Limit backup traffic for remote users

Overview

When large numbers of users work remotely, network traffic may overwhelm your virtual private network (VPN). This article describes several options for reducing the impact of remote users' Code42 backup traffic:

• Adjust Code42 network settings to define sending limits and network exclusions
• Configure your VPN for split tunneling to route Code42 traffic over the Internet, not the VPN
• Adjust backup settings to conserve bandwidth

Considerations

• Once a user's initial backup is complete, the incremental daily backups typically do not consume much bandwidth. The steps in this article have the largest impact on users who have not completed their initial backup yet or have not connected to the VPN recently.

Option 1: Adjust Code42 network settings

The Code42 console provides many options for controlling how and when user devices send backup data to Code42.

To adjust network settings:

1. Sign in to the Code42 console.
2. Select Administration > Environment > Organizations.
3. Select an organization.
   The organization details appear.
4. Select Actions > Device backup defaults.
5. On the General tab, deselect Use device defaults from parent (if necessary).
6. Select the Network tab. Choose one or more settings to update:
   • Limit backup traffic by defining Sending limits. You can choose to apply the same rate limit at all times, or set a schedule that applies different rate limits for peak and off-peak business hours. You can also add Network overrides to apply different rates to different networks.
   • Add to the Excluded network interfaces to prevent backup over specific networks.
7. Click the Push icon  to apply this setting to all devices.
8. Click Save.

For additional details, see our Network settings reference guide. 

Minimum sending limits
When setting network sending limits, do not set a rate lower than 0.10 Mbps or 100 Kbps. Rates lower than 0.10 Mbps can prevent devices from communicating with the Code42 cloud, which can stop backups and future configuration changes. To stop backup entirely, do not adjust sending limits. Instead, you can only allow backups at specified times.

Option 2: Enable split-tunnel VPN

If your network configuration allows for split-tunnel VPN, this is often the quickest way to reduce or completely eliminate Code42 network traffic from your VPN. With a split tunnel, you can choose to route Code42 network traffic through the device's local Internet connection instead of the VPN. 

The specifics for how to configure split-tunnel VPN depend on your VPN provider, your network topology, and your Code42 deployment model. However, the general goal is to either:

• Allow Code42 traffic to bypass the VPN, or
• Send Code42 traffic directly to our IP addresses.

Refer to your VPN provider's support documentation for specific details. See External resources below for links to split-tunnel instructions for common VPN providers.

Option 3: Adjust backup settings

Limiting backups is a temporary solution
Do not limit the backup window or reduce backup frequency as a long-term solution for controlling network traffic. Introducing limits puts files at risk during the times backup is disabled, and also reduces Code42's ability to collect files for monitoring and legal holds.

However, the steps below can be an effective short-term strategy to address immediate bandwidth concerns.

Backup schedule

To limit Code42 network traffic during peak business hours, you can define a schedule to only allow backups to occur at specific times or on specific days.

To define a schedule:

1. Sign in to the Code42 console.
2. Select Administration > Environment > Organizations.
3. Select an organization.
   The organization details appear.
4. Select Actions > Device backup defaults.
5. On the General tab, deselect Use device defaults from parent (if necessary).
6. Select the Backup tab.
7. Next to Backup will run, select Between specified times.
8. Enter start and end times outside your peak business hours.
9. (Optional) Select only certain days of the week for backup to run.
10. Click the Push icon  to apply this setting to all devices.
11. Click Save.

For additional details, see our Backup settings reference guide.

Tell users to keep devices connected and powered on
For backups to successfully complete during off-peak hours, users must keep their devices powered on (not sleeping) and connected to the network.

Backup frequency

To limit Code42 backup frequency, you can reduce how often incremental backups occur.

To change backup frequency:

1. Sign in to the Code42 console.
2. Select Administration > Environment > Organizations.
3. Select an organization.
   The organization details appear.
4. Select Actions > Device backup defaults.
5. On the General tab, deselect Use device defaults from parent (if necessary).
6. Select the Backup tab.
7. Scroll down to the Frequency and versions section. Next to Backup changes every, select a longer interval (for example, Every hour or Every 4 hours instead of every 15 minutes).
8. Click the Push icon  to apply this setting to all devices.
9. Click Save.

For additional details, see Frequency and versions. 

Backup exclusions

As a longer-term solution for conserving network bandwidth, you can re-evaluate which files are selected for backup. For a detailed review of what to back up and how to apply backup exclusions, see:

• Considerations for defining your backup policies
• Include and exclude files for backup

More help

If you have questions about which option is best for your Code42 environment or need help with any of the steps above, contact our Technical Support Engineers.

External resources

• Cisco Meraki: Configuring Split Tunnel Client VPN
• Palo Alto: Split tunnel VPN for public applications
• Pulse VPN: Defining Split Tunneling Network

Related topics

• Organizations - Device Backup Defaults - Backup settings reference 
• Organizations - Device Backup Defaults - Network settings reference 
• IP addresses and ports used by the Code42 platform 
• Manage network bandwidth options