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CHAPTER 15 Windows Client Interface
The following procedures are the same for all Microsoft Windows clients, including Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and 2003.
From a Windows client, start Backup Professional from the Backup Professional program group. The Windows main screen, along with the Backup dialog appears in Figure 63.
FIGURE 63. Windows Main Screen and Backup DialogOverview of Events
15.1 Overview of events
The Backup Professional Windows user interface allows clients to queue Backup, Restore and Verify requests to a Backup Professional server. These requests are then processed by the server and when the resources of the server are available, those requests are made to the client.
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If the server is busy handling other requests it may be some time before your request is performed.
When the server contacts the windows client it does so by connecting to the Backup Professional agent that is running either as a service or in the task tray. The agent then launches the backup engine which performs the backup or restore of the client
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Once the backup engine is running you may expand it from the Task tray to view the files that are being backed up or restored.
15.2 Capabilities
15.2.1 Preferences
FIGURE 64. This dialog lets you set the preferences as follows:![]()
Environment Settings
These are global settings that effect the environment across all profiles. The following comprise the envrionment setting:
This is a generic title of the workstation for reporting purposes.
Base Directory (installation directory)
This is the Directory where the BP product is installed.
Default Profile (installation directory/profiles.dir/master.spr)
This is the Default Profile that is loaded each time BP Requester starts.
This is the number of lines to load into Dialogs that maintain lists. If you have limited amounts of memory or lots of available memory you can adjust this down or up.
Catalog Directory (installation dir/CATOLOGS.DIR)
This is the directory that will contain the local copies of the backup catalogs. If you want to maintain a large history of catalogs on your local workstation you might have to change this directory to a drive with more space available.
To change the automatic purging. See the Catalogs section.
Set this if you intend to be using your workstation while backups are being performed. When not checked backups will pretty much take over the system and perform the backup as fast possible. When checked other applications can be working at the same time as the backup with very little notice, but backup speeds will decrease as well.
This specifies the log level that the application run at. It can be specified for the GUI interface (wbpr), the Backup engine (wbps), the service (bpnetd). The minimum and maximux debug levels are:
· Minimum Debug Level - 0 (Error Log only)
· Maximum Debug Level - 6 (Log All)
15.2.2 Current Profile Settings
These settings only effect the currently loaded profile. The following comprise the current profile settings:
This is the network frame size that will be used when the backup or restore is being performed. Generally leave this at 120 unless you have serious performance problems. In which case, lowering this may help. (ie 20)
Directory Depth (0)This is the default Directory Depth to bakup with. Directory depth is how many levels down int he directory tree should the backups go before stopping. 0 indicates all levels.
15.2.3 Advanced Preferences
Clicking on thebutton takes you to the advanced preference dialog.
FIGURE 65. This dialog lets you set the preferences as follows:![]()
· Backup File Properties
Enable\Disable backup of file properties such as security information, extended attributes, alternate data streams etc. This applies to NTFS volumes only.
· Backup Registry Security Info
Enable\Disable backup of security information associated with registry keys.
· Enable Automatic Restart
This enables\disables the automatic restart after a restore operation. In case this is disabled, the engine will only inform the user that a restart is needed. User may restart the machine at his convenience.
The Open Data Manager is used to backup locked files (files locked for exclusive use by other programs) in the system.
· Enable ODM
Enable\Disable the Open Data Manager. If the ODM is disabled and a locked file is encountered, an error will be reported unless the file is in the skip list.
· ODM Log Level
Sets the log level for the Open Data Manager. This value can be:
0 - Error Log
1 - Warning Log
2 - Info Log
3 - Success Log
· Enable Caching for ODM
This option applies to Windows 2000 systems only. If this button is enabled, the ODM will internally cache NTFS metadata writes.
· Use Default Dir
Use a cache directory computed by the ODM internally.
· Cache Dir
Specify the cache directory that should be used by the ODM.
15.2.4 Profiles
Profiles are files that contain textual information about a backup. You do not have to use profiles to use the program. Profiles are simply a means to save frequently performed types of backups. The default profile is what is used to initially start the program and provide basic backup information.
1. You can change the backup information like backup type, files to backup, files to exclude and save this information in a new profile by using the [Save As] menu item.
2. Once a profile is saved it can be loaded from the [Files->Load Profile] menu item and then run with or without any further modifications.
15.2.5 Master Backups
A Master backup of the Windows client will first backup the registry and then begin with the C: drive and follow with any other subsequent drives. The DOS archive bit is not used at all. Backup Professional will reset the archive bit when the file is backed up but this can cause problems with licensing programs. The resetting of the archive bit can be disabled in the settings file.
FIGURE 66. Master Backup Dialog![]()
Choose the [Backup->Master] menu to display the Master Backup dialog (Figure 66). To request an Incremental backup, select the [Backup->Incremental] menu. The Master and Incremental option dialogs are functionally identical. The steps to perform a Master or Incremental backup request from a Windows client are as follows:
1. Specify the Backup Professional server from the SERVER NAME combo box.
2. Select the DEVICE NAME that the server should use to store the backup. In this example we select the device sctape. You can request a list of device names from the server by clicking on the combo button to the right of the name. This connects to the server and returns all known device names to the client. Select the appropriate device name by clicking on the name and choosing [OK]. When dealing with disk-to-disk devices that represent single disk files, there are restrictions regarding the devices that appear in the selection list. The only disk-to-disk devices that appear are those that have never had a backup performed or those devices that contain a previous backup of data from this client machine.
3. Choose any files or disk drives to exclude from the backup by selecting the tab , [Exclude Files]. Each choice has a respective dialog that presents you with a list of drives or directories to exclude. Once you have chosen the drives or files to exclude, click on [OK].
4. If you want the backup to be verified, select a verification level from the Options tab. Options are NONE, LEVEL 1, BIT LEVEL. Generally, Bit Level is the best choice if any verification is needed.
5. The Keep a local catolog under options tab option can be toggled on or off. This option is useful to have on so that if you ever want to see what was backed up on a specific day you can query it locally without having to make a request to the server. These files are automatically purged every seven days by default. This can be changed in the master.ini file in the install directory to whatever interval you wish.
6. To run any local commands before and/or after the task has completed, select the Advanced Options Tab toggle buttons. You can specify the command to run before and/or after the backup by activating the appropriate check box. The command should be some form of a batch file, since only one command can be specified to run.
7. If you wish, you may save the backup settings to the default profile by pressing the [SAVE PROFILE] button at the bottom of the dialog. This saves the backup options as a backup profile, which allows you to recall it by name at a later date. This saves you the time of re-entering the options all over again.
8. Once you have made all optional choices and are satisfied with the settings, select the [SUBMIT TO SERVER] button to process the backup request.
15.2.6 Incremental Backups
An Incremental backup of the Windows client will first backup the registry and then begin with the C: drive and any other subsequent drives. The server will determine when the last successful Master backup was and tell the client to backup only those files that are newer (on NT only those registry entries that are newer as well). The DOS archive bit is not used at all. Backup Professional will reset the archive bit when the file is backed up but this can cause problems with licensing programs. The resetting of the archive bit can be disabled in the settings file.
15.2.7 Selective File Backups
FIGURE 67. Include Files Dialog![]()
Selective file and directory backups allows you to limit what you want backed up. To specify the files and/or directories that you need, click on the Include Files tab and click on the Add button of Figure 67 will be displayed.
The concept behind this dialog is to select files from the left hand list and use the [ADD] button to add them to the right hand list. As you select files and directories the Megs box will increment. Double clicking on a directory will take you to that directory. If you want to type in a path to add, type in your selection in the Filter box and click the [ADD] button. Wildcards like myfiles.* are acceptable entries as well. When you have completed the list of files on the right, click the [Ok] button.
Before you run the backup, it is generally best to save the entry prior to submitting to the server.
15.2.8 Restores
The Restore concept is to identify which backup that you want to restore from and then what files or directories you want to restore. To accomplish this you have a few options:
Entire Backup
This type of restore is intended to restore an entire backup with options. One of the most commonly used options is the exclude files option. Use this option to exclude files or directories from the full restore.
Selective Files
This type of restore is intended to restore just selective files that you know you need to restore. Use one of the methods listed above to find or specify the files or directories you need to restore.
From Inclusion list
This type of restore is intended to restore a list of files from a text file that is currently residing on the PC. This list is a text file that contains one filename per line starting with the drive letter on each line. This list of filenames will be used to restore only the files specified in the list.
15.2.8.1 Restore Entire Backup
This option lets you restore all the files of an entire backup to a system.
FIGURE 68. Entire Restore Dialog![]()
The server tab is described here:
This tab allows you to select the >Server Name that you wish to back up to. If the Server Name is not correct click on the Server name combo Box. If you host table is setup it will appear and allow you to select the Server.
Then check the Device Name that you want to backup to. If the device name is not correct, click the dropdown list from the combo box to seledct from the list of devices on the server. This will select the device for this task only. To make the device name be the default click on the button.
To select a backup number form which the restore should occur, click on the button to get a listing of all available backups to restore from. If you leave the Lates and Using current tape Boxes without specifying a backup number explicitly, you will request a restore of the last backup found on the tape that is in the drive now that belongs to this workstation.
When you are ready to perform the backup. Hit the button and BP will connect too the Server and submit the task into the scheduler. Once the resources on the Server become available the Server scheduler will connect to your machine and begin the backup you requested. Generaly, the backups are performed in the background.
Hit the button to save the current settings into the profile. This will open a "Save As" dialog, you can either overwrite an existing profile or create a new one.
15.2.8.2 Restore Selective Files
For selective\list backups, this tab allows you to select the files you want to restore.
The include file tab is described here:
1. To add files to the back list:
Use the A backup listing button to select files from a backup listing or,
Use the Browse for file button to select local file names or,
2. Similarly, you can use the Delete button to remove selected files form the backup list or use the Clear All button to clear the entire list altogether.
On Clicking the A backup listing button the backup listing dialog will be started.
On Clicking the Browse for file a select file dialog similar to the dialog used for selecting files for a backup will be displayed.
FIGURE 69. Selective Restore Dialog![]()
15.2.8.3 Restore Options
This tab allows you to specify options for the restore operation.
FIGURE 70. Restore Options Dialog![]()
This option enables you to restore a backup into a different form the original source directory on which the backup was made. This new directory can be on the same system or another system.
When selected will create a local Listing of the entier backup session. This file will be located in the Catalog directory you setup in the Preferenct dialog. You can use the Catalog menu choice to view any of the Catalogs recorded locally on your system.\
Setting this option will restore only those files that are newer than the ones already present ont he system.
Setting this option will disable overwriting of files that are already present on a system during a restore operation.
15.2.8.4 Restore Advanced Options
This tab allows you to set advanced options for the restore process.
FIGURE 71. Restore Advanced Options Dialog![]()
Run this local command before - When selected allows you to enter a command that will be run prior to the Backup commencing.
Run this local command after - When selected allows you to enter a command that will be run after the Backup is completed and possible verified.
15.2.8.5 Backup Listing Dialog
The listing of backup gives you the backup number, tape number, date and time of the backup, Starting Directory, Type of backup (Master, Incremental, Selective), size in Megabytes, How many files in the backup, the device name that it was backed onto and the workstation name it belongs to.
FIGURE 72. Backup History Dialog![]()
For entire restore operation, select a particular backup click on the backup line you wish to restore from. Then click on the OK button.
Also, you can view the files a particular backup by checking the Show Files check box. On clicking the Show files button, the dialog will look as follows:
FIGURE 73. Backup Library Dialog![]()
The "File Listing" listbox will be updated with the files as you click on different backup lines in the "Backup Listing"
The page buttons will help you navigate through the file listing as follows:
> Next Page < Previous Page >> Last Page << First Page
You can insert a page number in the edit box and press the "Goto' button to jump to the page.
In the Preference Dialog you can specify how many filenames you want to list in a page. The default is 66. That means that each page contains 66 files. The indicator box at left indicates the Current page and the total number of pages in the list, (i.e. Page 1 or 112).
For entire restore operation, select a particular backup click on the backup line you wish to restore from. Then click on the View Files button to launch a backup listing select file dialog for the files present in the backup.
Selecting Files from a Backup Listing
You select files similar to the select file dialog for backup operations.
FIGURE 74. Backup Listing Dialog![]()
15.2.9 Verify/Compare a Backup
FIGURE 75. Verify Dialog![]()
The Verify or Compare function is used to read the backup from the server and compare it to the hard disk as if a restore was taking place. Each bit is compared to make sure nothing was corrupted during the backup, while writing to the media, or during transmission to the client machine.
Only the last backup for this client can be compared using this dialog. If you need to verify previous backups, you will need to use the server interfaces to do so.
Once the Verify is started from the server you can click on the Backup Professional item in the task tray to view the verify process.
If files are found to be corrupt, a detail log is kept in the catalog directory entitled changes.cmp.
To increase the number of not backed up files to allow before the system considers a backup as failed and does not perform a verify, please edit the value for VerifyIncompleteFileCnt in the master.ini file under admin->setup->settings->media information (see " Media Information").
15.2.10 Other Functions
There are several other functions, and most are self-explanatory and deal with local issues such as viewing catalogs or changing fonts. Some of the more specific options are discussed below.
15.2.10.1 BareMetal Optimizer
This option is useful when using the add-on BareMetal product. This product would have been installed on the server. It performs a different type of backup of the PC than the normal Master/Incremental file-by-file type backup. It performs a snap shot backup of the PC. With this type of backup you can recover from crashed Windows environments very easily.
What this option is about is to allow you to optimize your system so that the BareMetal backups will perform at peak speed and size. This is normally run the first time a BareMetal backup is scheduled from the server, and can be turned on from the server as well. But this option is present so it can also be performed locally. This option can take several minutes as well. You should optimize your PC about every 6 months or so.
See "BareMetal Disaster Recovery: Intel® Platforms" on page 263 for more details.
15.2.10.2 Testing
FIGURE 76. Protocol Test Dialog![]()
This feature teste the client/server communication protocol used by the BP Agent and the server. The needed protocol requests are tested to be sure that both sides have versions of the software that are fully compatible. The protocol test also will send an artificially generated data to the server and this transfer is timed. Based on this, you can determine what the maximum transfer rate will be. Most of the time, you should see a value during backup of approximately 90% of this number. Generally, if you are able to do a Protocol test and register your workstation to the server you will be able to perform backup actions.
15.2.10.3 Skip In Use
The Skip File-in-use option is used to specify those files that are commonly in use by other programs and will not be accessible. The agent will be aware of these files and will not flag this as an error.
Otherwise, files that are in use because they are accessed by other programs will be flagged as an error resulting in a failed backup.
Regardles of what setting you choose, files that are not accessible due to bac disk blocks, permissions or any other reason than being in use by other programs will be flagged as error.
If you are using the ODM (Open File Data Manager) all files that ar in use by other programs can be accessed and thus are backed up without difficulty. In this case, select the choice labeled () "No files" below. You must have a valid licanse to use the Open File Data Manager and can only be used for Windows 2000, XP, 2003 computers.
FIGURE 77. Skip File-In-Use Dialog![]()
· All files: If this oprions is enabled, the agent will be aware of these files and will not flag this an error.
· Files selected from list below: If this option is enabled, files that are in use because they are accessed by other programs will be flagged as an error resulting in a failed backup.
· No files: If you are using ODM (Open File Data Manager) all files that are in use by other programs can be accessed and thus are backed up without difficulty.
15.2.10.4 Register client to server
When you first install the Backup Professional client software you need to register it to the server that will be servicing it. This can be done from the BP server or the client. On the client, use this menu option to register the client to the server. Once this is done you should not have to do it again unless you change servers or lose the registration on the server.
15.2.10.5 Add a Server to HOSTS File
FIGURE 78. Add a Server to HOSTS File![]()
This dialog allows you to add a valid, usable BP server (a server that is running and is accessible by the bpclient) and an IP address pair to the HOSTs file on the client system.
Choose any convenient name for your server. If you choose a name that already exists in the HOSTS file you will be given the following warning:
FIGURE 79. Server Name Warning![]()
When the user chooses the add button, the specified IP address is tested to see if it is a valid, usable BP Server. If it is, the the Server Name\IP Address pair are added to the host file and the following message is displayed:
FIGURE 80. Success Dialog![]()
The user can exiplicitly test a particular servr to check if it is valid and usable. To do this can either select a server in the list box or explicitly type in the server IP address. On hitting the "Test" button, if the server is NOT valid the following message is displayed:
FIGURE 81.Testing a Server Dialog
15.2.10.6 Settings file
The settings file is also called the master.ini file. It reside in the C:\pcbp directory and contains the settings for the Backup Professional product. There is an extensive debugging section that technical support personnel can use to uncover problems. This file is not generally changed by end users. It should only be changed by experienced users or technical support personnel. The following are the frequently used options that are not present in the settings file.
ResetArchiveBit
When this is set to True the DOS archive bit is reset when the file is backed up. When this is set to False it will not. If you experience problems with applications that do not like their attributes changed, then you should set this.
Inettime
This value is used by the Backup Professional agent. It defines the amount of milliseconds between each listen to incoming connections. If you experience a slow down when the Backup Professional is not running, then the agent maybe the cause. By increasing this value to 3,000 you should see an improvement.
BackupProperties
This value enables backup of file and folder properties (security information, alternative data streams, extended attributes, etc.). This is for Windows NT4 systems and above (NTFS volumes only). By default this value is set to True.
BackupRegSec
This enables backup of registry security information. This is for Windows 2000 systems and above (NTFS volumes only). By default this value is set to True (registry security information is backed up).
EnableAutomaticRestart
At the end of a restore process, if a restart is required, a dialog box is presented to the user to inquire his/her choice to restart or cancel. If this dialog box times out, this flag determines if the engine should restart the system or not. If this flag is enabled, the engine will restart the system. This is for all Windows systems. By default the setting is False meaning the engine will not restart the system if the restart dialog box times out.
DetectHungFiles
If this flag is set, then catalog and log files are synchronously flushed to the disk after every write. This is for all Windows systems. The default value is False.
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