Is there a way to perform a Hot Catalog backup to a disk location?

[Corialus]

i am looking for a way to perform a Hot Catalog backup to a disk location/NFS share (/Catalog).  Our goal is to be able to write a catalog to a NFS share on our DataDomain applicane then replicate the catalog to our DR facility to do a complete tapeless disaster recovery.  The process needs to be a Hot Catalog method as cold catalog is not really an options for the following reasons.
 

1.  We have no point durring a day where the NBU master is not doing backup, SLP replication, or duplication.

2.  We are currently on NBU6.5.5 and "could" do a Cold Catalog but, we will be moving to NBU7 soon and there is no Cold Catalog.

I was hoping to be able to get this accomplished with out setting up the DataDomain device as a VTL as well as an OST disk pool.

Jessie

Update... It looks like creating a disk storage unit pointing at the disk location may resolve the issue.

[Will_Restore]

Yes to the first part (Hot Catalog backup to a disk).  Not sure about the latter part (write a catalog to a NFS share on our DataDomain applicane then replicate the catalog).  See technote below...


Document ID: 323975
Unable to do Hot Catalog recovery from NearStore storage unit

As documented in the NetBackup 6.5 System Administrator's Guide Volume 1, doing hot catalog backups to the NearStore storage unit doesn't work. The Hot Catalog Backup may write there successfully, but NBU cannot access the hot catalog backup image files in order to do the recovery (ie, it cannot find the images) in a Disaster Recovery scenario.

Here are the bullet points from the NetBackup 6.5 System Administrator's Guide, Volume 1.

• A NearStore disk storage unit with the file system export option enabled does not support user backups.
• A NearStore disk storage unit with the file system export option enabled does not support hot catalog backups. Hot catalog backups rely, in part, on the user backup process that does not collect TIR information.

EXPLANATION

NetBackup's EMM database is not able to find the address locations of the catalog information as it exists on the DR server's NearStore device at this time.

Hot catalog backups should be done to a basic disk storage unit or to tape drive (Media Manager) storage unit.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/323975.htm

[J_H_Is_gone]

in NB 7.0 they now have "Real Time 7".
Something they actually talk about for replicating the catalog backup to your dr site as it does a continuous backup of your catalog.

Just an FYI for you.  ( I heard about it on one of the online webinars)

[Kevin_Good]

The Catalog backup can be configured to run to any Storage Unit (or Storage Lifecycle Policy) you choose to write it to.  This means you can write it to any supported disk or tape device (DD-VTL, DD-OST, DD-CIFS, DD-NFS are all supported as Storage Units)

There are several advantages of running the catalog backup to an SLP instead of to a standard Storage Unit, or Storage Unit Group.  One of which is that you're able to manage the replication at the SLP level.

[GG0001]

As Kevin said this is doable,I did something similar by making a disk storage unit pointing toa  folder on another local disk.Then just pointed the hot backup catalogue to that storage unit,Came in really handy when upgrading from 5.1 upwards making tape and disk catalogue backups :).You never know  ;)

[Backup_Guy1]

This is good chance to revisits our DR site master, as we are planning to upgrade to 7.0, am also looking best practice configuring and replicating catalog to dr site any useful docs? 

[Corialus]

Just as an update as Kevin indicated writing the catalog to an attached filesystem on the AIX master is working great!.  We replicated the catalog to our drsite and are recovering the image DB now with no issues.  Thanks for all the replies...

I do agree that this is something that should be addressed in the documentation for catalog backups... in all the docs I have read it says that a hot catalog backup REQUIRES media in the CatalogBackup media pool or the scratch pool to move into the CatalogBackup pool.  It saying that it required the media in that pool read to me as the only way to get the catalog ran was to tape unless I did an offline (cold) catalog backup.

Anyway... thanks again for the help.

[J_H_Is_gone]

You should read up on Real Time that comes with Netbackup 7.  from what I have read on it, it can do a continuous replication of your catalog to your dr site.  That is what Symantec is pushing it for, and it sounds like it might be what you need.

[Kevin_Good]

If you're in a position, and able to; you should definately use RTP for the NBU Catalog.  The traditional problem with Catalog backups is that they're a point in time, and once the next backup happens, your catalog backup is obsolete.  You may not have all the backup media in a DR, based on your vaulting processes; however, you want the catalog to give you that flexability.

[J_H_Is_gone]

In 7.0 Real Time is free for the catalog - you only have to pay for it if you want to do something besides the catalog with it.