Networker

[Networker] Windows 2000 not resetting the archive bit!!

2003-01-21 09:51:55
Subject: [Networker] Windows 2000 not resetting the archive bit!!
From: Robert Maiello <robert.maiello AT MEDEC DOT COM>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:52:01 -0500
We've been getting giant incrementals on a Windows 2000 6.1.2 client; server
in Solaris 8, 6.1.2.

Apparently some large permission changes were being made. The archive bit of
the files were changed by this.   The weekday incremental backups then back
up these files but does not reset/clear the archive bit.  Each day then the
same data gets backed up.   Only a full backup will clear these archive bits.

I received the reply below from Legato...the infamous "working as designed".
I was wondering if anyone else backing up W2K is having this problem and
how you dealed with?  Did it always behave this way?

I must say, for the life me, I don't understand Legato's logic.  The
definition of an incremental backup is everthing that's changed since the
last incremental...not backup the files forever as their archive bit is set
(regardless of how it was set).

I'm concerned also, that if we ignore the arhive bit then we'll miss files in
our backups?   Again, how is everyone handling this Networker "design".

---
During incremental backups Networker
does not turn the archive bit off, if it is already on.
This is normal behaviour as designed. Please see below.
Therefore, we should make sure that the archive
bit was not turned on by somebody else or another
program, before the backup. If that is the case
then it is different from the expected behaviour.

You may have to consider to set the environment variable
to yes.

Here is the behaviour as designed:

Handling archive bits depends on the value of the environment variable:
NSR_AVOID_ARCHIVE:

1) NSR_AVOID_ARCHIVE=no *or* not present (default)
This is the new default behavior of scheduled backups on NT by
using the Archive file attribute as another factor in determining
if a file needs to be backed up incrementally in addition to the
Last Written, Creation time of a file. The Archive file attribute
is turned off based on the criteria listed below after a schedule
backup.

   A) full scheduled backups
       archive-bit(Attribute file attribute) turned off if on

   B) Last Written time *or* Creation time >= last scheduled backup time
       file is backed up, archive-bit turned off if on

   C) Last Written time *and* Creation time < last scheduled backup time
        a) archive-bit is on
            file is backed up, archive-bit will not get turned off until
            the file is "captured" by a later future scheduled backup
            (typically case A above, but possibly case B)
        b) archive-bit is off
            file is not backed up

2) NSR_AVOID_ARCHIVE=yes (any value other than case insensitive "no")
    This is the older behavior of scheduled backup without using the
    archive bit, except for older filesystem which used archive-bit as in (1).

     A) full scheduled backups

     B) Last Written time *or* Creation time >= last scheduled backup time
          file is backed up

     C) Last Written time *and* Creation time < last scheduled backup time
          file is not backed up

By specifying NSR_AVOID_ARCHIVE environment variable, one can turn
off the new default archive-bit backup behavior. After changing this
environment variable, the NetWorker/NT client must be rebooted to get the
proper effect.


Robert Maiello
Thomson Healthcare

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