Restoring encrypted backup files

[sinthing]

Dear all,

I have been using Synthing for a while for backing up and syncing data within my network between several devices. Therefore encryption has not been necessary to use.

I am trying to create a backup of some personal files from my NAS on an external NAS which belongs to a friend.

I plan to backup several folders on my NAS with the following settings -send only, in order the achive a backup -encryption via password in synthing, since I won’t have full control of the data there -My friend’s NAS running Synthing of course, he would do the necessary on his side during setup

I want to have this backup in case of my NAS becoming completly unusable for me (NAS being stolen, burnt down, apocalypse so to say). My question is, how would I be able the restore the data in an event like this. Could I access and decrypt the data somehow?

I do not have any experience setting up my syncthing settings after a crash. I guess I would need to restore it? If so, any tips on how to back up the necessary system data?

Thx, sinthing

[calmh (Jakob Borg)]

The most supported way is to take a new Syncthing instance, set up the folder there, with the password, and then syncing the files from your backup. Another option is to copy out the encrypted files and decrypt them using Syncthing “offline”, on the command line.

And of course, Sync Is Not Backup, so caveats apply.

[sinthing]

Thx calmh, did not think it was that easy. I simulated the situation of my NAS being gone. I disconnected the old NAS and I connected a different syncthing device with the “backup NAS” (I would need the administrator of the backup NAS to do so in the real situation). It sent the request for connecting the backup folder to the new device. I chose “send & receive”, entered the password and the decrypted files appeared on the new device. Just what I wanted to achieve.

Great tool!