Backup to disk then to tape, questions...

[Matthew_Kent]

I'm running a backup program that backs up several servers, including Exchange, SQL, and several file servers. I backup all the data straight to disk (many 1Gb .bkf files), with the intention of streaming the data out to tape the next day. I've set the overwrite protection time on the .bkf files to 2 days.

I do this because I like to have at least 2 days worth of backup locally, then for older stuff I like to be able to refer to our tape archives.

I'd like to know how to stream just the last disk backup onto tape? Is this possible? I've tried using the archive bit to just backup the .bkf's that have changed, but if the tape doesn't get changed (for example on holidays, or by mistake) then the data to be backup gets too big.

Thanks for your help,
Matt

[padmaja_rajopad]

Hi,

You may use the "Duplicate existing backup sets" option for duplicating the last baclup set...

Click on "Job Setup" > "Backup Tasks"> "New job to duplicate backup data".





NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked �assumed answered� and would be moved to the �answered questions� pool.

[John_Richards_2]

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong here, but I wanted to tell you how I do something very similar to what you are trying to do. I think I am doing it as it was intended by Veritas. A good tuorial on setting up Backup Exec for BTD and tape duplication jobs would be very helpful if it existed. I have yet to find one though.

I run backup-to-disk from several servers and then duplicate to tape when done. The following is how I perform this.

First I set up media sets, one for the backup-to-disk files and set the overwrite time for whatever period I need. In my case, it is 7 days. In yours, it would be 2 days. I also set up a media set for the tapes with an overwrite period of 4 weeks. Yours is probably a different period of time.

In devices, I set up a folder for the backup-to-disk files and called it BTD Files. The tape drive was already set up automatically.

Next, I set up a backup-to-disk scheduled job that runs after the workday is done, i.e. at 6:00 PM. This job uses the first media set I created for the backup-to-disk files and the destination device is the "BTD Files" folder I created. As soon as I finish setting up this job, I create a "New job to duplicate backup sets" and select the " Duplicate backup sets following a job" option. I select the BTD job that I previously created as the job to duplicate. I select the tape drive as the destination and the media set is the one I created for the tapes.

Now I have two jobs in the queue. The BTD job and the tape duplication job. At 6:00 PM, the BTD job kicks off and backs up all the servers to disk via their agents. As soon as it finishes, the tape job kicks off and duplicates it to tape. The next morning, I remove the tape, replace it with one that is overwriteable, and move on.

If I need to restore, I have 7 days worth of data in the BTD files that I can restore from without having to load any tapes. If the restore is from a period of time that is prior to 7 days in the past, but less than 4 weeks in the past, I have it on the tapes and can load one of them and retrieve it. By the way, I also do end of month tapes and end of year tapes, so I can always restore something.

I hope this helps. It took me a while to figure out how this software was intended to be used, and like I said, I will stand corrected if I am wrong. But I do know this works like a charm for me.

[Matthew_Kent]

Many thanks for the reply John, your reply was easy to understand and well written. Now to ask another question...

I have 3 backup to disk jobs that run concurrently. I would prefer to use only one backup to tape job. Do I just use the merge selections in the duplicate job to load all the selections from the previous jobs to backup to tape?

Many thanks,
Matt

[John_Richards_2]

I don't have the ability to check right now, but I don't think there is a merge option for the tape duplication job itself. I'm quite sure there isn't. I believe it is only an option on the job(s) you are duplicating, i.e. the BTD jobs, in your case. So that would leave you with these two options. There may be others but I can't think of any others at this time.

First option would be to merge the three BTD jobs into one job and then duplicate that job to tape.

The second would be to set the tape media set to make it appendable so it would put the three duplication jobs sequentially onto the same tape. By the way, if you do this, BackupExec does the first BTD job and then starts the duplication to tape when it is done. It will also start the next BTD job and run it concurrently with the duplication job.

Two more things I would like to make sure you are aware of, since I saw another post in these forums from someone who was confused on the matter. First, when you do a restore, you can select the media you want to restore from, assuming your BTD files are still in overwrite protection status. You will see two sets of media on the same date, one starting with B2D (I believe) and another with DLT (if you use DLT tapes as I do).

And second, you are not just copying the B2Dxxxxxx.bkf files to tape when you duplicate. You are actually creating a duplicate of the job itself to tape, from the BTD files. So if you have to restore from tape, you don't have to restore from tape to BTD files, then restore from the BTD files back to your server. You just restore from tape as if you had backed up directly to tape in the first place.

I will be able to access the backup server again before the work day is over and if I am wrong on the merging in duplication jobs, I'll post a correction here.Message was edited by:
John Richards

[shweta_rege]

Hi Matthew,



Could you please update us on the same issue .






NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked "assumed answered" and would be moved to "answered questions" pool.