Backup Project - Duplicate Old Tapes to New Tapes using Single Tape Drive and USB Backup to Disk Folder

[DarienA69]

I have to take some old backup tapes that we still have around and duplicate those for storage.

After thinking this would be a simple process I've run in to a few hickups that I hope to get some advise on.

I have an Autoloader but its just a one tape writing drive, the other slots are just for storage so that means I need to duplicate the tape to disk... and then from disk to a new tape.

Because these are old tapes in an non-functional backup process I'm assuming I'll need to load them, then catalog them.

Then I'll create a USB disk folder (since the server itself doesn't have enough disk space to house the full tape).

I'll then use the duplicate job function to find the newly catalog'd tape and point it to the USB disk folder.

As a side question when created the USB disk folder there's a question about the size of the files. Can I just leave that at the default?

Here's where I'm stuck.

How do I get that job that's now on the USB folder as a series of multiple files on to a new tape?

As an aside to take do the agents of all the servers that were part of that original backup job need to be on those servers?

It looked like when I ran a test and duplicate the job to disk portions of it failed because the agents involved in creating the original job were disabled on those servers.

I'd appreciate any input you can provide.

Thanks!

[AmolB]

It looked like when I ran a test and duplicate the job to disk portions of it failed because the agents involved in creating the original job were disabled on those servers.

While running a duplicate job Backup Exec does not connect to the original server from where the 

data originated, BE runs duplicate job based on the catalogs of the original job.

[DarienA69]

Oh wait I think I figure it out.

So the job that duplicate the tape is listed in the Job History as Duplicate Backup Sets 00004.

So when I go to do the second job to duplicate this back to tape and I'm on the New Duplicate Backup Set Job screen I just select that in the dropdown list!

Ah did not notice that before then I should be able to choose my tape drive as the destination and be golden.

One additional question since I have a 8 slot autoloader if I want to backup 8 of these to usb drive at a time (then refill it later with blank tapes to copy to) I can make 8 back to disk folders on the USB drive and point each initial duplicate job to individual folders correct?

[pkh]

I can make 8 back to disk folders on the USB drive and point each initial duplicate job to individual folders correct?

This is not necessary.  You can just use 1 B2D folder.

[DarienA69]

Ok and I'm assuming correctly that to copy the job from the b2d folder that I select the name of the job that originally copied the job to that folder? Because when I do that and look in the list I just see it selecting the original tape media again.

I can't figure out how to identify it so it selects the data from the b2d folder.

[pkh]

You did not say which version of BE that you are using.  For BE 2012, see my blog below on how to select the backup sets to duplicate

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/ja/blogs/be-2012-duplicating-multiple-backup-sets

For BE 2010 or earlier,  Go to the Job Setup tab and create a new duplicate job.

Then you click on your B2D folder and select your backup sets

[DarienA69]

I'm using 12.5 but the screens you've posted are very similar to what I see.

A question regarding the B2D files... when I created the B2D folder I left the default.... so it has created IIRC multiple 4GB files... I can see that in the detionation drive and media information of the completed duplicate job that put the backup in the B2D folder.

When I do the second duplicate job to move the backup job from USB back to tape... do I need to select just the first B2D media in the list or all of them?

Or should I delete the B2D folder, recreate it specifying a larger file size, reduplicate back to the USB folder and then do the restore back to tape?

[pkh · Accepted solution]

You should select all the files.

You should be judicious when you do the duplication.  If the new tape is 3 times the capacity, then duplicate 3 old tapes to disk, then select all the disk file and duplicate them to the new tape.