NB6 & Flashsnap

[Timothy_Payne]

We are about install a new server the NB 6 MP3 and one of the requirements that has been dictated is that we implement Flashsnap with our NETAPP Filers. I need a crash course in setting up NB 6 with Flashsnap can anyone provide some insight? Any Tips and tricks would nice if possible... Thanks in advance

[Hung_Pham]

Do you need to back the snaps to tape?

[Hung_Pham]

You will need something more than NBU 6.x.
You will need software to break the mirror from your data, then netbackup takes over.

[Timothy_Payne]

My concern is backing the snaps to tape through NB6. Is there anything special for the policy and schedule.

[Timothy_Payne]

What would commonly be used to break the mirror? As I understand it once you break the mirror it is somehow attached to the NB6 server and the Snap is backed up. Is it best to do a disk stage from the snap mirror and then to tape, or is it best to go straight to tape?

[Hung_Pham]

The SAN application will have to break or split the mirror. We run VSFW (Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows HA). VSFW can start and snap off the mirror to the same system very easy. But if we split the mirror to a different system, we can never join it back to the same disk group since we also run VVR (Veritas Volume Replicator).

VSFW can use the same snap after you are finished to snap the data again to reduce snap time. It is called a snap back. When you start a snap with VSFW it take the system offline for about 10 sec according to Veritas, but I would say a minute is more on the safe side. It is also best to do this off time, so that it does not impact users.

NBU 6 can offhost the backup so that the primary system is not being taxed by the backup. If you can split the mirror off to another system that would be best. But in our environment we can not do that unless we start a whole new snap again and delete the previous.

[Timothy_Payne]

This is more along the lines of what we are trying to do. My NETAPP guy just confirm that VSFW is what he plans to use. Is there anything special I need to do for Netbackup 6 to be able to support VSFW? I will be adding my NB Servers into iSCSI to be able to communicate.

Also, once the mirror is attached to the NB server is it best to back it up to Disk stage or go to tape? I would think Disk Stage would be allot quicker allowing the mirror could snap back.

I think we planned to do the Flashsnap every 4-6 hours is that to frequent? What kind of impact would there be to our users?

[Hung_Pham]

NBU 6.0 client just need to see the disk.

You can stage it to disk if you want but not necessary. What you can do is have 2 snap in rotation or more. Your only limit in how many snap you can take with VSFW is the amount of disk drives.

All snap you will see little impact. It might be easier if you think of taking a RAID 0 of the drives and then breaking off the RAID 0. There is a 10sec to 1 min of the data been off line when you do a "checkpoint and break the RAID 0. It all depends on the amount of data.
If you use a total different server to attach the snaps and backup then there will be no impact except for the pipe.

Frequency of snap depends on the data and the business need. My last job we had an oracle DB that held financials transaction. We took a snap ever 4 hours, but that need came from the business.


Always test. I know my environment better than anyone else.