RetroLogTM 1.0b1

June 1, 2001

This script is designed for users of Retrospect® who want to log their backups with monoLogTM, and/or work with Kick-off!TM and Rebound!® during backup operations.

Why use this script?

This script provides the following functionality:

  1. It enables logging of the backup process to monoLog.

    monoLog is a comprehensive logging system, which works with supported applications to record important events reported by those applications. In addition to logging, monoLog can respond to messages it receives, based on the priority level of the messages. You can have monoLog notify you via e-mail or pager when important event occur, and/or have monoLog execute scripts. Many computers running monoLog can also "report in" to a single administrative workstation, giving admins an overview of their entire office at a glance.

  2. It lets you control Kick-off! or Rebound!'s crash detection during a backup.

    Kick-off! and Rebound! are powerful system monitoring and crash recovery tools. They watch your computer at all times, and can automatically restart it if applications or the system itself crash.

    When Retrospect runs a backup, it keeps your computer very busy. At certain times in the backup process (for example, during catalog compression), Retrospect does not give time for any other task to run. If this happens for a long period of time, Rebound! or Kick-off! will think the computer has crashed, and will restart it. This will of course cause your backup to fail.

    RetroLog allows Retrospect to tell Rebound/Kick-off! when it initiates a backup, so Rebound!/Kick-off! will not restart the computer during the backup process.

How to install the script

To install the script, simply drag the script application named "Retrospect Event Handler" into your Retrospect preferences folder, found in the system's "Preferences" folder.

Note: If you are already using a Retrospect Event Handler script, you will have to combine the scripts. This should only be attempted by experienced scripters. Information on combining scripts can be found below.

How the script works

When Retrospect runs, it sends messages to the "Retrospect Event Handler" script at various times during the backup process.

When a backup begins, the script tells Rebound!/Kick-off! to greatly lengthen the value of the "Restart if system doesn't respond" slider, and uncheck the "Monitor timers in supported applications" box.

At key points in the backup, the script adds log entries to monoLog describing the progress of the backup.

When a backup finishes, the script restores the crash detection settings to their original values.

Customizing the script

You can customize the behavior of the script by editing the values one or more of its properties. To open the script, run the Script Editor (normally found in the "Apple Extras" folder), and use the File menu's "Open..." command.

IMPORTANT: If you edit this script, you may have to change some of the "raw" event codes used in the AdjustConfiguration and RestoreConfiguration routines. Due to an apparent bug in AppleScript, these raw events may appear as "«class xxxx»". If this occurs, change them to "«property xxxx»", or the script will not compile correctly.
There are four occurrences of these in AdjustConfiguration, and two in RestoreConfiguration. Be sure to change all occurrences in these routines, and no others!

The properties you can modify are found near the top of the script:

property pBackupTimerValue : 3600 -- 60 minutes

This property is used to set Kick-off!/Rebound!'s system crash detection timer (the control panel's "Restart if system doesn't respond" slider). The default value of 3600 seconds (60 minutes) should be sufficient for most long backups, but if you still encounter spurious restarts, you can increase it.

property pDisableAppTimers : true

This property tells the script whether it should disable application timers (the control panel's "Monitor timers in supported applications" check box). You should only change this value to "false" if you are having problems with crashing server applications during backups.

property pDoLogging : true

This property tells the script whether it should add log entries to our monoLog logging system when it runs. You may change this value to "false" if you don't wish to have these entries created.

Combining scripts

Because of the way Retrospect works, you can only use one "Retrospect Event Handler" script. If you are already using such a script, you will have to combine the RetroLog script functionality with your script. While this isn't a complex task, it should only be attempted by users with an understanding of AppleScript and the Retrospect Event Handler mechanism.

The easiest way to do this in most cases is to simply copy most of your script's properties and routines into RetroLog. At the bottom of the RetroLog script are several Retrospect event handlers, whose names will match the analogous handlers in your script. For the most part, you can simply copy the relevant contents of your handlers into the corresponding handlers in RetroLog. (Although be careful not to include both sets of "return" statements.)

IMPORTANT: Whenever you modify your script, you may have to fix the "raw" event codes, as described in "Customizing the script" above.

In all other respects, you should follow the Retrospect Event Handler instructions provided by Dantz.

Known issues

Revision history

How to reach us

Sophisticated Circuits, Inc.
PO Box 727
Bothell, WA 98041-0727
USA

e-mail: ,
phone: 425-485-7979
web: <http://www.sophisticated.com/>

Dantz Development Corporation
4 Orinda Way, Bldg. C
Orinda, CA 94563
USA

e-mail:
phone: 925-253-3000
web: <http://www.dantz.com/>

Copyright ©2001 Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. All rights reserved.
The files in this package may not be redistributed in any way without express permission from Sophisticated Circuits, Inc.
PowerKey and Rebound! are registered trademarks, and Kick-off! and monoLog are trademarks of Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. Retrospect is a registered trademark of Dantz Development Corporation. All other products mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.