Backupexec 2010 NDMP limitations

[EMast]

Hi,

I have a question about Backup exec NDMP option. We have a tapelibrary attached with FC to a Netapp Fas2050. Currently we use Backupexec 2010 on a VM  to write the data on the Fas2050 to tape with NDMP. This works very good for our ESX VM's on the SAN. However we have installed some physical servers with their OS on DAS disks in those servers and their data on ISCSI disks on the FAS2050. Now we want to bring that data to tape also. If I use NDMP to backup the luns I only get a data.lun and I am unable to make a granular restore (logical since for the netapp it is only a data.lun file). And I can not backup the DAS disks now.  I can think of some solutions, create backup to disk folder on a VMDK on the san and install an agent on the physical servers for example but that has some drawbacks. What would be the best solution for this, are there possibilities to use NDMP?

Best regards,

Erik Mast

[Colin_Weaver]

As you stated you cannot get granular data out of a LUN using the NDMP option - this is because the NDMP backup process calls the NetApp APIs which can only request snapshot type backups. These backups see the LUN as a single file with no way to interrogate the data. This is a NetApp/NDMP limitation more than a Backup Exec one.

As such the best way to backup the data inside the LUN in a granular way is to do a remote agent backup of the server that access the data inside the LUN. If you want this data to be written to a (possibly shared)  SAN attached library then you would have to install a full media server inside the server that access the content of the LUN.

You B2D isea woudl also need a full media serevr anyway as remote agents cannot write to B2D. There is however an added complication in that flat file backups of B2D devices (which is what you would get if you store the B2D locations in an iSCSI LUN on the Netapp and then backup them up using the NDMP option ) should only be done if you can also backup the BEDB at the same time and in the event of restore, restore both the bedb and the flat files - if you only restore the flat files from the B2D you will get consistency problems between the content of the BEDB and the file system which will make restores very difficult.

Oh and although it does kind of work don't try to target the backup job of Windows based data via the remote agent to a library attached to the NetApp as an NDMP 3-Way - We don't support this configuration and if you try it you will see a massive performance degradation issue.

[EMast]

Hi Collin,

Thank you for your response, I understand it is a limitation of NDMP not backupexec. Is is an option to install a FC switch and connect  the library to it (HP MSL 2024 FC) and install a physical backupexec server with a FC HBA that also connects to the FC switch and connect the library also to the Netapp over FC. So that we create a situation where the backupexec server can connect to the NDMP host (FAS2050) and to the library so we can backup using NDMP and also backup to the MSL 2024 over FC network (using an agent)? Would this be supported?

Best regards,

Erik Mast

[Colin_Weaver · Accepted solution]

Yes you can - we do support sharing a library between a Backup Exec Media Server and a NetApp Filer in the way you describe - you might need some licensing requirements (i.e. a Library Expansion Option License and/or an SSO License) suggest you speak to the sales/licensing part of our custoemr care operation to clarify that.

For LUN's connected to remote servers there will then be some LAN traffic unless you attach all the remote servers that have LUNs to the Fiber Channel as well and install media aservers on all of them - at which point CASO might also be an option to manage all the jobs.