Overview
Device replacement is an activity undertaken by most organizations to upgrade the user devices to the latest software versions.
The user device may also require device replacement in events such as:
Damage to the device
Loss or theft of the device
Upgrade to a new device
📝 Note
Device replacement is helpful when a user has multiple devices and needs to replace only one particular device.
In such scenarios, the user should not find it challenging to restore the backed-up data from the old device to the replacement device or new device.
To ensure that users find it convenient while migrating to the replacement device and that there is no data loss during the device replacement activity, inSync features the capability of allowing administrators to remotely replace the user devices for remote users working in Active Directory (AD) and non-AD environments.
Using this feature, the inSync administrators can restore the complete data onto the replacement device before it is shipped to the user. As a result, when the user activates the inSync Client on the replacement device, inSync tries to automatically map the restored data to the relevant destination paths and folders.
📝 Note
You can view the device replacement details from the User Audit Trail page using the Activities related to->All filter. You can also download the details in .html and .csv formats. For more information on how to use the Audit Trail settings, see Audit Trail.
Option to add a new device
Administrators also get the option to add a new device for the user instead of replacing the old device to avoid any chances of losing data updates made on the older device while the new device is activated and shipped. The user will have two devices in the inSync Client and can continue using both devices even after receiving the new device. As soon as the user activates the inSync Client on the new device, inSync tries to automatically map the restored data to the relevant destination paths and folders, including the data that was backed up on the old device while the new replacement device was in transit.
The capability to restore the most recent data from the old device onto the new device while the new device is in transit is called Restore Delta Data.
❗ Important
Restore Delta Data is an on-demand feature. Contact Support to enable this feature for your account.
Advantages of remote device replace
The device is replaced remotely by the inSync administrator with minimal to no user efforts.
The inSync administrator can restore the user's data on the new device, ensuring no data loss.
Restore failures due to poor connectivity or less available bandwidth issues are minimized considerably.
The user gets a new device with data already restored on it.
There is no loss of data, as even restored data that cannot be mapped to its relevant path or folder stays in the temporary location unless the inSync Client is uninstalled.
Limitations of remote device replace
All users' data will always be restored, and any other data, if present, will be overwritten. But if the other data is present and encrypted as well, then it will not be restored.
Device replacement will not work if the user has enabled data privacy settings.
Device replacement is not supported for OpenLDAP users.
The inSync administrator can replace a device remotely by using Integrated Mass Deployment (IMD) for Active Directory (AD) or non-AD users.
Device Replace workflow for AD/LDAP, Azure AD & SCIM users
The device replacement workflow for AD users is as follows:
inSync Administrator actions:
From the Endpoints console, go to the Devices page, mark the device that needs to be replaced, and start the device replacement process.
System Administrator actions:
Installs inSync Client on the user's new device and logs into the new device.
inSync Client restores all the data on the new device.
After this step, the new device is ready to be shipped to the user.
📝 Note
System settings are not scheduled for restoration by default.
System settings are restored only after the user logs on to the device using their AD credentials.
User actions:
Using Active Directory credentials, log in to the new device.
The inSync Client restores system settings. It then moves the restored data, which is saved at the temporary location, to relevant paths and folders as required.
The device is now ready to be used.
Device Replace Process for AD/LDAP, Azure AD & SCIM users
The following table describes the steps involved in replacing the user devices for remote users who are connected to the AD environment:
Step | Description |
Step 1 | Mark the old device for replacement from the Endpoints Console. |
Step 2 | |
Step 3 | |
Step 4 | |
Step 5 | inSync Client restores all the data on the new device. For more information, see Temporary location directories for restored data. |
Step 6 | The device is now ready to be shipped to the user. When they receive the replacement device, they can complete further steps. |
Device Replace workflow for non-AD users
The device replacement workflow for non-AD users is as follows:
inSync Administrator actions:
From the Devices page in the Endpoints console, mark the device that needs to be replaced and start the device replacement process.
System Administrator actions:
Login to the new device and create a local account.
Using IMD, install inSync Client on the user's new device.
Log in as the user on the new device.
inSync Client restores all the data, including system settings, on the new device.
inSync Client moves the restored data, which is saved at the temporary location, to relevant paths and folders as required.
The device is ready to be shipped to the user.
User actions:
Login to the new device, which is ready to be used.
Device replacement process for non-AD users
The following table describes the multi-step process for the Integrated Mass Deployment (IMD) device replace.
Step | Description |
Step 1 | Mark the old device for replacement from the inSync Management Console. |
Step 2 | Create a user account on the new device. |
Step 3 | |
Step 4 | |
Step 5 | Log in as a user on the replacement device. |
Step 6 | Run the IMD commands for the Non-AD users. |
Step 7 | inSync Client restores all the data on the replacement device, including System Settings. For more information, see Temporary location directories for restored data. |
Step 8 | inSync Client moves the data from the temporary location to relevant folders and paths. For more information, see Device replace for Non-AD users. |
Step 9 | The device is now ready to be shipped to the user. Users can complete further steps when they receive the replacement device. |