e047045f-ea1c-4e98-b0cd-77ffb8942434 Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Hello, is there a possibility to copy one LTO 4 tape on another using retrospect? I only found a duplication option for folders and files - but I want to duplicate the whole tape 1:1 on another to have a second (totally mirrored) tape. Background: I have an HP Ultrium LTO drive and I'm thinking about duplicating my existing (tape) archive to keep them in a different place then the first archive. And if this would work - I would buy a second drive! If this is not possibly...I need to find a better solution (using only one drive)! I'm looking forward to your suggestions using retrospect..or maybe another program!? Thank you very much! Kriz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e047045f-ea1c-4e98-b0cd-77ffb8942434 Posted May 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 Hm, or maybe I can start (from now on) to write the backup on 2 tapes at the same time. Does retrospect support usinging two drives at the same time? I need to find this out ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twickland Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 I have an HP Ultrium LTO drive and I'm thinking about duplicating my existing (tape) archive to keep them in a different place then the first archive. Yes, you can copy data from one backup set to another. You will need two tape drives to transfer from one tape backup set to another. Go to Tools> Copy> Transfer to perform this operation. You will want to give the backup sets different names so you (and Retrospect) can keep track of them separately. While Retrospect 6 cannot write to two drives simultaneously as part of the same backup, you could configure to run two backups sequentially, one to each of your two backup sets, which might be almost as good. If you're looking to upgrade, Retrospect 8 supports writing to two drives simultaneously if you also purchase the advanced tape support add-on. Be aware that Retro 8.2, though newer, is a less polished product than Retro 6.1, and still has a lot of quirks and bugs as well as a less usable user interface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e047045f-ea1c-4e98-b0cd-77ffb8942434 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Hello Twickland, thank you for your answer. Hm, it's a shame that writing on 2 tapes simultaneously isn't possible with version 6 - I think that would be the best solution (for the future). Ok, but I think buying a second drive to transfer the data from one set to another (safety) set would be a nice solution. Do you know if retrospect follows my transfer status? Means: I start copying 10 LTO tapes - after that I have 10 mirrored tapes. But then, I go on with backing up my data and in one month I have another 10 tapes full which I want to copy. Does retrospect save in the preferences that it should now go on with copying from tape 11 (original) to tape 11 (mirror)? Thank you very much for your help!! Kriz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twickland Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Hm, it's a shame that writing on 2 tapes simultaneously isn't possible with version 6 - I think that would be the best solution (for the future). Retrospect 6 is a dead product. There will be no further development or updates. Do you know if retrospect follows my transfer status? Means: I start copying 10 LTO tapes - after that I have 10 mirrored tapes. But then, I go on with backing up my data and in one month I have another 10 tapes full which I want to copy. Does retrospect save in the preferences that it should now go on with copying from tape 11 (original) to tape 11 (mirror)? Remember, you are copying from one backup set to another, not just from tape to tape. Each backup set will have its own catalog. So yes, when you copy from tape backup set "XXX" to tape backup set "YYY," Retrospect knows about the previous data that's already in "YYY" and will ask for a new tape member as needed. Given what you're trying to do, you should make sure that the option to copy snapshots is enabled each time you perform your copy. It's conceivable that, due to slight variations in tape length and data transfer rates, the individual tape members of backup set "YYY" may not contain exactly the same files as the corresponding members of set "XXX." This shouldn't be a problem, since you will always have to restore files from set "YYY" if the desired member of "XXX" is damaged or missing; you couldn't simply insert tape member 10-YYY, say, in place of tape 10-XXX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e047045f-ea1c-4e98-b0cd-77ffb8942434 Posted May 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Of course, you are right! It's just a set and in the set's catalog retrospect knows where to go on! Wonderful, thank you very, very much for your support! I think I'm going to copy my tapes (when the new LTO-Drive arrives) and write down my experiences if everything worked out fine! So, if others have a similar problem and google lead them to this thread - they'll find a kind of solution Greetings Kriz P.S.: Hm, ok, Retrospect 6 will no longer be developed but (in my case) it worked fine! Upgrading to a newer version could bring the problems you have written..so, never change a running system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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