Select existing backup file to use

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Radiogram
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:25 pm
Location: Melb, Aus

Select existing backup file to use

Post by Radiogram »

Recently I used IFL's incremental backup feature for the first time.

When making an incremental backup image IFL needs an existing image file to reference.
Initially this will have to be a full backup image.
My practise has been to save incremental backup images in the same folder as parent full image.
After first incremental backup the folder contains two .tbi files: full backup and 'changes only' file.

When making a subsequent backup image is it possible to use a 'changes only' incremental backup file for IFL to reference?
Or should I keep referring IFL to the same full backup image?

Is it possible to have IFL refer to the most recent 'changes only' file each time creating a daisy chain of backup images referring back to on initial full backup?
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Select existing backup file to use

Post by Brian K »

Radiogram,

A changes only image based on a changes only image is an Incremental.
A changes only image based on a full image is a Differential.

Here are some scripts to create incrementals with IFW...

https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads ... ws.395254/

The base script to create differentials with IFW is "Sample Backup Batch Script 2 - Rotate based on count."...

https://www.terabyteunlimited.com/downl ... indows.htm
Radiogram
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:25 pm
Location: Melb, Aus

Re: Select existing backup file to use

Post by Radiogram »

Hello Brian,

Thank you for the nomenclature advice.

I take it that IFL/IFW has no trouble handling either Differential or Incremental backups.
It's just a question of the security or reliability of a given strategy.

I imagine a chain of incremental backup files would get increasingly risky with the addition of each extra link.
Should one file in the chain become corrupted a later in sequence backup would be toast.

My first differential backup of Ubuntu impressed me. Parent file was 6GB. Differential was 600MB.
That's a big saving of drive space.

I will check out the scripts you linked later.
Without formal computer training scripts are hard for me to get my head around.
It remains to be seen how my head handles the concepts in the reading.

Are there scripts that do the same jobs for IFL?

Awhile back I helped a Terabyte developer working on IFL with some testing. IFL didn't play nice with my then system. I tried several different IFL development versions to help him sort out the problem. That was the first time I had to use the linux command line. (Shout out to Tom Pfeiffer!) Ever since I have enjoyed the offline environment of IFL. Since that testing I have always found it robust and reliable. It is my go-to backup image tool. The only one I use from the TBI suite.

I think the testing my testing help was done in IFL 1.xx days. TBI worked wonders keeping the image size small enough to boot from floppy. Flashing to USB sticks means the whole package can be much bigger than it was in 1.xx days. Much more space to use, many more degrees of freedom now. In IFL 3.xx GUI is lush. Image backup completion is very fast. I continue to be impressed.
Brian K
Posts: 2214
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:11 am
Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Select existing backup file to use

Post by Brian K »

Radiogram wrote:

> Are there scripts that do the same jobs for IFL?
>

You can have one script for full backups and one script for subsequent differentials. I haven't seen IFL scripts for incrementals.

I do all my backups with IFW (scheduled), in the background. They occur while I'm working. I do restores with IFL.

> (Shout out to Tom Pfeiffer!)

He's retired. Sad. He helped me too.
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