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From: seb022@tijc02.UUCP (Scott Bemis         )
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: UNIX tape backup utilities (ex. Ubackup from Unitech, Autoreel, etc.)
Message-ID: <153@tijc02.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 14-Aug-87 14:23:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: tijc02.153
Posted: Fri Aug 14 14:23:55 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Aug-87 06:21:29 EDT
Organization: Texas Instr., Johnson City TN
Lines: 52
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:3623 comp.unix.wizards:3698


	Has anyone used Ubackup software from Unitech Software, Inc., 
	Autoback from Werner & Monk, Inc., or Reel Backup from COSI, Inc. 
	I am considering purchasing a UNIX tape backup utility.   What are your
	comments, compliments, complaints with any of these tools?

	Particular questions
	Can this tool (from whatever company)
	a. handle multiple tape reels to backup a single file system if
	necessary? (I have large file systems)
	b. keep an online catalog of files backuped to each particular backup
		tape (tell me which tape a file may be on)?
	c. perform both a full and incremental backup on a MOUNTED file system
	which may be modified as it is being backed up? 
	d. be able to restore individual files from either an incremental
	or full backups, Not require one to copy the entire tape to a
	spare area on a disk drive (if a such an area exists) like volcopy?
	e. be installed easily and easy to use, and well documented? 

	OR has someone (a genius) found a way to meet these requirements
	using standard AT&T UNIX V utilities? 

	Below explains why I am interested in purchasing a tape backup  
	utility. 
	First, I am using a port of AT&T UNIX V Release 2.0 Version 2
	on a VAX 8600. I would like to be able to verify my incremental
	and full tape backups. I currently use find piped to cpio to make 

	/bin/find . -mtime -"$days" -print | cpio -oaB >/dev/rmt/0h

	incremental backups (backup only files modified within the last
	day, week, etc) and volcopy to make full tape backups.

	/etc/volcopy -a -bpi6250 -feet2400 $fsname /dev/rdsk/$2 - /dev/rmt/0h - > /dev/console 2>&1 
	With these methods, I can not easily compare the contents with of the
	tape with what is on the disk.  I want to be sure that the backup
	tape really holds what it should. Users and managers can get very
	if files can not be restored from backups. Yes, this has happened
	before. With full backups using with volcopy, I need a spare area on a 
	disk drive or in some cases, a spare disk drive to restore files from 
	full backups.  In addition, I do not know what files are on the full
	backups. Great Fun to restore several full backup tapes to find just
	one critical file a user deleted!!! With volcopy, the file system 
	has to be unmounted to make sure it is not being modified during
	the backup procedure, making the computer unusable for many computer
	users.


	Scott Bemis
	Texas Instruments, Johnson City, TN
	rti!tijc02!root
	Phone: (615) 461-2959