Backup DMZ clients using clustered Master server with floating IP address

[Alun]

Hi,

We are shortly going to migrate our 7.5.0.6 Master server onto a Veritas Cluster, the Master server IP address is different depending on which data centre / cluster it is hosted in.

We have a number of DMZ clients (>60) which currently use local hosts files to resolve the names / IPs of the media servers and the master servers but this will obviously not work once the master server is clustered.

We are experimenting with DNS services being provided by firewall devices but it seems that Netbackup requests a client backup using a NETBIOS name rather than an FQDN, hence the client refuses the connection and the backup fails with error 58 (as below)

23/05/2014 12:11:25 - started process bpbrm (8784)
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Info bpbrm(pid=8784) connect failed STATUS (18) CONNECT_FAILED
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Info bpbrm(pid=8784)  status: FAILED, (42) CONNECT_REFUSED; system: (10060) Connection timed out.; FROM 0.0.0.0 TO CLIENT_NAME CLIENT_IPbpcd VIA pbx
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Info bpbrm(pid=8784)  status: FAILED, (42) CONNECT_REFUSED; system: (10060) Connection timed out.; FROM 0.0.0.0 TO CLIENT_NAME CLIENT_IPbpcd VIA vnetd
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Info bpbrm(pid=8784)  status: FAILED, (42) CONNECT_REFUSED; system: (10060) Connection timed out.; FROM 0.0.0.0 TO CLIENT_NAME CLIENT_IPbpcd
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Error bpbrm(pid=8784) Cannot connect to CLIENT_NAME
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Error bpbrm(pid=8784) cannot send mail to SMTPRECIPIENTS
23/05/2014 12:15:03 - Info bpbkar32(pid=0) done. status: 58: can't connect to client

Has anyone had experience of DMZ client backups in a similar configuration?

Thanks,

Alun.

[Nicolai]

The cluster service IP for Netbackup must be the same on both sides of the cluster.

Basically the service IP that makes up the master server must be able to switch from one node to the other freely.

From the cluster admin guide:

For failover master servers, the virtual server name is used as the name of the
master server. This virtual name is used for all media servers and clients that use
this master server

http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC6484 - Page 13

[Alun]

Hi Nicolai,

Understood but this is how our clustered environments are being setup, master server in cluster1 with HA failover to cluster2 at the other data centre, the recommended solution is to use automatic DNS updates within the cluster configurations and set our DMZ clients to use DNS rather than host files DNS resolution.

The issue is that the master server calls the client using its NETBIOS name rather than its FQDN and the client can't resolve this.

If I run bpclntcmd -hn masterserver.fqdn then I get name resolution.

If I run bpclntcmd -hn masterserver then name resolution fails.

I guess that I can change the master server properties to use its FQDN rather than its NETBIOSNAME but I'm worried that this will break something within our domain.

Thanks,

Alun.

[Bryan_L]

Hi Alun,

For the client, What is the configured name of the master server as far as netbackup is concerned. As seen in the Client Properties in the BAR Gui.

Try to add the short name in the host file for clients: i.e.

192.168.1.2 master.fqdn.com master

The IP Addresses can change. However, changing the Netbackup Master Server name is not a supported operation and would require you to engage Consulting Services. 

Thank you,

Bryan 

[Nicolai · Accepted solution]

Netbackup does not use Netbios - Netbackup uses a gethostbyname API to the OS. However Windows can and will return Netbios names becuased it enabled by default. Consider to disable Netbios over TCP/IP

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc940063.aspx