Adding a new site to Remote can be performed either using a wizard interface, or the advanced configuration interface. By default, clicking on the button in the toolbar, the , menu item or pressing CTRL-N on your keyboard opens up the wizard interface.
![[Tip]](/images/stories/docimport62/tip.png) | Tip |
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You can switch to the Expert Mode at any time, clicking the button on the lower left corner of this window. This will show the Site Definition Editor dialog, documented in the User's Guide. |
In the first page of the wizard, you have to enter the connection information to your website:
Site's name. Enter a descriptive name for your site. This isn't used in any way by JoomlaPack Remote. We highly recommend using something descriptive to help you distinguish between multiple site's.
Address (URL). Enter the full URL, including the protocol, to your web site. For example, if your domain is
www.example.com, you have installed Joomla! under the directoryportaland want to connect using the SSL-secured HTTP (HTTPS) protocol, you must enterhttps://www.example.com/portal. You can optionally enter a non-standard XML-RPC server address directly. For example, if pur example site runs on Joomla! 1.5.x and we had renamed thexmlrpcJoomla! directory tofoobar, we should enter herehttp://www.example.com/foobar/index.php.Remember that when you hit the button, JoomlaPack Remote will try to figure out the XML-RPC server address by testing the following posibilities:
The URL you have entered is the XML-RPC server
Appening
xmlrpcto the URL you enteredAppening
xmlrpc/index.phpto the URL you entered (for servers which don't supportindex.phpas the default directory document)Appending
index.php?option=com_joomlapack&act=xmlrpc&no_html=1to the URL you entered, in case it's a Joomla! 1.0.x site
This gives you maximum flexibility in virtually all possible server configurations.
Username. The username of a Joomla! user account with sufficient permissions to perform a backup. The minimum user level (group) required to perform a backup is configured in the JoomlaPack component.
Password. The password for the aforementioned Joomla! user account.
When you're done, click the button. JoomlaPack Remote starts performing a series of tests in order to determine connection status to your site. It informs you by printing messages in dark yellow type right above the buttons bar, as you can see in the picture below.
![[Note]](/images/stories/docimport62/note.png) | Note |
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If you have entered an HTTPS site URL, JoomlaPack Remote will present you with a dialog to confirm your server's SSL certificate before proceeding. This is necessary in order to avoid man-in-the-middle attacks. JoomlaPack Remote, unlike a web browser, doesn't have a list of trusted certificate publishers, so you'll have to manually verify the validity of the server's certificate. Consult your SSL certificate issuing company or your host for more information. |
Should it encounter an error, JoomlaPack Remote will warn you of the type of this error and allow you to fix it. Sometimes you may need to specify an HTTP proxy server. You can enter its parameters by clicking on the button.
![[Important]](/images/stories/docimport62/important.png) | Important |
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Some servers don't like the way JoomlaPack Remote probes their on-line status and return HTTP 500 error, or drop the connection. The only way to add such a site to Remote is by using the button. |
If JoomlaPack Remote is able to connect to your site, it will present you with the next dialog page, which lets you set up backup files downloads.
If you do not wish to enable FTP downloads at this time, please click on the button without entering any information on this page. Otherwise, you have to fill in your FTP server's connection parameters. You can ask your host about them. Sometimes you may need to specify a FTP proxy server. You can enter its parameters by clicking on the button.
| Important |
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JoomlaPack Remote sets up an unencrypted, passive FTP connection to your server using the settings on this wizard page. If your server requires an active connection or if you have to use Secure FTP (FTP over SSL), then you have to use the Expert Mode, or skip this step and define these settings in the editor. |
Address. The FTP server's address without a protocol. For example, if your FTP server is accessible at
ftp.example.comyou must type inftp.example.comin this box.Important JoomlaPack Remote only supports plain FTP connections. Some more exotic/secure protocols, e.g. SFTP or FTPS, are not yet supported.
Port. The TCP port of your FTP server. Unless you're told otherwise by your host, you can assume that the default value of 21 is correct.
Username. The username you use to connect to your site through FTP.
Password. The password you use to conenct to your site through FTP.
| Important |
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JoomlaPack Remote only supports Passive FTP connections. If your host only supports Active FTP connections, you can't use this version of JoomlaPack Remote. We are working on an update which will address this problem. |
Clicking on will perform a connection test to your site's FTP server. If it doesn't succeed, it will let you know why it failed, otherwise it will proceed to the next wizard page. If you had not entered FTP connection information, the wizard will skip to the scheduling options page.
This wizard page is a rudimentary FTP explorer interface. The idea is to navigate inside your backup output directory before clicking the button. Double-clicking on a folder on the right hand pane navigates in that directory. The path to the current directory is shown below the Current directory label, above and to the left of this pane. Should you need to go the parent (one level up) of the current directory, click on the button.
| Tip |
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The default backup output directory of JoomlaPack is the
|
When you have navigated inside the directory you use for backup output, click on the button. It will then show you the next wizard page.
This is a very trivial page, allowing you to either type in or
graphically select (by means of the
button) the location where downloaded backup files should be stored in.
Please either use an absolute path, e.g. E:\MyStuff\Site
Backups, or a path relative to the application's executable
file, e.g. ..\..\MyStuff\Backups.
| Note |
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If JoomlaPack Remote is running as a portable application, using the button will result in a path relative to the application's executable file. This is extremely useful if you use the portable application on many different computers, which leads to a different drive letter being assigned to the medium on each one of them. |
Clicking on the Next button will get you to the backup scheduling information page.
From this page you can select - if you want - how JoomlaPack Remote will run your site's backup based on a schedule.
If you leave the Run backup on a schedule box un-checked, you skip this feature.
The Frequency field determines how often your site is going to be backed up:
Every day. The backup will run every day on the specified time.
Every week. The backup will run on the same day of the week (e.g. every Monday) on the specified time. The day of the week is determined by the date you give in the box below. So, if you select a Monday (any Monday!) your backup will run on Mondays.
Every month. You backup will run once every month, on the same day of the month, on the specified time. So, if you select the 15th of any month in the date box below, your backup will run on the 15th of every month. If you select the 31st of a month, your backup will run on the last day of every month, no matter if it's the 31st or the 30th or the 29th (for February on leap years) or 28th (for February on non-leap years).
Every year. You backup will run once every year on the specified day of the month and month. So, if you select January 24th of any year in the date box below, your backup will run on January 24th of every year. If you select February 29th of a leap year, the backup will run on February 28th for non-leap years.
The label towards the bottom will display in plain English when the backup will run, based on your settings. This is the easiest way to understand how this feature works!
Click on to finalize the wizard.
The final page of the wizard informs you that your site is set up for use with Remote. If you want to review your settings, start clicking in the button to return to previous wizard pages. Your settings are retained between wizard page changes. If you're satisfied with your settings, click on to close the wizard and save your changes.
