Missing files?

[wwejr]

Just installed Retrospect Workgroup 5.6 on a Win2000 SBS machine. Scheduled full backup has worked as expected for 3 nights. But when I check the numer of files backed up from the D: drive, it is about 7000 less than the number of files on the D: drive. The D: drive is simply a data drive and Retrospect returns no messages about files in use, etc.

 

 

 

What's happening? Is there anyway to determine the difference other than a manual comparison of the backup set with the D: drive directory?

 

 

 

Thanks

[lv2ski]

Retrospect does IncrementalPlus backup. This means the first time it backs up everything and every time after that it only backs up what is new or changed and appends it to the end of the set. Is this what your running into and wondering about?

[wwejr]

Thanks for your reply.

 

 

 

I am doing a "Recycle" backup. I think that means that all files will be backed up. That is what the customer wanted.

 

 

 

I have also compared the number of files, by directory, that Retrospect counts compared to what Windows Explorer counts. There are significant differences in all the large directories. It is a tedious process and I have only compared the first level of subdirectories under the root.

 

 

 

Actually, I mis-typed in the first message; the difference in the number of files is about 5000, not 7000. Roughly 37,000 versus 32,000.

 

 

 

Is there a limit to the number of levels of subdirectories that Retrospect can see? A quick look down one long path seemed to compare OK. Could Retrospect's reporting just be in error?

 

 

 

Perhaps I will restore one of the large directories with significant reported differences in the number of files to another directory and see what Windows Explorer reports on the restored directory.

 

 

 

I would appreciate any help.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Ward Engle

[wwejr]

OK, some more info.

 

 

 

I created a new Backup Set and did an immediate backup of one of the directories which is named CD4. Windows Explorer reports that CD4 contains 437MB, 3079 files and 309 directories. When the immediate backup began, Retrospect reported that it was backing up 439.4MB and 3079 files. When I browse the directory contents in Retrospect after the backup completes and look at properties, Retrospect reports 439.4MB and 3388 items (3079+309=3388). Looks good.

 

 

 

When I browse the same directory in a backup set from one of the recycle backups, Retrospect reports 143.2MB and 1694 items. Some difference!

 

 

 

This directory does not change; it is a copy of a CD. Please don't ask why I waste time backing it up.

 

 

 

I'm baffled. Must be something simple that I can't see.

 

 

 

Thanks for any help.

 

 

 

Ward Engle

 

 

[wwejr]

and more info:

 

 

 

I just finished an immediate recycle backup of the entire D: drive and it also matches the Windows Explorer file count/size. I'll give a report tomorrow on the results tonight of the scheduled recycle backup.

 

 

 

Ward Engle

[wwejr]

Here is the Info from the Retrospect log for the Immediate backup and for the Scheduled backup:

 

 

 

Immediate Backup:

 

+Executing Immediate Backup at 4/15/2002 7:48 PM

 

To backup set TestCD4...

 

4/15/2002 7:48:42 PM: Recycle backup: The backup set was reset

 

 

 

-4/15/2002 7:48:42 PM: Copying TTTData (D:)

 

4/15/2002 8:23:59 PM: Snapshot stored, 16.1 MB

 

4/15/2002 8:24:09 PM: Execution completed successfully

 

Completed: 37324 files, 4.6 GB

 

Performance: 134.5 MB/minute

 

Duration: 00:35:22 (00:00:09 idle/loading/preparing)

 

 

 

Scheduled Backup:

 

+Recycle backup using FullBackup at 4/15/2002 10:00 PM

 

To backup set Monday...

 

4/15/2002 10:00:22 PM: Recycle backup: The backup set was reset

 

 

 

(C: drive was backed up in this time period)

 

 

 

-4/15/2002 10:36:27 PM: Copying TTTData (D:)

 

4/15/2002 11:06:20 PM: Snapshot stored, 16.1 MB

 

4/15/2002 11:06:31 PM: Execution completed successfully

 

Completed: 32344 files, 3.8 GB

 

Performance: 133.9 MB/minute

 

Duration: 00:29:58 (00:00:19 idle/loading/preparing)

 

 

[lv2ski]

What a colleague of mine noticed was: One was an immediate backup, one was executed from a script. The script may be using a different selector or an edited selector. Can you check this?

[wwejr]

OK, I edited the script, the selector is "All FIles". I "checked" the selector and when it scanned the D: drive it found 37,329 files which is correct. Then I clicked on "Save and Run" and watched the backup run. When the C: drive finished and the backup of the D: drive began, the result of the "scanning" operation was 37,329 files, but almost immediately the actual backup of D: began and the number of files dropped to 32,346.

 

 

 

Any clues there?

 

 

 

Should I maybe delete my scripts and backup sets and start all over?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Ward Engle

[lv2ski]

Do the same backup.....using Immediate. Not a script.

 

No selector. New Backupset......

 

 

 

Same amount of files?

 

If not - how many does Explorer tell you there are? And how many does Retrospect say was backed up?

[wwejr]

Immediate backup:

 

C: drive:

 

Retrospect: 4.0GB, 37333 files, 39036 total items

 

WinExplorer: 4.96GB, 37434 files, 1994 directories, 39428 total

 

 

 

D: drive:

 

Retrospect: 4.6GB, 37329 files, 39352 total items

 

WinExplorer: 4.55GB, 37328 files, 2118 directories, 39446 total

 

 

 

There were 22 files on the C: drive not backed up because of sharing violations, such as the Exchange Server files, which was expected. Most of the size difference between Retrospect and WinExplorer on C: is due to just 2 of the Exchange files (.93GB) which were not backed up.

 

 

 

So, now the total difference is less than a hundred total items (files + directories) on the D: drive and less than 400 on the C: drive. I have noticed that Retrospect does not seem to backup empty directories, so that is certainly part of the explanation for the difference. Indeed, the difference in the number of files is 1 on the D: drive and 101 (22 of those accounted for) on the C: drive.

 

 

 

Conclusions? Next move?

 

 

 

I really appreciate your help,

 

Ward Engle

[lv2ski]

This would be correct. There are some files that we exclude from backup that are not needed for restore as they get recreated automatically.

[wwejr]

OK, the immediate backup which you suggested found all the files.

 

 

 

And, since that immediate backup (the last two nights), the scheduled backups have also found all the files. Before the immediate backup, the scheduled backup did not find all the files.

 

 

 

What happened?

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Ward Engle