Windows Server Backup using Robocopy

I had the pleasure of order, a few scripts for a Windows Server Backup can create one in the course, and I was dealt with Robocopy. I just say it in advance, Robocopy is great and I played in my opinion in a league with rsync. I do not know how I could ignore it. The sad part is, since Microsoft produced once a universal backup program that really good for anything and yet is free to and only Windows administrators and the geeks of the world use it, so my advice to you all, it looks to you. Robocopy has been well developed to perform once a Windows server backup using MS-house resources to be able to. It can accordingly not only for Windows servers, but also for Windows clients are used. I make below therefore no difference between servers and clients. But since not everyone wants to deal with the myriad of switches, robocopy, I present below some configuration interfaces.

Robocopy can match up data on computers and over the network and. The possibilities, functions and selectors are almost unmanageable, especially because there are still to various versions of Robocopy are three different functions that are only in certain Windows versions to run in part. Robocopy is a 32-bit application for file replication. Robocopy can copy files to a single computer or on a network. This works with:

• a single file,
• a single folder,
• a complete folder structure including subfolders recursively
• a folder structure including subfolders up to a specified depth,
• a number of other filters and selection options.

Robocopy detects whether a file in the source folder in the folder or in both is available. In the latter case, the program file and classified according to their time stamp and size. Robocopy copies the source file if the target file to a time-or size difference exists. Alternatively, the user can determine the rankings, which is to be copied. This type of folder synchronization saves against a full folder copy time and bandwidth. This is particularly noticeable on a slow network connection, positive impact. Occurs when copying an error Robocopy is able to continue the copy. Here, too, saves time and bandwidth.

The following are some features of Robocopy :

• Files can be included or excluded by name, using placeholders, on their path or their attributes from copying.
• Folders can be excluded by name or through their path.
• Delete the files and folders by copying possible (move instead of copying).
• Deleting files and folders that no longer exist in the source.
• Set how often to try Robocopy with a failure to copy a file.
• Place copy jobs set to run automatically.
• Folder monitoring for changes.
• File copy information selectively.

Robocopy can first transfer the information of the data structure, that is generated in the first step, the directory structure and creates the files as empty files with 0kb. In this way, the structural information at the beginning of the disk is stored, which increases the access speed dramatically. In the second step is allowed to transfer the contents of Robocopy ... That is probably enough! Since the program initially intended for a Windows server backup was, it was only part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit. Today, it is also part of Windows Vista and Windows 7, that all users of the current and future Windows are fine out there and need to install anything. Users have older versions of the Windows Server Kit download.

The ease of access Robocopy is disengaged flattering relatively low. For this reason, there are a number of useful tools / surfaces to the entry or the use of the Windows backup software to facilitate. Here are recommended:

• The classic is Robocopy GUI directly with Microsoft.
• The successor to Microsoft itself is rich copy and was able to convince even more.
• A recommended GUI for Robocopy.

My Favorite GUI for the Windows Server Backup is Hyper-V, so I will not lose a lot of words to use and its video-post backup with Robocopy will refer.

• required .NET Framework 2.0 (included in Vista)
• Robocopy supports ALL versions
• supports all the features of Robocopy,
• grouped features finally make sense
• provides the switching between the versions of Robocopy each script
• created on demand as orders scripts
• constructing large log files for error analysis,
• provides an autorun for the Task Scheduler
• and is freeware.

I seriously wonder why Microsoft Vista, a rather crude backup program and attaches Robocopy hidden leaves or without GUI, if the base of the Windows Server 2008 with Windows Vista balanced and was created a Windows Server Backup in the rule with Robocopy. In every good book on Windows Server and the program has treated Robocopy in Windows Vista no surface ... No matter. The backup giant is clearly the program of choice when it comes to migration and backup of Windows servers and I will count in the home area the Windows Home Server and NAS options in particular with one. But it can be just as good reliable backup in Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, such as creating an external hard drive.

Hello Botan,

I have a question that i have not been able to answer myself, and i'm hoping you may have run into this before.

I have a windows server 2003, and a windows server 2008 R2. I've tried using the following robocopy command to copy data from the 2003 server to the 2008 R2 server. I've enen added the /MIR, and /PURGE commands to fix the problem.

The command:
robocopy <source> <destination> /e /z /DCOPY:T /copyall /tee /MT:64 /log:<loglocation.txt> /MIR /w:2 /r:2 /PURGE


The problem:
when robocopying files from the 2003 server to the 2008 R2 server, it copies everything fine, but the file counts on the 2008 R2 server are larger than the original file count on the 2003 server. Have you ever seen this? do you know why this would happen?

I think that you are not having the full control of NTFS permissions. If you want to use that without any permission then you will need to have full control of NTFS permissions. So my suggestion to you is to login as the administrator and after that try to copy that once again. See if that can solve the problem for you.

Hey Zacharia,

I forgot to mention that i am logged in as local administrator on both the 2003 server and the 2008 R2 server. So i should have full control of the NTFS permissions.