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#1 2019-03-12 18:49:12

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

I'm confused about the --host option. Does the job run fully local on the remote host and independent from the host I have started it?

If I start another job (for another host) while a remote is still running, it seems to break the other.

I have 11 ESXi hosts. XSIBackup is installed on the first and the others are linked.
For each host I have a job (1 local and 10 remote)

Can I start all jobs at the same time (because they running all on its own host) or must I run the jobs in sequence?

Last edited by NextLevel (2019-03-12 18:50:16)

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#2 2019-03-13 16:40:11

admin
Administrator
Registered: 2017-04-21
Posts: 2,057

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

Yes, you can, but if you launch them via the --host argument, the preprocessor routine will halt them, as no simultaneous jobs are allowed. This could be a concern too in regards to TTY allocation for all remote logs being stored locally, should the number of remote servers be too high.

You can work that around by creating a custom script that launches the remote jobs via a remote SSH command as if all jobs were local. Remember to use the XSIBackup public RSA key to authenticate to the remote hosts.

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#3 2019-03-13 23:59:15

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

admin wrote:

You can work that around by creating a custom script that launches the remote jobs via a remote SSH command as if all jobs were local. Remember to use the XSIBackup public RSA key to authenticate to the remote hosts.

I thought that --hosts does just that, but now it's clear.

Anything to consider if multiple hosts write to the same central repository using XSITools at the same time?

And can we configure one folder per date rather then date_time?

Thanks for your help.

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#4 2019-03-14 20:08:04

admin
Administrator
Registered: 2017-04-21
Posts: 2,057

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

Well you can configure whatever you like as the repository folder name, but the advantage of deduplication is achieved only when backing up to the same repository.

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#5 2019-03-15 00:29:43

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

No, I meant inside the repository: Is it possible that XSITool creates a folder per date within the repository, rather than the timestamp it uses now. But after reconsider, it is a bad idea because that will reduce the backup to one per date.

However, it would be very helpful, if there is the VM name on top. The most common case is that you want to restore a certain VM and select one from all available backup jobs of this VM.

But the current structure is opposite:
RepositoryName --> Timestamp --> VM-name

Better would be :
RepositoryName --> VM-Name --> Timestamp --> (VM-name)

Isn't it?

Last edited by NextLevel (2019-03-15 04:58:20)

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#6 2019-03-15 12:03:23

admin
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Registered: 2017-04-21
Posts: 2,057

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

No, you can't modify the inner structure of an XSITools repository, that is fixed by design.
Well, of course, you can but I don't think that modifying the source to meet your desire would be worth the time.

You can easily examine the contents of each backup and the VMs inside. What would be the point in reversing the order? XSITools creates backup folders, not VM folders with eventual backups inside.

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#7 2019-03-15 12:23:27

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

I thought the point is obvious: you have to restore a VM and you want to see what backups you have, from which you can choose.

Now you have to go through all the existing backups to find the desired VM.

It would therefore make sense that the directory structure reflects the usual approach of a restore. IMHO

Last edited by NextLevel (2019-03-15 12:24:17)

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#8 2019-03-15 15:56:26

admin
Administrator
Registered: 2017-04-21
Posts: 2,057

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

We could have designed things that way, but then there would be some different drawbacks, like having to go through all the VMs to find a restore point in time.

You can overcome your apparent limitation by using the find command, a one liner will suffice.

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#9 2019-03-15 16:29:35

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

Now you have the drawback to go through all the backups to find your VM.

IMHO this is the more serious drawback. But other opinions are of course respected ...

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#10 2019-03-16 16:02:08

admin
Administrator
Registered: 2017-04-21
Posts: 2,057

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

In the beggining, there is only chaos, all possibilities exist at the same time. Then somebody chooses among the infinite number of possibilities and creates something. Since that moment many others will come to point out how things should be.

We listen to our users' opinions and have included many of their ideas along the years through their feature requests.
Anyway: that one who creates has the priviledge to choose; whoever uses the "thing", also has the priviledge to choose.

BTW: your website is using some flash snippets that are quite outdated nowadays...

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#11 2019-03-16 18:01:07

NextLevel
Member
Registered: 2019-03-11
Posts: 33

Re: Can I start all backups on all hosts at same time?

admin wrote:

BTW: your website is using some flash snippets that are quite outdated nowadays...

ROTFL

There's life in the old dog yet.

Last edited by NextLevel (2019-03-16 18:03:25)

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