5 0 0:Configuring Migration

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Icon archived docs.png This is documentation for SEP sesam version 5.0.0 Jaglion.
This is not the latest version of SEP sesam documentation and, as such, does not provide information on features introduced in the latest release. For more information on SEP sesam releases, see SEP sesam Release Versions. For the latest documentation, check SEP sesam documentation.


Overview


SEP sesam migration is a process of copying selected savesets from one media pool (source pool, e.g., disk) to another media pool (target or destination pool, e.g., tape). You can select the savesets for migration from the selected backup task, task group, or client. To optimize the migration performance, you cannot migrate savesets with errors. It is possible to migrate savesets with status successful, savesets with warnings (status successful or with warnings) or partially restorable savesets (with data from cancelled backups).
With migration, you can set up a disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backup strategy to reduce your backup and recovery times, move older data offsite for long-term data retention and prepare for disaster recovery.

You can schedule a migration job to start at a specific time and date, or start it manually from the menu bar Activities -> Immediate start -> Migration.

Configuring a migration job involves the following steps:

  1. Creating a migration task by selecting the backed up data and the source and target media pools
  2. Creating a migration schedule by specifying when you want to migrate your data
  3. Creating a migration event by reviewing migration task parameters and (optionally) setting the event priority

Prerequisites

  • You must have at least two media pools configured in your SEP sesam environment.
  • You must have admin user rights to perform a migration.

Configuring a migration job

Step 1: Creating a migration task

The migration task is the first step in the configuration of a migration job. It defines the scope of migration and is used to select savesets and a target media pool for migration.

A migration task can be used in different ways:

  • You can schedule migration events to execute migration tasks at specific times or intervals. This allows you to automate the migration process and maintain up-to-date copies in the target location.
  • You can configure migration tasks as follow-up events for backup events. With this approach, data migration is triggered immediately after successful backup, either in combination with individual backup tasks or entire backup task groups.

Create a migration task

To create a new migration task, go to Main Selection -> Tasks -> Migration Tasks, and then click on New Migration Task.

Define the settings and options as required. For detailed explanations of the available options, refer to section Migration task options.

Information sign.png Note
If you want to run pre or post actions for migration tasks, configure the appropriate scripts in files sm_copy_pre and sm_copy_post (on Windows add the .bat extension, for example, sm_copy_pre.bat), and place these files in <SESAM_ROOT>/bin/sesam directory. When a migration task is started (and finished), the directory is checked. If these files exist, they will be executed before and/or after migration.

You can view the status of your migration jobs. In Web UI navigate to Monitoring -> Migrations/Replications and review the job results. The status overview lists migration tasks by name, along with details of completion status, start and end times, and media pools used for the job.

Screenshots

New migration task Apollon.jpg

Migration task options

When creating or modifying a migration task, the following options are available to customize its settings and behavior.

General settings

Name Enter the name for the migration task.

Source and destination storage settings

Media pool
Pool Select the source media pool from which the data will be migrated.
Drive Optionally, you can select the drive number of the drive that will be used to access and retrieve the data from the source location. This option is useful when you have multiple drives configured and wish to allocate a specific drive exclusively for the migration process, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
Interface Optionally, you can select the specific network interface that will be used to access the source media pool. This enables you to control which network connection is used to access the data, ensuring efficient data transfer and minimizing potential network congestion.
Destination
Pool Select the destination media pool to which the data will be migrated.
Drive Optionally, you can select the drive number of the drive that will be used to write the data to the target location. This option is useful when you have multiple drives configured and wish to allocate a specific drive exclusively for the migration process, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
Interface Optionally, you can select the specific network interface that will be used to access the target media pool. This enables you to control which network connection is used to transfer the data, ensuring efficient data transfer and minimizing potential network congestion.

Scope settings

Backup date
Date You can select this option to specify a fixed time range for the migration process. If you want that the time range is adjusted automatically, you can use the option Relative backup date.
Relative backup date Optionally, you can specify the number of days in the past to define the time frame for the migration process.

For example, if you specify a relative time frame from -7 to -2, it will migrate the data for the past five days, starting from seven days ago and ending the day before yesterday (two days ago). Similarly, a relative time frame from -10 to 0 will migrate data from the last 10 days.

Note that positive values cannot be set, as they would indicate a time range in the future. The value 0 represents the current day.

Based on Optionally, you can select whether the time frame for the migration process is based on calendar days or Sesam days. By default, Sesam days is selected. For more information, see SEP sesam backup day.
Backup state
Backup state Displays the backup completion status of the savesets that you want to migrate. The possible values are Successfully or with warnings (includes savesets that were completed successfully or with warnings in migration process), Only successful (includes only savesets that were completed successfully, any savesets with warnings or errors will be excluded), and Partially restorable (includes savesets from canceled backups that still contain data).
Allow copying of existing migrations Select this option to enable the system to copy a saveset that has already been migrated and perform the migration process again. By default, data is typically migrated only once and is not considered eligible for migration again. However, enabling this option overrides the default behavior, allowing to reprocess or duplicate savesets as needed during the migration process.
Delete after successful migration Select this option to enable the automatic deletion of the source savesets after a successful migration. Once the migration process is completed without any errors or warnings, the source savesets are deleted, freeing up storage space and reducing the need for manual cleanup of migrated savesets.
Backup level Select the specific backup levels you want to migrate. The available options include C (COPY), F (FULL), D (DIFF), I (INCR), and G (special backup level generation).

By selecting the backup level G, you can migrate an entire backup cycle in a single step, ensuring you have all the necessary data for disaster recovery. For example, if you select backup levels I and G within the time frame of -1 to 0 in the "Relative backup date" option, it will migrate all incremental backups from yesterday up to today, along with all associated incremental and differential backups within the backup chain. This includes the last corresponding full backup.

Migrating the complete backup cycle in this manner ensures that all essential backup copies are available on the storage media, enabling efficient disaster recovery process.

Copies Specify the maximum number of migrations allowed for backed-up data. This setting defines the total number of copies of a saveset across all media pools. When a migration task is run, savesets that match the task criteria are copied to the destination media pool. For example, to have two copies of backed-up data in two different media pools, you would configure the first migration task with a copy count of 1 (for the initial copy). Then, you would configure the second migration task with a copy count of 2 (for the second copy). This approach helps conserve space in destination media pools.

The default setting for this option is 0, indicating unlimited data migration without any restrictions on saveset copies. You can limit the number of migrations, ensuring that the same data is migrated only a specified number of times.

Information sign.png Note
In Apollon V2, this option functions differently. It now applies to the number of copies in a single destination pool, rather than the overall number of copies across all media pools. If you set the "Number of copies" to 1, the same savesets are migrated only once, regardless of how many times the migration task is run. This setting now specifies the number of copies of the migrated data within the same destination pool. For example, setting this number to 2 creates two copies of the same data in the destination pool.

To have multiple copies of backed-up data across different media pools, configure separate migration tasks and set the "Number of copies" to 1 for each task. This ensures a single copy is created in each destination pool.

Object
Task You can select a specific backup task as the source for the migration process. By choosing a particular backup task, only the data associated with that task is migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.
Task group You can select a specific backup task group as the source for the migration process. By choosing a task group, only the data associated with the backup tasks in that group is migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.
Client You can select a specific client as the source for the migration process. By choosing a particular client, only the backups associated with that client are migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.

Other options

Special filter
Start media Optionally, you can select a specific medium from the source media pool to be migrated. Use this option with caution to avoid breaking a backup chain that may span across multiple media. By selecting a single medium, only the backups stored on that medium will be migrated, even if they are a part of a larger backup set.
Saveset Displays the specific saveset ID if it was defined in the migration task and this cannot be changed for the current event.
Parallel migration Select this option to enable concurrent data migration using multiple streams. This allows for faster data transfer and optimizes the overall migration process.
Options
Options Optionally, you can configure additional options to be performed with this event.
Note Add any comments or information related to the migration event.


Step 2: Creating a migration schedule

Creating and modifying schedules in SEP sesam enables you to manage the chronology of data protection activities. A schedule establishes the timing, frequency, and recurrence pattern of events that can range from minutes to years. It can be configured for periodic execution or as a one-time occurrence.

Schedules can group related tasks based on their type or recurrence pattern. For example, you can configure schedules for daily incremental backups and weekly full backups, and a monthly schedule for various tasks involved in preparing the backup environment.

When schedules are configured, you can assign specific events to them, which define the tasks or jobs that need to be executed. Schedules can contain any number of events, allowing you to manage multiple tasks within a single schedule. You can configure events for a particular task across multiple schedules, giving a fine level of control over the execution of that task.

A schedule becomes active only when one or more events are assigned to it. Active schedules are marked with a green icon, and disabled or inactive schedules are marked with a grey icon.

Special schedules

SEP sesam scheduling offers the option User defined to create a special schedule, allowing you to customize a calendar and specify the dates on which you want to run additional jobs or prevent certain jobs from executing. With these special schedules, you can prevent the activation of individual events on specific days, such as holidays, or at specific hours. Additionally, you can block specific or all event types if needed.

Create a new schedule

To create a new schedule, go to Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules and click on New Schedule.

Define the settings and options as required. For detailed explanations of the available options, refer to section Schedule options.

SEP Tip.png Tip
You can decide the purpose and time interval of the schedule and name the schedule accordingly. For example, BCK_INCR_DAILY_0600, BCK_VM_DIFF_SAT_2100, or NEWDAY_MO-FR_0800. This approach can help you plan and manage your backup strategy.

After you have created a schedule, you can create and assign an event to it. Right-click on the schedule or click New in the Schedules toolbar, and then choose the type of event you want to create, for example, a new backup event.

You can also assign an existing task to a schedule. In the task list find and double-click a task you want to schedule, then in the Schedules tab select the schedule and the target media pool. This creates a backup event that is assigned to the selected schedule.

Screenshots

Creating new schedule Apollon.jpg

Schedule options

When creating or modifying a schedule, the following options are available to customize its settings and behavior.

General settings

Name A name for the schedule.
Execution off This option allows you to deactivate the schedule, disabling all events linked to it. When the schedule is deactivated, the related jobs will not run. By default, execution is enabled.
Start Set the start date and time for the schedule. The schedule will be activated at the specified date and time. By default, the current date and time are pre-filled.
Expiration date Set a validity period for the schedule. If the schedule should only be active for a limited time, such as until the end of the year, select the checkbox and enter the expiration date. Once the expiration date is reached, the schedule will be automatically deleted. By default, this option is disabled and the schedule remains active indefinitely.
Notes Add any comments or information related to the schedule.

Time interval

Once This option indicates a single run without any repetition. After the execution of the event, the schedule is automatically deleted.
Daily This option allows you to set the repetition period in terms of days, hours, or minutes. You can specify how frequently the event should repeat within each day.
Weekly This option enables you to set the repetition period in weeks and select the specific day(s) of the week for the event to occur. You can choose multiple days if needed.
Monthly This option allows you to set the repetition period in months and select specific days of the month for the event to occur using absolute or relative dates. For example, you can set a specific day such as the 1st or 15th of the month, or you can use relative terms such as "Second" or "Last" "workday" or "Sunday".

Optional setting "Offset (in days)" enables you to specify a specific offset in days from the starting point of the repetition. For example, if you set the offset to 3, the event will occur up to three days after the specified start date.

Yearly This option allows you to set the repetition pattern in years and select specific days of the month for the event to occur using absolute or relative dates.

Optional setting "Offset (in days)" enables you to specify a specific offset in days from the starting point of the repetition. For example, if you set the offset to 3, the event will occur up to three days after the specified start date.

User Defined This option allows you to set up a custom calendar for defining the repetition pattern. For detailed instructions on creating a custom calendar, refer to Creating a custom calendar. See also Creating a Specialized Schedule.

Advanced settings

Start time frame Select this option to specify the maximum allowed actual startup time for your event. This refers to the amount of time an event can remain in the queue before it starts executing. You can define the startup time in days and/or hours. The actual start time of the event depends on the processor load of the system. When the event's start time arrives, it is placed in the queue, where it may need to wait for higher-priority jobs to complete. If this option is enabled and the event cannot be executed within the specified time frame, it will not be executed at all.
Repeat task Enable this option if you want the event to be repeated. Select the interval (in hours or minutes) at which the task should be repeated.
For a duration of This option is available when the Repeat task checkbox is selected. Specify the time frame in days and/or hours during which the event will occur repeatedly. For example, if you set the duration to 5 days, the event will repeat with the set interval for a period of 5 days.
Stop task if it runs longer than Select this option to define a time limit (in days and/or hours) for the maximum duration of the event after the scheduled start time. If the event exceeds this time limit, it will be automatically cancelled.

Permissions

The Permissions tab enables you to set the required permissions (ACLs) for the schedule. For details, see Using Access Control Lists.


Step 3: Creating a migration event

A migration event represents the execution of migration tasks, which define the scope, details, source, and destination for the migration process. These tasks allow you to move data from one storage location to another, ensuring data availability and optimizing storage resources.

Migration tasks can be performed in the following ways:

  • A task can be executed using the option Immediate start as a standalone, non-recurring instance.
  • Migration process can be automated by scheduling migration events. These events can be set to repeat at regular intervals within a defined schedule. For a specific task, multiple events can be created across different schedules, each with its own set of customized parameters and configurations.
  • Migration task can also be integrated with backup events. By configuring migration tasks as follow-up events for backup events, data migrations are initiated immediately after successful backups. This ensures that your data is consistently and promptly migrated to the desired storage location, maintaining data integrity and reducing the risk of data loss.

Create a migration event

To create a new migration event, go to Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules, right-click on a schedule and then click on New Migration Event.

Define the settings and options as required. For detailed explanations of the available options, refer to section Migration event options.

Information sign.png Note
The settings for Media pool, Destination, Backup date, Backup state, Backup level, Object, and Special filter are initially defined in the selected migration task. For the migration event, you can modify these settings. Any changes are applied to the current migration event only and do not affect the values originally set in the migration task. When you reopen the event, the values that have been changed from their original settings in the migration task are displayed in blue.

You can view the status of your migration jobs. In Web UI navigate to Monitoring -> Migrations/Replications and review the job results. The status overview lists migration tasks by name, along with details of completion status, start and end times, and media pools used for the job.

Screenshots

New migration event Apollon.jpg

Migration event options

When creating or modifying a migration event, the following options are available to customize its settings and behavior.

General settings

Task name Select the migration task this event is based on.
Sequence control
Priority Select a priority that will determine the relative importance of this event and establish the execution order of events in a backup day. Event priorities in SEP sesam range from 1 (lowest) to 99 (highest). Events with priority 0 are always executed first, cannot be blocked or used for blocking events.
Blocking date Select this option to create a blocking event that prevents the execution of equal events scheduled on the same backup day as the blocking event, but with lower priority. By using this option, events associated with the same task and having lower priority will be blocked from starting.

Source and destination storage settings

Media pool
Pool Displays the source media pool from which the data will be migrated.
Drive Displays the drive number of the drive that will be used to access and retrieve the data from the source location. This option is useful when you have multiple drives configured and wish to allocate a specific drive exclusively for the migration process, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
Interface Displays the specific network interface that will be used to access the source media pool. This enables you to control which network connection is used to access the data, ensuring efficient data transfer and minimizing potential network congestion.
Destination
Pool Optionally, you can change the destination media pool to which the data will be migrated.
Drive Optionally, you can select the drive number of the drive that will be used to write the data to the target location. This option is useful when you have multiple drives configured and wish to allocate a specific drive exclusively for the migration process, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
Interface Optionally, you can select the specific network interface that will be used to access the target media pool. This enables you to control which network connection is used to transfer the data, ensuring efficient data transfer and minimizing potential network congestion.
Data mover Optionally, you can select the data mover that will be used in the migration process. The data mover is responsible for handling the data transfer between the source and destination locations. This option is useful when access to a third-party software API is required or when you need to redirect the data stream.

Scope settings

Backup date
Date If a fixed time range was defined in the migration task, it will be displayed in this field and cannot be changed for the current event. If you wish to modify the time range, you can use the option Relative backup date.
Relative backup date Optionally, you can specify the number of days in the past to define the time frame for the migration process.

For example, if you specify a relative time frame from -7 to -2, it will migrate the data for the past five days, starting from seven days ago and ending the day before yesterday (two days ago). Similarly, a relative time frame from -10 to 0 will migrate data from the last 10 days.

Note that positive values cannot be set, as they would indicate a time range in the future. The value 0 represents the current day.

Based on Optionally, you can select whether the time frame for the migration process is based on calendar days or Sesam days. By default, Sesam days is selected. For more information, see SEP sesam backup day.
Backup state
Backup state Displays the backup completion status of the savesets that you want to migrate. The possible values are Successfully or with warnings (includes savesets that were completed successfully or with warnings in migration process), Only successful (includes only savesets that were completed successfully, any savesets with warnings or errors will be excluded), and Partially restorable (includes savesets from canceled backups that still contain data).
Allow copying of existing migrations Select this option to enable the system to copy a saveset that has already been migrated and perform the migration process again. By default, data is typically migrated only once and is not considered eligible for migration again. However, enabling this option overrides the default behavior, allowing to reprocess or duplicate savesets as needed during the migration process.
Delete after successful migration Select this option to enable the automatic deletion of the source savesets after a successful migration. Once the migration process is completed without any errors or warnings, the source savesets are deleted, freeing up storage space and reducing the need for manual cleanup of migrated savesets.
Backup level Select the specific backup levels you want to migrate. The available options include C (COPY), F (FULL), D (DIFF), I (INC), and G (special backup level generation).

By selecting the backup level G, you can migrate an entire backup cycle in a single step, ensuring you have all the necessary data for disaster recovery. For example, if you select backup levels I and G within the time frame of -1 to 0 in the "Relative backup date" option, it will migrate all incremental backups from yesterday up to today, along with all associated incremental and differential backups within the backup chain. This includes the last corresponding full backup.

Migrating the complete backup cycle in this manner ensures that all essential backup copies are available on the storage media, enabling efficient disaster recovery process.

Copies Specify the maximum number of migrations allowed for backed-up data. This setting defines the total number of copies of a saveset across all media pools. When a migration task is run, savesets that match the task criteria are copied to the destination media pool. For example, to have two copies of backed-up data in two different media pools, you would configure the first migration task with a copy count of 1 (for the initial copy). Then, you would configure the second migration task with a copy count of 2 (for the second copy). This approach helps conserve space in destination media pools.

The default setting for this option is 0, indicating unlimited data migration without any restrictions on saveset copies. You can limit the number of migrations, ensuring that the same data is migrated only a specified number of times.

Information sign.png Note
In Apollon V2, this option functions differently. It now applies to the number of copies in a single destination pool, rather than the overall number of copies across all media pools. If you set the "Number of copies" to 1, the same savesets are migrated only once, regardless of how many times the migration task is run. This setting now specifies the number of copies of the migrated data within the same destination pool. For example, setting this number to 2 creates two copies of the same data in the destination pool.

To have multiple copies of backed-up data across different media pools, configure separate migration tasks and set the "Number of copies" to 1 for each task. This ensures a single copy is created in each destination pool.

Object
Task You can select a specific backup task as the source for the migration process. By choosing a particular backup task, only the data associated with that task is migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.
Task group You can select a specific backup task group as the source for the migration process. By choosing a task group, only the data associated with the backup tasks in that group is migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.
Client You can select a specific client as the source for the migration process. By choosing a particular client, only the backups associated with that client are migrated within the specified time frame and configured settings. Note that the options Task, Task group and Client are mutually exclusive.

Other options

Special filter
Start media Optionally, you can select a specific medium from the source media pool to be migrated. Use this option with caution to avoid breaking a backup chain that may span across multiple media. By selecting a single medium, only the backups stored on that medium will be migrated, even if they are a part of a larger backup set.
Saveset Displays the specific saveset ID if it was defined in the migration task and this cannot be changed for the current event.
Parallel migration Select this option to enable concurrent data migration using multiple streams. This allows for faster data transfer and optimizes the overall migration process.
Options
Options Optionally, you can configure additional options to be performed with this event.
Note Add any comments or information related to the migration event.



See also

Adding a Task to the Task GroupFollow-up EventsBackup Strategy Best Practices

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