2 Master Servers in one environment?

[kproehl]

Hey Everyone,

I would like to know if you can have 2 active media servers in one environment.  What I am trying to do it transaction from one master server to another.  I want to build a new master server and start a new catalog.  I will need my old master server around for at least a year to cover any old restores that could come my way.  Is this even possible to do?  I would worry that NetBackup might get confused having 2 master servers in my environment.

[kumar3]

Yes, it is possible. You can do it by creating a new master server and point media servers to new one.

Media servers will not get confused by doing this. I have already implemented this in one of environment where I did the same thing as mentioned by you.

[Marianne]

We have customers with more than two masters in one environment...

Do you have media servers in existing environment?
Will media servers move to new master?

Will old and new environment have own devices and media?
You will not be able to use same tape library and media in old and new environment.
 

[kproehl]

Yes i have 4 media servers and I was hoping that they could point to both master servers.  I did not know that i can't use the same tape library and media in the new and old environment.  That may actually cause a problem with my proposed plan.

[Amaan]

Yes you can have more than one master server, and if I am not mistaken you should have only one EMM server for all master servers.

[mph999]

Yes, technically, the limiting factor in a NBU environment is the EMM server.  There can only be one.

But a single EMM server can support multiple masters.

BUT.

I have never seen this done. (looks like Marianne has though ...)

This feature is either about to disappear, or did disappear at 7.5. (I believe).

A media server can only point to one master.

Martin

[Marianne]

Customers with multiple masters have EMM on each master.

Masters are on same company network, but belong to different business units. 
Each environment has own library, media sets, media servers, etc.
2 (or more) NBU environments run totally independent.

I have never seen 1 EMM server with multiple masters.

@kproehl - why do you want 'start new'?

Why not simply migrate NBU master to bigger, better hardware?

See:
Unix/Linux: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH77448

Windows: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH77447

[Zenshai]

Will old and new environment have own devices and media?
You will not be able to use same tape library and media in old and new environment.

This depends on your library vendor and model, but you might be able to split the library into two logical libraries and use the same library on both masters. This feature is available on most larger enterprise class libraries.

[kproehl]

We want to migrate our Master Server to new hardware.  Our Windows administrators are really push hard to have it be a new name and I know that really messes things up. I am trying to get around having to pay Symantec to come in and was hoping that i could spin up a new master server with a new library and then just slowly transaction things over to the new server.

[mph999]

"I have never seen 1 EMM server with multiple masters".

Neither have I, but it can be done, but I believe it is being withdrawn.

I think one of my colleagues has seen it, but only once.

M

[BTLOMS]

yes you can. there are many ways to do this and also to use the old tapes in your new environment.

[falti_manullang]

Yes you can, just becarefull with the hostname.