D_back FAQ

D_back software Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What tools this backup software offers for automation of data backup?
D_back distribution kit contains 3 independent programs which are intended to setup automatic backup on any computer running MS Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP operating systems. They are: Backup manager; command-line backup utility; backup scheduler.

Are created Zip files compatible with other Zip archivers?
Yes, they are absolutely compatible. You can use for unpacking any Zip compression software, for example WinZip or WinRar.

Is it possible to use another compression formats for data backup instead of built-in Zip?
Yes it is. If you're installed other file compressors on your computer, they can be used as well. Our backup software can be integrated with any external archivers supporting the command-line interface.

Is it possible to use CD or DVD for saving backups?
Yes, our software have CD burning engine which allow you to burn created backups to rewritable CD or DVD media. In addition there are 2 alternative ways for resolving this problem:

Using UDF format. In this case rewritable CD or DVD can be used as a usual removable storage media without any limitations.
Using command-line utilities for burning CD. For example Nero - Burning Rom toolkit includes the NeroCmd utility for burning in a command-line mode. In this case the burning command should be specified at the OS commands sheet as an after command.

Why I see a wrong disc content after CD / DVD burning?
Windows does not refresh the CD / DVD content after burning until you reload your disc. D_back does not reload the medium after burning. That's why you will probably see a wrong CD content if you try to check your disc without reloading (however it does not mean that data were not burned). To refresh a CD / DVD file system you must reload the medium by hand.

How to schedule unattended data backup?
There are two steps to perform automatic backup:

First of all create and test your backup profile with the backup manager program (d_backm.exe).
Create a new job in the backup scheduler program (scheduler.exe) and specify startup of your profile by the command-line backup utility.

I have just installed D_back and launch backup scheduler. I see that Scheduler service status is Unactive. What does it mean?
It means that scheduler service is not installed and is not active. When you installing D_back the scheduler service is not installed by default. The installation depends on the system you run. Please see the Installing scheduler service chapter of the help file for details.

I have launched sched_srv.exe but nothing had happened. What is this program for?
The sched_srv.exe is the scheduler service program, which runs in a background mode and executes jobs which have been defined by the Jobs Manager in jobs profile (scheduler.ini file). You don't need to start it manually. This program must be installed as a windows NT service (WinNT/XP/2000) or located in the startup folder (Win95/98/Me). See chapter Scheduler Service of the help file for details.

How temporary to disable all scheduled tasks on my computer?
The best way is to stop scheduler service. To do this - launch Jobs Manager (scheduler.exe) and choose menu Options-->Stop Service. The indication at the Jobs Manager's main window shows the current service status.

What compression level is the most optimal for Zip format?
We tested this backup software on various kinds of data, and have arrived at a conclusion, that the optimum is 7. This compression level (default value) is the most suitable for any data. It gives good compression ratio and fast speed.

Is it possible to include files from LAN and FTP simultaneously in the same backup profile?
There are no any limits for ftp backup. You can include files from personal workplace; any network resource; any FTP sites in the same backup simultaneously.

I am using DialUp to access my FTP. What happen if the connection will be broken during uploading backup?
Since version 1.50 we considerably improved upload to FTP algorithm in our software. In this case the program first of all does a pause, then tries to restore dialup connection, and if connection successful then it undertakes attempt to resume uploading from the broken point. There may be several such upload attempts. All settings - pause, number of retries, are specified while creating backup profile.

Is it possible to verify backup uploaded to FTP?
If you have closely examened the program's backup to ftp feature then you may have noticed a verify column with checkboxes in the table of ftp destinations. If you set the verify checkbox then uploaded archive will be just downloaded back and compared with the original one. The warning message will be generated if the files differ.

I am trying to backup data from remote FTP and my DialUp connection fail. What will happen?
Our software have reliable algorithm to resume broken downloads. The program does a pause, tries to restore connection, and then tries to resume download of the current file (if possible) from the broken point.

How the date of last backing up in the INCREMENTAL backup is determined?
It is the date-time stamp of the last created zip file of incremental backup.

What is the main difference between incremental and differential backups?
The incremental backup saves several intermediate versions of files which have been modified or created since the last backing up, the differential backup saves files which are not included in the full backup (newly created or added files) or which are differ from the same files in the full backup.

How to backup files, which have been modified today?
Choose backup type = "Simple"; check the "To backup files with the date modification in the specified interval only"; select FromDate = "Today".

How to define default transfer type for files without extensions while backing up from FTP?
Use *. file mask to specify all files without extensions. Put this string either to Binary or Text file lists (see ftps.ini file).

How to backup my data every day and to keep at the end of each month the last backup copy unchanged?
Use macro in a backup file name. For example if you set the backup file name as "B_$YYYY_$MON", then in September the last created file will be named as B_2003_Sep.zip. At October, the again created backup file will be named as B_2003_Oct.zip.

Is it possible to create a single backup file larger than 4 Gb or containing more than 64K files?
Yes. You can compress up to 2 147 483 647 files into an archive. Uncompressed, Compressed, and Archive file sizes can be up to 2^63-1 bytes in length (at about 18 million terabytes). If a zip file does not extend beyond any of the PKZIP 2.04g limitations (4Gb / 65535 files) then the archive is created in old zip format, according to the PKZIP 2.04g zip file specification.

I am trying to use new external compressor for data backup. When backup job is started, nothing happens and program is waiting for something.
There is a good idea to use debug mode to check the command string. Try to launch compressor manually with this string. May be this program is waiting for some input data. For example unregistered trial version of wzzip (WinZip command-line Add-On) is waiting for any key before data processing is started.

How to check up the file lists passed to the external compression program?
Use debugging mode. If debugging is ON, then all file lists will be saved to the temporary directory. Their names are flist_NN, where NN is a sequence number.

What Is the debugging mode for?
The debugging mode will help you to get extended diagnostics. Moreover some temporary files and directories, created during data processing will not be deleted. It may be useful for testing and creating bug reports to contact with the developer.

I have scheduled unattended data backup on my server system. Is it possible to notice me about any errors occurred during the data processing?
All diagnostic messages are registered in backup log file, so you can check it at any time. Another excellent feature will be available to you if you're using e-Mail. In this case D_back can be configured to send you e-Mail alerts on errors or warning conditions.

Is it possible to use d_back to back up databases?
Yes it is. Here is A practical example of using D_back to back up Oracle DataBase.


07-August-2008	Home \| FAQ