How about running it the other way around? If you're using win2k/xp, use 
the native windows ntbackup.exe to write it out to file on disk. Setup a 
samba server with enough disk & share out to the target machines only. 
Schedule the target machines to run ntbackup to the samba share. On my p3 
1ghz, 10G takes about 30 mins. Then at some conveinient time, run amanda 
on the samba shares.

I've kludged together a batch file that also captures the ntbackup logs. 
Not pretty, but it works. I'll send it to you if you like.



--
toby bluhm
philips medical systems, it support, mr development, cleveland ohio
tobias.bluhm AT philips DOT com
440-483-5323









Daniel Bentley <danielb AT qsicorp DOT com>
Sent by: 
owner-amanda-users AT amanda DOT org
06/09/2003 06:58 PM

 
        To:     amanda-users AT amanda DOT org
        cc:     (bcc: Tobias Bluhm/CLE/MS/PHILIPS)
        Subject:        Multiple backup groups (explained)
        Classification: 



Okay, here's the reasoning behind the situation I presented.

Groups A, B, and C are collections of samba shares on individual desktops. 
 
As things stand, A, B, and C are defined by the current backup scripts so 
that they equal right around 10G each.  A total of 30G to be backed up. 
It needs to be the full 30G, as management has INSISTED on full backups 
for these 30G (not only on full backups, but due to the fact that no 
writable Samba shares are allowed (even passworded), Amanda can't keep 
track for incrementals since it can't have write access to the shares 
(according to /docs/SAMBA). 

The tape changer is a Sony TSL-9000, with 7 12G DDS3 tapes.  A total of 
~12G physical media available for backup daily (since Amanda doesn't 
spread one dump over multiple tapes, as I understand things.  However, 
this is according to /docs/MULTITAPE that has the note 'Draft 1 - jds 
3/29/94' (using Amanda 2.4.4).  If this has been remedied, I'd certainly 
love to hear it...).

As people stay late and come in early at various, random times, we have a 
time frame of 5 hours to run the backup in.  Even if it is possible to 
span Amanda dumps over multiple tapes, 30G would push the backup time 
well over 5 hours (Amanda clocked the drive at 'speed 948 kbytes' at 
setup, averages around 1100 k/s during backups).

Thus, I can do 10G a day, a lil' over 2 hours a day, have each group being 

backed up twice a week, and even keep a set schedule as it currently is 
('Make absolutely sure you leave your machine on on days X and Y, that's 
when it'll be backed up').

Now, is there a way to do something like this with Amanda, a way to define 

set groups like this via different configs and share the same pool of 
tapes?  Is there a way where I can indeed tell Amanda '30G of people to 
backup, do only 10G a day, but make sure every one is backed up at least 
twice in one week'?

-- 
Daniel Bentley - Network Technician, QSI Corporation (www.qsicorp.com)
chown -R us *base*