Optimize Your Transaction Log Backups to Avoid Server Crashes, Part 2: Implementing a Winning Backup Strategy

Ronny Henfling, IT Specialist, Deutsche Bahn AG

Jan Ofiara, IT Specialist, IBM Germany


July, 2010

Daily backups and transaction log backups recover files after a system failure or user error. But the best strategy is useless if the Domino transaction logging file system reaches full capacity and consequently causes the Domino server to stop. The result can be destroyed databases or corrupted transaction logs, not to mention dissatisfied users. Learn how to avoid the risk of your transaction log disk space reaching full capacity by basing your backup strategy on a clear understanding of all relevant factors and using the calculation-based method demonstrated here. In part 1, learn about the benefits of archive-style logging in making your Domino backups more efficient, gain insight into the relationship between transaction logging and backup intervals, and find out how to arrive at a backup strategy that makes sense for your environment. In part 2, learn the formulas to use in setting your backup strategy.

We explained in part 1 that adjusting the individual parameters of file system size, throughput rates, and backup intervals does not adequately solve the problem of continual server crashes due to a full-capacity transaction log file system. These parameters are interdependent and must be considered jointly to avoid the risk of server crashes due to transaction logging. Now we will explain these three key parameters in more detail — plus one more, the threshold parameter values for your transaction log backups — and we’ll answer the following questions regarding their dependencies:
  1. The file system size — How does one select the optimal transaction logging file system size?
  2. The transaction logging throughput rate — How does one determine the current throughput of written transaction logs?
  3. The backup interval — Which backup interval is optimal for the archiving of log files?
  4. Threshold values — Which special threshold parameters should be selected for the backup of log files?

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