\"configuration](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image8.png\")
<\/p>\nIn our case, the remote PC internal IP is 192.168.40.1 with network mask 255.255.255.0. Remote PC is now configured as a VPN server.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Client Configuration<\/h2>\n
To configure the client profile, you need to open the\u00a0local PC<\/b> console and do the following:<\/p>\n
\nStart SoftEther VPN Client<\/b> and click Add VPN connection<\/b> in the main window (please agree with creating a new virtual adapter):
\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image12.png\")
\nIn the New VPN Connection Settings Properties window you should set the following:
\n
\nSetting Name<\/b> - specify VPN connection name.
\nHost Name<\/b> - specify remote PC external IP.<\/b>
\nPort Number<\/b> - use the drop-down menu and choose TCP:5555.
\nVirtual Hub Name<\/b> - select hub created in the previous steps.
\nEnsure you have selected available Virtual Network Adapter<\/b>.
\nAuth Type<\/b> - select RADIUS or NT Domain Authentication<\/b> and provide user credentials that we created during VPN server configuration.
\n![\"RADIUS](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image10-2.png\")
<\/p>\nNow we need to specify the IP address and mask for our VPN adapter. Right-click the Windows Start<\/b> button and choose Network Connections<\/b>:
\n![\"Network](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image11-1.png\")
<\/p>\nIn the Network Connections<\/b> window select virtual VPN adapter and click Properties<\/b> in its context menu. Then click Internet Protocol Version 4<\/b> and specify IP address from the same network as you find at the last step of VPN server configuration.
\n![\"VPN](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image13.png\")
<\/p>\nNow we can establish a VPN connection by double-clicking it in SoftEther VPN Client Manager<\/b>. If the connection state is changed to \u201cConnected\u201d, then your configuration was successful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Now we have a VPN tunnel established and are now able to map the remote shared folder.<\/p>\n
How to Back Up to Remote Shared Folder<\/h2>\n
Windows Network Sharing<\/b> is a complex set of services that allows you to access computers over the local network. Since we have a limited VPN network, it is better to use Ip addresses instead of DNS or NetBIOS names. Such an approach helps maintain sharing performance and connection stability.<\/p>\n
We can map the shared folder directly in MSP360 Backup, but first of all, you need to share the specific folder:<\/p>\n
\nConnect to the remote PC<\/b> and open Windows Explorer<\/b>. Create the folder which will contain MSP360 backups and choose Properties<\/b> in its context menu.<\/p>\n
Select the Sharing<\/b> tab and click the Share<\/b> button - you will need to type a username (VpnUser<\/b> in our example) and click Add<\/b>. Then you can change user permissions so our backup account can read and write the data.<\/p>\n
![\"Sharing](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image14.png\")
<\/p>\nAfter confirming your actions with the Share<\/b> button, this folder will become accessible via the VPN network.<\/p>\n
Start the backup plan wizard by clicking either Files<\/b> or the Image Based<\/b> button. Files allow you to back up data on the file level; Image-Based allows you to capture an entire volume on the lower level. So, the second option is better for a whole system backup or as a part of the disaster recovery strategy.
\n![\"Files](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image15.png\")
<\/p>\n
Use Case<\/h2>\n
This guide can be suitable in case you want to implement a low-cost off-site backup scenario using only the resources you have: two computers connected via the Internet. This scenario is a good option for home users or a small office environment, but it is also helpful in case you need to move the system to another location by using system image and new hardware.<\/p>\n
We can also mention a less common scenario - disaster recovery. You may want to protect from a disaster in a few crucial servers or workstations by maintaining their offline copies in a remote location. Regardless of the particular scenario, for the P2P backup, we suggest using a VPN connection since it is the simplest way of connecting two PCs over the Internet.<\/p>\n To show how the P2P backup works, we will create a remote repository based on the remote network shared folder. Then we will use this share as a MSP360 Backup repository. The backup data will go from the local PC to a remote one by using a VPN network.<\/p>\n Windows has a built-in VPN server called Routing and Remote Access Service, but in this guide, we will use the third-party tool SoftEther VPN<\/b><\/a> - it's easier and generally more stable than using an embedded Windows service. The software is free of charge and has a graphical interface, unlike most of the other open-source VPN tools.<\/p>\n Unlike Windows PPTP or any legacy VPN protocols, SoftEther VPN also has optimized MTU (minimum transmission size) handing to send large data frames over the VPN connection, thus improving overall backup performance.<\/p>\n![\"CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/a99bf554-4786-40d2-8e73-43bf625d6417.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nP2P Backup Scenario Overview<\/h2>\n
![\"CTA\"](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5442029\/3032fa20-c25d-4554-b82e-0e1d01d94ecd.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\nChecklist for Creating VPN Backup Repository<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"Select](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image16.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Provide](\"https:\/\/www.msp360.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/image17.png\")
<\/p>\n