Re: [Networker] Backup Level Question....

Well, what he's doing makes the levels irrelevant. A level backup backs up
up all files that have changed since a backup of a lower (smaller number)
level. So the effect of his backup scheme (numbered levels that decrease in
value every day) is the same as if he did this:

Fri = Full
Sat = 3
Sun = 3
Mon = 3
Tue = 3
Wed = 3
Thur = 3

Once the full happens, an 8 followed by a 7 is the same as a 7 followed by a
7. They both back up everything since the full, on both days.

And a 7 followed by a 6 is the same as a 6 followed by a 6, etc.

It's typical to see schemes that use a weekly full followed by a week of
level 1's (any number works the same. 5's back up the same files as 1's).
The value of this scheme is that it potentially reduces the number of tapes
that a directory level restore will be dependant on.

If you are filling up your daily incremental tapes every day, then a
directory level restore at the end of a week of backups might require 6 or 7
tapes to be able to complete. But if every daily tape goes back to the last
full, all you need is 2 tapes.

If you want a 0,1,2,3,4,5,6 kind of scheme, that's what incrementals are
for. You don't have to keep up with numbers. Just do incrementals and it
will back up everything that's changed since the last backup.

Numbered levels are good for a hierarchical backup scheme, where you might
want to do monthly fulls, weekly level 1's, and daily incrementals for
example. That lets you do a full only once a month, but you don't have a
whole month of daily dependencies, because you do a catch-up backup each
weekend.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Harner [mailto:benjamin.harner AT MARYMOUNT DOT EDU] 
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 11:23 AM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: Backup Level Question....

Hey All,

I am a bit new to Networker and am trying to figure something out about 
Backup Levels.  The guy before has a schedule set up with a Level scheme 
that seems to me a little bit backwards.  The scheme is

Fri = Full
Sat = 8
Sun = 7
Mon = 6
Tue = 5
Wed = 4
Thur = 3


Now does the level 3 on Thursday take all the changes from the Full on 
Friday?  Or does it backup nothing because the most recent is a level 4 
and not a lower level?


Thanks,

Ben

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