How do I restore incremental backups?

February 19, 2008

I'm using ntbackup on a Windows 2000 Server.

I have finished restoring the big "normal" backup of a shared directory.

Now I have a several incremental backups that I need to restore. How do I

do that in order to end up with the directory as it was when the last

incremental backup was done?

I'm guessing that I need to choose "Replace the file on disk only if the

file on disk is older". But it worries me the default choice is "Do not

replace the file on my computer (recommended)". That doesn't sound logical.

Why would I restore if I wasn't wanting to replace files? What am I missing

here?

BUT MAINLY, how can I restore these incremental backups w/out screwing it up

and having start all over again by restoring from the first "normal" backup?

Thanks

February 19, 2008

Re: How do I restore incremental backups?

"OscarVogel" <rtk@divecochran.com> wrote in message

news:BFD945EB-74EC-4459-BBC0-AE6B63703103@microsoft.com...

> I'm using ntbackup on a Windows 2000 Server.

>

> I have finished restoring the big "normal" backup of a shared

> directory. Now I have a several incremental backups that I need to

> restore. How do I do that in order to end up with the directory as

> it was when the last incremental backup was done?

>

> I'm guessing that I need to choose "Replace the file on disk only if

> the file on disk is older". But it worries me the default choice is

> "Do not replace the file on my computer (recommended)". That

> doesn't sound logical. Why would I restore if I wasn't wanting to

> replace files? What am I missing here?

>

> BUT MAINLY, how can I restore these incremental backups w/out

> screwing it up and having start all over again by restoring from the

> first "normal" backup?

>

> Thanks

What if the file on the hard disk is older than the version of that

file in the latest backup? You or the user may have, for example,

have restored an earlier version of a file because they screwed up the

latest version. So you have the earlier and latest version in your

backups but the user already got back the earlier version that they

really needed.

You then run through your incremental backups which includes the

latest version of the file. You overwrite the earlier version that

was on the hard disk with the latest version from your backups. Now

the user doesn't have the earlier version that they restored

previously and the version that they really need. They don't want the

latest version. They already retrieved the earlier version that they

want. Then you do the restore and return them back to a later version

that they cannot use.

Besides users wanting to keep the earlier version of a file rather

than get back the latest version, they may have simply touched a file

to give it an earlier date for their own reasons. There are 3 dates

on a file (date modified, date created, and date accessed) so who

knows which date the user touched (changed). For some reason, a file

with the latest modified date gets that changed to a date earlier than

for some of the earlier versions in your backups. You do the backup

and overwrite their latest version based solely on the datestamp.

Their latest version with an earlier date may not have yet been

included in your latest backup so they permanently lose their latest

version.

If you don't give a gnat's fart about any files that are currently on

your hard disk because you need to revert back to a logical "snapshot"

of a particular backup then use the "Replace if older". You don't

make it clear if you want to wipe the current state of the shared

directory and restore to a backup snapshot state or if you want to

keep any existing files and *add* files from the backups.

Do you want to replace any file on the hard disk that is an older

version than the latest version available in your backups? Maybe.

Maybe not. Depends on your intention as to what state you intend to

restore the shared directory: restore to a backup snapshot state, or

restore to just add any lost files.

From the help included in NT Backup:

- Do not replace file on my computer. This will prevent files from

being overwritten on your hard disk. This is the safest method of

restoring files.

- Replace the file on disk only if the file on disk is older. If you

have changed any files since you last backed up your data, this will

ensure that you don't lose the changes you have made to the files.

- Always replace the file on my disk. This will replace all of the

files on your hard disk with the files in your backup set. If you have

made any changes to files since you last backed up your data, this

option will erase those changes.

February 19, 2008

Re: How do I restore incremental backups?

Thanks for the detail.

Our file server crashed so I am restoring the shares on a new server. So I

will "Replace if older". Thanks for helping me to think this through.

"VanguardLH" <V@nguard.LH> wrote in message

news:OdrriVwcIHA.2268@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> "OscarVogel" <rtk@divecochran.com> wrote in message

> news:BFD945EB-74EC-4459-BBC0-AE6B63703103@microsoft.com...

>> I'm using ntbackup on a Windows 2000 Server.

>>

>> I have finished restoring the big "normal" backup of a shared directory.

>> Now I have a several incremental backups that I need to restore. How do

>> I do that in order to end up with the directory as it was when the last

>> incremental backup was done?

>>

>> I'm guessing that I need to choose "Replace the file on disk only if the

>> file on disk is older". But it worries me the default choice is "Do not

>> replace the file on my computer (recommended)". That doesn't sound

>> logical. Why would I restore if I wasn't wanting to replace files? What

>> am I missing here?

>>

>> BUT MAINLY, how can I restore these incremental backups w/out screwing it

>> up and having start all over again by restoring from the first "normal"

>> backup?

>>

>> Thanks

>

> What if the file on the hard disk is older than the version of that file

> in the latest backup? You or the user may have, for example, have

> restored an earlier version of a file because they screwed up the latest

> version. So you have the earlier and latest version in your backups but

> the user already got back the earlier version that they really needed.

>

> You then run through your incremental backups which includes the latest

> version of the file. You overwrite the earlier version that was on the

> hard disk with the latest version from your backups. Now the user doesn't

> have the earlier version that they restored previously and the version

> that they really need. They don't want the latest version. They already

> retrieved the earlier version that they want. Then you do the restore and

> return them back to a later version that they cannot use.

>

> Besides users wanting to keep the earlier version of a file rather than

> get back the latest version, they may have simply touched a file to give

> it an earlier date for their own reasons. There are 3 dates on a file

> (date modified, date created, and date accessed) so who knows which date

> the user touched (changed). For some reason, a file with the latest

> modified date gets that changed to a date earlier than for some of the

> earlier versions in your backups. You do the backup and overwrite their

> latest version based solely on the datestamp. Their latest version with an

> earlier date may not have yet been included in your latest backup so they

> permanently lose their latest version.

>

> If you don't give a gnat's fart about any files that are currently on your

> hard disk because you need to revert back to a logical "snapshot" of a

> particular backup then use the "Replace if older". You don't make it

> clear if you want to wipe the current state of the shared directory and

> restore to a backup snapshot state or if you want to keep any existing

> files and *add* files from the backups.

>

> Do you want to replace any file on the hard disk that is an older version

> than the latest version available in your backups? Maybe. Maybe not.

> Depends on your intention as to what state you intend to restore the

> shared directory: restore to a backup snapshot state, or restore to just

> add any lost files.

>

> From the help included in NT Backup:

>

> - Do not replace file on my computer. This will prevent files from being

> overwritten on your hard disk. This is the safest method of restoring

> files.

>

> - Replace the file on disk only if the file on disk is older. If you have

> changed any files since you last backed up your data, this will ensure

> that you don't lose the changes you have made to the files.

>

> - Always replace the file on my disk. This will replace all of the files

> on your hard disk with the files in your backup set. If you have made any

> changes to files since you last backed up your data, this option will

> erase those changes.

February 19, 2008

Re: How do I restore incremental backups?

Please read the following additional information and tell me if I need to

choose "Always replace" (NOT "replace if older").

I have restored the shares to a Buffalo NAS "Terastation" which does not

have NTFS. (It only has share permissions). And I think that is why the

"date modified" on the folders and files have been changed to today's date.

So I'm guessing that means that I will need to use "Always replace". Is

that correct?

Also, after restoring the "Normal" backup I discovered that the backup log

show hundreds of pages of "Unable to restore the folder" But it looks as if

everything may have actually be restored. Is that possible? Does this have

something to do with me choosing to restore security settings (and the

Buffalo NAS not recogognizing the NTFS permissions)? In short, do you think

I need to restore that Normal backup again?

Thanks.

Also