Jump to content

Recycle when media full?


Recommended Posts

I use a large external (firewire) drive on my root machine to do automated backups on a small LAN with Macs and PCs. The last time it was ~80% full, I reset the script to do recycle backups on all machines. It took FOREVER. Would it be faster (at the risk of loosing backups) to just manually clear the drive of everything, including the catalog, before starting the recycle backups? If so, do I loose any info, e.g., in the catalog file, that would otherwise be preserved (preserved if I just schedule all machines for a recycle backup without wiping the drive)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last time it was ~80% full, I reset the script to do recycle backups on all machines. It took FOREVER. Would it be faster (at the risk of loosing backups) to just manually clear the drive of everything, including the catalog, before starting the recycle backups? If so, do I loose any info, e.g., in the catalog file, that would otherwise be preserved (preserved if I just schedule all machines for a recycle backup without wiping the drive)?

 

- How exactly did you perform your recycle?

(configure->Backup Sets->Configure->Options->Media Action is one way...)

- How large did were your backup data file and catalog file before you recycled?

 

When you recycle a File Backup Set, both the catalog and data files are emptied; nothing is kept except Retrospect's awareness of them. If you delete these two files you'll need to make a New Backup Set, and you'll have to update any scripts you have with this new Source (even if you use the same name, Retrospect will know it's new). But you won't loose any backup data.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thx. I used Script->Edit->Schedule->changed Normal to Recycle. The total volume of backup data was ~80Gb. The backup medium is a Firewire hard drive connected to the root Mac G4 Titanium, which is connected through a Lynksys router to the other client machines by Ethernet. Normally, this is FAST, e.g., when I did the initial backups.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

Normally, this is FAST, e.g., when I did the initial backups

 


 

It is still unclear what slowdown you are reporting.

 

When you configured the Script's Schedule to perform a Recycle Backup, that only takes a few mouse clicks.

 

When the script ran, what did you see?

 

What does the Operations Log say?

 

Now that it has run its Recycle, does it continue to be slower then you remember from the past?

 

If you describe, step-by-step, what you are doing and what you observe, it will be easier for Forum participants to help.

 

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:

It took FOREVER. Would it be faster (at the risk of loosing backups) to just manually clear the drive of everything, including the catalog, before starting the recycle backups?

 


 

The first backup of any cycle (whether new or recycle) has to backup everything from scratch. This usually takes far far far far longer than the more normal incremental backups. Did I mention that it is depressing trying to do the initial backup?

 

As Dave asked, we need some details about what was slower. Perhaps you are just backing up more and bigger clients than when you first started, or perhaps Retrospect is doing something surprisingly slowly on the recycle for file backups (I don't see anything unusual with tape recycles).

 

The log has lots of useful progress information to help identify where the slowdown or delay is occurring. Can you put some numbers on how long forever is, but more importantly, what Retrospect was doing at the time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, you shamed me into going over the Log - the initial backups were quite some time ago. Given the present volumes of the clients, the times are in fact comparable. Thanks - and sorry for the false alarm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...