Glossary

account password - Password you supplied when you registered your CrashPlan account. See also private password.

archive - Files that you have saved to another location as a safeguard against loss.

archive maintenance - A regularly scheduled task that checks a backup archive for any corrupted files; self-heals those files and removes excess versions, deleted files and files no longer selected for backup. Archive maintenance is activated manually by clicking compact.

backup - (1) Files that you have saved to another location as a safeguard against loss. Also known as “backup” or “backup archive.”
(2) The operation in which files are sent and stored to another computer or device, as in, “Your backup is in progress.”

backup code - A unique code you can give to a friend, which instantly offers your computer as a destination to your friend. Similarly, if a friend offers a backup code, your friend's computer is instantly available as a destination to you.

bandwidth - The speed of your Internet connection. The more bandwidth you have available, the faster you can back up and restore your files.

compact - In CrashPlan, the process in which space in the back up archive is reclaimed by immediately applying file selection or retention policy changes (such as how many versions to keep and how long to keep deleted files).

compression - The process of coding information into fewer bits so that it takes less space and speeds up transmission. CrashPlan compresses information before sending for backup, which increases speed and adds to security.

data de-duplication - Process in which duplicate files and parts of files are automatically identified and stored only once.

destinations - Locations to which your where your files backed up, for example, other computers you own or use, friends’ computers, DFW DataVault (or some other 3rd-party provider) or an external drive connected to a friend’s computer.

encryption - The process of encoding your files (data) so that no one can read them or recognize what is in them. This process keeps your files private, guards against identify theft and destroys viruses so they don’t get infect backup sources and destinations.

encryption key - A randomly-generated 448-bit encryption key that secures your account (all your computers under this account) and your archive. The encryption key itself is also secured, either with the account password (default) or for added security with a private password. In either case you may need to supply the correct password to restore your files.

external address - The public IP address as seen by CrashPlan.

folder - In CrashPlan, another device attached to your computer, such as a USB drive or a network share. These types of destinations are known as folders, because they contain your backup archive stored in a folder on your computer.

friend - In CrashPlan, an individual who has offered a computer as a backup destination.

gigabyte (GB) - A gigabyte equals 1,073,741,824 bytes. A byte is a unit of storage representing a single character on a computer. megabyte (MB = 1,048,576 bytes).

guest restore - The ability to restore your files from a destination computer.

initial backup - The very first backup performed on a specific source computer. Because this backup establishes a baseline for your backup selection, the initial backup can take significantly longer than subsequent backups, which backs up only the changes you've made since the last backup. See incremental backup.

incremental backup - The process of saving only the changes in files since the last backup.

internal address - The IP address as seen by an internal network.

offsite - A location that is outside the facility containing the computers being backed up.

online - A type of backup in which files are transmitted and stored in a data center, usually offered by 3rd-party provider.

onsite - A backup location that is in the same facility as the data sources. Also known as “local backup.”

private key - Encryption key that is user-created (using the Passphrase or Generatte options) and is used instead of the default encryption key. This encryption security option offers the greatest security because the private key never leaves the source computer, not even in a locked form.

private password - Password you supplied when you enabled the data password option in the Settings > Security tab. Also known as “Private Data Password.” If you have enabled this option, you need to supply the data password to restore files. See also account password.

real-time - In CrashPlan+, the process of backing up your files immediately after you create or change them. Real-time backup protects you from loss that might occur if backups are scheduled only at specific times.

restore - The process of retrieving lost files. Restoring makes it possible for you to avoid the effort of recreating data or starting from scratch… allowing you or your business to move forward with minimal disruption.

seed backup - The process in which you perform an initial backup locally and after transporting the archive to a remote location, resume backing up to the new offsite destination. Because you are not performing the initial backup over the Internet, seeding your initial backup saves a lot of time.

sources - Locations from which you send files to be stored.

synchronize - A process where the source and destination compare what files are actually stored on the destination vs what files the source has sent to the destination.

VSS - VSS stands for the Volume Shadow Service and it's what CrashPlan+ uses to back up open files on Windows. Both CrashPlan+ and the other program must have VSS support in order to back up the file while it's open. CrashPlan does not have VSS support.

web restore - The ability restore your files from your account page on www.dfwdatavault.com. This feature is only available to DFW DataVault customers who also have a CrashPlan+ license.