Full Backups
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Full backups provide the most comprehensive protection of data. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | Proxy Client File System | <Backup Set>.
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Right click the <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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Select Full as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.
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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.
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.
Follow the steps below to perform an incremental backup:
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From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | Proxy Client File System | <Backup Set>.
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Right click the <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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Select Incremental as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.
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Click OK.
You can track the progress of the job from the Job Controller. When the backup has completed, the Job Controller displays Completed.
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.
Follow the steps below to perform a differential backup:
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From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | Proxy Client File System | <Backup Set>.
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Right click the <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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Select Differential as backup type and Immediate to run the job immediately.
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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.
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.
Note
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You cannot run a synthetic full backup job if no incremental or differential backups were run after the last full or synthetic full backup.
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For file systems and VMs, the system will run an automatic synthetic full backup job only if all of the following conditions are true:
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The current application size is greater than or equal to 1 GB.
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The sum of the sizes of the backup jobs in the current cycle is greater than or equal to 1 GB.
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The sum of the sizes of the backup jobs in the current cycle is greater than the current application size by more than 50%.
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From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | Proxy Client File System | <Backup Set>.
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Right click the <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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From the Backup Options window, select Synthetic Full for Backup Type.
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Select Immediate for Job Initiation.
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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.
Running an Incremental Backup before or after a Synthetic Full Backup
An incremental backup can be run either before or after a synthetic full backup.
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Running an incremental backup before the synthetic full ensures that any new or recently changed data is included in the synthetic full.
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Running an incremental backup after the synthetic full ensures that any new or recently changed data since the backup that occurred prior to the synthetic full, but was not included in the synthetic full, is backed up by the incremental.
The sections below describe the steps to run an incremental backup before or after a synthetic full backup:
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From the CommCell Browser, navigate to <Client> | Proxy Client File System | <Backup Set>.
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Right click the <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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From the Backup Options window, select Synthetic Full for Backup Type.
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Select Run Incremental Backup and then select Before Synthetic Full or After Synthetic Full options.
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Select Immediate for Job Initiation.
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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.
On-Demand Backups
Select the directive file as content for the on-demand subclient to perform on-demand backups. For more information on creating a subclient for on-demand backups, see Creating a Subclient for On-Demand Backups.
Procedure
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From the CommCell Browser, expand Client Computers >client > Proxy Client File System > backup set.
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Right-click the on-demand subclient, and then click Backup.
The Backup Options dialog box appears.
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In the Select Backup Type area, choose your backup type:
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To perform a full backup, select Full.
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To perform either an incremental or differential backup, select Incremental or Differential.
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In the Job initiation area, click Immediate to run the backup job immediately.
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Click OK.
Scheduling a Backup
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From the CommCell Browser, navigate to Client Computers | <Client> | Proxy Client File System | defaultBackupSet.
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Right click the default <Subclient>, and then click Backup.
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On the BackupOptionsforSubclient: <Subclient> dialog box, click Schedule.
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Click Configure.
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Select the appropriate scheduling options. For example:
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Click Weekly.
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Check the days you want the run the restore job.
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Change the Start Time to 9:00 PM
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Click OK to close the Schedule Details dialog
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Click OK to close the Backup Options dialog
The backup job will execute as per the schedule.
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See Scheduling for a comprehensive information on scheduling jobs.
Managing Jobs
Jobs can be managed in a number of ways. The following sections provide information on the different job management options available:
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
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From the CommCell Console ribbon, click the Home tab, and then click Control Panel.
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In the Data section, click Job Management.
The Job Management dialog box is displayed.
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On the Job Restarts tab, select the job information.
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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).
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Select the Restartable check box.
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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.
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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.
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Click OK.
Configure Job Restartability for an Individual Job
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From the Backup Options dialog box, click Advanced, then select the Job Retry tab and specify the following as desired:
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Total Running Time - The maximum elapsed time, in hours and minutes, from the time that the job is created.
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Number of Retries - The number of times that Job Manager will attempt to restart the job.
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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".
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Click OK.
Controlling Jobs
The following controls are available for running jobs in the Job Controller window:
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Suspend |
Temporarily stops a job. A suspended job is not terminated; it can be restarted at a later time. |
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Resume |
Resumes a job and returns the status to Waiting, Pending, Queued, or Running. The status depends on the availability of resources, the state of the Operation Windows, or the Activity Control setting. |
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Kill |
Terminates a job. |
Suspending a Job
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From the Job Controller of the CommCell Console, right-click the job and select Suspend.
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The job status may change to Suspend Pending for a few moments while the operation completes. The job status then changes to Suspended.
Resuming a Job
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From the Job Controller of the CommCell Console, right-click the job and select Resume.
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As the Job Manager attempts to restart the job, the job status changes to Waiting, Pending, or Running.
Killing a Job
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From the Job Controller of the CommCell Console, right-click the job and select Kill.
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Click Yes when the confirmation prompt appears if you are sure you want to kill the job. The job status may change to Kill Pending for a few moments while the operation completes. Once completed, the job status will change to Killed and it will be removed from the Job Controller window after five minutes.
Additional Options
Several additional options are available to further refine your backup operations. The following table describes these options, as well as the steps for configuring them.
Be sure to read the overview material referenced for each feature prior to using them.
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Option |
Description |
Related Topics |
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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:
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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. |
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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:
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Refer to Backup (Data Protection)for a list of Available Alerts. Refer to Alerts and Notifications for comprehensive information on setting up Alerts. |
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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:
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Refer Change Data Path. |
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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:
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Refer to Start New Media. |
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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:
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Refer to Export Media. |
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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.
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Refer to Creating an Exportable Media Set. |
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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:
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Refer to Extended Retention Rules. |
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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.
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Refer to Vault Tracker. |
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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:
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Refer to CommCell Readiness Report. |
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Backup Job Summary Report |
The Backup Job Summary Report provides you with information about all the backup jobs that are run in last 24 hrs for a specific subclient. You can get information such as status, time, data size etc. for each backup job. It is useful to run this report after performing the backup. Follow the steps given below to generate the report:
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Refer to Backup Job Summary Report. |