Blueprint for Data Lifecycle Management - Veritas Backup... · Blueprint for Data Lifecycle...

Symantec Backup Exec Blueprints 1

Symantec Backup Exec Blueprints Blueprint for Data Lifecycle Management

Symantec Education Services


Notice

This Backup Exec Blueprint presentation includes example diagrams that contain objects that represent applications and platforms from other companies such as Microsoft and VMware. These diagrams may or may not match or resemble actual implementations found in end user environments. Any likeness or similarity to actual end user environments is completely by coincidence.

The goal of the diagrams included in this blueprint presentation is not to recommend specific ways in which to implement applications and platforms from other companies such as Microsoft and VMware; the purpose of these diagrams is to illustrate Backup Exec best practices only.

For guidelines and best practices on installing and configuring applications and platforms from other companies, please refer to best practice documentation and other resources provided by those companies.

Symantec Backup Exec Blueprints Disclaimer


Backup Exec Blueprints: How to Use Getting the most out of Backup Exec blueprints

These Blueprints are designed to list customer challenges and how Backup Exec solves these challenges.

• Each Blueprint consists of:

‒ Pain Points: Lists the challenges that a customer faces

‒ Whiteboard: Shows how Backup Exec solves the customer challenges

‒ Recommended Configuration: Shows recommended installation

‒ Dos: Gives detailed configurations suggested by Symantec

‒ Don'ts: What configurations and pitfalls customers must avoid

‒ Advantages: Summarizes the Backup Exec advantages

• Use these Blueprints to:

‒ Understand customer challenges and how Backup Exec solves them

‒ Present the Backup Exec best practice solution


Preface

Purpose

This document: • Explores the functional behavior of data life cycle

management in Backup Exec 2014 • Discusses rules in data lifecycle management that ensures

that the Backup sets are retained, thereby maintaining the reliability to restore the data

• Discusses common issues with data lifecycle management and troubleshooting techniques

Scope This document provides a high level understanding of data lifecycle management. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with Basic Media Management in Backup Exec.

Pain Points

5 Symantec Backup Exec Blueprints


Data Management Model in versions prior to Backup Exec 2012

In versions prior to Backup Exec 2012, a tape-centric model was used to identically manage the life cycle of backed up data for tapes and disk storage.

The disk backup emulated the tape media as .BKF files and each such file was considered as a single media for data retention.

The data retention was applied to individual media and not to individual backup data set contained by the media


Disadvantages of tape centric data management for disk storage

• Each .bkf file is considered as an individual media. Ignorance in knowing the dependency for the media (such as previous incremental or full backup sets or the spanned backup set) may lead to accidental deletion or reuse of the media, causing data loss.

• The user is expected to track media related information for a resource to be recovered point-in-time.

• The user must be accurate in configuring the right media retention settings on the media sets, to avoid data loss situations.

Unreliable Recovery

Inefficient space reclamation

Media will not be reused or overwritten until all the backup sets on the particular media are expired. This setting is controlled by the overwrite and append period of the media set (example: If the overwrite protection is 2 days and append period is 1 day, then the retention period is 3 days.)

DLM Terminology and Storage Options



Introduction to Data Lifecycle Management

• Data lifecycle management or DLM is a policy-based approach to manage data through its life cycle and is triggered by the Backup Exec Server Service: Creation > Initial Storage > Obsolescence > Deletion

• There is a difference in the way DLM manages the data stored on fixed and removable disk storage versus tape media.

• The retention of backup data is now associated with the backup set and not with the media sets.

• A single .BKF file does not contain more than one backup set. However, a backup set can be spanned over more than one .BKF file.

• To ensure data integrity and reliable recovery of the resource, DLM does the backup set dependency check while deleting the expired backup set and does not delete the last copy of the recovery point chain for a particular resource. (This rule can however be disabled from the Graphical User Interface settings in Backup Exec 2014)

• In case of fixed disk storage, the DLM grooming activity is automated and triggered every 4 hours or on a low disk space event; for removable disk cartridge, DLM grooming activity is triggered on a new backup/duplicate job to a particular disk cartridge.


Data Lifecycle Management terminology

Type Term Details

Storage Type

Fixed disk • Disks that are identified by the operating System as fixed disks, e.g. internal hard

drive, external USB hard drive • Can contain BKF, deduplication media, and IMG (GRT-enabled disk backup)

Removable disk Disks that are identified by Operating System as removable disks e.g. RDX device, USB thumb drive

Tape Tape media

Media Type

BKF Disk based backup files in MTF(Microsoft Tape Format)

OST Deduplication media

IMG With GRT-enabled backups, the media appear as IMG folders, such as IMG00001 under the disk storage used.

Recovery Chain

Recovery chain A chain of backup sets that are required to restore a resource that are protected by a backup definition to a given Point in Time restore.

Last copy of the latest recovery chain

The last recovery chain that can restore a resource protected by a backup definition to the latest Point in Time restore.


Data Lifecycle Management terminology (continued)

Type Term Details

Retention Setting

Media set retention

• A media set comprises of group of media. The retention properties of a media set apply to all media listed in the media set.

• This property is restricted only to the tape media since Backup Exec 2014.

Backup set retention

• A “keep for” value specified as a backup/duplicate job setting • It determines the minimum expiration time of backup sets created by the job and

this setting is for the disk media.


Data Lifecycle Management rules to delete the backup sets

Backup sets cannot be deleted by DLM if any one of the following conditions exist:

• Backup sets are not expired.

• Backup sets are manually retained for Legal Holds.

• A backup set belongs to the last copy of the latest recovery chain (group of backup sets required for point-in-time recovery of a particular resource), that is per resource per backup definition. It implies that a resource chain will include the backup sets only from the same selections and the same backup definition.

• Backup set has another dependent Backup set for restoring resources.


Data Lifecycle Management rules to delete the backup sets (continued)

Additionally, the following resource specific conditions, must also be fulfilled for deletion.

Additional Rules

NTFS backup sets No additional rules

SDR backup sets Backup sets of critical resources, created as part of a single job, get deleted together

GRT enabled backup sets

The unexpired duplicate set on a different type of storage is not considered as a copy of the recovery chain for the GRT enabled backup, as there is a difference in recovery technology for different storage.


DLM evolution from Backup Exec 2012 to Backup Exec 2014

Storage Type

Media

BE 2012 BE 2012 SP2

BE 2012 SP4

BE 2014

managed by

Disk BKF DLM DLM DLM DLM

IMG DLM DLM DLM DLM

Cartridge BKF MS MS DLM DLM

IMG Unmanaged DLM DLM DLM

Dedup. BE OST DLM DLM DLM DLM

HW OST DLM DLM DLM DLM

Tape MTF MS MS MS MS

Note:

MS: Managed by Media Sets properties i.e Overwrite Protection, Append Period

Disk: DLM grooming every 4 hours, or on low disk space warning; Cartridge: DLM grooming at the start of new sets

In Backup Exec 2012 , IMG folder was not managed by DLM or ADAMM,this issue was eventually fixed in Backup Exec 2012 SP 2


DLM related Storage options affecting backup set deletion

Option Description

Allow Backup Exec to delete all expired backup sets

This global setting lets Backup Exec delete expired backup sets, even if they are the last remaining backup sets that you need to restore a server. Use this option when you want to delete backup data after a period of time. Alternatively, you can manually expire backup sets.

To access this option, click the Backup Exec button > Configuration and Settings > Backup Exec Settings > Storage.


DLM related Storage options affecting backup set deletion (continued)

Option Description

Limit Backup Exec to read-only operations on a disk-based storage device if it has been detached for x number of days

This global setting prevents Backup Exec from deleting expired backup sets on any disk-based storage device as soon as you reattach it. Backup Exec is limited to read-only operations only on the disk-based storage devices that are detached from the Backup Exec server for the specified number of days.




Option Description

Limit Backup Exec to read-only operations on a disk cartridge if it has not been inserted for x number of days

This global setting prevents Backup Exec from deleting expired backup sets on any disk cartridge as soon as you insert it into a disk cartridge device. When you limit Backup Exec to read-only operations, you have time to review any expired backup sets and determine if you want to keep them before data lifecycle management deletes them. To keep expired backup sets, you can retain them.




Option Description

Limit Backup Exec to read-only operations

This device property prevents data lifecycle management from running on a specific disk-based or disk cartridge storage device that you reattach or reinsert. This option applies only when the storage device has been absent from the Backup Exec server for the number of days that you specify in either of the two previous global settings described in this table. By default, the number of days that the disk cartridge media must be absent before this option takes effect is 30 days and that for fixed disk, it is 14 days

To access this option, on the Storage tab, right-click the device, click Details, and then click Properties.


DLM Architecture

Start DLM Process

End DLM Process

BEngine (Catalog)

Reclaiming Disk Space

Query Catalog for expireable backup sets

Return expireable Backup Sets

Delete IMG data and catalog records

Request for DLM process is initiated every 4 hours

ADAMM (Advanced Device and

Media Management)

Delete OST/BKFs and catalog records

Backup Exec Server

Troubleshooting Use Cases and Recommendations



Monitoring DLM Activities

To access audit logs, click the Backup Exec button > Configuration and Settings > Audit Log > Backup Set Retention

DLM activities can be monitored via Audit logs. Audit logs provide detailed information about deleted backup sets and failed processes.


Monitoring DLM activities (continued)

Information available in the audit log

– Time of the event

– Media label

– Media GUID


Monitoring the DLM activities (continued)

To analyze a DLM issue, look for in-depth debugging information in the server service debug log using the Backup Exec Debug Monitor (SGMon).


Scenario 1: Expired backup sets are not deleted

• Issue: Expired backup sets are not deleted by DLM.

• Probable causes:

– The backup set is a tape backup set. DLM will not delete the tape backup set.

– The backup set is retained manually.

– The dependent backup sets are retained or unexpired.

– The backup set is part of the last copy of the latest recovery chain for a protected resource, the latest recovery chain is per backup definition.

– The backup set is from a one time backup job.

– The backup set is a set of a critical resources created by an SDR job. The system state backup set could be expired, retained or could have a non-expired/retained dependent backup set created by the SDR jobs.

– The device is not accessible (only for Backup Exec 2014)

• If none of the above causes apply, the issue must be further investigated by Symantec Technical Support.


Scenario 2: Orphan or non-referred media exists on the disk storage

• Issue: Orphan or non-referred media exists on the disk storage, but does not have corresponding backup sets in the GUI.

• Symptom: Disk space is low

This issue can be categorized into two types as explained below:

• Type 1 orphan media:

– The media exists on the disk, but there are no corresponding catalog records.

– Cause: Unable to delete the media from the location, but catalog is informed that data has been deleted

• Type 2 orphan media:

– The media exists on the disk, the catalog records for this particular media also exist, but there are no backup set records.

– Cause:

• Improper procedure of changing the catalog location, for instance directly moving the catalogs folder

• Media with creation date and time being “1753-01-01 00:00:00:000”: implies that it was only inventoried but not cataloged. This is expected behavior; so, running the catalog job should resolve this issue.


Scenario 3: Orphan catalogs and metadata

• Issue: Media no longer exists on the storage but the corresponding catalogs and metadata still exist

• Symptoms

– Restore failure with error “media mount failed”

– DLM tries to delete the same expired media, but keeps failing, that is evident from the audit logs.

• Cause

– Media files were manually deleted through the Windows Explorer and not through the Backup Exec GUI.

– Storage device was deleted or was not accessible (applicable to Backup Exec 2012)

– Storage device was deleted but the user chose to keep the catalog files (applicable to Backup Exec 2014)

– Scratch OST media was inventoried

Do…



Best Practices: Data Life Cycle Management Do the following…

• To get more disk space before data lifecycle management expires any backup sets, expire unwanted backup sets manually in Backup Exec.

• To prevent data lifecycle management from expiring a backup set, you can manually retain a backup set. Backup Exec automatically retains all dependent backup sets as well. When you no longer want to retain a backup set, release it so that data lifecycle management can manage the retention period for it.

Note: By default, the data lifecycle management process runs every four hours. Data lifecycle management also runs whenever the available disk space on the Backup Exec server is less than the low disk space thresholds that are set in the disk storage properties.

Do not…



Best Practices: Deduplication Do not do the following…

• Do not use Windows Explorer or a Windows command prompt to delete backup files.

• While setting up the schedules for backups in a backup definition, avoid adding many incremental backups between full backups. The data lifecycle management process must search through each backup set to check dependencies; therefore, the more incremental jobs there are, the longer the DLM process takes.


Thank You!

Symantec Education Services

Date post:	15-Jun-2020
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