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Clients with "released license" are still having backups taken?

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I’m on SP16.  I have several clients that have their licenses released (they are grey icons with green “down arrows” on them but it appears the schedule and “activity control” were not turned off… when looking at the filesystem “backup history” in the java UI is seems that backups are still showing like they are regularly occurring (a year after the license release occurred) BUT the ‘size of application” (backup size) is frozen at the same size since the client was retired.  When I “view media” on these newer backups it appears its being Aux copied and written to tape.

In the Web UI, I’m not seeing these backups. it shows the last backup as a year ago.

So: is this ‘normal” (and any explanation?) and is there really data being aux copied and written to tape?

This likely was a manual “release license” done on the client via the java UI, and no other action taken is my guess.

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Best answer by tigger2 6 September 2022, 21:16

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Aplynx
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Are they synthetic full backups? 

The down arrow indicates a restore only client which can be used as a restore destination without using a license. https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/expert/1837_installation_of_restore_only_agents_01.html

Liam
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They are synthetic full backups, but restores aren’t being done (manually, its on a regular schedule). The synthetic full backups are occurring on a regular schedule.  These clients would likely originally not have been installed as ‘restore only” and instead were likely “regular clients” that were then retired, but i may be wrong on that.

Aplynx
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You should be able to right click on the machine(s) and view schedules. Synthetics can still run on deconfigured machines to calculate space and meet cycle requirements for retention.

If the software is no longer installed on these machines, you can right click all tasks and choose to uninstall software. Check the box in the bottom left to uninstall even if client is unreachable. That will set them as deconfigured and remote the arrow.

 

 

Liam
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You should be able to right click on the machine(s) and view schedules. Synthetics can still run on deconfigured machines to calculate space and meet cycle requirements for retention.

If the software is no longer installed on these machines, you can right click all tasks and choose to uninstall software. Check the box in the bottom left to uninstall even if client is unreachable. That will set them as deconfigured and remote the arrow.

 

 

@Aplynx 

We have “infinite” retention on our tapes, so it appears maybe? its hanging onto the last synthetic full ( and I guess recopying it every time the schedule runs?). since the tapes are infinite, maybe its just continually making and retaining its own backup?  this isn't happening with a few other clients that had the license removed so its not ‘everywhere’ in my system, just a few clients.  usually the “incrementals” tens to hang around if there’s not a final ‘synthetic full” taken on them to be written to tape (and thus, the infinite retention on the tape side tends to just cause the aux copies incremental to hang around forever), but I've never noticed the synthetic full just occurring over and over and writing to tape (and having the last synthetic full be a “new primary” on a client that’s delicenses and that does not exist as a server.

 

I’m not very familiar with the storage policy that’s hooked up to this, I’ll keep digging.

Mike Struening RETIRED
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@tigger2 , what do you see when you check the schedules for this client?  Does anything show up?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
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Of the few I checked: the “filesystem” is still “attached” to schedules… so schedules will run against them and make a record of a backup…?  BUT have:

  • the same “Size of Application”
  • Different “Average throughputs”… throughput with no data or server existing to backup?
  • “Data Written” is mostly “the same all the time” except for a few times. its a about 0.5 GB
  • Duration: Very variable. some are less than 1 hour, one is > 10 hours

I mean, based on the numbers showing and changing, it looks like its moving some data around.

Mike Struening RETIRED
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Can you share a screenshot of what you are seeing (blur out the client name)?

This might be better suited to a support case, but I want to see what it looks like.  The schedule and the Job history.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
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I blurred out a lot as the names of things are kinda the name of the server…

image 1: showing client status. retired, not disabled, etc.

image 2: backup history. yellow highlights are possible interesting points to check out. I don’t know but I think the server was retired ( no longer pings, etc) in 2019/2020 (when the “data written” basically “stops changing”

image 3: schedule data still associated with filesystem subclient

Mike Struening RETIRED
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Wow, this is definitely strange….so no activity for nearly 2 years, and then it’s back?  I would say the client was reinstalled, but it shows as restore only in the gui.

Open a support case and have them connect all of the dots.  Something here is not adding up!

Once created, share the incident number here so I can track it 😎

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
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Thanks! will do! 

I think the “new activity” in 2022 is aging off (just a guess) because when I last noticed this it was longer than my forum post (just got around to looking into it) so there should be older 2022 data in there. But i didn't take any notes, just a mental reminder to look into it.

Mike Struening RETIRED
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Now THAT is a good observation….I bet you are right.  It’s gone on longer, but the jobs are gone.

Keep me posted on the case number.  I am very intrigued!!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
Mike Struening RETIRED
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@tigger2 , gentle follow up on this one.  Were you able to get any solution for the issue?

Thanks!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
Mike Struening RETIRED
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@tigger2 , following up to see if you';ve had any luck resolving this one.

Thanks!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
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no update yet.  I’ve been out for a few weeks, and am juggling several other duties/apps, as well as some other commvault issues I had.  Its still on the list to look into though as we’re cutting over to new storage and I’m trying to clean things up in general.

Mike Struening RETIRED
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Understood!  I’ll be here when you get the chance 😎

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
Mike Struening RETIRED
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Gentle, semi-monthly follow-up.  Any chance this one is resolved yet?

thanks!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
Onno van den Berg
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I really find it intriguing that you are running on SP16 which was released more than 2 years ago, assuming you haven't upgraded in the meantime. Are you already considering an upgrade to a newer (LTS) version like FR24. What is the reason why you are staying on a version for that long?

Mike Struening RETIRED
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@tigger2 , hope all is well.

Any update on this issue?  I checked for an incident in your name but wasn’t able to find anything.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
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Update: I upgraded to 11.24.56 and re-checked these clients ( that sill have the schedules attached to them, I haven’t cleaned it up) and it appears the “new backups” I was seeing have gone away (are not in the system at all when viewing “backup history” on the subclients…. so maybe it was a ghost or some oddity in SP16?

Mike Struening RETIRED
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I’ll assume you’re correct, though if it happens again, revive this thread 😎

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening

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