Andrew Diller wrote:

Backing up Data.fs everynight--- is it in a usable state if it is backed up while Zope is running?

new or changed objects are just appended to the existing file. Anything appended whilst copying will not be in the backup. The backup, however, should be fine.

Also, are the Data.fs.in and Data.fs.lock files necessary for restore or 'moving' a Zope install? I have already just moved the Data.fs file over to a virgin Zope install and it seems to be working OK.

Data.fs.in is an index that helps zope get started faster. If you start without it, then zope has to read the entire Data.fs file. Data.fs.lock file is the file that says that the data.fs is in use. If you delete this whilst running, and start zope again on the same zodb, Very Bad Things(tm) could happen. ~emf Zopista Community Liason