Manage devices from the Devices page

What it's for

The Devices page in the Web Portal lists every device across all your clients, including offline ones. Use it to spot devices that need attention, register newly installed devices, run actions such as a backup or a software update remotely, and retire devices a client no longer uses. You can do the same things for a single client under Management Console > Users > [user] > Devices.

Before you start

• Sign in to the Web Portal with your admin account.
• Most device actions only work while the device is Online, meaning the backup app is running and connected. You can't send actions to an offline device.
• Before revoking a device, make sure the client doesn't need it any more and that you've read the warning in the revoke steps below.

Steps

Read device statuses

In the Web Portal, go to Management Console > Devices. The table shows these columns: Status, Username, Account Name, Device, Connection ID, Version, Platform, Connected Since and Actions.

• To add or hide columns, click View. The extra columns are Device ID, Remote File Access, IP Address and Timezone.
• Turn on Auto Refresh at the top right to keep the list up to date while you work.
• Use Export to export the list, for example for a client review.

Each device shows one of these statuses:

If a device shows Online (2) on the user's Devices tab, the backup app is connected twice from the same machine. Scheduled backups may run twice. A terminate button appears on that row so you can close the extra connection. See Tip: avoid backups that trigger twice and Backup jobs missed or running unexpectedly.

Register a device

Registering assigns a device that was installed in lobby mode to a client's user account. That's how you install the backup app silently without typing the client's password on the machine.

1. Install the backup app with lobby mode turned on. See Remote Installation Guide for full commands.
   • Windows: install.exe /S /LOBBY
   • An existing Windows install: run backup-tool.exe login join-lobby https://YOUR-PORTAL-URL/ from the install folder.
   • Linux: see the Remote Installation Guide for the command for your package.
2. On the Devices page, find the device. It shows as Unregistered.
3. Click Register on the right of that row.
4. Pick the user the device belongs to (for example contoso-dental) and follow the prompts.

Since version 26.4, you can do this even for users who have two-factor authentication turned on. The user doesn't need to be there or share their code.

Run actions on a device

For an online device, click Actions in the Actions column on the Devices page, or Actions... on the device's row under Management Console > Users > [user] > Devices.

The Connected Device Actions dialog opens. It has three tabs:

• Device:
  • Actions: Run Backup... and Restore... (see Restore files and folders)
  • Manage Client: Update software, Uninstall Software and Update Login URL
  • Other: Scan for other installed products...
• Storage Vault: pick a vault under Storage Vault:, then click Apply retention rules now (see Run a retention pass manually).
• Properties: the device's Version, IP Address and Platform.

The ... button next to Actions opens a shorter menu: Remote Actions, Reinstall, Force Offline and Revoke. Revoke is covered below. This article doesn't cover the other three yet. If you're not sure what one does, ask us at support@magnusbox.com before you use it on a client's device.

To rename a device, for example to add a billing code or to replace the machine name it registered with, open the Rename device dialog from the user's Devices tab, type the new name and click OK. See License Usage.

Use bulk actions

Bulk actions save time when you need to do the same thing to many devices at once. Pick the devices first: the menu has nothing to offer until you do.

1. On the Devices page, tick the box at the start of each device's row. To pick every device in the list, tick the box in the header row. Use the Filter... box first to narrow the list.

2. Click Bulk Actions. If you haven't ticked any devices, the menu only says "No devices selected".

   

3. The menu groups your selection by status, for example Online Devices (1), and lists any bulk actions available for them. Choose one.

   

If the menu shows Not Available under your selection, run the action on each device from its Actions button instead.

Upgrade devices

1. Find the device. Devices on an older version show as Online (outdated).
2. Click its Actions button and, on the Device tab of the Connected Device Actions dialog, click Update software. The backup app on the device updates itself to the current version.

Keep these in mind:

• The device must be online.
• Synology NAS on DSM 7 can't be upgraded remotely. Install the new package by hand in Package Center. See Synology Installation.
• Branding changes only reach a device after its backup app is updated. See White Label Branding.
• Your Web Portal doesn't have a fleet-wide upgrade page. To upgrade your whole fleet at once, email support@magnusbox.com and we'll help you plan it.

Revoke a device

Revoke a device when it's been replaced, retired or lost.

1. Go to Management Console > Users > [user] > Devices, or find the device on the Devices page.
2. Click the ... button next to the device's Actions button and choose Revoke.
3. Confirm.

After revoking:

• The device is disconnected and its scheduled backups stop.
• Its past jobs show as "Unknown device" in the job history.
• If the backup app is still installed on that machine, it's no longer registered to the user's account and has to be registered again before it can back up.

Replacing a computer? Set up the new one first, copy the Protected Items across, then revoke the old one. See Computer Replacement.

Verify it worked

• Registered device: it shows under the user's Devices tab as Online.
• Upgraded device: the status changes from Online (outdated) to Online once it reconnects.
• Revoked device: it no longer appears in the user's device list.
• Actions such as a backup: check the result under Management Console > Job logs.

Troubleshooting

• The device shows Offline: the backup app isn't running or can't reach the Web Portal. See Windows client only shows as 'Offline' in user-profile 'Devices' tab.
• A new install doesn't appear: see The device isn't listed at all.
• Registration fails: the user may have hit their device quota. Raise the Number of devices quota on the user's Profile tab, or revoke an old device.
• Two machines show as one device: usually cloned VMs. See Several machines show up as one device.
• The device asks to register again after a hardware change: see Change of hardware causes registration dialog to appear.
• Still stuck? Email support@magnusbox.com with the user and device name.

Related articles

• Device registration (Logging into the Magnus Box Software)
• Remote Installation Guide
• Computer Replacement
• License Usage
• Supported platforms and system requirements
• Restore files and folders
• Group client accounts with User Groups