File Exclusion Rules

General remarks

File exclusion rules specify classes of files or individual files to exclude from the backup job. The file exclusion rules act as a file filter, and they allow you to avoid backing up files needlessly. For example, you may want not to back up PC software files, such as any file with the file extension .EXE.

File exclusion rules are retained in a list. You may want to recall an existing rule and apply it to the current job. You may want to recall an existing rule and edit it, then save it under a new name. Alternatively, you may want to create a new file exclusion rule.

File exclusion is supported only for File backup jobs.

Use the DPX exclusion feature rather than the Windows registry to control backup exclusions. See Avoiding Backup Exclusions Due to Windows Registry Settings in the DPX 4.9 Reference Guide.

Note. The File backup job definition view only allows you to select from previously created file exclusions rules, so in order to choose one, you need to define them in advance.

Procedure

  1. Select the File Exclusion Rules tab and then click Add Rule.

    The Add File Exclusion Rule dialog will open.

  1. Specify the Exclusion Rule name (alphanumeric characters only, maximum length is 18 characters) and the pattern (see Guidelines for setting exclusion patterns below). Click Save.

Note. File exclusion rules apply to base, incremental, and differential components of the backup job.

Guidelines for setting exclusion patterns

  • In the Exclusion Pattern field, enter a file path and file name including the file extension. The exclusion pattern should use a full path starting at the volume level.

  • Begin all file paths with the directory separator. For UNIX or Linux backups, the directory separator must be the slash (/). For Windows, the directory separator must be the backslash (\).

  • To exclude more than one file, use ? as a single-character wild card and * as a multiple-character wildcard.

  • You can enter multiple patterns and apply them to a single exclusion rule.

Exclusion pattern examples for backups of Windows nodes

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