Carleton College uses CrashPlan to backup files and other data on college-owned computers.
Note: CrashPlan was previously known as Code42 and is currently in the process of transitioning the name of its product. You may see either "CrashPlan" or "Code42" depending on the application screen you look at. Currently the application still labels itself Code42 most of the time. (Winter 2023)
Install CrashPlan/Code42
Look for Code42 in either K1000 or Jamf Self Service
Carleton cannot offer Code42 for personally-owned computers.
Set up your CrashPlan/Code42 backups
You will need to log into Code42 to activate the initial backup. Some upgrades to the client software require you to log in again in the future, but after initial login you shouldn't have to log in regularly.
- Find the Crashplan Application in Launchpad or the Applications folder in Finder and open it
- It will open on a log in screen, the username box should already be filled in with your full Carleton email address
- Do not enter your password
- After a few seconds you'll be redirected to the regular Carleton login screen in your browser.
- You may be signed into the browser already, in which case the page will redirect to the next screen.
- Enter your regular Carleton username and password
If this is your first time logging in on this computer, Code42 may present you with a choice to either Add New Device or else Replace Existing device.
- Replace Existing means that Code42 will have you indicate a previous computer that you wish to basically duplicate onto this new computer. It will then pull all the saved files and settings that it backed up from the old computer and put them onto this new computer.
- Add New Device means that you'll start a brand new backup file with Code42. You'll be able to use the Restore Files feature to selectively bring files to your new computer from a previous computer.
Be aware: it can take several days to pull all your data from a previous machine down from CrashPlan/Code42's storage to your computer. It can be a good idea to leave your computer plugged in and turned on while you're waiting for this initial backup/restore process to finish.
Tips
- By default, Crashplan will not back up your Dropbox or Google Drive files, since these are already backed up to the their respective cloud servers
- macOS 10.14 and 10.15 may require special permissions for Code42 to backup your files. See the Code42 Support article on this topic for more information.
- ITS Helpdesk professional staff members can verify whether your computer is backing up to Code42 servers
Data Security and Privacy
Files containing protected data (Social Security numbers, etc.) must not be backed up with the default Code42 settings. There are two ways to address this issue:
- Exclude all sensitive files from backup
This is appropriate for small amounts of data in well-known locations; but of course, they will not be backed up.
- Protect all files backed up from your computer with an additional archive passphrase.
This is the more secure option, but it means that no one (including the ITS Helpdesk) can recover your files without your passphrase.
- To enable this additional level of security, open the Code42 application and visit the Settings > Security tab.
If you opt to secure your Code42 backups, do not lose your passphrase. By default, Code42 backups are not encrypted. For more details, see Code42's discussion of security options. If you are concerned about the security of Code42 or its infrastructure, we encourage you to come talk to us about your options.
Need Help?
Please contact the ITS Helpdesk for assistance: go.carleton.edu/helpdesk or 507-222-5999