Verifying the Backup Selections List

After creating or modifying a backup selections list, complete the following procedure to make sure that the file-path rules for the specified clients are correct.

  To verify a backup selections list

1. Check all entries to ensure you have followed the file-path rules for the clients you are backing up. Also, verify the syntax for any directives that are included in the list.
2. For the first set of backups, check the Problems or All Log Entries reports for warning messages (see examples below) and run the check_coverage script (located in /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies).

   This step can reveal mistakes that result in not backing up files because the files are not found. The status code for a backup does not always indicate this type of error because NetBackup does not require all paths in the backup selections list to be present on all clients. This allows you to have a generic list that multiple clients can share. Requiring all entries to match for a successful backup would result in more policies, unless all clients had identical filesystems.

   If a path is not found, NetBackup logs a trivial (TRV) or warning (WRN) message, but can still end the backup with a status code 0 (success). This is desirable because it eliminates error status codes for files that are not expected to be on a client. However, it means you must check the logs or use the check_coverage script to ensure that files are not missed due to bad or missing backup selections list entries.

   The examples below show the log messages that appear when files are not found. For information on using check_coverage, see the comments in the script.

Example 1: Regular Expressions or Wildcards

Assume the backup selections list contains a regular expression such as:

/home1[0123456789]

Here, NetBackup backs up /home10 through /home19 if they are present. If they are not present, the Problems or All Log Entries report shows a message similar to the following:

Example 2: Path Not Present on All Clients or Wrong Path Specified

Assume the backup selections list contains a path named /worklist that is not present on all clients. Here, NetBackup backs up /worklist on the clients where it exists. For other clients, the Problems or All Log Entries report shows a message similar to the following:

This message would also occur if /worklist were not the correct path name. For example, if the directory name is /worklists but you typed /worklist.

Example 3: Symbolic Link

Assume the backup selections list names a symbolic link. NetBackup does not follow symbolic links and provides a message such as the following in the Problems or All Log Entries report:

Here, you must resolve the symbolic link if you do not intend to back up the symbolic link itself.