Data Copy selects dump level 1 instead of dump level 0 NDMP backup (4045646)

Date: 06/07
NV Version: all
OS Version: all
Application version: NDMP
Plugin version: all


Description:
This article describes why NDMP data copy backups data copy the differential backup instead of the full backup.


Symptoms:

A Data Copy of a Weekly NDMP backup uses the incremental (level 1) save sets instead of the weekly full backup (level 0).

Make sure that the Incremental (Dump level 1) backup has a different backup selection set name to the Full (Dump level 0) backup selection set name.

Explanation:
Netvault does not keep track of dump levels. When we create a data copy job, the most recent backup of a selection set is used, Netvault itself cannot differentiate between the level 0 and level 1 dumps.

It is important to note that the dump levels of the backups are stored on the filer by the OS and we invoke the dump level backup we wish to use through the GUI. From the Netvault point of view these dumps are all full backups and it is the Dump level that is set and recorded by the OS via netvault that determines whether the backup is incremental or not. This means having different backup selection set names has no impact on the backup taken.

Dump levels: A level 0, full backup, guarantees the entire file system is copied. A level number above 0, incremental backup, tells dump to copy all files new or modified since the last dump of the same or lower level.