NCC – MSP Level Backup & Restore

Zyxel_Lynn

Overview

Starting with Nebula 19.20, the MSP-level Backup & Restore feature has been significantly enhanced.Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can now perform backup and restore operations across four device categories:

1. Sites
2. Switches
3. Firewalls
4. Mobile Routers

Previously, MSP-level backup only supported firewalls. This update unifies backup capabilities across all device types, offering a consistent and simplified experience for MSPs managing multiple organizations.

1. Key Enhancements at MSP Level- Backup & Restore

Category	Description
New Backup Scope	Now supports sites, switches, firewalls, and mobile routers.
Standardized Backup Limits	Unified backup quota across all categories (2 manual + 2 scheduled backups).
Independent Management Interface	Each category (site, switch, firewall, mobile router) has its own summary table.
Cross-Level Synchronization	MSP-level actions automatically sync with organization-level data and vice versa.
Improved Visibility	Summary tables now include the Organization column, helping MSPs identify which org each backup belongs to.

2. MSP-Level Site & Switch Backup

When accessing the MSP-level backup portal, administrators can view consolidated backup data across all managed organizations.

Interface Overview

• MSP Site Summary Table: Displays backup status for all sites under managed organizations.
• MSP Switch Summary Table: Lists all switch backups across organizations and sites.

Any backup or restore actions at the MSP level automatically propagate to the corresponding organization-level tables.

Additional Column

• A new Organization column identifies which org each site or switch belongs to.

3. MSP-Level Firewall Backup

Simplified Backup Model

The MSP-level firewall backup now focuses only on H series and monitor-mode firewalls.

Cloud-managed firewalls (e.g. ATP Cloud, USG FLEX Cloud, SCR Cloud) are no longer included in MSP-level backup after 19.20.

Backup Type and Behavior

Unlike site backups (which take a snapshot of Nebula settings), the firewall backup retrieves the actual configuration file from each firewall.

• Backup requires the firewall to be online.
• If the firewall is offline, the backup will fail.

Backup Quota Changes

To align with other device types, the firewall backup quota has been reduced:

Backup Type	Before	After (v19.20)
Manual Backups	10	2
Scheduled Backups	10	2

This change standardizes the backup count across site, switch, firewall, and mobile router backups, minimizing confusion for MSP users.

Data Conversion & Migration Note

After upgrading to Nebula 19.20:

• Only the two most recent manual and two scheduled backups are retained.
• Older firewall backups are no longer visible in the summary table.
• An alert notice is displayed in both the Firewall Device Detail Page and the MSP Backup Summary Page, stating:

“Starting from Nebula 19.20, only the two most recent backups are retained. If you need access to older backups, please download them before the given deadline.”

Recovery Options for Lost Cloud-managed Firewall Backups

For MSP users whose older cloud-managed firewall backups disappeared:

1. Create a Site-Level Backup:

Go to Configuration Management > Backup & Restore and perform a site backup to preserve the firewall configuration.

2. Activate Nebula Pro Pack Trial:

Some MSP users still operating under the Base Pack are eligible for a free Pro Pack trial to enable site backup functionality.

Navigate to License & Inventory > Activate Trial License before upgrading.

Zyxel also sent email notifications to affected MSPs listing:

• The organization name and site associated with disappearing backups.
• The two recommended actions above to prevent data loss.

Firewall Restore Rules

Firewall restoration follows device-based rules, similar to organization-level restore:

• A backup file can only be restored to a firewall with the same MAC address.
• Replaced or newly added firewalls cannot receive an older backup file.

4. MSP-Level Mobile Router Backup

Overview

The MSP-level backup for Mobile Routers is designed to preserve configuration files of managed mobile routers across organizations.

Backup Quota

Backup Type	Before	After (v19.20)
Manual Backups	1	2
Scheduled Backups	0	2

This aligns mobile router backup capacity with the other device categories (total of 4 backups per device).

Restore Rules

• The restoration process is device-based.
• Only the same mobile router (same MAC address) can accept its corresponding backup.
• Replacing the mobile router invalidates previous backup restoration.

Interface

• A dedicated Mobile Router Summary Table is added at the MSP level.
• The interface mirrors other categories (Site, Switch, Firewall) and supports:
  • Manual Backup
  • Scheduled Backup
  • Restore

5. Common MSP-Level Backup & Restore Operations

Action	Description
Create Manual Backup	Initiate an on-demand backup for selected devices or sites.
Set Schedule Backup	Configure daily, weekly, or monthly automated backups.
Restore Backup	Revert configuration of a site or device to a previous backup.

All MSP-level summary tables share a consistent GUI layout and functionality, including sortable columns, timestamps, and organization identifiers.

To sum up, the MSP-Level Backup & Restore enhancement in Nebula 19.20 delivers:

• Expanded support for all managed device types
• Consistent backup quotas
• Enhanced visibility across organizations
• Clear migration handling for older backups

This unified approach enables Managed Service Providers to maintain configuration consistency, safeguard customer networks, and perform recoveries quickly and reliably from a centralized Nebula interface.