Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
VSS is at most a local backup.. and that’s kind of stretching it. VSS is more of a way to access a version of files without exclusivity issues. You might be conflating VSS with a restore point, as restore points are more of a backup than VSS. At any rate, if the drive dies or is stolen, it won’t do you much good.. so BackupPC gives you the capability to copy and manage everything in another location. From: cl...@n7qnm.net Sent: Saturday, January 2, 2021 1:36 PM To: 'General list for user discussion, questions and support' Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues Well, this basically reinforced my hate for Windows. I killed the backup; and that’s left my C drive inaccessible, even to recovery processes.So, I’m reinstalling Windows; with the pain that entails. I DO have a partial backup that I’m kinda hoping will be useful; but, this is a real pain. One question I have about VSS – once I have that set up, isn’t that “enough” of a backup? Why would I then want to back up using BackupPC? Or am I missing something? Thanks! Clay From: Michael Stowe mailto:michael.st...@member.mensa.org>> Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 5:16 PM To: cl...@n7qnm.net<mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> Cc: 'General list for user discussion, questions and support' mailto:backuppc-users@lists.sourceforge.net>> Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues Window's file semantics are such that files are usually opened in exclusive mode, and therefore not available for other processes to read -- in practice, this means that processes which don't test and account for the possibility that another process has a file open will simply hang and wait for the file to be available. In the case of many Windows system files (e.g., the registry) these files will never be open. So if one sets up BackupPC/rsync to simply back up all of C:, for example, it will never finish, because it cannot. The Windows solution for this is what's known as a "shadow volume." Effectively it's a dynamic snapshot of the filesystem accessed independently, that sidesteps Windows file semantics and is used for most backup solutions that need to deal with files that may be in use by other processes. BackupPC has a DumpPreUserCmd which can be leveraged to create the ephemeral volume shadow copy, and DumpPostUserCmd to delete it. One implementation of this sort of thing is available in winexe and ssh flavors here: http://www.michaelstowe.com/backuppc/ On 2021-01-01 15:52, cl...@n7qnm.net<mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> wrote: OK – I'm reasonably good at Linux; but, "know enough to be dangerous" about Windows. Can you expand a bit? Thanks! From: Michael Stowe mailto:michael.st...@member.mensa.org>> Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 11:32 AM To: General list for user discussion, questions and support mailto:backuppc-users@lists.sourceforge.net>> Cc: cl...@n7qnm.net<mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues We'll probably need a few more details than that to provide specific help, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with not running rsyncd on a shadow volume. On 2021-01-01 09:02, cl...@n7qnm.net<mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> wrote: Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop.It's been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can't do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net<mailto:BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net> List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 1:37 PM wrote: > > Well, this basically reinforced my hate for Windows. I killed the backup; > and that’s left my C drive inaccessible, even to recovery processes.So, > I’m reinstalling Windows; with the pain that entails. That doesn't make any sense for anything rsyncd would have done. My guess is that you have some underlying filesystem or hardware corruption that you didn't hit with normal access. > One question I have about VSS – once I have that set up, isn’t that “enough” > of a backup? Why would I then want to back up using BackupPC? Or am I > missing something? VSS gives you a frozen snapshot that you can copy without contention of worrying about changes. It doesn't protect against future corruption or other problems with that disk or filesystem. -- Les Mikesell lesmikes...@gmail.com ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
Well, this basically reinforced my hate for Windows. I killed the backup; and that’s left my C drive inaccessible, even to recovery processes.So, I’m reinstalling Windows; with the pain that entails. I DO have a partial backup that I’m kinda hoping will be useful; but, this is a real pain. One question I have about VSS – once I have that set up, isn’t that “enough” of a backup? Why would I then want to back up using BackupPC? Or am I missing something? Thanks! Clay From: Michael Stowe Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 5:16 PM To: cl...@n7qnm.net Cc: 'General list for user discussion, questions and support' Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues Window's file semantics are such that files are usually opened in exclusive mode, and therefore not available for other processes to read -- in practice, this means that processes which don't test and account for the possibility that another process has a file open will simply hang and wait for the file to be available. In the case of many Windows system files (e.g., the registry) these files will never be open. So if one sets up BackupPC/rsync to simply back up all of C:, for example, it will never finish, because it cannot. The Windows solution for this is what's known as a "shadow volume." Effectively it's a dynamic snapshot of the filesystem accessed independently, that sidesteps Windows file semantics and is used for most backup solutions that need to deal with files that may be in use by other processes. BackupPC has a DumpPreUserCmd which can be leveraged to create the ephemeral volume shadow copy, and DumpPostUserCmd to delete it. One implementation of this sort of thing is available in winexe and ssh flavors here: http://www.michaelstowe.com/backuppc/ On 2021-01-01 15:52, cl...@n7qnm.net <mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> wrote: OK – I'm reasonably good at Linux; but, "know enough to be dangerous" about Windows. Can you expand a bit? Thanks! From: Michael Stowe mailto:michael.st...@member.mensa.org> > Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 11:32 AM To: General list for user discussion, questions and support mailto:backuppc-users@lists.sourceforge.net> > Cc: cl...@n7qnm.net <mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues We'll probably need a few more details than that to provide specific help, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with not running rsyncd on a shadow volume. On 2021-01-01 09:02, cl...@n7qnm.net <mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> wrote: Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop.It's been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can't do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net <mailto:BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net> List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
Window's file semantics are such that files are usually opened in exclusive mode, and therefore not available for other processes to read -- in practice, this means that processes which don't test and account for the possibility that another process has a file open will simply hang and wait for the file to be available. In the case of many Windows system files (e.g., the registry) these files will never be open. So if one sets up BackupPC/rsync to simply back up all of C:, for example, it will never finish, because it cannot. The Windows solution for this is what's known as a "shadow volume." Effectively it's a dynamic snapshot of the filesystem accessed independently, that sidesteps Windows file semantics and is used for most backup solutions that need to deal with files that may be in use by other processes. BackupPC has a DumpPreUserCmd which can be leveraged to create the ephemeral volume shadow copy, and DumpPostUserCmd to delete it. One implementation of this sort of thing is available in winexe and ssh flavors here: http://www.michaelstowe.com/backuppc/ On 2021-01-01 15:52, cl...@n7qnm.net wrote: OK - I'm reasonably good at Linux; but, "know enough to be dangerous" about Windows. Can you expand a bit? Thanks! From: Michael Stowe Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 11:32 AM To: General list for user discussion, questions and support Cc: cl...@n7qnm.net Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues We'll probably need a few more details than that to provide specific help, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with not running rsyncd on a shadow volume. On 2021-01-01 09:02, cl...@n7qnm.net wrote: Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop. It's been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can't do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
OK – I’m reasonably good at Linux; but, “know enough to be dangerous” about Windows. Can you expand a bit? Thanks! From: Michael Stowe Sent: Friday, January 1, 2021 11:32 AM To: General list for user discussion, questions and support Cc: cl...@n7qnm.net Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues We'll probably need a few more details than that to provide specific help, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with not running rsyncd on a shadow volume. On 2021-01-01 09:02, cl...@n7qnm.net <mailto:cl...@n7qnm.net> wrote: Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop.It’s been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can’t do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net <mailto:BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net> List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/ ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
Re: [BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
We'll probably need a few more details than that to provide specific help, but the symptoms you describe are consistent with not running rsyncd on a shadow volume. On 2021-01-01 09:02, cl...@n7qnm.net wrote: Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop. It's been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can't do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
[BackupPC-users] Windows (rsyncd) Backup issues
Just started (trying to) use rsyncd to back up a Windows 10 laptop.It's been running for over 18 hours AND has locked my entire C: drive so I can't do anything else. Help? Clay Jackson ___ BackupPC-users mailing list BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net List:https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users Wiki:https://github.com/backuppc/backuppc/wiki Project: https://backuppc.github.io/backuppc/
