Barracuda 850 Archive backup methods?

[Stanleyj]

Is anyone backing up a Barracuda 850 email archive appliance with Netbackup 7.5?  I cant seem to figure out a method to access the system to back it up and there documentation is providing no assistance.

Their method is to setup an SMB share on the Email appliance and then use 3rd party software to access the share and backup the files.

I've read about doing off host backups but the appliance share access is a local account on the appliance.  I can get to it from windows but Netbackup can resolve the local account.

 

[Mark_Solutions · Accepted solution]

It looks from the docs : http://techlib.barracuda.com/display/BMAV31/How+to+Back+Up+Your+Barracuda+Message+Archiver

that is uses a local account as you say which makes life difficult

One way to do this would be to set your media server to use a specific client service account (needs to be a local admin etc. so that it does not disrupt other backups it runs)

Then log into the media server using that account and map a drive to the share ensuring you use "reconnect at logon" and use different user. Set the user and make sure that the drive does get mapped and you can see the files to back up

Then logoff and log in as a normal user and re-start the client service - this effectively will make the client service map the drive (even though you cannot see it)

You should then be able to set you policy up ensuring the media server is the client and to back up its X drive (or which ever drive letter you selected to be mapped) and selecting to backup mapped drives on the policy attributes tab

This should work but restores may be a different matter!

Give it a try

[Stanleyj]

Mark, Thank you for the suggestions but my media server is an appliance. Would the same steps work for any windows machine?

[Stanleyj]

Mark, Thank you for the suggestions but my media server is an appliance. Would the same steps work for any windows machine?

[Mark_Solutions]

Yes - you could just use one of your Windows NetBackup clients to do the backup and mount it on there - it will pull the data over the network though

[Stanleyj]

Ii really appriciate the help but i cant seem to get this to work.

I created a local account on the macine, mapped the share to drive letter Z:\, Changed services to run as the local admin account

Logged off and back in as an AD account restarted the netbackup services.  Still no dice.

Netbackup does not see the mounted share.

[Mark_Solutions]

Just to confirm ...

You created that account and then logged in using that account when you mapped the drive?

Did you make the mapped drive persistent? (reconnect at next login)

Added the drive mapping using alternate credentials so that it could access the drive letter?

Confirmed that you could see the location OK when logged in as that account?

Ticked the "Backup Network Drives" box on the policy attributes tab.

What does the job log / bpbkar log on that client say?

[Stanleyj · Accepted solution]

the backup is working but not necessarily the way you discribed.

Mapped the share to drive letter Z:\, set to always reconnect using other credentials.

Created a mountpoint to a folder on C:\ "named same as share".

mklink /D "C:\Mail Archive SMB" \\mailarchive\BMA-SMB

Changed the Netbackup service account to run as a local admin.

I can now browse the folder from within my policy to select the files I want to backup.

I may have created a few more unnecessary steps but its working.  Mark thanks again buddy.  I wouldnt have been able to brainstorm this plan without your help.

[Mark_Solutions]

Good stuff - glad you got there - dont forget to close off the thread if you feel that you can using the "mark as solution" option to help others in the future

#edit#

The browse bit may be where you had the issue - the way i described it probably wouldnt have let you browse to it - but had you just typed Z:\ into the selection list it should have worked - glad you are sorted anyway.