@khklatt, I didn’t see any initially recommended backup tool, just the default that was loaded into NVidia OS which was “Backups” in the Utilities folder in the Apps collection. Looking at ‘Backups’, that’s just an app called ‘Deja Dup’ which focuses on user files but not system-wide backup or restoration. So I discovered “Timeshift” after a quick search on Ubuntu system backups and it’s worked quite well.
As far as NVidia-recommended recovery, all I’ve seen is what is in the documentation about creating a recovery USB and using it only when you need to restore your Spark to Day 1 settings (presumably not for fun reasons).
As for remote access, despite my success with XRDP, I have found a working solution to give my Spark its own head-end connection, so I’ve effectively removed a need to access it remotely either through XRDP or NVidia Sync (both of which have issues). I saw in another post-reply from an NVidia engineer that the problem I was seeing with NVidia OS remote access (interlacing, screen wrapping when rendering to a remote window) would be addressed in a future update to NVidia OS, but don’t quote me as having a confirmed bug fix in the NVidia OS roadmap or a date for implementation.
Good luck!