FAQ

CrashPlan Central

Backup

Restore

Security

Networking

Operational

Other

How much does CrashPlan Central cost?

You can back up as much as 50 GB of data to CrashPlan Central for $5/month. We charge an additional $0.10/month per GB after 50 GB. So backing up 60 GB is $6.00/month, and so on. We measure your selected data and the size of the data stored on our servers at the end of your billing month, charging you for the greater of the two numbers. For example, if you started out selecting 0 GB, then grew to 70 GB after 10 days, but shrunk to 40 GB at 30 days, we'd charge you $5 for the selected 40 GB.

What are some drawbacks to backing up to CrashPlan Central?

Before backing up to an online provider like CrashPlan Central, consider the following:

  • Lengthy initial backup and restore times—The typical laptop can hold 150 GB of data these days. From a typical home ISP, that means it could take 12 days to restore all your data! During that time, you can forget about using your Internet connection or computer for anything else. Your initial backup could take several months! Keep in mind that you can now seed your initial backup or have your data shipped to you for a fee. But even with these services, it takes time to back up or retrieve your data.
  • Cost — We will charge you $15/month ($180/year) to select 150 GB. You can buy a 750 GB drive for $100 at time of this FAQ writing.
  • Security — You are trusting a third party to manage your backup. Depending on your security goals, this can be a good thing, or a bad thing.

What are the advantages to backing up to CrashPlan Central?

There are several great reasons you should back up to CrashPlan Central:

  • Outsource the headache — Pay us to worry about the details. It's easy to get started and you don't have to find another computer/device to back up to.
  • Time to restore — You don't have a lot of data to back up, you have a really fast Internet connection, or you're OK with waiting to get all your data back if disaster strikes.
  • 24 x 7 — We're always on, we never run out of disk space, and we actively monitor everything.
  • Natural disasters — If you live in areas prone to diasters, it's best to get your data out of that region. Earthquakes, floods, huricanes, fires, lightning storms, etc. CrashPlan Central stores backup data in an underground bank vault in the Midwest.

Do I have to purchase CrashPlan+ to back up to CrashPlan Central?

No. You can use the free version of CrashPlan use CrashPlan Central. Storage fees still apply.

Can I back up to another computer that I own?

Yes. We have instructions on how to do this.

What about a friend's computer?

As we say in Minnesota, "You betcha!" Many times we see friends backing up to each other. Another thing we see are talented and bright individuals protecting their families by allowing them to back up to their servers. These trustworthy and giving individuals are entitled "Data Heroes." Remember, there is no cost for your friend to back up your files on her computer.

We have instructions for doing this, too!

Can I back up onsite first, then continue offsite?

Absolutely! Our attach archive feature makes this easy. Instructions are on our support wiki.

What if a friend gets a virus?

It stays with the friend and does not spread to your computer. During backup, your friend's files are encrypted and compressed before they are sent to your computer. This process disables any viruses that might be lurking in your friend's files, so your computer is completely protected.

If I back up to a friend, will he be able to see my files?

No. Your files and filenames are encrypted before leaving your computer, ensuring personal files are kept personal.

What type of encryption does CrashPlan use?

We encrypt your files using the Blowfish Encryption Alogorithm, a symmetric block cipher. This is done BEFORE your data is sent over the network using a private key that is unique to you. CrashPlan uses 128-bit keys and CrashPlan+ uses 448-bit keys. The key is locked with your account password that we don't store. What we DO store is a secure hash of it, so we know when you type it correctly, without actually knowing what it is.

You can even set a separate data password (which must be supplied when you want to restore). This data password or a hash is not stored in our data center. While providing an extra layer of security, it can be risky—if you forget your password, we have no way of obtaining it or resetting it, so you won't be able to restore your data and your backup is useless.

Can I back up directly to my network attached storage (NAS) device?

Yes. You can now back up directly to a folder. While the folder can be anywhere, it should be someplace that's relatively fast to access.

Things that work well: Internal drive, external drive, fileserver, airport extreme disk, Drobo.
Things that will not work: Macfuse mount of your imap mail account. Mobile Me. NFS mount over a 1200 baud modem.

Ways to use this powerful feature:

  • Back up directly to an external USB/firewire disk
  • Back up directly to the same drive you are backing up
  • Back up to a network fileserver
  • Back up to a USB Drive, then bring the drive to another computer, and resume backing up automatically

Do I need to purchase another license to restore on another computer?

No. Install the free version of CrashPlan on another computer, using the same email account you created for the original backup. Visit our support site for detailed instructions.

Do I need to leave my computer on all the time?

No. CrashPlan automatically resumes as soon as it sees the other computer on the Internet or LAN. This is one reason to back up to more than one destination, so there is a greater chance of a backup destination being available.

Do I need a static IP address?

No. CrashPlan Central runs a location service that helps your computers find each other.

Do I need to open up ports in my router or firewall?

Usually no, but sometimes yes. CrashPlan will do its best to connect you without making any changes to either your router or firewall. Sometimes we can't work through them, in which case, you should open up port 4242 on the side where you're backing up to. The folks at PortForward.com have great examples on how to open up ports for just about everything out there.

Can I back up a Mac to a Windows or Linux Server?

Yes, you can! No file information is lost either. We protect your Mac file information (i.e. resource forks) in a cross platform way.

If I quit/close CrashPlan, does the backup continue to run?

Yes. There is a background service that runs continually while your computer is on. Don't worry about it slowing you down! It's been set to run at "idle" priority so anything you do has priority over backup.

Can I schedule when CrashPlan runs?

Yes, under preferences you can schedule CrashPlan to run only during certain hours of the day.

What do CrashPlan's ads look like?

CrashPlan is a free, ad-supported product. The ads appear below the main navigation menu when CrashPlan is open and rotate at a slow frequency. CrashPlan+ does not display ads.

I use Apple's Time Machine, isn't that enough?

We don't think so. Here is a list of the reasons why.

I have more questions! Where can I find more answers?

We have lots more information on our support wiki, including more FAQs, HOW TOs and general information.