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Why is Backup exec 2010 R2 using two tapes to restore a 230KB file?

mars_ltd
Level 3
Partner

Hello,

the title basically describes my interest. I have a recovery job of an Excel-file which is 233 kilobytes in size. SBE 2010R2 (13.0 Rev. 4164 32 Bit) asks for two tapes to restore this file. Is it possible that this file was stored directly "between" the two tapes, e.g. the first few kilobytes are on tape one, the rest on tape two?

Your support is very appreciated.

Best regards

mars

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi mars,

 

The only explanation for this is that you're spanning the tapes during your backup cycle. If you increased the level of logging you would be able to see if the file is spanning the tapes, but at the cost of a much larger job log file.

Thanks!

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5 REPLIES 5

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

Hi mars,

 

The only explanation for this is that you're spanning the tapes during your backup cycle. If you increased the level of logging you would be able to see if the file is spanning the tapes, but at the cost of a much larger job log file.

Thanks!

Colin_Weaver
Moderator
Moderator
Employee Accredited Certified

If this is a VMware or HyperV job then to restore from tape, the complete image has to be restored to a temp staging area before the individual files can be recovered so the resore would ask for every tape used by the original job.

You didn't mention virtualization (either for using it or not using it) as such just offering another possible cause which may not apply in this instance.

mars_ltd
Level 3
Partner

Hi Craig,

thanks for the reply. There are a few tapes designated for this job. I didn't notice the spanning option yet. But the restore job was completed after I "fed" the library the second tape. Probably was just the coincidence, that this particular file was stored on both tapes.

Thanks!

mars_ltd
Level 3
Partner

Hi Colin,

thanks for the answer. This was no virtualization-restore. It was a restore from a file-server-backup. Best regards

pkh
Moderator
Moderator
   VIP    Certified

If a backup spans two tapes, BE will have to scan each tape until it finds the file.  If you file is located on the second tape, BE will need to read the first tape and then the second tape until it finds the file.  This is due to the sequential nature of tape backups and the fact that there is no indexing to the individual files.  If your file happens to be on the first tape, then you would only need to load one tape.