Extra Copies of Incremental Backups and Copying *.vhd files

Ronald, welcome to these user forums.

I am somewhat puzzled by your questions because Acronis True Image 2015, or any other recent version since around 2010, does not create .VHD backup files - these are created by Windows Backup not by Acronis.

ATIH 2015 creates backup files with .TIB extensions, and any incremental backup file can only be used with the full backup file from the same backup sequence that the incremental was based on - no other file can be substituted for that full backup file.

ATIH 2015 does not work with .VHD files and has not done so since around 2010.

Sorry, Steve,

I meant *.tib files instead of .vhd files.

Thanks.

It's by design (perhaps not a good one, depending on what you're looking for, but it's explained in the documentation)

http://www.acronis.com/en-us/support/documentation/ATI2015/#3430.html

Backup reserve copy

Backup reserve copy is an independent full backup version created immediately after a normal backup. Even when you create an incremental or differential backup version containing only data changes, the reserve copy will contain all the data selected for the normal backup. You can save reserve copies of your backups on the file system, a network drive, or a USB flash drive.

Please, be aware that CD/DVDs are not supported as locations for reserve copies.

To make a reserve copy:

1. Select the Create a reserve copy of my backups check box.
2. Specify a location for the backup copies.

   You can protect the reserve copy with a password. All other backup options will be inherited from the source backup.

Ronald B. McGuire wrote:

Question 1:  When I select creating an extra copy of my incremental backup Acronis initially creates two 450GB *.vhd files initially. But when I make additional incremental Acronis makes a 20GB incremental copy at the first backup locatkion but makes a complete 450GB at the extra copy location.  How can I make extra copies of incremental backups.

You can't through the app.  You would need to copy them yourself to some other location - this is fine to do, but they must accompany the original full and all other incremetnals that came before it in that chain as well.  This leads to your next question...

Question2:  If I copy the 20GB incremental copy to the folder containing the extra copy of my 450GB initial backup, will the 20GB incremental copy work if I have to use the extra copy of the 450 GB backup?

No, that incremental is associated with the original full not the reserve copy which is it's own, separate full.  

Question 3:  In general, can I copy or move *.vhd files and use them as backups if needed?  

Yes, but don't move the originals outsdie of Acronis.  Tthose are stored in a database from teh Windows version of the GUI.  If you make changes to the files in Windows and not throgh Acronis, the database doesn't know you did that.  If you do this though, immediately run a validation of the backup job and it will throw up a warning telling you to locate the missing file(s) or to ignore them.  Ignore each warning (you'll get one for every .tib you moved) and that will update the database.

Copying is no problem... with a few things to keep in mind though.  If you copy files to another USB drive, those can be used with the offline bootable recovery media, or imported into the Windows GUI of Acronis down the road whenever you want if need be. HOWEVER, all files for a backup job chain need to be copied as well.  That means if you have a backup with 1 full and 6 incrementals, copy all of them... if you copy the full and only incremental #3, you're out of luck trying to restore that incremental, but the full is still usable (incrementals requre all backup that came before them in that chain to be usable - differentials only need the original full and are not dependent on any other differentials in that backup chain).  

Likewise, you can't try to mix and match incrementals from other backups that are associated with a different full - even if they're from the same computer (it doesn't work that way, they are tied to the backup jobs that created them).  The same applies for differentials... you can only use a differential that was made after a specifc full... you can't pick some random differential that was not created in the same version chain as the full that is needed to complete the differential. 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions so thoroughly, BOBO_3COX.

I just want to make sure I understand your answer to question #2.  Assume I choose the option in Acronis True Image to make an initial backup *.tib file on by F drive with an extra copy on my G drive. A week later I make an incremental *.tib file on my F drive linked to the original backup. Am I correct in assuming that I can copy and paste the incremental backup from my F dride to the location of the backup copy on the G drive and that if I needed to restore my drive from the G drive the backup would work?

Ronald, in principle you should be correct in your assumption, but personally I would take a different approach and copy all the files from your F: drive to your G: drive so that you are 100% certain that any incrementals are matched with the full backup that they are based on.

I have never used the option for making a reserve backup copy as my own preference is to have separate backup tasks that write to different backup drives at different times, so that I have multiple different restore points that I could choose from should I need to make any recovery.

Steve and BOBBO_3COX1,  Thanks fo rtaking the time to answer my questions.

I don't use the reserve either.   It's nice in the sense that you get a completely different full with each backup, but that can eat up a lot of space quickly.  

For those who do like it, no, you cannot combine an incremental with the reserve copy - ever.  The reserve copy is it's own stand-a-lone backup.  It cannot be used with any incrementals or differentials, even the one that was just made.  Think of it this way...

FULL A + RESERVE FULL B

Then INC A1 + RESERVE FULL C

Then INC A2 + RESERVE FULL D

------------------------------------------

Then FULL E + RESERVERVE FULL F

Then INC E1 + RESERVE FULL G

Then INC E2 + RESERVE FULL H

You'll notice that at no point in time to dany incrementals match the reserves, pluse your incrementals are always made before the reserve which goes against bagic logic since incrementals must occur after a backup, not before it - hence, they'd never work.  They're treated like two completely different backups (because they really are).

Thanks again, BOBBO_3COX1

But couldn't INC A1 be used to updated RESERVE FULL B?

Thanks again, BOBBO_3COX1

But couldn't INC A1 be used to updated RESERVE FULL B?

Ron, from what I understand Rob (Bobbo) to be saying, the answer to your question is No, as the backups are created independently rather than being identical copies of each other, hence my earlier suggestion to do a simple copy of the main backup folder contents to the secondary location - you could do this by creating a simple batch command file and use this in the Post-Command settings in the Advanced tab of your backup task.

Thanks, Steve. That clarifies it. The reserve copy is no identical to the original backup copy.

Ronald B. McGuire wrote:

Thanks, Steve. That clarifies it. The reserve copy is no identical to the original backup copy.

Correct - they're completey separate backups, just performed around the same time.  

I like Steve's recommendation of just copying your existing backups somewhere else.  You can do this with robocopy which is built into Windows.

1) Take your main backups with Acronis which will be created in Folder 1 - this is the SOURCE.

2) Create a folder or use a new one for where you intend to copy the original backup files from - this is the DESTINATION.

3) open an elevated command prompt and type the following (you need to change the source and destinatino paths though to make it whatever the actual 

robocopy "SOURCEPATH" "DESTINATIONPATH" /R:0 /W:0 /MIR

press enter and that's it.  JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON"T REVERSE YOUR SOURCE and DESTINATION OR YOU'LL BE SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!

4) You can then take this command and put it into a .txt file.  Rename the .txt extenstion to .bat.  Copy the .bat file somewhere you want it and plan to keep it (desktop is fine - you can always manually run it easier that way if you like - whenever you want). 

5) Now, to automate this and make it happen right after a backup - essentially making it part of the same backup task, go into your Acronis backup task and disable the option for reserve copy (if you want - that's up to you).  In the same advanced tab, expand "pre/post commands".

click the box "use custom commands"

Edit the POST-command.  click the ... dots and navigate to your newly created .bat script.  Click TEST - shoud see success.  Click OK.  You're done.  Any time you run a backup, once the backup is done, it will automaticlly mirror your primary backup location content to the other folder.