Spanning two hard disks in one backup set

[4ae138d9-ebc1-4e9d-923b-02b9a6d6bd35]

Instead of buying a larger capacity backup disk, I want to make a backup set that spans two external hard drives. Retrospect says that a backup set can span multiple hard drives, but I can't find much detail.

 

It gets a little complicated to have both drives connected to the computer at the same time--two different power supplies for the disks and two USB ports occupied--so I would prefer to have only one drive connected to the computer at a time.

 

This is the first time I have had more than one member in a hard drive backup set, and I have a few questions:

 

1) When running in its normal, behind-the-scenes mode, is Retrospect capable of notifying me when it needs access to the other disk? Most of the time I can get only the activity monitor when Retrospect is running, and I cannot find out the status of a backup.

 

2) I see options for Retrospect either to ask me for a new disk when one is full or to groom the existing disk. Can I configure it to use both members of the backup set, then start grooming?

 

3) Suppose Retrospect prompts me for the other disk, but Windows tells me the current disk is in use and shouldn't be removed. I get that message often when I try to use "Safely Remove Hardware" to switch between backup sets, even when Retrospect isn't running and no other program should be using that disk. A lot of times I have to shut down the computer to disconnect the disk. What would I do in this situation?

 

I am using Retrospect Professional 8.0.0 in Windows 7.

[Mayoff]

Under Windows 7, it is best to open Retrospect prior to your scheduled backup so that you have full access to the user interface during a backup operation. If Retrospect autolaunches, you will be unable to view media requests or errors.

 

If your 1st disk becomes full, Retrospect will request a 2nd disk and a media request will be displayed.

 

If you have disks offline, then you should NOT use grooming. Grooming should only be used when all disks are attached at all times.

 

I suspect your anti-virus software or some other program is preventing disk removal. You really want to fix that before trying to do a media rotation with Retrospect.

[Hofstede]

An extra comment to this: Retrospects' own Instant Scan service is currently preventing external USB harddisks from being removed safely by Windows. You must make sure to exclude the external disk from the Instant Scan in the ini-file to make safe removal possible. See this post: http://forums.retrospect.com/index.php?/topic/150060-instant-scan-is-preventing-usb-drive-safe-removal/page__fromsearch__1