Storage Lifecycle Policy when NDMP is included

[Ira_Brock]

Is it possible to create a SLP where the Backup being performed is NDMP, and the Duplication is standard?

We create a SLP with Backup / Duplication, and in the policy we specify NDMP for the policy. The backup completes without issues, but when it comes to the Duplication step, it just hangs as if its wanting to also use NDMP but should be using Ethernet standard transfers. Does our duplication need to support NDMP transfers as well?

Is there a better way of duplicating one VTL to another than using a SLP ?

Thank you.

[Mark_Solutions]

It should work - depends on which version of NetBackup you are on as there was at least one bug:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH160733

#edit#

and how your SLP is set up of course - read server etc.

[Ira_Brock]

Thanks Mark.

We are on version 7.5. Our SLP is straight forward in that it performs a backup step, followed by a duplication step. The Read server is set to the same server as the one that does the inital backup.

I think I see my isue though. Our VTL that does the NDMP backups only has its drives set up as NDMP without a seperate path. I think if I add a path from the read server to the tapes other than NDMP, it will access the drives regularly and transfer the data over to our other VTL normaly.

Not the ideal solution for speeds, although I do not know any other method of duplicating this data correctly. (Copying from one VTL to another VTL at a seperate location) We would use OpenStorage or Disk if we werent using NDMP..

[Mark_Solutions]

The NDMP appliance is not a Media Server so cannot be asked to duplicate tapes

Share the tape drives in the VTL (and possibly the robotics and then set the real Media Server as the robot control host) and you will then be able to allow the real media server to read the tapes on that VTL and duplicate them to the other VTL.

Cannot see another way around it with your setup

[Ira_Brock]

Thanks for your reply. This is actualy how we already have it set up. The media server has a logical path to the drives and the drives have multiple paths (one to the media server, and one path set up as NDMP to the storage server).

I do not have a Storage unit assigned to those drives as normal drives, because we only write via NDMP to them, so we have a storage unit set up to them as NDMP of course. There is also no place to place a storage unit that is non ndmp so there is no need for one. If this makes sense.

Anyway, we have a storage unit set up for the destination VTL. The issue is, the SLP says "Backup" and uses the NDMP storage unit (because the policy that calls this SLP is an NDMP policy. And then the Duplication step calls a storage unit that is Not NDMP. The inital backup runs fine, but then the duplication just sits and nothing moves. Also, the Activity Monitor never shows the job like it does for all other Duplication jobs that run due to an SLP calling them. I must use bpstlutil report in order to see them.

So, because I can only use 1 policy to control this entire job, it is thinking its all NDMP which is not the case. The Read server is set to the media server that does have physical access to both tape libraries and drives. It all seems to be configured correctly. I just not tell the SLP not to use NDMP during the duplication, and to force it to use a different storage unit for the reads than the one it just wrote to.

This makes for a big issue of not being able to duplicate our jobs. There must be a way to perform this outside of vaulting one robot to the other without an eject stage, and with only a replication stage.

[Mark_Solutions]

OK - assuming you have the Shared Storage Option the same drives can be used for NDMP and normal operations.

That means that if you real media server can see the drives then you can create an additional non NDMP storage unit for the media server to use in order to read from the tapes using those drives and do the duplications.

It is already configured so just make a new storage unit and change your SLP

One issue is that the backups that have already been configured may not duplicate as they were made with the SLP as it currently is - you will have to monitor

[Ira_Brock]

Thanks Mark. I will configure another Storage Unit that contains the normal local path to the drives, and then change the SLP so that the backup uses the new storage unit. I wil keep my policy as "NDMP" so it knows I want to use NDMP for the inital backup. I hope the policy is smart enough to use the NDMP path and not the storage unit that is in the SLP.

I will let you know my results shortly.

[Mark_Solutions]

AH! - i see what you mean - in that case leave it as it is - the difference will be that when it comes to do the duplication it will be able to actually use its available new storage unit to do the read operation

All very mentally testing!!

[Ira_Brock]

Ok... The VTL has 8 drives. I am using 4 for NDMP, and another 4 for standard backups. I created another Storage Unit for the standard backups. 

I left my SLP alone, so it still backups to the NDMP storage Unitl, and the attempts the duplication step. This is where it just sits. I am trying to copy < 1 MB and it wont move. I am forced to cancel it after a while via nbstlutil cancel -lifecycle <name>, There is no where within the SLP to specify the new storage unit in which to read from, and it is not trying to use the new storage unit that I can see, because it just sits.

Not sure what other options I have.

[Mark_Solutions · Accepted solution]

OK - did some reading and you may be stuck!

If your VTL supports Direct Copy - Refer to NDMP and Hardware Compatibility Lists then it may be able to do it itself vis a SLP

If not then your only real option is to do remote NDMP (data passes over the LAN to your Media Server) in which case an SLP can easily do the duplication

It is a bit old now but a lot is covered in here:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/whitepaper-best-practice-ndmp-backup-veritas-netbac...

[Genericus]

I do this with my VTL, and I have drives set up for NDMP and normal use.

You will need to manually duplicate copy 1 of the SLP you cancelled. it is not an issue.

You DO need to have a 'normal' storage unit set up for your duplication on BOTH VTL on a media server.

in your SLP, specify the alternate read server as the media server that has the storage on both VTL - one to read from and one to write to.

[Genericus]

Alternate read server is an open issue at this time....