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StephGusev's avatar
StephGusev
Level 2
8 years ago

Windows server exclude list best practices.

Hello,

Can you help me to find a best practice exclude list for Ms-Windows servers (starting from 2003 up to 2012R2)?

For example :

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\*.lock

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\bprd.d\*.lock

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\bpsched.d\*.lock

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackupDB\data\*

C:\Program Files\Veritas\Volmgr\misc\*

Or

C:\users\doe\john

C:\users\doe\abc\

C:\users\*\test

C:\*\temp

These examples I found in Netbackup Administrator’s Guide Volume I.

Please advise if there is anything else to exclude from the OS side.

Thank you in advance.

Exclude List
NetBackup
Windows

10 Replies

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  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    8 years ago

    Steph, my typical basic starting point for excludes on backup clients is... remove the default ones that are present after installing NetBackup Client, because they're not really for clients and more for NetBackup Master Servers... and then I always add these:

    *.tmp
*:\Recycle.bin
*:\Temp

    ...but make sure that you inform your server and application admins of your typical defaults - because one day an admin somewhere might want those files backed-up.

    • Michael_G_Ander's avatar
      Michael_G_Ander
      Level 6
      8 years ago

      Have often excluded

      ~* (usually open unsaved office documents, typically occurs on file servers)

      Temporary Internet files

      Cache files for different applications

      Database files as they typically are backed up through either an agent or by dump/backup from the database to file.

  • Marianne's avatar
    Marianne
    Level 6
    8 years ago

    Each environment is unique. 

    You need to determine in your own environment what needs to be backed up and what can be excluded.

    Look at the status 1 jobs, generate a report of skipped files and go with this list to the server owner to find out if those can be excluded.

    It is common practice to exclude database files for SQL, Exchange and other databases and applications as those should be backed up using agents, not file-level backup.

     

    • StephGusev's avatar
      StephGusev
      Level 2
      8 years ago

      Thanks a lot to everyone who replied, I listed most part according to your advices.

      And there are what I got below: 

      user.dat.LOG1
      ntuser.dat.LOG2
      Syscache.hve
      UsrClass.dat
      *:\temp
      *:\Temp
      C:\WINDOWS\Temp
      C:\WINDOWS\Temporary Internet Files
      *.tmp
      c:\*\*\Local Settings\Temp
      C:\*\*\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
      *RECYCLER* or *:\Recycle.bin   - please advice how correctly exclude recycle bin

      ~* (usually open unsaved office documents)

      We have mdf,ldf,ndf, excludes in MSQL file system backup.

       

      Also for Unix servers:

      Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\*.lock"
      Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\bprd.d\*.lock"
      Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\bpsched.d\*.lock"
      Program Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\logs"
      Program Files\VERITAS\Volmgr\misc\*"

      Please check if I`m right or wrong with this list

      Thank you in advance. 

    • Lowell_Palecek's avatar
      Lowell_Palecek
      Level 6
      8 years ago

      On a Windows-NT policy, the natural behavior is to not back up Exchange database files. The is no need to name them in an exclude list. I have run a test this morning to confirm this.\

      Excerpt from my bpbkar log:

      [EseE14::AddExcludes]  cachedList:F:\RF2DB1\*.log
      [EseE14::AddExcludes]  cachedList:F:\RF2DB1\*.chk
      [EseE14::AddExcludes]  cachedList:F:\RF2DB1\*.jrs
      [EseE14::AddExcludes]  cachedList:F:\RF2DB1\tmp.edb
      [EseE14::AddExcludes]  cachedList:E:\RF2DB1\RF2DB1.edb

      I think the same is true for SQL Server and SharePoint files, but I have not tested them recently.

      • Lowell_Palecek's avatar
        Lowell_Palecek
        Level 6
        8 years ago

        Correction and follow-up:

        I tested an MS-Windows policy backup on the SQL Server backend server for a SharePoint environment.  The .mdf and .ldf database files were not automatically excluded.

        I cannot find documentation where we say that Exchange database files are excluded from an MS-Windows backup, but that is demonstrably true. I will initiate a TechNote to document it.

    • Michal_Mikulik1's avatar
      Michal_Mikulik1
      Moderator
      8 years ago

      Hello,

      basic exclusions are given on OS level, regardless backup application.

      Refer to FilesNotToBackup registry key.

      Michal