Installation

Read first: Synconix Backup Manager (SBM) uses separate machines for each role. You need at least two servers: one Panel (fresh/empty VPS) and one Storage server. Your Production servers are existing machines and must NOT host the Panel or Storage role.
Role	Separate server?	Purpose / Notes
Panel (SBM)	Yes — dedicated	Install on a fresh/empty VPS. Hosts the web UI and orchestrates backups. Do not combine with Storage or Production roles.
Storage server	Yes — dedicated	Where backups are saved. At least one required; you can add more for capacity or redundancy.
Production servers	No (existing hosts)	Your live servers being backed up. Never install the Panel or Storage role here.

Topology at a glance

[You] → [SBM Panel — fresh VPS] ── SSH ── [Production servers]  (pull backups)
                          └── SSH ── [Storage server(s)]      (push backups)

Use this guide to install the Synconix Backup Management Panel (SBM) — the web UI that orchestrates your backup network. You run the installer on a fresh VPS that will host the Panel, then finish setup in the browser.

Quick install (one-liner)

Run on the VPS that will be the Backup Management Panel (root shell recommended):

curl -s https://synconix.com/tools/install.sh | bash

This must be a fresh server with RHEL 7.x or 8.x (or compatible) and internet access. Ensure the Panel hostname has a public A record pointing to this server so SSL can be issued automatically.

What the installer does

• Detects OS major version (7 or 8) and exits if unsupported.
• Requires SELinux disabled; exits with instructions if it’s enabled.
• On RHEL/CentOS 7, rewrites CentOS repo files to the vault mirrors for reliability.
• Installs EPEL.
• Adds the Synconix stable repository.
• Adds PHP dependencies via Remi (PHP 7.2 stream configuration as needed).
• Adds the official Nginx repository.
• Configures the MariaDB 10.11 repository using the vendor script.
• Installs the synconix package and its dependencies.
• Prints the Panel URL to open when installation completes.

Where to run it

Run the command only on the VPS that will host the Panel. Do not run it on storage or production servers. The Panel will later connect to storage and production servers over SSH.

Before you start (pre-flight)

• OS: RHEL/AlmaLinux/CentOS/Oracle Linux 7.x or 8.x.
• SELinux disabled (required).
• Hostname’s A record resolves publicly to this server (for SSL).
• Outbound internet allowed (to reach repositories and download packages).
• Minimum resources: 2 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 20 GB free on /.

After installation

The script prints the access URL (based on your public IP/hostname). Open it in a browser to complete initial setup. If you created a DNS record for the Panel (recommended), use https://your-panel-hostname/.

First access: create the admin & finalize setup

After the installer finishes, open the printed URL. You’ll see the login screen.
On a fresh install, a modal titled “Please set your username and password to complete the installation.” will appear. Fill the fields below and click Finish Installation.

Username — 3–32 chars (letters, numbers, underscores).
Password — use a strong password; must match the repeat field.
Site domain — domain only, no scheme/port/path. Examples: backup.example.com, sbm.example.com. (The form rejects values containing : or /.)
Let’s Encrypt SSL — enabled by default; requires a public A record pointing to this server.
Timezone — defaults to UTC; pick your region for correct job times and logs.
License Key — format like Synconix-xxxxx.

If a field is missing/invalid you’ll get a precise message (e.g. “The username is missing!”, “The site domain is incorrect!”). After saving, SSL is issued (if enabled) and you’re redirected to /dashboard. Later, if you enable 2FA on your user, login will redirect through /2fa.

Login & recovery

Login at /login with the admin you just created.
Forgot password: use /password-recovery.
phpMyAdmin access is IP-gated automatically on login (your current IP is allowed).

Firewall & ports

Panel (this VPS): inbound 80/tcp, 443/tcp from your office/admin IPs.
Panel → Storage: outbound 22/tcp (SSH).
Storage → Production servers: outbound 22/tcp (SSH) for rsync over SSH.
No rsync daemon (873) is required; SBM uses SSH-based rsync.

How it works (rsync-only, no cloud/rclone)

SBM sends commands from the Panel to the Storage server. The Storage server then connects over SSH to the Production server and runs rsync. Status and logs flow back to the Panel.


[ Admin/User Browser ]
          │  HTTPS (443)
          ▼
   [ SBM Panel ]
          │  SSH (22)
          ▼
   [ Storage Host ]  ── SSH (22) ──►  [ Production Server ]
        (runs rsync pull)

Backup flow: Panel → Storage (“run job”) → Storage pulls data via rsync from Production → writes to Storage backup path → reports status to Panel.

Restore flow: Panel → Storage (“restore to…”) → Storage pushes rsync to Production target path → verifies checksums → reports status to Panel.

P[SBM Panel] P -- SSH 22 --> S[Storage Host] S -- SSH 22 / rsync --> R[Production Server] S -- logs/status --> P -->

Adding servers in the Panel

Storage server: add host/IP, SSH port, and select the Panel→Storage key. Define the default backup root (e.g. /backups).
Production server: add host/IP, SSH port, and select the Storage→Production key. Define datasets/paths to back up (e.g. /home, /var/www, /etc, database dumps path, etc.).

Creating your first job

New job → pick Storage + Production + dataset paths.
Choose mode (full or incremental) and retention policy (e.g. GFS: daily/weekly/monthly).
Save and Run now. Watch the live log; first run seeds the data.
Do a quick restore test to a temp path on a staging host.

Paths & layout (suggested)


/backups/
  └── prod-1.example.com/
      ├── 2025-09-10_0200/      (timestamped snapshot)
      ├── 2025-09-11_0200/
      └── latest -> 2025-09-11_0200

Upgrades

RHEL/CentOS 8: dnf -y update synconix\*
RHEL/CentOS 7: yum -y update synconix\*

Troubleshooting first login

“The username is missing!” / “The password is missing!” — fill both fields.
“The site domain is incorrect!” — remove any scheme/port/path; use plain FQDN only.
SSL fails — verify A record points to the Panel IP and try again after DNS propagates.
Repo/network errors — ensure outbound HTTP/HTTPS allowed from the Panel VPS firewall.

Synconix Documentation