How can I make a job take a new tape when it runs?

[d_bergen]

I have one media server/robot whose jobs just keep adding to the same tape until the tape fills, I want the full backups to grab a fresh tape when they run, I have another media server/robot which does this correctly. I have compared all the settings I can find between the two but can't seem to find the difference.

Little help?
djb

[Darren_Dunham]

This isn't the way NBU is commonly used.  Why do you want a different tape to be used?  Do you expect to fill the rest of the tape at some later time or just leave it that way with the blank space at the end?

You can script it so that the tape is suspended after the first job is done.  That will keep NBU from selecting it the next time a tape is requested for writing.  But it will still expire on time and be eligible for use at that time.

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Darren

[Stumpr2]

change the retention or pool for the full backups

[d_bergen]

A full backup is performed each weekend, after remaining on-site for two additional weeks the tape is sent off-site for two months. Because this new setup is putting all the backups on one tape if I were to send the tape off after two weeks following a full backup then all the dailies would be gone as well.

[J_H_Is_gone]

I will take a stab at this.

you say media/server..... does that mean same master or two different masters?

Reason I ask is.

go to the properties of your master server.

go to meida in the properties

there is a check box for

"Allow multiple retentions per media"

What this means......

if your fulls have a 6 month retention, but your incramental only have two weeks..

if this is marked it will put both on the same tape if it is still in the robot.

if it is not checked -- if the first backup on a tape is for 6 months it will only put 6 months retetions on that tape, and it will choose a different tape for the 2 week retention.

But then you say that the fulls are kept in the robot for 2 weeks.

This means that the 6 month tape would get chosen again the next time it does the full ( so here I see it getting two weeks of fulls on one tape (unless the tape was maxed to the end)

the only way I know to STOP another back of the same retention from going to the same tape is to freeze the tape.  If a tape is frozen then it will NOT get chosen for backups again.

So on the server that is working... are those tapes getting frozen?

[d_bergen]

Thanks for the reply, I have been the Netbackup guy for about 6 months now but I still have tons to learn, it's rather a large program.

>you say media/server..... does that mean same master or two different masters?

One master server, one library and 6 media servers in one building to which I have just added one more media server and library in another building. Fulls in the main building fill up ~10 TR3 tapes, fulls in the secondary building are (so far) tiny.

>Reason I ask is.

>go to the properties of your master server.

>go to meida in the properties

>there is a check box for

>"Allow multiple retentions per media"

>What this means......

>if your fulls have a 6 month retention, but your incramental only have two weeks..

>if this is marked it will put both on the same tape if it is still in the robot.

>if it is not checked -- if the first backup on a tape is for 6 months it will only put 6 months retetions >on that tape, and it will choose a different tape for the 2 week retention.

 
On the master and all media servers the multiple retention box is NOT checked.

>But then you say that the fulls are kept in the robot for 2 weeks.

>This means that the 6 month tape would get chosen again the next time it does the full ( so here >I see it getting two weeks of fulls on one tape (unless the tape was maxed to the end)

The full backup tapes are not picked again for the next weeks full backup.

>the only way I know to STOP another back of the same retention from going to the same tape is >to freeze the tape.  If a tape is frozen then it will NOT get chosen for backups again.

>So on the server that is working... are those tapes getting frozen?

No, nothing with scripted freezing or anything is going on afaik.

thanks a bunch,
djb

[Darren_Dunham]

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@dean Bergen wrote:
A full backup is performed each weekend, after remaining on-site for two additional weeks the tape is sent off-site for two months. Because this new setup is putting all the backups on one tape if I were to send the tape off after two weeks following a full backup then all the dailies would be gone as well.

---

Sounds like your fulls and your dailys have the same retention period, so they're using the same tapes.

One thing you could do is create a separate volume pool (like Fulls).  Then in the full backup schedule, override the volume pool and make it go to 'Fulls'.  That way the dailys will continue to use their pool, but the Full will be separate.  But because you leave it on site after the next weekend, you'll still need to suspend the tape so it's not chosen for next weekend's full backup.  An alternative is to create two full backup schedules that alternate weekends and go to different pools (full1, full2).  But that's more complex to set up and keep running properly.  But it would avoid needing to suspend anything.

Another possiblity is to do duplications if you have more than one tape drive.  Let it do the backups as it is right now sending everything to the same tape, but duplicate the full backups immediately to a new tape.  You can send that offsite immediately and leave the originals onsite.  Now you don't care if the data is on the same tape.

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Darren

[d_bergen]

Thanks for replying Darren. The daily backups have a rentention period of one month, the weekly full backups have a retention period of 2 months, the monthly fulls have a retention of one year. Because of this shouldn't they be taking new tapes??

>One thing you could do is create a separate volume pool (like Fulls).  Then in the full backup >schedule, override the volume pool and make it go to 'Fulls'.  That way the dailys will continue to >use their pool, but the Full will be separate.  But because you leave it on site after the next >weekend, you'll still need to suspend the tape so it's not chosen for next weekend's full backup.  >An alternative is to create two full backup schedules that alternate weekends and go to different >pools (full1, full2).  But that's more complex to set up and keep running properly.  But it would >avoid needing to suspend anything.

Yes, that's a good idea and I'll use it if I can't figure anything simpler out.

>Another possiblity is to do duplications if you have more than one tape drive.  Let it do the >backups as it is right now sending everything to the same tape, but duplicate the full backups >immediately to a new tape.  You can send that offsite immediately and leave the originals onsite.  >Now you don't care if the data is on the same tape.

This robot has two drives so this is also an option I might try, thanks.

djb

[Darren_Dunham]

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@dean Bergen wrote:
Thanks for replying Darren. The daily backups have a rentention period of one month, the weekly full backups have a retention period of 2 months, the monthly fulls have a retention of one year. Because of this shouldn't they be taking new tapes??

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Because of that they shouldn't be taking the *same* tapes.  Fulls, weeklys, and dailys should not be colocated on the same volume.  I read your message as saying that after a full used a tape, the dailys would write to the same tape the next day.

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Darren

[Stumpr2]

suspend the tapes after backup completes