Change Number of Streams Running Per Client

I sometimes have to do this.  The only way to run multiple concurrent backups on a single file server is to run them from the command line on the file server.  Doing this means that the jobs are not visible in MCS while running however once the backups complete they are visible and restore-able.

The only 'trick' to getting this working is that you must specify separate cache files for each job that runs and Avamar will put in the _ between the prefix and teh file name so don't add that in the command.  If you have an existing cache file that has been used on the server just copy it and give it a 'prefix' that is then matched in the command.

This isn't an EMC supported Avamar feature as far as I am aware but it does work.

Below is a sample command:

You can find all the avtar options from the avtar --help on the Avamar server shell.  I have an exclude file to exclude folders but that may not be relevant to your setup.

C:\Progra~1\avs\bin\avtar.exe -c --id=MCUser --ap=MCUser1 --account=audc2avun01 --retention-type=daily --exclude-from="C:\Program Files\avs\var\admin_excludes.txt" --expires=30 --one-file-system --server=audc2avun01 --path=/clients/File/vnsgnpfs01 "E:\Shares" --cacheprefix=Third --label=Daily_FS_vnsgnpfs01_212153 --logfile="C:\Program Files\avs\var\clientlogs\Daily_212153_on_demand_logfile.log"

Hello Snowmizer,

Did you try to run your client backup in multiple groups?

You can create multiple groups running at same or different timings. Attach your data set to these groups to run backup of specific piece of data.

Please make sure you have sufficient CPU and RAM to run multiple backups of a client at same time.

Regards,

Pawan Kumawat

Although you can create multiple groups and datasets and run them at different times, you cannot run two MCS initiated backups to a given client and have them go active concurrently.

The best you would be able to accomplish via MCS is to establish smaller datasets which can be initiated concurrently but they will still be processed sequentially.

There are ways to accomplish concurrent backups from a given client using avtar CLI but these backups must be initiated from the client itself and as mentioned in a previous update you must establish dedicated cache files for each thread. If it is a Unix/Linux client there are ways to establish more than one client instance for the same source client so in effect Avamar sees these as separate clients and therefore MCS too. This works well for these client types as you can still use MCS and effectively treat them as normal clients.

Hey Adam,

How do you achieved concurrent backup? Could you share the specific methods of operation to me? Thank you in advance.

Please describe that problem to Dell-EMC Support and request RPQ for multi-agent. Otherwise that is not supported.

Then You will get a document how to "multiply" Avamar Agent instances on the same client.

To cut the long story short:
1. Copy & paste the "avs"
2. Set up services, hostnames, so new "extra" agetns can be resolvable.

3. Set datasets that do not overlap.

4. Set proper Data Set overrides on all affected agents (the original one and and the "new extra").

Good luck!