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Advanced Backup - Linux File System

Full Backups

  1. Full backups provide the most comprehensive protection of data. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Select Full as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.

  4. Click OK.

    You can track the progress of the job from the Job Controller or Event Viewer window. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.

full_backup

Note

Between backup jobs, if a folder is deleted and another folder is renamed to the same name, and if the file modified time (mtime) and changed time (ctime) did not change, then the next incremental or differential backup job does not back up the contents of the renamed folder. To back up the renamed folder, we recommend to enable the Optimized Scan option or the Reconcile Backup option from the subclient properties.

Incremental backups

An incremental backup contains only data that is new or has changed since the last backup, regardless of the type. On average, incremental backups consume less media and use less resources than full backups.

The illustration below clarifies the nature of full and incremental backups. For simplicity, assume there is a file system that contains six files as represented in the figure.

Backup #1 is a full backup and therefore writes all the data, changed and unchanged, to the backup media. Backups #2 through #n-1 are incrementals and only back up those files that have changed since the time of the last backup, regardless of the type. For example, files A, B, and E changed after the full backup and were therefore backed up in Backup #2. Backup #4 backed up files A and D because both files were modified sometime after Backup #3 occurred. File F did not change; hence, it was not backed up in any of the incremental backups, but it was included in both full backups, which, by definition, back up everything.

incremental

Follow the steps below to perform an incremental backup:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Select Incremental as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.

  4. Click OK.

    You can track the progress of the job from the Job Controller. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.

imagesklzzwxh:0009ackupklzzwxh:0010inuxklzzwxh:0011ncremental.png

Differential Backups

A differential backup contains only the data that is new or has changed since the last full backup. Like incremental backups, differential backups, on average, consume less media and place less of a burden on resources than full backups. Differential backups are cumulative. This means that each differential backup contains all changes accumulated since the last full backup. Each successive differential backup contains all the changes from the previous differential backup.

The illustration below demonstrates the nature of differential backups. For simplicity, assume there is a file system that contains six files as represented in the figure.

Backup #1 is a full backup and therefore writes all the data to the backup media. Backups #2 through #n-1 are differential backups and only back up those files that changed since the time of the last full backup. For example, files A, B, and E changed after the full backup and were therefore backed up in Backup #2 as well as all subsequent differential backups. File C changed sometime after Backup #2 and was consequently backed up in Backup #3 and all subsequent differential backups. File F did not change; hence, it was not backed up in any of the differential backups, but it was included in both full backups, which, by definition, back up everything.

differential

Follow the steps below to perform a differential backup:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Select Differential as a backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.

  4. Click OK.

    You can track the progress of the backup job from the Job Controller. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.

imagesklzzwxh:0021ackupklzzwxh:0022inuxklzzwxh:0023ifferential.png

Synthetic Full Backups

A synthetic full backup is a synthesized backup, created from the most recent full backup and subsequent incremental and/or differential backups. The resulting synthetic full backup is identical to a full backup for the subclient.

Unlike full, incremental, and differential backups, a synthetic full backup does not actually transfer data from a client computer to the backup media. Therefore, they do not use any resources on the client computer.

Synthetic full backups are media-based; they read backup data from one media and simultaneously write (restore) the result to the new active media within the same media group. As a result, synthetic full backups require that at least two media drives for the same storage policy be available at the time the job is started. Synthetic full backups cannot be performed on subclients where the storage policy is associated with a stand-alone drive.

Running Synthetic Full Backups

Synthetic full backups can either be started manually or scheduled to occur at regular intervals.

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. From the Backup Options window, select Synthetic Full for Backup Type.

  4. Select Immediate for Job Initiation.

  5. Click OK.

    You can track the progress of the backup job from the Job Controller. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.

Accelerated Synthetic Full Backups (DASH Full)

When a storage policy copy is deduplicated, synthetic full backups can be created in an accelerated mode to significantly reduce the copy duration. This is done by identifying and transferring the data signatures (instead of the data itself) to the target wherever possible.

To enable DASH full on a storage policy copy, see Modifying a Storage Policy Copy Deduplication Settings.

Backing Up Mount Points

Backups follow mount points by default, backing up both the configuration and the data on the mounted volume. You can use another subclient to backup the data on the mounted volume. In such case, you can exclude the data on the mounted volume from the default backup.

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the default <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Select Full as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.

  4. Click Advanced and select the Advanced Backup Options dialog box.

  5. In the Advanced Backup Options dialog box, click the Data tab.

  6. Select (or clear) Follow Mount Points to include (or exclude) mount point data from the subclient.

  7. Click OK.

    Depending upon your selection, the mount point data will be included or excluded from the default subclient backup.

bkp_mnt_pnts

Note

When backups are run from multiple nodes on clustered file systems, the same content is backed up multiple times. Backups should be run on only one node to avoid such duplicate content backups. However, the other nodes can also be configured to run backups but make sure that the clustered file system mount point is added to the file system exclusion list of the physical machine's subclients.
For VERITAS Cluster File System, the clustered file system mount point is added automatically to the file system exclusion list when backup is run for the first time on the virtual node/s.

Scheduling a Backup

  1. From the CommCell Console, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | defaultBackupSet.

  2. Right click the default <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Click Schedule.

  4. Click Configure.

  5. Select the appropriate scheduling options. For example:

    • Click Weekly.

    • Check the days you want the run the restore job.

    • Change the Start Time to 9:00 PM

    • Click OK to close the Schedule Details dialog

    • Click OK to close the Backup Options dialog

    The backup job will execute as per the schedule.

schedule_details

See Scheduling for a comprehensive information on scheduling jobs.

Performing an On-Demand Backup

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | File System | <On-Demand Backup Set>.

  2. Right click the <Subclient> and click Backup.

  3. Click Browse.

  4. Navigate to the Directive file or Content file that you want to use.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Select Immediate to run the job immediately.

  7. Click OK.

You can track the progress of the backup job from the Job Controller. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.

bkp_ondemand

Managing Jobs

Jobs can be managed in a number of ways. For information on controlling jobs, such as terminating a job, see Job Controller Overview.

Restarting Jobs

Jobs that fail to complete successfully are automatically restarted based on the job restartability configuration set in the Control Panel. This configuration can be changed at any time; however, changes to this configuration will affect all jobs run in the entire CommCell.

It is also possible to override the default CommServe configuration for individual jobs by configuring retry settings when initiating the job. This configuration, however, will apply only to the specific job.

Note

Backup jobs for this Agent are resumed from the point-of-failure.

Configure Job Restartability at the CommServe Level

  1. From the CommCell Console ribbon, click the Home tab, and then click Control Panel.

  2. In the Data section, click Job Management.

    The Job Management dialog box is displayed.

  3. On the Job Restarts tab, select the job information.

    • In the Job Type box, select the job that you want set the restart capability for (for example, for DB2 backup jobs, select DB2 Data Protection).

    • Select the Restartable check box.

    • Optional: to change the maximum number of times that the Job Manager tries to restart a job, in the Max Restarts box, select the number of times.

    • Optional: to change the time interval between attempts for the Job Manager to restart the job, in the Restart Interval (Mins) box, select the number of minutes.

  4. Click OK.

Configure Job Restartability for an Individual Job

  1. From the Backup Options dialog box, click Advanced, then select the Job Retry tab and specify the following as desired:

    • Total Running Time - The maximum elapsed time, in hours and minutes, from the time that the job is created.

    • Number of Retries - The number of times that Job Manager will attempt to restart the job.

    • Kill Running Jobs When Total Running Time Expires - Option to kill the job when the specified Total Running Time has elapsed, even if its state is "Running".

  2. Click OK.

Throttling Jobs

Modify backup job performance by modifying job throttling. See Throttling Backup Jobs for information on throttling options.

Additional Options

The following table describes the available additional options to further refine your backup operations:

Option

Description

Related Topics

Startup Options

The Startup Options are used by the Job Manager to set priority for resource allocation. This is useful to give higher priority to certain jobs. You can set the priority as follows:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and click Startup tab.

  4. Select the Change Priority checkbox.

  5. Enter a priority number - 0 is the highest priority and 999 is the lowest priority.

  6. Select the Start up in suspended State check box to start the job in a suspended state.

  7. Click OK.

Refer to Job Priority and Priority Precedence.

Alerts

This option enables users or user groups to get automatic notification on the status of the data protection job. Follow the steps given below to set up the criteria to raise notifications/alerts:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Alert tab.

  4. Click Add Alert.

  5. From the Add Alert Wizard dialog box, select the required threshold and notification criteria and click Next.

  6. Select the required notification types and click Next.

  7. Select the recipients and click Next.

  8. Click Finish.

  9. Click OK.

Refer to Alerts and Notifications.

Command Line Backups

Command Line Interface enables you to perform backups or restore from the command line. The commands can be executed from the command line or can be integrated into scripts.

You can also generate command line scripts for specific operations from the CommCell Browser using the Save As Script option.

Refer to Command Line Interface.

Data Path Options

Data Protection operations use a default Library, MediaAgent, Drive Pool, and Drive as the Data Path. You can use this option to change the data path if the default data path is not available. Follow the steps given below to change the default data path:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Data Path tab.

  4. Select the MediaAgent and Library.

  5. Select the Drive Pool and Drive for tape library.

  6. Click OK.

Refer Change Data Path.

Start New Media

The Start New Media option enables you to start the data protection operation on a new media. This feature provides control over where the data physically resides.Use the following steps to start the data protection operation on a new media:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Media tab.

  4. Select the Start New Media check box.

  5. Click OK.

Refer to Start New Media.

Mark Media Full

This option marks the media as full, two minutes after the successful completion of the data protection job. This option prevents another job from writing to this media. Follow the steps given below:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select Media tab.

  4. Select the Mark Media Full on Success check box.

  5. Click OK.

Refer to Export Media.

Allow Other Schedules To Use Media Set

The Allow Other Schedules to use Media Set option allows jobs that are part of the schedule or schedule policy and using the specific storage policy to start a new media. It also prevents other jobs from writing to the same set of media.

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Media tab.

  4. Select the Allow Other Schedules To Use Media Set check box.

  5. Click OK.

Refer to Creating an Exportable Media Set.

Reserve Resources Before Scan

Media is reserved for a job when the job is ready to write data. You can use this option to reserve the media during the initial phase of the job. Follow the steps given below to reserve media:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Media tab.

  4. Select the Reserve Resources Before Scan check box.

  5. Click OK.

Extended Data Retention

This option allows you to extend the expiration date of a specific job. This will override the default retention set at the corresponding storage policy copy. Follow the steps given below to extend the expiration date:

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Media tab.

  4. Select one of the following options:

    • Infinite - Select this option to extend the expiration date by infinite number of days

    • Number of day - Select this option to specify the number of days to extend the expiration date and then enter the number of days.

  5. Click OK.

Refer to Extended Retention Rules.

Vault Tracker

This feature provides the facility to manage media that is removed from a library and stored in offsite locations. Depending on your Vault Tracker setup, select the required options. Use the following steps to access and select the Vault Tracker options.

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set.

  2. Right-click the Subclient in the right pane and click Backup.

  3. Click Advanced and select the Vault Tracking tab.

  4. Select the required options.

  5. Click OK.

Refer to Vault Tracker.

CommCell Readiness Report

The CommCell Readiness Report provides you with vital information such as connectivity and readiness of the Client, MediaAgent, and CommServe. It is useful to run this report before performing a backup or a recovery operation. Follow the steps given below to generate the report:

  1. On the CommCell Console menu bar, select the Reports tab.

  2. Click Readiness.

    The Report Selection dialog box appears.

  3. If necessary, select Reports | CommServe | CommCell Readiness in the left pane.

  4. Select the Computers tab, and then click Modify below the Computers list.

  5. In the dialog box that appears, clear Include All Client Computers and All Client Groups.

  6. Select the appropriate client from the Exclude list, and then click Include >.

  7. Click OK.

  8. Select the MediaAgent tab, and then clear Include All MediaAgents.

  9. Select the appropriate MediaAgent from the Exclude list, and then click Include >.

  10. Click Run.

    The report appears in your default Web browser.

Refer to CommCell Readiness Report.

Backup Job Summary Report

The Backup Job Summary Report provides you with information about all of the backup jobs that are run in last 24 hours for a specific subclient. You can get information such as status, time, data size, and so on for each backup job. It is useful to run this report after performing the backup. Follow the steps given below to generate the report:

  1. On the CommCell Console menu bar, select the Reports tab.

  2. Click Summary.

    The Report Selection dialog box appears.

  3. If necessary, select Reports | Jobs | Job Summary in the left pane.

  4. On the General tab, select Data Management.

  5. Select the Computers tab.

  6. Select Subclient, and then select the Edit sub tab.

  7. Navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | File System | Backup Set | <Subclient>.

  8. Click Run.

    The report appears in your default Web browser.

Refer to Backup Job Summary Report.

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