iBackup version 3
On-Line Help
Welcome to iBackup
iBackup is a software application that provides easy to use features to help you backup and restore data entered in iAccounts or DataTap.
On top of device synchronization, iBackup also provides advanced record browsing features, fast record search and allows you to export and import data in comma-separated format compatible with spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers and more.
From this version you can also edit your data directly in iBackup and restore it into your copy of iAccounts or DataTap.
You can install and run iBackup on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X. Our team has done its best to provide you with an effective yet agile tool to save your data and we hope you'll find iBackup both useful and convenient.
And before you ask... yes, it's 100% free to use and it will stay free forever.
Table of Contents
User License
Installing iBackup on Mac OS X
Installing iBackup on Microsoft Windows
The iBackup Window
Configuring your iPhone for backup
Performing backup and restore
Creating and editing records
Importing data into iAccounts from a CSV text file
Importing data into DataTap from a CSV text file
Exporting data to a file
Checking your firewall, a quick note
Common error messages and solutions
Getting more support from VenticentoStudio
User License
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR iBackup
PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS PROGRAM: Venticento Studio End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity) and Venticento Studio. for the Venticento Studio software product(s) identified above which may include associated software components, media, printed materials, and "online" or electronic documentation ("SOFTWARE PRODUCT"). By installing, copying, or otherwise using the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, you agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA. This license agreement represents the entire agreement concerning the program between you and Venticento Studio, (referred to as "licenser"), and it supersedes any prior proposal, representation, or understanding between the parties. If you do not agree to the terms of this EULA, do not install or use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold.
1. GRANT OF LICENSE. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as follows: (a) Installation and Use.Venticento Studio grants you the right to install and use copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT on your computer running a validly licensed copy of the operating system for which the SOFTWARE PRODUCT was designed [e.g., Windows 95, Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows Vista].(b) Backup Copies.You may also make copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT as may be necessary for backup and archival purposes.
2. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS.(a) Maintenance of Copyright Notices. You must not remove or alter any copyright notices on any and all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.(b) Distribution.You may not distribute registered copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT to third parties. Evaluation versions available for download from Venticento Studio's websites may be freely distributed.(c) Prohibition on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation. (d) Rental.You may not rent, lease, or lend the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. (e) Support Services. Venticento Studio may provide you with support services related to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT ("Support Services"). Any supplemental software code provided to you as part of the Support Services shall be considered part of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and subject to the terms and conditions of this EULA. (f) Compliance with Applicable Laws.You must comply with all applicable laws regarding use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT.
3. TERMINATION Without prejudice to any other rights, Venticento Studio may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT in your possession.
4. COPYRIGHT All title, including but not limited to copyrights, in and to the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and any copies thereof are owned by Venticento Studio or its suppliers. All title and intellectual property rights in and to the content which may be accessed through use of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties. This EULA grants you no rights to use such content. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by Venticento Studio.
5. NO WARRANTIES Venticento Studio expressly disclaims any warranty for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is provided 'As Is' without any express or implied warranty of any kind, including but not limited to any warranties of merchantability, noninfringement, or fitness of a particular purpose. Venticento Studio does not warrant or assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. Venticento Studio makes no warranties respecting any harm that may be caused by the transmission of a computer virus, worm, time bomb, logic bomb, or other such computer program. Venticento Studio further expressly disclaims any warranty or representation to Authorized Users or to any third party.
6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITYIn no event shall Venticento Studio be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, lost profits, business interruption, or lost information) rising out of 'Authorized Users' use of or inability to use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, even if Venticento Studio has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will Venticento Studio be liable for loss of data or for indirect, special, incidental, consequential (including lost profit), or other damages based in contract, tort or otherwise. Venticento Studio shall have no liability with respect to the content of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT or any part thereof, including but not limited to errors or omissions contained therein, libel, infringements of rights of publicity, privacy, trademark rights, business interruption, personal injury, loss of privacy, moral rights or the disclosure of confidential information.
Installing iBackup on Mac OS X
Unzip the downloaded archive and copy the iBackup.app bundle to your Applications folder, located on your Mac hard disk. We suggest you drag the iBackup icon onto the Dock to keep it handy. OS X Lion will ask you to install the Java plugin if it not yet installed on your Mac, please do so.
Checking your firewall settings
Following installation on Mac OS X Lion you may need to turn off the firewall to allow connections between iAccounts and iBackup or, to better preserve your security settings, you can create a firewall exception for iBackup on port tcp:8080 to make the connection happen.
Should you experience connection woes between your iPhone app and iBackup, please check section common error messages and solutions in this manual and the support page on our website for a list of frequently asked questions of the most common causes and solutions.
Location of the data file
iBackup creates its data file when first launched. On Mac OS X, the data file can be originally located at:
<your home folder>/Library/Application Support/iBackup/iBackup2.data
You can personalize the location of the data file in the iBackup Preferences dialog.
How to uninstall iBackup
To uninstall the software, just drag the application icon in the trash folder. Please also remove the data file at the above path.
System requirements for Mac OS X
Installing iBackup on Microsoft Windows
Extract the zip file containing the iBackup installer on your Desktop. Double click on the iBackup installer to start installing the software and follow the few steps required. You will be asked to agree standard license terms and confirm the installation path.
Please note: Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7 may require you to authorize the software during installation. In this case, confirm authorization to complete the installation. If you experience permissioning woes on Windows Vista or Windows 7, we suggest turning User Access Control off before installing and running iBackup with admin rights (right-clic on iBackup.exe to set permissions).
Checking your firewall settings
To let your iPhone establish a connection with the computer running iBackup you may need to turn off your firewall or create a firewall exception for iBackup on port tcp:8080. This hint applies to the standard Windows Firewall and to any third-party firewalls you may be running on your PC.
Should you experience connection woes between your iPhone app and iBackup, please check section common error messages and solutions in this manual and the support page on our website for a list of frequently asked questions of the most common causes and solutions.
Location of the data file
iBackup creates its data file when first launched. On Microsoft Windows, the data file can be found at:
<your documents folder>\iBackup\iBackup2.data
You can personalize the location of the data file in the iBackup Preferences dialog.
How to uninstall iBackup
To uninstall the software, launch the Uninstall.exe provided with the package, which can be found at the
following path:
C:\Program Files\VenticentoStudio\iBackup
Please also remember to remove the data file.
System requirements on Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Windows XP® Service Pack 2+
- Microsoft Windows Vista®
- Microsoft Windows 7®
- Java™ JRE version 1.6 or higher
- 128 Mb of free space on hard drive
- 512 Mb of RAM
- Fully functional connection to a wireless network
The iBackup Window
Launch iBackup with a double click on its icon. In a few seconds the iBackup application window appears.
The picture above refers to the Mac version. The Windows version share the same identical layout and functionality. There is no difference between the Mac and Windows versions of iBackup other than the look&feel inherited from the operating system.
The picture shows a record originated from iAccounts, our celebrated password manager application, and displays the dedicated view/hide button. You click on the eye-like button to view or hide a record. You can personalize the app requesting that a password is requested every time you unhide records.
Configuring your iPhone apps for backup
iAccounts and DataTap on your phone have dedicated Synchronize screen. Enter the Synchronize screen and tap on the large IP address button to reveal the IP Address screen. Enter the IP address displayed on the iBackup status bar. When you save the IP Address, iAccounts and DataTap will prompt you to save this address in your iPhone settings to avoid re-entering the IP address of iBackup at every sync.
Performing backup and restore
You can backup your data after at least one record has been entered into the iPhone app database. The backup button of your iPhone app will be enabled only if one or more records have been previously entered.
Backup at least once before attempting a restore in order to pair iBackup with your iPhone app.
Make sure you have correctly configured the IP Address of iBackup in your app's iPhone Settings (see above) and then follow this procedure:
- Start the iBackup application on your computer.
- Launch iAccounts or DataTap on your iPhone and tap the synchronize button.
- Check the ip address and tap the Backup button... done!
For improved security backup and restore require a valid PIN to be set. Set the PIN by tapping on the "lock" icon in your iPhone application toolbar. To authorize the sync operation, iBackup will in fact request the PIN you've currently set in you application by issuing the dialog below.
Simply enter the same PIN you have previously set in your iPhone application and hit Ok.
Backup at least once before attempting a restore. The first backup "pairs" the iPhone app with iBackup and pairing is required for subsequent restore to work correctly.
Many users on their first sync go Wow! when they see the big semi-transparent activity wheel spinning. If you also went Wow!, Gosh!, Jeez! or other variations please drop us line quoting your exclamation in the subject line... seriously, we love to collect the Wows in front of the wheel! :-)
Creating and editing records
iBackup users have the option of creating and editing iAccounts and DataTap records in iBackup and then "restoring" their changes into the respective iPhone apps.
How to create a new record: select a group and then clic on the Data/New Record... menu. iBackup will immediately create a new record whose name and fields will be based on the currently selected DataTap form or iAccounts group.
How to edit a record: select a record and click on the Edit button. Clic Save or Cancel when finished.
Importing data into iAccounts from a CSV text file
iBackup imports CSV text files where the first line is reserved for record definition. The field separator in the file can be set to comma, semicolon or pipe. Find below an example of a valid import file (note the first line containing the record definition):
Group Name, Record Name, username, password E-mails, Yahoo!Mail, myname, secret E-mails, GMail, anothername, anotherpassword Websites, Amazon.com, amaname, amapass
The first line of the file must contain the record definition labels, where the two initial columsn Group Name and Record Name are mandatory since the pair constitutes the record key.
Below, another example of a CSV file that can be easily imported. Note the mandatory names of first two columns, in bold, and the extra field "Url".
Group Name, Record Name, Username, Password, Url Websites,Google Account,johnc,johncpassword,www.google.com Websites,My Yahoo,somename,somepassword,www.yahoo.com E-Mails,Yahoo Mail, myemailname, myemailpassword, mail.yahoo.com E-Mails,GMail, gmailuser, gmailpassword, mail.google.com
To import data:
- Launch iBackup and select one of the apps with the combo box.
- Select menu File/Import CSV... and choose the import file.
- When the separator dialog appears, select the field separator used in the file.
- Hit OK and watch for error messages, if any.
Possible import errors may be related to the format of the file. A missing field, a non-correct record definition, etc. In case of errors iBackup will offer you the option to save a TXT file containing the lines in the import file that did not match format requirements so you can fix those and retry.
A note on version 2.3: if you're having problems importing data with zero-legth fields download again the iBackup 2.3 zip archive from our website and reinstall. A glitch on our web site provider may have corrupted some archives, we promptly reissued a new binary. Apologies for any inconvenience.
A note about importing international characters
iBackup import supports Unicode UTF-8 encoded files. If you have non-ASCII chars like accent or character decorations or even more complex asian glyphs you need to make sure that the input file is UTF-8 encoded before importing (this generally done within the app that produces the file and is therefore outside the scope of this help file).
Importing data into DataTap from a CSV text file
You can bulk import data into DataTap using the import CSV features of iBackup. The field separator in the file can be set to comma, semicolon or pipe. The format of the file is a simple sequence of rows reporting the sequence of fields defined by the DataTap form you want to import into.
Consider a DataTap form like the factory-provided Websites. The form has 4 fields: Website, Url, Username, Password. All fields are in text format. In order to import data into this form, you will be using a CSV file containing the following data:
Yahoo!, www.yahoo.com, myusername, mypassword Amazon, www.amazon.com, somename, somepassword Google, www.google.com, googlename, googlepass
The file has no first row describing the fields labels like iAccounts. Nor it mentions the name of the form it has to go into. Just the data, plain, simple data in the same order of the fields declared in the DataTap form designer.
For your convenience, another example, this time based on the Cards form provided with the application. By checking the Cards form in the DataTap form designer, you can easily see that the form contains the following fields:
Card Name, key field, text format Issuer, text format Number, text format Holder Name, text format Expiry Date, date format VVC, text format Stolen card phone, text format
The correct format of the CSV file is reported below, using a semi-colon as separator.
My Visa Card; My Bank; 1234 1234 1234 1234; John Smith; 20110428; 234; +441234567 My Mastercard; Some Bank; 9876 9876 9876 9876; John Smith; 20120131; 987; +4499887766
To import data:
- Launch iBackup and select DataTap in the apps combo box.
- Select menu File/Import CSV... and choose the import file.
- When the separator dialog appears, select the field separator used in the file and
select the name of the form you want to import data into. Finally, set the policy you want to apply
when a duplicate record is found.
- Hit OK and watch for error messages, if any.
Possible import errors may be related to the format of the file. A missing field, a non-correct record definition, etc. In case of errors iBackup will offer you the option to save a TXT file containing the lines in the import file that did not match format requirements so you can fix those and retry.
A note about importing international characters
iBackup import supports Unicode UTF-8 encoded files. If you have non-ASCII chars like accent or character decorations or even more complex asian glyphs you need to make sure that the input file is UTF-8 encoded before importing (this generally done within the app that produces the file and is therefore outside the scope of this help file).
Importing non-textual data types
Please follow the format below:
Number: valid formats are 1.123 -1.00 -10 100 etc.Date: use the ISO format yyyyMMdd, es. 20100519 stands for "19 May 2010"
DateTime: use the ISO format yyyyMMddHHmm, es. 201005191824 stands for "19 May 2010 18:24"
Boolean: use 1 for Yes, 0 for No
Exporting data to a file
Follow these steps.
- Select the application you want to export data from in the application selector.
- Select menu File/Export CSV... and enter the file name and location of the export file.
- Once the separator dialog pop up, select the field separator you want to use.
- Click Ok.
iBackup is a rather fast application and export is generally immediate. If no error arise after you click Ok on the separator dialog, the file is generally exported.
Checking your firewall, a quick note
A firewall is a software application installed as part of your operating system that, when active, blocks incoming connections. The firewall is designed to protect your computer from intrusions. iBackup and iAccounts exchange data over the wi-fi network and the firewall may be configured to block connections between these two applications, thereby preventing completion of the backup/restore process. By following the simple hints below you should get all firewall issues sorted quickly.
The Firewall on Microsoft Windows
If you decide to have your firewall on, make sure to check the "allow incoming connections" checkmark on all ports, otherwise iAccounts will not be able to perform backups.
The Firewall on Mac OS X
The Firewall is already set to allow all incoming connections by defaul. If you happened to change your firewall settings, just make sure to select "Allow all incoming connections", and it will work out well.
Common error messages and solutions
Whenever an error occurs during backup and restore, the screen of your iPhone application displays a brig, bright, red X and reports an error message right underneath. Below is the list of the most common error messages and related solutions. Do not forget that we have a pretty cool customer support team which is willing to help. The address is reported at the end of this document.
| Can't find host | Wrong IP address of iBackup in your app settings, see the configuration procedure above and insert the correct IP address of the computer running iBackup. |
| PIN is required to... | Backup and restore require that a valid PIN is set in your iPhone application. Leave the Synchronization screen by tapping on Cancel and tap on the "lock" icon in the application toolbar to set a PIN. You can now retry. |
| Ooops... timedout! | Your iPhone cannot find the computer where iBackup is running. You may need to double
check that the network is properly set-up and that all your devices are properly connected
as well as that your computer firewall is set to allow incoming connections. First thing, check the
IP address configured in your app settings, it needs to match the IP address
reported in the iBackup status bar. Then check the firewall settings on your computer
and make sure your firewall is off or that it allows incoming
connections. If you are running an anti-virus, please be aware that some of them may
be running an embedded firewall, make sure you turn it off for a quick test.
Finally verify that you have strong network signal, some
iPhones and iPods (the latter in particular) have been reported to have
weak antennas, so we recommend you get close to your wi-fi hot spot.
Please also take a minute to check the extensive note on timeouts on the support page of our website. |
| Cannot find file or directory | Turn your computer firewall off or set it to allow incoming connections. |
| Cannot establish connection Can't connect to host |
Possible causes are: firewall blocking and third party apps hanging on network resources. In the first case, turn your computer firewall off or set it to allow incoming connections. In the latter case, make sure you're not running network-related apps on your iPhone. For instance we had a user running WePrint on his iPhone, a commercial iPhone application that allows printing documents from the phone. When WePrint got disconnected by this user iBackup started receiving data correctly. Also VPN Clients may hang onto network resources. Turn them off if you experience problems. |
| Invalid response from server | You may have a service hanging on some network ports on the computer runnig iBackup. Try closing any VPN client apps, web servers, Apache Tomcat and other apps that may hang onto some network ports. Windows geeks can try doing a netstat in the command prompt to discover the culprit. UNIX geeks already know what to do on their OS X boxes ;-) If you ain't no geek but are curious to know more about netstat, just drop us a message. |
| Server failed to read client message | The data coming from iAccounts or DataTap contains some logographic characters or symbols that conflict with the international ancoding standard (UTF-8) used by iBackup to handle complex international alphabets like Japanese or Chinese. Please check the content of mobile app for "strange" characters and symbols and remove them. Check anywhere, from groups names to groups templates, to field types you've created down to the records you've inserted. Once found them, edit the fields to remove them completely. This problem may arise with Japanese or Chinese glyphs and we are currently investigating a solution. It is a well know problem accross UTF-8 users, the W3C consortium has documented the ambiguities in the UTF-8 standard. We have already issued a note on the website support page, and we are working with some selected Japanese customers to solve it promptly. |
| A single instance of the application is allowed, there is another instance running. This instance will now exit. | There are two possible causes for this error. First iBackup may be already running, check your task manager or
restart your computer to make sure it does not. Second, on your computer there is a service or application hanging
on some network ports also used by iBackup.
Try closing any VPN client apps, web servers (stuff like Apache, Tomcat, any PHP engine, ...) and
other apps that may use or block the network. Include anti-virus software in this list. Windows Geeks: to see which apps are using network ports Windows geeks can launch the DOS Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and enter netstat -o -n -a | findstr 0.0:8080, annotate the PID and enter tasklist to see the name of the app, which can be then easily closed in the Windows Task Manager. Mac OS Geeks: launch terminal and enter sudo lsof -i -P | grep :8080 (admin rights required) and "kill -9" the listed processes. |
| Error B9413 | You've hit a small glitch in the Java multi-threading code of the application which updates
some elements of the user interface. We are actively working to solve this little issue,
in the meantime, to make the error go away, simply select the app you're syncing with (iAccounts
or DataTap) in the application selector located in the iBackup toolbar, then
quit and restart iBackup and run a backup from the app on your iPhone.
We apologize for this small glitch and are working to solve it in the next coming release. |
Getting more support from VenticentoStudio
iBackup is supported by a first-class HelpDesk. Just drop us an e-mail and we'll help you sort any issue you may have with the software. There are thousands of iBackup installations accross the globe and we gained a lot of experience in supporting the app. Send your queries to:
support@venticentostudio.it (note: address ends with .it, NOT .com)
We always answer your queries, often on weekends too. Our HelpDesk is open from monday to saturday from 8AM to 8PM Central European Time (CET), please consider time zones if you live in the United States, Australia or Japan: our office hours may not match your daytime hours so please allow a few hours for a reply. Please write a description of your issue in plain english, state version info and the name of the iPhone app you're also using. Do not forget the name of the operating system and any other information that may help us reproduce your situation at our labs. Finally, check the support page at www.venticentostudio.it for relevant information about software updates.
Apple, Macintosh, Mac, Mac OS, iPhone, iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.