Weird backup problem -- Thank god I've been buring CD's occasionally
(much more often now).
Setup:
Server
LM 7.2, 2.2.19 kernel
Samba 2.09
Computer used for backup
WIN95 (I know, I know, that's the problem, but it has a tape drive)
Tape backup
Conner Travan 3 drive - floppy interface
Backup Software
Conner (now Seagate) Backup exec
History:
Used the tape drive to full/incrementally backup all data on a
weekly/daily basis. The tape worked like a charm when the network was
all peer-to-peer M$ machines. Replaced the overworked secretary's
d-drive data repository with the server (see above). I have the firm's
data share mapped as F: in the Windows world. I continued to use the
Conner tape backup to backup all data. (Used to be backing up
peer-to-peer from secretary's D: drive, mapped as F:, Now have the
[Rankin Bertin] Samba share mapped as F:.
The backup works great -- almost. It seems that the file names copied
from the Samba share that get 'recorded' or stored on the tape are
mangled to an 8.3 or xxxxxxxx.yyy format. This doesn't happen if I back
up information from a WinXX computer. What is really weird is that the
Conner backup exec software "catalogs" the files with their full file
name, but the actual filename as it exists on the tape is mangled to
8.3. I'm stumped. There is no way to correlate between what is 'indexed'
and what gets 'stored' on the tape.
Admittedly, I don't think this is a Linux or Samba problem. (Anyone else
using a similar backup scheme, better try a restore test)
The Problem:
The problem is that if I try to restore a file, the restore component
of the Conner software can't find the file on the tape. This is because
the backup 'index' contains the full - long file name, while the actual
tape catalog contains the mangled 8.3 or xxxxxxxx.yyy version of the
file name.
Now don't get me wrong, I know the data is being written to tape, but
can you imagine the amount of time it would take to untangle 200 meg of
20k files that all start with ltr-*&$%.doc, when it should say ltr-smith
20010608.doc, or whatever? (without the statistical bs, lets just say
there are over 5000 permutations for any one given file)
So the question to be resolved is:
(1) is there any way to stop the name mangling;
(2) if not, is there any Linux application that will talk to this tape
drive that will allow me to move it to the Linux box to get around this
problem; or
(3) if not, what is the best (and cheapest) tape drive I can get to
stick in the Linux box (no SCSI) that I can build a cron tab to run the
backup for to get a bullet proof backup each day.
Why you ask?
(1) I like to sleep;
(2) The bock stops here (not often enough);
(3) You know your in trouble when:
(a) You would be disbarred (castration is cruel and unusual punishment
unless your in Mississippi) for not being able to account for your
client trust;
(b) The IRS would wan't your 2nd born in settlement - no questions
asked;
(c) You look around and there is not ONE TYPEWRITER TO BE FOUND; and
(d) Due to the paperwork reduction act, a squirrel couldn't build a
nest with the paper records to be found around the office.
Though, much left unsaid, I NEED HELP AND ADVISE...
--
David C. Rankin, J.D., P.E.
ASEL -- Instrument
Nacogdoches, Texas
N31 34.7 W094 42.6
355 MSL
