[Savannah-hackers] submission of TARBACK Tape Backup Perl Script - savannah.nongnu.org

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Bob Phipps <address@hidden> described the package as follows:
License: gpl
Other License: 
Package: TARBACK Tape Backup Perl Script
System name: tarback
Type: non-GNU

Description:
TARBACK is a set of two Perl scripts for making periodic back ups of nominated 
files and directories on tape. It uses TAR, and GZIP for compression.  It 
provides back up management by prompting for the right tape at the right time, 
using the "Tower of Hanoi" tape rotation scheme.  It has been written and 
tested on a Linux system with a SCSI Travan tape drive and could be adapted for 
other platforms provided that Perl is available.

Of the two scripts, the first, "tarback", is a timer and trigger module, and 
can be left running continuously.   This is the automatic mode and is launched 
by the command  line option "-a".  In automatic mode, tarback looks at the 
configuration file hourly to see whether a back up is due.  If one is, it calls 
the main part of TARBACK, "tarbackmain", which carries out the back up with 
appropriate prompts to the user. After a back up is complete, tarbackmain drops 
out and control returns to tarback. It is suggested that a command to launch 
tarback, with the -a option, is placed in the start up directory if the machine 
is likely to be restarted very often.

For initial setting up or changing scheme parameters, TARBACK is run without 
the -a option.  In this mode,  tarback launches tarbackmain immediately, which 
is then menu driven with many options, including setting up from scratch, 
adding, viewing, removing and modifying schemes, or forcing a back up ahead of 
time.

Typically there will be a single back-up "scheme". But if the need arises, 
there may be any number of independent and named back up schemes in 
simultaneous operation - all schemes being operated by the running of TARBACK 
with its single configuration file.

Each such scheme will use from 1 to 8 sets of tapes. Each set of tapes will be 
used in chronological rotation on the well established "Tower of Hanoi" system 
- effectively a binary system such that some tapes will be archive copies from 
much further in the past than others. At least 3 tape sets are recommended, but 
four might be regarded as ideal. In the case of only one or two sets of tapes, 
the Tower of Hanoi rotation scheme algorithm is trivial (in the mathematical 
sense) but the scheme will still works.

By a "set of tapes" is meant the several tapes required to do a single data 
back up. With capacious modern tapes, or if the user is selective as to what 
data is backed up, one tape may be enough.

In summary, there may be any number of back-up schemes, each with a descriptive 
name and with up to 8 tape sets (lettered A - H) used in rotation, with each 
tape set consisting of one or more numbered tapes.

Tarback Web Site : www.tarback.uklinux.net



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