6-2: Using Version Control

Introduction to BounceBack Version Control

Note: This feature is only available with BounceBack Professional

BounceBack users now have the ability to go back in time and access all files and folders on any date in the past that a backup took place. Agreements, reports, designs, presentations¾any file can be rolled back to an older version. This gives you the power to actually change the past and recreate the future. Take full advantage of this feature by setting up version control and using the BounceBack Version Administrator.

Knowledge of the following topics is required to successfully utilize version control with the BounceBack software.

Creating Version Control Sets

Backing Up Version Control Sets

Running the BounceBack Version Administrator

Accessing and Restoring Versions

Deleting Versions

Creating Version Control Sets

To create your first version control backup set, use the following steps:

1. Start BounceBack Settings.

2. From the Backup tab click the Add Set button.

3. Click Add Item from the Backup Set dialog and select the data you would like Bounceback to maintain versions of. See Customized Backups for more information.

Important: It’s highly recommended that ONLY data files which need version control be included in a Version Set. The versioning process is lengthier than that of a normal backup set, which is better suited for large backups such as the entire boot drive. Folders such as “My Documents” are ideal for versioning.

Note: A Versioned Backup Set can only backup data to a single drive letter on the backup drive. If you wish to have multiple backup destinations for your version files, you must create a new version set for each backup drive.

Note: A Versioned Backup Set can ONLY backup to the root of a drive on the backup drive. Backing up versions into sub-folders is not allowed.

4. Click the Versioning radio button.

5. Click OK. You’ve just created your first Versioning Set.

Note: Using the Auto-Launch option will launch the versioning process each time the backup drive is connected.

Backing Up Version Control Sets

You can start creating versions of the data in your version control set by launching a backup. The number of versions you can maintain for any file is limited only by the amount of disk space on the backup drive. Each time a backup is launched a new version of every changed file in the version set will be created. The versioning process is limited however, to one new version per hour. If two backups are launched in the same hour, the version of each changed file during the second backup will be updated to the first backup version during the backup process. Once the clock passes the top of the hour, a new version will be created if a new backup is launched. This is required because the versioning process can potentially take up a large amount of disk space on the backup drive.

By default, version control sets will be launched each time a backup is launched along with any other backup sets you may have created. If you wish to have your version control sets launched at specific times, you can set a separate schedule for any or all of the backup sets you create. By utilizing the auto-Launch option in the BounceBack Settings program, version control sets can be setup to launch each time the backup drive is connected. If your backup drive is always connected to your computer, you can also schedule the version process to launch on a daily or monthly schedule. If at any time you wish to temporarily disable the versioning process of any set, simply disable the set in BounceBack Settings. For more information on scheduling, see Scheduling Backups.

Running the BounceBack Version Administrator

Accessing or restoring older files requires the use of the BounceBack Version Administrator. This is the ONLY method you should use to access your versioned backup data. There are two ways to run the Version Administrator:

1. Click the BounceBack Launcher icon and select BounceBack Version Administrator. If BounceBack Version Administrator does not appear in the launcher menu, then you have not created a valid version control set.

2. Click the Start button, Programs, BounceBack Backup, and select BounceBack Version Administrator.

After completing a backup, the BounceBack Version Administrator display should look something like this:

Window Panes

Version Pane

The version pane appears on the left side of the display and allows the user to select and view the current version backup by date. By default, this window displays dated version tabs at the top of the version pane corresponding to the last 5 backup versions for this data set. Clicking the different tabs will display your data as it existed on that date. By changing the window view to display a version list, all backup versions on the backup drive (not just the last 5) will be displayed as a list of dated items. Clicking the dates in this list will display your data as it existed on that date.

Data Pane

The data pane appears on the right side of the display and allows the user to view the actual files and folders in each version backup. Double-clicking a file will open it with the default program for that file type. Double-clicking a folder will open that folder and re-display its contents in the Data Pane. When the Data Pane is displayed in detailed mode (the default mode), the filename, file size, status, file type, and modification date is displayed for each file. The status value represents a comparison of each file with that of the original file on the source drive. The status can be any one of the following:

Unchanged – this version of the file is the same as the original source file

Older – this version of the file is older than the original source file

Newer – this version of the file is newer than the original source file

Deleted – the original source file has been deleted

Title Bar

The Title Bar of each window in BounceBack Version Administrator displays the current backup set being displayed along with the date it was backed up.

Tool Bar

The tool bar in BounceBack Version Administrator contains the following items:

Version Info Button

The Version Info button displays the number of versions in the current backup set and the date of the last backup. To switch to another backup set, use the Backup Set pull-down.

Properties Button

The Properties button displays information about the currently selected item(s) in the Version and Data pane windows. It can display info for drives, files, or folders.

Remove Button

The Remove button removes (deletes) all versions preceding the currently selected version backup. See Deleting Versions for more information.

Restore Button

The Restore button restores the currently selected files and folders to the path displayed in the Restore Path pull-down. See Accessing and Restoring File Versions for more information.

Backup Set Pull-Down

The backup set pull-down lists each versioned backup set you create. You can navigate to any of the listed backup sets by selecting it. Each version window you open from the Window menu can independently view any backup set and version that’s backed up to the backup drive.

Note: The Backup Set pull-down is only useful if you create more than one version set in the BounceBack Settings program.

Restore Path Pull-Down

The Restore Path pull-down indicates where files and folders you restore with the Restore button should be copied to. By default, the selected data is restored back to its original location on the source drive. You can use the Browse option in the pull-down to choose a re-directed location such as the desktop to restore to. The program will automatically remember the last ten restore paths you select the next time you restore data.

Status Bar

The status bar at the bottom of the Version Administrator is divided into two sections. The first displays the currently selected backup path in the Version Pane, the second displays the number of items selected (highlighted) in the Data Pane.

Accessing and Restoring File Versions

BounceBack Version Administrator can be used as a means to not only view your data as it existed on a prior date, but also provides powerful tools to restore prior file versions.

Accessing Files

Version Administrator has the ability to display multiple versions of the same backup set at the same time. You can even view versions from other backup sets you create at the same time. The following example demonstrates this:

1. Start BounceBack Version Administrator.

2. Click Window, then New Version Tab Window.

3. Click Window, then Tile.

4. Navigate to the data you wish to view in both Version Windows.

In the above example, the same file from different versions is highlighted in each Version Window. Double-clicking each file would open Microsoft Word and allow the user to view the contents of both file versions.

Restoring Files

BounceBack Version Administrator can restore files from any version backed up to the backup drive quickly and easily. The steps to restore data are as follows:

1. Start BounceBack Version Administrator.

2. Click the dated Version Tab corresponding to the date you wish to restore files from.

3. Navigate the folder tree in the Version Pane window to locate the parent folder containing the file versions to restore.

4. Select the files and/or folders to restore in the Data Pane window.

Note: If you wish to restore your data to a folder other than the original location, use the Restore Path pull-down and Browse for the new location to restore your data.

5. Click the Restore button. Your data will be restored to the location indicated in the Restore Path pull-down.

6. At the Restore Files window you have the following Restore Options:

Overwrite Existing Files Without Asking – this option will overwrite any corresponding files that already exist with the same name in the Restore Path with the files you select for restore

Prompt before Overwriting – this option will prompt you and ask if you want to overwrite any files in the Restore Path with the same name

Do Not Overwrite Existing Files – this option will only overwrite files in the Restore Path which do not have a corresponding file with the same name

Select the Restore Option and click OK.

7. The Restore Statistics displays the size and number of files and folders you have chosen to restore, along with the disk space available at the Restore Location. Click Continue to begin the restore process.

Deleting Versions

From time to time, you may wish to remove (delete) old backup versions. By clicking the Remove button, you can permanently remove old versions from the backup drive that you no longer need. You select which versions to remove according to the currently selected date in the Version Pane. When using the Version Tab window (default), all versions prior to the currently selected tab will be removed. When using the Version List Window, all versions prior to the currently selected list entry will be removed.

Important: When performing the Remove command, ALL prior versions will be deleted up to but not including the currently selected version. Version Administrator cannot remove versions in the middle of the version list.

The following example demonstrates a Remove operation to delete old versions. In this example, we clicked New Version List Window from the Window menu first.

6-3: Using BounceBack QuickRestore

Note: This feature is only available with BounceBack Professional

Running BounceBack QuickRestore

BounceBack QuickRestore provides a convenient method of accessing or restoring files from the backup drive. This is not the only method you can use to access your data however. Because BounceBack Backup transfers your data in native file format, any program such as My Computer or Windows Explorer can be used to recover data from the backup drive. There are 3 ways to run BounceBack QuickRestore:

1. Click the BounceBack Launcher icon and select BounceBack QuickRestore.

2. Click the Start button, Programs, BounceBack Backup, and select BounceBack QuickRestore.

3. Click on the QuickRestore shortcut icon on your desktop.

After completing a backup, the BounceBack QuickRestore display should look something like this:

Each of the items in BounceBack QuickRestore is explained below:

Window Panes

Folder Pane

The folder pane appears on the left side of the display and allows the user to navigate the drives and folders contained in the backup. A BounceBack icon

next to a folder indicates the starting location of a backup item from the source drive.