Bare minimum for daily backup

[Jesus]

I know this isn't a legitimate excuse but with currently 7+TB of data being backed on this site, there is no room to accommodate a full GW system backup, so I am checking out (creative) options, but really I feel the answer is just to fork out the $$$ and expand the backup capability.

Here goes... If Groupwise users are all running in cache mode, and the domain directory is being backed up, but the PO directory isn't, Can the Groupwise system be fully recovered by reinstalling Groupwise with the old domain folder, then somehow importing user data back in from their PC's cache mode files?

The domain folder lists these files:
wphost.dc
wpdomain.dc
gwpo.dc
gwdom.dc
mtaname
wpdomain.db
<dir> wpgate

If this idea is a compete no-go then I guess management will need to agree to an expansion of the backup system or live with the risk of data loss.

- Gordon

[laurabuckley]

Hi Gordon,

My humble and personal advice - do not even think about going down this road.

Cheers,

[Jesus]

Does that mean that data can't be recovered from Groupwise cache mode files?

I guess I am looking at it from experience with Outlook where .pst files can just be opened and the email viewed.

[mathiasbraun]

Please don't mix up caching and archiving. AFAIK, while you can easily open a PST "archive" with Outlook without the originating Exchange account you can't simply open a caching mailbox (OST files) without it.
In GW you can, of course, archive contents of a caching mailbox and later on "restore" them to an even totally different GW system. There are also handy tools avail such as this one
https://www.advansyscorp.com/products/archive/archive-to-go/

BUT, as Laura mentioned, don't even think about this as a replacement for a real backup. Or, as you've already mentioned: it IS a complete no-go.

[Jesus]

I knew that relying on just caching files was never going to be a real backup, but caching mode is still better than online mode as far as backups go, or lack of. Because if the GW server died then staff could still view their local cache. The chances of your GW server dieing along with your PC's copy of cache files is fairly remote. Of course we don't have versioning, or recovery from accidental deletion, or even corrupt GW data.

I should have put this into some context too - this is a 20 user site, not a 2,000 user enterprise. All critical file attachments and copies of emails are not left in someone's personal mailbox, but rather they are saved to their file system, as they should be.

With all risks of just running caching mode, is there any merit at all with backing up just the GW domain folder?

[laurabuckley · Accepted solution]

Hi Gordon,

You can't recover a GroupWise system with just the domain folder. Unless your end game is to create an entirely new GroupWise system in the event of failure.

Cheers,

[KonecnyA]

In article <gordon_mzano.8zqe0n@no-mx.forums.microfocus.com>, Gordon
mzano wrote:
> with currently 7+TB of data
> ... But really I
> feel the answer is just to fork out the $$$ and expand the backup
> capability.

If the business values that data, spend what is needed to back it up,
otherwise why are you paying to power up that data?

Perhaps some cleanup might be in order, starting with the confirmation
that you really have that much email in there and not just lots of
deleted messages.
- Proper automated maintenance on the PO will clear/reclaim space of
deleted messages https://www.konecnyconsulting.ca/gw/gwmnt.html
- Making sure that there aren't a bunch of stupidly large attachments
that really don't need to be a part of the email system.
https://www.konecnyconsulting.ca/gw/gwbig.html

The majority of space in your Postoffice should be in the Offiles
folder, if not then you have other stuff in there that shouldn't be.


Andy of
http://KonecnyConsulting.ca/gw in Toronto
Knowledge Partner
https://forums.novell.com/member.php/75037-konecnya
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