Setting up a Scheduled Backup to Be Archived on a Windows Share

Note: Since the Leeds-26 update, the option to backup directly to a Windows file share has been added making the instructions below redundant. 

You can use the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall Scheduler to periodically create a backup archive file and save the file to a remote destination. It supports Linux SCP and Windows SMB protocols. See the help topic, Creating a schedule of backups and scheduling remote archiving. However, if you want to use a Windows server as the backup destination, and want to use the free application WinSCP to pull a weekly backup from the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall, you need to set up a Windows SSH server with keys. WinSCP is a third party software that allows file transfer over the SSH Protocol.

To set up a Windows SSH server with keys to backup your Smoothwall configuration, you will need WinSCP installed from http://winscp.net/eng/download.php.

Procedure

The process is to install WinSCP and then create a batch file that can be run on a weekly schedule. The batch file will instruct WinSCP to connect to the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall and synchronize the content of the folder where the backup archives are stored on the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall to a local folder.

  1. Download and install WinSCP to the required server.
  2. Create a batch file containing the following information:
    • @echo off
      set RootPW="password"
      set Host="Smoothwall_IP"
      set LocalDir="directory_path"
      set RemoteDir="/var/archive"
      "C:/Program Files (x86)/WinSCP/WinSCP.exe" /console /command "open scp://root:%RootPW%@%Host%:222" "synchronize local -criteria=either %LocalDir% %RemoteDir%" "exit"
      • where:
        • password is the root password of the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall.
        • Smoothwall_IP is the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall internal IP address the Windows server connect to.
        • directory_path is the full path of the local directory on the Windows server where the backups should be copied to, for example, c:\backup\swbackup\.
        • Leave RemoteDir as /var/archive because this is the path to the directory on the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall where the backups are stored.
  3. Save the file with a .bat file extension.
  4. On the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall, create a backup archive of all system settings. Ensure the automatic backup option is enabled. See our help topic, Creating archives.
  5. On the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall, create a schedule to prune the archives. See our help topic, Creating a schedule of backups and scheduling remove archiving. This instructs the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall to make a backup on a weekly basis on the day and hour set, as well as create a backup archive when the system is rebooted. The pruning insures that only the latest backup archives are retained.
  6. Use Task Scheduler on the Windows server to run the backup script on the same day the Smoothwall Filter and Firewall automatic backup is taken BUT at an hour later.