This article explains how to Remote Deploy an Account/ Profile for use on another Host.
Introduction
SSProtect secures Account configuration data using a self-contained approach that supports migration to any host computer running the :Foundation Client. When combined with :Recover, you can quickly, easily, and securely re-provision an entire SSProtect environment with little effort.
This procedure can be carried out interactively by end-users or can be invoked with :Expand by central deployment personnel. See below for details.
Remote Profile Deployment Procedure
To provision an existing SSProtect Profile on another Host computer:
- Install the software using insight from Quick Start articles
- Use the Registration Procedure as a guide for Provisioning
- Substitute your existing SSProtect Username and Password for Registration credentials
This will acquire the existing Profile's configuration data and configure the local Host computer for ongoing operation. In some cases, you may be returned to the Login dialog in which case you can re-enter your Password to continue, else you will be presented with the 1st-Time Use Startup Wizard, when appropriate.
NOTE: You can adjust the target Profile Name using :Expand command options described below.
Automatic Item Restoration
If you're using :Recover, and you have existing protected content, the first time you login to the new Host computer, SSProtect will recognize your managed content does not exist and subsequently prompt you to Restore from within the 1st-Time Use Startup Wizard:
If you choose Yes, SSProtect will Restore items actively managed by your Profile (that would be shown in the Hostlist portion of the Managed Files display). Files are placed according to your Default Folder configuration.
Dynamic Default Folder Redirection and Deployment
Starting with v9.3.2, Remote Profile Deployment requires the use of Dynamic Default Folder Redirection, configurable from File Management display available by choosing Managed Files/ Restore from the notification icon's context menu. Details are presented in the article, Managing Host Data.
When you Remote Deploy, if you have not previously configured Dynamic Default Folder Redirection, you will be prompted to enable it before proceeding. This requires that you choose the local host instance's Default Folder at which point SSProtect performs a Refresh Login to make the required adjustments. Restore proceeds immediately thereafter, and it uses the new Dynamic Default Folder Redirection to map relevant items to their proper locations.
Programmatic Remote Profile Deployment
You can use :Expand to automate the process described above:
SSProtect -deploy <username> <password>
If you wish to automatically initiate Item Restoration as noted above, use the optional -rebuild switch as follows:
SSProtect -deploy -rebuild <username> <password>
This creates a new Profile for the target username. You can change this with an optional parameter, which must be placed after the noted credentials:
SSProtect -deploy -rebuild <username> <password> -p:<profileName>
Enclose profileName in quotes when it contains spaces.
You can also specify an Alternate Default Folder to define a different Default Folder for the target host computer (even if one has already been defined for the target host). This is convenient when specializing environments, and more importantly required if your target host computer doesn't house a mass storage device that maps to the existing Default Folder, i.e. a D:\ root storage device that doesn't exist on the target. Use the optional -a switch as shown here:
SSProtect -deploy -rebuild <username> <password> -a:<altDefaultFolder>
Enclose altDefaultFolder in quotes when it contains spaces.
:Expand Rebuild Caveats
First, when you execute the -deploy command as noted above, in any form, you must first terminate any running instance of the :Foundation Client. You can do this with the -terminate command:
SSProtect -terminate
If you specify -rebuild but do not provide the -a option, execution will attempt to Restore content using the Default Folder last used by the target Account (on any host computer). If however you specify both -rebuild and an -a Alternate Default Folder, and the specified folder cannot be located or created, rebuild operation terminates (and does not, "fall back" to use the existing Default Folder). The same applies if you specify an -a Alternate Default Folder without the -rebuild switch: operation terminates.
In any case, -rebuild termination happens after a Profile has been created for the target Account. As such, you must remove that Profile if you wish to retry; -deploy will not execute if the target Account is already configured.
Finally, :Expand error messages are stored in the Host Debug Log, further described in the article, Accessing Host Debug Logs.
For more information about the Default Folder, refer to the article, Managing Host Data. Additional information regarding :Expand and different programmatic interfaces will be added in the future.
Manually Rebuild :Recover Archive Content
You can of course manually acquire managed content when not utilizing automatic data Restore, as follows:
- Open the Managed Files/ Restore display using the notification icon's context menu
- From the (default) Hostlist panel, choose the items you wish to Restore
- Choose Restore and refer to the Host Debug Log for details regarding each item
Refer to the article, Restoring and Replicating, for additional insight into :Recover operations.
Additional Resources
You can search this site for more information on various topics, or use this link to submit a specific request. You can also send email directly to support@definisec.com, and our staff will respond to your needs as soon as possible.
In the meantime, don't forget to check out our primary website and Insights columns for information on current trends, security topics, and how our technologies relate.
This article was updated w/ v9.7.2 of the :Foundation Client