Table of contents
- 1. Backup Data Integrity
- 1.1. Procedure to Check Data Integrity
- 1.2. Verify By Tape Label
- 1.3. Procedure - By Date
- 1.3.1. Date and Calendar Controls
- 1.3.2. Status of Verification
Backup Data Integrity
Checking Data Integrity of the backup media volumes ensures that the backup data has not been modified after being sent to the backup media.
During various transfers from one media to another, there is a remote possibility that such a change has happened, and restoring from such altered data may not give the desired result.
The Report Data Integrity page reads and verifies that backed up data image on the media has not been modified. In the case of application clients (such as Windows Oracle), the check does not proceed beyond determining whether the tape is readable. In this case, the message "Could not determine validation for dumper" is displayed and logged. This message can be safely ignored.
If you verify by date, all the tapes associated with each backup run on the selected date are verified (in most cases, there will be only one run per day). If you verify by the label, only a particular tape is verified. The correct tape(s) must be loaded in the tape device. Verification of each backup run begins by listing the tape(s) required for that run and then prompting you to load each tape as necessary until all have been checked.
The Data Integrity page lets you check out that the already-written media (selected by either date or label) has not been altered after the backup. Run the Data Integrity before restoring a backup image.
Procedure to Check Data Integrity
The default method of invoking a Data Integrity report is by Tape label.
From the Please select verification method drop-down box, the method of verification can be changed to By Date. Selecting by date displays the appropriate interface controls.
Verify By Tape Label
The Select by Tape Label dialog is displayed in the left panel by default. It allows you to select an Amanda tape by volume from the drop-down menu. Click the Verify button to start the data integrity check of the selected tape.
Procedure - By Date
On choosing 'By Date' option, the GUI opens to a page with the Calendar control in the left-hand panel, with the current month selected for display. Use the calendar controls to change as desired.
Date and Calendar Controls
The top portion consists of a Backup Date input box along with a Go button. Clicking Go displays the given date in the Calendar. The input box accepts dates in both mm/dd/yyyy and mm/dd/yy formats.
The Calendar control at the bottom of the panel works the same as it does for the Summary Report. Click the Verify button to start the data integrity check for all the tapes used by the selected backup date.
Status of Verification
The right-hand panel displays the status of the verification process. You can Clear the Output of the message panel by clicking the link.
It is possible to automate the media verification procedure using amcheckdump command. Please contact the Zmanda Support team if you need more information.