Backups to multiple files: flag conflicts?

[pcresswell]

If I do backups to multiple files with Retrospect, will some flag or "Archive Bit" get in the way?

 

 

 

e.g. If I do an incrememtal of drive "D" to tape, and then immediately do an incremental of the same drive to, say, a file somewhere will the second incremental backup pick up the same files as the first?

 

 

 

I guess what I'm wondering in other words is how Retrospect determines whether a file needs to be backed up when it is running in "Incremental" mode.

 

 

 

My real agenda is that I'm using MS Backup on my develpment machine, and trying to use Retrospect on another box to back up the development machine as a client. In that scenario, I'm wondering if both backup sets would be complete.

[AmyJ]

This file and folder attribute in Windows file systems was meant to be used as a flag to do incremental backups. Retrospect's IncrementalPLUS method of determining which files need to be backed up is much more powerful and flexible.

 

 

 

Matching is the scheme for comparing file attributes to determine whether files are identical, which then allows intelligent copying to avoid redundancy.

 

 

 

Retrospect uses several matching criteria to find new or changed files. If one of the criteria has been changed, Retrospect will back up the file again. On Windows, Retrospect looks at creation date and time, modified date and time, size and name. If match only in same location option is set, Retrospect matches on the path, volume name and drive letter also.

 

 

 

By default, the archive attribute is not used as a matching criteria in Windows, allowing for true and reliable backups to multiple backup sets.

 

 

 

The following article will also go into detail on why Retrospect is Better Backup:

 

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=kbase&ACTION=KBASE&id=26946

 

 

[pcresswell]

Thanks. That was precisely what I had hoped to hear.

 

 

 

Retrospect 6 is still freezing up my development box, but I think I'm on to a workaround.

 

 

 

I've installed it on another PC and designated the development box as a "Client". Did twenty-some gigs last nite without a freeze, albiet with lots of messages like:

 

 

 

MapError: unknown Windows error 998

 

TProcessToken::SetPrivilege: LookupPrivilegeValueW failed, winerr 998, error -1001

 

 

 

and a few more like:

 

 

 

Memory::mhalloc: HeapValidate failed

 

 

 

I'm hoping these will go away once I make sure to log on as Administrator to the backup box and don't do anything else to stress the LAN. For my initial test, I had done a 5-gig drag-and-drop copy simultaneously with part of the backup which I'd guess caused messages like:

 

 

 

Trouble reading: "EEDITTEST's Beeeg Momma" (5681254), error -102 (trouble communicating)

 

Trouble reading: "EEDITTEST's Beeeg Momma" (5681315), error -102 (trouble communicating)

 

 

 

 

 

I also got some compare failures on files that definately weren't changed. viz:

 

 

 

 

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6546. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6547. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6548. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6549. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6550. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6551. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

File "P:\DigitalWallet\066 6537-6604 Dymone reunion plus two Marsh Creek sail\DSCN6552. Long Walk pan .JPG": can't read, error -1101 (file/directory not found)

 

 

 

 

 

But, all-in-all, I'm relieved that I can at least run Retrospect in Client mode because even I can see that it's far, far, far more sophisticated than MS Backup - and hopefully as-, or more reliable....