Configuring BTD Dailys

[JeffHar]

We have Symantec Backup Exec 10.1. Currently it is configured to use BTD (no tapes) and backing up daily for INC (although the Job Method is saids FULL) and weekly for FULL.  I am looking at the configuration which was in place prior to my arrival and question if it was configured correctly.

At present. There is a BTD folder for every day of the month (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc) and then a corresponding Job (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th,etc). The actual Job is configured using the scheduler and set to back on the date the Job Name is based on (Job Name 1st = Scheduled on the 1st). 

This just seems way over kill!  I went and configured a BTD and a Job called Weekdays and Weekends. Configured Weekdays to happen M-F and Weekends on SAT.  The problem I am facing, is that it is overwritting the previous day.  Note, These are all setup to BTD  configured for 100GB files and Max # of backup sets to 100.  What am I missing to make this work in this manner.

It seems odd that one needs to create a Job and a Device for each day of the month. I cannot find a place to state how long to keep the backup, but for dailys, no more than 2 weeks is needed. Weeklys, no more than 1 month.  Using the Device and Job for Weekdays would see reasonable if it did not overwrite the previous backup. The only option is see is under the Job, I it is configured to Overwrite Media. I would think it would need to be Append to Media but again I do not see any setting to how long it should save that jobs data.

This is the first time I configured SBE for BTD. In the past, every day I would just pull out the nights before tape and insert another one. Never had a tape changer :)

[Nimish_Patel]

You need to use media set in order to specify over write protection and append period.  You can know more about media set and how to create them by going through Admin guide for 10d  which you can download from http://support.veritas.com/docs/269777

[JeffHar]

I currently have one media set. It is configured with none (grayed out) on Overwrite Protection Period and Append as none (gray out) with Infinite - Allow Append.

Reading the General Details:

Overwrite Protection Period - Infinite - Don't Allow Overwrite
Appenabled Period - Infinite - Allow Append


That would tell me that it would not overwrite the previous days backup; however, if I select an actual media (media label -B2D0000xxx), in the details it states
Overwrite Protection Until: Overwritable ???
Appendable Until:Infinite - Allow Append

[Ken_Putnam]

You can use two B2D folders., or just one

I'd set the file size back to the default, since if you write the last 20 MB into one of them you have just (effectively) wasted the whole 100GB

As for overwrites.  use two media sets, if you want to keep the Daily data for one week, then overwrite it, set the Daily Media set to an OPP of 6 days

Similarly if you want to keep your weeklies for three months, set the OPP to 12 weeks

Also from Tools\Options\Media management, be sure that you have selected "use overwriteable media in the target media set before scratch media" or else BackupExec will continue to create new BKF files until the disk is full before overwriting any of them

Also, you jobs should be Overwrite, not Append

[JeffHar]

Thanks for your help. Here is my updated setup.

Media Set
Weekdays 
Append 6 Days
Overwrite is grayed out

Weekends
Append 12 Weeks
Overwrite is grayed out

R-BTD
Weekdays Remote
1 GB Max size
Max number 100
Reserve 0
Auto Detect Enabled
(all defaults)
Path = \\remoteserver\weekdays

Weekends Remote
1 GB Max size
Max number 100
Reserve 0
Auto Detect Enabled
(all defaults)
Path = \\remoteserver\weekends

Job Setup
Device: Weedays Remote
Media Set Weekdays
Family name : (default)
When this job beings: Append to media, overwrite if no appendable media is available

Under Media Management Options : Overwrite receyclable media contained in the target media set before overwriting scratch media.

Will test this out tonight and make sure it is successful, I will then have to wait a couple of days to see if I am getting additional backups (right now they were overwritten).

Thanks for your help

[Ken_Putnam]

As I said before, I'd make all your jobs Overwrite, not Append

Don't know why the OPP is greyed out.  From Tools\Otions\Media Managment, do you have FULL or PARTIAL as the global option?

[JeffHar]

None :)

What should I have Partial or Full?  Obviously, making that change, I can now set a OPP. 

I was curious what OPP was. See that now. So I should have the 6 days in the OPP area instead of the Append period. Anything in the append setting?  Weekly being the same (12 weeks for the OPP) and ?? in append?

[JeffHar]

Sorry, I read your response in the email message and did not see the "As I Said before..." line.

Changed the Job Setup to Overwrite. And under Media Sets changed Append to Infinite - Allow Append

I think we are getting somewhere :)

Sorry a bit slow. Never managed backup software before and was dropped into this mess.

[Ken_Putnam]

Since I recomment against APPEND for disk jobs, it doesn't make much difference what you put for APP

Again the OPP depends on your business needs.  If you set DAILY to 6 days, then you can go back to any day in the last week

With Weekly set to 12 weeks, you can go back to the end of any week in the last quarter

If  you need some kind of monthly or annual backup for any reason (SOX for example) then you can create an appropriate media set and use a policy to have that job run instead of the normal weekly

[JeffHar]

I figured the job setting took priority.

I think 6 days will be fine for now. I need to monitor disk usage. Right now the test server I doing this on as been overwritting the dailies for quite a while. So 6 days is a leap from the previous configuration :)  Exchange on the other hand has been backing up a months worth, so I will more than likely continue something like that (30 days OPP)

Really appreciate your help.  Now back to the issue of removal storage...