ACRONIS 2015 BACKUP FILE NAMING
I have recently started using Acronis True Image 2015 but cannot see any way to stop the naming of a backup from adding "_full_b1_s1_v1.tib".
I understand that ".tib" has always been added to the end of a backup name, from previous Acronis versions, but I am quite perturbed that I can find no way of stopping "_full_b1_s1_v1" from being added to my backup file name.
Is there a way to prevent this from happening?
You cannot stop the designed addition of the behavior described above but this link can help you control some of what the beginning name can be.
http://forum.acronis.com/forum/91956
I've read the support information linked above but can see no logic for the naming of data backup files on my system. I take an incremental backup daily, with a full backup every 20. Here is a sequence of files in date order:
Data_full_b7_s1_v1
.
.
Data_inc_b7_s12_v1 Makes sense so far - full backup and 11 increments, but then I get
Data_full_b7_s1_v1-2 Why a full backup after just 11 increments? And why not named Data_full_b8_s1_v1? What's this v1-2 business?
Data_full_b7_s1_v1-3 Huh? Why another full backup, next day?!
Data_inc_b7_s2_v1-2 Why v1-2, not v1-3?
Data_inc_b7_s3_v1-2
Data_inc_b7_s4_v1-2
Data_inc_b7_s5_v1-2
Data_full_b7_s1_v1-4 Another full backup! What on earth is going on?!
Data_inc_b7_s2_v1-3
Data_inc_b7_s3_v1-3
Data_full_b8_s1_v1 That makes more sense, but I expected to see a full backup and then 19 increments named
Data_inc_b7_s2_v1 to Data_inc_b7_s20_v1 before this full backup.
Apart from being very confusing, this naming system means files aren't in chronological order, when sorted by name. I hate it!
Dave, anytime that you get a file with such as _v1-2 or 3 etc, this indicates that ATIH encountered a problem when creating the previous backup file, and is therefore repeating that backup and trying again.
Please use the Log File Viewer app (link in my signature below) to check what messages are being posted to the logs for your task that is creating these backups.
See the ATIH 2015 User Guide: Backup file naming for the official explanation, where it says:
If you are creating a new backup, and there is already a file with the same name, the program does not delete the old file, but adds to the new file the "-number" suffix, for example, my_documents_inc_b2_s2_v1-2.tib.
Many thanks for that Steve. Very helpful.
I do feel the naming would benefit from a rethink, though, even if only so that name sequence = date sequence. Simply moving full/inc/dif to the end of the name might be a good start (but I can't say I've spent much time thinkig it through).
Dave, I have to say that the current names are much easier to work out what is what than the older naming convention where it was virtually impossible to tell what type of backup the file was.
There is a post in the Best Practises forum with details of how to add date/time to file names if you need that. See https://forum.acronis.com/forum/73586#comment-244088
Dave, I would focus my concern as to why you're getting -1, -2, -3 at the end of your backup since this indicates an issue with the backup job. In normal backuups you should not see that last - number.
If you're backing up across a network, it could be the network dropping out. If using wireless, try a physical connection. If these are to a local disk and it's to a UsB, the USB may be cutting out at times do to low power draw if the drive is USB powered only. If you have a USB hub, that could be an issue. I can only guess as I'm not sure of your setup, but the main point is, there's a problem.
Thanks Bobbo. That makes complete sense. I think it's simply that my USB drive isn't always available, usually because the laptop is away from home, or the drive or my hub is powered down for some reason. I'll try and get it backing up to a NAS drive instead (failed last time I tried!).
Yeah, USB devices are a mixed bag. We've seen people who had a bad hub. We've seen others who needed to add a powered hub. Sometimes it's the USB cable, sometimes the USB port, sometimes the USB case.
Other times, it's the power settings as control panel >>> power management >>> your power name >>> advanced settings has options like USB selective suspend enabled. There are additional power settigns in computer management >>> device manager >>> USB (check each one and disable power management there too).
The funny thing with computers is they usually require human input (physical change to the keyboard or mouse) to keep them from going to sleep if power saving features are enabled. If you have the computer set to sleep in 30 minutes, but the backup takes an hour, it's going to sleep (or attempt to) in 30 minutes and may kill the backup in the process.
For those using a NAS, power saving features of the NAS can be an issue too, or of "green" network switches. I'd avoid backing up wireless altogether... at least until you know they are rock solid across a physical network connection and consistently completing. People with laptops also forget that when they are not plugged into AC power, the different power settings also come into play so it can be wireless and/or power that is different when on battery power vs when on AC power.
Lot's of things to look for and test/troubleshoot. Good luck!