- Many features in this release (e.g., -image, -ntfs, ntfs command, work resetacl) are experimental and not fully tested. Use with caution and report issues.

Added

For *nix (Linux, etc.)

• -image Switch: Added to the a (add) command to create a sector-by-sector copy of a device, similar to the dd command.
  • Restored images can be mounted on Linux using a snippet like:

    fdisk -l image.img
    losetup -fP _dev_sda.img
    losetup -a
    mkdir -p /ripristinato
    mount /dev/loop0p1 /ripristinato
    (...)
    umount /ripristinato
    losetup -d /dev/loop0

  • Experimental feature; not thoroughly tested.
• -tar Switch: Available during archive creation (a) and extraction (x) to preserve file access rights, group, and user metadata.
  • When used with the l (list) command, displays the added metadata.
  • Simplifies metadata restoration for *nix systems.
• Improved ZFS Backup Handling: Enhanced automatic integration with pv for better user feedback on backup progress during ZFS operations.

For Windows

• -ntfs Switch: When used with -image, stores only the used sectors of an NTFS partition in the zpaq archive.
  • Format is experimental and not yet optimized.
  • Intended for emergency image-based backups of Windows systems.
• New ntfs Command: Regenerates the original file from a zpaqfranz-created image, filling unused sectors with zeros.
  • Experimental and under active development.
• -ntfs Switch (without -image): Scans an NTFS drive by reading and decoding its NTFS data directly, bypassing file-by-file enumeration.
  • Similar to the behavior of the "Everything" utility.
  • Significantly speeds up file enumeration on large, slow servers with magnetic disks.
• New work resetacl Command: Generates a batch file to reset folder permissions to administrators.
  • Useful for normalizing access after restoring NTFS folders with restricted permissions.
  • Experimental; intended to address post-restore access issues.

Changed

• Code Refactoring: Reduced compilation warnings for both Windows and *nix platforms.
• Dropbox Cache Handling: Skips .dropbox.cache folders during operations to avoid unnecessary processing.
• Command Path Detection (*nix): Adopted a smarter strategy to locate *nix commands in likely directories, improving reliability.

Notes

• The -ntfs switch is designed for specific use cases like large server enumeration or emergency backups but may evolve in future releases.
• The -tar switch enhances metadata handling for *nix, making it easier to restore complex file permissions.
• The pv integration for ZFS backups improves user experience but requires pv to be installed.
• Feedback and bug reports are welcome via GitHub issues.