License editions: To understand the applicable license editions, see Plans & Pricing.
Overview
This document contains information about persona backup and includes instructions for using OS migration in your organization. This document is for administrators who want to use inSync to back up system and application settings on user devices and use inSync for OS migration on user devices.
The Persona Backup (also System, App Settings) feature ensures backup of system and application settings across user devices. With Persona Backup, administrators can restore what they need anytime, anywhere. Users no longer need to remember or reconfigure their system preferences. They can simply restore system and application settings to as many new devices as required in just a few clicks.
Usage Scenarios
When you enable System and App Settings, you can:
Use case | Description |
Replace a lost device | The user can restore the system and application settings from the lost device to the replacement device. This ensures that the user has the same familiar environment on the replacement device. |
Quickly configure new devices | If your organization requires all devices to adhere to a specific configuration, use the Persona Backup feature to create a backup of the system settings from an existing system. Administrators can use this backup data to quickly configure new devices and have them ready for use. |
Migrate to a later version of an operating system | You can now quickly migrate systems across your organization to a later version of your preferred operating system. Once you complete the upgrade, you only need to restore previously stored system settings. |
Recover from a system failure | You can quickly recover your system settings in the event of a failure. If a system stops responding, the inSync user can use the previously backed-up system settings to restore its previous state. |
System Settings for Backup
For information on backing up Operating Systems settings and application-related settings, see Supported system settings.
System Settings for Restore
Before you restore system and application settings, ensure that the operating system and applications on the old and new devices match the restores that inSync supports. See Supported system settings.
OS Migration Using Persona Backup
Using inSync, you can simplify the process of OS migration for your organization. You can quickly back up data as well as system and application settings from each employee's device. After upgrading the operating system, you can easily restore the backup data and the system and application settings.
❗ Important
If you want to exclude specific system and app settings from the restore during OS migration, contact Support.
Advantages for the organization
The Persona Backup feature drastically minimizes revenue and productivity loss in the event of a system failure. Organizations no longer need to employ standby hardware for system recovery. Organizations can choose their system preferences in addition to the default preferences that the inSync setup backs up. This means that you can define your organization's most critical system settings.
Advantages for the administrators
Persona Backup is platform-dependent. inSync recognizes platform-specific system preferences and creates a backup of these preferences. Restoring the system and application settings is an easy procedure. You can restore system settings at the time of inSync Client activation. System upgrade does not have to translate to lost preferences. Users can upgrade their operating systems and then import system preferences to the newly created environment. Device loss now has a lesser impact on productivity. The Persona Backup feature gets a new device ready within minutes.
Advantages for the users
Adding a new device is easy. In just a few minutes, you can create a ready environment. Users no longer need to remember system preferences. They can restore their favorite preferences to new devices with minimal time and effort.
Supported OS migration implementations
The following table lists the two processes you can follow for OS migration using inSync:
Process | Description |
Replace device | You will either replace a user device with a new device or upgrade the operating system. In either case, the user has only one device during the migration process. |
Add new device | You will give a new device to the user. |
OS Migration Process
Step 1: Identify user profiles
To enable persona backup for users, you must include System, App Settings for backup. You can enable the option either while creating new profiles for the users or by modifying the existing profiles. For instructions on selecting System, App Settings for backup, see Enable Persona Backup.
Step 2: Install inSync on user devices
📝 Note
This step is required for only those users of your organization who are not using inSync.
After you create a inSync account for such users, do one of the following:
Let users install and activate the inSync Client on their devices.
You install the inSync Client on user devices by using the integrated mass deployment (IMD) process.
Integrated mass deployment (IMD) is an end-to-end process that involves the automated deployment of inSync Client in your organization. It includes the automation of inSync Client installation on all user devices, inSync user creation, and inSync Client activation on user devices. You can leverage IMD if your organization uses Active Directory to manage user access and authentication, and users in your organization use Windows or Mac devices.
The following table lists the steps for the integrated mass deployment.
Install or upgrade inSync Connector.
Register Active Directory (AD) with the inSync Server from which you want to import user details.
Configure integrated mass deployment settings.
If you are planning to use IMD for installing inSync on the replacement devices, ensure that you disable the option to activate only the first device during deployment. If the Activate first device only during the deployment check box is selected, click to clear the check box.Create or identify the profiles to which inSync must assign the users who you are importing from your AD. Ensure that you configure the login mechanism as Active Directory.
Create an AD/LDAP mapping. The inSync AD/LDAP mapping wizard allows you to create users in inSync by importing their details from your Active Directory (AD) or LDAP. In an AD/LDAP mapping, you define filter parameters to extract user details from your AD/LDAP. You also define the profile, storage, and quota that inSync must assign to users who match the filter parameters.
Generate a mass deployment token.
Install inSync Client on user devices using automated installation tools, such as System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), LANDesk, or Casper.
Use a script that contains the location of the installer, the mass deployment token, and the IP address and port number for the inSync Server.
For example
msiexec /qn /i \\sharelocation\inSync.msi TOKENV2='33- bb0af8c55da3f9d325e6ce6ad23e97b5d99rg576fcf37ee062754cea bc76cf69' SERVERLIST="cloud.druva.com:443"
For more information, see Install inSync Client for integrated mass deployment.
Post user logon to their devices:
inSync Client fetches the user's AD information from the AD Server, such as the user's login name, email, and group information.
inSync Client sends the user's AD information along with the mass deployment token to the inSync Server.
inSync Server validates the information received and sends the activation response to the inSync Client.
If the validation is successful, the inSync Server creates the user account and activates the inSync Client for the user.
If the validation is not successful, the activation fails.
For detailed instructions on each step of the IMD process, see Integrated Mass Deployment of inSync Client.
Step 3: Monitor backup progress
Ensure that first backups from user devices are successful and the inSync Client is backing up the system and application settings from the user devices. You can refer to the User Rollout report to monitor the progress.
If you notice devices for which the first backup failed or system settings have not been backed up, resolve the issues. For troubleshooting assistance, submit your request to Support.
Step 4: Install inSync on replacement user devices
When installing the inSync Client on the replacement user devices, you can either replace the user's existing devices or add the replacement device as a new device. The latter allows users to use both devices until the time you withdraw the old devices.
After you create an inSync account for such users, do one of the following:
Let users replace a device linked to their inSync account.
You replace the inSync Clients on user devices by using the integrated mass deployment (IMD) process.
❗ Important
If the users are already using multiple devices, Druva recommends that you ask users to replace a device linked to their inSync account. The mass installation process works best if the user has only one device or if you are just adding a new device without restoring backup data or system settings.
Mass Installation Process
As an administrator, you can mass install inSync Clients on all user devices. However, the installation and activation process might fail or succeed depending on the number of devices the user already has and the OS of the devices. The following table lists the different scenarios for the mass installation process.
Existing | Replacement device | Add device | Replace device | Restore backup data | Restore system settings |
Only one | Same OS platform as the existing device | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Only one | Different OS platform than the existing device | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Multiple devices | Any OS | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Replace a device
The enhanced Integrated Mass Deployment (IMD) device/client activation process checks whether the device is an existing device (the same device name was already activated for the same user in inSync at an earlier point in time). If the same device name already exists, inSync replaces the old device with the new device automatically for the user.
The mass installation process for inSync on replacement devices is similar to the one described earlier for IMD, except for the script to which additional parameters must be added to cater to the replacement scenarios. The following table lists the new parameters in the mass installation script for adding or replacing a device.
Parameter | Value | Description |
REPLACE_DEVICE | Yes/No | If the value of the parameter is set to Yes, the device will replace the existing device.
If the value of the parameter is set to No, the device will be added as a new device |
RESTORE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS | Yes/No | If the parameter's value is set to Yes, the system settings from the existing device will be restored on the new device. This works only if the user has one device and the new device has the same OS as the existing one.
If the value of the parameter is set to No, the system settings from the existing device will not be restored on the new device. |
RESTORE_DATA | Yes/No | If the parameter's value is set to Yes, the data backed up from the existing device will be restored on the new device. This works only if the user has one device and the new device has the same OS as the existing one.
If the parameter's value is set to No, the data backed up from the existing device will not be restored on the new device. |
❗ Important
If custom folders configured using global variables, as described in Configure custom folders for backup, are being restored, inSync automatically detects the user path and restores the data. For example, if you have configured the directory %USERPROFILE% on the user device, inSync automatically identifies the user home for the logged-on user on the new device and restores the data.
Manual installation process
In situations where users have more than one device, it is best to let them replace a device linked to their inSync account. During the installation process, the users have the option to replace an existing device or add a new device to their inSync account.
If users choose to add a new device, they have the option to restore backup data and system and application settings from one of the existing devices.
If users choose to replace an existing device, they can choose the device they want to replace and select if they want to restore data and system and application settings from the replaced device.
If the same device name already exists, inSync displays a Device with the same name is already configured message and prompts the users to replace their device. In such a case, the following window appears