Web System GMail Backup (v2)

Web System GMail Backup V2

The GMail module allows independent access to a GMail backup. It supports additional features such as browsing email within the backup, opening emails & importing or downloading any attachments on an individual basis. This allows the Backup service to access emails even when the Google Mail server is down or unavailable.

To take advantage of these features, you will need an Account with Google.

Full list of features:

• Backup the GMail account of a user (from the Synchronization widget).
• Browse a list of backed up emails.
• Open any message and read its contents.
• Import or Download specific attachments.
• Create a backed up copy of attached images in Younicycle Files.
• Create a backed up copy of attached documents in Younicycle Files.
• Delete specific emails from your list of backed up emails.
• Search for emails on the GMail server, filtering by all fields.
• Received email notifications (internally displayed when a new Email arrives at GMail)
• A Scheduler
• Restore (when restore takes place, the user sees the name of the folder Backup+ in the Gmail account)

GMail Backup is controlled by the Google Apps Backup Widget, which is located on your Account's Home page and visible after logging in.  To Activate the service, click the GMail icon.

When accessing Google services for the first time, authorization is required. Google will ask you to grant access for its services.

After you Activate the process, the appearance of the Widget will change. 

The triangle will change to a square onclick and the backup process will begin immediately.  You can stop the process by clicking the square, at which point it will revert to a triangle.  Click the next icon (shaped like a Gear) to configure the backup Settings which allows you to set the schedule and select specific folders you want to backup. 

If you decide to start the backup process immediately, a  green progress bar means that the process is working properly, yellow means there are one or more errors occuring during the backup process. Click on the progress bar to view the Schedule log.

The appearance of various states is below:

Settings

After clicking the Gear, you will be able to designate your Settings, to include scheduling the frequency and start date/time of your backups, along with the specific folders to be backed up (synched).  To initiate backup (synch) according to your specified schedule, click Start.

If you change your Schedule

If you decide to change your Settings, the Update button will undim.  Make sure you click Update.  This will replace your old Schedule & folder choices with a new Schedule/choices.  See below.

During the backup process

As you are backing up, you will see several 'progress' messages that display communication between Google and your Account:

Additional, typical messages may include:

1. Queued
2. Synchronizing folders
3. Synchronizing flags
4. Backup process finished, which may include error messages, some of which are understandable with others, less so.  An example of a 'bad email' that could not be retrieved is below..

You may - or may not have success searching (using expanded, GMail search options) from directly within GMail to determine the problem with any specific email.

Service History

You can View your Service History at any time (even during backup), by clicking the History button in Settings.

After Backup

After your Gmail has been backed up, additional features are available by either

• Clicking the Gmail icon, or
• Going to the Tools menu (top menu) and selecting Gmail Backup.

You will be taken to a list of your GMails with additional functionality

1. Drop down list for selecting a specific GMail Folder (Inbox displayed).
2. Backup Gmail - begin immediate Backup.
3. Schedule - Viewor change your Schedule (Settings).
4. Hide/Show Filters - Exposes or Collapses the GMail Search box + the ability to display your current disk quota.
5. Show disk Quota - onclick, displays your current quota.  Can collapse it after viewing.
6. Actions {Create a new email (redirects to GMail), Backup specific Gmail (as selected in #7), Restore All (Restores to GMail), Schedule (Settings) and History (Backup/synch history).
7. For selecting specific mail for Delete or Restore.
8. Search (filter) your list according to youe search terms.  Uses Google's internal GMail search.
9. Click the Subject of a specific GMail and it will open in GMail.
10. Actions - on hovering over a Subject, Actions will appear.  Open in Google (same as #9), Preview (a slim version pops up + Import attachments to Files), Restore (Restore this to Gmail).
11. Delete specific mail from your backup that were checked in the left column  (# 7).  NOTE:  This DOES NOT delete the email in your GMail account.  It only deletes from your backed up list.
12. Pagination
13. Set number of messages to display per page.  The default is 25.

Example, Preview

Hover over a Subject for a specific mail and you will see Actions.  Although backup does backup GMail Attachements as part of a contiguous email, any attachments are not available to use as a separate object (example, website image) until you Import to Files.  Attachments imported from an email will be automatically directed to your Home Folder and be eith Public or Private, according to your specified Account Details (Top menu -> Settings -> Manage Account -> Details).  You can also Download an attachment  from this popup.

Example of Preview below.