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Media server hardware replacement with Windows cloning

paulo7
Level 4

Dear Experts!

Our customer environment is:
7.7.3 NBU server (Win2008r2)
7.7.3 Media server with MSDP pool (Win2008r2)
MSDP pool size is 10g, and sitting on the FC storage, and Media server is mounted this LUN-s
locally with 8 Gb Fc hba interfaces.

Customer want to change the media server hw to a bigger machine.
New server is the same architecture (Inter,x86) but from different vendor.
Mac address, hba is changing.

His planned Media Server replacement procedure:
1. deactivate the old media server and pull FC cable
2. stop the NBU server and old NBU media server
3. make a Windows image from an old NBU media server (with 3.rd party cloning/imaging tool)
4. upload Windows image to a new NBU media server (with 3.rd party cloning/imaging tool)
5. fix the Windows layer driver / hba issues and push the FC cable (do the storage config too)
5. Start the NBU server
6. Activate the new media server
7. fix the tape driver isssues
8. start the dedup services on the new media server
9. test the dedup pool, backups
If any error occured, he can stop the new media server and restart the old media server.

Questions:
-------------
- What do you think about this scenario?
- Which errors and risks the customer met?
- It can work?
- Do you have any special advices?

I think the changing things:
- hba wwn (not stored in the NBU)
- ethernet mac address
The constant things which doesnt change:
- Windows os
- Dedup pool mount points

The Deduplication Administration guide said we have to deconfigure dedup pool,
expire the images and import images.But it takes a long time, customer avoid
that way because expire/import takes a lot of time.
Thanks for your advices!

BR: Pal

2 REPLIES 2

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

I notice that you stopped responding over here: https://vox.veritas.com/t5/NetBackup/Re-To-move-dedup-pool-on-a-new-server/m-p/846490

About your plan to clone the media server - have you checked until when Microsoft will still be supporting W2008? 
NetBackup won't support an OS when the vendor drops support.

New installation of W2012 with same hostname and (preferably IP address) sounds like a better idea. Without the cloning. Just clean install of NBU with same version to same path.

NetBackup does not care about hba or anything at hardware level. The hba zoning is necessary to present the storage to the server.
For dedupe, all NBU cares abount is the drive letter and underlying folders.

I have never tried to replace an MSDP server this way. This seems to be totally feasable to me, but I cannnot give a definitive answer. 
Hopefully someone with hands-on experience will be able to tell us.
Oh, you never told us in your other post where you read about option A (deactivate and re-activate)?
If there is such documentation, please share it so that we can see how it compares with your intended steps.

Dear Marianne! 

Thank you for useful information and a detailed explanation! 

Quick answers:

1. The exact information: OS level is: Win2008r2 

2. We cannot install w2012r2 now. (some license issues)

3. I opened a new thread because i want to add more detailed information to this.

4. I read this KB article which i using in reference:

- https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.100022702.html (article id:100022702)

- Another reference is the Dedupe Guide (7.7 page 260. Replacing MDSP Storage server host computer) The steps: 

Step1: expire backup images (but doesnt delete them, bpxepdate -nodelete parameter)

Step2: Delete STU / Disk pool / Storage Server / Dedup host config file / Delete credentials 

Step3: Configure new host 

Step4: Import backup images 

Remark: Recommended the same OS and same NBU version. (in the docs says)

 

Questions: 

1. If i just mount the dedupe folder on the new media server it will works?

(same path, same data) Do it store any special information?

BR: 

Pal