This chapter introduces you to backing up and recovering files using IRIX NetWorker. This chapter assumes that NetWorker client software has been installed and enabled on your system (see the section “Installing NetWorker Software on Clients” in Chapter 1) and that your system administrator has configured the NetWorker server to recognize your system as a client (see “Configuring a Server's Clients” in Chapter 6 of the IRIX NetWorker Administrator's Guide).
If NetWorker has been installed on your system, you will see the icons, as shown in Figure 2-1, or you will see the Networker Backup and Recover windows on your screen.
This chapter explains
starting the NetWorker backup and recover programs
using NetWorker menus
using NetWorker windows
using Help
The chapter concludes with a Quick Tour, in which you back up your current directory and recover a file using NetWorker.
If the NetWorker backup and recover icons are available, click on them to open the programs. Otherwise, to invoke NetWorker, change to your home directory or a local filesystem:
% cd your_home_directory |
Then enter the nwbackup or nwrecover command at a shell prompt, followedby an ampersand (&) to run NetWorker in the background:
% nwbackup & % nwrecover & |
If you want to specify a server, invoke the programs as follows:
% nwbackup -s server_name & % nwrecover -s server_name & |
 | Tip: You can invoke NetWorker from any directory. The files in the directory you invoke NetWorker from are immediately available for backup. |
NetWorker uses windows, pulldown menus, and dialog boxes to guide you in backing up and recovering files. To use NetWorker menus, you can point and select with a mouse, or use keyboard shortcuts.
To pull down a menu with the mouse, move the mouse so its arrow points to your menu choice. Hold down the left mouse button; the menu appears. With the mouse button still held down, move the mouse arrow to the desired command in the menu, and then release the button to make your choice.
To pull down a menu using the keyboard shortcuts, hold down the [Alt] key and press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter of the selected menu; the menu appears. After releasing both keys, press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter in the command name.
NetWorker displays your files and directories using icons and windows. NetWorker windows provide an easy-to-use X Window System graphical user interface. This section shows you how to use NetWorker windows. Figure 2-2 shows the Backup window and its components.
The next sections describe the components of the Backup window.
The menu bar contains the File, T ree, View, Change, Mark, Options, and Help pulldown menus.
To use these menus, position the cursor over the desired menu and hold down the left mouse button to display the pulldown menus. By X Window System convention, the first command in the menu is always selected by default.
| Tip: The left and right mouse button actions used in this manual are the X Window System defaults. If you have problems using the mouse, your mouse buttons may have been reprogrammed. See your system administrator for help. |
The speedbar is identical in both the Backup and Recover windows. Clicking a speedbar button is the same as choosing the command from the menu. Figure 2-3 shows the speedbar.
The five graphical buttons on the speedbar are shortcuts for the following actions:
To use online help, select the Help pulldown menu of the window in question to read the online help message. You can obtain help on the current window, menu item, or dialog box. See “Using Help” later in this chapter for details.
The selection panel in the Backup and Recover windows indicates the current server and client. The Recover window also displays the browse Time.
The Selection field displays the full pathname of the current file or directory and allows you to enter text to select any pathname you choose.
The window is divided into two display areas: a directory display on the left-hand side and a file display on the right-hand side. The size of the file display can be adjusted horizontally to make it easier to see your files. The entire window can be adjusted vertically. The display areas contain icons that represent the files and directories in your filesystem.
Use the checkbox next to each icon to mark and unmark files and directories for backup or recovery.
A folder icon, shown in Figure 2-4, represents a directory.
An open folder, shown in Figure 2-5, indicates that the tree structure of the directory, if one exists, appears in the directory display.
A highlighted open folder, shown in Figure 2-6, indicates that the tree structure of the directory, if one exists, appears in the directory display. It is the current selection.
A gray checkbox for a directory indicates that a subdirectory has been marked for backup or recovery.
A highlighted folder, shown in Figure 2-7, indicates the current selection. The folder contents appear in the file display. A highlighted folder is selected for menu actions.
The icon in Figure 2-8 represents mount points.
A sheet icon, shown in Figure 2-9, represents a file.
A highlighted file, shown in Figure 2-10, is selected for menu actions.
A chain icon, shown in Figure 2-11, represents a symbolic link.
A brick icon, as shown in Figure 2-12, represents a block device.
The icon shown in Figure 2-13 represents a character device.
The cursor changes to a clock, shown in Figure 2-14, when NetWorker is performing a task.
You can learn about NetWorker by using the Help windows. You can also get online help on any menu item or window component. To display online help, select the Help menu of the window in question by clicking the word Help at the far right of the menu bar. You can obtain help on the current window, menu item, or dialog box.
In each window, the Help pulldown menu (see Figure 2-15) provides you with help on the window, a list of help topics to browse, directions on using help, and information on the version of NetWorker you are using.
Select the Topic command in the Help pulldown menu to open the Topics Help window, as shown in Figure 2-16.
To see more information about a topic, select the title from the Topics scrolling list. The help text for the selected topic appears in the top window. The Topics scrolling list remains available in the bottom window for selecting other topics.
For example, selecting the topic “Backup” produces the window shown in Figure 2-17.
To return to the Backup window, click the Cancel button.
This Quick Tour shows you how to back up your current directory and how to recover a file using NetWorker. Follow the instructions in this section to become familiar with the product. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 have more detailed information on how to use it.
To demonstrate NetWorker functionality, first back up a directory to the NetWorker server. The Backup window lets you browse the filesystem to examine your directories. Then you can mark files for backup.
To learn about NetWorker, you will mark an entire directory for backup. Then you will unmark a file within that directory. Finally, you will start the backup.
If the NetWorker Backup window, is not open on your screen, select the
NW Backup icon to open the window. The Backup Window is shown in Figure 2-18.
The Selection field displays the pathname of the directory from which you invoked NetWorker. The directory display shows you a graphical representation of the path, with the current directory highlighted. The file display shows you the contents of the current directory.
The backup procedure consists of
expanding the current directory
marking a directory
unmarking a file
starting the backup
closing the Backup window
To find a lower-level directory to mark for backup, expand the current directory one level. Select “Expand One Level” from the Tree pulldown menu, as shown in Figure 2-19.
The directory display shows the expanded directory, as shown in Figure 2-20.
To mark a directory for backup, use the mouse to select the checkbox next to the folder that represents the directory that you want to back up, as shown in Figure 2-21.
Notice that a checkmark (3) appears in the checkbox. Highlight the folder to display its files. In the file display, notice that the files contained in the marked directory are also marked, as shown in Figure 2-22.
| Tip: You can also mark a directory by highlighting it and selecting the Mark speedbar button. The effect is the same as selecting the checkbox. |
When you mark a directory, its nested files and subdirectories are marked as well. The checkboxes of the parent directories turn gray to indicate that a subdirectory has been marked. Mount points within a marked directory are not marked, since you can only mark files within one filesystem at a time.
You can exclude a file from the backup by unmarking it. In the file display, select the checkmark next to a file to unmark it. The checkmark disappears and the file is excluded from the backup. In Figure 2-23, the last file is excluded from the backup.
| Tip: You can also unmark a file by highlighting it and selecting the Unmark speedbar button The effect is the same as selecting the checkmark. |
After you have finished marking files, you are ready to start the backup. Click the Start speedbar button to start the backup.
Before the backup starts, the Backup Options dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 2-24.
In the Backup Options dialog box, you tell NetWorker whether or not you want your files compressed during the backup. For this example backup, compress the files.
Notice that “Yes” is highlighted after the question “Do you want to compress this backup?” This means it is the default choice, so click the Ok button to continue the backup with file compression.
 | Note: You can also exclude patterns in the Backup Options dialog box. For information on excluding patterns, see Chapter 4, “Backing Up and Recovering Data.” |
The Backup Status window appears, as shown in Figure 2-25, where you can monitor the progress of your backup.
| Tip: If you do not see any files scrolling in the display, or if you see an error message, contact your system administrator. The server may be busy recovering, or it may have a configuration problem. Or, the backup volume may not be mounted in the device. You can check the main window as described in the next section to see if the backup volume is mounted. |
When your backup is complete, you will see a message similar to this in the Backup Status window:
Backup Completion Time: Wed Jun 21 11:20:03 1995 |
NetWorker backed up the files you marked to the volume mounted in the server device. It also created an index on the NetWorker server for your client machine. Any file that you back up in the future will have an entry in this index, so that you can find it quickly.
Select the Cancel button to close the Backup Status window.
Close the Backup window by clicking the minimize button in the window header.
If you want to exit Networker (and thus stop the program), select “Exit” from the File menu, as shown in Figure 2-26.
The index that is created on the NetWorker server when you back up files is displayed in the Recover window. The index looks similar to the filesystem that is pictured in the Backup window.
To recover a file, you browse the index for a directory and mark a file within that directory. Then you start the recovery.
If the Recover window is not already open, select the NW Recover icon on your screen to open it. Figure 2-27 shows the Recover window.
| Tip: In the Recover window you are looking at the index for your files on the NetWorker server, not the filesystem on your system that the Backup window shows. The Recover window shows the entries for those files that have been backed up and are available for recovery. The entries are organized exactly like the actual filesystem, so it is easy for you to navigate around the directories. |
The recover procedure consists of
browsing the index
starting the recovery
closing the Recover window
You can browse the index to locate a file that you want to recover. Follow these steps:
Notice that the current directory is highlighted.
Select “Expand One Level” from the Tree pulldown menu. The subdirectories are displayed in a tree structure in the directory display, as shown in Figure 2-28.
Tip: Selecting a closed directory folder twice (double-clicking) also expands it one level, as shown in Figure 2-29.
Highlight the directory folder that contains the desired file by selecting it. The file display shows the most recently backed-up version of the files contained in the directory.
Mark the files you wish to recover by selecting their checkboxes in the file display, as shown in Figure 2-30.
So far you have browsed the index and marked files for recovery. You are now ready to start the recovery. Follow these steps:
Click the Start speedbar button to start the recovery . The Conflict Resolution dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 2-31, before the recovery starts.
In the Conflict Resolution dialog box, you tell NetWorker what to do if a naming conflict is encountered during recovery. A naming conflict occurs when the file you are recovering has the same name as a file that already exists in one of the directories you are trying to recover.
For this example, select “No” so that NetWorker does not prompt you for each naming conflict.
“Rename the recover file” is now highlighted as the default selection. This command places a .R extension after the name of the recovered file when a naming conflict occurs with an existing file.
Tip: You can rename a file during recovery so that if a file with the same name exists, it will not be overwritten. Click Ok to close the Conflict Resolution dialog box and continue the recovery.
The Recover Status window appears, as shown in Figure 2-32. You can monitor the progress of the recovery in the Recover Status window.
The Recover Status window provides information about your recovery, including the name(s) of the backup volumes needed and their location. The Recover Status window also displays the number and names of the files being recovered, and their new names if they are being renamed.
You can cancel the recovery by clicking the Cancel button in the Recover Status window.
The following message appears when the recovery is complete:
Received 5 files from NSR server `atlas`
To confirm its recovery, you can look for your file in the filesystem by listing the contents of the directory in an IRIX shell. The recovered file has a .R file extension because you told NetWorker to rename the file in the Conflict Resolution dialog box.
During the Quick Tour of NetWorker, you learned how to:
use the NetWorker graphical user interface
use the Backup window to back up your directory to the NetWorker server
monitor the status of your backup
use the Recover window to browse the index for your backed-up files
mark a file for a recovery in the Recover window
recover a file
resolve a naming conflict during recovery
monitor the status of the recovery
The Quick tour is meant to familiarize you with the NetWorker Backup and Recover windows. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 provide detailed information on performing backups and recovers.