BART TM is an unattended network backup system, which includes archive, restore, and tape management functions. The backup method is independent of the scheduler in order to allow the use of vendor-specific backup applications. Default backup methods include cpio and dump backups and allow for compression and encryption of the backup files. The schedule allows the user to set up when, where, how, and at what level the different filesystems will be backed up, while individual files and directories can be excluded using regular expressions.
Staggered backups can maximize the amount of data backed up to each tape.
Tapes are tracked by the tape library management database, which contains the exact contents of the tape, enforces tape expiration dates, and allows tapes to contain scheduling and expiration information. Files to be restored are selected with a restore tool that queries the on-line database and displays all versions of a particular file, and, files selected for restoration can be placed in a staging area specified by the user, or in their original location. Restores specified by the user are queued for later execution. The backup schedule can be set up the restore. A notification is sent to the user via e-mail with the status of completion of his restore request.