Question: I currently have a VPN between my home where the computer is which is going to contain the backup data (I presume the Server) and my office (I presume the Endpoint.) Right now I already have a static IP address at my office. Both are on a DSL line. Can I operate the backup from the server, i.e. have my home computer automatically contact the office and pull the data off of it or does the initiation need to be from the endpoint? If so will I then need a static IP at home?

Answer: The RBS Server is the computer that will receive the backup data. The RBS Endpoint is the computer that will be backed up, and will send the data.

It sounds like your home computer will be the Server, and your office computer will be the endpoint.

With your VPN you have internal static IP addresses at both ends - the Server and the Endpoint, so just program the server's private IP for the Endpoint to access through the VPN.

The IP address of your endpoint computer doesn't matter. It can be static or dynamic.

If you were using public IP addresses (not a VPN) the IP address of your Server computer wouldn't matter either, as long as you use a Dynamic DNS service like our built-in Server Locator, which is part of your Maintenance Subscription. Your endpoint computer needs to know how to reach your Server computer, and it can find it at its IP address (if the Server has a static IP) or at its Host Name (if you're using a Dynamic DNS service or our Server Locator.)

For security, the endpoint ALWAYS initiates the connection. It can do this on a schedule that you predetermine, or it can be launched manually

You can launch your RBS session manually by remote by using Terminal Services or pcAnywhere, or some other remote control software to log into your endpoint computer and run the backup. Most people don't do that, rather, they just set up a schedule for the endpoint to use.