4 4 3 Beefalo:Activities

From SEPsesam
Other languages:
<<<Back
File
User Manual
Next>>>
Configuration


Activities

From the menu bar -> Activities, you can access the SEP sesam dashboard (Web UI), use the web Restore Assistant, start various actions immediately (backup, restore...), restart the backups and migrations, and cancel ongoing activities.

Activities Jaglion excerpt.jpg

Information sign.png Note
In v. ≥ 5.0.0. Jaglion, the operations and options available after login may also differ depending on the user type. Other UI display restrictions may depend on the custom roles with specific permissions and the UI mode.
For details, see About Authentication and Authorization and User Roles and Permissions.

Dashboard

Clicking the Dashboard option opens SEP sesam web dashboard. It is part of SEP sesam Web UI, a comprehensive tool that allows access to SEP sesam to remote clients and provides a great visual overview and real-time monitoring of SEP sesam performance and its entire environment. It provides log management and allows SEP sesam admin to restrict users to tasks they can perform according to their role when logged in. Users can restore their own data online using the Restore Assistant, monitor SEP sesam operations and check their status, restart failed backups and much more. The Web UI is configured to work over your HTTP or HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). For details, see SEP sesam Web UI.

Restore Assistant

By clicking the Restore Assistant, you can perform an online restore of files, directories, emails, and virtual machines to which you have been granted access. Only authenticated users who have the appropriate permissions can access the Restore Assistant and restore their data. For details, see Restore Assistant.

Restore

By clicking the Restore option you start the restore wizard which leads you through the process of restoring backup files from the backup media (tape, disk, etc.) to the desired computer (client). Note that the options in the restore wizard change depending on the selected task type (Path, MS SQL VMware, etc.) for restore, therefore some options may not be available.

Filter

On this page, you can enter search criteria for the file to be restored. You can use different criteria to quickly find the data you want to restore. Select the task from the drop-down list or search by filename or path to find the backups that match the search term. Use the drop-down list Saved in period to narrow the time range of the search requests.

Restore filter Jaglion.jpg

  • Searching by task name: Search for a certain task intended for restore by using the fields Task and Saved in period. If you use the wildcard [*], all tasks are selected. After clicking the Next button, all savesets created within the given period are shown in tabular form.
  • Searching by filename or path: Search for the known files or directories to find the backups that match the search term. Use input-field Search pattern for filename or path together with drop-down boxes Task and Saved in period to narrow the search requirements.
  • Information sign.png Note
    By using the wildcard [*], all tasks are selected which may take a long time to process.

    After clicking the Next button, all savesets created within the given period and matching the search pattern are shown in tabular form.

  • Show external results: If this option is selected, the external backups will be displayed. Typically, these are the backups that would normally not be restored directly by the restore wizard (e.g., Oracle, DB2). You can restore a saveset directly from the backup media into the file system and then process it in a special way.
Select Task

This page shows a list of backup sets containing the target data.

Restore select task Jaglion.jpg

Select the backup you want to restore. Depending on the type of restore you want to perform, you can refine your selection using various criteria or specify a particular type of restore. Then select one of the following options:

  • Complete restore of selected task: If this option is selected, no further selections or additional options are available. You go directly to the final step of the restore wizard (start of the restore). If it is not selected, the file selection is available for selective restore.
  • Hide migrated: If a backup job has been migrated, the restore wizard will by default provide the original saveset if it is accessible. Hide migrated is enabled by default. To force the access to the migrated data, you have to deselect it. If the original saveset was deleted, the migrated saveset will be displayed by default.
  • Information sign.png Note
    As of v. 5.0.0 Jaglion, the Hide migrated option is no longer available. The migrated savesets are only displayed if there is no original (backup) saveset. If you want to use the migrated saveset instead of the original saveset for the restore, you need to select it as Preferred Media pool in the Target Settings window.
  • Broken tasks: If you select this option, broken backups will also be displayed. Keep in mind that it is only possible to restore data from the backups that have completed successfully.
  • Generation restore: If a DIFF or INCR backup is chosen for restore and this option is enabled, SEP sesam calculates all required restore steps from the last FULL backup to the selected DIFF/INCR version. The whole backup chain is processed for restore without user intervention, including all media changes, etc. If this option is disabled, only the selected backup (INCR or DIFF) will be used. Once you selected the desired saveset for restore, click Next to display the Select Files window.
  • Disaster restore: This option is only available when a SEP sesam self-backup (SESAM_BACKUP) is going to be restored. This function provides a recovery of the SEP sesam Server after a system failure. For details, see SEP sesam Server Disaster Recovery.
  • Mount saveset: You can select the option Mount saveset under Single file restore to mount the target saveset to the disk and make it accessible as if it was a separate volume on the disk. It is a recommended option for restoring specific data, such as Exchange, Hyper-V and V-Sphere backups, because it provides faster restore time and performance. You can mount any non-compressed and non-encrypted file-based saveset stored to SEP sesam data store (Path, Si3, HPE StoreOnce, etc.). Mounting is not possible if the savesets are stored to tapes. The target saveset is mounted to the SEP sesam home directory var\tmp\mnt, e.g., C:\Program Files\SEPsesam\var\tmp\mnt\save_set_ID.
    In v. ≥ 5.0.0 Jaglion you can also select RDS to mount from the drop-down list and specify advanced mount options. For more information, see Cross-Platform Recovery File System Layer.
  • As path restore: This option (corresponds to the Restore Assistant option Restore (any) backup to file system) is available for restoring from task types that store directories and files similarly to path backup. You can use it instead of a Hyper-V or VMware task type, but it is not available for other types, such as MS SQL Server, SAP and DB2. It provides a simple and straightforward restore – by selecting files from the directory tree – also for special task types without their specific processing, e.g., restoring a Hyper-V VM to its original location or with relocation. Compared to the similar option As path backup option under the Expert options, As path restore allows you to select individual files for restore, while the As path backup option restores all files.
SEP Tip.png Tip
  • If the number of actual backup tasks is too big to show in a list, set a filter string by task name in the above search field.
  • You can also store a default table view: After you have selected the columns you need and arranged them, you can save the settings by moving the mouse pointer over the column header, right-click it and select the Save View option.

For each task on the list, the following attributes are displayed:

  • Task type: The type, according to which the data is backed up (path, system state, SAP Hana, Exchange Server, etc.).
  • Task: The name of the task.
  • Start: The time at which the backup has been started.
  • Level: Specifies the backup level of data that is copied from the source to the destination (C = Copy, D = Differential, F = Full, I = Incremental).
  • Client: The target client.
  • Size: Size of the backup.
  • Backup Day: Date of the backup. Note that backup day defines a time interval between two NEWDAY events.
  • Media Pool: The name of the source media pool.
  • Saveset: Identification of the saveset.
Select Files

On this page you can select the files you want to restore.

Restore select files Jaglion.jpg

The selected task is displayed in the upper part of the window. In the tree view, select the directories and/or files you want to restore. When you select a directory, its subdirectories are automatically selected. The absolute path of the selected folders or files is displayed in the Position field at the top.

You can use the Search button below to find the items to be restored by their name, path or any other part of it.

Find Pattern

This page shows the results of the search.

Restore find pattern Beefalo.jpg

Select the files you want to restore and click Next. The Target Settings window opens.

Target Settings

On this page the target settings can be set.

In the upper field, the saveset selected for restore is displayed with its attributes. The available restore options depend on the selected task type for restore and show the current restore task settings. You can change the settings, e.g., the target node (the server where the files are restored), mount the saveset, restore to the original or another location, etc.

Restore target settings Beefalo.jpg

  • Restore task name: The name of the task is assigned automatically. If the restore is planned to be started by scheduler, enter the corresponding task name.
  • Target node: The name of the server where the files are being restored to. Only computers with the same platform (Windows or UNIX) are available. If you need to perform a cross-platform restore, return to the task selection step of the wizard and choose Mount saveset.

Target path settings provides the following options which are slightly different when restoring VMs:

  • Restore to original target path or Restore to original VM (in case of VM restore): This option is selected by default. It restores the data to the same location from which it was backed up. Note that this only applies if the target node is the same server from which the data was backed up, i.e., when source and target server are the same. In case of restoring to original VM, the original MAC address and UUID of the VM are preserved.
  • Original tree structure: This check box at the right is enabled by default when restoring to original location. The directory structure of the restored files is the same as the original directory structure of the backed up data. If this option is disabled, the directory structure is not recreated and only the files are restored (flat structure).
  • New restore target or Change VM target selection (in case of VM restore): This option enables you to restore data to some other location. The path to the directory to which the data should be restored can be entered manually or by using the Browser button to open the file explorer.
  • Restore with new VM name: Relevant only for VM restore; this option enables you to restore the data to the original or a different location with a new VM name. If you are restoring a VM to a different location with a different (or with the same) VM name, you also have to specify a new target path under Change VM target selection.

Execution options or VM restore options (in case of VM restore); if the files with the same name in the target directory already exist, you can select between the following options:

  • Do not overwrite existing items: Selected by default. Files will be restored only if they are not already present on the target system. The original data will not be overwritten. For VM new MAC address and UUID are generated.
  • Overwrite existing items: Files on the target system will be overwritten and replaced with their restored version. For VM the original MAC address and UUID are preserved.
  • Create a new version: Data from backup is restored as a new version by appending a tilde to the original file name. The original data remains intact, for example:
  • README.TXT -> ~README.TXT When performing a VM restore, you can also select to automatically start a virtual machine after restore.

Optional data source selection:

  • Preferred media pool: If the data was migrated or replicated and different media pools were used for the process, the source media pool to restore from can be selected from the drop-down list of available media pools.
  • Used media | barcode: If the data was migrated, the migrated copy is stored to another media. Here the source media to restore from can be selected from the drop-down list of available media.
  • Drive: The drive which SEP sesam will use for the restore.
  • Interface: The name of the server from which the files are being restored. This is either a Remote Device Server (RDS) or SEP sesam Server.
Expert Options

Clicking the button Expert Options will open a new window with different tabs, where you can specify more specific options and actions.

Information sign.png Note
The Expert Options button for setting advanced restore options is available only in advanced mode (formerly expert GUI mode). If you are running the GUI in simple mode (formerly basic GUI mode) and want to access Expert Options, change simple UI mode to advanced, as described in Selecting UI mode.

Options tab

On the Options tab, you can set additional restore options, e.g., log level, etc.

Restore expert options Jaglion.jpg

  • Verbose level: Allows you to change the verbosity of the main and trace logs to display more information than the default logging mode. For details, see Setting Log Level.
  • Restore options: Allows you to specify additional options for restore. This is useful for specific options of the sbc command. For details of the commands, see SBC CLI.
  • SEP Tip.png Tip
    If required, you can get more information on options from SEP sesam support or search for them in additional documentation for special SBC clients (e.g., SBC for MS Exchange).
  • Restore the complete saveset: Restores all files from the saveset.
  • Restore according to the composed list: Restores previously selected directories and files according to the regular expression-based filtering; see Filter tab below.
  • disk_info disaster recovery: This option is available when restoring from DISK_INFO backup of a Linux host. It is required when recovering a Linux server for restoring the backed up file partition information. A special BSR license (Bare System Recovery) is required. For details, see Licensing.

Relocation tab

On this tab you can restore savesets with or without relocation.

Restore relocation Jaglion.jpg

By default, No relocation is selected; this restores the savesets to the original target path with the original tree structure.

The With relocation option allows to specify a new target location for restored files. Individual files can be restored to separate paths. For example, the files from C:\Program Files\Java are going to be saved as a new restore target in the directory C:\Java, where all sub-directories are recreated (see screenshot above).

Filter tab

The Filter tab allows to restore only data that matches the filter criteria. Regular wildcards should be used (* and ?). For example, *.doc would result in restoring only files which end with .doc.

Restore expert options filter Jaglion.jpg

Filtering is first applied to the client, i.e., all data is sent over the network. Filtering is particularly useful if you want to perform a selective restore and there is no metadata (LIS file).

Task Type tab

By default, the task type is selected according to the type of data that has been backed up (default is Path; other task types are Hyper-V, SAP Hana, Exchange Server, Lotus Notes, MySQL, VMware vSphere, etc.).

Restore task type Jaglion.jpg

  • If you have backed up data with a task type other than the default Path, for example Hyper-V, you can still use the option As path backup. This option allows you to restore your data directly to the file system without any additional actions, e.g., files from a Hyper-V backup, rather than restoring them according to your specific task type, e.g., restoring (and importing) Hyper-V data to Hyper-V manager.
  • The option Write saveset into file (corresponds to the Restore Assistant option Write backup into dump file) allows you to restore the entire saveset to a single file rather than to its original location.

Pre/Post tab

On the Pre/Post tab you can specify whether a pre- or post script should be applied to this restore task.

Restore pre post Jaglion.jpg

Information sign.png Note
To use a pre/post interface, you have to activate it first and create your own commands. Interfaces can be activated in the GUI: in the menu bar, click Configuration -> Interfaces -> select the interface you want to activate and the client. The interface script window opens, allowing you to configure the desired action. Once done, click Save to activate the interface. The interface is saved to the <SESAM_ROOT>/bin/sesam directory. For more details, see Using Pre and Post Scripts.

The following options are available:

  • Execute pre: The commands from the pre interface are run.
  • Start restore in spite of pre error: Typically, the restore will not start if the pre commands are not successful. By selecting this option, the restore will ignore the pre command errors.
  • Execute post: The commands from the post interface are run.
  • Start post in spite of restore error: If the restore did not finish successfully, you can force the execution of post commands by enabling this option (e.g., booting a database).

Retention Time tab

Retention time specifies how long (in days) this restore task is kept and can be accessed via the GUI. The default is 7 days.

Restore EOL Jaglion.jpg

If you want to use a restore task after a longer period of time or use it as a template, it is recommended to set a longer retention time. Setting the value to 0 (zero) means unlimited lifetime; a restore task will be kept permanently unless you manually delete it.

Execution Time tab

On the Execution Time tab (formerly Start Time tab), instead of starting the restore immediately, you can specify the start of the restore, when the task should be stopped, etc.

Restore start time Jaglion.jpg

  • Start time frame: You can specify the maximum start time allowed (the time an event can be in the queue) in days and/or hours. The actual start time of an event depends on the processor load of the system. At the start time of an event, every event is forwarded into the queue, where it might wait until jobs with a higher priority have finished. For jobs with the same priority, the FIFO rule (first in first out) applies. If the event cannot be executed within this time frame, it is not executed at all.
  • Cancel execution after (Stop task if it runs longer than): You can specify the amount of time (days and/or hours) after the event's scheduled start time at which the event should be canceled.
  • Cancel execution at (Stop task at): Additionally, you can specify the exact date and time at which the task should be stopped.
  • Follow up: You can specify the follow-up event to trigger the predefined event on the SEP sesam Server once the restore is complete. For details, see Follow-up Events.

Clicking OK will save all adjustments made in the Expert Options window.

Summary

Check the summary for your restore configuration. Click Start to run the restore or Save to save the task under the assigned name in the Name field.

Information sign.png Note
All started and scheduled restores are saved in SEP sesam under Main selection -> Tasks -> Tasks by clients/Tasks by groups with the current timestamp. A restore can be restarted via the menu item Activities -> Restore or from Main selection -> Job state -> Restore -> right-click selected restore -> Immediate start.

Immediate Start

Immediate Start: Backup

Immediate start-backup Jaglion en.jpg
Settings tab

  • Task: Selection of a previously configured task.
  • Task group: Selection of a previously configured task group.
  • Task type: Selection of a previously configured task type, e.g., Path, Hyper-V, SAP Hana, etc.
  • Backup level: Displays the backup level (FULL, DIFF, INCR, COPY).
  • Hot (online)/Cold (offline) backup: Special backup parameters, applicable for VMs and databases.
  • Media pool: Selection of a media pool that will be used for this backup.
  • Drive group: This inactive field displays the name of the drive group, which is defined for the specified media pool. The backup is executed automatically on a drive from the assigned drive group.
  • Drive: You can define which drive handles the backup job for drive groups with several drives. If no drive is selected, SEP sesam selects the available drive based on criteria for load sharing.
  • Interface: If multiple network connections are available, the hostname for the backup source (if necessary, the network interface) is defined.
  • Migration task: From the drop-down list, you can select available migration task for the migration.

Execution Time tab (formerly Start Time)

  • Start time: Instead of starting your backup immediately, you can specify the start time by entering the desired date and time.
  • Start time frame: You can specify the maximum start time allowed (the time an event can be in the queue) in days and/or hours. The actual start time of an event depends on the processor load of the system. At the start time of an event, every event is forwarded into the queue, where it might wait until jobs with a higher priority have finished. For jobs with the same priority, the FIFO rule (first in first out) applies. If the event cannot be executed within this time frame, it is not executed at all.
  • Cancel execution after (Stop task if it runs longer than): You can specify the amount of time (days and/or hours) after the event's scheduled start time at which the event should be canceled.
  • Stop task at: Additionally, you can define the exact date and time when the task should be stopped.
  • Follow up: You can specify the follow-up event to trigger the predefined event on the SEP sesam Server once the backup is complete. For details, see Follow-up Events.

Immediate start-backup-execution-time Jaglion.jpg

By clicking the Start button, the backup process is picked up by SEPuler that initiates the execution of the event immediately or (if the time is specified) at the desired start time.

Immediate Start: Restore

From the list of the restored tasks select the relevant restore task.

Immediate start restore Beefalo.jpg
Once you have selected the task, the Target Settings window is displayed. It provides an overview of the restore task. For details, see Restore – Target Settings.

Immediate Start: Migration

The migration task window displays the tabs Settings and Start time.

Immediate start migration Jaglion.jpg
Select the desired migration task from the Task name drop-down list. The selected migration task is displayed with its parameters. You can modify the migration destination and filter settings. By clicking the Start button, the changes of the migration task are saved and the migration is started. For details on migration options, see Migration tasks. For step-by-step procedure, see Configuring Migration.

Immediate Start: Replication

In the replication task window (v. ≥ 5.0.0 Jaglion), the tabs Settings and Execution Time are displayed.

Immediate start replication Jaglion.jpg
Select the desired replication task from the Task name drop-down list. The task is displayed with its parameters. By clicking the Start button, the changes of the replication task are saved and replication starts. For details, see About Replication.

Immediate Start: Media Action

Media events can be activated by SEPuler (timetable) as user-defined events, media EOM or backup itself. For details on configuring media events, see Creating a Media Event.

Immediate start media event Jaglion.jpg

Settings tab

Sequence control:

  • Priority: Event priority is used for resolving scheduling conflicts. Priorities can be assigned to schedules, from the lowest (1, default) to the highest (99). For details, see Event Priority.
  • Blocking date: A blocking event is any type of event with a higher priority that obstructs another event. A blocking event affects other events with the same name only if the schedules overlap. For details, see Blocking Events.

You can choose from four different media actions:

  • Initialize: Initializing the media prepares it for use with SEP sesam. Initialization process rewrites the tape label. All existing information on the tape is deleted. A media event prepares the media of the selected pool for use for data backup.
  • Readability check: The readability check tests the backup data readability. During the check, the data on media is read block by block, and the structure of the tape is checked and recorded. For details, see Configuring a Readability Check.
  • Archive adjustment: An archive adjustment scans the media in the selected loader to update the SEP sesam information about the media in the loader. It is required when the media in the loader have changed, for example, when new media are added. For details, see Setting up Archive Adjustment.
  • Close tape: Closing the tape means that EOM (End of Media) is created on the tape regardless whether it is full or not. Such a tape can no longer be used to store data.

Parameter:

  • Media pool: Defines the media pool that will be used for the media event.
  • Drive: Optionally, you can define a specific drive for the event execution. If no drive is selected, SEP sesam Server automatically selects one of the available drives.
  • Media: Optionally, you can select the medium you want to use. If no medium is selected, SEP sesam Server automatically assigns the medium with the oldest EOL. For details on the GET_OLDEST strategy, see Media Strategy.
  • Drive group: Displays the name of the drive group that belongs to the media pool.
  • Loader: Optionally, you can select the loader (tape library) whose content you want to synchronize with the SEP sesam database.
  • Options: If required, set additional execution options.

Execution Time (Start time) tab

  • Execution Time: Instead of starting your media event immediately, you can specify the start time by entering the desired date and time.
  • Start time frame: You can specify the maximum start time allowed (the amount of time an event can be in the queue) in days and/or hours. The actual start time of an event depends on the processor load of the system. At the starting time of the event, every event is forwarded to the queue, where it might wait until jobs with higher priority finish. For jobs with the same priority, the FIFO rule (first in first out) applies. If the event cannot be executed within this specified time frame, it will not be executed at all.
  • Cancel execution after (Stop task if it runs longer than): You can set the amount of time (days and/or hours) after the event's scheduled start time at which the event will be canceled.
  • Cancel execution at (Stop task at): Additionally, you can define the exact date and time when the task should be stopped.
  • Follow up: You can specify the follow-up event to trigger the predefined event on the SEP sesam Server once the media event is complete. For details, see Follow-up Events.
Immediate Start: Command

Starts a preconfigured command event by inserting it into the calendar with the actual time. Events initiated with the Immediate start command from the GUI or command line are listed in the calendar as non-recurring events. For details on command event configuration, see Creating a Command Event.

Immediate start command Jaglion.jpg

Settings tab

  • Name: Use the Select button to select a relevant command from the drop-down list of already configured commands. Select the command and click OK.
  • Client: Select the hostname of the computer on which the command is going to be executed.
  • User: Specify a user with privileges to run the command on the client. This applies only to Unix systems, on Windows the command is executed with the rights required to run the SEP sesam service. For information on access restrictions for command events, see the section Access limitation of command events.
  • Retention time: Optionally, specify for how long (in days) the command event results and logs will be kept. The default is 30 days.
  • Preview: The selected command is displayed.

Execution Time (Start time) tab

  • Start time: Instead of starting your command event immediately, you can specify the start time by entering the desired date and time.
  • Start time frame: You can specify the maximum start time allowed (the amount of time an event can be in the queue) in days and/or hours. The actual event startup depends on the processor load of the system. At the starting time of the event, every event is forwarded to the queue, where it might wait until jobs with a higher priority are finish. For jobs with the same priority, the FIFO rule (first in first out) applies. If the event cannot be executed within this specified time frame, it will not be executed at all.
  • Follow up: You can specify the follow-up event to trigger the predefined event on the SEP sesam Server once the command event is completed. For details, see Follow-up Events.


Access limitation of command events

  • UNIX: External commands are executed only if the user and the command are inserted into the file /etc/sesam_cmdusers.allow on the client computer. Therefore, the template from path <SESAM-BIN>/skel/templates may need to be copied to /etc and adapted accordingly. Format: user command|* (* = all commands can be started)
  • Windows: External commands are only executed if the user and the command are inserted into the registry on the client computer under the key //HKLM/SOFTWARE/SEP Elektronik GmbH/sesam/CommandEvents/<user>/<command>.
Command Execution
* all instructions
cmd /c all DOS instructions (dir, etc.)
ping only command ping

Restart backups/migrations

You can restart any failed or aborted backups or migrations of SEP sesam backup day.

Activities restart backup Jaglion.jpg

Click the [+] button at the bottom left of the window to select all tasks and [-] to clear the selection. To select a single task, select the check box in front of the backup or migration task. Then click the Start button in the lower right corner.

Information sign.png Note
As of 5.0.0 Jaglion, you can also restart your jobs (backups, migrations, replications, and restores) online via the Web UI. For details, see SEP sesam Web UI.

All restarted backups/migrations are put into the queue with priority 0 (zero; the highest priority that overrides all other priorities) and are executed unconditionally. If you need to adjust the priority, select it using the Prio option (next to Start in the lower right corner).

Disaster recovery

Enables you to perform a disaster recovery immediately. Note that disaster recovery requires special preparation and configuration. The SEP sesam disaster recovery solutions are Bare Metal Recovery Linux, Bare Metal Recovery MS Windows, and SEP sesam Server self-recovery. For details on each solution, see Bare Metal Recovery Linux, SEP sesam BSR Pro for Windows, and SEP sesam Disaster Recovery.

Cancel current running activities

Allows you to stop all running activities (backups, restores and migrations) in your SEP sesam environment. If you respond to the confirmation dialog with Yes, SEP sesam stops all running tasks. This is useful for resetting your backup environment or for maintenance operation.

Cancel running activities.jpg