Can you stop a backup on a TeraServer Pro II?

[johngilkey]

   

I'm new to backing up a TeraServer and quite honestly, the manual seems a little vague. I need some guidance.

 

I attached a 2TB FreeAgent USB drive formatted to the XFS file format to my 4TB TeraServer TS-HTGL/R5 F/W 1.33. The TeraServer is about one-third filled with data. I started a backup using compression since the backup drive is smaller than the TeraServer.

 

That backup has been crawling along all week. In looking at the help from within the Browser utility, I finally found a reference saying not to invoke compression when backing up to an external USB drive. I'm not sure why it allowed me to do so when I selected the USB Drive as the destination of the backup, but it did.

 

I suspicion the compression has something to do with the lack of speed on my backup and would like to stop the process and restart without compression. However, I can find no way to do so. At this rate it will be at least another three weeks before the backup completes. (Seriously!)

 

Is it possible to stop the current backup before it completes? Also, is it the compression that is slowing things down?

 

Thanks for any help you can supply.

[JoshC]

Yes the compression does slow it down.  Are you using a software client that you can stop the back up?  If not I would not advise  stopping it.

[johngilkey]

   

I am using the backup feature built into theTeraStation to conduct the backup. It allows up to eight backup jobs but the documentation on using the backup function is not very extensive and I only learned about the problem with compression on an external USB drive when I started going through the help screens to see why the backup was taking so long.

[JoshC]

 

0

 

Re: Best Way to Use For Backup

  

 

 

 

 

Backup Mode:

Normal Backup:

Saves as "yyyymmddhhmm\sourcename\data". Makes a new folder for each backup.

Overwrite Backup (Complete/Append)<labeled incorrectly as the first "Overwrite Backup (Complete/Differential)" on Linkstation Pro, Linkstation Live, Terastation Pro II, and Terastation Live>:

Saves as "_backups\sourcename\data". Does a complete backup every time, if a file is on the destination that is not on the source, it will not be deleted.

Overwrite Backup (Complete/Differential):

Saves as "_backups\sourcename\data". Does a complete backup every time, if a file is on the destination that is not on the source, it will be deleted.

Overwrite Backup (Append):

Saves as "_backups\sourcename\data". Does a complete backup the first time, subsequent backups only send the changes. If a file is on the destination that is not on the source, it will not be deleted.

Overwrite Backup (Differential):

Saves as "_backups\sourcename\data". Does a complete backup the first time, subsequent backups only send the changes. If a file is on the destination that is not on the source, it will be deleted.

Other options:

Create a file folder which would be identified by backup source:

If this is unchecked, any overwrite backup will overwrite files already existing on the share. This is useful if you want a backup that seems to be mirrored exactly in structure. There will be issues if you backup 2 shares to a single share

Use encrypted transfer:

Specify whether data should be encrypted when it is transferred for backup.

• Throughput is decreased if this encryption function is enabled.
• Don't use this function when backup destination is a USB hard drive.

Use compressed transfer:

Specify whether data should be compressed when it is transferred for backup.

• When backup is performed via network by using this function, transferring speed may increase in the environment where network bandwidth is narrow. (It is not that backup all data into one archive).
• Do not use this function when backup destination is a USB hard drive.

Create backup log files:

Create log files of the backup on the source folder.

Backup task isn't cancel even error is occurred<"Ignore the errors and proceed back up anyway." on Linkstation Pro>:

If enabled, after a backup failure, subsequent scheduled backups will still be performed

Other Notes

• Linkstation Live, Terastation Pro II, and Terastation Live all nearly the same interface as Linkstation Pro. Have some of the same typos as well.
• Trashbox on source is backed up to destination (only tested on LSPro so far).

Sources

From the "Help" Document on the Terastation Pro:

Backup Operation mode: Select backup operation mode among the followings. - Normal Backup - Overwrite Backup (Complete/Append) - Overwrite Backup (Complete/Differential) - Overwrite Backup （Append Backup） - Overwrite Backup (Differential Backup)

• If [Overwrite(Differential)] is used, any files which does not exist on the backup source are deleted without any beforehand confirmation. Please be careful not to miss important data.
• In any operation mode except for normal backup, all data are overwritten to backup destination. Please be careful not to miss important data.
• Don't operate any file (change file name, delete and so on) in backup source folder while backup is performed. Otherwise, backup procedure may be faulty terminated

Behavior in each mode is as shown in the following table. Behavior differs largely depending on whether [Create folder from which backup source can be identified] on backup option is set.

• The description below is explanation for the case when [/target] is set as backup destination folder.

Backup Operation mode	Create folder from which backup source can be identified	Backup source folder	Backup Result	Description
Normal	Set (mandatory)	/share	/target/(date&time)/share	Backup all files/folders under "/share".
Normal	Set (mandatory)	/share/folder	/target/(date&time)/share/folder	Backup all files/folders under "/share/folder".
Overwrite(Complete/Append)	Set	/share	/target/_backups/share	Files/folders existing only on / target/_backups/share are not deleted when in backup. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Append)	Set	/share/folder	/target/_backups/share/folder	Files/folders existing only on target/_backups/share/folder are not deleted when in backup. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Append)	Not Set	/share	/target	Files/folders existing only on target/ are not deleted when in backup. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Append)	Not Set	/share/folder	/target/folder	Files/folders existing only on target/folder are not deleted when in backup. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Differential)	Set	/share	/target/_backups/share	Files/folders existing only on target/_backups/share are deleted. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Differential)	Set	/share/folder	/target/_backups/share/folder	Files/folders existing only on target/_backups/share/folder are deleted. Even if there is any difference on /target/_backups/share layer, the files on the layer are not deleted. All files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Differential)	Not Set	/share	/target	Files/folders existing only on /target are deleted. And all files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite(Complete/Differential)	Not Set	/share/folder	/target/folder	Files/folders existing only on target/folder are deleted. Even if there is any difference on /target layer, the files on the layer are not deleted. All files are overwritten every time when backup is performed.
Overwrite (Append)	Set	/share	/target/_backups/share	Files/folders existing only on /target/_backups/share are maintained as they are (not deleted). Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Append)	Set	/share/folder	/target/_backups/share/folder	Files/folders existing only on /target/_backups/share/folder are maintained as they are (not deleted). Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Append)	Not Set	/share	/target	Files/folders existing only on /target are maintained (not deleted). Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Append)	Not Set	/share/folder	/target/folder	Files/folders existing only on /target/folder are maintained (not deleted). Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Differential)	Set	/share	/target/_backups/share	Files/folders existing only on target/_backups/share are deleted. Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Differential)	Set	/share/folder	/target/_backups/share/folder	Files/folders existing only on target/_backups/share are deleted. Even if there is any difference on /target/_backups/share layer, the files on the layer are not deleted. Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Differential)	Not Set	/share	/target	Files/folders existing only on /target are deleted. Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.
Overwrite (Differential)	Not Set	/share/folder	/target/folder	Files/folders existing only on / target/folder are deleted. Even if there is any difference on /target layer, the files on the layer are not deleted. Only files which file size or time stamp has been changed are copied.

 

• Backup behavior is specified by the conbination of [Overwrite(differencial)] and [Create folder from which backup source can be identified]. Depending on conbination, it may not operate as you have expected.

From the "Help" Document on Linkstation Pro:

Backup Function Mode
Backup mode selection:
*Normal Backup
*Overwrite backup
*Overwrite backup (All/Updated)
*Overwrite backup (Additional)
*Overwrite backup (Updated)
*"Caution: Overwrite backup will delete original."
*"Caution: Backup mode (except Normal mode) will not save any previous backup data."
*"Caution: Do not access any backup file(s) during the backup. It may caus

[johngilkey]

   

Thanks for the expanded information on backup formats.

 

I can't afford to wait 3 weeks for the current backup to complete. Can I force termination of the backup by cutting power to my external USB drive? I could then re-format the external USB drive and start a new backup that hopefully will not take a month (I am really serious about the backup speed and timeframe)

[JoshC]

I understand.  I would have to let you make that decision purley based on the fact that I cant tell you for sure what could happen.   If the unit is writing to the external and you stop it, it could have fatal results to your data.

[bldufour]

Here is a simple way.  Just go into the terastation web access (just go to a browser and type in the TS IP address).  Log in, go to basic and change the time (I set it back an hour).  Rsync is not really happy with that and will throw an error, thus halting the backup.  Then simply reset the time. Tried it a coiuple times and it worked each time.  Not very elegant, but better than the 'nothing' provided in the firmware.