Darrin Posted April 5, 2003 Report Share Posted April 5, 2003 I have a weekly recycle backup that spans two tapes. I then have normal backups until the next recycle a week later. I would like to do the normal backups on a third tape. I enabled the Automatic Skip media option, and instructed the user to place the third tape in after the recycle backup completed. This worked for the first time because all the tapes were new and blank. This second recycle took OK, but with the third tape in afterward the normal backup that evening failed because it timed out asking for tape 2 again. How can I have Retrospect use this third tape for normal backups without having to erase it manually? I want the two-tape full backup tapes to be taken offsite when that backup completes. I want this all to run fully unattended because the user who swaps tapes has no access to the server GUI for Retrospect button clicking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2003 Please help, this week's cycle starts again on Wednesday evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 10, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2003 This problem is now compounded. Today it asked for 2-week1 of my set week1. This tape has been used before. I inserted it and it required a click to proceed, even though the device view showed the 2-week1 tape was indeed in the drive. Can Retrospect run unattended? No one has time to sit at the backup server and click next or OK buttons all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2003 ...and again this morning with 3-week1, which was inserted, but Retrospect sat there waiting for someone to click on the 3-week1 in the choices window and click proceed. This is not unattended operation as these backup scripts are configured to operate as. Is there a hidden setting that I can enable to run unattended? Retrospect appears to be a user-interactive product only, contrary to the product information on the website. I'm frustrated because I recommended and installed Dantz Single Server at three locations, and for these problems to surface now doesn't reflect well on me, and by extension Dantz. Getting the product to work as it is advertised should not be billable support. If it is easier to refund our purchases let me know, I would entertain that also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 Quote: I have a weekly recycle backup that spans two tapes. I then have normal backups until the next recycle a week later. I would like to do the normal backups on a third tape. I enabled the Automatic Skip media option, and instructed the user to place the third tape in after the recycle backup completed. This worked for the first time because all the tapes were new and blank. This second recycle took OK, but with the third tape in afterward the normal backup that evening failed because it timed out asking for tape 2 again. How can I have Retrospect use this third tape for normal backups without having to erase it manually? I want the two-tape full backup tapes to be taken offsite when that backup completes. Skip to blank media will only work if there is blank media in the drive. There is no function in Retrospect to over write just any tape that is in the drive. By design, Retrospect will keep writing to a tape until it is full before moving on to the next tape. Can you give a more complete outline of your setup so that we can better help troubleshoot the other issues you are experiencing? Your post indicates that the backup set name is Week 1. This would tend to imply that you are rotating more then one set of backup tapes. How is your script layed out? How many Destinations do you have? How is the schedule set up exactly? How many sets are you rotating? If you have, for example, two sets of three tapes, you're going to need 2 backup sets for the recycle backups to occur automatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2003 Hello Amy, thanks for the reply. I will get screen grabs and more info to you as soon as the current backup job completes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2003 Here are the screen grabs: http://members.shaw.ca/darrin.gallant/dantz/ Each set Week1 and Week2 have 3 tapes (eg. 1-Week1, 2-Week1, 3-Week1). A recycle backup runs each Wednesday, using alternating 1-Week1 and 1-Week2 tapes (this week's recycle ran last night so it's bumped off the "preview" window). I figured out why it didn't take the last 2-Week2 tape when it was in the drive. The user had put in 3-Week2 and it got renamed to 2-Week2, effectively making two 2-Week2 tapes in the same set and Retrospect had to prompt because it couldn't confirm which 2-Week2 was in there. Please let me know if there is any way I can have my backup scheme run as shown, yet use the third tape in each set before tape 2 is full, so tapes 1 and 2 can be taken offsite and tape 3 left in until the next week set rotation. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted April 18, 2003 Report Share Posted April 18, 2003 Quote: Please let me know if there is any way I can have my backup scheme run as shown, yet use the third tape in each set before tape 2 is full, so tapes 1 and 2 can be taken offsite and tape 3 left in until the next week set rotation. There is no way to configure this manually. The tape will need to be erased manually for "Skip to blank media" to work. Or, the user can manually configure Retrospect to skip to the next member through Configure > Backup Sets > Properties > Options > Action > Skip. If this is done the night before tape 3 is required, then Retrospect should go ahead and reuse member 3. This will save the time to erase, but will still require manual intervention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrin Posted April 18, 2003 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2003 Hi Amy, thanks for the reply. I think a "skip to media in drive if it is from the proper backup set and that backup set was first recycled" option would be a welcome addition to the next version of your software, or preferably a service pack. Perhaps a hidden option in the ctl-alt-p-p section. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyJ Posted April 18, 2003 Report Share Posted April 18, 2003 It's not a bad suggestion. You can submit feature requests through the following link: http://www.dantz.com/en/support/feedback.dtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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