3 years ago they tried to do it with 2 people as backup admins, and about 20
tape ops doing both midrange and mainframe. Today, after a three-to-fivefold
increase in data, the tape ops count is about the same (thanks to automation)
and we have 5 full time backup admins....again, thanks to automation. So as an
'automated' enterprise environment, most days we are still busy enough to need
all 5 people. Now, if everything is going hunky-dory-fine, it could (COULD) be
handled by one...and has been due to vacations/training/illness/other. It's
not fun and it can't last, but I personally have handled the whole mess by
myself for about 3 days in a row when everyone was off for some reason or
another. I wasn't much good the last 2 days of that week, but it was doable.
And let's not even get into Oncall rotations and responding to overnight pages.
That results in an even greater need for more hands so things can get done
while the oncall is dead to the world. We do oncall:
1. Primary Oncall / media management
2. Secondary Oncall / primary breakfix
3. Secondary breakfix
4. change records and problem tickets
5. email / projects / enhancements / scripts /etc
Each higher person on the chain can call on anyone lower in the chain for
assistance and we rotate from bottom up every Friday morning (email to tickets
to breakfix to 2nd oncall to primary oncall to email). Everyone has a chance
to breathe then and no one (hopefully) ends up too burned out to care. Not
that it can't still happen, it's just less likely.
--Ted
PS. I fully agree with Ronald Valvano, there is no such animal as a "set it
and forget it" backup process. And anyone telling you so is trying to sell you
a bill of goods....and if you buy it I have some ocean front property here in
Kansas City you might be interested in <g>.
Even a moderately complex environment requires a lot of TLC and regular (read:
daily) interactions to ensure everything is completed properly.
-----Original Message-----
From: Legato NetWorker discussion
[mailto:NETWORKER AT listmail.temple DOT edu]On Behalf Of George Sinclair
Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2003 2:01 PM
To: NETWORKER AT listmail.temple DOT edu
Subject: [Networker] How much time do you spend on backups?
Just curious how much time some of you spend on your backups. Clearly,
when new equipment is being installed or major software updates, you're
gonna be spending a lot of time, but let's just say on average:
1. How much of your work week is spent on backups.
2. How many people are involved.
3. If you are spending a lot of time, what's your justification? How do
you justify it?
Backups at my shop involve just myself and one tape operator. That's it,
just the two of us. Personally, I find that this whole backup thing is
pretty much a full time job unto itself. There is always plenty of work
to be done, and I can only automate so much, but some folks seem to
think otherwise. They say that with proper automation, a backup
specialist's job can be reduced by 80%, and if not, well then things
just must not be configured or set up right. I tend to doubt that. Can
anyone help me to justify that backups are not some simple thing that
you just quietly usher away at night, only to have some magical reports
and scripts just do everything for you? Would like to hear it.
Thanks.
George
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