Automatic Website Backup in your Hard Drive with FTP

With Website 2 Backup you can automatically store backup to FTP. Use this functionality to backup your websites in your hard drive at home or office. We will explain in few step how to install a FTP server in your computer to atomically receive the encrypted backups from your websites.

Prepare your Computer and Network for Websites Backups

1. install a FTP server in your computer
2. get a fixed address to access to your FTP server from internet
3. local network configuration to redirect the traffic from the web to your FTP port
4. Website 2 Backup configuration and test

Install a FTP Server in your computer

There is many applications to create a FTP server in your computer for Windows, Apple or Linux. Check your favorite freewares resources to find a FTP server for your system.

For windows you can install the freeware : Cerberus FTP Server, to have a FTP server in your computer.

After installation configure an access to a folder in your computer.

Create a fixed web address for your computer

Your new FTP server must be reachable with always the same address on Internet. If you have a fixed IP with your FAI, you will use it has fixed Internet address, and you can skip this step.

You can use DynDNS.com to have a fixed web address. Create a free host service with DynDNS.
Many routers allow the use of DynDNS in the router Dynamic DNS setup, check your router configuration. If your router does not allow the use of DynDNS, or if you want to use a laptop to automatically receive your backups from different places, use the DynDNS software in your computer.

Router Configuration

Transfer can be better if you have an Ethernet cable between your computer and the router, WiFi will work slowly.

All the entries from internet on the port of your FTP server should be redirected by your FAI modem / router to the computer with the FTP server. The setup of your router depends of your model. Consult your router documentation about configuration details.

1. Be sure to assign a fixed IP address to your computer with the FTP server in your network. There is 2 solutions for that:
   • If your computer is configured to accept its IP address from a router : you should use the DHCP server of your router to assign an IP to your computer, sometimes available in the LAN configuration of your router.
   • If your computer create its own IP address : the IP address must be unique and always the same.
2. Redirect the FTP port traffic from the web to your computer : you should use the Port Forwarding to the fixed IP of your computer in the router NAT configuration.

You can now test the access to your FTP server from the web using your DynDNS address in your FTP client.

Test your local FTP from your Website 2 Backup application

In the administration go to Settings > FTP. Add your FTP if needed. Test your FTP clicking on the checked icon.

To ensure a quality transfer for the backups from your server to your computer, you have to split backups archive. You control the split size from the Website 2 Backup administration Settings > FTP : double click on the bold value for Backup file for ftp split size, enter to valid. The value of the split depends of your internet bandwidth, in most of the case you use 1Mo split size.

Automatic Control of your Website Backups Archives in your Hard Drive at Home or Office

Your FTP server in your PC, your local network, your access from internet and your Website 2 Backup are now configured. You can use Website 2 Backup as a backup remote system controller of the backups in your computer hard drive at home or office,  without checking your local computer. Old backups can be automatically cleaned. Restore files or databases without any file manipulation. As archives are encrypted all the data of your websites are protected of your computers users. You have an alert email if your server is down.

Related posts:

1. Automatic Website Backup in HDD with Email
2. Free Website Backup On Cloud Storages with FTP
3. Automatic Website Backup

Tagged as: automatic, free storage, FTP, HDD, website backup