Backup and restore

Who can do this

The administrator, in the office on https://myai.local/. Backups cannot be made, downloaded or restored from the remote address.

Before you start

The recovery key that was current when the backup was made.
For a restore: a moment when nobody works on the box. Everyone is signed out afterwards.

The recovery key

The box makes no backup until a recovery key exists: “No recovery key yet: the box makes no backup until one exists.”

Open Administration, sub-tab General, panel Backups.
Press Create the recovery key.
Save the key: Copy, or Download as a file.
Press I have saved it.

“This is the only time the box shows this key.” The box keeps only the key’s fingerprint.

Create a new recovery key replaces the key. “Backups made before it can then only be opened with the old key; keep the old key as long as you keep those backups.” The table shows which key each backup needs: “current” or “earlier key” and its fingerprint.

Nightly backups

Every night at 03:30 by the box’s clock, the box makes an encrypted backup.
Nightly and manual backups together: the newest 7 are kept.
In a backup: tasks and their history, users (with their passwords in protected form), installed workers and their answers, settings, the owner policy, the workers’ workspaces, the SSH keys.
Never in a backup: the AI provider key, connection secrets (GitHub, API keys), the store enrolment, the remote access code.
Tasks that are running when a backup starts are waited for up to 5 minutes. After that, the backup notes that their unfinished files may be incomplete.

Back up now makes a backup at once, for example before an update.

Download a backup

In Backups on this box, press Download on a backup. The progress shows under the link, for example “Downloading: 120.0 MiB of 412.3 MiB (29%)”. The browser saves the file when it is complete. The file is called truchsess-backup- plus the time, and ends in .age. It is encrypted with the recovery key. Keep it outside the box.

If the connection breaks, the line says “The download broke …” and nothing is saved. Press Download again.

Restore on the same box

In the panel Backups, section Restore, choose the Backup: one of the box’s backups, or A backup file from this computer and then the Backup file.
Paste the Recovery key, or choose it under or the recovery key file.
Press Restore, then Confirm restore within 10 seconds.
Follow the steps: “Open the backup with the recovery key”, “Check the release and every file”, “Keep a safety copy of the box”, “Stop the services”, “Put the backup in place”, “Update the database to this release”, “Start the services”, “Check that everything runs”.
The box signs everyone out: “The restore has finished its work and signed everyone out.” Sign in again with an account from the backup.
Read the table Enter these again and enter each secret where it says.

If a step fails, the box returns to how it was before.

Restore on a new box

Use this when you move to a new box or replace a broken one.

Install the new box. See Unbox and connect.
Open https://myai.local/. On Create the CEO administrator, press the link Restore from a backup. Do not create an account first.
Enter the Bootstrap code.
Choose the Backup file.
Paste the Recovery key, or choose the key file.
Press Restore.
When it is done, read Enter these again and press Sign in. Sign in with an account from the backup.

On a box that is already set up this is refused: “This box is already set up: restore under Administration, General, Backups.”

What you see afterwards

The table Enter these again lists only what this box does not hold:

What	Where
The AI provider key	Administration, General. The table says “Connect an AI provider”; the button is Change AI provider in the panel People and access.
GitHub	Administration, Connections: Connect GitHub
The API key for a service	Administration, Connections
The store enrolment	Administration, Packages, Store: Enrol
Remote access (it is switched off)	Administration, Remote access

“Nothing: this box still holds every secret the backup’s box had.” means there is nothing to enter.

Your choices

Choice	What it does	When to pick it	Can you undo it?
Back up now	A backup at once.	Before big changes.	n/a
Download	Saves a backup file.	Regularly.	n/a
Restore (same box)	Puts the box back to the backup.	After a mistake you cannot fix otherwise.	No. Make a backup first, so you can restore that one.
Restore from a backup (new box)	Moves a box’s work to a new box.	New or replacement box.	No.

If something goes wrong:

“This recovery key does not open this backup. Use the recovery key that was current when the backup was made. Nothing was changed.”
“This backup comes from a newer release (…). Update this box first, then restore.”
“The disk is full: the restore stopped and the box was put back. Free some space and try again.”