Backup only sub-directories with recent activity

[wmraim]

A lawyer has a directory called Clients. Within Clients he creates a sub-directory named for each client. All correspondence is placed in the sub-directory of the client's name. The Clients directory has about 1,800 client name sub-directories. The lawyer wants a way to backup only client name sub-directories in which a file was modified or added within the last 2 months. All files with in an "active" client name sub-directory are to be copied.

Another example is in Yahoo groups, when you list the Photo folder, for each sub-folder within Photo you see the date of the latest file added.

Are there any freeware backup programs (winXP) that come to mind?

[Paul Komski]

Don't know any freeware (or shareware for that matter) that will do what you want.

However it shouldn't be that hard to use something like XCopy in a Batch file. One would need to iterate through all the client folders and only execute XCopy on each one if the last access date was less than say 60days.

I might be able to put something together for you but am particularly busy just at the moment.

[Sylvander]

Just occurred to me that the latest version [v2.00] of Image for DOS [IforD] (http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/image.html) [only available as a paid-for version, not a trial version] can do incremental backups [can backup those items that are new since the previous image and not included in the previous image].

So if you did an incremental backup [since the last backup 2 months previously] and then used the FREE version of TBIView (http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html) [yet to be issued] made to work with v2.00 of IforD, to restore the client folders [plus contents], as listed within the TBI image file and displayed within Windows by TBIView...
To a location of choice....
That would include all [and ONLY] the folders/files in which the lawyer was interested.

The problem is that at this time, v1.99 of IforD makes IMG image files that TBIView can work with, but it cannot make incremental backups.
Whereas the new v2.00 of IforD does make incremental backups, but to TIF image files that the present latest version of TBIView cannot work with.

So you'd need to wait for the updated version of TBIView to be released.

[Paul Komski]

Differential and incremental backups can be done by a wide variety of backup software but if I understood correctly there was a need here to filter-out or filter-in specific clients from a list of nearly 2000. I began to think of a database solution but its actually not too hard to write a VB application that I think will do the job (and its given me a couple of other ideas into the bargain). Should finish it in the morning - but now I'm off to bed.

[Paul Komski]

Feel free to try out my SelectiveCloner1 (http://www.paulski.com/zpages.php?id=1623). It will hopefully do what you need but is a bit beta just yet. I should be able to polish it up a bit once I get the time.

[Sylvander]

Nice one Paul. :)

I've downloaded it.
I guess it's a "portable" program, right?
No settings in the registry?
Able to be run from any location that Windows can access?
Seems to run just fine in my Win2000Pro OS.

Now I MUST figure out how to make good use of it.
Makes me think of SyncBack, but it can do something that SyncBack cannot [I think]; make a backup of a "source" location...
Of every folder/file that has changed in the last X days.

I had tried to figure how to make SyncBack do what was required, but gave up...
Because Syncback keeps a copy of EVERYTHING, and only shows the user the DIFFERENCES that it is about to incorporate into the backup.
What's really needed here is a separate backup of those differences...
Which your program does, and SyncBack doesn't.

Tried it out and it worked just fine. :D :cool:

[Paul Komski]

The only files it cannot copy are the ones in a partition root. It copies any chosen/filtered sub-folders recursively and so should include all their contained files and sub-folders down to the lowest level. In that respect it is a bit like XCopy. At the moment it will attempt to copy all folders, including system folders such as System Information and the Recycle bin. No registry entries nor any other config files (as of yet anyway).

I immediately realised, once the question was posed, that this type of folder-filtering would have its uses and that I hadn't seen it any other backup programs I have used to date.

[Sylvander]

"I immediately realised...that this type of folder-filtering would have its uses"
Any ideas so far for the uses to which it might be put?

[Paul Komski]

Any ideas so far for the uses to which it might be put?

One can find backup software that will filter by file name or file extension but there could be reasons for wanting to filter by just about any file attribute including creation/modified/accessed dates as well as size, system, hidden and so forth.

Also - backup software will often let one choose an individual folder (often as an individual "profile") and apply such filters (if such filtering exists in the software) to the files inside the folders. Typically one might exclude .dat and .sys files for example. It seems uncommon or non-existent to be able to filter by folder attribute and just let your imagination think of ways this could let one create different backup profiles that might suit one's own particular needs.

I have already designed software that will let me filter files for backup, not only by the main attributes (HRS and A) but also by strings of characters found in their names but (dont know why) it just never occurred to me to treat folders in a similar way and that way one could create "profiles" that collect together disparate folders rather than have to create a separate profile for each one.

[wmraim]

to Paul Komski
Thanks a lot for your efforts.
I'm tied up right now, but checked in and saw your work.
so I just had to thank-you,
I hope to try it out on the weekend.

[wmraim]

Selective Cloner1 works great. I would have been happy with a script that listed in a text file, all subdirectories that had recent activity. Selective Cloner1 is a thoughtful program that exceeds any expectations. The program is intuitive, presented in a user friendly screen layout. In addition to the select all button, users can select specific directories to be excluded. The age of files defined as active can easily be changed. The input and output locations are totally flexible.
I am surprised no one can name a program that has the select criteria I was looking for. I am truly surprised at the skill of Paul to build such a polished, user friendly, full featured tool, as Selective Cloner1.
Bravo Paul.
Thank-you very much.