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I have a list of servers which should be backed up, but I don't know where they are, so a script tries to find them and logs this activity.

I've put this phrase in my log facility and now I'm thinking, "Is the adjective 'backuped' correct?"

Search of servers which should be backuped is started

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  • What is the purpose of the search? Are you choosing which servers need to be backed up? Or do you already know which servers need to be backed up, and so now you are searching the contents of those servers?
    – Jasper
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 14:08
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    @Jasper Thank you for the answer. I have the list of a servers which should be backed up, but I don't know where are they, so script tries to find them and logs this activity. I think it's better to write this -
    – mate200
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 14:19
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    Note that backup is a noun, and so you can't stick -ed on the end of it. The corresponding verb is tow words- back up, so you should say backed up.
    – JavaLatte
    Commented Dec 21, 2016 at 14:22

1 Answer 1

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The phrasal verb "back up" has been combined to make a noun "backup" or "backups". But the verb form still has its suffixes after "back", not after "up". The servers should be "backed up", not "backupped" (and certainly not "backuped").

You might want to change your sentence to something like:

Started searching for servers that should be backed up

In this context, "searching of servers" implies that you are searching the contents of the servers, whereas "searching for servers" implies that you are trying to find the servers.

Either "which" or "that" is okay. "that" seems more natural to my (American) ear.

You can choose whether your logs have the form "<Action> {started / completed}" or "<Verb> <action>". My rewrite uses the second form. The second form implies a sentence like "A script has started searching for servers that should be backed up."

By the way, you can use "done" or "finished" instead of "completed".

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