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From: fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: UNIX tape backup utilities ( SysAdmin from UniSolutions Assoc.)
Message-ID: <367@mcdsun.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 3-Sep-87 14:20:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: mcdsun.367
Posted: Thu Sep  3 14:20:03 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 11:38:26 EDT
References: <153@tijc02.UUCP> <1143@ttidca.TTI.COM> <358@mcdsun.UUCP> <1153@ttidca.TTI.COM> <284@unisol.UUCP>
Reply-To: fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish)
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer Division
Lines: 49
Keywords: menus security backups
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.wizards:4058 comp.unix.questions:3859

So far I have resisted jumping into this backup discussion to avoid
flames about commercialism but I'd just like to note the availability
of another option that does most of what everyone has been talking about.
For availability, see disclaimer below.

In article <284@unisol.UUCP> haral@unisol.UUCP (Haral Tsitsivas) writes:
>message)...   The only UNIX vendor that has even come close to providing
>a real tape checking utility is MASSCOMP which provides an option (c) to
>their dump or restor program (can't remember which one right now) that
>compares the data on the dump tape with the filesystem and reports the
>differences (i-nodes, blocks, etc).

Not quite, Motorola has been shipping a product called bru (Backup and
Restore Utility) for several years as a standard part of their Unix
system, that also does archived-file versus filesystem-file comparisions
as an optional pass to do backup verification.  It also does checksums
on each and every block so there is yet another mode (inspection) which
goes through and checks the archive for self-consistency and proper
checksums.

>SysAdmin uses volcopy for full physical dumps and cpio for full or
>incremental logical dumps.  SysAdmin provides the front-end under which you
>can backup at various levels just like under BSD systems but still using
>cpio under System V.  Of course, on BSD systems, SysAdmin uses dump and
>restore for logical dumps and dd for physical dumps.

It was precisely the problems with volcopy/cpio/tar/dump/restore etc that
caused me to retch and write bru in the first place.  All archives are fully
compatible across all supported machines ("unix boxes", Amiga) and all
supported OS's (BSD, SysV, Xenix, AmigaDOS).  It differs from packages
like UBackup and SysAdmin in that it does very little system administration
type things and concentrates on providing the most robust and portable
"low level backup mechanism" possible.  You might say they are complimentary
packages.

Disclaimer:	I'm rather biased as I am the author of bru.  It has been
		licensed by Motorola (along with Intel and "others") for
		unlimited binary distribution as a part of their Unix
		product.  Don't call either Motorola or I about it, as
		all marketing is done by an marketing agent.  His phone
		number is (602) 820-0042.

-Fred


-- 
= Drug tests; just say *NO*!
= Fred Fish  Motorola Computer Division, 3013 S 52nd St, Tempe, Az 85282  USA
= seismo!noao!mcdsun!fnf    (602) 438-3614