Why should you use Backup Client
Backup Client is just the tool to backup your valuable data from your desktop computer to an external or network storage device.
It offers the possibility to backup entire directories or single files and it manages versioned archives as zipped files or copied folders.
This makes it easy to retrieve lost files or restore older versions.
Backup Client provides an easy-to-use UI that allows you to define which folders or file should be archived and how this should be done.
But you are not restricted to using the UI to create your archives. Backup Client can create the command to run a backup configuration in the background or on command line level.
It can either copy it to the clipboard or write it to a file so that you can run it in the background or even use scheudling meachinsms such as planned tasks or cron jobs.
Getting Started
Follow the steps below to create your first Backup Configuration:
1. Create one or more Backup Sources.
2. Create one or more Backup Destinations
3. Save your configurastion
4. Start an archive run.
Sources
Sources are Directories or files that are backed up to an archive destination. Backup Client allows you to select single files or entire directories as sources. It also allows you to specify whether the file or directory should be zipped or just stored. By default, backup sources are zipped.
Backup client generates a name from the absolute filename (directory-tree plus filename) by substituting characters that are not suitable for a filename with dashes or underscores. The extension is always ".zip" for compressed sources and ".bck" for copied ones. This name will be used as name of the file or directory within the backup destination. It is possible to change the default name.
To view the name and other details of a backup source, just select it and then bring up the Properties pane by right clicking on the selected item and choosing "Properties" or by selecting "Properties" from the "Sources" menu in the menu bar.
Adding Sources:
Just right click anywhere in the sources pane and select "New..." to bring up the "Choose Source" dialog. Alternatively select "Sources" - "New..." from the menu bar. In the choose source dialog, select the files or directories to be backed up. You can select one or multiple sources at once. When you are satisfied, click "Choose".
You can add as many backup sources as you want.
Backup Cient will create one archive for each backup source.
Tip:
If there are no sources defined, just double click on the pane to open the new source dialog
Editing Sources:
Just double click on a source in the list or select one and then select "Edit..." from the context menu or from the "Sources" menu in the menu bar. This will open the "Choose Source" dialog again, this time with the selected source already set. You can modify it by selecting a new set of files or directories.
Note:
There are additional ways to modify sources such as setting the mode to copy-only and changing the target name. These features are explained in the "Advanced Usage" section.
Removing Sources:
Select one or multiple sources from the list.
Either select "Sources" from the menu bar or right click on one of the selected sources to bring up the context menu.
Select "Remove" from the menu.
Destinations
Destinations are directories that hold archives (zip Files or copied Directories).
The name of the archive depends on the target name defined in the source and the number of the archive. Backup client always increases the number of the archive by one. The number of the archive is insrted at the end of the filename prior to the extension (i.e. archive1.zip, archive2.zip, etc.).
You can define the number of archives that are kept in a destination.
Adding Destinations
Just right click anywhere in the destinations pane and select "New..." to bring up the "Create New Backup Destination" dialog. Alternatively select "Destinations" - "New..." from the menu bar.
In this dialog, click the browse button to bring up a dialog that lets you choose a directory where all backup sources will be archived.
Select the number of archives that should be kept in this destination from the combobox.
Select Ok, if you are satisfied with the definition of the destination or cancel to abort the definition.
Note:
To be on the safe side, please make sure that there is sufficient space available in the backup destinations.
Backup Client will throw an error when it copies the files to the backup destination and there is not enough space.
This check will happen prior to copying each file.
If a file copy fails, the copy is aborted and the cleanup of old archives will not happen. When this happens, you should clean up invalid or incomplete archives.
Backup Client will perform the cleanup of the failed attempt to copy files, but it is recommend to check manually.
(check the log file to find invalid archives, please send us the log file and a description of how you created a remaining invalid archive so that we can address this specific testcase).
The first time, a successful archive run is completed, Backup Client will delete old archives.
It is possible that one of the remaining archives may be invalid.
Tip:
If there are no sources defined, just double click on the pane to open the new destination dialog
Editing Destinations:
Double click a destination or select one and then select "Edit" from the context menu or from the Destinations menu bar. This will bring up the Edit Dialog pane for the selected destination. You can choose a new target directory and change the number of archives there.
Removing Destinations
Select one or multiple destinations from the list.
Either select "Destinations" from the menu bar or right click on one of the selected destinations to bring up the context menu.
Select "Remove" from the menu.
Opening (Loading) and Saving a configuration
Just click "File" and then "Save as..." to save the current configuration. Select "Save" to save changes to the current configuration in the same configuration file.
Select "File" and "Open..." to bring up the "Load Configuration" dialog. Select a configuration and then press the "Load COnfiguration" Button.
Note:
By default, configuration files are stored in the /realstarman/BackupClient folder in the user's home.
Normally you do not need to be concerned with where the files are stored because the dialog will always open this folder and the files are not very large.
After some time, there will be many configuration files and you may want to delete some. Just navigate to you ruser home, find the realstarman/BackupClient folder and delete .properties files you do no longer need.
Starting an Archive Run
If the backup configuration is valid (i.e. there is at least one valid source and one valid destination), it is possible to start an archive run. Either select "Run" and then "Archive" from the menu bar or just double click on the "Archive:" (the label on the right).
Note:
You can also start an archive run from the command line. This is discussed in the advanced usage section.