Netbackup with SAN

[Vincent_Pek]

Hi,

We have a Oracle DB server and another Netbackup Windows server which both are connect to SAN and LAN.

Can somebody tell me when the Oracle backup take place, how the data will flow? Will the data flow thru LAN to the Netbackup Media server and backup thru SAN to the our Tape Library which is also connected to SAN? or the data will flow directly thru SAN from Oracle DB server to the Tape Library?

What is the netbackup essential components which we need to purchase to do the Oracle DB backup?

Thanks

[Anton_Panyushki]

It will be a LAN backup unless your Oracle server is also SAN media server. In the latter case it will be a SAN backup. To take advantage of SAN backup you should attach tape drives to this client (zoning) and then promote your NetBackup client to SAN media server.

[Vincent_Pek]

Hi,

Is there any others option in Netbackup which enable DB server perfomed SAN backup even though media server is another? One of my vendor told me the Agent of Netbackup is able to do SAN backup even media server is different?

Thanks

Vincent

[Omar_Villa]

To perform a direct backup between you Oracel box and the tape drive you need to upgrade your Oracle client to Media server and share some drives with SSO or if you dont want to share drives you can remove one of the drives in one of you media server and re-zone it to the Oracle client, then you create the STU, with this you will have an exclusive drive for your Oracle backups.

Hope this helps.

Regards.

[Vincent_Pek]

Hi,

I found in the Netbackup Shared Storage  Guide, there is an option call 'SAN client and Fiber Transport', which the client can send data to media server thru SAN. Can't this be use to perform oracle SAN backup?

[sdo]

Yes, your normal plain client (Oracle serevr), can be converted into a "SAN Media Server", i.e. a kind of super client that is able to secure itself (but no other clients) to your SAN attached backup storage.

A "SAN Media Server" is different to a "SSO Media Server".  An "SAN Media Server" can only secure itself via the SAN, whereas a "SSO Media Server" can secure itself and any other client (via the LAN).

Does this help explain?

[Vincent_Pek]

Hi,

Is that mean, the "SAN Client with Fiber Transport"=SAN Media Server? or they are two different things?

Thanks

[Stumpr2]

I think he is referring to this new stuff...

...and I I don't understand any of this:

SAN Client and Fibre Transport

The information in this section is new for NetBackup 6.5.

■ When used for SAN Client target mode, the QLA-2344 four-port FC adapter's

usable aggregate performance is not significantly greater than a two-port

QLA-2342 when used in the same PCI-x slot. The advantage a QLA-2344

HBA offers is the ability to spread its aggregate performance over four ports

instead of two. If you use direct-connection (rather than FC switches or

bridges) between SAN clients and a Fibre Transport (FT) media server and

only two ports are fully loaded with Fibre Transport traffic at the same time,

the QLA-2344 HBA performs similarly to two QLA-2342 HBAs but uses one

less PCI slot.

■ The SAN Client HBA's and their drivers must use 256K size buffers for data

transfer.

■ The IBM 6228 HBAs require the following version of the AIX FC driver to

ensure that the appropriate data is returned when a task is aborted. Not

installing the following drive could result in a hung Fiber Transport (FT).

AIX FC driver version level 5.2.0.75 for IBM 6228 card _ AIX Oslevel

5200-07

■ For NetBackup media servers, only 64-bit, PCI-X slots are supported for the

QLogic Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs) that are used to connect to

the NetBackup SAN clients. Legacy PCI 33 and 66 Mhz slots are not

supported. Also, slots that share an interrupt are not supported.

■ On the NetBackup media servers, Symantec recommends that you do not

use legacy PCI cards on the same bus as a QLogic FC HBA that is used to

connect to SAN clients. A slower PCI card reduces the speed of the

controlling bus and therefore all other cards in that bus. Consequently, data

transfer rates are reduced and performance is degraded.

■ On the NetBackup SAN clients, a legacy PCI card on the same PCI-X bus as

the FC HBA that connects to the media server also reduces the speed of the

controlling bus. NetBackup FT performance may not be affected as much as

on a media server, but performance may degrade to unacceptable levels.

■ Fibre Transport (FT) is limited to Disk based storage units in the NetBackup

6.5 Release.

■ If you use data compression or encryption for backups, backup and restore

Fibre Transport pipe performance may degrade significantly. In some

configurations, compression may reduce performance by up to 95% of

uncompressed performance.

■ NetBackup SAN clients cannot also be NetBackup servers.

■ No support for FlashBackup restores over an FT pipe.

■ No support for Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) hubs.

Message Edited by Bob Stump on 09-06-2007 11:19 PM

[sdo]

The "NetBackup SAN Client and Fibre Transport Troubleshooting Guide" was published the other day:

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/288437.htm

...this might help explain some of the new ideas with v6.5.  It looks like there is a new kind of media server, known as a "Fibre Transport Media Server", and also a new client feature (option?) named "SAN Client with Fibre Transport" that allows clients to send data over the SAN to a "Fibre Transport Media Server".

As for licencing of these new models/features, and how it differs/compares to v6.0 and prior - I'm not sure of just yet.

[Ashz_Tomz]

hi bob ... thanks for your informative mail,

however i have a small doubt to this , i went through most of the admin guides n SSO guides,,it is turning more complicating to me...

We have currently base version installed which is presently backing up 20 clients(standard client ) in LAN .. we are moving all these 20 clients from Lan to san based enviornment due to bandwidth issues .. This is a Two – Tier architecture which we are converting presently to enterprise version for getting all the advanced features

Which are the new additional components needed for implementing this change ie : All client backups being routed via SAN ?

we have only one masterserver acting as media server itself

kindly request you assist me ...

[Omar_Villa]

After reading a bit here are some good docs you need to read before going to SAN Client

Netbackup Shared Storage Guide, Chapter 4
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/290238.htm

NetBackup SAN Client and Fibre Transport Troubleshooting Guide
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/288437.htm

SAN Client Deployment - Best Practices and Performance Metrics
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/293110.htm


Basicaly SAN Client is a client that uses a media server but instead of  sending the data through the network or TCP/IP protocol it uses Fiber Channel Protocol and consist in some few steps:

1. A media server needs an exclusive HBA configured has target HBA Qlogic is the only supported one
2. The client needs an HBA who will connect to the media server HBA
3. Zones in the SAN fabric must be configured between Media Server and Client
4. Netbackup SAN Client must be installed in the Client
5. Media server needs to be configured has a SAN Target (see Netbackup Shared Storage doc)
6. Start the nbhba service on the media server
7. Mark the ports
8. Configure Fiber Transport (FT) services under the media server
9. Configure SAN Client in the client.
10. Start a normal backup, what will happen here is that the client will use the SAN Network, but if after a while there is no available resources the backup will go through the TCP/IP Network, this can be configured under the Host Properties of the Media Server where you can specify if after certain time waiting you want the client to go through the regular network or if you want to force it to wait until a resource is available so you can use the FT.


Is a very interesting technology In my opinion instead of configured tape drives or SSO this will be the best options for clients with big amounts of data.


Hope this helps.
regards.
 

[Omar_Villa]

After reading a bit here are some good docs you need to read before going to SAN Client

Netbackup Shared Storage Guide, Chapter 4
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/290238.htm

NetBackup SAN Client and Fibre Transport Troubleshooting Guide
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/288437.htm

SAN Client Deployment - Best Practices and Performance Metrics
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/293110.htm


Basicaly SAN Client is a client that uses a media server but instead of  sending the data through the network or TCP/IP protocol it uses Fiber Channel Protocol and consist in some few steps:

1. A media server needs an exclusive HBA configured has target HBA Qlogic is the only supported one
2. The client needs an HBA who will connect to the media server HBA
3. Zones in the SAN fabric must be configured between Media Server and Client
4. Netbackup SAN Client must be installed in the Client
5. Media server needs to be configured has a SAN Target (see Netbackup Shared Storage doc)
6. Start the nbhba service on the media server
7. Mark the ports
8. Configure Fiber Transport (FT) services under the media server
9. Configure SAN Client in the client.
10. Start a normal backup, what will happen here is that the client will use the SAN Network, but if after a while there is no available resources the backup will go through the TCP/IP Network, this can be configured under the Host Properties of the Media Server where you can specify if after certain time waiting you want the client to go through the regular network or if you want to force it to wait until a resource is available so you can use the FT.


Is a very interesting technology In my opinion instead of configured tape drives or SSO this will be the best options for clients with big amounts of data.


Hope this helps.
regards.
 

[Girish_N_]

On which platform you are running Netbackup Enterprise server.

[Omar_Villa]

SAN Clients can be any platform but the FT Media Server must be a Solaris 10 or RHES4 64bit is are the only supported OS's at this point.

[riddelln]

Hi,


Hi I'm a noob to this forum so hoping you guys can help, please.

Does anybody know if the SAN Client config. discussed in this thread can also be applied to LDOMS?

We're thinking of using a virtual HBA and a SAN Client wihtin each LDOM.

Any views, please?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers Niall

[riddelln]

Hi,


Hi I'm a noob to this forum so hoping you guys can help, please.

Does anybody know if the SAN Client config. discussed in this thread can also be applied to LDOMS?

We're thinking of using a virtual HBA and a SAN Client wihtin each LDOM.

Any views, please?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers Niall