I actually tried this when I was testing (accidently). I set up a file
device on a 60GB partition, and then added another hard drive to the
partition using ADVFS. This upped the partition size to 96GB's and I tried
to tell the file device that it was now 96GB's in size. Unfortunately, when
the nightly backup hit 30GB's (50% of the original size) the backup stopped,
and staging started.. Right in the middle of my "must not fail" backup job.
Ouch!
When I added a second file device in the same partition (in a subdirectory),
it worked correctly
I should remark that I use a 50% high water mark in the staging policy
The reason I don't want to fool networker with multiple file devices on the
same partition is the staging. When would staging start if I used 5 file
devices on a single 175GB? Would it use 925GBs to calculate the high and
low water marks.? What would it do if I added, or removed a hard drive, and
shrank or grew the partition? I don't even want to guess....
I prefer to use the single file / partition for simplicity, and reliability.
The staging is actually smarter than I thought it was because it uses the
total size of all the file devices that are included in the staging policy.
This means that it waits until 2 1/2 partitions are full before it starts
staging, not at 50% of one file device. Since it's working, "I don't need to
fix it".
Thanks
Calvin E. Thomas
UNIX System Administrator
NACA Logistics
----- Original Message -----
From: <lemons_terry AT emc DOT com>
To: <calvin.thomas AT nacalogistics DOT com>
Cc: <NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2002 12:15 PM
Subject: RE: [Networker] Staging in Networker?
> Hi Calvin
>
> Thanks for all of this great information!
>
> You mentioned, "When you create a file device, Networker sets the size of
> the device to the true total size of the partition it is installed on.
You
> CAN NOT change the size of the file device in Networker." That said, I
> didn't think (though I may be wrong) that you had to use the entire
> partition for the file type device. If you specify the size of the file
> type device (in the Volume Default Capacity field), I believe that you can
> specify multiple file type devices in a single partition. I did this, and
> it has worked fine for months in a plain backup-to-disk environment; I
> haven't been staging these savesets to disk, however.
>
> tl
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Calvin Thomas [mailto:calvin.thomas AT nacalogistics DOT com]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 3:35 PM
> To: NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU
> Subject: Re: [Networker] Staging in Networker?
>
>
> I am currently working on this.
> I asked the same question(s) previously and got some good info from this
> group. Here is what I have found out so far.
>
> 1. Do NOT use a single file device. If you do, this is what happens. When
> the file device is full, it will stop the backup, and stage off to tape.
If
> you have a single large file device this will take a long time, and your
> backup job will fail. Not Acceptable.
> 2. Create 2 or more partitions, and a file device in each. I am setting
up
> 5 - 35 GB devices as I write this. Then you total up the amount of space
> that will give you (175GB in my case), figure out the largest backup you
> will need to do (78 GB in my case), and set the high water mark of all the
> devices to ensure that you always have enough space for your largest
backup
> ( 80GB for me).
> 3. When you backup to one file device and the file device gets full, it is
> marked read only, and the save job continues on the next file device.
> 4. When one file device is stageing off to tape, a different file device
is
> accepting data for your backup job.
> 5. A file device can either Read, or Write, but NOT both at the same time.
> Hence the need for multiple devices.
> 6. When you set up a staging policy in networker, be SURE and include all
> the file devices in your pool in the same stageing policy. This insures
the
> staging policy can transfer the complete save sets from hard drive to tape
> without leaving part of a save set on a hard drive that staging can't
> control.
>
> One caveat about file devices in Networker (6.1.1).
> When you create a file device, Networker sets the size of the device to
the
> true total size of the partition it is installed on. You CAN NOT change
the
> size of the file device in Networker. There is a line in the GUI for it,
> and you can change it, but Networker will ignore this setting, and use the
> remembered size of the partition it found when you created it. That is
why
> you must create the partitions in the size you want, and then create the
> file devices inside of these partitions. Do NOT create two file devices
on
> a single partition. Each will think it has the total partition to use,
when
> it doesn't.
>
> Other than these two issues, I have found it to be a fast, simple and
> beneficial change. One of the things I have found is that I can increase
> the number of sessions (to 32) on the hard drive, and backup all my
servers
> to it at the same time. This has allowed me to reduce my pools from 9 to
4.
> I now have a "Nightly backup with clones" , and "Nightly backup without
> clones" pools.
> Another advantage is that each save set is a different file on the
hard
> drive, so there is no multiplexing of data to worry about. When it clones
> or stages to tape, each save set is stored sequentially instead of in
> parallel.
>
>
>
> If anyone cares to add to this info, Please respond to the group.
>
> Calvin E. Thomas
> UNIX System Administrator
> NACA Logistics
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David W. Loveless" <duke AT UWO DOT CA>
> To: <NETWORKER AT LISTMAIL.TEMPLE DOT EDU>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 10:35 AM
> Subject: [Networker] Staging in Networker?
>
>
> > Are you using the staging features of Legato Networker to push backups
> > first to disk and later to tape?
> > If you are, we'd like to hear about your experiences. What problems have
> > you had? What disks are you using? Have you purchased any add-on
software
> > from Legato to help the staging process.
> >
> > We're currently running Networker 6.1.1 on Solaris 8 and are actively
> > exploring this feature.
> >
> >
> > Thanks for your help!
> >
> > --
> > Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff" command via email
> > to listserv AT listmail.temple DOT edu or visit the list's Web site at
> > http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html where you can
> > also view and post messages to the list.
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> >
>
> --
> Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff" command via email
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>
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Note: To sign off this list, send a "signoff" command via email
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