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How Do I Set Up the Incremental Backup?

The Incremental Backup solution has been introduced with RamSoft PowerServer 5.1. Also, from PRU10, this functionality is available to all licenses. The Incremental Backup runs as a scheduled task for the PowerServer and creates a backup of the database which can be accessed in the case of database corruption.

The incremental backup performs in the following manner:

  1. A scheduled task is run at a specific time which locks the database file.
  2. The database file is copied to a pre-defined backup location.
  3. The original database file is unlocked.
  4. The database copy is unlocked so that it can be used in the event of a database corruption.

The process above can be repeated at a pre-determined frequency which is currently set at a default value of fifteen minutes. In the event of a database corruption, the backup database can be switched to in a matter of minutes.

There are four levels of backup which are defined according to their frequency.

a. A Level 0 backup is performed once a day.

b. A Level 1 backup is performed every four hours.

c. A Level 2 backup is performed every hour.

d. A Level 3 backup is performed after every fifteen minutes.

When the Incremental backup is enabled for the first time, the task creates all the four backups. After fifteen minutes, the task is run again and checks the times for all these backups. If the last Level 0 backup was performed more than twenty four hours ago, it creates another Level 0 backup. If you have set up the option to create multiple Level 0 backups then it will create these multiple Level 0 backups. If only one Level 0 backup has been opted for, then the previous Level 0 backup will be deleted. (The mechanism for creating multiple Level 0 backups is explained in detail below).

If the Level 0 backup was created less than twenty four hours ago, the task leaves the Level 0 backup unchanged and checks for the time when the last Level 1 backup was created. If the backup was created more than four hours ago, the task creates another Level 1 backup. After completion of this Level 1 backup, the task deletes all the other Level 1, Level 2 and level 3 backups.

If the Level 1 backup was created less than four hours ago, the task leaves the Level 1 backup unchanged and checks for the time when the last Level 2 backup was created. If the backup was created more than an hour ago, the task creates another Level 2 backup. After completion of this Level 2 backup, the task deletes all the other Level 2 and level 3 backups.

If the Level 2 backup was created less than an hour ago, the task leaves the level 2 backup unchanged and checks for the time when the last Level 3 backup was created. If the backup was created more than fifteen minutes ago, the task creates another Level 3 backup. After completion of this Level 3 backup, the task deletes the previous Level 3 backup.

In this manner, a new Level 3 back up is created every 15 minutes, a new Level 2 backup is created every hour, a new Level 1 backup is created every four hours and a new Level 0 backup is created once every twenty four hours.

Certain things should be kept in mind while deploying Incremental Backup:

  • The storage requirement for a 'Level 0' back up depends on how many 'Level 0' back up files customer wants to keep. For instance, customer wants to keep 7 files of 'Level 0' back up then the storage requirement would be 'Size of customer's database x 7'.
  • The storage requirement for Level 1-Level 3 backups depends how busy the customer site is. The recommendation is 'Size of customer's database + 4GB'.
Enabling the incremental backup

To enable the incremental backup, perform the following steps:

  1. Select the Incremental Backup option from File> Database>Setup >Folders tab.

  1. In the Backup Path field, select a path to the folder where the backup file will be saved. It is advised to select a separate disk drive or a network drive. The backup files saved by the task server are in a *.nbk format.

  2. The user has the option to create multiple copies of the Level 0 files. These level 0 files are created at various instances and they are different from each other. If a user selects to keep 3 Level 0 backup files, a Level 0 file will be created each day for three days. On the fourth day, the task service deletes the file created on Day 1 and adds a new file. In this way, the user can select and use backup files created within the past three days. It is possible to create a maximum of 30 Level 0 backup files.

  3. Go to File > Database > Restore Incremental.

  4. When the Restore Incremental Backup Database form opens, define the location where the restored database backup files will be located.

  1. After backup files have been created, these files will be available with their respective time stamps on this form. If the users selects a file with a particular timestamp and clicks the restore button, that particular *.nbk file is converted into a "Restore.FDB" file at this location.

  2. After defining the destination directory for the PACS database, click on the Report Database tab and define the destination directory in this tab.

  3. After saving the changes, restart all RamSoft services from Services > Local Services > Restart.

  4. Incremental backup will start.

Disabling the incremental backup

To disable the Incremental backup, perform these steps:

  1. Open the maintenance module.

  2. Go to File > Database > Setup > Folders tab.

  3. In the Database Backup section, select Daily Backup PACS instead of the Incremental Backup option.

  4. Restart all RamSoft services.

Sending incremental backup alerts

An option has been provided to send emails when an issue has been observed with incremental backup. The email address is configured in the System Administration Menu entry "Email to receive warning on database transaction ID usage". The default address is support@ramsoft.com.

An email is sent every time any one of the following issues is encountered:

a. A network failure has occurred and the Backup folder is on a network drive.

b. The Incremental Backup task has stopped working.

c. The RamSoft Task Service has been stopped/ restarted by RamSoft Guardian service

d. The Backup process is taking more than twelve hours to complete.

e. The system does not have the privilege to write to the Backup folder.