Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
You already got a lot of good advice, but I'll chime in: if you're worried about confusing amanda by getting tapes out of sequence, don't. flush vs dump is really more or less the same bookkeeping. Many people put in the next tape and flush if there's a lot. If you are worried that you don't have enough tapes in the rotation, or are worried about getting more tapes, you should try really hard to get more tapes. Trying to conserve tapes is rarely a good strategy. If some of the files are so old that you think they won't be useful, and you have disk space, you can just move the date-named dirs to another place. I have /n1/IR-DAILY (holding dir named after my config), /n1/AMANDA-RESTORE (where I restore dumpfiles into), and /n1/AMANDA-HOLD where I put stuff I don't want flushed. Then after enough time has passed that they are not useful I rm them. you should read up on 'autoflush'. If your tapes are generally big enough and there's a little bit left, this will put it on the next night's dump. If your dumps are routinely overflowing the tape, you need to get a bigger drive or increase the dumpcycle. I just went from DDS3 to LTO2 and wish I had done it earlier. The $5K has already paid for itself in saved labor and better backups. If you flush a lot, then you should think about how your dumpcycle and #tapes relate. I try to set dumpcycle to ensure 2 fulls of each DLE in the rotation. If you flush onto 2 tapes every day, then you may need to set dumpcycle shorter because tapes are used for flushing that amanda isn't expecting to dump on. If you're just behind now but not falling behind routinely that's not such a big deal, esp. with 50 tapes. run 'amadmin balance' and compare balanced size to your tape. If it's more than 50%, or maybe even > 25%,you need a bigger drive or a bigger dumpcycle/tapecycle. At 50 tapes, the only reasonable answer is a bigger drive, assuming dumpcycle is in the 15-20 range which is where I'd put it for 50 tapes.
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
Tom Herrera wrote at 11:24 -0800 on Dec 13, 2007: > Still curious if it is okay, amanda-wise, to just remove the ancient > directories, or if I have to do something more than that. Try 'amadmin holding delete ...' (see the amadmin man page) I think this is a new feature in amanda 2.5.2 This is a little better than just blowing the dirs away. If you do that, you could leave some log & index turds. Usually this stuff is cleaned up over time, but not always.
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
On Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 11:24:53AM -0800, Tom Herrera wrote: > > > Chris Hoogendyk wrote: > > > > One other point to check. Since Tom is coming new into an existing > > setup, and didn't specify in his original post, it's possible those are > > from another amanda configuration that is not being run. The names of > > the files should indicate when and what they are from. I mean, if the > > daily is running and writing a tape, and there are still things being > > left on the holding disk, then Tom needs to figure out why they are > > still there. First step is to know for sure where they came from. Then, > > if they are from the daily that is currently being run, why were they > > left on the holding disk? > > > > I checked, and all the directories on the holding disk are associated with > the one and only amanda config file on the system, named Daily. Since I was > not here for the bulk of the directories listed I am not sure why they were > never flushed. > > Still curious if it is okay, amanda-wise, to just remove the ancient > directories, or if I have to do something more than that. > When you run amflush it will ask which directories/dates you wish to flush. After you have done the one(s) you want, I think it is safe to blow away the ones you don't want. The logs will rotate and be deleted on their own. Or archive them; or if space on holding disk is not a problem, leave them for later. After doing the above I'd also suggest running amcleanup. jl -- Jon H. LaBadie [EMAIL PROTECTED] JG Computing 4455 Province Line Road(609) 252-0159 Princeton, NJ 08540-4322 (609) 683-7220 (fax)
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
Chris Hoogendyk wrote: > > One other point to check. Since Tom is coming new into an existing > setup, and didn't specify in his original post, it's possible those are > from another amanda configuration that is not being run. The names of > the files should indicate when and what they are from. I mean, if the > daily is running and writing a tape, and there are still things being > left on the holding disk, then Tom needs to figure out why they are > still there. First step is to know for sure where they came from. Then, > if they are from the daily that is currently being run, why were they > left on the holding disk? > I checked, and all the directories on the holding disk are associated with the one and only amanda config file on the system, named Daily. Since I was not here for the bulk of the directories listed I am not sure why they were never flushed. Still curious if it is okay, amanda-wise, to just remove the ancient directories, or if I have to do something more than that. -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Running-amflush-to-a-Separate-Tape-tp14318108p14323017.html Sent from the Amanda - Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
Gene Heskett wrote: On Thursday 13 December 2007, Tom Herrera wrote: I am new to both Linux and Amanda, so please be gentle. I've recently come over from the dark side of Windoze. I've inherited a small net from a previous sysop. He was using Amanda on two servers, and I would like to continue use, but I'm finding it a bit challenging. I've gotten as far as determining there are a large number of Amanda directories left on the holding disk. I would like to flush those to an entirely separate tape, outside of my Daily config, but am unsure how to do this. I would like to flush those directories today if possible, so that I can move on to resolving errors on the amreport I receive (and which I will ask about in a separate email). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tom Generally speaking, Tom, anything that's left in the holding disk, probably due to a tape error, is still part of the database amanda keeps, so they should be flushed to the next available tape in the rotation. Otherwise you are miss-placing valuable info that amanda may need in the future. The real question is why they were not properly flushed originally. One other point to check. Since Tom is coming new into an existing setup, and didn't specify in his original post, it's possible those are from another amanda configuration that is not being run. The names of the files should indicate when and what they are from. I mean, if the daily is running and writing a tape, and there are still things being left on the holding disk, then Tom needs to figure out why they are still there. First step is to know for sure where they came from. Then, if they are from the daily that is currently being run, why were they left on the holding disk? --- Chris Hoogendyk - O__ Systems Administrator c/ /'_ --- Biology & Geology Departments (*) \(*) -- 140 Morrill Science Center ~~ - University of Massachusetts, Amherst <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Erdös 4
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
Gene Heskett wrote: > > Generally speaking, Tom, anything that's left in the holding disk, > probably > due to a tape error, is still part of the database amanda keeps, so they > should be flushed to the next available tape in the rotation. Otherwise > you > are miss-placing valuable info that amanda may need in the future. > > The real question is why they were not properly flushed originally. > Gene and Jon, Thanks for the quick replies. I am not at all sure why there are so many directories to be flushed - they range in age from March thru last week, and they all, but the last, apply to a time before I became sysop here. So I am not all that concerned about the ancient ones, I'd just like to flush the last one (recent) and move ahead. So it would be okay for me to tar/gzip all the other directories? If I remove them Amanda won't get mad at me? Or do I somehow need to tell Amanad "hey, those aren't so important anymore." Tom -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Running-amflush-to-a-Separate-Tape-tp14318108p14320406.html Sent from the Amanda - Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
On Thursday 13 December 2007, Tom Herrera wrote: >I am new to both Linux and Amanda, so please be gentle. I've recently come >over from the dark side of Windoze. > >I've inherited a small net from a previous sysop. He was using Amanda on two >servers, and I would like to continue use, but I'm finding it a bit >challenging. > >I've gotten as far as determining there are a large number of Amanda >directories left on the holding disk. I would like to flush those to an >entirely separate tape, outside of my Daily config, but am unsure how to do >this. I would like to flush those directories today if possible, so that I >can move on to resolving errors on the amreport I receive (and which I will >ask about in a separate email). > >Any help would be greatly appreciated. > >Tom Generally speaking, Tom, anything that's left in the holding disk, probably due to a tape error, is still part of the database amanda keeps, so they should be flushed to the next available tape in the rotation. Otherwise you are miss-placing valuable info that amanda may need in the future. The real question is why they were not properly flushed originally. -- Cheers, Gene "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) AMAZING BUT TRUE ... There is so much sand in Northern Africa that if it were spread out it would completely cover the Sahara Desert.
Re: Running amflush to a Separate Tape
On Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 07:33:25AM -0800, Tom Herrera wrote: > > I am new to both Linux and Amanda, so please be gentle. I've recently come > over from the dark side of Windoze. > > I've inherited a small net from a previous sysop. He was using Amanda on two > servers, and I would like to continue use, but I'm finding it a bit > challenging. > > I've gotten as far as determining there are a large number of Amanda > directories left on the holding disk. I would like to flush those to an > entirely separate tape, outside of my Daily config, but am unsure how to do > this. I would like to flush those directories today if possible, so that I > can move on to resolving errors on the amreport I receive (and which I will > ask about in a separate email). > > Any help would be greatly appreciated. > The phrase "outside of my Daily config" gives me trouble. These files on the holding disk represent completed, but untaped, backups of file systems and directory trees that amanda's logs have already recorded. If needed, they are available for restoration whether on the holding disk or taped to a Daily config tape. Were it feasible to amflush to a different config you might lose this ability. That said, if you just want it taped "in case" you want or need it, simply tar or dd the holding disk to a blank, non-amanda tape. My alternative recommendation, seeing as you seem to have available tapes, is to amflush them within your Daily config. If you don't want to upset the current set of tapes use amlabel to add a few newly labeled tapes to your Daily config tapelist file. If your current tapes go from ?Daily?-001 to ?Daily?-050, maybe do a few in the -100 range. Then when you amflush make sure only your newly labeled tapes are in the drive/library. Amanda will always happily use a new tape. Note, depending on the volume of data on the holding disk and the "runtapes" parameter in your amanda.conf file it may be necessary to make multiple runs of amflush. jl -- Jon H. LaBadie [EMAIL PROTECTED] JG Computing 4455 Province Line Road(609) 252-0159 Princeton, NJ 08540-4322 (609) 683-7220 (fax)
Running amflush to a Separate Tape
I am new to both Linux and Amanda, so please be gentle. I've recently come over from the dark side of Windoze. I've inherited a small net from a previous sysop. He was using Amanda on two servers, and I would like to continue use, but I'm finding it a bit challenging. I've gotten as far as determining there are a large number of Amanda directories left on the holding disk. I would like to flush those to an entirely separate tape, outside of my Daily config, but am unsure how to do this. I would like to flush those directories today if possible, so that I can move on to resolving errors on the amreport I receive (and which I will ask about in a separate email). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Tom -- View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/Running-amflush-to-a-Separate-Tape-tp14318108p14318108.html Sent from the Amanda - Users mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
