cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

BE 2012 and Data Domain w/ DDBoost

CRoth2
Level 3

Background:  So we have Backup Exec 2012 and two Data Domain DD620's.  We have all the required licensing including the Data Domain DD Boost and replication licenses.  I have installed the Open Storage Technology (OST) plugin 2.5.0.3 as suggested for the version of BE.  Both DD boxes are visable and connected to my BE server.  I have foud some documentation and a video that explains some of what I am looking for but not entirely and most of it is for BE2010.  The BE 2012 documentation from DD is not up to date yet.  I am trying to setup backups as my tape drive has had enough and is not working properly.  Anyone I have talked to just says you backup to it, then I continue finding little things that need to be done.  No verify, no precompression, some said no deduplication in the job, other said server side dedupe because DDBoost manages it with OST plugin.  Too much information and not enough people knowing what to tell me.  The DD weekend support guys don't know the software titles they just know the hardware.  I need help now unfortunately...

Question:  What settings do I use for Backups?  I have Active Directory, Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL agents.  

 

32 REPLIES 32

Ichris
Level 3

Teiva-Boy - Thank you. With your comments and with Symantec Support Help, my backups with deduplication now works.

By installing the EMC DD630 associated OST client ON the servers I'm backing up, initiating a BE2012 client update on my 2003 and 2008 R2 servers, removing associated shared direct storage from the CASO and MMS servers, re-adding the associated direct stoage to the CASE and MMS servers, restarting the BE2012 services on both the CASE and MMS servers, restarting the client services on the servers being backup, I am now able to run client deduplication (2003 and 2008 R2 Serves) to EMC DD630 with significant speeds.

Thank you!

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

...I marked this as the solution, but for interest's sake, what are your speeds now?

CRoth2
Level 3

I'd appreciate the time to test his suggestion before a post be marked as solution.  I am going to try installing the OST on the client.

CraigV
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited

...sorry, it slipped my mind you were the OP! Solution removed!

CRoth2
Level 3

Thanks.  I just don't want people to stop looking at this when I haven't confirmed it working.  In aditiona it seems the poster above did a ton of removes and installs.  Seems to me that not all of them should be necessary.  Especially removing the DD from the Media server (if I read that correctly), that seems beyond necessary, but maybe it is.  I want to methodically try things one at a time.

The below document all seem to be for 2010:

This document says, "The remote computer must be configured as a Remote Agent for Deduplication."  
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23347

This document gives the general overall how to:   
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23346#v26143081

This document gives instructions for Configuring a remote agent for deduplication
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO23345#v26143099

Just found a start for where i can look for 2012 deduplication setup.  Going to try suggestions given in this thread while following the Tech docs.  I'll try and provide a minimal list of things that actually need to be done.
http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=HOWTO73694

Ichris
Level 3

CRoth2 - I agree with you - I listed a lot of steps to getting the BE2012 client deduplication to work, and it should not be this way. I have look extensively for why it didn't work for me, but there just isn't the documentation out there to defined the grey areas. There is a lot of documentation pointing to BE 2010, but things look drastically different. If you can find a way to make this process easier, your insights would be appreciated. Please post what steps you come up with, so we can all benefit from what you learn. Thank you.

CraigV - I'll note my backup speeds have a few more days of testing.

CRoth2
Level 3

I have been working with Symantec Advanced Support team for Deduplication.  They said the process should look like:

  1. Load OST plugin on the remote server to be backed up
  2. Reboot the server after installation, required for the RAD (forget what stands for) to connect properly
  3. Change the job from server based dedupe to client based dedupe.  When on client dedupe you'll see two additonal options "Direct access properties" and "Direct access sharing"
  4. Likely requires media server BE services restart (said so in bottom left corner of BE console and in the "Direct access sharing")
  5. On "Direct access properties" I used "System Logon Account" (when using "ddboost" user it failed)
  6. Ran job and worked.

Both I have got working are Windows 2003 R2 SP2 servers.  I am going to try some of my 2008 R2 SP1 servers.

Note:  You can tell if things are working by going to the DD box web interface Data Management -> DD Boost -> Activities and view the server names that have connected.

Ichris
Level 3

CRoth2 -

Thank you for the steps you documented. I haven't had a chance to follow these steps, but they seem cleaner. I'm still looking into my next comment - but with Client-Side deduplication I'm seeing job rates between 2100-2600 MB/min and our HP ProCurve 2810G-48 processing at 10%-15%, in comparison to Server-Side processing of job rates of 3800-6000 MB/min and our HP ProCurve 2810G-48 processing between 85% -98% - with unacceptable side effects on the network.

These jobs rates look to be pretty consistent between backing up (with Client-Side Deduplication) a 2003 Exchange server (4GB memory/2x 2.4GHz processors) and 2008 R2 AD Server (24GB/8-Core 2.4GHz) to a EMC DD630; BE2012 Servers Specs (Caso/MMS) are16GB/2xE5620 2.4GHz processors).

Thank you for the work you're putting into researching this, and please updates us with anything else you find out.

Ichris

CRoth2
Level 3

Same process worked on one of my 2008 R2 SP1.  Need to try som more.

CRoth2
Level 3

I have not added any others yet as I am troubleshooting one annoying one that won't cooperate.  Hopefully I can confirm this works for others.  Can anyone else confirm the process listed is working for them?

Riaz
Level 3

Hi

DD's come with built in de duplication technology. So I believe you dont have to worry about the de duplication stuff. You can look at the Pre Compression & Post Compression rate to find how much de duplication has occured.

DD Boost offloads a part of de duplication process to the Backup Exec server. Means less data will have to flow through the network from Backup Exec server to the DD device. Results in increased speed and less bandwidth utilization.

Most importantly, I have read somewhere that you have to rely on the de duplication technic either on the DD side or on symantec side. Meaning you should not use de dupe feature from both.

 

Regarding verification, i am also stuck with the verification taking long time to complete. I am still looking for a solution. If anything comes up I shall let you know. According to DD support, DD is more optimized to write than read. So reading takes some time. And so verification does. Not very easy to digest.


Thanks


Riaz

Ichris
Level 3

Clarification of above steps - Enabling Client-Side Deduplication to a EMC DataDomain:

  1. Install the appropriate DataDomain OST client ON the servers (physical servers) to be backed up.
  2. Initiating a BE2012 client update on my 2003 and 2008 R2 servers, reboot.
  3. Removing the associated shared direct storage from the CASO and MMS servers (go to Backup and Restore, select server being worked on, click on details, Direct Access Sharing, uncheck servers from storage units, apply).
  4. Re-add the associated direct storage to the CASE and MMS servers (undo step 3)
  5. Restart the BE2012 services on both the CASE and MMS servers (for me – I restart CASE first, then MMS to it can confirm its services with CASA)
  6. Restart the client services on the servers being backup (Service: Backup Exec Remote Agent for Windows)
  7. Now I am able to run client deduplication (2003 and 2008 R2 Serves) to EMC DD630 with significant speeds.

Ichris

 

Ichris
Level 3

Riaz - If you install the deduplication client on the client, the deduplication process is completed from the client, and data is sent from the client to the EMC DD's - the Symantec Backup Exec CASO only has to keep track of the record keeping. IF you do it this way - your network switches will not be pushed to their switching capacity, and your Backup Servers are free to do other tasks. Please note - if you don't use client side deduplication - you're correct, data between the Backup Exec servers and the DD's is less, BUT the data from your client to your Backup Exec is 1-to-1, it's hasn't been processed, everything gets transfered over to your Backup Exec server for processing.

In regards to Microsoft Exchange - I read posting from both sides - server side vs client side deduplcation. I run client side deduplication and it works well.

In regards to Micrsoft SQL 2000 Enterprise and Microsoft 2005 Enterprize, client side deduplication works well.