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From: jules@zen.UUCP (Julian Perry)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: Backup Utilities for Unix
Message-ID: <599@zen.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-May-87 10:09:34 EDT
Article-I.D.: zen.599
Posted: Fri May  1 10:09:34 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 3-May-87 04:03:30 EDT
References: <1308@ci-dandelion.UUCP>
Reply-To: jules@zen.UUCP (Julian Perry)
Distribution: world
Organization: Zengrange Limited, Leeds, England
Lines: 55
Keywords: system management backups dump restore
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:2106 comp.sources.wanted:1065

In article <1308@ci-dandelion.UUCP>
david@ci-dandelion.UUCP (David Watson) writes:
>Here are some capabilities that would be nice:
>
>	- Granularity smaller than a filesystem
>	- At least ten incremental levels
>	- Large written tape blocks for reasonable speed to a TK-50 tape
>	- Easy, reliable recovery from read or write errors
>	- Support for large archive files and multiple tape volumes
>	- Maintenance of a database of the names of the files archived
>	- A command shell usable by non-computer-oriented people,
>		possibly using full-screen forms and curses routines
>	- Source code availability

I have just started to rewrite our current backup system to be the "all
new super-duper do-it-all definitive backup (honestly)".  

Features will include:

Table driven including:
  a)  List of available backup devices, for each device:
	  i)   The system the device is connected to
	  ii)  The path name of the device
	  iii) The capacity of the device
	  iv)  The command used to write data to the
	       device (optional)
	  v)   The command to rewind and unload the device
	       (optional)
  b)  List of which systems to backup on a network
  c)  What to backup and in what order

Each tape (or disc, or whatever)  will be in cpio format (but this could
be changed) and multiple copies can be made  simultaneously.  Every tape
is a complete cpio archive  (i.e.  you don't need to read the first tape
to get at what's on the  second  etc) and the first  file is an index of
what is on the tape.  [This we already have in our current system]

Features will not include  anything  user-friendly,  sorry!  Having said
that,  what  could  you  want  to  be  user-friendly?  Only  'qualified'
administrators  will  need  such  elaborate  backup  schemes,  and  they
wouldn't be seen dead using 'user-friendly' software anyway!  :-)

Any SENSIBLE suggestions and ideas on the subject would be appreciated.

By the way, this is NOT all  pie-in-the-sky  stuff,  much of it  already
works and I am committed to  finishing it soon.  Aside from that, I need
the damn thing yesterday!

Jules [the fully-backed up]

-- 
IN-REAL-LIFE:  Julian Perry           
E-MAIL:        jules@zen.co.uk || ...!mcvax!ukc!zen.co.uk!jules
PHONE:         +44 532 489048 ext 217
ADDRESS:       Zengrange Limited, Greenfield Road, Leeds, England, LS9 8DB