unCoreInternals 9.2.1
unBackup Users Documentation

The unBackup.pnl panel can be divided in three sections: General Info, Backup, and Check.

unBackup Panel
  • The General Info provides information about the Backup name and Application name.
  • The Backup allows the user to execute and configure periodic backups of a project.
  • The Check provides the user the possibility to execute and configure periodic checks that examine: 1.) The status (running/not running) of the unBackup Control Manager. 2.) The status (OK/Bad) and time of the last local backup performed. 3) The last modification time of the remote project folder specified in the Backup path inside the Check section.

Backup functionality

The widgets that are part of the Backup frame from top to bottom are:

  • The Periodic backup checkbox, which allows the user to customize and trigger automatic periodic backups of a project.
  • The unBackup CTRL Manager status, indicating that the manager is running, in green color, or not, in red color. If the user right clicks on the green/red indicator, a few options are presented to start, stop, or kill the manager, and set to it to always/manual, depending on its current status.
unBackup Manager Options
  • The Next Automatic Execution date and time. This date and time can be modified by clicking on the button next to it.
  • The Interval cascade button, which allows to execute periodic backups depending on the selection. The options are: Never, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Every year. The user may modify the next automatic execution date and time according to the interval selected.
  • The Local path, which is the directory where the backup of the project will be allocated. The path can be modified by writing on the textbox or clicking on the folder icon.
  • The Process log, filled with all the necessary information regarding the online database backup status, project backup process, and project backup checks. When the panel is opened, the last update of the online database backup status, project backup process, and project backup check are displayed on the log. If backups or checks are performed while the unBackup.pnl panel is open, then the log will display all the relevant messages with the corresponding timestamps. This information is written to the WinCC OA log as well.
  • The Start button, which triggers the execution of a backup. The process can take a variable amount of time, depending on the size and number of files within the project. To avoid any potential issues, the first time that the panel is opened, it is necessary to click on Apply to enable the Start button. The Start button will automatically be disabled when changing any of the options inside the Backup frame on the left.
  • The Expert button, which opens a window with further options for backup customization.
unBackup Expert Settings
  • The Apply button, saving the current changes that have been performed.

Check functionality

The widgets that are part of the Check frame from top to bottom are:

  • The Periodic check checkbox, which allows the user to customize and trigger automatic periodic checks of the status and processes of the backups. If the Periodic check is enabled, then the unBackupCheck state is in Active mode in the Free Schedule panel.
  • The Valid from/until date and time. The date and time specifications in these textboxes define the interval when the periodic checks can be executed. If the current time is not within this interval, then the backup checks will not be performed. The dates can be modified by clicking on the button next to them.
  • The Sync time, indicating the date and time when the next automatic backup check will be executed, synchronizing the time of previous periodic checkups to the time displayed on the textbox.
  • The Interval, specified in seconds, between each periodic backup check. The interval unit is in seconds to give the possibility to check the backup processes frequently, and to be consistent with the Free Schedule panel logic. The minimum time is 60 seconds.
  • The Backup path, which indicates the directory where the checks will be performed. Remote directories can be specified in here, i.e., there is no need to specify a local path for the backup checks. If no project folder is found inside the directory, then there will be a message in the backup log indicating that either the NFS function specified, or the last modification time of the project folder are incorrect. If the Periodic check is active, then an alarm will be raised indicating that the unBackup check is not correct.
unBackup Check Alarm
  • The Function to check backup, displaying the NFS function that checks the last modification time of the remote project folder of the Backup path given within the Check frame. The function can be modified by enabling the checkbox that is next to the corresponding Function to check backup textbox (disabled by default to avoid undesirable changes by mistake). It is recommended to use the unBackup_checkNFS function, but other customizable functions can be specified there by the user. However, it is important to note that this customizable function must be defined within the scope of the unBackup.ctl library.
  • The check user feedback, displaying the status of the unBackup check alarm. The feedback message for the check alarm is: OK, in green, if the backup check steps are correct. NOT OK, in red, if the unBackup CTRL Manager is not running, the status and time of the last backup is not ok, or integrity of the files are not correct. NOT ENABLED, if Periodic Check is not enabled. The timestamp information about the last update of the unBackup check alarm is also shown.
  • The Start button, which triggers the execution of a backup check. The process to check backups is almost immediate. To avoid any potential issues, the first time that the panel is opened, it is necessary to click on Apply to enable the Start button. The Start button will automatically be disabled when changing any of the options inside the Check frame on the right.
  • The Expert button, which opens a window for further customization of the free scheduler of the unBackupCheck.
unBackup Check Scheduler
  • The Apply button, saving the current changes that have been performed.