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Managing Backup Plans

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for managing standard backup plans in Pluton. Standard backup plans use Restic to create periodic incremental snapshots of your data.

Running Backups​

Backups run automatically on schedule, but you can also trigger them manually.

Automatic Backups​

Once created, your backup plan will:

  • Run automatically at the scheduled intervals
  • Retry automatically if failures occur (based on retry settings)
  • Continue running until you pause or delete the plan

You can see the next scheduled backup time by hovering over the interval in the plan list.

Manual Backup (Backup Now)​

To run a backup immediately, outside of the regular schedule:

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate your backup plan in the list
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮) on the right side
  3. Select "Backup Now"
  4. A notification confirms the backup has started
  5. The plan card will show "In Progress" status

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the plan by clicking on it
  2. Click the "Backup Now" button in the page header
  3. The backup starts immediately
  4. You'll see real-time progress with:
    • Progress percentage
    • Files processed
    • Data transferred
    • Estimated time remaining

Important Notes:

  • You cannot start a manual backup while one is already in progress
  • Manual backups don't affect the regular schedule
  • Failed manual backups will retry based on your retry settings
  • Manual backups create a new snapshot like scheduled backups

Monitoring Backup Progress​

Real-Time Progress:

  • Open the plan details page during a backup
  • View live progress including:
    • Percentage complete
    • Number of files processed
    • Amount of data backed up
    • Current speed
    • Estimated time remaining

Backup History:

  • Each completed backup appears in the "Backups" section
  • View snapshot ID, date/time, size, and status
  • Click on individual backups to:
    • View detailed file list
    • Restore files
    • Download the entire backup
    • Delete specific snapshots

Logs:

  • Click "View Logs" in the more options menu (⋮)
  • See detailed execution logs
  • Helpful for troubleshooting issues
  • Download logs for offline review

Pausing a Plan​

Pausing a backup plan stops automatic scheduled backups without deleting the plan or existing backups.

When to Pause a Plan​

  • During system maintenance or updates
  • When the source device is offline temporarily
  • To save bandwidth during critical operations
  • When storage quota is reached temporarily

How to Pause​

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate your backup plan
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮)
  3. Select "Pause Plan"
  4. A notification confirms the plan is paused
  5. The plan shows a "Paused" badge

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the plan details
  2. Click the "Pause" button in the page header
  3. The plan is immediately paused
  4. The page header shows "Paused" status

What Happens When Paused:

  • Scheduled backups stop running
  • The cron schedule is deactivated
  • Existing backups/snapshots remain intact
  • The plan remains in your plans list
  • You cannot run manual backups while paused

Resuming a Paused Plan​

From the Plans List:​

  1. Locate the paused plan (has "Paused" badge)
  2. Click the three dots menu (⋮)
  3. Select "Resume Plan"
  4. A notification confirms the plan is active
  5. Scheduled backups resume automatically

From Plan Details Page:​

  1. Navigate to the paused plan
  2. Click the "Resume" button in the page header
  3. The plan is reactivated immediately
  4. The next scheduled backup will run as configured

Important Notes:

  • You cannot pause a plan while a backup is in progress
  • Resuming doesn't trigger an immediate backup (use "Backup Now" if needed)
  • Pausing doesn't delete any data or configuration

Editing a Backup Plan​

You can modify most settings of an existing backup plan. Some settings cannot be changed after creation.

What Can Be Edited​

Changeable Settings:

  • Plan name/title
  • Source paths (add/remove folders to backup)
  • Exclude patterns
  • Storage subfolder path
  • Backup schedule/interval
  • Snapshots to keep
  • Encryption status (if not yet used)
  • Compression setting
  • Tags
  • Retry settings
  • Performance settings
  • Retention policies
  • Notification settings

Cannot Be Changed:

  • Source device
  • Storage destination
  • Backup method (standard backup vs sync)
  • Source type (device, database, etc.)
  • Encryption (if backups already exist)

How to Edit a Plan​

1. Open Edit Panel​

From Plans List:

  • Find your plan and click on it to open details
  • Click the "Edit" button in the page header

Or:

  • Click the three dots menu (⋮) next to the plan
  • Select "Edit" (from the more options in plan details)

The edit panel opens on the right side.

2. Modify Settings​

The edit panel has four tabs accessible from the top:

Step 1: Basics

  • Change the plan name
  • View source type and method (cannot change)

Step 2: Source/Destination

  • Add or remove folders to backup
  • Modify exclude patterns
  • Click "+ Add Folder" to include additional paths
  • Use the trash icon to remove folders
  • Adjust storage subfolder path (destination cannot change)

Step 3: Schedule

  • Change backup interval and time
  • Modify snapshots to keep
  • All interval options are available

Step 4: Advanced

  • Toggle compression on/off
  • Modify retry settings
  • Adjust performance settings
  • Update retention policies
  • Configure notifications
  • Manage tags

3. Save Changes​

  • Click "Update Plan" at the bottom of the panel
  • Pluton validates your changes
  • The backup schedule is updated
  • A success notification appears

Important Notes:

  • You cannot edit a plan while a backup is in progress
  • Schedule changes take effect immediately
  • Source path changes apply to the next backup
  • Changing retention doesn't immediately delete old snapshots (happens on next prune)

Best Practices for Editing​

  1. Don't edit during backups - Wait for active backups to complete
  2. Test new paths - Verify folders exist before adding them
  3. Review excludes - Ensure exclude patterns work as intended
  4. Check storage space - When adding more source paths
  5. Update incrementally - Make small changes and test before adding more

Removing a Backup Plan​

Deleting a backup plan removes the plan configuration and optionally the backup data from storage.

Before You Delete​

Consider:

  • Pausing instead if you might need the plan later
  • Exporting important configuration settings (manually document)
  • Verifying you have alternative backups of important data
  • Checking if any restore operations are in progress

How to Remove a Plan​

1. Open Delete Confirmation​

From Plans List:

  • Click the plan card to open details
  • Click "More Options (⋮)" in the page header
  • Select "Remove"

Or from Plan Details:

  • Click the three dots menu (⋮) in the header
  • Select "Remove"

A confirmation modal appears.

2. Choose Data Removal Option​

Important Decision:

The modal shows a toggle option:

  • "Remove remote backup data from the Remote Storage"

If DISABLED (default):

  • Only the plan configuration is deleted from Pluton
  • All backup snapshots remain in the storage destination
  • You can manually access the data if needed
  • Storage space is not freed

If ENABLED:

  • The plan configuration AND all backup data are deleted
  • All snapshots are permanently removed from storage
  • Storage space is freed
  • This action cannot be undone!

When to Enable:

  • You no longer need the backed-up data
  • You want to reclaim storage space
  • You're sure you won't need to restore anything
  • The data is backed up elsewhere

When to Keep Disabled:

  • You want to keep the data for archival purposes
  • You might need to restore later
  • You want to manually review before deletion
  • Storage space is not a concern

3. Confirm Deletion​

  • Read the warning message carefully
  • Set the toggle based on your needs
  • Click "Yes, Remove Plan"
  • The deletion process begins

What Happens:

  1. Pluton stops all scheduled backups for this plan
  2. The cron schedule is removed
  3. If enabled, remote data is purged from storage (this may take time)
  4. The plan is removed from the database
  5. You're redirected to the main Plans page
  6. A success notification appears

Important Notes:

  • You cannot delete a plan while a backup or restore is in progress
  • Deletion with data removal may take several minutes for large backups
  • There is no undo or recovery option
  • All backup history and logs for this plan are deleted

After Deletion​

  • The plan no longer appears in your plans list
  • Scheduled backups stop immediately
  • If data was deleted, storage space is freed (may take time to reflect)
  • If data was kept, you can:
    • Manually access it through your storage provider
    • Recreate a plan with the same storage to import snapshots (advanced)

Troubleshooting​

Backup Fails to Start​

Symptoms: Clicking "Backup Now" doesn't start a backup

Solutions:

  • Check if a backup is already running
  • Verify the plan is not paused (Resume it first)
  • Check storage connectivity (verify storage in Storages page)
  • Review plan logs for error messages
  • Ensure source device is online (for remote backups)

Cannot Edit Plan​

Symptoms: Edit button disabled or changes won't save

Solutions:

  • Wait for any active backup to complete
  • Ensure you're not trying to change immutable settings (device, storage)
  • Check that required fields are filled correctly
  • Verify at least one source folder is selected

Pause/Resume Not Working​

Symptoms: Plan doesn't pause or resume properly

Solutions:

  • Wait for active backups to finish before pausing
  • Check plan logs for scheduling errors
  • Restart the Pluton server if schedules seem stuck
  • Verify cron service is running

Plan Deletion Stuck​

Symptoms: Deletion takes too long or appears to hang

Solutions:

  • If deleting with data removal, large backups take time (be patient)
  • Check network connectivity to storage
  • Monitor the app logs (Settings → App Logs)
  • If truly stuck after 30+ minutes, contact support

Cannot Create Plan with Same Name​

Symptoms: Error when creating a plan with a previously used name

Solutions:

  • Plan names don't need to be unique - this is usually a different error
  • Check the actual error message in the notification
  • Verify storage and source selections are correct
  • Ensure required fields are filled

Tips and Best Practices​

Creating Plans​

  1. Start small - Test with a small folder first before backing up large datasets
  2. Use descriptive names - Include source and frequency (e.g., "Photos Daily Backup")
  3. Enable encryption - Always encrypt when using cloud storage
  4. Tag consistently - Develop a tagging system from the start
  5. Test immediately - Run a manual backup after creation to verify settings

Running Backups​

  1. Schedule wisely - Run during low-activity periods (night/weekend)
  2. Monitor first run - Watch the first backup to ensure it completes
  3. Check regularly - Periodically review backup history for failures
  4. Don't overload - Avoid running too many manual backups simultaneously

Pausing Plans​

  1. Temporary only - Use pause for short-term needs, not long-term
  2. Document reasons - Note why you paused (for memory later)
  3. Set reminders - Don't forget to resume after maintenance
  4. Review regularly - Check for accidentally paused plans

Editing Plans​

  1. Edit off-hours - Make changes when backups aren't scheduled
  2. Small changes - Modify one thing at a time when possible
  3. Test after editing - Run a manual backup to verify changes
  4. Document changes - Keep notes on what you changed and why

Removing Plans​

  1. Pause first - Pause for a while before deleting to ensure it's not needed
  2. Verify data - Ensure you have alternative copies if keeping data
  3. Archive settings - Screenshot or document plan configuration before deletion
  4. Clean up gradually - Delete old data after confirming you don't need it