OS/2 Shareware BBS: Backup/Backup.zip/dtb.zip/dtb.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 2000-01-21 | 47KB | 684 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. DTB - DeskTop Backup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

DeskTop Backup is a simple tool that works with InfoZip's Zip and Unzipsfx to
build a self-extracting zipfile containing your essential desktop and other
configuration information. Restoring a backup can be as easy as booting from a
disk and executing the backup archive.

There are no great and deep mysteries concerning it's use and one can do the
same work from the command line along with the InfoZip utilities. DeskTop
Backup merely makes it a bit more automated and will help you decide what files
may be important to archive.

DeskTop Backup will also let you schedule your backup procedures automatically
by number of days between backups or by day of the week. The automatic backup
feature works at every bootup sequence to check if a backup is needed and if
so, it will proceed with whatever backup procedure is called for depending on
your settings.

In general, your backup procedure with DeskTop Backup might be:

o   Select a drive to archive information from.
o   Select a name for the archive.
o   Have DeskTop Backup make suggestions as to what files are available on the
    chosen drive that may be important in relation to your setup or desktop.
o   Delete any files from the suggested listing that you will not require in
    your archive.
o   Add any other files that you may wish to archive on the selected drive.
o   Press the "Build" button and let it work.

To recover your desktop or configuration files you need only:

o   Boot from a boot disk.
o   Execute the backup archive in the root directory of the drive you are
    recovering.
o   Reboot normally.

DeskTop Backup will save all of your backup information when a backup is
performed or you can save several distinctive backup setups to be performed on
call or automatically. It will also still scan the chosen drive for existence
of the files listed when a setup is loaded just in case there have been changes
since the last running. (new configuration files may have appeared or possibly
some are missing since the last run)

You can also save multiple archive setups and recall them at will as well as
setting the scheduler to run automatically at startup to archive by "days
between archives" or "day of the week".

So you might be aware, here are some Pro's and con's. relating to the use of
DeskTop Backup.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Information on Controls ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Information on Controls

Double-Click on any control in the graphic to see it's help page or select from
the list below.

o   BootDrive
o   Archive filename
o   Archive name
o   Last Archive date
o   List suggested files to archive
o   Tool icons
o   Build backup
o   Progress indicator
o   Info line
o   Browse buttons
o   File Listings
o   Settings notebook
o   Exit program


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. File Listings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

File Listings

The File Listings container shows all the configuration or desktop files
available on the BootDrive that were found while scanning and any files you
have selected.

The File Listings container shows configuration or desktop files that will be
archived. You can scan the drive for Suggested files and if you wish to archive
other items that are not listed from the drive scan you may add them by
pressing the Add files button and selecting them from the file dialog. The same
methods work for adding directories.

DeskTop Backup will always save these "extra" files and directories when you do
an archive manually or if you add them from the  Settings notebook you may
selectively save them or will be prompted to do so when you close the notebook.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. BootDrive ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

BootDrive

The BootDrive entry field is where you will enter what drive you would like to
archive information from. It is possible to archive information from any drive
on your system. If you have another drive visible that you boot from
occasionally (a maintenance partition for example) it is simply a matter of
selecting it, scanning it, adding your "extra" files and archiving your
selection of files from it.

You may also want to backup configuration files from another partition. The way
this system works you will build a separate archive for each partition you will
be saving configuration files on. Suppose your "MPTN" and "TCPIP" directories
are on drive "H" and you want to archive their configurations. You would start
a new backup archive for the "H" drive and add all the files you want from the
"H" drive to the listing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Archive filename ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Archive filename

The Archive name is the actual name you want for the self-extracting exe that
will hold your backup information. The name must be a fully qualified filename
(Drive, path and name) and will be automatically adjusted to have an "exe"
extension.

It is suggested (but not required) that you build the archive in the root of
the boot drive you are backing up. The archive will need to be run from there
if it is needed and having it easily locatable may save some work for you.

It is usually best to use a descriptive name on the backup archive denoting the
drive name and possibly the date. Doing this will also enable you to keep 2 or
3 versions of backups if you desire.

Warning: Because of the nature of this program, older archives in are
overwritten by default. If you wish to save an old archive you must move or
rename it or it will be lost. This shouldn't be an issue for most as it is much
less of a pain to save one once in a while rather than always having to confirm
an overwrite.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.4. Archive name ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Archive name

The archive name field holds a descriptive name of the setup that you are
using. You may save as many setups as you want under different names by
changing the name in this field. Setups are saved under this name automatically
whenever you build an archive and can be recalled later.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.5. Last Archive date ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Last Archive date

Shows the date of the last archive built with DTB.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.6. List suggested files to archive ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

List suggested files to archive

Pressing the "List suggested files to archive" button will start a DeskTop
Backup scan of your selected drive. The program will seek out standard
configuration files like your "Desktop" directory and system "ini" files that
are present on your system and list them in the File Listings container.

The scan takes only seconds and after the scan is complete you may decide that
some of the files are of no importance to you. If so, you may highlight them in
the listbox and press the <delete> key to remove them from the listing and thus
the backup.

The scan looks for a list of files that may be on an average system. The list
includes:

o   Your "Desktop" directory
o   The OS2.ini and OS2SYS.ini files
o   WarpCenter configuration files
o   The config.sys and autoexec.bat files
o   Some startup (cmd) files
o   WinOS2 configuration files
o   Networking files

If you notice any important files missing from the scan please let us know.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.7. Tool icons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Tool icons


The tool icons are, from left to right:

o   Add files - Opens the file dialog to add any file to the listing for archival.

o   Add files by filter - Opens the file filter dialog where you may add files
    by filter to the listing for archival. Examples are included when the
    filter dialog opens.

o   Add directories - Opens the directory selection container to add any
    directory to the listing for archival.

o   Settings - Opens the  Settings notebook for management of all archive
    setups including the scheduling window for "AutoStart" capabilities.

o   Help - Opens the online help.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8. Build backup ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Build backup

The "Build backup" button will begin the process of gathering all of your
information and building the archive accordingly.

Once you have made your selections and are satisfied that it is as you like it
you may press the "Build" button and let it work. The text over the progress
indicator will keep you abreast of what is happening and there will be a small
beep when the build is completed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.9. Progress indicator ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Progress indicator

The Progress indicator is just a gauge to watch while the build progresses. It
updates with each new file that is being worked on as well as each directory.
The File listing will also highlight each file or directory that is being
archived.

Because of the way the zip file is built, all files are added first and any
directories are added later. The progress indicator does not update during the
addition of a directory structure but will advance once each directory
structure is completed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.10. Browse buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Browse buttons

The Browse buttons merely open the file dialog to assist you in searching for
the archive name you wish to use or to load a different setup files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.11. Info line ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Info line

This text will keep you informed of what files are being archived at any given
time as well as showing help tips when the mouse pointer moves over a control.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.12. Exit program ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Exit program

Pretty much self-explanatory...


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Settings and the setup notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Settings and the setup notebook

o   Manage archives
o   Naming convention
o   File listing
o   AutoStart
o   Redundancy storage
o   Zip and Unzipsfx Location


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Manage archives ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Manage archives

This is where you will make selections on what setup to work with and can save
or delete setups.

o   Save/Add setup - After the settings in the settings notebook are to your
    liking for a setup you may "Add" it to your database or "Save" it over
    another an old setup with the same name.

o   Delete setup - To remove a setup from your database you will need to select
    it from the combobox and after doing so this button will remove it from
    your database.

o   If you have made changes to a setup, this button will load those changes
    into the main window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Naming convention ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Naming convention

DeskTop Backup will save your archive based on a name you specify ("Static
name" like CDrive or DriveD) or it will name your backups with a date based
name. If you want to use "Static name" you'll need to enter the name in the
field provided.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. File listing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

File listing

The file listing page has a somewhat hidden option. There are two radio buttons
for "Show files" and "Show directories". When these buttons are clicked they
will cause their particular listing to show in the listbox. Depending on what
listing is showing, you will see either a file dialog or a directory container
when clicking "Add to list". "p.You may add or delete files or directories from
this page.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. AutoStart ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

AutoStart

DeskTop Backup can be setup very easily to do scheduled backups. You can:

o   Do backups "on demand" which means that there is no automatic backup and
    you will start DTB and do the backups from the main program only.

o   Do backups based on number of days between backups such as: do a backup
    every seven days.

o   Do backups based on the day of the week.

You can have multiple setups and they can all be set individually to do backups
the way you specify them on this page.

When doing backups based on "Number of days between backups", DTB will
recognise that more than "x" number of days (7 days for example) have passed if
you didn't boot on the 7th day and still do the backup.

If you run your machine continuously without a shutting down the system, DTB
will not have the opportunity to be started periodically and keep your required
backup schedule. It is possible to start the "AutoStart" functions of DTB by
calling it's "AutoStart" object from a chron type program. The object name to
call is <DTB_AUTOSTART>. Calling this object once a day (at midnight for
example) is all that is needed as DTB will know automatically once it is
started if it has duties to perform and what the duties may be at any given
time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Redundancy storage ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Redundancy storage

The Redundancy storage page lets you indicate how many backup generations you
would like to save in case of catastrophe.

As your backup is updated, the old backup is moved to a subdirectory of the
same name as your setup. It is also renamed to indicate the date on which it
was made. The name is a sortable numeric version of the date actually. It is
"year-month-day" and thus January 1 1999 (1999-01-01) would be "19990101.exe".
By the same token January 1 2000 (2000-01-01) would be "20000101.exe".

DTB will place as many generations in the storage directory as you indicate in
the spin button on this page. The oldest generations are always deleted to make
room for the newer ones.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Zip and Unzipsfx Location ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Zip and Unzipsfx Location

The Zip and Unzipsfx Location entry fields are for the locations of InfoZip's
zip.exe and unzipsfx.exe. DeskTop Backup tries to locate them on startup so
they may already be entered for you but if they are not, you'll need to
"browse" for them.

Be sure you are using version 2.2 of the InfoZip "Zip" utilities. If the
version that is found or the one you browse for is not version 2.2, the entry
field will remain blank and you will not be able to use the setup tool to build
archives. The reason it needs to be 2.2 has to do with the way the archives
central-directories are adjusted when they are built.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Desktop recovery options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Desktop recovery options

Your archive is always built to unzip from the root of the drive you archived
the information from. This means that when it is executed, it will unzip into
the proper directories automatically. There are no provisions for unzipping
from a remote location although it can be done if you know your way around
Unzip.

For the purposes of this discussion we will use "Cdrive.exe" as the archive
name we will be using to recover the mythical "C" drive in our example.

ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
General recovery (easy):

o   Boot to a command prompt using your preprepared boot disks or with your
    OS/2 installation disks.
o   Execute your "Cdrive.exe" file in the root directory of the "C" drive (the
    drive it was built from) by typing:

        Cdrive

o   Reboot normally
ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
General recovery with corrupted desktop recovery included:

o   Boot to a command prompt using your preprepared boot disks or with your
    OS/2 installation disks.
o   Rename or delete the "Desktop" directory. We suggest renaming it until you
    have fully recovered. So, from the root of the boot drive you would type:

        ren desktop desktop1

o   Execute your "Cdrive.exe" file in the root directory of the "C" drive (the
    drive it was built from) by typing:

        Cdrive

o   Reboot normally
ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
Corrupted desktop recovery only (no other files included):

o   Boot to a command prompt using your preprepared boot disks or with your
    OS/2 installation disks.
o   Rename or delete the "Desktop" directory. We suggest renaming it until you
    have fully recovered. So, from the root of the boot drive you would type:

        ren desktop desktop1

o   Execute your "Cdrive.exe" file in the root directory of the "C" drive (the
    drive it was built from) by typing:

        Cdrive desktop\*

o   Reboot normally

Use "Cdrive *\" if you only want the directories and no files (or templates)
that may be in them. ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
Recovery of INI files only:

o   Boot to a command prompt using your preprepared boot disks or with your
    OS/2 installation disks.
o   Execute your "Cdrive.exe" file in the root directory of the "C" drive (the
    drive it was built from) with the -C *.ini parameter by typing:

        Cdrive -C *.ini

o   Reboot normally
ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
Recovery of INI and CFG files only:

o   Boot to a command prompt using your preprepared boot disks or with your
    OS/2 installation disks.
o   Execute your "Cdrive.exe" file in the root directory of the "C" drive (the
    drive it was built from) with the -C *.ini and *.cfg parameters by typing:

        Cdrive -C *.ini *.cfg

o   Reboot normally
ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
General recovery to another location using "unzip.exe":

o   Execute "unzip.exe" on the Cdrive.exe file that is located in root
    directory of the "C" drive (the drive it was built from) and make it
    extract itself in the f:\backup directory with the -d parameter by typing:

        unzip -d f:\backup cdrive.exe

ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ
Recovery of "hidden files" while keeping their "hidden" attributes.
(os2ldr os2boot etc.)

o   Execute "unzip.exe" on the Cdrive.exe file that is located in root
    directory of the "C" drive (the drive it was built from) and make it
    extract only the os2* files while recovering their "hidden" attributes by
    typing:

        unzip -C cdrive.exe os2*

ΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇΓöÇ

There are a couple of things to remember about recovering your configurations
and also some tips or tricks to help you recover only selected parts.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Notes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Notes

o   It is best to use a descriptive name on the backup archive denoting the
    drive name and possibly the date.
o   Always execute the backup archive from the root directory that the files
    belong to.
o   For best results when restoring a backup, make sure you are booted from a
    floppy.
o   Don't forget that "Unzip" will operate on your archive also. This allows
    you much more control over the contained files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Tips and tricks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Tips

It is possible to extract only certain files if you need to.

To extract just directory structures only (your desktop directory, for example)
from a backup called "Archive.exe" you would issue this command:

Archive.exe *\

To extract "ini" files only you would issue this command:

Archive.exe -C *.ini

The "-C" (upper case "C") tells the archive to unzip the files
case-insensitively otherwise you would only get files that had a lower case or
an upper case "ini" depending on what you used in the parameter.

To extract more than one type of file you would issue this command:

Archive.exe -C *.ini *.cfg *.bak

You can continue to list more types (filters) as needed.

You can use "unzip.exe" to test or extract files as needed also. For example:

unzip -t Archive.exe

This command would "T"est the archive.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Pros and cons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Pros and cons

What follows are some realistic reasons you may or may not want to use this
program.

The cons:

o   You can only backup files from one drive per archive and easily restore
    them. (not impossible but just easier) Important files on other drives are
    most easily backed up and restored by having separate archives for each
    drive.
o   Desktop directory attributes are saved but are not overwritten when
    unarchiving over an existing Desktop directory. To recover each directory's
    extended attributes you will need to rename or delete the existing desktop
    directory that is being restored and then execute the archive. You can also
    execute the archive with the "*\" parameter if you want to extract only the
    desktop directory structure and no other files. example:

        archive.exe *\

    This will unarchive the directory entries only from a backup file called
    "archive.exe".
o   You must boot from a boot disk in most cases when restoring files as there
    will be a few that will be locked while the partition is active.
o   Restoring selected files only, is possible but is command line only for
    now. We will try to add some examples in the tips and tricks section.
o   We have not added the ability to change fonts or colors yet.

The pros:

o   Scans your bootdrive so you don't forget any important files.
o   Allows you to decide what is backed up and what is discarded.
o   Allows you to select other important files to archive for your desktop.
o   AutoStart will allow scheduled backups.
o   Using the Zip format saves space needed to backup your desktop.
o   Using the Zip format gives you the quality assurance that the InfoZip group
    is world renowned for.
o   Rescans your bootdrive and checks if any important files have appeared or
    disappeared since your last backup.
o   Allows you to have a more detailed backup of your desktop and configuration
    than the standard OS/2 "Archive" feature allows.
o   If the backup archive is left in the root directory of the drive it is
    intended for it is easy to find and execute at recovery time.
o   Saves your "other important files" information from your last backup and
    adds them to the listing for you.
o   You can backup other visible drives that have systems on them even though
    they may not be active. I have another OS/2 system on drive "D" on one
    machine that is visible when I am booted to "C", for example. I can make
    backups of either drive from either system.
o   You can actually use DTB to backup anything on any drive. Maybe you have a
    development directory that you want backed up while you make changes to a
    program. You can always revert back to the programs original condition as
    it was at the time of the last backup by deleting or renaming its'
    directory and executing your backup to rebuild the directories and files as
    they once were.
o   Point and click configuration including an easy-to-do AutoStart setup.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Ordering ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

DeskTop Backup (DTB)

DTB is shareware. You may use DTB for 30 days for evaluation purposes only.
After the 30 day trial period you must either register it with the author or
delete it from your system and discontinue use of it. Registration entitles you
to the latest version of DTB and technical support. To avoid having old
versions of this software floating around, this version of DTB has an
expiration date built in.

Commercial environments and government agencies must inquire on registration or
site licensing deals.

$15 registers the most recent version for online delivery (email attachment),
gives you tech support and low cost upgrades. All documentation is online.

You can order DTB online from BMT Micro (http://www.bmtmicro.com/) for quick
service from almost anywhere in the world.

BMT is a full service order desk. They accept many forms of payment (credit
cards etc.) and can give you same day service via email.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. License ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

License Agreement

For the purposes of this agreement the program "DTB" or "DeskTop Backup" will
be referred to as DTB.

o   DTB is not public domain software, nor is it free software, it is user
    supported.

o   Non-registered users are granted a limited license to use DTB on a trial
    basis for the purpose of determining whether it is suitable for their
    needs.  Use of DTB, except for this limited purpose, requires registration.

o   Use of non-registered copies of DTB beyond a 30 day evaluation period by
    any person, business, corporation, governmental agency or other entity or
    institution is strictly forbidden.

o   Use of registered copies of DTB by any business, corporation, governmental
    agency or other entity or institution is strictly forbidden without prior
    licensing arrangements and written consent of the author.

o   Registration grants a user the right to use DTB only on a single computer
    unless prior arrangements are made with the author. A registered user may
    use the program on a different computer, but may not use the program on
    more than one computer at the same time.

o   In a commercial or government environment DTB is licensed by each desktop
    (individual computer or workstation) that it serves.

o   You may not modify DTB in any way, including but not limited to,
    decompiling, disassembling or otherwise reverse engineering the program.

o   All users are granted a limited license to copy the unregistered version of
    DTB only for the trial use of others subject to the above limitations. The
    following limitations also apply:

    -   DTB must be copied in unmodified form, complete with the file
        containing license and ordering information.

    -   The full documentation for DTB must be included in the archive.

    -   No fee, charge or other compensation may be accepted or requested by
        any licensee beyond a reasonable price for the media DTB is transferred
        on.

    -   Operators of electronic bulletin board systems and internet web/ftp
        sites may post the unregistered version of DTB for downloading by their
        users as long as the above conditions are met.

    -   Distributors of public domain or user supported software may distribute
        copies of the unregistered version of DTB subject to the above
        conditions.

DTB is a shareware product and can be registered through BMT Micro ($15.00) or
directly from PillarSoft.

DTB is copyright (C) 1999, PillarSoft


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. InfoZip ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

InfoZip

DeskTop Backup incorporates compression code from the Info-ZIP group into your
archive. There are no extra charges or costs due to the use of this code, and
the original compression sources are freely available from
http://www.cdrom.com/pub/infozip/ or ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/infozip/ on the
Internet.

DeskTop Backup searches for Infozip's "Zip.exe" and "Unzipsfx.exe" upon program
startup on new installations and are version checked for version 2.2. If you
wish to relocate them you will need to update the "Zip location" notebook page
with their new path in order to build any archives.