I backup six servers in two large backup jobs which cannot be combined into one job, plus a separate Exchange backup job. I run a full backup of everything to tape starting Friday night (which takes about 26 hours), and a nightly differential backup.
I am trying to transition to a backup-to-disk-to-tape plan. I want all the backup to disk jobs to occur first, then back up all the data from all jobs to tape. (The goal is to get the servers backed up overnight to disk, then run the backup to tape during the day, since that job won't slow down the servers or the network.)
My plan was to create separate backup-to-disk folders for the two fulls, the two differentials, and Exchange (i.e. five folders total). I had hoped for a schedule like this...
Full or Differential Job #1 to disk
Full or Differential Job #2 to disk
Exchange to disk
Full or Differential Job #1 disk to tape
Full or Differential Job #2 disk to tape
Exchange disk to tape
I wanted to keep only the most recent backup in each backup-to-disk folder, and have it overwritten by the next backup-to-disk job. However, I can't figure out how to limit the number of backups kept in a backup-to-disk folder. I can schedule a batch file to clear out the folders after the tape jobs run, but according to Symantec doc 252975, this isn't advisable. For that matter, backing up to disk and then separately backing up the backup-to-disk folders to tape isn't a good idea, either.
I guess I need to set up duplicate jobs, but as far as I can tell, this will result in a schedule like this:
Full or Differential Job #1 to disk
Full or Differential Job #1 disk to tape
Full or Differential Job #2 to disk
Full or Differential Job #2 disk to tape
Exchange to disk
Is there any way to accomplish my goals:
* Consolidate all backup-to-disk jobs to run consecutively, then run all backup-to-tape jobs afterward
* Limit the number of backup copies on disk to only the most recent full and the most recent differential
I'm also a little unclear on how to set up duplicate jobs. Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Message Edited by sjthomp on
04-11-2008 10:34 AM