Total Backup Size

2000-12-15 Thread David Oberst 

In Retrospect's log, the number of files and megabytes for each client
during a backup session is reported.  In the summary at the end of
execution, however, there is only a performance "nn MB/min" number, not a
cumulative total in mega(giga)bytes.

I'm sure I remember suggesting adding this years ago on the old CompuServe
forum, and if there is anyone from Retrospect on this list, I'd like to
suggest it again.  It should be fairly easy to add, and it would make it a
lot easier to see how much tape space is used on a nightly basis, instead of
having to add up each individual client manually.

While I'm at it, would it be possible to show the sort of "n.m GB used"
capacity information in the "waiting for media" dialog?  Right now, it just
tells you that "all data will probably fit", for the client about to back
up.  I often leave the office just after the backup is kicking in, putting
in the correct tape as I go.  There is no way to check to see how much space
is left on the tape without cancelling the backup.

-- 

 David Oberst/NWT Bureau of Statistics/Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
 [EMAIL PROTECTED][Explore Canada's Arctic]




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Re: Total Backup Size

2000-12-15 Thread David Oberst 

on 12/15/00 1:29 PM, Irena Solomon at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Are you referring to the total amount of data copied during that session? Or
 to the total amount of data in that backup set in total? The first figure is
 reported in the log just above the performance; I've marked a suggestion on
 your behalf for an option to display that information in the log as well.

It was the total for the session which I was referring to.  While it is
reported for each client, the summary at the end does _not_ include the
total.  Here is a sample from our backup last night, showing the last client
and the summary:

-   12/14/2000 10:14:31 PM: Copying 4DAcres
12/14/2000 10:15:46 PM: Comparing 4DAcres
12/14/2000 10:17:03 PM: Execution completed successfully
Completed: 34 files, 93.2 MB
Performance: 93.1 MB/minute (91.6 copy, 94.7 compare)
Duration: 00:02:32 (00:00:32 idle/loading/preparing)

12/14/2000 10:17:04 PM: Execution incomplete
Total performance: 80.1 MB/minute
Total duration: 03:43:08 (02:09:28 idle/loading/preparing)
Quit at 12/14/2000 10:17 PM

As you can see, unlike the client summary, there is no "Completed: files and
megabytes" line in the Total summary block, just the "Total performance" in
MB/minute.  This is why I have to add up the values from each individual
client entry.  The cumulative total of the "Completed" lines for a session
would be a VERY useful thing, and presumably trivial to add to the code.
I'm sure
 
 I've also added your suggestion about tape capacity as well, though one of
 the reasons that this isn't already a feature is that the figures can vary
 so greatly due to compression, performance and hardware that the estimates
 are often very misleading. You do have option to check media while a backup
 isn't running, but during the operation this information is unavailable.

My suggestion was to show the amount of data already on the tape (as the
"Members" pane of Configure/BackupSets does).  I know from experience that I
am going to get roughly 18-19GB per DDS-3 tape, and so if the "waiting for
media" dialog indicated that the tape already had, say, 17.9GB stored on it,
I'd be able to anticipate it would run out during the session.  As you say,
you can't check once the session has started.

Thanks, 

 David Oberst/NWT Bureau of Statistics/Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
 [EMAIL PROTECTED][Explore Canada's Arctic]




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