Reader to Reader - Scripting Solutions - 01 Jan 1999

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Although the databases of the servers running Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), and Domain Name System (DNS) tend to be large, I found an easy way to back up those databases. You cansimply use ARJ Software's ARJ compression program (http://www.arjsoft.com) to compress the database files about 95 percent and move the compressed file to a safe location. (If you move the compressed file to a computer that has daily backups, you can implement another level of redundancy.)

You can use the three scripts in Listings 1, 2, and 3 to automate this process. Each script stops the specified service, compresses the database file, restarts the service, and moves the file to the location you specify. You can download the listings from the Win32 Scripting Journal Web site at http://www.winntmag.com/newsletter/scripting. Before you use the scripts, replace comname with the respective computer name and replace \safe_computerpath with the path of the safe location. You can use the AT command to schedule the scripts to run during off-hours.

To use these scripts, you need to install arj.exe on the computers running WINS, DHCHP, and DNS. You also must log on to the schedule service with an administrative account. Otherwise, the scripts can't send the copy of the file to the safe computer because of the lack of administrator permissions.

—Jose Abel Aguiar
[email protected]