Back Up Headache!

[rob_coles]

Every since our former network manager left our back up has never been quite right :cry: , must admit my knowledge of backup exec is very limited.

Techy specs,

Sony sdx 900v AIT 4 200 gig native 520 compressed (apparently )
Backup Exec 10d. 2003 server,

Our backup has gone up to 280 gig recently and is requesting a 2nd tape to complete, Is there any way to compress it more to reach the magical 520 gig mythical capacity.
I’m sure it will be a silly setting somewhere but I’m just lost with backup exec.

Any suggestions/advice welcomed.

Rob

[DMcCoy]

If its fitting 280 on a 200GB native tape then compression is on. I only get around 1.4:1 compression (=280)

[sidewinder]

You will not be able to get 520GB
However it sounds like it cannot even fit 280GB, which should be doable as DMcCoy says

If you want to check if compression is on in BackupExec, go to the properties of a job, then general settings and there should be a dropdown box saying compression type

Set it to hardware compression. I personally set it to "hardware, if available, otherwise software" - not sure how good an idea that is, but if your tape drive does hardware compression it doesnt matter anyway

[Geoff]

Hardware compression is fast but means you will not be able to read the tape in other make/models of tape drive.

Software compressions is slow but you will be able to read it elsewhere.

[rob_coles]

You will not be able to get 520GB,

I guest it wouldnt go that far but hoping it would get something close,

it was already at hardware if available software otherwise,

Considering getting a few of these network storage drives just for back up.

[sidewinder]

Hardware compression is fast but means you will not be able to read the tape in other make/models of tape drive.

Software compressions is slow but you will be able to read it elsewhere.

Didn't know that
Ive got an LTO-3 drive and use hardware, and always though it would use something standard to the LTO-3 format, not the make of the drive

[Geoff]

AFAIK there is no 'standard' for compression format on tape drives. Some software/hardware manufacturers use the same format due to gentleman's agreements or dumb luck but it's not something you can rely on.

[Stese]

backup exec (10d at least) can also create folders for disk backups.... You could use them to get out of a hole...

also, if the backup size has jumped, you might want to get something like treesize and check where all the space is being used... maybe it's for files that you'd rather not store on your network (MP3's, WMV's, WMA's etc)

I move any I find into a non-backed up place, just in case they are required for work purposes.... I rescued around 30gb from one year group when I first did it! (I've found that MS quota can get confused and not count all files)

[sidewinder]

Yeh, assuming you dont use R2's file screening or anything similar, a quick scan with Nasty File Search for MP3's can soon reduce your backup nicely

[phreak]

Why not deselect some of the less important stuff on the backup and then do a seperate backup for that data or just do a weekly seperate backup for that? Or have one backup for staff data and a seperate one for pupil data. Alternativly if you can't get compression to fit it on one disk then buy a bigger backup device.

[rob_coles]

thank you for your replies so far,

I thought I had excluded things like mp3s wma's etc It appears I was mistaken :S


Excludeded a load of files back in business

"R2's file screening"

Not sure what that is explain a little please sounds interesting

[ChrisH]

It allows you to stop them saving certain files into the areas you use it on. I stop them saving exe etc to their areas. It even catches it if they rename it then try and change it back.

[zag]

Look into using hard disks for backup, Tapes are an old style solution and not very versatile.

If you really are backing up 200gb+ of data I think you need to ask yourself is it all really mission critical data?

[tarquel]

Sorry to hijack this one, but the topic is exactly what I'm thinking lol

We just had a report back that tells us that our backup strategy is not good enough, so muggin's is gonna have to do some more work on the backup [...i got told that I could lose my job if i dont lol]

So, after having large headaches with trying to get ntbackup and scripts to use any tape in the drive and failing miserably, I was thinking that the best way would be to get some decent software and be done with it.

So the Backup Exec 10d you are refering to is Symantec's Backup Exec correct?

I'm look at these here - http://uk.insight.com/apps/nbs/index...xec&SB=plh&P=1 - but knowing exactly which one is the tricky part.

Let me describe what I have and what I need it to do, then perhaps you guys can suggest what I'll need

I have two networks - one with a DC/FS that has a HP DAT72i [takes 36GB tapes], and the other network has a DC/FS and a seperate Exchange 2l3 server, along with another server that replicates the AD, and will be a FS for a particular department.

I guess I am looking at 2 seperate copies of the software here then.

Off the top of my head, I need it to be able to do the following:

- Use the tape drive in the machine [dur ]
- Use *ANY* tape provided - this has been the biggest problem with NTBackup with having to have the exact same one each time that job is run
- Backup files "as is" to a external drive / share
- If possible, a way to backup the Exchange mailboxes / data
- Possibly replace my robocopy script that incrementally backs up the user files to a NAS drive

I wouldnt need any of this [minus the NAS box] if it wasnt for the "if there was a fire" aspect so I'm thinking of a periodic offsite backup tape that I could run every month say.

Basically, I want to be able to not have to worry about whether the software can do the tasks 'xyz' that I want it to do.

Is Backup Exec [11 is the latest now] the one for the job, or am I looking at a different product? A Acronis package maybe?

Any suggestions on this would be appreciated as i need to move fast on this

Regards
Nath

[mrforgetful]

I use five 500Gb external HDDs, two sets off and some spares kicking about. Cost me <£1000 so was loads cheaper than a Tape Library and will last until the servers are too full to work.