Backup Job could not be loaded

[Newbietoo]

This is reminiscent of a problem I have reported before...

I back up to an external network drive connected to another PC. When the drive gets switched off, the "share" gets lost and I have to re-share it when I power the drive back up.

Then, when I to do a backup, AIS says it can't find the file, probably because the share name is different. I try "Change Backup Destination" to let AIS know of the new location for the backup (given it says it can't find it). AIS then acts likes it's starting from scratch, saying the location already contains files. At that point of course I'm not game to proceed.

So I then use "Open Job from Backup Media" to find it, but it says the job can't be loaded.

I suspect that what happens is the log file (or whatever it is) with the backup gets overwritten by a new one...the .Buz file has today's date; the date I "changed" backup location.

What do I do now?

Seems to me there is a flaw here, given users can get themselves into this state. What would be handy is to have a link alongside "Backup Destination" on the Job Page called "Locate last Backup" that pops the "Open from..." dialog. That would make it quite clear what operation you are trying to perform...to both AIS and the User.

Thanks
Patrick

[Barry]

By design the change backup destination is to be used to move a backup to a new destination and not put things right when a backup had already been moved, as in your example a changed share name. However, I can see that the name of the menu item can lead to the problem you have. The option will be updated so that if the backup has already been moved to the selected destination the control files will be updated – and not reset.

In its present state AISBackup will enable the backup to be moved by using the method you have already mentioned, unfortunately the backup contents file had already been reset by Manage Backup / Change Backup Destination. If you have another backup of the <jobname>.bdb file (in another backup job) then perhaps you could restore this to the backup media on the network drive.

For now the recommended way to manually ‘move’ a backup to a new destination (including changing a share name) is:hage backup dest

1/ Manage Backup / Remove Backup Job

2/ Tools / Open job from backup media (with the re-instate option).

I have noticed that this option will change a backup to networked external drive style of backup to a regular backup; this too will be fixed.

Barry

[Newbietoo]

Thanks Barry,

...but that's still pretty confusing as for "Last Backup" is says "Never Backed Up" (notwithstanding it has found the backup). When you go to do the backup it displays the "This Location contains files..." dialog. I told it to go ahead and it's now doing a new (complete) backup.

Patrick

[Barry]

AISBackup has been updated to allow the Change Backup Destination to be used in this circumstance. The 'Never backed up' will also be updated to the last backup session date.

Perhaps you can try this before the version is released to iron out any problems?

Barry

[Newbietoo]

Not sure I understand; what do you want me to try?

Patrick

[Barry]

The Manage Backup / Change backup destination was not originally designed to open a backup that has already been moved, however I understand why the option was used in that way and has been updated to allow this operation. Unfortunately all versions of AISBackup prior to the 'next' version (i.e. from build 325) delete the backup contents file (.bdb) and cause the backup to be started again. Even if the Tools / Open job from backup media option is then used there is no .bdb file so the backup will start again, and AISBackup complains that the backup destination contains files - i.e. the old backup. It would be possible to re-use the backup if you had a backup of the .bdb file on another backup job - just restore the .bdb file to the network drive and use the Tools / Open job from backup media option.

My question was to ask you to confirm that the updates made to AISBackup do work in your environment of changing network share names, I have tested this here but it is always a good idea to get the test confirmed by a third party.

Barry

[johngie]

This is reminiscent of a problem I have reported before...


Seems to me there is a flaw here, given users can get themselves into this state. What would be handy is to have a link alongside "Backup Destination" on the Job Page called "Locate last Backup" that pops the "Open from..." dialog. That would make it quite clear what operation you are trying to perform...to both AIS and the User.

Thanks
Patrick

I've just encountered this too. I've got 100's of GB of backup that I can't open. All the zip files are there. In my case for some unknown reason, an addition to an existing backup put itself in a different destination (I have no idea how because I certainly didn't ask it to do so - all I did was to "run backup"). Having realised what happened, not unreasonably I tried to backup again to the original destination but I got exactly the same issue as you. This is a serious flaw IMO and I hope it will be addressed - I have build 323 (paid for!) and "no newer versions are available".

How do I get my valuable data back - unfortunately I had deleted the original source files?

[johngie]

This is reminiscent of a problem I have reported before...

How do I get my valuable data back - unfortunately I had deleted the original source files?

An update: I did a "repair" by trying to follow Barry's suggestion (though I didn't fully undrstand it). Basically I added the extra zip files to the "old" destiantion drive and copied the bdb and buz files over as well. Thankfully it worked - at least I was able to open from the backup media. However it will not let me restore from the AISBackup window - the Restore from Backup option is greyed out. If I go "Tools - Restore from media" option it works, as does double clicking the bdb file in Windows Explorer. So why is it greyed out in the AIS window?

Am I being unlucky with this application - it seemed so full of promise that I bought a licence but this appearent lack of robustness is worrying Is an update to cure this issue on the cards?

[johngie]

So why is it greyed out in the AIS window?

I've got a bit further with this. I pasted the .bdb file from the backup media into the AIS database folder in Documents and Settings (the one there was very obviously the corrupted one) and all is restored (pun not intended ) to normal.

However the destruction and fragility of the .bdb file is quite worrying - if the latest correct version has been lost you're sunk - the ability to restore an otherwise good backup relies on this one little file.

[Barry]

Build 327 has been uploaded, this version improves the manual moving of data and even though the Move Backup Destination option was designed to actually move the backup and not finish a manual move of the data; this now works after manually moving disk based backups and does not wipe out the backup contents file. Builds of AISBackup prior to 327 actually reset the .bdb if the Move Backup Destination was used to 'point to' a manually moved backup (or in the case of Newbietoo's jobs a changed share name) so I can appreciate your concerns.

Jongie is correct in that the .bdb files (there are more e.g. .bdb.lfn) are very important and AISBackup does make two copies of these, 1 in the local database folder and 1 on the backup media. If you want more than please make a regular backup job of the AISBackup database folder. AISBackup can repair most errors in the .bdb files and can in fact make one from scratch, see the Manage Backup / Validate (Test) Backup / Repair Contents File option.

Barry