Create Categories
You can create as many categories as you need to organize your server instances and databases. You can assign server instances and databases to as many or as few categories as necessary.
Categories can only be two levels deep, with top-level categories (Location or Role), and subcategories (Europe, North America, and Asia, and Dev, Test, and Prod).
NOTE: You can use categories, if the central repository is configured and selected for use. For more information, see Select a Central Repository.
To create categories
-
Click Add Category to add a top-level category, or select the top-level category and click Add Subcategory.
Tip: To edit categories, select Categories | Edit. You can rename, move, and delete categories.
Assign Servers and Databases to Categories
Server instances and their databases can be assigned to the same or different categories and subcategories.
NOTE: You can use categories, if the central repository is configured and selected for use. For more information, see Select a Central Repository.
To assign a server instance or database to a category
-
Select the Backup Manager pane (CTRL+1).
-
Right-click the server instance or database and select Assign Categories.
-
Select a subcategory to assign the server instance or database to.
NOTE: You can only select one subcategory per category, but you can assign server instances and databases to multiple categories.
Configure [[[Undefined variable Primary.Product_Name]]] Defaults
LiteSpeed defaults specify the default values for various LiteSpeed backup parameters, such as compression level, processor affinity, max transfer size, buffer count and some other.
You do not need to specify these parameters each time you run a backup from the LiteSpeed UI Console, command-line interface or when using the extended stored procedures. LiteSpeed will use the pre-defined default values automatically, unless you supply a different value.
NOTE: LiteSpeed defaults typically result in the best performance. You should only modify advanced options after careful planning and testing.
To set the LiteSpeed defaults
- In the server tree, right-click the server instance and select LiteSpeed Defaults….
-
Select an option to change its value. Review the following additional information about the LiteSpeed defaults:
Compression level Specifies the compression level for the backup. Valid values are 0 through 8. 0 bypasses the compression routines. The remaining values of 1 through 8 specify compression with increasingly aggressive computation. 2 is the default value for disk backups and 7 is the default value for cloud backups.
Encryption level By default, encryption is not used. If you select to encrypt a backup using the LiteSpeed UI Console wizards, the default encryption level is 128-bit AES.
Compression threads
Determines the number of threads used for the backup. You will achieve the best results by specifying multiple threads, but the exact value depends on several factors including: processors available, affinity setting, compression level, encryption settings, IO device speed, and SQL Server responsiveness. The default is n-1 threads, where n is the number of processors.
Max transfer size
Specifies the largest unit of transfer in bytes to be used between SQL Server and LiteSpeed. The possible values are multiples of 65536 bytes (64 KB) ranging up to 4,194,304 bytes (4 MB). The default is 1048576 (1 MB).
Buffer count
Specifies the number of SQL Server buffers available for a LiteSpeed operation. The default value is set by SQL Server.
CPU throttle
Specifies the maximum CPU usage allowed. The argument accepts an integer value between 1 and 100. The default value is 100. This is the percentage of the total amount of CPU usage (across all enabled processors) available.
TIP: Before you start tuning the CPU Throttle or Affinity parameters to adjust backup performance, try limiting the number of threads. If you decide to use an affinity value other than default, it is recommended that you limit the threading as well. You may also want to consider using Adaptive Compression to maintain backup performance. For more information, see Adaptive Compression.
Processor affinity Specifies the affinity mask for the process. The mask is a 64-bit integer value. By default, it is 0 and will utilize all CPUs.
Processor priority
Select the priority of the backup over other transactions or processes running on the same server. The default is Normal.
Init backup set LiteSpeed will appends the backup to an existing backup file set or tape. File name Location and name of a LiteSpeed backup file. LiteSpeed uses the default SQL Server backup directory. The default file name format is %D_%DATETIME%.bak. For more information, see LiteSpeed Variables.
NOTE: Fast Compression handles the naming of files automatically. For more information, see Backup Files and Folders.
Comment User comment written into the backup header. Is blank by default.
Path to TSM .opt file For more information, see Back Up and Restore to IBM Spectrum Protect™ (TSM) with LiteSpeed.
Tip: To reset to the application default values, click Reset Original Values.
Where multiple SQL Server instances exist on one machine, you need to change the defaults for each instance individually.
Processor Affinity
You can specify which processors LiteSpeed can use for the backup/restore process. They can be the same or different from the processor affinity for SQL Server.
In wizards, access the advanced options. Click 
Or you can use the affinity parameter with the LiteSpeed extended stored procedures or command-line utilities. For more information, see About Using the Command-Line Interface.
Processor affinity designates specific processors to run LiteSpeed, while not allowing LiteSpeed to run on the remaining processors.
This argument accepts decimal values and hexadecimal values. If a value begins with "0x" it is interpreted as hexadecimal. A positive 64-bit integer value translates to a binary mask where a value of 1 designates the corresponding processor to be able to run the LiteSpeed process.
NOTE: 32-bit Windows is internally limited to a 32-bit mask.
For example, you need to select processors 2, 3, and 6 for use with LiteSpeed. Number the bits from the right to left. The rightmost bit represents the first processor. Set the second, third, and sixth bits to 1 and all other bits to 0. The result is binary 100110, which is decimal 38 or hexadecimal 0x26. Review the following for additional information:
|
Decimal Value |
Binary Bit Mask |
Allow LiteSpeed Threads on Processors |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | All (default) |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
3 |
11 |
1 and 2 |
| 7 | 111 | 1, 2 and 3 |
|
38 |
100110 |
2, 3, and 6 |
| 205 | 11001101 | 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8 |
Tip: Before you start tuning the CPU Throttle or Affinity parameters to adjust backup performance, try limiting the number of threads. If you decide to use an affinity value other than default, it is recommended that you limit the threading as well. You may also want to consider using Adaptive Compression to maintain backup performance. For more information, see Adaptive Compression.