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How to set up off-machine backups

Send a copy of InteLIS to another machine or drive, automatically, every 8 hours and after every restart. The copy survives if the InteLIS machine fails.

Storage needed

Use a backup machine or drive with at least 1 TB of space. That covers one STS and up to about 30 LIS machines, with 5 weeks of database history. For a larger network, allow 50 GB for each STS and 20 GB for each LIS machine, plus 30 GB for the operating system, and keep a quarter of the disk free.

Another Linux machine is the recommended place for backups. One backup machine takes the backups of every lab: prepare it once, then run the setup on each lab's InteLIS machine. Use a USB drive only when there is no other machine.

Choose where the backups go, then follow its steps from top to bottom.

Use this when there is a second Linux machine on the same network. This is the recommended choice.

Prepare the backup machine

Do this once. Every lab then sends its backups to the same machine.

  1. On the backup machine, open a terminal and install the SSH server:

    sudo apt install openssh-server

  2. Find the backup machine's IP address:

    hostname -I

    Write down the first address, for example 192.168.1.60.

  3. Write down the username and password used to manage the backup machine. Each lab's setup logs in with them once, and creates the backup account itself. Nothing else needs to be created on the backup machine.

    This is the account used to log in to the backup machine's desktop, created when Ubuntu was installed. To see its username, run this in the same terminal:

    whoami
    Check the account can manage the machine

    Run:

    groups

    The list must include sudo. If it does not, log in with the account created when Ubuntu was installed and use that one.

    How to add a user on Ubuntu

    Do this only once, on the backup machine. Every lab then uses the same lisbackup account, so it is never repeated for later labs.

    Setup creates lisbackup by itself when it logs in as the administrator. Add it by hand only when the administrator's password cannot be typed during setup.

    1. On the backup machine, open a terminal and run:

      sudo adduser lisbackup

    2. If asked for a password first, type the password used to log in to the backup machine. This one is for sudo.

    3. At New password, type a strong password for lisbackup and press Enter. Type it again at Retype new password. Nothing appears on screen while typing. Write the password down.
    4. At Full Name, Room Number and the other questions, press Enter to leave them blank.
    5. At Is the information correct?, type Y and press Enter.

    During setup on each lab's InteLIS machine, choose Type the lisbackup password at How should it be given? and type this password.

Set up the backup on the InteLIS machine

  1. On the InteLIS machine, open a terminal and run:

    intelis backup setup

    The command checks for the current backup setup script before it runs. If the machine is offline, it uses the installed script.

  2. Answer the questions:

    Question Answer
    Lab name or lab code A short name for this lab, such as kigali-central.
    Where should the backup be sent? Another Linux machine on the network (recommended).
    Address of the backup machine The address from step 2.
    This machine needs access to … How should it be given? Log in as the backup machine's administrator (recommended).
    Administrator account on the backup machine The username from step 3.
    If it says Cannot reach …

    Check the backup machine is switched on and on the same network. Check the address with ping 192.168.1.60, using the address from step 2. Check the SSH server from step 1 is installed. Then choose Yes at Try again?.

    If the backup machine uses another SSH port or account

    Write them into the address: 192.168.1.60:2222 for port 2222, or backup@192.168.1.60 for the account backup. Without them, setup uses port 22 and the account lisbackup.

  3. When asked for a password, type the password from step 3 and press Enter. It can be asked twice: once to log in, and once more for sudo. The first lab creates the lisbackup account on the backup machine. Every later lab adds its own access to that account. Later backups need no password.

    If it says Could not log in as … either

    The username or password is wrong, or the backup machine refuses that account's password. Check both on the backup machine. Setup asks How should it be given? again.

    If it says adding the key failed

    The account logged in but is not allowed to use sudo. Check the account as in step 3: groups on the backup machine must list sudo. Choose Log in as the backup machine's administrator again and type the account created when Ubuntu was installed.

    Without the administrator's password

    At How should it be given?, choose one:

    Choice Use it when
    Type the lisbackup password lisbackup already exists on the backup machine with a password. To create it, see How to add a user on Ubuntu in step 3.
    Add it by hand on the backup machine Someone else manages the backup machine. The script prints four commands. The first creates the lisbackup account if it does not exist yet. Send them to that person. When they have run them, choose Yes at Has it been added? Check now?.
    Logging in to the backup machine by hand

    Setup adds the backup machine to /root/.ssh/config, so sudo ssh lisbackup@192.168.1.60 from the InteLIS machine uses the backup key. Use the address from step 2.

  4. Wait for the first backup to finish. It can take an hour or more. The script ends with Backups are set up and the first one completed.

    If it ends with Setup finished, but the first backup failed

    The settings are saved. Read the error above the message, fix the cause, then run the backup again:

    intelis backup

Confirm it works

  1. Run:

    intelis backup status

    A working backup looks like this:

    Lab            : kigali-central (kigali-central-3f9a2b1c)
Backing up to  : lisbackup@192.168.1.60:/home/lisbackup/backups/kigali-central-3f9a2b1c
Last good backup: 2026-08-07T09:14:22Z (12 minutes ago)
Size on backup  : 4.2G
History         : 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-07 (7 days)
Last attempt    : succeeded in 47s
Schedule        : every 8 hours and after every restart

    Check these lines:

    Line Must show
    Last good backup A time less than 8 hours ago.
    Last attempt succeeded.
    Schedule every 8 hours and after every restart.
    If Last attempt shows FAILED

    The Reason line below it gives the cause. Fix it, then run intelis backup. The full record is in /var/log/intelis-backup.log.

    If Schedule shows OFF

    Start the scheduled backups again:

    intelis backup enable

Once a week, check the status the same way, then run:

intelis health

The backup line must not show a warning. If it mentions newest DB dump, the database backups have stopped. See the warning under Where the backup lands. Once every three months, restore the newest backup onto a spare or test machine by following Restoring from a Backup. A backup that has never been restored is not yet proven to work.

Where the backup lands

The backup is on the backup machine, in a folder named after the lab and a code unique to this InteLIS machine:

/home/lisbackup/backups/kigali-central-3f9a2b1c/

It holds the whole InteLIS folder. The database backups are in backups/db and the settings backups in backups/config. It leaves out files rebuilt on install: vendor/, node_modules/, caches, logs, temporary files and version-control folders.

The folder is a mirror of this machine, so it holds the newest database backups only, about the last 2 days. Files deleted on this machine are deleted from the mirror at the next run. Older database backups are kept next to it, in .history/:

Kept in .history/ How many
One database backup per day The newest 7 days
One database backup per week, after that 4 more weeks
The settings backup One per week, for the same period

That is about 5 weeks in all. A wipe or reinstall of this machine does not touch .history/. To keep more, change HISTORY_DAYS and HISTORY_WEEKS in /etc/intelis/backup.conf.

The backup also holds the settings, which include the database password. Keep the backup folder readable only by the people who manage InteLIS.

Two labs with the same name still get separate folders. One lab never overwrites another lab's backup.

If a backup says that the newest database dump is old

The InteLIS scheduler has stopped, so no new database backups are being made. The backup stops before changing the destination. Check the scheduler by following Check the scheduled tasks are running. Then run intelis backup.

Other commands

Task Command
Back up now intelis backup
Check the connection without copying intelis backup test
Watch a backup as it runs tail -f /var/log/intelis-backup.log
Stop the scheduled backups intelis backup disable
Start them again intelis backup enable
Change where backups go Run intelis backup setup, then choose Change where backups go. The saved answers are offered. Press Enter to keep one.

To get the data back, see Restoring from a Backup.

Use this when there is a Windows computer on the same network. Nothing is installed on Windows.

Prepare the Windows computer

  1. On the Windows computer, create this folder:

    C:\InteLIS-Backups

  2. Press Win+R, type lusrmgr.msc, and press Enter.

    If Windows says it cannot find lusrmgr.msc

    Windows Home editions do not have it. Open Settings → Accounts → Other users and select Add account. Select I don't have this person's sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account. Create the user from step 3 there, then carry on at step 5.

  3. Right-click Users and select New User. Set the user name to lisbackup and set a strong password. Write the password down.

  4. Untick User must change password at next logon. Tick Password never expires. Select Create.
  5. Right-click the C:\InteLIS-Backups folder and select Properties. Open the Sharing tab and select Advanced Sharing.
  6. Tick Share this folder. Set Share name to InteLIS-Backups. The name must not contain spaces.
  7. Select Permissions. Add lisbackup, then tick Change and Read under Allow. Select OK on each window.
  8. Give the Windows computer a fixed IP address. Either set a static address on it, or reserve its address in the router. Write the address down, for example 192.168.1.50.
  9. Open Control Panel → Windows Defender Firewall → Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall. Check that File and Printer Sharing is ticked under Private.

Set up the backup on the InteLIS machine

  1. On the InteLIS machine, open a terminal and run:

    intelis backup setup

    The command checks for the current backup setup script before it runs. If the machine is offline, it uses the installed script.

  2. Answer the questions:

    Question Answer
    Lab name or lab code A short name for this lab, such as centrallab.
    Where should the backup be sent? A shared folder on a Windows machine.
    Windows hostname or IP The address from step 8.
    Name of the shared folder InteLIS-Backups
    Windows username lisbackup
    Windows password for lisbackup The password from step 3.
    If it says Could not connect to //…

    Check the Windows computer is switched on and not asleep. Check the address from step 8, the share name, the username and the password. Check step 9. Then choose Yes at Try again?.

    If it says Connected, but the folder is read-only

    On the Windows computer, repeat step 7 and make sure Change is ticked. Then choose Yes at Try again?.

    If it says The share name contains a space

    On the Windows computer, repeat steps 5 and 6 with a share name without spaces, such as InteLIS-Backups. The script asks the questions again.

  3. Wait for the first backup to finish. It can take an hour or more. The script ends with Backups are set up and the first one completed.

    If it ends with Setup finished, but the first backup failed

    The settings are saved. Read the error above the message, fix the cause, then run the backup again:

    intelis backup

Confirm it works

  1. Run:

    intelis backup status

    A working backup looks like this:

    Lab            : centrallab (centrallab-3f9a2b1c)
Backing up to  : //192.168.1.50/InteLIS-Backups -> /mnt/intelis-backup/backups/centrallab-3f9a2b1c
Last good backup: 2026-08-07T09:14:22Z (12 minutes ago)
Size on backup  : not measured
History         : 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-07 (7 days)
Last attempt    : succeeded in 96s
Schedule        : every 8 hours and after every restart

    Check these lines:

    Line Must show
    Last good backup A time less than 8 hours ago.
    Last attempt succeeded.
    Schedule every 8 hours and after every restart.
    If Last attempt shows FAILED

    The Reason line below it gives the cause. A Windows computer that is switched off or asleep is the usual one. Fix it, then run intelis backup. The full record is in /var/log/intelis-backup.log.

    If Schedule shows OFF

    Start the scheduled backups again:

    intelis backup enable

Once a week, check the status the same way, then run:

intelis health

The backup line must not show a warning. If it mentions newest DB dump, the database backups have stopped. See the warning under Where the backup lands. Once every three months, restore the newest backup onto a spare or test machine by following Restoring from a Backup. A backup that has never been restored is not yet proven to work.

Where the backup lands

The backup is on the Windows computer, in a folder named after the lab and a code unique to this InteLIS machine:

C:\InteLIS-Backups\backups\centrallab-3f9a2b1c\

It holds the whole InteLIS folder. The database backups are in backups\db and the settings backups in backups\config. It leaves out files rebuilt on install: vendor/, node_modules/, caches, logs, temporary files and version-control folders.

The folder is a mirror of this machine, so it holds the newest database backups only, about the last 2 days. Files deleted on this machine are deleted from the mirror at the next run. Older database backups are kept next to it, in .history/:

Kept in .history/ How many
One database backup per day The newest 7 days
One database backup per week, after that 4 more weeks
The settings backup One per week, for the same period

That is about 5 weeks in all. A wipe or reinstall of this machine does not touch .history/. To keep more, change HISTORY_DAYS and HISTORY_WEEKS in /etc/intelis/backup.conf.

The backup also holds the settings, which include the database password. Keep the backup folder readable only by the people who manage InteLIS.

Two labs with the same name still get separate folders. One lab never overwrites another lab's backup.

If a backup says that the newest database dump is old

The InteLIS scheduler has stopped, so no new database backups are being made. The backup stops before changing the destination. Check the scheduler by following Check the scheduled tasks are running. Then run intelis backup.

Other commands

Task Command
Back up now intelis backup
Check the connection without copying intelis backup test
Watch a backup as it runs tail -f /var/log/intelis-backup.log
Stop the scheduled backups intelis backup disable
Start them again intelis backup enable
Change where backups go Run intelis backup setup, then choose Change where backups go. The saved answers are offered. Press Enter to keep one.

To get the data back, see Restoring from a Backup.

Use this when there is no other machine to send backups to. The drive must stay plugged into the InteLIS machine.

Set up the backup

  1. Plug the drive into the InteLIS machine.

  2. Open a terminal and run:

    intelis backup setup

    The command checks for the current backup setup script before it runs. If the machine is offline, it uses the installed script.

  3. Answer the first questions:

    Question Answer
    Lab name or lab code A short name for this lab, such as centrallab.
    Where should the backup be sent? A USB or external drive plugged into this machine.

  4. At Which drive should the backups go to?, choose the USB drive. Each row shows the drive's name and size. The script connects the drive, and connects it again by itself after every restart.

    If it says No drive was found apart from this machine's own disk

    The drive is not plugged in, or is not recognised. Plug it in, wait a few seconds, then choose Look again.

    If it says This drive is formatted as FAT32

    FAT32 cannot hold a file of 4 GB or more, and database backups grow past that. Reformat the drive as exFAT or ext4. This erases everything on it. Open the Disks app, select the drive, then select Format Partition. Then choose Look again.

    If it says The drive is open at …

    A window is showing the drive's files. Close it, then choose Yes at Choose again? and choose the drive again.

  5. Wait for the first backup to finish. It can take an hour or more. The script ends with Backups are set up and the first one completed.

    If it ends with Setup finished, but the first backup failed

    The settings are saved. Read the error above the message, fix the cause, then run the backup again:

    intelis backup

Confirm it works

  1. Run:

    intelis backup status

    A working backup looks like this:

    Lab            : centrallab (centrallab-3f9a2b1c)
Backing up to  : /mnt/intelis-usb/backups/centrallab-3f9a2b1c
Last good backup: 2026-08-07T09:14:22Z (12 minutes ago)
Size on backup  : 4.2G
History         : 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-07 (7 days)
Last attempt    : succeeded in 52s
Schedule        : every 8 hours and after every restart

    Check these lines:

    Line Must show
    Last good backup A time less than 8 hours ago.
    Last attempt succeeded.
    Schedule every 8 hours and after every restart.
    If the reason is The backup drive is not plugged in

    Plug the drive in, then run intelis backup. The backup connects the drive by itself.

    If the reason is The backup drive at … is not there

    The drive was set up by an older version, which relied on it being opened in the Files app. Run intelis backup setup, choose Change where backups go, and choose the drive from the list.

    If Last attempt shows FAILED for another reason

    The Reason line below it gives the cause. Fix it, then run intelis backup. The full record is in /var/log/intelis-backup.log.

    If Schedule shows OFF

    Start the scheduled backups again:

    intelis backup enable

Once a week, check the status the same way, then run:

intelis health

The backup line must not show a warning. If it mentions newest DB dump, the database backups have stopped. See the warning under Where the backup lands. Once every three months, restore the newest backup onto a spare or test machine by following Restoring from a Backup. A backup that has never been restored is not yet proven to work.

Where the backup lands

The backup is on the drive, in a folder named after the lab and a code unique to this InteLIS machine:

/mnt/intelis-usb/backups/centrallab-3f9a2b1c/

It holds the whole InteLIS folder. The database backups are in backups/db and the settings backups in backups/config. It leaves out files rebuilt on install: vendor/, node_modules/, caches, logs, temporary files and version-control folders.

The folder is a mirror of this machine, so it holds the newest database backups only, about the last 2 days. Files deleted on this machine are deleted from the mirror at the next run. Older database backups are kept next to it, in .history/:

Kept in .history/ How many
One database backup per day The newest 7 days
One database backup per week, after that 4 more weeks
The settings backup One per week, for the same period

That is about 5 weeks in all. A wipe or reinstall of this machine does not touch .history/. To keep more, change HISTORY_DAYS and HISTORY_WEEKS in /etc/intelis/backup.conf.

The backup also holds the settings, which include the database password. Keep the backup folder readable only by the people who manage InteLIS.

Two labs with the same name still get separate folders. One lab never overwrites another lab's backup.

If a backup says that the newest database dump is old

The InteLIS scheduler has stopped, so no new database backups are being made. The backup stops before changing the destination. Check the scheduler by following Check the scheduled tasks are running. Then run intelis backup.

Other commands

Task Command
Back up now intelis backup
Check the drive without copying intelis backup test
Watch a backup as it runs tail -f /var/log/intelis-backup.log
Stop the scheduled backups intelis backup disable
Start them again intelis backup enable
Change where backups go Run intelis backup setup, then choose Change where backups go. The saved answers are offered. Press Enter to keep one.

To get the data back, see Restoring from a Backup.

A backup in the same room as the InteLIS machine does not survive a fire or a theft. To keep a second copy elsewhere, see Backing up to Google Drive with Rclone.