Backing up Laptops using Networker 7.2 Enterprise (UNIX) with Win XP Client

Question

This is a continuing saga, so some of you may have noticed similar
posts before.

I work for a company that has quite a few laptop users (UNIX server,
Windows laptops) Since the laptops are connected to the network at
irregular times, scheduling a group backup at a pre-determined time
results in randomly missed laptops (those not connected to the network
when the backup kicks-off)

I am attempting to write a backup script that would be placed in the
backup command field for each of the laptop clients in Networker. The
laptop clients would then be placed in a group that would be scheduled
to run every hour or so. This will have the effect of picking up
laptops that are on at different times of the day.

When the group runs, each member clients script runs to see if it has
backed up already today. If it hasn't, the SAVE command runs, if it
has then it exits.

This is what I have so far:
-----------------------------------------------------
@Echo off
SET CurrDay=%DATE:~7,2%&::
SET CurrMonth=%DATE:~4,2%&::
SET CurrYear=%DATE:~10,4%&::
SET CurrDate=%CurrMonth%_%CurrDay%_%CurrYear%

If exist c:\%CurrDate%.txt goto exists
If not exist c:\%CurrDate%.txt goto Backup

:Backup

SAVE %*

echo. 2> %CurrDate%.txt

:exists
Echo %Currdate%.txt already ran!
-----------------------------------------------------

The script checks to see if a datestamp file has the current date, if
it doesn't it runs if it does, it exits.

This process ALMOST works. The datecheck works correctly, but when it
gets to saving the "All" saveset (represented by the %*) the C:\ bombs
out. This is what I get:

------------------------------------------------------

--- Unsuccessful Save Sets ---

* testlaptop:C:\ 2 retries attempted
* testlaptop:C:\ 07_02_2007.txt already exists!

--- Successful Save Sets ---

testlaptop: SYSTEM STATE:\ level=full, 37 MB 00:00:48 18
files
* testlaptop:SYSTEM STATE:\
* testlaptop:SYSTEM STATE:\ 07_02_2007.txt already exists!
testlaptop: SYSTEM DB:\ level=full, 18 MB 00:00:13 9
files
* testlaptop:SYSTEM DB:\
* testlaptop:SYSTEM DB:\ 07_02_2007.txt already exists!
testlaptop: SYSTEM FILES:\ level=skip, 0 KB 00:00:01 0
files
* testlaptop:SYSTEM FILES:\
* testlaptop:SYSTEM FILES:\ 07_02_2007.txt already exists!
testlaptop: ASR:\ level=full, 2411 KB 00:00:14 13
files
* testlaptop:ASR:\
* testlaptop:ASR:\ 07_02_2007.txt already exists!
server: index:testlaptop level=9, 1181 KB 00:00:00 23 files

What I need to figure out is how Networker processes the 'All' saveset
request so that the arguement date=date doesn't become TRUE before the
C:\ gets a chance to kick off.

Any ideas from the Networker groupmind?

ble1 · Accepted Answer

Well, I'm quite sure there are UNIX ppl around you and scripting should be in their little finger. I will just list idea here:
- run script on full hour or something like that from crontab
- have clients listed in some repository file
- ping clients from list - those who respond run by calling savegrp with -c for each of them
- remove clients that have been backed up from repository file
- goto begin
- at midnight reset repository list

That would simple start. Further development would requite error code checking developed for each client, etc... Of course, you can make slightly different approach with client updates to group via nsradmin depending if they answer ping or not.

If I were you I would do none of that.

If users require backup they should either be connected during defined backup window or if unable be responsible for their backup that day if they miss the window. Or no backup. Otherwise I can already see situations where backup would be started with script and users would log off during backup (no matter which solution you take).

ble1 · Answer

No idea, but why not creating a script on server that would check for clients and if they are there backed them up. Thus you can call client from savegrp and everything would fine.

Timothy-NXOi5 · Answer

Thanks for the reply.I don't know much about UNIX, so I'm not sure how to write a script in it. I'm more familiar with Windows.The idea would be for the server to run a group every hour or so. When it attempt to back up a client, the backup command file would run on the client.If you have any tips for UNIX, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll have to stick with Windows.

Timothy-NXOi5 · Answer

That's an interesting approach. I never thought of running it through crontab.

I figure that if the users log off in the middle of the backup, well....we really did all we can do.

They know when the backups occur, we try to catch those who miss it. After that point, there's nothing we can do other than hold their hand :o)

Thanks for your help.

sknolin · Answer

We've gone through the kind of thing you describe and various other attempts to do laptop backups with Networker over the years. We have learned after spinning our wheels a lot, that laptops are simply a different thing than servers or desktops when it comes to backups, shoehorning them into the 'normal' system just never worked well. If it's a small handful maybe you can get by with what you describe, but we had no luck.

We never got very good coverage due to the issues discussed above, and there's more - because they get missed a lot, in practice tapes rarely become recyclable due to clients interleaved on tapes. Now, we have a lot of people that travel sometimes for extended periods of time, so this may not be as severe for you, but for us it was bad.

Traditional backups are really centered on the idea that machines are on and available most of the time or at predictable intervals, and laptops just are not used that way.

What has finally worked reasonably well is using Retrospect with the Laptop backup service and backup to a large disk array. Now, compared to Networker Retrospect is a really basic and kind of crappy system. It requires a fair amount of babysitting and isn't great. But it has worked better than all our other attempts. And to be fair, compared to Networker it is *extremely* inexpensive, so it's not shocking that it's not really 'enterprise' quality stuff. It has worked well enough for us.

I believe EMC also sucked up Retrospect, so the support site should at least be familiar

If you're running Windows AD another alternative might be to not really do backups, but set up the windows laptops to keep 'my documents' synchronized to the server, and also use shadow copy. Then back up the server with Networker. Then you don't get it all backed up, but if people use 'my documents' that data is very well protected. If you haven't used this synchronizing feature before, be aware that it also requires some serious attention to work well for people. I'm not the Windows admins here, but I know they had to do some real work to get things just right.

At one point I think there was a legato networker laptop backup product being sold, but I think it disappeared.

Bottom line is, laptops are their own beast. Unless of course you just bolt them to the desk and turn off hibernation features, then you've got a nice quiet desktop

Scott

Scott

NetWorker

Backing up Laptops using Networker 7.2 Enterprise (UNIX) with Win XP Client

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