Network services configurations on NetBackup BMR Boot Server

[mandar_khanolka]

Network services configurations on NetBackup BMR Boot Server

For Network boot based recovery, NetBackup Bare Metal Restore (BMR) leverages OS specific NW boot protocols to boot client over BMR Boot Server and start recovery process.

Different NW services like PXE, bootp, DHCP, TFTP, etc would need to be setup on BMR Boot server for NW boot recovery depending on the type of operating system platform. Please follow below OS specific section for more details.

1. Common Unix Network Configuration:

The TFTP service must be available. On some OS, this service is commented out of the /etc/inetd.conf file. It must be uncommented and inetd needs to be refreshed for the BMR boot server to function.

The NFS service must be available and nfsd daemon must be running.

/etc/exports contain the filesystem entries which are exposed to other clients over NFS protocol. No /etc/exports configuration needs to be done manually; BMR adds and removes specific export permissions as required during recovery time.

If the boot server is used only to create local SRTs for media based recovery, then above network services are not required to be setup.

2. Redhat Enterprise Linux Network configuration

           The following system prerequisites apply only to Red Hat Linux systems:

• Install the following RPM packages (unless already installed):
  • compat-libstdc++
  • tftp-server
  • dhcp
• Enable the tftp service as follows:
  • Edit the /etc/xinetd.d/tftp file and change disable = yes to disable= no.
  • Start the service by running the following command:

/etc/init.d/xinetd restart

• Create a /etc/dhcpd.conf file and configure it to define the networks it serves.

You do not have to define host information; hosts are added and removed as needed by the BMR software. The following is an example configuration:

log-facility local7;

ddns-update-style none;

ignore unknown-clients;

subnet 10.10.5.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {

default-lease-time 600;

max-lease-time 7200;

option domain-name "example.com";

option broadcast-address 10.10.5.255;

option domain-name-servers 10.10.1.4,10.88.24.5;

option routers 10.10.5.1;

}

To verify the /etc/dhcpd.conf file syntax, restart the daemon and ensure

that it starts successfully by running the following command:

/etc/init.d/dhcpd restart

3. SUSE Linux Network configuration

            The following system prerequisites apply only to SUSE Linux systems:

• Install the following RPM packages (unless they are installed already):
  • nfs-utils
  • dhcp-base
  • dhcp-server
  • inetd
  • tftp
• Enable the tftp service by doing the following:
  • Edit the /etc/inetd.conf file and uncomment the tftp line.
  • Start the service by running the following command:

/etc/init.d/inetd restart

• Modify the /etc/dhcpd.conf file to define the networks it serves. You do not

have to define host information; hosts are added and removed as needed by

the Bare Metal Restore software. The following is an example configuration:

log-facility local7;

ddns-update-style none;

ignore unknown-clients;

subnet 10.10.5.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {

default-lease-time 600;

max-lease-time 7200;

option domain-name "example.com";

option broadcast-address 10.10.5.255;

option domain-name-servers 10.10.1.4,10.88.24.5;

option routers 10.10.5.1;

}

To verify the /etc/dhcpd.conf file syntax, restart the daemon and ensure

that it starts successfully by running:

/etc/init.d/dhcpd restart

Please note that DHCP server needs to be configured on Linux BMR Boot server. Any existing DHCP server in the network cannot be used for Linux BMR NW based boot recovery. It is recommended to shut down any other DHCP server while Linux client is NW booting over BMR Boot server. This requirement is due the way DHCP protocol works. In case client DHCP boot requests goes to the other DHCP server then NW boot recovery fails.

4. Solaris Network configuration

The network configuration boot strategy that is used in Oracle Solaris comprises TFTP, NFS and BOOTP OR Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) NW services.

TFTP and NFS services configuration is same as explained above.

NW Boot Service configuration for Solaris-11 version and onwards:

Both x64 and SPARC architecture platform requires DHCP service configuration which needs to be done on BMR Boot server.

A GUI based utility, dhcpmgr is required to configure DHCP server on Boot server. This is wizard based utility guiding the required setup steps.

Note: Please do not use dhcpconfig command-line utility to setup DHCP server in case of Solaris 11 and onwards. There are some IP lease time-line issues been observed with command-line usage.

NW Boot Service configuration for Solaris-10 version:

1. No specific DHCP configuration required on Solaris-10 SPARC architecture as BMR internally handles the required Network configurations on boot server while preparing the client for restore.

2. Solaris 10 x64 architecture requires DHCP and TFTP services configuration to be done on the boot server manually. Please follow below steps.

DHCP setup:

1. Run below “dhcpconfig” command to initialize dhcp:

dhcpconfig -D -r SUNWfiles -p /var/dhcp

2. Add network table entry.

pntadm -C <Network-IP>

E.g. : pntadm –C 10.209.4.0

3. Configure subnet/route details.

dhtadm -A -m <Network-IP>  -d < ':option=value:option=value:option=value:'>

E.g. dhtadm -A -m 10.209.4.0 -d ':Subnet=255.255.252.0'':Router=10.209.4.1'':DNSdmain="yourdomainname.com"'':DNSserv=10.216.16.101 10.217.160.131:'

4. Enable dhcp-server

svcadm -v enable dhcp-server

TFTP setup:

1. Create TFTP base dir.

mkdir /tftpboot

2. If the tftp entry is not present in /etc/inetd.conf, add the following line.

tftp dgram udp6 wait root /usr/sbin/in.tftpd in.tftpd -s /tftpboot

3. Import the config changes.

/usr/sbin/inetconv

4. Restart tftp.

svcs network/tftp/udp6

svcadm restart network/tftp/udp6

Note : For Solaris, BMR yet does not support Solaris WAN based boot protocol. Though in case of cross subnet NW based boot recovery is intended then Relay Boot server can be used. Please refer below tech-note for setting up Relay Boot server.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH92038

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH54765

5. HPUX and AIX NW configuration

Apart from common NW services configuration, please enable BOOTP service for both of these platforms.

Make sure TFTP, NFS and BOOTP services are running on your BMR BOOT server.

6. Windows Network configuration:

Windows BMR Boot server registration enables below three services.

• BMRBD (BMR BOOT server) service
• BMR TFTP Service
• BMR PXE Service

BMR TFTP and PXE services are used in case of NW based boot recovery. Apart from these services, DHCP service is also required.

1. DHCP service requirement

DHCP server can exist on the same Boot Server host or somewhere on the network.

2. BMR PXE and TFTP service requirement and configuration

Please make sure that there is no other PXE server running in the same subnet while BMR NW boot is happening. This restriction is more due to the way this NW protocol works. In case client NW boot request goes to un-intended PXE server then client NW boot fails. It does not re-direct the request to other valid PXE server in the network. Hence recommendation is to keep only valid BMR PXE service running while NW booting your client for BMR recovery.

Post BMR Boot server registration, please run BMR PXE Configuration Wizard available on Windows Boot server. This wizard can be located in Start->Program->NetBackup menu.

This wizard prompts user for DHCP server location. Depending upon your DHCP server location (either same Boot server machine or any other NW machine), the wizard prompts to run some netsh command-lines on your DHCP server. Please finish the wizard for successful PXE, TFTP and DHCP server configuration.

If the Windows boot server is to be installed on an Active Directory Server, let the legacy (DOS) restore method to share SRTs with restoring clients:

Set the following security settings as shown:

• Microsoft network server

Digitally signed communications (always) – Disabled

• Microsoft network server

Digitally signed communications (if client agrees) -- Enabled

Thanks.

Mandar Khanolkar

[katlamudi]

A demonstration video of "Configuring prerequisites for BMR Network based recovery" is available in symconnect at:

http://www.symantec.com/connect/videos/netbackup-bmr-network-based-recovery-prerequisites-and-configuration

thanks,

Katlamudi

[enguessan]

Hello,

did you have any procedure for booting solaris 11 using network instead of cdrom?

BR