Backup software for a home network?

Al Dykes wrote:

 >In article <10bsrmj5fhp2q3c.TakeThisOut@corp.supernews.com>,
 >Ken K <psnwREMOVE.TakeThisOut@theREMOVEkrones.com> wrote:
 >
 >
  >>I have a home network and would like to have recommendations for a
  >>program that will 1, allow backup over our home network so that I can
  >>backup my daughter and wife's computers, and 2, allow for automatic
  >>scheduling.
  >>
  >>I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete images
  >>and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for automatically
  >>scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
  >>
  >>Thanks
  >>Ken K
  >>
  >>
  >>
 >
 >Assuming you've got w2k/XP machines ntbackup will work fine. You can
 >backup A to B and B to A, or A and B to C over your LAN.
 >
 >The target machines need enough disk space, and it has to be NTFS (2
 >or 4 GB file size limit in FAT32.) Give the folder you're sharing
 >teh compress attribute and you'll get lots more data on the target disk.
 >
 >ntbackup is installed by default in w2k and XP/pro. It has to be
 >added aterwords in XP/home.
 >
 >If one of your clients is w/98 it can backup to the same file server
 >that the other machines use. xcopy is better than nothing.
 >
 >Acronis is great, but ntbackup full backups work fine. IMHO if a disk
 >crashes recovery from an ntbackup full backup is a bit tedious. With
 >an acronis image recovery is really easy.
 >
Thanks for responding. I have Acronis on all of the machines now, so
that will work.

I did not understand "Give the folder you're sharing

teh compress attribute and you'll get lots more data on the target disk." Is that the compression box to check (in Win2K) under Properties, Advanced,

Allow Compression? Do I have to do that for all 96,725 files???? You
must be referring to a specific folder---which one? The one where the
image file is being kept?

Thanks
Ken


 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Ken K wrote:
 > I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete images
 > and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for automatically
 > scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).

It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in an
incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up the
backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's totally
hands-off.

For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
D:\backup.tbs

The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time from
that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any point
that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a full
backup. It works quite well, really.



-WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Well thank you, I stand corrected I actually had only read the
manual but had not looked fully through the program, as I had only used
it recently to copy the image of one laptop onto the newly replaced hard
drive of another identical laptop. The program worked flawlessly.

That being the case, here is what I would like to be able to do: do a
full image once a week with nightly incremental backups. Can that be
automated within the program?

Thanks
Ken

Will Dormann wrote:

 > Ken K wrote:
 >
  >> I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete
  >> images and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for
  >> automatically scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
 >
 >
 > It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
 > parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in
 > an incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up
 > the backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's
 > totally hands-off.
 >
 > For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
 > D:\backup.tbs
 >
 > The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time from
 > that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any point
 > that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a full
 > backup. It works quite well, really.
 >
 >
 >
 > -WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Well thank you, I stand corrected I actually had only read the
manual but had not looked fully through the program, as I had only used
it recently to copy the image of one laptop onto the newly replaced hard
drive of another identical laptop. The program worked flawlessly.

That being the case, here is what I would like to be able to do: do a
full image once a week with nightly incremental backups. Can that be
automated within the program?

Thanks
Ken

Will Dormann wrote:

 > Ken K wrote:
 >
  >> I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete
  >> images and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for
  >> automatically scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
 >
 >
 > It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
 > parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in
 > an incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up
 > the backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's
 > totally hands-off.
 >
 > For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
 > D:\backup.tbs
 >
 > The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time from
 > that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any point
 > that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a full
 > backup. It works quite well, really.
 >
 >
 >
 > -WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Well thank you, I stand corrected I actually had only read the
manual but had not looked fully through the program, as I had only used
it recently to copy the image of one laptop onto the newly replaced hard
drive of another identical laptop. The program worked flawlessly.

That being the case, here is what I would like to be able to do: do a
full image once a week with nightly incremental backups. Can that be
automated within the program?

Thanks
Ken

Will Dormann wrote:

 > Ken K wrote:
 >
  >> I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete
  >> images and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for
  >> automatically scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
 >
 >
 > It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
 > parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in
 > an incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up
 > the backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's
 > totally hands-off.
 >
 > For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
 > D:\backup.tbs
 >
 > The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time from
 > that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any point
 > that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a full
 > backup. It works quite well, really.
 >
 >
 >
 > -WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Sorry about the repetition. I receive error messages that the email did
not go through when it clearly did....

KK

Ken K wrote:

 > Well thank you, I stand corrected I actually had only read the
 > manual but had not looked fully through the program, as I had only
 > used it recently to copy the image of one laptop onto the newly
 > replaced hard drive of another identical laptop. The program worked
 > flawlessly.
 >
 > That being the case, here is what I would like to be able to do: do a
 > full image once a week with nightly incremental backups. Can that be
 > automated within the program?
 >
 > Thanks
 > Ken
 >
 > Will Dormann wrote:
 >
  >> Ken K wrote:
  >>
   >>> I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete
   >>> images and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for
   >>> automatically scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
  >> parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in
  >> an incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up
  >> the backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's
  >> totally hands-off.
  >>
  >> For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
  >> D:\backup.tbs
  >>
  >> The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time
  >> from that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any
  >> point that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a
  >> full backup. It works quite well, really.
  >>
  >>
  >>
  >> -WD
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Ken K wrote:

 > That being the case, here is what I would like to be able to do: do a
 > full image once a week with nightly incremental backups. Can that be
 > automated within the program?

Sure. But how you implement it depends on how many old backups you want
to retain on the drive.

One example of this would be to create an incremental backup that runs
daily. Create another weekly scheduled script that renames or moves
your weeks worth of backups elsewhere. The next time your scheduled
backup runs, it will create a full backup because there is no existing
backup to create an incremental backup from.


-WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

In article <10btb80cjbcr3e6.DeleteThis@corp.supernews.com>,
Ken K <psnwREMOVE.DeleteThis@theREMOVEkrones.com> wrote:
 >
 >
 >Al Dykes wrote:
 >
  >>In article <10bsrmj5fhp2q3c.DeleteThis@corp.supernews.com>,
  >>Ken K <psnwREMOVE.DeleteThis@theREMOVEkrones.com> wrote:
  >>
  >>
   >>>I have a home network and would like to have recommendations for a
   >>>program that will 1, allow backup over our home network so that I can
   >>>backup my daughter and wife's computers, and 2, allow for automatic
   >>>scheduling.
   >>>
   >>>I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete images
   >>>and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for automatically
   >>>scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
   >>>
   >>>Thanks
   >>>Ken K
   >>>
   >>>
   >>>
  >>
  >>Assuming you've got w2k/XP machines ntbackup will work fine. You can
  >>backup A to B and B to A, or A and B to C over your LAN.
  >>
  >>The target machines need enough disk space, and it has to be NTFS (2
  >>or 4 GB file size limit in FAT32.) Give the folder you're sharing
  >>teh compress attribute and you'll get lots more data on the target disk.
  >>
  >>ntbackup is installed by default in w2k and XP/pro. It has to be
  >>added aterwords in XP/home.
  >>
  >>If one of your clients is w/98 it can backup to the same file server
  >>that the other machines use. xcopy is better than nothing.
  >>
  >>Acronis is great, but ntbackup full backups work fine. IMHO if a disk
  >>crashes recovery from an ntbackup full backup is a bit tedious. With
  >>an acronis image recovery is really easy.
  >>
 >Thanks for responding. I have Acronis on all of the machines now, so
 >that will work.
 >
 >I did not understand "Give the folder you're sharing
 >
 >teh compress attribute and you'll get lots more data on the target disk.
" Is that the compression box to check (in Win2K) under
Properties, Advanced,
 >
 >Allow Compression? Do I have to do that for all 96,725 files???? You
 >must be referring to a specific folder---which one? The one where the
 >image file is being kept?

For reasons nobody understands, Microsoft changed the GIU in w2k/XP to
set compression and made it even more obtuse. If you check the right
box it will compress all files and folders underneath the shared
folder.

Setting compression never hurts, but since Acronis already compresses
it dooesn't get you anything. ntbackup doesn't compress so it's great
to use the file system to accomplish the same thing.

Once you set compression property on a folder all the files your save
there get compressed as they are written.

If you look in Explorer options you'll see a checkbox that makes
explorer show all files/folders that are compressed in a different
color. If you right-mouse-click on a compressed file or folder
it will show you the compressed and as-if-uncompressed sizes.

--
Al Dykes
-----------
adykes at p a n i x . c o m<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

On Wed, 02 Jun 2004 20:30:04 -0700, Ken K
<psnwREMOVE RemoveThis @theREMOVEkrones.com> wrote:

 >Sorry about the repetition. I receive error messages that the email did
 >not go through when it clearly did....

Usenet is not email.


--

Map Of The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy:
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.freewebs.com/vrwc/" target="_blank">http://www.freewebs.com/vrwc/</a>

Government's view of the economy can be summed up in a few short phrases:
* If it moves, tax it.
* If it keeps moving, regulate it.
* If it stops moving, subsidize it.
--Ronald Reagan<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Will,

Could you email me your VBS code? I've been looking for something to do
that! I could probably figure how to modify it for my needs, but am not good
enough to write it from scratch.

Thanks!

--Randy Starkey


"Will Dormann" <wdormann.RemoveThis@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:Hquvc.18025$DG4.14858@fe2.columbus.rr.com...
 > Ken K wrote:
  > > I presently have Acronis True Image 7.0, which provides complete images
  > > and incremental images but does not, I believe, allow for automatically
  > > scheduled incremental backups (only manually scheduled).
 >
 > It surely does support scheduled incremental backups. I have my
 > parents' PC set up to automatically image itself to a backup drive in an
 > incremental manner. I also have a scheduled VBS file to clean up the
 > backup drive once it reaches a certain capacity. This way it's totally
 > hands-off.
 >
 > For example, schedule an incremental backup job to backup to image to
 > D:\backup.tbs
 >
 > The first time it runs it will create a full backup. Every time from
 > that point on it will create an incremental backup. If at any point
 > that first backup is inaccessible or deleted, it will run as a full
 > backup. It works quite well, really.
 >
 >
 >
 > -WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Pastor Randy Starkey wrote:
 > Will,
 >
 > Could you email me your VBS code? I've been looking for something to do
 > that! I could probably figure how to modify it for my needs, but am not good
 > enough to write it from scratch.


Sure thing. I actually posted it in a different message in this thread.
Here it is:


***** Cut here *****
set oFs = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
set oDrives = oFs.Drives

for each oDrive in oDrives
Select case oDrive.DriveLetter
Case "D"
'msgbox oDrive.FreeSpace & vbcrlf
if oDrive.FreeSpace < 1000000000 then ' Less than 1 GB free...
'msgbox "Cleanup Time!"
oFs.DeleteFile("D:\*.tib"),DeleteReadOnly
else
'msgbox "You've got enough space"
end if
End Select
next
***** Cut here *****


It's probably not the most elegant code, but that's because I just
bastardized an existing VBS that I Googled. The Acronis job is
scheduled (internally) to run at noon. I have the above script
scheduled (via Windows scheduled tasks) to run at a couple of minutes
before noon.

Depending on what you want to do with your backup files, a simple batch
file may suffice. Or even not-so-simple.
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.fpschultze.de/batstuff.html" target="_blank">http://www.fpschultze.de/batstuff.html</a>



-WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

Pastor Randy Starkey wrote:
 > Will,
 >
 > Could you email me your VBS code? I've been looking for something to do
 > that! I could probably figure how to modify it for my needs, but am not good
 > enough to write it from scratch.


Sure thing. I actually posted it in a different message in this thread.
Here it is:


***** Cut here *****
set oFs = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
set oDrives = oFs.Drives

for each oDrive in oDrives
Select case oDrive.DriveLetter
Case "D"
'msgbox oDrive.FreeSpace & vbcrlf
if oDrive.FreeSpace < 1000000000 then ' Less than 1 GB free...
'msgbox "Cleanup Time!"
oFs.DeleteFile("D:\*.tib"),DeleteReadOnly
else
'msgbox "You've got enough space"
end if
End Select
next
***** Cut here *****


It's probably not the most elegant code, but that's because I just
bastardized an existing VBS that I Googled. The Acronis job is
scheduled (internally) to run at noon. I have the above script
scheduled (via Windows scheduled tasks) to run at a couple of minutes
before noon.

Depending on what you want to do with your backup files, a simple batch
file may suffice. Or even not-so-simple.
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.fpschultze.de/batstuff.html" target="_blank">http://www.fpschultze.de/batstuff.html</a>



-WD<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network? 

On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 06:20:09 GMT, Will Dormann
<wdormann.RemoveThis@yahoo.com.invalid> wrote:

 >One example of this would be to create an incremental backup that runs
 >daily. Create another weekly scheduled script that renames or moves
 >your weeks worth of backups elsewhere. The next time your scheduled
 >backup runs, it will create a full backup because there is no existing
 >backup to create an incremental backup from.

Another option that doesn't need scripts or regular intervention is to
have 2 automated backups per drive. One is a full backup, run once a
week (say C-Full.tib). The other is an incremental backup run daily
(you could leave off the full backup day from this schedule), with the
full backup as a target. This will create C-Full1.tib through
C-Full6.tib. It will then start over again the next week and re-use
all the file names.

If something goes wrong in the schedule and the full doesn't get
updated (this happens sometimes, depending on how you've got it set
up), you'll end up with additional incrementals 7-12. They'll remain
there once the backups get synchronized again, but will get out of
date, and need to be deleted.

I also do an additional weekly full backup (C-alternative), just in
case something goes wrong with the main one.

I recommend checking the TI log regularly to make sure nothing's going
wrong. It's fairly robust, but it's not very good at notifying you
when there's a problem.


Neil Maxwell - I don't speak for my employer<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Backup software for a home network?