NetBackup 10.3+ Brings Modern Indexing to NAS Snapshots in DNAS Policies

Starting with NetBackup version 10.3, users can now perform file indexes of NAS volume snapshots for quicker and better recoveries. Using the new index from snapshot feature in DNAS policies, NetBackup indexes a snapshot by creating an image file for it in the NetBackup catalog. This allows the snapshot to be browsed and restored like a backup image as long as the snapshot is retained. 

 

The index from snapshot feature is based on NAS vendor change tracking (VCT). When VCT is enabled in a DNAS policy, NetBackup doesn't have to "walk" or traverse NAS filesystems like an old library card catalog. Instead, it accesses the change list provided by each supported NAS vendor's difference engine hosted on its storage array. The array is already tracking it's files, folders, and any changes to them. NetBackup only needs to get the list and build catalog information for the snapshot being used in a backup operation.

 

Once you have your conventional DNAS backups working, you're ready to enable the VCT feature. First, create a storage lifecycle policy (SLP) with a snapshot operation followed by an index from snapshot operation as shown here. This type of SLP defines the snapshots created for a policy calling this SLP as the target data storage to be indexed. 

 

 

Second, enable VCT in a D-NAS policy as shown here as part of all the other configuration you do for such a policy. Calling the SLP above without activating VCT in the policy using the SLP will not result in indexed snapshots.

 

 

Third, run the policy as a full to index all the files being protected by the policy. After that, run incrementals or fulls of the policy as desired. All of those backups will be just as easy to browse and restore as regular file backup images.

 

 

 

Please note the following requirements for using the indexing feature. NetBackup 10.3+ DNAS policies support VCT-enabled index backups for NetApp, Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon), Nutanix Files, and Qumulo NAS arrays. Note these also:

 

• The SLP operation must be Snapshot and Index from Snapshot only.

• DNAS Multi-Stream feature cannot be used with Indexing. The index job will have one stream only.

• VCT-enabled index backups are supported for the below arrays only: