Users guide RecPointX

What is RecPointX?

RecPointX is a backup software on file and folder tier, based on solid UNIX tools, which are contained by standard in every Mac OS X.

Only full backups and incremental backups based on a full backup are possible.

Incremental means that according to the first full backup with every further backup only the files which have changed since the last backup or new files will be saved.

RecPointX uses the command line utility rsync, wich is deployed with every Mac OS X.

The configuration and operation of RecPointX is simple and finished with a few steps.

RecPointX is an Universal Binary and can be executed both on Intel- than also on PPC computers under Mac OS X 10.4 or Mac OS X 10.5.

So under Mac OS X 10.4 you have also the possibility to create simple and time-controlled backups of your data without using TimeMachine.

Also under Mac OS X 10.5 RecPointX can be an alternative, because you can work with user-defined, non operating system dependent backup intervals.

In the backup configuration a list can of folders can be defined that should be saved. These folders then are completely copied during the first backup, after that with every further backup only still the files, that have changed since the last backup or are new will be saved (incremental).

On the backup medium an increasing disk image is created in which a separate folder for every backup is applied. About references (so-called hard links, no aliases) files which not have changed since the last backup, will be linked to the preceding backup of this file.

Thus there is a complete backup in every backup folder for the Finder, only the changed and new files will be saved, however, as much as possible disk space will be saved.

As backup medium can you can use another computer connected over the local network or you can use a volume mounted on the computer wich should be saved (for example external hard disk).

If you use a computer in the local network, you can connect over AFP or SMB protocol.

You can start the backup automatically, when ever and so often you want.

Installation

Simply drag the files RecPointX and RecPointX Configurator into an arbitrary folder on your system (for example Applications).

Configuration

For the appointment of the backup settings you open the application „RecPointX Configurator“.

First of all select the type of the backup medium, in the list you have the choice between AFP, SMB or DISK.

If you have chosen AFP or SMB, you have to fill the field „Server path“. If you have chosen DISK, then this field is not relevant and from that not ready for input.

Following the description of the individual fields:

1. Server path: Here you have to enter the IP address of the backup computer, followed by a slash(/) and the the backup volume that should be mounted. To fill this field is only necessary if you have selected AFP or SMB as server type.
2. Server type: You select the type of the the backup medium here, in the list you have the choice between AFP, SMB or DISK .
3. Logging path: Every backup creates a protocol. Select a folder in which the backup logs should be created.
4. Target directory: Here you determine in which folder on the backup medium the backup data should be stored.
5. Name disc image: RecPointX stores the backup in an increasing disc image. You must enter the name of the image file in this field.
6. Backup locations: All folders in this list are saved by RecPointX. With the plus button you open the selection dialog, in order to add an entry to the list. By marking one line and press the minus button you can remove you the folder.

With the „Save“ button you store your backup configuration.

Operation of backup

The backup will be done by the application RecPointX. You can start the program manually at any time in order to create a backup.

To start the backup automatically at any time you want, you can use iCal.

For this purpose create a new calendar entry in iCal and name it „Weekly backup“ for example.

As start time enter the time for which you plan the backup to start. If you would do a backup every week, then choose as repetition type „weekly“.

To enable iCal to activate the backup, you have to select „Open file“ as type of reminder and choose RecPointX as the file which is should be opened.

That was already everything. iCal starts RecPointX now for the defined date(s). If you should have forgotten to create a backup configuration before, so the RecPointX will show a corresponding message and quit itself.

With the very first backup you have to enter some values after the start of RecPointX. For this case it is recommended to start the first backup manually, and to automatize only after that.

1. If you backup about the local network, RecPointX demands the input of an user name and password for the logon to the backup computer. RecPointX stores this information in your standard keychain so that the input must occur only once.
2. Now a further dialogue window appears, in which the keychain administration informs you that RecPointX wants to access now the user data entered before again. If you select „Always confirm“ here, RecPointX in future can always read the information, without a confirmation having to occur and the backup can run in a fully automatic way. If you choose „Confirm once“ here, you must confirm the dialogue again with the next backup. If you have chosen „Always confirm“, a further dialog of the key keychain administration appears since the access rights for the keychain entry must be changed now. Choose „Confirm once“ here.
3. Independent from the server type RecPointX asks for an administrator password and also stores this in you standard keychain. Again the dialog of the keychain administration appears, as described in issue 2.

The application now connects itself with the backup computer automatically, if you do your backup over the local network.

After that it is checked if the target folder is available local or on the backup computer. If the folder can not be found, a corresponding message is distributed and the program will quit.

If the target folder was found, now the main part of the backup process starts. In the target folder the disc image is created with the name defined by you if it is not yet available. After successful creation or if the image was already existing, it is mounted locally on your desktop.

After this step the folders which should be saved are checked and all files which needs to be stored will be copied. Please notice that the first backup can last several hours according to the amount of data to be saved. Please do not quit RecPointX in any case from that before the backup operation is finished.

After all files were saved successfully, the disk image and if necessary the used backup volume are ejected, after that RecPointX quits itself automatically.

In the logging folder you can find log files which contains a list of all saved files.

Two protocols are created for every backup. The file with the extension .log is the complete output of rsync. Since rsync also list all folders in which no data have to be saved, this logging is possibly a little unclear. From that there is a second protocol with the extension .logcmp. Here the folders were filtered out, so this contains only the file names that in fact were saved.

Restoration of the data from the backup

You do not need RecPointX for the restoration of the saved data. Simply open the disc image created by RecPointX in the Finder and copy the files you want back to your computer.

Creating new disk image

After the very first backup RecPointX always copies only the files which have changed themselves since the last backup or files that are new. The disk image which contains the copied data will grow in the course of the time more and more.

Maybe you would like to burn this disk image sometimes on DVD and then erase it or you want to move it to another storage medium in order to free the occupied disc space.

However, what happens if the disk image is no longer available by the next backup start of RecPointX?

This situation is no problem for RecPointX.

If no disk image is found in the target folder, RecPointX creates a new image and performs a complete copy of all data according to the very first backup. After that an incremental backup as usual is performed at every further backup.

Deinstallation of the application

Simply drag the files „RecPointX Configurator“ and „RecPointX“ into the trash basket. Then you go in the Finder into your user folder and there into the folder „Library -> Preferences“. Here you find four preference files of RecPointX:

com.mortaxx.RecPointX.plist

com.mortaxx.RecPointXBackupPaths.plist

com.mortaxx.RecPointXConfig.plist

com.mortaxx.RecPointXConfigurator.plist

Put these files also into the trash basket. With that you deinstalled RecPointX. Please notice that log files can still be available in the folder declared by you and backup images in the target folder declared by you. You should remove them also if they are not needed anymore.