Archive function doesn't work

[twflynch]

I recently upgraded to build (366) of retrospect 9 on advise of retrospect support for another problem I was having. Previous to build 366 and in all subsequent versions back to v6, I was able to perform an archive function to store (archive) my disk based retrospect backups to tape. My scripts would store client backups on a Raid volume, when the volume became full, I would kick off the archive script to move the retrospect backups to tape. Then start the process over again.

 

Now, when I run my archive script, it tells me there are no files to backup. I contacted support and was told basically that what I've been doing shouldn't have been possible and now that bug was fixed. I was told that what I needed to do now is a media copy operation. Unfortunately the media copy operation requires that I now create a separate script for each media set.

 

But all I really want to do is backup my disk named "dtod" to tape and erase all the files so I can start over.

 

Am I missing something? Why is this no longer possible?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Tom

[twickland]

Previous to build 366 and in all subsequent versions back to v6, I was able to perform an archive function to store (archive) my disk based retrospect backups to tape. My scripts would store client backups on a Raid volume, when the volume became full, I would kick off the archive script to move the retrospect backups to tape.

...

Now, when I run my archive script, it tells me there are no files to backup. I contacted support and was told basically that what I've been doing shouldn't have been possible and now that bug was fixed. I was told that what I needed to do now is a media copy operation.

But all I really want to do is backup my disk named "dtod" to tape and erase all the files so I can start over.

An Archive script in Retro 6/8/9 was always intended to copy original user files from a volume to a backup set/media set, with or without deleting the originals. It was never to my knowledge intended to copy Retrospect backup files to a new backup, which would require a two-step process to restore original files (first you would have to restore the old backup; then restore the actual files from the restored backup). Although in my mind unnecessarily time-consuming and certainly not a recommended practice, it probably would have worked OK for Retro 6 file backups and perhaps removable disk backups, which used single large files for backup data. I wonder about Retro 8/9 disk backups, though, which create a series of smaller files for backup data that Retrospect seems to treat exquisitely sensitively regarding exactly which disk member the files reside on, and which therefore might cause problems after a restore under the procedure you have been following.

 

Using the Transfer operation (Retro 6) or Copy Media Set operation (Retro 8/9) is, I think, a much better idea, and will allow you to restore user files directly from the tapes.

 

Retrospect 9 Build 366 is not a general release, but it sounds like they've now built in a function for Retrospect to recognize its own backup data and not back it up again. To my mind, this is a good move.

 

Unfortunately the media copy operation requires that I now create a separate script for each media set.

Why couldn't you just list all your source media scripts in a single Copy Media Set script?