InStar Backup

We have added a backup function to InStar. The intent of this function is to provide a redundant backup in addition to your normal backups. InStar is so important to most agencies it is prudent to have more than one backup.

When the last user logs off for the day they will be prompt to run the daily backup, answer YES. The user can now leave and InStar will shut down when done backing up the data. If a user leaves InStar open overnight when InStar auto shuts down the backup will be run.
Even if InStar should hang shutting down, during backup, no harm is done as the data files are already closed and will not interfere with other backups.
The backups are not compressed so there is less danger or getting a bad backup file.
Backup Frequency only determines how often a complete backup of the entire InStar Folder is performed. The InStar folder is the folder containing your data file isData.df1 and isDocs.df1. See menu Help >> About InStar for the path to your data file.
No matter the back timing selected, the data files are backed up EVERY day. Only the EDoc and Email attachment files are affected by backup of modified files only.

Setup is performed in Main Setup under the System Info tab. Go to menu Main Menu >> Setup System >> Main System and select the System Info tab in the Main Setup window.
Click edit, make your selections and click save.

Frequency; Weekly, Monthly or Yearly. This only determines the frequency of the FULL backup of the InStar Folder. InStar data files are backed up DAILY as they change Daily regardless of the backup frequency. Modified EDoc and Email Attachment Files are backed up daily. The date of modification is determined by the last backup folder so if you skipped backups for several days the system will backup modified files since the last backup.
When selecting a Backup Folder Path make sure that all InStar users can access that path. In the image below we are using a UNC path on a USB drive that is shared so all users can see the backup folder even if they don’t have a drive mapped to that folder.
NOTE; the Last Full Backup Folder field in Setup will be empty until the first backup is complete.
The user can force a full backup by reselecting the Backup Frequency and will receive a prompt to clear the Last Full Backup Folder which will then perform a Full Backup the next time run.
NOTE; The Backup Folder Path should be to a drive OTHER than the drive on which InStar is running. In the case of a disk failure, having your backups on the same drive as your InStar folder will not protect your data.

Folder names are the Date Stamp of the backup using a 24hr clock. If the full backup folder is named 2022.12.02.20.05.25 then the backup was run on 12/2/2022 at 20 hrs, 5 mins and 25 seconds.
This folder, 2022.12.02.20.05.25, will then contain all the modified backup folders for backups run between Full Backups. See the image below.
Data files are backed up daily however EDoc and Email Attachment files will only be backed up if they were modified since the last backup. The last backup could be a full back up or a modified backup. For example, the folder below, 2022.12.05.20.53.23 would only contain Modified EDoc and Email Attachments modified AFTER the previous backup on 2022.12.03.17.59.23.