Dell NetWorker 19.9 Administration Guide

Cloning with file type and AFTD devices

Disk backup devices such as file type devices and advanced file type devices (AFTD) are ideal for cloning operations because they provide high speed, random access, and flexibility.

There are differences in the cloning process for file type devices and advanced file type devices.

• For file type devices, scheduled and manual cloning begins only after all save sets in a group have been backed up.
• For AFTDs, scheduled cloning begins only after all save sets in a group have been backed up. However, you can begin manually cloning a save set when it has finished its backup. For example, if there are three save sets (A, B, and C) in a backup, you can begin manually cloning Save Set A after its backup is complete and while the backups of Save Sets B and C are in progress. You can only manually clone one save set at a time. AFTDs allow recoveries during cloning operations (Read(source) or Write(target)). This assumes that the recover operation is not from the active save set and that only one clone operation is running at a time.

Often, the disk devices are used as the initial target device for backups, especially in situations where slower clients are unable to match the speeds that are expected for modern tape devices. In these situations, the ability to clone or stage data to tape often provides extended retention and data protection, while maximizing the disk use and benefits.

Data can remain on the disk devices for short periods, typically 3 to 14 days, which allows for:

• Adequate time for immediate and urgent restore operations to occur.
• Plenty of time to create further copies to tape or other disk-based devices for longer term retention.