Section 74. Back Up Router Configuration

74. Back Up Router Configuration

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Access Router Configuration

You can back up your router's configuration file. This is useful in cases where you want to try some new settings but then want to roll back the router's configuration to your tried-and-true settings. Having a backup of the router configuration file also provides you with the capability to get the router back into your preferred configuration if someone in your household has tampered with the router's settings.

The Backup Settings page for your router will allow you to back up the router's configuration and also restore the configuration if necessary (using the Restore command). You only need to back up the router when you change the router's configuration (such as after setting up the initial configuration). Do subsequent backups only after you change the router's configuration. I suggest that you back up changes that you make to the router's configuration only after you have determined that the new settings work. If new settings don't work, you can roll back the settings by restoring an earlier version of the router's configuration. You can save as many different backup files as you wish, which allows you to keep different versions of the router's configuration available. Most routers also provide a command that allows you to erase the router's configuration and roll back the configuration to the factory settings.

Back Up Router Configuration

Access Backup Settings

Log on to your router as the administrator using your web browser; type the URL for your router in the browser's Address box and then provide the login name and password for the router when prompted for this information. You can find the URL for your router in the documentation that came with your router. If you have changed the password for the router, as discussed in Change Router Password, use the new password you set.

Tip

When you access the URL for your router, save the page as one of your favorites in your web browser. Then you can open the router's web page at any time by clicking the favorite link you have created. You can also enter the user name and the password in the logon text box and select the Remember my password check box. Windows will then remember the user name and password, making it easy for you to access the router. However, if Windows remembers the password for you, anyone who has access to your computer could potentially access the router. If you change the default password, make sure that you remember it or write it down in a safe place in case you need it.

From the router's main configuration page, click the Backup Settings link or similar command to access the page from which you can configure the backup process for your router.

Begin Backup Process

On the Backup Settings configuration page, click the Backup button or similar command. A File Download dialog box opens. It is the same type of download dialog box that would open when you attempt to download a file from any web page; for example if you were downloading a picture or sound file from a web page (remember that the router is configured using a web interface, so the router configuration pages are, in effect, web pages just like any other web page).

Select Save File Option

Click Save in the File Download dialog box. A Save As dialog box opens.

Select Location and Save Backup

Use the Save As dialog box to select a location for the saved file (you can save it in your My Documents folder on your computer or some other location, if you prefer). You can change the default name for the backup file (which is netgear for a Netgear router) to something a little more descriptive so that you can find the file if needed in the future. After specifying a location and a name for the file, click Save. The backup file will be saved to your computer's hard disk.

Open the Backup File

You can now restore the backup file in the future (if needed) by using the Restore command on the Backup Settings configuration page.

For example, let's say that you have backed up the router and need to restore the backup configuration file. Click the Browse button above the Restore button on the Backup Settings page of your router's configuration. Then locate the file in the Choose File dialog box that opens. When you have located the proper backup file, click Open to return to the router configuration screen.

Restore the Backup File

The backup file you opened in Step 5 appears in the filename text box next to the Browse button. Click Restore to restore the configuration file to the router. A message box appears, letting you know that the current settings will be replaced by the restored settings. Click OK to close the confirmation box.

The router configuration will be restored (this may take a moment) and then you will be returned to the router configuration web page.

Tip

If you need to reset your router and start over, your router provides an Erase or similar command that allows you to erase the router's configuration and then start again. For example, if all your users are having problems accessing the Web or other Internet services because you haven't configured service blocking or port triggering correctly and you can't figure out what you have done wrong, you might want to "reset" the router and start over. Having an earlier backup of the router's configuration (that actually worked correctly) negates the need for the Erase command because you can roll back the router to an earlier configuration; use Erase only as a last resort.