Backup Server & VXA Autoloader

[southcityguy 0]

Hello,

 

I am a longtime Retrospect user but recently acquired a VXA-2 firewire packetloader. I have no background with tapes, much less autoloaders. I am currently trying to decide whether or not to use the GFS rotation scheme or something else. I currently have plenty of tapes and can fit all files on a single tape, every day.

 

The problem I have is that I use a Backup Server script for about 5 mobile users that runs throughout the day and than another regular script that runs at night to backup my desktop users. I can not figure out how to integrate the backup data from the day and the evening onto the same tape on a daily basis. I have already followed the instructions below, with the exception of a Friday tape, for the evening backups but the backup server scripts do not allow you to specify different tapes for different days within the script. My goal is to reuse the Mon-Thur tapes every week, reuse the Friday tapes weekly(and store onsite in media safe) and than do a monthly full backup to archive off site. What is the best way to implement all of this? Thanks!

 

http://kb.dantz.com/al/12/1/1015.html

 

 

Ben

G4 1.25/512MB/OS 10.3

Retrospect Workgroup 6

[natew 0]

Hi

 

You can create 5 different backup server scripts. Each one will contain 1 backup set as a destination and be limited to operation on one day of the week. That should match up with your daily rotation.

 

Thanks

Nate

[southcityguy 0]

Thanks Nate, I sort of figured that might be my only way out. Any suggestion on the GFS scheme? I thought it sounded pretty comprehensive but I have since read in Retrospect documentation and elsewhere that a lot of people don't like it due to difficult restores, expensive, etc.

 

What is the best way to ensure daily/weekly backup and then have a monthly archive tape to take off site for permenant storage?

 

Thanks again,

 

Ben

[natew 0]

Hi

 

Retrospect doesn't do GFS very well - its actually designed not to. Trust me, this is a good thing.

 

I would set up your five backup server scripts (one for each day) as mentioned above.

 

I would also set up a regular script that does a recycle backup to one set each week. By recycling one set a week you keep a one month file history on hand at any given time. To set this up add all 5 sets to your script and shedule 5 different executions each one starting a week after the previous one. Set the weeks box to "5" for each schedule.

 

For the montly backup I would set up another script entirely that just runs once a month.

 

Thanks

Nate