Can't figure out a correct setting for OPP and AP

[fsouren]

Hi,

I'm using Symantec Backup Exec 11d for Windows servers (SBS version) with 2 external Freecom Harddisks. Both disks i gave a own drive letter, in my case F:\ and G:\, as a Removable Backup-to-Disk folder.

I made 2 media sets, one for Monday, Wednesday and Friday, another one for Tuesday and Thursday. After that i made 2 backupjobs, again one for Monday, Wednesday and Friday and one for Tuesday and Thursday. Each job has one drive assigned, and the corresponding mediaset.

The OOP and AP settings for each mediaset are: OOP 2 weeks and AP 13 days.

After one backup, backup exec keeps saying i need to insert overwritable media.

Problem is, i can't figure out a correct setting for both mediasets so i can keep my data on each backup-to-disk folder for 2 weeks and after that overwrite. So i always have the data from the past 2 weeks.

I hope i made myself clear, if not i can provide more information if needed.

[Colin_Weaver]

Unfortunately Backup Exec 11D did not officially support unplugging and re-attaching USB disks, so I'd suggest an upgrade to 2010 R3 is needed so that you can handle detaching the disks if needed.

However against your problem, Removable Backup to Disk R-B2D was ONLY designed for RDX and Iomega style drives where the chasiss remains connected and just a media carrier is removed, which your Freecom drives are not this type of device, and part of your overwrite problems may relate to this.

With regards to your overwrite settings, they might be correct if your weren't using a R-B2D folder. Just be carefull to understand that your overwrite protection setting applies top the end of the last backup to write to the piece of media. As such if you write to a bkf file in a B2D on a Monday and then append to it on a Wednesday and Friday. To use the same piece of media two weeks from the first Monday you would need to set Overwrite Protection to something like 8 days and not 2 weeks.

Finally we recommend you start disk based jobs with Overwrite (and not Append) partly for the reason above and partly as GRT backup sets (IMG folders) might not get deleted correctly - although in 11D IMG deletion had a poor design which was corrected in 12.x upwards and provides another reason to consider an upgrade.

[pkh]

You should set the OPP to 13 days and APP to 1 hour, and your jobs should overwrite rather than append.

What is the size of your disks and the size of your backups?

[fsouren]

Thanks for your reply! So if i understand correctly, 11d doesn't officially support removable usb harddrives but 2010 R3 does.

As a last try, i will set my Overwrite Protection to 8 days. But what about the Append Period?

And should i also set this for the backup disk for Tuesday and Thursday?

I really don't get the hang of Overwrite Protection and Append Period :S

[fsouren]

Thanks for the reply and your effort! My drives are 1 terrabyte big and the backups are 55GB.

[fsouren]

Doesn't seem to work. The backup job for monday is goes fine, i change disks but then the next backup job gets stuck at 20GB and asks to overwrite the media.

[pkh]

Did you delete your removable B2D folders and use normal B2D folders?

[fsouren]

No, but i will try that now! Thanks.

[fsouren]

Now is used normal B2D folders and installed the trial version Symantec BackupExec 2010 R3.

Same as before, 2 usb harddisks, each got their own drive letter. I configured them as HDD1 with a folder MAWOVR and HDD2 with a folder DIDO. 

Used the mediaset "Keep data for 2 weeks" wich is preconfigured in BackExec 2010 R3.

The first backup and monday goes fine with HDD1, tuesday goes fine too with HDD2. But then Wednesday with HDD1 doesn't. 

It starts backuping up but after 4GB (wich is the default size for backup-to-disk-files) it stops and asks to overwrite media "B2D001851". Does the same for the next backup-to-disk file.

The media set properties for "Keep data for 2 weeks" are OPP 2 weeks and append period 6 days.

Could anyone explain wich settings i should use so i can use 2 usb harddrives and keep the data for atleast 2 weeks on each tape?

Kind regards,

Frank

[pkh]

Is your disk full?  Check the size of your backups as compared to the disk.  You may want to keep your data for 2 weeks, but if your disk is too small then you cannot do so.

When was B2D001851 created?  Recently?  Or was it from previous backups.

[fsouren]

Hi, the disks are 1TB in size and one daily full backup is 40GB.

The backup-to-disk file was created on monday on HDD1. HDD1 is used for monday, wednesday and friday. So it should be used again on wednesday. But on wednesday the backup job stucks at 4GB.

[pkh]

How much free space do you have on each disk?

[fsouren]

875GB on each disk after 1 backup.