Determining Browse and Retention Policies (Index Policies)

When Worker starts a backup, it creates entries for the saved files in the online indexes . NetWorker maintains two types of indexes: a file index and a media index. The file index stores information about files backed up by NetWorker, and the media index maps the saved files to the backup volumes. NetWorker maintains one file index per client and one media index per NetWorker server. NetWorker uses the indexes as databases to locate the files that are marked for recovery. Each entry in the file index typically includes this information for a backed-up file: filename, number of blocks, access permissions, number of links, owner, group, size, last modified time, and backup time. The file index changes with each backup, as entries for the newly backed up files are inserted. As long as an entry for a file remains in the file index and the backup volume is not damaged, you can recover the file using the NetWorker Recover window. The media index maps each file to the backup volume or volumes where it is stored. NetWorker uses the media index to tell you or the jukebox which backup volume to mount during a recover. The media index is usually much smaller than the file index because each volume contains many saved files. The size of an index is proportional to the number of entries it contains. NetWorker determines which volume to mount for recovering a file by mapping the saved files to their backup volumes. In the NetWorker Policies, Indexes, and Volume Management windows, you create policies for automatic index management, monitor the contents of the indexes, select entries for removal, and mark backup volumes as recyclable. NetWorker uses browse and retention policies to manage and reduce the size of the online indexes:

The browse policy determines how long entries for your files remain in the online file index and thus browsable in the Recover window. Entries older than the browse policy are automatically removed from the online file index. The retention policy determines how long entries are retained in the media index and thus are recoverable. Entries older than the retention policy are marked as recyclable in the media index.

NetWorker performs four actions on both kinds of indexes: inserting entries, browsing, removing entries, and reclaiming space.

Inserting entries in the file index occurs during a backup. If the index has no free space, NetWorker acquires more space from the filesystem to hold the new entries. Browsing is looking through the index for information about your saved files or the contents of your backup volumes; thus, it neither increases nor decreases the size of an index. o The file index is browsed when you use the NetWorker Recover window to locate a file, or when you use the Indexes window to browse the save sets that contain the files you see in the Recover window.

The media index is browsed when you use the Volume Management window to view the save sets on the backup volume. Removing entries frees space in the index. NetWorker uses the free space to insert new entries. The browse and retention policies determine when entries should be removed from the index. You can also remove entries manually by selecting Remove oldest cycle in the Indexes window or by selecting Remove from the Volume pull-down menu in the Volume Management window. Reclaiming space returns empty space to the filesystem. The empty space is created when entries are removed from the index; you remove it by using the Reclaim space button in the Indexes wind

Comment - Any user defined description of this client or other explanatory remarks. Backup type - This attribute specifies the client backup type. Virtual client - This attribute indicates whether the client is a virtual machine. Physical host - This attribute specifies the physical hostname, if this resource is for a virtual client. The hostname does not need to be fully-qualified, and must be less than 64 bytes. All clients sharing the same physical host must use the identical name (don't mix name formats such as short, FQDN or IP address). Browse policy - The index policy this client will use to control how long entries are kept in the on-line file index. The choices are defined by the set of existing management policies. Retention policy - The index policy this client will use to control how long entries are kept in

the save set index. The choices are defined by the set of existing index policies. File inactivity threshold - The number of days a file has not been accessed before it is counted as inactive. A value of zero indicates that no inactivity statistics will be collected for this group. File inactivity alert threshold - Percentage of space occupied by inactive files, exceeding which will generate a notification. A value of zero indicates that no alert will be sent for this group. Scheduled backup - This attribute indicates if this client is enabled for scheduled backup Directive - Directives tell the client how to backup certain files. The choices are defined by the set of existing directives. Save set - A list of the save sets to be backed up for this client with this schedule. Group - The groups this client is part of for automatic backups. The choices are defined by the set of existing groups. Schedule - The schedule this client will use for backups. The choices are defined by the set of existing schedules. Backup renamed directories - This attribute enables the support of renamed directories during scheduled backups. The save program performs a lookup in the client file index to determine whether a directory has been renamed. If a directory has been renamed, all of the files and subdirectories under the directory will be backed up.