Data Backup

Under the Backup tab of Backup & Replication, you can back up specific data on the DiskStation manually or according to a custom schedule. With this feature, system configuration, the content of shared folders, and package data can be backed up to a local, network, or cloud backup destination.

To create a backup task:

1. Choose Create > Data backup task.
2. Follow the wizard to complete the setup. Visit Backup Destination for more information.

To manage backup tasks:

Select an existing task and click one of the below buttons:

• Edit: Modify destination, source, schedule, and other settings of the selected task.
• Delete: Delete the selected task.
• Cancel: Cancel the selected, currently running task.
• Back up now: Immediately performs backup of the selected task.

Backup Rotation

Backup rotation is a version management mechanism. It helps to manage backup versions by automatically deleting older, unnecessary versions and potentially freeing up storage space. You can enable this function at Task Settings or configure it when you create a backup task.

To rotate versions:

1. Select the backup task you want to apply version rotation to and click Edit.
2. Go to the Task Settings tab and check Enable backup rotation.
3. Here you can choose one of two rotation methods:
• From the earliest version: This is a basic version rotation method. When the rotation condition is triggered, the earliest version will be removed first.
• Smart Recycle: This is an intelligent version rotation method. When the rotation condition is triggered, the system will remove the versions selected by the retention mechanism. The retention mechanism is as follows:
• Hourly versions from the past 24 hours: The system keeps the earliest version that's created each hour.
• Daily versions from the past 1 day to 1 month: The system keeps the earliest version that's created each day.
• Weekly version older 1 month: The system keeps the earliest version that's created each week.
4. Specify the maximum number of versions. When the version number exceeds this number, version rotation will begin. The number does not include locked versions.
5. If you have configured a repeated backup schedule, a preview of the estimation of how your backup versions will be retained and the earliest recovery point time based on your rotation settings will be shown.   
6. Click OK to save your settings.