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Data Migration

rova_nbu
Level 4


Hi All,

We like to migrate data from US to Canada. We like to rebuild the servers the servers from US to Canada. We have 20 servers backed up in US which we want to migrate to Canada by backup. We do backup of the servers using nb5220 7.5.0.7 V. We like to rebuild the servers in canada by importing the catalog in Canda. Please advise how can we achive this. What are the stpes we need to take to achieve this and how using the Netbacku catalog.

USA:

Existing setup: 7.5.0.7 runs on nb5220

IBMTS3310 library with LTO-5 tapes

Canada:

Existing setup: 7.7.2 runs on Windows 2012

IBMTS3310 library with LTO-5 tapes

Rebuild process:

We create a new servers in Canada and restore using Netbackup one by one:

C:drive, system state , reboot the server and local drives restore.

13 REPLIES 13

RiaanBadenhorst
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Hi,

Simplest method in this case is to ship the tapes to Canada and import them. NetBackup has functionality that can replicate data on appliance between domains called AIR, but you'll need to upgrade your 7.5 environment, and even then, AIR is more designed to start replicating from that point onwards. You can however replicate images from cli using the nbreplicate command. 

I suppose it depends on how much data you're talking about.

Ok. Thank you. Can I create new virtual machin with Linux platform in Canada. Install the 7.6.1.2 Master server package , then copy the Catalog via WAN , import it to new server from nb5220 ?. Is this possible ?. 

sdo
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Not possible within the parameters and constraints as described by you.  Normal customer actioned catalog recovery is only ever possible between the same NetBackup version, and only rarely also additionally sometimes across OS families of the same bitness.  All I can offer for your encouragement right now is that the concept "seems" that it "might" be viable if you were operating "perhaps" within a different set of constraints.

You cannot catalog recover from a catalog backup from an Appliance to a Windows server - never.  You cannot copy the raw catalog from Appliance to Windows either, it simply will not work.

One option might be to build a new empty SUSE EL 10 SP4 Linux VM in Canada, install NetBackup v7.5.0.7 and then try a catalog recovery.

.

There are some hints elsewhere in this forum that you might be able to restore a catalog:

...from:  Appliance v2.5.4, SUSE EL 10 SP4, NBU v7.5.0.7

...to:      own build VM,     RHEL v?.?,            NBU v7.5.0.7

...but I cannot vouch for it myself, and you will need to identify a supported version of RHEL.

.

I think Riaan's answer is the best answer because it presents the least risk to your backup data across all backup platforms - but like Riaan said, it depends upon the volume of data.

If you realy must do it via Catalog manipulation ascross OS families and NetBackup versions then you will need a Veritas Certified CatMan Specialist.  Contact your local reseller for more details.

sdo
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When making data centre moves... this is in fact the very time that you really might need your backups... what I mean is... when moving data centre is oddly the very time at which you do not want to be messing with the backup platforms, because it is likely that you going to need them.

If you build new in Canada now, take a tape over, import it... and then quantity how long that will take for the rest of the tapes.  And work backwards through the tapes, i.e. import the most recent tapes first, as these are the one you are most likely to need - and by the time you get half way through the imports then the oldest tapes will have most likely expired anyway.

sdo
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Are you planning to restore/recover the 20 business servers in Canada, or physically transport them?

Marianne
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Please lookup 'Recovery without import'. This is a pdf doc that describes how to perform a partial catalog recovery on a different master.
Take care that you add all moved tapes to a pool that will never be used for backup (eg RESTORE).
You need to ensure that all tape copies moved to new site are made primary. Otherwise restore on new site may want to restore from MSDP.

Thank you all for valuable suggestions. I got the idea to take full backups to tape and then ship the tapes to Canada. So I am not taking the catalog tape. Only the data tapes transferred. So I will import the tapes in Canada library and use it in Canada netbackup server to update these images in catalog. This option is available after 7 version irrespective of platform. My environment here again.

USA nb5220.
7.5.0.7
Ibm TS3310 with lto5
Maximum 2 lto5 tapes cover data to migrate


Canada windows 2012
7.7.2
Ibm ts3310 with Lto drives

I just need the confirmation about any compatibly issue. And commands import the data tapes in Canada and update the catalog.please advise.

sdo
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That sounds like a plan.  For tape import see:

Step-by-step procedure on how to import NetBackup backup images via the NetBackup Administration Console GUI.

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.TECH43584

.

For compatibility your problems might be:

i) Do you have LTO5 or LTO6 at the target site?

ii) Were the tapes encrypted at the sourcse site?

iii) If yes, then which type of encryption?   (dongle in a library, external third party Key Manager,  we know/believe that any tapes cannot have been encrypted with NetBackup KMS or NetBackup MSEO because were not supprted on early versions of appliances).

iv) Tapes written at the source site using a bigger/larger/longer SCSI block than is configred at the target site.  It is highly likely that the source site appliance is writing tapes with 256KB blocks.  If the target site read/import/restore NetBackup server has not had SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS configured to be 256KB then you might not be able to read the tape.

.

You cannot afford to have your igration weekend go wrong, so here's what I would do to test is beforehand...

...at source site:

1) create two 1GB sized files of random data

2) take an MD5 and SHA1 checksum of both files  (use the free MS tool named fciv for this)

3) backup just these two files to tape

4) ship tape to target site

...at target site:

5) import phase 1

6) import phase 2

7) restore two files

8) checksum two files at target site

9) compare checksums from source site with checksums at target site

sdo
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Next important questions:

10) For the "server" (i.e. backup client) restore at the target site, are you planning on NetBackup BMR based backup client (i.e. whole server) recovery, or will you be restoring whole virtual machines?

11) Are the 20 backup clients to be restored all of the same OS family and same OS versions?

12) Are there any databases running within the 20 backup clients to be retsored?  If yes then you will need to carefully consider, and I dare say practice, whole server and database recovery for these.

 

Ok , I will check and update you. The technote has not given any hint about the  netbackup version.  Please confirm if there is compatiblity issue NBU version. 

 

My Source location : NBU 7.5.0.7 V

My Destination location NBU 7.7.2

sdo
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Yes, NetBackup v7.7.2 on Windows can read tapes written by v2.5.4 Appliance (aka NetBackup v7.5.0.7) ... assuming of course that...

i) tapes are not encrypted, or that similar encryption is configured

ii) target read tape drive is LTO5 or LTO6 (nothing else will work)

iii) buffer sizes match

.

Actually being able to read tapes is one thing.  Actually being able to restore a whole working server, or twenty of them, is a completely different story.

I don't see any encrytiption enabled at library GUI level. I can see NA/Not encrypted at source side. I have LTO5 drives both source and target side, so I am good with it.  How can I see any encryption enabled at NBU level ?.

For restore , the plan is simple. Create a new server at target side and restore C and System state, then reboot server and retore other drives.

For linux, I am not sure complete server recovery steps. Please advise. 

sdo
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If you see tape pool name(s) beginning with "ENCR_" at the source site, then it is very likely that NetBackup KMS is in use.  For NetBackup MSEO, I do not know how to confirm whether this is in use or not, so hopefully someone else will confirm.  For NetBackup Client Encryption, you need to check to see whether "Encryption" is ticked/selected on backup policies.

Personally I would test that Windows OS recovery process first before you come to rely upon it during the actual migration.  Myself, I've never seen it work.

I myself would not advise any OS recovery restore overlay method, for Linux or Windows or Unix.  NetBackup BMR exists for a reason.