Incremental backup in new policy for existing client, is first one full or does it remember?

[D_Flood]

NetBackup Enterprise 7.1.0.3 running on W2k3

I've got a box with a lot of data that I do a Full backup of each Weekend (along with Incremental backups every night based on the NTFS change log).  Due to our retention schedules there are actually three different Weekend schedules in the policy, each flagged as a "calendar" backup.  Which one runs is based on a script that runs from our job scheduler which inserts the Weekend dates into the appropriate schedule.

I'd like to also add an incremental on Sunday night to the exact same tape pools and retentions, just to make sure I'm getting everything.  So, to do that, I  set up a new policy for the existing client (can't have two schedules called Weekly in the same policy, etc..).  But what I'm finding out (and I'm pretty sure is correct but irritating) is that the very first Incremental in the new policy is acting like a Full. 

So to confirm, NetBackup treats a first time Incremental in new policies as a Full even if the client is an existing client of another policy that already does Fulls?  Right?

[mph999]

Yep, spot on ... 

Sorry to say NBU is behaving correctly - if you feel like running :

nbpemreq -subsystems 1 screen (hope I got that right) and look through the outuput, every now and then you will see the client listed alongside a policy.

What I'm trying to show is that NBU treats 'scheduling' as a 'client /policy' pair, so each client / policy is treated as a totally separate entity as any other client/ policy 'pair', even if it is the same client.

It is a battle we (Symantec) cannot win - the way it behaves is a pain to some people, but if it were the way you wish it to work, it would be a paibn to others - catch 22.

This way, a Full backup will run - this is the safest option as there is no danger of data loss.

Regards,

Martin

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Full and Incremental schedules need to be in the same policy.

Cummulative Incremental will backup everything new since the last Full backup within the SAME policy. If now Full backup in the current policy, the Incr will run as Full until a Full has run for this policy.

[Nicolai]

if you move a client from one policy to another the first backup in the policy will be a full. Netbackup does not remember (would be nice however).

Update: too late ..

[D_Flood]

Thanks to everyone for confirming what I thought. 

I didn't move the client to a new policy, the original policy is still in effect, I just made a second policy.

So I guess I'll have to rewrite the script that runs every Saturday morning to enable two different schedules or run it twice (fortunatly it takes the name of the schedule as a passed parameter)....

That's the fun part of running backups that take 24+ hours and keep DFS turned off during that whole time...

Again, Thanks to everyone!