How to configure backups to run sequentially

Summary:
This article explains how to configure backup jobs to run sequentially.

On this page:

How to configure a backup job to start after another backup job finishes
How to configure a backup group to start after a backup job finishes

Details:

A backup job (or group of jobs) can be configured to run right after another backup job is finished. In Backup4all, for each backup job an action can be performed before or after that backup job runs. Since Backup4all supports command line parameters too, that action can be a command line instruction. So the first backup job will have an after-action added that will start the second backup job using command line instructions.

How to configure a backup job to start after another backup job finishes
Some situations require running two or more backup jobs (from the same or different backup group) one after the other in order to accomplish a backup scenario. Such a situation is when an user wants to back up to multiple destinations.

To have a backup job (Backup_job2) running after a previous backup job (Backup_job1) finished:

1. Open Backup4all and select File->New Backup Wizard (Ctrl+N).
   
2. On the General page enter a name for the backup (Backup_job1) in the Name field. Click Next.
   
3. On the Sources page, add the files and folders to be backed up. Click Next.
   
4. On the Destination page, select a destination for backup. Click Next.
   
5. On the Type page, select the backup type. By default, the incremental type is selected. Click Next.
   
6. Optionally on the Filter page you can add some include/exclude filters. Click Next.
   
7. On the Advanced page, go to the Actions tab.
   
   • In the After backup section, check the Run program/action option and type:
     
     "C:\Program Files\Softland\Backup4all 3\b4aSchedStarter.exe" /r "<backup name>"
     
8. Click Finish.
   

Note: <backup name> is the name of the backup job that you want to run after the current backup job  finishes, so in this example that would be Backup_job2.

 How to configure a backup group to start after a backup job finishes
A backup group can be configured to start after a backup job finished running using command line instructions.

Step by step instructions on how to start a backup group (New_Group) after a backup job (Backup_job1) finished running:

1. Open Backup4all and select File->New Backup Wizard (Ctrl+N).
   
2. On the General page enter a name for the backup (Backup_job1) in the Name field. Click Next.
   
3. On the Sources page, add the files and folders to be backed up. Click Next.
   
4. On the Destination page, select a destination for backup. Click Next.
   
5. On the Type page, select the backup type. By default, the incremental type is selected. Click Next.
   
6. Optionally on the Filter page you can add some include/exclude filters. Click Next.
   
7. On the Advanced page, go to the Actions tab.
   
   • In the After backup section, check the Run program/action option and type:
     
     "C:\Program Files\Softland\Backup4all 3\b4aSchedStarter.exe" /g "<group name>"
     
8. Click Finish.

Note: <group name> is the name of the backup group that you want to run after the current backup job finishes. In the example above, instead of <group name> it should be New_Group.

Applies to:

Backup4all 2.x - 3.x