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Overview
A software or hardware failure, a human-caused event, or even physical disasters like floods, fires, earthquakes, or tornados may result in a complete wipeout of all of your system. And occasionally bad things happen in our lives when we least expect them or are least prepared for them. The backup of your data makes it accessible in case of data deletion or corruption. You can only recover data from an earlier time if you have backed it up.
You can manually backup Sensei configuration and policy files at any time on OPNsense web GUI. After your backup is completed, it can be downloaded to a separate medium easily with just one click for reducing the future data loss risk.
It is recommended that you should make your backup copies on a regular and consistent basis. The more time that passes between your backup copies, the more potential for data loss you face when recovering from a failure. Regular backups both protect your data and enable your system to recover and get running again quickly.
Sensei Backup Panel
You can easily backup the Sensei configuration and policy files by following these 3 steps:
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Navigate to the Sensei->Configuration->Backup on your OPNsense GUI.
Figure 1: Navigating to Sensei->Configuration->Backup. -
You can encrypt the backup file by switching on the toggle button in the Sensei Backup panel. If encryption is enabled, you must enter and confirm a password.
Figure 2: Backup File Without Encryption
Figure 3: Backup file encryption is enabled -
Click
button to start the backup operation. After the backup is completed, the below popup message notifies you. By default, backups are stored on the firewall itself. It is very important that you should download the backup file to your local disk by clicking the
button in the dialog. Otherwise, a fresh install will erase your backup files on the Sensei GUI. You should keep it in an external storage medium like your pc or another safe media.
Figure 4: Popup Message indicating that backup is completed and backup file can be downloaded.
Restore Panel
On the Sensei Backup Configuration page, Restore Pane contains the existing backup files in the system and the file operation buttons. You can view the detailed file information (date of the backup and whether the file is encrypted or not) in this panel. Also, you can execute the following backup file operations:
- Upload
- Restore
- Download
- Delete
Figure 5: Restore Panel
Restore
You can easily restore your Sensei configuration and policy files by following the next steps:
-
Navigate to the Sensei->Configuration->Backup on your OPNsense GUI.
Figure 6: Navigating to Sensei->Configuration->Backup. -
You can either upload a backup file or select one of the backup files stored in your OPNsense system to restore the Sensei configuration and policy files.
-
To start the restore operation, you can upload a backup file by clicking the
button or you can select a file listed in Restore pane by clicking on the
button in the Action column.
-
This will display a window asking for Restore Parameters given below.
Figure 7: Selecting Restore Parameters -
If the backup file is encrypted, an encryption password is asked in the Restore Parameters window too.
Figure 8: Selecting Restore Parameters For Encrypted Backup File -
Select the proper option under the Restore Area drop-down list. You can either restore all configuration files or only policy and rule files from the backup file.
Figure 9: Selecting Files to Restore -
By default, license data is excluded from the restore operation. To restore it, switch off the toggle button in the window.
Figure 10: License data is not restored. Figure 11: License data is restored.
-
-
Click on the
button in the Restore Parameters window. If all goes well, a dialog box is displayed. Then, click the OK button to close Success dialog.
Figure 12: A message indicating that the restore operation was completed successfully. -
Lastly, click
button to refresh the browser window.
Figure 13: A message notifies the user to refresh the browser window.
Downloading A Backup File
You can download the backup files stored in your OPNsense system to your local disc by clicking the 
Deleting A Backup File
You can delete the backup files stored in your OPNsense system by clicking the 