Point-in-time recovery
Encyclopedia
Point-in-time recovery (PITR) in the context of computer
s is a system whereby a set of data or a particular setting can be restored or recovered from a time in the past. An example of this is Windows XP
's feature of being able to restore operating system settings from a past date (before data corruption occurred, for example), or PostgreSQL
's feature of being able to view a database table and its data as it was at a particular date in the past. Also, Time Machine
for Mac OS X is an example of Point-in-time recovery.
A database with the PITR feature can be restored or recovered to the state that it had at any time since PITR logging was started for that database.
The PostgreSQL database implements Continuous Archiving and Point-In-Time Recovery. In PostgreSQL, Write-ahead logging (WAL) must be enabled for a particular database, in order for PITR to be used on that database; any time after WAL is enabled for a database, that database may be restored to any later time.
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s is a system whereby a set of data or a particular setting can be restored or recovered from a time in the past. An example of this is Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
's feature of being able to restore operating system settings from a past date (before data corruption occurred, for example), or PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL, often simply Postgres, is an object-relational database management system available for many platforms including Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, MS Windows and Mac OS X. It is released under the PostgreSQL License, which is an MIT-style license, and is thus free and open source software...
's feature of being able to view a database table and its data as it was at a particular date in the past. Also, Time Machine
Time Machine (Apple software)
Time Machine is a backup utility developed by Apple. It is included with Mac OS X and was introduced with the 10.5 "Leopard" release of Mac OS X. The software is designed to work with the Time Capsule as well as other internal or external drives.-Overview:...
for Mac OS X is an example of Point-in-time recovery.
A database with the PITR feature can be restored or recovered to the state that it had at any time since PITR logging was started for that database.
The PostgreSQL database implements Continuous Archiving and Point-In-Time Recovery. In PostgreSQL, Write-ahead logging (WAL) must be enabled for a particular database, in order for PITR to be used on that database; any time after WAL is enabled for a database, that database may be restored to any later time.