Offline Full Backup

Before you can take an offline backup, you must shut down the database server and all Greentree Desktop services by running Shutdown.exe. If the FREE interface is in use with Excel, all clients must be logged out of Greentree Desktop.

Only use an offline full backup as the preferred backup method if the business is not a 24/7 operation. In most cases, an offline backup is taken daily, at the end of the day's processing.

The time that it takes to copy system and bin directories will depend on the size of the database. You can establish exact timings by applying the backup strategy test plan.

There are two ways to take an offline backup:

Manually
Using the jdbutil.exe

Manual

An offline backup can be carried out by copying the full database system and bin directories to a backup directory. This will most commonly be initiated using the application of a batch file, which runs at a pre-determined time following the end of the day's processing.

Note: A manual backup does not allow for database backup and restoration integrity checks. Use the jdbutil.exe to take a full offline backup.

Whichever approach you use, don't back up the database to the same drive as the database. If any of several possible conditions affects the common drive, both the live database and the backup are lost. Even if the backup is being subsequently copied off to different media, you should save the original backup to a different volume on the server since you have a disk resident backup you can fall back on.

Using the jdbutil.exe Backup Database operation

Use the jdbutil.exe utility, in the \bin folder, to take a full offline backup. This is because backed up files may be verified for integrity, and subject to verification again when/if the files are restored.

To activate a database backup, select the Backup Database option from the jdbutil.exe <Operation> menu.

Note: Greentree you are backing up must have been previously opened using the Open Database command. The open database defaults to the database directory on this form.

The Backup Directory is the path to the backup destination directory, if database files are copied during the backup process.

Default options to Verify Files and Compress Files are selected. Do not alter these defaults.

The option to Backup System Files does not default to this form. Do select this option before processing the backup.

Once the parameters have been set, click OK to initiate the backup. While this operation running, a progress dialog displays to the form that enables you to monitor the progress of the backup. You can abort the run at anytime by clicking the Cancel button. When the operation is finished, this message displays:

See backup.log for an analysis

An analysis of this process is generated in a file called backup.log, which is output to Greentree Desktop directory.

The progress dialog and backup.log file display errors that are encountered during the backup operation. You cannot restore the backup cannot if any errors are encountered during the process.

Note: The jdbutil.exe offline backup process does not copy the database \bin folder. Only files in Greentree Desktop directory are backed up. You should always back up the \bin folder using the same schedule as Greentree Desktop backups.

The \bin folder should be backed up the same way if an offline backup is taken. When you restore a database, you must restore both the Greentree Desktop and \bin directories.