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Image CleanUp Process using VTL

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

Hi All,

I manually expired the image using Catalog window in Netbackup Admin console.( Step:  Just selected the image and clicked Expire.)

But I unable to get  free space in DD( DD is configured as VTL).

I just read the below mentioned article and have a query, Do I need to really issue the below commnad to reclaim the space in DD

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/what-image-clean-job-netbackup

bpexpdate -deassignempty -force

2 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

Marianne
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Most VTLs do not release the space when NBU has expired the data.

I have seen users here on Connect who have to manually label expired VTL tapes in order for the VTL to release the space.

Some previous Connect posts:

is there an easy way to recycle VTL tapes, to free space 

Scratch Tapes and Quick Erase in VTL 

VTL tape Quick Erase Question 

VTL Issue and Media lebelling 

low free space 

Bplabel script for VTL?

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Nicolai
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DON'T !!!!! - using multplexing on deduplication devices destory the possibility to do deduplication becuase each backup - when multiplxed - present a new set of unique fingerprint.

The workaround is to define more VTL tape drives and disable MPX:

3 drives with mpx of 4 = 12 streams (using real tape drives)

12 VTL tape drives with MPX of 1 (using VTL drives on deduplication devices).

You will see the deduplication rate rocket if you disable MPX. That means you can have more data on the device.

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28 REPLIES 28

Nicolai
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Netackup released media for re-use in a 12 hour interval. But space on data domains is not released/reused before a clean has been run. By default clean runs once per week.

You can however initiate the clean manually:

  • SSH to box and login as sysadmin
  • run command "filesys clean start"

You can initiate a manual cleaning using the web GUI as well.

Background info: 

https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-32486

https://community.emc.com/docs/DOC-30529

What are you running low at - Data Domain space or virtual medias ?

 

Marianne
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Most VTLs do not release the space when NBU has expired the data.

I have seen users here on Connect who have to manually label expired VTL tapes in order for the VTL to release the space.

Some previous Connect posts:

is there an easy way to recycle VTL tapes, to free space 

Scratch Tapes and Quick Erase in VTL 

VTL tape Quick Erase Question 

VTL Issue and Media lebelling 

low free space 

Bplabel script for VTL?

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

Marianne once again is correct .... :0)

Not seen them for a while but some vendors developed scripts to release the space, not sure why as the tapes will be overwritten ...

Some people also logged support called when they found the scripts deleted the wrong data ...

 

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

The VTL doesn't know the image is expired, it's behaving like, well, a tape.

With a real tape, the images expired from netbackup remain on the tape, only when all the images expire, then can the tape be expired.  But, even then the images are still on the tape, and it is only when the tape is selected for backup again are they overwritten.

Pretty much the same happens on a VTL, one a 'tape' expires, the space will be reused, but not 'deleted'.

In summary, your VTL is doing exactly what it should, behaving like tape.

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

Thanks everyone.

If I expire the complete tape using the bpexpdate. Will the space be reclaimed.

Marianne
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No. bpexpdate will NOT reclaim space on the VTL.

It will simply make the tape available in NBU.
When tape is chosen for backup again, NBU will write a label to the beginning of the tape, which will then release the space for the new backup.

If you want to release the space on the VTL, you need to manually label the tapes as per all of the posts that I have referenced above.

If you use the storage as DISK (OST, basic disk, etc)  instead of VTL, the backup will be removed from disk when image is expired.

As per previous posts - VTL is treated the same as physical tape in NBU. Backups are not deleted from tape when media is expired.

Nicolai
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Mansoor - In order to help you with the right advice, we need to know if you are running out of VTL tapes or running out of Data Domain space.

I asked this question in my first post.

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

Hi Nicoli,

sorry for the delay.I am running out of DD space not Virtual Tape. 

Marianne
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Please read again through my post of 8 April:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/image-cleanup-process#comment-11019981 

If you want the space to be released in DD, you need to label expired tapes.
Either manually using the GUI, or by using a script. 
(Some examples in the posts that I have mentioned above.)

mph999
Level 6
Employee Accredited

Now I'm confused ...

You reply to Nicolai saying you run out of space in the DD, not VTL but previouly you state:

But I unable to get  free space in DD( DD is configured as VTL).

So, is the storage disk, or virtual tape ...

?

Nicolai
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MPH999:  The problem is the space on the data domain file system. Its not a problem with the defined number of VTL tapes.

Mansoor: How may of the VTL tapes are in the FULL state ?

What the average deduplication rate on the device  - point a browser to the IP of the data domain and use the built-in web console.

mph999
Level 6
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Ahh, the VTL tapes are deduping in background to disk, and the disk is full ...

Marianne
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This discussion is already 2 weeks old... I guess the situation cannot be too critical? If it was, then maybe my advice would be followed to label expired tapes in order to release DD space...

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

Hi Nicolai,

VTL total number of tapes is 1000 number each with 100 GB.

Total size of the DD is 18 TB.

Number of Tapes in Full state is : 170 Tapes

Compression rate : 7.6 %

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

@Marianne - label expired tapes means bpexpdate command and  Media-->label-- >unchecking verify media label before perfroming operation -- >ok..

Marianne
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There should be no need to uncheck verify media label as the media-id did not change. Or use bplabel from cmd or in a script.

Nicolai
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Dude - compression rate of 7.6. What type of data do you backup. A descent dedupare rate is between 15 to 20. Do you use multiplexing on the VTL tapes ?

Marianne
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This discussion has been dragging along for 3 weeks now...

I am sure the question about releasing space on DD after bpexpdate has been answered many times, right?

 

mansoor_sheik
Level 6
Certified

@ Nicolai - Media multiplexing is enabled.

@ Marianne - Thanks for the update. I need to work to get list of media that can be expired and initte media lebal operations. 

Regret the delay.