5 1 0:Creating a Backup Event

Overview

Additional resources

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SEP sesam backup events represent the execution of backup tasks. Backup tasks specify the details and approach for the backup process, while events are the individual occurrences of these tasks.

A backup task can be executed with the option Immediate start as a standalone, non-recurring instance, or it can be linked to a schedule with a backup event for regular or repeated execution. Multiple backup events across different schedules can be created for a specific task, each event with customized parameters and configurations. Event priorities help organize and manage tasks in execution queue and prevent possible tasks conflicts.

In addition to backup tasks, events can also be created and scheduled for backup task groups. Task groups provide the ability to combine multiple backup tasks into a single entity, which can be configured and scheduled using a single event.

Backup levels

SEP sesam provides four different backup levels: full, differential, incremental and copy. The backup level is specified when creating a backup event or performing an immediate start of the backup.

When planning your backup strategy, it is essential to consider the advantages and disadvantages of different backup levels, particularly in terms of time and storage space. A common approach is to use a combination of FULL, DIFF, and/or INCR backups as part of a structured backup chain.

SEP sesam retention management ensures that all backups in a chain are kept as long as the most recent backup remains valid. Long chains with many backups can become inefficient and vulnerable, potentially leading to restore failures due to storage limitations or prolonged restore times. Since there is no built-in limit for backup chain length, SEP AG recommends scheduling regular FULL backups and limiting the number of consecutive incremental backups to a maximum of 100.

The following backup levels are available:

FULL backup: Full backup captures all data specified by the backup task, regardless of whether changes have occurred. It creates a complete snapshot of the data at the current point-in-time. A full backup might take longer to perform, but offers straightforward restore where only one saveset is required to restore the entire dataset. Full backups serve as the starting point for subsequent differential (DIFF) and/or incremental (INCR) backups, forming a backup chain.; Information about the backup status is stored in the SEP sesam database. Note that on Windows the archive bits are not automatically deleted. To purge the archive bits, the command -o clear_archive can be used in the backup options.

DIFF (differential) backup: Differential backup captures data that has changed or been created since the last full backup. Each differential backup creates a point-in-time backup of all changes since the last full backup, disregarding all other intermediate differential and incremental backups. A differential backup is faster to perform than a full backup, but two savesets are required for restore – the saveset from the last full backup and the saveset from the most recent differential backup.

INCR (incremental) backup: Incremental backup captures the changes made since the last backup, whether it was a full, differential, or incremental backup. Incremental backups are space-efficient, fast, and provide the most frequent data captures in a backup chain. For restore, the last full saveset, the last differential saveset (if it exists) and all subsequent incremental backup savesets are required, which may extend the restoration time. The restore process sequentially applies these savesets to restore data to a specific point-in-time. SEP sesam offers generation restore, which offers high level of granularity and flexibility for data recovery. Each incremental backup creates a new generation of the data. The exact point in time can be selected for restore and SEP sesam applies the incremental backups sequentially from the last full backup, replaying the changes made over time.

COPY backup: Copy backup is a full backup that operates independently of other backups. It creates a standalone backup of the data at that moment. It is useful for archival purposes or for creating a backup copy for specific use cases. Copy backups are not part of a backup chain and don't impact other differential or incremental backups in a backup chain.

	Note
	Differential (DIFF) and incremental (INCR) backups rely on a full backup as a reference point. If no initial FULL backup exists, the first DIFF or INCR backup is automatically performed as a FULL backup to maintain the backup chain and ensure data consistency.

Failover backup events

To minimize failed backups due to unavailable media pool, you can specify a failover backup event when configuring the backup event. In case the configured media pool is not available for writing for some reason (out of space, no free media, RDS cannot be reached) and the backup event cannot be successfully performed, the failover backup event is performed instead. If the failover backup event is activated the data storage settings of the original backup event are replaced with the settings from the failover backup event (media pool, drive, interface, follow up, migration task). The task, backup level and other options (for example, Enforce FULL) of the original backup event are preserved.

For more information see Failover Events.

Create a backup event

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

Define the settings and options as required. For detailed explanations of the available options in tab Parameter, refer to section Backup event options. For explanations of options in tab Schedule, see Schedule options.

Tip

A backup chain, consisting of a full backup and all subsequent incremental backups, is treated by retention management as a single entity. Long backup chains may become inefficient and vulnerable to data loss, or they may be impractical to restore due to storage or time constraints.

To prevent your backup chain from becoming too long, you can use the option Enforce FULL and set the number of days after which a FULL backup should be enforced.

For an example on how to implement a backup scheme, see GFS Backup Retention Strategy. For more information on backup chains, see Backup Chain Dependencies.

You can view the status of your backup jobs. In Web UI navigate to Monitoring -> Last Backup State or Backups and review the job results. The backup status overview provides information about the last run of backup jobs, including the task name, start and stop time of the last backup, backup level, data size, throughput, assigned media pool, etc. You can also open and review details of the backup job or backup task.

Screenshots

Backup event options

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

General settings

Parameters

Backup level	Select the backup level you want to perform. For more details, see section Backup levels.
Hot/Cold backup	(available for Citrix XenServer) Select one of the following backup methods: Hot backup: an online backup method where VMs remain operational and accessible during the backup process. This type of backup captures the data while the VM is actively running, allowing for continuous operations without any interruption. Cold backup: an offline backup method where VMs are taken offline or temporarily halted during the backup process. This ensures data consistency and integrity by capturing a snapshot of the VM in a static state.
Media pool	Select the target media pool to which the data will be backed up.
Additional option based on media pool type	Additional options that are based on storage type: SEP Si3 Source Side Deduplication (available for media pools on Si3 NG datastore): With Si3 source-side deduplication, redundant data blocks are identified and eliminated before the data is sent across the network to the backup storage. This method reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted and stored, resulting in significant savings in storage space and network bandwidth. For more information, see Deduplication. HPE StoreOnce Bandwidth Optimized Data Transfer (available for media pools on HPE StoreOnce datastore): With Bandwidth Optimized Data Transfer, HPE StoreOnce redundant data blocks are identified and eliminated before transmission. The compressed and deduplicated data is then efficiently sent over the network, resulting in reduced network traffic and faster backup and restore times. For more information, see Option HPE StoreOnce Bandwidth Optimized Data Transfer.
Enforce FULL	(available for DIFF/INC backup levels) Select this option to enforce the execution of a FULL backup at regular intervals. By specifying a number, for example 7, you ensure that a full backup is performed every seven days, instead of incremental or differential backups. Enforcing a full backup frequency within the specified interval ensures the INC or DIFF chains do not get too long. However, consider the advantages and disadvantages of enforced full backup frequency, as it is slower than other backup levels and has the highest storage space requirements. For more information, see Enforcing Full Backup.
Enforce FULL when last FULL has failed	(available for DIFF/INC backup levels) With this option, the system verifies the status of the previous FULL backup before initiating a backup operation. If the last FULL backup was terminated or completed with an error, the subsequent backup, whether it is an incremental or differential backup, will be automatically executed as a FULL backup. This ensures that a valid full backup is always available, maintaining the integrity of backup data.
Drive group	This field displays the predefined group of drives on the datastore that is configured for the selected media pool.
Drive (opt.)	Optionally, you can select the drive number of the drive that will be used for writing the backup data if you do not want to use the default drive. This option is useful when you have multiple drives configured and wish to allocate a specific drive exclusively for the backup process, optimizing performance and resource utilization.
Interface	Optionally, you can select a configured TCP/IP-name of the client if you do not want to use the default client interface. This option allows you to direct the data flow over a specific network connection to enable smooth execution of backups without impeding other network activities.

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.
Object
Task	Select the backup task this event is based on. Note that the Task and Task group options are mutually exclusive.
Task group	Select the backup task group this event is based on. Note that the Task and Task group options are mutually exclusive.
Name	The name of the backup event is generated automatically based on the selected task or task group, but you can modify it or enter a new name. This name is referenced when configuring a failover event or when a backup event is called from external backup solution (for example, on SAP HANA).
Note	Add any comments or information related to the backup event.

Options	Optionally, you can configure additional backup options to be performed with this event.
Migration task	Optionally, you can select a migration or replication task to initiate migration or replication after a backup event is completed. Note that if you also configure a follow-up event, the migration task will be executed first, followed by the configured follow-up task.
Follow-up	Optionally, you can configure a follow-up event that is triggered on the SEP sesam Server after the initial event has successfully completed. Note that if you also select a migration task, the migration task will be executed first, followed by the configured follow-up task. For more information, see Follow-up Events.
Failover backup event	Optionally, you can specify a failover backup event that will be triggered if this backup event cannot be performed successfully due to unavailable data storage. Data storage settings (media pool, drive, interface, follow-up tasks, migration task) from this backup event will be replaced with the settings specified in the failover backup event. The task, backup level and other options (for example, Enforce FULL) are preserved. For more information, see Failover Events.