On Friday 16 January 2004 11:44, Eugen Leitl wrote:
>I have a set of machines file systems which are bigger than the size
>of a single tape (I don't know for sure, just trying to get my
> bearings in those STRANGE and FAILED, attempting to reset the dump
> cycle after testing).
>
>1) This means I can't do full dumps as is, right?
>
>2) Can I trick Amanda into backing up this by
> excluding certain big directories (say, Oracle dbases,
> which need explicit dumping, anyway), starting a cycle,
> and removing them from the exclusin list?
>
> I'm still screwed, as Amanda will do a full dump,
> periodically, which will fail, right?
Yes. But first you don't backup the database. You snapshot it and
backup the snapshot, see the docs on the DB for how to do that. Your
only problem then is if that gzipped snapshot is bigger than a tape
because that snapshot then should become a seperate disklist entry
(DLE) using a compressed (best) dumptype. If it won't fit after
compression, then it is time for a bigger drive. And note I'm
talking about software compression here. The tradeoffs are many, most
in favor of turning the drives compressor and spending the cpu
horsepower to do software via gzip, which can outcompress the
hardware a large fraction of the time. I occasionally see an amanda
report go by here indicating that more than 12Gb of data was stored
on a 4Gb tape, in this case restricted on purpose to allow 2 more
files totalling 300Mb or so, to be appended to the end of the tapes.
That space on the tape is unknown to amanda and contain a gzipped
copy of the indices and configs dirs after amdump is completed.
>So: is there some trick to it, or should I just bite the bullet,
>buy a DDS4 drive, and set up a restrictive exclusion list?
No, its usually as simple as using gtar, and breaking up the disklist
into many smaller subdir entries that will each be no more than
600-1000Mb for a 4Gb tape. Specific exclusions can be handled on a
DLE by DLE basis if need be, but here I just don't bother to put them
in the disklist in the first place. You may have to increment the
dumpcycle and runspercycle to a longer time period in order for
amanda to be able to work out a schedule that works for you, starting
with only exposing a few DEL's per nightly run until they are all
exposed (uncommented).
For 2 machines with a total storage (not all in use obviously) of
about 180Gb, and about 70Gb in use, that works out presently to be 8
& 8 and 28 for a tapecyle, and currently 59 entries in my disklist.
I'm considering adding to the tapecycle and setting runtapes up to 2
and bringing the dumpcycle and runspercycle back to a more reasonable
figure though.
I've been doing this in this manner for about 2 years now, originally
starting with 5, 5, & 15 for those 3 variables. Unforch it seems
that data always expands to fit the available space. :(
Its either that, or do some serious space patrol in the dlds dirs :)
*and* buy a bigger drive, but DDS2's are so cheap I'm resisting
that, kicking and screaming if needed. :-)
--
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap,
ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
99.22% setiathome rank, not too shabby for a WV hillbilly
Yahoo.com attornies please note, additions to this message
by Gene Heskett are:
Copyright 2004 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.
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