REQ: Make the backup-prefix option available in the "set limits" screen

[GoogleCodeExporter]

It may happen that the target of two separate backup jobs would be the same 
location, eg a single shared S3 bucket. In such a case it is required to set 
the ``backup-prefix`` option for each backup job. 

Currently this option exists in the "manually override settings" screen. It 
would be really a convenience to make this option available in the "set limits" 
screen or anywhere else you see fit.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by George.N...@gmail.com on 6 Oct 2011 at 9:32

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Just some quick feedback: You are right that this option is currently well 
hidden and it would be quite easy to make this option availabe in a better 
place. Actually you need it in two better places: one to configure a backup and 
one to restore it. 

But the latter is the reason why I do not like this "feature" at all. It does 
not provide any real benefit to the users but it makes things more complicated 
(you need to specify the backup-prefix to get access to your backup). We would 
like if Duplicati could handle multiple backups out-of-the-box without any 
manually specified backup-prefix. This is the goal for the future.

Currently there seem two be different solutions for this and as long as we 
don't know what way to go we would like not to change anything.

Original comment by rst...@gmail.com on 8 Oct 2011 at 6:55

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Hello,
currently, during restoration I do not have to open the ``advanced options`` to 
re-enter the backup prefix. It is automatically set in there. So, no matter how 
this would be implemented, I don't see how it would complicate the restoration 
process for the users. Since a restoration process is bound to a specific 
backup job, I doubt that the user will ever need to set/change the backup 
prefix manually. BTW, it wouldn't make sense to change it. As I see it, setting 
the prefix should only be required during the scheduling/editing of the backup 
job.

Another alternative would be to add an extra option in the general program 
preferences to automatically set a ``backup-prefix`` based on the name of the 
backup job.

Anyway, as I've mentioned in the initial feature request, this is just a 
convenience addition. The advanced options screen lets me perform the backups 
in the way I want.

Thanks for your reply.

Original comment by George.N...@gmail.com on 8 Oct 2011 at 8:19

[GoogleCodeExporter]

If you restore the backup using your currently setup backups, then yes, 
Duplicati remembers the prefix for you.

But if you have to restore from a new/clean machine, you must enter the prefix. 
This makes it harder for novice users.

For S3, you can avoid this by simply storing each backup in its own subfolder 
instead of in its own bucket. This has the added benefit that the file list is 
transferred faster because Duplicati will only ask for the files in the 
subfolder.

Original comment by kenneth@hexad.dk on 9 Oct 2011 at 10:33

• Added labels: Type-Enhancement
• Removed labels: Type-Defect

[GoogleCodeExporter]

You are absolutely right about doing a clean restore.

I had also missed the fact that the S3 bucket name accepts a slash to indicate 
the use of a subdirectory. This is clearly stated under the box, but I had 
missed it and had decided to use the backup prefix feature as a workaround.

As far as I am concerned, this enhancement request is not valid any more.

Thank you for your replies.

Original comment by George.N...@gmail.com on 13 Oct 2011 at 9:42

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Ok, cool.
I will leave this issue open for now, as we are still considering the possible 
solution for using prefix vs. creating folders. As you did not "guess" the 
avalable options right away, we need to redesign something in the UI so that 
this becomes more obvious.

Original comment by kenneth@hexad.dk on 16 Oct 2011 at 12:08

• Changed state: Accepted