Create Disk Safes

A Server must have a [Disk Safe|Disk Safes] before any backup can be run.
{note:title=Notice}Disk Safes should always be placed on reliable storage. For more Disk Safe best practices, see [ServerBackup:Use disk safe best practices].
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Follow the instructions below to create a Disk Safe in your Server Backup.

1. In the Main Menu, click *Settings* and then *Disk Safes*.

2. On the _Disk Safes_ screen, click the *+ New Disk Safe* button.

!Disk Safes - New Disk Safe button.png|border=1!
{info:title=Note}
You can also create Disk Safes on the _Protected Machines_ page. For the protected machine for which you need to add a Disk Safe, click the _Actions_ menu and select *Create Disk Safe*. The _Create New Disk Safe_ window displays, just like on the main _Disk Safes_ screen. See more information in [ServerBackup:Access servers]. !Protected Machines - Create Disk Safe.png|border=1!{info}
3. The following _Disk Safe Best Practices_ window will appear. Read the information and click *OK*.

!Disk Safe Best Practices window.png|border=1!

4. The \_Create New Disk Safe _window displays.

!Create New Disk Safe - Settings.png|border=1!

5. The window contains the following tabs:
* *Settings*
* *Devices*
* *Data Settings*
* *Replication*
* *Limits*

6. Define the following settings specific to the new Disk Safe:

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h5. Settings Tab

*Identification*
* *Name* \- Define the name for the Disk Safe. It will be used to identify the Disk Safe in the list.

*Protected Machine*
* *Protected Machine *\- Select a protected machine from the drop-down menu.

*Location*

* *Assign This Disk Safe to a Volume* \- Select this check box to assign the new Disk Safe to a specific volume.
* *Volume* \- Select a Volume, which is a storage of one or more Disk Safes with a common Quota and assigned User(s)/Group(s).
* *Path* \- Path where the Disk Safe is physically located, e.g., C:\Disk_Safe. This field displays if the _Assign This Disk Safe to a Volume_ check box is selected.

!Create New Disk Safe - Settings.png|border=1!

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If the _Assign this Disk Safe to a Volume_ check box is cleared, the *Path* field displays along with the following message.

!Create New Disk Safe - Location not assigned.png|border=1!
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h5. Devices Tab

* *Automatically add new devices* \- This option will automatically add all available [Manage devices] to the Disk Safe. Clear the check box to select the devices you want to add to the Disk Safe. If you do not select this option, the "At least one device must be enabled for replication" message will appear once you save the Disk Safe. Read more in [Access devices], [Add devices].
* *Protect Storage Configuration* \- This option allows you to back up partition tables.
* *Devices On Agent pane *\- This pane provides you with information about devices that currently exist on the host. To view the list of Devices, click the \*Get Devices from Agent *button. Also see [Access devices].
* *Devices In Disk Safe pane* \- This pane provides you with information about devices that are currently assigned to the Disk Safe. Also see [Access devices].

!Create New Disk Safe - Devices.png|border=1!


h5. {color:#000000}{*}{anchor:compression} *{color}Data Settings Tab

*Compression* is a process of encoding information using less space than an unencoded representation would use, through use of {{zlib}} (also known as {{gzip}}) encoding schemes. It helps reduce the consumption of expensive resources, such as hard disk space or transmission bandwidth. Compression is performed at the hard Disk sector level on the Server during a Backup by the Backup Agent.

* *Compression Type* \- The compression type set for the Disk Safe. Possible values:
** *None* \- No compression will be applied. "None" is used to complete backups in the shortest amount of time over fast LANs (Local Area Networks).
** *Zlib* \- The zlib type of compression will be applied. For backups over the Internet or other slow links, we recommend turning compression on. Disk Safes use zlib (also known as gzip-compatible) compression and are capable of delivering about a 2:1 compression ratio in most environments. If this compression type is selected, the *Compression Level* field displays, where you can select *Low*, *Medium*, or *High* zlib compression levels.
** *QuickLZ* \- Selecting this value means turning the compression on. The QuickLZ type of compression is the fastest compression type, reaching 308 Mbyte/s per core.

In cryptography, *encryption* is the process of transforming information (referred to as plaintext) using an algorithm (called a cipher) to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key.
* *Encryption Type*  - You can assign an AES 256-Bit encryption to the Disk Safe. In that case, you will be asked to create a password. If you choose to encrypt a Disk Safe, the password must be supplied to do the following: browse files, browse Control Panel users, browse databases, and initiate BMR. Read more in [Manage Disk Safe encryption].

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Configured during creation, encryption cannot be turned on/off.
{info} !Create New Disk Safe - Data Settings.png|border=1!

h5. {anchor:lim}{color:#000000} {color}Limits Tab 

This tab allows File Excludes, Recovery Point Archiving, and Control Panels to be enabled/disabled. Limits can be defined for Replication, Recovery Points, and Archive Points. 
{info:title=Tip}When you assign a Disk Safe to a [volume|ServerBackup:Manage volumes], all of the Volume's limits are applied to that Disk Safe. That it why the Disk Safe's limits should be at least as restrictive as the Volume's. For example, if a Volume has a Recovery Point limit set to 100, the Disk Safe can only contain 100 Recovery Points or fewer.
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!Create New Disk Safe - Limits.png|border=1!
*Options*
* *Allow File Excludes* \- This option is selected by default. Activates the File Excludes feature for the Disk Safe. If you check this option, you can specify the files/folders which will not be backed up during the replication Policy. By default, all file/folders from the selected Devices are replicated. Read more in [About exclusions], [Exclude files and folders].

* *Allow Control Panels -* This option is selected by default. Activates the Control Panels feature for the Disk Safe. This option allows you to back up and restore Hosting Control Panel user accounts. Read more in [Hosting control panels].
{info:title=Tip}You cannot activate this option if it is not activated for the Volume to which the Disk Safe belongs.
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{info:title=Tip}There is a system-wide option to enable the Hosting Control Panels feature (Configuration !arrow.gif! Product features "Enable Hosting Control Panels" option under "Hosting Control Panels"). Read more in [ServerBackup:Enable the Hosting Control Panels feature].
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* *Allow Database Backups*  \- This option is selected by default. This option allows you to back up and restore all databases available on the Server. If unchecked, the "SQL Server," "Exchange," and "MySQL" tabs are disabled while creating a Policy.
* *Backup Limit* \- This option defines the lowest replication frequency for that Disk Safe. For example, if you set the backup limit to "weekly," then the Policy assigned to that Disk Safe can only be weekly or higher (hourly and daily replications will be restricted).
{info:title=Tip}
The Disk Safe Replication Limit must be within the limits of the Replication Limit of the Volume to which the Disk Safe is assigned.
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*Data Retention*
* *Recovery Point Limit* \- This is the maximum number of Recovery Points that can be stored in the Disk Safe.
{info:title=Tip}The Disk Safe Recovery Point Limit must be within the limits of the Recovery Point Limit of the Volume to which the Disk Safe is assigned.
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* *Archive Point Limit* \- This is the maximum number of Archive Points stored in the Disk Safe.
{info:title=Tip}The Disk Safe Archive Point Limit must be within the limits of the Archive Point Limit of the Volume to which the Disk Safe is assigned.
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*Quotas*
* *Quota Type* \- The type of quota assigned to the Disk Safe. Quotas are set to limit the disk usage of the Disk Safe. The limit is set on the basis of the amount of space occupied by Disk Safes or the size of deltas.
* *Soft Quota* \- The value in bytes or in deltas. Soft Quota is a warning level that informs users that they are close to reaching their effective limit.
* *Hard Quota* \- The value in bytes or in deltas. Hard Quota allows resources to be occupied by data. If the Hard Quota is reached, the system forbids generation of new Recovery Points. The replication is interrupted and fails.

7. Define the necessary Disk Safe properties and click *Create*.

8. If you have specified a nonexistent directory for the Disk Safe, you are now prompted to create a new directory. Click *OK*.

9. The new Disk Safe will be created.

h4. Adding the Devices

{info:title=Note}
The Adding Devices procedure is performed in cases when the "Automatically add new devices" option has been unchecked during a Disk Safe creation. Note that this option is enabled by default.
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You can find more information in [Add devices].


h4. Viewing Created Disk Safe

The new Disk Safe displays in the Disk Safes list. To view the details of the Disk Safe you just created, click the arrow in the left column for the corresponding Disk Safe. !Disk Safes - Display Details pane.png|border=1!
You can find more information on how to use the "Disk Safes" window in [Access Disk Safes].
{note:title=Notice}You need to create a Policy to replicate (back up) the Devices assigned to the Disk Safe. See [ServerBackup:Create policies].
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{excerpt:hidden=true}Instructions on how to create a new Disk Safe in Server Backup Manager.{excerpt}