Scenario 3: Archiving Full Backups to Dedicated Tapes
Policies: Tape job must copy only full backups to tape; every full backup should go to a new tape, after that tape is exported from the library.
Recommended settings:
| Entity | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Media pool | Only a media pool for full backups is needed; no media pool for incremental backup is required |
| Media pool (retention) | Protect data for <desired period> (e.g. 7 days, 1 month, etc.) |
| Media set | Create a new media set for every backup session |
| Source job | Forever forward incremental method, reverse incremental or forward incremental job with periodic full backup (can be set to do only active full backups) |
| Tape job | Eject media upon job completion option should be enabled. Export current media set.. option should be enabled for the day when the job runs. Archive incremental backups to tape should be disabled |
| Scheduling | Should be configured differently for different backup methods in the source job. See below for details |
Scheduling in case source job uses Forever Forward Incremental
Forever forward incremental backup that runs regularly
Tape job should have processing of incremental backups disabled and virtual full creation scheduled to the day when the job starts (e.g. Monday, Friday or everyday). To avoid issues a new incremental point and virtual full backup should start during the same day, with tape job starting after backup job (e.g. job starts at 5 AM, new restore point created at 6 AM, tape job starts at 6.30 AM)
Each tape job run will create a synthetic full on tape using the available incremental points.
Backup job must have at least 3 point retention
Process only latest chain should be enabled, otherwise job will copy full backup periodically when initial full backup is overwritten.
Scheduling in case source job uses Forward Incremental
- Tape job should have processing of incremental backups disabled and run after primary job has created a full backup.
- Process only latest chain should be enabled to avoid copying older backups.
Scheduling in case source job uses Reverse Incremental
- Tape job should have processing of incremental backups disabled.
- Each tape job run will copy a full backup (last point of reverse incremental chain) to the tape.
Because last point in BCJ is always locked due to continuous nature, it is impossible to use BCJ to create a virtual full every day