Data Protector Express 4.0SP1 - Incremental backup - same files backed up multiple times

[KStelmach]

Hello,

I'm using DPX 4.0SP1 to backup several Linux machines. I noticed that daily Incremental backup is very large comparing to changes made during business day. I use Virtual Library Device as backup device so I viewed binary files of such Incremetal backup and noticed that there are filenames that haven't been modified for year or even more. To be more precise - I backup folder with invoices converted to PDF stored in one of folders. New invoices are added to this folder every day so folder changes every day too (no new folders are created or files are moved - just new PDFs are added) but in my understaning Incremental backup shoud backup only new files - not whole folder right? When I try to recover specific PDF file in DPX, in version history I can select only version with date of last Full backup. When I try to recover folder containing PDFs I can select version from every Incremetal backup done since last Full backup. Is it normal? Why DPX Incremental backup backups files which are not modified/moved (the were backued up earlier)?

Regards,

Krzysztof Stelmach

[thomasr]

This should not be happening; a file once backed up, will not be backed up again on an incremental backup unless the 'modify' flag on the file has been reset. Is it possible that the application that reads the files is doing a 'save' for some reason, or resetting the 'modified' flag, instead of just doing a read and changing the 'last access' date?

Are users reading the .pdf with a pdf writer, and perhaps executing a save-and-exit instead of just an 'exit' when they are done with the file?

[KStelmach]

Thank you for your reply. No, created PDFs once written aren't touched (read or written) by any software - they just reside on disk/folder. Incremental Backup size is big even where it's runned on Sundays where there's no business activity. It's very strange and annoying because each backup is approx. 15 GB size and should be 1-1,5 GB max.

Is it possible that DPX Catalog has been corrupted such way it forces to backup same file many times? Maybe deleting DPX Catalog and recreating wheole DPX Domain will resolve problem?


Regards

Krzysiek

[KStelmach]

Update: I've turned on full logging on backup job to see what files are being backed up each day. And strange thing - log file contains only files that really have changed betwen backups. But as I noted before in binary backup files I viewed I can see files (filenames) not touched (read or write) for months. Moreover I checked size of files from one server I back up, listed in DPX log file. Total size of files on disk is about 1,5 GB an DPX log summary for that server is over... 8,5 GB. What could be the problem?

Regards

Krzysiek