NBU6.0 - Exclude List not working as expected? - all policies vs named policy

[Alexandre_Rappo]

Hi all,

I setup some additional exclusions on windows clients, specifying <"backup policy" / all schedules>.

but NBU disregarded the ALL policies exclusions and only processed the new ones, matching the policy's client.

I thought exclusions will work like this:

Policies:

  All Policies then nominated policy

Schedules:

  All policies schedules then nominated policy schedules

I am surprised it did not.

Anyone with a good idea?

[Dion]

Yip, the implementation of exclusion isn't the greatest in certain situations but it is at least documented and allow for quite a lot of flexibility.  You are right, if you specify a more specific exclusion (i.e. one that specifies a policy), NetBackup only processes the more specific exclusion and ignores the exclusions specified for All Policies (it is not inclusive).

In my environment I've had to duplicate the All Policies exclusion list to more specific ones for certain implementations.  Use the following examples.

Normal windows servers
Use a fairly standard All Polcies exclusion list

SQL servers with local SQL backup files (.sqlbak).  I do this to keep database files separate to OS files.  This is not SQL agent backups.
A specific windows exclusion list that also excludes .sqlbak and .trn files (this covers the OS backup)
A specific windows exclusion (for the local sql backup files) that excludes all files
A specific windows exception to the exclusion list that includes .sqlbak and .trn files.

When the windows OS policy runs, it backs up all OS files and excludes the SQL local backups.
When the windows SQL backup runs it excludes all files except for .sqlbak and .trn files.  I specify all the possible paths for this one to prevent NetBackup from building a files list of all files on the system before backing up.

[J_H_Is_gone]

been there, done that

it only reads ONE list, so if you have an all, and a policy, you need to put the items in the all in the policy one.

below is part of the help pages.

Which list is used if there is more than one?

If there is more than one exclude or include list for a client, NetBackup uses only the most specific one. For example, assume a client has three exclude lists:

•An exclude list for a policy and schedule.

•An exclude list for a policy.

•An exclude list for the entire client. This list does not specify a policy or schedule.

In this example, NetBackup uses the first list (for policy and schedule) because it is the most specific.