Ghost 9 command line?

[Ge]

Hello,

I'd like to run Ghost 9 backups controlled by the command line. (I have a
maintenance script that does several things, and I'd like a Ghost backup to
be part of this.) I can't find any information in the manual or online
help, and Google didn't help me either.

Is this possible at all? If so, any pointers as to how to do it?

Thanks,
Gerhard

 

[Michael Kimmer]

Hello,

I'd like to run Ghost 9 backups controlled by the command line. (I
have a maintenance script that does several things, and I'd like a
Ghost backup to be part of this.) I can't find any information in the
manual or online help, and Google didn't help me either.

Is this possible at all? If so, any pointers as to how to do it?

Thanks,
Gerhard

Ghost 9 has no command line feature unlike its previous versions.
It's a 100% Windows based backup solution.

You are restricted to the preceding version when using a maintenance script,
version 2003, which still has a command line option.

--
M.f.G.
Michael Kimmer

"Ein Tag an dem Du nicht lächelst ist ein verlorener Tag"
"Eine Nacht in der Du nicht schläfst ist eine verschlafene Nacht"

 

[DVDUsr]

Michael Kimmer wrote in message news:[email protected]...

Ghost 9 has no command line feature unlike its previous versions.
It's a 100% Windows based backup solution.

You are restricted to the preceding version when using a maintenance script,
version 2003, which still has a command line option.

I picked up a copy of Ghost 9 at Fry's Electronics (free, less sales tax, after rebate), and discovered this the hard way.
While it seems much faster than the Ghost in SystemWorks 2003, Ghost 9 lacks the ability to skip files (-skip option) and
directories you want to exclude.
Then again, the previous Ghost couldn't skip files on NTFS partitions too

Is there a backup/imaging utility that operates like Ghost 2003, but can selectively exclude files and directories under NTFS?

 

[Michael Kimmer]

Michael Kimmer wrote in message


I picked up a copy of Ghost 9 at Fry's Electronics (free, less sales
tax, after rebate), and discovered this the hard way. While it seems
much faster than the Ghost in SystemWorks 2003, Ghost 9 lacks the
ability to skip files (-skip option) and directories you want to
exclude.
Then again, the previous Ghost couldn't skip files on NTFS partitions
too

Is there a backup/imaging utility that operates like Ghost 2003, but
can selectively exclude files and directories under NTFS?

I'm afraid not for the backup solutions that operate on sector level (Drive
Image technology) lack this feature.
As fas as I know version 2003 *does* support -skip even for NTFS volumes...

--
M.f.G.
Michael Kimmer

"Ein Tag an dem Du nicht lächelst ist ein verlorener Tag"
"Eine Nacht in der Du nicht schläfst ist eine verschlafene Nacht"

 

[Rod Speed]

I'm afraid not for the backup solutions that operate on sector level (Drive
Image technology) lack this feature.

DI doesnt operate at the sector level.

 

[Michael Kimmer]

DI doesnt operate at the sector level.

So, how does DI create an image then??? File by file?

--
M.f.G.
Michael Kimmer

"Ein Tag an dem Du nicht lächelst ist ein verlorener Tag"
"Eine Nacht in der Du nicht schläfst ist eine verschlafene Nacht"

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

Neither does ghost unless you specify that.

So, how does DI create an image then??? File by file?

Basically. You can see ghost doing that in the
status display with some versions of ghost.

The main reason its not done at the sector level unless you
force that is because the sector level isnt that useful when
restoring to a partition that isnt identical to the original etc.

 

[DVDUsr]

Michael Kimmer wrote in message news:[email protected]...

I'm afraid not for the backup solutions that operate on sector level (Drive
Image technology) lack this feature.
As fas as I know version 2003 *does* support -skip even for NTFS volumes...

Ghost 2003 User's Guide, page 163:
Command-line switches (-skip=x)

"... Only FAT system files can be skipped. It is not possible to skip files on NTFS or other file systems."



I wish Symantec would fix Ghost to overcome this limitation.

 

[Michael Kimmer]

Neither does ghost unless you specify that.


Basically. You can see ghost doing that in the
status display with some versions of ghost.

The main reason its not done at the sector level unless you
force that is because the sector level isnt that useful when
restoring to a partition that isnt identical to the original etc.

Recap:
-Drive Image (DI): Image is created sector based
-Norton Ghost: Image is created file based
(Switches may force Norton Ghost to perform a backup
(diskcopy) sector based).

--
M.f.G.
Michael Kimmer

"Ein Tag an dem Du nicht lächelst ist ein verlorener Tag"
"Eine Nacht in der Du nicht schläfst ist eine verschlafene Nacht"

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote

Recap:
-Drive Image (DI): Image is created sector based
Nope.

-Norton Ghost: Image is created file based
(Switches may force Norton Ghost to perform a backup (diskcopy) sector
based).

Thats comprehensively mangled too. You can use a switch
with the pre 9 ghosts to create an image using sectors, not files.

 

[Michael Kimmer]

Nope. Of course you're right!.


Thats comprehensively mangled too. You can use a switch
with the pre 9 ghosts to create an image using sectors, not files.

--
M.f.G.
Michael Kimmer

"Ein Tag an dem Du nicht lächelst ist ein verlorener Tag"
"Eine Nacht in der Du nicht schläfst ist eine verschlafene Nacht"

 

[Ge]

Ghost 9 has no command line feature unlike its previous versions. It's a
100% Windows based backup solution.

You are restricted to the preceding version when using a maintenance
script, version 2003, which still has a command line option.

I managed to get it working with AutoIt3 and the following (very crude)
script. Install AutoIt3, put this in a file (like Ghost-Backup.au3) and run
it from your favorite scripting tool ("AutoIt3.exe
d:\path\Ghost-Backup.au3"). AutoIt3 returns after the backup is completed
and the Ghost console has been closed.

Gerhard


; - Start of file ---------------------------------------------------
; Runs Norton Ghost and initiates an incremental backup.
; Requires exactly one backup job in the job list, and this one
; needs to have already a baseline backup (so that the incremental
; backup is now the default option in the backup type dialog).
; May work also when the desired job is the first in the list (not
; tested).
;
; Possible improvements:
; - Several timeouts with error aborts
; - Check whether incremental is actually the selected type
; - Start the Ghost-related services before and stop them afterwards
; - Get the data of the image files (size) and output them to a log
; - Make it independent of the specific Ghost application path
;
; -------------------------------------------------------------------
;
; Run the Ghost application, wait until it is initialized and activate it
Run( "D:\Programs\Symantec\Norton Ghost\Console\V2iConsole_.exe" )
WinWait( "Norton Ghost 9.0", "Scanning Disks" )
WinWait( "Norton Ghost 9.0", "Ready" )
WinActivate( "Norton Ghost 9.0" )
;
; Make the job tab active and select the first job
Send( "{TAB}^{TAB}{TAB}" )
; Select menu &Tools | R&un job now
Send( "!tu" )
; Wait for the backup type dialog.
WinWaitActive( "Backup Type" )
; Now send enter to confirm the default selection. After a baseline backup
; has been done for a job, the default selection is an incremental backup.
Send( "{ENTER}" )
;
; Backup is now running. Wait for the "official" start (status text) ...
WinWaitActive( "Norton Ghost 9.0", "Creating Backup Image" )
; ... and the end of it.
WinWaitActive( "Norton Ghost 9.0", "Ready" )
; Wait a little longer (just to be safe) ...
Sleep( 5000 )
; ... and exit the application through menu &Console | E&xit
Send( "!cx" );
; - End of file -----------------------------------------------------