Backup Tape Set Catalog - new user

[etishberg]

Hi there,

I am new to Retrospect and am using it with a 9 cart changer. The last 2 backup sets I did were each a 2 tape set. All I want is to simply print out (or even look at) a list of what was copied into each set. Each Backup was 3 or 4 different copies, but I imagine there musr be a simple way to just say " Show me what files are on my drives".

 

I asked support and was told this:

 

To view items you have backed up, go to Reports>Contents to view items previously backed up. You can also go to Configure>Backup Sets>Properties>Snapshots>browse.

 

I am on a mac, and in the reports sectikon on lower left there is no "Contents" option.....nor is there a "Configure" menu por folder.

 

What are they trying to tell me and how do I get a list of whats on the drives short of starting a restore, or looking at each backup report 1 at a time and writing this down. I'm sure there is an easier way.

 

Thanks in advance for your help with this simple question.

 

 

eli

[Lennart_T]

Apparently they didn't understand you used the Mac version.

Ask them again.

[etishberg]

I did and no reply !

e

maybe they're trying to tell me something !

[twickland]

In Retrospect 8/9/10 for Mac, the information about what's in the backup set's catalog for each source volume or favorite folder is listed in Past Backups. If you highlight a backup and click "Browse," you will see the entire contents of the snapshot for that source, as of the date and time of that particular backup session. The snapshot includes not only files that were backed up during that session, but every file that was backed up from that source in previous backup sessions, provided the files are still on the source. (You can limit the file list to only those that were backed up in a given backup session by checking the appropriate box.)

 

To see every file that was ever backed up for a given source or for multiple sources, you need to run a dummy Restore operation, selecting the option to search for files and specifying the search criteria as broadly or as narrowly as you like.

 

Unfortunately, once you have created your list of backed-up files, you don't have a lot of flexibility in how you can view these files. They are always listed in accordance with the directory structure of the original source volume (or volumes), and only the top level of each source's directory is visible at first. To drill down, you need to click on the disclosure triangles one at a time; you can't option-click to open all the nested directories/folders as you can in Finder. This can be really tedious if you want to be able to view everything. As might be expected from this arrangement, if you select "Print," Retrospect only prints the contents of the directories/folders you have opened and can view on the screen. (Mercifully, the Print option here is not limited to what's immediately visible in the window.)

 

(Retrospect 6 offered a great deal of flexibility on how to view and print backed-up files. I've been begging for years to have some or all of these view options brought back to the current version.)

[etishberg]

Thanks, thats pretty much what I have been doing with the exception of the past backups listing.

 

If I have already backed up a folder to s disk set, and I add some new stuff that may have been in backed up already, as long as it hasn't changed Retrospect should do nothing correct?

 

Thanks...eli

[twickland]

If I have already backed up a folder to s disk set, and I add some new stuff that may have been in backed up already, as long as it hasn't changed Retrospect should do nothing correct?

If an added file is identical in every way, yes; Retrospect won't back it up again. However, if the metadata is different (and you haven't configured your backup script to ignore attribute modification dates), or if the copy differs in size, modification date, etc., from the original, Retrospect will back the file up again.

[etishberg]

Is there really NO WAY of getting a simple backup catalog of whats on the whole backup set in one single file? Having to write it all down (or even copy past) seems like a RIDICULOUS think inn thes day and age.

 

All I want is ONE file that list everything in m,t backups set.

 

Is that too much to ask?

 

Thanks...e

[twickland]

Is there really NO WAY of getting a simple backup catalog of whats on the whole backup set in one single file? Having to write it all down (or even copy past) seems like a RIDICULOUS think inn thes day and age.

 

All I want is ONE file that list everything in m,t backups set.

 

Is that too much to ask?

There is a single file that contains all the information; it's the media set's catalog.

 

I agree that Retrospect 8/9/10 makes it awkward to view that information, but it can be found in a manner that should enable one to answer any question about the presence of a particular file or what has been backed up for a given source.

 

A small media/backup set will contain tens of thousands of files; a larger set will contain millions. A "simple" listing of that many files wouldn't be very simple to browse through; in practical terms, you'd need some form of search capacity, which Retrospect does offer (if not with the flexibility to display the results that we'd like).

 

What question are you trying to answer about your backups? Perhaps if we knew exactly what you were trying to find out, we could offer some advice on how to search the catalog.

[etishberg]

Firt how can I read that catalog file in the mac Library folder?

 

I KNOW I backed up an entire job (1.7 TB) but it doesn't show up in the restore list or recent backups. I just really want a way odfchecking a set, and getting the disclosure triangle for folders so I can check to see it's there.

 

Not sure why that stuff is missing from recent (possibley I inadvertently) deleted it...it's also not in past backups.

 

I just did a catalog rebuild and even though tghe 2 LTO5 disks say they are almost full when I go to do a restore ot says there is nothing on the disk, I just tried restoring with the "search for files in selected media sets" and it sees the files I can find anyway else and that they are ON the tapes. Why doesn't the cat reflect that?

 

If I select MediaSets all that is listed under the Backuops tab on the bottom is 1 backup of 0 files (I aborted that one) YET if I go to restore the way I said above, it sees everything.

 

That makes no sense at all, especially after I spent 20 hours rebuilding the catalog file. All that info should be part of the media set

[Lennart_T]

You only see the last snapshot for each source. So if the file(s) yoiu are looking for is in an older snapshot, you need to use "Retrieve" to do that.

[David W Lee]

Retrospect 6 offered a great deal of flexibility on how to view and print backed-up files.

 

We will reconsider (no promise at this point). We are currently planning UI overhaul for both Windows and Mac.