Retrospect and windows (was Re: retrospect and filemaker)

[Michael Gaines]

At 11:36 AM +0100 on 10/4/2000, you wrote:
>  >what's the suggested route when not using FM Server? I use a 
>standard copy of FileMaker sitting on my ASIP server to run a set of 
>database files which five or so users make use of. Should I be 
>tinkering with Applescripts or somesuch to close the database files 
>prior to back up?
>
>Yes

A somewhat related question, is there a similar functionality on the 
Windows side, to a Mac Retrospect client executing an AppleScript 
whenever the Client is being backed up?

What brought this about was our MS Access database administrator 
running into the end users' behavior of leaving programs running when 
they go home at night. Apparently, MS Access doesn't allow the 
administrator to politely disconnect clients from the databases. As a 
result, whenever he wants to work on the databases, he's finding 
users still logged in and he is forced to hard disconnect them so he 
can make his modifications. His first solution was just to have the 
users shut their machines down when they went home for the evening. 
Of course I'm not thrilled with this idea since it tends to defeat my 
ability to back up the users' machines. :)

On the Mac side I've created an AppleScript that executes whenever a 
backup is in progress. This script attempts to quit all open 
applications and log out of any mounted servers. It's not perfect, 
but it gets the job done about 90% of the time. Is there anything 
similar that I could use on the Windows side? Or maybe something that 
logs off the current Windows session (this would quit all 
applications and log out of all servers, right?) when it detects a 
backup in progress? Is there something that would do this on a 
scheduled event, as opposed to a backup-triggered event?

Ideally, a future version of Retrospect Client for Windows would 
allow for an interrupted shut down similar to what the Mac Client 
has. Any possibility of this happening?

And, yes, I realize modifying the user's behavior would make all of 
this moot. However, if modification of user behaviors was a realistic 
option, then the need for automated tools like Retrospect would be 
much be greatly diminished. Then again, this could just be the world 
of academia. :)

I'm running Retrospect Server for Mac 4.3. The clients are a mix of 
v4.2/v4.3 (Mac) and v5.11 (Win). The Windows clients are for the most 
part on Win95 systems, with WinNT4 being added shortly.

Thanks for your help.
-- 


Michael Gainessnail mail: Learning Technology Center
Computer System Administrator Box 45, GPC
   Nashville, TN 37203
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]   (615) 322-2480

Machiavelli:
"... there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous
to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead
in the introduction of a new order of things."


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Re: retrospect and filemaker

[Tim David]

I agree with John, have FileMaker do database copies. Then when you back up
you'll get two copies of each database.
I go one step further. I have FileMaker make a copy mid day, (to duplicate
that mornings work) then at 6:30pm (after everyone is done working but
before backups happen) Then Retrospect backs up the machine with all 3
copies of each database.
We've got too much riding in our FMPro databases to lose a whole days work.
I figure better safe than sorry.
Tim



John Gee wrote:

> At 12:14 PM -0700 3/10/00, Todd Reed wrote:
> >I figure that if I have 'verify' turned on, and the log doesn't
> >indicate a problem that the database files are getting backed up
> >okay. Is this the experience of the list, or should I be practicing
> >preventive paranoia?
>
> FileMaker Server keeps a lot of data in a RAM cache. Even if the
> database is backed up by Retrospect without errors, I am not sure
> that guarantees that the file will be in a known good state.
>
> I recommend preventive paranoia, have FileMaker perform database
> copies using its internal scheduling, and use Retrospect to backup
> the copies.
> --
> John Gee[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Dunedin, New ZealandProgrammers live in interesting times...
>
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Re: retrospect and filemaker

[Nicholas Froome]

>what's the suggested route when not using FM Server? I use a standard copy of 
>FileMaker sitting on my ASIP server to run a set of database files which five or so 
>users make use of. Should I be tinkering with Applescripts or somesuch to close the 
>database files prior to back up?

Yes


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Re: retrospect and filemaker

[Graham, Total Coverage Limited]

what's the suggested route when not using FM Server? I use a standard copy of 
FileMaker sitting on my ASIP server to run a set of database files which five or so 
users make use of. Should I be tinkering with Applescripts or somesuch to close the 
database files prior to back up?


>Subject: Re: retrospect and filemaker
>From: "Todd Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 14:55:32 -0700
>
>That's the only way to do it correctly.
>
>>At 12:14 PM -0700 3/10/00, Todd Reed wrote:
>>>I figure that if I have 'verify' turned on, and the log doesn't
>>>indicate a problem that the database files are getting backed up
>>>okay. Is this the experience of the list, or should I be practicing
>>>preventive paranoia?
>>
>>FileMaker Server keeps a lot of data in a RAM cache. Even if the
>>database is backed up by Retrospect without errors, I am not sure
>>that guarantees that the file will be in a known good state.
>>
>>I recommend preventive paranoia, have FileMaker perform database
>>copies using its internal scheduling, and use Retrospect to backup
>>the copies.
>>--
>>John Gee[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>Dunedin, New ZealandProgrammers live in interesting times...
>



Graham Mitchell
Total Coverage Limited
the co-operative design consultancy
T: 023 8067 8330
F: 023 8067 8340
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.totalcoverage.co.uk




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Re: retrospect and filemaker

[Todd Williams]

That's the only way to do it correctly.


>At 12:14 PM -0700 3/10/00, Todd Reed wrote:
>>I figure that if I have 'verify' turned on, and the log doesn't 
>>indicate a problem that the database files are getting backed up 
>>okay. Is this the experience of the list, or should I be practicing 
>>preventive paranoia?
>
>FileMaker Server keeps a lot of data in a RAM cache. Even if the 
>database is backed up by Retrospect without errors, I am not sure 
>that guarantees that the file will be in a known good state.
>
>I recommend preventive paranoia, have FileMaker perform database 
>copies using its internal scheduling, and use Retrospect to backup 
>the copies.
>--
>John Gee[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Dunedin, New ZealandProgrammers live in interesting times...


Todd Williams   UCSD ECE Computing Support Group (858)-534-7821


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Re: retrospect and filemaker

[John Gee]

At 12:14 PM -0700 3/10/00, Todd Reed wrote:
>I figure that if I have 'verify' turned on, and the log doesn't 
>indicate a problem that the database files are getting backed up 
>okay. Is this the experience of the list, or should I be practicing 
>preventive paranoia?

FileMaker Server keeps a lot of data in a RAM cache. Even if the 
database is backed up by Retrospect without errors, I am not sure 
that guarantees that the file will be in a known good state.

I recommend preventive paranoia, have FileMaker perform database 
copies using its internal scheduling, and use Retrospect to backup 
the copies.
-- 
John Gee[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dunedin, New ZealandProgrammers live in interesting times...



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