Backing up ONLY changed files

[JMark]

Please forgive this being cross-posted on several forums, as I'm not sure where this belongs.

 

 

 

I would like to back up ONLY changed/new files. The only options I can find in Retrospect are incremental back-up, which adds changed/new files to a pre-existing backup set, and recycle backup, which replaces a backup of pre-existing files with both changed/new files and pre-existing files. In both cases, the pre-existing files are numerous and many gigabytes altogether and I don't want to back up those multiple times; I only want to back up the much smaller number of new/changed files.

 

 

 

(1) Is there an existing way to accomplish this?

 

 

 

(2) If not, Dantz should include it as an option in future versions.

 

 

[IrenaS]

If you are backing up to a random-access medium (hard drive, DVD-RAM, MO disk, etc.) and the backup will fit on one member (one disk, one drive, etc.) you can use the duplicate feature to do this. This will overwrite only changed files to the destination.

 

 

 

If you are using a sequential medium (tape, CD, DVD-R, FTP, etc.) then you will need to choose between Recycle (erasing current contents and copying all files currently on your source) or Normal (adding new or changed files to the end of the backup).

 

 

 

Retrospect can't go back and selectively delete files from a backup. Say you were backing up to tape and you had a file "My File" that was 3.5 MB. If you added to that file and then went to back it up again, Retrospect would need to go to the spot on the tape where that file was located, erase it, and, if the new version fit, try to rewrite the file in that space. It likely would not fit, as you've added to it, and would need to rewrite it the end of the tape anyway. To say nothing of the increased time and tape wear-and-tear this would add to your backup, the chances of this having problems, and posing risk to other files on the tape, is high enough that Retrospect will NEVER behave like this.

 

 

 

For an explanation of the differences between a backup and duplicate, see:

 

 

 

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=knowledgebase_article&id=688

 

 

 

Irena Solomon

 

Dantz Tech Support