Backup Exec catalogs get deleted

[RH_Kratos]

I'm having a problem with my catalogs being removed after 90 days.  I don't believe with my settings, that they should be removed.  Am I missing something?

Version 10d - CASOption; no centralized catalogs

Tools>Options>Catalog
Use storage media-based catalogs - Checked
Truncated catalogs after 365 days - Checked
Removed unused catalogs after - Unchecked

Tools>Options>Database Maintenance
Enabled BE DB Maintenance - Checked
Perform DB Maint. at 4am
Delete Expired Data - checked
Job History = 365
Job Logs = 90
Alert History = 7
Reports = 14
Audit Logs = 30

I just discovered this problem today.  I checked/unchecked the "Removed unused catalogs after" box and restarted the services, setup a robocopy job to copy the files out of the Catalog directory before BE deletes more of them, and enabled the DB Maint. alerts so I can see more about what it does.

Any ideas why it is removing catalogs even though "Removed unused catalogs after" is unchecked and always has been??

[Dev_T]

Hello,

When the Use storage media-based catalogs check box is selected, Backup Exec is able to read the catalog information that is on the media. This allows the catalog operation to complete much faster as it is not reading each file on the media to build a new catalog.  This option reduces the size of the catalogs considerably. After the catalogs have been truncated, the files and directories cannot be restored unless the media is recataloged.

If the Use storage media-based catalogs check box is not selected during a catalog operation, all files on the tape must be read file-by-file to create a new catalog.

Having the Use storage media-based catalogs check box cleared is very useful when cataloging media written by other backup software applications, such as ArcServe. When running a catalog operation with this check box not selected, it is normal that the procedure will take a long time to complete. The catalog procedure may take as long or longer than the time it took to record the backup job operation.

[RH_Kratos]

 That does not address my question.

[Dev_T]

Sorry..

Uncheck "Use storage media-based catalogs" check box...

[RH_Kratos]

 Can you explain how that prevents catalogs older than 90 days from being deleted?  Is there some documentation for this?

[CraigV]

Hi Kratos,

That setting is a default in BEWS, and is there to save space in case your catalogs got too big. By deleting every 90 days, it saves on space, and you could then simply recatalog any older media if you needed to install. It would then add that in to the DB, and expire it after 90 days again.

If you look under Tools --> Options --> Catalog...do you have Truncate catalogs after x-days selected? If so, you can extend that period of time.

Laters!

[RH_Kratos]

Craig,

Thanks for the info.  However, from my original post I have the following settings: 

Tools>Options>Catalog
Use storage media-based catalogs - Checked
Truncated catalogs after 365 days - Checked
Removed unused catalogs after - Unchecked

Any idea why the catalogs might still be disappearing?

Even after checking/unchecking the "remove unused" option and restarting services, catalogs were still deleted last night!  Here's the text from the DB Maint. Alert in BEWS:

Summary of database maintenance activity:

* Performed database consistency check for BEDB database

* Saved contents of BEDB database

* Optimized BEDB database size from 51.75 MB to 51.75 MB

* Deleted expired data for BEDB database:

     0 expired audit logs were deleted

     0 expired reports were deleted

     0 expired job histories were deleted

     18 expired alert histories were deleted

     24 expired job logs were deleted

Total elapsed time: 00:00:05

Doesn't say anything about deleting catalogs.

[CraigV]

How much space to you have free on the HDD containing the catalogs? If you don't have enough free space, it might be the reason for catalogs being truncated.

Also, check: Tools --> Options --> Catalog ...there is an option to truncate catalogs...make sure that isn't selected (it won't delete them), or the period listed is higher than 90 days.

[RH_Kratos]

 The drive the catalogs are stored on is 136GB with 116GB free.

As shown above, the truncate catalogs setting is set to 365 days.

[Lively]

I would not be so sure that the catalogs are being cleared. The job logs and job results possible, but I would glance in the actual catalogs folder to confirm there are no files older than 90 days (if that is the period it appears to be doing it on). 

I glanced at mine now and I know the job logs/results get pruned per the messages, but I have catalog files going back a year and a half to when I built the server. 

[RH_Kratos]

I have confirmed that the catalog files were actually missing before posting.