This chapter covers the system administration tasks for managing media and backup devices:
labeling backup volumes
mounting and unmounting backup volumes
automatically managing backup volumes
manually managing backup volumes
cloning backup volumes
using label templates
using volume pools
adding and deleting backup devices
 | Note: This chapter does not apply to autochangers, such as jukeboxes or tape libraries. For information on managing jukeboxes, see Chapter 11, “Using NetWorker with Jukeboxes.” |
You must give a backup volume a volume label before you can use it for backing up files. NetWorker uses the volume label to maintain a record of each backup volume in the online media index. A record of each file on every backup volume is maintained in the NetWorker file index. NetWorker uses these two indexes to tell you (or the jukebox) which backup volume to mount when you want to recover lost data.
Every backup volume belongs to a volume pool. You can use the preconfigured pools or create your own. If you choose not to separate your backup volumes into pools, NetWorker automatically uses a pool named Default for all your backup volumes.
Each volume pool has a matching label template associated with it. NetWorker generates labels for backup volumes according to the rules of a label template. Label templates provide a method for consistently naming and labeling your backup volumes. You can use the preconfigured label templates, or create a custom label template in the Label Templates window.
NetWorker automatically labels the backup volumes with the next sequential label from a template unless you choose to override it with one not associated with a pool. Volume pools and label templates are described in detail in “Using Label Templates” and “Using Volume Pools” in this chapter.
Each backup volume should have an adhesive label attached to it which matches the internal NetWorker label. For jukebox volumes, use bar code labels if appropriate. There are no restrictions for labeling the backup volumes, except that each volume requires a unique label. If you choose not to use a preconfigured template, you can label the volumes with names appropriate to your network. No matter what naming scheme you choose, keep in mind that a convention should be easily understood by operators and administrators.
 | Tip: In the NetWorker environment, each NetWorker server has its own collection of backup volumes. If you have more than one NetWorker server, you may find it helpful to label your backup volumes with the name of the server used for the backup and a number. For example, atlas.001 for the backup volume from the NetWorker server named atlas, and mars.010 for the backup volume from the NetWorker server named mars. |
Use the Label dialog box to label backup volumes. To open the Label dialog box choose the “Label” command from the Media pulldown menu, or click the Label speedbar button, as shown in Figure 7-1.
Figure 7-2 shows the Label dialog box.
| Note: If you are using a jukebox, the volume labeling and mounting operations can be automated. See Chapter 11 for more information. |
The features of this window have the following functions:
| Device field | Contains the name of the selected device. To select another device, click Cancel to close the Label dialog box, highlight the new device in the NetWorker Administrator window, and select the “Label” command again. | |||
| Volume name field |
| |||
| Pool choices | Choose a volume pool from the Pool choices. Only pools that have been enabled in the Pools window (Media window) appear in the Label dialog box. All preconfigured pools that appear in the dialog box, including Default, Default Clone, Archive, and Archive Clone, are by default enabled. NetWorker automatically uses the label template associated with the selected pool to label the backup volume. | |||
| Manual recycle toggle button |
| |||
| Mount after labeling toggle button |
| |||
| Ok button | Click to label a backup volume, mount it, or both. If you make a mistake, click the Cancel button. |
When you have completed labeling, the backup volume name appears in the Devices display of the NetWorker Administrator window beside the path of the device. The name of the volume appears only if it has been mounted.
If you try to relabel a volume that already has a valid NetWorker label, NetWorker prompts you with a notice to make sure you really want to relabel the volume.
 | Caution: Relabeling a backup volume destroys all records of its contents under the old label. Therefore NetWorker asks for confirmation with the message About to relabel. |
To label and mount a backup volume in one operation, follow these steps:
| Note: Use these instructions only if you are labeling and mounting backup volumes in a backup device that is not associated with a jukebox. |
Place a blank backup volume in the NetWorker server backup device.
Open the Label dialog box by selecting “Label” from the Media menu or by clicking the Label speedbar button.
Choose a volume pool from the Pool choices.
If you want a different label from the one chosen by the label template, delete the name from the Volume name field and enter the new name.
Select the Manual recycle toggle button if you want to override the backup volume's retention policy.
Click the Ok button when you are ready to label the volume, mount it, or both. If you make a mistake, click the Cancel button to cancel the operation.
Before you can back up files to a backup volume or recover files from it, you must mount it in the server backup device. If you are using a jukebox, NetWorker automatically mounts the backup volumes when they are needed.
If you have more than one device for backups, all the server backup devices used for backing up and recovering files appear in the Devices display of the main window.
Use the “Mount” and “Unmount” commands in the Media pulldown menu or the associated speedbar buttons to mount and unmount backup volumes. See Figure 7-3.
To mount a backup volume in a specific device, select the device name in the Devices display of the main window and click the Mount speedbar button. The Devices display changes to show the name of the backup volume mounted in the device.
| Tip: NetWorker allows you to premount backup volumes, so that you can complete unattended network-wide backups using backup devices in a series or concurrently. |
To unmount a backup volume from a specific backup device, select the name of the device in the Devices display and click the Unmount speedbar button. The Devices display changes to show the backup volume unmounted in the backup device.
If you try to back up files when no backup volumes are mounted, NetWorker requests a writable volume with this message in the Pending display (a writable volume is one that is labeled and has room for data):
media waiting: backup to pool `Default' waiting for 1 writable backup tape or disk |
One of three messages is displayed, suggesting that you mount a volume, relabel a volume, or label a new volume. If you are recovering files, NetWorker requests the backup volume name you need to mount in the device.
media waiting: recover waiting for DLT tape volume name |
If you need more than one backup volume to recover the file(s), NetWorker gives you a list of all the backup volumes in the order they will be needed. During the recovery process, NetWorker requests each backup volume it needs, one at a time. If you are using a jukebox with one of the NetWorker Support for Jukebox options, volume mounting is automatic for backup volumes already stored in the jukebox.
If the physical adhesive label on the backup volume is missing or illegible, you can determine its name in one of two ways:
Mount the volume in the backup device by clicking the Mount speedbar button; the volume's name appears next to the device in the Devices display of the NetWorker Administrator window.
Load the volume in a device and select the Label speedbar button. The Label dialog box shows the name of the label in the Volume name field, as shown in Figure 7-2.
NetWorker provides flexibility for managing backup volumes and their save sets. Use the Volume Management window to manage backup volumes manually, and use the Policies window to manage them automatically.
NetWorker uses browse and retention policies to manage backup volumes and their save sets automatically. However, you can manually override the automatic policies by using various commands in the Volume Management window.
| Note: For more information about browse and retention policies, see the section“Determining Browse and Retention Policies (Index Policies)” in Chapter 5. |
The Volume Management window contains information about the media index, and also information about the NetWorker server's collection of backup volumes and the save sets they contain. To view information about your backup volumes, open the Volume Management window by selecting Volumes from the Media pulldown menu, or click the Volumes speedbar button, as shown in Figure 7-4.
The Volume Management window appears, as shown in Figure 7-5.
In this window, the Volumes scrolling list contains the names of the backup volumes, sorted in alphabetical order for the current server; the Save Sets scrolling list contains the save sets stored on the backup volume selected in the Volumes scrolling list.
The Volumes scrolling list provides the following information about each backup volume:
The Save Sets scrolling list provides the following information about each save set stored on a volume:
You can manually mark entire backup volumes and their save sets as recyclable, using the Volume Management window. You can set a location for a volume, change the mode of a volume, or remove a volume from the media index. This section explains
changing the status of a save set
setting the location of your backup volumes
changing the mode of a backup volume
determining backup media capacity
recycling volumes
removing a backup volume
Use the “Change Status” command in the Save Set pulldown menu in the Volume Management window to change the status of a save set, as shown in Figure 7-6. NetWorker marks a backup volume suspect if an error occurred trying to read the media.
You might want to change the status of a save set to normal if you know that the save set's data is not really suspect, but NetWorker had difficulty reading the data for other reasons. For example, the media drive heads might have been dirty, causing NetWorker to assign a status of suspect to the save set.
Select “Suspect” if you made a mistake changing the save set from suspect to normal, and you want to change the save set back to suspect again.
To change the status of a save set, follow these steps:
Open the Volume Management window.
In the Save Sets scrolling list, select the save set whose status you want to change.
Choose the appropriate Change Status command from the Save Set menu (see Figure 7-6).
To help you find a volume when it is needed for recovering a file. you can set a location to your backup volumes. A volume's location might include a vault, shelf, jukebox job pack, or any place you physically store backup media.
To set the location for a backup volume, follow these steps:
Highlight a backup volume in the Volumes scrolling list.
Select “Set Location” from the Volume menu. The Set Location dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 7-7.
Enter the location of the backup volume. You could specify the location of the backup volumes stored on a shelf or for volumes stored offsite.
Click the Ok button to designate the location for the selected backup volume. The Volume Management window now reflects the location for that backup volume.
After you apply a location to a backup volume, it is listed in the Set Location dialog box and can be applied to any backup volume in the Volume Management window.
| Note: Each time a volume's location changes within a jukebox, NetWorker automatically updates the volume's location with the name of that jukebox. This feature is useful because if you use volumes that were previously assigned another location, their new location becomes updated automatically. If you move volumes offsite or to a different facility, you must manually change their assigned location to accurately reflect their new location. |
| Tip: When NetWorker requests that you mount a backup volume during a recovery, you can find the volume by referring to its location in the Volume Management window. |
The mode of a backup volume determines whether NetWorker can write data to it during a backup. Four possible modes for a backup volume exist. See the section “Viewing the Volumes Scrolling List” earlier in this chapter for a description of three of the modes: appendable, full, and recyclable. This section introduces you to the fourth mode, Read Only.
The Volume pulldown menu (see Figure 7-8) contains the Change Mode command that allows you to change the currently selected volume to one of the following: Appendable, Read Only, or Recyclable.
Use Table 7-1 to determine which existing volume modes can change.
Table 7-1. Changing Volume Mode
Volume's Current Mode | Change to Appendable | Change to Read Only | Change to Recyclable |
|---|---|---|---|
Full | Yes* | Not necessary | Yes |
Recyclable | Yes* | Yes | No |
Appendable | No | Yes | Yes |
* You can mark these volumes Appendable, but NetWorker might not be able to write data to them for a variety of reasons.
A volume mode of Read Only or Full means that NetWorker cannot write data to that volume. NetWorker automatically assigns Full mode to a volume that has filled with data. An administrator manually assigns Read Only to a volume so data cannot be written to it, whether it is full or not. When you change a volume's mode to Read Only, the volume is marked with an (R), and the previously assigned mode is removed.
To change the mode of a volume, follow these steps:
Highlight a volume in the Volumes scrolling list. Notice that the save sets stored on the volume appear in the Save Sets scrolling list.
Note: If the status of all of the save sets is recyc, then NetWorker automatically marks the volume as recyclable. Select “Change Mode” from the Volume menu in the Volume Management window.
A confirmation box appears (see Figure 7-9), asking if you want to change the volume to the mode you have chosen.
Click the Ok button to change the mode of the selected volume. Notice the mode of the volume changes in the Volumes scrolling list. Click Cancel to leave the mode unchanged.
| Caution: If a cloned volume does not exist when you manually change the mode of a volume to recyclable, all of its save sets change to a recyclable status, regardless of their relationship to the browse or retention policies specified in the Clients window. If a cloned volume does exist, the status of the save sets will remain unchanged. Do not change the mode to recyclable if any possibility exists that you might still need the save sets on the volume. |
Occasionally NetWorker marks backup volumes as “full” when they are not really full. (The Volume Management window and the mminfo -m command display the details of the backup volumes.)
NetWorker marks magnetic tape as being full when it reaches the end of the tape or when there is a bad spot on the tape. For example, a backup tape that is reported as only “13% used” and is marked as “full” has a bad spot on 13% of the length in the beginning of the tape. A tape like this can still be used for recoveries, but cannot be used for any more backups.
| Tip: If you see this “bad spot” behavior on many of the backup volumes, it may indicate that the device needs cleaning or maintenance. |
Tapes are also marked “full” when they are recovered after being deleted from the media index.
You can override a volume's retention policy by changing it to manual recycle. Select “Recycle” from the Volume pulldown menu; the Manual and Auto commands appear, as shown in Figure 7-10.
You might want to change to manual recycle because you need to keep the save sets on a volume longer than its retention policy specifies. You can also change a volume marked manual recycle back to automatic recycle, so the volume will once again use its original retention policy.
To change a backup volume to manual recycle, follow these steps:
Select a volume from the Volumes scrolling list.
Select “Recycle” from the Volumes menu in the Volume Management window; the Manual and Auto commands appear.
Select “Manual” from the Recycle menu. NetWorker identifies the volume by adding “man” to the volume's mode in the Volumes scrolling list.
To remove manual recycle from the volume, highlight the volume again and select “Auto” from the Recycle menu.
Remove a backup volume from the media index only if the volume has become physically damaged or unusable. To remove a volume from the media index, select “Remove” from the Volume pulldown menu in the Volume Management window, as shown in Figure 7-11.
When you select a volume for removal, NetWorker checks to see if the volume has a clone, that is, a copy of the save sets on another volume. If the volume has a clone, NetWorker does not remove the entries from the online file index. If the volume does not have a clone, NetWorker removes the entries from the online file index.
| Note: See the next section in this chapter, “Cloning Backup Volumes,” for information on using clones. |
| Tip: If a backup volume is lost or destroyed, you should remove its entries from both the file and media indexes. Otherwise, NetWorker might request the volume for recovering data. |
To remove a volume from the media index, follow these steps:
Highlight the desired volume in the Volumes scrolling list. The volume's save sets appear in the Save Sets scrolling list.
Select “Remove” from the Volume menu. A window appears, as shown in Figure 7-12.
Click the Ok button in this window to remove the volume from the media index. If a removed volume does not have a clone, the save sets are also removed.
Click the Cancel button if you do not want to remove the volume from the media index.
| Note: If you accidentally delete a backup volume from the media index, you may still recover the data by using the scanner program, as long as you have not relabeled the volume. |
NetWorker protects the data on your network by backing up files on a daily basis. Cloning provides additional protection by allowing you to make identical copies of the data on your backup volumes on an as-needed basis. When you clone backup volumes, you are actually copying all of the save sets that have been backed up to that volume; you do not create an identical copy of the backup volume.
Cloning backup volumes is beneficial for several reasons:
Creating clones of your media enables you to store identical copies of your data offsite or in a vault for protection. Cloning backup volumes also allows you to easily share or transfer important data to other company facilities.
Most media has a limited shelf life. Consequently, you need to routinely replace your backup volumes. If you have old backup volumes that contain important data, clone them before they reach their expiration date to continue to assure the safety of your data.
Cloning also helps you determine the integrity of backed-up data because NetWorker displays an error message if it has difficulty reading the data.
Cloning entire backup volumes can only be performed manually; you cannot automatically clone backup volumes. To clone data (save sets) automatically, use the Groups window to enable cloning for individual groups.
Because save sets span multiple backup volumes, NetWorker might request more than one source volume to complete the cloning operation. Furthermore, because media vary in size and capacity, you may need more destination volumes to hold the cloned data than the source volumes required. Therefore, it is helpful to have extra media available while cloning backup volumes.
If you have a jukebox, NetWorker automatically selects the next available volume marked “appendable” from the clone pool for cloning. If you do not want to mix cloned data on the same destination volume, load, label, and mount a blank volume in the backup device before cloning. See “Example: Cloning Backup Volumes” later in this section.
Cloned volumes provide added security by creating another source for recovering your data should the original backup volumes become damaged or destroyed. By storing your cloned volumes offsite in a secure location, you can maintain a reliable source of additional volumes for recovering lost or damaged data.
However, NetWorker makes no distinction between original (source) and cloned (destination) volumes. Consequently, if a cloned volume is already mounted in the drive, NetWorker will use it for recovering data, and it will not search for the original source volume. NetWorker finds the volume containing the data it needs, then checks to see if the data has been marked suspect, regardless of whether or not it is a cloned or original volume. NetWorker chooses the first volume with reliable data for recovery.
NetWorker considers volumes for recovery in the following order:
a volume mounted in the drive
a volume stored in the jukebox
a volume stored someplace other than in the jukebox
The original backup volume is the source volume, and the volume to which you clone the data is the destination volume. The destination volume is always a different volume than the source volume. NetWorker separately tracks cloned volumes (destination volumes) and marks them as clones in the media database.
The requirements for cloning the save sets on your backup volumes with NetWorker are as follows:
IRIX NetWorker release 4.1.1 or greater (release 4.1.1 also clones volumes created with earlier releases of NetWorker software)
NetWorker TurboPak
multiple backup devices
source and destination volumes
| Note: NetWorker can also clone individual save sets, manually and automatically. See “Cloning Save Sets” in Chapter 9. |
Use the Clone Volume window for cloning all of the data on a backup volume. This window provides information about the backup volumes for the server currently in use and provides a starting point for beginning the cloning process.
To open the Clone Volume window, select “Clone Volume” from the Media pulldown menu, as shown in Figure 7-13.
The Clone Volume window appears, as shown in Figure 7-14.
The features of the Clone Volume window have the following functions:
| Volumes scrolling list |
| |
| Details button | Displays backup volume details. Figure 7-15 shows the Clone Volume Details window. |
The features of the Clone Volume Details window have the following functions:
| volume | Name of volume. | |
| capacity | Size of the media. | |
| used | Space used on the backup volume. | |
| files | Number of files on the backup volume. | |
| media type | Kind or type of backup volume. | |
| mode | Mode of backup volume: appen (appendable), full (full), or recyc (recyclable). See the section “Viewing the Volumes Scrolling List” in this chapter for an explanation of the volume modes. | |
| Clone button | Opens the Clone Volume Status window to begin cloning the selected volumes. The Clone Volume Status window appears, as shown Figure 7-16. |
Use features of the Clone Volume Status window as follows:
| Volumes scrolling list |
Because save sets span multiple backup volumes, NetWorker may request more than one source volume to complete the cloning operation. Furthermore, because media varies in size and capacity, you may need more destination volumes to hold the cloned data than the source volumes required. Therefore, it is helpful to have extra media available while cloning backup volumes. If you have a jukebox, NetWorker automatically selects the next available volume marked “appendable” from the clone pool for cloning. If you do not want to mix cloned data on the same destination volume, load, label, and mount a blank volume in the backup device before cloning. See “Example: Cloning Backup Volumes” later in this section. | |
| Clone Pool field |
| |
| Start button | Click to begin cloning | |
| Status scrolling list |
|
In this example, the network operator needs to clone the full backups from the engineering department to store offsite. The operator wants only full backups from engineering cloned to the destination volumes. Because the operator does not want to mix the cloned data, a blank destination volume needs to be loaded.
The source volume in this example is already mounted in one of the backup devices because a full backup has just completed. If the source volume is not mounted when you begin cloning, you will receive a message in the Pending display of the NetWorker Administrator window requesting that you load the volume.
Follow these steps to clone a backup volume:
Make sure you have plenty of backup media for the volume to be cloned. NetWorker may request more than one source volume to complete the cloning operation. Furthermore, because media varies in size and capacity, you may need more destination volumes to hold the cloned data than the source volumes required.
Load a blank volume in the media drive.
Label the volume.
Mount the volume in the backup device.
Note: If you do not load, label, and mount a volume and you back up to a jukebox, NetWorker selects an “appendable” volume from the clone pool entered in the Clone Status window. If you back up to standalone devices, a message appears in the Messages display of the NetWorker Administrator window, requesting that you mount a volume. Open the Clone Volume window by choosing “Clone Volume” from the Media menu.
Select the volumes that contain the full backups from engineering in the Volumes scrolling list.
Click the Clone button in the Clone Volume window to open the Clone Volume Status window.
Enter the name of the clone pool in the Clone Pool field.
Click the Clone button in the Status Clone Volume window to begin the cloning process.
The Status scrolling list displays messages that monitor the cloning process.
NetWorker generates labels for backup volumes according to the rules of a label template. Label templates provide a method for consistently naming and labeling your backup volumes. You can use the preconfigured label templates, or create a custom label template using the Label Templates window.
| Note: You can also label jukebox volumes with bar code labels. See “Labeling Volumes and Using Optional Bar Codes” in Chapter 11 for information. |
NetWorker uses label templates to label and help keep track of your backup volumes. All of the backup volumes belong to volume pools that require corresponding label templates. For more information on pools, see the section “Using Volume Pools” in this chapter.
It does not matter to NetWorker how the volumes are labeled, as long as each one has a unique name. NetWorker tracks the backups and maps them to the backup volumes, so you do not have to remember which backups are on which volumes. When NetWorker needs a backup volume for recovery, it requests it by name in the Pending display of the NetWorker Administrator window.
This section explains
using the preconfigured label templates
choosing a label template
creating a label template
label template tips and examples
The preconfigured label templates shipped with NetWorker are Archive, Archive Clone, Default, Default Clone, Full, NonFull, Offsite, and Two Sided. These are provided so that you can easily start labeling your backup volumes. NetWorker also includes preconfigured volume pools with corresponding names (except for Two Sided). The preconfigured volume pools automatically use the preconfigured label template by the same name.
The number range for all of the preconfigured label templates starts at 001 and ends with 999 to allow for expansion of the volume pools.
The formats for each preconfigured label template are as follows:
Table 7-2 shows the format and examples for each preconfigured label template.
Table 7-2. Preconfigured Label Templates
Label Template | Format | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Archive | server.archive.number | space.archive.001 |
Archive Clone | server_c.archive.number | moon_c.archive.001 |
Default | server.number | space.675 |
Default Clone | server_c.number | moon_c.001 |
Full | label_name.number | Full.076 |
NonFull | label_name.number | NonFull.003 |
Offsite | label_name.number | Offsite.120 |
Two Sided | server.number.side | phoenix.001.a |
Before you choose a label template for labeling your volumes, follow these steps:
Choose the device that has tapes mounted for labeling from the Devices display in the NetWorker Administrator window.
In the Media pulldown menu, select “Pools”; choose a label template in the Pools window.
Make sure the Enabled button is selected for the label template you want, as shown in Figure 7-17.
Select “Label” from the Media pulldown menu.
To create and add a label template, open the Label Templates window by selecting “Label Templates” from the Customize pulldown menu. The Label Templates window is shown in Figure 7-18.
The features of this window have the following functions:
| Label Templates scrolling list |
| |||
| Name field | Displays the name of the currently selected label template. | |||
| Fields field | Displays the components of the label template. The components appear as one component per line in the display:
Each range includes a starting value, a dash (–), and an ending value. The starting value and the ending value must have the same number of characters; for example, use “aaa–zzz,” not “aa–zzz.” (This rule does not apply to a list of strings or words.) You can have as many components as you want, but it is best to keep the template simple, with few components. The total length of the label must be less than 64 characters. If you enter a range of numbers or characters, they will change incrementally with each new label. For example: first label Engineering.001
| |||
| Separator choices |
| |||
| Next field | Displays the next label NetWorker uses to label the backup volume according to the template. To force a label or start the labeling scheme at a certain point, enter the starting label into this Next field. NetWorker continues to generate labels from that point on, according to the rules of the template. |
Making your label template match your backup media storage system can help you organize and locate the media in storage. For example, if you store backup media in bins or racks, you can include a place for the bin or rack number in the label template. See “Example 1: A Storage-Oriented Template later in this section.
It is also helpful if the label template name matches the name of the corresponding pool. Table 7-3 shows examples.
Table 7-3. Label and Pool Names
Name | Label | Pool Name |
|---|---|---|
AcctFull | AcctFull.001 | Accounting |
EngTest | EngTest.001 | Engineering Test |
This section concludes with three example templates: a storage-oriented template, a sequential label template, and a two-sided media label template.
In this example, assume you have only one NetWorker server and one jukebox. Your backup media is magnetic tape, arranged in numerical order, and organized in three racks. You want to create a scheme that is simple so anyone can easily store and find the backup volumes on the rack shelves.
In this example, as diagrammed in Figure 7-19, three racks are named “1,” “2,” and “3.” Each rack has five shelves; the top shelf is “1” and the bottom shelf is “5.” Each shelf holds 100 tapes, arranged left to right.
Using this labeling scheme, a tape labeled “2-3-54” is stored in the second rack, on the third shelf, and is positioned between the fifty-third and fifty-fifth tapes on the shelf. NetWorker labels the tapes in the jukebox consecutively according to the label template. NetWorker starts with the tapes in the first rack, on the first shelf, and numbers the tapes 1-1-001 to 1-1-100. Then it labels the tapes on the second shelf of the first rack, numbering them from 1-2-001 to 1-2-100, and so forth, until it labels the last tape in the third rack 3-5-100. If you want to add a fourth rack to your tape storage system, you can easily do so by changing the label template.
| Tip: Your label template should allow for expansion of your backup media storage system. For example, it would be wiser to create a template allowing for 100 tapes and not use all of them, than to create a template for only 10 tapes and soon use all 10 labels. |
Follow these steps to create the storage-oriented label template:
Open the Label Templates window by selecting “Label Templates” from the Customize menu.
Click the Create button.
Enter the name of the labeling scheme into the Name field (for example, “Engineering backups”).
Enter the component of the first field into Fields. Remember, this field holds the rack number, so you enter 1-3.
Click the add button.
Enter the second component of the label template into Fields. This field holds the shelf number, so enter 1–5 into the field.
Click the add button.
Enter the third component of the label template, the tape position numbers. Enter 001–100 into Fields.
You must enter the same number of characters for any numbers in the label template. For example, use 01–20 not 1–20, and 1–9 not 01–9.
Click the add button.
Click the dash (–) Separator button to choose it as the separator for each component of the label template
Click the Apply button to apply the new template to the NetWorker server. The Label Templates window now looks similar to Figure 7-20.
Notice your new template appears in the Label templates scrolling list, the components of the label template appear in the Fields scrolling list, and the Next field displays the label of the next tape.
This example is for a sequential labeling scheme. In this scheme, there is no storage system pattern to explain the labels; the labels are simply a way for NetWorker to identify the backup volumes. This label template generates lots of different labels; you will probably never “run out” of labels for your backup volumes.
The label template in this example has two fields: aa–zz and 00–99. It generates 67,600 different labels (262 times 102). Examples of labels that NetWorker generates are as follows:
aa.00, aa.01, aa.02... aa.98, aa.99,
ab.00, ab.01,... ab.99,
ac.00, ac.01,... ac.99,
...
az.00,... az.99,
ba.00,... bz.99,
...
zz.00,... zz.99,
Follow these steps to create the sequential label template:
Open the Label Templates window by selecting “Label Templates” from the Customize menu.
Click the Create button.
Enter the name of the labeling scheme into the Name field (for example, “Personnel backups”).
Enter the component of the first field into Fields. In this example, this field contains dual character strings, so you enter aa-zz into the field.
Click the add button.
Enter the second component of the label template into Fields. This field contains double digits, so enter 00-99 into the field.
Click the add button.
Click the period (.) Separator button to select it as the separator for each component of the label template.
Click the Apply button to apply the new template to the NetWorker server.
This template is useful if you do not want to attach any meaning to the labels, but want to be able to generate lots of them over the years and not worry about having to come up with a new template.
If you have an optical backup device, you can use the Two Sided preconfigured template or create a custom label template that accommodates two-sided media. The label template for two-sided media has a and b fields to designate the two sides of the optical disk.
Follow these steps to create a label template for two-sided media:
Open the Label Templates window by selecting “Label Templates” from the Customize menu.
Click the Create button.
Enter a name for the label template in the Name field (for example, “TwoSidedLabel”).
Add the following components to the Fields scrolling list:
server_name 001-999 a-b
Note: Use a-b to distinguish between the two sides of the media. Select a period for the Separator.
The Label Templates window should now look like the window in Figure 7-21.
Click Apply to create the label template.
In this example, NetWorker labels the first side of the optical disk as moon.001.a and the second side as moon.001.b.
Volume pools establish a logical and systematic method for tracking and organizing your NetWorker backup volumes. For example, you can create a separate pool for each department in your company or a pool which contains only files with confidential information. Or you can assign all of your full backups to a particular pool so you can easily store them offsite. Volume pools allow you to select and sort specific files or data.
The volume pools feature allows you to sort your backup data to selected backup volumes. A volume pool contains a collection of backup volumes that have specific data sorted during the backup process. All NetWorker volumes belong to a pool, either the Default pool or a pool you have chosen. Cloned backup volumes must belong to a clone pool, just as archived volumes must belong to an archive pool.
You can sort data into a volume pool by selecting the type of backup data to be included in the pool. NetWorker uses the choices you make in the Pools window to sort the backup data to specific backup volumes.
You can create as many pools as you need for organizing and sorting your data to backup volumes effectively. There is no limitation on the number of new pools you can create.
All NetWorker pools require a label template, as described in the preceding section “Using Label Templates.” Before creating a new pool, first create a label template with the same name.
| Tip: It is strongly recommended that you keep the pool names and their corresponding label templates consistent. If you do not use the exact name, at least use names that have a logical connection. |
For each pool you must select either a group, client, or save set. Unless you have data to sort from one of these choices for a pool, NetWorker does not allow you to create the pool. For example, you can sort by:
backup group
backup client
list of save sets (filesystems)
backup levels: fulls, levels 1– 9, incremental, or manual
backups for archival only (applies only to clients that archive data)
You can further organize your backup data by
choosing a special label template
sending all the backup data to a particular backup device
choosing to store entries for the files in the online index (or not, if you are sending the backup media to an off-site vault)
NetWorker backs up all the clients in a group according to a schedule, and mixes the clients' data onto backup volumes. NetWorker tracks the backed-up data and the volumes to which the data is backed up. The data, however, is essentially combined on the backup volumes.
| Note: You cannot create a new pool if NetWorker is busy doing a backup. Nor can you delete a volume pool if any backup volumes still belong to that pool. |
This section explains
shortcut: creating a volume pool
using the Pools window
using preconfigured NetWorker volume pools
creating a volume pool
volume pool examples
Use these directions if you have reviewed the examples or if you are an experienced NetWorker user.
Create a matching label template using the Label Templates window.
Open the Pools window by selecting “Pools” from the Media menu.
Click the Create button and enter the name of the new pool into the Name field.
Select “Yes” from the Enabled choices. (Yes is the preconfigured choice.)
Select the appropriate pool type from the Pool type choices.
Choose the matching label template.
Make a selection for at least one of the following choices: a group, client, save set, or level. You must make one selection from among these choices, or NetWorker will be unable to sort data for the pool.
Make the remainder of your choices for Levels, Devices, and Store index entries.
Click the Apply button to apply the selections.
Use the Pools window to create a new volume pool. To open the Pools window, select the “Pools” command from the Media pulldown menu, as shown in Figure 7-22.
The Pools window appears, as shown in Figure 7-23.
If necessary, use the scroll bar or resize the window to view the entire Pools window.
The Pools window contains all of the choices necessary for sorting your client`s data to selected backup volumes. Following is an explanation of each of the elements in the window and instructions on how to use them for modifying and creating custom pools.
You must make at least one selection from the following choices: Groups, Clients, Save sets, or Levels. If you leave a choice unselected in the Pools window, that means that NetWorker will not sort data by that choice. For example, if you do not choose a level from the Levels choices, NetWorker will include all levels of backups for that pool. NetWorker will sort data based on the other selections you have made for that pool.
Use features of the Pools window as follows:
| Pools scrolling list |
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| Create button | Click to add a new pool. | |||
| Create Multiple button |
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| Delete button | Click to eliminate a pool. You cannot delete a pool as long as it still contains backup volumes; first remove all of the backup volumes that belong to the pool by using the Volume Management window. Certain preconfigured volume pools cannot be deleted. | |||
| Name field | View the name of the currently selected pool. It is also where you enter the name of a new pool after pressing the Create button. | |||
| Enabled choices |
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| Pool type choices |
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| Label template choices |
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| Groups choices | Choose the groups you want included in the pool. The displayed groups represent all of the groups known to the NetWorker server. There is no limitation on how many groups you can include in a pool. You can also select individual clients for a volume pool without selecting a group. If you do not make a selection from the Groups choices, NetWorker will not sort data based on a group. | |||
| Clients field | Use the Clients field for these purposes:
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| Save sets |
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| Levels choices | ||||
| Devices choices |
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| Store index entries |
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| Apply button | Click to apply your selections for a particular pool. | |||
| Reset button | Click to restore your original selections, and override any new selections you may have chosen. |
Use the Pools window to choose the preconfigured pools, create new pools, and change existing pools. Use this window for all administrative tasks relating to volume pools.
NetWorker is shipped with seven preconfigured pools and matching label templates. Each preconfigured volume pool has a set of unique preselected choices. If you do not choose a pool for your backups, they are automatically assigned to the preconfigured Default pool and are labeled using the Default label template.
The seven preconfigured volume pools have matching label templates. The Two Sided label template is for labeling optical media, and is the only template that does not have a matching volume pool.
You can use the Default, Default Clone, Archive, and Archive Clone pools without making any selections in the Pools window. To use the other preconfigured pools, you must first complete the selections and choose “Yes” from the Enabled choices. A pool must be enabled in order for NetWorker to sort data to that pool.
The seven preconfigured pools are as follows:
| Note: The first four preconfigured volume pools—Archive, Archive Clone, Default, and Default Clone—cannot be deleted or modified and contain no selections for you to make. |
| Archive | Use for archiving client data only. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: Yes; Label template: Archive; Pool type: Archive; Store Index entries: Yes. | |||
| Archive Clone | Use for cloning archive data only. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: Yes; Label template: Archive Clone; Pool type: Archive Clone; Store Index entries: No. | |||
| Default | If you decide not to use the volume pools feature, NetWorker automatically places all of your backup volumes in this pool. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: Yes; Label template: Default; Pool type: Default; Store Index entries: Yes. | |||
| Default Clone | If you decide not to use the pools feature, NetWorker automatically places all of your cloned backup volumes in this pool. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: Yes; Label template: Default Clone; Pool type: Backup Clone; Store Index entries: No.
| |||
| Full | Use this pool for full backups only. This pool separates all full backups from the incremental and level backups. The Full pool makes it easy to track and separate your full backups from the incremental and level backups. Typically, you use this pool in conjunction with the NonFull pool. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: No; Label template: Full; Levels: full; Pool type: Backup; Store Index entries: Yes. | |||
| NonFull | Use for any backups other than full backups. This pool includes all incremental and level backups. Use the NonFull pool to keep your incremental and level backups separate from the fulls. Typically, you use this pool in conjunction with the Full pool. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: No; Label template: NonFull; Levels: all level and incremental backups; Pool type: Backup; Store Index entries: Yes. | |||
| Offsite | Use for volumes being stored offsite. The Offsite pool allows you to easily create a set of volumes to be stored offsite. If your onsite backup volumes are destroyed, you can still recover your data with the volumes you have stored offsite. If you are also using the Full pool, you must disable it while you are sending data to the Offsite pool to ensure that all of the full backups will go only to the Offsite pool. The preconfigured settings are Enabled: No; Label template: Offsite; Levels: full; Pool type: Backup; Store Index entries: No. |
| Note: Enable the pools you wish to have in effect during the scheduled backups by selecting “Yes” from the Enabled choices. |
Suppose you want to create a pool named “Test” that selects all of the full backups from a group called QA. The QA group backs up all of the data from the systems in the quality assurance lab. You want to sort the full backups so you can have a complete set of data on your backup volumes to store in a secured vault. This is data that you do not expect to need to recover, but plan to keep for a year.
Follow these steps to create a matching label template for the volume pool:
Open the Label Templates window by selecting “Label Templates” from the Customize menu. See the section “Using Label Templates” earlier in this chapter for complete instructions for creating a label template.
The Label Templates window will look similar to “Creating a New Pool” after you create the Test label template.
Open the Pools window by selecting “Pools” in the Media menu.
Click the Create button and enter Test into the Name field.
Note: You cannot create a new pool if NetWorker is busy doing a backup. This ensures that NetWorker will send the backup data to the correct pool. Select “Yes” from the Enabled choices. (Yes is the preconfigured choice.)
Select “Backup” from the Pool type choices.
Choose the label template Test, which you previously created.
Click the Create button and enter “Test” into the Name field.
Select “Yes” from the Enabled choices.
Choose the label template Test, which you previously created.
Choose the group QA, because it contains the clients you want to include in the Test pool.
Do not enter anything in the Clients or Save sets fields, because you do not need to selectively include clients or save sets.
Select “full” from the Levels choices.
Select the device to which you wish to back up from the Devices choices, if you have more than one backup device.
Select “No” from the Store index entries display. Selecting “No” means that you do not include the index entries in the online index, saving space on your hard disk.
Click the Apply button to apply the selections. The Pools window looks like Figure 7-25 after creating the pool “Test.”
Once you create a new pool, you can easily modify it by choosing it from the Pools scrolling list and changing the current selections. When you have completed making the modifications, click the Apply button. If you have changed your mind and do not want to implement the new selections, click the Reset button to restore the Pools window to its original configuration.
This section contains four examples of volume pools.
Your company needs to track department resources for accounting requirements which include the related costs of each department's backups. To sort each department`s data, create a separate pool for each one. Sorting the data into different pools for each department makes it easy for Accounting to determine how many tapes are being used, which backup devices are being used, and how much time is being spent on administering each department`s backup needs.
To create a pool for each department, follow these steps:
Create a label template with the name of the department in the Label Templates window.
Use the Pools window to create a new pool with the same name as the label template.
Select the groups that belong to each department.
You have confidential company information that needs to be backed up to a secure device in an area that only authorized personnel can access. You do not want to include an entire group, just a select set of files from a small number of clients; you want to put these files into a pool named “Confidential.”
To create the “Confidential” pool, follow these steps:
Create a label template named “Confidential.”
Create a pool with the same name.
Enter the name of each client in the Clients field.
Enter the filesystems for each of the clients in the Save sets field.
Select the device they will be backed up to from the Devices choices.
Your company creates large multigigabyte graphic files that require many backup volumes to complete a full backup. You want to back up these files to the jukebox on your network, so you do not need to load new backup volumes as they fill up with data.
To back up the graphics files on the jukebox, follow these steps:
Create a label template named “Graphics Full.”
Create a new pool with the same name.
Choose the group(s) that need to be included.
Select full from the Levels choices.
Choose the jukebox device from the Devices choices.
Your company requires that you save all of the employees' electronic mail. To keep the e-mail files separate from the rest of the backups, you create a pool named “E-mail.”
To create a pool named “E-mail,” follow these steps:
Create a label template named “E-mail.”
Create a pool with the same name. You do not need to select a specific group or client because you are backing up all of the client systems' electronic mail.
In the Save sets field, enter:
/usr/spool/mail
NetWorker backs up all the electronic mail from all the clients to the volumes in the “E-mail” pool.
This section explains how to use the Devices window to add and delete devices on a server. NetWorker supports multiple devices either in a series, concurrently, or in a jukebox. If your server is configured to support more than one backup device in a series, NetWorker uses the backup volume in one device until the backup volume is full and then uses the backup volume in another device until that volume is full, and so on. Using the IRIX NetWorker TurboPak option spreads the backups evenly over all the backup devices. Using a NetWorker Support for Jukebox option eases the automated handling of backup volumes for unattended backups. See “Backup Devices and Media” in Chapter 1 for a list of supported backup devices.
To view current devices or to add a new device, select “Devices” from the Media pulldown menu, as shown in Figure 7-26.
The Devices window appears, as shown in Figure 7-27.
The features of the Devices window have the following functions:
Before adding a device, determine this information:
the pathname of the device
the media type of the device (what type of media it supports)
To add a new backup device to the server, follow these steps:
Determine the pathname of the device you want to add (for example, /dev/rmt/tps1d6nrnsv).
Determine the media type of the device you want to add. Use a no-rewind tape backup device (except for optical drives).
Select “Devices” from the Media pulldown menu. The Devices window appears, as shown in Figure 7-27.
Click the Create button.
Enter the device pathname for the new device in the Name field.
Select the appropriate Media type choice for the type of device.
Click the Apply button. Any additions you made appear in the Devices window.
To delete a backup device from the server, follow these steps:
Select “Devices” from the Media pulldown menu. The Devices window appears, as shown in Figure 7-27.
Select the device you want to delete in the Devices scrolling list.
Click the Delete button. An “ok to delete?” confirmation box appears.
Click Ok to delete the device.
When you disable a backup device, it is listed as disabled in the Devices display of the NetWorker Administrator window.