Pervasive Backup Agent provides a quick and simple method for you to set and manage Continuous Operations on your Pervasive PSQL database files

This document aims to describe the steps involved in configuring the backup agent to run daily.

Pervasive SQL Server v11.2 (SP2) now includes the Pervasive Backup Agent v3.1. This allows the database files (*.BTR) to be backed while in use.  Download this item If installing the Backup agent as part of the Server update you must: Download the latest Pervasive SQL update (PSQL v11 SP2) using the link above On your server run the update and choose: Install PSQL v11 SP2 update On your server run the update and choose: Install the backup agent

Specifying files for Continuous Operations
You must specify the files for Backup Agent to include in Continuous Operations by specifying the files in the inclusion file.
Conversly, you specify the files to be excluded from Continuous Operations by using the exclusion file.

1. Inclusion file list
   Files in this list will be placed into continous operations as soon as Pervasive Backup Agent is turned ON, irrespective of whether the files are currently opened or not by the Pervasive PSQL engine.
   
   
   
   
   1. Open (or create) the file C:\ProgramData\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\Data\ifl.txt
      note: this is the path to the Pervasive PSQL Application Data directory and may change depending on your installation and version of windows
      e.g. previous to Windows 7/Server 2008 this may be C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\Data\ifl.txt
      
   2. Add the following line to the file
      D:\AccentDB\*.BTR
      
      note: this example assumes your database path is on the hard drive D:
      you should replace this with the path to your database
      
   3. save and close this file
      
   
   
   
2. Exclusion file list
   The exclusion file list contains a list of files to excluded from being placed into Continuous Operations by Backup Agent.
   
   
   
   
   1. Open (or create) the file C:\ProgramData\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\Data\efl.txt
      note: this is the path to the Pervasive PSQL Application Data directory and may change depending on your installation and version of windows
      e.g. previous to Windows 7/Server 2008 this may be C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\Data\efl.txt
      
   2. Add the following line to the file
      D:\AccentDB\*.DDF
      
      note: this example assumes your database path is on the hard drive D:
      you should replace this with the path to your database
      
   3. save and close this file
      
   
   
   

Using Contigous Operations
To allow the Service Accent database files to be backed up two Windows Task Schedules should be configured.
One to turn the agent, and another to turn the agent off.

1. Turning the agent ON
   Create a schedule item to run after hours but before the backup is run (e.g. 7pm)
   
   Set the scheduled action to start the pvbackup agent:
   
   
   
   • Program/script: "C:\Program Files\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\BIN\pvbackup.exe"
     note: if the 64-bit version is installed the exe name will be: pvbackup64.exe
     
   • Add arguments: -on
     
   
   
   When the backup agent is turned on the database table files (*.BTR) are set into a read-only mode, any updates to the database will be stored in to transaction files (*.^^^). Only the database table files (*.BTR) should be backed up and not the transaction files (*.^^^).
   
   
2. Turning the agent OFF
   Create a schedule item to run in the morning after the backup has completed (e.g. 7am)
   
   Set the scheduled action to stop the pvbackup agent:
   
   
   
   • Program/script: "C:\Program Files\Pervasive Software\PSQL\PBA\BIN\pvbackup.exe"
     note: if the 64-bit version is installed the exe name will be: pvbackup64.exe
     
   • Add arguments: -off
     
   
   
   When the backup agent is turned off the transaction files (*.^^^) are merged wit the database table files (*.BTR).
   
   

The command line utility can be used to show the current status of the agent: C:\>pvbackup -status Pervasive Backup Agent Utility Version 3.00.046.000 Copyright (C) Pervasive Software Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. Backup Agent is now OFF.

For more information please see the Pervasive Backup Guide  Download this item

Backing up the database files
The backup agent should be turned on before backing up the database files.