Comments for Abel Software http://www.abelsoftware.com ERP software designed for growing businesses Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:20:27 +0000 hourly 1 Comment on When was the last time you checked your Abel backup? by Callum http://www.abelsoftware.com/abel-blog/when-was-the-last-time-you-checked-your-abel-backup/#comment-21 Callum Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:20:27 +0000 http://www.abelsoftware.com/?p=1239#comment-21 You make a valid point. As you correctly suggested the backup routines provided by the Jade database administration framework can perform verification checks. As each database map file is processed a verification is performed on the data and indexes, consistency checks are performed, as well as checksum information recorded which is used to verify the integrity of the data in a restore operation. Its worth mentioning that here in the Abel plant we copy databases fairly regularly and so far (touch wood) we haven't had any issues as long as the database was taken down cleanly before the copy - by cleanly I mean the database was not in a recovery state. To be sure its clean we will drop the database, then bring it back up (if it needs to go through any sort of recovery it will happen here), then drop it again, then make the file copy. But as you've pointed out, making an off-line file copy of the database does incur a certain amount of risk and in hind site I shouldn't have stated that its a perfectly acceptable backup, however, its better than nothing! You make a valid point. As you correctly suggested the backup routines provided by the Jade database administration framework can perform verification checks. As each database map file is processed a verification is performed on the data and indexes, consistency checks are performed, as well as checksum information recorded which is used to verify the integrity of the data in a restore operation.

Its worth mentioning that here in the Abel plant we copy databases fairly regularly and so far (touch wood) we haven’t had any issues as long as the database was taken down cleanly before the copy – by cleanly I mean the database was not in a recovery state. To be sure its clean we will drop the database, then bring it back up (if it needs to go through any sort of recovery it will happen here), then drop it again, then make the file copy.

But as you’ve pointed out, making an off-line file copy of the database does incur a certain amount of risk and in hind site I shouldn’t have stated that its a perfectly acceptable backup, however, its better than nothing!

]]> Comment on When was the last time you checked your Abel backup? by J http://www.abelsoftware.com/abel-blog/when-was-the-last-time-you-checked-your-abel-backup/#comment-18 J Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:35:48 +0000 http://www.abelsoftware.com/?p=1239#comment-18 In regard to: "you can also take the database down (ie. closing the Abel application server) and copy the database and journal files manually to whatever location or device you desire. This of course is not an online database backup but its perfectly acceptable. ...I offer the following qualification- the copy mechanism used may induce some copy errors. Callum points out further down in his blog: "Within Abel is a comprehensive backup solution that utilizes the Jade database administration framework.". ...no doubt this entails using verification checks built into the JADE framework that verifies the correctness of the copy (and reports the result, as he points out further down in the blog). That is an important difference between using the framework and not. I look forward to the next blog. Regards, J In regard to:

“you can also take the database down (ie. closing the Abel application server) and copy the database and journal files manually to whatever location or device you desire. This of course is not an online database backup but its perfectly acceptable.

…I offer the following qualification- the copy mechanism used may induce some copy errors.

Callum points out further down in his blog:

“Within Abel is a comprehensive backup solution that utilizes the Jade database administration framework.”.

…no doubt this entails using verification checks built into the JADE framework that verifies the correctness of the copy (and reports the result, as he points out further down in the blog).

That is an important difference between using the framework and not.

I look forward to the next blog.

Regards, J

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