How can we help?

  1. RainMachine
  2. Community
  3. Ideas and product enhancements

program/settings backup capability via Web UI

Under Development
Follow
Avatar
L Simms

Need ability to back up all programming—locally &/or via website—to allow recovery.

I've been pushing for admin/user levels so contractors can use app w/restrictions...so no chance they can wipe out my programming.  Even with that safeguard, I'm vulnerable to hardware failure, & to dumb mistakes of my own. 

It would be silly not to allow restoring settings, even if transferring to a replacement controller [I lost one to a lightning strike].

 

7

Comments

8 comments

Sort by Date Votes
  • Avatar
    RainMachine Support Agent

    We do provide the ability to restore back backup's. 

    https://support.rainmachine.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002641987-Restore-from-backup

    I agree as well it would be nice to have admin/user levels, with adjustable controls. 

    Thanks for your time and consideration.

     

     

    0
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    Thonas Moreland

    I do most of my programming from the Website.  (In order to create a backup, I have to use the mobile app and change one item to spawn that backup). The website access is a great advantage and is one of the major reason I purchased the HD-12 over other vendors.  I would like you to consider of extending admin control of backups to the Website and be able to store that config file locally on my computer with the ability to restore the HD-12 via the website.  Also, this ability allow me to easily store different programming configuration base on the seasons.  I live in the desert and temperature very dramatically from season to season.  To be able to restore a 'Fall' config for that time of year and then be able to restore a 'Summer' config during the hot season would be a blessing.  Appreciate your consideration.

    0
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    Shrinks

    In my opinion, a backup is only really useful if you can automate it and run it daily or weekly.  In other words, it would need to be either scheduled from the Rainmachine (and write to cloud or nfs or SMB share) or callable from a script on an external server run via cron.

    1
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    RainMachine Support

    Hi, Thonas,
    Once you change anything under Zones, Programs and Restrictions settings, no matter the RainMachine app you are using, the moment you open RainMachine mobile app, automatically a backup will be created. You'll get 10 versions of backups including the last one.

    If you change your program configuration up to 4 times per year (4 seasons), then you'll have 4 different backups in your RainMachine mobile app to choose to restore from. For now, you cannot rename the backups, but you have their date and time automatically added.
    So, when you create/change and save your Spring program in March, a backup is created, the same when you create/change and save your Fall program in September, a backup is created, without overwriting the spring one. Next year in spring all you have to do is to restore the backup created this year in spring.
    A backup/restore option using RainMachine web application is taken into consideration, but no estimation for now...

    Hi, Shrinks
    Can you please tell us how many times you change your Zones, Programs and Restrictions settings in a season?
    We thought that 10 versions of backups, the 11th will overwrite the 1st, will be enough for any gardener since there are not so many changes on your Zones settings, Programs (you may add more in time) and Restrictions after the first setup for the beginning of the watering season. Thanks.

    RainMachine Support

    0
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    Shrinks

    I do not change zones/programs that often.  It is ad hoc. 

    I come from an IT background.  What I have found in the past is you find out you need a backup at the same time you realize you do not have one.  If the backups are stored on the Rainmachine device... that is convenient ... unless there is some form of device failure.  It's at that point you realize that backups should probably go somewhere else.  (It's also nice if they are in some semi-readable format like XML or some sort of CLI language.... then if you end up replacing a bricked device with a device that cannot read the backup, you have some mechanism of reproducing the data.)

    1
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    RainMachine Support

    Hi, Shrinks
    The latest version of the backup is stored on the RainMachine Touch HD-12/16 devices, too. You can restore it from the local interface.
    Indeed, if the device fails and you get a replacement or a new one, all you have to do is to set it up and then use the RainMachine mobile app (you already used it with the old device and a backup of it is saved) to restore a backup from the old RainMachine device to the new one.

    Your feedback is appreciated and we are working to improve this service.
    Thank you,
    RainMachine Support

    0
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    Ian Coulthard

    The ability to pull it off into a separate file to load back to another unit due to major failure would be useful. A number of devices now allow you to download and upload the backup file.

    3
    Comment actions Permalink
  • Avatar
    Robby

    my unifi cloud key has a built in microSD card for just this purpose. backups.  This way it is local storage on the device but removable memory, so if the unit fails, you can take the microsd card out and put in the new.  I do also believe having ability to manually 'save' a backup from the web interface just to 'have' is also important or be able to schedule to a local NAS or share.

    never can hurt to have too many backups. :)

    0
    Comment actions Permalink

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Didn't find what you were looking for?

New post