How to change the default VSP save location on clients

Read this technote:

Explanation of what happens when the VERITAS Volume Snapshot Provider tries to create a cache file that is larger than the available disk space on the volume.
http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/264455.htm

Bob, thank you for your response.

I am aware that the VSP will calculate a safe size before creating itself, although after it decides its going to be x size, SQL then decides its going to put data also there and does not calculate and fills up the drive. SQL will do this nightly because of a job we run so I was hoping to remove the VSP file from the root of the C drive and simply have NBU create this file on another volume such as the D drive.

Is there a way in the registry, like with the old backup exec, or anywhere to change where NBU decides to create the VSP file?

Not sure about a "hack" method of doing it, but in the Client Properties under "Windows Client-->VSP" you can set the voumes where NetBackup prefers to put the VSP cache files as well as setting up exclusions where NBU won't use VSP (i.e. no snapshot will be taken). Will that work for your situation?

Lance,

Thank you for the post. I will give this a try. For some reason I was under the impression that that option was to decide which volumes would be cached, instead of where it would save the cache. I am new at this and appreciate your guidance. I will give this a try tonight. Thank you!

hack if you want to:

When using VERITAS Snapshot Provider with a UNIX master, it is often necessary to make the changes directly to the client without using the Java GUI. This was generally done by changing the client registry settings. With the release of VERITAS NetBackup Enterprise Server (tm) 5.0, not all of these settings are kept in the registry.
http://seer.support.veritas.com/docs/266511.htm

Details:
In the past, these registry entries were changed:

VSP_Cache_Size_Init = 0 Initial cache size
VSP_Cache_Size_Max =0 Maximum cache size
VSP_Error_Control = 2 (REG_DWORD) click Retry in the error control box(leave at 0 if an Exchange backup)
VSP_Current = YES (no = global) (REG_SZ) Snapshot - individual drive snapshots
VSP_Use : REG_SZ: YES (no is disable) Enable VSP during backups (when checked)
VSP_CacheVols = (Drive letter) (REG_SZ) Preferred location of snapshot.
VSP_Exclude = (Drive letter) Volumes to be excluded from being snapped or used for cache file location

These were located in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\software\Veritas\Netbackup\currentversion\config.


With NetBackup Enterprise 5.0, only these are changed from the registry:

VSP_CacheVols = (Drive letter) (REG_SZ) Preferred location of snapshot.
VSP_Cache_Size_Init = 0 (REG_DWORD) Initial cache size
VSP_Cache_Size_Max =0 (REG_DWORD) Maximum cache size
VSP_Exclude = (Drive letter) Volumes to be excluded from being snapped or used for cache file location

The following are set using the bpclient command:
WOFB Enabled: yes
WOFB FIM: VSP
WOFB Usage: Individual Drive Snapshot
WOFB Error Control: Disable and Continue

Here is syntax of the command:
C:\PROGRA~1\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\admincmd>bpclient -?
bpclient: unrecognized option -?
USAGE: bpclient -All
bpclient -client client_name
-l|-L|-H|-FI
bpclient -client client_name
-add|-delete|-update

For -add and -update the options are:
-connect_nr_port <0=no, 1=yes>
-no_callback <0=no, 1=yes>
-dynamic_address <0=no, 1=yes>
-free_browse <0=allow, 1=deny, 2=use>
-list_restore <0=not specified, 1=allow both,
2=allow list only, 3=deny both>
-max_jobs <1-99>
-current_hostname
-current_ip_addr
-current_host host_name|:ip_address
-WOFB_enabled <0=WOFB disabled, 1=WOFB_enabled>
-WOFB_FIM <0=VSP, 1=VSS>
-WOFB_usage <0=Individual Drive Snapshot, 1=Global Drive Snapshot>
-WOFB_error <0=Abort Backup on Error, 1=Disable & Continue>


This can be viewed in the \veritas\netbackup\db\client\\HOST_INFO:
Example:
CONNECT_NON_RES_PORT 0
DYNAMIC_ADDRESS 0
FREE_BROWSE 0
LIST_RESTORE 0
MAX_JOBS_THIS_CLIENT 0
NO_CALLBACK 0
WOFB_ENABLED 1
WOFB_FIM 0
WOFB_USAGE 0
WOFB_ERROR 0