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amoramo's avatar
amoramo
Level 4
10 years ago

NFS mount point on NetBackup 5230 Appliance

Hi Team,

Please I need your expert advise on this solution:

Customer has proposed implementing backup solution via NFS; this solution is based on having the centralized server IPs & file path where to send the backups to.

We currently have Symantec NetBackup 5230 Appliance installed in this customer datacenter.

Question: Will NetBackup 5230 Appliance support mount points from network file systems (NFS). This will enable customer backup their network file system data to the central storage location, which is on the NBU appliance.

Thanks in advance,

Felix

 

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  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    10 years ago

    Apologes, I didn't mean to imply that using an appliance as an an NFS client, and therefore as a backup client, will not work - just that it might not be supported.

    Does anyone know the official line on this?

    Certainly the appliance has the ability, via CLIsh functions/commands, to mount NFS exports from other NFS servers, and so yes, you could then backup these mount points.

    manage

mountpoints

mount srv-target:/export-name /mnt/remote/srv-target-export-name nfs

return

    ...and then you should be able to create a backup policy, with the client as the appliance, and a backup selection of /mnt/remote/srv-target-export-name.  I think the trick with this will be to ensure that every mount-point name is unique on the appliance, i.e. hence a long 'mount point' name of '/srv-target-export-name' - so that if you have exports of the same name on different NFS servers, then you can still have unique 'mount point' names on the appliance.

    I'd certainly do some extensive backup and restore testing.  I think restore testing would be critical here (permissions/ownerships/ACLs).  And your test data would be need to be large enough (say a minimum of 10GB) to give you enough time to use the CLIsh monitor network function to check which ethN/bondN interfaces were/are actually being used by the NFS reads/writes - i.e. to be sure that your bulk data traffic is flowing over your main (10Gb?) data ports, and not via perhaps smaller (1Gb) management port.

  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Hi cruisen - this was a solved thread re NFS on appliances.  I think you need to post a new thread re your NDMP question - with a bit more detail about your config and what it is you would like to achieve.  And, in your new thread, please also include a link to chashock's thread.

  • cruisen's avatar
    cruisen
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    WOW, good stuff. My question would be, when the NDMP host allows incremental backups is there still a benefit in using Accelerator vs NDMP type of backup as dicribed by chashock. Can we have more information about this.

    Best regards,

    Cruisen

  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Thanks for confirming - and explaining the benefit of being able to use 'accelerator'.

  • chashock's avatar
    chashock
    Level 6
    10 years ago

    Mounting NFS exports TO the appliance and having it act as the client for backing up those NFS filesystems is supported (which is why the mount function is in the CLISH).  This can be used to backup large NFS shares with Accelerator rather than NDMP, for example.

    What is not supported is to export NFS file systems FROM the appliance to have systems do dumps onto the appliance storage directly.  

  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Yes, I think this statement is true:

    "In summary, NetBackup appliance does not support NFS mount points backup to NBU appliance."

    .

    Of course an appliance can export NFS, and indeed it does, especially when 'opening' shares/exports for binary uploads, and/or log file collection... BUT, the CLIsh doesn't appear to have a standard way of exporting any of its storage in the manner of behaving as an NFS server so that other NFS clients can write/save/copy/backup to an export presented out by the appliance.

    .

    The thing with appliances is... If a function/feature is possible from the CLIsh then I think it is fair, and is reasonable, to assume that any configuration based on CLIsh control is a supported configuration.  The lesson many have learnt is to not drop down to the root shell and begin to re-configure/tweak any part of the Linux OS.  We need to remember that the CLIsh is very specific to the O/S implementation, and so any tweaks, no matter how trivial/minor an expert Linux administrator might consider them to be, effectively breaks support.  This is just something that we are not entitled (in support terms) to do.  Of course when we purchase an appliance, we own it, and so it's completely up to the customer to do as they see fit.  But, if you go under the hood and fiddle and break it, then Symantec are fully entitled to not support you, and walk away.

    .

    And, so, because you are using CLIsh commands/functionality to use the appliance as an NFS client and thus 'mount' exports from other NFS servers/storage (NAS?) then, to my mind, this would seem to be a supported configuration - but don't take my word for it.  If your data protection is critical to the success of your business, and it usually is,... then it's probably best to check back with the vendor, and ask them for a formal statement regarding the supportability of your configuration.

    HTH.

  • amoramo's avatar
    amoramo
    Level 4
    10 years ago

    Hi sdo,

    Your explanation is great, I think I will give it a trial. If it works find, if it does not work no problem.

    In summary, NetBackup appliance does not support NFS mount points backup to NBU appliance.

    Thank you once again.

    Regards,

    Felix

  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Apologes, I didn't mean to imply that using an appliance as an an NFS client, and therefore as a backup client, will not work - just that it might not be supported.

    Does anyone know the official line on this?

    Certainly the appliance has the ability, via CLIsh functions/commands, to mount NFS exports from other NFS servers, and so yes, you could then backup these mount points.

    manage

mountpoints

mount srv-target:/export-name /mnt/remote/srv-target-export-name nfs

return

    ...and then you should be able to create a backup policy, with the client as the appliance, and a backup selection of /mnt/remote/srv-target-export-name.  I think the trick with this will be to ensure that every mount-point name is unique on the appliance, i.e. hence a long 'mount point' name of '/srv-target-export-name' - so that if you have exports of the same name on different NFS servers, then you can still have unique 'mount point' names on the appliance.

    I'd certainly do some extensive backup and restore testing.  I think restore testing would be critical here (permissions/ownerships/ACLs).  And your test data would be need to be large enough (say a minimum of 10GB) to give you enough time to use the CLIsh monitor network function to check which ethN/bondN interfaces were/are actually being used by the NFS reads/writes - i.e. to be sure that your bulk data traffic is flowing over your main (10Gb?) data ports, and not via perhaps smaller (1Gb) management port.

  • amoramo's avatar
    amoramo
    Level 4
    10 years ago

    Hi sdo,

    I am not exporting NFS from the appliance. I want to create a mount points for the NFS filesystems to be backed up on the appliance, so that henceforth, all NFS backup jobs will be directed and store on the nbu appliance.

    Please will this configuration be possible? from your comment earlier is like it won't work.

    Thank you,

    Felix

  • amoramo's avatar
    amoramo
    Level 4
    10 years ago

    Hi Cruisen,

    Thank you for your comment, the filesystem to be backed up are NFS filesystems, now customer wants to backup these nfs filesystems mount points to the NetBackup appliance i.e on the NetBackup appliance, I will need to create a mount points for the nfs filesystems, so in this way all nfs backup jobs will be store in the appliance. Sorry, I don't know if you understand me now.

    Thanks once again for your support.

    Regard,

    Felix

  • sdo's avatar
    sdo
    Moderator
    10 years ago

    Felix, are you wanting to 'export' NFS from an appliance - and have other NFS clients write to the appliance storage?  I've never heard of this, and I very much doubt whether it is 'supported'.

    Or, are you wanting to use the appliance as an NFS client, and have the appliance utilise NFS storage (i.e. exports on other servers / NAS) as target storage for backups?  Again, never heard of this, and, again I doubt whether it is a supported configuration.

    An appliance is an island.  It can replicate to other islands, but at the end of the day, it's still just an island - it's its own boss of its own appliance based world.