Move Media server and MSDP to new Master server

[Carrguy]

Hello all,

I have a situation with a remote Media server with MSDP that I need to keep intact for restores we are attempting.  Due to inconsistencies with the network connection between this remote Media server and the Master server, we are having issues keeping the restores running due to socket errors (have updated buffer sizes, timeouts, tcp settings, etc.).  

My thought is to eliminate the need for the laggy WAN traffic, I would build a new Master server onsite with the MSDP, decommission the Media server and MSDP from the current Master and pull in to the new Master.  

I need to know 1) if this is even possible, and 2) if possible, what are the steps required?  

My concern is that by decommissioning the Media server from the original Master, I will lose the backup images that are in the MSDP.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

James

[D_Flood · Accepted solution]

If you have an MSDP at both sites then, in theory, you could do what you were describing and use AIR for the cross-site propogation.

The basic steps would be something like this (and I wouldn't do a single one of these without Support on the phone)

Take a look at this article for the basics:

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000011549

Instead of nuking everything with the bpexpdate command, you probably would want to use the -nodelete option

bpexpdate: -stype <server type>
[-dp <disk pool> [-dv <disk volume>]]
[-nodelete] [-notimmediate] [-force_not_complete]
[-M <master_server,...,master_server>]

Once it's gone from the one Master you should be able to follow the basic steps to add it as a Media Server/MSDP to the new Master and then a massively long Phase 1 and Phase 2 import on the MSDP....

Another option is to set up a new Master and a new small MSDP (not on the same box as the Master) along with AIR and slowly phase out the existing MSDP.  Once it's empty then you could follow the directions in their entirety and add that MSDP to the new Master.

[Michael_G_Ander]

I would adept the replace host procedure from the deduplication guide to populate the new masters catalog with information about the images on the remote media servers MSDP.

[Carrguy]

Thank you for both of your inputs.  I was able to get the restore to run after adjusting timeouts and buffer sizes, albeit at 1/3 the speed they had been running when they failed.  Support strongly recommended against building the new Mater server at this point.  

If I am forced to continue with this process (we are migrating systems to a new data center with no bandwidth yet), I will build a new master and media, but only once the existing images have been pulled from the existing media server.

Thank you again for the suggestions.  D-Flood, I will remember the -nodelete option.  Would have come in handy last week ;)

James