Configure tape for backup

[flekzout]

Hi, I'm using veritas netbackup 6.5 LTO3..

Previously I have backups to run at 1 tape per day(daily backup).. but suddenly it change to two tapes per day..

the question is:

1. how can I configure the backup just to be running at one tape instead of two?

2. is there a way that I can configure the tape to be running in sequential order?

lets say I have a barcode AAA111, AAA112, AAA113, AAA114 sometimes the backup will be running at AAA113 and AAA114 instead of AAA111 or 112.. how can I configure that it should be running in sequential order instead of random.

Thanks.

[Nathan_Kippen]

This post has good information about how Netbackup selects media.

https://forums.symantec.com/syment/board/message?board.id=21&message.id=49092

[J_H_Is_gone]

Now that it is going to to 2 tapes, is it because you have filled the first tape?

you can set your pool to only allow 1 partially full media, that way it should fill the first tape before it goes for a second.

[flekzout]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I have 1 drive only and I have daily backup, weekly backup, and quarterly backup.

I loaded like 10 daily tapes to the C4 library. I want the tape to be backup in an organize way. I have 60  daily tapes that label as AAA100 to AAA159.. usually I will load 10 tapes from AAA100 onwards.. but somehow the backup sometimes started with the number 105 or 106 instead of 100 to 101 and so on.

Besides that, previously the backup is only stored in 1 tape, but recently it stores to two tapes. I want to make it become 1 tape instead of two tapes.

Message Edited by flekzout on 01-13-2009 01:54 AM

Message Edited by flekzout on 01-13-2009 01:55 AM

[flekzout]

J.Hinchcliffe : "Now that it is going to to 2 tapes, is it because you have filled the first tape?"

Everytime the backup finish in the morning I will take out the backup tapes. I have no idea why it changes from 1 tape backup to become 2 tapes now. maybe because of that day sun engineer upgrade the firm and accidentaly restore it to default setting.

I just want to know how all the policies backup to be stored under 1 daily tape only instead of two tapes.

[J_H_Is_gone]

look at your reports, tape report, tape list.....

run that and look for the two tapes you made last night.

look for the Status in the report for each tape.

do either of them say FULL?

if they say full - then you completely filled a tape and two tapes were required for your backups.

check that before we go into anything else.

[flekzout]

Hi,

No, the tape is not full. It still has lots of space.

The tape is Ultrium LTO3, can fill in 400GB/800GB as mark in the tape. I check from the Media log was fill till 160gb, not even half of 400gb.

Thank You :)

[Andy_Welburn]

What Judy is trying to say is not how much data is on the tape but if its NetBackup status is FULL - the amount of data that can be held on a tape depends upon whether compression is used (invariably it is) & the type of data that is being compressed.

The status of the media can be retrieved from the bpmedialist command (amongst others) as well as on the GUI:

e.g.

# bpmedialist -m 300577
Server Host =

 id     rl  images   allocated        last updated      density  kbytes restores
           vimages   expiration       last read         <------- STATUS ------->
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
300577   8      8   12/29/2008 11:00  12/29/2008 11:00  hcart3   399336640     0
              MPX   12/29/2009 11:00        N/A           FULL

# bpmedialist -m 300599
Server Host =

 id     rl  images   allocated        last updated      density  kbytes restores
           vimages   expiration       last read         <------- STATUS ------->
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
300599   3    696   12/18/2008 19:06  12/25/2008 11:00  hcart3  1218046103     0
              MPX   01/25/2009 11:30        N/A           FULL

As you can see, both tapes are FULL but contain markedly different amounts of data.

Try running this for both of your tapes & see - if they are both still ACTIVE then we'll try & have to look down other avenues for a solution.

[MILB65]

Ok, sorry for breaking this down to the simplest form but I hate to skip over the easy checks.

You mentioned that you have three (3) different type of schedules.  And they obviously have different retention periods.  And hopefully they are going to different volume pools.

Remember by default NetBackup will NOT allow different retention level backups on tapes.  If you do have this option enabled (check Master server host properties | Media| Allow multiple retentions per media), the tape will not return to the scratch pool until the last image expires.  Selection of media for backups is done in the following method.

1. Any available media in my pool for use? If yes use, if NO then #2
2. Any available media in Scratch pool? If yes, select the one with the LEAST amount of mounts.  If no fail backup.

Which brings me to my last question, when you added the media to NetBackup where did you configure it to go to?  I mean did you configure it to go to a specific volume pool, or did you send it to scratch?

Lastly, NetBackup is not a backup application that you should Micro-manage in this fashion, but if you need to do so, then there are alot of issues you will run into not only today but in the future.  As you have started to notice.

[Rick_Brown]

Also - check to see if the tape drive is being flagged for a cleaning. When a drive is flagged for a cleaning and doesn't have a cleaning cart available, when the current backup job (session) has been completed, the tape will get ejected & another (usually different) will be used to complete the backup.

I have seen this happen with catalog backups using 2 tapes instead of one using a tape library with automated library management (Netbackup did not manage the cleaning cycles).

[flekzout]

Hi All,

Thanks a lot for the help, appreciate it.

This is the backup last night.

root@Netbackup01 # /opt/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpmedialist -m AAA100L3
Server Host = Netbackup01

 id     rl  images   allocated        last updated      density  kbytes restores
           vimages   expiration       last read         <------- STATUS ------->
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AAA100L3   3    105   01/16/2009 02:00  01/16/2009 05:59  hcart3    21214240     0
              105   02/16/2009 05:59        N/A

root@Netbackup01 # /opt/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpmedialist -m AAA101L3
Server Host = Netbackup01

 id     rl  images   allocated        last updated      density  kbytes restores
           vimages   expiration       last read         <------- STATUS ------->
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AAA101L3  10     10   01/16/2009 02:54  01/16/2009 04:39  hcart3   169909946     0
               10   02/13/2009 04:39        N/A

Actually what I want is only to backup in 1 tape instead of two tapes.

And I only want to follow the barcode so at least I will know that the backup for lets say Monday is AAA100, and tuesday AAA101, wednesday AAA102, and so on.

If it's not possible then its ok for me, I will advice my customer that it is not possible.

Sorry, because I am newbie in netbackup. Thanks all.

[Andy_Welburn · Accepted solution]

From what I can see from your output the reason you are using 2 tapes goes back to what MILB65 said on an earlier post: the schedules that are using these tapes have different retention levels (rl 3 for those images on AAA100L3 and rl 10 for those on AAA101L3).

You can either:

1) live with it & use different media (this is how we operate);

2) change the retention levels on your schedules so they are the same (this may not be appropriate?); or

3) allow multiple retentions per media (this can 'waste' media as the tape will not be available until the last image expires - if you have a full tape with 400Gb of images that expires in a week and 1Kb that expires in 7 years then the media will not be available until that 1Kb image has expired).

One way (the only one?) you could define which media for which day would be to have a separate Volume Pool for each day & manually assign media to  each one.

[flekzout]

Hi All,



Thanks a lot for your help. Appreciate. Seems like I have to change my retention level to 10 as it supposed to be 10. someone add or modify policies without telling me.



Thank You.