BRBACKUP Command Options --> -i force and -v SCRATCH

[former_member199632]

Hello,

We are getting backups from our standby server using this command

(Getting the backup to Tape)

  BRBACKUP -i force -v SCRATCH  

i want to analyze this statement;

Here we are using , -v SCRATCH -->

As far as i understanding this;

since SCRATCH is using, it will deactivate the automatic volume management. so it will NOT read volumes from volume_backup parameter in init<sid>.sap

But still it will use expir_period parameter.

Current value of this is 7.

then

-i force -->

Initialize the volume . since force is used, it will NOT check for the expir_period parameter.

Is it the way it behaves?

BRBACKUP -i force -v SCRATCH - will not check both expir_period and volume_backup paramters from initPRD.sap. Is it?

Regards,

[volker_borowski2 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

well partly!

The answer to both questions is YES, allthough I assume you will be concluding somthing that might be wrong.

1) Brarchive and brbackup can both write ANY volumelabeltext to the tape, no matter if

it has been configured in initSID.sap or not. But SCRATCH is a special label name with special functions for both.

2) brarchive -i initializes the tape. force does so without trying to read any probably existing label.

This means, you will loose the Information in a probably existing header, like i.E. the tape_use_count.

So if your tape has been used for tar,cpio or anythin else, you have to use force, because no header

exists. It will receive a header initilized with a tape_use_count of 0 or 1, no matter how often you have

written to it with tar/cpio/dd before.

If it is an old br-tools tape, and you initialize without force, it will read the header first, may be rename the label,

but keep the br-tools use_count.

Best regards

Volker

[former_member199632 · Accepted solution]

Current parameter values are as follows in the SB Server

volume_backup = (PRDB01, PRDB02, PRDB03, PRDB04, PRDB05,
                 PRDB06, PRDB07, PRDB08, PRDB09, PRDB10,
                 PRDB11, PRDB12, PRDB13, PRDB14, PRDB15,
                 PRDB16, PRDB17, PRDB18, PRDB19, PRDB20,
                 PRDB21, PRDB22, PRDB23, PRDB24, PRDB25,
                 PRDB26, PRDB27, PRDB28, PRDB29, PRDB30)
expir_period = 7

But 2 months back, expir_period = 30

There we got this error when getting the backup from the SB server using this command.

BRBACKUP -i force -v SCRATCH

BR0105E 0 free backup volumes found, 1 required    

So , after that we set expir_period to 7 (expir_period = 7)

Then backup got successful with the same command. -> BRBACKUP -i force -v SCRATCH

Pl , tell me whats happening exactly here.

Is that means even though -i force is using, Will it check the expir_priod parameter in init<sid>.sap ?

Thx and regards,

[former_member199632 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

what will happens if we use like this

  BRBACKUP -i force -v ANYNAME  

where, ANYNAME is not in the volume_backup parameter

Will this works? Will this affects when restoring the backup?

Regards

Zerandib

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

defintely this will create an issue while restoring the backup from tapes as you have same lable name. even though you load older tape with which has lable ANYNAME will restore. Which you may not require and you may need the latest one. Thats why SAP is using the tape number ie PRDB01 .. PRDB30.

[volker_borowski2 · Accepted solution]

Hmm,

can you please make clear, what exacly the problem is.

Do you get the expir_period warning in a backup or during the initialisation of the tapes.

You need to initialize the tapes before use.

According to the documentation:

help.sap.com brbackup documentation says:

> -i force: This option is used to initialize new or non-SAP volumes. The expiration period is not checked.

> It is also possible to initialize SAP volumes with -i force. However, we recommend you to only use

> this option when necessary, since the expiration period is not checked and the tape_use_count stored

> in the volume label is reset to one.

So as for your question (still assuming you have an initialisation problem and not a backup problem):

You can give the label any name (up to 12 chars I think). It has absolutely nothing to do with

your backup volumes. The backup volumes in initSID.sap are something like the set of media you want to use

and which are to be managed automaticly. If you like to use these, you have to label accordingly.

But beside that, you can initialize any tape to any label you like and backup ( with -v ) to it without

making use of your tape pool. You can restore these (nearly) without any issues.

brrestore will go through backSID.log, find the detail log and in that it will find the label that had been used.

Hope this helps

Volker