Using the Command Line Interface › ca_backup - Backup Manager Command › ca_backup - Global Job Options › ca_backup VSS Options

ca_backup VSS Options

The ca_backup command includes the following Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) options to allow you to specify how open files will be handled during file system backups.

ca_backup 

[-vss_usevss [revertoff]]
[-vss_exclinclsoff]
[-vss_exclexclsoff]
[-vss_onfail]

• -vss_usevss

  Directs CA ARCserve Backup to use VSS to handle the backup of open files.

  If this switch is not included, VSS support will not be used and the CA ARCserve Backup Agent for Open Files (if available) will be used to handle open files. If the CA ARCserve Backup Agent for Open Files is not available and the -vss switch is not included, a traditional backup is performed. However, the backup will be incomplete if there are any open files that cannot be backed up.

• revertoff

  Directs CA ARCserve Backup to execute a traditional backup if an attempt to create a VSS backup fails. If the CA ARCserve Backup Agent for Open Files is available, it will be used to handle open files if this switch is included and the VSS backup fails.

  If this switch is not included and the VSS backup fails, the backup job will also fail.

  The suffix "off" indicates that this option is on by default, but if the user includes it, the option will then be set to off.

• -vss_exclinclsoff

  Specifies that files included by a writer will be excluded from file system backups. This prevents files that belong to a Component from being backed up by a traditional file system backup.

  Including this switch provides the following advantages:

  • Avoids backing up files that have already been backed up by VSS.
  • By excluding files from traditional backups, fewer files are processed, and traditional backups take less time to complete.
  • Helps achieve successful backups by eliminating certain problems associated with files that must be processed as a group.

  The suffix "off" indicates that this option is on by default, but if the user includes it, the option will then be set to off.

• -vss_exclexclsoff

  Specifies that files excluded by a writer will be excluded from file system backups. This prevents files that have been excluded from being backed up by a Component from being backed up by a traditional file system backup.

  The suffix "off" indicates that this option is on by default, but if the user includes it, the option will then be set to off.

• -vss_onfail

  Specifies that if a component file fails to backup the writer, the backup will terminate. This cancels the backup of a Writer if the backup of any of the Components fail. The backup of a Component will fail if one or more of its files cannot be successfully backed up.

  Including this switch ensures that any backup is consistent and that all of the files associated with a Writer are backed up before the backup is considered successful, regardless of how many Components are associated with the Writer.