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NetBackup™ Web UI Administrator's Guide

Last Published: 2025-08-12

Product(s): NetBackup (11.0.0.1)

Enabling intelligent catalog archiving (ICA) to reduce the number of .f files

Note:

Intelligent catalog archiving (ICA) applies only to servers running NetBackup 11.0.0.1 and later using MSDP storage.

You can use intelligent catalog archiving (ICA) to reduce the number of catalog .f files based on a specified retention period or file size. When you enable ICA, any catalog .f file that is older than the specified retention period value is removed from the catalog disk. You can also specify a file size value so that any catalog .f file that is greater than or equal to the size value is removed from the catalog disk.

The main advantage of ICA is that it shortens catalog backup time by reducing the number of .f files that need to be backed up if they meet the required criteria:

The backup image must be older than the configured ICA retention period.
The .f file must be larger than or equal to the configured ICA minimum size.
At least one copy of the backup image must be on MSDP storage and have 1 or more true image restore (TIR) fragments.
Image catalog .f file has not been recalled in the last 24 hours.
The backup image must be from a completed SLP or from a backup that is not managed by an SLP.
The backup image is not from a catalog backup.
The image catalog is not archived.

When ICA is enabled, you may notice the following behaviors:

Initial image cleanup after you enable ICA may take longer than usual.
Catalog backups will be faster if any of the .f files that are involved have been intelligently archived.
Browse and Restore functions will take longer if any of the .f files that are involved have been intelligently archived.

No additional action is needed to restore the catalog .f file. Catalog .f files are restored from images automatically as follows:

When an ICA image is browsed.
When an ICA-eligible copy is expired from an ICA image. Restoring catalog .f files ensures that the remaining copies from that image are accessible and usable.
When an ICA-eligible image is found but its catalog .f file missing.

More information about .f files is available:

See About NetBackup image .f files.

To enable intelligent catalog archiving (ICA) and specify retention and file size values

Run the following command on the primary server:
bpconfig -ica_retention seconds
When the seconds value is between 1 and 2147472000, ICA is enabled. Any image which is older than the value is processed for ICA. The catalog .f file from the ICA-eligible image is removed from the catalog disk. Setting this value to 0 (zero) disables ICA. The default value for NetBackup Flex Scale and Cloud Scale environments is 2592000 (30 days). The default value for all other NetBackup environments is 0 (disabled).
For Accelerator-enabled backups, specify an ICA retention value that is longer than full backup schedules so that the number of .f file restores from ICA images goes down.
For example, to set the ICA retention value to 30 days, enter bpconfig -ica_retention 2592000.
Use bpconfig -U to verify the change:
```
# bpconfig -U
Admin Mail Address:             sasquatch@wapati.edu
Job Retry Delay:                10 minutes
Max Simultaneous Jobs/Client:   1
Backup Tries:                   1 time(s) in 12 hour(s)
Keep Error/Debug Logs:          3 days
Max drives this master:         0
Keep TrueImageRecovery Info:    24 days
Compress DB Files:              (not enabled)
Media Mount Timeout:            30 minutes
Display Reports:                24 hours ago
Preprocess Interval:            0 hours
Image DB Cleanup Interval:      12 hours
Image DB Cleanup Wait Time:     10 minutes
Policy Update Interval:         10 minutes
Intelligent Catalog Archiving:  Files file larger than 1024 KB
Intelligent Catalog Archiving:  Images older than 30 day(s)
```

Note:

After you enable ICA, the minimum file size for .f files is set to the default value 1024 KB. Use this step to change that value.

To specify a minimum file size, run the following command on the primary server:

bpconfig -ica_min_size size

When the size value is between 0 and 2097151, any catalog .f file that is larger than or equal to the size value is removed from the catalog disk. The default value is 1024.

For example to set the ICA minimum file size to 2048 KB, enter bpconfig -ica_min_size 2048.

Use bpconfig -U to verify the change:

# bpconfig -U
Admin Mail Address:             sasquatch@wapati.edu
Job Retry Delay:                10 minutes
Max Simultaneous Jobs/Client:   1
Backup Tries:                   1 time(s) in 12 hour(s)
Keep Error/Debug Logs:          3 days
Max drives this master:         0
Keep TrueImageRecovery Info:    24 days
Compress DB Files:              (not enabled)
Media Mount Timeout:            30 minutes
Display Reports:                24 hours ago
Preprocess Interval:            0 hours
Image DB Cleanup Interval:      12 hours
Image DB Cleanup Wait Time:     10 minutes
Policy Update Interval:         10 minutes
Intelligent Catalog Archiving:  Files file larger than 2048 KB
Intelligent Catalog Archiving:  Images older than 30 day(s)

To disable intelligent catalog archiving (ICA)

Run the following command on the primary server:

bpconfig -ica_retention 0

Use bpconfig -U to verify the change:

# bpconfig -U
Admin Mail Address:             sasquatch@wapati.edu
Job Retry Delay:                10 minutes
Max Simultaneous Jobs/Client:   1
Backup Tries:                   1 time(s) in 12 hour(s)
Keep Error/Debug Logs:          3 days
Max drives this master:         0
Keep TrueImageRecovery Info:    24 days
Compress DB Files:              (not enabled)
Media Mount Timeout:            30 minutes
Display Reports:                24 hours ago
Preprocess Interval:            0 hours
Image DB Cleanup Interval:      12 hours
Image DB Cleanup Wait Time:     10 minutes
Policy Update Interval:         10 minutes
Intelligent Catalog Archiving:  (not enabled)