Restoring a Backup

Restoring takes a stored backup and writes it back onto a device — for example to recover after a hardware swap, a faulty change, or a failure. This page shows how to start a restore from the web interface.

Important: A restore changes the device. Make sure you have selected the correct backup and that the device is ready (some controllers must be in a specific mode — see the device's Adapter page).

Restore is unavailable while the equipment has Manual Backup selected. Upload-only equipment stores uploaded backup files but does not run restore sequences.

flowchart LR
  A1[Equipment details<br/>Backups tab] --> R[Restore on the<br/>backup row]
  A2[Backups page] --> R
  R --> D{Confirm}
  D -->|Yes| E[Restore triggered]
  E --> F[Follow progress on Jobs]

Before you start

• Identify which backup you want to restore. Backups are listed newest first and show the timestamp and tags to help you choose.
• Confirm that Upload-only Backup is cleared on the equipment and that it has a valid restore sequence. If the sequence runs on an agent, the equipment must also have an agent selected.

If a restore action is missing, check both your permission and whether the equipment has Manual Backup selected.

Upload-only Backup equipment

Restore icons and menu actions are hidden or disabled for upload-only equipment, including backups that were uploaded through OT Backup. Upload-only backups also cannot be included in Restore Selected, and upload-only equipment should not be included in Restore Latest.

If OT Backup should perform the restore, edit the equipment, clear Upload-only Backup, configure or select a valid restore sequence and save the equipment. The restore actions become available after the equipment is no longer upload-only. Otherwise, download the stored backup and restore it outside OT Backup using the vendor's procedure.

See Upload-only Backup equipment for the full equipment behavior.

Ways to restore

For equipment that is not upload-only, you can start a restore from a backup row. There are two places to find those rows:

• the Backups tab of a device's details dialog (only that device's backups), or
• the Backups page (every backup, across all devices).

Both use the same per-row Restore action described below.

Method 1 — From the equipment's details (recommended)

This is the clearest way, because you see only the backups belonging to the device you are working on.

1. Open Equipment from the navigation menu and select the device's name to open its details.

2. Open the Backups tab. It lists every backup taken for this device, newest first, with the timestamp and tags.

   

3. Find the backup version you want to restore. Start the restore in either way:

   • Select the Restore backup icon (↩) in the row, or
   • Open the row's More options menu (the ⋮ icon) and choose Restore.

4. If the device is marked as work in progress (WIP), a confirmation dialog appears:

   

   This job '…' is marked as WIP. Are you sure you want to continue?

   Choose Yes to continue or No to cancel.

5. The restore starts and a Restore triggered! notification appears. The device's Jobs tab and the status alert at the top of the dialog update as it runs, so you can follow it without leaving the dialog.

   

Method 2 — From the Backups page

Use this when you want to browse or search backups across all devices.

1. Open Backups from the navigation menu.

   

2. Find the backup version you want to restore and start the restore the same way as above — the Restore backup icon (↩) in the row, or the row's More options (⋮) menu → Restore.

   

3. Confirm if prompted, then watch for the Restore triggered! notification — select it to jump straight to the job.

Restore several backups at once

All selected backups must belong to equipment that is not upload-only. If any selected backup is upload-only, Restore Selected is not shown.

1. On the Backups page, tick the checkbox on each backup you want to restore.
2. Open the n items selected menu at the top of the list and choose Restore Selected.
3. Confirm when prompted (Are you sure you want to trigger restores for n selected backups?). One restore job is created per selected backup.

Restore the latest backup for several equipment items

Use this option when you want OT Backup to choose the latest successful backup for each equipment item:

1. Open Equipment and select each equipment item you want to restore.
2. Open the n items selected menu and choose Restore Latest.
3. Confirm the prompt. OT Backup attempts to create one restore job from the latest successful backup for each selected equipment item.

Do not include manual-only equipment. An equipment item also fails if it has no successful backup or cannot start a restore with its current configuration. Other valid restore jobs may already have been triggered when OT Backup reports that not all equipment restores were successfully triggered.

Follow the restore

Each restore runs as a job, just like a backup.

• For a single restore (recommended): if you started it from the equipment details dialog (Method 1), use the live status alert at the top of that dialog. It shows the current step and status while the job runs, lets you expand it for the full job log, and lets you cancel a running job. The device's Jobs tab updates alongside it.

• Across all devices: open Jobs from the navigation menu (or use the Restore triggered! notification, which takes you straight there). Watch the job state change from Queued to Running to Succeeded (or Failed), and select the job row to open its Job Log for detailed messages.

  

The Dashboard also shows restores under Jobs in progress and Latest jobs.

Troubleshooting

See Also

• Creating a Backup
• Using OT Backup
• Adapters