How to Back Up the Encryption Key in Service Manager
Updated: May 13, 2016
Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Service Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager, System Center 2012 - Service Manager
Your disaster recovery strategy for System Center 2012 – Service Manager depends on backing up the encryption keys as soon as you complete the Service Manager installation. After you back up the encryption keys and store them in a safe location, you can recover from software or hardware failures on the Service Manager and data warehouse management servers.
You use the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard to back up encryption keys on the management servers and Self-Service Portal. This wizard is located on the Service Manager installation media in the Tools\SecureStorageBackup folder.
To back up the encryption key
Log on to the computer that hosts the Service Manager management server of data warehouse management server by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.
In Windows Explorer, open the Tools\SecureStorageBackup folder on the installation media.
Right-click SecureStorageBackup.exe then click Run as administrator to start the Encryption Key Backup or Restore Wizard.
On the Introduction page, click Next.
On the Backup or Restore? page, select Backup the Encryption Key, and then click Next.
On the Provide a Location page, type the path and file name for the encryption key. For example, if you want to specify the file name SMBackupkey.bin for the encryption key on the MyServer server in the Backup shared folder, type \\MyServer\Backup\SMBackupkey.bin, and then click Next.
On the Provide a Password page, in the Password box type a password that contains at least eight characters. In the Confirm Password box, retype the same password, and then click Next.
Important
Recovery of the password is not possible if the password is lost or forgotten.After you see the message “Secure Storage Backup Complete,” click Finish.