[HELP] Customize backup jobs schedules in backup Exec 2012

[wenn]

Hi All,

I'm new to backup Exec 2012 and the the new interface is a little bit confusing for me as I have just experience with backup exec 12.

I'm implementing this backup strategy:

- Daily backups to disks with one week retention

- Weekly backups on Friday to disk then duplicate to media set 1

- Monthly backups on the last Friday of the month to disk then dusplicate to media set 2.

To ascheive that, I implemented 2 backup jobs for my server: One that includes full (weekly backups) and Differential backup and replicate full backups to media set 1. The second job include Full (monthly backups that replicate to media set 2.

How to specifiy if the monthly and weekly backups are in conflicts, Monthly backup replace Weekly? (I tried to exclude the date in the calendar but it delete all jobs scheduled in the date).

Is this the right way to implment my tape rotation strategy.

best regards,

[Colin_Weaver]

If you configure both Monthly and Weekly as 2 stages, in the same job definition, that start at the same day of week and time, then Backup Exec will use a hidden conflict rule to run the monthly job and reschedule the weekly job for the next week

The way this hidden rule works is that it looks at how often the jobs run and selects the one that runs least frequently as being the critical one. As a Monthly should run once a Month this would be less frequent than the weekly and would be chosen to run.

[wenn]

Hi Collin,

As I have to duplicate the weekly and monthly to tape and I have a different retention period, I have to create separate job definitions. Then, both weekly and monthly are scheduled.

Is there any manner to aschieve my tape rotation strategy and conflict management?

thanks in advance.

[Colin_Weaver · Accepted solution]

Create one Job definition containing

Full Monthly stage to disk (as example set to start at 20:00 on last Friday)

Duplicate Stage of monthly to tape (if you can, use the option to run immediately after the initial job finishes for the schedule as I am not sure the duplicate jobs honour the hiden rule concept)

Full Weekly Stage to disk (scheduled for every Friday at 20:00, to ensure that the hidden rule applies)

A different duplicate stage of weekly to tape (against set to run immediately after initial job runs) - this one then allows you to set the separate media set. Note if you think you can't do this then look at adding the stage using the button at the bottom of the column containing the initial backup stages (a lot of customers try to use the button at the bottom of the second column that contains the first duplicate stage configuration.)

You can try scheduling the duplicate to tape jobs for the same start times, instead of run immediate, to see if the hidden conflict rules apply, however I have a feeling that is one of the things we need to make better in a future release of Backup Exec. (I am not in office currently to check this)

[Colin_Weaver]

As extra feedback I tested the hidden rules with duplication today:

Created a job definition with a weekly full set to start every Monday at 9:00 AM

The duplicate of this weekly full was set to start every Monday at 11:00AM

In same definition added a stage for Monthly full that was set to start every first Monday of month at 9:00AM

Also added a duplicate of this Monthly set to start every first Monday of Month at 11:00AM

I deliberately used a very small selection list to make sure the original jobs did finish well before 11:00 AM and did create this configuration prior to 9:00 AM

The Monthly initial job ran and the Monthly duplicate ran, neither the weekly initial job or the weekly duplicate tried to run and both were re-scheduled for next week.

As such our hidden rules do work for duplicate jobs as well as the initial jobs.