NetBackup VMware Accelerator Incrementals

[CadenL]

Hi

I found the below article which explains that a VMware incemental backup with accelerator enabled will show itself with the full backup size even though this isn't representative of the disk space used.

https://support.symantec.com/en_US/article.HOWTO95375.html

All well and good.

My question is that I then want to duplicate these incrementals to tape as part of the SLP the policy it is using. I'm finding that my duplicates of these incrementals are full backup size and so taking ages to complete and also using a lot of tape space. Is the reason why I'm seeing this behaviour? or should NetBackup only be duplicating the Incremental size?

The full backups are running fine and so the Cumulative Incremental backup does have a full backup from which to reference.

I still want to use accelerator for my full backups so daon't want to turn this feature off but need to ensure that my daily incrementals that are duplicated to tape are not duplicated as full backups.

I'm using NBU 7.6.1.2 and VMware 5.5

many thanks

[sdo · Accepted solution]

The symptoms that you describe, are in fact the features.  To be able to restore from disk, NetBackup knows whether it has all of the parts/components needed to perform a full restore from a set of full + incremental accelerator based backups... when all of those parts reside upon disk.  With tape, NetBackup has no way of knowing whether the component parts will be available at a later date, and so, the best protection is provided by re-forming what is essentially an actual true full backup.

If you want another copy off-site, and to not have to re-form a full, then MSDP (or some other OST) replication (NetBackup AIR) might be a way to achieve this.

[CadenL]

Hi

OK Thanks - but it seems a bit of an oversight to me.

I already use MSDP and love VMware accelerator but sadly I don't have another site for a second NBU Server to use AIR - just a fireproof\bombproof safe into which I was planning to put my daily incrementals (I do also have the ability to store tapes off-site if I choose).

So I can't configure NetBackup to do what I need as it appears NetBackup 'knows best'...... :o(

[sdo]

I think we should wait for someone else to confirm.  I could be wrong.