User-directed backups require a User Backup schedule type to be defined in the Lotus-Notes policy. User-directed backups of Lotus Notes databases are similar to backups of normal files.

A user backup of Lotus Notes databases and transaction log extents is identical to a full backup with one exception. Transaction log extents are not marked as ready to be recycled after they are successfully backed up. Because transaction log extents are not recycled, a user backup is similar to a snapshot of the databases at a given point in time. The content of ongoing full and incremental backups is not affected. A user backup is not automatically scheduled and must be initiated on the target client machine.