Time Traveler for Windows Home Server

item What are the system requirements for Time Traveler?  
  • Microsoft Windows Home Server with Power Pack 2 or later
  • A desire to keep your files organized and free from data loss
  
item I currently use the built-in Windows Home Server Backup utility to protect my WHS.  Does Time Traveler replace that feature?  

Time Traveler does not replace your current backup strategy; rather it enhances it.  You can continue to protect your Windows Home Server using WHS Backup.  In fact we recommend it; it's best to have as many protection points available as possible.  Time Traveler will enhance your protection strategy allowing you to quickly create rollback-points: on-demand, on-file-change, or periodically throughout the day.  As such you'll be able to view (and rollback) from those rollback-points quickly and easily to locate missing or altered files and folders which can typically change through-out your days work.   Time Traveler gives you peace of mind knowing you'll be able to find that older revision of a file no matter what misfortune may arise

  
item If I buy Time Traveler now then will I have to pay for new product updates in the future?  

No.  All updates to Time Traveler are free to existing users.  You can check for new updates anytime.  From the Time Traveler tab select More | Check for Updates

  
item How long does it take Time Traveler to create rollback-points?  Does this process utilize a lot of my Home Servers resources?  

Time Traveler is very efficient. New rollback-points are only created when a file has been changed or added to your Home Server.  With that in mind, Time Traveler typically sits idle and uses very few Home Server resources.  Note, the initial rollback-point requires the most resources.  For example, if you have hundreds of gigabytes to rollback then Time Traveler will have to process every byte of that information.  Fortunately, this is a onetime process which occurs after you first install Time Traveler.  The exact amount of time it takes on your Home Server is dependent on your particular Home Server: amount of data you're adding to the rollback-point, if you are using a separate hard drive to store the Time Traveler database, speed of your storage bus, etc.  If you're concerned how the rollback process will affect your Home Server then we recommend you install the free trial version of Time Traveler and rollback a single share and evaluate the performance

  
item How do you recommend setting up and maintaining Time Traveler for best performance?  
  • Ensure the latest Windows Home Server updates are applied to your server.  From the WHS Console select Settings | General | Update Now
  • Ensure the latest version of Time Traveler is installed on your server.  From the WHS Console select the Time Traveler tab | More | Check for Updates
  • During initial setup of Time Traveler, you are prompted to select a hard drive to store the rollback database.  Best practice dictates that this hard drive should be a separate hard drive than you're using for any of your server storage (see the Server Storage tab on your WHS Console to see how you're allocating storage).  Keeping Time Traveler's rollback database and Windows Home Server storage on separate drives will not only decrease the possibility of data loss (data is stored on unique hard drives) but will also increase the speed which Time Traveler can create new rollback-points.  Note, while a second physical hard drive is not required to run Time Traveler, it is recommended for best performance and data availability.   If you elect to move an existing rollback database to a new physical hard drive then please see the section titled How do I completely remove all Time Traveler rollback information from my Home Server below
  • Time Traveler is not backup software; rather it is revisionary file protection.  Hence, files which do not typically change such as music, photos, and videos are recommended to be protected with the WHS Backup utility.  Other files which change often such as documents or data within the public folder which might get overwritten/deleted are recommended to be added to the Time Traveler rollback database.  We understand that some people have music, photos, or videos that might be altered on daily use; which is perfectly acceptable, and Time Traveler will support these file types too.  You're free to add any files you wish to the rollback database.  For optimum efficiency, you should limit rollback protection to files which change often, can get overwritten by others, or are especially valuable to you

  
item How do I upgrade from the trial version to the full version?  

Upgrading is a simple process.  All of your existing rollback-points and settings you created with the trial version will remain available to you.  Open the Time Traveler tab on the WHS Console and select the "register full version" link.  Enter your email address and order ID you received when you purchased the software and press the Register button.  If you have not yet purchased the software then you can do so by clicking the "purchase Time Traveler now" link from the registration dialog mentioned above.  After your product is registered you should see "Licensed to: your email address" in the lower-right corner of Time Traveler.

  
item I'm trying to purchase Time Traveler from your eStore and noticed there is an extra $4.99 (USD) charge for "eDS?"  What is this and is it mandatory?  

The "eDS" service is an extended download service brought to you by Digital River, our eStore provider.  With eDS, you will be able to re-download exact copies of the software you purchased, for a period of 1 (one) year after the date of purchase. This is not a required purchase and you are free to remove it from your cart before purchase.  Doing so will not affect any features of the Time Traveler software.

  
item Can I rollback a file or folder that has been deleted from my Windows Home Server?  

Yes, Time Traveler will rollback any file or folder within any WHS Share that you have previously enabled rollback-points.  From the Time Traveler tab, right-click on the Share which contains the file/folder you want to rollback then select Rollback from the context menu and follow the rollback wizard.  You should see all folders available for rollback; even those folders you've deleted from your Windows Home Server!

  
item I want to rollback a single file from a folder which is deleted.  How do I do this?  

Due to the design of the Time Traveler rollback database, files within deleted folders will not be displayed in the Rollback Selector view.  As such, you must rollback the entire parent folder in order to rollback the desired file.  Helpful hint: you can rollback the folder into the default Time Traveler Rollbacks Share, copy the single file of interest to the desired destination Share, and finally delete the temporary rollback of the folder.  We know it's not a perfect solution, but now that you know how this works you should be a happy camper!

  
item I've been using Time Traveler for a long time and my rollback database is getting large.  How can I delete the rollback database and start over?  
  • Warning!  If you perform these steps then all previous rollback information will be permanently deleted!!  Only the latest version of your files will remain in your Windows Home Server Shares
  • Open the Windows Home Server Console and select the Time Traveler tab
  • Select the More link followed the Reset All Settings and Database link
  • Confirm you want to delete all rollback information by selecting Yes
  • Depending on how much data you have this could take some time.  Be patient and don't restart your WHS during this process
  • Select No to the Purge Product Registration prompt
  • Restart your Windows Home Server Console
  • Re-select the Shares you want to rollback and Time Traveler will re-create a new rollback database
  
item How do I completely remove all Time Traveler rollback information from my Home Server?  
  • Open the Windows Home Server Console and select the Time Traveler tab
  • Select the More link followed the Reset All Settings and Database link
  • Confirm you want to delete all rollback information by selecting Yes
  • Depending on how much data you have this could take some time.  Be patient and don't reboot your WHS during this process
  • If you are re-installing Time Traveler software then select No to the Purge Product Registration prompt.  If you are completely uninstalling Time Traveler then select Yes.
  • Restart your Windows Home Server Console
 
item How does Time Traveler work?  What technology does it use?  

Time Traveler uses the Subversion tracking system to maintain its rollback database.  It is highly regarded in the industry and is a very stable and robust engine which has been in-use for many years, across many different operating system environments.

  
item What is your refund policy?  

A full featured trial version of Time Traveler is available free of charge for your evaluation prior to purchasing the software.  The trial version is limited only in that it allows a maximum of 25 rollback-points to be created.  After the 25 rollback-point limit has been reached, you can continue to rollback files from your existing rollback-points but you will not be allowed to create new rollback-points. If you have any issues with Time Traveler please contact us at the email address below and we'll work with you to make it right

 
item Time Traveler for Windows Home Server is really cool.  Has anyone else mentioned this to you?  

Yes.  Thanks!

  
item I have additional questions.  How can I contact you?  

We're available via email at support @ timetravelerwhs.com


  

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