NBU Backup to disk

[Barry_Oxenberg]

Hi,

We developed a problem with our tape library and then discovered it is no longer supported so until we get a replacement I want backup data to disk.

Would someone please be kind enough to provide detailed instructions on how to create disk based backup in Netbackup 6.5?  Will I need another license to create disk based backuop?  Also, I have been searching for the Administrator's guide but all the articles relating to the Admin guide do not contain a link to the download.

Thanks!

Barry

[Nicolai · Accepted solution]

Use the wizard in Netbackup to create a basic storage unit. When you get tape devices in place configure the stagning behaviour , this will let netbackup move older disk backup to tape.

See "attachment" - page 235 : http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH52803

Netbackup 6.5 is out of support - time to upgrade :)

[Barry_Oxenberg]

Hi Nicolai!
Thank you so much for the prompt reply.
Yes, I know our NBU is way out of date...obsolete in fact and indeed time to upgrade.  I am submitting that along with our request for a new tape library :)
In the meantime, at the point where it asks for the absolute path to the directory, what exactly do I need to enter here?  Is it asking for the path to where I want the backup to go?  If so, I want the backup to go to another Server I just built with about 2TB of disk storage - do I need to create a share on that Server first?
Forgive me for sounding like a novice...although in relative terms I suppose I am...but if you can point me to where I can download a copy of the Administrator's Guide I am good with trying to help myself.

Thank you!!!!

Barry

[Marianne]

Backing up to a CIFS share on another server creates a number of complexities : The UNC path needs to be specified and some of the NBU services must be started as Domain user with write permission on the share. I do not have access to the manuals right now, but you can download Admin Guide I from 'Handy NBU Links ' in my signature. *** Edit *** I found this TN : http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO34525

[sdo]

If you have a spare media server license (of the correct tier), or capacity based licensing, then it might be worth making the server which has the storage a 'Media Server'... because this way there could be one less server and one less hop in networking... i.e..

1) Your proposed topology is:

Clients -> Media Server -> LAN -> NAS server -> disk

2) Where as you could:

Clients -> Media server (with local disk) -> disk

[Barry_Oxenberg]

Good morning,

Thank you for the link to the article regarding configuring credentials.  Considering I am running NBU 6.5 some of the content does not apply to my scenario however there is some information which is relevant so I appreciate it. 
Marianne - I clicked on the link for the admin guide in your signature but the article it points to only contains some text, there is no link, nothing apparently downloadable. 
I find it hard to believe Symantec would not make an admin guide and other such documentation readily available for the user community. 
Can someone please point me to a valid location where I may download the administrator guide (NBU 6.5) for Windows?
Thanks,
Barry

[Barry_Oxenberg]

I have another question for Marianne - in the document you referred me, regarding CIFS storage and AdvancedDisk and BasicDisk storage units "The following NetBackup services on Windows media servers to which the CIFS storage is attached must use the same credentials."

When they say "attached" does that also mean via UNC path?  I need to backup a file system on our NAS - there are existing policies which were backing up other file systems on the NAS via NDMP - does the data in the article still apply to me?

Thanks,
Barry

[Marianne]

In TECH52803 click on "Attachments" on the right of the screen. This will open or download Admin Guide I.

Storage Units are covered in Chapter 5.

Search for BasicDisk in this section.

You will see that "BasicDisk Points to a directory".

So, to add a path on a NAS/CIFS share, use this format: \\NAS_server-name-or-IP\SHARE  

When they say "attached" does that also mean via UNC path?

Yes, that is what it means.  

HOWTO34525 applies to NBU 6.5 as well. 
Reference to NBU 6.5 was removed when support for this version ended.
This TN refers to backing up to a NAS/CIFS share as backup destination, not to NDMP policy type.

[Barry_Oxenberg]

Thank you Marianne!!!

[Barry_Oxenberg]

Downloaded the Admin guide, thanks to Marianne for the assist, but in the meantime I want to apologize if I did not explain my scenario accurately.  I have an ISCSI file system as an individual LUN on our NAS.  In the (Celerra) console tree it is the only file system under the ISCSI node.  This is the share I want to backup to disk.  In Windows it is used as a DFS share.  so would I use a Windows based client backup rather than NDMP?

Thanks again for everyone's indulgence.

[sdo]

Ok - the iSCSI LUN is just that a LUN, i.e. a block device, and I doubt very much that Celerra NDMP will be able to backup this LUN unless the Celerra has some fancy technology to let it peer inside the LUN whilst it is being read/written at the block level by an iSCSI client (i.e. a server) - so that looks like a non-starter.

So, your simplest backup option is to install a NetBackup Client within the host (physical or virtual) which has access to this LUN - and backup the volume letter to your new media server which has the Basic Disk storage unit.