Monster Media 1993 #2/Image.iso/os2/biaf100d.zip/DEMODISK.ZIP/BIAF.INF

OS/2 Help File | 1993-06-22 | 23KB | 559 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Notices ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This document is Copyright (C) 1993 by CCT, Inc.  No portion may be reproduced
without written permission of CCT, Inc.

Back In A Flash! is a trademark of CAD/CAM Technologies, Inc.

OS/2 and WorkPlace Shell are trademarks of the IBM Corporation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! is a powerful, easy-to-use backup utility for OS/2 2.1.
Taking advantage of OS/2's multithreaded architecture, Back In A Flash! can
back up a system with little or no noticeable performance degradation.  In
addition, Back In A Flash! provides the ability to completely restore a system
through the use of the command line restore utility.  In the event of a
disaster, one restoration step can restore the operating system, the desktop
configuration, the applications, and the data.  This is opposed to some other
utilities which require that the operating system be reloaded first before
restoring any applications and data.  Back In A Flash! is truely a complete
backup solution.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Minimum Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! requires an 80386SX or later PC, with at least 4MB of memory.
IBM OS/2 2.1 is required, and approximately 500K of disk space is required, and
at least one floppy diskette drive is needed to load the program onto the system.

Due to the memory used for buffering data during the backup and restore
process, at least 6MB of is recommended.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Supported Devices ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! supports many I/O devices for backup and restore.  In general,
any device which can be mounted to the OS/2 file system as a read/write device
should work.

Back In A Flash! has been tested with the following :
 5.25", 360K floppy diskette drive
 5.25", 1.2MB floppy diskette drive
 3.5", 720K floppy diskette drive
 3.5", 1.44MB floppy diskette drive
 3.5", 2.88MB floppy diskette drive
 3.5", 128MB IBM Magneto Optical R/W drive
 IBM LAN Server 2.0 LAN attached drive
 IBM LAN Server 3.0 LAN attached drive
 IBM AS/400 PC Support shared folder (OS/2)
 SCO UNIX Network File System (NFS) attached drive
 IBM AIX NFS attached drive
 IBM TCP/IP for OS/2 NFS attached drive
 Novell Netware attached drive
 Local hard disk
 And more....


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Getting Started ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! has been designed so that it is easy to install.  To load Back
In A Flash! onto a system, simply insert the installation diskette into a
diskette drive (drive A:, for example), open an OS/2 window, and type A:INSTALL
and press enter.  The installation program will then be loaded.

Once the installation program has been loaded, click on the 'Ok' button on the
title screen to continue.  Next, verify that the default location is where Back
In A Flash! should be loaded on the system.  By default, the installation
program places Back In A Flash! onto the first drive on the system (usually
drive C:) in a directory called BCKFLASH.  If this is not correct, click on the
list button on the drive selection field to change the drive.  To change the
directory, click on the directory entry field and type in the name of the
directory where Back In A Flash! should be loaded.

When everything is correct, click on the Install button to install Back In A
Flash!, or on Cancel to abort the installation.

While Back In A Flash! is being installed, a window will be displayed that
shows which files are being installed. Once all the files are installed, a
folder will be created on the OS/2 desktop, and an icon for Back In A Flash!
will be created and placed inside the folder.  Also, several backup groups will
be created for the system and will be placed into the installation directory.

When the installation is complete, a window will be shown and the installation
program will terminate.  At this time, you may view the README file by clicking
on the View README File button, or exit the installation program by clicking on
the Exit button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Configuring Back In A Flash! ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! operates using backup groups.  These groups defines all the
characteristics of a backup operation such as file specification, where to
backup the files to, should compression be used, and so on.  Once a backup
group has been created, it can be easily changed at a later time and settings
in the group can also be temporarily overridden.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.1. Backup Groups Created by Installation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Several backup groups are automatically created by the installation program.
These backup groups are designed to provide a complete backup solution for the
system.  The groups that are defined are named DESKTOP, FULL, and INCRMENT.

The DESKTOP backup group is set up to backup all the information needed to save
the WorkPlace Shell desktop configuration and customization.  The background
colors, icon positions, folders, etc. are included in this backup group.

The FULL backup group is designed to backup the entire system, with the
exception of temporary files and the SWAPPER.DAT (OS/2 swap) file.  During the
backup, files in this group have their changed (archive) flag reset.  This is
done to allow the next group, INCRMENT, to backup only files which have been changed.

The INCRMENT backup group is designed to be used with the FULL group.  It is
essentially the same as the FULL group, but it backs up only files that have
been changed or created since the last FULL backup.

The FULL and INCRMENT backup groups are designed to be used together, and when
they are they can provide a complete backup strategy for an OS/2 system.  For
example,  the FULL group may be used only on the first day of the week.  This
will backup all the files on the system.  Then, every day for the rest of the
week, the INCRMENT group would be used to back up only changed files.  This
method saves time since only the changed files are backed up.  In the event of
a system crash, the FULL group would be restored first and then the INCRMENT
group would be restored.  This would bring the system up to date.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.2. Creating a New Backup Group ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! allows new backup groups to be defined quickly and easily.  To
add a new backup group, go to the Settings menu item on the main menu bar and
select the Groups menu item.

A window will be shown with a list of all defined groups.  Click on the Add...
button to add a new backup group to the list.

The Add Backup Group window will then be shown.  This is where all the
information about the backup group should be entered. Enter the name of the
backup group, along with a short description.  The include and exclude file
patterns specify which files should be backed up, and which files should be
excluded from the backup group.  Specify the backup device and the backup mode,
and enable or disable compression.

At any point in this process, on-line help is available via the F1 key, or by
clicking on the Help button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.3. Changing a Backup Group ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Once a backup group has been created, it may need to be modified to backup
additional files, backup to a different device, etc.  Back In A Flash! makes
this quick and easy to do.

To change an existing backup group, go to the Settings menu item on the main
menu bar, and select the Group menu item.  A window will be shown listing all
defined backup groups.  Select the group that needs to be changed, and click on
the Change... button.

The Edit Backup Group window will be shown with the information about the
backup group that was specified.  Changes to the backup group can now be made.
When the changes are complete, click on the Ok button to save the changes, or
click on the Cancel button to discard the changes.

On-line help is available throughout this process by pressing the F1 key, or by
clicking on the Help button with the mouse.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.4. Deleting a Backup Group ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If a backup group is no longer used, it can be quickly and easily removed from
the system.

To delete a backup group, go to the Settings menu item on the main menu bar and
select the Group menu item.  A window showing all defined backup groups will be shown.

Select the backup group to be deleted, and click on the delete key.  Back In A
Flash! will prompt for confirmation before deleting the group.

Note that if a backup group is deleted, any archives created as a result of
that group can still be restored at a later time.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.5. Activating a Backup Group ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A backup group must be activated before it can be used.  Activating a backup
group is quick and easy.

To activate a backup group, go to the Settings menu item on the main menu bar,
and select the Groups item.  A window showing all defined backup groups will be shown.

Select the group to be activated from the list and click on the Activate
button.  The selected group has now been activated, and the group name and
description should appear on the main window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.6. Setting the Default Group ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A single backup group may be marked as the default backup group.  This group is
the backup group that is automatically loaded by Back In A Flash! when it is
first executed.

To mark a group as the default backup group, go to the Settings item on the
main menu bar, and select the Groups menu item.  A window showing all defined
backup groups will be shown.

To mark a group as the default group, select the group from the list and click
on the Default Group checkbox.  That group is now the default backup group, and
will be automatically loaded by Back In A Flash! when it is run.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4.7. Other Options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! allows other parameters to be changed.  They can be accessed
from the Options item on the Settings menu item on the main menu bar.

Backup Priority
This governs the priority of the read/compression thread during a backup.  For
slower systems, this should be decreased.  If the backup device is starting and
stopping (waiting on more data), increase the backup priority.  Note that this
may have a slight slowdown effect on other applications running on the system.

I/O Block Size
This parameter limits how much data Back In A Flash! can buffer at one time.
Since 32 buffers are always allocated, the maximum amount of memory used for
buffering during backup can range from one megabyte (32K block size) up to four
megabytes (128K block size).  Systems with less than 8MB of memory or many
small files should use a block size of 64K or smaller.  Since the block size is
determined dynamically, blocks may never reach the size limit specified.  For
example, if a file is only 12K in length, 12K will be allocated for buffering
for that file even if the I/O Block Size is set to 128K.  The default setting
is 64K.

Lock Files
Back In A Flash! supports the backup of database and other files where
concurrency control is needed.  By enabling file locking, Back In A Flash! can
lock the file being backed up so that other application cannot write to it
while it is being backed up.  Other processes can always read the file being
backed up.  Additionally, the number of retries may be specified.  If a file
lock request fails, Back In A Flash! will retry the lock up to the number of
times specified.  Each retry times out after one second, so specifying 30
retries would cause Back In A Flash! to retry for up to 30 seconds. If no lock
is aquired, the file is skipped and the backup continues.  The default is to
not lock files.

Quick Format Diskettes
When this is checked, diskettes will automatically be quick-formatted during
backup, erasing any previous contents.  The default is to not automatically
quick format diskettes.



ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Starting a Backup Operation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Backups can be started either manually or via a scheduled or timed backup mode
in the group specification.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Starting a Manual Backup Operation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To start a backup operation, go to the File menu on the main menu bar, and then
select Backup from the file menu.

A window showing the files to be backed up, backup device, and other
information is shown.  Note that it may take a few moments for Back In A Flash!
to scan the system for all files that match the include file patterns.  While
the system is being scanned, the rest of the window is still active.  The
backup device may be changed, as well as the file eligibility.  If the active
group is not the group to be backed up, click on the list button on the group
name field, and select the correct group.

Once the file list has been build, files may be added or removed from the list
by selecting that file from the list and clicking on the Add or Remove button
underneath the file list.

Click on the Ok button to begin backing up the files, or click on Cancel to
abort the backup operation.

Once the backup operation has begun, a status window will show the progress of
the backup.  If the backup is being done with a removable device or floppy
diskettes, Back In A Flash! will prompt for each volume when the previous
volume becomes full.  Otherwise, if the device is non-removable and it runs out
of space, an error message will be generated.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Starting a Scheduled or Timed Backup Operation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Backup groups that have been defined with a scheduled or timed backup mode do
not need to be started manually by the operator.

For unattended backups to function, the backup group must be activated and the
automatic backup function must be enabled.

To enable automatic backups, go to the Settings item on the main menu, and
click on the Auto-backup Enabled item.  The Next Backup field on the main
window shows the time of the next backup, or 'Auto-backup Disabled' if
automatic backup is not enabled.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Starting a Restore Operation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! offers two methods for restoring files that have been
previously backed up.

The Restore option on the File menu allows files to be selectively restored
with an interface that has the same look and feel as the rest of Back In A
Flash!.  Using this restore method, all files can be restored or only a few
files can be selectively restored from an archive.

The command line utility allows files to be restored from a non-PM environment,
such as after booting from the first two OS/2 diskettes.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.1. Restoring Files - GUI ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! provides a GUI interface to the restore function, allowing
files to be selectively restored in a full GUI environment.

To restore files using the GUI interface, go to the File menu and select the
Restore menu item.

The log file for the active group will be used to build a list of files to
restore.  If the log file for the archive to be restored has been lost or
damaged, it must be rebuilt before a restore can be done by selecting the
<Build> item from the log list.

To restore all files in the list, click on the All Files button underneath the
file list, otherwise select the files to be restored from the list.  Multiple
files may be selected by dragging the cursor over the files to be restored, and
multiple selections can be made by holding down Ctrl while selecting files.

The Restore Device specifies the location of the archive file; the default is
diskette drive A:.

The Replace Files options govern what action should be taken if the file to be
restored already exists.  The default is to overwrite the file with that being
restored.  The other options are to keep the existing file, restore the file
only if the file being restored is newer than the file already on the system,
or prompt the operator for the action to take on a file-by-file basis.

To begin the restore operation, click on the Ok button.  To cancel the
operation, click on the Cancel button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6.2. Restoring Files - Command Line Utility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The command line restore utility, CCTREST.EXE, resides in the Back In A Flash!
directory and can be used to restore files to an OS/2 system in a
character-mode environment.  It is a more limited utility, since the intended
environment it would be used in is character mode OS/2 booted from the OS/2
install diskettes.  The command line restore will restore all files in an
archive.  The command format is

  cctrest [/o] <group> <location>

/o will cause CCTREST to overwrite any existing files.
<group> is the name of the backup group.
<location> is the full path to the archive files.

Note that CCTREST also requires CCTCMP01.DLL for execution.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Verifying an Archive ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

After a group of files has been backed up, the archive can be verified to
ensure its integrity.

To verify an archive, go to the File menu on the main menu bar and select the
Verify option.

Enter the name of the group to be verified in the entry field and specify the
device.  If the name of the group is not known, specify the device first, and
then click on the list button on the archive name entry field.  A list of all
archive files on the device will be shown and can be used to select the archive name.

Two verification modes are available.  The Content Verification mode reads the
archive and compares the contents of the files in the archive to those on the
system.  This should be used after a backup operation to verify that all the
files were backed up correctly.  The integrity check is faster, but does not
compare the contents of the files in the archive and on the system.  It simply
ensures that the archive is in tact and is readable.

To begin the verification process, click on the Ok button, or click on the
Cancel button to cancel the procedure.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. About Log Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! uses Log Files to track which files are in an archive without
actually having the archive available.  The log file is kept as an ASCII text
file, and may be viewed or printed with any application that can read or print
ASCII files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Rebuilding a Log File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In the event that a log file becomes damaged or lost, it will need to be
rebuilt before the archive can be restored using the built-in restore feature
of Back In A Flash!.

To rebuild a log file, go to the Utilities menu item on the main menu bar, and
select the Rebuild Group Log item.

A window will be shown prompting the operator for the name and location of the
archive file.  Once these have been entered, click on the Ok button to start
the rebuild of the log file or click on Cancel to abort the operation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Viewing a Log File ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Log files may be viewed without leaving Back In A Flash!.

To view a log file, go to the Utilities menu on the main menu bar and select
the View Log menu item.  The log file for the active group will be loaded and
displayed.  To select a different log file, click on the list button on the
Group Logs entry field and select the log file from that list.

To print the log file, click on the Print button and select the printer where
the log should be printed.

To exit the log viewer, click on the Ok button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Technical Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Technical support is available Monday through Friday, 7am to 7pm CST at [phone].

CCT, Inc. also operates a bulletin board system (BBS) for Back In A Flash!
technical support.  To connect with the BBS, dial [phone] at up to 9600
bps.  The BBS is available 24 hours per day.

Before calling, please have the version numbers of Back In A Flash! and the
OS/2 operating system available.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Include File Patterns ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Include file patterns specify which files should be included in a backup.
Although a file pattern may specify only one file ('C:\CONFIG.SYS', for
example), file patterns usually make use of the OS/2 wildcard characters '*'
and '?'.  Since directory trees are included, it is very easy to backup an
entire directory or drive.  As an example, the include pattern 'C:\*' will
backup all files and directories on drive C:.  Up to 100 include file patterns
may be specified.

To add a file pattern, click on the Add button located underneath the include
file pattern list in the Add/Edit Backup Group window.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Exclude File Patterns ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Exclude File Patterns work in conjunction with the include file patterns to
exclude certain files or types of files from a backup.  Although a single file
may be specified ('C:\OS2\SYSTEM\SWAPPER.DAT', for example), file patterns
usually make use of the OS/2 wildcard characters '*' and '?'.  As an example,
if an include pattern of 'C:\*' was specified to backup all files and
directories on drive C:, an exclude pattern of 'C:\TEMP\*' would exclude all
files in the TEMP directory from being backed up.  Another common exclude file
entry would be '*.TMP', which excludes any file with an extention of '.TMP'.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> File Pattern Wildcards ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Two different wildcard characters can be used when specifying include or
exclude file patterns.

The '*' (asterisk) character signifies that any number of characters need not
match, as long as the rest of the pattern does match. For example, given the
pattern 'A*G', the following is true :

'AHDFG', 'AG', 'AH364G' all match 'A*G'.
'AJUDGH', 'HDAG', 'G' all do not match.


The '?' (question mark) character signifies that any character will match the
'?'.  This wildcard is for one postion only.  For example, given the pattern
'A?G', the following is true :

'ABG', 'A1G', 'A7G' all match.
'AG', 'AGB', 'JHG' all do not match.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> File Eligibility ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! can select files for backup based on whether or not they have
been changed since the last backup, if they are hidden, and if they are
system-related files.

To back up files that have been changed since the last backup, click on the
Changed Files button.  Otherwise, the default is All Files which signifies that
all files should be backed up regardless of whether they have been changed or
not.  Additionally, if the changed flag should be reset after the file has been
backed up, click on the Reset Changed Flag checkbox.

Hidden files are files that do not normally appear in a directory listing.
Files of this type are not normally backed up by Back In A Flash!, however, if
they should be included in a backup, click on the Hidden Files checkbox.

System files, such as the OS/2 kernal, are also excluded from a backup by
default.  If these files should be included in the backup, click on the System
Files checkbox.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Backup Devices ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! works with many different storage devices including diskette
drives, hard drives, LAN-attached drives, removable media devices such as
magneto optical devices, and more.

Floppy Diskette
To specify one of the diskette drives (drive A: or drive B:), click on the
appropriate button.

Removable Media
To specify a removable drive, such as an IBM magneto optical device, click on
the Removable button and specify the drive letter in the Drive & Path field.
Only the drive letter, colon, and backslash need to be entered.  For example,
if the removable device was designated as drive F:, then 'F:\' should be
entered into the entry field.

Hard Drive / LAN-attached Drive
To specify a hard disk or LAN-attached device for backup, click on the Hard/LAN
button and specify the full path where the archive files should be stored.  For
example, to place the archive files in a directory called BACKUP on drive D:,
'D:\BACKUP' should be entered into the drive and path field.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> Backup Modes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Back In A Flash! has three modes for initiating a backup: manual, scheduled,
and timed. These modes provide flexibility for protecting the system, since a
backup can be scheduled when the system is not in use or files can be backed up
on a continual basis.

Manual
This backup mode is the default mode; a backup will start only when explicitly
invoked by the user.  Group settings can be overridden with this mode as well.
For example, a different device may be specified or files may be added for
backup.  These changes are not permanent; the backup group definition is not altered.
To specify the manual backup mode, click on the Manual button in the Add/Edit
Backup Group window.

Scheduled
The scheduled mode works by starting a backup at a specified day and time.  For
example, scheduled mode can initiate a backup every Monday at 5:30pm or every
day at 2:00am.  To specify scheduled mode, click on the Scheduled button in the
Add/Edit Backup Group window.  A small window will be displayed. Specify the
day, hour, and minute at which the backup should occur.  When done, click on
the Ok button.

Timed
The timed backup mode works by initiating a backup at a specified interval.
For example, the system can be backed up every 30 minutes, every two hours,
every
twelve hours, or at any interval up to 23 hours and 59 minutes.  To specify the
timed backup mode, click on the Timed button in the Add/Edit Backup Group
window.  A small window will be displayed. Specify the number of minutes
between backups.  When done, click on the Ok button.