Discussions related to exporting backups to tape and backing up directly to tape.
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ekisner
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Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by ekisner »

Or more specifically, not locking on backup restore.

Consider the following situation:
- 4 sets of tapes, rotated weekly
- A backup which needs to be restored from say... set 2.
- Set 3 is presently in the library

When one runs through the backup restore wizard, it indicates that the restore job will require set 2 tape A, tape B, and tape C (for example).

It follows that one should load the correct tapes into the library, run an inventory, and let the restore complete.

Present functionality requires that one cancel the restore job, load the tapes, run the inventory, then re-start the restore job.
veremin
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by veremin »

Not sure whether I follow you on that. Are you saying that in order to restore from several tapes, you need to stop forcibly the current restore session, when next tape is required, and restart it afterwards?

I'm asking because tape restoration procedure works differently. When next tape is required, tape job will be sitting and waiting, till the next tape is inserted inside drive. Once it's there, tape job will read its header and identify whether it's appropriate one, continuing restore in case it is.

Thanks.
ekisner
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by ekisner »

Well, consider my restore from this morning.

I had a weekly set in, however it was the wrong weekly set. The restore job required 2 tapes from a previous set, not already loaded in the library - the wizard indicated which ones.

If one completes the restore wizard with the wrong tapes in the library, it starts the tape restore, locks the drive, and sits at 'waiting for tape'.

I then walk to my server room, load the tapes in the library, issue an inventory job, which starts, then sits at 'all drives are busy'.

I must forcibly stop the restore job (or, having foresight, cancel the restore wizard after it tells me which tapes I need) to allow the inventory job to start, then go through the restore wizard a second time.
Dima P.
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by Dima P. »

Erik,
sits at 'waiting for tape'.
…and the email notification on waiting for tape state should be sent – right?
ekisner
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by ekisner »

Regardless of whether a notification is sent or not, I still have to cancel the job in order to give it the tapes it wants. But no, there's no email notification that it's waiting for a tape - that could be how I have it set up however.
Dima P.
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by Dima P. »

Thanks! Just to clarify, how many drives your library has?
ekisner
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by ekisner »

The library has 1 drive and 16 tape slots. 7 for Weekly media pool, 7 for Monthly media pool, 2 for Incremental media pool.
Dima P.
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by Dima P. »

I see now, thanks for the heads-up! That’s happening because inventory cannot be performed due the drive being locked, so library does not know that the correct tapes were loaded. Unfortunately, there is no way to work around this while having one drive inside the library (except canceling the restore, loading the correct tapes and re starting the restore procedure)
ekisner
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by ekisner »

Under present functionality, I definitely understand. But I would wonder if in future builds it would be possible to tell the job to wait without locking the drive, then lock the drive when it sees at least one of the needed tapes is present? Just a feature request - if it's deemed unneeded or unfeasible then so be it.
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Re: Feature Request: Locking on backup restore

Post by Dima P. »

Sounds valid for me and I bet we start looking for possible improvements in this area after the next major release.
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