The Vault option gives you lots of flexibility for catalog backups offsite.

If you're doing your catalog to disk, and at some point backing up
that file to tape as part of your normal tape backups - you're covered
for everything - as long as you can get to one of your disk copies ...
i.e. recover from the disk catalog backup, restore the old catalog
backup from tape, recover the older catalog version from the disk.

In theory - every piece of valid media should be in your most recent
catalog backup - should never need multiple versions.

-Charlie

On 10/5/05, Mark.Donaldson AT cexp DOT com <Mark.Donaldson AT cexp DOT com> 
wrote:
>
> The  skipping past the headers thing works but only if you're doing 
> non-multiplexed  backups.  Mux'd backups can't be done this way.  There's the 
> whole  "where is the file" thing that has to be considered there,  too.
>
> Considering the ease of the bpsyncinfo method, why not do it that  way?
>
> For  offsites, I cut special catalog backups.
>
> Select  a scratch tape
> tpreq  to mount the tape
> bpbackupdb to backup the catalogs to the tape
> tpunmount to umount the tape
> change  the volume group, return dates, etc. & eject
>
> -Mark
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:    veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu    
> [mailto:veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu]On Behalf Of BeDour,   
>  Wayne
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 12:43 PM
> To:    veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
>
> Subject: RE: [Veritas-bu] Catalog    backup question
>
>
>
>
>
> Here was my original    thinking on this.  Because our catalog backup to tape 
> was taking too long    we went to disk.  The disk backup is also copied to 
> another offsite    datacenter via srdf.  This only gives me a backup catalog 
> for 24 hours    and I don't feel real comfortable with that.  Numerous posts 
> state that a    NetBackup tape can be restored via tar after bypassing the 
> headers.     Isn't it possible to copy the tape via tar back down to my 
> catalog disk backup    area then restore the catalog from there?  My personal 
> opinion is that    NetBackup doesn't make backing up and keeping offsite 
> copies of their catalog    very easy or timely.  Bottom line is I'm just 
> trying to add a little more    insurance to the catalog backups but don't 
> want to waste the resources if this    isn't necessary.
>
> Opinions or ideas how    others are doing this are appreciated.  Thanks in    
> advance.
>
>
>
>
> Wayne BeDour
>
> IT Unix System    Administrator
>
> PH: 313-240-3374  FAX:    313-240-3065
>
> Internet:  wbedour AT lear DOT com
>
>
>
> -----Original    Message-----
> From:    Mark.Donaldson AT cexp DOT com [mailto:Mark.Donaldson AT cexp DOT 
> com]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 7:02    PM
> To: BeDour, Wayne;    veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
> Subject: RE: [Veritas-bu] Catalog backup    question
>
>
>
>
> If you    backup your catalog via an NB policy then you'll have to install NB 
> & the    catalog in order to restore the catalog.  Very circular.  The    
> bysyncinfo method uses a simple tar to tape so that Netbackup is not required 
>    to be installed in order to read the tape.
>
>
>
>
>
> So, in    short, "yes" you can back it up but "no" it's not usable to restore 
>    Netbackup.
>
>
>
>
>
> -M
>
>
> -----Original      Message-----
> From:      veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu      
> [mailto:veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu]On Behalf Of BeDour, 
> Wayne
> Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 11:20      AM
> To:      veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
> Subject: [Veritas-bu] Catalog backup      question
>
> Our environment      is:
>
> Netbackup Enterprise      5.1
>
> Master Server on HP-UX      11i
>
> Media Server on HP-UX      11i
>
> SureStore 20/700 Library      (LTO-1)
>
>
>
> We are currently backing up our      catalog to disk.  If I also back this 
> catalog disk image to tape via a      normal NetBackup policy can I use this 
> for my offsite catalog backup?       Or do I have to run "bpsynacinfo 
> -doBackup" and point it to tape to have a      valid catalog backup on tape?
>
>
>
> Wayne BeDour
>
> IT Unix System      Administrator
>
> PH: 313-240-3374  FAX:      313-240-3065
>
> Internet:       wbedour AT lear DOT com
>
>
>
>
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