ALTPATH file clarification

[Steven_Moran]

May I use an ALTPATH.txt file to redirect the entire images directory (eg. .../netbackup/db/images/altpath.txt) , or must it be done per client subdirectory?

[Dodge]

If you want to allow all clients to perform redirected restore, you should add an empty NO.RESTRICTION file in the following path (Installation_Path/netbackup/db/altnames/NO.RESTRICTION), but, if you want to allow only one client to perform redirected restore, create "Client_Name" folder under the following path (Installation_Path/netbackup/db/altnames/Client_Name) where Client_Name is exactly the name of the required client then place the empty NO.RESTRICTION in it.

I hope this is clear now :p

[Steven_Moran]

Perhaps my purpose was unclear.  I was referring to moving the Image Catalog to a new location on a Windows Master Server.

[Dodge]

Moving the image databas is possible, just follow the following steps:

1-  Backup the catalog.

2-  Ensure that no jobs are running using the activity monitor.

3-  Stop the bprd & bpdbm using the services tab located in the activity monitor to avoid any database inconsistency and prevent any further jobs from running.

4-  Create a destination directory for each client, for example:- (E:\Netbackup_images/PC1), (E:\Netbackup_images/PC2)

5-  Create a file called ALTPATH in the image database directory of each client you wish to move its images, for example:- if you wanna move the images of the client called PC1, create a file called ALTPATH in the directory (C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\db\images\PC1), in the first line of the file, type the new path of the destination directory created in step 4 (E:\Netbackup_images/PC1), this should be the only entry written in the file.

6-  Move all the directories and files except the ALTPATH file located under each client directory to their new directory respectively.

7-  Add the new image directory paths (E:\Netbackup_images/PC1), (E:\Netbackup_images/PC2), etc.., to the Netbackup catalog backup configuration.

8-  Start the services that you have stopped in step 3.

[Steven_Moran]

I fail to understand why an ALTPATH file must be made per client.  If the ALTPATH concept works when applied at each client directory, why can't it work at the parent "netbackup\db\images" directory?

[Dodge]

It works on unix, but, to be honest, i didn't try it on windows :(

Logically speaking, it should work.

You can try it on a lab environment, keep me updated :)

[patrickkuah]

Yes, ALTPATH works in Windows as well...

For Unix, normally we will create a soft link to another filesytem for the images. In Windows, there is a "junction" utility which you can download from Microsoft to serve this purpose as well....

regards,

patrickkuah

[Dodge]

Hi P K,

We know that ALTPATH works on windows, what we mean is, can it be used in the whole image database level (c:\program files\veritas\netbackup\db\images\ALTPATH) or it must be used in client images level (c:\program files\veritas\netbackup\db\images\PC1\ALTPATH)

[patrickkuah]

C:\program files\veritas\netbackup\db\images\PC1\ALTPATH

Not at the DB level......