How to modify retention of image based backups from CLI

[anash7]

Hello,

I am trying to modify retention of our image based backups (Netbackup integrated with vcloud director), policy type - vmware and clients added via vmware query method.

Since the VMs full name in netbackup is followed by its UUID, netbackup doesn't recognize the braces in the client name "()". So I am unable to modify the backup retention from CLI.

e.g

Client:            RIS%20TIA%20AS%20(6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)
Backup ID:         RIS%20TIA%20AS%20(6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)_1444784706

# ./bpexpdate -backupid RIS%20TIA%20AS%20(6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)_1444784706
-bash: syntax error near unexpected token `('

the only working method I have found till now is to use the catalog option in netbackup gui, use it for all clients and search for the backup image I want to modify and then expire option and reset the expiration date.

Are there any other options ?

Also if I want to see the backup images of a particular VM for a given period how can I do it via CLI or GUI ? say VM name is RIS%20TIA%20AS%20(6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)as in netbackup reports or as in activity monitor - RIS TIA AS (6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)

Due to spaces and braces, netbackup doesnt recognize the client.

Regards,

Avi

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Why don't you change your policies to use a more "readable" name, like the hostname, display or fqdn?

[sdo · Accepted solution]

Surround the backupid with quotes.

[WVT]

Escape the offending characters...?

[WVT]

Yes. Even better

[WVT]

In bash you have to escape the spaces like this $'\x20' The braces the same way only use x28 and x29 for ( and ) respectively.

[Marianne]

PLEASE get your VM admins NOT to use spaces or brackets in VM hostnames. If you are battling just to change retention on image id, imagine how you are going to restore these hosts?

[anash7]

Restore is not an issue, we are able to do full VM and granular from GUI. CLI is an issue as it wont take the spaces.

Vms will have the spaces between the VM name and the UUID. vcloud director assigns it that ways only and when VMs are added via query then it takes the same name.

If we manually add, then yes we can select the display name as netbackup identifier for client but with vmware query method, I haven't seen any option to modify the client name as then the query would fail to identify the VM.

I havent tried the method to use "quotes" for the backup id or VM name, will try that and share results.

[anash7]

Works...

many thanks !!

#./bpexpdate -backupid "RIS%20TIA%20AS%20(6d43e225-2adf-42bf-853d-7d590858e824)_1444784706" -d 12/12/2015

to expire on Sat 12 Dec 2015 12:00:00 AM CET

[anash7]

I am able to change retention with braces but for finding the backup id I have to go to catalog or reports. not able to do it via CLI.

# bpimagelist -idonly -d 10/10/2015 -e 10/19/2015 -client "RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)"
no entity was found

"
3513    Backup    Done        0    Customer07-ESOC-Standard    Default    RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)     pcdarnbme01    Tue Oct 20 03:04:16 CEST 2015    22546840    269    Tue Oct 20 03:08:45 CEST 2015    stu_disk_ pcdarnbme01    1        131570        100    20100    root        3500    122869    Tue Oct 20 03:04:18 CEST 2015    267                        Instant Recovery Disk & Tape    Standard     pcdarnbma01    0            94    
3500    Snapshot    Done        0    Customer07-ESOC-Standard    -    RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)     pcdarnbme01    Tue Oct 20 03:03:17 CEST 2015        346    Tue Oct 20 03:09:03 CEST 2015    stu_disk_ pcdarnbme01    1                100        root        3484        Tue Oct 20 03:03:33 CEST 2015    330                        Instant Recovery Disk & Tape    Standard     pcdarnbma01    0                
3447    Backup    Done        0    Customer07-ESOC-Standard    Default    RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)     pcdarnbme01    Mon Oct 19 03:03:52 CEST 2015    22493772    233    Mon Oct 19 03:07:45 CEST 2015    stu_disk_ pcdarnbme01    1        131576        100    60424    root        3433    132046    Mon Oct 19 03:03:53 CEST 2015    232                        Instant Recovery Disk & Tape    Standard     pcdarnbma01    0            94    
3433    Snapshot    Done        0    Customer07-ESOC-Standard    -    RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)     pcdarnbme01    Mon Oct 19 03:03:03 CEST 2015        298    Mon Oct 19 03:08:01 CEST 2015    stu_disk_ pcdarnbme01    1                100        root        3420        Mon Oct 19 03:03:16 CEST 2015    285                        Instant Recovery Disk & Tape    Standard     pcdarnbma01    0                
3384    Backup    Done        0    Customer07-ESOC-Standard    Default    RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)     pcdarnbme01    Sun Oct 18 03:03:57 CEST 2015    22434272    228    Sun Oct 18 03:07:45 CEST 2015    stu_disk_ pcdarnbme01    1        131499        100    102861    root        3371    136018    Sun Oct 18 03:03:57 CEST 2015    228                        Instant Recovery Disk & Tape    Standard     pcdarnbma01    0            95    "

when i check for the catalog backup images with master as client.

# bpimagelist -idonly -d 10/10/2015 -e 10/20/2015 -client  pcdarnbma01
Time: Tue 20 Oct 2015 05:01:16 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445310076   INCR (1)
Time: Tue 20 Oct 2015 05:00:09 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445310009   INCR (1)
Time: Tue 20 Oct 2015 05:00:00 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445310000   INCR (1)
Time: Mon 19 Oct 2015 05:01:25 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445223685   FULL (0)
Time: Mon 19 Oct 2015 05:00:06 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445223606   FULL (0)
Time: Mon 19 Oct 2015 05:00:00 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445223600   INCR (1)
Time: Sun 18 Oct 2015 05:01:18 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445137278   INCR (1)
Time: Sun 18 Oct 2015 05:00:10 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445137210   INCR (1)
Time: Sun 18 Oct 2015 05:00:02 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445137202   INCR (1)
Time: Sat 17 Oct 2015 05:01:13 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445050873   INCR (1)
Time: Sat 17 Oct 2015 05:00:03 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445050803   INCR (1)
Time: Sat 17 Oct 2015 05:00:02 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1445050802   INCR (1)
Time: Fri 16 Oct 2015 05:01:15 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444964475   INCR (1)
Time: Fri 16 Oct 2015 05:00:05 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444964405   INCR (1)
Time: Fri 16 Oct 2015 05:00:00 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444964400   INCR (1)
Time: Thu 15 Oct 2015 05:01:18 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444878078   INCR (1)
Time: Thu 15 Oct 2015 05:00:12 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444878012   INCR (1)
Time: Thu 15 Oct 2015 05:00:02 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444878002   INCR (1)
Time: Wed 14 Oct 2015 05:01:12 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444791672   INCR (1)
Time: Wed 14 Oct 2015 05:00:03 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444791603   INCR (1)
Time: Wed 14 Oct 2015 05:00:02 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444791602   INCR (1)
Time: Wed 14 Oct 2015 03:00:01 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444784401   FULL (0)
Time: Tue 13 Oct 2015 05:01:16 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444705276   INCR (1)
Time: Tue 13 Oct 2015 05:00:08 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444705208   INCR (1)
Time: Tue 13 Oct 2015 05:00:02 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444705202   INCR (1)
Time: Mon 12 Oct 2015 05:01:24 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444618884   FULL (0)
Time: Mon 12 Oct 2015 05:00:10 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444618810   FULL (0)
Time: Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:01:22 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444532482   INCR (1)
Time: Sun 11 Oct 2015 05:00:10 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444532410   INCR (1)
Time: Sat 10 Oct 2015 05:01:32 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444446092   INCR (1)
Time: Sat 10 Oct 2015 05:00:03 AM CE   ID:  pcdarnbma01_1444446003   INCR (1)
 

[Marianne]

The problem is with the shell, not NBU. Unix/Linux simply does not like spaces and/or special characters in file/folder names

This workaround may help:

# cd /usr/openv/netbackup/openv/db/images

# ln -s "RIS Production  Database (18ae3dd4-1ab8-4279-bcb9-1bbd5b52f8f1)" RIS-Prod

If this command works, try to use the sym-link name in commands.

No guarantees - best to find another way of identifying VM hosts that will result in hostnames without special characters.

[anash7]

Thanks Marianne.

I am not sure how can we identify VMs with other format when adding via the vmware query method. when adding manually netbackup does give an option to select how to display the VM - display name, fqdn, uuid etc. but that is missing with query method I believe.