1. Validating File Operations with the Verify Command
The Verify
command is very simple. It's an on or off setting that you use to tell
the command processor how to interact with your files. Setting Verify
on forces the command processor to check every file that it writes for
errors before proceeding with the next file. However, using verify
exacts a significant performance penalty, so the default setting is to
have it off. The verify setting is a remnant from the early days of the
PC when hard drives were less reliable than they are now. This command
uses the following syntax:
VERIFY [ON | OFF]
Executing Verify
by itself will display the current verify setting status. Generally,
you'll keep the verify setting off unless you're copying files that
require absolute verification. For example, you might want to use this
setting when creating a disk for a presentation at work where errors
aren't tolerated.
2. Performing Backups with the WBAdmin Utility
The WBAdmin utility
provides you with considerably more functionality than NTBackup, you'll
find that it's actually easier to use in many cases. Part of the ease of
use comes from the modes that WBAdmin supports. You use a particular
mode by typing WBAdmin followed by the mode keywords, such as START
BACKUP. However, you'll also find that WBAdmin provides considerably
fewer options than NTBackup. For example, you must back up an entire
volume or mount point. The following list describes each of the modes.
START BACKUP
Starts the backup process. You'll need to provide backup information as command line arguments.
STOP JOB
Ends the current backup or recovery.
GET VERSIONS
Displays a list of backups that you can use for recovery purposes.
GET ITEMS
Displays a list of items found in a particular backup.
GET STATUS
Obtains the status of the current backup or recovery.
Three of the options
are quite simple to use. Simply type the mode name and WBAdmin performs
the required task without any additional input. For example, when you
use the STOP JOB mode, WBAdmin stops the current backup or recovery
without asking for any additional information. Since you can run only
one job at a time, the process is quite simple.
The GET VERSIONS and GET
STATUS modes also provide simple output. When working with GET
VERSIONS, you see a list of backups you have performed. The information
provided by this mode acts as input to the GET ITEMS mode where you have
to supply a specific version. The GET STATUS mode simply shows the
progress of the current backup or recovery.
The last two modes do require additional input from you. The following sections describe these two remaining modes.
2.1. START BACKUP
The START BACKUP mode lets you perform a backup of the system. This mode uses the following syntax:
WBADMIN START BACKUP -backupTarget:{TargetVolume | TargetNetworkShare}
-include:VolumesToInclude [-noVerify] [-quiet]
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
-backupTarget:{TargetVolume | TargetNetworkShare}Defines the location of the backup. You must provide a drive letter or a UNC path to a shared location on a network drive.
-include:VolumesToInclude
Defines the volumes or mount points that you want to back up. You can't define individual elements such as directories.
-noVerify
Performs the
backup without a verify. Although this option is considerably faster,
it's also quite risky because you don't know whether the backup is any
good.
-quiet
Creates the backup without displaying the usual messages.
When you start a
backup, the system retrieves any required volume information and then
displays several messages unless you choose the –quiet option. After the backup starts, you'll see several status messages. The status messages continue until the backup is complete.
2.2. GET ITEMS
After you create a
backup using the START BACKUP mode, you can use the GET VERSIONS mode to
obtain a list of backups for your system. The version identifier is
usually a date and time (GMT, not local). With the version identifier in
hand, you can list the items in a backup. This mode uses the following
syntax:
Usage: WBADMIN GET ITEMS -version:VersionIdentifier
[-backupTarget:{VolumeName | NetworkSharePath}]
[-machine:BackupMachineName]
The following list describes each of the command line arguments.
-version:VersionIdentifier
Defines the version identifier for the backup that you want to list. Use the Get Versions mode to obtain a list of versions.
-backupTarget:{VolumeName | NetworkSharePath}Defines the backup target you want to use for listing purposes. This option is helpful when you use multiple backup targets.
-machine:BackupMachineName
Defines the machine you want to list. This option is helpful when you back up multiple machines in a single version.
