Example Automatic VSS Maintenance Script

If you want to closely examine the charts/pictures/code on this page but they are not easily viewable on your device, note the web address and return to view it later from a device with a larger display screen.

This script, which was used in production, is an implementation of automatic VSS maintenance.

This script is implemented with WinBatch. WinBatch is a third party tool that provides plenty of control structures, many built in functions including some utility functions not available in the base OS, keystroke stuffing, menu item invocation, and monitoring of window titles. It's thought this script could be easily ported to another language, even a simpler one that did not do keystroke stuffing, menu item invocation, or monitoring of window titles, for example the new Command Shell that first became available in Windows NT 4 accompanied by something like the NT Resource Kit.

;debug(@ON)
; Backup_vss.wbt
wwwnt32i=1
result=AddExtender("WWWNT32I.DLL")
if (result==@FALSE)
  wwwnt32i=0
endif

vssshare="%param1%"
vssloc="%param2%"
auto="%param3%"
backup=1
eject=1
Ticks = 10
if auto==""
  auto = 0
  warn=0
  shutdown=0
else
  auto = 1
  warn=1
  shutdown=1
endif
;vssshare = "VSS_Test"
;vssloc   = "d:\vss_test"

;Get and clean up the date
tdate = TimeDate()
gosub CLEAN_DATE

logfile = "c:\vss\tools\backup\logs\%vssshare%-%date%.log"

if (auto==@FALSE)
  ;Open Main Dialog
  while @TRUE
    gosub MAIN_DIALOG
    ;  Did we select Cancel?
    if ButtonPushed==9
      BoxOpen("","Shutting Down")
      Delay(1)
      BoxShut()
      exit
    endif
    if ButtonPushed==7 
      break
    endif
  endwhile;
endif

loghand = FileOpen(logfile,"WRITE")
tdate=TimeDate()
gosub CLEAN_DATE
FileWrite(loghand, "Starting Backup of %vssshare% on %tdate%")
FileWrite(loghand, "-----------------------------------------------------------------")

;Notify users database will be going down.
if warn
  tdate=TimeDate()
  gosub CLEAN_DATE
  FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Warn users that database is going down.")
  ;RunWait(Environment("COMSPEC"), "/c net send /USERS %vssshare% will be going down in 5 minutes!")

  ;Sleep for 5 minutes
  tdate=TimeDate()
  gosub CLEAN_DATE
  FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Sleeping for 5 minutes.")
  Delay(300)
endif

;Stop VSS Share to down database
if shutdown
  if wwwnt32i
    tdate=TimeDate()
    gosub CLEAN_DATE
    FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Removing %vssshare% to shut down database.")
    result=wntShareDel("",vssshare,0)
    if (result==@FALSE)
      FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Error removing %vssshare%, share not found.")
    endif
  else
    FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Unable to remove %vssshare%, NT Network extender not loaded.")
  endif
endif

;Backup Database
if backup
  tdate=TimeDate()
  gosub CLEAN_DATE
  FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Starting Backup of %vssshare%.")
  FileClose(loghand)
  loghand=0
  ;RunWait("ntbackup", "backup %vssloc% /e /v /d %vssshare% on %date% /b /hc:on /l%logfile%")
  ;Turn off Hardware compression to see if it speeds up backup
  Run("ntbackup", "backup %vssloc% /e /v /d %vssshare% on %date% /b /hc:on /l%logfile%")
  gosub CheckWindows
endif

;Eject Tape
if eject
  tdate=TimeDate()
  gosub CLEAN_DATE
  if !loghand then loghand = FileOpen(logfile,"APPEND")
  FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Ejecting Tape.")
  RunWait("ntbackup", "eject")
endif

;Recreate VSS Share
if shutdown
  if !loghand then loghand = FileOpen(logfile,"APPEND")
  if wwwnt32i
    tdate=TimeDate()
    gosub CLEAN_DATE
    FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Recreating %vssshare% to open database.")
    result=wntShareAdd("",vssloc,vssshare,0,-1)
    if (result==@FALSE)
      FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Error creating %vssshare%.")
    endif
  else
    FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : Unable to recreate %vssshare%, NT Network extender not loaded.")
  endif
endif

if !loghand then loghand = FileOpen(logfile,"APPEND")
tdate=TimeDate()
FileWrite(loghand, "-----------------------------------------------------------------")
FileWrite(loghand, "Backup of %vssshare% on %tdate% complete")
FileClose(loghand)
exit

:CLEAN_DATE
date = tdate
time = strsub(date,14,strlen(date)-14)
date = strsub(date,5,strlen(date)-5)
date = strreplace(date,"/","-")
date = strtrim(date)
index = strscan(date," ",0,@FWDSCAN)
date = strsub(date,1,index-1)
if (strlen(date) < 8) then date = "0%date%"
return

:MAIN_DIALOG

VSSBackupFormat=`WWWDLGED,5.0`

VSSBackupCaption=`VSS Backup`
VSSBackupX=10000
VSSBackupY=10000
VSSBackupWidth=195
VSSBackupHeight=80
VSSBackupNumControls=10
              
VSSBackup01=`2,3,102,DEFAULT,STATICTEXT,DEFAULT,"VSS Share Name"`
VSSBackup02=`70,2,120,DEFAULT,EDITBOX,vssshare,""`
VSSBackup03=`2,17,102,DEFAULT,STATICTEXT,DEFAULT,"Physical Location"`
VSSBackup04=`70,16,120,DEFAULT,EDITBOX,vssloc,""`
VSSBackup05=`12,31,102,DEFAULT,CHECKBOX,warn,"Warn Users",1`
VSSBackup06=`12,45,102,DEFAULT,CHECKBOX,shutdown,"Stop/Start Database",1`
VSSBackup07=`120,31,102,DEFAULT,CHECKBOX,backup,"Backup Database",1`
VSSBackup08=`120,45,102,DEFAULT,CHECKBOX,eject,"Eject Tape",1`
VSSBackup09=`58,63,64,DEFAULT,PUSHBUTTON,DEFAULT,"&Ok",7`
VSSBackup10=`126,63,64,DEFAULT,PUSHBUTTON,DEFAULT,"&Cancel",9`

ButtonPushed=Dialog("VSSBackup")

return

:CheckWindows
while WinExist("Backup") == @TRUE
  If WinExist("Insert Tape") == @TRUE 
    SendKeysTo("Insert Tape", "!n")
    Delay(Ticks)
    tdate=TimeDate()
    gosub CLEAN_DATE
    if !loghand then loghand = FileOpen(logfile,"APPEND")
    FileWrite(loghand, "%time% : ERROR!! No TAPE in drive!")
    FileClose(loghand)
    loghand=0
    break
  Else
    Delay(Ticks)
  Endif
endwhile

return