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Is it possible to migrate Backups from one master server to another master server?

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Hello,

We are having serious problems with our netbackup server which is still in version 7.1 (without any patches installed). And we have some backups that are very important and their retention period is set to Infinity.

I would like to ask now, if it is possible to install a new Netbackup master server then migrate these backups to the new fresh setup of Netbackup.

I would like to know also, if it is possible (the above request), if those backups can be migrated to a recent version of Netbackup.

Thank you

4 REPLIES 4

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified
You can prepare a new server (check NBU OS compatibility for OS version that is supported with 7.1 and 8.x) with the same hostname. Install NBU 7.1 to same path as existing server. Do final catalog backup on old server (removable or network drive configured as basic disk).

Map basic disk on new server, recover catalog. Test backups for a day or two, then upgrade NBU.
You may need to upgrade to 7.6 first.

Hello and thank you Mariane.

I don't really want to upgrade my current setup of Netbackup, because nothing works correctly and fluently in it.

That's why, i was asking to make a fresh setup and migrate important backups to it.

What i've found till now is:

* I need to setup a new server (name and ip address don't matter)

* Then setup clients, to redirect them to the new Netbackup server

* Then import backups to the new server

I don't know if these steps are correct. If not please tell me what should be changed

Regards.

sdo
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Certified

some questions to help us gauge how best to answer:

1) OS and version of current master server?

2) OS and version of new master server?

3) how many clients in old master?

4) are all clients all NBU v7.1 too, or are some clients NBU v6.5 ?

5) re: the important infinity backups, what form are they in... are they on tape or on disk?

6) re: the important infinity backups, if on tape, what type of tape are they on?

7) re: the important infinity backups, how big is the total size of all backups that must be retained? 

thank you.

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

If you config the new server with same hostname, you can recover catalog using old server's catalog backup. 
No need to change anything on existing clients or battle with lengthy imports. 
If you need to imports lots of tapes/images, it could take weeks/months. 

If you really want to start fresh with new hostname, you can avoid lengthy imports with 'Recovery without Import' method. Dead easy with pre-7.5 versions - images are copied across and tapes containing images put in a new pool that will never be used for backups (to prevent overwrite).

To add new server to existing clients, do this on the old server - open Host Properties -> Clients. Select +- 10 clients at a time and add new server name as additional server. 
Test connectitvity (bpclntcmd and bptestbpcd) before activating policies on new master. 
When everything is working fine, use Host Properties on new server, select Clients, click on new master name, then 'Make Master'. 

If you have any database clients where master name is hardcoded in backup scripts (e.g. Oracle and MS-SQL), remember to update master hostname in the scripts. 

Once everything is working fine on the new server, PLEASE consider upgrading.
At some point in time your organization will implement new server(s) with latest OS, new applications/database that will not be supported by NBU 7.x. 

The longer you wait to upgrade, the more difficult it becomes. You are already so far behind that a 1-step upgrade may not be possible.