commvault.com commvault.com
Question

Command Center - Yearly & Monthly Aux Copy to tape

  • 4 November 2022
  • 7 replies
  • 352 views
R
Rank
Userlevel 1
Badge +6

We are an MSP, and we have a client who wants to be sure that we run a “Yearly Full” on a certain date in January.  And that would need to get copied out to tape that would be retained for much longer and go to a different off-site location, so we want separate tapes for this yearly.

One of the junior admins tried to configure this in the Command Center and then came to me with questions.

He has a Monthly Copy and a Yearly Copy configured to copy to the tape pool.

But we couldn’t figure out whether simply marking this as a Yearly would make it run yearly.  We tried to create a schedule from the CommCell Console, with the yearly rules where we could state that the yearly backup runs on the X day of X month, etc.  But we couldn’t seem to find these types of rules on the Plan created copy, from Command Center nor CommCell Console.  It seems like the selective rules are different on the Command Center created policy and Advanced is greyed out next to yearly.

We’re wondering what the correct Command Center process would be to have a Yearly tape copy that runs on a specific date and that those jobs would be selected as the Yearly full to copy to tape?  How is this designed to work for Command Center users?

7 replies

Emils
Rank
Userlevel 4
Badge +12

​
Hi @RobAbate 

To configure a Yearly Full for a specific client in Command Centre, you will need to create a separate plan and associate it to the client in question, as the association are configured at a plan level and not copy.

https://documentation.commvault.com/2022e/essential/86648_creating_server_plan.html 

 

To configure the copy for a yearly full, create a selective copy to the Tape Storage Pool, specifying the "Backups On and After" To be in January and ensure the first Full is scheduled to run in January is on the day that is required.

https://documentation.commvault.com/2022e/essential/119362_adding_selective_storage_copy.html 

​

R
Rank
Userlevel 1
Badge +6

But with Command Center, we don’t create schedules, right?  So do I need to create this schedule outside of the Command Center?

We also do not want to have to create another plan for this.  We wanted to have just another copy pointed at the tape library.  But based on what you’re saying, this isn’t possible via the Command Center.

The admin had already set this all up where these monthly and yearly backups to tape were configured in Command Center (I’ll see if I can get screenshots of what they had configured).  Their question was simply “with this configured as yearly, how does it know when to run that aux copy” and I wasn’t sure.  I also know that we don’t really configure schedules with Plans, so I didn’t know how to respond to the question - I wasn’t sure if marking it as yearly did something special to know that it needed to run on a certain interval.  Also couldn’t figure out how to know when the tape copy would actually run.

Scott Moseman
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +18

By default, Selective Copies created in Command Center will use the “first Full backup”.  For your Monthly Fulls, this is self explanatory. For your Yearly Fulls, however, the first full backup will depend on which month is defined to start the calendar.  By default, that’s going to be January.  If your jobs started after January it’s going to be the first available month’s full job, then the first full in January when next year rolls around.

If you want to change what is used for the “first month” of the year, you need to create a Custom Calendar through the Java interface and assign it to the Plan’s Copy.  Custom Calendars are not supported in Command Center at this time.

https://documentation.commvault.com/2022e/expert/6154_custom_calendars_advanced.html
 


Thanks,
Scott
 

Commvault Enterprise Success
R
Rank
Userlevel 1
Badge +6

Thanks Scott!

Here’s a screenshot of what the other admin had configured:

 

 

So based on this Yearly Full configuration and what you stated, that means that the first Full in Jan would be selected by this Aux Copy?  I’m pretty sure this customer had a specific date on which they would run the “Yearly Full,” and it would not be the first of the month.  It sounds like the traditional aux copy rules for when the month starts and what date, etc are omitted in command center by design (would be nice if there were an Advanced Button to do this sort of stuff).  So in that case, I have no way to configure what we require from the command center?  I would imagine I could use the Backups On Or After date to have it select the job closest to the required date in January, but then I would need to remember to change that each year…

Scott Moseman
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +18

Yes, changing the Start Time will adjust the first Yearly Full backup, but as you noted you would need to manually update it before January otherwise the first full in January will be the next job.

To change the month used for the Yearly Full on the backend would require using the Custom Calendar functionality which is not available in Command Center at this time.

Note:  In the screen shot, the Source for the Yearly Full is the Primary.  The Primary only has 5 weeks retention configured.  You might consider changing that source to be the Monthly Full instead.  Depending on the timing for your Yearly Full job, it could hold up the Data Aging for the jobs on your Primary copy.

Thanks,
Scott
 

Commvault Enterprise Success
R
Rank
Userlevel 1
Badge +6

Source for the Yearly needs to be Primary in this case, as Monthly tapes will be off-site.  In the old school CommCell Console Storage Policies, if I configure a selective copy for yearly it would only hold on to the jobs that met the selective rules until copied (in this case, a single job).  Does this work differently with the Plans on command center??

Scott Moseman
Rank
Userlevel 6
Badge +18

Understood.  You’re correct about the holding of only the jobs necessary for the Selective Copy.  There’s no difference in how that process works in Plans vs Storage Policies.

Thanks,
Scott
 

Commvault Enterprise Success

Reply


Terms & ConditionsCookie settings