Data Protector Express User's Guide (TC330-96002, October 2010)

7 Scheduling, Rotations, and Media
Management
In this chapter
• Backup Schedule Considerations
•SchedulingConcepts
• M edia Rotation Types
• Running Jobs with Rotations
Ensuring that you have all the files needed to restore your system is a complex task. Typically, it is not
practical — from either a time or a media p erspective — to create a full backup every day. The solution
involves running different types of jobs (full, incremental, differential or copy) on predefined sched ule
intervals using predefined numbers of media sets that get reused over time. The process of reusing media
is referred to as media rotation. The media rotation t ype determines how and when each media set is
used, how long it is retained once it contains data, and the granularity of your backup history.
Arotationdefines the times it will run (see Inter vals)andhowmanysets it will use (see Media Sets).
When a job is configured to use a rotation in its schedule, the rotation set folders are created immediately.
This allows the user to see what media sets the job will be requesting. If the rotation type is changed, the
set folders are updated to reflect the new rotation type. When the job runs, it will look for media with
specific names in specific folders. If it does not findtheprecisemediaitislookingfor,itwillformatany
available media according to the auto format rules or will prompt you to insert media into your device
before it continues. When the number of rotation runs has been reached, the next backup run will
select the oldest set in the interval to overwrite.
Data Protector Express provides several built in media rotation t ypes. In many cases, the name of the
rotation type indicates the number media sets used in the rotation. For example, the Simple 4 rotation
type will use four media sets (at least four individual tapes) to complete the rotation. The media set names
can be based either on the scheduled interval or on the type of fixed rotation.
TIP:
It is strongly recommended that you let Data Protector Express format your media. In most cases there is
never a need to pre-format media using the Format command and doing so will, if used improperly, make
your m edia unavailable to your jobs.
The Jobs and Media view displays jobs, media and folders in the Data P rotector Express catalog. When
you first open the Jobs and M edia view you will see a listing of your Home folder. Your Home folder is
where Data P rotector Express stores the jobs you create a nd the med ia created by those jobs.
TIP:
When viewing the Jobs and M edia view, clicking the Folders command will display a tree view of the
Home folder hierarch that can be helpful in understanding the organization of media within jobs.
CAUTION:
When you delete media, Data Protector Express deletes information about that media from its catalog. This
includes any versions of files stored on that tape, which are also deleted from the catalog. Deleting media
does not physically erase the m edia. The media remains unchanged; only the catalog is changed. You can
still import that tape to another catalog or, if necessary, back into the original catalog.
User’s Guide
49