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Quick question about exclude lists

rjrumfelt
Level 6
I just set up an exclude list for a windows server for a specific policy, and now when I'm testing that policy I'm noticing that the exclude list is not taking affect.

Do the exclude lists not take affect for manual backups - those initiated by an administrator?
16 REPLIES 16

Anonymous
Not applicable
Increase logging for bpbkar on the client and in these logs I'm sure you see near the top of the log what is for inclusion and exclusion. So you will sanity check what NetBackup is doing.

Manual Backups should still take exclude list into account. This is server based backups you refer to - right? Not client side.

Venkatesh_K
Level 5
how did u create exclude list ?

Does this client have more than one exclude list ?
      http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/235031.htm

what is netbackup verion and OS versions ?

Does it have include list as well ?

is schduled backup excluding the files you wanted ?


Exclude Lists for Specific Policies or Schedules

To create an exclude or include list for a specific policy

Assume you want to create a list that affects all scheduled backups in an existing policy

named nt_wkstations for the client selected in the Client.

1. In the NetBackup Administration Console, expand NetBackup Management > Host

Properties > Clients. Double-click on a client.

2. Click the Exclude or Include tab.

3. In the Policy box, select nt_wkstations.

4. Click Add List Item to add files and directories to the exclude list or the include list.

5. Click OK.

To create an exclude or include list for a specific policy and schedule

Assume you want to create a list that affects all scheduled backups for the schedule

named weekly_fulls in the policy named nt_wkstations for the client selected in the Client

box.

1. In the Policy box, select nt_wkstations.

2. In the Schedule box, select weekly_fulls.

3. Click Add List Item to add files and directories to the exclude list or the include list.

4. Click OK.

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 exclude list (for policy and schedule) because it

is the most specific.

More details can be found on Admin guide for excluding files

Venkatesh_K
Level 5
use bpgetconfig command to get exclude list of for the client your trying. see if your files are listed as excluded files

rjrumfelt
Level 6
Thank you for those details.  I had already checked out that technote before making this thread, as I'm fairly familiar with exclude lists.  Just not sure why this particular exclude list wont take.  It is the most specific one out of the exclude lists that I have configured.

rjrumfelt
Level 6
I had bpbkar enabled, and looking through the logs I see no attempt whatsoever at NBU excluding files.  I'm using VSS as ths snapshot provider, do you think that could be causing an issue?

I have my exclude list tied to a policy, however I'm using <<all schedules>>.  This is a windows client btw - of course all of my unix excludes work as expected.

Oh and yes, these backups are initiated from the server, not client

rjrumfelt
Level 6
bpgetconfig -M <client> "Exclude"

it returns everything that I have set in the exclude list:

Exclude = CLASS:<policy_name>
Exclude = C:\
Exclude = D:\
Exclude = Shadow Copy Components:\

If anyone is curious that i"m excluding the critical system info, I"m backing it up in a different policy.

Will_Restore
Level 6
what does this produce?

bpgetconfig -M <client> "Include"

Venkatesh_K
Level 5

Hi ,

what is netbackup verion and OS versions ?

Does it have include list as well ?

                  bpgetconfig -M <client> "Include"

is schduled backup excluding the files you wanted ?


Support doc from Netbackup. though very old document but can be handy sometimes

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/256844.htm



VERITAS NetBackup client exclude_list is not excluding all defined exclude paths.


Details:
 

NetBackup exclude lists have been seen to behave incorrectly by missing not excluding all defined exclude paths but processing others. This occurs when comments (using the # symbol) are added to the exclude_list file and also where white spaces are appended to the end of exclude path lines.  

A client bpbkar log created in /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar with the /usr/openv/netbackup/BPBKAR_PATH_TR touch file in place shows exactly which paths have been excluded from a backup and can be used to verify that the exclude list is working correctly. The following message is recorded in the bpbkar log for each exclude_list path during correct exclude list operation:

12:07:58.592 [19664] <4> bpbkar: INF - Excluded /test by exclude_list entry /test

This line should appear in the bpbkar log for each entry in /usr/openv/netbackup/exclude_list. If it does not,  this indicates the exclude list may contain comments or white spaces that are causing NetBackup to not exclude all defined paths correctly. The following examples show correct and incorrect exclude lists (where ___ = white spaces):

BAD EXCLUDE_LIST
# this is a bad exclude_list example
# created to show how not to configure
# exclude_list in NetBackup

/etc/test___
/etc/test2
/etc/test3

GOOD EXCLUDE_LIST
/etc/test
/etc/test2
/etc/test3

The client exclude_list file should not contain any comments or white spaces...


 

thesanman
Level 6
I appear to have the same issue.  I just upgraded a Win2008 x64 server from v6.5.5 client to v7.0 in my test environment and now it appears the exclude list isn't being honoured!  I can see this by looking at my previous client backup history; prior to v7.0 upgrade, client was honouring the exclude list; now it appears it isn't.

[root@v70master ~]# bpgetconfig -M v70client  "exclude"
exclude = *:\i386
exclude = *:\recycle*
exclude = *:\$recycle*
exclude = *:\temp
exclude = *:\wutemp
exclude = C:\dell
exclude = C:\Documents and Settings
exclude = pagefile.sys
exclude = perflib*.dat
exclude = vsp*.vsp
exclude = *:\software
exclude = C:\WINDOWS\$Nt*
exclude = C:\Users
exclude = C:\Windows\Temp
exclude = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\*.lock
exclude = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\bprd.d\*.lock
exclude = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\bpsched.d\*.lock
exclude = C:\Program Files\Veritas\Volmgr\misc\*
exclude = C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackupDB\data\*
exclude = *:\$RECYCLE*
exclude = C:\
exclude = D:\
exclude = F:\

[root@v70master ~]# bpgetconfig -M v70client "include"
include
[root@v70master ~]

I'll do a bit more investigation and the probably log a call with Symantec.

Ravensmead1
Level 2
Went from 6.5.4 to 7 now exclude list not working, I need to do some testing.

Andy_Welburn
Level 6
can anyone confirm their exclude_lists work on NB7 or is it a generic failure?

Or is it just for specific O/S's that the excludes are not being honoured?

Anyone placed a call yet with Symantec that could advise on possible resolutions?

thesanman
Level 6
Mine was Win2008 x64; v6.5.5. client upgraded to v7 client.  I only have the one Windows client upgraded so far for testing purposes and it's busted.  I have a call open w/ Symantec and although not yet confirmed heard that "a similar issue just get escalated to our Engineering for a fix" and have provided logs for confirmation.

I am pretty happy LinuxR is all good; my one v7.0 client doesn't appear to have the excluded files in backup image, neither does my Master Server.

RollTheBones
Level 4
Are most of you only seeing this on NBU 7?  We are just now upgrading to 6.5.6 and can't say that I have seen this problem. Although I have seen exclude lists get mucked up for no apparent reason especially on Windows clients.  It helps to copy the registry entry into a text editor and search for typos or any odd characters; a misplaced \ or . or just about anything seems to make the whole thing get voided.

thesanman
Level 6
Hate to say this but as I worked through this with Symantec support it went away!  We could see some VSS errors logged on the client and had defintely tracked bpbkar doing the wrong thing and then 24 hours later; same policy, same schedule, same exclude list and with support person looking on, it all worked just fine!

I have a Win2003 sp2 x64 server now upgraded and it's working just fine.

rjrumfelt
Level 6
I figured out what was going on, and it was that I was not paying enough attention to the individual streams and was jumping to conclusions.  I expected to see no streams for the drives that I had excluded.  This is not the case - NBU creates streams, it just doesnt back anything up for those steams.  The KB size for each stream was either 1 KB or 32 KB.

Andy_Welburn
Level 6

Yeah seen this happen too. There was a post about this recently to which I replied (I think, it's all becoming a bit of a blur!).

If you have a policy with ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES, say, & multi-streaming enabled NetBackup determines the streams first before applying the exclude lists. So it creates the job for the drive then looks at the exclude list & doesn't go any further!

The only way you could stop this would be to turn off multi-streaming for the affected policy or be more specific in the backup selection list.