I was not aware of this restriction with Backblaze and I'm going to investigate it further, and find out if it's still an issue in 2014. However, I want to point out that, even with backup utilities that don't have such a restriction, you shouldn't presume that just because a 'busy' file can be backed up by a backup utility, that doesn't mean that the actual backup will be valid. Why? Because there are several apps and document types that cannot be properly backed up, when the app or the document is still open. For example, with the Windows version of Outlook (with it's single PST file), there is a strong chance that a backup performed while the app is running, will not be valid (or will have corruption that will make it troublesome). Because there is a high degree of likeliness that the PST will be modified during the backup. And most databases including Access, 4D, FileMaker, etc. cannot be effectively backed up by normal means. You should always have an automatic within the database app, that runs at a regular interval and creates a database archive/backup. Then *that* file can be properly backed up by your backup utilities (that backup all your other files). For example, a client of mine (a veterinarian practice) has a customer/patient information database app, based on 4D, that has a built-in automatic backup, that I have set to run several times a day. This file goes into their Dropbox (on top of them also using BackBlaze) I believe both QuickBooks and Quicken have the ability to create automatic backups at certain intervals. You should always have this function on especially if you use QuickBooks and it's being accessed by multiple users because, again, there is potential for corruption of the backup by the file being modified part way through the external backup. In the case of a client of mine who uses AccountEdge, they were not in the habit of quitting the app at the end of the day and there were incidents where they lost a day's worth of work, because the database was corrupted, but the previous evening's backup was invalid (because the app was left open). I put a post-it reminder on people's monitors, but when it happened a second time, I switched to putting an alarm/reminder on their calendar (that goes off at 4:30), which reminds them to close the app. (Unfortunately, AccountEdge, has no internal, automatic backup mechanism despite my asking the developer for one, on several occasions.) Based on my years of experience as a computer consultant, the best practice is to close apps at the end of the day. So, If you're in the habit of leaving apps open overnight, I would urge you to get out of the habit. Because it can definitely hinder the ability of automatic backups. Plus, your system will run better the next day if you start with a clean slate. Chris Hart Computer Support & Technology Consulting for Connecticut and Western Massachusetts Tel: 860-291-9393 http://www.MyMacTech.com From: Stefan Gonick <stefan at DatabaseWebWorks.com> Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 11:35 AM To: <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Online backup for video production This thread inspired me to research different options for online backup. I read that people really liked Crash Plan in general except for the upload speed. The one serious issue with Backblaze that I discovered is that it doesn't back up open files. This can be a big problem in the following way: I have certain programs open all the time: Outlook, Quickbooks, Evernote, and Filemaker Pro. This means that Backblaze would never back up their files even though they are the ones that are changing the most and have the most critical need for back up. This is a dilemma. I liked everything else that I read about Backblaze except for that issue. Crash Plan and other services do back up open files. If you are mainly concerned with backing up video files, then this wouldn't be a problem. If you are like me with certain programs open all the time, this could be an issue for you. Stefa n -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20141013/0e0da984/attachment-0001.html