AMANDA automatically picks the right type of backup for each disk on the list based on the rules you've set in amanda.conf. A 'level 0' backup is a full backup, a 'level 1' backup is just the files that have changed since the last level 0, a 'level 2' backup is everything that has changed since the last level 1, and so on.
dumpcycle is the maximum number of tapes that AMANDA is allowed to use to insure a complete set of level 0 backups.
tapecycle is the number of tapes AMANDA is expecting to go through before she starts recycling tapes that have already been used.
For example, my tape changer uses a magazine that holds 10 tapes, and I have three magazines full of tapes. (We'll ignore cleaning tapes for now.) I have set my dumpcycle to 10, so that every magazine is guaranteed by AMANDA to contain a complete set of level 0 backups.
Each tape contains a mixture of full and incremental backups. AMANDA picks the levels of backup for each disk by trying to fit as much data on tape after all of the required full backups are done. This minimizes tape hunting when you need to restore a file and also makes your backup runs a little more predictable in duration.
I have set my tapecycle to 30, so that AMANDA knows that it will cycle through a total of 30 tapes. Since she always wants the oldest tape or a new tape, I just put the next magazine in on the appointed day, and run `amtape CONFIG reset` to let her know that the changer has moved, and all is well.
Generally, once you have a list of disks you want to back up, they should be added to the disklist gradually over the course of dumpcycle backups, so that one tape doesn't have to try to hold too many level 0 backups at first. (AMANDA always starts with a level 0 for a new disk.)
If all that makes sense and doesn't solve the problem, some other options include: using compression (hardware or software), getting a bigger tape drive or bigger tapes, or deleting data. (Just kidding about that last one. ;-)
Good Luck.
-----Original Message-----
From: Yann PURSON [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 4:49 AM
To: amanda user
Subject: dump question...
Hi,
I am running amanda to do a full dump of 6 small server...The full backup of all the disk take aproximatively 80 % of a tape but the pb is that when I try to do the dump several directory are not backed up, the amanda report saying that the dump is to big...ok, I needed to have a full backup very fast so I created a new backup to save this directory and it works...The first backup up took 75 % of the tape size and the second one only 5%...Now I have all my server saved on tape, but I wish I could do the full backup on only one tape...What should I do?
Second question : what is the corelation between the full dump and the dump cycle? I m not really sure to understand? If I setup a dump every nigth with a dump cycle of 7 for the week, will all my server been backed up every night???
Thanks
--
Yann PURSON - Administrateur systemes et reseaux
ADNTIC - www.adntic.com
93, rue du Hocquet - 80.000 AMIENS
Tel : 03.22.22.27.27 - Fax 03 22 22 03 57
