Netbackup LAN free backup

[manjula]

Dear All

My customer's backup system as follows

1) Win2012 (master, media in a single physical server)

2) Netbackup 7.7

3) Solaris 10,Solaris 11 clients and VMware setup

4) FT Tape libaray directly connected to Master, Media server

5) MSDP pool for staging and replication to remote master server

6) Solaris clients having Qlogic FT cards and connected to SAN

When I trigger the Vmware backup, It is succfully backup via SAN transport mode.But When I trigger the Solaris client backup, It goes through LAN path.It is taking more then 5-6 hours around 200-300Gb backup size.This is real headeke and can not complete the backup with in backup window.

When I go through the tech note of SAN client and SAN media server,the docs are confuse and can't understand what solution is suit to me.

If any one explain step by step in point foam  for get this backup throgh SAN path(LAN free Backup) is highly appriciate.

Thanks in advance.

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi,

In order to use SAN Client (lan free backup) in NEtBackup you need a FT Media Server. FT Media server cannot be configured on Windows Media servers (only Linux / Solaris).

Alternatively, you can upgrade your Solaris clients to Enterprise Client or SAN Media server. This would them to write directly to tape or external disk storage like DataDomain.

[Marianne]

Some reading matter:

What is the difference between the SAN Media Server and SAN Client features? 
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH135896 

[manjula]

Thanks Riyan and Marianne

Dear marianne?Riyan.

In my post I have mentioned that the tech note is giving lot of detail.It is confusing and don't understand those.

1) I have already installed the linux client on top of solaris server.accoding to my understand,I should uninstall this clinet installation and install the media server software in the solaris server.Am i right?

2) Can I use  solaris media server with the exsisting FT SAN library which is alrady attached to the windows master/media server? 

3) How can i use MSDP pool which is attached to Windows media server?I need to replicate backup images to remote master via SLP

Thanks

[RiaanBadenhorst]

Hi,

1. not sure what you mean with you installed the a linux client on the solaris server. But yes, Media Server software is required. But before you go down this route, make sure you've got a supported HBA for FT Media Server. You can check that on the hardware compatibility list.

2. If you have a shared storage license then you can share your tape drives between the media servers.

3. For the discussion of FT you cannot use the MSDP as storage target for SAN Client. SAN Client talks to an FT Media SErver and your MSDP cannot be a FT Media server because it runs windows. PLease create a separate post for queries about remote replication (AIR).

[manjula]

Thanks Riaan

"not sure what you mean with you installed the a linux client on the solaris server" since I have alrady installed the linux client in the solaris server to get backup.If i use this as a media server, I have to uninstall the client software first and re install media server software right?

[RiaanBadenhorst]

I have alrady installed the linux client in the solaris server to get backup<<< How can you install a LINUX client on a Solaris server. I have no idea what you mean. But yes, for FT, you need NetBackup server software installed, you need the server license, and as I said, you need to make sure your HBA is supported for FT. Not all HBA's are supported for FT.

[manjula]

Sorry 

This is solaris client software 

[sdo]

IMO - I do not understand why you are looking at implementing SAN FT for such a slow backup client.

300	GB
307,200	MB
6	hours
21,600	seconds
14	MB/s

.

14 MB/s is so slow that your problem would appear to be with the backup client.  In fact it is so slow that I would check very carefully why you think that changing to a SAN FT client will improve things.  What I'm trying to say is, before looking at SAN FT, one has to understand why one believes that it will improve data transfer rates.

[manjula]

Thanks Sdo

Yes.without impliment the SAN FT, We are tring to identify the backup bottlenecwith current envirment .Please suggest the troble shooting procedure.

[sdo]

I'd start by looking at the disk sub-system:

http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/821-1451/spmonitor-4.html

[Marianne]

There are lots of posts in this forum about finding the bottleneck, e.g. 
Netbackup SPEED problem 
BPBKAR TEST 
Slow backup speed 
(Plus many more.....)

The first step is always to start with the data source:

Test read speed from disk on the client.
Here you can use OS commands or the NBU bpbkar command:

Measuring disk performance with bpbkar
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO99824 

If disk read speed is slow, there is nothing that can be done to make the backup faster. Maybe consider multistreaming - if you can read 4 streams @ 14 - 15 MB/sec, you can get close to 60MB/sec.

If you can read data from disk at about 100MB/sec, the next step is to test network speed/transfer.
Find a file on the filesystem being backed up of +- 2GB. 
Ftp that to the media server.
What is the network transfer rate?

Only if disk read speed is fast enough and network transfer is good, only then do we look at the media server and backup devices.

Please read through the following docs:

Overview of NetBackup performance testing.
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH147296  

About the NetBackup data transfer path 
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO99831

The NetBackup Backup Planning and Performance Tuning Guide, Release 7.5 and Release 7.6 
 http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC7449

[manjula]

Hello Marianne

The test result as follows

“Test read speed from disk on the client.
Here you can use OS commands or the NBU bpbkar command:

Measuring disk performance with bpbkar
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO99824 

If disk read speed is slow, there is nothing that can be done to make the backup faster. Maybe consider multistreaming - if you can read 4 streams @ 14 - 15 MB/sec, you can get close to 60MB/sec.

If you can read data from disk at about 100MB/sec, the next step is to test network speed/transfer”

From the camel command the disk read speeds are more than 120MB/sec

Find a file on the filesystem being backed up of +- 2GB. 
Ftp that to the media server.
What is the network transfer rate?

I copied a 2.2GB backup file from the DB server to the NetBackup server in 10minutes. i.e. roughly 4MB/sec.

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

I copied a 2.2GB backup file from the DB server to the NetBackup server in 10minutes. i.e. roughly 4MB/sec.

So, the network seems to be the problem.
In this case, this client will benefit from making it a SAN Media Server to backup directly to tape.

You will need tape drives to be zoned to the client and NBU Server software installed.
(Take note that tape drives should be zoned to a different HBA, not the same HBA used for disk access.)

NBU licenses needed:
Enterprise Client
Shared Storage Option
Library Based Tape Drives

As Riaan pointed out earlier, you cannot use SAN Client to backup to MSDP on the Windows server.
FT Media server can only be configured on Linux and Solaris Sparc media servers.