It is very important to back up the Catalog regularly. It is equally important to know where the Catalog backup resides. Specifically, you need to know the destination media volume and the location of the Catalog backup on the media. However, the location of the backup Catalog is kept in the Catalog itself; thus, if the Catalog is lost, the location information is lost as well.
To be prepared for a disaster recovery situation where the Catalog is lost, you need to take the following critically important steps:
Define a Catalog backup job and schedule it to run daily.
Enable e-mail reporting in the Catalog backup job definition. Emailing the Catalog backup job report and archiving that report off-site will help identify tapes and partitions needed for Catalog restore.
Also, note the following important recommendations:
Set Catalog backup retention to be as long as your longest data protection archives. For example, if you are required to retain server backups for 5 years on tape media, retain Catalog backups for at least that long. If you cannot retain all Catalog backups for this long, consider defining multiple backup schedules in the Schedule Job dialog to retain some archives long-term.
Create a separate media pool for Catalog backup media. This step is not essential, but it is strongly recommended. It can help you locate media quickly.
Retain an offsite copy of your Catalogic DPX installation media. The installation media can always be downloaded from your MySupport account; however, ready access to the media and patch sets helps to speed the recovery process and avoid challenges with Internet connectivity during a disaster recovery situation.
The destination media can be tape or Disk Directory. You can also employ BMR as part of the protection strategy. BMR provides high-performance bare metal disaster recovery capability. You must still perform catalog backups, however BMR can assist in recovering the server quickly. See Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) Backup.
Important. Backing up to a local disk does not protect your data if the disk fails.
See also. For the latest system compatibility details regarding supported hardware, file systems, applications, operating systems, and service packs, see the DPX 4.10 Compatibility Matrix.
There are several different strategies for protecting catalog data. The most important items are to back up the catalog frequently, move the catalog backup data to a safe location, keep record of where the catalog data is, and retain the catalog backup to cover the retention period of your longest archives.
The recommended strategies for catalog backup are as follows:
Tape drive attached to the master server
Tape drive attached to a remote device server
DiskDirectory dedicated for Catalog backup
Directly attach at least one tape drive to the master server. Back up the Catalog directly to a tape and send this tape offsite. Retain the catalog backup job log with this Catalog backup media.
It is strongly recommended to use a separate media pool dedicated to Catalog backup operations and to retain Catalog backup job reports, which should be emailed or copied to a location where they can be easily accessed. These steps facilitate finding and recovering the master server data in the event of a disaster.
If you do not follow the recommendation to use a dedicated media pool and decide to mix Catalog backups with other file-level backups, be aware that backup retentions could prevent tapes from being free if the Catalog backup is retained on a long retention cycle. If you nevertheless decide to mix backups on media, it is recommended to use a new tape for each Catalog backup. This is done by setting the Tape Usage option to Use a new Tape. Setting the option ensures that the Catalog backup is always on the first tape partition, making it much easier to locate and restore from the tape when no other data is available. Ensure you retain a record of the Catalog backup and send media offsite.
This is similar to a tape drive attached to the master server. If the device server is located at the same site as the master server, ensure the Catalog backups are sent offsite. If you have a device server at a remote location, you can accomplish the Catalog backup and offsite storage simultaneously. Always retain the Catalog backup job logs, especially if the offsite Catalog backup media mix with other tape backups or if the media pool reuses Catalog backup media for multiple catalog backups.
The Catalogic DPX Open Storage Server environments typically have a tape library attached to the Catalogic DPX Open Storage Server for the Catalogic DPX Archive capability. The Catalogic DPX Open Storage Server is a device server like any other and can handle Catalog backups to tape.
DiskDirectory (tape backup to disk) can be used for Catalog backup.
Attention! Ensure the DiskDirectory volumes are protected so that if the master server is lost, the desired DiskDirectory volser files can be copied to the new master server for master server recovery.
Note the following considerations when using DiskDirectory for Catalog backup:
DiskDirectory volsers only contain a single partition, do not have any specific bounds that limit space usage, and disk space used is not reclaimed at Condense time, though the volser is Empty and flagged for re-use for new data.
DiskDirectory volser storage can easily grow to consume all available volume space, so it is important to make sure that running out or DiskDirectory space does not affect other unrelated server functions.
It is very important to host DiskDirectory volsers on a volume that does not compete for disk space with other local machine needs. For example, do not host DiskDirectory storage on the volume that contains the master server software or Catalog, and do not host DiskDirectory volsers on any volumes shared with application data such as SQL Server, Oracle, or Exchange.
If DiskDirectory volsers are hosted on the Catalogic DPX Open Storage Server, use a separate volume and do not attempt to share storage between DiskDirectory and the Catalogic DPX Open Storage Server backups, since the two types of backup use disk space in different ways and ultimately interfere with one another.
DiskDirectory backup can be hosted either on the master server, or on a remote device server, if necessary.
The data protection administrator must arrange for DiskDirectory volsers to be copied, moved, or otherwise archived to a safe location where they can be accessed in the event of a disaster recovery. Long-term archival of catalog data by a secondary process such as NDMP is not a valid strategy because NDMP restore requires catalog data to find and direct the restore process.
When using DiskDirectory, it is recommended to set the Job Destination Options Tape EOJ Usage to Unload Tapes. This allows any empty volsers to be used even if new volsers exist. Otherwise, new volsers are always preferred until no new volsers are remaining. With DiskDirectory, it is a good practice to use the first tapes marked Empty. This helps reclaim disk space held by the expired backup data.
In this method, the master server performs Catalog backup to local storage and then uses Block backup for protection. Perform a Block backup to an offsite NetApp storage system. Alternatively, use SnapMirror to replicate a Block backup to another NetApp storage system.
For recovery, restore the entire master server with BMR, then restore the Catalog from the local DiskDirectory repository. If a BMR backup of the master server is not included or available, then you can manually manipulate the Block backup data to present the DiskDirectory data via an iSCSI LUN to the new master server and perform the restore. For more details, See Catalog Restore.
In this method, a NetApp LUN is connected to the master server, and the LUN is used to hold Catalog backup DiskDirectory volsers. SnapMirror is configured to replicate this LUN to another offsite NetApp storage system after the Catalog backup is completed.
For recovery, the backup administrator must know where the Catalog backup LUN exists and must arrange for it to be mounted to the new master server. Once the LUN is presented and the data is visible, the administrator needs to know which volser to use for Catalog restore. Typically this is the volser with the most recent modification date.
Another server is used to present a CIFS or NFS share to the master server. This share is used to hold the Catalog backup DiskDirectory volsers. This share could be a NetApp storage system or any other suitable storage server. The storage server replicates the DiskDirectory volsers offsite. For NetApp storage systems, you can use Snapmirror or SnapVault. You can also use a server with the NetApp OSSV agent to perform Snapvault backups to NetApp storage. Additionally, you can run automated jobs on a Windows or Linux machine to copy new data to an alternate location.
For recovery, you need to know the location of volser files, and you need to arrange for the required volser files to be copied back to the new master server for Catalog restore. If you use a network share for DiskDirectory storage and you need to run a tape backup of this as well, ensure you set the source job option Skip NFS Volumes to No.
In this method, you run Catalog backup to DiskDirectory hosted on the master or a remote device server and then use tape backup to archive this data offsite. This method retains a local copy for convenience and a remote copy for disaster recovery. It is essential to know where the tapes and partitions for the second stage backup are located. To ensure you have this information, save e-mail job reports or archive the job logs. Archive job logs on a long-term basis, as they may be needed at recovery time for reference.
For recovery, the backup administrator must configure the new master server to run a tape mode restore from the second stage backup. The information for the required tapes and partitions must be recovered from the previous backup job log. Once the necessary volser is recovered, you can then run a Catalog restore from DiskDirectory.
The following are Catalog backup strategies that are not recommended. Although Catalog backup in some of these cases may succeed, the recovery may not be possible if the master server is not available to coordinate the restore process.
The Catalog cannot be backed up directly to an NDMP-attached tape drive. In cases where a tape drive cannot be attached to the Catalogic DPX device server, ensure you know where the catalog backup is retained and how to recover it. Do not move Catalog backups to NDMP attached storage. NDMP restore requires Catalog data on the master server. You cannot recover NDMP data unless the master server has the NDMP tape backup in its Catalog. Thus, in a disaster where the primary catalog backup media (DiskDirectory) is lost, the archive via NDMP will not help, since you will have no way to directly recover that data without the master server Catalog.
Block backup can be used to protect the master server, but that does not guarantee that the Catalog is in a consistent state. You must perform a separate Catalog backup. See Back up to Local Storage Protected with Block Backup above.
Consumer-grade removable USB storage is not an ideal medium for DiskDirectory management. Backups may succeed, but they would require very careful administration, and you would need to maintain a detailed accounting of backups and devices. Volser file names will likely be duplicated across multiple devices, adding to restore time confusion.
Agent-based and agentless virtualization generally requires a master server with a viable Catalog to run the restore. For disaster recovery testing, other testing, or temporary needs requiring older Catalog data, you can virtualize a master server if that is followed with the desired Catalog restore. However, note that you generally cannot perform virtualization to the original IP address. This limitation may cause local cmagent configuration issues, and the virtualization will likely invalidate the licensing. For real disaster recovery scenarios, BMR followed by a Catalog restore is preferred.
Editing a Catalog backup job allows you to change some parameters of an already defined job (Save), or to create a new job based on the definition of an existing one (Save as…). The procedure is similar to creating a backup job from scratch.
In the main web interface view, go to Job Manager in the sidebar. Then select the catalog backup job you want to edit from the list.
Tip. You can control this view by ordering items by Job Name, Type, Created Date, Description, or Job Folder. Just click the column header to enable ascending/descending ordering.
Note also the Items per page value and navigation buttons at the bottom of the list, which can be useful when managing the display of many jobs.
Make all required changes to the job definition. The workflow is the same as in Creating a Catalog Backup Job.
Save the job by clicking Save (the changes will be saved under the current job’s name, overwriting previous settings), or Save As (you will be prompted to provide a new name for the job).
Restrictions. The new job name must be unique throughout the entire DPX, regardless of the folder the job is stored in.
In the main desktop interface window, go to the Catalog tab, and from the Catalog Operations section in the task panel, choose Backup.
Under Job Tasks in the side panel, select Open Backup Job. The Open Job dialog will appear.
Note. The Job List includes all Catalog backup job names, regardless of the folders they are stored in. The Folder field indicates the actual folder where the selected job is stored.
Select the job you want to edit from the list. Click OK. The Open Job dialog will close and the settings of the selected job will be loaded to the main window view.
Proceed with editing the job. See Creating a Catalog Backup Job for more details.
When finished, save the job by doing one of the following:
Select File > Save Job
Select Save Backup Job in the Job Tasks section of the side panel
Press [Ctrl + S]
The Save Job dialog will appear.
Restrictions. The new job name must be unique throughout the entire DPX, regardless of the folder the job is stored in.
Click OK. If you choose the same name, you will be prompted to confirm the replacement of an already existing job. Select Yes to change the job definition, or No to return to the previous step and specify another name for the job.
If you want to run certain backup jobs on a regular basis, it is best to create a schedule for them.
You may add a schedule to an existing job and save it, add a schedule to an existing job and save it under another name (thus creating a new job without affecting the job you have made edits to), or create a completely new job, adding a schedule to it.
Important. It is strongly recommended to create a regular schedule for Catalog Backup, as the Catalog is vital for managing any backups you might need to restore.
To add a schedule to a File backup job, create a new job or open an existing one from the Job Manager.
In the job creation/editing view, scroll down to the SCHEDULES pane and click Add Schedule. The Schedule dialog will open. Depending on the selected frequency, the dialog will display slightly different parameters to select. Below, the Weekly schedule view is shown.
Select all required parameters, such as the schedule starting time and date, day of the week (if applicable), repetition period, backup retention time, etc.
Click Add.
Important. The schedule is now added to the job, but the job is not saved yet. Continue with the procedure to save the job.
Save the job. If you have added the schedule by modifying an existing job, two options will be available.
Click Save to apply changes to the existing job; or
Click Save As to create a copy of the modified job, with the schedule added, under a new name.
Restrictions. The new job name must be unique throughout the entire DPX, regardless of the folder the job is stored in.
To add a schedule to a Catalog Backup job, do the following:
Go to the Catalog tab and from the Catalog Operations section in the task panel, choose Backup.
Under the Job Tasks section, select Schedule Backup Job. The Job Schedule dialog will open.
The Schedule tab allows you to define the dates and times you want the current job to run.
The Exceptions tab allows you to list any exceptions to that schedule.
The Preview tab allows you to view all jobs scheduled for a specified future date.
Select the Schedule tab. Using the Schedule window, you systematically define the schedule for the particular job you are defining. A single schedule definition for a single job can include many schedule description items or job schedule elements, which can be for different frequencies and different backup types. The following illustrates a schedule definition that contains four job schedule elements. Note that after defining the schedule, you will have an opportunity to exclude particular events by using the Exceptions tab.
Add job schedule elements one by one. To do so:
Click New.
In the New Schedule box, select a frequency. The following list describes your choices:\
Fill in the relevant details. The following table provides an overview of the field definitions. The field definitions may vary depending on the frequency you selected.\
Click Apply. The job schedule element is added to the Schedule Description list at the top of the window.
Repeat steps 4.1 through 4.4 as needed to define the schedule for the particular job you are defining.
Select the Exceptions tab if exclusions are desired. This window allows you to exclude any future scheduled runs of the job. Add exclusion description items one by one. To do so:
Click New.
In the New Exclusion box, select from the display calendar the date of your desired exclusion. In the display calendar, the dates for which the current job is scheduled are denoted in purple. The job elements scheduled for that date appear in the box.
To exclude certain job elements scheduled for that date, click Select one or more entries to exclude, then select the desired jobs from the entries listed in the box. To exclude all job elements scheduled for your selected date, click Exclude whole day.
Click Apply. The exclusion description item is added to the Schedule Description list at the top of the window.
Repeat steps 6.1 through 6.4 as needed to define the exceptions for the particular job you are defining.
You can also indicate whether or not scheduled jobs should be skipped on holidays by clicking to select or unselect Skip Run if Holiday.
Click OK. The schedule and exceptions you just defined are associated with the job you are defining.
Note. Creating a Catalog backup requires that there is at least one device and at least one media added to your DPX.
Creating a dedicated media pool for Catalog backups enables you to quickly locate your latest Catalog backup. It also makes it easy to keep a set of tapes for Catalog backup with a shorter retention period than your normal backup tapes.
See and .
In the main web interface view, go to Job Manager in the sidebar. Then select the New Backup Job button in the upper right corner.
Specify the Job Name (this field may contain up to 16 characters). Add an optional, brief description (this field may contain up to 48 characters).
The SOURCES pane shows Catalog as the source. This setting cannot be edited, as this type of job is used to back up the Catalog only.
In the DESTINATION pane, click Set Destination to choose the destination for the backup.
Note. It is recommended to use a dedicated device cluster and media pool so that you can quickly locate your latest Catalog Backup.
Note. It is strongly recommended to create a regular schedule for Catalog Backup, as the Catalog is vital for managing any backups you might need to restore.
Click Save. The Run Job prompt will be shown, where you may determine the retention period (default: 90 days) and choose whether to run the job immediately. Either way, the job will be available in the Job Manager section.
In the main desktop interface window, go to the Catalog tab, and from the Catalog Operations section in the task panel, choose Backup. Catalog backup is all about backing up the Catalog, so the source selection is disabled for this type of job.
In the DESTINATIONS pane, select a device and a media pool. Expand the tree as necessary.
Note. Before running a backup job, you need to save it. Once saved, a previously defined job can be modified, run, or deleted. If you try to leave the job creation view without saving the changes, you will be prompted to either save or discard changes before leaving.
If you select Define New Backup Job, all unsaved changes will be lost.
Set advanced options as desired, selecting appropriate items in the Other Tasks section of the side panel. Scroll down if necessary.
Save the job by doing one of the following:
Select File > Save Job
Select Save Backup Job in the Job Tasks section of the side panel
Press [Ctrl + S]
The Save Job dialog will appear.
Restrictions. The new job name must be unique throughout the entire DPX, regardless of the folder the job is stored in.
Click OK. The job is now saved.
Click Save Backup Job in the Job Tasks section. You can now run the Catalog Backup job.
When running a Catalog Backup job, you will be prompted to specify the retention period for the backup. The default value is 90 days.
This dialog box contains three tabs along the top: Schedule, Exceptions, and Preview.
Note. For File, Image, and NDMP backup jobs only, you can use the scheduler to define a Migrate operation. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
| Freq | Description |
|---|
| Freq | Field | Definition |
|---|
Select Job Type – Catalog and the Job Folder to store the job in (see the section for more information). By default, all jobs are stored in the SS_DEFAULT job folder.
You may also add a schedule in the SCHEDULES pane for the backup to be run on a regular basis. See .
Set Advanced Options as desired. For details, see .
Important. When you define a Catalog backup, ensure you go to Catalog Backup Job Options and select the option to e-mail the backup report to a user or group accessible even when the master server is down. It is advisable to send a copy offsite. For details, see Catalog Backup .
Note. For Catalog backup, the source is already defined, therefore the SOURCES pane is disabled for selection. For more information, see .
See also. For more information about file backup job options, see .
Once | To schedule a job to run once, on a particular date and at a particular time in the future. |
Hourly | To schedule a job to run more than once a day. This option is available only for Block backup jobs and Agentless VMware backup jobs. |
Daily | To schedule a job to run every day at a particular time. |
Weekly | To schedule a job to run weekly on a particular day of the week, or to schedule a job to run in a particular week of each month. |
Monthly | To schedule a job to run monthly on a particular day of the month. |
Scheme | To schedule rudimentary base/incremental or base/differential schemes. These are weekly schedules that run a Base backup once a week and Incremental or Differential backups on the remaining days. This option is not available for Block backup jobs. |
Catalog is a database that stores all job information, retention information, and information about all backed-up data. The Catalog is on the master server. Catalog protection and maintenance are vital to the success of your Catalogic DPX data protection implementation. The Catalog contains all the information important to managing resources, such as tape media and on-disk storage. The Catalog is also essential for keeping track of available protected data and displaying such data in the management console. All of the Enterprise nodes, tapes, schedules, retentions, user accounts, and backup job definitions are stored in the Catalog. The Catalog backup process is a vital part of protecting and recovering the master server, and the Catalog Condense process is vital to pruning and maintaining the Catalog.
See also. For more information about the Catalog Condense job, see Condense.
The following are strongly recommended best practices for maintaining and protecting the Catalog:
Perform a Catalog backup at least once a day.
Retain a Catalog backup for at least as long as the longest retained archive.
Run a Catalog condense at least once a day.
Schedule Catalog backup and Condense jobs for a time when system activity is relatively low.
Each Enterprise has its own Catalog located on the master server. The Catalog is a set of files stored on the master server within the directory where Catalogic DPX is installed. The important Catalog resources are contained in the following subdirectories:
db
sched
cat
The logs folder is not a vital part of the Catalog but is an important resource to add to your data protection plan. Logs are used by the management console for reviewing the state of jobs that previously ran, and in some cases, logs can be used to help find and recover data that is missing in the Catalog. Job log files are typically trimmed on a 30-day cycle; other diagnostic logging data is trimmed on a 7-day cycle. Logs are not included in a Catalog backup, and the Catalogic DPX installation directory is usually excluded from file-level backups. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to do one of the following to preserve the logs: set up e-mail job notifications, periodically copy the job logs to an alternate location, or protect the job logs with a master server Block backup.
Attention! Hosting the master server installation, including the Catalog, on a CIFS or NFS share is not recommended. It is also not recommended to use soft links (Linux) or junction points (Windows) to redirect access to the core master server database files which include the db, cat, and sched folders. Network outage or latency can disrupt master server functionality. Hosting the Catalog data on CIFS/NFS and attempting to use Catalog backup with the option Skip NFS Volumes set to No might be successful, but that operation is strongly discouraged and is not supported. Note that the Skip NFS Volumes option is set to Yes by default.
Whenever you perform a backup or make a configuration change to your Enterprise, the Catalog is updated. In particular, a backup job updates the Catalog with information identifying the location on tape of every file backed up. This information is crucial during restores.
Once | Run [Backup Type] |
Backup at [Time] | Enter the time of day you want this job element to commence. |
On [Date] | Select from the display calendar the date you want this job element to run. |
Retention |
Hourly | Run Backup at [Time] | Enter the time of day you want this job element to commence. |
On [Date] | Select from the display calendar the date you want this job element to run. |
Repeat every [Hours] | Select the repeat frequency in hours. |
Retention |
Daily | Run [Backup Type] |
Backup at [Time] | Enter the time of day you want this job element to commence. |
On [Date] | Select from the display calendar the first date you want this job element to run. |
Repeat every [Days] | Select the repeat frequency in days. |
Retention |
End Date | This field is optional. To enable this field, select the check box, then select from the display calendar the final date you want this job element to run. |
Weekly | Run [Backup Type] |
Backup at [Time] | Enter the time of day you want this job element to commence. |
On [Day of Week] | Select the day of the week you want this job element to run. You can select more than one day. |
Repeat | Choose either Select Weeks or Week Day in Month. |
Every | With the Select Weeks option selected in the Repeat field, select the frequency of weeks that this job should repeat. |
The | With the Week Day in Month option selected in the Repeat field, select the week in each month that you would like this job element to run. You can select more than one week. Note that Week Day in Month refers to the set of 7 days starting from the first day in the month, not the calendar week containing the first day of the month. |
Retention |
Start Date | This field is optional. To enable this field, select the check box, then select from the display calendar the first date you want this job element to run. |
End Date | This field is optional. To enable this field, select the check box, then select from the display calendar the final date you want this job element to run. |
Monthly | Run [Backup Type] |
Backup at [Time] | Enter the time of day you want this job element to commence. |
On [Day of Month] | Select the numeric day of the month you want this job element to run. You can also choose last day of month. |
Repeat every [Months] | Select the repeat frequency in months. |
Retention |
Start Date | This field is optional. To enable this field, select the check box, then select from the display calendar the first date you want this job element to run. |
End Date | This field is optional. To enable this field, select the check box, then select from the display calendar the final date you want this job element to run. |
Catalog DPX offers several job options for Catalog backup. All of them are available from both interfaces but the access thereto may differ. See details for each interface below.
In the web interface, backup job options are defined in the Advanced Options section. To access them, do the following:
Go to Job Manager in the sidebar.
Open an already existing backup job. Or create a new Catalog backup job, by clicking the New Backup Job button in the upper right corner and then selecting Backup Type Catalog.
Go to the Advanced Options section at the bottom (scroll down if necessary) and expand it. Click any of the following section headers to expand it. Each field and the available choices are explained below.
Controls the data verification technique for writing data to a media volume. The higher the verification level, the greater the safety and the longer a backup takes. Each verification level builds upon the preceding level. For example, level 3 performs level 1 and level 2 verification as well. Select one of the following options:
No Verification
Writes data to the media volume without verification. This is the fastest option and relies on the tape device for data verification.
Level 1
Reads the tape to ensure that it is readable.
Level 2
Reads the tape and ensures that the SIDF headers are present and contain the correct information.
Level 3 Ensures that the checksum of each file on the tape matches the one contained in the SIDF header for that file. This verification is only performed if the Checksum Files toggle is set to Enabled in the Job Destination Options section. The tape and SIDF headers are also read and verified (levels 1 and 2).
Compresses data prior to network transmission.
Toggle on to compress data prior to transmission at the node being backed up. This setting is recommended if there is processing power available on the client nodes and network bandwidth is limited. This setting minimizes the impact of data transmission on data lines.
Or, toggle off to disable the data compression.
Determines expected behavior when encountering an NFS (network file system) volume during a backup operation. NFS volumes are remotely mounted volumes owned by another node. This option also controls the backup behavior of drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows node (CIFS mount point).
Controls how DPX behaves when it cannot establish contact with a node during a backup operation. If you enter zero, DPX skips unreachable nodes. If you enter a number, DPX waits until all the reachable nodes have been backed up and then retries the nodes that it could not back up on its first attempt. The number you enter determines how many times DPX tries to reach unreachable nodes.
Determines how long to wait before retrying failed tasks.
When a task fails (due to permission problems, open files, interim job changes, etc.), it waits the number of minutes specified in this field before attempting that task again. Because the same failure might occur if the task is retried too soon, it is better to allow some time for an error to be corrected before retrying the task. A task is only retried once. Failing tasks appear in error message lists in the Job Log. All tasks are subject to retry.
If you are not using an open file manager, this option tells Catalogic DPX whether to catalog open files encountered on UNIX systems. On UNIX nodes, Catalogic DPX backs up the file and then checks to determine if it has been modified while the backup transpired. If it has, the file is considered open. Cataloging open files is not generally recommended.
Note. Cataloging a file that has been modified during the backup can compromise the integrity of the file when that file is restored.
Enter the name of a script to execute prior to the actual job.
Basic usage: <script>@<node_name> <argument_list>
The action be taken if the Pre-Job Script fails to successfully complete:
Run Job/Run Post-Job Script
Skip Job/Run Post-Job Script
Skip Job/Skip Post-Job Script
The action to be taken if the Job fails to successfully complete:
Run Post-Job Script
Skip Post-Job Script
Enter the name of a script to execute after the actual job.
Basic usage: <script>@<node_name> <argument_list>
See also. For detailed information about pre- and post-job scripts, including all valid definitions, see Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts.
Determines whether or not to accept a tape with data on it.
Determines expected behavior when an unlabeled tape is found in the tape drive.
Determines whether a backup tape is stored offsite. DPX adds the Offsite status to the tape.
Determines if a backup tape with status Offsite can be appended to.
The Offsite status of a tape can be viewed through the Operate Tape Library function, the Configure Media function, or in the media volume report. Note that when you use the Operate Tape Library function to import a tape with status Offsite, the Offsite status is cleared and the tape becomes available for use.
Enables the twinning option. The twinning option creates two sets of backups simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate tape duplication for off-site vaulting.
Indicates in the Catalog the location of twinned tapes, if twinning is on.
Determines what to do with the tape when the backup job is complete.
Attention! In some cases, a backup job may fail if the Export option is used for the first job following a system restart, especially if the initial job is a File backup with the Export setting.
Generates a checksum value for each file that is backed up. The checksum value is written to the SIDF header.
Indicates the desired performance option. This option helps control the number of tasks running concurrently within a backup job. The appropriateness of each selection depends upon the backup you are running.
Sets the maximum number of tasks that can have files backed up to a single device. The default is 1.
Note. Increasing concurrency to values >1 during backups slows restore performance and requires more memory on the master server during restore.
Limits the number of storage devices valid for use with this job. Use this option if you want to stop DPX from using all the drives in the selected device cluster so that some drives will be available for other purposes.
Holds tasks within a job until the number of drives specified are available for each task to use.
The maximum number to check a tape in a standalone tape device.
The number of seconds to wait between checking the availability of a tape in a standalone tape device.
Controls tape drive usage.
Encrypt data while transmitting it through networks to enhance security. Typically, the encrypted data transfer can lower the data transfer speed.
The Notification Options section controls who receives messages pertaining to the current job when it is run.
Important. The Catalog backup notification is essential. It enables you to quickly locate your latest Catalog backup. The information you need is contained in the backup report generated when you perform a backup.
The easiest way to ensure you have a copy of the Catalog backup report is to have it e-mailed automatically when the Catalog backup completes.
The Notification options consist of a radio button selection with two possible options.
If the Custom e-mail notifications option is selected, four additional entry fields appear:
The subject of your message. The subject line usually contains a combination of straight text and variable elements. Variables, which must begin with %, are replaced with actual corresponding values. If you enclose variables in double quotation marks, those variables are treated as literal values. You can embed the following variables:
%JOBNAME
%JOBID
%JOBTYPE
%RC
Use %RC to include the return code in the message for this run of the job, when applicable.
The email address of the primary recipient of your message. Only one “To” address is permitted.
Carbon Copy. The email address(es) of the secondary recipient(s) of your message. Use a semicolon to delimit multiple email addresses.
Blind Carbon Copy. The email address(es) of the secondary recipient(s) not identified to other recipients. Use a semi-colon to delimit multiple email addresses.
Note. Note that the following characters are invalid in all fields: < > ; and '.
Note. DPX emailing must be enabled when you first configure your Enterprise. At that time, you supply general system information, including SMTP Host Name and SMTP Port. See Configuring Enterprise Information.
To access the job source options for Catalog backup, do the following:
Go to the Catalog tab.
In the Catalog Operations section, select Backup.
Open an already existing backup job by clicking Open Backup Job in the Job Tasks section. Or go directly to step 4 to set source options for the new job you will be defining directly afterward.
Go to the Other Tasks section in the task panel (scroll down if necessary) and select one of the following to open the corresponding options dialog.
The Set Job Source Options dialog allows you to set options related to the backup source. This section provides an explanation of each field in the dialog and the available choices.
Verify Backup
Controls the data verification technique for writing data to a media volume. The higher the verification level, the greater the safety and the longer a backup takes. Each verification level builds upon the preceding level. For example, level 3 performs level 1 and level 2 verification as well. Select one of the following options:
No Verification
Writes data to the media volume without verification. This is the fastest option and relies on the tape device for data verification.
Level 1
Reads the tape to ensure that it is readable.
Level 2
Reads the tape and ensures that the SIDF headers are present and contain the correct information.
Level 3 Ensures that the checksum of each file on the tape matches the one contained in the SIDF header for that file. This verification is only performed if the Checksum Files feature is set to Yes in Set Job Destination Options. The tape and SIDF headers are also read and verified (levels 1 and 2).
Data Compression
Compresses data prior to network transmission.
Select Yes to compress data prior to transmission at the node being backed up. This setting is recommended if there is processing power available on the client nodes and network bandwidth is limited. This setting minimizes the impact of data transmission on data lines.
Or, select No to disable the data compression.
Network Encryption
Encrypt data while transmitting it through networks to enhance security. Typically, the encrypted data transfer can lower the data transfer speed.
Skip NFS Volumes
Determines expected behavior when encountering an NFS (network file system) volume during a backup operation. NFS volumes are remotely mounted volumes owned by another node. This option also controls the backup behavior of drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows node (CIFS mount point).
Select No to back up NFS volumes and drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows nodes.
Or, select Yes so as not to back up NFS volumes or drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows nodes.
Open File Retries
If you are not using an open file manager, this option controls how many times DPX attempts to back up an open file. If you enter zero, DPX skips open files. If you enter a number, DPX waits until all the files on the node have been backed up then tries again to save the open files. DPX attempts this the number of times you enter here.
Down Node Retries
Controls how DPX behaves when it cannot establish contact with a node during a backup operation. If you enter zero, DPX skips unreachable nodes. If you enter a number, DPX waits until all the reachable nodes have been backed up and then retries the nodes that it could not back up on its first attempt. The number you enter determines how many times DPX tries to reach unreachable nodes.
Task Retry Intervals (Minutes)
Determines how long to wait before retrying failed tasks.
When a task fails (due to permission problems, open files, interim job changes, etc.), it waits the number of minutes specified in this field before attempting that task again. Because the same failure might occur if the task is retried too soon, it is better to allow some time for an error to be corrected before retrying the task. A task is only retried once. Failing tasks appear in error message lists in the Job Log. All tasks are subject to retry.
Catalog Open Files
If you are not using an open file manager, this option tells Catalogic DPX whether to catalog open files encountered on UNIX systems. On UNIX nodes, Catalogic DPX backs up the file and then checks to determine if it has been modified while the backup transpired. If it has, the file is considered open. Cataloging open files is not generally recommended.
Select No so as not to save the backed-up file if DPX detects that the file has been modified during the backup process and the number specified in the Open File Retries field has been reached.
Or, select Yes to catalog the backed-up file if it detects that the file has been modified during the backup process and the number specified in the Open File Retries field has been reached. Catalogic DPX catalogs its last attempt to back up an open file if it finds the file is still open. Note that cataloging a file that has been modified during the backup can compromise the integrity of the file when that file is restored.
Note. For Catalog Backup, do not configure this option but keep the default settings.
Pre-Job Script
Enter the name of a script to execute before the actual job.
Basic usage: <script>@<node_name> <argument_list>
If Pre-Script fails
The action be taken if the Pre-Job Script fails to complete:
Run Job/Run Post-Job Script
Skip Job/Run Post-Job Script
Skip Job/Skip Post-Job Script
If Job fails
The action to be taken if the Job fails to complete:
Run Post-Job Script
Skip Post-Job Script
Post-Job Script
Enter the name of a script to execute after the actual job.
Basic usage: <script>@<node_name> <argument_list>
See also. For detailed information about pre- and post-job scripts, including all valid definitions, see Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts.
To access the job destination options:
Open the Set Job Destination Options dialog box by doing one of the following:
Right-click the Enterprise name or icon to display a context menu. Then select Set Destination Options.
From the menu bar, select Backup > Set Destination Options [Ctrl + E].
Go to the Other Tasks section in the task panel (scroll down if necessary) and select Set Destination Options.
The Set Job Destination Options dialog box appears.
Complete the Set Job Destination Options dialog box as needed (see descriptions below) and click OK.
Backup Type
This drop-down includes only one item, which is Base Backup, as incremental nor differential backups are not possible for Catalog backup.
Tape Usage
Determines whether or not to accept a tape with data on it.
Unlabeled Tape Usage
Determines expected behavior when an unlabeled tape is found in the tape drive.
Mark Original Offsite
Determines whether a backup tape is stored offsite. DPX adds the Offsite status to the tape.
Append Offsite
Determines if a backup tape with status Offsite can be appended to.
The Offsite status of a tape can be viewed through the Operate Tape Library function, the Configure Media function, or in the media volume report. Note that when you use the Operate Tape Library function to import a tape with status Offsite, the Offsite status is cleared and the tape becomes available for use.
Twin Tapes
Enables the twinning option. The twinning option creates two sets of backups simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate tape duplication for off-site vaulting.
Mark Twin Offsite
Indicates in the Catalog the location of twinned tapes, if twinning is on.
Tape EOJ Usage
Determines what to do with the tape when the backup job is complete.
Attention! In some cases, a backup job may fail if the Export option is used for the first job following a system restart, especially if the initial job is a File backup with the Export setting.
Checksum Files
Generates a checksum value for each file that is backed up. The checksum value is written to the SIDF header.
Performance Options
Indicates the desired performance option. This option helps control the number of tasks running concurrently within a backup job. The appropriateness of each selection depends upon the backup you are running.
Split Size (MB)
Sets a threshold for file splitting. File splitting is the ability to split a file into smaller pieces and back up those pieces simultaneously. File splitting is designed for large files or raw partitions. If Split Large Files/Partitions is selected in Performance Options and the file exceeds the size entered here, the file splits automatically. If the file does not exceed the size entered here, the file does not split. Keep the threshold large enough (2 GB) so that file splitting is reserved for truly large files.
Note. This option applies only to UNIX systems. It is not available for Windows.
Concurrency Per Device (Nodes)
Sets the maximum number of tasks that can have files backed up to a single device. The default is 1.
Note. Increasing concurrency to values >1 during backups slows restore performance and requires more memory on the master server during restore.
Max Devices (Devices)
Limits the number of storage devices valid for use with this job. Use this option if you want to stop DPX from using all the drives in the selected device cluster so that some drives will be available for other purposes.
Min Devices (Devices)
Holds tasks within a job until the number of drives specified are available for each task to use.
Tape Mount Attempts
The maximum number to check a tape in a standalone tape device.
Mount Interval (Seconds)
The number of seconds to wait between checking the availability of a tape in a standalone tape device.
Early Device Release
Controls tape drive usage.
The Set Job Encryption Options dialog controls the encryption of the backup data.
To change the encryption setting:
Open the Set Job Encryption Options dialog box by doing one of the following:
Right-click the Enterprise name or icon to display a context menu. Then select Set Encryption Options.
From the menu bar, select Backup > Set Encryption Options [Ctrl + Y].
On the task panel, click Set Encryption Options.
The Set Job Encryption Options dialog box appears.
Complete the Set Job Encryption Options dialog box as needed and click OK.
Network Encryption
Encrypt data while transmitting it through networks to enhance security. Typically, the encrypted data transfer can lower the data transfer speed.
The Set Job Notification Options dialog controls who receives messages pertaining to the current job when it is run.
To set backup job notification options:
Open the Set Job Notification Options dialog box by doing one of the following:
Right-click the Enterprise name or icon to display a context menu. Then select Set Notification Options.
From the menu bar, select Backup > Set Notification Options [Ctrl + T].
On the task panel, click Set Notification Options.
The Set Job Notification Options dialog box appears.
Complete the Set Job Notification Options dialog box as needed and click OK.
Mail information
Two sets of mail information can be specified:
To
The email address of the primary recipient of your message. Only one “To” address is permitted.
Cc
Carbon Copy. The email address(es) of the secondary recipient(s) of your message. Use a semicolon to delimit multiple email addresses.
Bcc
Blind Carbon Copy. The email address(es) of the secondary recipient(s) not identified to other recipients. Use a semi-colon to delimit multiple email addresses.
Subject
The subject of your message. The subject line usually contains a combination of straight text and variable elements. Variables, which must begin with %, are replaced with actual corresponding values. If you enclose variables in double quotation marks, those variables are treated as literal values. You can embed the following variables:
%JOBNAME
%JOBID
%JOBTYPE
%RC
Use %RC to include the return code in the message for this run of the job, when applicable.
No Notification
Selecting this check box option temporarily disables notifications for the job without deleting the currently defined job notification data.
Note. Note that the following characters are invalid in all fields: < > ; and '.
Note. DPX emailing must be enabled when you first configure your Enterprise. At that time, you supply general system information, including SMTP Host Name and SMTP Port. See Editing an Enterprise Configuration.
Select the backup type (base, differential, or incremental) for this job element. See . For File, Image and NDMP, you can also select Migrate.
Enter the number of days you would like the backed-up data for this element of this job to be saved in the Catalog. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
Enter the number of days you would like the backed-up data for this element of this job to be saved in the Catalog. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
Select the backup type (base, differential, or incremental) for this job element. See . For File, Image and NDMP, you can also select Migrate.
Enter the number of days you would like the backed up data for this element of this job to be saved in the Catalog. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
Select the backup type (base, differential, or incremental) for this job element. For more information, see . For File, Image and NDMP, you can also select Migrate.
Enter the number of days you would like the backed up data for this element of this job to be saved in the Catalog. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
Select the backup type (base, differential, or incremental) for this job element. See . For File, Image and NDMP, you can also select Migrate.
Enter the number of days, months, or years that you would like the backed up data for this element of this job to be saved in the Catalog. See in the DPX 4.9.x Reference Guide.
E-mail notifications will be sent to the e-mail account specified in the Administrator E-mail Settings tab on the ENTERPRISE INFORMATION page under on the top menu bar. See Administrator E-mail Settings.
Toggle on
Back up NFS volumes and drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows nodes.
Toggle off
Do not back up NFS volumes or drives that are mapped to the Microsoft Windows nodes.
Toggle on
Catalog the backed-up file if it detects that the file has been modified during the backup process and the number specified in the Open File Retries field has been reached. Catalogic DPX catalogs its last attempt to back up an open file if it finds the file is still open.
Toggle off
Do not save the backed-up file if DPX detects that the file has been modified during the backup process and the number specified in the Open File Retries field has been reached.
Use a new tape
Requires media with status New or Empty from the selected media pool. Media with status New will only be used if the option Unlabeled Tape Usage (defined below) is set to Allow unlabeled tapes and label them.
Attempt to append data to available tape
Accepts a backup tape from the selected media pool with data on it (status Appendable) and writes to the unused portion of the tape. The appended data can have a retention period that differs from the data preceding it on the tape.
Label unlabeled tapes
Label the unlabeled tape. This saves the step of labeling a tape beforehand.
Reject unlabeled tapes
Do not use the unlabeled tape.
Toggle on
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored offsite.
Toggle off
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored onsite.
Toggle on
Tapes in the library with status Offsite can be appended to. The Append Offsite field in the Edit Media Pool dialog must also be set to Yes.
Toggle off
Tapes in the library with status Offsite cannot be appended to.
Toggle on
Backs up data simultaneously to two tapes.
Toggle off
Disables twinning.
Toggle on
Indicates that the twinned tape (second tape) is stored offsite.
Toggle off
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored onsite.
Rewind Tapes
For a standalone tape device, this option rewinds the tape and leaves it in the drive. For a tape library tape drive, this option rewinds, unloads, and returns the tape to its slot.
Unload Tapes
For a standalone tape device, this option rewinds the tape and ejects it from the drive. For a tape library tape drive, this option rewinds, unloads, and returns the tape to its slot.
For DiskDirectory, this option causes empty volsers to be used before new volsers.
Leave Tapes
In the case of standalone tape drives, the tape remains wound to the point where the job ended and stays in the drive. However, for tape library drives, the tape is always attempted to be returned to its slot after the backup operation is completed. The next job attempts to use the tape in the drive instead of mounting a new tape. In the case of standalone drive, if the currently mounted tape is unacceptable (for example, if the next backup requires a tape from a different media pool), the operator is prompted to mount another tape. In the case of a tape library, if the tape in the drive is rejected for any reason, it unloads the tape, returns it to its slot, and proceed to select another tape.
Export Tapes
Automates the export of tapes to an I/O port, eliminating manual processes and preparing tapes for their next destination. In environments with physical tape libraries, the availability of an empty I/O port is essential. The system will alert and will return an error code if no port is available, prompting user action. A rescan of ports is recommended to ensure availability.
Toggle on
Generates a checksum value for backed-up files.
Toggle off
Turns off checksum generation. If you turn checksum generation off, level 3 verification cannot be performed. For more information on level 3 verification, see the source option Verify Backup.
Standard
Backs up UNIX nodes and Windows disks concurrently. Use this option when memory on the master or device server(s) is limited or when you will not derive benefit from any of the other choices.
Split Job by Partitions
Backs up UNIX partitions (mount points) and Windows disks concurrently. Use this option when backing up multiple partitions and there are no device or memory limitations.
Split Job by Files
Use this option when backing up single partitions (disks or volumes) that contain many files. This selection will create a task for every available tape drive in this job. Note. This option is not supported for Linux OES.
Split Large Files/Partitions
Splits files that exceed the Split Size threshold. Each part of the split file is backed up concurrently. Use this with large raw partition backups or when you are backing up very large files and the number of files or partitions is less than the number of devices.
Toggle on
The tape drive is released after the current task with a tape drive finishes so that the next job can use the same tape drive before completing the entire job.
Toggle off
The tape drive is not made available for the next job until the entire job is completed.
Toggle on
Enables encrypted data transfer.
Toggle off
Data transfer without encryption.
Yes
Enables encrypted data transfer.
No
Data transfer without encryption.
Use a new tape
Requires media with status New or Empty from the selected media pool. Media with status New will only be used if the option Unlabeled Tape Usage (defined below) is set to Allow unlabeled tapes and label them.
Attempt to append data to available tape
Accepts a backup tape from the selected media pool with data on it (status Appendable) and writes to the unused portion of the tape. The appended data can have a retention period that differs from the data preceding it on the tape.
Label unlabeled tapes
Label the unlabeled tape. This saves the step of labeling a tape beforehand.
Reject unlabeled tapes
Do not use the unlabeled tape.
Yes
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored offsite.
No
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored onsite.
Yes
Tapes in the library with status Offsite can be appended to. The Append Offsite field in the Edit Media Pool dialog must also be set to Yes.
No
Tapes in the library with status Offsite cannot be appended to.
Yes
Backs up data simultaneously to two tapes.
No
Disables twinning.
Yes
Indicates that the twinned tape (second tape) is stored offsite.
No
Indicates in the Catalog that the tape is stored onsite.
Rewind Tapes
For a standalone tape device, this option rewinds the tape and leaves it in the drive. For a tape library tape drive, this option rewinds, unloads, and returns the tape to its slot.
Unload Tapes
For a standalone tape device, this option rewinds the tape and ejects it from the drive. For a tape library tape drive, this option rewinds, unloads, and returns the tape to its slot.
For DiskDirectory, this option causes empty volsers to be used before new volsers.
Leave Tapes
In the case of standalone tape drives, the tape remains wound to the point where the job ended and stays in the drive. However, for tape library drives, the tape is always attempted to be returned to its slot after the backup operation is completed. The next job attempts to use the tape in the drive instead of mounting a new tape. In the case of standalone drive, if the currently mounted tape is unacceptable (for example, if the next backup requires a tape from a different media pool), the operator is prompted to mount another tape. In the case of a tape library, if the tape in the drive is rejected for any reason, it unloads the tape, returns it to its slot, and proceed to select another tape.
Export Tapes
Automates the export of tapes to an I/O port, eliminating manual processes and preparing tapes for their next destination. In environments with physical tape libraries, the availability of an empty I/O port is essential. The system will alert and will return an error code if no port is available, prompting user action. A rescan of ports is recommended to ensure availability.
Yes
Generates a checksum value for backed-up files.
No
Turns off checksum generation. If you turn checksum generation off, level 3 verification cannot be performed. For more information on level 3 verification, see the source option Verify Backup.
Standard
Backs up UNIX nodes and Windows disks concurrently. Use this option when memory on the master or device server(s) is limited or when you will not derive benefit from any of the other choices.
Split Job by Partitions
Backs up UNIX partitions (mount points) and Windows disks concurrently. Use this option when backing up multiple partitions and there are no device or memory limitations.
Split Job by Files
Use this option when backing up single partitions (disks or volumes) that contain many files. This selection will create a task for every available tape drive in this job. Note. This option is not supported for Linux OES.
Split Large Files/Partitions
Splits files that exceed the Split Size threshold. Each part of the split file is backed up concurrently. Use this with large raw partition backups or when you are backing up very large files and the number of files or partitions is less than the number of devices.
Yes
The tape drive is released after the current task with a tape drive finishes so that the next job can use the same tape drive before completing the entire job.
No
The tape drive is not made available for the next job until the entire job is completed.
Output Email
Specifies that the subsequent fields apply to reports that are sent when a job has completed.
Operator Email
Specifies that the subsequent fields apply to mount requests, error messages, and informational messages that are sent during a job.
