¶ Host a buddy's backup
Hosting a backup means lending part of your pool to a friend. Their folders arrive encrypted, use only the space you agree to, and give them no access to your server. Accepting takes about a minute.
¶ Finding the request
HexOS does not email you about requests. When a buddy tells you they have sent one, open the Backups panel from the dashboard and click the Requests tile. The Pending requests dialog lists every request waiting for you.
The Pending requests dialog
¶ What you are agreeing to
You lend disk space. You choose how much. HexOS reserves that amount on the pool you pick, so the backup cannot grow past it and your own data cannot fill the space it needs.
You cannot read their data. Only encrypted folders can be sent to another account. The copies stay encrypted on your pool, and your connection view shows "Only {name} can view their backup data." instead of a folder list.
They cannot browse your server. Hosting gives your buddy no access to your files, folders, or Command Deck. The tunnel between the two servers carries only backup traffic.
You can remove it. It is your disk. Remove connection deletes everything they have stored with you, and they are notified.
¶ Responding to a request
- In Pending requests, click Respond on the request.
- Request shows who the request is from. You can give them a display name here. The name is only for you; they never see it, and you can change it later with Rename.
- Storage asks which server and pool should hold the copies and shows the amount requested. To offer a different amount, check Allocate a different amount and enter it. The amount cannot exceed the free space on the pool.
- Options sets the transfer speed for your side. On a buddy connection each side has its own limit and transfers run at the lower of the two.
- Click Continue to see the confirmation, then Accept.
Accepting reserves the space on your pool and starts provisioning automatically. Their first backup begins as soon as provisioning finishes. A large first run can take hours; later runs send only what changed.
Tip: Backups are compressed before they are stored, so the space your buddy actually uses is often less than the folder size they asked for. See Compression.
¶ Declining and withdrawing
Decline refuses a request. Nothing is stored and nothing is deleted, because nothing was ever copied.
Your buddy can withdraw a request they sent before you respond. Either way, only an invitation is cancelled.
¶ After you accept
The connection appears under Hosting backups for in the Backups panel and in the Hosted backups table on the Backups page. Open it to see how much of the reservation is in use, the schedule, and your transfer speed.
A hosted connection's details view
From here you can:
- Quota raises or lowers the reservation. It cannot go below what is already used or above the pool's free space. If your buddy asks for more space, they use the same dialog on their side and you approve the change.
- Change pool moves the reservation to a different pool on your server.
- Change server moves the hosted backup to another server you own.
- Transfer speed changes your side's limit.
- Pause stops new backups arriving; everything stored stays. Both sides are told, and only you can resume a pause you made.
- Rename changes the name you see for your buddy.
- Remove deletes the connection and everything stored in it.
Danger: Remove connection permanently deletes your buddy's backup and every restore point in it. Their own files on their own server are untouched, but the offsite copy is gone. Either side can do this. See Removing backups.
¶ Space notices
Before each run HexOS estimates the size of the next send. If it will not fit in the reservation, both you and your buddy get a notice explaining how much is needed. If the reservation cannot hold the next run at all, HexOS pauses the connection for space rather than failing every night, and resumes on its own when the reservation grows or the next run fits. If your own pool is full, the notice says so instead, because a bigger reservation would not help. See Backup troubleshooting.
¶ Before you unclaim or reset your server
Danger: Unclaiming or resetting a server that hosts backups removes the hosted copies. The unclaim dialog's "Pool data will not be affected" refers to the server's own files, not to backups you hold for others.
If you plan to unclaim, reset, rebuild, or sell a server that hosts backups:
- Tell your buddy first so they can arrange another destination.
- Use Remove connection on each hosted backup. This notifies them.
- Then reset the server.
Help: Not sure whether a connection is one you send or one you host? See Backup troubleshooting or ask in the HexOS Discord Community.
Contribute: to help to improve HexOS documentation join the #Docs channel on Discord today! Send feedback, suggestions or contribute a guide.