revisions: how do they work ?

[Guest]

[santo]

Can someone tell me how exactly the revisions work ?

No matter what I try, revisions don't seem to work.
When I use date and/or timestamp macro's in the destination filename, a new file is created
each time the backup runs (not limited to the number of revisions I defined)
Example:
- #revisions is set to 3
- backups are:
test_2006-08-08_20-58-03.zip
test_2006-08-08_21-02-32.zip
test_2006-08-08_21-07-12.zip
test_2006-08-08_21-12-48.zip
test_2006-08-08_21-19-27.zip
etc

When I don't use date or timestamp macro's, the destination file is overwritten each time (even if I specify 5 for #revisions)

Please see attached screenshot for my current settings

Also, what's the option "Set hidden attributes to version" supposed to do ?

[HHH]

Hi santo,

            Welcome to comodo forums. The revision option is nothing but just like creating the copy of the file as we do in windows. When use the revision option they rename the file and just add the same in to the destination folder.Revisions are much useful when we delete the original file.
There are two different types of backup modes available, They are
1. Incremental backup--> It backups the file which was lastly modified
2. Full backup--> It creates the complete backup of the folder each time when we execute the job.     
The macros option just gets enabled when we select the full backup option in the options tab.

The Set hidden attributes to revision comes in to picture when we make use of the revision. What it does is it creates the revision of the files in the hidden format and backup the original file in the original format as it was.Hope this helps you

[santo]

I'm afraid I don't get it (yet). 
I understand the part of revisions being just a copy of a file.

What I don't understand is where that revision is placed in the backup.
Example:
I create a daily backup (at 9pm) d:\test_yyyy-mm-dd.zip of the folder c:\test.
Content of C:\test is:
- dummy_file_01.txt
- dummy_file_02.txt
- dummy_file_03.txt

Let's assume I set up the backup schedule yesterday at 7pm
This means I already have 1 backup named d:\test_2006-08-08.zip

Today I modified the file dummy_file_02.txt

-> Will d:\test_2006-08-09.zip (which will be created at 9pm this evening) contain 4 files (the three in the c:\test folder + the revision copy of dummy_file_02.txt) ?


Apart from this I'm afraid revisions is (again) not what I expected it to be in a backup application 
What I expect from a backup application is that I can say "keep exactly 3 revisions of the complete backup file".
Example:
-> test_2006-08-08.zip
-> test_2006-08-09.zip
-> test_2006-08-10.zip

On day 4, the file test_2006-08-11.zip will be created AND test_2006-08-08.zip will be deleted:
-> test_2006-08-09.zip
-> test_2006-08-10.zip
-> test_2006-08-11.zip

Same for day 5:
-> test_2006-08-10.zip
-> test_2006-08-11.zip
-> test_2006-08-12.zip

And so on...

Maybe I should add this to the wishlist 

[HHH]

I'm afraid I don't get it (yet). 
I understand the part of revisions being just a copy of a file.

What I don't understand is where that revision is placed in the backup.
Example:
I create a daily backup (at 9pm) d:\test_yyyy-mm-dd.zip of the folder c:\test.
Content of C:\test is:
- dummy_file_01.txt
- dummy_file_02.txt
- dummy_file_03.txt

Let's assume I set up the backup schedule yesterday at 7pm
This means I already have 1 backup named d:\test_2006-08-08.zip

Today I modified the file dummy_file_02.txt

-> Will d:\test_2006-08-09.zip (which will be created at 9pm this evening) contain 4 files (the three in the c:\test folder + the revision copy of dummy_file_02.txt) ?


Apart from this I'm afraid revisions is (again) not what I expected it to be in a backup application 
What I expect from a backup application is that I can say "keep exactly 3 revisions of the complete backup file".
Example:
-> test_2006-08-08.zip
-> test_2006-08-09.zip
-> test_2006-08-10.zip

On day 4, the file test_2006-08-11.zip will be created AND test_2006-08-08.zip will be deleted:
-> test_2006-08-09.zip
-> test_2006-08-10.zip
-> test_2006-08-11.zip

Same for day 5:
-> test_2006-08-10.zip
-> test_2006-08-11.zip
-> test_2006-08-12.zip

And so on...

Maybe I should add this to the wishlist 

Hi santo
             I cant get you. Proprabaly you are much worried about the revision option. Well the revision option comes in to picture only when you select the options tab and check the enable revison. The revisions are created depending upon the user's need. Well the Incremental backup will not run automatically.
Suppose you have three files namely
1. Test_1.txt
2. Test_2.txt
3. Test_3.txt as your source. When you execute the appropriate job these files will be copied in to your destination folder.

When you make some changes in the Test_2.txt and then when you run the appropriate job only the Test_2.txt file will be replaced in to the destination by deleting the older one and the remaining two files remains unchanged.

With the scheduler:
When we schedule the same job, Using the incremental backup only the files which are chnaged will be copied and it wont delete the remaining files as you said.
 

[santo]

Hi santo
             I cant get you. Proprabaly you are much worried about the revision option. Well the revision option comes in to picture only when you select the options tab and check the enable revison. The revisions are created depending upon the user's need. Well the Incremental backup will not run automatically.
Suppose you have three files namely
1. Test_1.txt
2. Test_2.txt
3. Test_3.txt as your source. When you execute the appropriate job these files will be copied in to your destination folder.

When you make some changes in the Test_2.txt and then when you run the appropriate job only the Test_2.txt file will be replaced in to the destination by deleting the older one and the remaining two files remains unchanged.

With the scheduler:
When we schedule the same job, Using the incremental backup only the files which are chnaged will be copied and it wont delete the remaining files as you said.
 

I think the problem lies in the meaning (or interpretation) of the word "revision"

The meaning of "revisions" for me is: keep x copies of a backup file.
For example, set revisions to 3 -> keep 3 copies (i.e. revisions) of the backup

Apparently revisions in Comodo backup are applied on the content of a backup instead of the backup itself.
And I'm afraid that's not what I want

What I want to define in a backup job is how many full backups should be kept back, let's call it "rotation of backups" as is often done with logfiles
Not how many copies of each individual file should be maintained

[HHH]

I think the problem lies in the meaning (or interpretation) of the word "revision"

The meaning of "revisions" for me is: keep x copies of a backup file.
For example, set revisions to 3 -> keep 3 copies (i.e. revisions) of the backup

Apparently revisions in Comodo backup are applied on the content of a backup instead of the backup itself.
And I'm afraid that's not what I want

What I want to define in a backup job is how many full backups should be kept back, let's call it "rotation of backups" as is often done with logfiles
Not how many copies of each individual file should be maintained

Hi santo,
            Well i am not well verse in ENGLISH as you people. I will say in the revisions itself there are two types they are
1.FULL BACKUP
2.INCREMENATL BACKUP

FULL BACKUP:
                In the full backup mode you can have the n number of copies of the files and folders as you need. This is not dependent upon the changes which you make to the files.What it does is it copies the source folder in to the destination folder independent of the changes which you make.This is not concerned with the contents of the files. Hope this kind of backup helps you a lot.

INCREMENTAL BACKUP:
                  In the incremental backup you can have the n number of copies but this depends upon the changes which we make to the files or to the folder. This is included as an option in the COMODO backup for the people who need to have the latest copy the files along with the changes which the made to the file.

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