Knowledge Base

Setting up Datto Workplace backup on an Apple Mac

Datto Workplace will automatically backup all your Microsoft Office, PDFs and similar popular document formats.  Backups are performed continuously in the background. Once a user has defined which folders to backup, no further action needs to be taken by the user.  If a file is changed or if a new file is added, that file is automatically backed up.

Note:
There is a general limit of 500MB per file per day for backup. If any changes are made to a file after the initial backup, then subsequent backups of that file will be limited to 500MB per file per day. For example, if a 1.75GB file is changed on a daily basis, the file will only be backed up every fourth day.
If the files meets any of the following criteria, then the 500MB per file per day limitation is ignored, and these files will backup when a change occurs regardless of the size of the file:
File is larger than 10MB and extension is .pst
File is larger than 5MB and extension is .data
File is larger than 5MB and extension is .xml
File is larger than 5MB and extension is .db
File is larger than 10MB and contains "database" in the name.

Automatic backup selection may be set up during the product installation, or folders and file types may be hand-selected selected later for backup.

Note:
When you receive your new Datto Workplace login, your user account will have an allocated storage limit. If you exceed this quota then Datto Workplace will stop backing up any new folders/files, and send a warning indicating that the backup quota has been reached.  Refer to knowledge article, KB0012260, How do I increase my Datto Workplace storage? if you wish to change the allocated storage memory for backup.

This article describes how to set up your Datto Workplace backup using Manage Backups on an Apple Mac computer. If you are using a Windows PC, then please refer instead to Cloud Direct knowledge article, KB0012261, Setting up Datto Workplace backup on a PC.

 

Setting up Datto Workplace backup

To set up Datto Workplace backup on your Apple Mac computer, proceed as follows.

  1. From the top level menu bar, click, Finder, then select, System Preferences.

The System Preferences folder opens.

  1. In the System Preferences folder, click the Datto Workplace icon.

The Datto Workplace summary page opens.

  1. On the menu bar at the top of the page, click, Backups.

The Backups page appears.

  1. At the bottom right hand corner of the page, click the, Manage Backups, button.

The Manage Backups page appears.

The Manage Backups page contains an expandable list of folders and files on your computer. The bottom half of the page shows your Datto Workplace backup memory allocation, indicating how much of your quota you have used, and how much remains.

  1. Use the list of folders and files to locate the folders and files to backup.
    1. In the list of folders and files, tick the appropriate checkbox(es) to select folders and/or files for your backup selection.
    2. To backup only certain file types,
      1. Click on the, Only these, radio button located in the top right hand corner of the page.
      2. Tick the checkbox(es) associated with the file types to be backed up.

  1. To exclude specific files, or specific file extensions, from being backed up, click the, Exclude Files, button.

A dialogue box appears.

  1. Under, Enter extensions to exclude, enter any file extensions to be excluded from the backup.
  2. Under, Enter files to exclude, enter any specific files to be excluded.
  3. Click, OK.

  1. Check that your backup selection fits within your allotted storage quota by ensuring that the statement, "Congratulations! Your selections fit within your backup quota" remains at the top of the page.

Note:
If you exceed your allocated backup quota, then either reduce the number of folders you are backing up, or increase your quota. Refer to knowledge article, KB0012260, How do I increase my Datto Workplace storage? for details of how to increase your quota.

  1. Click, OK, to save the changes.

Your backup selection will now be protected by continuous backup.

What if a backup fails?

If a backup fails, then the Datto Workplace Desktop Agent sends a list of the failed files to the server, and the server decides which files to request. If the Agent cannot reach the file for whatever reason (most commonly, the file is in use), then the server creates a push list and instructs the Desktop Agent to send the file when it becomes available. If this file is not backed up within 10 days, then the owner of the file is notified by email. The owner will get emails weekly thereafter, until the file is backed up or the owner selects the 'ignore' option in the notification email.