SafetyNet

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Overview

SafetyNet is a web app that copies your FileMaker backup files and transmits them using SSL to Amazon S3, Amazon’s cloud-based file storage service. Having off-site back-ups insures that your data won’t be lost, even if something were to happen to your entire on-site computer system. It also gives you the ability to access your files from anywhere you can access a running SafetyNet by using your Amazon credentials to log in.

Installation

If you used SafetyNet in the past, it was designed as a plugin and was installed as such. However, SafetyNet is now a web application so an installer is included in the download. To install, run the Mac Installer.pkg or the Windows Installer.exe . The installer will automatically launch the SafetyNet page which will guide you through the set up process of linking SafetyNet with your Amazon account. The first step will be to log into SafetyNet with your FileMaker Server administrator credentials.

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Linking SafetyNet with Amazon

NOTE: Due to requirements set forth by Amazon, you will need to complete this process on the machine where SafetyNet is installed and access the interface using localhost like http://localhost/SafetyNet.
You will need to have an Amazon account in order to use SafetyNet as it uses Amazon Pay. If you do not already have one, you can sign up for an Amazon account here. Please note that this is different than an AWS account. Once you have an Amazon account, click "Login with Amazon". This will take you to the Amazon log in page so that you can log in.

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Once you do, you will be redirected back to the SafetyNet page to set up payment options.

Back on the SafetyNet page you should see all payment options associated with your account listed. Choose the option that you want charges to be applied to, check the box that says "Use my selected payment method for future purchases and payments to this merchant." and then click "Store payment settings". You should then be redirected to the admin page for SafetyNet.


Multiple Instances with the same Amazon account

If you have multiple servers all using the same Amazon account, files from all servers will be stored in the same S3 bucket. Once you have linked your Amazon account, you should see the bucket ID at the top of the Admin page. Since all files will be stored in the same bucket, they will share the same days to keep value specified in the Directories to Backup section. All servers need to have the same days to keep value. If you have a non-default value for days to keep and add another server to the group, the bucket policy will be updated with the default value. It is important that you immediately change that value to match the value set on the other servers to avoid files older than the default value being deleted.

Pricing

The SafetyNet plugin itself is free, and billing for the service is handled by Amazon at a surprisingly low cost:

$0.99 base charge per month
$0.01 per 1,000 items written (rounded down)
$1.00 - $0.05 per gigabyte stored (per month):
- First 10 gigabytes: $1.00 per gigabyte
- Next 90 gigabytes, up to 100: $0.25 per gigabyte
- Next 400 gigabytes, up to 500: $0.10 per gigabyte
- All storage above 500 gigabytes: $0.05 per gigabyte

Example pricing:
5 gigabytes stored per month is $5.99
50 gigabytes stored per month is $20.99
250 gigabytes stored per month is $48.49
1,000 gigabytes stored per month is $98.49

Managing Files

Files backed up to SafetyNet are stored in an S3 bucket in a 360Works account. During set up, SafetyNet will do a network check and will create a S3 bucket in the region with the fastest ping time. The SafetyNet installer automatically creates a SafetyNet folder in the FileMaker Server Backups folder. Make sure to set up a backup schedule on FileMaker Server to save back ups to this folder. You can also assign additional folders for SafetyNet to upload to S3 by adding them in the "Off-Site Storage Setup" section of the SafetyNet Admin page. You can set an interval for how long to keep backups in this same section.

If you need to download, delete, or restore a file to FileMaker Server you can do so on the SafetyNet Manage Files page. You can also manually run SafetyNet on this page by clicking the "Run Now" link at the top of the page.

Can SafetyNet backup encrypted files?

Yes, there are no special actions that need to be taken for encrypted files. Backups will run the same as any non-encrypted file. If you need to restore an encrypted file to FileMaker Server, this will work the same as any other file as well but you will need to manually open the file in the FileMaker Server admin console just like you would if you uploaded it with FileMaker Pro.

Can SafetyNet be used to move files between servers?

Yes, the S3 bucket that your files are put into is associated with the Amazon account that you sign in with so if you manage multiple servers, you can use the same account to manage all the files in one place. This is also helpful if a server has a catastrophic failure. You can simply install SafetyNet on the new server, sign into your Amazon account, and then restore your backups to the new server.

Canceling SafetyNet membership on Amazon

If you want to cancel the merchant agreement with SafetyNet, log in to your Amazon Pay account.

  • Once logged in click on "Merchant Agreements"

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  • On this page you should see a list of all merchant agreements that you have in your Amazon account. Look for SafetyNet in the list and click "Details"

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  • On the Details page, click on the link that says Cancel Your Agreement

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  • You will then be presented with a prompt to confirm the cancelation. Click "Cancel agreement" to confirm

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  • Once canceled, you will be taken back to the main account page and shown a message that you have successfully cancelled the agreement. The status should now show canceled in the merchant agreements section of the account and you should also receive a confirmation email.

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Trouble Shooting and Known Issues

This section will grow as more issues are reported. If you are having issues with SafetyNet that do not appear in this section, please email support@360works.com

Log files

Typically to send your logs to our support system you will click on the "Report a bug" link on the help page. This is fine if you are sending the bug report the same day that you experienced the error. However, if you saw the error from a previous day then you will need to manually submit your logs. SafetyNet logs can be found at /Library/360Works/Applications/logs on Mac and at C:\Program Files\360Works\Applications\logs on Windows. The log file will be called SafetyNet.DATE.log . Be sure to send the log(s) that pertain to the dates when you saw the errors.

SafetyNet installer hangs

If the SafetyNet installer hangs then please see these instructions for installing MirrorSync first and then installing SafetyNet instead of SuperContainer.

Error Writing Request Body to Server

It is possible to get this error when trying to upload large files to S3. This error essentially means that a timeout has occurred. Timeouts can happen for many reasons but we have seen this error happen when pushing very large files from countries outside the US. The reason for this is SafetyNet is set up to upload files to AWS servers in Virginia and uploading large files over long distances tend to cause timeouts. (this is no longer the case for SafetyNet 2. If you get this error, please report it to our support channel at support@360works.com)