Fastest way to recover master server

[maxsven]

Netbackup env. 7.6 (One Netbackup domain)

Master server runs as a VM and gets backed up daily incremental and weekly full via VMWare type policy.

4 Media servers all physical

What is the best option to protect against the loss of the master server and recover it as quickly as possible? (eg: if it gets corrupted and cant be powered on)?

Notes:If the master server gets replicated at the storage or VMWare layer to another site, it could mean that the curruption would also get replicated.

Thoughts?

[Marianne]

A VMware backup will not help as you need the catalogs on the master server to know about the VMware backups.

You need to backup the master server catalogs on a regular basis, same as for a physical master. 

To recover the master, you need to install OS, install and patch NBU, then recover catalog.

[maxsven]

Thanks,

Do you have a good refence for catalogue backup and restore? best practices...etc?

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi,

There are two components you have to address.

Getting the operating system back, getting the catalogs back. The operating system can be reinstalled, reverted from a snapshot, what ever you want. After you've restored the OS (and Netbackup binaries) you have to address the recovery of the catalog. This would be done using the catalog backup.

Good way to ensure you're not down for X hours after a failure of your master server would be to cluster it. This is valid in both physical and virtual scenarios. Assuming the corruption was only on the OS and not the catalog you'll be online in minutes. And if there was, you'll be in a position to recover the catalog quicker.

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

2 Manuals: 

NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I  
Chapter 22:
Protecting the NetBackup catalog

NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide   
Chapter 8:
Disaster recovery

About getting NBU master back in shortest possible time, read through these manuals:

NetBackup Clustered Master Server Administrator's Guide   

NetBackup in Highly Available Environments Administrator's Guide