Edit1 Summary
It is critical to make sure you have a backup of your ScreenConnect installation before making any custom modifications to files, moving installations, rolling back to an older version, or deploying unattended clients. Not backing up certain key files in your ScreenConnect installation could result in the inability to connect with unattended clients, redundant work reapplying appearance changes, or the loss of session information used for audits.
Edit2 More Information
We recommend that the entire ScreenConnect folder structure be backed up, to a different machine or medium, after the initial installation and subsequently after any manual changes to files. The installation by default will be located at C:\Program Files\ScreenConnect. The ScreenConnect Installation Layout is documented in
INFO-0003: Installation Layout.
Edit2.1 Key Files
OK, so do you really need all the files in the ScreenConnect folder? Not really, many of the files are generic and laying down a fresh install will provide basically the same information. We keep a record of what files we recognize as critical in:
HOWTO-0014: Moving an installation to a different server. But any file you have manually altered for any reason should be documented and included in what you are backing up.
Important Files & Folders
- %INSTALLDIR%\web.config - This file contains setup, configuration, and security parameters. If lost or overwritten it would not be possible to access existing unattended clients. See HOWTO-0012: Editing the Web.Config for more information.
- %INSTALLDIR%\App_Data - This folder contains your session log files, license information, and user setup including the security roles.
- %INSTALLDIR%\App_GlobalResources - Contains Default.resx, a .NET resources file that holds all message customizations.
- %INSTALLDIR%\ - Any file that has been manually modified for your installation should be be backed up and stored to eliminate redundant work reapplying changes.
Edit2.2 Potential Problems
Redundant Work - Several of our knowledge articles document how to modify certain files to
Change ScreenConnect Ports,
Configure Advanced SMTP Options, or to apply custom modifications to the web application. Often these changes are simple and only take a few seconds but others may take substantially longer. Backing up your files prevents the loss of these changes in case of an unforeseen problem.
Access to Unattended Clients - Each unattended client is created with the knowledge of where to call back once deployed and the encryption key to establish a safe connection. Both sides the server (Admin Client) and the unattended install (Guest Client) must have matching encryption keys or the connection will not be established. This action helps prevent
Man-in-the-middle attacks and secures the connection. The server encryption key is maintained inside the ScreenConnect installation, therefore if the installation is lost there is no way to reestablish the connection without redistributing new unattended clients to each machine.
Uninstalling - Rolling back to older installations will overwrite existing files including the web.config. This action would in effect delete your existing encryption information resulting in the inability to connect with existing unattended clients. Make sure that if you need to rollback for some reason that you have a backup of the entire ScreenConnect folder before starting the process.
Edit2.3 Using the Backup
If you find it necessary to move files from a backup into your primary installation we recommend that you follow the steps outlined in
HOWTO-0014: Moving an installation to a different server, or if you still have questions contact
support@screenconnect.com.
Edit3 References