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Whats with missing backups???

cypherx
Level 4
First My Versions:
Media Server Version 10.1 Rev. 5629
Administration Console Version 10.1 Rev 5629
Windows Server 2003 SP1 x86
 
Situation:
Our Backup Exec software has 3 jobs to complete Sunday through Thursday.  They all fit on one HP Ultrium LTO 2 200/400 GB tape drive.
First backup is over the network to our exchange server.  This starts at 4:45 PM
Second backup is over to our Websense/Fax server.  This has been starting right after exchange at 7:43 PM
Last but not least, our most important backup, the 2k3 server, starts between 11PM and 11:59PM (because there is no way to have the schedule roll over for some incomprehensible reason.
 
Problem:
The last 3 nights, our MOST IMPORTANT backup, the 2k3 server has been failing because it is "Missed".  OK so it might be a scheduling issue correct?  So In the second backup (Websense/Fax) I put a tick mark in Enable automatic cancellation for this selection list.  Cancel backup job if not completed within 4 hours. 
Sometimes this backup takes under 4 hours, but for the last three nights it's been taking longer, therefore pushing our 2k3 server backup into oblivion because there is no way to set backups to occur right after another regardless of time.  So do you think this setting would work?  Of course not -- we go another night with a failed 2k3 backup.  In my job log it shows the elapsed time for the Fax Server at 4:18:24 -- hey that's 18:24 past the 4 hours I told it.  Oh it cancelled, but it took an additional 18:24 to do so, thus throwing my 2k3 server backup out the window. 
 
So tonight I am trying reversing the order of these backups.  The 2k3 server takes the longest, about 5 hours, BUT I am running that second.  The Websense/Fax server was pushed back to the next day in the scheduler so I can make the window of opportunity 1 ~ 3 AM to start the job.
 
My aggravation with Symantec:
My first and foremost aggravation with this product is the scheduler.  You SHOULDN'T be forced to schedule jobs based on time.  How the heck am I supposed to know how long the exchange server is going to take this night?  I'm sorry but I do not have psychic abilities to forecast how long certain jobs are going to take.  Exchange may take 2 1/2 hours one night, 3 hours the next, 3 1/2 hours after that, then 2 hours the next night.  Same logic applies to our other two backups.  Backup Exec NEEDS (and I stress NEEDS) the ability to say "Hey, run this job immediately after the previous job -- I don't give a hoot about what time it is, just run".  It would be much easier to layer jobs one after another rather then guessing a golden "Window of opportunity" for them to run.
 
My second aggravation is the fact that I told that Websense/fax server backup to cancel if it does not complete within 4 hours, BUT to my surprise -- it still took longer than 4 hours, the job was canceled but it was in the log for 4:18:24.  This threw off our most important backup, like I said, this software is not smart enough to just run the next backup right after this one.  I'm sorry but my golden "window of opportunity" was only 11 ~ 11:59 PM for the last job.  Well I can't make it 11PM to 2 AM right, because I only have Sun ~ Thurs checked in the job log.  11PM to 2 AM means it could run when?  Anytime?  So needless to say I am very disappointed in the scheduler and how jobs are submitted in Backup Exec.
 
I did renew my year of support with Symantec, and it looks like I'm going to get my use out of it.  I did run the Backup Exec 11 system check to see if I could upgrade, but there's too many things like SQL server which needs to be upgraded.  We can't just upgrade SQL server on a whim, we have about 4 other applications depending on it with their own databases.  Perhaps some day we will go to version 11, but it will take time to prep the server.  I already have to worry about if I should load Windows 2003 SP2 on it yet but that's another subject for another forum.
 
Thanks for reading my post.  Sorry if I sound a little irritable in this post, it's just that I am aggravated after 3 nights of no backups to our primary server.  If you have any suggestions, like perhaps there is a remote chance I can schedule a job to occur after a previous job (time independent) that would be the golden ticket in this situation.
 
Sincerely
Keith
1 REPLY 1

Jon_Ziminsky
Level 4
Try scheduling the job to run in a window from 11pm to 1059pm. That gives the job 23hours and 59minutes to complete.
 
Doing this has alleviated missed jobs for me.
 
 
 
Jon