How to reconfigure obsolete server connections that use Basic Authentication in CodeTwo Backup
Problem:
After updating CodeTwo Backup to the new version, some connections are marked as [obsolete] and there is a permanent alert shown on the Bad news card that reads:
Server connection '{Connection displayname}' needs to be reconfigured to use Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0) when connecting to Office 365. Otherwise, jobs that use this connection will stop working when Basic Authentication is disabled for your tenant.A similar message is displayed when you run a job that uses an obsolete connection.
Solution:
Starting version 2.3.x, CodeTwo Backup no longer uses Basic Authentication when connecting to Exchange Online. Instead, this type of server connection now uses Modern Authentication (OAuth 2.0), which requires registering our backup application in the Azure Active Directory of the tenant to which you want to connect (the registration is performed automatically in the program or manually). In addition, server connections to SharePoint Online are now also partially authorized using OAuth 2.0 tokens.
There are two reasons for this change. First, Modern Authentication is more secure in terms of user authentication and authorization. Second, back in 2019, Microsoft has announced that Basic Authentication will be disabled in Exchange Online. The initial date was set to October 2020 and it still applies to the newly created tenants as well as tenants that never used Basic Auth. However, as of February 2021, it has been postponed indefinitely (learn more on Microsoft's website). CodeTwo wanted to make sure that CodeTwo Backup uses Modern Authentication way before Microsoft disables Basic Authentication.
Server connections marked as [obsolete], as shown in Fig. 1., are connections to Exchange Online and SharePoint Online created in the previous versions of CodeTwo Backup that use Basic Authentication. You can no longer create such connections and you can only reconfigure them to use Modern Authentication.
Important
Jobs that use obsolete server connections will still work and can be used to back up or restore your Microsoft 365 data. However, keep in mind that they will continue to work only until Basic Auth is enabled on your server. When Basic Authentication is disabled (either permanently by Microsoft or manually on your server), you will not be able to access that server with CodeTwo Backup by using obsolete connections.
Server connections to on-premises Exchange and SharePoint servers still use Basic Authentication in CodeTwo Backup. They are not marked as [obsolete] and don’t require to be reconfigured.
CodeTwo Backup shows notifications regarding obsolete server connections in different places of the Administration Panel to remind you that you should reconfigure these connections as soon as possible. That way, you can make sure that the program will continue backing up your data even after Basic Authentication has been disabled.
To reconfigure an obsolete server connection, go to the Dashboard tab, click the Manage (
) button on the Defined server connections card, select a connection marked as [obsolete] and click Edit (Fig. 1.).
Fig. 1. Selecting an obsolete server connection for editing.
A new server connection wizard will open. Use the links below to open a step-by-step guide on how to reconfigure a connection to:
Tip
You can disable all alerts informing about the use of an obsolete server connection in CodeTwo Backup, but it is not recommended to do so. Instead, you should reconfigure these connections to use Modern Authentication to continue backing up your data.
To disable these alerts, click Notification options () on the Bad news card and clear the checkbox to the left of Obsolete connection in use (Fig. 2.).
Fig. 2. Disabling the notifications regarding the use of obsolete server connections.
| Related products: | CodeTwo Backup for Exchange, CodeTwo Backup for Office 365 |
| Categories: | FAQ |
| Last modified: | February 17, 2021 |
| Created: | June 24, 2020 |
| ID: | 875 |
