Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
On Wed, 26 Sep 2018 17:04:20 +0200 Tilman Schmidt wrote: > You need an additional 'l'. > 'list' and 'llist' (long list) are two different > commands. Aha! I thought it was a typo. Thanks for clarifying. So it seems this info is directly dependent on what is in the database. I see that here FirstWritten is the date of when the volume was purged which different from when it was first written physically. I recycle manually my daily volumes every 2 months. I also notice another field: InitialWrite: -00-00 00:00:00 I wonder why it is zero. Is there any documentation about all that? I can't find anything. -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Am 26.09.2018 um 16:12 schrieb George Anchev via Bacula-users: > On Wed, 26 Sep 2018 14:03:30 +0200 Radosław > Korzeniewski wrote: > >> Yes and especially llist volume=... command. :) >> where you can find something like: >> (...) >> firstwritten: 2018-08-17 02:00:11 >> lastwritten: 2018-08-18 02:00:11 >> labeldate: 2018-08-17 02:00:03 >> (...) > > Hm. It doesn't show me such details when I use 'list > volume='. Need I any additional options? You need an additional 'l'. 'list' and 'llist' (long list) are two different commands. ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
On Wed, 26 Sep 2018 14:03:30 +0200 Radosław Korzeniewski wrote: > Yes and especially llist volume=... command. :) > where you can find something like: > (...) > firstwritten: 2018-08-17 02:00:11 > lastwritten: 2018-08-18 02:00:11 > labeldate: 2018-08-17 02:00:03 > (...) Hm. It doesn't show me such details when I use 'list volume='. Need I any additional options? > Just take a look: https://graphiteapp.org/. I will. Thanks! -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Hello, niedz., 23 wrz 2018 o 11:25 George Anchev via Bacula-users < bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net> napisał(a): > Hi Kern, > > On Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:41:12 +0200 Kern Sibbald wrote: > > > Bacula maintains certain simple metrics about > > particular Volume (tape) usage in the Media record > > of the catalog. So as long as you do not delete > > Volumes from the catalog, those metrics will > > persist. > > Do you mean the 'list volumes' command? Which > particular metrics are in the context of my question > regarding tape life and retension? > Yes and especially llist volume=... command. :) where you can find something like: (...) firstwritten: 2018-08-17 02:00:11 lastwritten: 2018-08-18 02:00:11 labeldate: 2018-08-17 02:00:03 (...) volmounts: 1 (...) volerrors: 0 volwrites: 1,247 (...) volreadtime: 0 volwritetime: 235,539 (...) recyclecount: 1 initialwrite: (...) As mentioned by Kern they are simple metrics. > > We are continuing to improve metrics, and sometime > > in the first half of next year, we will release code > > that allows you to continuously monitor the SD (also > > clients and the Director) using Graphite. > > What is Graphite please? > Just take a look: https://graphiteapp.org/. A great piece of software. You can use a dozens of front-ends to visualize your Graphite data, i.e. https://grafana.com/. It will be a native integration. best regards -- Radosław Korzeniewski rados...@korzeniewski.net ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Hi Kern, On Sun, 23 Sep 2018 10:41:12 +0200 Kern Sibbald wrote: > Bacula maintains certain simple metrics about > particular Volume (tape) usage in the Media record > of the catalog. So as long as you do not delete > Volumes from the catalog, those metrics will > persist. Do you mean the 'list volumes' command? Which particular metrics are in the context of my question regarding tape life and retension? > Another method to get metrics about particular tape > Volumes is to use the tapealert code that was > implemented in version 9.0.0 -- see my email post > just prior to this one. I am not quite sure which specific post you mean (I see 2 of yours from 2018-09-21 and 2018-09-23). FWIW if I run /opt/bacula/scripts/tapealert /dev/nst0 it shows nothing. But if I run /usr/sbin/tapeinfo -f /dev/nst0 I see some information about the tape drive itself. Still I can't relate this to retension or age of tape. Are we talking about the same thing? > We are continuing to improve metrics, and sometime > in the first half of next year, we will release code > that allows you to continuously monitor the SD (also > clients and the Director) using Graphite. What is Graphite please? -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Hello, Bacula maintains certain simple metrics about particular Volume (tape) usage in the Media record of the catalog. So as long as you do not delete Volumes from the catalog, those metrics will persist. Another method to get metrics about particular tape Volumes is to use the tapealert code that was implemented in version 9.0.0 -- see my email post just prior to this one. We are continuing to improve metrics, and sometime in the first half of next year, we will release code that allows you to continuously monitor the SD (also clients and the Director) using Graphite. Best regards, Kern On 09/21/2018 07:51 PM, George Anchev via Bacula-users wrote: Thanks, I know what Wikipedia says. My question is about how can Bacula help to monitor these metrics. Bacula does maintain metrics on each volume should you want to monitor their usage. How exactly? If a volume is purged (manually or say every N months) - how can Bacula maintain metrics about it? Another thing: Which is better (and why) in a scenario when a full backup with multiple incremental ones cannot fill a single tape: A) Full backup Incremental Incremental ... Purge after 3 months (tape about 1/3 full only) (repeat the above) OR B) Full Incremental Incremental ... Full Incremental Incremental ... (until tape gets filled, then purge and repeat) -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Thanks, I know what Wikipedia says. My question is about how can Bacula help to monitor these metrics. > Bacula does maintain metrics on each volume should > you want to monitor their usage. How exactly? If a volume is purged (manually or say every N months) - how can Bacula maintain metrics about it? Another thing: Which is better (and why) in a scenario when a full backup with multiple incremental ones cannot fill a single tape: A) Full backup Incremental Incremental ... Purge after 3 months (tape about 1/3 full only) (repeat the above) OR B) Full Incremental Incremental ... Full Incremental Incremental ... (until tape gets filled, then purge and repeat) -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Most everything that you'd want to know about LTO tape for each version can be found here on Wikipedia. It has a section that talks about longevity and number of passes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Tape-Open I have 6 year old LTO-5 media that has been used by my Bacula backups with a quarterly rotation and multiple mounts/writes until full without any problems. My drives are healthy and the media is kept in normal climate controlled environments. If I have any media issues, it's usually shortly after new tapes have been introduced and there's something wrong with them from the outset. I will be migrating to newer LTO technology before these tapes approach their end-of-life. The only issue will be to bring any required archives stored on the media forward. Bacula does maintain metrics on each volume should you want to monitor their usage. Patti On 9/21/18, 11:46 AM, "George Anchev via Bacula-users" wrote: Thanks Patti! I guess my info was stale. What about age and write cycles? I believe those still apply to LTO. -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
Thanks Patti! I guess my info was stale. What about age and write cycles? I believe those still apply to LTO. -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
I have never seen an article or reference regarding re-tensioning LTO media. In fact Quantum answered a similar question: "Retensioning is not needed on single hub media, such as DLT and LTO. Dual hub media requires retensioning after it has been dropped as the tape path because it can be skewed between the two hubs. Since DLT and LTO media have a single hub, the tape is wound through a path within the drive onto an internal hub. This eliminates the problem with skewing." A reliable industry source. You cannot apply general magnetic tape information to LTO. Patti Clark Sr. Linux System Administrator Oak Ridge National Laboratory On 9/20/18, 7:45 AM, "George Anchev via Bacula-users" wrote: Hi, As far as I have read there is a recommendation LTO-* tapes to be physically rewind from start to finish and back every now and then to release physical tension. This tape retention has a different meaning from the term "retention" in Bacula (if I understand correctly). Also tapes have limited (although quite long) age and same applies to write cycles. My question is: Does Bacula provide any means to monitor and service all these? Or what recommendations would you give? -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
On Thu, 20 Sep 2018 07:51:46 -0400 Phil Stracchino wrote: > That would be "retension", as distinct from > "retention". Oh. You are right. So what is the answer? -- George ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
Re: [Bacula-users] Tape physical retention and age monitoring
On 9/20/18 7:40 AM, George Anchev via Bacula-users wrote: > Hi, > > As far as I have read there is a recommendation LTO-* > tapes to be physically rewind from start to finish and > back every now and then to release physical tension. > This tape retention has a different meaning from the > term "retention" in Bacula (if I understand correctly). That would be "retension", as distinct from "retention". -- Phil Stracchino Babylon Communications ph...@caerllewys.net p...@co.ordinate.org Landline: +1.603.293.8485 Mobile: +1.603.998.6958 ___ Bacula-users mailing list Bacula-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bacula-users
