Looking for a better way
I have a few backup tasks that back up a partition that contains nothing but data such as music. These partitions don't change much so I do a full backup only every 30 days with a daily differential. However, occasionally one of these partitions changes a lot (like if I were to add a bunch of new music). So from that point forward the differential each day, until the next full, are large. I could use incrementals, but I prefer to use differentials.
So in such cases, I'd like to do a "out of sequence", one time, full backup as part of this same backup task so that the subsequent differentials become small again. The only way I've found to do this, is to change the options of the backup task to be full, run the full, and then change the backup task options back to what they were before (e.g., full every 30 differentials). Unfortunately ATI does not remember the last parameters I used for a differential scheme inside this backup task (30 differentials and the clean up scheme), so I have to re-enter all that. I will say that ATI impresses me in this circumstance because it does figure out that the one time full should be used to start the new differential version chain (I half-figured that ATI would do yet another full backup, making 2 fulls, when I changed the backup scheme parameters back to differential.)
Is there a smarter way to do this? I would like to simply tell ATI to do a full right now but keep the differential parameters in place; that is, just do a full this time instead of a differential and bump the version chain number by 1 starting a new chain of 30 differentials.
Sandy,
It sounds like what you need is the ability to perform a Consolidation of X number of differential tasks and then have the existing task continue on as configured.
Several versions ago of True Image prior to the current version offered such functionality however, that was removed from the product for reasons I do not know.
From time to time I read requests similar to yours asking for Consolidation to be returned to the product. The best way of making Acronis aware of such interests by the user base is to submit feedback via the in app feedback feature.
In the meantime, seeing how you have a method for a workaround, I think you will have to continue with that.
This would be good to to add to the wishlist sticky. Being able to just right click the backup and say run scheme or run full would be kind if nice. This feature exists in another product I use too
This would be good to to add to the wishlist sticky.
Done.
Pat L,
.....the product does support these capabilities pretty well, but using them can result in unexpected results at restore time
I hadn't thought about not finding a flaw in my workaround technique until restore time. Good point!
Another consideration is that music file are already in compressed formats, so using technology like Acronis to back this up on a non-system disk is not necessarily the best option.
I understand this, but I like the fact that when I setup a ATI backup task, it is a "set it and forget it" situation. If I just copy the music to a different drive occasionally, I have to remember to do that.
I understand this, but I like the fact that when I setup a ATI backup task, it is a "set it and forget it" situation. If I just copy the music to a different drive occasionally, I have to remember to do that.
Sandy, there are synchronisation tools that will include options for scheduling that could be used, including using the integrated Robocopy feature of Windows that you could schedule via the Windows Task Scheduler, and use to do a one-way sync for any changes that occur for your music files.