Trouble Shooting Guide for Online Backup

The Basics

Use the check list below as a starting point.

  • To access the set up for Online Backup, click the 'Backup' button on the main toolbar.
  • In the tabbed window that comes up, make sure the 'Backup' tab is selected.
  • If you are running an online backup, make sure that at least one day of the week is checked. Also, make sure that a valid time of day is set. Our system uses a 24-hour clock, so if you want your backup to run at 11:30pm at night, that would be entered as 23:30.
  • Make sure to select at least one or more sBackup Maps. Use the 'Backup Maps...' button in Step 3 for this.
  • We recommend checking the option to have an email summary sent to you. It is very comforting to see a nice summary email each morning reminding you that your computer was backed up.
  • Apply Changes - make sure to click the 'Apply Changes' button. This will save your changes. You will be prompted for your Windows username and password (not your MOD username / password).

Task Scheduler

Windows has a built-in facility for running periodic tasks called the Task Scheduler. (For Mac and Linux users, see Tips & Tricks below). Our system creates a Windows Scheduled Task to run the backup on a schedule. The backup scheduled task is created with the name 'MyOtherDrive-Backup'. To access it, open the Control Panel. Then (Windows XP) click on the Scheduled Tasks progam. For Vista, click on Administrative Tools, then Task Scheduler. To see the 'properties' of the task, right-click on the task name and select 'Properties' from the menu.

  • Log in: Many computers are logged out when not used. In order for the scheduled task to run, it must log into your computer just as you would. That is why our system prompts for your Windows username / password - to pass it to the scheduled task when created. In the Scheduled Task properties, make sure the option is set correctly to allow the scheduled task to log into your computer. In Windows XP, this is done by unchecking the box 'Run only if logged on'. In Windows Vista, this option is set by checking the box that says 'Run whether user is logged in or not'.
  • Wake: In order to conserve energy, many computers go into 'sleep' mode when not being used. Unfortunately, this can prevent the scheduled backup from running. To prevent this from happening, make sure the option is checked that says 'Wake the computer to run this task'. This will ensure that the computer is brought out of sleep mode in order for the scheduled task to run.

Setting the Right User

When you create the online backup task by clicking the 'Update Schedule' button, our system prompts for your Windows username and password. This is required so that the scheduled task can log into your computer (as you) and proceed to run the backup. Without this information, the task could not log in, and would not run. The username and password to use, is the same username and password you would use when you log into your computer normally. Our system keeps your backup settings 'per user.' That means if two or more different people use the same computer, each user would have their own backup settings (days of week, time of day, source folders, destination folder). These settings are stored in (Windows XP) c:\Documents and Settings\username or (Vista) c:\users\username. When the online backup starts, it will read this file in order to determine the backup settings. This is why you must use the same Windows username / password that you log in with, for setting the backup task. If you entered 'administrator' for example, but you normally log in with joesmith, the administrator account will not have a myotherdrive.properties file stored in it's /users foldeghr and will not run.

Testing

When testing the unattended backup, instead of setting a time a few minutes ahead, and then waiting for it to start, you can run the backup directly by clicking 'Run Now' on the Backup tab. This will start the online backup task immediately. Before it can be run, at least one Backup Map must be created. The Backup Progress / Status window will come up after you click 'Run Now'. This window displays the progress of a running backup, or if completed, the full summary report. If backup is running by clicking 'Run Now' and the scheduled backup triggers, the scheduled backup will not start - our backup software detects that it is already running and will not start a second backup. You can use the status window to pause or cancel the unattended backup.

Tips / Tricks

Below are some helpful tips.

  • If you are receiving error messages when you click the 'Apply Changes' button, go to the Task Scheduler and delete the MyOtherDrive-Backup task if it is present. Then retry applying the backup settings. You may need to 'toggle' one of the days of week so that the 'Apply Changes' button becomes enabled.
  • If the status window (click 'View Status' on the Backup window) looks like it is hung (not starting) after the '*** Backup Map 1 of 1 ***' message, a 2nd copy of the backup program started but did not exit. Restart your computer, click the 'Backup' button, then click 'Run Now.' It should work fine.
  • The actual command line used to run the scheduled backup, is:
    java -cp "c:\users\joesmith\backup.jar" com.myotherdrive.backup.Backup
    Substitue joesmith with your Windows Vista username. If you are running XP, that would be c:\Documents and Settings instead of c:\users. If Windows is failing to create the scheduled task for some reason, you can create a new scheduled task, and enter the command line above. Make sure the 'Wake' and 'Log on' parameters of the scheduled task are set as described above.
  • Mac and Linux users: you can create a cron (or launchd in the case of Mac OS/x 10.4+) job to run the command below in order to perform the online backup.
  • Java: Make sure java is available and running. Open a 'Command' prompt by clicking on the Windows 'Start' button, and then typing 'cmd' and pressing enter (Windows Vista). If this is XP, Click Start | Run, and then type 'cmd' and press enter. When the command prompt opens, type in "java -version". If you receive and error or command not found, go to the Java site and install the latest version.
  • Windows XP Home Edition: Automated backup requires a Windows program named schtasks.exe to create the scheduled task for you. This is a command line utility to create scheduled tasks. Windows XP Home does not ship with this program. In order to create the scheduled task, go to the Control Panel | Scheduled Tasks. Right-click and select "New". Give the task a descriptive name (can be anything you want). Right-click again on the scheduled task. Select 'Properties' from the menu. Use the command line listed above. Also, make sure to set the "Log on" and "Wake" parameters as discussed above.
  • When I go to create the backup task by clicking the 'Apply Changes' button, I receive an error saying that it could not create the task. When this occurs, goto the Task Scheduler and delete the MyOtherDrive-backup task manually. Then retry creating the scheduled task from the Backup screen. If this continues to happen, then you can manually create the schedule task as outlined above.