Copying only newer files with Robocopy

[Guest Tom Reis]

We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003 server. We

have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the data for testing. We

have all the rights setup for the new Windows 2003 server and want to

preserve them. What we are hoping to do is to run Robocopy to copy over only

the files that have changed on the Novell server to the Windows 2003 server.

What would be the command for doing this?

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

 

"Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003 server. We

> have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the data for testing.

> We have all the rights setup for the new Windows 2003 server and want to

> preserve them. What we are hoping to do is to run Robocopy to copy over

> only the files that have changed on the Novell server to the Windows 2003

> server. What would be the command for doing this?

>

 

Try this for guidance:

robocopy /??? > robocopy.txt

notepad robocopy.txt

[Guest Nick Payne]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

robocopy source dest /MIR

 

"Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003 server. We

> have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the data for testing.

> We have all the rights setup for the new Windows 2003 server and want to

> preserve them. What we are hoping to do is to run Robocopy to copy over

> only the files that have changed on the Novell server to the Windows 2003

> server. What would be the command for doing this?

>

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

> robocopy source dest /MIR

 

No; that'd be a two way thing (mirroring source and destination) and can be

very dangerous!

>

> "Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

> news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

>> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the

>> data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new Windows

>> 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are hoping to do is

>> to run Robocopy to copy over only the files that have changed on the

>> Novell server to the Windows 2003 server. What would be the command

>> for doing this?

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

Tom Reis <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote:

> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the

> data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new Windows

> 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are hoping to do is to

> run Robocopy to copy over only the files that have changed on the

> Novell server to the Windows 2003 server. What would be the command

> for doing this?

 

By default that's precisely what it will do. You don't need to do anything

special.

 

Here's my standard robocopy syntax:

 

robocopy <source> <destination> /e /r:1 /w:1

 

you could also use /sec to preserve security.

[Guest Nick Payne]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

No, it wouldn't. It changes the destination to mirror the source. It doesn't

do the reverse. We run multiple robocopy scripts on a nightly basis that use

the parameters I have shown below and have never had the source altered by

robocopy.

 

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

<lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in message

news:Or39JKZQIHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>> robocopy source dest /MIR

>

> No; that'd be a two way thing (mirroring source and destination) and can

> be very dangerous!

>>

>> "Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

>> news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

>>> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the

>>> data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new Windows

>>> 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are hoping to do is

>>> to run Robocopy to copy over only the files that have changed on the

>>> Novell server to the Windows 2003 server. What would be the command

>>> for doing this?

>

>

>

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

> No, it wouldn't. It changes the destination to mirror the source. It

> doesn't do the reverse. We run multiple robocopy scripts on a nightly

> basis that use the parameters I have shown below and have never had

> the source altered by robocopy.

 

What I mean is, if you've mucked with stuff in the destination as you

might've "for testing" in this scenario, or if your destination is

incomplete, you will end up with two sets of incomplete or bad data. The

source can *absolutely* be altered if there's anything amiss with the

destination data.. I use /mir only very carefully.

>

> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

> <lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in

> message news:Or39JKZQIHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>>> robocopy source dest /MIR

>>

>> No; that'd be a two way thing (mirroring source and destination) and

>> can be very dangerous!

>>>

>>> "Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

>>> news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

>>>> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the

>>>> data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new Windows

>>>> 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are hoping to do is

>>>> to run Robocopy to copy over only the files that have changed on

>>>> the Novell server to the Windows 2003 server. What would be the

>>>> command for doing this?

[Guest Nick Payne]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

Nonsense. What /MIR does is delete dest files/dirs that no longer exist in

source. The source isn't touched. Five minutes with Robocopy and a couple of

trivial directory structures will show you this.

 

"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

<lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in message

news:%23CT9vCfQIHA.4128@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>> No, it wouldn't. It changes the destination to mirror the source. It

>> doesn't do the reverse. We run multiple robocopy scripts on a nightly

>> basis that use the parameters I have shown below and have never had

>> the source altered by robocopy.

>

> What I mean is, if you've mucked with stuff in the destination as you

> might've "for testing" in this scenario, or if your destination is

> incomplete, you will end up with two sets of incomplete or bad data. The

> source can *absolutely* be altered if there's anything amiss with the

> destination data.. I use /mir only very carefully.

>

>>

>> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

>> <lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in

>> message news:Or39JKZQIHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>>>> robocopy source dest /MIR

>>>

>>> No; that'd be a two way thing (mirroring source and destination) and

>>> can be very dangerous!

>>>>

>>>> "Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

>>>> news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>>> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

>>>>> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all the

>>>>> data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new Windows

>>>>> 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are hoping to do is

>>>>> to run Robocopy to copy over only the files that have changed on

>>>>> the Novell server to the Windows 2003 server. What would be the

>>>>> command for doing this?

>

>

>

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: Copying only newer files with Robocopy

 

Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

> Nonsense. What /MIR does is delete dest files/dirs that no longer

> exist in source.

 

My apologies - you're correct. I've evidently been misreading the help files

on that one. This hat is delicious, by the way.

> The source isn't touched. Five minutes with Robocopy

> and a couple of trivial directory structures will show you this.

>

> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

> <lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in

> message news:%23CT9vCfQIHA.4128@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

>> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>>> No, it wouldn't. It changes the destination to mirror the source. It

>>> doesn't do the reverse. We run multiple robocopy scripts on a

>>> nightly basis that use the parameters I have shown below and have

>>> never had the source altered by robocopy.

>>

>> What I mean is, if you've mucked with stuff in the destination as

>> you might've "for testing" in this scenario, or if your destination

>> is incomplete, you will end up with two sets of incomplete or bad

>> data. The source can *absolutely* be altered if there's anything

>> amiss with the destination data.. I use /mir only very carefully.

>>

>>>

>>> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

>>> <lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in

>>> message news:Or39JKZQIHA.1188@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>> Nick Payne <someone@nowhere.au> wrote:

>>>>> robocopy source dest /MIR

>>>>

>>>> No; that'd be a two way thing (mirroring source and destination)

>>>> and can be very dangerous!

>>>>>

>>>>> "Tom Reis" <reistom@cdnet.cod.edu> wrote in message

>>>>> news:OLY01JPQIHA.1184@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>>>> We have a Novell server that we are migrating to aWindows 2003

>>>>>> server. We have already ran Robocopy about 1 month to copy all

>>>>>> the data for testing. We have all the rights setup for the new

>>>>>> Windows 2003 server and want to preserve them. What we are

>>>>>> hoping to do is to run Robocopy to copy over only the files that

>>>>>> have changed on the Novell server to the Windows 2003 server.

>>>>>> What would be the command for doing this?