Command-line interface for Backup Manager

It is possible to operate the Backup Manager through the command line interface. This is done with the help of the Client Tool (ClientTool.exe) – an executable file included into all Backup Manager installations.

Instructions

  1. Start a terminal emulator as an Administrator, for example Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on macOS
  2. Change directory to the location containing the Client Tool executable
    • Windows:

      cd "C:\Program Files\Backup Manager"

    • GNU/Linux:

      cd /opt/backup-manager/bin

    • macOS:

      cd /Applications/Backup Manager.app/Contents/MacOS/ClientTool

  3. Submit an appropriate command (the list of available commands is available below)
    • Windows example:

      ClientTool.exe "command"

    • GNU/Linux and macOS example:

      sudo ./ClientTool "command"

Commands by Category

See below a breakdown of each command, their purposes and examples of use for your quick reference:

For any command that shows the output with the 'SELS', 'SENTS' and 'PROCS' columns: these can be in Bytes, MB and GB depending on selection. If more than 1MB, the column will show an 'M' next to the figure, and if more than 1GB, the column will show a 'G' next to the figure.

Help

  • help – returns the list of available commands with a brief description of the commands purpose
  • help -c "command" – returns details for a particular command (sample output, required arguments and optional arguments)

Global Arguments

These are arguments that may be used in conjunction with all commands in Client Tool:

  • -machine-readable
  • Produce command output (if any) in machine-readable format.

  • -non-interactive
  • Do not ask questions (if any).

  • -version
  • Print program version and exit.

Miscellaneous

  • vss.check
  • Runs a generic vss check on the backup device, detailing the status of the service. If any issues, the appropriate vss error code will be displayed. e.g.