Skip to main content

Can I copy and/or move a backup file?

Thread needs solution

As noted in the User Guide, the first backup may well be the most important one. If I do not now have, but later plan to install additional storage devices, will it be possible for me to "backup my backup(s)" by copying and moving it/them to the new devices?

If so, can you please explain how to do this?

Thank you very much,
~~zapatero

0 Users found this helpful

Yes. It's a normal file by file system standards. Of course, the content is arranged so that only ATI can make sense of the content, you you can copy, move, delete it just like any other file. However, there are a few things of note.

You can copy or move it to another location and it will remain a perfectly valid backup, provided the copy itself is successful and without errors (as nearly all copying is).

If you want to be sure ATI's database is aware that you are removing the backup from it's original location, then copy the file where you want it to go, then, in ATI, click on the backup location, navigate to the file and delete it from within ATI. This should update the database promptly. The worst that happens if you don't is ATI thinks the backup is still in the original location but when you try to use it from that location from within ATI it will tell you it can't find it.

Also note that for incs and difffs, you need to keep sets together. So if you have a full with a series of incs, you want to keep those together in the same location.

I'd recommend that you validate a file that you move. We have seen archives corrupted by a simple OS copy. No need to be paranoid, but a good practice.