Dear All, I have Netbackup 7.6 master server installed in Windows server 2008 R2. I wants to restore from a expired image backup in tape, the problem is i dont even know in which media id the backup images is stored. So i have to restore catalog file which the image backup wasn't expired yet. So i restore the catalog file, move it to db.export folder then execute cat_import -client client_name. But the command say cat_import : no images found. Best regards, Iqbal

Which catalog back did you restore? The last one or a previous one from days, weeks, months ago? (which is another big problem) Any ways, as Marianne stated it would just expire all those images if you start the services. If you want to "go back in time" you can restore the catalog on ANOTHER standby master, and then make sure you had set the time to be for the same time frame so that the images wont' be expired immediately. HAving said all that, if you're not taking tapes out of your library, the chances are that NEtBackup would have used the tapes by now for some new backups.

Hi Iqbal, What do you mean by "So i restore the catalog file"? Did you recover the catalog on some standby master server? I think you're on the wrong track here. cat_export is normally used in conjunction with the cat_import command as part of a disaster recovery scenario or to relocate image metadata information from one repository to another. More information is available on NetBackup disaster recovery.

Hi Riaan, I recover the catalog to the same master server. The case is, the user wants to restore some file with specified date, when i check the backup image for that date is already expired. What should i do? because i dont know which media id that store the backup image. if i know, i already doing the phase 1 and 2 import. Best regards, Iqbal

Restoring catalogs won't help. The moment NBU starts up, it will immediately remove catalog entries for backups that have past expiration date. You need to import expired images. See http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH43584

Dear Marianne, But i dont know the media ID, and don't have a record for that? what should i do? Best regards, Iqbal

I'm not sure what you mean by restore the catalog file by using cat_import. The only files cat_import imports is the 'header files' which if you are using 7.5 or above you won't have, as there are part of the NBDB and not backuped up in the catalog backup in a importable form. You have two choices. 1. Build a tmp NBU server with the same hostname and install path. Recover the Catalog to this machine and search as normal. 2. Phase 1 import all the expired tapes and then look for the backup id in the phase 2 importable images.

Cat_import command but no catalog was imported

13 Replies

RiaanBadenhorst
Level 6
10 years ago
Hi Iqbal,

What do you mean by "So i restore the catalog file"?

Did you recover the catalog on some standby master server?

I think you're on the wrong track here.

cat_export is normally used in conjunction with the cat_import command as part of a disaster recovery scenario or to relocate image metadata information from one repository to another. More information is available on NetBackup disaster recovery.
MSI_iqbal
Level 5
10 years ago
Hi Riaan,

I recover the catalog to the same master server. The case is, the user wants to restore some file with specified date, when i check the backup image for that date is already expired. What should i do? because i dont know which media id that store the backup image. if i know, i already doing the phase 1 and 2 import.

Best regards,

Iqbal
Marianne
Level 6
10 years ago
Restoring catalogs won't help.
The moment NBU starts up, it will immediately remove catalog entries for backups that have past expiration date.

You need to import expired images.

See http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH43584
MSI_iqbal
Level 5
10 years ago
Dear Marianne,

But i dont know the media ID, and don't have a record for that? what should i do?

Best regards,

Iqbal
RiaanBadenhorst
Level 6
10 years ago
Which catalog back did you restore? The last one or a previous one from days, weeks, months ago? (which is another big problem)

Any ways, as Marianne stated it would just expire all those images if you start the services.

If you want to "go back in time" you can restore the catalog on ANOTHER standby master, and then make sure you had set the time to be for the same time frame so that the images wont' be expired immediately.

HAving said all that, if you're not taking tapes out of your library, the chances are that NEtBackup would have used the tapes by now for some new backups.
mph999
Level 6
10 years ago
I'm not sure what you mean by restore the catalog file by using cat_import.

The only files cat_import imports is the 'header files' which if you are using 7.5 or above you won't have, as there are part of the NBDB and not backuped up in the catalog backup in a importable form.

You have two choices.

1. Build a tmp NBU server with the same hostname and install path. Recover the Catalog to this machine and search as normal.

2. Phase 1 import all the expired tapes and then look for the backup id in the phase 2 importable images.
MSI_iqbal
Level 5
10 years ago
Dear Riaan,

Thanks for your solution. i will update the progress.

A bad time for me.

Best regards,

Iqbal
Marianne
Level 6
10 years ago
Before you go to the lengthy trouble of trying to find the backups - what is specified in SLA with the customer/user?

Was retention level set as per business requirements?
If so, you are under no obligation to try and find catalog entries and/or tapes.
As per Riaan's post - chances are that the tapes have already been overwritten.
maurijo
Level 6
10 years ago
I think your main problem is why is that image expired already. Like Marianne says, if you set the retention according to your SLA then their should be no requests to restore such an image.

If you really need it back I suggest you follow the import expired images by Marianne or Riaan his back in time method
MSI_iqbal
Level 5
10 years ago
Dear All,

After this few days finally i have to do phase 1 and phase 2 import, but some of them don't have the fragment 1 (due to already overwritten) but some of them are dont have TIR information. I see in this article :

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/netbackup-7-recovering-old-tapes-import-failed-image-was-not-created-tir-information

that the catalog header is editable in Netbackup 7. My Netbackup is running version 7.6.0.1 which catalog has in version 5.0

Any suggestion?

Best regards,

Iqbal