On Wed, Jul 07, 2010 at 12:34:57AM -0400, n_ashwin wrote:
> As I understand, NDMP through tar does not understand incrementals
> since the file inclusion for backups happen based on ctime attribute
> which keeps changing.

Not sure what specific systems you're referring to here.

NDMP just allows for requesting a backup.  It doesn't specify anything
about ctime or stuff like that.  So the exact behavior it uses is up to
the NDMP host.  What NDMP host are you talking about?

> So an incremental is as good as a full. However,
> in Netapp if we enable the IGNORE-CTIME directive, we should be able
> to take incremental backups. Flip side is that a change in meta data
> of files eg ACLs are not captured.

How are you doing NDMP in a tar format on a netapp?

> NDMP through DUMP supports incremental [in the form of level backups]
> but it reads all the blocks associated with the modified files rather
> than files themselves. This is so since DUMP works at the inode level

I don't follow that statement.  What's the difference between "blocks
associated with modified files" and "the files themselves"?  If you have
every block in the file, you have the file.  DUMP doesn't write partial
files.

-- 
Darren

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and 
type "signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to 
networker-request AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this 
list. You can access the archives at 
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/networker.html or
via RSS at http://listserv.temple.edu/cgi-bin/wa?RSS&L=NETWORKER