Continuous=(n) Nocontinuous Specifies whether the .aij backup process operates continuously. You specify termination conditions by specifying one or both of the following: o The Until qualifier Specifies the time and date to stop the continuous backup process. o The value for n Specifies the number of iterations Oracle RMU should make through the set of active .aij files before terminating the backup operation. When you use the Continuous qualifier, you must use either the Until or the Interval qualifier or provide a value for n (or both) to specify when the backup process should stop. You can also stop the backup process by using the DCL STOP command when backing up to disk. If you specify the Continuous qualifier, Oracle Rdb does not terminate the backup process after truncating the current .aij file (when an extensible journal is used) or after switching to a new journal (when fixed-size journals are used). Instead, the backup process waits for the period of time that you specify in the argument to the Interval qualifier. After that time interval, the backup process tests to determine if the threshold has been reached (for an extensible journal) or if the journal is full (for fixed-size journals). It then performs backup operations as needed and then waits again until the next interval break, unless the number of iterations or the condition specified with the Until qualifier has been reached. If you specify the Continuous qualifier, the backup process occupies the terminal (that is, no system prompt occurs) until the process terminates. Therefore, you should usually enter the command through a batch process. If you specify the default, the Nocontinuous qualifier, the backup process stops as soon as it completely backs up the .aij file or files. The default value for the number of iterations (n) is 1. If you specify both the Until qualifier and the Continuous=n qualifier, the backup operation stops after whichever completes first. If you specify the Until=12:00 qualifier and the Continuous=5 qualifier, the backup operation terminates at 12:00 even if only four iterations have completed. Likewise, if five iterations are completed prior to 12:00, the backup operation terminates after the five iterations are completed. The Continuous qualifier is not recommended when you are backing up to tape, particularly when the Format=New_Tape qualifier is used. If your tape operations complete successfully, you do not want the backup operation to continue in an infinite loop. Using the DCL STOP command to terminate a backup operation to tape might result in an incomplete or corrupt backup file. However, do not delete this backup file; it is extremely important that you preserve all .aij backup files, even those produced by failed or terminated backup processes. If the resultant .aij backup file is discarded, the next .aij backup file could contain a "gap" in transactions, so that no transactions would ever be rolled forward from that point on.