Configuring Backup for the first time

Setting up Backup Sets

A backup set contains all backup settings of a backup operation. These pages describe all the features available within a backup set and explain how you can use each of them to achieve various tasks. Each backup account can have multiple backup sets. Each backup set is an individual backup job. For example, if you want one directory to be backed up daily and another directory to be backed up weekly, you would create two backup sets, each with a different backup schedule and backup source, to achieve this.

To start setting up backup sets, click the button to open the [Backup Setting] dialog. As an example, let’s create a “File Backup Set".

On the left near the top, press the button to create a new backup set.

Backup Set Type

Choose the appropriate backup type. Select "File backup" if backing up normal file and documents and click "Next".

Backup Source

“Backup Source” defines the files and directories that are to be included in your backup set. There are two types of backup source: Selected and Deselected. Selected backup source defines files and directories that are to be included in a backup set while deselected defines files or directories that are to be excluded from a backup set.

Mozzie Backup will generate appropriate backup source setting for you automatically when you make your backup source selection.

Please note that for Windows operating systems, if the “Hide protected operating files (Recommended)” setting is enabled for the file explorer, system folders/files will not be shown in the backup source. By selecting the parent folders however, all subfolders (including system folders/files) will be included in the backup set. Thus if you want to exclude system folders (e.g. recycle bin) from the backup, please select the desired folders/files directly rather than selecting the parent folder.

On the first screen, Mozzie defaults to selecting common folders to be backed up. By Clicking the [Advanced] button, you have more control over what is backed up or excluded.

The checkbox next to the files/directories shown above can be in one of the following mode:

- All files/directories (recursively) under this directory will be backed up

- All files/directories (recursively), except those explicitly excluded, under this directory will be backed up. If you add files/directories to this directory in the future, they will be backed up as well.

- Only the checked files/directories under this directory will be backed up. If you add files/directories to this directory in the future, they will NOT be backed up.

- Nothing under this directory will be backed up.

By clicking on the boxes, you can change the modes of each file/directory, in order to create a set of files to be backed up.
You can change the backup source anytime after creating the backup set, by clicking the [Backup Source] of the left panel on the [Backup Setting] dialog.

Backup Schedule

“Backup Schedule” defines the frequency and the time that backups should run automatically.

Backup schedule can be in one of the following types:

Daily - Backup Jobs will run everyday
Weekly - Backup Jobs will run on the specified day(s) of every week
Monthly - Backup Jobs will run on the specified day or on a day with a given criteria (e.g. first weekend, last weekday) of every month
Custom - Backup job will run once on any particular date

For each schedule type above, backup will run at the scheduled time for a maximum of the duration specified (or until all data are backed up if [Stop on backup completion] option is chosen). If a backup job does not finish within the maximum duration specified, it will be interrupted.

Please note that you can have more than one schedule within a backup set. For example, you can have a daily backup schedule that runs at 13:00 at noon and another daily backup schedule that runs at 00:00 at midnight. The combination of these schedules effectively creates a backup schedule that runs daily at 00:00 and 13:00 everyday.

You can change the backup schedules anytime after creating the backup set, by clicking the [Backup Schedule] node of the left panel on the [Backup Setting] dialog.

Continuous Data Protection (CDP)

Mozzie Backup / Continuous Data Protection (CDP) feature enables files to be backed automatically at the time when there are changes to files on local hard disks. The benefits of using CDP are:

All file and data changes are backed up automatically. Even if the computer breaks down completely all changes since the last complete backup been backed up by CDP and no data is lost.
Occasionally users do not save their data in the folders designated as backup source path and thus results in data not being backed up even when backup runs. Since CDP tracks all changes of files on local hard disk automatically for users, all files changed by the users are automatically backed up no matter whether the files are located in the backup source paths or not. This makes defining a backup set a much easier task for both administrators and users.

Although CDP is a very helpful feature, it does have some drawbacks. For example, CDP is a memory resident program, which tracks file changes to the file system and backs up files continuously in the background, this consumes both a computer’s CPU and memory resources. It can potentially slow down a computer. For application servers, e.g. Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft SQL Server, that do not require CDP features (instead you are best to use transaction log backup interval of say every 1 minute to mimic a continuous backup strategy instead), turn off CDP by changing the startup method of [Control Panel] -> [Administrative Tools] -> [Services] -> [Continuous Data Protection (Mozzie Backup)] -> [General] -> [Startup type] to “manual”.