Have you ever tried to backup netscaler configuration and restore? Luckily, Citrix gave us the opportunity to create basic and full backups on netscaler. We can create backups for the software configuration on the netscaler and restore it when needed.

In GUI, Goto Netscaler/System/Backup and Restore option. Enter a name for your backup and select full backup and download the tgz file to your machine. That’s it. You just created a full backup file for your netscaler. Download the file and save it in some location (not on netscaler).

Let’s say, you have changed the configuration in netscaler like, removing some basic settings or adding new setting, changing ns gwy vip ip address (by mistake of course), removing certificate binding in ns gwy vip etc..

You can use the backup tgz file that you created earlier to restore the configuration. All you have to do is,

1. Connect to your netscaler through winscp and upload the backup tgz file to /var/ns_sys_backup location.
2. In GUI goto Netscaler/system/backup and restore option. If you dont have any backups on the netscaler, you will only see Backup/Import option. Click it and then select the import radio button. Under filename option, click the down arrow next to “choose file” option (You can also upload the tgz file from here but if your backup file is huge, netscaler GUI page may timeout. So use winscp method). Select appliance option and select the tgz backup file you’ve uploaded. Click open and then Backup option. This will now import the backup tgz file into netscaler GUI. (earlier you’ve uploaded to the netscaler using winscp, this will display it in the GUI).
3. Under system/backup and restore, check the box for the backup file you just uploaded. Click on select action at the top and click restore.
4. In the next step, we dont need backup again. Check the box for skip backup and click restore. In GUI, bottom right, you will see “restore successful” message.
5. Next go to system/reboot option.  uncheck save config and check warm reboot option. Wait for a minute and login. Verify your configuration. (when you restore the config you have to do a warm reboot).

Dont click save config option in netscaler GUI (save button next to refresh in netscaler GUI) anywhere in this process. You are going to restore, when you save, your faulty current config will be saved. Once restored and everything is working as expected, you can save again.