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New master server in existing environment

shahriar_sadm
Level 6

Hi Dear all,

I want to add new master server in out environment and move important media server to it, now I want some questions.

Can I share existing tape library and DD to both master server withou partitioning?

Are you recommend move backups to new master server (backups retentions are 2 weeks)?

Any refrence document available for this action?

Thanks

 

12 REPLIES 12

revarooo
Level 6
Employee

> Can I share existing tape library and DD to both master server withou partitioning?

No you can't do that. You cannot share allocations between master servers

> Are you recommend move backups to new master server (backups retentions are 2 weeks)?

No just let your images expire if they have such short retentions - no point wasting efforts migrating.

 

Marianne
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What is the reason for adding another master server? Trying to split an environment is extremely painful and even using Catalog manipulation tools needs a lot of planning. Splitting environment is not only about moving media servers. What about clients? What about backup images on old server 'owned' by the media servers you want to move to new server? As per revarooo's post - devices cannot be shared. DD perhaps, but each master server will probably need own logical disk pool.

Nicolai
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You can share the data domain by using diffrent Data Domain storage units.

In newer version of DD OS there also multi-tennant options

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTRBWqPPT-0

 

sdo
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Why do you "want" to add a new master ?

i.e. what is the compelling reason/scenario to make you do this ?

What are you hoping to achieve by doing this ?

...I think answers to the above may help us help you a little bit more.  If you want.

Marianne
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Yes. You can share robot and tape drives with robot partitioning. Setting up another master will not give you high availability. It will increase complexity and headaches. Just deciding what and how to split servers, clients, backup images, media, etc is your first challenge. The moment you put already written media in the wrong robot partition, this master will see media as new and overwrite it. Plus you introduce another single point of failure (SPOF). For HA, you may want to consider clustering your master server. It will need consulting services from Catman certified partner, but by far your best bet. If you have 2 separate masters with 2 separate DD's at different sites, you can config AIR to replicate data between sites and so have all backups at both sites. For long-term storage on tape you will need to decide where to connect the tape library or whether you will have DD to tape duplication at each site. For this you will need another tape library.

shahriar_sadm
Level 6

You can share robot and tape drives with robot partitioning >> it means I dont need 2nd robot? 

No clients involved here. New maste (if setup) only handle 3 or 4 media servers directly connected to tape. not more. 

You are right, Clustering master is most helpful for us, 

Thanks

sdo
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Some libraries support partitioning.  Some do not.

Some require tape library vendor liceneses to enable partitioning.  Some do not.

NetBackup works with some library partitioning schemes.  Not with others.

There are restrictions - usually - i.e. the robot is not shared - it is logically split - the slots and tape drives are not shared - they are split, usually - some slots and drives are permanently to master A, some are permanently assign to master B.

.

You haven't even told us your library type, size, drive count - and you ask us whether you can partition it... let me look in to my crystal ball...    hmmm.... nope, it's still cloudy  :p

Why are we even considering partitioning the library?  If they're is only going to be one clustered master then you wouldn't need to, nor want to, partition the tape library.  It doesn't make sense to me.

Marianne
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What kind of backup system does not have clients? Only media servers? If robot can be partitioned, then each partition becomes a logical robot with own resources. It is presented to OS as different devices and can therefore be assigned/zoned to different environments. Even if the media servers backup themselves, they are considered to be clients in NBU.

shahriar_sadm
Level 6

Hi.

@sdo, you are right because I focused on consept only, Tape library is Scalar i6000 with 40 tape drives and 1 robot, 

@Marianne, yes our media servers backup themselves, I refered to NBU version installed on clients :)

Thanks

Marianne
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Seeing that you will need consulting services to split the domain, rather consider clustering your master server for true HA. Or else separate master servers, separate DDs with AIR replication.

shahriar_sadm
Level 6

Hi all, after one failure in existing master server employer wanted me to check possiblity for add new master server and move some very important meda server to new environment for lower issue affect, I never thought about this solution and I dont know if its practical or not. what do you think about? 

Also about shared tape library I confused, some articles says its possible to share tape library between 2 master servers by partitioning or use ACSLS to do that without partitioning, I know only one host can control robots and also drives can be share, so if we add 2nd robot to existing library can we shared library between 2 master?

Thanks and sorry if its beginner question.

 

nbutech
Level 6
Accredited Certified

I think to keep it simple as suggested earlier you should opt for clustering the master server rather than going thru all the split process...Remember your employer was more concerned about failure of master server..so if you can give a solution w.r.t to that purpose I think you should be good...