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Back up the Secure Store service in SharePoint Server 2010

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Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

In Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, the Secure Store Service replaces Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Single Sign-on (SSO). The Secure Store Service provides the capability of securely storing credential sets and associating credentials to specific identities or a group of identities.

Every time you enter a new passphrase, SharePoint Server 2010 creates a new Master Key and re-encrypts the credentials sets with that key. The passphrase gives you access to the Master Key created by SharePoint Server 2010 that is used to encrypt the credential sets.

You should back up the Secure Store Service and record the passphrase after the Secure Store Service is initially configured and again every time that you make configuration changes to the Secure Store Service or re-encrypt the credential information.

Important

Before backing up the Secure Store Service, do the following:

  • Record the passphrase. You will need the passphrase when you access the restored Secure Store Service.

  • Ensure that you back up the Secure Store Service every time you change or refresh the Master Key. When you change or refresh the Master key, the database is automatically re-encrypted with the new key. Backing up the Secure Store Service ensures that the database and the Master key are in synchronization.

  • Keep the passphrase in a secure location.

Procedures in this task:

  • To back up the Secure Store Service by using Windows PowerShell

  • To back up the Secure Store Service by using Central Administration

Task requirements for backing up the Secure Store Service in SharePoint Server

Before you begin, you must create a folder on the local computer or the network in which to store the backups. For better performance, we recommend that you back up to the local computer and then move the backup files to a network folder.

Use Windows PowerShell to back up the Secure Store Service in SharePoint Server

You can use Windows PowerShell to back up the Secure Store Service manually or as part of a script that can be run at scheduled intervals.

To back up the Secure Store Service by using Windows PowerShell

  1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: See Add-SPShellAdmin.

  2. On the Start menu, click All Programs.

  3. Click Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products.

  4. Click SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.

  5. At the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Backup-SPFarm -Directory <Backup folder> -BackupMethod Full -Item <Secure Store Service> [-Verbose]

    Note

    You must use the Full option to back up the Secure Store Service.

    Note

    You must use the exact name for the service application that you are backing up with Windows PowerShell. To find the service application name in Central Administration click Manage service applications in the Application Management section.

For more information, see Backup-SPFarm.

Note

We recommend that you use Windows PowerShell when performing command-line administrative tasks. The Stsadm command-line tool has been deprecated, but is included to support compatibility with previous product versions.

Use Central Administration to back up the Secure Store Service in SharePoint Server

You can use Central Administration to back up the Secure Store Service.

To back up the Secure Store Service by using Central Administration

  1. Verify that the user account that performs this procedure is a member of the Farm Administrators group.

  2. In Central Administration, on the Home page, in the Backup and Restore section, click Perform a backup.

  3. On the Perform a Backup — Step 1 of 2: Select Component to Back Up page, expand the Shared Services Applications node, select the Secure Store Service application from the list of components, and then click Next.

    Note

    The Secure Store Service application might consist of several components. You must select the top-level component.

  4. On the Start Backup — Step 2 of 2: Select Backup Options page, in the Backup Type section, select Full.

  5. In the Backup File Location section, in the Backup location box, type the path of the backup folder, and then click Start Backup.

  6. You can view the general status of all backup jobs at the top of the Backup and Restore Job Status page in the Readiness section. You can view the status for the current backup job in the lower part of the page in the Backup section. The status page updates every 30 seconds automatically. You can manually update the status details by clicking Refresh. Backup and recovery are Timer service jobs. Therefore, it may take several seconds for the backup to start.

    If you receive any errors, you can review them in the Failure Message column of the Backup and Restore Job Status page. You can also find more details in the Spbackup.log file at the UNC path that you specified in step 5.

See Also

Concepts

Restore secure store services in SharePoint Server 2010