[<<]Message[>>]    [<<]Author[>>]    [<<]Subject[>>]    [<<]Thread[>>]

Number   :  7744
Date     :  2004-04-22
Author   :  Kan Yabumoto
Subject  :  Re: prevent deletion of file with clone
Size(KB) :  1


Chris wrote:
>
> I am using the following command to create a backup of files
> between computers each night.



> Believe I can use the /Z0 switch to prevent this in the future.
> Will this work or is there a better way of carrying out a backup.
>
> Also is it /Z(zero) or /Z(O as in O Dear), don't like
> testing when not sure what might happen.


I'm just curious why you want to disable /Z component in the
/CLONE operation. I'm not questioning why you are wondering
to "prevent" the deletion after you chose to do so in the
first place. In other word, I'm very curious as to who told
you to use the /CLONE operation in the first place? Or,
where did you learn the /CLONE switch?

In the past, we have come to a realization that many people
abuses the /CLONE operation as if it was the "standard" or
preferred method of copying a directory to another.
The culprit of this wide-spread miss-use of /CLONE operation
was due to many newsgroup recommendation in terse line,
suggests the use of /CLONE operation without much warning
to go with.

We invented the /BACKUP switch as an effort to reduce the
abuse of the /CLONE switch. We wish everyone learn the
/BACKUP switch first. If you are more familiar with /CLONE
than /BACKUP, the /BACKUP switch is (currently) identical
to the /CLONE switch except that /BACKUP does not delete
anything.

That is, /CLONE/Z0 is equivalent to /BACKUP.
Or, we would like everyone to learn what /BACKUP does first.
Then, learn that /BACKUP/ZY can be conveniently specified
by /CLONE.

The fact /CLONE deletes extra files makes it so much more
dangerous than the /BACKUP operation. With /BACKUP operation,
the worst thing that would happen after specifying the
wrong source or destination directory is that you have
extra (unwanted) files somewhere unexpected ---- a reversible
mistake. Whereas, /CLONE is potentially very dangerous.

I think most people still learn these two switches backward.

Kan Yabumoto



This message if part of XXCOPY's message Archive.
The archive contains all the messages posted at Yahoo!Groups: XXCOPY.