Scheduled executions change start date on it's own

[DavidBer]

We run Retrospect Backup Server 5.0.238 on Mac OS X Server 10.1.4.

 

Background

We wanted to have Retrospect to backup all our computers at a given time (18.00) each day of the week and rotate between 4 backup sets (one tape/set for each week).

 

In the script we set the start time for backup to monday at 18.00 and then do that every day in the week. To recycle the backup we schedule execution a recycle backup to run at 17.00 the same monday. This way our staff can get in on monday, eject last weeks tape and put in the current weeks tape. Retrospect will recycle that tape at 17.00 and start the backup at 18.00.

 

The schedule look like this:

Normal backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on smtwtfs, starting 2003-05-05 at 18.00

Recycle backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on monday, starting 2003-05-05 at 17.00

Normal backup to Tape Set 2

Every 4 weeks on smtwtfs, starting 2003-05-12 at 18.00

Recycle backup to Tape Set 2

Every 4 weeks on monday, starting 2003-05-12 at 17.00

Normal backup to Tape Set 3

Every 4 weeks on smtwtfs, starting 2003-05-19 at 18.00

Recycle backup to Tape Set 3

Every 4 weeks on monday, starting 2003-05-19 at 17.00

Normal backup to Tape Set 4

Every 4 weeks on smtwtfs, starting 2003-05-26 at 18.00

Recycle backup to Tape Set 4

Every 4 weeks on monday, starting 2003-05-26 at 17.00

 

This is all well for the first run but once it has run a normal backup to one set it will schedule it to run one day before the recycle!

 

Like this (example):

Normal backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on smtwtfs, starting 2003-05-04 at 18.00

Recycle backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on monday, starting 2003-05-05 at 17.00

 

Why, on God's green earth, do Retrospect think that four weeks from a startdate on a monday will take you to a sunday in the week before???

 

This way it will start the backup to a new backup set on a sunday and then do a recycle to the same set the next day. This will fail since none of our staff will be in the office to change the tape on a sunday. That's why we wanted it all to happen on a monday and set the start date for all schedule events to mondays. Only to find that Retrospect will re-schedule future executions of normal backups to start on a sunday while the recycle is still on the next day (monday).

 

Please explain this to me! Any solutions is welcome!

 

Yours,

 

/David Bergkvist

Webworks

 

http://www.webworks.se/

[AmyJ]

The Retrospect week runs on the calendar week which is Sunday to Saturday. The first day of the week being Sunday. A single schedule will not span across weeks.

 

For your schedule to work, you'll need to remove Sunday from your normal backup schedule - because, remember - Sunday is the first day of the next week - and add an additional schedule for each backup set in order to continue the backup on Sunday of the next week.

 

Using one of your sets as an example - starting with the beginning of your week:

 

Recycle backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on Monday, starting May 5 th

 

Normal backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on Tuesday-Saturday starting May 6

 

Normal backup to Tape Set 1

Every 4 weeks on Sunday starting May 11

 

Sunday is part of the following week, so it must be an additional schedule.

 

Quote:

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Retrospect will recycle that tape at 17.00 and start the backup at 18.00.

 

 

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You're actually running two backups on these days. You can either leave Monday completely out of your Normal schedule as in the example above, or you can schedule the Recycle backup to run at the same time the Normal backup usually runs. When two schedules use the same backup set at the same time, Recycle takes precedence over Normal. Or, you can continue letting the backup run twice - typically no files should have changed and shouldn't have a big impact.