DXI path to tape NDMP restores

[steve75]

Hi All,

I have a configuration whereby netbackup backs up to a Quantum DXI disk pool and then path to tape backups (NDMP) through the DXI to an i6k for tape archiving.

My plan is to remove the i6k from the DXI and connect it to a newly added NBU appliance and then use it as an STU. Problem is how to restore my NDMP tape backups once I have removed the lib from the DXI. If I duplicated the images on tape back to the DXI and then duplicated these to a tape drive configured as a normal STU (i.e. not NDMP, would I then get a non NDMP backup format which I could restore independent of the DXI.

Thanks in advance

Steve

[SymTerry]

NDMP local writes in a different format to tape. So yes, you would want to duplicate the images to a non ndmp storage unit.

[Marianne]

Why not zone tape drives to DXi and Appliance and config drives as shared?

DXi Direct copy is perfectly supported in SSO environment.

[steve75]

Thanks for your response. So just to clarify. The backup stream from the media servers to the disk storage unit on the DXi is non NDMP. Only the tape drives are configured as NDMP targets from the DXi (path to tape). Duplicating the images from the tapes which are in NDMP format back onto the DXi will convert the image back to non NDMP. Is this correct?

Cheers

Steve

[steve75]

Thanks for your response Marianne. Our problem is that the DXi is hugely expensive and I am not comfortable locking ourselves into a configuration whereby we are tied to the DXi and have to continue to pay support costs to be in a posistion to restore the NDMP tape images. What about this:

1. Zone the i6k tape drives to the appliance and configure as a normal STU (shared with DXi direct copy)

2. Duplicate the images from tape (NDMP) onto the DXi (non-NDMP)

3. Duplicate from the DXi onto the newly configured tape STU on the appliance

4. Now have images on tape in non-NDMP format

5. Now not locked into DXi

Cheers

Steve

[Gautier_Leblanc · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Have you tried to restore data without use the DXi ? 

If you used you DXi with OST protocol, I think that NetBackup will be able to restore data without the DXi, because NDMP is just a mean to communicate between DXi and NetBackup, but I think that DXi use stantard NetBackup file format (it is just a duplication, not a backup).

Regards.

[steve75]

Hi Gautier,

Ok, I think I follow you. So because the path to tape (direct to tape) task from the DXi to the i6k tape drive is a duplication and not an actual backup job, it will keep the same format on the tape and not convert to NDMP. This will allow us to restore the data direct from tape as it is in normal netbackup tar format. Is this correct

Thanks

Steve

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

My understanding is the same as Gautier's.

Should be easy enough to test?
Try to change image ownership of one tape to Appliance media server and see what happens when you perform small test restore.

[steve75]

Thanks Gautier and Marianne, I will test this

Cheers

Steve