Erasing files every x weeks

[jstrong]

I am hoping to set up an un-attended two-weekly backup cycle to a networked hard drive, whereby the first backup in each cycle is a full backup and the following ones are incremental.

I have set up two directories "Cycle 1" and "Cycle 2", but I need to find a way to "start from scratch" in week 3 (i.e. the week 1 files should be deleted and the backup should start the "full, then incremental cycle" again) and then the same for week 4 / week 2 etc.

Can someone help me to design the script (or scripts) that will achieve this, as I can't see an easy route at present?

Thanks a lot

Jim

[Barry]

Hi Jim

Have you got access to a programming language like Visual Basic or Delphi? You could use the API CreateProcess to run AISBackup with different command line parameters accoring to your criteria. From your task scheduler you would then run your program which in turn calls AISBackup.

Barry

[jstrong]

Hi Barry

I guess that means that AISbackup doesn't yet tackle that task, but yes - I could use MacroScheduler from mjtnet to do what you propose. I'm off to investigate that option now!

You may wish to add to a future wish-list - I think more and more folks will be backing up across a network and the "endless cycle" will be really useful!

Thanks a lot

Jim

PS I think I registered a couple of nights ago, but have heard nothing yet. Should I just go ahead and purchase or wait for some contact?

[Barry]

Hi Jim

I guess there are many fifferent ways that administrators would like to run AISBackup, too many to actually incorporate the schemes into the program.

I think it would be worth us giving a Visual Basic example as this would be quite easy to convert to another language.

Pehaps you would like to post your solution when ready?

I cannot find a record of your registration either under your e-mail address or name. This will will not upset the order process, quite a lot of people purchase AISBackup prior to registering.

Barry

[jstrong]

> Pehaps you would like to post your solution when ready?
OK - may take me a while to get it in place, though


> I cannot find a record of your registration either under your
> e-mail address or name.
Oh oh - I thought I'd maybe got it wrong. I'll go the purchase approach!

Thanks a lot

Jim

[mrmcc]

I also would like to see an ability to schedule a full and then incremental backups. It's a very common practice and a pain to do it manually.

[jstrong]

I think this is quite straightforward (until someone tells me it won't work!) -

1) set up a script

2) Run it on a Monday, adding a "|C" to the command line

3) Run it on the following days without the "|C", until the next cycle.

Jim

[Barry]

Hi

AISBackup has been designed to backup new and changed files only, each backup looks like a full backup so that you do not have to restore a full and then roll forward through each increment. This is automatically done by AISBackup. Given that CD-R are pretty cheap you could just keep expanding the same backup forever. Okay that may not be too sensible.

We realise that some of our Users do like to create full backup's occasionally, we implement this manually via the Manage Backup / Reset Backup option.

We allow more options via the command line, such as always doing a full backup.

If the backup is to a fixed size hard or network drive using our full + incremental method will eventually fill the disk. To overcome this problem we implemented the ability to limit the number of retained sessions. Files are then deleted from the backup only when they do not exist in any session. Backup Zip files are 'trimmed' and then deleted when they are empty.

Maybe we could introduce a system whereby AISBackup does an automatic ‘reset database’ periodically, e.g. the first time it is run 'Next Week' or the first time it is run 'Next Month'. Perhaps we should also allow the grouping of scripts whereby we cycle through them on the weekly or monthly period change, this way you have always got a week’s or month’s (or more) worth of backups. What do you think?

Barry

[Barry]

Hi Jim

That will work. See my post above, we will look at automating along the lines discussed there. We cannot get too complicated though

Barry

[mrmcc]

Thanks for your reply Barry. I backup around 5 Gig a day in incremental and 35 Gig during a full backup and I have two external 100 Gig firewire drives, one of which I backup to the other. Of course CD backups are not possible here and a continuous incremental is impossible. I use a 60 Gig external firewire drive as a backup drive for my 50 Gig internal drive and it fills up within a week. Some means of easily automating the "primary and incremental" process would reallllllllly help. Perhpas being able to select this option in the section where you select which days the script will run.

[jstrong]

Hi Barry

Your reply has made me realise that I must re-think how AISBackup is designed - and how I am using it!!

I think all I need to do is to set my max previous backups at (say) 10 and forget about by two-weekly cycle.

I feel a bit thick for not realising earlier!!

Cheers

Jim (Now a fully-fledged AISBackup owner!)