Screenshot Verification Overview

Topic

This article explains the screenshot verification feature for endpoints protected by the Datto Endpoint Backup for PCs solution.

Environment

  • Datto Endpoint Backup for PCs.

Description

This article assumes that you have already installed the Datto Endpoint Backup Agent on your protected machine, that the agent has begun taking backups, and that you have configured screenshot alerts for your organization(s). If you have not already done so, see the Getting Started and Email Alert Settings articles before proceeding.

Index

Screenshot Verification Overview

This feature validates that your protected system's backups are healthy and restorable by building virtual machines from preexisting snapshots and performing context-sensitive tests against them to evaluate whether or not they boot successfully.

Unlike screenshot verification for SIRIS and ALTO, it is not possible to change the verification schedule for a Datto Endpoint Backup agent or to manually force verification to run.

Configuring Screenshot Alerts & Viewing Screenshot Results

You can configure screenshot alerts from the Email Alert Settings page of the Datto Endpoint Backup portal.

The results of screenshot verification are reported as Agent Screenshot Verification Succeeded and Agent Screenshot Verification Failed email alerts. You can also review the outcome of the most recent screenshot tests for your protected systems on the Datto Endpoint Backup for PCs Status page.

Diagnosing Screenshot Verification Failures

  1. If you are receiving failed screenshot notifications, but the screenshot shows that your virtual machine is booting successfully, proceed to the Contacting Support section of this article.
  2. If the screenshot verification shows the virtual machine in a failed boot state, observe the full boot sequence of the restore point by virtualizing it in the cloud. Document any unusual behavior that you observe. Then, check the production machine. Many boot failures replicate from issues which are present in the production environment.
    • If the screenshot failure shows Windows updates installing, schedule a maintenance window for the production machine, reboot it, and allow its pending Windows updates to install. Then, resume backups, and observe the outcome of the next day's screenshot verification.
    • If the screenshot failure shows CHKDSK operations underway, schedule a maintenance window for the production machine, reboot it, and allow the disk operation to run. Then, resume backups, and observe the outcome of the next day's screenshot verification.
    • If, during cloud virtualization, you observe any other unusual boot behavior which you can replicate on the production machine, correct the problem in the live environment, resume backups, and observe the outcome of the next day's screenshot verification.
  1. If the failed screenshot verification does not fall into the above-listed categories or if you are unable to resolve the issue via the troubleshooting methods described, proceed to the Contacting Support section of this article.

Screenshots will not run if a Windows update is pending. A reboot of the protected machine may be required to resume screenshots on the next backup.

Contacting Support

  1. Before contacting Datto Technical Support, gather the following information about the screenshot failure:

    • Detailed description of the problem
    • Detailed description of all troubleshooting attempted
    • Screen capture of the failed verification notice which shows the screenshot performed
    • Hostname of the impacted system
    • Datto Endpoint Backup Agent version and Agent ID for the affected system
    • Agent logs from the affected system

  2. Attach this information to a Technical Support ticket, and then contact Datto Technical Supportfor assistance.

Additional Resources