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Each night a backup
of your file server will be done. This
will generally be programmed to automatically happen around 9PM.
The rotation and use
of the backup tapes in based on a GFS (Grandfather, Father, Son)
scheme. This scheme will create three
separate “pools” of tapes:
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Within each pool, the
tapes will be divided into “Scratch” and “Save” sets. After a successful back, a tape is placed in
the Save set. The tape remains in the
Save set for a predetermined period of time.
When the “save time” expires, the tape is then moved to the Scratch Set
and made available for use in the specific pool (Daily, Weekly, Monthly).
Serial numbers ranges
will be assigned for each group of tapes and the tapes will have relevant names
assigned to them.
Tapes may only be
used for a backup when they have been moved to the Scratch set for the specific
type of backup or when they have been erased.
Blank tapes may be used at any time.
Each business day,
there are two items that you have to be aware of:
·
Check to see
if the backup from the previous night executed without any failures.
·
Make sure the
correct tape is in the drive for the next night’s backup. If it not, the backup will not execute.
There
are two ways to check on this information.
·
Go to the file
server and use the ArcServe Scheduler Screen to look at the Auto Pilot daily
log to see if the backup completed without failures.
·
To switch
between screens on the file server, hold down Alt and hit the Esc. To go between different menu options use the
arrow keys and press enter on the selection you want to see. In this case you need to review the GFS
logs. The beginning of the log will
indicate the label and serial number of the tape that was used for the backup. At
the end of this log, it will tell you the serial number and name of the tape
you will need for the next backup.
Sometimes it will just say <BLANK>. That means the program wants a blank tape for
the next backup.
Here
is an example from the log:
1. F-DAILY-TUE-11/14/04 1766388435 DAILY_DLY 1
2. F-DAILY-WED-11/15/04 1766388419 DAILY_DLY 1
3. F-DAILY-WED-11/15/04 1766388437 DAILY_DLY 2
4. F-DAILY-THU-11/16/04 1766388438 DAILY_DLY 1
5. <BLANK>
This
means that any one of these tapes can be used for this backup. If you can’t find any of the tapes with these
serial numbers, then you use a blank tape.
In this example, the tape name is F-DAILY-TUE-11/14/04,the serial number is 1766388435, the tape pool it belongs to is DAILY_DLY and the sequence number is 1. Backups that span more than one tape will
have an ascending sequence number for each successive tape. Item 3 above is an example of a backup that
required two tapes.
·
You can also
use ArcServe Manager that is installed on your Management PC. Click on the Reports icon. Double click on Auto Pilot and Rotation Daily
Log. A screen asking you for which log
you would like to open. Most likely will
only be one there. Click on it and click
on OK. This is the same log that you get
on the file server.
Notes:
·
There may be
some messages that say “Failure to read NLS License:….”. These errors are due a bug in the ArcServe
software. Ignore these errors.
·
ArcServe generally
works in conjunction with eTrust or some other virus
scanning software. This means that all your files will be scanned for viruses
before being put to tape. If there is a
virus detected on one of your files then the message will appear in the Auto
Pilot Daily Log to the effect. Hopefully
Inoculate will be able to cure it.
·
A good way to
tell if the backup was successful is to see if the backup tape is ejected from
the drive. It will physically be
sticking out of the file server.
Always write serial number physically on the tape label. The serial number is assigned to the tape the first time the tape is formatted. Try to do this right after you check whether the backup worked or not. A line similar to the following will appear in the beginning of the log.
Jan-03 21:30:08 1774 Format blank media as F-DAILY-WED-1/3/01 (serial # 1766388448)
This tells you what serial number has been assigned to that tape. Use a pencil to write this number on the top tape label. This way, if for some reason, the serial number of that tape changes we can erase the old and put on the new serial number.
The date on the backup should be written in pencil on the narrow side label. The date should be erased and recorded prior to inserting the tape in the drive for the next backup.
You may need to
double check whether the serial number that was written on the tape label
matches the tape you actually put in the tape drive. There are two ways to do this as well.
·
Go to the file
server and use the ArcServe Tape Manager Screen to look at the tape in the
drive. To switch between screens on the
file server, hold down Alt and hit the Esc. To go between different menu
options use the arrow keys and press enter on the selection you want to see. In this case, go to Tape Device Management
and press enter. Then go to Tape Drive
Status and press enter. The serial
number is there.
·
You can also
use ArcServe Device Management that is installed on your Management PC. You can get to it from ArcServe Manager. Click on the Device Management icon. A Board and a tape drive will appear on the
left-hand side of the screen. If the
tape information is not already showing, double click on the tape drive. The drive should open up and the tape
information should appear.
·
On the
right-hand side of the screen there is some configuration information about the
hardware.
·
To eject a
tape from the drive, press the button on the front of the tape drive.
Information about ArcServe
and the Auto Pilot Backup Rotation
·
A minimum of 21
tapes is required to backup your system in a reliable fashion, 4 daily tapes, 5
weekly tapes and 12 monthly tapes.
·
Daily backups
occur Monday through Thursday. Each
daily backup is a full backup.
All files on the file server will be backed up regardless of whether
they have been modified or not.
·
Weekly backups
occur on Friday or the last business day of the week. Each weekly backup is a full
backup. All files on the file server
will be backed up regardless of whether they have been modified or not.
·
Monthly backup
is the last full backup of the month.
Monthly tapes are taken out of the normal rotation and relabeled
externally with the correct month and year.
For example, January ends on the Wednesday the 31st a blank
tape will be taken out and used for the backup.
The tape will not to be used again until end of next January.
·
Backup
performs full data verification and virus scanning to ensure successful
writing to the tape and virus free data.
Although this lengthens the time required to perform the backup, it
ensures data reliability.
·
Tapes may be
erased though the ArcServe Manager and the file server.
·
Go to the file
server and use the ArcServe Tape Manager Screen to erase the tape in the drive.
Go to Tape Device Management on the Available Options menu and press enter. Go
to Erase and press enter. The Erase
screen comes up. If there is no
cartridge in the drive, it will say cartridge not in place. Otherwise, it will allow you to select which
option to erase with. Press the space
bar and the choices will appear. Select Quick Erase and press enter. Now press F2.
The tape will be erased.
·
From the
Manager select Device Management from the Quick Access Menu or from the
Administration Menu on the tool bar choose Device Management. Double click on
BOARD0, then the tape drive and then the tape.
When the tape is selected a bunch of icons on the tool bar become
usable. Click on the icon with the
pencil and the tape. An Erase Media screen will appear with the tape information
and options. Select Quick Erase and
click OK. This will clear out all the information associated with that serial
number and name. Then you will have a
blank tape.
·
The difference
between Quick Erase and Quick Erase Plus is :
·
Quick Erase
just erases the Label. The part of the
tape that reads like this: F-DAILY-WED-1/3/01.
·
Quick Erase
Plus erases the label plus the serial number. The
part of the tape that reads like this: serial # 1766388448. You
should only do this if the tape is expired.
After a year’s time from the day it is first formatted, the tape will
expire. Tapes are generally good for
more than a year. Just do the procedure and you should get another year out of
it.
·
The tape drive
should be cleaned weekly. Insert
the cleaning tape into the tape drive. It will pop out of the drive on its own
when it is finished. On a card in the
cleaning tape cartridge box, there should a place to put the date down of when
the tape was last used. This way you
will know when to replace it. It will
last about 15 cleanings.
Calendar Operation
The Backup job has a Calendar Schedule associated with
it. The schedule is to identify days
when a business is closed. Changes to
this schedule must be completed two days before the actual date to ensure that
the schedule change will be effective.
The schedule may only be updated through the ArcServe Manager. The procedure is as follows:
Select the Quick Start
Click on Job Status
Click on the
GFS “ready” Job
Select Modify from the Toolbar
Select the Schedule Tab
Select the Calendar View Tab
Navigate through the calendar using the “<” and “>”
tabs
Click OFF on
any day that you do not want a backup to be run (generally holidays or days the
business is closed)
When the
Calendar has been updated, Click START in the toolbar
Click OK in
the Security and Agent Information Window
Click OK in
the Submit Job Window
The “modified” job will be resubmitted.
Questions or comments on this document should be
directed to Maureen Kennedy.
© 2000 - 2005 – TCI
Systems, Inc.