Amanda-Users

Re: Tape backup from server disk

2007-03-11 18:45:43
Subject: Re: Tape backup from server disk
From: FL <lengyel AT gmail DOT com>
To: amanda-users AT amanda DOT org
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:39:19 -0400
I probably should say that I'm not using VDISKS: the drive I'm backing
up to tape is on the server. There are no other backups running.

On 3/11/07, Jon LaBadie <jon AT jgcomp DOT com> wrote:
On Sun, Mar 11, 2007 at 05:42:15PM -0400, FL wrote:
> I'm using AMANDA to back up a disk that is periodically rsynced from
> a NAS. At a certain point in the backup, amdump complains that it doesn't
> have enough diskspace, persumably for the holding disk. Is this something I
> should be concerned about?
>
> Since the files are on a disk on the tapebackup server, I don't need a
> holding disk: I just want the tape backup to read the files from disk as
> they are needed; they don't need to be copied to a holding disk, as if the
> backups could be speeded up by sending them over a network to the server's
> holding disk.
>
> How do I ensure the desired behavior for this setup? Am I missing the point
> (no doubt I am, and no doubt it's the crucial point).
>

When using virtual tapes (disks) to store amanda dumps,
amanda still acts as if it were going to a physical tape
with a single data stream.  The purpose of a holding disk
in this case is to allow multiple dumps run simultaneously
to the holding disk.  As each completes it is transfered
to the vtape, a very fast operation.  Thus the overall
time for backup should be shorter due to many running in
parallel to the holding disk rather than one a a time
going at dump rate (not disk to disk rate) directly to vtape.

--
Jon H. LaBadie                  jon AT jgcomp DOT com
 JG Computing
 4455 Province Line Road        (609) 252-0159
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