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Chapter 5 - Backup, Archive, and Recover

Note: Your administrator may have configured the EBR service to allow access to some or all of the features described in this chapter. For example, at some sites, you can use EBR only for marking files and directories to be saved, and for recovering data from backups. At such sites, actual backups of workstation data will be handled by the Scheduled Backup program on a schedule determined by your administrator. If a feature described here does not appear to operate correctly, ask your administrator about the local configuration of the EBR service.

Requesting a Backup

1. Choose Backup from the Operation menu.

Tip: Or click the Backup button on the speedbar.

2. Select (highlight) the directories and files you want to back up, then mark them by clicking the Mark speedbar button or by choosing Mark from the File menu.

3. Activate the backup operation by selecting Start Backup from the File menu, or by clicking the Start speedbar button.

Enabling Password Protection

During a scheduled backup
During a manual backup

Choosing the Protection Level

Important: Check with your system administrator for your company policy on encrypting files. There is no practical way to ever recover an encrypted file if you forget your password.

Figure 5-1. Encrypted Item Symbol

Figure 5-2. Pasword-protected and Encrypted Item Symbol

1. In the browse window (Backup or Archive or Local Directives), mark the items you want to back up.

2. Highlight the items you want to password-protect or encrypt.

3. Choose Special Handling from the File menu.The Special Handling dialog box appears:

Figure 5-3. Special Handling Dialog Box

4. Select Password Protect or Password Protect and Encrypt, depending on whether you want password protection, or password protection plus encryption. Then click OK.

Tip: Or click the Protect or Encrypt buttons on the speedbar, instead of completing steps 3 and 4.

Important: If you change your password using the Password dialog box, (accessible under the Options menu) it does not change the passwords for files previously backed up with a different password. Therefore, you should be very conservative about changing your password.

You must first set up your password before you can
mark files for protection or encryption.

Note: You cannot both password-protect and compress a file or directory.

Compressing Your Data

Figure 5-4. Compressed Item Symbol

1. In the browse window (Backup or Archive or Local Directives), mark the items you want to back up.

2. Highlight the items you want to compress.

3. Choose Special Handling from the File menu. The Special Handling dialog box appears.

4. Select Compress and click OK.

Tip: Or click the Compress button on the speedbar, instead of completing steps 3 and 4.

Note: You cannot both compress and password-protect a file or directory.

Starting the Backup

Tip: Or click the Start button on the speedbar.

Monitoring the Backup

Figure 5-5. Backup Status Window

Backup completion time: 11-09-93 7:01p

Archiving Files

Figure 5-6. Archive Browse Window

Figure 5-7. Archive Time Field

Note: EBR marks a directory as a candidate for archiving only if all its subdirectories and files are candidates for archiving. However, if you expand a directory that is not marked with an asterisk, you may find subdirectories and files marked with an asterisk within that directory.

Important: Executable programs that run frequently, but are not regularly modified (such as EBR) are not usually displayed as candidates for archiving. Make sure you do not archive such important files - you will need them later. Here is a list of file extensions that are never displayed as candidates for archiving:

.exe .com .ovl .sys .drv .dll .ini .grp
.pif .hlp .bmp .ico .fon .ttf .fot .vbx

Changing the Archive Time

1. Select Change Archive Time from the View menu.The Change Archive Time dialog box appears:

Figure 5-8. Change Archive Time Dialog Box

2. Enter a new date by clicking a day within the calendar.

To change this calendar to the last month, click Previous Month. To move to the following month, click Next Month.

3. To change time, type an hour 12 or under, a minute under 60, and either "a" for AM or "p" for PM.

4. Click OK, or press the [Enter] key.

Starting an Archive

Tip: Or click the Start button on the speedbar.

Figure 5-9. Archive Status Display Window

Important: If an archive volume is not available, cancel the archive operation and contact your system administrator. EBR tracks backup volumes used for archives separately from those used for backups. You cannot archive files to a backup volume, or back up files to an archive volume. This restriction allows your system administrator to separate backups from archives. The system administrator can probably mount an archive volume for you.

Archive completion time: 11-10-93 11:47a

Figure 5-10. Archive Message Box

Figure 5-11. File Prompt Message

Figure 5-12. Single Delete Confirmation Prompt

Figure 5-13. File-by-file Delete Prompt

Verifying Files

1. Choose Verify Files from the Operation menu.

Tip: Or click the Verify button on the speedbar.

EBR displays the Verify Files browse window:

Figure 5-14. Verify Files Browse Window

2. Mark volumes, directories, or files you would like to verify.

3. Choose Start Verify from the File menu.

Tip: Or click the Start button on the speedbar.

EBR displays the Verify Files Status window so you can monitor the file verification progress:

Figure 5-15. Verify Files Status Display Window

If the files you are trying to verify are password protected, EBR asks you to supply the password.

When files on the backup volume are different length than the ones on your disk, a message similar to this one appears:

C:\FILENAME: different sizes

When files on the backup volume are the same length, but differ in content, a message similar to this one appears:

C:\FILENAME: file does not compare!

Tip: The EBR logfile (normally C:\EBR\EBR.LOG) contains a record of various EBR transactions. It is particularly helpful to scan this file after a complicated Verify operation, looking for files that did not match.

Recovering Files

Tip: Or click the Recover button on the speedbar.

Figure 5-16. Recover Browse Window

Important: Before using Recover for the first time, you must have backed up your system to the EBR server, otherwise there will be no entries for your system in the index. If your system has not been backed up yet, you will see an error message when you try to use the Recover command.

Tip: If you have a two-button mouse, you can click the secondary mouse button (usually on the right) to alternately mark and unmark items in the browse window.

Changing the Browse Time

1. Choose Change Browse Time from the View menu. The Change Browse Time dialog box appears:

Figure 5-17. Change Browse Time Dialog Box

2. Enter a new date by clicking a day within the calendar.

To change this calendar to the last month, click Previous Month.To move to the following month, click Next Month.

3. To change time, type an hour 12 or under, a minute under 60, and either "a" for AM or "p" for PM.

4. Click OK, or press the [Enter] key.

Looking at File Versions

1. In the Recover browse window, highlight the file or directory on which you want to find information. If you highlight multiple items, the last item selected is the one that Versions will report on.

2. Choose Versions from the View menu.

A message box appears, telling you to wait while versions are gathered. If the process takes too long, you may cancel it by clicking the Cancel button or by pressing the [Esc] key. The Versions dialog box appears:

Figure 5-18. Versions Dialog Box

Listing Required Volumes

1. In the Recover window, Mark the file or directory in question.

2. Choose Required Volumes from the View menu.

Figure 5-19. Required Volumes Mesage Window

Relocating Recovered Files

1. Choose Recover Options from the Options menu. The Recover Options dialog box appears:

Figure 5-20. Recover Options Dialog Box

Duplicate File Resolution choices are discussed later in this chapter.

2. Enter the new directory location in the Relocate recovered data to field, then click OK or press the [Enter] key. You must provide the full pathname, including disk volume, of the recovery directory. For example, C:\PUBS\DOC1.

Tip: Relocating recovered data to a special directory is often the best way to compare files on your disk (some of which may have become corrupted) to files saved in a recent backup.

Starting the Recover

The server may be busy fulfilling a backup request.
Somebody else may be recovering files.
The volume needed for your request is still on the shelf.

Monitoring the Recover

Figure 5-21. Recover Status Display Window

Duplicate File Resolution

1. Choose Recover Options from the Options menu. The Recover Options dialog box appears.

2. In the Duplicate File Resolution section, select one of the following automatic methods for resolving naming conflicts:

Rename Recovered File instructs EBR to rename a recovered file by inventing a unique name that closely resembles its original name. Typically, the new name is the original name prefaced with a tilde (~) and truncated if necessary.

Discard Recovered File tells EBR not to recover a file from the backup volume if there is one with the same name already on your local disk.

Overwrite Existing File causes EBR to replace the file on your disk with the one from a backup volume, by overwriting the copy on your disk.

3. After making your choice, click OK or press the [Enter] key.

Figure 5-22. Naming Conflict Dialog box

Figure 5-23. Rename Dialog Box

Providing a Password

Figure 5-24. Password Protection Dialog Box

Figure 5-25. Password Prompt Window

You have entered an incorrect password for file...

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