Understanding File Selection Rules
File selection rules are the criteria that LiveVault Online Backup Service uses to determine
which files to back up or restore, as well as which files not to
back up or restore.
Note: Certain files and directories are
automatically excluded from backup for each computer, for example, temporary
Internet files. For more information about these automatic exclusions, see
Automatic and Recommended Backup Exclusions.
How rules are created
You create rules for each backup configuration and restore job.
As you browse and select files and directories to back up or restore, MyLiveVault automatically generates the file selection rules.
You can also define rules manually.
What makes up a rule
A rule consists of:
A rule type (include or exclude)
Include indicates the items matching the rule should be backed up or restored (depending on whether the rule is
for a backup configuration or a restore job).
Exclude indicates the items matching the rule should not be backed up or restored.
A valid full Windows file path specification
The path comprises a volume, directory, and file pattern.
It can consist of any printable characters, including punctuation marks and spaces.
The path can include a directory wildcard.
File patterns can include any legal Windows file characters, as well as Windows file wildcard characters.
A subdirectories flag
The subdirectories flag indicates whether the rule should apply only to items in the directory specified in the
path, or whether the rule should also apply to items in subdirectories below the directory specified in the path.
Guidelines for creating file selection rules
A file selection rule must be volume rooted.
MyLiveVault checks that the file path specification starts with an alphabetic character (A-Z), followed by a colon and
backslash (:\). A backslash (\) and asterisk (*) at the end of the file path specification indicate a directory.
To back up a directory and all its files, include a backslash (\) and asterisk (*) at the end of the file path
specification.
If the last character in the string is a backslash, MyLiveVault automatically appends an asterisk to the end of the rule.
For example, the following rule specifies the TEMP directory:
C:\TEMP\* All text following the last backslash in the file path specification is a file pattern.
For example, the following rule specifies the file named TEMP:
C:\TEMP To back up or restore all the files in a directory, specify the directory.
For a backup configuration, specifying a directory will ensure that new files that are created within the directory
will be backed up without requiring modifications to the configuration. Keep the number of rules to a minimum.
A large number of rules will slow down the backup performance.
View the rules for the backup configuration.
If there are a large number of rules, determine if you can reselect the files or redefine the rules.
For example, specifying a directory, instead of its individual files, creates fewer rules. The order of the rules is significant.
The order of the rules can affect whether a file is included or excluded from backup or restore.
In general, order the rules so they progress from the most general to the most specific.
For more information, see Interpreting File Selection Rules.
Related Information
Interpreting File Selection Rules
Using Wildcards
Manually Defining Backup File Selection Rules
Manually Defining Restore File Selection Rules
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