Amanda-Users

Re: Problem: Failed backups overwrite good backups

2003-03-11 11:47:54
Subject: Re: Problem: Failed backups overwrite good backups
From: Jon LaBadie <jon AT jgcomp DOT com>
To: amanda backup <amanda-users AT amanda DOT org>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 10:21:40 -0500
On Tue, Mar 11, 2003 at 09:15:10AM -0500, Jonathan Swaby wrote:
>  
>  I am using Amanda 2.4.3b3 on a Linux RH 7.2 box to dump several
>  windows clients to disk. I discovered a problem yesterday with my
>  process. I run all of the backup jobs from a script. Each backup is a
>  full backup. When one job completes, the next job runs. This all works
>  correctly if the backup server is able to access the machine. If it is
>  not able to connect to the machine, prehaps the machine is off, the
>  existing backup files are overwritten. Does anyone know of a way to
>  prevent this from happening? If it fails, I want it to leave the
>  existing backup files.

Others may have additional ideas, but what about not having a tape available
and only backing up to the holding disk.  Then once (or thrice) a day
run amdump to collect the held backups.  IIRC amdump only uses a tape if
it first determines there are directories to flush.

>  The dumpcycles are set to 0 and the number of tapes is 1. I am just
>  getting the system going, and I did not have a good feel for how much
>  drive space was going to be consummed by the backups.
>  
>  If any one cares, this is how the system works.

It is amazing how flexible the amanda system can be.

The above arrangement (flush separately from dumps) might also let you
have the users select a time to backup as your scheme "tried" to do.

  [[ interesting scheme snipped ]]

jl
-- 
Jon H. LaBadie                  jon AT jgcomp DOT com
 JG Computing
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