How to delete older backups to save space??

How can I tell ATI V11(8101) to regularly delete older backups, in order to recover space on the destination? I just don't see this in the menus.
Thanks, Robert

 

Are you using 'Backup Location' or a normal folder for your backups?

 

Depending on the backup scheme you need and create, you can have TI just overwrite old backups. Not enough info given to add much more.

 

See https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=216950 .

TGT

 

It would be wise to read the user guide--oir at least scan it for pertinent info. It will guide you through the use of the product. It's not perfect but better than many I've read.

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/download/docs/

 

Can someone PLEASE tell me how to delete .tib files from within ATI? I have read thru the manual. I can't find anything about deleting the older images. All I found was page 63 that talks about "Deleting Backup Locations". Huh? Why would someone want to delete the entire location and all the .tib files there? When I follow that procedure it won't let me pick individual files and it seems that if I dared to pick proceed it'd kill the whole folder. In my folder I have around 30 .tib files. One of them is a full backup which is many weeks old and obsolete and 170GB. All I want to do is delete that one single file. Why doesn't ATI seem to provide any way to do this? I have seen people actually say on these forums to go into Explorer and delete them manually. Is that for real? Why would any backup management program want people to manage files that way? And I'd think it would also play havoc with any tracking or database that the software used to link all these files. In my entire life I've never seen(Ghost, Backup Exec,etc) any software ask people to delete files manually. So, I keep assuming that in ATI there has to be a way to delete files. Please help, or tell me where in manual (page number) it says how to do this. I am pulling out my hair and starting to miss the days of Ghost. Thanks.

 

Would you PLEASE answer my question from post#2?

What are the other 29 files? Differential backups? Or incremental backups?

But: Independent from the backup type of the 29 files you cannot delete the ONE existing 'base-file' (=full backup) .
To delete it means to destroy the whole image.


We have to figure out how your images will be created.
Please answer the following questions:
1. Do you use Ti under Windows or from the rescue-CD?
2. Do you use Ti-tasks to create the images?
3. what is the destination-device of the images (USB-hd, DVD, ...)?
4. What is the destination of the image-files:
a) a normal folder
b) a 'backup location'
c) the 'secure zone'
5. Do you use 'differential' or 'incremental' backups on a base of a fullbackup?
6. did you define in Ti that e.g. all 5 incremental backups a new fullbackup will be created?


BTW:
We want to help you. That requires that you give answeres to all our questions.
If not we can stop here.

 

It depends where you have chosen to store your backup images. Let's assume they are on a seperate hard drive from the one being protected.
You then have three basic choices, each of which have different characteristics.

The latest one is the "Backup Locations" feature. One can pick from a range of rules when setting up such a location to automatically manage the contents, number and overall size of the Location.
Once set up to your satisfaction there is no need to delete any old images as the space will be recycled as specified.
You can explore the backups while in Windows and can make changes to them, copy selected files or complete backups to another place or media.

The pre-cursor to "Locations" is the " Secure Zone". This can also be set up on a seperate drive although its first purpose was to provide an element of protection to a single drive installation.
This zone runs strictly on the FIFO basis It just needs to be fed with another full image from time to time if Increments or Diffs are being used. A single base image followed by a never ending stream of Incs or Diffs will cause a log jam though this can be cleared quite easily.
As the management is entirely automatic there is no option to delete any images manually either by accident or design. The only user decision is how much space to set aside for the zone.
Images can be mounted, explored and be copied from but there is no option to copy a complete image elsewhere.
It is a hidden partition and as such is safer from infective agents than a normal partition or Location.

The third choice is to not use either of the provided methods. Instead a partition or folder can be set up and additions and deletions can be performed manually or by a series of manually constructed schedules that will provide the desired results.

Xpilot

 

tib files can be deleted copied, moved, etc with windows Explorer, just like any other normal file under the files system, whether the file system is NTFS or FAT.

With Backup Locations you can set rules for it to happen automatically. If you use a Secure Zone hidden partiton, then ATI handles the deletion when it gets full.

 

Absolutely... I did ramble on a bit .

Xpilot

 

Shieber, thanks for your reply.
OK, suppose I want to delete the .tib files via Explorer:

1. Is this the intended and Best Practice method to delete the files, or just one of the options?

2. How does ATI "react" to .tib files being deleted to Explorer? Does it become aware of these deletions and cleanly reflect this? If I deleted a full backup .tib and left the incremental .tib files in there that were based on that full, would ATI flag those files as useless and recommend they be deleted also?

Sorry for my noob questions, but I'm still getting over the shock of a backup app that wants users to manually delete backups, as this sounds like a recipe for disaster and database corruption.

Thanks,

Robert

 

@robert
I'm sorry to say it:

You ask and ask and ask...
But you are not able to answer questions.

I cannot understand this vanity.

Have a good life.

 

Boot using Ubuntu LiveCD. Then mount the partition that contains the "Secure Zone" and your TI backup files. And then delete. Simple as that.

Ubuntu will display all the hidden files within the "Secure Zone" and give you the ability to delete them.

 

You really need to start doing some work on your own, like reading the user guide, Grover's Guides, . . . Your questions are those only a person that hasn't bothered to read any instructions at all would ask. I'm not saying they are bad questions, just that you should do your homework, then ask the questions that remain. So far, all of your questions could have been covered in about 5-10 minutes worth of reading time. So, if you don't mind my saying so, get off the stick and earn some knowledge. ;-)

 

Hi!
For those of you who offered help, thank you!
For those who didn't.....a rough crowd here!
I know you all meant well, but we're not all advanced storage and backup experts out here, and the docs leave a lot to be desired. Also, t-shooting backup software is time-consuming when your source is 300GB+ of data. It takes days and days of tweaking to know if you're actually getting it right.
Sorry!

 

Take a look at section 3.5 in the documentation on page 16. You're looking to learn about backup locations.
OTC

 

1. Suggest you automate your backup creation and deletion by using the TrueImage "Backup Locations" option.

This well written text file will show you how.

Create and Configure Backup Locations Incremental.txt by CatFan432
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=172470#13

Download the text file. Change the type or number of backups but the procedure is there.

Actual download
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=189433&d=1177754188

Vers 11 User Manual on Backup Locations
Chapter 3.5 and Chapter 8
Note particularly the last paragraph under Ch 3.5 Setting rules for backup locations which reads:
"When creating a backup task, be sure to select the backup location from the Backup
Locations list, near the top of the directory tree. Doing so will enable the above processing
of backups. If you select a backup location as a normal folder, the processing will not be
performed." ​

2. Backup deletion:
The backup files (archives) comes in sets. If you delete the first full backup (which is its foundation), all backups created afterwards are useless.
a. The incremental files are inter-dependent. You must retain them all for them to work although you can delete the newest backup backwards so the set remains continuous. If you break the sequential chain, all incremental backups are useless.
b. The differentials are not inter-dependent. You can delete any differential and the others will still work.

3. Few questions are new. Most have been asked and answered many times. Using the forum search function (or Google) can be very helpful.
Check my signature for a starting point.

4. Hopefully you have created your TrueImage Rescue CD and have tested it to make sure it is working and sees all your drives.
5. Often times, problems with your file system do not show for several weeks. Maintaining a good size number of backups over a period of time can save you lots of grief. Don't be in to big a hurry to delete your backups. Get a larger storage drive to increase your backup capacity.