HPlogo STORE and TurboSTORE/iX Products Manual > Chapter 2 Managing Backups and Backup Media

Maintaining a Backup Library

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Establish a library for storing backup media and backup records. Include the following in your library:

  • A large stock of new or scratch media to use for backups. (Scratch media are used media containing information that is no longer needed.)

  • A record of each tape's (or other media) contents. It should be easy to find the backup media needed to restore the system in the event of a failure.

  • Your actual backup media.

Maintaining a Large Stock Of Backup Media

You need to maintain a large and easily accessible stock of available backup media, because you can never be sure ahead of time exactly how many you will need for each backup. The amount of media you will need depends on how much data is being stored, and what STORE and TurboSTORE options, such as data compression, are being used. The amount of data on your system, and whether you are doing a full or partial backup also greatly influence the amount of backup media required.

Using new units of backup media ensures the best possible data integrity. You can, of course, safely reuse backup media if they are in good condition and if they contain outdated information. The information on used backup media is outdated when the purge date on the label has passed.

To help judge whether a used tape is in good condition, you can use the cycle field of the Hewlett-Packard standard sticky tape label to track the number of times a tape has been used. Tapes wear out and become unreliable after being used many times. To determine whether a tape is still usable, consult the manufacturer's recommendations.

When using labeled media, the expiration date in the label can be used to recycle media.

Keeping Backup Records

Each time you create a backup, have STORE display a listing describing what files were stored on each piece of media. STORE's SHOW=OFFLINE option sends this listing, by default, to the line printer. For example: 

  :FILE T;DEV=TAPE
  :STORE @.OPERATOR.SYS;*T;SHOW=OFFLINE
File these reports in a special filing cabinet or attach them directly to the appropriate tape reel (or other media). Label each item according to the instructions provided in Chapter 3, "Preparing Storage Devices."

Storage of Backup Media

Backup media may be the only copy of current or previous information stored from your system. When you need to restore information from backup media, you should be able to easily find the item you need. Your library enables you to maintain complete copies of your system's data, and an easy method for locating the data you want to recover.

There are two reasons you should always keep older backup data in addition to your current backup data: in case the most recent copies are bad, and for restoring older files that may have been removed from the system some time ago. In such situations, you can restore files from the most recent intact copy.

To set up a library, perform the following steps:

  • Obtain a substantial number of backup media. The exact number you need depends on how much data you will be storing and how long the backup data will be retained.

  • Obtain a container such as a vault, a metal cabinet, or rack in which to keep the backup data.

  • Establish a control program for maintaining backup data for a specified length of time.

  • Establish a cleaning and verifying schedule for the media devices.

  • As part of your disaster recovery plan, create a duplicate library in a safe, offsite location. Refer to Chapter 13, "Disaster Recovery," for more information.



Using Unlabeled vs Labeled Media

Chapter 3 Preparing Storage Devices