piartool -backup command options

Options

Description

-arcdir

Back up archives and annotation files to the path\arc directory.

If this option is not specified, archives are backed up to a directory based on their current location. For example, if an archive is in the C:\PI\archives directory, then it is backed up to the path\archives directory. Similarly, if an archive is in the C:\PI\dat directory, then it is backed up to the path\dat directory.

-archive n0 n1 n2 ...

Back up the archive or archives specified by n0, n1, n2, and so on. The annotation file associated with the specified archive is also backed up.

Archive numbers begin at 0 with the primary archive. For example, the following command backs up the primary archive and archive 2:

piartool -backup c:\pi\backup -archive 0 2

-component c0 c1 c2 ...

Back up the component or components specified by c0, c1, c2, and so on.

For example:

piartool -backup c:\pi\backup -component pibasess

This command backs up only the files that belong to PI Base Subsystem.

The -archive and -component flags can be used in conjunction with each other. For example, the following command backs up the pibasess, pisnapss, and piarchss components in addition to the primary archive:

piartool -backup c:\pi\backup -component pibasess pisnapss piarchss -archive 0

To see a full list of components, type:

piartool -backup C:\pi\backup -identify -verbose

-cutoff date

Cutoff date in PI time format.

Restricts the backup to archives that contain data between 10 days prior to current time and current time. The more restrictive of -numarch N and -cutoff date take precedence. The default cutoff date is 1-Jan-1970 00:00:00, unless otherwise specified by the Backup_ArchiveCutoffDate timeout parameter.

This flag is ignored if the -component or -archive flag is specified.

If -cutoff date is specified for an incremental or differential backup (-type INCREMENTAL or -type DIFFERENTIAL), then all modified archives and all archives matching the cutoff date criteria are included in the backup. The -cutoff flag has no effect on a full backup.

Note: The -cutoff date option works only with INCREMENTAL and DIFFERENTIAL backups. It includes all modified archives and any that contain data after the cutoff date. It has no effect when you run a FULL backup.

-exclude c0 c1 c2 ...

Exclude the component or components specified by c0, c1, c2, and so on.

-excludeArchivesWithEndTimesOlderThan EndTime

Exclude archives with end times older than the specified date. This command is typically used with incremental backups.

-excludeFuture

Exclude future data archives from backups.

-identify

Display the files that would be backed up, without actually performing the backup.

This option is useful for verifying which files will be included before initiating the backup. It can be combined with other options such as -type, -component, - verbose, and -archive to preview specific subsets of backup content.

This command lists all the files that would be included in a COPY backup, without creating the actual backup.

piartool -backup -identify -type

Note: You do not need to specify a backup file. The -identify option previews which files included in the backup and writes the list to the command prompt window.

-numarch N

Backs up N archives.

For example, specifying -numarch 2 backs up the primary archive and archive 1, provided that archive 1 contains data. The default number of archives for backup is 3, unless otherwise specified by the Backup_NumArchives timeout parameter.

Note: Empty archives are never backed up.

Specifying -numarch -1 includes all archives that contain data (and that are not excluded with the -exclude flag) in the backup. Specifying -numarch 0 excludes all archives from the backup.

This flag is ignored if the -component or -archive flag is specified.

If -numarch N is specified for an incremental or differential backup (-type INCREMENTAL or -type DIFFERENTIAL), the first N archives plus any other archive that has been modified are included in the backup. The -numarch flag has no effect on a full backup.

-type type

Specifies the type of backup to perform: FULL, INCREMENTAL, DIFFERENTIAL or COPY.

• FULL: Creates a complete backup of all archive files. The system updates the last backup time on each archive file, which serves as a backup timestamp when you run the command.

  Use FULL to create a backup baseline only. Future INCREMENTAL and DIFFERENTIAL backups use this time to determine which files are included in your backup.

  The -type command performs a full backup of all archives and components, regardless of when they were last used or backed up. It updates the last backup time of each archive.

  piartool -backup C:\pi\backup -type FULL

  Caution: If you run FULL again after creating your baseline, the system resets the last backup time to the new FULL run time. As a result, the next scheduled INCREMENTAL or DIFFERENTIAL backup may skip updates made between your last scheduled backup and the new FULL run. For manual or test backups, use COPY instead, as it backs up everything without resetting the backup time.

• INCREMENTAL, DIFFERENTIAL: Backs up only archive components modified since the last backup. These types do not update the last backup time. Use them after you create a FULL backup.

  This command performs a differential backup, including all archives that have been modified since the last full backup, as well as those that contain data within the last 10 days (relative to current time). The cutoff is specified using *-10d.

  piartool -backup C:\pi\backup -type DIFFERENTIAL *-10d

• COPY: Backs up all archive files without updating the last backup time. Use COPY for test runs or manual snapshots that won't interfere with your backup schedule. If you use -exclude options, the system automatically applies COPY.

  This command shows which files the system would include in a COPY backup, but does not perform the backup. The -identify flag is used to preview the operation without performing it.

  piartool -backup C:\pi\backup -type COPY -identify

-verbose

Increases the level of detail in the output and is typically used with -identify. Displays detailed information such as exact paths and component names to be backed up.

This command lists all the files the system would include in a backup, with detailed file paths and component information, but does not perform a backup.

piartool -backup -identify type COPY -verbose

You can also use -verbose with type FULL.This command performs a full backup to D:\pi\server\backup and displays detailed output on the console.

piartool -backup -type FULL -path "D:\pi\server\backup" -verbose

-wait [sec]

Waits up to the specified number of seconds for the backup to finish before the piartool -backup command returns. The progress of the backup is reported every 15 seconds. When the backup is complete, a summary of the backup is reported.

If you use the -wait flag without specifying the sec argument, then piartool -backup waits up to one day for the backup to complete.

If you do not specify the -wait flag, then piartool -backup returns immediately. In this case, you can monitor the progress of the backup with piartool -backup -query.

The -wait option is used in the pibackup.bat script because it is important for the backup to complete before the site-specific backup scripts are called.