Disk Cartridges append instead of overwrite

[Nick-R]

Before we moved to BE16 (please don't ask which version we came from because I don't know), We used to be able to just take our disks out, and put in the next set, walk away and not worry about our backups failing. Now, we have to manually delete the disks before our jobs start otherwise the disk fills up because it just appends the data instead of overwriting it. Screenshot is attached of our settings. We use RDX drives with Tandberg disk cartridges. Our data retention is set for 5 days, but that was me changing values to test.  Any help would be appreciated.

[Colin_Weaver]

A common misunderstanding with RDX cartridge is assuming that Overwrite means that same as it does for tape - unfortunately it does not (and even in older version of Backup Exec did not either)

For older BE versions a tape overwrite destroyed all the data on the tape and then started writing new data, for disk sets (whether it was RDX, USB or fixed disk), then an overwrite actually only deleted one BKF file (or IMG folder) it did NOT completely empty the disk (or RDX cartridge)

For new versions of Backup Exec, tapes work the same way, however disk sets are now handled by DLM (Data Lifecycle Management) and there is now a difference between Fixed Disk(including USB) and how RDX disks are handled.

Backup sets on Fixed Disk OR USB disks are deleted within 1 hour of their retention expiring (irrespective of whether a backup job starts) but this deletion (known as a reclaim) only takes place if there are no set dependencies on later backups (Incremental sets linked to a full for instance) and as long as the disk is online, and if there is an incremental chain then the incrementals have to be reclaimed befor eht ful can (so you can't have the incrementals on a deteched disk). Fixed disk and USB disk are automtically marked as Read Only after a specific (customizable) period of being offline (in which case no reclaims will occur until set back to read/write)

For Backup Sets on RDX to reclaim, then the sets must be expired (so beyond their retention time) AND all of the dependindent setss MUST be online and expired as well. In addition to this, RDX reclaims are not linked to a 1 hour interval, but require a backup job to sart before the reclaim will take place (which is different to USB and fixed disk) - Note: RDX cartridges aslo go to read only after a specific customizable timeframe - by default the length of time is not the same as for USB

Finally for all disk sets, the default is to NOT allow the last backup of a specific set of data to be reclaimed even if the expiry date is passed - this can be disabled but is there to protect against the deletion of your only backup

More info here

https://vox.veritas.com/t5/Backup-Recovery-Community-Blog/Backup-Set-retention-and-expiry-Handling-o...

[Nick-R]

I should change the retention to less than 5 days, so the next monday when I put the 2 cartridges in that I used the previous monday, it will reclaim the space and write successfully, or am I stuck erasing the cartridges everyday?

[pkh]

Under DLM, unless you change the default, at any one time, you would have to have enough space for at least 2 backup chains at the minimum, the last backup chain and the current backup chain.  This is so that you will have a backup if the current backup job fails.

If your disks do not have space for 2 backup chains,  I would suggest that you get another set.  Erasing the disks before doing the backup is a bad practice.  If your backup job fails, you will have no backups.

[Nick-R]

I will let my boss know. (I can only see if they will purchase items, as I can't) but in the case of the deleting the disks, I keep the successful previous backups, so we have backups. They might be a day or two behind, but we have them.

[Colin_Weaver]

If you keep full backups on different cartridges, then the Monday cartridge should delete the contents as the Monday job starts - as long as you have one job definition that repeats daily and not a separate job definition per day (and as long as your set retention is less than 7 days minus a bit more than the longest time it takes your daily jobs to run)

[Nick-R]

I have mine set for 5 days, but I need bigger cartridges. one tape is almost full by the time backups get done.