Hi PB

My other issue is that concerns me If I also increase the number of
tapes I currently use from 10 to possibly 20 will this enable me in the
future to backup a server that is 80GB using incremental dumps and what
is best for my monthly 20GB tapes that I wanted to pull out to archive
as I wanted to do a full backup to 1 tape if this is now not possible
could I still to the same as with my daily config and increase the
runspercycle to 5 or more.

I am using in my Daily amanda.conf

dumpcycle 4 weeks       # the number of days in the normal dump cycle
                        # Setting dumpcycle to 0 - Setting this to zero
tries to do a full backup each run. 

runspercycle 1          # the number of amdump runs in dumpcycle days
                        # (4 weeks * 5 amdump runs per week -- just
weekdays)
tapecycle 10 tapes 

Would it be better to use your full suggestion as below:

dumcycle 1 week
runspercycle 5  # each working day
tapecycle 20 tapes

My Monthly is currently as below:

dumpcycle 0 weeks       # the number of days in the normal dump cycle
runspercycle 1         # the number of amdump runs in dumpcycle days
                        # (4 weeks * 5 amdump runs per week -- just
weekdays)
tapecycle 12 tapes 

But would these mean that I will have to change the tape frequently
during the day.
I am contemplating cannibalising a workstation and installing a DLT
drive as a possible solution but cost rather a lot.

Cheers


On Mon, 2005-09-12 at 09:58 +0200, Paul Bijnens wrote:
> Chuck Amadi Systems Administrator wrote:
> > Hi relating to possible 
> > 
> > Here's my current amanda.conf
> > 
> > dumpcycle 0 weeks
> > runspercycle 1
> > tapecycle 10 tapes
> > 
> > Thus increase runspercycle to any figure below tapecycle of 10 tapes.
> > 
> > So for example runspercycle 1 would be sufficient.
> 
> oho.  You're doing a full dump each run.
> But your tapecapacity is not sufficient to do that.
> So that leaves you to do "runtapes 2" or more (use more
> tapes for each run.
> Or increase the dumpcycle (to avoid a full dump each time), and
> then run multiple times during such a dumpcycle.
> 
> Why not:
> 
>     dumcycle 1 week
>     runspercycle 5    # each working day
>     tapecycle 10 tapes
> 
> And if you need more history increase the number of tapes.
> 
> 
> > 
> > Cheers
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> >>Chuck Amadi Systems Administrator wrote:
> >>
> >>>Hi I have managed to config the hard disk partitions in my disklist but
> >>>I am short of tape space to include the remainder of the hard disk
> >>>partitions.
> >>>
> >>>I had initially run the following commands is it possible to get
> >>>compression functioning to enable to use 40GB as opposed to native 20GB.
> >>>
> >>>* -  amtapetype -f /dev/nst0 # determine tape type takes along time
> >>
> >>When specifying also a realistic estimate "-e 20 g" it is usually much
> >>faster (2-4 hours)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>* -  turn off datacompression run mt command that controls magnetic tape
> >>>drive operation. * -  mt -f /dev/nst0 status and mt -f /dev/nst0
> >>>datcompression 0 Compression off.
> >>>
> >>>As I don't want to buy bigger tapes if possible.
> >>
> >>
> >>If you already use software compression, than enabling hardware 
> >>compression will _reduce_ your effective tapecapacity by 15-35%, because
> >>the compression algorithms in those tapedrives behave bad on already
> >>compressed data.
> >>
> >>When not too many files change, you can run less fulls and more
> >>incrementals on each run by increasing the dumpcycle (runspercycle 
> >>actually).  Or increase "runtapes" (and flush each morning the
> >>remainders if you have only one drive).
> >>
> >>
> 
> 
-- 
Unix/ Linux Systems Administrator
Chuck Amadi
The Surgical Material Testing Laboratory (SMTL), 
Princess of Wales Hospital 
Coity Road 
Bridgend, 
United Kingdom, CF31 1RQ.
Email chuck.smtl.co.uk
Tel: +44 1656 752820 
Fax: +44 1656 752830