c-treeACE V10.0 Update Guide

Database Backups

Dynamic Dump Changes

Additional improvements to c-treeACE backup technology include:

• Mask Routine Dynamic Dump Messages in Status Log. Normally a dynamic dump writes the names of all the files it backs up to the c-treeACE Server status log. A new option can be specified to suppress the logging of file names backed up by a dynamic dump operation reducing the amount of logged information. See Mask Routine Dynamic Dump Messages in CTSTATUS.FCS (Mask Routine Backup Messages in CTSTATUS.FCS, Mask CTSTATUS.FCS Backup Log Messages).
• Ability to Kill Dynamic Dump Threads. It is now possible to terminate a dynamic dump thread waiting for a scheduled dump time. See Improvements in Backup/Restore.
• Enhanced Logging of Dynamic Dump Status Messages. The dynamic dump process can now log the names of the files it backs up to the SYSLOG file. See Enhanced Logging of Dynamic Dump Status Messages.
• Examine Dump Files Utility now displays contents for files over 4GB. See ctidmp Examine Dump Files Utility.
• Segmented File issues related to Dynamic Dumps have been addressed.

Volume Shadow Service (VSS)

VSS is a Microsoft technology built into the Windows operating system that allows applications to access a “point-in-time” snapshot of a logical drive.

This service allows taking manual or automatic backup copies or snapshots of data. Snapshots have two primary purposes: they allow the creation of consistent backups of a volume, ensuring that the contents cannot change while the backup is being made; and they avoid problems with file locking.

By creating a read-only copy of the volume, backup programs are able to access every file without interfering with other programs writing to those same files.

c-treeACE now supports VSS through its VSS writer which controls how c-treeACE data is set to a consistent state at the beginning of a VSS operation and maintains that consistency throughout the process.

The VSS writer has been added as an integral component of the c-treeACE Server for Windows. This component is supplied as a Windows dynamic link library (c-treeACEVSSWriter.dll) and can be optionally loaded by the c-treeACE Server at startup.

For more information, see Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) Integration.