NTBackup in Windows XP Home - catalog

[Leslie Anne]

Dear Participants,

In the restore and manage media tab, if I right-click on a file I
get the options "catalog" and "delete catalog". Also, under
"Extras", I can select "catalog backup file".

What are these options for? Can someone please explain what catalogs
are and what cataloging means in the Windows NTBackup context?

Thank you for your feedback in advance.
Leslie

P.S. I sent these questions awhile ago, but I guess I made the wrong
choice in the discussion groups I sent it to. Please let me know if
this question concerning NTBackup should be dealt with in (still) a
different discussion group.

 

[Rock]

Dear Participants,

In the restore and manage media tab, if I right-click on a file I
get the options "catalog" and "delete catalog". Also, under
"Extras", I can select "catalog backup file".

What are these options for? Can someone please explain what catalogs
are and what cataloging means in the Windows NTBackup context?

Thank you for your feedback in advance.
Leslie

P.S. I sent these questions awhile ago, but I guess I made the wrong
choice in the discussion groups I sent it to. Please let me know if
this question concerning NTBackup should be dealt with in (still) a
different discussion group.

A catalog is a list of the files in the backup, when it was made, size,
etc. This is stored in a file normally on the C: drive, and also on the
tape if the backup was made to tape. Deleting it deletes the catalog
but not the backup up data file. Go to the help menu, catalogs, for
more information.

 

[Guest]

Hi Rock,

thanks for the response. I'd already read the info in help, but it didn't give me a picture of when to use the options.

Have you ever made use of these options yourself? Could you possibly give me an idea of the type of situation where these options come in handy.

It's rather scary when you get options which you have no idea what they're for just by doing rightclicks on backup files in the restore section of NTBackup.

Hoping for more feedback.
Leslie

 

[Rock]

Hi Rock,

thanks for the response. I'd already read the info in help, but it didn't give me a picture of when to use the options.

Have you ever made use of these options yourself? Could you possibly give me an idea of the type of situation where these options come in handy.

It's rather scary when you get options which you have no idea what they're for just by doing rightclicks on backup files in the restore section of NTBackup.

Hoping for more feedback.
Leslie


:

Use the delete to remove catalogs from disk where the backup file no
longer exits. Use the catalog function to create a catalog on disk of a
backup on tape to see what is in there. Searching a tape to see what's
on it is very very time consuming and to do it each time is not worth
it, so create the catalog once on disk.

 

[Leslie Anne]

Hi Rock,

After I've saved my backup files on my hard drive, I burn them on a
CD-ROM. I'm not even sure what tapes are.

Let me see if I understand you correctly: If I delete a backup file
on the hard drive, it doesn't delete the catalog of the backup file.
Which is good, 'cause I still need those catalogs for the backup
files on the CD-ROM. Right? In case of a disaster, I copy the backup
files from the CD-ROM back to the hard drive, open up NTBackup,
click on the catalog name that I need, and restore. The catalogs of
old backup files can simply be deleted.

I feel like I've finally got the right idea about this catalog
business, but I would appreciate your confirmation on this.

Final questions: Where are those catalogs stored? Can you get to
them using Windows Explorer?

Thanks for you help in advance.
Leslie

 

[Rock]

Hi Rock,

After I've saved my backup files on my hard drive, I burn them on a
CD-ROM. I'm not even sure what tapes are.

Let me see if I understand you correctly: If I delete a backup file
on the hard drive, it doesn't delete the catalog of the backup file.
Which is good, 'cause I still need those catalogs for the backup
files on the CD-ROM. Right? In case of a disaster, I copy the backup
files from the CD-ROM back to the hard drive, open up NTBackup,
click on the catalog name that I need, and restore. The catalogs of
old backup files can simply be deleted.

I feel like I've finally got the right idea about this catalog
business, but I would appreciate your confirmation on this.

Final questions: Where are those catalogs stored? Can you get to
them using Windows Explorer?

Thanks for you help in advance.
Leslie



disk of a

Yes that's it, and if for some reason the catalog on disk is deleted,
then create a new one from the backup file itself using the catalog
command --- got it?

I think they are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\NTBackup\catalogs51.

A tape is a tape, you know a magnetic tape, like a cassette tape. There
are a variety of different styles and formats. Tape was a very common
backup medium and is still widely used today.

 

[Leslie Anne]

Hi Rock,

got it - only I had to go over "Extras" to do the cataloging 'cause
I couldn't get NTbackup to "see" the backup file. Over "Extras",
catalog backup file, I discovered that you can get NTBackup to do a
file search in the case where the catalog on disk is deleted.

Yup, the catalogs are stored where you said they were. And the info
about tapes is enough for me at the moment, since I now know how to
get those backup file copies on CD-ROM back onto my hard drive and
have NTBackup access them.

Thanks for the support!
Leslie

 

[Rock]

Hi Rock,

got it - only I had to go over "Extras" to do the cataloging 'cause
I couldn't get NTbackup to "see" the backup file. Over "Extras",
catalog backup file, I discovered that you can get NTBackup to do a
file search in the case where the catalog on disk is deleted.

Yup, the catalogs are stored where you said they were. And the info
about tapes is enough for me at the moment, since I now know how to
get those backup file copies on CD-ROM back onto my hard drive and
have NTBackup access them.

Thanks for the support!
Leslie

Great...glad things have worked out for you and you're welcome.