The BackOnline Server is a multi-threaded, multi-user server software which provides storage management services to the BackOnline Clients. It can be invoked as a GUI application or as a command-line application. The GUI version allows a user to start/stop the server, alter/save key settings and and monitor active clients. The command-line version simply starts the server, the same functionality provided by the "Start" button on the Startup screen of the GUI version.
To start the server as a GUI application, switch to the backonline/server directory and simply type upstream. To start the server on the command-line, type upstream -run (see Client and Server Command Line Options for additional parameter options). For Microsoft Windows users, you can also start the server, in either mode, from the Start menu.
Tip: To start the server as a GUI application and have it automatically begin running, use the -autostart switch as shown here:upstream -autostart
The Startup screen of the GUI version provides the ability to:
A description of the various fields on this screen is provided below.
Server and HTTP port numbers
Valid port numbers which the server should "listen" to. These
should be set to port numbers not in use by other servers on the same machine.
Client idle timeout
Number of minutes after which an idle client's session should be terminated.
Database Settings
The Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) settings (driver name, URL, user,
and password; to use a ODBC driver, specify sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver
for the driver name, jdbc:odbc:<ODBC Data Source Name> for
example jdbc:odbc:MyDataSource).
Trace Settings
Trace
Types of messages to show: Errors, warnings, diagnostics, all, or none.
to file
Name of file where trace (log) messages should be stored. If no file
name is specified, the trace messages are sent to the standard output
(stdout) device.
SMTP Server
Receive warning emails
Indicates whether an email should be sent to the address specified
in the NotifyEmailId column of table UserStatistics, when
the space specified in the SoftStorageLimit column is exceeded.
Host
The host name of the machine where the SMTP (mail) server is running.
Port
The port number the SMTP server is listening on.
Save Settings
Saves the current field values from the screen to the configuration file.
Start
Starts the server.
Stop
Disconnects all active clients and shuts down the server.
Client monitoring is best accomplished from the Client Monitor screen in the GUI version. However, using a trace level of DIAGNOSTICS (see Server Configurable Parameters in the Appendices) in the server's configuration file, tracing can be performed from the command-line version as well.
In the GUI version, the Client Monitor screen displays a list of clients actively connected to the BackOnline Server with the ability to disconnect one or more clients.
A brief description of the data found on this screen is described below.
Client Monitor List
User
Name/id used by client to connect to the BackOnline Server.
Host:Port
The host name (or IP address) and port number of client.
Connect Time
The time the client connection to the BackOnline Server was
established.
Disconnect
This allows a system administrator to disconnect specific client(s) by highlighting
the appropriate row(s) and clicking on this button.
The BackOnline Client provides the ability to:
Provided below is a brief description of the various screens in the BackOnline Client.
This is the initial screen when the BackOnline Client is invoked. It allows the user to login to the remote computer for complete BackOnline functionality or optionally select the Local Functions button to manage local files only. After a successful login, the main application screens are displayed. To return to the Login screen, use the Close button on the main screen's toolbar.
A brief description of the fields and buttons on this screen are provided below.
User
Id
Id/name of a valid user on the remote computer.
Password
Password of the user.
Encryption
Key
Used for encrypting data for backups and decrypting the
same data during restores. It is very IMPORTANT
not to forget or loose this key since without it the data
cannot be recovered. The key must be 8 characters or less
in length and can be any combination of letters and
numbers. Note, if the key is left blank, then the data is
not encrypted during backups, nor decrypted for restores.
Login
Logs the user in to the remote computer using the
specified Login Name and Password.
Local
Functions
Does not login to the remote computer and only provides
the ability to perform local file operations.
Help
Displays online help for the BackOnline Client.
This screen provides the ability to view, delete and backup files and folders from my computer. It is split into three sections: the top part contains the appropriate fields and buttons to backup and manage files, the bottom left provides a "tree" view of the folders on the local computer and the bottom right contains the list of files and folders in the folder selected in the tree view. The tree view allows the user to mark entire folders for backups or deletions while the right side allows marking of selected files and folders in the currently selected folder.
Once the appropriate files and folders have been marked, the user can either backup the marked files, delete them or create a "File Set" (see Appendices for details) with them for use on Schedule screen or the BackOnline command-line mode (see Getting Started: Client Setup).
The following is a brief description of the various options available on this screen.
Backup
to
The remote folder under which to backup the marked local
files/folders.
Refresh
Refreshes the tree and file views.
Zip
Creates a local zip file with the marked files and
folders
Save
Set
Creates a "file set" with the marked files and folders and values
specified in the Backup to, Append Source Path,
and the Replace Existing Files fields (see Appendices,
Schedule Screen and Getting Started: Client Setup
for details on how and where file sets are used).
New
Folder
Creates a new folder under the folder selected in the
tree view.
Delete
Deletes the marked files and folders.
Rename
Renames a single, selected, file or folder.
Backup
Backs up the marked files and folders to the remote
computer under the folder specified in the Backup
to field.
Stop
Stops the backup or delete processing.
Browse
Select a Backup to folder by browsing
through the remote folders.
Append
Source Path
Appends the local folder names of files and folders being
backed up, to the name specified in the Backup to
field. For example, if the Backup to
field contains "/backup/050197" in it and the
local file being backed is "/docs/resume.txt",
the remote file will be named "/backup/050197/doc/resume.txt".
Replace
Existing Files
Replaces existing (duplicate) files on the remote
computer with the local files and folders being backed up.
My
Computer
Displays the folders on the local computer and allows the
user to mark folders to backup, delete or save in a
"file set".
The '+' symbol displays sub-folders. Clicking in the
checkbox, found next to a folder, marks that folder and
all sub-folders and files in the checked folder. A
completely filled checkbox indicates that all files and
folders in the checked folder are marked, a partial
checkbox indicates one or more files or folders in the
checked folder are not marked, an empty checkbox
indicates that no files or folders in the current folder
are marked. Clicking on the folder in any area other than
the '+' symbol or the checkbox, displays the files and
folders for the selected folder on the right side.
This screen provides the ability to view, delete and restore files and folders from the remote computer. It is split into three sections: the top part contains the appropriate fields and buttons to backup and manage files, the bottom left provides a "tree" view of the folders on the local computer and the bottom right contains the list of files and folders in the folder selected in the tree view. The tree view allows the user to mark entire folders for restores or deletions while the right side allows marking of selected files and folders in the currently selected folder.
Once the appropriate files and folders have been marked, the user can either restore the marked files, delete them or create a "File Set" (see Appendices for more details) with them for use on Schedule screen or the BackOnline command-line mode (see Getting Started: Client Setup).
The following is a brief description of the various options available on this screen.
Restore to
The local folder under which to restore the marked remote files/folders.
Browse
Select a Restore to folder by browsing through the local
folders.
Append Source Path
Appends the remote folder names of files and folders being restored, to
the name specified in the Restore to field. For example,
if the Restore to field contains "/backup/050197"
in it and the remote file being restored is "/docs/resume.txt",
the local file will be named "/backup/050197/docs/resume.txt".
Stop
Stops the restore or delete processing.
Refresh
Refreshes the tree and file views.
Delete
Deletes the marked files and folders.
Zip
Creates a compressed zip file with the marked remote files/folders.
Save Set
Creates a "file set" with the marked files and folders and values
specified in the Restore to, Append Source Path,
and the Replace Existing Files fields (see Appendices,
Schedule Screen and Getting Started: Client Setup
for details on how and where file sets are used).
Restore
Restores the marked files and folders to the local computer under the folder
specified in the Restore to field.
Replace Existing Files
Replaces existing (duplicate) files on the local computer with the remote
files and folders being restored.
Remote Computer
Displays the folders on the remote computer and allows the user to mark
folders to restore, delete or save in a "file set".
Clicking on the '+' symbol displays sub-folders. Clicking in the checkbox,
found next to a folder, marks that folder and all sub-folders and files
in the checked folder. A completely filled checkbox indicates that all files
and folders in the checked folder are marked, a partial checkbox indicates
one or more files or folders in the checked folder are not marked, an empty
checkbox indicates that no files or folders in the current folder are marked.
Clicking on the folder in any area other than the '+' symbol or the checkbox,
displays the files and folders for the selected folder on the right side.
The Find screen provides the ability to search for files and folders on the local computer or the remote computer using a search criteria. Optionally, the found files can be marked for deletion or backup/restore.
The following is a brief description of the various fields and buttons on this screen.
Find
(Local/Remote)
Which computer, my or remote, to search for files and
folders.
In
Folder
Folder to begin search in. Leave blank to begin search in
top level folder.
Include
subfolders
If checked, all sub-folders are searched as well.
Name
Name of files/folders to search. This field can contain
wildcards such as the '*' symbol for any characters or
'?' for a single character. For example, a value for
"ab*" will list any files or folders which
begin with the letters "ab"; a value of
"win?.*" will list any files or folders which
begin with the letters "win" followed by any
single character, then a '.', then any characters after
that (e.g. "wind.txt").
Type
(File/Folder/Both)
Type to search, file, folder or both.
Modified
Find files and folders by comparing their modification
date to the date(s) specified here. The user can either
specify a range of dates (i.e. from and to), or just the from
date or just the to date. For example, if the
user simply specified the from date, then all
files with a modification date equal to or greater than
that date will be listed.
File
Size
Find files by comparing their size to the size(s)
specified here. The user can either specify a range of
sizes (i.e. from and to), or just the from size
or just the to size. For example, if the user
simply specified the from size, then all files
with a size equal to or greater than that size will be
listed.
Find
Begins the search.
Stop
Stops the search, delete or backup/restore processing.
Backup/Restore
to
Folder under which the marked files/folders should be
backed up or restored to.
Delete
Deletes the marked files and folders.
Zip
Creates a compressed zip file with the marked local
files/folders.
Backup/Restore
Begins backing up or restoring the marked files to the
folder specified in the Backup/Restore to
field.
The Schedule screen allows users to schedule backups or restores at a specific time on one or more days of the week.
The following is a brief description of the options available on this screen.
Specify previously saved
"file set"
A valid "file set" which was either created using the Save
Set button on My or Remote screens
or manually created using a text editor (see Appendices,
My Computer Screen, Remote Computer Screen,
and Getting Started: Client Setup for details on how file
sets work).
Browse
Allows user to select a file set using the system File Open Dialog
box.
Select day(s) to perform
operation on
Provides the option of scheduling backups/restores Daily
or on Specific day(s).
Select time to perform
operation on
The time (hour, minutes and AM/PM) to perform backups/restores
on the days selected.
Start scheduler
Places the BackOnline Client in schedule (suspend) mode;
the client automatically "wakes up" at the scheduled times to
perform the operation specified in the File Set.
Stop scheduler
Exits schedule mode; any active operations are stopped.
This screen allows the user to view log files created during a backup or restore operation. The log file is only generated if the Log backup/restore operations checkbox on the Options screen is checked prior to starting a backup/restore operation.
Provided below is a brief description of the fields and buttons available on this screen.
Log
file name
A valid file name on the local computer.
Browse
Allows the user to find an existing log file using the
system File Open Dialog box.
Refresh
Loads the file specified in the Log file name
field.
Clear
Clears the contents of the [Log Data]
display area (does not delete the file).
Delete
Deletes the file specified in the Log file name
field.
[Log
Data]
Contents of the file specified in the Log file
name field.
The Options screen provides the ability to customize user settings and set certain defaults for the various screens discussed above. These settings can either be used only for the current session on saved on the remote computer for use everywhere by the current user.
The following are brief descriptions of various options available on this screen.
Backup
These options are related to backups performed from the My
Computer screen.
Replace
existing files
Replaces existing (duplicate) files on
the remote computer with the local files and
folders being backed up. This setting can also be
controlled from the My Computer screen.
Append
source path
Appends the local folder names of files and
folders being backed up to the name specified in
the Backup to field. For
example, if the Backup to field
contains "/backup/050197" in it and the
local file being backed is
"/docs/resume.txt", the remote file
will be named
"/backup/050197/docs/resume.txt". This
setting can be also be controlled from the Local
screen.
Encrypt
Encrypts data for transmission and
storage on the remote computer. The data is
encrypted using the Key provided
on the Login screen and must be
decrypted using the same key.
Compress
Compresses data for transmission and storage on
the remote computer. Compression can drastically
reduce the size of files being stored on the
remote computer resulting in faster transmission
times and lower disk space usage on the remote
computer.
Restore
These options are related to restores performed
on the Remote screen.
Replace
existing files
Replaces existing (duplicate) files on
the local computer with the remote files and
folders being restored. This setting can also be
controlled from the Remote screen.
Append
source path
Appends the remote folder names of files and
folders being restored to the name specified in
the Restore to field. For
example, if the Restore to field
contains "/backup/050197" in it and the
remote file being restored is
"/docs/resume.txt", the local file will
be named
"/backup/050197/docs/resume.txt". This
setting can be also be controlled from the Remote
screen.
File
Comparison Before Backup/Restore
This provides the ability to compare the local and remote
files prior to a backup or restore operation and only
copying files that are different.
None,
force backup/restore
Perform no checks, always backup or restore each
file.
Checksum
Compare the checksum (a unique number
calculated using the data in the file) of each
file. This comparison method is more accurate
than the Date + Length
comparison but also a bit slower since the
checksum of the local and remote files needs to
be calculated for each file.
Date
+ Length
Compare the date and length of the local and
remote files. If either is different, perform the
backup or restore operation.
Log
These options control logging of backup and restore
operations (see Log Screen).
Log
backup/restore operations
Log backup and restore operations. Logging
operations can slightly slow down the processing.
Local
log file name
Valid file name for the local log file which is
generated during backup or restore.
Other
Stop
backup/restore at first error
Stop at the first error occurred during a backup
or restore operation. Normally, if this option is
turned off, then the processing only stops if a
severe error occurs (e.g. a network error).
Text
labels on toolbar
Displays description of each button under with
the button images on the toolbar. With this
turned off, only the button images are displayed.
Small
icons on toolbar
Uses smaller icons on the toolbar instead of the
normal size ones.
Show
drives (for MS-Windows systems only)
This allows a user to specify the drives which
should be listed in the My Computer
screen. For example, if the user specifies a
value of "a c-f k y", only drives A:,
C:, E:, F:, K: and Y: will be displayed.
Font
Default font settings (name, size, style) for all
screens in BackOnline.
Save
settings on remote computer in file
All the above settings are saved in a file named ".backonline.options"
on the root folder of the remote computer. Users should
be careful not to delete or replace this file.
Restore
Restores previously saved settings from the remote
computer.
Apply
Only applies the changes to the current session and does
not save them for future sessions.
Apply
and Save
Applies the changes to the current session and also saves
them on the remote computer for future sessions.
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