These options are configured by entering "Advanced Mode" - simply click the link in the upper left corner of Backup Agent while in Wizard Mode:

and you will enter the advanced configuration mode:

Changes Only Updating of Files

By default, the Windows Backup Agent retransfers changed files to the remote site in an inefficient manner. That is, if the file on your end changes, the entire file will be resent. In the case of large files, this could mean quite a bit of extra time spent, and bandwidth used, just to update a small amount of changes.

To enable efficient transfer of only the changes that have occurred in your files, highlight your profile in advanced mode, edit the profile (click the icon with the pencil in it), and click the "Special" category in the lower left hand corner. In the resulting tab sheet, check the box marked "Use Partial File Updating":

With this option checked, files that change on your end will not be entirely retransmitted - only the changes necessary to update the remote file will be transmitted.

Versioning

Note: Versioning and Partial File Updating (see above) are mutually exclusive. If you enable versioning, partial file updates will not be done - all changed files will be re-uploaded in their entirety.

Versioning allows you to retain multiple versions of a file. These snapshots of the past state(s) of the file can be accessed just like any other file on your offsite backup. This is useful if you want to retain multiple revisions of a file or if you want to guard against destructive edits and/or unintended changes to the file.

To enable versioning, highlight your profile in advanced mode, edit the profile (click the icon with the pencil in it), and click the "Versioning" category in the lower left hand corner. In the resulting tab sheet, check the box marked "Keep multiple backup versions":

With this option checked, your most up to date version of a file will have exactly the same filename as it always had. Versions in the past, however, will be renamed with a human readable time/date stamp.

If you additionally check the "Filename Encoding" option, the past versions will be renamed with a machine readable time/date stamp that interoperates well with the restore wizard. We recommend checking this additional option.

For example: If a frequently updated file named

file.doc

is changed, and your profile has "keep multiple backup versions" checked, past versions will have names that look like:

file.2-9-2009 4.36.28 PM.doc

If you additionally have the "Filename Encoding" option checked, past versions will have names that look like this instead:

file.d20090209-t165328.doc.

Compression of Remote Files

You may set your profile to automatically compress each file as it is transferred, saving space on the remote end. These compressed files will be compressed, file by file, using standard ZIP compression.

To enable compression, highlight your profile in advanced mode, edit the profile (click the icon with the pencil in it), and click the "Zip / Encryption" category in the lower left hand corner. In the resulting tab sheet, check the box marked "ZIP Each File Individually".

Files that have already been backed up will not be retroactively compressed. Only new files and updated files will be compressed. If you enable compression on an existing profile that has versioning enabled, you may find yourself with current versions that are compressed, but older versions that are uncompressed. This is no problem.

NOTE: Your backup will take longer to run because compressing your files is a computationally expensive option. Further, if your source files are mostly image or movie files, such as JPEG and MPEG files, enabling compression will have no benefit as those filetypes are already heavily compressed on their own. Do not enable Zipping for a dataset predominately composed of such files.

Encryption of Remote Files

You may set your profile to automatically encrypt each file as it is transferred. These files will be encrypted with the ZIP encryption function, using the encryption scheme you select.

To enable encryption, highlight your profile in advanced mode, edit the profile (click the icon with the pencil in it), and click the "Zip / Encryption" category in the lower left hand corner. In the resulting tab sheet, choose the "Encryption" tab and then check the box "Encrypt Files Copied Left to Right". We recommend using the encryption scheme "Zip-Compatible AES (256 bit)" which is the default choice. Please be sure to enter, and confirm, a passphrase for the encryption.

Files that have already been backed up with this profile will not be retroactively encrypted until they are changed, and need to be updated. Further, enabling encryption on an existing remote data set, with versioning turned on, will result in a scenario where current versions of your files are encrypted, but previous versions in the past are not. If you plan on encrypting the targets of a particular profile, we highly recommend running with that option from the very beginning, and not switching on encryption at a later date. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be safer to simply delete all of the offsite data and start your backup regimen from scratch, with encryption turned on.

NOTE: Your backup will take longer to run because encrypting files is a computationally expensive option.

Running the Windows Backup Agent as a Service

The Windows Backup Agent can be run as a service. By default, it does not, which means the user that it runs under must be logged in for the scheduled backups to run.

To enable the service, install it and start it from the Scheduler tab sheet of the main application window.

The name of the service is the ExtremeSync Service. The service will start up automatically with Windows, even while no user has logged on yet. The service runs invisibly in the background without users noticing it. A user can also log out while the service is running a job. Neither will disturb the other.

In order to access network drives, the service must be given a log on account. This is done when clicking on the Install... button on the Scheduler tab sheet to install the service. To change the log on account, please uninstall and then re-install the service. Make sure that you specify a user account where you know that Windows Explorer has access to the volumes that you need. Choose an account that has network access without Windows Explorer asking for a password for the network drive. Windows Explorer should have already stored the password.

Also in order to enable access to a network drive, please try using a UNC path such as \\servername\sharename\foldername rather than a mapped drive letter.

If this is not sufficient, you can provide a username and password for the network resource in each profile. Use this setting on the Special tab sheet in the profile: Network Connections... However, this is rarely needed and should be avoided if possible.

Deleting to the recycle bin is not supported by the service.

The setting for the "Store Preferences" location on the Options tab sheet should be "One INI File for all users", or the service won't always have access to the settings. If you need to change this setting, please use "Save To INI" before making the switch, and Load From INI after the switch in order to carry your profiles over to the new location.

Even though the service is normally invisible, you can get a pretty good picture of what it's currently doing or planning to do, using the Scheduler tab sheet of the main application window. You can even connect to a remote computer and control and watch the service running there.

Running the Windows Backup Agent in a batch file

The Windows Backup Agent can be run from a batch file, and used in conjunction with other batch files or scripting that you may be doing.

Simply call the backup agent executable with these options:

/RUNX="Profile Name" /U

The above options instruct the agent to run the specified profile, as well as run unattended.

The following is a list of all command line options with an explanation for each:

/RUN="Profile Name" and /RUNX="Profile Name"

With these options, you can invoke a specific profile from the command line for immediate execution. /RUN= starts the profile and leaves the program running. /RUNX= starts the profile and exits the program after the profile has been executed. You can use the asterisk wildcard at the end of this option, for example: /RUN=* or /RUNX=* or /RUNX=Office* You can also add this to cause a shutdown when done by adding /SHUTDOWN

/U (unattended mode)

The profile is started and executed without further user interaction. When this option is not specified, the file list is being shown, but the actual synchronization must be started manually. In unattended mode, the program will only show an error message if one of the synchronization paths cannot be accessed.

/S (silent mode)

Like /U but there will not be any error messages whatsoever.

/M (minimized mode)

The program is minimized to the system try while executing the profile. This option implies /U.

/LEFT="Folder Path"

allows you to specify a left path that is different from the one stored with the profile.

/RIGHT="Folder Path"

allows you to override the profile's right path.

/MASK="File1.txt;*.doc"

allows you to override the profile's inclusion masks, or simply specify one or more files to copy.

/SHUTDOWN

Shutdown after running the profile(s) specified with /RUNX="Profile Name".

Please feel free to contact technical support at any time for help implementing any of these measured - we are very interested in supporting encryption and privacy for our customers in any way that we can.