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Improved Policy Schedule Planning / Reporting in NetBackup GUI

Updated: 28 Jul 2009 | 1 comment
Stuart Green's picture
10 Agree
0 Disagree
+10 10 Votes
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Over time as you add policies and schedule backup windows,  the overseeing all policy schedules can become overwhelming. And you invariably end up in a suck and see scenario.
Placing a policy schedule to run at a time that might clash with other policies. Only find this out after the fact, or the 'morning after'. Then you move the backup window. And repeat the process. Or you plan it out in a meticulously in spreadsheet or project type software, or even write a script to show all policies.
In NetBackup their should be some better implementation or checking when scheduling backups and prompt you with clashes to either continue or modify.
I'm thinking a mixture of the nbpemreq prediction output and something like your PVR at home. I have a 2 tuner PVR hard disk recorder. If I make a 3rd scheduled recording at the same time as 2 previous ones, it prompts me of a clash. Similarly in microsoft project when doing gantt charts some tasks clash it can prompt you.

How many backups you run at once is down to your storage configuration, but its your decision. Just wish it was at least presented or notified to you in a better way.

In actual fact I used to track backup schedules in Microsoft Project, then I moved to Excel. Its still a cumbersome step and to update.
The 'summary of all policies' doesnt cut it, with an attempt at a consolidated timeline graphic in the NB ADMIN GUI.

It would be nice to have this idea/concept built in to the NetBackup Admin Console when managing policies. Or at least a pre-flight check against other policies before submitting on the master. I'm talking when you have upwards of 100 policies to manage.

Comments

John Deackman's picture
29
Dec
2009
0 Votes 0
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I could not agree more.  We

I could not agree more.  We currently have about 120 policies and it is becoming very difficult to manage time schedules without a visual view of whats already on the daily schedule.  We are growing our backup schedule faster than planned on a quarterly basis.