RE: NTBackup on Windows Server 2003

Hi Zod,

Thanks for posting here!

For your description, I understand that you want to create Normal &
Incremental backup task and append data to an existing backup file rather
than create a new separate file every time. If I am off base, please don't
hesitate to let me know.

Incremental backup:
A backup that copies only those files created or changed since the last
normal or incremental backup. It marks files as having been backed up (in
other words, the archive attribute is cleared). If you use a combination of
normal and incremental backups to restore your data, you will need to have
the last normal backup and all incremental backup sets.

To configure incremental backup data to be appended to an existing backup
file rather than create a new separate file every time, you can use
NtBackup wizard or command line to implement.

I. Use NtBackup wizard:
1. Type "ntbackup" (no quotation marks) in command prompt to launch
NtBackup utility.
2. In Welcome page, click "Backup Wizard (Advanced)" button to start a
backup task configuration, follow the guide to configure. In the Completing
the Backup Wizard page, click "Advanced" button to choose backup type as
"Incremental" and then click two times "Next".
3. In the backup option page, ensure check box of "Append this backup to
the existing backups" and then click Next.
4. In the When to Back up page, choose backup later to setup a schedule
backup task as you need. Then finish the configuration.

II. You can use the /g option to append data to existing backups:

Such as:
ntbackup backup @c:\files.bks /v:yes /hc:on /a /m differential /l:f /g
"<guid>"

Where guid is the tape drive's globally unique identifier (GUID). Each
removable storage device gets a GUID, and every tape that you format on a
Windows 2000 system gets a "physical media" GUID. Like hard disks, each
tape has partitions??typically one per tape??and every partition gets a
partition GUID. Within that partition is one "logical media," which gets a
logical media GUID. NTBackup needs that logical media GUID.

Acquiring that GUID is the stumbling block in the otherwise simple process
of building the batch file. To fetch GUIDs, you use the Rsm View command:

rsm view /t<object-type>[/guiddisplay] [/cg<guid>]
Choices for object-type include library (to list your drives),
physical_media (to show the tapes in a drive), partition (to get the tape's
partition) and logical_media (to show the tape's logical media). The
/guiddisplay parameter lists objects and their GUIDs. The /cg parameter
lets you specify what object you want to examine; guid is the object's
GUID. To find the GUID of your tape drive, type

rsm view /tlibrary /guiddisplay
RSM will probably list several drives. The 32-character string to the right
of your tape drive's name is the drive's GUID.

For more detail information, you can refer to the following articles:
How to use command line parameters with the Ntbackup command in Windows
Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=814583

Ntbackup
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/library/Serve
rHelp/2b8c47c9-a769-46d2-9e26-f4d16f0261f8.mspx

Related information:

An incremental backup includes unchanged files and is larger than expected
in Windows 2000 and in Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833281

Chapter 14 - Data Backup and Recovery
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/maintain/featus
ability/c14w2kad.mspx

Hope above information helps! If you have any further concern or question
please let me know. I am happy to be assistance of you and looking forward
to your reply!

Have a nice day!

Best Regards,

Jenny Wu
Microsoft CSS Online Newsgroup Support
Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
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--------------------
>From: zod123@xxxxxxxxx
>Newsgroups: microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs
>Subject: NTBackup on Windows Server 2003
>Date: 20 Oct 2005 17:27:49 -0700
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>
>I am trying to set up the onboard NTBackup on Windows 2003 Server. I am
>experiencing issues w/ Microsoft's definitions of Normal, Incremental,
>etc.
>
>I simply wish to create a BU for each partition that will simply
>_append_, or add to that same BU file on a scheduled basis. Having
>tried Normal & Incremental, NTBackup seems to want to create separate
>files each time a run is scheduled. Thanks, -zod
>
>

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