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How do I use remaining space on an existing disk for Backup Exec Disk Storage?

ispurchase_mgro
Level 3

Hi.  I have a disk that I use to store some backups from another process (copies of snapshots from some important VMs).  I would like to use the free space on this drive for a Backup Exec disk-based storage container.  I've decided 1,200 GB will be sufficient for my non-BUE files, so Backup Exec can have whatever's left.  When I try to create the storage in Backup Exec, Backup Exec screws the math up somehow, thinks the drive is full when it's not, and won't let me write backups to it.

Here's the drive before touching it with Backup Exec (2012, fully patched):
1bue.jpg

Here's the files currently on the drive that need to stay there:
2bue.jpg

So I fire up Backup Exec, go to the storage tab, click "configure storage", choose "disk-based storage", then "disk storage".  I'll name the new storage, then tell it to use a local disk, pick the right disk in the dropdown (L: 1,121 GB Free):
3bue.jpg

Click "Next", and there's nothing else to configure:
4bue.jpg

This is what gets created.  Notice there's a "Low disk space" warning, despite greater than half the disk being free.  How doez I math?
5bue.jpg

Here's the details sub-tab of the newly-created storage.  Everything looks OK, except that the low disk warning should happen at 25% free:
6bue.jpg

Now, I'd like to use the "Disk space to reserve for non-Backup Exec operations" setting to tell Backup Exec that I'm going to be using 1,200GB of this drive for other things.  Apply that, and all the numbers in the "Statistics" section seem OK:
7bue.jpg

Go back out to the summary, and there's no space free.  Funny thing is, the Low Disk Space warning has disappeared:
8bue.jpg

So, how do I do this?  It seems Backup Exec never passed grade school math, and is subtracting the total used capacity on the drive from the "Total backup storage" number it comes up with (I think by subtracting the reserved number from the total capacity of the disk).  It must think "I just created this brand new disk storage, and there's 900GB of used stuff on the drive.  Must be backups in my freshly-created, empty, disk-based storage area.  DERP!!!"

Has anyone had any luck with this?

Thanks!

4 REPLIES 4

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi,

 

BE sees available disk space as 1121GB...you're trying to reserve 1200GB. You're effectively out of disk space so BE is quite correct.

Set this at 1121GB or slightly lower and the B2D should be created successfully.

Thanks!

ispurchase_mgro
Level 3

You've got it backwards. That field is to reserve space for NON-BACKUP EXEC operations.  Normally, this defaults to 10MB, and I'm very sure you would want to use more space than that for backup exec.

VJware
Level 6
Employee Accredited Certified

You are possibly experiencing this behavior as outlined in http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH215753

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

It is almost certainly not taking into account what you have already used on the disk and then because you are trying to set more than the free space you have left currently that is causing the issue.

You should probably log a formal support case to get confirmation.