List media option is useful to predict media required for the following
operations:
To restore data associated with a specific backup set, subclient or
instance
To restore the index required to browse data associated with
a specific backup set or subclient
To restore a specific file (or specific files and folders)
To restore data associated with a specific job
Media prediction is useful in a variety of circumstances,
including the following:
To ensure that media required by an operation is
available in the library, especially if you are restoring/recovering data
across a firewall.
In cases where data spans across several media, to identify
the exact media necessary to restore/recover a file/folder/sub-section of
the data.
To identify and restore/recover from a copy that accesses a
faster disk media rather than slower tape/optical media.
To identify media associated with an alternate copy, when the
media containing data associated with a specific copy is not readily available
due to the following reasons:
When the media is exported from the library
When the media is used by another operation
Note that List Media operations are supported only with traditional browse
and not with search results.
The list media operation can be performed in several different
ways, depending on the requirement. The following sections describe each of
these methods.
This operation is referred to as List Media in the
CommCell Console and provides the following options:
Search media associated with the latest data protection
cycle, starting from the latest full backup. (This is the default option.)
Search media associated with data protection operations
performed between a specified time range.
Search for media associated with a specific
storage policy copy, with the specified copy
precedence number.
Keep in mind that when you search media from a secondary copy,
the listed media may not reflect the entire instance or backup set
data, unless all the storage policies associated with all the subclients have
been configured for secondary copies.
When a browse operation is performed, the system automatically restores the
index from the appropriate media, if the index for the data is not available in
the index cache, for Agents that support index. In such situations, this option
is useful to verify the following:
Whether the index is available in the index cache or must be restored
from a media
Whether the index must be restored from a media, if the appropriate media is
available
The List Media option for index restore is available in the Browse Options
dialog box. See List Media Associated with
Index for step-by-step
instructions.
This operation is referred to as List Media and Size in the
CommCell Console and is useful to precisely predict
media in which specific files or folders reside. For example:
When a data protection operation spans across multiple media
and you would like to know the exact media in which the files you wish to
restore reside.
You have a specific set of files (either a random set or a
specific set, such as *.doc or *.txt) that you wish to restore and would
like to know the all the media in which the files reside.
You wish to restore a specific version of the file and would
like to know the specific media in which the version resides.
If you wish to exclude indexing media which does
not contain data by using List Media and Size, create the
skipIndexingMedia
registry key and set the value to 1.
The List Media option for specific files and/or folders can be
accessed from the Browse window, after selecting the appropriate files/folders for
restore. See List
Media and Size for Specific Files and/or Folders for
step-by step instructions.
The Restore by Jobs
feature provides the facility to restore data from a specific data protection
operation. This option also includes the facility to list media associated with
the job.
The Recall Media feature provides the facility to temporarily bring
media back from an export location for a specific operation and return
the media to the export location when the operation is complete. This
capability is useful if you have exported media to another location with
the intention of keeping the media at the export location for an
established period of time, but need to bring the media back from the
export location for a specific purpose (such as a data recovery
operation) prior to the original return date.
Other notable features provided by the list media operation are:
Facility to Print or Save the prediction results. The files can be saved
either as a tab (.xls) or comma (.csv) separated file.
The List Media and Size operation can be run immediately or scheduled. When it is run
immediately the results are displayed immediately in the CommCell Console
and if it is scheduled the results are saved in a specified file.
Note that in both cases the result provides information on the total space
required to restore the selected data.
The List Media and Size operation also includes the ability to email
prediction results by generating an alert (if configured) which would in
turn contain the prediction results.
Command line interface provides commands for some of the list media
operations. See Command Line Interface - qlist
for more information.
The list media operation is displayed as a job (with appropriate
controls, such Suspend, Resume, and Kill) in the Job Controller. Appropriate
event messages are also populated in the Event viewer.
The List Media and Size operation will not be supported if the
MediaAgent used for the operation is not upgraded to the current software
version.