IFW batch files

Cruise suggested I start this thread.
Do you use batch files with IFW? Or not?
Care to post your batch files?
Do you use any methods of automation with the TeraByte products?

 

I am planing to. My goal is to set up a schedule to create daily differential backups and full backup every 7 days. Sadly I'm really not proficient in batch files, I rather use bash or, better yet, Python. Hopefully I'll be able to utilize python somehow instead of fighting with DOS

 

You can use bash scripts with IFL to create/restore images. The process can be initiated from Windows.

 

Brian, thanks for starting this thread at my request. As you know (but others may not) I use both IFW and DS. While IFW is very reliable, imho it has way too many options (which can be confusing) and I've long felt it would be great to have an easier and much quicker way to kick-off IFW backups. So after I popped-in on Wendi's thread you 'planted a seed' about using batch files for running IFW backups and here we are...

Cruise

 

For my full backup images I use...

/hash /comp:14 /vb

For my differential backup images I use...

/comp:14 /vb

Although there are "hundreds" of options, most of us just need 2 or 3.

Edit.... You don't have to know anything about writing batch files. IFW will create the batch file and schedule it.

 

Brian, I know I could look it up in the user manual, but it would be a lot faster if you would you please explain that.

Cruise

 

I've got several routines run daily via Task manager. One example:

The program imagew.exe is started with the arguments as follows...

Code:

/b /uy /um /email:smtp.myisp.net*myemail@myisp.net*myemail@myisp.net /logmax:1000000 /base:"I:\Storage_Backups\Backup_Storage01" /f:"I:\Storage_Backups\Backup_Storage01-changes" /v /desc:"Storage01 drive backup changes only."

 

Cruise,

Batch file....
Run through the IFW menus until you get to the Backup Options screen
Select your Options
Click Show Command
Put a tick in Save to file
OK
In the Edit window put /uy after /b so you will have something like "\V2\imagew.exe" /b /uy /d:w0@0x1......". This switch stops IFW from asking questions.
OK
Give it a name (no extension) and click Save
Click Cancel on the IFW screen
You now have a .bat file that will run your backup. Just double click it.

Schedule....
Run through the IFW menus until you get to the Backup Options screen
Select your Options
Click Schedule Backup
Click the Schedule tab and click New
Choose your Schedule Task, Start time, etc
OK
Enter your logon password
OK, OK
Click Cancel on the IFW screen
You now have your backup running on a schedule.

 

Brian,

Thanks very much for that info! I'm working today so I hope to try that out tomorrow.

Cruise

 

It would help if you explained what this does!

Cruise

 

/b - create backup
/uy - unattended, "yes/ok" default for message prompts
/um - unattended, ignore first media request
/email - send log of backup to specified email
/logmax - limits log file size
/base - base (full) image for differential backup
/f - differential backup filename
/v - validate backup after it's created
/desc - description of backup

 

Thanks MudCrab Indeed, it just creates in a separate partition a differential backup of a base full image of another partition, validates it and emails me the results. The base full images are created weekly while several differential backup tasks of that base image are run daily.

 

Thanks very much guys - I think I'll have to experiment with that a bit.

The one switch that's not too evident is /desc - what exactly does that do?

Cruise

 

Cruise,

On the Backup Options window there is a field for Description. I never use it but you can enter whatever you like.

 

I see (I hardly ever use that either). Furthermore, I don't ever create a log file so the /logmax switch is of no value to me. But this is all very cool.

Cruise

 

I like the log file, mainly as a record of what I've done. My restores are written to the same log. Whenever the log gets too large I delete half of the entries. No log switches are used.

 

I tend to use both (description and log). They can be very helpful (like if you need to look back at something).

 

Cruise, any feedback on your experimenting with IFW batch files?

 

Sorry Brian, but I haven't had the time to get to it yet. It's not going to happen until the weekend.

Cruise

 

Thanks for all this discussion re batch files, as it gave me the motivation to play around with this for the first time.

Perusing the Terabyte info, I decided to go a step further, into the Batch Process Scripts that they support (http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/kb/article.php?id=295). I like to group the backup of subsets of partitions into separate image files (instead of 1 image file for all partitions or 1 image file per partition), such as OS partitions and a couple of data partition categories.

Although one can just group IFW commands together into a single batch file, they add a few extras to this, such as automating target directory based on date, free space management (e.g., methods of deleting old image files), and assistance in pre and post commands. Perhaps not much more here than some of the seasoned pros on this thread can manage by themselves, but I find their pre-defined cmd files / templates helpful to me.

My initial application will be to run my backups manually with one cmd file, which I've just successfully tested with a couple of small test partitions, versus using the GUI for each unique image file I want to create (and having to run back to my computer to do each one when I'm elsewhere in the house). Perhaps I will eventually automate this and also allow the script to manage the removal of old image files. I do automated file-based backups, but I've never done partition images via automation yet.

Doug

 

Doug,

This might be of interest....

http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/ucf/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=307&start=10

Jan 03 is the most recent update.

My batch file keeps the last 15 daily differential images.

 

Brian, sorry about the delay in getting back to you on this, but I had a job assignment that kept me very busy. I finally got a chance to kick-back yesterday and tried your IFW batch scripts - and I can report that they work beautifully!

Cruise

 

Cruise, that's good news to hear although I thought you would like the method. I'm very keen on using batch files to run apps without user intervention.