BUE 2010: Can I share a changer between the BUE server and a NAS?

[davegold]

Hi,

I have a configuration with a BUE 2010 server that is connected (via FC) to a 2 drive autochanger with 100 slots.

We've been asked to add backups for an Isilon NAS using 2-way NDMP (NAS writes directly to tape)

I'd like to propose adding 2 drives and connecting the Isilon directly to the 2 new drives. This would allow a few useful things:

1. BUE server would continue to "own" the robot control. (The NAS wouldn't see the robot, just the 2 new tape drives)

2. Single partition would allow NAS backups to be copied using the tape drives owned by the BUE server.

3. All slots would be available for the BUE server and NAS, so we have flexibility on number of tapes assigned to each type of backup data--we don't really know how many tapes we'll need for the NAS at this point, and this would keep us from having to guess.

I'm just not sure if this is a valid configuration. While a tape library can be shared via SSO between BUE servers, I didn't find any info about sharing using NDMP (or the Linux Remote Agent that allows a Linux server to write directly to tape, for that matter) in that kind of configuration.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,

Dave

[Colin_Weaver]

Firstly is you NAS supporte bu our NDMP option as if it isn't you can't do it anyway.

Secondly if the NAS is supported then both the NAS and the media server have to be able to access the robotic control and share it. If the NAS cannot access the robot then the backup process will not be able to move the tape to the drive, similarly when you switch to backing up windows data, when the media server wants a tape it won't be able to move it without the robot control.

[sksujeet]

Are the drives also connected using the FC to the library ?

Is the library connected to SAN switch?

2 new drives will be connected to the library or will be connected to the NDMP box as stand alone drives

[teiva-boy]

Since you have an Isilon NAS, I would STRONGLY recommend you get the NAS accelerator head.  It contains FC ports so you can do a FC connected NDMP backup via FC.

However, I do not think Isilon is on the BE Compatability list.  You would have to move to NetBackup for this.  But then again, by doing that, you gain the ability to have faster backups than BE could ever achieve...

[davegold]

Great comments--thankfully we are on the same page.

We are using the Isilon Backup Accelerator to FC connect, and confirmed it is on the BE Compatibility list.

I do have to disagree about faster backups, at least for the NDMP backups. Overall--most certainly. Scalability--yes. But since the Isilon writes directly to tape using dump (or tar, or whatever it uses internally), BE has little to do with the speeds there.

Thanks for the comments!

-Dave

[davegold]

Hi,

Compatibility is all set, we confirmed that.

Even better, we have this in our lab for pre-testing.

You make a good point in stating that both the NAS and media server have to be able to access the robotic control and share it. I think this is my core question. That is not how NetBackup would be configured, and I don't understand why BE would require the NAS see the robot.

With NetBackup, only the NetBackup server would need to have access to the robot. I would configure a single changer with four drives--two of them owned  by the BE server and two of them owned by the NAS server.

I tested this in our lab, and what I'm seeing is that I can create the changer on the BE server (robot, 2 drives, 2 drives missing). I then configure the NAS drives, they show as stand along. I use the tape device wizard and drag the 2 NAS drives into the changer.

When I go to run a job (targeted at the NAS drives only), it starts, allocates the NAS drive...then deallocates it, allocates the second one. Then deallocates the second one, allocates the first. Repeat until I get tired and cancel the job.

I did set up the changer and drives to be fully owned by the Isilon, works fine. Same if fully owned by BE. The issue is only when I'm trying to share it.

Thanks for your thoughts.

-Dave

[davegold]

Hi,

Drives are FC to the Isilon direct, no SAN switch in this environment.

2 new drives will be part of the library, and I'd like to configure one library with 2 drives connected to BE and 2 drives connected to the Isilon.

Diagram:

Library--Robot--Drive1-Drive2-Drive3-Drive4

             BE       BE     BE     NAS   NAS

Thanks!

Dave

[teiva-boy]

NBU has some new multiplexing NDMP features over BE.  Not to mention, checkpoint restart if a job failed part way through.

In general BE was never designed to scale for larte Multi-TB backups.  NBU is better for that with multi-streams, and multi-plexing.  Not to mention more tweaking one can do for tuning buffers and such.  But for NDMP direct to tape in your case, it shouldn't be an issue. :)  

[davegold]

I'm with you, NBU is clearly a more suitable product where a true 3-tier architecture. But the end-user already has BUE and wants to continue using it.

We are doing 2-way (direct to tape) NDMP, so multiplexing onto tape isn't available, of course.