Multiple backups of the same file.

[bliblibli]

Hi everyone.


I need an advice on a server I need to backup.

On this server files are written on a directory on a daily basis. Every day, a new directory (yyyy-mm-dd) is created and files are writen withing this directory (yyyy-m-dd/HH-mm-description). Every 9 months, directories are deleted. (So that we keep exactly 9 months of files on the servers and the others are still available if needed via Netbackup).

How should I backup all this ?

Should I just backup all the directories with an infinite retention ? Wouldn't it backup many many times the same files ?

Is there a way to tell netbackup to backup only the new files (the one that weren't here the day before) ?

I could do this with an incremential or a differential backup, but I would need the 1st tape or all the tapes used between the 1st and the last backup for this.

How can I achieve this ?


Thank you very much in advance.

[Claudio_Veronez]

I think that a god way of doing that is

a full backup every month, and and incremental every day depending on how cretical is the data. i u lost 1 full you will lost almost 1 month



here we archive it deleting the old files and keeping them 5 year backup retention over tapes




I don know if that is the BEST way.. but here it works... weekelly full everyday a diferential.  5 years retention full backups  and 2 months diferential


See ya.

I hope it help ya

:wq!

[J_H_Is_gone]

you could wright a script that figures out what the new dir for today is.
then have the script do a user backup - meaning you have a policy with a user schedule in it.
you have the client start the backup not the policy - then the client says what to backup up to tape.

so your script would be something like this.

your script does something to figure out what dir to backup

/opt/openv/netbackup/bin/bpbackup -p <yourpolicyname> -s <youruserscheduleinthepolicy> -h <clientname> -S <masterserver> -t 0 -w -k <keyword> <direcotrytobackup> >> /<somedir where you want to keep any errors>2>&1
 

[stu52]

It sounds like you're worried about how many tapes you might need for a restore.  Yes, a Full backup WILL backup the same files as your last full backup PLUS whatever files were created since then. 

Every full backup will have a rolling 9-months worth of the files in those directories.  Do weekly full backups and daily incrementals.  If you need to do a restore in the middle of the week of files that were created since the last full backup, then it will only require tapes from the incrementals.

You didn't mention how far back you might need to perform a restore.  If you have a requirement to be able to go back 18 months, then you will need to keep full backups for at least 9 months since the oldest tape will then have the oldest 9 months worth of those directories.

Your business requirements will dictate your tape retention policy.  However, if you tell management the estimated costs of tape storage (cost of media PLUS cost of offsite storage), they may reduce the number of months back they think they need to restore.  Remember, every tape that is retained for 9 months means that you will need 9 months worth of tapes in your inventory. 

By the way, Inifinite retentions for backups are a bad idea....that's where archives come into the picture.