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What does Retro call a differential?


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Usually I have just been backing up everything but now I want to do differential backups. The only place I see "Differential" listed is in the SQL options, but I want differential for files.

 

I have a 7 tape (+1 Cleaning slot) autoloader. Currently I have 14 tapes that I am using to rotate and here is my plan:

 

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3 tape set for full backup called "Week 1 Full"

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

3 tape set for full backup called "Week 2 Full"

Monday 2

Tuesday 2

Wednesday 2

Thursday 2

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I will be doing a full backup on friday which takes about 2-3 tapes. On Monday - Thursday I will do only changed files since "Friday's" backup which should take about 1 tape. My problem is that I can't see how to get the M-T setup to only do different files since Friday. I think my problem is that I am just not use to Retro's terms.

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Hi

 

The key concept is that Retrospect decides what to back up based on what is in the backup set. It does not matter when the prior backup occured.

 

It also does not matter which tape in the set those files are stored on. Retrospect will append updates to a tape until that tape is full. Then it will ask you for another tape to add to the set. Other backup systems require that you put the incremental/differential backups on a different tape which wastes tons of media space.

 

You will need to set up your schedules like this:

Friday - Recycle backup to set A

Weekend (no backups)

 

Mon,Tue,Wed,Thur - Normal backup to set A

Friday - Recycle backup to set B

Weekend (no backups)

 

Mon,Tue,Wed,Thur - Normal backup to set B

Friday - Recycle backup to set A

and so on

 

Hope that helps

 

Nate

 

 

 

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That almost helps, but my problem is that I don't want to have to keep the tapes from the full backup in the autoloader all week. If the place burns down I could loose a weeks worth of work. I want to be able to grab the tapes with the full backup on it and each day have Retro put the "normal" backup on a new tape. Is it possible to do this:

 

1. Create a backup tape set with six tapes for the first week -

1 - First Week

2 - First Week

3 - First Week

4 - First Week

5 - First Week

6 - First Week

 

2. Create a backup tape set with six tapes for the second week -

1 - Second Week

2 - Second Week

3 - Second Week

4 - Second Week

5 - Second Week

6 - Second Week

 

3. Create a script where on the first day of the first week a full recycled backup runs which basically fills 1 - and 2 - of the "First Week" set.

 

4. Take tapes 1- and 2- home leaving 3 and above in the autoloader.

 

5. Have a script run on the next 4 days for a normal backup to the "First Week" set.

 

6. Repeat this for "Second Week"

 

I guess the question here is, if tapes 1 - and 2 - are not in the autoloader any longer, will Retro go to 3 - for the normal backup by default or will it complain that 1 - and 2 - are missing and fail to run because it wants to add the data right where it left off on tape 2 -?

 

 

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Hi

 

That will work as long as you have the skip to blank media preference checked.

 

In this scenario you would set Retrospect to do a Recycle backup on Monday. You may have to manually erase all of the tapes (choose erase all from the loader menu) when you rotate the tapes back in prior to the start of the Monday backup.

 

Nate

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