Restoring Copy 2 image data to the Catalog

[adrianmarsh]

Hi All,

I'm setting up and testing an offsite duplicate and restore. I've used an SLP to duplicate the original data, to eg, tape UBI017 and UBI009

I then verified that the Copy 2 images were on UBI017 and UBI009 using the Images On Tape report.

I then expired those tapes (bpexpdate -m UBI017 -d 0), and deleted them from the library.

I then re-imported those tapes back into the library, and have run an Initial Import on both tapes.

Objective is to test what would happen if I had to restore from those tapes.

However, if I now go to Catalog, select Import, select one of the tapes to do the Phase 2 import, and try to see the imagesm its not showing them.

In fact, it only shows 1 image:  An image that isn't a duplicate.

I think its hiding these from me because they're Copy 2's, and because the Copy 1's are still in the system (so the Images are already there).

A Tape Contents report shows me that the data is there on the tapes, but I can't see how to do the phase 2 imports. It even shows them as Copy 2's in that report.   I'm guessing that if this were a real DR situation, and that I'd lost the catalog, then restoring these tapes would probably work.

Any idea??

[adrianmarsh]

even if I set the Catalog Import to use specifically Copy 2, it still doesn't show whats on that tape.

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi Adrian,

You shouldn't need to do phase 2 as the images information is already in the catalog as you said. Should you expire UBI009 then you would need to do the phase 2.

I think you're a bit off track with this whole exercise. If you've duplicated the images to UBI009, then you have a copy, and even if UBI017 expires (possibly having a shorter retention than the offise copy UBI009), you can still restore from UBI009.

Should the restore be required at DR, you'll simply need to recover the latest catalog backup. You'll only ever need to import (phase 1 and 2) when you've lost your catalog. So make sure you duplicate and send that offsite also.

[adrianmarsh]

Hi Riaan, thanks for that,

I do understand that when I try to run the phase 2, that the original image is still in the system.  However, pre-delete, when I ran the Images on Tape report, it would show both copies.  Now, when I run it, it only shows Copy 1, from UBI005.  So things aren't quite the same as before - it doesn't know that theres a duplicate on tapes UBI009 & 17.

I understand about the DR catalog, thats in hand (copied once to disk, once to tape and replicated to a physical offsite).  I was trying to test the DR (without catalog), without destroying my current backups.  That all went ok, except for the fact I can't do phase 2.

I can guess that if I had either a copy of the catalog, or, no catalog at all (full DR), then I'd be ok to do the phase 2 import, but I would like to know how to import Copy 2 data back into the Catalog.

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi,

I've never really tried to do what you're doing. Technically you do an import when the images are all gone. Dont really know how to import a copy....or inform NetBackup of its existence.

I suppose if you lose your catalog you'll be happy to have 1 copy at least :p You wont want to import all your tapes twice.

Will think on it some more.

[adrianmarsh]

Hi Riaan,

Its not a massive blocker, just means I can't complete my test 100%.

I could imagine a situation though, where in a more complex environment, where a tech support person goes and deletes Copy 2 of a job by accident, that tape gets left in the pool, and that tape were then later needed in a DR situation - it may of been overwritten by other jobs.  In a scenario like that where its recognised early, then either that backup needs running again, or, you'd want to recover Copy 2 from the tape.

But thanks for spending time anyway.

[J_H_Is_gone]

If you allow 2 copies it should still allow you to import the tape.

If you already had 2 copies they it would give an error message like :skipping image #### because there are already 2 copies

Did you try to do phase 2 on both tapes?

if the image starts on 17 and you search the catalog on tape 9 it might say it does not have the first part of the images so it is skipping it.

As this is most likely the only 2 tapes you are trying to do an phase 2 import on - on the catalog screen just choose import - leave the media id as all - change your search to to begin in 2000 then tell it it search.

It will then search for all images awaiting a phase 2 import.   and if an image is on both 17 and 9 when it shows that image in the bottom screen it will also show that it is on both tapes.

[adrianmarsh]

Hi,

So at the start of the phase 1, I would have Copy 1 already in the system, but Copy 2 has been "deleted".

I can do Phase 1 of both tapes, no errors.  One of the jobs does span 2 tapes, but the others were all seperated on the 2 tapes.

I can't do phase 2, as I can't see the images in the Catalog to be able to select them. i'm searching globally (All Media IDs, All copies, right timeframe etc). Nothing appears to be imported.

[J_H_Is_gone]

First when did you do the phase1  ( it only keeps info for phase1 for 3 days)  if it was sometime last week you will have to do phase1 again.

[adrianmarsh]

Hi,

No the phase1's etc all done the same day. I guess it doesn't matter now as I've had to take the tape offsite, but I could run it again to test on a set of test data.

[adrianmarsh]

I've filed this with Support to see if they can help

[J_H_Is_gone]

And did you try the phase2 the same day? 

[adrianmarsh]

Ok... Update for the thread.. I just got off the phone after an interesting conversation with the nice support lady.

We did some tests the other day, and if Copy 1 is in the Catalog, you can't import copy 2+ - it just ignores it completely.

Basically, it seems that if Copy 1 is in existance, then from Symantecs point-of-view, everything is ok in the world.

I tried to explain that that is true, but only up until the point of when Copy 1 burnt down, or got destroyed, and when you really needed that second copy.  At that point you'd then have to import the Copy 2 tape.

Of course, if thats 2 months after the mistake was made on deleting Copy 2 from the catalog, then you're chances of the Copy 2 data either a) not being overwritten or b) it disappearing into a Void of spare tapes, is only solved by manually putting the Copy 2 somewhere safe and putting a nice label on it.

I've asked her to raise it as a bug, but agreed it is a low-priority bug. She's going to talk to managers again.

For me personally, this isn't a massive issue. In my DR situation, I'm assuming the catalog is dead anyway, and that I'm starting with a blank Catalog and doing tape-imports - and I don't keep multiple copies of data normally.  But, if in your company you do want to keep multiple copies (i.e., Site 1 and Site 2), then please be very careful when you expire copy 2 images, as theres no way to get them back into the Catalog....

[RiaanBadenhorst]

It all comes down to protecting your catalog and making sure you know where its backed up to. Once you've got that, you don't need to import and worry about copy numbers :)

[adrianmarsh]

Hi Riaan,

Support seem to be going down the same route as your last comment about the Catalog.

I'm giving up on this now.  Basically Symantec doesn't see that fact that you can't re-import copy 2, as a "bug".  They say that a workaround, would be to do a partial restore of the Catalog, for that specific Image (provided of course you have a catalog covering that image/period).  Of course they don't have any procedure for exactly *how* you do that, or what files you'd need to restore, or if you might actually corrupt your catalog in doing so, but hey...

I just really hope theres not someone out there one day who relies on their Copy 2 data that heavily...

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi Adrian,

Good to hear from you. I'm still not clear on the use case here. What scenario are you actually thinking of that you would need to do it.

Do you have 2 sites, prod and dr and you'd like to restore in DR regularly?

Like I said previously, imports are only done when you've lost your catalog, or if someone has accidently expired a media/backup image and you'd like to get it back.

If you give me scenarios we can probably figure it out.

If you have time :)