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Backup Exec 12.5: Backup-to-Disk files backed up to Tape- now can't restore files originating from tape

J__Bill
Level 2
Hi,
I perform a backup-to-disk of my Windows 2003 server's shared user directories on a regular basis and periodically back those bkf files (along with their changer.cfg and folder.cfg files) over to a tape.  I have a tape from Oct. 2009 that I'm trying to restore a file from with little success.  First, I've restored the bkf files off the tape onto a hard drive, but then it gets unclear about how to restore the individual file I need from those data sets.  How can I get Backup Exec to see these bkf files and restore the file I need?  I think I'm running into trouble because there's already a preexisting device that uses the same file names as the ones I've restored that is used on  regular basis so when I go to the Restore Wizard, it only sees the more recent media.  Is there a manual way to restore the file from this archive?  I've actually tried using Windows NT Backup to just re-catalog the specific bkf file that has the document I need, but the restore just sits there after restoring about 16kb of the file and the estimated time remaining just continues to increase.  It's a very odd problem and any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!
2 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified
As well as Ken's advice about the Catalog needing emptying you may have to start with an empty Backup Exec Database as well as the database will think the BKF files are in media familes based on the last backup and the same bkf file names will have been in different media familes in October 2009. This mismatch of information can cause a Catalog job to fail.

Basically your easiest way around this is to install Backup Exec to the same patch level on another server (don't run any backup jobs on it so that database does not contain any records of BKF files). Then create an empty Backup to Disk folder then copy in the BKF files you just restored from tape into the backup to disk folder (don't copy the CFG files) then run an inventory and catalog job against the Backup to Disk location.

This sort of issue is why we don't recommend flat file backups of Backup to disk folders - but again as Ken mentioned - the recommended method is to use duplicate jobs within Backup Exec - which has two benfits 1) you should not run into the problem you are having 2) the restore process is direct from tape to the original location holding the users data - you don't have to restore the BKF file first and then run another job to restore the data,



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J__Bill
Level 2
Ok, I figured it out.  There was existing catalog entries for the daily backup job that had the same name so I had to delete those and then rebuild.  Thanks for your help!

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5 REPLIES 5

Ken_Putnam
Level 6

You did a standard backup of the BKF files, right?   I think the only way around this would be to shut down all BackupExec services, rename the \Catalogs Directory (to \Catalogs.sav for example) then create a new  \Catalogs dir and move the backed up data into that new dir, then restart BackupExec

In future, Do a  Duplicate job rather than a standard backup, and you can restore directly from tape (unless it is a GRT backlup)

You can setup the D2D2T to occur automagically using a policy.  See
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/256096.htm

J__Bill
Level 2
Thanks for the response.  I'm still a little confused, however.  The Catalog directory I'm renaming has a sm file at the root, as well as a subdirectory with the name of the back-up server.  In that directory are a variety of fh and xml files.  If I create a new Catalog directory, all I have to place in there are 9 bkf files, a changer.cfg file, and a folder.cfg file.  When I start Backup Exec back up and go to Restore, it says there is no backup data to restore under 'All Resources'.  Am I missing something.  Thanks again for the help!

Ken_Putnam
Level 6
After restarting BE service, have you tried inventorying the BKF files, then cataloging them?

a cold start of BackupExec should re-index the catalog, but it the catalog is basically empty, I'm not sure what happens

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified
As well as Ken's advice about the Catalog needing emptying you may have to start with an empty Backup Exec Database as well as the database will think the BKF files are in media familes based on the last backup and the same bkf file names will have been in different media familes in October 2009. This mismatch of information can cause a Catalog job to fail.

Basically your easiest way around this is to install Backup Exec to the same patch level on another server (don't run any backup jobs on it so that database does not contain any records of BKF files). Then create an empty Backup to Disk folder then copy in the BKF files you just restored from tape into the backup to disk folder (don't copy the CFG files) then run an inventory and catalog job against the Backup to Disk location.

This sort of issue is why we don't recommend flat file backups of Backup to disk folders - but again as Ken mentioned - the recommended method is to use duplicate jobs within Backup Exec - which has two benfits 1) you should not run into the problem you are having 2) the restore process is direct from tape to the original location holding the users data - you don't have to restore the BKF file first and then run another job to restore the data,



J__Bill
Level 2
Ok, I figured it out.  There was existing catalog entries for the daily backup job that had the same name so I had to delete those and then rebuild.  Thanks for your help!