JUST CREATE A BOOTABLE BMR CD FOR SOLARIS 9 CLIENT

[harojs]

Master NBU server = W2008R2 - NBU 7.1.0.4

Solaris 9 SPARC client = V210 - NBU 7.1.0.4

BMR is enabled on policy and performing to tape without errors.

NOW - HOW TO JUST CREATE A BOOTABLE BMR CD FOR SOLARIS 9 CLIENT ?

I am reading the Netbackup_AdminGuide_BMR.pdf document, and frankly - I am lost. The document is laid out too much as a reference, that I cannot figure out the sequence to create just a BMR CD to stick in the Solaris 9 client to restore it if it dies.

I only have one Solaris 9 client - I do not understand why a boot server for Sol 9 needs to be created - is that part of getting to create a CD ?

[Q] If anyone can break down the basic pseudo sequence of steps needed to JUST CREATE A BOOTABLE BMR CD FOR SOLARIS 9 CLIENT - I would appreciate the guidance.

-John

[Will_Restore]

Is Solaris 9 even supported any more?  The boot CD would be the SUN install media.  Been a long time but that's how we did it.

From the Admin Guide

Restoring a Solaris client with media boot
Note: If NetBackup access management is used in your environment, you must
provide the appropriate credentials when prompted so that NetBackup can restore
the client files.
Use the following procedure for Solaris clients.
To restore a Solaris client with media boot
1 Prepare to restore the client using the SRT you created on the bootable media.
See “Preparing a client for restore” on page 54.
2 Insert the bootable CD or bootable DVD into the CD-ROM drive.
3 Turn off the client, then turn on.

4 Terminate the boot process using the Stop+A key combination.
5 If the PROM monitor prompt displays <, use the N command to reach the OK
prompt.
6 Enter the following command:
boot cdrom
The Solaris OS Installation prompts you for network identification.
7 Enter the network identification.
8 Enter the required information at the following BMR process prompts:
■ Client name (for a discovery boot, enter the client’s name as it appears
in the Tasks view from the prepare-to-discover operation)
■ NetBackup master server name
■ NetBackup master server IP address
■ NetBackup master server gateway IP address
After you enter the required information, the restore begins.

[muhanad_daher]

The below link for 7.5, but will help you

http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/netbackup-bare-metal-recovery-75-windows

[Jaime_Vazquez]

In order to create BMR bootable environment you need a BMR Boot Server.  This article describes and explains the requirements:

Requirements for Bare Metal Restore (BMR) Boot Servers
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH87607

The baseline steps for this are:

1. Set up and register a BMR Boot Server for the requried OS to be used. As each OS has its own boot requriements, the OS type of the Boot Server must match the OS type of the protected client.  The OS kernel versions are important and that is also covered in the article. All supported NBU cleints have Boot Server software installed.  To register as a cleint, run:  "bmrsetupboot -register".  This action will create a small XML format packet which describes the client itself and sends it to the Master Server for inclusion in the BMRDB. The action can be verified by running (on the Master) "bmrs -o list -resource BootServer".

2. The initial BMR boot mechanism is always for network boot. The entity created is called a Shared Resource Tree (SRT). This is built on a user defined file system on the Boot Server. Except for Windows Boot Servers, an OS install media of the correct version is required to create this. The process then adds a copy of NetBackup client software into it.  For registered Windows Boot Servers use the "BMR Boot Server Assistant". On Unix/Linux clients, the utility is called "bmrsrtadm".  The utility allows for creating, patching and updating the SRT. It also used to create the ISO image. All SRT action taken on a Boot Server are reflected as updates in the BMRDB.

3. Once a NFS based network boot SRT is created, the entire SRT file system can be converted into a bootable ISO image. Note that a network based SRT is the required precursor for this.

4. All SRT enviroments are, for the most part, completely client generic. That is to say, no client specific information is made part of the SRT. Client specific restore files are created by BMR as part of the "Prepare To Restore" operation, and those files are stored in the BMRDB for access during the actual restore. For network boot, all needed setuops for network booting are performed and set up on the Boot Server.

5. BMR emulates the native boot process of the OS in question. For Solaris SPARC, that is the JumpStart mechanism for network boots.  Media boots will initialy look like normal Solaris install boots. Solaris network boot environment is described in this article:

Methodology used for the network boot processing of a Solaris Bare Metal Restore (BMR) client.
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH54765

A "Prepare To Restore" is required for all recoveries of Unix/Linux clients (network or media boot) and for Windows clients for network boot. If correct MSD and NIC device driver sets are present in the Windows based SRT and it is a media based boot recovery, such an action is not required.

When booting from media (regardless of OS), a working Boot Server is not required.  The media itself becomes the "boot server". The BMR Boot Server is never contacted for any recovery action.

[Abdulsalam_Sham]

1- Rigester the UNIX client to be a BMR boot server in the BMRDB of the Master Server.

To set up a BMR boot server on a UNIX or Linux system
    1) Navigate to the directory where NetBackup is installed . For example:
      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin
    2) Run the following command on the boot server host:
      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bmrsetupboot -register

2- Backup the client (Protecting the client).

   1) Create a policy to back up the  Unix client with  type Standard and from the attributes tab " the collect  disaster recovery information for Bare Metal Restore" must be set
   2) For non-clustered clients, specifying ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES in the Backup Selection tab.
   3) Run the Policy and complete the backup of the client.

3- Set up Restore Environment.

  Create the SRT from the registerd boot server which is ( Solaris 9 ) in your case.

        A) On the boot server where you want to create the SRT, change to the following
            directory: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin

        B) Enter the following command:

           ./bmrsrtadm

        C) When you are prompted, select the option to create a new SRT.

        E) Complete the command prompts as following:

                 a) Enter the name of the SRT to create

                 b) Enter the description of the new SRT

                 c)Enter desired level of  Solaris/SunOS ( Which is solaris 9 in your case)

                 d) Enter the directory in which to place the new SRT

                 e) Enter a [hostname:/]pathname containing a suitable Solaris x.x Boot CDROM or SRT                              image (( At this step you can use a Solaris 9 CD inserted into the CD drive of the client

                     but the version of the CD must be the same as the OS installed on the server.

                 f) Enter a [hostname:]/ pathname containing NetBackup client software

                 g) Enter the name of the NetBackup server: ( Master Srver name )

                 h) Would you like to use servername as the configured name of the  NetBackup client?

                     answer (y)
   *** Now the SRT is ready then you can use the new created SRT to build the bootable media for the solaris 9 client and after finish burn it to a media to use it at the restore step for the solaris 9 OS.

Note : use the command ( ./bmrsrtadm ) to create a bootable media from an existing SRT that you have recently created.

4- Preparing a client for restore:

    a) In the NetBackup Administration Console om the Master Server, expand Bare Metal Restore
              Management > Hosts > Bare Metal Restore Clients.
    b) Select a client or a client configuration.
    c) Select Actions > Prepare to Restore.

    d) In the Prepare to Restore Client dialog box, select the appropriate values for
        the restore and click OK

   e) The client is listed in the Tasks view with a State of Queued.

5- Now you can use the burned media that you have created for the solaris 9 to restore the client from the OK prompt ( boot cdrom) and  continue with the wizard step by step .

6- After finishing of restoring, the client will reboot and the Tasks view at the BMR tasks will be with a state DONE .

[Will_Restore]

The boot CD would be the SUN install media.  Been a long time but that's how we did it.

John, did you have a chance to try this yet? 

[harojs]

Thanks all,

I have made it past creating the SRT, and now I am stuck at the follow sequence of making the CD - option (2).

2.  Create a new CD image based Shared Resource Tree.

... then the script wants the name of a partition ( this sequence is very unclear if you are not using VxVM )

If Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM) is not installed on the BMR boot server, the following prompt appears:

Enter the name of a partition of size 103040 or more blocks

Enter the name of the device file for the raw partition. Then respond to the

next prompt if you want to continue.

So - I understand I need to create a partition, like ...

create newfs /dev/rdsk/c3t1d0s0

Then what ? - Is it just the one partition?, How should you size it?

-J 

[Jaime_Vazquez · Accepted solution]

Hello.  I wish I had seen ahead enough to discuss this part of the process when we had the conference call.

At this juncture you need to provide an unused raw slice of any disk, of at least the size specified in the message.

The BMR process for this will make use of the raw slice as a temporary landing space to create the ISO image. In your example, you do not create a newfs action.  You just feed BMR the path to the same slice:  /dev/rdsk/c3t1d0s0

BMR willl cobble together the components of a bootable ISO in the space.

This assumes that the size of the partiton/slice is sufficiently large enough.

I hope this helps.

[harojs]

That is what I am gleaning would happen – just needed a little assurance as I have only used any newfs command prior when actually doing a new disk partition process.

[Q] Would anyone know the actual command string to create a partition size of 1,576,320 or more blocks ? ( that is the size that my bmrsrtadm script is requesting )

i.e.

#newfs ? /dev/rdsk/c3t1d0s0

I need to understand that this command will not disturb my existing system drive partition, as I am on a production server.

I have not run newfs this way before.

I sincerely hope Symantec will see that the next version of BMR documentation contains more information on all the steps required to make a BMR CD.

-John

[Jaime_Vazquez]

John:

I again reiterate, there is no need to run the newfs command. The prompt is for a raw unused disk partiton//slice of a disk visible to the system.  The means to see and determine what disks are visible and what partitioning they contain is through the Solaris OS command "format". Please see documentation of the command on its use.

All of this is normal systems administrator level work. For that reason there is no need to document informaton about how to see and determine disk partioning information. It is left to individual users to perform such actions.

In your posting you showed:

#newfs ?  /dev/rdsk/c3t1d0s0

If the partition slice 0 already exists on disk c3t1d0, is unused, and is of sufficient size, then that is the answer to the prompt.

Jaime