Tour the QC Backup Manager Administrator

QC Backup Manager groups backup creation, recovery preparation, automation, storage, diagnostics, notifications, and companion-tool controls into one Joomla administrator interface. The tabs are intentionally separated by job: Status tells you whether the installation is healthy, Settings controls site-wide behavior, Profiles define reusable backup rules, and Backups manages the actual Backup Sets and history.

This tour explains what belongs in each area so you know where to go before changing settings or troubleshooting a problem.

Open the QC Backup Manager Administrator

From the Joomla administrator, go to Components > QC Backup Manager. The current QCBM interface includes About, Support, Status, Settings, Profiles, Backups, Restore, Email Templates, and File Valet. QCBM Receiver controls are located in Settings.

Some controls remain visible even when the current plan does not allow them. That is deliberate: QCBM can show what the product supports without allowing the action. A plan restriction and a Joomla ACL restriction are different conditions, so pay attention to the message attached to a disabled control.

About: Product Orientation

The About tab is the high-level orientation page. Use it when you want a quick summary of the extension, the current capability set, and the relationship between backups, Recovery Packages, off-site export, File Valet, and QCBM Receiver.

About is not the place to troubleshoot a failed job or change a setting. Think of it as the map of the product rather than the operating console.

Support: Help and Installation Context

The Support tab connects the site to QuantaCade support resources. It can provide links to the Support Center, your QuantaCade account or profile, the product page, and the current user walkthrough.

It also exposes installation context that is useful when troubleshooting, such as the QCBM version, domain, effective entitlement, installation UUID, Joomla version, PHP version, and storage state. Share only the information needed for support. Do not post Recovery PINs, provider secrets, tokens, or other private credentials publicly.

Status: Health, Entitlement, and Readiness

The Status tab is the first place to look when something does not behave as expected. It combines entitlement state with operational readiness.

Depending on the current build and configuration, Status can show:

  • base and effective entitlement;
  • the current domain and installation UUID;
  • last and next entitlement validation information;
  • the Refresh Entitlement action and a link to manage Authorized Domains;
  • Backup Set, verified-set, Profile, parked-file, and active-job counts;
  • extension update discovery and installed/available version information;
  • Recovery Readiness, Storage Health, Scheduler Health, Update Delivery, Large Site Readiness, Export Health, and Data Integrity checks.

If a scheduled backup, export, update, or paid feature is not working, Status usually provides the quickest indication of which subsystem needs attention.

Settings: Site-Wide Configuration

The Settings tab contains settings that apply to the installation as a whole rather than to one backup Profile.

Typical Settings responsibilities include:

  • Managed Private Storage and Advanced Storage Tools;
  • Recovery PIN configuration and permission-controlled PIN visibility;
  • notification recipients and scheduled-backup success/failure notification choices;
  • operational, export, and audit history retention;
  • off-site Export Destinations;
  • QCBM Receiver pairing, device status, and revocation controls;
  • legacy-key cleanup on upgraded installations where applicable.

Backup type, exclusions, archive choices, exact schedules, per-Profile retention, and automatic export belong to Profiles, not global Settings.

Profiles: Reusable Backup Policies

The Profiles tab defines how a backup should be built. QCBM includes Full, Database Only, and Files Only Profiles. Eligible paid tiers can add additional Profiles and configure more automation.

A Profile can control the backup type, archive and split-archive behavior, folder and file-extension exclusions, schedule, retry timing, retention, and automatic off-site export. Manual backups also use a Profile, so Profile configuration affects both manual and automated protection.

Backups: Create, Verify, Download, Export, and Review History

The Backups tab is the operational center for Backup Sets. Use it to create a manual backup and to work with Backup History.

From Backup History, depending on the Backup Set and current entitlement, you can:

  • review type, Profile, source, status, duration, size, and storage information;
  • verify the Backup Set again;
  • download the canonical Recovery Package;
  • view the Recovery PIN when your administrator account has permission;
  • export a verified Backup Set to an off-site destination;
  • clean known temporary working files;
  • delete Backup Set artifacts when they are no longer needed;
  • download the permanent Backup Log CSV.

The permanent Backup Log is different from retained Backup Set files. It is intended to preserve run-history evidence even after artifacts are deleted by retention or manual cleanup.

Restore: Standalone Recovery Guidance

The Restore tab explains the supported recovery approach. Current customer recovery is performed by the standalone, PIN-protected Recovery Runner included in each Recovery Package.

The Recovery Runner operates independently of normal Joomla routing so it can still be used when the frontend or administrator application is unavailable. Recovery can target the database, files, or the complete site depending on the Backup Set and selected workflow.

Email Templates: Notification Content

The Email Templates tab manages QCBM notification templates such as Backup Success, Backup Failed, Off-Site Export Failed, and Restore Notice.

All plans can maintain plain-text content and use the built-in responsive HTML presentation. Eligible paid tiers can save custom HTML. The editor also supports template tokens, preview, and test delivery through Joomla mail settings.

File Valet: Max-Level Storage Management

File Valet is a Max/All Access workflow for identifying files that consume hosting space and moving them through a controlled off-site process. It can find or search files, build a queue, copy files off-site, park local copies after verified upload, verify the remote package, retrieve parked files, and resolve retrieval conflicts.

File Valet depends on safe Managed Private Storage. If QCBM considers the working-storage arrangement unsafe, File Valet can remain unavailable even when the account has the required plan.

QCBM Receiver: Windows, External Drive, or NAS Collection

QCBM Receiver is separate Windows companion software available with Max/All Access. Site-side controls are under Settings. The site generates a short-lived pairing code, records paired devices, shows device status, and allows a device to be revoked and re-paired.

Receiver polls over outbound HTTPS, downloads verified canonical Recovery Packages, can resume interrupted transfers, independently checks the downloaded package, and maintains its own local retention. It is not a generic remote Joomla code executor.

Where to Start When Something Looks Wrong

Use this order before changing multiple settings at once:

  1. Open Status and identify the failing readiness area.
  2. Check Backup History or the relevant operational record for the actual job result.
  3. Review the owning configuration area: Settings, Profiles, Export Destinations, or Receiver.
  4. Use the dedicated troubleshooting article for that subsystem.

This keeps diagnosis focused and avoids creating a second problem while trying to solve the first one.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows or share how you organize QCBM? Visit the QC Backup Manager Community. For private support, bug reports, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.