Excluding files and directories from NDMP backups

You can exclude files and directories from NDMP backup operations by specifying NDMP environment variables through a data management application (DMA). If you include a file or directory, all other files and directories are automatically excluded from backup operations. If you exclude a file or directory, all files and directories except the excluded one are backed up.

You can include or exclude files and directories by specifying the following character patterns. The examples given in the table are valid only if the backup path is /ifs/data.

Table 1. NDMP file and directory matching wildcards

Character	Description	Example	Includes or excludes the following directories
*	Takes the place of any character or characters	archive*	archive1 src/archive42_a/media
[]	Takes the place of a range of letters or numbers	data_store_[a-f] data_store_[0-9]	/ifs/data/data_store_a /ifs/data/data_store_c /ifs/data/data_store_8
?	Takes the place of any single character	user_?	/ifs/data/user_1 /ifs/data/user_2
\	Includes a blank space	user\ 1	/ifs/data/user 1
//	Takes the place of a single slash (/)	ifs//data//archive	/ifs/data/archive
***	Takes the place of a single asterisk (*)
..	Ignores the pattern if it is at the beginning of a path	../home/john	home/john

" " are required for Symantec NetBackup when multiple patterns are specified. The patterns are not limited to directories.

Unanchored patterns such as home or user1 target a string of text that might belong to many files or directories. If a pattern contains '/', it is an anchored pattern. An anchored pattern is always matched from the beginning of a path. A pattern in the middle of a path is not matched. Anchored patterns target specific file pathnames, such as ifs/data/home. You can include or exclude either types of patterns.

If you specify both the include and exclude patterns, the include pattern is first processed followed by the exclude pattern.

If you specify both the include and exclude patterns, any excluded files or directories under the included directories would not be backed up. If the excluded directories are not found in any of the included directories, the exclude specification would have no effect.

Specifying unanchored patterns can degrade the performance of backups. It is recommended that you avoid unanchored patterns whenever possible.