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Q: Can I backup my
server?
A: Yes. If
your server runs Windows, you can install
Precision Online Backup client directly on the
server. If your server runs Novell NetWare
or another network operating system, you can
install the client on a Windows-based
workstation and backup server files via mapped
drive letter or UNC (network path, Network
Neighborhood).
Q: Do you have a backup
client for Novell or Linux?
A: We currently only
offer a backup client for Windows. If you
wish to backup data on Novell or Linux
computers, you can install the client on a
Windows-based computer on the same network and
access the files on your Novell or Linux server
or computer across the network.
Q: Can I backup other
computers on my network from a single backup
client?
A: Yes. If you
can access the files on the other computers
through a mapped drive letter or by browsing
Network Neighborhood (My Network Places) then
you can back them up using our backup client.
However, each computer you backup will require
the purchase of a separate client license
(regularly $9.95 USD) and will add $10.00 USD
per month to your monthly fee. The storage
space purchased will be shared.
Q: Can I backup several
computers that are not networked, and share the
same account?
A: Yes. You
can install the client on each computer
separately and have them backup to the same
account. However, each computer you backup
will require the purchase of a separate client
license (regularly $9.95 USD) and will add
$10.00 USD per month to your monthly fee.
The storage space will be shared.
Q: Is my data safe?
A: Yes. Your
data is encrypted before it it sent to our
backup servers.
Q: What type of
encryption does Precision Online Backup Use?
A: By default,
our backup client is set to use Secure Blowfish
encryption. You can change this in setting
to Triple DES or DES.
Q: How do I know how
much space I'll need?
A: Because your
files are compressed before being sent to your
Precision Online Backup account, they will
usually take up much less space in your account
than they do on your hard drive. Many
types of documents can be compressed 2 to 1 or
better. So our 100MB account might
actually hold 200MB worth of your data. We
offer a free trial so that you can backup your
files and determine how much space you'll need?
Q: What happens when I
run out of space?
A: You will receive
a warning when you approach the limit of your
storage space. You may purchase additional
space by contacting your account manager.
Changes in your monthly bill will occur at the
beginning of the next month's billing cycle.
Q: What happens if I
don't need as much space as I've purchased?
A: Simply contact
your account manager and ask to have your
account downgraded to a smaller plan.
Changes in your monthly bill will occur at the
beginning of the next month's billing cycle.
Q: How do I restore
files?
A: There are 3 ways
to restore your files: 1) use the restore tab in
the backup client, 2) use our web-based restore
from any computer with Internet access and a
browser or, 3) request a set of emergency
restore CDs from us (fees apply).
Q: I'd like to have a
periodic archive CD of my data. How do I
do that?
A: We can provide
archive CD-ROMs for $15 each plus shipping.
Each CD-ROM will hold approximately 650MB of
your data. The data on the CD is in
compressed, encrypted format, just as it is
stored on our server, so it's safe from
unauthorized access because it is inaccessible
without your encryption key and password.
Q: Can you restore a
file for me?
A: Your private data
is inaccessible to anyone, including our own
staff, because it is encrypted with your private
encryption key and password. So we cannot
restore a file for you. It is your
responsibility to remember and keep your
encryption key and password safe.
Q: Is my encryption key
the same as my password?
A: They can be the
same or different. You can access this
through setting in the client by clicking
Options, then the Security tab.
Q: Can I change my
encryption key?
A: Yes. You
can do this through the settings in the client.
The changes will take effect the next time you
perform a backup. Files that already exist
on our server will be re-encrypted with your new
key. You can access this through setting
in the client by clicking Options, then the
Security tab.
Q: Do you store older
versions of my files?
A: Yes. We
retain historical versions for your files for
one week. So if you have a file that
changes daily and is sent to our backup server,
you could restore a version from several days
ago for example.
Q: Does Precision
Online Backup send all my files on every backup?
A: No. To save
time on transmissions, Precision Online Backup
Client will, by default, only send a full backup
the first time. After that, it only sends files
that have changed since the last backup
(incremental). You may, however, choose to
send a full backup at any time.
Q: How does Precision
Online Backup reduce the time it takes to
transfer all my files?
A: Precision Online
Backup does three things to reduce the time it
takes to transfer your files. 1)
Files are compressed, 2) only changed files are
sent by default and 3) "fast bit" technology is
utilized. Fast Bit technology works by
sending only the changed portions of a file.
If you had, for example, a 20MB PowerPoint
presentation file and you only changed a few
slides, Precision Online Backup might only have
to transfer 1MB of data to backup the file,
rather than sending the whole 20MB file.
Similar technology is utilized by such industry
leaders as Novell, with their iFolder product,
and Symantec, with their pcAnywhere product.
Q: If I choose to
backup my whole drive with Precision Online
Backup, would I be able to restore my system if
my hard drive crashed?
A: Precision Online
Backup is primarily intended to be used to
backup data, not a whole system. Our
backup client does not backup with Windows
registry and other windows system and hidden
files, so it would not be ideal for entire
system recovery. Precision Online Backup
is ideal for backing up important data that you
would not want to be at risk of losing such as
Quickbooks or Quicken data, folders full of word
processing documents or spreadsheets, digital
photos, student or employee database files,
financial records, and more. Also, because
your monthly account fee is based on the amount
of storage space you use, you probably don't
want to waste space by backing up the program
files themselves, but would be better off
backing up just data directories such as "My
Documents"
Q: Will Precision Online
Backup work from behind a firewall? What
port does it use?
A: Precision Online
Backup uses port 308 to communicate with the
backup server. Many firewalls will
automatically allow all outgoing connections, so
in many cases, no firewall configuration will be
necessary.
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