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GetBack User's Manual
Revision A
May 22, 1992
Copyright (C) 1992 MICROTOOLS
1 GetBack Introduction
Welcome to GetBack. GetBack is a powerful, safe yet simple
means of backing up your vital data. For most of us,
backing up our data is a nuisance that we all too often
avoid. GetBack makes backing up fun. You can set up your
backups once with our intuitive users interface and then run
them from a regular batch file.
But, before we get into how to perform a backup, we need to
talk strategy. Without a well thought out strategy, you may
find yourself either wasting time by backing up too much or
(heaven forbid), not be backing up enough data. It doesn't
do any good to begin backing up the wrong data or backing up
more data than it is worth to backup. That's why we must
begin with a good backup strategy. Once that is established
we'll work on how to implement that strategy with GetBack.
1.1 Fundamentals of a Backup Strategy
First and foremost to all backup strategies is taken from
the famous shoe ad:
Just Do It!
Many of us get lazy and neglect some important tasks
every day. Many of us have neglected to perform the
backups necessary to protect our valuable data on a
timely basis. Let's decide today that we will follow the
first and primary fundamental of backup strategy and that
is to DO IT!
Once we got that down (or at least decided), the next
important piece of our strategic plan is to determine:
What Data is important to backup?
and
How often should that be backed up.
Perhaps the simplest answer to both of these is: all the
data every day. But that often is not a reasonable
answer to either question. Generally speaking, all data
is important to be backed up, but not every day. Much
data on your hard drive is already backed up. Sometimes,
every day is not frequent enough for some data.
Sometimes it is overkill.
1.2 What Data is important to backup
Again, it is dangerous to deal in generalities, but most
data falls under three categories:
1. Data files that I have bought and thus
have the original files on their
installation disks. These are the disks
that came when you purchased the software.
If this data is lost, it could be
reconstructed by reloading the software.
Not too painful.
2. Data files that my programs have created
that can be re-created from other files.
Lotus ".PIC" are such files as are dBase
".NDX" files. Lotus ".PIC" files are
graph files that are created from your
spreadsheet files. These files usually
can be easily recreated if you have the
source files (Lotus ".WK1" files and dBase
".DBF" files). This data never needs to
be backed up.
3. Data files that I have created through the
keyboard or mouse. These files are like
the outputs of word processing programs
(like .DOC files from Word), spreadsheets
(like .WK1 files from Lotus 1-2-3),
databases (like .DBF files from dBase), or
accounting programs (like MoneyCounts .DAT
files). These files represent your hard
earned work and are very important to you.
They also might include configuration
files (like Window's configuration files
or your DOS CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT).
1.3 How often to Backup Data
Ideally, data should be backed up as soon as practical
after it has been created. If you are entering
significant data that is creative of nature you may want
to back it up right after you create it. (Some of us
forget our brainstorms as quickly as we get them).
Generally, you want to regularly backup only the files
that you create and/or change. These are files like
letters, reports, databases, documents and spreadsheets.
Generally you don't want to backup files that you don't
change. Every user has different needs. Not everyone's
data is of equal value. How often you backup depends on
both your needs, your habits, and your comfort level with
the thought of losing some data. A good rule of thumb
that works for most people is to back up at the end of
every day. This means that in a very worst case scenario
(you have lost every thing), on the average, you will
only lose about 4 hours of work.
1.4 Setting a Backup Strategy
So, how do you go about setting a backup strategy? Here
are a few simple guidelines. (Note: Running ALLFILES
will create a text file, ALLFILES.TXT, of all files on
your current hard drive. Print this file out and use
three highlighters to identify each file)
Step 1 Identify those category one files that are
part of programs for which you already
have a backup. You are probably wise to
back up all of these up in one backup set
(a set of floppy disks containing a
backup) once. We will label this backup
set PROGRAMS. Although this is not
essential (remember, you already have
these backed up on your original floppies)
it will make it much easier to recreate
your system. If you are willing to take
the time of reconstructing these from all
the programs that you own or if you don't
own that many complex programs, this step
may be skipped. We will explain how to
do this later. File these away in a very
safe place. Write protect the disks. You
need not make another copy of this backup
until you add another set of program data
files (say you add a new Backup program
like GetBack). At that point, you are
probably wise to make a fresh backup of
all your programs (because you may have
forgotten to backup your last update to
your spreadsheet program).
Step 2 Identify those category two files that are
automatically generated. Many users do
not have any of these files. If you are
not sure about a file, consider it a
category 3 file.
Step 3 Identify those category three files that
are your hard earned data files. If there
are files from long dead projects or
correspondence that you are fairly sure
you will never touch again, back them up
in a backup set and call it ARCHIVE01.
Then delete them from your disk.
Now, are there any files that don't fall under these three
categories. If you can't find out what they are, it is best
to put them under category three.
All files that are category 3 files need not be updated
every day. Some files are from projects long since
completed. Some files were created once and have no
business being on your hard drive. After we have backed
them up, it may be wise to delete them from your hard drive.
Many of us only work on a few files a day. If our backup is
taking 20 minutes each day to backup 30 meg of data, we are
probably backing up a lot more than we need to. Ideally we
should only backup those files that we need to backup.
How you have organized your hard disk also affects your
backup strategy. In order to facilitate backups, it is very
useful and safe to put all of your files of the same
category in multiple directories under one directory tree.
This way, to backup all category three data files you could
just specify to include all the files in that directory and
all its subdirectory. You never have to remember to update
your backup configuration files when you add new projects
and new directories. For example, all category three data
files could be put under the C:\DATA directory. It is very
important that macros generated with spreadsheet programs
and word processing programs be put under these directories.
Your MoneyCounts data files should also be put in a
subdirectory under this directory.
It also is useful to place all category one data files under
a directory tree like C:\PROGRAM. Thus you would have a set
of directories that might look like:
C:\PROGRAM
C:\PROGRAM\MC
C:\PROGRAM\123
etc
Although GetBack will allow you to specify data directories
all over your hard disk, it becomes another thing to
remember whenever you add new directories. For example,
let's imagine that you keep your word processing files in
C:\LETTERS and your spreadsheets in C:\WORKSHTS. When you
add WordPerfect to your system, you add a directory
C:\WP51\LETTERS. This is category three data that must be
added to your backup specification. If instead you had a
directory structure that looked like this:
C:\DATA
C:\DATA\LETTERS
C:\DATA\WORKSHTS
you could tell the backup program to backup up everything in
C:\DATA and all the files in DATA's subdirectories and never
have to worry about it.
1.5 Some Typical Backup Strategies
Let's list a few backup strategies and then analyze them for
the applicability. We will show you how to perform these
strategies later.
Data Backup Strategy #1 - (Weekly Full data/Daily
Incremental data)
Step 1 On Friday afternoon of every week, perform
a FULL backup of your category three data
files. Let's call this backup set FULL
DATA WEEK 1. Mark all floppies in
numerical order with this label and with
their number.
Step 2 On Monday afternoon, perform a backup of
all category three files that have changed
since Friday. This is called an
INCREMENTAL backup. Mark all the floppies
with the label INCREMENTAL DATA WEEK 1 DAY
1. Use either a new disk or append the
backup set to your last disk. (Appending
does not delete the existing files).
Step 3 On Tuesday afternoon, repeat step 2 naming
the backup set INCREMENTAL DATA WEEK 1 DAY
2.
Step 4 On Wednesday afternoon, repeat step 2
naming the backup set INCREMENTAL DATA
WEEK 1 DAY 3.
Step 5 On Thursday afternoon, repeat step 2
naming the backup set INCREMENTAL DATA
WEEK 1 DAY 4.
Step 6 On Friday afternoon, repeat step one,
naming the backup set FULL DATA WEEK 2.
Start with a new disk.
Repeat this for four weeks. At this point, start re-
using your disks.
Analysis of Strategy #1
Advantages - This strategy is pretty thorough. In
general, the incremental backups performed on
Monday - Thursday will be fairly quick. Friday's
backup may take too long however depending on how
much data you keep on your hard drive. Depending
on how many disks you are using, you may desire to
wait 8-16 weeks before recycling your disks. It is
also useful to save a backup set every 3-4 months
and file it away in a safe place. Never recycle
these disks. You never know when you may find that
you accidentally deleted a file two months ago
which has fallen off the backup list.
Disadvantages - INCREMENTAL backups are quick but make
restoration a little more difficult. If you need
to restore one file, you may need to go through
several backup sets before you find it. In general
this is not to bad a limitation because we don't
lose data that often. There is a disadvantage to
this strategy if you have not carefully identified
all of your critical category three data. For
example, if you just recently started creating .WP
files and had not identified these as category
three files, you will never back them up unless you
have structured your directories properly (as we
talked about earlier). This strategy also tends to
use a fair number of disks.
Data Backup Strategy #2 (Full Disk/Differentials until
unwieldy)
Step 1 Perform a FULL backup of your entire hard
disk (all categories)
Step 2 Every day (or after a significant period
of data entry), perform a DIFFERENTIAL
backup of your entire hard disk. This
will back up only those files that have
changed since the last full backup.
Recycle disks every other time.
Step 3 Perform Step 2 until this procedure
becomes unwieldy (takes too long or uses
too many disks).
Step 4 Repeat from step 1, using a new set of
disks.
Analysis of Strategy #2
Advantages - This strategy works well if you do not
create a lot of files. It is easy to restore a
file, since all files that have changed since the
full backup can easily be restored. It doesn't use
a lot of floppy disks. It is extremely thorough
and is not very prone to error.
Disadvantages - If you create a lot of category three
data, this strategy becomes unwieldy very soon.
Data Backup Strategy #3 (Full Disk/Incrementals)
Step 1 Perform a FULL backup of your entire hard
disk (all categories)
Step 2 Every day (or after a significant period
of data entry), perform an INCREMENTAL
backup of your entire hard disk. This
will back up only those files that have
changed since the last backup. Either
append the files to your existing backup
set or carefully label each floppy.
Step 3 Perform Step 2 for a month or so
(approximately 20 incremental backups).
Step 4 Repeat from step 1, using a new set of
disks for the full backup and recycle the
Incrementals.
Analysis of Strategy #3
Advantages - This strategy works well if you do not
need to restore files very often. It minimizes the
number of disks needed. It is not very prone to
error.
Disadvantages - Restoring of a file could mean going
through 10-20 backup sets. However, if this
doesn't occur very often, it is a very fast,
thorough and efficient backup strategy.
1.6 General Backup Guidelines
Finally, once you have a backup strategy that works.
Stick to it. Deviations can spell disaster.
It is always good policy to:
1. Have a well thought-out backup strategy and keep it.
2. Keep backups in a safe, fireproof, preferably off-site
location.
3. Archive a full backup every 1-3 months that never gets
re-cycled
4. Backup your data at the end of a day rather than the
beginning. (Computers have a higher probability of
failing when they are turned on rather than failing
while they are running).
5. Test you backup strategy with a mini-fire drill to
make sure you know how to restore your files.
6. Maintain at least two backups if you are going to
replace or re-format your hard disk.
7. Have a well thought-out backup strategy and keep it.
(This bears repeating)
8. Turn on Verification ALWAYS!
9. Have plenty of disks available. They are cheaper than
your lost time.
2 Invoking GetBack
GetBack consists of three programs. GETBACK is the user
friendly interface that lets you define your backup and restore
options. It invokes MAKEBAK to actually make a backup and
GETBAK to actually perform a restore. The backup "engines" may
be run separately from the command line (or Batch file).
GETBACK can be started at the DOS command line as follows:
C:> GETBACK [switches] [configuration file]
where the optional switches are:
/T for Text Mode
/G for Graphics Mode
GetBack automatically determines an optimal setting
based on your hardware and graphics capability.
These switches allow you to override the default
settings.
and the optional configuration file is used to set up
your backup configuration upon startup. If no file
is specified, GetBack uses the file "LAST.GBK"
stored in GetBack's program directory. All GetBack
configuration files have the .GBK extension.
GetBack first looks in the current directory and
then (for DOS 3.0 or greater) in the same directory
that GetBack.EXE is store in.
If you desire to perform backups with no user interaction (like
from a batch file), you may run the GetBack backup engine
with the command:
C:> MAKEBAK configuration_file
Here the configuration file and the extension are not
optional.
If you desire to perform a restore with no user
interaction, you may run the GetBack restore engine:
C:> GETBAK configuration_file
3 Navigating in GetBack
GetBack is designed with an intuitive interface that needs no
introduction. Many programs have paved the way and set the
standard for navigating on a screen like GetBack's that should
make learning to use it a snap. For those not familiar with
these navigation standards, we'll give you a summary.
3.1 Some Definitions of Terms we will be using throughout
this manual
Menu - This is a list options for you to choose. There
are many such menus in GetBack. An example is the Main
Menu where you are give the option to:
Start Backup
Preview Backup
Start Restore
Preview Restore
Display Backup Set
Setup Backup Options
Edit Include/Excludes
Load Configuration
Save Configuration
Each of these items in the list are a Menu Item.
Button Item - A button is a rectangularly shaped box on
the screen used to select an option. The Exit button on
the Main Screen is such an object.
Highlighted Item - This is when a menu item (or button)
is highlighted with either a different color or a
different intensity. This item is available for
Selection.
Select Item - This is when a highlighted item is selected
to perform the function it describes. For example, when
the Preview Backup Menu Item is Highlighted and then
Selected, GetBack begins to preview the currently defined
backup. When the Exit Button Item is selected, GetBack
exits.
Toggle Item - Certain discrete items can be toggled to
select alternate options. For example, the Verification
Status item can be toggled from On to Off and vice versa.
Edit Item - Certain items are fields that can be edited.
For example, when loading new configuration, you can
enter the file specification for the configuration file
that you wish to load.
Window Item - On most screens there are multiple window
items. For example on the Main Screen there are seven
separate window items:
The Main Menu
The Status Window
The Hardware Status Window
The Advanced Status Window
The Current Configuration file
The Exit Button
The Include/Exclude Matrix
Context Sensitive Help - GetBack provides context
sensitive help to help you find your way around its
screen. Whatever item is highlighted has a unique help
message to help you remember what it does. For example,
if the View Backup Set item is highlighted in the Main
Menu, selecting Help will provide a detailed description
of what selecting this item will do.
Status Window - GetBack has three status windows; one for
the normal setup options, one for the hardware options,
and one for advanced options that need not be changed
under normal circumstances. Each status window is actual
a menu consisting of two more menu items itself. There
are no hot keys associated with these menu items.
Hot Keys - GetBack provides a way to select a menu item
or a button item with a hot key. A hot key is indicated
by an underline in Graphics mode and a bold character in
Text mode. Hot keys may be activated from anywhere on
the screen with an <ALT>-<Hotkey>.
3.2 How to Navigate
Navigating through GetBack menu's is performed using any
combination of the following techniques:
Keyboard Navigating
Cursor Control Keys - use the <UP_ARROW> or
<DOWN_ARROW> to position the cursor or Highlighted
item. Once you have Highlighted the item you
desire, hit the <ENTER> key to Select it. Use the
<LEFT_ARROW> or <RIGHT_ARROW> keys to move
horizontally across items.
Exit Window - The <Esc> key can be used to exit any
window
Hot Key Character - in every menu, items may be
selected by hitting the key corresponding to the
item. This key is identified in bold for Text mode
applications and with an underline for Graphics
mode applications.
<Tab> Key - This key may be used to move from window
item to window item on the screen. <Shift-Tab>
moves from window item to window item in the
reverse direction.
<Space Bar> - This key is used to toggle items
<Enter> - This key is used to select an item, toggle
an item, or complete the editing of an item.
<PgUp> and <PgDn> - These keys are used in menus to go
to the top or the bottom of the menu. When viewing
help screens or Include/Exclude lists, these keys
move the highlight bar one page up or down.
Mouse Navigating
The mouse may be used to select or toggle an item by
the simple Point and Click method. Point the mouse
cursor at the item and click the left mouse button.
If the item is to be selected, it will be selected
(for example, GetBack will Start a Backup). If the
item is an item to be toggled, the item will be
toggled.
Scroll Bar
When viewing large amounts of data (in a Help Screen
or in the Include/Exclude list), a scroll bar is
provided for navigation. You may either click on the
scroll button and drag the button down to position the
text or you may click on the UP and DOWN arrows to
move one line at a time.
4 Setting Up GetBack
GetBack allows you to set up several options in order to
configure your backup. Although GetBack provides a set of
defaults, you need to carefully chose your options to fit your
hardware and your backup strategy.
GetBack provides two ways for you to set up its options - the
fast method and the verbose method. We recommend that you
utilize the verbose method at first since it will walk you
through each of the options. At any time you may click on the
Help Button or hit <F3> to call up the context sensitive help.
The Main Screen provides a complete status of all of the
options selected for GetBack. This allows you to see all the
options you have selected all at once.
We will describe how to select an option using each of the two
methods using the Drive type as an example. All other options
are set the same.
The following options are available:
Hardware Configuration
Type of Backup Media (360k, 720k, 1.2m, 1.44m floppy, or
DOS drive)
Drive (and for DOS drives the directory)
Colors on your Display
Text or Graphics mode
Setup options for Backup/Restore
Type (full, differential, incremental)
Files (only defined files, all except defined files)
Archive Bit (set or cleared after backup)
Compression option (Compression On or Compression Off)
Verify (Check that the backup worked as you go)
Restore Overwrite Warnings (Tell you that you are
overwriting)
Advanced options
Formatting of Target Drive
Keeping of Log Files on Hard Disk
Deleting of Files on Target Drive
Backing up System/Hidden Files
4.1 Hardware Configuration
GetBack requires that you define where the backup files
are to go and where the restored files are coming from.
GetBack needs to know what drive they are on and what
type of drive it is. In addition, GetBack allows you to
specify the colors for your screen (if you have a color
monitor) and whether or not you are in text mode or
graphics mode. All four of these options may be set
through the pop up menus by selecting first the SETUP
BACKUP/RESTORE and then SETUP HARDWARE OPTIONS. Where
the files are coming from and going to and the backup
media type may also be set directly from the Main Menu by
using either the <Tab>, <Arrow>, and <Enter> keys or the
Mouse to toggle these options.
4.1.1 Drive Type
You must select the type of media you are going to
back up to. The options for this are:
360k 5¼ Floppy
720k 3½ Floppy
1.2m 5¼ Floppy
1.44m 3½ Floppy
DOS media - This can be network, a tape drive,
or an unsupported floppy. You can also do
cumulative backups to DOS media. This
allows you to have multiple backups on one
media. This is also called append. In
general this mode is considerably slower
than defining the media type.
If you do not know what type of drive you have, select
the DOS media.
4.1.1.1 Selecting the Drive Type (Fast Method)
From the main screen, the Drive type is listed
in the Hardware Status window. By depressing
the <TAB> key, you will move the highlight bar
to the Drive Type. Hitting the <Enter> key will
toggle this through each of the options. For
mouse users, place the mouse cursor on the Drive
Type and depress the Left Mouse button once to
toggle the option.
4.1.1.2 Selecting the Drive Type (Verbose Method)
Alternately, for beginners, the drive type may
be set via the menu selections. First, select
the SET BACKUP/RESTORE from the main menu (using
the <Down Arrow> key and the <Enter> key or the
Mouse). This will take you to the Setup Menu.
Select the first item, (SET HARDWARE OPTIONS) by
hitting the <ENTER> key or clicking it with the
Left mouse button. Then select the SET MEDIA
TYPE. This will bring you to a menu of media
type options. Select the option desired by
either hitting <ENTER> or clicking on it with
the mouse. You may return to the main menu by
selecting the RETURN option in each of the
menus.
4.1.2 Target/Source Drive for Backup/Restore
You must specify the target drive for backups and the
source drive for restore. Generally only a letter is
required. However, for DOS drives, you may also
specify a directory. If you specify a directory, you
will not be able to toggle this from the status
window.
4.1.3 Color Options
GetBack allows you to specify the Color of various
items on your screen. Colors may only be set with the
verbose method. It is possible to set the foreground
and background colors of the following:
Borders around windows
Windows
Window objects
Titles
Menu items (both selected and non selected)
Hot Key items (character color only)
Buttons (like the HELP, GENERAL HELP)
Foreground color is defined as the color of the
characters or lines. Background color is defined as
the color of the paper the characters are written on.
It is also possible to reset the color to their
original settings. These settings are stored in a
file called BBCOLOR.DAT and is located in the same
directory that the GetBack.EXE is kept. If you desire
to save different color configuration, this file can
be renamed to reflect any number of color
configurations.
4.1.4 Text and Graphics Mode
GetBack runs in two modes:
Graphics Mode
Text Mode
On startup, if no mode is specified, GetBack
determines the mode based on the hardware
available, and the speed of your machine. For 808X
machines (like PC's and XT's), GetBack defaults to
text mode. You may override this by specifying a "/T"
or a "/G" switch at startup.
Also, you can switch screen modes from a Hardware Menu
option.
4.2 Setup Options
GetBack allows you to configure your Backups and Restores
with the following options:
Type: GetBack allows you to specify three types of
backups:
Full - This option backs up all files that
are specified.
Incremental - This option backs up only files that
have changed or have been created
since the last FULL or INCREMENTAL
backup.
Differential - This option backs up only those
files that have changed or are
new since the last FULL backup.
Files: GetBack allows you to specify which files to
backup:
Include This option will allow you to specify
a list of directories and files to
include in Backup/Restore. The
inclusion of these files may be
superseded by an Exclude
specification.
All Include This option will allow you to specify
a list of directories and files to
include in the Backup/Restore that
can not be superseded by an Exclude
specification
Exclude This option will allow you to specify
a list of directories and files to be
excluded in the Backup/Restore.
In the restore mode, you may also specify a
different target directory.
Archive Bit: GetBack allows you to select what happens
to the Archive Bit of files that are backed up.
Under most circumstances you will not want to
change this option. Setting this will override the
effect of the backup type. For example, generally,
a full backup always clears the archive bit.
Setting this to UNCHANGED, will cause the archive
bit to not get cleared. Setting the bit to
UNCHANGED means that the archive bit will not be
changed at all.
Compression: GetBack allows you to disable its normal
compression techniques. This option will cause the
backup to use more disk space and generally will
cause the backup to take longer. Under certain
circumstances (a very fast backup media and/or a
very slow PC), disabling compression might speed up
the backup process.
Verify: GetBack normally verifies all data it writes
to the backup media. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE
INTEGRITY OF YOUR BACKUP! In some circumstances, it
may be desirable to turn this feature off. PLEASE
BE AWARE WHEN YOU DO THIS.
Backup/Restore Overwrite Warnings : This option is
used during restore to warn you that a file already
exists on your hard disk which you are about to
overwrite with the backup version. During Backup,
this option will enable you to be warned if files
on a disk are being overwritten.
All of these options may be set via the menu system by
selecting the SETUP BACKUP/RESTORE option and then the
SET BACKUP/RESTORE. These also may be set directly
from the Main Menu by using either the <Tab>, <Arrow>
and <Enter> keys or the Mouse to toggle these options.
4.2.1 Type
There are three types of Backups that can be performed
with GetBack:
Full
Incremental
Differential
Full Backup is used when you want to backup all files
specified in your INCLUDE/EXCLUDE specification
independent of the status of the archive bit. Full
backups generally clear the archive bit (unless
overridden by the ARCHIVE BIT UNCHANGED option) of all
files that it backs up. Selecting a Full Backup
automatically sets the Archive bit option to CLEARED.
Incremental Backup is used when you want to backup any
files that have changed or are new since the last
backup. Incremental backups are made based on the
status of the archive bit. The incremental backup
clears the archive bit of each file it backs up
(unless overridden by the ARCHIVE BIT UNCHANGED
option). This means that the next incremental backup
will not back that file up again unless it has been
changed. Selecting an Incremental backup,
automatically sets the Archive bit option to CLEARED.
Differential Backup is used when you want to backup
all files that have changed since the last full
backup. Differential backups are made based on the
status of the archive bit. The differential backup
does not clear the archive bit as it backs up. This
allows you to run consecutive backups after a full
backup. Selecting a Differential backup, automatically
sets the Archive bit option to UNCHANGED.
4.2.2 Include/Exclude Specifications
You may specify the files that you want to INCLUDE or
EXCLUDE in a definition file. You have five options
to create/define this file:
■ You mayfile that already exists from a previous
backup or you created offline with your
word processor or editor
■ You may create a new file with all of your
directories listed to allow you to edit from
this baseline
■ You may create a new empty file and build the
definition from scratch
■ You may edit your current configuration
■ You may select the files from a directory tree
In some cases you do not want to back up all of your
files and all of your directories. With GetBack you
can select only certain files, certain extensions and
/ or certain directories to back up. This is done
with the INCLUDE/EXCLUDE/INC ALL option. Only those
directories and files that you specify will be backed
up. This selection is performed by defining the
directories and files in a backup configuration file.
The file consists of a list of directories and files.
Filenames may be specified using DOS wildcard
characters (* and ?). Backup will only backup files
that you specify in this file.
INCLUDE means to backup these files unless
overridden by EXCLUDE.
EXCLUDE means to not backup these files unless
overridden by INC ALL.
INC ALL means to always backup these files.
Be careful not to have overlapping INCLUDE and/or INC
ALL specification or GetBack will backup the files
twice.
EXAMPLE: To Backup only ".DOC" files in all
directories, you would create a list with the
following contents:
INCLUDE/ File Specification With
EXCLUDE Subdirs
INCLUDE c:\*.DOC SUBDIRS
In some cases, you want to back up all of your files
except certain exceptions. This may be done with the
EXCLUDE option. As with the INCLUDE option, you
create a file with a list of files that you want to be
excluded from backup. GetBack will backup all files
except for those you specified.
EXAMPLE: To Backup all files except those files in
the "user\tmp" directory, you would create a file with
the following contents:
INCLUDE/ File Specification With
EXCLUDE Subdirs
INCLUDE c:\*.* SUBDIRS
EXCLUDE c:\user\tmp\*.* NO SUBD
When specifying INCLUDE, INC ALL and EXCLUDE three
rules that GetBack follows are very important.
RULE #1: EXCLUDE takes precedence over INCLUDE. This
means that in the above example the INCLUDE
specification (C:\*.*) defines all files except as
exempted by the EXCLUDE. This rule always applies
unless overridden by rule #2.
RULE #2: INCLUDE specifications that do not include
DOS wildcard specifications can never be excluded.
RULE #3: INC ALL specification can never be excluded.
For example:
INCLUDE/ File Specification With
EXCLUDE Subdirs
INCLUDE c:\*.* SUBDIRS
EXCLUDE c:\*.TMP SUBDIRS
INCLUDE c:\IMPORTNT.TMP NO SUBD
INC ALL c:\SPECIAL\*.TMP NO SUBD
In this example, all files will be backed up unless
they have a TMP extension. No .TMP files will be
backed up except IMPORTNT.TMP and those in the special
directory.
4.2.2.1 Editing Include/Exclude Lists
It is possible to Edit the Include/Exclude list from
several places in GetBack. From the Main Screen, you can
completely edit the list but you cannot add additional
items to the list once it is filled. From the other
screens, you are allowed to add and delete lines to the
list as well as seed it with you directory structure.
When backing up, enter all of the file specifications you
desire and indicate whether or not you desire to INCLUDE
or EXCLUDE these files from the backup. If you desire
the file specification to be inclusive of all subsequent
subdirectories, select SUBDIR in the subdirectory button.
When restoring files, each line of the file specification
can actually contain two file specifications separated by
a space. The second file specification is the
destination of where you want the restored files to go.
For example, to restore all *.DOC files in the
C:\WORD\DOC directory to the C:\WORD\TMP directory, you
would select INCLUDE and:
C:\WORD\DOC\*.DOC C:\WORD\TMP
To insert lines into this list, place the cursor where
you want to insert and select the insert button (Placing
the mouse cursor and clicking the left button or Hot Key
<ALT-I>).
To delete lines in this list, place the cursor on the
line where you want to delete and select the delete
button (Placing the mouse cursor and clicking the left
button or Hot Key <ALT-D>).
When you have made all your changes, select the OK button
to exit. If you wish to cancel your changes, select the
CANCEL button.
Editing and cursor movements while in this list are as
follows:
Cursor Movement:
<Down/Up/Right/Left> Move cursor one character
down/up/right/left
<PgDn> <PgUp> Move the cursor down/up one
page
<Home> <End> Move the cursor to the
beginning/end of line
<Ctrl Right/Left> Move cursor one word to the
right/left
<Ctrl Home> <Ctrl End> Move cursor to the
beginning/end of the file
{Left Mouse Click} Move cursor to the Mouse
cursor
Delete Text:
<Del> Delete the character at the
cursor
<Ctrl Del> Delete the word at the
cursor
<BkSp> Delete the character before
the cursor
<Ctrl BkSp> Delete from the cursor to
the end of line
<F8> Delete from the cursor to
the end of line
Mark Text:
<Ctrl F5> Marks text for copy or cut
<ENTER> Following a mark, copies
text to paste buffer
<Del> Following a mark, deletes
text to paste buffer
<Ctrl F6> Cut marked Text
<Ctrl F8> Copies from paste buffer to
cursor
4.2.2.2 Seeding the Include/Exclude List with a
Directory Tree
GetBack allows you to start your list of
Include/Exclude files with a directory tree.
For example, if you wanted to start with all
directories of the C: drive you would enter:
C:\
GetBack will then display all of the directories
on your C drive.
If you want to start your list with the list of
all directories under the \USER\ directory, you
would enter:
C:\USER\
This starting point will allow you to easily
specify the files that you want to
include/exclude.
4.2.3 Archive Bit
Whenever a file is created or modified, a bit is set
in the file to indicate that this file should be
archived. This bit is called the archive bit. The
archive bit is used by backup utilities (and XCOPY) to
indicate that a file has been created or modified
since the last backup. Generally you want the archive
bit cleared when the file has been backed up.
Generally, all FULL and INCREMENTAL backups will clear
the archive bit of each file that is backed up.
For example, lets imagine that you just backed up your
entire disk. All files will have their archive bit
cleared indicating that they do not need to be backed
up again. After one day of creating and modifying
files, you run an INCREMENTAL backup. This backup
will only backup those files that have the archive bit
set. It will generally clear the archive bit of those
files. But, if you wanted to run two identical
INCREMENTAL backups you could not do it if the archive
bit gets cleared. If you desire to run two identical
INCREMENTAL backups, you must run the first with this
option set to ARCHIVE BIT UNCHANGED. The second will
be run with the ARCHIVE BIT CLEARED.
You may also want to not clear the archive bit after
any INCREMENTAL backup. In this case, each INCREMENTAL
backup would include all files that have changed since
the last full backup. This would (in effect) be a
DIFFERENTIAL backup. The archive bit will always be
UNCHANGED during differential backups.
4.2.4 Compression
With the Compress option on, GetBack will compress
your files on the backup media while backing up your
files. This causes them to take less space on your
backup media than they took on your hard disk.
Normally, GetBack will also run faster with
compression turned on. Compression takes processing
time to compress your data. But since disk I/O is
generally the slowest part of any computer program,
compression generally saves more time than it takes.
However, with a very slow PC and/or a very fast disk
or tape, GetBack may run faster with compression
turned off.
You also may choose to turn compression off if you are
only backing up files that are already compressed
(.ZIP or .ARC) files.
The compression option has no effect during Restore.
4.2.5 Verify
There are two ways to verify your data as you write
it.
Verify every byte that it writes
Use the DOS verify which merely checks the
integrity of the data
Many backup programs only perform the DOS verify.
Because the DOS verify provides a false sense of
security, GetBack does not even provide it as an
option. GetBack defaults to checking every byte that
it writes to your backup media. This adds a
significant amount of time to your backup process.
However, floppy disks are notorious in dropping data.
If VERIFY is turned off, the backup program cannot
attest to the integrity of the backup. We would
strongly recommend that you leave VERIFY on.
Again, depending on the speed of your machine, this
could add between 20% (for a slow machine) to 50% on a
fast machine.
4.2.6 Backup/Restore Overwrite Warnings
GetBack Restore allows you to choose whether or not
you want to be warned during a restore if it is going
to overwrite a file. Having this option on will cause
an overwrite warning and a prompt to ask you to
proceed.
During backups, the overwrite option, when enabled,
causes GETBACK to warn you whenever you are going to
overwrite files on the target media.
4.3 Advanced Setup Options
GetBack allows the user to set certain advanced options
for backup. The default operation for these options will
meet the needs of most users. For certain users,
changing the defaults on these options will allow
additional flexibility in backup. These options
include:
■ Allow the user to not keep the log files on their hard
drive. GetBack defaults to keeping the last five log
files on the hard drive.
■ Allow the user to not automatically format the target
drive if it is not formatted. GetBack defaults to
automatically formatting the target drive if required.
■ Allow the user to not automatically delete the files
on the target drive. GetBack defaults to automatically
deleting all files on the target drive.
■ Allow the user to not backup Hidden and System files.
GetBack defaults to backing up all files.
There are two methods of setting these options; using
either the menu system or the Status windows.
4.3.1 Log Backup Sets on Hard Drive
Every time a backup is performed, a log file
containing the list of files that were backed up and
what disk they are on is stored on the last floppy in
the backup set. In addition, the last five log files
are automatically kept on the hard drive in GetBack's
special hidden directory }H_DD_N{. (or optionally in
the directory specified by the environment variable
GBK_LOG). If you want these kept in a different
directory, put the following in your autoexec.bat
file:
SET GBK_LOG=C:MY_DIRECTORY
These log files are named as follows:
YYMMDDL#.BK1
Where YY is the year, MM is the month, DD is the day,
L is the first drive in this backup set, # is the
letter (A-Z) representing the number of backups
performed on that date.
When you want to backup just a few files from a backup
set, many backup programs force you to go through all
of the floppies to find the file. GetBack uses the
log file to tell you which floppy to insert to restore
the files. Having these log files on your hard disk,
allows you restore files without having to insert the
last floppy in the drive.
This option allows you to not keep any log files on
your hard disk.
This option has no effect during a restore.
4.3.2 Backup Media Format Option
GetBack always checks to see if a floppy requires
formatting before backing up to it. Sometimes, it may
be important to stop the backup if the floppy isn't
formatted (or is the wrong density). This options (if
selected) causes GetBack to display a warning message
if a wrong density or unformatted floppy is used
during backup.
GetBack uses a DOS compliant formatted floppy.
Although this is not as fast as some proprietary
formats, it allows you to mix and match your floppies
between backups and normal usage.
This option has no effect during a restore.
4.3.3 Delete Target Files Option
GetBack always deletes all files on a floppy unless
this options is selected. There are situations
(networks in particular) where you would want to have
multiple backup sets on one floppy.
Select this option if you do not want to delete files
on the target drive when a backup is performed.
This option is only available for DOS media type.
This option has no effect during a restore.
4.3.4 Hidden /System Files Option
Certain files on your hard disk are not visible to you
the user with normal DOS operation. These files are
categorized as either System or Hidden files. By
default, GetBack backs up both System and Hidden
files.
Under certain circumstances (older methods of copy
protection for instance), you may not want these files
backed up.
Select this option if you do not want to backup up
System files
This option has no effect during a restore.
5 Configuration Files
There are three types of files that are used with Getback:
Configuration Files - These files specify the Backup/Restore
specific information needed to perform a specific Backup
or Restore. We would recommend that they be named to
reflect their purpose (like ALLFULL and DATAFULL for a
full backup of the entire disk and a backup of all data
files).
Color Configuration Files - This file sets the colors for
all of GetBacks programs.
Backup Set Files - These files contain a log of all of the
files backed up during a particular Backup Set. They are
kept on the backup media (floppy or network) and the last
five are kept in GetBack's hidden directory.
5.1 Backup/Restore Configuration Files
Configuration files are used to store the option
information for GetBack. These files are ASCII files
that can be created with any word processor or editor
capable of producing pure ASCII files (in Word Perfect
these are called DOS text files). These files consist of
a first line containing the options and subsequent lines
containing the include/exclude specification. These
files are generally kept in GetBacks home directory but
you can store them in your current directory.
A configuration file is saved any time you exit GETBACK
with the name LAST.GBK. This file is also loaded into
memory on startup if no other configuration file is
specified.
The same file can be used for backup and for restore.
Certain options are not applicable to each and are
ignored.
5.1.1 Saving the Backup / Restore Configuration File
You can specify a file where you want to save the
configuration. This can be done from the Main menu by
selecting Save Configuration.
You may specify the full drive, path, and filename
(without extension) of where you want the
configuration file to be stored. This configuration
file will contain all of the setup information
required. This file always has the .GBK extension to
allow you to easily find them on your hard disk. If
no directory is specified, GetBack saves the file in
the directory where GetBack is stored (\GETBAK by
default).
The configuration includes:
Drive to be backed up to/restore data from
Media type
Backup Type
Archive Bit Option
Compression Option
Verify Option
Backup/Restore Warning Option
Hard Drive Log File Option
Hard Drive Format Option
Delete Target Drive Overwrite warnings
Include/Exclude File list
Status of Hidden /System files
The same file may be used for either backup or
restore. Certain options, however may not be selected
and/or appropriate for both.
5.1.2 Loading the Backup / Restore Configuration File
Every time GetBack powers up it takes either the last
configuration file you used or one that you specified
from the command line. You may also load another
configuration file using the Load Configuration
selection from the Main Menu. Once selected, you are
offered an option of selections to choose from or you
may enter your own selection. Files are selected from
the pick list with either the mouse or the <Tab>,
<Cursor Ctrl> keys, and the <Enter>. Files offered
from the pick list are either from your current
directory (those marked with a # sign) or from the
directory where the GETBACK.EXE file is stored. You
may specify a load file from any directory.
5.2 Color Configuration File
GetBack stores the color information in a file called
BBCOLOR.DAT. This file is automatically retrieved from
the directory that GetBack.exe is stored in and loaded
into memory. This setup can be stored in your current
directory to allow different color configurations for
different users and or uses.
5.3 Backup Set Files
Every time a backup is run, a backup set file is
optionally stored on you hard disk as well as on the last
media disk where the backup is performed. This backup
set contains the complete history of the backup,
including file names, date, time, size of the file, and
which disk the file was stored on. These files are used
to pinpoint where in the backup set each file is that the
user wants to restore. This enables the program to tell
the user which disk to insert during a restore. For DOS
type media, multiple backup sets are allowed on each
media. This allows the user to append a series of back
ups to one media.
GetBack also (optionally) stores the last 5 backup sets
in its C:\}H_DD_N{ directory (or optionally in the
directory specified by the environment variable GBK_LOG.
If you want these kept in a different directory, put the
following in your autoexec.bat file:
SET GBK_LOG=C:\MY_DIRECTORY
where MY_DIRECTORY is the full DOS directory
specification.
6 Backing Up
Before starting your backup, make sure that the following items
are correct in GetBack's status windows:
The Type of Backup - Full, Incremental, or Differential
To Compress or not to compress (should be ON)
To Verify or not to verify (should be ON)
The Include / Exclude specification
The archive status (should be CLEARED unless you are doing a
special backup or a Differential backup)
The Drive letter
The Media type
Once your program is completely configured, you may start
backing up your valuable data by selecting the Start Backup
option from the Main Menu. To verify everything is set up you
may desire to preview the backup by selecting the Preview
Backup option. At this point the backup engine takes control.
Once started, GetBack provides an estimate of the number of
disks used and the amount of data that will be backed up. It
also provides you the ability to see how far the backup is
along on the entire backup as well as on the individual disk.
This gives the ability to know if you can leave your machine
for a minute or two without dropping a second. GetBack will
not embarrass you by telling you how much time it takes to load
the floppies. Some of us fumble fingers would rather not know.
Should there be any errors during the backup, GetBack will
provide a comprehensive description of the error and a possible
remedy for the problem.
7 Restoring Data
In the unfortunate event that you need to restore some data
from a backup set, step one is to set up GetBack with all the
appropriate option. Before starting the restore (with the
Start Restore selection, make sure that the following options
are set correctly:
The Include / Exclude specification
The Drive letter
The Restore Overwrite warning option
Before starting you may also desire to do a preview of the
restore to see that every option is correctly stated. This can
be started from the Main Menu by selecting Preview Restore.
Both Start Restore and Preview Restore may offer you an
optional pick list of backup sets on a DOS media that allows
multiple backup sets. Selecting this backup set is performed
in the exact same way selecting a configuration file for
loading is performed.
Sometime it becomes necessary to view the files in a backup set
to see if they are the correct files. A preview will tell you
what files you are restoring but not any other details about
the files. View Backup Set provides the ability to obtain the
following about the files in a backup set:
Name
Extension
Path
Date Created
Time Created
Size of the File
