cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

NBU 5.1 Catalog Backup Configuration

Randy_Samora
Level 6
I use Vault to run my Catalog backup but the job runs around the clock. I used the Catalog GUI and manually kicked off a job to a disk volume on one of my Media Servers and that ran for 11 1/2 hours. And that backup was only of the Master's database files, 350GB. I didn't include any files from my 9 media servers. I was just trying to see how long the backup would take. I'm mandated to send tapes off site every day so I need to get the catalog backups to tape as well. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can improve my catalog backups? I'm running 5.1 MP6 in a totally Windows environment. My Master is only a Master. Should I configure him to be a media server as well to backup the catalog locally? Would that speed things up if I backed the catalog up to a folder on a local volume? How do I get that to tape? I have backups running pretty much 24x7. Am I even getting a good backup if there are jobs constantly running? There has to be a better way to do this? Anyone ever try to bprecover a 400GB database? I'm just wondering how long that would take for DR purposes.

Thanks,
Randy
10 REPLIES 10

Tim_Chapman
Level 2
Are you doing any sort of catalog compression for aged catalogue files?

Randy_Samora
Level 6
No compression at all. That has also been another consideration but I haven't pulled the trigger. I rarely do restores so compression isn't going to hurt me there. Can I turn on compression now? Should I? Is there any gotchas if I do turn it on?

Stumpr2
Level 6
Hi Randy,
I thought you had your solutions last spring? I know we disccussed this topic. Anyhow, consider following the directions explained in the sysadmin guide about backing up large catalog files. On a high level it consists of two backups, one catalog and the other a regular policy driven backup.

1. on the catalog backup select ..../db/images/ to backup the master servers images only.
2. use a regular backup policy for .../db/images

The theory is that the client's images are the bulk of the catalog backup. If you remove them from the catalog backup then the catalog backup will be easier to handle since it is much smaller. The client's images are not necessary to get your master server back online and ready to do restores. Finally restore the clien't images and then your done.

It isn't completely as simple as I described, but it is well documented in the sysadmin guide. It is listed under "Setting up Multiple-Tape NetBackup Catalog Backups"

Randy_Samora
Level 6
I'm a one man shop over here and even though I know all of the answers are in the book, sometimes I desperately need a faster answer. I'd contribute to a Veritas Forum Fund if there was one.

As always, thanks for the insight Bob. With your suggestion, is there any reason to compress the database?

Stumpr2
Level 6
> is there any reason to compress the database?

not for the catalog tape, but it won't hurt anything to compress if you could benefit from the disk space being freed up.

Randy_Samora
Level 6
There's no way in the world I'll ever have enough quiet time to where nothing is running long enough for my catalog backup to complete. That being the case, I'm assuming that what ever changes are occuring won't be picked up by the catalog backup. I can live with that but am I right in assuming that deltas are all that I'm missing? Is there a chance that the entire backup won't be any good because there were processes running?

I read the section you prescribed and it makes perfect sense. The only recommendation I don't think I can follow is running a Full backup of the images every time. I know it will take more steps/tapes to recover but I think I will have to set it up for Fulls and Differentials in order for the job to complete within my window. Maybe after the compression, it there's a significant changes in the size of the database, I will be able to run Fulls all the time.

I've heard 6.x handles catalog backups a lot better. I can't wait until it's safe to upgrade.

Stumpr2
Level 6
The suggest to run fulls is for easy access for restores.

You don't have to backup the client images to tape. You could tar them, snap them, or even replicate them using "rsync" for example.

However, if you are wanting a tape solution to send to a vault, then I highly recommend a catalog backup and a "FULL" backup of the image db. You want to keep the DR as easy as possible and not complicate it by trying to determine what tapes (full + incr) will be required to be retrieved from your offsite storage.

Randy_Samora
Level 6
I am already replicating the entire Master database to another location. It sounds like all I really need is my catalog backups, correct? I forgot about the replication until you mentioned that. I knew I couldn't recover totally from replication but if I run a catalog backup as prescribed in the documentation, I should be able to bprecover the catalog and then copy the images back over from the replication site. Am I missing something or can it possibly be that easy?

Stumpr2
Level 6
Randy,

you are good to go!!!

crank up that bar'b'que. It's Miller time!

Randy_Samora
Level 6
I'm naming my 4th wife after you.