SiteShelter is usually launched by the Windows Task Scheduler. It can also be launched in Manual Mode For backing up multiple web sites, it can be launched many times simultaneously using a different SiteConfig file for each session. It will operate in concurrent sessions.
It is recommended that you schedule SiteShelter to optimize your bandwidth and other resources. For example, start one session at 1:00AM, another at 1:10AM, etc. Allow more time for larger web sites.
SiteShelter stores files from Internet sites in an identical folder structure to that which exists in the Internet site, beginning with the Start Folder as defined in the Site Config tab.
If a Number of Versions is defined in the Local Storage tab, SiteShelter stores previous versions of files that change or are deleted under a special folder structure below the Backup Location, called \PreviousVersions.
SiteShelter follows symbolic links, handling them as though they are subdirectories.
Web Servers and FTP Servers
Web sites are run by software called Web Servers. While web servers are good at distributing web pages and other types of files so they look good in a web browser, they aren't very good at providing a simple, quick way to manage the files on a web site, and they don't usually have access to ALL the files that make up a web site. That's what FTP servers are good at.
Most web sites are serviced by both a Web Server and an FTP server. The web server interprets and distributes the web pages so they look good in a browser, and the FTP server (which has access to the same files, and more) is used to upload and download the files quickly so you can edit the web site.
SiteShelter uses the FTP server to back up the web site and all of its support files.
FTP Accounts
FTP Servers assign root directories to specific accounts, determined by the username used to log into the Server. Each user can be assigned a different root directory, which becomes the home folder for operations by that user.
Typically, this feature is used by web hosting companies to allow many users to share a single Server without allowing them to view or modify one another's files.
SiteShelter uses the FTP root directory as the home folder in its Local Storage. It will back up everything it finds in the root directory, and all available folders and files below it. You can override this behavior by specifying a Start Folder and Exclude files and folders in the Site Config tab.