Netbackup 7.0 + RHEL 5.4 Best Practices Question

[techieNBU]

Hello there! I just wanted to start this thread to ask the intermediate/experts on how to correctly setup a RedHat Enterprise Linux with Netbackup 7.0.
First let me tell you how fraustrated I am with windows platform - drives always goes down (HP MSL library on FC interface).  I know its not drives because we swapped the whole hardware with new piece of equipment.   Windows has too much to do like disabling removable storage, don't use symantec drivers for MSL 4048, do not multipath HP library per Symantec Expert that was onsite and registry corruption therefore losing robotic paths to name a few.

So yesterday I had a successful test run of installing Netbackup 7.0 on Redhat 5.4.  I was able to access the admin console by editing bp.conf and putting my notebook as a server entry then installing java remote admin console on my notebook.  However I'm new to linux and also new to netbackup.

I have some questions: 
1.  I've installed redhat 5.4 without GUI, X Windows, and the GUI programs that goes along with it.  Should I have installed X along with Gnome to access NBU admin java console from the server box? I didn't install the GUI because the commands under /usr/openv/netbackup and volmgr was mostly the same as in windows.

2.  I plan to have a separate media server with advanced disk.  My SAN admin will present 5 LUNs of 2TB each.  How should partition this use with advanced disk - Do I still use LVM to make one big 10TB and carve 'em out into smaller chunks and present those smaller chunks into netbackup advanced disk?  Or do I just create 5 extended partitions and select these 5 partitions under advanced disk creation?  - Basically what would give me the best performance?

3a. For the QLOGIC (HP rebranded)fiber card, RHEL 5.4 fully supports it.  Do I still download the driver from QLOGIC? or HP? or just leave it alone and use what RedHat is providing me?

3b. If the FC is already detected and installed by RHEL, how do I check if the QLOGIC cards are successfully installed and check their WWN number?  Do I need to use persistent reservation that I used to do with windows + Qlogic Sansurfer management interface?

Thank you and I Hope the answers will help me as well as others who are exploring LINUX as the preferred Netbackup platform.

[marekkedzierski · Accepted solution]

1. You don't need gui on NB Master Server.. You can connect to Master Server by Java GUI or Windows Admin Console.
2. It depends on configuration of disk array. If think that LVM is not the best idea. You can have 5 luns in one NB disk pool.
3a. Leave it alone.
3b. Use SPC-2 SCSI Reserve.. It's selected for default and it works fine. You don't need san surfer.
      You can use /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/scan or lsscsi to list devices.

To get the best performance of backups and restores you will probably have to tune Netbackup buffers. (NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS etc.)
How is your network configured on Media Server ? Good solution is to create bond interface and load balance network traffic on few NICs.

marekk

[techieNBU]

Marek thank you for your quick response!

I still haven't built my media server yet... Still have some questions left before I put NBU 7.0 with Redhat into production.

So what I am hearing is just use extended disk for the LUNS that are presented and make a big advanced disk pool out of those 5 luns.
Also for the FC HBA, just use redhat's built-in drivers.

As for the NIC teaming/bonding, the windows box had two NICs teamed.  I plan to do the same but how do I go about doing this in Redhat CLI?  Sorry, still new with Linux.

I do have some questions left for the Linux/NBU pros: 

1.  I have used Redhat's defuault partitioning layout - /Boot on Primary partition, the rest became LVM group which has "/" top root, and "SWAP."  I understand if I do not partition other directories, it goes straight under "/" which I'm fine with.  Is this a bad practice?  Can some pro share their configuration and explain the partitioning scheme behind it?

2.  I plan to put NBU 7.0 into production as a fresh new install without bringing the catalog over from Windows 6.5 because we haven't used the Windows NBU that much - it had too much problems like I explained from the original post.  If this is the case, do you think its okay to use NBU 7.0?  Usually when you do an upgrade, people wait because lot of the original features of the previous versions get deprecated and no longer supported and may break the backup.  However in my case, I'm starting from fresh.  What do you guys think?

3. When I log on to a LINUX NBU client, I do understand that the client daemon is actually part of xinetd... Is there a way to specifically check that NBU is running on the client without logging onto the server and running a NBU connectivity check command? 

4. NBU 7 release note looks like it says there's no support for Windows 2000.  Is this true?  I have many windows 2000 clients still for NBU.

Thank you in advanced for those who share their knowledge! : )

[marekkedzierski]

Info about redhat bonding you can find here:
http://www.redhat.com/docs/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/5.4/html/Deployment_Guide/s2-networkscripts-interfaces-chan.html

Regarding your questions:

1.  If if's only Master Server I think it's nothing wrong with this scheme... But I recommend to put /usr/openv on separate partition.. After failure of / partition you it's simplier to recover your nb catalog.

2. Our customers usually wait for first Maintenance Pack (Release Update) but Nb7 had good beta program so I think you can install Nb7 GA in production..

3. As far as I know linux client on NB7 works without xinetd (bpcd -standalone). If you want to check status of the client hmmmm you can simply go to host properties / clients and connect to the client or execute "telnet client_name 13782".

4. NB7 client is not supported on Windows 2000. But 6.5 client on Win2000 can work with NB7 Master/Media Server.

marekk

[techieNBU]

Marek, thank you again! : )