Forum Discussion

Level 3

17 years ago

Backup Reports Automation

Curious how most NBU admins are getting reports of backups, since I'm not finding anything in the docs regarding an automated daily report feature in NBU.

The GUI has some decent reports but nothing customizable or proactive that I can find. Is there some way to get reports from the GUI automated and proactively sent rather than having to run them manually each day from the GUI or having to poke around in the activity monitor every morning?

My predecessor created a shell script running from cron that creates a daily report using output from bpplist. This gets mailed to all admins, but it's kind of an ugly hack.

Don't want to reinvent the wheel here, since backup reports must be as much of a curiosity to managers everywhere as it is here.

Thanks in advance

7.1.x and Earlier

Backup and Recovery

Omar_Villa
17 years ago
This can be helpfull for when you dont have the licence for the report module:

Reports
Document ID: 247902
This is a list of the command line tools that run the same reports as the NetBackup (tm) GUI.
Command Line Interface for NetBackup Reports
Note:
<start_date> and <end_date> syntax: MM/DD/YY
<start_time> and <end_time> syntax: hh:mm:ss
<media_id> is the six-character media identification number
Backup Status Report
The Backup Status report shows status and error information on jobs completed within the specified time period. If an error has occurred, a short explanation of the error is included.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -backstat -s info [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Client Backups Report
The Client Backups report shows detailed information on backups completed within the specified time period.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimagelist -U [-A|-client name] [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Problems Report
The Problems report lists the problems that the server has logged during the specified time period. This information is a subset of the information you get from the All Log Entries report.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -problems [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
All Log Entries Report
The All Log Entries report lists all log entries for the specified time period. This report includes the information from the Problems report and Media Log Entries report. This report also shows the transfer rate, which is useful in determining and predicting rates and backup times for future backups (the transfer rate does not appear for multiplexed backups).
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -all [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Media List Report
The Media Lists report shows information for volumes that have been allocated for backups. This report does not show media for Disk type storage units or for backups of the NetBackup catalogs.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -U -mlist [-m <media_id>
Media Contents Report
The Media Contents report shows the contents of a volume as read directly from the media header and backup headers. This report lists the backup IDs (not each individual file) that are on a single volume. If a tape has to be mounted, there will be a longer delay before the report appears.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -U -mcontents [-m <media_id>]
Images on Media Report
The Images on Media report lists the contents of the media as recorded in the NetBackup image catalog. You can generate this report for any type of media (including disk) and filter it according to client, media ID, or path.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimmedia -U [-client <client_name>] [-mediaid <media_id>]
Media Log Entries Report
The Media Logs report shows media errors or informational messages that are recorded in the NetBackup error catalog. This information also appears in the All Log Entries report.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -media [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Media Summary Report
The Media Summary report summarizes active and non-active volumes for the specified server according to expiration date. It also shows how many volumes are at each retention level. In verbose mode, the report shows each media ID and its expiration date.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -summary
Media Written Report
The Media Written report identifies volumes that were used for backups within the specified time period.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimagelist -A -media [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
bpimagelist -A -l -media -d 09/27/2006 08:00:00 -e 09/28/2006 08:00:00
Volume detail (vmquery)
There is no NetBackup GUI equivalent for the Volume detail report. This is a command line method to get details for all tapes or a specific tape. This can be used as a complement to other Media reports.
# cd /usr/openv/volmgr/bin
# ./vmquery -a
or
# ./vmquery -m <media_id>
Refer to the NetBackup System Administrator's Guide for further information on these commands and for a description of the columns and their meanings.
Pages 200 to 209 in the NetBackup DataCenter 4.5 System Administrator's Guide for UNIX
Pages 261 to 272 in the VERITAS NetBackup (tm) 5.0 System Administrator's Guide, Volume I for UNIX
Pages 263 to 274 in the VERITAS NetBackup (tm) 5.1 System Administrators Guide for UNIX, Volume I

Hope this helps.
Regards

8 Replies

Zak_Meekins_2
Level 6
17 years ago
The Veritas Backup Reporter product is really nice and will do all kinds of cool things and email you reports with graphs, trends and just about any option you could think of.
Susan_Dorsey
Level 3
17 years ago
Thanks for your response. Is this a separately priced item?

Is anyone else doing this with scripting?

Thanks
DavidParker
Level 6
17 years ago
I'm working on setting up a VBR 6.2 server, too (it looks nice from what I've seen).
Yes, it is a separate license.

One Symantec employee (a trainer) I talked to said he thought that VBR more more suited to long term trending and analysis. He also suggested that NOM (free, right out of the box with 6.0) is more useful for day to day reporting and such.

$0.02

Almost forgot:
I'm currently running a daily script (cron) job that uses:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpdbjobs -report
(I then filter out everything but the job failures)

It's not exactly pretty, but it works ...

/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/mail_bp_reports is also useful/interesting information.

Message Edited by David Parker on 11-09-2007 11:25 AM
Casey_King
Level 6
17 years ago
David,

I tried to find the VBR on the ftp site but it doesn't appear to be there. I am waiting for Symantec to send me the Reporter software but I was hoping I wouldn't have to wait for it to get here. What process did you follow to get the software? Did you have to wait for it to come on CD?

Casey
DavidParker
Level 6
17 years ago
I had a license code that I entered on the Licensing Portal ...
From there it went to the download center and I was able to download it from there =)

Talk to your Symantec sales rep; they should be able to help you get whatever license or serial number you need to add on the LP to get to download it ...
Omar_Villa
Level 6
17 years ago
This can be helpfull for when you dont have the licence for the report module:

Reports
Document ID: 247902
This is a list of the command line tools that run the same reports as the NetBackup (tm) GUI.
Command Line Interface for NetBackup Reports
Note:
<start_date> and <end_date> syntax: MM/DD/YY
<start_time> and <end_time> syntax: hh:mm:ss
<media_id> is the six-character media identification number
Backup Status Report
The Backup Status report shows status and error information on jobs completed within the specified time period. If an error has occurred, a short explanation of the error is included.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -backstat -s info [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Client Backups Report
The Client Backups report shows detailed information on backups completed within the specified time period.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimagelist -U [-A|-client name] [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Problems Report
The Problems report lists the problems that the server has logged during the specified time period. This information is a subset of the information you get from the All Log Entries report.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -problems [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
All Log Entries Report
The All Log Entries report lists all log entries for the specified time period. This report includes the information from the Problems report and Media Log Entries report. This report also shows the transfer rate, which is useful in determining and predicting rates and backup times for future backups (the transfer rate does not appear for multiplexed backups).
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -all [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Media List Report
The Media Lists report shows information for volumes that have been allocated for backups. This report does not show media for Disk type storage units or for backups of the NetBackup catalogs.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -U -mlist [-m <media_id>
Media Contents Report
The Media Contents report shows the contents of a volume as read directly from the media header and backup headers. This report lists the backup IDs (not each individual file) that are on a single volume. If a tape has to be mounted, there will be a longer delay before the report appears.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -U -mcontents [-m <media_id>]
Images on Media Report
The Images on Media report lists the contents of the media as recorded in the NetBackup image catalog. You can generate this report for any type of media (including disk) and filter it according to client, media ID, or path.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimmedia -U [-client <client_name>] [-mediaid <media_id>]
Media Log Entries Report
The Media Logs report shows media errors or informational messages that are recorded in the NetBackup error catalog. This information also appears in the All Log Entries report.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bperror -U -media [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
Media Summary Report
The Media Summary report summarizes active and non-active volumes for the specified server according to expiration date. It also shows how many volumes are at each retention level. In verbose mode, the report shows each media ID and its expiration date.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpmedialist -summary
Media Written Report
The Media Written report identifies volumes that were used for backups within the specified time period.
# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
# ./bpimagelist -A -media [-d <start_date> <start_time> -e <end_date> <end_time>]
bpimagelist -A -l -media -d 09/27/2006 08:00:00 -e 09/28/2006 08:00:00
Volume detail (vmquery)
There is no NetBackup GUI equivalent for the Volume detail report. This is a command line method to get details for all tapes or a specific tape. This can be used as a complement to other Media reports.
# cd /usr/openv/volmgr/bin
# ./vmquery -a
or
# ./vmquery -m <media_id>
Refer to the NetBackup System Administrator's Guide for further information on these commands and for a description of the columns and their meanings.
Pages 200 to 209 in the NetBackup DataCenter 4.5 System Administrator's Guide for UNIX
Pages 261 to 272 in the VERITAS NetBackup (tm) 5.0 System Administrator's Guide, Volume I for UNIX
Pages 263 to 274 in the VERITAS NetBackup (tm) 5.1 System Administrators Guide for UNIX, Volume I

Hope this helps.
Regards
Susan_Dorsey
Level 3
17 years ago
Excellent information. Thanks, all, for excellent info on VBR, NOM, and various command-line methods of getting useful reports. I'm looking into with the free options to see where that goes before deciding whether to get into VBR.

David, I'd be curious to hear how you end up liking VBR compared to what you were doing before, once you have it set up and have assessed the improvements you get. Sounds like you haven't used NOM yourself?

Thanks,
Susan
DavidParker
Level 6
17 years ago
I looked at NOM during a training class, but that's about it so far ...
Ideally I'll setup both and do some comparisons (assuming I can squeeze an extra server for it out of the company).

First impressions (just a fiew brief glances) was that they were both fairly similar ...
We'll see =)

Related Content

Daily backup report automation
10 years ago
ram619
Report Restore
5 months ago
admin_bkp007
Saving a Report Schedule - Cron
3 months ago
DPeaco
VM backup report on aptare
11 months ago
Dollypee
Automation of CA reports
11 years ago
allanh1