Easy Script Rotate Backup Problems

[bobsumowrestler]

Hi,

 

We've been using an easy script to perform a rotating backup to one of two FW drives recently.

 

When I was examining the contents of the drives to recover some data, I found that the backup seemed to be split over the two.

 

Surely, retrospect should backup everything to one drive for a week, and then do the same the next week to the new drive. Each drive should therefore have a full set of files at all times, otherwise it would be useless.

 

Is this right, and if not, how should we achieve this?

[CallMeDave]

Sorry, but your post is too vague for others to comment.

 

- "Easy Script" is just a sort of tutorial or helper to create scripts. It doesn't describe your actual configuration.

 

 

> When I was examining the contents of the drives to recover some data

 

- What does this mean? What did you do, and what, exactly, did you see?

 

 

> Surely, retrospect should backup everything to one drive for a week, and then do the

> same the next week to the new drive

 

Retrospect should do what it's configured to do. More information would be necessary to understand what might be going on.

[bobsumowrestler]

We wanted a rotating backup set so that one of us could take a drive home and have one in the office backing the server up. We wanted this drive to contain everything from the server for obvious reasons. The drives should therefore have everything from the server on at any single point, otherwise the backup set would be totally useless in the event of fire / theft.

 

We therefore used an easy script to do this, straight out the box and it seemed to be working ok. We went through the stages, selecting a external fw drives as the media, backing up everyday, rotating weekly. We back up to set a and set b.

 

When I went to view the contents of the second backup set, nothing really was on the drive. It just looked as though drive one was full and the second drive just had a a few of the changed files on.

 

Is this right? We need them to be almost identical in case of disaster.

[rhwalker]

Surely, retrospect should backup everything to one drive for a week, and then do the same the next week to the new drive. Each drive should therefore have a full set of files at all times, otherwise it would be useless.

I vigorously disagree. The strategy you propose is useless, because it leaves one of the sets a week behind. Some people back up on alternate days to alternate sets (as we do, because our backup window is long), which exposes us to a risk of two days of data loss worst case if the source is lost and one of the backup sets becomes unreadable (we use tape). Other people do two alternating backup sets in sequence on the same day, exposing them to at most one day's loss of data if the source is lost and one of the backup sets becomes unreadable.

 

Dave is right, though. Retrospect will do exactly what you ask it to do regarding alternating sets. If you want to shoot yourself in the foot, go ahead. But the "easy script", while it does just create some scripts that you could have created by hand, takes the correct and conservative approach.

 

Of course, you take the alternating set off site after it is made, don't you?

 

Russ

[rhwalker]

We therefore used an easy script to do this, straight out the box and it seemed to be working ok. We went through the stages, selecting a external fw drives as the media, backing up everyday, rotating weekly. We back up to set a and set b.

Still can't tell what you are doing from your description. How about posting a screen shot showing your backup set's schedule?

 

See attached screen shots for an example.

 

Russ

[demani]

I don't agree that the process is useless-everyone has different limits as to acceptable loss, and you have made the decision that one week would be acceptable.

 

Anyway-how much data are you backing up? One strategy we have employed is to break out things into different scripts doing different things. For example-do you really need all the network clients backed up perpetually, or do you just need to snapshot from the last few months? Does your server data get backed up into this set as well?

 

As for scheduling, the tricky part can be dealing with it when it doesn't switch. We have decided that the easier way is to set Retrospect to only wait 15 minutes if it needs a new tape, and to not automatically take a blank tape when it can't find the tape it wants.

 

Then just set two identical scripts-one will fail, while the other will succeed. You can rotate as you see fit (change it up on the fly when you know you have a big project going on, or not worry that you won't be in until Wednesday to change the tape). It can be done through scheduling, but then you have more restrictions about when and how you need to make that work. Just a thought.

[bobsumowrestler]

I agree that we would be a week behind, however, it's not very practical carting a backup set home each night and we tend to forget. Yes, we take the other one home each week.

 

A loss of a week is ok with us after discussion. the problem we seem to have is that one of backup sets does not seem to have all the data on. In fact, it looks like it only contained some of the changed files...

 

We're not backing up much about ±50gbs of data. We also have a backup server running, but that is fine.

 

thanks for all your answers.

 

Please see attachments.

[rhwalker]

Well, you can design whatever backup strategy you want. The screen shots I posted above were from an old copy of our server - we had a disk failure last night and were temporarily booted from a RAID 1 mirror split during recovery. Attached is a proper schedule.

 

Regardless, referring to your original post, Retrospect is doing exactly what you asked it to do.

 

Russ

[CallMeDave]

We ... used an easy script to do this, straight out the box

 

No, that's not what you did.

 

You first took the time to modify Retrospect's default preference setting, so that the Media Handling setting for "Use hard drives as removable disks" was enabled.

 

You then created a Removable Disk Backup Set, which has likely spanned your first volume and begun copying data onto your second volume (this is just a guess, but could be confirmed by seeing the Members tab of the Configuration window for each of your Backup Sets).

 

A better strategy would have been to use File Backup Sets, with one stored on each of your external hard drives.

 

 

Dave

[bobsumowrestler]

Ok Dave that's not what we did then.

 

Can you tell me how to use file backup sets?

 

 

[Mayoff]

A better strategy would have been to use File Backup Sets, with one stored on each of your external hard drives.

 

I think Dave is right, this the best option when going between 2 drives.

 

If you want 2 drives, you need 2 backup sets, not 1.

[bobsumowrestler]

I thought we were actually using two backup sets.

 

Im finding this more hard to understand as we go along!

[Mayoff]

Watch the video for an example:

 

http://video.emcinsignia.com/retrospect/retroformac/Automated%20Features/2%20week%20rotation%20to%20HD.swf

 

 

 

[bobsumowrestler]

Cool, I've just watched it and will try it later.

 

Thanks

[bobsumowrestler]

Hi,

 

So for this to work, we need two drives both named the same. Also, we have to copy the backup sets ad catalogues to both drives?

 

I've been experimenting, and presumably, the backup will continue should we fail to rotate on time. I guess this is a good thing.

 

Simon

[twickland]

So for this to work, we need two drives both named the same. Also, we have to copy the backup sets ad catalogues to both drives?

No, you don't want that.

 

You want to create two brand-new File backup sets. Go to Configure> Backup Sets> New. Store one backup set on one external drive, and the second on another external drive.

 

(Your existing Removable Media backup sets require exclusive use of their respective volumes for their data, so you will not be able to use these drives to hold the File backup sets unless and until you are ready to stop using the Removable Media backup sets that are on them. You can't even store the catalogue on a Removable Media volume.)

 

Then, modify your backup script (or write a new one) using the File backup sets as your destinations.

[rhwalker]

So for this to work, we need two drives both named the same. Also, we have to copy the backup sets ad catalogues to both drives?

No. You can't name two drives the same.

 

You need two backup sets, named differently. If you use file backup sets, they could both be on the same volume, or each could be on a different volume. If you use "removable media disk backup sets" (a misnomer), then each would have to be on a different volume, but you could add additional members to each backup set as its volume filled up.

 

In the example tutorial, the two backup sets were named differently and were on the same volume.

 

You don't copy the catalogs / backup sets around; Retrospect will create them when you create the scheduling script.

 

Russ

[CallMeDave]

You want to create two brand-new File backup sets

 

I haven't watched whatever tutorial this is, but if you're looking to keep two File Backup Sets on two different physical volumes (a good idea) you only need to create the first one, then simply copy it over to the second drive. Rename this copied version (both "Foo" and "Foo.cat" files), then double click one of the files to get Retrospect to add it to its Backup Set database.

 

After that, use scheduling and scripting as you want. You'll save all the time that making a second backup would have taken.

 

 

Dave

[Mayoff]

create the first one, then simply copy it over to the second drive. Rename this copied version (both "Foo" and "Foo.cat" files), then double click one of the files to get Retrospect to add it to its Backup Set database.

 

Yes, you can do this but the chance of user error during the naming or copying process is high. Creating a fresh backup set will typically be best for most users.