Simplified Disk backup set allowing easy migration to DVD, etc.

[jkitson]

I'm sure this type of backup set has been suggested many times,

I did not see a posting suggesting these specific details, so I'll

post this description myself.

 

I would like to see a backup set that is a hybrid between a file

backup and a DVD/CDR backup set. Retrospect backups up clients to

backup files on the local hard disk allowing easy migration to other

medium, e.g. DVDR disks. Retrospect then supports restores from these

files whether they are in their original location or from the new

medium. This seems very close to the Disk backup set, maybe it can

be done as an option, e.g. "Use migratable fixed size data files".

 

When I create a new backup set I want to specify:

 

1) backup set name

2) the "holding" directory

3) file size

4) catalog location

 

Retrospect then creates the first file in the backup, e.g.

1-Backup-Set, in the holding directory. Retrospect writes into this

file the same data it would write onto a DVD/CDR backup. When that

file reaches the specified file size, Retrospect creates a second

file, 2-Backup-Set. If you have only one DVD writer on the machine,

you don't have to worry about your backup stopping in the middle

of the night requesting a new disk.

 

It is now up to the user if they want to archive these files to other

medium. For example, set the file size at 4.6GB and each file would

fit nicely on a DVDR. The user can use any program that they choose

to write the DVDR, and any DVD drive that program supports. Using

CDR, set the file size to 650MB. You could leave it on the hard disk for

quick restores and archive a copy for offsite. You could easily write

two copies. Let Nero or whatever do its own verify after written. If

its verify fails, write another disk. Write the DVDs at the drives

maximum speed, not at the maximum packet writing speed.

 

Once written to DVDR, you can choose whether to leave the file on the

hard disk or not. Leave it there if you have the space, remove it

when you need the space (after writing to DVDR). If you choose the

Fast Catalog Restore option, you just need the last media to rebuild

the catalog.

 

On a restore, Retrospect looks in the holding directory for the file,

and if it's not there it can open a find-file window and you can tell

it to look at a DVD-ROM drive. No need to copy the DVD contents back

to the hard disk. Maybe Retrospect could have a search option to find

the files, e.g. check the holding directory, and the top level

directory of all drives. If you have mutliple DVD drives, you can

preload multiple disks and it will find each one without intervention.

 

After many failed attempts to use DVDR disks as a backup medium, I

have been unable to get reliable writes. I've tried both custom

configured and qualified DVD writers. Various media. ASPI and

Pass-Through. Default and Slow write speeds. Backing up local disk

and network clients. Two different machines. I was unable to find

any settings that worked reliably. I didn't see any pattern, and I've

run out of experiments to try. After about 120 DVD disks, I've given

up.

 

This would be the ideal solution for my setup. I would also think

that many small sites using a single DVD writer would prefer this

solution...no worry about the backups stopping during the night

waiting for the next disk. Writing the DVD would be more reliable,

and therefore the Retrospect backup itself would be more reliable. In

using Retrospect over the years, about 10 years now, I cannot remember

a single problem backing up to a local disk file (except in the case

where the disk is full).