BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Check before you begin
Agents, Communicator, Data Mover and application-specific restore components have different roles. Match installation steps to the OS, agent type and approved release; a lab candidate is not a general customer release.
Screenshots were captured from the actual lab interface on 16 October 2026. The interface is in English; explanations follow your selected language. Resource names, dates and settings are examples; use values for your own environment.
Some lab screenshots are withheld pending privacy review. Follow the documented steps and use your own environment values.
Visual note: the earlier real Linux File Backup connection screen is reused. Agent is alive and responsive is only a connectivity check, not an installer or new data acceptance. No agent was installed, no registration/token/service or policy was changed, and no backup/restore was started.
- OS, architecture, agent type and release
- Approved package, checksum and trusted source
- Master/repository address, CA and secret files
- Authorized test window and recovery acceptance plan
011. Identify inventory and ownership
Record hostname, agent identity, OS, component releases, master/tenant and repository mapping. Distinguish same-name or cloned hosts by identity. Never record token or enrollment-code values in inventory.
Expected resultAn agent inventory without secrets is created.
022. Assess health signals separately
Check service state, connectivity response, latest job and data acceptance separately. Agent is alive and responsive only establishes connectivity at that moment. If file-tree, privilege or repository errors exist, do not treat the job as ready merely because the agent appears online.
Earlier real Linux File Backup draft: Agent is alive and responsive. This is a connectivity check, not evidence of installation, file selection or successful backup/restore. The policy was not saved.
Expected resultConnectivity is distinguished from job/data health.
033. Inspect network and service scope
The Windows Communicator candidate separates AD enrollment over HTTPS 443 from master-to-agent triggering on agent TCP 62107; this is not a universal port list for all agents. Verify access only from the expected master for the relevant release. LocalSystem service state does not prove all AD restore privileges.
Expected resultRelease-specific access and service roles are recorded.
044. Check policy and repository mappings
Match the source agent to the correct file/database policy and repository. Check latest backups and recovery points; Active state or an old timestamp is not current data acceptance. Do not map an old catalog record to the wrong source after host migration/reinstallation.
Expected resultThe relationship between agent and protected data is validated.
055. Manage updates through a maintenance plan
Review active jobs and pending restore requests; require approved release compatibility, package integrity and rollback planning before updates. Do not run a fresh-install installer over an existing service. Candidate documents do not establish completed crash/reboot or active-job drain acceptance; require component-specific evidence.
Expected resultMaintenance and rollback conditions are defined.
066. Correlate errors with identity and logs
The Windows Communicator candidate documents logs at C:\ProgramData\EraBackup\logs\comm_YYYY-MM-DD.log; use the relevant package guide for other agents. Correlate job/agent identity, time, error and release. Redact tokens, passwords, personal data and customer addresses before sharing.
Expected resultInvestigable, redacted error evidence is prepared.
077. Plan retirement around recovery requirements
Before removing an agent, validate policy dependencies, retention needs and recovery paths for older backups. Do not interrupt active jobs; perform credential revocation and service removal under an authorized maintenance plan. Agent removal does not imply backup deletion or retention expiry.
Expected resultThe lifecycle is planned while preserving recovery paths.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Has an online agent passed all protection checks?
No. Connectivity, service state, data access, backup chains and restore acceptance are separate evidence.