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Backing up with multiple servers and selections

Nick_Beck
Level 2

Like a lot of people, I'm currently being stitched up with the insanity that is the inability to create a single job with all your servers and their specific selections in 2012.  A complete backward step, but the question is how to get around it?  I have four servers to back up, one tape drive, and one tape to use per session.  I do NOT want to do a full backup of every server, but this stupid new version will not let me customise the selection if I select multiple servers to back up.

I have created a job for each server, and I have succesfully run more than one of those consecutively onto the same tape, however I have failed to get them to all run automatically.  I scheduled each job to start a short period of time after the other, with decreasing priority, in the hope that each would queue up in order while waiting for the previous higher priority job to finish.  The first job ran correctly, then the following ones all failed, after having tried to run in the correct order, all saying "The operation failed to acquire the minimum number of drives and media needed".  The first job was set to overwrite the tape.  I set the subsequent ones to append if space was left, but not overwrite if there wasn't.  I figured setting to overwrite on all would mean I'd only end up with the last backup left.

I don't want much.  All I want is to have a custom selection on each server, and for each job to run one after the other, onto the same tape.  In BE2010, this would be a single job.  Being four jobs isn't the end of the world, but if they won't run properly, the it's no use, and I will be reverting to the older version, even if it was causing issues with the Exchange server that seems fixed by 2012.

Someone out there MUST be sending multiple jobs to the same single tape without issue, how have you done it?  I can't do a full backup of each server to the tape, there's not enough room!

24 REPLIES 24

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP    Certified

You can define your custom jobs separately and then use BEMCLI to chain the jobs together.  By chaining, I mean one job starts automatically after another.  If you are not sure how to do so, wait for a week or so.  I am planning to write an article on this topic.

jedparkes
Not applicable
Partner

Eagaly awaiting your BEMCLI article :)

JesperVedholm
Level 2

Please keep me updated as well - i have the same problem!! Hoping Symantec fix this in a hurry - so we can create this easy again!!

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP    Certified

My article is published.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/use-bemcli-chain-jobs

BowlingSS
Level 4

I do not think I am going to upgrade because of the way you have to setup jobs. A step backwards Symantec. I have a lot more than four servers I need to backup daily. I will just stay with 2010 R3 until I find another backup solution.

Bill

Andrew_Soc
Level 4

i agree with you Nick Beck .. the new version was conceived not properly angry

Mark_McFarlane
Level 4

I agree -- that is crazy to do all that just to get to the same functionality we currently have in 2010....

Johanne1
Level 3

I don't seem to have a problem backing up my servers sequentially onto one tape.  I've done it both way:  1)  each individual server set to a certain time and then priority or 2) putting all the servers backing up to tape in one group.  In the first scenario, even though the first server was not done it's backup, the following server just queued and so on. In the second scenario, all my servers are set to start at the same time but their priority is different so they back up in the order I want.

I'm not sure if your problem is resolved, maybe there is an underlying problem.

Ken_Putnam
Level 6

One problem with both of your scenarios is that the job timers will start when the job is initiated, not when the job actually starts backing up data, so your run times will be completely mis-leading

Johanne1
Level 3

In both scenarios, the job logs show that the subsequent servers start a minute after the previous has completed and all logs show the start and end time; how long each server took to backup the data.  I don't see how that can be misleading, is there something I don't understand? 

Ken_Putnam
Level 6

One of the few pluses for v2012 then

All previous versions since v6.1 behaved the other way, so I never consider just stacking jobs with varying execution times or priorities and never saw the change

 

SeanD_
Level 2
Employee

@Nick Beck,

I'm a product manager on the Backup Exec team and wanted to let you know we have heard your comments as well as other customers that have used the jobs based approach for multiple servers. We are actively working on bringing back this feature and approach in the next release to BE 2012. 

Please let me know if the blog by @pfh (http://bit.ly/KxdoV4) about chaining jobs doesn't resolve your challenge.  

These two videos have helped other customers navigate and understand the approach to BE2012

BowlingSS
Level 4

Thanks for the update Nick. When will the next release be out?

Bill

SeanD_
Level 2
Employee

@BowlingSS, I think your question was directed to me (Sean Derrington--SYMC). 

The plan is to have this out in 2H this year. In fact, in engineering meeting this morning and going through the UI about chaining jobs and really liking what I'm seeing!

BowlingSS
Level 4

Thanks Sean. I will wait to upgrade my production server later this year.

Bill

Sush---
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

You may also try the solution provided in this technote to see if that helps till the next release is out:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH189306 : How to back up multiple servers to a single series of tapes in Backup Exec 2012

Thanks,

-Sush...

Elizabeth_Teffn
Level 4
Employee

Hello!

I'm a usability engineer for Backup Exec and we have heard about this issue from many users through many avenues and we are listening.

Currently we are working on a new workflow to accomplish the 1 job with multiple servers issue. It's in the mock-up stage and we are looking for users to give us feedback.

If you are interested in participating in a usability session, please check out the sessions I have for next week. These are remote session via WebEx and about an hour long.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to leave a comment here - or send me an email directly.

Regards,

Elizabeth 

 

Elizabeth_Teffn
Level 4
Employee

 

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to give you an update on my request for user feedback. 

I had 9 participants who looked at the mock-ups of the new workflow. Everyone gave me a lot of great feedback which I’m taking back to the developers.

I wanted to thank everyone who participated!  I really appreciate everyone’s input!

Regards… Elizabeth

astoddart
Level 2

Hi Elizbeth

Do you know when this will be available as we are keen to upgrade to backup exec 2012?

Thanks

Andrew