Category: Howto

What happens when my CrashPlan destination runs out of space?

If your backup destination runs out of space then backups to that destination will simply stop. CrashPlan will not automatically delete backed up data in order to make room at the destination.

In order to resolve the situation you’ll need to perform one of the following actions:

  • Option 1: Add more disk space to the destination
  • Option 2: Select fewer files to back up or change the retention settings
  • Option 3: Run Compact on the destination to prune any data that shouldn’t be backed up anymore

Option 1: Add Storage

If you are backing up to a local folder, consider increasing the amount of available space in the destination filesystem.

If you are backing up to an external drive, consider replacing the drive with a larger device. You could also consider rotating drives.

If you are backing up to an external network device, consider allocating additional storage to the NFS or iSCSI share.

If you are backing up to another server on your network, consider increasing the amount of available space in the destination filesystem or migrating the filesystem to a new location (Settings > Backup > Inbound Backup > Default Backup Archive Location) .

Option 2: Adjust Retention Settings

See also:

Option 3: Compact or Maintain Archive

See also: CrashPlan PRO Wiki: FAQ: What happens if my backup destination runs out of space?

Archive maintenance involves cleaning up the backup archive to remove backed up data according to the retention settings you’ve specified. Archive maintenance removes:

  • File versions that are too old
  • Deleted files that no longer need to be kept
  • Files that are no longer selected for backup
  • Self-heal archive blocks that have become corrupted (re-requests those blocks from the client).

A user can perform a manual archive maintenance by clicking the Compact button in PRO Client for a specific destination.

  • Within your client, de-select the file/folder you want to remove
  • Click Destinations and then select the appropriate destination type (Computers or Folders.)
  • Click the specific destination
  • Click the Compact button

NOTE: Removing files from your backup selection permanently removes the files from the backup archive. After compacting, de-selected and old data will be removed in the remote destination. You will not be able to restore any de-selected or old data once the maintenance/compact process is complete.

Can ABS CrashPlan be configured to run at a specific time?

There are two methods of scheduling when CrashPlan runs:

“Always”

This is default setting. CrashPlan will always run, and will back up at the interval specified under Settings -> Backup tab -> Backup frequency and versioning.

The benefit to running CrashPlan “always” is that the backup will capture data throughout the day, therefore reducing the amount of data lost if a restore is necessary.

The downside to running CrashPlan “always” is that there is a potential for contention with the snapshot script, because both tools use different types of scheduling logic:

  • The snapshot script is kicked off from crontab at regular intervals based on a static timeline (ex 12:00 AM, 3:00 AM, 6:00 AM, etc.).
  • The CrashPlan backups are independently kicked off at regular intervals based on a dynamic timeline (ex 3 hours after the last backup to a particular destination completed).

Since the snapshots are kicked off at a regular interval via crontab, it’s possible that the snapshot could “refresh” itself (ie new snapshots are created) or “expire” (ie fill to capacity) during the CrashPlan backup process, thus invalidating the backup. The longer the CrashPlan backup(s) take, the higher the likelihood of the snapshot becoming invalid during the backup process. To prevent the snapshot script from running during an active CrashPlan backup, the snapshot script automatically stops the CrashPlan service during its operation. Upon completion of the snapshot creation process, the CrashPlan service is started, and the backup schedule is resumed.

An example configuration that has proven to work for many customers is the following:

  • Set CrashPlan to run every 12 hours. The 12-hour interval between backups has shown to allow sufficient time for both local and remote backups to complete in a variety of configurations.
  • Set the snapshot script to run at 12:00 AM and 12:00 PM. This ensures that a “point-in-time” representation of your data is available for restore at least twice daily.

“Between specified times”

There is an optional setting that can be configured under Settings -> General tab -> Crashplan will run: -> Between specified times.

The benefit to running CrashPlan “between specified times” is that it allows for the concrete definition of a window of time during which the backup should run. This is useful if there are bandwidth or performance constraints to running CrashPlan backups during business hours. The window should be made large enough to allow the completion of backups to each individual backup destination. The snapshot script should be scheduled to directly before the CrashPlan backup window, and the snapshot volume(s) must be large enough to remain active through the end of the backup window.

The downside to running CrashPlan “between specified times” is that the recovery points for data restoration are often reduced in conjunction with the available backup window. Despite this, the CashPlan agent still has many advantages over a traditional daily tape backup, including increased ease of administrator, archive reliability, security and the ability to backup to multiple destinations.

If you choose to modify the time during which CrashPlan operates, please ensure that the Eclipse snapshot backup script is scheduled via crontab to run prior to the CrashPlan backup window. For more information, see: How do filesystem snapshots work on Linux?

How do I perform a manual ABS CrashPlan backup?

View a step-by-step screencast of this process:
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  • Stop the CrashPlan service:
service crashplan stop
  • Run the snapshot backup script to create new snapshots of the Eclipse filesystems
/bin/save
  • Start the CrashPlan service:
service crashplan start
  • To verify the back is running, log into the server’s GUI as root using VNC, DRAC or the local console
  • Use the CrashPlanDesktop shortcut, or press to open the run dialog box and run the command:
CrashPlanDesktop
  • If the backup is not currently running, click “Play” button next to the backup job to manually start the backup job.
  • If the backup button is grayed out because the backup service is not currently scheduled to operate, you’ll need to temporary change the schedule to “Always” in the CrashPlan settings menu.

Related:

Screencast:

AIX Printer Setup

NOTE: The instructions below are for configuring a new printer for “traditional” or “legacy” printing on an AIX server, not for printing via Eclipse Forms.

To view a step-by-step screencast of this process, click here.

In each of the steps below, substitute your printer’s IP address and new “lp” number.

Add an entry for the printer’s hostname and IP address to the /etc/hosts file:

echo "172.17.189.5	lp1" >> /etc/hosts

Add an AIX print queue:

/usr/lib/lpd/pio/etc/piomisc_ext mkpq_remote_ext  -q 'lp1' -h 'lp1' -r 'lp1' -t 'aix' -T '999' -C 'FALSE'

Add the UniVerse driver file:

echo "lp -dlp1" > /usr/spool/uv/lp1.dvr
chmod 777 /usr/spool/uv/lp1.dvr

Add the UV print queue:

cd /u2/uv
uv

Select Spooler -> Device -> Maintain Devices
Use ENTER to advance, selecting all defaults unless otherwise specified.

  • Name = LP1 (shows all caps)
  • Path = /dev/null
  • Driver = lp1.dvr (ignore error)
  • Lock = lock.lp1

Press ESC -> Q -> ENTER to exit

Launch Eterm and log into Eclipse to setup the Eclipse print queue
Select F2 -> F -> P -> A (Assign Printer)

  • Printer/Fax = new
  • Name = 1 (# from lp#)
  • Type = (press F10 to select)
  • ESC to apply and exit
  • L (Location Maintenance)
  • Location = NEW
  • Name = HERE
  • Ship Ticket Branch = (blank)
  • Physical Branch = (blank)
  • Printer = 1 (number of printer)
  • ESC to apply and exit