topic Re: Simultaneous backups in Operating System - HP-UX

Simultaneous backups

Bruce Baillie — Thu, 15 Jun 2000 14:41:01 GMT

I currently backup user data incrementally Monday thru Thursday and a full backup on friday to a remote system with a DDS3 tape drive. I am going to add a second DDS3 drive so I can have 2 copies of the Friday backup. What would be the best/fastest way to accomplish this?
Backup to device #1 and when it is finished, backup to device #2
Backup to device #1 and copy tape #1 to tape #2
Backup to both devices simultaneously (can this be done?)

This is the command I am presently using.

/usr/sbin/fbackup -0 -n -u -g /etc/sam/br/graphA -d /var/adm/fbackupfiles/dates -I /var/sam/log/br_index.full -f aot2cad1:/dev/rmt/1m

Re: Simultaneous backups

Brian M. Fisher — Thu, 15 Jun 2000 14:51:01 GMT

Unfortunately, fbackup(1M) (and SAM) creates backup
volumes with a format that makes duplication of volumes by dd(1)
impossible.
per document#KBRC00001049
http://us-support.external.hp.com/cki/bin/doc.pl/

Since you are doing your backup to a remote device via the network, I would suggest you make one backup at a time. By trying to do both of them at the same time, there would probably be little time savings since the network bandwidth is probably going to be the limiting factor.

Brian
<*(((>< er

Re: Simultaneous backups

CHRIS_ANORUO — Thu, 15 Jun 2000 14:57:57 GMT

It can be done since they different H/W Paths. But you system will be very slow because of fbackup cpu time consumption.

Re: Simultaneous backups

Bruce Baillie — Thu, 15 Jun 2000 15:53:57 GMT

Thanks, Brian, I wasn't aware that dd wouldn't work. And your right Chris, but I was thinking more in terms of launching the fbackup command one time and writing to both devices. Wouldn't a tee comand work somewhere?

Re: Simultaneous backups

Fred Martin_1 — Fri, 16 Jun 2000 10:13:04 GMT

If you are making two copies to ensure a good backup, copying one tape to the other may be a bad thing - if the first fails, you get two bad ones or none at all.

Re: Simultaneous backups

Bruce Baillie — Fri, 16 Jun 2000 11:54:20 GMT

Thanks to all that responded. I am going to do consecutive backups.