Granular Recovery Technology

[stein_97]

Can someone point me to a document on how to setup Granular Recovery Technology! I looked in the BeAdmin_en.pdf and it does not even have a reference to Granular Recovery Technology. I have an Exchange 2007 environment, my Veritas is 11d 7170. Thanks
 

[harmstrong]

Hi Stein,

We highly advise that anyone who is backing up Exchange using GRT perform their backups to disk, and then perform duplicates to tape, as there are many benefits from doing so.

When we backup Exchange using GRT, we backup what we refer to as an ‘on disk image’ of the Exchange store. You will notice that the file structure of the Exchange backups to disk are vastly different than the standard backups to disk.

When restoring data, regardless of rather it is to tape or to disk, we need to mount the entire Information Store in order to restore the individual items. This is the only way that restore of these items can be made possible.

If you backup to disk, we then use the backup-to-disk location as this ‘on disk image.’ It is not technologically possible to have this ‘on disk image’ exist on a tape. So, when the backups are done to tape only, and an individual item needs to be restored, we have to write out the ‘on disk image’ to temporary location on a hard disk.

Because of this, we recommend that, if possible, Exchange should be given its own dedicated backup-to-disk location. While this is not a requirement, given the difference in the catalog process and the manner in which we make use of media overwrite rules with GRT and standard backup-to-disk backups, you will have an easier time administering your backup-to-disk location should you do so.   

Please review the following tech note as to why I advise giving Exchange its own dedicated backup-to-disk location:

Granular Restore Technology (GRT) used with a Backup-to-Disk (B2D) device results in the disk or the reserved disk space being filled up with overwriteable image (IMG) folders before the oldest IMG media will be overwritten.
http://support.veritas.com/docs/286794

Lastly, if you wish to restore individual public folder data, you will have to backup to disk. The following comes from the Best Practices Guide (http://support.veritas.com/docs/285753:(

GRT backup to tape will display granular restore data for Mailboxes only. GRT backup must be written to a B2d device to display granular restore data for Public Folders

Regards,

HArmstrong

Symantec

[stein_97]

I have all of that info.
I only do Backup to disk. I have 8 tb of space!

What I am looking for is where I tell the backup job to use Granular Recovery Technology!

There is ZERO documentation on this!
Please help!

stein

[D_B_5]

Stein,

The reason you are missing it is that GRT is just the technology name, not the feature name in the UI.  Under the Exchange node of a backup job, you have a checkbox which states "Enable the restore of individual mailboxes and messages from a database backup" (or something similar).  If that is checked, and it is by default in new installs, then you will be using GRT.

All CPS jobs use GRT all the time (it cannot be disabled)

If you upgraded from previous version, this option may be disabled by default due to upgraded jobs using mailbox backups.

[harmstrong]

Hi ,

Open Backup Exec go to tools options select Microsoft Exchange from job defaults .   Make sure that enable the restore of individual mail messages and folders from Information Store backups is check that options equals GRT.

If you see the option enable legacy mailbox support ensure is uncheck. 

Regards,

HArmstrong

Symantec 

[Brian_Hammer_2]

I want to be able to backup exchange such that:

1)  I can restore individual items from the public information store

2)  Store off site, a copy of this back up daily.

So... In order to accomplish this task I would have to:

1)  Install a dedicated HD for GRT backups.

2)  Create an Exhange only GRT backup and set a disk reserve and hope that my information store doesn't fluctuate too much in size so that it overwrites the previous day's GRT backup so that I don't have to manually delete the old one every day.

3)  Creat a back up to tape job to back up the IMG folder to run some time after the GRT backup completes.

4)  Eject tape and take off site.

In order to restore an individual public information store message from 3 days ago, I would have to:

1)  Find the tape from that days backup

2)  Restore the IMG folder to an alternate location

3)  Import and inventory that IMG folder into B.E.

4)  Select the individual items to restore.

5)  Execute the restore job and gamble my job that it actually works?

[stein_97]

I had the option for "Enable the restore of individual mail message and folders from information store backup" selected.

Also I am not gettting the .img files in back back up to disk.

Any other spots I should be looking ?


Thanks
stein

[D_B_5]

Brian,

Your desired backup depends on diskspace.  If you have a lot, then set the disk space reserve for your B2D folder such that it has enough room for a few days worth of IS backups.  IE: If you have a 1TB drive and your IS is 50GB in size, set your disk space reserve at 700GB.  This leaves 300GB of space for B2D so you could keep about 5-6 days worth of backups.  Once the space alloted to B2D is used, then it will start overwriting the oldest IMG folders.  This of course allows you to restore items from a few days ago without having to restore from tape.

You will run a Duplicate Copy job of your backups to disk, not a seperate backup job to backup the IMG folders.  That would not work.  When you create a duplicate job it will ask what set to duplicate and what the target device is.  I think you can set it to run everytime the primary job runs and it will automatically copy the data each day with no intervention from you.

Stein,

You should see IMG folders, not files...  Refresh the B2D directory and see if you have IMG folders.

[stein_97]

Thanks for all of the post, but last night backup still produced the .bkf file not .img.

So it looks like I am missing something some where!

So here is a screen shot of: Tools --> Option-->


So here is a screen shot of the backup job itself:



So did I miss something in the settings?

and here is the version i am running and yes I have all hotfixes installed.



Thanks again!

[D_B_5]

Stein,

Post a screen shot of the B2D folder and it's contents as seen infrom Windows Explorer.

Thanks

[stein_97]

here you go!

[D_B_5]

Best thing I can tell you is to call support and have them start a webx session so they can get on your system.  From what you posted, it looks like it is setup right...  I can't think of anything that would cause this though off the top of my head.

[stein_97]

yeah looks like I have to call!

there goes 1 hour on support!


Thanks DB

[Brian_Hammer_2]

DB Thanks for your suggestion.  I was under the impression that with GRT backup to tape you could not restore individual items from the public information store.  In fact I've proven this by trying it.  You can only restore emails from the tape.  Are you telling me with the duplicate job to tape of the B2D GRT job that I can restore public information store items?  That would be great.  I'll try it but I doubt it will work.

[D_B_5]

By Public Information Store are you referring to the Public Folders?  If so, yes...  from B2D you can do that, but you seem to be backwards on the process for it.  From a Tape backup, you cannot restore Public Folder items. 

If you duplicate that backup set from Tape to a B2D folder, you can then restore those items from the B2D set. 

If you duplicate a B2D backup to a tape device, you cannot restore from tape.  You could restore from the original B2D device though.

The format of tape backups is the reason for not being able to restore individual items from Public Folders.  Duplicating them back to a b2d device (or sending them there directly) puts it in a dynamically browseable format which allows the individual item restore of Public Folder items.

[Brian_Hammer_2]

DB,

I'm confused by your reply. I need to be able to restore individual public folder items from a daily backup stored off site. Currently I am doing that by backing up exchange with GRT to disk. Then backing up that B2D folder to tape to store off site. Yes I know this seems back asswards, but I don't know how else to put the backup on tape and still be able to restore individual public folder items. And yes it is a pain to restore the backup of the backup from tape to disk, import into BE, inventory, and then restore individual items. If this even works. I'm testing this today.

Your original post seemed to imply if I set up a duplicate backup of the Exchange B2D to tape I'd somehow be able to use that duplicate job on tape and be able to restore individual public folder items. If that's the case, how would I go about restoring public folder items from the tape backup?

If the GRT backups would obey overwrite rules I could put 2 weeks worth of GRT backup on disk,  and then do a weekly non GRT backup to tape for off site storage.  Yes I know that it sort of does with disk space reserve, but with fluctuating database sizes multiplied by 2 weeks setting this up would be impractical.  If you know of a better way I'm all ears.

[D_B_5]

Sorry for any confusion...  Any public folder backup on tape, regardless of if it is a direct to tape, or a duplicate copy to tape, cannot be used to restore individual public folder items.  Either one can be used for a duplicate copy job back to a B2D device, from which an individual item from public folders could then be restored. 

The GRT backups will obey overwrite rules, but will only look to overwrite old IMG folders once the disk space reserve is hit.  Diskspace reserve does work, just is tricky to figure out the best setting for an individual case.

[Brian_Hammer_2]

That makes sense.  How would I go about getting the backup off a tape to a b2d folder?

My current strategy which does not work:

backup up the b2d folder to tape.

restore files on tape to a newly created b2d folder

inventory folder

catalog img backup folder

Here's where I run into trouble.  I can set a restore job, select the public folder item I want to restore, but the restore errors out with the following error:

Final error: 0x10cc - The media identifier does not represent a valid medium.
Final error category: Other Errors

[D_B_5]

On the Job Setup tab, you will see in the left task pane an option for Duplicate Copy.  Click that, then it will ask to create a copy from an exisiting backup, or create a copy job that will run automatically every time <named job> runs.

Select the option to copy an existing backup set.  Just specify the set from your restore selections, then on the Device node change it to your B2D folder.  That will cause the existing backup which is currently on tpae to go to your B2D folder.  Once the copy job is done, it should show up in your restore selections, from which you can then restore the individual items.

[Brian_Hammer_2]

Thanks DB!  I'll try that and hopefully it will work.  A lot simpler than what I was trying to do.  With the duplicate to tape of my daily exchange bk I should be able to keep several days in the B2D folder and be able to duplicate a tape back to disk if I need to restore a public folder item.