Netbackup Upgrade Help

[yahya1]

HI,

I am a support engineer, I have limited knowledge about NBU. Don't go harsh on me for asking stupid questions. I have shared the environment details for a client who are planning an upgrade. Lucky for them, I have to do the upgrade. 

Environment details:

PRIMARY SITE:

• A virtual NetBackup Master Server based upon NBU version 8.1.2 (OS LINUX). 
• A NBU Appliance 5240 configured as a Media Server based upon NBU version 8.1.2 and Appliance version 3.1.2.
• MSDP is configured on the media appliance.

DISASTER RECOVERY SITE:

• A  NBU Appliance 5240 configured as a Master-Media Server based upon NBU version 8.1.2 and Appliance version 3.1.2. 
• Via auto image replication working on one to one model NBU replicates the backup copies from PR site to DR site.

Lets suppose we are upgrading to NBU 9.0, Now the questions are,

1. Firstly I will update the master server to NBU 9.0. If the prerequisites check clears. all is good and I should proceed to upgrade the master server and move onto the media appliance. Is that how it goes?                            
2. The media appliance is based upon NBU appliance version 3.1.2 so upgrading the appliance version to 4.0 would automatically upgrade the NBU version in it from 8.1.2 to 9.0. Is the NBU version bundled in the appliance version or do I have to upgrade it separately?                                                                                  
3. At the DR site when upgrading the NBU appliance to appliance version 4.0, would it update the master and media server NBU versions in it to 9.0 or if I have to update NBU version separately would the media and master server both be updated from the same package?                                                                                                                                                                                                         
4. Should I run the AURA (Appliance Upgrade Readiness Analyzer) tool on both PR and DR appliances before upgrading them?                                                                                                                                                     
5. Can I downgrade if something goes wrong?

@Marianne @Nicolai @RiaanBadenhorst  Please help, thanking in anticipation.

[davidmoline · Accepted solution]

Hi @yahya1 

Firstly I think the order you should perform the upgrades would be the DR site first, then the production site. Air works best when replicating from lower to higher versions. 

When looking at the appliance upgrades to 4.0, this also includes NetBackup 9.0, you must run the AURA tool (and pass) before you will be able to upggrade (you will not be able to upgrade without running the AURA tool and recieving a pass). 

Once the DR site is upgraded, perform the upgrades on the production site - first the master or primary server as it is now referred to, then the appliance (again you must run the AURA tool prior to upgrade and get a pass). 

Note if you have an OpsCenter server in the environment - upgrade this as the very first step.

The upgrade order in general is Ops Center server first, then primary (or master) server, then media servers and finalllt clients.

As for downgrading, the appliance upgrade process will protect the current environment until the upgrade completes (it creates a snapshot of the boot environment which is upgraded and can rollback to the previous version if the upgrade fails). The primary server really needs you to take approporiate action to protect the current environment prior to upgrade (a good catalog backup, snapshot of the system if it is a VM etc.). There is no easy rollback for a BYO primary server without some pre-planning (the database is upgraded among otherthings, so reverting to the previous version is not as simple as uninstalling). If you cannot create a snapshot of the master server, review the diaster recovery section of the troubleshooting admin guide for details on how to use a catalog recovery to recover the primary server.

All that said, if you properly prepare for the upgrade (catalog consistency checks - NBCC - catalog backups, etc.) the upgrade itself is robust and you are unlikely to encounter problems. For the appliance the AURA tool has been a truly wonderful utility to ensure your appliance will upgrade without issues.

Good luck
David

[yahya1]

MEGA KUDOS for explaining wonderfully. Let's hope all goes well. :D