Speeding the backup process

On my previous PC I ran Ghost on XP, with weekly main and daily incremental backups, over my home network. The daily backup was swiftly done, the verification also, and deletion of the oldest files hapened in moments.
I am now using True Image Home version 10.0 on Vista.

I have the backup location management set to limit the number of files, and run weekly main and daily differental backups of my data partition. The daily file is written rapidly, then it seems that what I believe is termed "consolidation" results in a combining and rewriting of the oldest differential and main backups. Finally the latest combined differential and last main file are verified.

I attach a typical log file, and this shows (approximately):
Writing new file completed 10 seconds after starting
Backup consolidation takes 74 minutes
Validation takes 54 minutes
The differential file was about 70 MB, the full backup 8GB.

Am I missing something or is all the time-consuming overhead inevitable?
Needless to say I am not impressed.
Chris

 

Hello ChrisJD,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that as backup archive consolidation involves analyzing and combining full image archive and incremental\differential backup, the consolidation process might take the same amount of time as full image creation.

As for the image archive validation, please note that if the option "Validate backup archive upon operation completion" enabled, all the image archives stored in the backup location will be validated.

Thank you.
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Aleksandr Isakov

 

Right, so that means that, assuming I want to make use of automatic management of the backups, by count, size or age, once the limit has been hit, every backup (even tiny differentials) will take a great deal longer. Is there any way that I can, effectively, just organise things so that the oldest main and differential set are simply deleted at a stroke, and consolidation does not happen.

I have to say that, since each differential effectively makes the previous one redundant, I can't even see a rational explanation for consolidation.

Evidently. If you feel it necessary to provide validation of the whole archive, could you not even provide the option to verify only what has just been written?

I remain totally unconvinced that it is good software design to make it so that the backup is written in 10 seconds, 75 minutes are spent pointlessly fiddling with deletion, and another 55 minutes verifying.

I suppose that you might well comment that I could save a lot of time manually deleting the oldest backup sets. Indeed I could, but to do so would recognise the fundamental failure of the software I have bought to operate in anything approaching the way I, and I suspect most other users, would want.

Regards
Chris

 

So, that's it then?

Chris

 

Hello ChrisJD,

We are sorry for the delayed response.

Please note that the current version of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home does not allow you to choose to delete or to consolidate the backup archives in the backup location. The deletion uses when consolidation is not possible.

Please be aware that this issue is known already. We have already received similar requests from other Acronis customers and they have already been forwarded to our Development Team. It will be fixed in the future builds of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home. Please accept our apologies for the current inconvenience.

Be aware that every backup in the Backup Location validates only if the "Validate backup archive upon operation completion" option is enabled (Tools -> Options -> Default Backup Options -> Additional settings).

If you use Validate Archive tool (Tool -> Validate Backup Archive) of Acronis True Image then only the selected backup archive validates (along with corresponding incremental/differential backup archives, if any).

Thank you.
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Aleksandr Isakov

 

Sorry, but this has NOT been my experience. I am using a SECURE ZONE and it seems that Acronis insists on validating every existing archive in the SECURE ZONE.

I suppose one solution is to reduce the size of the secure zone and backup to another backup location. Then, at least theoretically, one should be able to select the newly created backup as the only one to be validated.

 

I long ago gave up on the Acronis extended promises that they would fix the multi-validation problem.
My solution is simple in the extreme, I do not run image validations. Instead I run regular restores straight after an image creation. The restores are made to swappable main drives. In this way I have proof that the archive process really works and I have the best form of security namely a duplicate ready to roll hard drive.

After a run of about 300 image/restore cycles a restore failed part way through with the message that the archive was corrupt. Because the failed restore was made to a previous generation of main drive the current main drive was still intact. So to coin a phrase " I'm not bothered".
The sequence I followed was to pop the current main drive back in the computer. I could have stopped there but for completeness I re-imaged the drive manually and this time the restore ran perfectly.


Xpilot

 

Hello snaimon,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that my statement you have quoted is reply to ChrisJD's questions about Backup Location.

As for the Validate Image archive tool of Acronis True Image and Acronis Secure Zone, indeed, when you validate the image in Acronis Secure Zone the whole Acronis Secure Zone (every archive) is validated because all its contents is considered as a single archive.

In addition, note that as Xpilot mentioned, this option (ability to validate single archive located in Acronis Secure Zone) was already requested by other Acronis customers and we have already forwarded a request to our Development Team, right now is under consideration. Probably, the option will be available in on of the next build/version of Acronis True Image.

Thank you.
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Aleksandr Isakov

 

So, how much of this has been implemented in True Image 11? AFAIK it didn't make a True Image 10 build.

Chris