How to integrate Netapp Snapdrive VSS hardware provider in Netbackup 7.7.3 (Hyper-v snap backup)

[stucci]

Hi all guys,

we need to know if someone have experiencing to use Netbackup with an hardware VSS provider insted the Microsoft Software VSS provider. All the tech notes that I read says that the Hardware provider improve the performance, but I am pretty dubbious, I ask to Net App (our VM Hyper-v are on storage NetApp) and they answer me that it is necessary to install SnapDrive on each cluster nodes and this software will menage the snapshot.

My question is, but the software it will called by Netbackup ? there are particular configurations ?? the snapshot is a "storage snapshot" ???

thank you

[Thiago_Ribeiro]

Hi @stucci

I have no a lot of knowledge about it, but I'll try to help you..

So, If I understood correctly, you want to make NetApp backup but you have doubts about performance right?

I found some documents can you see if one of them can help you?

What is SnapDrive ?

Snapdrive is a automate storage-provisioning tasks and simplify the process of taking host-consistent Snapshot copies of data.
It is a wizard-based approach to map, manage, and migrate data between new and existing storage resources.
Can add more storage as needed to the physical and virtual environments and eliminate the need to preallocate storage resources based on forecasted demand.
NetApp SnapDrive is tightly integrated with the Microsoft NTFS file system and provides a layer of abstraction between application data and physical storage associated with that data.

• Advanced Storage Virtualization: storage managed by SnapDrive logically appears to come from a locally attached storage subsystem
• Dynamic Volume Management: add, delete, map, unmap, and mirror virtual disks online, and expand volume capacity on-the-fly.
• Seamlessly integration with Microsoft Cluster Server
• SnapDrive integrates Snapshot technology to provide near-instantaneous point-in-time images of application and user data

From NBU side

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000094727 --> More about Hyper-V Off-host Backups

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000116383 --> NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator's Guide -

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000094663 --> Snapshot LUN/s grayed out in the backup selections list of NDMP server

From Net App side

How SnapDrive works with NetBackup 

You can use SnapDrive to automate storage provisioning tasks and to manage data in Microsoft Windows environments.

Following are the features provided when SnapDrive is used with NetBackup:

• Enable online storage configuration and LUN expansion.
• Enable connection of up to 168 LUNs.
• Integrate Data ONTAP Snapshot technology, which creates point-in-time images of data stored on LUNs.
• Enable SnapDrive management on multiple hosts.
• Enable SnapDrive support on Microsoft cluster configurations.
• Enable iSCSI or FC session management

Link - https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMP1140477/html/GUID-2562BC70-0F66-4B09-8BA4-BE351C512E06.html

Data ONTAP features supported by Symantec NetBackup

Link - https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMP1140477/html/GUID-334A3720-CEDB-4010-BD7A-7C1CAE1765B4.html

Regards,

Thiago Ribeiro

[stucci]

hello Thiago, in first time thank you very much,

I read your interesting post and the links, but I have still doubts, I would like understand if someone use an Hardware VSS provider and exchange the experience.

regards

[Thiago_Ribeiro]

Hi,

Your welcome...Yes, was my first contact, I saved this links in my evernote, it can help me in future 

In this case we need to wait for someone that can share with us their knowledges about it..

Regards,

Thiago