Backup strategy

[fraze]

I've just joined a new company and the backup stategy is as follows:
Using Veritas Volume manager to snapshot to a DR database. Also doing a level 0 RMAN backup at 0400 followed by a level 1 at 1830. The problem is that the level 0 is taking anywhere between 2 and 14 hours due to the load on the tapes from various other backups. There's no cash for extra tape drives. The level 1 takes about 40 mins.
In my opinion I dont see the need of a level 0 every night, I think it would be better to do:
Level 0 on a Sun,
Level 1 Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri, Sat
Level 2 Wed

I believe the tape backup would be used in the event of a problem with the Veritas method (never come across it before) so although it might take longer to recover using incremental backups, we would save time and space on the tapes as its currently an big I/O bottleneck.
just wondered if anyone had any thoughts?

[marist89]

Originally posted by fraze
I've just joined a new company and the backup stategy is as follows:
Using Veritas Volume manager to snapshot to a DR database. Also doing a level 0 RMAN backup at 0400 followed by a level 1 at 1830. The problem is that the level 0 is taking anywhere between 2 and 14 hours due to the load on the tapes from various other backups. There's no cash for extra tape drives. The level 1 takes about 40 mins.
In my opinion I dont see the need of a level 0 every night, I think it would be better to do:
Level 0 on a Sun,
Level 1 Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri, Sat
Level 2 Wed

I believe the tape backup would be used in the event of a problem with the Veritas method (never come across it before) so although it might take longer to recover using incremental backups, we would save time and space on the tapes as its currently an big I/O bottleneck.
just wondered if anyone had any thoughts?

Yeah, if you have the tape bandwidth on the weekend, I'd do a level 0 on the weekend and a level 1 cumulative every night.

Another option would be getting a commitment for a 3 hour window every day and take a level 0 in that window and backup your archived redo logs at 18:30.

If you have the space, do a level 0 backup to disk and let the tape drives pick it up whenever they free up.

[fraze]

Thanks Jeff - some food for thought!

[engiri]

Originally posted by marist89
Yeah, if you have the tape bandwidth on the weekend, I'd do a level 0 on the weekend and a level 1 cumulative every night.

I would like to know your preservation period.
We are also following the same strategy.

1. Weekly backup preservation period.
When are you recyling the same..
2. Daily level 1 backup. Are you appending.? Or Daily recycling.

Thanks

[mrchrispy]

to disk then to tape is always the way to go.