NetBackup 7.6 - Vault Extension, Technical Brief

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Vault Extension is an additional feature to NetBackup that automates selection and duplication of backup images and ejection of media for transfer to and from a separate, off-site storage facility. NetBackup Vault also generates reports to track the location and content of the media. Vault functionality does not have to be used only for disaster recovery – you can use Vault to manage the data and the media that you store off-site for regulatory archival purposes.

NetBackup Vault uses existing NetBackup functions for all operations, such as duplication of images, media control, reporting, and ejecting and injecting of tapes. Information from Vault is integrated with other NetBackup components and appears in the NetBackup Activity Monitor.

NetBackup Vault Extension should not be confused with Symantec Enterprise Vault which is Symantec’s Enterprise level archiving product.

Off-site data protection, or vaulting, is the strategy of sending critical data out of the main location (off the main site) as part of a disaster recovery plan. Data is usually transported off-site using removable storage tape in this instance. Sending backups off-site ensures systems and servers can be reloaded with the latest data in the event of a disaster, accidental error, or system crash. Sending backups off-site also ensures that there is a copy of pertinent data that isn’t stored on-site.

If you are backing up even moderate amounts of data and shipping tapes off-site on a daily basis then keeping track of copies of backup tapes, where they are located, when the backup took place, for how long they need to be retained and when they need to be over written or deleted can be a messy job. Indeed, just the process of understanding tape rotation can be challenging.

So, most companies will be using some sort of off-site storage for tape. But different types of data often are retained for different lengths of time. For example, you may want to vault your finance data for seven years and your customer data for 20 years. To do this, the off-site copy of your backups will have different retentions based on the type of data. Vault can process different types of data individually if your backups are organised based on the type of data being protected.

So, one of your most important choices is whether to send original or duplicate images off site. Vault distinguishes between original images and duplicate images. NetBackup creates original images during a backup job, including all of the copies that are created concurrently by a backup policy. NetBackup can create up to four copies of an image concurrently during the backup process; all are considered originals.

To read the full brief please download from the link below.