Data Synchronization

Z-DBackup supports different methods for 1:1 backups of data.

In addition to full backups, incremental and differential backups, Z-DBackup can also be used for sychronization/mirroring of files and directories. The program creates an exact copy of the data from the source directory in the target directory. When this method is used, only new or changed files are copied to the target directory. Optionally, data in the target directory which is not present in the source directory can be deleted automatically or with a user prompt.

If this option is activated, only files which are new or newer than those present in the backup directory are copied.

Like Synchronization Mode, but files and directories will be deleted from the target directory if they no longer exist in the source directory.

Before files get delete a dialog appears and you can choose to delete the listed files.
You can deactivate this dialog by activating Use Recycle Bin / directory and choosing the apropriate setting in the configuration window.

Use Recycle Bin / directory
 Here you can choose how Z-DBackup should treat files which are to be deleted or overwritten. If this option is activated, such files are moved to the Recycle Bin or optionally to any other directory. You can select a directory by clicking on the button Settings.
 

 Backup files newer than...
 Select this option if you only want to back up data from after a specific date. The date must be entered in the format "DD.MM.YYYY" and must be between 1987 and 2076.

Windows Task Scheduler
For each backup set, you can choose between Z-Cron  and Windows Task Scheduler for scheduled backups. Select this option if you want to use Windows Task Scheduler.

Maximum speed
Deactivate this option to prevent Z-DBackup from sending data faster than the target drive can process them. This is useful for slow components, such as USB or network drives, and can prevent Z-DBackup from freezing periodically or aborting backup processes to slow drives. You can specify a delay time from 0 to 10 ms in the program settings .

Empty directories
Include empty directories in the backup. This can be useful if you want to be able to restore the complete directory structure including empty directories.

NTFS Permissions

NTFS  compatible backups. Extended file information and attibutes are included in the backup. Security settings are copied to a NTFS  formatted backup medium and can be restored.

 Attention: Even NTFS user permissions are included in the backups. If only one user is allowed to access the original files, only this user will be able to access the backups as well. Also, if data is synchronized e.g. from a PC to a laptop, they may not be accessible there, because the internal user ID (SID) is different even if the same user name is used on both devices. This option is designed especially for Microsoft networks with domain control.

  To include NTFS permissions in the backup, you need an NTFS formatted backup medium!

Clear Archive bit
The archive attribute  of the source files is cleared/deactivated after backup.

Directory structures
The complete directory structure is included in the backup.

Directory permissions
The Windows directory access rights are included in the backup. This setting is not usually needed for normal backups.

 VShadow Copy
 If this option is activated, a Volume Shadow Copy is created for the source drive. This allows copying locked files.

  Z-VSScopy is contained in the Freeware Version of Z-DBackup and is itself freeware for private use. If you want to use Z-VSScopy with the Professional Version of Z-DBackup, you need to purchase a license.

Real time
If this option is activated, you can still open files that currently get backed up by a running backup job. This allows users to continue working without interruption, while a backup (including files the user is working with) is running in the background

Asynchronous Copy
Dynamically adjusted buffers and asynchronous file transfer between two hard drives can increase the copy speed when large files get copied.
The system load is reduced a little bit.
This option is a good choice when the backup contains larger files.
But this method could reduce the backup speed in case alot of small files should be copied.

Open files: Z-DBackup automatically backs up open files that are not locked by another application.

  Z-DBackup needs the add-on module Z-VSScopy  to include locked files in a backup!

Note
 With this button, you can add a textnote to a backup set. The notes can also be accessed from the context menu in the main window. A note can be shown as a message on the screen before or after a backup with this backup set!

 Default Settings
 This button resets the backup set to the default settings.

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