SAN Client setup ( AIX - IBM 3584 )

[Raju_la]

Hi,

 i am new to netbackup ( TSM guy ) , we would like to setup one of our big/critical one as LAN Free/sanclient to IBM 3584 tape library. i read couple of documents its kind of confusion bec somewhere it mentioned that SAN Client supposed to be a FT Media server.

1. Do we need to buy another license of media server for this client ?

setup is pretry much same like tsm ?

 a. install client software on client server ( do we need to install any other software like storage agent in TSM other than client software? )

 b. zone the client HBA & library fc

 c. configure files like bp.conf in client

 e. redirect the policy stg to tape stg unit in master server

  correct me if i am wrong/miss anything.

  if anyone have done this pls share the documents..

[rizwan84tx · Accepted solution]

Raju,

As per NBU 7 licensing; you need NetBackup Enterprise Client license to support SAN clients backups. The Enterprise Client only functions with NetBackup Enterprise Server.

 About FT Media Server: NetBackup media server supporting remote client’s backup over the FT pipe.  Its main purpose is to serve client backups & restore via FC. NetBackup FT media server supports only Linux & Solaris x64 servers and QLogic HBA adapter for target.

About SAN Client: Nothing special installation is required, just regular client installation and it will install all supporting binaries for SAN Client. Initially the FT services will be in stopped state. We have to enable the FT service, once you have setup the FT media server.

About Zonning: You have to zone WWPN of the FT media server Target HBA with SAN clients HBA, so that client initiator port can transfer data to media server target port. If you are backing up to tape, then you have to zone the other HBA (initiator) of the FT media server with the Tape drives.

I have attached the setup document for your reference, for security reasons have edited the hostname and wwn.Hope its helpful for you to setup.

[Raju_la]

Hi Rizwan.. thank you so much for the info and Doc..

Question: do we need to do 2 zones

1. SAN Client & Media server

2. Media server & Tape library ( this is already in place )

so its like library client in TSM , bec as a LANFree backup in TSM we need to zone only client & library

and comm between client and server is LAN.

[rizwan84tx]

Yes you need create another Zone for SAN client and FT media server. However, im a noob in TSM .

Zone 1: FT media server (initiator HBA) + Library Tape drive (which you have already done)

Zone 2: FT media server (target HBA) + SAN client

[muhanad_daher]

Rizwan,

you have great answer.

[AAlmroth]

If you are going to send the backups directly to tape, why don't you just use the SAN media server feature and zone the physical tape library directly to the server requiring LAN free backup? This setup is much easier.

You just need an Enterprise client license (just as with SAN Client) and a Shared Storage Option (SSO) license for each tape drive being shared.

With SAN client, you need to dedicate HBA ports to the FT server which cannot be used for anything else but providing FT pipes (aka virtual tape drives) to the SAN clients.

Just a thought...

/A

[Raju_la]

1. SAN  Client:

 client software is installed

2. FT Media Server

root@media1:/$ bpps -a | grep nbft
    root  7541     1   0   Mar 22 ?         166:54 /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbftsrvr
root@media1:/$ bpps -a | grep nbfd
    root  7569  7541   0   Mar 22 ?        10159:43 /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbfdrv64 -m=0x32000058 -v=1 -s=256K
 

3. media server ports are in target mode and we can see that they are showing as Archive phython in Brocade ( when i rightclick on port attributes , i can see that as symbolic name feild ) . here iattach the picture.

4.  SAN Client and media server are zoned.

5. SAN Client is detected under Devices > SAN Client

Question:

do we need to define the drive path to sanclient too ?

i rightclick on SAN Client and did the Rescan SAN Client FT devices i got the output which i attached here , its device status at bottom saying " missing " is it normal ? also client doen't have active backup sessions so device status is missing or it supposed to active always ?

[rizwan84tx]

You don't have to define drive paths to SAN client. Run the command "nbftconfig -listclients -verbose" in FT media server in path "/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd" and post the output.

Also provide the NetBackup version and the Client OS information.