by Ken Task.
Confusing isn't it!
Yes. Auto backups sent only to a designated directory would not be seen by teacher pretending to restore a course.
Unless, you used a linux trick ... in moodledata/repository (where you setup file system repos) ... a linux symlink that points to the designated directory outside of moodledata/filedir/
That used to work great for a Google Bucket ... seen only by the System Admin in a hidden System admin only course using file system repo ... but read on....
However, in recent versions of Moodle 4.0,4.1.42, and probably beyond it appears the best option would be to install the allbackups plugin I mentioned in earlier post.
So now an attached storage device (not a Google Bucket) is the only thing that can be symlinked ... moodle security is probably the reason.
I'll be so bold as to say I wouldn't host anywhere that didn;t offer attached data devices - given that used moodles only grow, they do no shrink.
One thing for certain ... change ... it seems now the System Admin person and true server admin's need to be on the same page for when things change in moodle, those 2 persons might need to become more imaginative than before to get desired setup.
My 2 cents!
'SoS', Ken