Writing to Tape Help

[ec-inflxx]

So we use Backup Exec 2010 R2 with a Dell 124T AutoLoader to backup to tape and store off-site. I just purchased Veeam and I am curious on how I can intergrate writing my Synthetic Full Backups to tape via Symantec. I know there are scripts out there, can anyone share with me a good script to use and maybe brief instructions on the best way to go about this?

I am guessing my only other alternative is to share the folders and then setup a job in Symantec to write those to tape when i want, but not sure if that is the best way to do it.

Any help would be much appreciated. So far this installation and configuration of Veeam has gone pretty smooth.

Thanks.

[Gostev]

I am guessing my only other alternative is to share the folders and then setup a job in Symantec to write those to tape when i want, but not sure if that is the best way to do it.

Yes, this is the best way to do it. You setup a job in Symantec, and trigger it as post-job activity in Veeam.

Check this out:
http://ict-freak.nl/2009/08/20/veeam-ba ... e-by-side/

[ec-inflxx]

Thanks. Quick question though - what constitutes a backup cycle? My configuration is 5 restore points (runs on weekdays) and I have enabled synthetic fulls to run on Saturday. So if I select one backup cycle what exactly will be written to tape?

Thanks!

[ec-inflxx]

One other question - if I were to run the post job script/command. Do I have to have Veeam and Backup Exec with the tape drive on the same machine? Right now I have Veeam as a VM and Backup Exec runs on a physical server with the Tape Drive connected.

Thanks again!

[Gostev]

"Cycle" means "job run". The screenshot is pretty old, later versions added enhanced post-job activity scheduling... so better check out live UI.

No, you don't need them on the same machine, you can start the BackupExec executable remotely via psexec.

No problems, a lot of these questions have been already answered on this forum before (as you may guess), so next time you may try to search the forum to find the answers quickly (as I am not always available here to answer).

[ec-inflxx]

"Cycle" means "job run". The screenshot is pretty old, later versions added enhanced post-job activity scheduling... so better check out live UI.

Sorry still a bit confused. "job run" would mean just an incremental? So if I have my job set for 6:00pm on weekdays that post-job script will run after each incremental and after the synthetic full?

I am guessing it would just be easier to setup shares and schedule the job through Symantec and let it take care of the schedule?

[Gostev]

Yes, it will run after any job run, just as you say. But again, as I've already said you are looking at old user interface here. Current UI provides ability to select days when post-job activity should run.

Of course, you can also use Symantec scheduling, albeit this way the tape backup job will not be chained. So in some cases, it may start while Veeam backup job is still running.

Ideal solution (and my recommendation) would be to use post-job activity and PowerShell script that triggers tape backup job only when Veeam Backup job completes successfully.

[ec-inflxx]

Ok, I understand that part now. That part I am a bit hazy on now is how I setup the job in Backup Exec. I know this isn't a Backup Exec forum but what are the settings I chose in backup exec in order to get that one Veeam backup job? So basically I will select the post-job activity to be run on Saturdays after my synthetic full has been created. My question is what folder do I select in Symantec in order to just capture that backup on Saturday? I will search the forums as well it see if someone has mapped this out, but a step by step guide other than that old one that support gives you would be nice. Maybe something that takes you from creating the job in Symantec to configuring the post-job activity and maybe some sample PowerShell scripts.

Or would this something I would need to open a support ticket for?

Thanks.

[Gostev]

Noooooo, our support definitely cannot assist with setting up BackupExec
But doesn't the link to blog I provided above describe exactly this?????

Here is a sample PowerShell script

[ec-inflxx]

That blog post doesnt show how Symantec knows where the data is to copy. I guess that is where I am confused. I am not familiar much with Symantec so I will have to go and play around but how do you setup the job in Symantec that will accept that script? Anyone else do this in their environment that might be able to shed some light?

[ec-inflxx]

The other problem I am having is that using Backup Exec 2010 there is no - C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\bemcmd.exe - none that I could find from a search that is. The default directory for 2010 is C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\RAWS........

[Mindflux]

The other problem I am having is that using Backup Exec 2010 there is no - C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\bemcmd.exe - none that I could find from a search that is. The default directory for 2010 is C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\RAWS........

RAWS is an agent directory.

Do you have VEEAM installed on the same system as Backup Exec? I do, and bemcmd exists in C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec.

[ec-inflxx]

No Veeam and Backup Exec are on two separate servers. Will I still be able to do it this way?

[ec-inflxx]

Will the VBK file be the file I will want to write to tape if I do this manually? I am guessing that Synthetic Fulls create a VBK file correct? So my thought was to do my Synthetic Full on Saturday and then write just the VBK to tape on Sunday/Monday?

[jlehtinen]

I'm looking at similiar info, thought I'd chime in with what I've found:

From Gostev:
VBK is full backup file
VIB is incremental data
VRB is reversed incremental data


From FAQ Blog:

Veeam Backup “injects” the changes into the full recovery file (.VBK) and then also saves any data replaced during this process into the reversed incremental changes file (.VRB). The .VBK file is always a full recovery file and the largest file in the directory. The .VBK file also has the most current modified date as it gets updated after each backup cycle.

[ec-inflxx]

Ok that makes sense. So do the VBK files always stay no matter how many restore points you set? And can manual delete them after the file is backed up to tape? Or does Veeam do this automatically as well?

[jlehtinen]

Again, I'm learning myself here, but I think this is true:

The VBK will always be there, because that IS the backup file. The VBR/VIB are the files that have the data for your snapshots. That's the piece that really confused me for awhile with Veeam. I thought that since the VBK was created initially, it would only contain data that matched the data WHEN it was created. I thought that all new data was going into the VBR/VIB files. It appears its actually almost opposite this - the VBK contains the NEW data, and the VBR's contain the snapshots of the "old" data. That was a revelation for me, too bad it took me a week to figure it out!

You could delete a VBK after it is backed up on tape, but then your next backup job would have to be a "full" backup, rather than just another incremental. Since that particular "job" in Veeam was expecting a full VBK to already be in place, you might get errors trying to run it again - meaning you'd have to also re-create the backup job, then recapture a full VBK to get your next backup.

If you just keep that VBK in place, every backup job that runs after the initial is updating your VBK to a current level. So, you could just run your backup job (which gets the VBK current), then back the VBK up to tape without deleting it.

[ec-inflxx]

Well when I ran the synthetic full it also created a VBK. So i had the original "full backup" VBK and then the synthetic full VBK. So I am going under the assumption that every synthetic full will generate a new VBK file. So I would keep the most recent one and delete the other one once it is backed up to tape. If i could just get that post-activity script to work in my environment I think I would be golden. Because I was toying with doing it manually but I only want that one VBK file not all files in the directory and since the VBK file changes I would have to keep going into Symantec and changing the job.

So if anyone has anyone input on a post-activity script that will run from my Veeam Backup Server to my Symantec Backup Server (2 different boxes - 1 physical, 1 virtual). Then that would rock.

Thanks.

[Gostev]

John, you are right, but I wanted to highlight here that you are talking about "reversed incremental" backup mode, which is not the default backup mode in v5. Default backup mode is "incremental", this one works in more traditional way. FAQ topic has a table comparing all v5 backup modes, to help you choose which one you want to use. Every backup mode has its own advantages and disadvantages.

ec-inflxx, I have already provided both the script, and command that should be used to run BackupExec if it is installed on the remote server on the previous page of this topic.

[Mindflux]

No Veeam and Backup Exec are on two separate servers. Will I still be able to do it this way?

Not as easily. You can probably use something like psexec to remotely call bemcmd with the appropriate flags from your veeam server though.

[ec-inflxx]

ec-inflxx, I have already provided both the script, and command that should be used to run BackupExec if it is installed on the remote server on the previous page of this topic.

Ok, gotcha, I wasn't aware there was a link on how to use te psexec command. I will test it out. Thank you.

One last thing that might be a bit off this forum post but I just checked off the box to Transform previous full back chains into rollbacks and it looks like it changed the VIB files to VRB. I am guess my new incrementals will be VRB files now that that is selected? Or does it only create the incrementals to VRB once the Synthetic Full runs?

Thanks.

[Gostev]

Or does it only create the incrementals to VRB once the Synthetic Full runs?

That is correct, transform only happens on selected day. During other days, you still get regular incremental backup files (VIB) produced. This essentially enables for daily VIB dumps to tape, while preserving the main benefit of reversed incremental backup, which is about keeping only 1 full backup (VBK) on disk no matter of how long you retention policy for backup data on disk is (to enable fast operational restores) .

In previous version, reversed incremental was the only backup mode available. While customers loved its benefits, we had complaints from those who had a requirement for daily tape dumps. They were essentially forced to copy the full backup file (VBK) everyday, and it was taking too much tapes and time. So, we had to get creative, and merge the best of both worlds together

Thanks!

[ec-inflxx]

How long will it take a job to fail or complete if the post job activity has not run correctly. Apparentely my script or setup isn't working and it has been sitting at 99% for a while.

Also if anyone has done this in Symantec when you create the job, how do you go about the actual creation of the job in backup exec? The file that I want to backup will not be created until after the Veeam runs the job so I am not sure what to put in the selection list and how this will work with the post-job activity.

Thanks.

[kjc3303]

I would have thought the best way to do this is have a target folder for your veeam backups and back up the whole folder with Backupexec, you can then create an exclusuion list if you do not want to backup the VIBS or VRBS.

I have a link for this but not sure if allowed to post links to Symantics website, Mods?

[ec-inflxx]

Anyone have any familiarity with Psexec? I am getting this error when trying to run it:

PsExec v1.98 - Execute processes remotely
Copyright (C) 2001-2010 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com


PsExec could not start ?C:\Program on ilarchive01:
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.

Here is my command - psexec \\ilarchive01 "C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\bemcmd.exe" -o01 -jTest-Veeam2Tape

Thanks!

[Gostev]

Try adding extra backslash after computer name.

[ec-inflxx]

Unfortunately I get:
PsExec v1.98 - Execute processes remotely
Copyright (C) 2001-2010 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com


PsExec could not start ?C:\Program on ilarchive01\:
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.

Very weird. I got it to work once and then after that when I tried I get these errors. I have rebooted both servers but no luck.

[Bunce]

If the error message is as appears above, and is truncating at the space after \Program, then its likely an issue with escaping the quotes in the command line.

Can't test it here, but can often be fixed by replacing any signle set of quotes with a triple set.

[ec-inflxx]

Not 100% I know what you mean. Can you post an example real quick?

Thanks.

[Gostev]

Copy the below, this should work. Yes, I do realize it is the same as you used, but I put magic into it this time

Code: Select all

psexec \\ilarchive01 "C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec\bemcmd.exe" -o01 -jTest-Veeam2Tape

Seriously though, I just noticed from the error that you are likely not typing the command in, but copy/pasting it from some editor (like Word), and those editors use special type of quotes (opening/closing), so command processor may be failing on those. You should use regular system quote symbol such as in this code.