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Summary

How to create a Disk Directory File Level Backup.

 

Resolution

First, create a disk directory media pool with disk volsers. In the management console, navigate to Configure > Media, then select Add Media Pool.

The destination pane populates as follows:

  • Media Pool Name. Enter a name for the media pool with a maximum of 14 alphanumeric characters. You cannot enter the name of an existing media pool.
  • Media Type. For Backup to Disk, select DISKDIRECTORY.
  • Minimum Number Free Volumes. Enter the minimum number of free media volumes you are allowing in the pool. When the number of free volumes falls below this number, DPX displays a warning message. A practical threshold value is 2 times the number of drives. This quantity ensures that you receive warnings early enough to acquire new media volumes.
  • Comment. Enter an optional comment up to 48 characters.
  • Alternate Media Pools: Recycle Expired Media. When DPX uses a media volume from an alternate pool, it becomes part of the primary pool. DPX allows you to recycle those volumes back to the alternate pools upon expiration.

    Yes: Recycles expired volumes back to alternate pool.
    No: Volumes from alternate pools remain in the primary pool upon expiration.
  • Alternate Media Pools: Available Media Pools. Select an alternate pool from the pull-down menu of previously defined media pools in your Enterprise. Only alternate pools of the same media type as your primary pool appear in the menu. Your selection appears in the Alternate Pools list above this field. DPX uses alternate pools in the order in which they are listed. To clear the Alternate Pools List, select Select This to Remove All from the pull-down menu. Select Add on the task menu at the top right of the destination pane. If you are unable to see the task menu, resize the destination pane.

Once complete, click Add.

Next, add disk volsers to the media pool. Select Add Media.

The destination pane populates as follows:

  • Capacity. Assigns the native storage capacity of the media volumes. Enter a number, then select a unit of measure from the pull-down menu, megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB). DPX uses this field to estimate free space on a media volume, but this field does not affect the amount of data DPX can store on the media volume.
  • Maximum Number Passes Allowed. Assigns the number of times a media is to be written to, including second passes. After the specified number of passes, DPX no longer requests the media volume for backups and will not accept it if it is mounted for backup. It is still available for restores. This option is not always enforced.
  • Volume Serial Number. Enter a volume name with a maximum of 6 alphanumeric characters without spaces. The name cannot be the same as an existing media volume. If you are defining a set of consecutively named volumes, this must be the name of the first volume in the set. To define a set, the value you enter in this field must end with a number, for example, ENG001. BEX automatically creates consecutively named volumes, for example, ENG002, ENG003, etc., depending on the number you enter in the Number Volumes field described below. If you enter 1 in the Number Volumes field, the Volume Serial Number is simply the name of the one volume you are adding.
  • Number Volumes. Define a set of consecutively numbered media volumes. DPX automatically names and incrementally numbers the volumes, beginning with the volume entered in the Volume Serial Number field. For example, if the entry in the Volume Serial Number field is ENG001 and you specify 3 for Number Volumes, DPX accepts ENG001 and automatically create volumes ENG002 and ENG003. To define only one media volume, enter 1 in this field.

Create a disk cluster. From the management console, navigate to Configure > Devices and select
Add Device Cluster.

The destination pane populates as follows. Select DISKDIRECTORY as the device type.
Enter any name as the Device Cluster Name. In this example, the Device Cluster Name is Disk_Cluster.
Click Add.



Select Add Device.



The destination pane populates as follows:

  • Device Name. Enter a name for the device with a maximum of 14 alphanumeric characters without spaces. This is a logical name that refers to the device, for example, New Device.
  • Logical Node Name (non-SAN device only). For SAN devices, you must define a Logical Node Name in the Add Device Path dialog. Select the name of the node to which the device is attached. This node must have been previously defined using the Configure Enterprise window. You can have multiple devices on a node, up to the limit the hardware supports.

    On the Device Resource Tree, the non-SAN device appears as device_name@logical_node_name.
  • Device ID (non-SAN device only). For SAN devices, you must define a Device ID in the Add Device Path dialog.

For devices on UNIX, Linux, OES Linux, or OES2, enter the path to the device file. For example, for Linux, the first storage device is usually /dev/nst0. For each additional device, the number in the path increments, thus your second device would be /dev/nst1.

If you have a storage device that you want to run a Disk Directory Backup to directly, you can enter the Full UNC path in the Device ID field. For example: \\StorageName\Folder\backup.

In this case, the Logical Node Name will be used as a proxy to communicate with the storage device and the data will be pushed directly to the Storage Device using Full UNC Path.

You can continue adding devices within your disk cluster. Add more than one device so that your disk cluster can handle more than one job at a time. In the screen shot below, 5 devices are available within the disk cluster. You can add more devices and more disk clusters with more devices within your Enterprise as necessary.



Next, set up a file level backup. In the management console, navigate to Backup > File. Select Define New Backup Job.



Specifying the Source Data to Back Up
In the source pane, expand the source Node Group selection space by clicking the + to the left of the Node Group icon. Select a resource to back up by clicking the icon of the desired resource. The selection checkbox appears full at the selection.



Specifying Destinations for the Backup Job
The following elements constitute a backup destination:

  • The media pool from which media volumes are drawn.
  • The storage device, or device cluster, to which data is backed up.
  • The source nodes, the media pool, and the storage device must be compatible. For example, a 4mm media pool cannot be used with a DLT device.
  • You can select different destinations for base backup, incremental backup, and differential backup.

When selecting destination devices, you can specify a device cluster. A device cluster is a collection of devices. Specify the backup destination by device cluster and DPX will automatically determine the device within the device cluster to use during the backup job.

Saving a Backup Job

Once you have completed the backup definition, you must save the definition as a backup job:

To save a job:

1. Open the Save Job dialog box by doing one of the following:

  • Right-click the Enterprise name or icon to display a pop-up menu, then select Save Job.
  • From the menu toolbar, select File > Save Job.
  • On the task panel, click the Save a Job button.

The save job dialog opens

2. Select a job from the Job List pull-down menu or enter a new job name in the Job Name field. Generally, you can enter a maximum of 14 alphanumeric characters without spaces for a DPX job name.

3. Select a job folder from the Job Folder Name pull-down menu.

4. Enter or change an optional comment.

5. Click OK.

Running a Backup Job

You can run the currently opened job immediately. You have the option to view the job monitor when the run is initiated. To run the backup job, it must be open.

Note: It is strongly recommended that a CHKDSK operation be run on a client node before the first backup of that node. You must repair any reported problems prior to the base backup.

Note: A backup definition must be saved as a job before it can be run.

Running a Backup Job Immediately

Open the Backup Type dialog box by doing one of the following:

From the menu toolbar, select Backup > Run and Monitor. If you do not wish to view the job monitor, select Backup > Run instead.

On the task panel, click the Run and Monitor Backup Job button.

If you do not wish to view the job monitor, click the Run Backup Job button.

Note: After the disk directory backup, the media is marked full. You cannot append to a DISKDIRECTORY volser. Otherwise, disk media behaves in the same way as tape media. When a DISKDIRECTORY volser expires, it is marked empty within DPX and can be reused. However, the contents of this file are not deleted at expiration.