retention level \ tape question

[telemorgan]

I have a policy (Mon_Exp) that runs once a week on Monday nights. This policy writes to one volume pool (Mon_Exp_pool) which has one tape in it (A00001). I have the same setup for each day of the week, where one policy writes to one volume pool that has one tape in it. Tues_Exp policy writes to Tues_Exp_pool which has A00002. So what I am trying to do is have Mon_Exp and the other policies written to the same tape each week. I would like to keep two weeks worth of these images on a tape and then have them expire and overwritten on the third week. What settings (retention level, frequency, etc.) will need to be set in order to do this.

Thanks

-Travis

 

[JyotiAhuja]

As to the retention level settings, you cannot write images with different retention levels on the same tape by default !! This is made possible by checking the "Allow media with different retention levels" in the Media tab.

About the schedules, all the policies writing to the same tape should have the same schedule type (either all calendar type or all frequency type).
Besides this, I don't think there should be any problem for policies writing to the same pool!!

Happy testing!!

 

[telemorgan]

So for example, the Mon_Exp should have a frequency of 1 week and a retention level of 1 (2 weeks). This means that every two weeks the tape will be automatically rewound to the beginning and the images overwritten?

Thanks for your help

 

[JyotiAhuja]

Ya, but not the whole tape can be overwritten! Just the images that have expired can be overwritten. And the tape remain assigned till all the images have expired on it!

Hope this helps!

-Jyoti

 

[Stumpr]

Not exactly overwrite the expired images.
NetBackup ALWAYS appends to the end of the last valid image on a tape.
If images #1 and #2 expire and images #3 and more exist on a tape,
then the next image will NOT use the vacated part of the tape that image #1 and image #2 once occupied.
It will still append to the end of the last valid image on the tape.

Bob Stump
Incorrigible punster -- Do not incorrige

 

[telemorgan]

If that is the case, then how will I ever get my tapes to stop filling up after a few weeks worth of jobs. My job runs weekly to the same tape. The way my policies are setup the retention level is set to 2 weeks and the freqency of the job is once a week. With this setting the tapes are just being appended to every week because there is always a "valid" image on it.

If I create a custom retention level of 6 days. Then set each one of my policies to this level. The image that is currently on the tape will expire the day before the weekly job runs. This will allow me to fully overwrite the tape each week plus keep a valid image to restore from for 6 days. any thoughts?

 

[Stumpr]

It's not a good idea to expire your only backup image BEFORE attempting another backup. I suggest to go back to the first post and explain the reasoning for why you want to do what you are asking to do.
Perhaps there are other alternatives..?

Bob Stump
Incorrigible punster -- Do not incorrige

 

[goace]

Buy more tapes.