CrashPlan PROe software
Specifications
| Number of PCs per account | unlimited, with charge |
| Storage redundancy at online destinations | none, locally at your descretion |
| Incremental backup (only changed files) | yes, progressieve back-up |
| Differential backup | yes, delta block back-up |
| File size | unlimited |
| Data duplication | yes, within user account |
| Backup of metadata | most, not all metadata under os x |
| Backup of open files | yes, volume shadow copy service |
| Backup of network files | yes, also see windows nas/network backup |
| Backup to local / network disk | yes, also to airport extreme disk |
| Recently modified files | are secured first |
| Limit upload bandwidth | yes, configurable |
| Ports | TCP 4282|4482: client to server communication TCP 4280|4480: web access to server console TCP 4285|4485: secure web access to server console TCP 4242: (optional) peer to peer backup between clients |
| Data-encryption | blowfish, 448 bit |
| Data readable by service provider | no, after setting data password |
| Retention (number of file versions) | unlimited, set number of file versions |
| Sets | 1 |
| Destinations per account | unlimited, free |
| Restore from / to any PC | yes, within user account |
| Restore from website | yes |
| Linux command-line backup client | yes, restore only via GUI |
| GUI remotely control | yes, via SSH port mapping |
| Backup without GUI | yes, remote backup with linux shell |
| Database support | yes, via file system, Windows requires VSS |
| VSS (Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service) | 32 bit: xp, vista pro, vista ultimate, 2003, 2008 |
| Exchange brick level (individual message/mailbox) | yes, from exchange 2003 through rsg |
| Languages of the user interface | PRO: en, fr, de, es, nl, zh, zh-tw, ja, sv, pl PROe: ca, da, de, es, fi, fr, hu, it, jp, nl, no, pl, pt, sv, th, tr, zh, zh-tw. |
| Backup on mobile internet connection | yes, tested with 1g, 2g, 3g & satellite |
| Periodic recovery test of the backups | yes, automatically every 30 days |
| Automatic repair of incomplete backups | yes |
| Running within | 5 minutes |
The history of CrashPlan
CrashPlan PRO(e) is internet backup software for the business market, developed by U.S. company Code 42. Code 42 builds since the mid-nineties, great software products. CrashPlan the company was founded in 2001 by Matthew Dornquast, Mitch Coopet and Brian Bispala. After years of product development during MacWorld 2007, the first product launched CrashPlan for consumers.
Examples of personal use
- Backing up your family photos on the computer of your mother
- Installing CrashPlan for your cousin
- The backup of your doctoral dissertation
Examples of non-personal use
- A consultant who installs CrashPlan for customers
- A small business or non-profit organization
- A research lab at a university
- The friendly wizzkid from the neighbourhood, who provides computer support after school
- Charging a fee, to back up to you
- Charging a fee to install CrashPlan
CrashPlan was originally the backup solution that automatically and easily makes backups to computers of friends (friend-to-friend backup) over the internet. For personal use CrashPlan is even free to use since MacWorld 2009. Provided that the friends of course, share a part of their drive. In the event that the friends do not always leave the computer running, there is CrashPlan Central the paid service that allows the data to be stored in a data center in Minnesota USA. CrashPlan Central is – like CrashPlan (not PRO) – only for personal use. Personal use means use by an individual, a family or within a family for making backups of personal files.
Under non-personal or business use means the use of CrashPlan products to protect files in connection with a case, educational institution, or non-profit or use of Crash Plan products to help to sell services. If you do these things, then you are not covered by "non-personal use" and you cannot make use of CrashPlan (Central).
For non-personal use there is – since september 2008 – Pro Backup. This is the online backup provider with high speed and low price. For a rate of € 0.89 per gigabyte stored per year, and powered by CrashPlan PRO(e) software, backups are made to a data center of choice in Europe. Backup and restore is done by Pro Backup without reducing the speed, so without configured bandwidth caps.
Back to topDifferences between CrashPlan and CrashPlan PRO(e) software
| CrashPlan Free + Central | CrashPlan PRO(e) | |
|---|---|---|
| color | green | blue |
| permitted use | personal | personal + non-personal |
| backup frequency | 1× per 24 hours | real-time: up to 1× per minute |
| financial | free, with backup to friends | paid |
| sponsored | ad supported | - |
| jey length | 128 bit | 448 bit |
| restore from | application | application + website |
| support | - | optional |
| location | USA | EU¹ |
¹ when using Pro Backup destinations
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Security levels
Your data is not encrypted with the security that you have chosen, but rather the security method used for the encryption key that is encrypted to protect your data. Think of a key which is locked in a vault. Your security method (also known as public key) is the information that unlocks the vault, which is the key (also known as the private key) that contains your data unlocks. In other words, your public key to protect your private key.
You have three options for securing your backup encryption key:
- account password – default
- data password – an extra password
- your own private key – you create a private key and that replaces the default private key
1. Securing the encryption key with your account password
CrashPlan PRO encrypts your data using blowfish with a safe and randomly selected 448-bit encryption key. This private key is protected by encrypting it with your password. This encrypted private key is stored with your backups on each destination, allowing you to recover your files once your computer is lost. 
Of course you need your password for your encryption key to unlock.
Use of your account password to your secure coding is the simplest method, but the easiest for others to penetrate.
- Private key is stored on the server and the source computer
- Public key is using your account password to protect your private key
- Public key and private key stored on the server for web restore
- Public key is stored on the destination for guest recovery
- Administrators can recover without a password for easy and fast local recovery
2. Secure your encryption key with a data password
You can set a data password that is different from your account password to protect your encryption key. 
It is more difficult to use because you have to supply this password each time you want to restore.
- Increased security
- Password data is stored on the source computer and never leaves it
- Public key using a data password to protect your private key
- Public key is stored on the server for new installations and web restore
- Public key is stored on the destination host for guest restore
- Administrators need the data password to restore
- Additional password to remember
- Risk not being able to restore if given password is forgotten
3. Your private encryption key
You can replace the default encryption key by a private key to encrypt your backups. This is the safest option, but it requires the most effort because you have to manually distribute over all computers.
- Highest enhanced security
- Private key is stored on the source computer and never leaves it
- Manage your own private key per computer, with each computer under this account theoretically using a different private key
- Web restore, guest restore, new installations, remote recovery, etc. require the private key
- Admins need private key to restore
- Additional information to track, with an increased risk of being unable to restore if lost
2. & 3. Increase the security of your encryption key
Use the 'Settings > Security' page to increase the security of your backup encryption key. If you lose your password or key, you will not be able to recover your data.
After increasing your security, you can never go back to a lower level. Would you ever go back to a lower security level, then the backup has to restart from scratch.
If you lose your data password or private key Pro Backup can not fix, because we never have access to this information and the backup has to start again.
Start again means:
- create a new account,
- configure all computers within your account for this new account,
- place a new order,
- transporting all the backups again.