ITS suggests that all community members back up their computer on a regular basis to ensure they do not lose files.
Transitioning from desktop tools such as Microsoft Word to Google Docs will ensure files are backed up automatically. If you need to use Word, save your files in a Google Drive folder. This stores your files in "the cloud" and ensures you'll never lose any work.
Faculty, staff, and students have an unlimited amount of space to store files across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google photos. To access BC G Suite, go to: g.bc.edu
CrashPlan by Code42 is the backup service available to all current BC faculty & staff.
About CrashPlan
CrashPlan backs up your data automatically and enables you to quickly and easily restore your own data using the CrashPlan app. It runs silently in the background, continuously protecting data on your computer. As long as your computer is connected to the internet, your data will be backed up to the CrashPlan Cloud. When you are home, VPN is not required for the backup to run.
Interested in using CrashPlan?
Current faculty & staff, please contact your TC to get CrashPlan. For most faculty & staff, the software installation and backup up will be done automatically and will require no action on your part.
FAQ - About CrashPlan
- macOS High Sierra (10.13) or later
- Windows 10 or later
CrashPlan offers an unlimited amount of Cloud storage space for you to backup your data. There is also no limit on individual file sizes.
CrashPlan does not limit the size or types of files you can back up. If your backup frequently doesn’t reach 100% complete, it may be due to a large file that doesn’t have enough time to back up.
CrashPlan conserves resources so you should never even notice that it's running.
- CrashPlan is designed to use less processing power when you are actively using your computer. When idle, CrashPlan will use additional available resources if a backup is necessary.
- After your initial backup, CrashPlan only backs up changes you make to your files, not the entire file itself. This saves on bandwidth usage and hardware resources.
CrashPlan provides an automatic, continuous backup of your data. The backup will include your files (documents, pictures, music, etc) from your user directory. The user directory on Mac is /Users/username and on Windows is C:\Users\username
- If you have a directory on the root of your drive, such as C:\Matlab or C:\Stata, CrashPlan will back it up.
- DropBox and OneDrive are also included in the backup.
- On Macs, Google Drive is backed up when you are logged in as the Adminstrator. On Windows, Google Drive is backed up only if you manually grant the SYSTEM read and write access to your Google Drive folder (for instructions, see FAQ - Using CrashPlan below).
What is NOT backed up:
- Your entire drive is no longer backed up, which means the backup will not include your operating system or applications [directories: Program Files (x86), Program Files, Windows]. Note: The Microsoft Office program will not be backed up. However, any personalized setting changes you made to an application will be backed up, if those setting are written to a file.
- External and network drives are not backed up.
- Virtual Machine files are not backed up.
- Multiple local partitions are not backed up. For example a Bootcamp partition on a Mac or an E: drive on Windows. Only the system partition, where CrashPlan is installed, is backed up. If you have multiple operating systems on the same device that need backing up, you may do so. CrashPlan needs to be installed on each OS. Please consult your TC.
CrashPlan is scheduled to backup changes every two hours. Note: After your initial backup, CrashPlan only backs up changes you make to your files, not the entire file itself.
CrashPlan retains the newest version in several intervals:
- Last week: Every 2 hours there will be a version, if the file changed.
- Last 90 days: There will be a daily version based on the most recent version from that calendar date.
- Last year: The most recent version per week will be available.
- Previous years: The most recent version per month will be available.
- Deleted files: These will stay available in your backup for 365 days.
If you would like to back up multiple computers, please contact your TC.
No. At this time, only desktop and laptop computers are supported by BC ITS.
No, you cannot backup your personal/home computer. Boston College owns and is responsible for any data backed up using CrashPlan at BC.
Yes, in most cases. CrashPlan supports encrypted files, folders, drives, and file systems that are run at a system level. For example, Dell Data Security (DDS) [formerly DDPE], Windows Bitlocker, and Mac Filevault full disk encryption (MAC OS 10.9+) are fully supported.
CrashPlan does support encrypted files, folders, drives, and file systems that are run at the user level (for example, Windows Encrypting File System), but with these caveats:
- CrashPlan would need to be installed "per-user."
- BC ITS does not recommend this type of installation unless absolutely necessary. For example, a device shared between users.
- If a user-level encryption such as EFS is used and CrashPlan was installed for "All-Users," the EFS encrypted files will not be backed up.
Yes. Code42 regards data security as the most important component of their backup services, so your files are encrypted before they are backed up.
When your BC credentials are deactivated, you CrashPlan account is also deactivated and your backed up data is deleted after 180 days.
The easiest way to open the CrashPlan app is by searching for "crashplan" on your Mac or Windows computer.
Other ways to open the CrashPlan app:
- Mac: Find CrashPlan on the Task Bar.
- Windows: Find CrashPlan in the System Tray or Programs menu.
Yes. The CrashPlan app passes your BC username and password to BC's servers to verify your credentials. Your credentials are not stored within the CrashPlan app, on the server, or with your data in the Cloud.
CrashPlan offers several methods for viewing your backup status.
Detailed status
Open the CrashPlan app and click Details. The Details view includes information about the number of files already backed up, the number left to do, and the next time backup will run.
At-a-glance
Select the Code42 icon (in your Windows notification area or in the Mac menu bar) to see high-level status details. Scroll down this page to learn how to interpret the backup status icons.
You will be notified via email if your device hasn't backed up in 7 and 21 days.
Manage account on the web
While on the Boston College network or while using BC's Eagle VPN, go to https://revival.bc.edu:4285/login/#/login to see the status and details of your devices.
After you’ve started backing up your files with CrashPlan, you may want to view your backup. Open the CrashPlan app, then learn how to view backups (by Code42).
To restore files using the CrashPlan app:
- Open the CrashPlan app by searching for "crashplan" on your computer.
- Log in using your BC username and password.
- Learn how to restore files via the CrashPlan app (from Code42).
Caution: When restoring files from your backup, please do not “select all” to restore all files and directories to their original location. If you use the option to "Save Selected files to: Original Location" and are not mindful of what you actually want restored, you could unintentionally overwrite good system and application related files.
Restoring a few files (not for large downloads)
Web restore is designed to download just a few files when you need them on the go. It is not designed for large downloads.
To restore just a few files (not large downloads) using CrashPlan via the web:
- Go to: https://revival.bc.edu:4285/login/#/login
- Log in using your BC username and password.
- Learn how to restore files via the web (from Code42).
Important: If you make edits to the restored file, make sure to put that file back on the computer with CrashPlan installed.
Any file that was backed up by CrashPlan, and then deleted from your computer, can be restored for up to 365 days after it was deleted. Learn how to restore deleted files (by Code42).
Do the following:
- Right-click on the Start menu and select File Explorer.
- Right-click on your Google Drive folder (C:\Users\BCusername\Google Drive) and select Properties.
- On the Security tab, click the Edit button.
- In the "Group or user names" box, make sure SYSTEM is selected (see figure below).
- In the "Permissions for SYSTEM" box, check "Allow" for "Read" and "Write" (see figure below), then click OK.
FAQ - Troubleshooting
If your computer has not backed up in 7 days (or 21 days), you will receive an email alert from CrashPlan.
CrashPlan cannot back up if your computer is asleep, turned off, or not connected to the internet. If your computer is on, awake, and has internet access, restart it. Most issues can be resolved by restarting your computer.
If you're still not backing up, try the following:
- Restart CrashPlan and then restart your computer.
- Open the CrashPlan app and look for any errors or other messages that may suggest why the computer isn't backing up. Refer to these Code42 resources for troubleshooting: Cannot connect to background service & Cannot connect to destination.
If the problem continues, contact the Help Center at (617) 552-HELP (4357).
In these cases, CrashPlan pauses the backup and will resume when your computer is back on (in full power mode) and connected to the internet.
When you change your computer name, it does not automatically change in CrashPlan's email alerts, the CrashPlan app, or the CrashPlan web app. However, backups are not interrupted. CrashPlan assigns a Device ID to your computer, which it uses as the unique identifier for your computer in your account. CrashPlan only uses your computer name to make it easy for you to distiguish it from another computer in your account. Learn how to change your computer name in CrashPlan from Code42.
Contact your TC for additional information and assistance.
BC ITS has done extensive testing of CrashPlan and has chosen the best options for the BC community, based on our experience and findings. In order to protect the integrity of your backups, some options are disabled.
If you work with large datasets and the options described below do not work for you, please contact your Technology Consultant, who will discuss and review your needs with appropriate ITS staff members.
Note: To support research, ITS put together a system that includes web, database, and Unix and Windows servers to facilitate collecting, managing, mining, analyzing, publishing, and sharing of large datasets.
Store, share, and backup departmental sensitive or confidential data (faculty and staff only). Servers are typically backed up nightly.
Many departments have departmental servers. The capacity and usage requirements vary, depending on the department. For information on servers in your department, please contact your Technology Consultant.
Student Backup
BC G Suite
Faculty, staff, and students have an unlimited amount of space to store files across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google + photos.
- To access BC G Suite, go to g.bc.edu.