SAN tape backups via NetBacup 7.1 Media server

[Willie_SA]

Environment:

Master/media server                 UNIX          NetBackup 7.1              Robot and 4 x LTO5 drives connected

New Media server                     Windows    NetBackup 7.1             2 x LTO5 drives connected and zoned to Media

                                                                                                  server via switch in same robot as above.

Configuration is OK and can see all the components and New Media server is known under the Master server.

When attempting backups, the transport type is LAN. The correct 2 dives are used.

How do I get the backups to change to transport type SAN and drive backups via the FC connections to the drives?

[Marianne · Accepted solution]

Please show us STU config for this media server. On master, run:

bpstulist -label <stu-name> -U

What is Activity Monitor showing in STU column? And in Media server column?
All new media server details?
Can you see bptm amd bpbrm processes running on the media server when backup is running?

If so, don't worry about SAN/LAN messages. I think older NBU versions said 'LAN', even when backup was actually SAN.

[Nicolai]

Marianne is right. The only time Transport type will change is when using Fibre Transport

[Willie_SA]

Please find attached a document with the information regarting the STU and job that ran.

Please note that I cancelled the job after a couple of minutes as the throughput was very slow AND the Type of LAN.

Hope I can proof that data is transferred directly to the FC tape drives via the swich connected.

Thank you

[Marianne]

STU config and Activity Monitor looks fine.

create bptm log folder on the media server.
This log will help you with performance tuning:
It will show you Buffer size and number when backup starts (will probably be the default without any files manually created)

Local backup is no guarantee that backups will be fast - you firstly need to determine what type of data needs to be backed up and what disk layout is. If there are lots of small files on slow disk with heavy fragmentation, no tape drive will make the backup go faster.

You can read up in the Perf Tuning Guide on how to use bpbkar test to determine read speed from local disk.
You can probably use multiple data streams combined with multiplexing in STU and shedule to increase backup speed.

Hope this helps!

[Willie_SA]

Thank you very much for the feedback.

I understand all your advice regarding log files and tuning. And will use it as guideline for tuning.

BUT

Bottom line requirment - Proof that data are going to the tape drives via the SAN and not via the LAN.

How do I proof that?

[Marianne]

1. The details in Activity Monitor (Media server and STU tabs)
2. bptm and bpbrm processes and logs on the media server.

Monitoring switch ports will also show traffic on media server only.

[Willie_SA]

I have done more tests - with bigger chuncks of data and longer running jobs.

Even though the transport type indicates LAN it is defnitaly using the SAN.

After all - it is the only way data can get to this specific drives and STU(the drives are ONLY connected to this media server and not to the master.

I saw avarage of 95 Mb/sec - which you cannot transfer over a LAN anyway.

Tuning can improve on that easily - which will now be the next step.

Thank you for help.