The Bare Metal Optimizer utility (bmopt) is useful when using the add-on bare metal product installed on the server. This option allows for the optimization of a system so that the bare metal backups perform at peak speed and size. This utility displays block-level statistics for all the volumes on NetWare Server. In a user friendly manner, it provides a facility to check and purge all deleted but not purged blocks on a volume.
Hence, reduce the size of bare metal backups to optimal size, if ran on all volumes prior to bare metal backups.
The available disk blocks on a NetWare server, at any given time, fall into two categories: free and purgeable blocks. The space consisting of free blocks do not contain any files. Purgeable blocks hold deleted files. A deleted file is not actually removed from the disk instantly, but merely marked as purgeable. The deleted file still occupies space on the volume and consumes directory entries. NetWare translates purgeable-blocks into free-blocks at a low priority. It runs a low priority task to scan all volumes, to purge the deleted blocks.
When a bare metal backup runs at block level it cannot differentiate between real blocks associated with existing files and purgeable blocks, resulting in large sized backups since the bare metal is backing up deleted files. The bmopt utility can be used to resolve this issue.
BMOPT displays a list of all non-admin volumes, and corresponding block-level statistics:
| • | No. of Available Blocks |
| • | No. of Purgeable Blocks |
| • | No. of Total Blocks on a server |
It can optimize the available space, and reflect the same in a corresponding volume’s block level statistics. Depending on the number of purgeable block on a volume, you can decide to run optimization on a volume.
Usage
LOAD SYS:\BP\BMOPT.NLM
To select a volume, use the Up and Down Arrow Keys and select Enter to begin. Any progressing optimization process can be canceled by selecting ESC. To exit the tool, select ESC.