Backup

The backup option under the database menu is designed to copy the Visual Traffic (VT) database file Vtdb.db to another location on the server hard drive and optionally to other drives. This is a very easy option to use.

Note: Caution. A true backup copies information (data files and programs) from one location to another but never to the same device. To meet the criteria for a true backup, a procedure would copy a file from one hard drive to another or to some other type of media such as a tape drive unit, JAZ drive, CD-ROM or even floppy disk. The important point is that the file is copied and also moved off of the original hard drive surface. The reason for moving the file off of the original hard drive is primarily because the hard drive could "crash" or all the data could be erased. If either of the above conditions happened, it wouldn't matter how many copies you had on the drive because all of them would be destroyed simultaneously. Do not depend on the Advanced Revenue Management System backup function as the sole means of backing up your database. It is possible to copy the files to another hard drive on your system. This would meet the requirement of a full backup in that the file is copied and it goes to another device (hard drive). However, you will have to specify the location each time you do the backup.

Note: You can also use this program to copy the file and then use a tape backup program to copy the file you just copied. This may seem redundant, but it allows you to make a copy during the day while people are working on VT. When you use the tape to backup the copied file, the file is not in use and may be copied readily while people continue to use the original database file. This process may be completed while people are using VT unlike a tape backup that always requires you to shut down VT before proceeding. If you proceed while others are using VT, the Vtdb.log file will also be copied along with the main database file Vtdb.db. If you need to restore, both files must always be restored if both exist.

Backup Procedures

1. Select the backup option; an alert message appears if the VT traffic database is in use by one or more persons. You may then choose to go on and complete the file copy by answering, "Yes".

2. Once you proceed with the backup option, a dialog box appears showing the intended path for the data files. Notice that the name of the data files is not provided. VT always copies the database (and log file if present) automatically. This dialog can only copy the VT database. A path is automatically created for the file copy to C:\CCC\DATABASE\BACKUP\weekday. This means the copy goes to the same drive as the original database and into a folder or directory called BACKUP. Under that folder are folders for every day of the week. VT copies the file to the folder for the current day. This means there are folders named MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, SAT and SUN.

   Note: You will end up with at least five copies of the VT database plus the original on the same hard drive. If you use this procedure on weekends, you could have two more copies for Saturday and Sunday. This might be a strain on your servers hard drive capacity because you must retain five to seven copies of the database plus the original.

3. If the default location is acceptable, just click "Backup" and the file copy will be completed in a short period of time. The time required depends upon the speed of your computer, the VT database size and the requirements of other server processes that may be running concurrently.

Changing the Path

You can copy the database anywhere the system can access. Click "Change" to change the path for the file output. You can reset the path for the file copy to any available hard drive on the system. This includes hard drives that may be accessible under the Network Neighborhood icon. This means you could use the Backup option to copy the VT database to a workstation hard drive. Requirements for this will vary with your individual circumstances. Please check with your system administrator. In general, a copy to another drive on a connected workstation requires the drive to be shared. The path would have to be re-selected each time you perform the backup. The advantage of such a choice is to conserve space on the file server hard drive and to protect the database copy, if the server drive should crash, making it completely inoperable.

Changing the Default Backup Path

You can change the default backup path used by the backup option using the "Edit User Preferences" dialog of "VT Utilities". This is an option under the "File" menu in the "Visual Traffic Setup" section. The backup preferences are user specific. Your backup preferences can be different than other users and, in fact, will be unless you intentionally set them to the same path.