NetBackup metadata in backup catalog

[marcymarc24]

Would anyone know what information for each file is stored within the NB catalog and if there is any way of listing it?

I know bpcatlist list image files but we are trying to find out what exactly is stored within the catalog per file (name, date, time, ownership etc.).

This would be for NetBackup on a Solaris 10 master server (6.0MP6).

Any help appreciated.

[mph999]

The are two main files for each backup image in the catalog.

xxx_FULL (or INCR) or (UBK) from memory, and then the same file name again but with a .f at the end.

The .f file is (at 6.x and above) a binary file that can be read by the cat_convert -dump <filename> command, and is effectivly a list of the files in the backup.  There is some additional information also, including ctimes and I think block positions.

If the .f file is over a certain size (I think 2GB) the information contained within is split into a number of files stored one dir level down in the catstore dir.  This uses 'B-trees' for greater efficiency.  When this has happened it is easy to spot as the .f file becomes 72 bytes in size (again from memory, would need to check to be 100% of this filesize).

The other file (not ending .f) is the image header file, this contain all sorts of information about the backup and the tape/ disk it is stored on.  This can be read by any editor, but should not be changed in any way.

I am curious as to why you want this information, if you don't mind me asking ?

None of these files should be edited or moved at all. Doing so can cause all sorts of issues, including data loss.  It can take hours or days to sort out, leading to further data at risk.  Issues caused by these files being changed (and people do do it) is not necessarily spotted instantly - perhaps it is seen when the next catalog backup fails if you are lucky, or, many weeks later when a vital restore fails.

Martin

[Marianne]

You can use bplist command to see what is stored in image catalogs (same as browse in BAR GUI).

If you add '-l' to the bplist command, it shows long listing of filenames (incl metadata). Extract from Commands manual :

-l
Lists in a long format that contain mode, owner, group, size in bytes, and
time of last modification for each file (see the EXAMPLES section). The list
shows the mode of each file as 10 characters that represent the standard
UNIX file permissions.

You should be able to locate the Commands manual on your Documentation cd.

[Zahid_Haseeb]

Page no 278 "Netbackup Admin GuideI for Unix"

Image files
Each image file is an ASCII file, generally less than 1 kilobyte in size. An image file contains only backup set summary information. For example, the backup ID, the backup type, the expiration date, fragment information, and disaster recovery information.
Image .f files
The binary catalog may contain one or more image .f files. This type of file is also referred to as a files-file. The image .f file may be large because it contains the detailed backup selection list for each file backup. Generally, image files range in size from 1 kilobyte to 10 gigabytes.
The file layout determines whether the catalog contains one .f file or many .f files. NetBackup configures the file layout automatically, based on the size of the binary catalog. NetBackup uses one of two layouts: single file layout or multiple file layout.

Image .f file single file layout
NetBackup stores file information in a single image.f file if the information for
the catalog is less than 4 megabytes.
When the backup file of one catalog backup is less than 4 megabytes, NetBackup
stores the information in a single image.f file. The image.f file is always
greater than or equal to 72 bytes, but less than 4 megabytes.
The following is an example of an .f file in a single file layout:
-rw------- 1 root other 979483 Aug 29 12:23 test_1030638194_FULL.f

Image .f file multiple file layout
When the file information for one catalog backup is greater than 4 megabytes, the information is stored in multiple .f files: one main image .f file plus nine additional .f files.

Separating the additional .ffiles from the image .ffile and storing the files in the catstore directory improves performance while writing to the catalog.
The main image.f file is always exactly 72 bytes.
-rw- 1 root other 72 Aug 30 00:40 test_1030680524_INCR.f
-rw- 1 root other 804 Aug 30 00:08 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f-list
-rw- 1 root other 1489728 Aug 30 00:39 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgDir0
-rw- 1 root other 0 Aug 30 00:40 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgExtraObj0
-rw- 1 root other 1280176 Aug 30 00:39 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgFile0
-rw- 1 root other 192 Aug 30 00:40 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgHeader0
-rw- 1 root other 0 Aug 30 00:40 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgNDMP0
-rw- 1 root other 9112680 Aug 30 00:39 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgRecord0
-rw- 1 root other 2111864 Aug 30 00:39 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgStrings0
-rw- 1 root other 11 Aug 30 00:40 catstore/test_1030680524_INCR.f_imgUserGroupNames0