Backing up a Microsoft Failover cluster resource

[TooManyAlans]

Hi,

I have a couple of questions about running Backup Exec 2010 with a Microsoft Windows 2008 Failover Cluster.

If I can explain our setup first.  We have four servers that are joined to a domain and they’re all running Windows 2008 R2.  There is a Dell iSCSI SAN that provides the shared storage.  Let’s call the Windows servers F1, C1, C2 and B1.

• F1 is a file server.  Nothing special.
• C1 and C2 are nodes in the Failover cluster.  They are running a couple of applications on the cluster:

1. IIS which uses a cluster disk called U
2. SQL  Server which has two cluster disks; F and X

• B1 has Backup Exec 2010 installed on it.

Each machine has a network connection for corporate traffic and a network connection for the backup network.  The CORP network subnet is 182.14.190.0/24.  The BACKUP network is 182.14.6.0/24.

The IIS service has an IP address on the CORP network, say 182.14.190.200, and an IP address on the BACKUP network, say 182.14.6.210.  The SQL server is setup in a similar fashion – 182.14.190.230 for CORP and 182.14.6.240 for BACKUP.

We’ve pushed the Windows Remote Agent out to all machines from B1.  We are able to perform (from B1) backups of the F1 server without problem over the backup network (setting the network interface in the job properties screen).  Our problem comes when attempting to backup the cluster resources on the clustered services.  We are able to see the clustered disks U, F and X under the cluster names, and we’re able to select them for backup.  The problem is that when we run the job using only the backup network we get a message that says the machines may not be on the same subnet.  They are.  If we allow the backup to run over any available interface then the job does run without problem.

Given this, and my lack of experience with Backup Exec, I thought that it may be that the agent was not bound to correct IP address, but the fact that F1 seems to backup ok seems to go against this.

So, like I said, I have a couple of questions.

1.  Does anyone know why we are not able to backup the cluster resources over the backup network, but we are over the corporate network?
2. Is this even the way that we should be backing up the disks?

If the answer to question 2 is that we should be doing something else I suspect that I won’t be able to change it.  I’m told that the design has been fixed and that the cluster resources must be backed up via the cluster, however it’d be useful to know how it should be done.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for any answers that you can give.

-Alan  

[Siddh]

are you able to ping and telnet from backup exec server to cluster name server??

telnet port 10000

is name resolution is happening as this are the two diffrant subnets. try with adding hostname, IP in host file.

are they in same domain ???

also check this document: http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH37569

http://support.veritas.com/docs/274285
 

- Check the option selected under Network and Firewall tab under Tools > Options. Try using "any available network adapter"
 

[Siddh]

one more thing make sure that you have installed the BE agent on both the node of cluster and you are selecting cluster server resources for backup in selection list

[CraigV]

Hi siddh,

In BE you can select which network to use in order to backup over.

If you have a second NIC in your backup server with an IP address in your backup VLAN range, it would simply be a case of selecting that NIC.

Tools --> Options --> Network and Security...look under Network Interface --> Interface, and choose the NIC you use for your backup VLAN. Once done, choose your subnet which will be your 182.14.6.0/24 network.

Please post back and see if that has helped you!

[TooManyAlans]

All servers are part of the same domain, and there are host file entries for all the servers (and cluster applications) using their BACKUP network IP address.

The IIS cluster application has a cluster network name of IIS_Service, and it has an IP address associated with it on the BACKUP network; 182.14.6.210

The SQL cluster application has a cluster network name of SQL_Service and it has an IP address associated with it on the BACKUP network; 182.14.6.240

From the B1 Backup server I am able to ping 182.14.6.210 and 182.14.6. 240.  I am also able to telnet to these IP addresses on port 10000.  The names resolve properly from the Backup server.

The Remote Agent for Windows is installed on both C1 and C2.  Both are configured to report to the backup server (using its BACKUP IP address).  They have automatically picked up the names of the systems to report back; i.e. C1, IIS_Service and SQL_Service on the C1 node, C2, IIS_Service and SQL_Service on the C2 node.

When I setup the job I am able to browse to the name of the cluster resource and select the clustered drive.

As I said above, if I choose “Any available network” from the job options then the job completes, but not if I choose the BACKUP network – it says that the machine “may not be on the same subnet”  even though it is.  I guess this means that the backup job is able to run over the CORP network.

Still stuck :(