Backing Up Open Files

This article describes how backups take place on files that are open at the time of backup, especially like virtual machines, databases and Outlook .pst files. It also provides resources for where you can get the tools you need to create the kind of snapshot files that CrashPlan PRO can back up and restore reliably.

CrashPlan PRO's ability to back up open files provides the following benefits:

• Users don't have to stop working in order to protect their files.
• All files in the backup selection are backed up.
• Work in progress is protected.

CrashPlan PRO does not have application-specific hooks to safely back up files that are always being written to (like SQL databases, virtual machines, Exchange databases, PST files, etc.). And while CrashPlan PRO backs up open files by default, the nature of open files is such that CrashPlan PRO might not have all the data necessary to restore such files reliably.

The backup behavior varies on each operating system:

• Mac OS X - A non-exclusive read is acquired on file while backing up.
• Windows - CrashPlan PRO's VSS support can allow backing up open files in Windows. This is the same service that NT Backup uses. The VSS snapshot is then read for backup. But it is possible that all the files needed for a consistent (that is, usable) backup are not backed up at the same time.
• Linux - A non-exclusive read is acquired on file while backing up.
• Solaris - A non-exclusive read is acquired on file while backing up.

To increase the likelihood that CrashPlan PRO can back up and consistently restore files from this type of application (e.g., Oracle, MySQL, Exchange, Outlook, etc) you need to use application-specific tools to dump/export a snapshot of the internal state to a file.

Below are some application-specific links and information about dumping an application state to a file for backup.

• We cannot explicitly endorse or test each of these application dump methods. We have provided these links for your convenience. If you don't find what you are looking for here, try an Internet search for <application name> backup.
• When backing up large dump files, you may need to increase the backup interval to an hour (or more) to make sure the backup completes before the next scheduled backup starts. This is most important if you are backing up to multiple destinations.

Access Database

• Backing up an Access Database - from about.com

Adobe Lightroom:

• Backing Up Lightroom's Catalog - from O'Reilly

Entourage:

• Microsoft's version of Outlook on the Mac

Exchange:

• SBS 2003, Windows Server 2003
• Using 'Backup' to Back Up and Restore Exchange Data - Exhange 2007

Outlook: (Backing up outlook is not necessary if your data is stored in an Exchange server)

• Microsoft add-on for automatically dumping snapshots
• Using the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup tool - Outlook 2002, 2003
• Tutorial
• Backup Outlook - A commercial product

VMware - a leading virtual machine implementation

• How to backup VMware ESX

SQL Server:

• SQL Server Management Studio

PostgreSQL:

• pg_dump command - requires scripting
• Automated backup on Windows

MySQL:

• MySQL on Linux
• AutoMySQLBackup - may work on Windows with Cygwin
• 10 ways to automatically backup a mysql database

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc738819.aspx
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Copy
• http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/39369/whats-the-windows-server-2003-volume-shadow-copy-service-vss.html