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Alex Stoyanov edited this page Apr 17, 2026 · 7 revisions

FAQ

What does stability mean?

Ethernity backups and recovery artifacts follow the baseline contract in the format docs and are expected to remain backward compatible across future stable releases.

In plain terms: backups you create now should keep working across future stable updates.

Do I need the recovery kit?

Not always. The primary recovery path is still the CLI using scans, payload files, or fallback text. The browser recovery kit is an optional helper.

What is rescue mode?

Rescue mode is an explicit bypass path for recovery when normal trust checks cannot be satisfied. Use it only with clear incident context and independent validation of the recovered output.

If you do not know whether you need it, you probably do not.

Why are there multiple PDF artifacts?

Each artifact serves a different purpose:

  • qr_document.pdf: primary QR scan source
  • recovery_document.pdf: fallback text and metadata path
  • optional shard docs: threshold-based passphrase recovery
  • optional signing-key shard docs: threshold-based signing-key recovery

How often should I run recovery drills?

At minimum:

  • once after each workflow or policy change
  • periodically on a fixed schedule
  • after major software upgrades before switching live procedures

When should I use extend instead of backup again?

Use extend when you want to keep an existing unsealed root and append a new generation to it.

Use backup again when you want a completely separate standalone set. Use compact when you want to turn a root plus extensions back into one fresh standalone set.

Is compact just another name for backup?

No.

backup creates a standalone set from the current source inputs. compact rebuilds the latest logical state from an existing root-plus-extension chain and writes a new standalone set from that state.

Can I recover from fallback text only?

Yes. Use --fallback-file and provide shard or auth inputs when the chosen backup mode requires them.

What does "verified" mean in recovery output?

It means cryptographic and structural checks passed for the artifact set you provided.

That does not automatically mean your external trust policy is satisfied. It means the set is internally consistent.

Which template designs are officially supported?

  • archive
  • forge
  • ledger
  • maritime
  • sentinel

How do I verify release binaries?

Use Sigstore bundle verification with the .sigstore.json sidecar from the same release tag. See Release Artifacts for the workflow.

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