Suggestions

[Fulco]

1) Bugs.

2) Stability.

3) Exchange 2007: should work without installing / enabling extra components.

4) Run as Service: ability to start Program every time, even if it is already running (no separate Monitor Application). Interface Part smaller footprint. Backup Engines separate.

5) Preferences: more reliable, reparable (XML?), and take less space. Possibility to take (as whole or partly) preferences to new System (other than copy .dat file).

6) 64-bit (more memory).

7) More speed. Surely this would be possible with ‘Transfer Snapshots’ from Disk to Tape (maximum tape-write speed)? Grooming a Disk based Backup Set also is very slow.

8) Possibility some options for Selecting ‘changed’ files used by Incremental Backup/Archive: File Name, File Size, Creation Date, Security Parameters. Purpose: files moved to different location, different mount point, restored from tape, … not to be back-up-ed again.

9) ‘ueber’-scripts: running Scripts sequential. Example: Incremental Backup of System to tape, followed by transfer latest Snapshots from Clients to same tape.

10) Disaster Recovery for “Windows Server 2008 (x64)†and “SBS 2008â€: DVD + Tape -> complete restore (not like 7.6)

11) Better Source management: Script A (Backups C: D:) blocks both C: and D, until finished. Release C: when C: is verified. Then other Scripts can use C:.

12) Options: not Start when on UPS, Emergency Stop when Shutdown due to ‘on UPS’ / ‘UPS Runtime Exceeded’.

13) More Groom (Policy) Options: Backup Sets can become full, due to Files (log files, backup-archives) with a timestamp in there filename. Excluding these file from the Backup can be done by Excluding the directory, where these are stored, or Excluding the file-extension, which won’t give the desired result. Due to the inability to Groom individual files, you end up adding storage space to the Backup Set. Complex! An option is Transfer Snapshot, with Selector, but: you have to create a new Backup Set with the same size as original Backup Set. If Retrospect could Groom with Selector..

14) Hierarchical (Parent-Child) Selectors: the possibility to create a Selector based of an existing one (no copy, more like an alias), with new lines added. Changing the Parent Selector is then automatically reflected in its Children. This would make Selector more useful, and in particular more readable, and manageable.

15) Selector use of Parameters from Backup Set: File Modification Date-Time >= Date-Time of the last time the Backup ran of the Backup Set in use. This is related to (8). Now I use a Selector with manual set date, to Select only files that are added after last Backup/Archive of corresponding Backup Set.

 

 

(9 and 11) are possible by making Scripts (start script B 10 minutes later then A) and Backup Sets (C: and D: have its own Backup Set). This isn’t as reliable and is more complex. (8) On our system the Options found for Archives didn’t do the job.

[Fulco]

16) Update of Clients: Mac OSX with Disaster Recovery