as_backup(1)


as_backup -- customize, schedule, and submit backup jobs

Synopsis

as_backup [-job_options] [arguments] -source [hostname] files...

as_backup [-info_option]

Description

as_backup is a command-line alternative to the SCO ARCserve/Open Backup Manager. It provides numerous options for customizing and scheduling regular and Auto Pilot jobs.

Usage

as_backup accepts the following job_options (job customization options). When used in this context, backup will generate a backup job. The data to be backed up is the files argument to the mandatory option -source.

files is a list of files/directories each of which must be fully qualified. The optional hostname can be used to specify remote workstation backups. Any number of -source options may be given for a single job.

Additional information on these options can be found in the SCO ARCserve/Open User Guide.

-at time
Run job at time, specified in the format hh:mm.

-on date
Run job on date. date must be specified in the format appropriate for the current locale. See the output of the -usage option for the proper format.

-hold
Submit the job on hold.

-description string
Attach string as a brief description to the job, so that it can be easily referenced later. Note that the description must be in quotes.

-reportfile filename [mode]
Save a report of the job's activity in the ASCII file filename. filename can be a fully qualified path, or just a name (which will be created in the current directory.) The mode allactivity will generate a detailed report, whereas the mode errorsonly will generate brief output.

The default is errorsonly.

-repeat mm dd hh mm
Repeat this job in regular intervals. These intervals are determined by the values of MM(months), DD(days), hh(hours), and mm(minutes).

This option cannot be used in conjunction with any of the Auto Pilot options (see below).

-excludeday day...
Exclude days from a repeating backup job. Each day argument can be one of the keywords Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat.

This option is meaningful only if accompanied by the -repeat option, and cannot be used in conjunction with any of the Auto Pilot options (see below).

-apsetname setname
Specify a set name setname for the Auto Pilot job. The set name must be at most 8 characters long.

-apmethod method
Specify the Auto Pilot main backup method. The method argument can be one of Full, Incremental, or Differential.

For information on these methods see the ``Backup Methods'' section in the SCO ARCserve/Open User Guide.

-apdailymethods method method...
Select Auto Pilot backup methods for each day of the week. method can be one of Off, Full, Incremental, or Differential.

There must exactly 7 method arguments submitted, the first one applying to Sunday backups.

Note that method is constrained to some extent by the method specified with the -apmethod option. See the SCO ARCserve/Open User Guide for additional details.

-appreservedaily num
Preserve num daily tapes for this Auto Pilot set.

-appreserveweekly num
Preserve num weekly tapes for this Auto Pilot set.

-appreservemonthly num
Preserve num monthly tapes for this Auto Pilot set.

Note that this value may be overwritten if Auto Pilot grooming is enabled (see -apgroom).

-apgroom num_notused num_copies
Enable Auto Pilot grooming. The data to be groomed must exist on at least num_copies monthly backups, and must not have been accessed for num_notused months.

Note that by enabling grooming, the number of preserved monthly tapes is automatically set to 12, and any -appreservemonthly option is disregarded.

-apreschedule
Automatically reschedule backup of workstations that were "missed" during the last Auto Pilot job. Weekly and monthly backups are always rescheduled when targets are missed.

-scan
Verify the integrity of the backup by scanning the tape contents looking for errors in the data layout.

-compare
Verify the integrity of the backup by comparing the contents of the new session on the tape with the original data on the disk.

-nodbupdate
Prevent information about the job from being stored in the SCO ARCserve/Open database.

-eject
Eject the tape from the tape drive after the backup operation is finished.

Note that certain tape drives will not physically eject the tape. SCO ARCserve/Open will still consider the tape ejected, and will not operate on it, unless the tape is manually ejected and reinserted.

-preexec command
Execute command prior to starting the backup job.

-preexectimeout timeout
Allow a period of timeout minutes for the -preexec command to complete. The default is 5 minutes.

-postexec command
Execute command after the backup job has completed.

-filter [hostname] include|exclude file|dir pattern
Include/exclude all files/directories from [hostname, matching pattern. pattern can be a full path or a name. The wildcards * and ? are allowed.

-filter [hostname] include|exclude date filetime before|after date
Include/exclude files from [hostname], whose filetime lies before/after date.

filetime can be modify, signifying last modification time, create, signifying creation time, or lastaccess, signifying last access time.

date must be in the format mm/dd/yy.

-filter [hostname] include|exclude date filetime between date1 date2
Include/exclude files from [hostname], whose filetime lies between date1 and date2.

filetime can be modify, signifying last modification time, create, signifying creation time, or lastaccess, signifying last access time.

date1 and date2 must be in the format mm/dd/yy.

-filter [hostname] include|exclude date filetime within count timeunit
Include/exclude files from [hostname], whose filetime lies within count timeunit of the present date.

filetime can be modify, signifying last modification time, create, signifying creation time, or lastaccess, signifying last access time.

timeunit can be one of the keywords day(s), month(s), or year(s).

-username [hostname] username
When backing up to a remote workstation hostname, the operation will be performed with the (UNIX) privileges of user username.

Note that the remote node must allow user username to login without a password, in order for the operation on this node to be successful.

-traversesymlink [hostname]
Traverse symbolic links during backup. The symbolic link itself will not be backed up.

If hostname is specified, the option will apply to symbolic links on the remote workstation hostname.

-traversenfs [hostname]
Backup NFS-mounted filesystems.

If hostname is specified, the option will apply to NFS-mounted filesystems on the remote workstation hostname.

-resetaccesstime [hostname] setting
Specify whether SCO ARCserve/Open will reset the access time of the files it backs up. setting can be either on or off. The default is on.

If hostname is specified, the option will apply to files on the remote workstation hostname.

-noestimation [hostname]
Turn off the estimation of the size and duration of the backup that is used for real-time job statistics.

-volscan [hostname]
Verify the integrity of the backup by scanning the tape contents looking for errors in the data layout.

This option applies to the local host (workstation) unless a remote hostname is specified.

-volcompare [hostname]
Verify the integrity of the backup by comparing the contents of the new session on the tape with the original data on the disk.

This option applies to the local host (workstation) unless a remote hostname is specified.

-voldisable [hostname]
Prevent this host from being backed up.

This option applies to the local host (workstation) unless a remote hostname is specified.

-volgroomdisable [hostname]
Disable Auto Pilot grooming operations for this host.

This option applies to the local host (workstation) unless a remote hostname is specified.

-group groupname
Choose the group that will process the job. Only tapes in this group can be used as destination tapes. See the SCO ARCserve/Open User Guide for details on the concept of device group.

-tape tapename
Select the tape to store data to.

-firsttapeopt method
By default, SCO ARCserve/Open appends data to the current tape in the tape drive. Specify method to alter this behavior as follows:

If method is overwriteblank, SCO ARCserve/Open will overwrite a tape of the same name as the requested tape, or a blank tape if present.

If method is overwriteany, SCO ARCserve/Open will overwrite any tape in the drive.

-firsttapetimeout timeout
Specify a period of timeout minutes that SCO ARCserve/Open will wait for the correct tape to be loaded before it cancels the job automatically. The default value is 5 minutes.

-spantapeopt method
Specify the method SCO ARCserve/Open will use to continue backup on a new tape if the current tape fills up.

If method is overwriteblank, SCO ARCserve/Open will request a blank tape and continue the session on it.

If method is overwriteany, SCO ARCserve/Open will continue backing up on any tape that is inserted in the drive. The default is overwriteblank.

-spantapetimeout timeout
Specify a period of timeout minutes that SCO ARCserve/Open will wait for a new tape to be loaded, after it has filled up the current tape. The default value is 9999 minutes.

-savescript scriptfile
Instead of submitting the job, save it into the file scriptfile. The job can be later submitted for execution through as_qmgr(1). scriptfile must be a fully qualified path.

Any of the above options can be used at any time, with the following exceptions:

The same option cannot appear more than once, with the following exceptions:

Alternately, as_backup can be used with one of the following info_option. When used in this context, as_backup will not generate a backup job, but simply provide information on possible sources and destinations for a backup operation.

-list
Display available sources for backup, namely local and remote workstations. Only the remote workstations that are in the SCO ARCserve/Open database and are running a Client Agent will be displayed.

Also displays a list of potential destination groups/tapes. These are the tapes that are currently in the tape or changer devices available to SCO ARCserve/Open.

-usage
Display the syntax of as_backup.

Only one of the above options can be used at a time. If no options are present, -usage is assumed.

Diagnostics

References

as_restore(1), as_qmgr(1), as_devmgr(1), as_dbmgr(1), as_scan(1), as_merge(1), SCO ARCserve/Open User Guide

Notices

A heavily customized job may include a large number of options (eg. an Auto Pilot job that backs up many remote nodes). It is a good idea to store long commands in an external file. At any time, these commands can be re-issued by running "source filename" or ". filename" depending on which shell you are using. See also the description of the -savescript option.

If a job appears just too cumbersome to create in the command-line, use the Backup Manager instead. You may always save the job in a script that can be run from the command-line.

When using wildcards in filter options, you will need to enclose them in quotes, so that the shell will not expand them in the command line. (Of course you may want the shell to expand wildcards in other instances, for example when specifying the files to be backed up.)

Generally, try to be aware that the shell is interpreting the command-line arguments before any parsing takes place. Thus, if you specify a multi-word job description, or post-execution command, make sure they are enclosed in quotes. Similarly you may use the shell to your advantage, e.g. specify the output of the Unix find command as an argument to the -source switch.


SCO ARCserve/Open 2.2.0 -- December 1997
© 1997 The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. All rights reserved.