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Back up your suite

Backups are what let you recover when hardware fails, an update goes wrong, or you make a mistake you cannot easily undo.

Suite Manager includes a Backup screen so supported installs can manage backups from the same place they manage the rest of the suite.

What the Backup screen does

Section titled “What the Backup screen does”

When backup support is available, Suite Manager can:

  • show available backup destinations
  • help mount supported local storage
  • start a backup job
  • show current and recent backup activity
  • list completed backup bundles found on connected storage
  • start a restore from a detected backup bundle

The exact options depend on where My Own Suite is running.

Self-host installs

Section titled “Self-host installs”

On self-host installs, backups are handled by a local backup helper on the host machine.

That matters because full-suite backups need host-level access to Docker volumes and connected storage. The Suite Manager web app should not get broad host control by itself.

Suite Manager asks the local helper to do specific backup or restore jobs, then shows progress in the UI.

Backup destinations

Section titled “Backup destinations”

The Backup screen looks for usable backup storage.

For self-host setups, this often means a USB drive, removable disk, local data partition, or mounted network storage.

The screen tries to hide non-useful system devices so you can focus on destinations that make sense for backups.

Before starting a backup, choose a writable destination with enough free space.

What a backup is for

Section titled “What a backup is for”

A MOS backup is meant to preserve the suite state so you can recover later.

It is not meant to replace every app’s own export feature. For especially important data, you may still want app-level exports too.

Good habits:

  • keep at least one backup away from the machine running the suite
  • test that your backup storage can be read later
  • do not edit backup bundle contents by hand
  • make a fresh backup before risky updates or experiments

Hosted and managed platforms

Section titled “Hosted and managed platforms”

If Suite Manager cannot reach a local backup helper, it will show guidance instead of a managed backup button.

For hosted platforms, use the platform’s backup tools for databases, volumes, and restore points.

This is expected. Hosted platforms own parts of the infrastructure that a local MOS backup helper cannot see.

Restores need care

Section titled “Restores need care”

Restoring a suite is more serious than creating a backup.

Before restoring, make sure:

  • you selected the intended backup
  • you understand it can replace current suite state
  • the backup was created by a compatible MOS version
  • you have saved anything important from the current install

Suite Manager asks for confirmation before starting a restore because recovery actions should be deliberate.