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Triggering a VM Backup from the client

PaulLaVigne
Level 4

I am hoping to be able to trigger the VM backup of a client (VMWare 4.1), from the client itself. I have tried to use the bpbackup command from the client, but cannot seem to get it to run the VM backup.

The reason I want to do this is because I have a handful of servers that run batch operations every night, and their completion times vary. Backups need to be scheduled as part of the task sequence, so that they do not interfere with system resources while the batch jobs run, not to mention the completed files that need to be backed up.

I have tried to figure out the fail point from the logs, but am not having a lot of luck. Then it hit me. Is it because I canot set up user level backups on a VM job that this is not possible?

If so, what other options might I have to be able to accomplish this?

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

D_Flood
Level 6

Here's a possible brute force method:

 

1) Set up the schedule in NetBackup as a Calendar Schedule with a huge backup window every night

2) Have your batch process create a specific filename when done.  It doesn't need to be on the client itself, it could be an ftp or copy or something to someplace your Job Scheduler can monitor.

3) Set up your Job Scheduler to watch for that file

4) When the file exists, run a script on your Master or Media Servers (can't be the client, the command doesn't exist there) that does something like this (stolen from a DOS script I use each weekend to enable our Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly schedules, fill in the variables) and then deletes the trigger file.

BPPLSCHEDREP %POLICY% %SCHEDULE% -M %MASTER% -v -incl %TODAYDATE%

Depending on your system settings, within the next 10 minutes a backup should start.

 

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8 REPLIES 8

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

The only way to trigger an user backup is to install the NBU client in the VM host and start filesystem backup with bpbackup command.

I cannot see any other way....

PaulLaVigne
Level 4

Good idea, but that still won't help me with the batch scheduler application (which is GECS). Seems even less likely that the scheduler app could communicate with the NBU client in the VM host.

D_Flood
Level 6

Here's a possible brute force method:

 

1) Set up the schedule in NetBackup as a Calendar Schedule with a huge backup window every night

2) Have your batch process create a specific filename when done.  It doesn't need to be on the client itself, it could be an ftp or copy or something to someplace your Job Scheduler can monitor.

3) Set up your Job Scheduler to watch for that file

4) When the file exists, run a script on your Master or Media Servers (can't be the client, the command doesn't exist there) that does something like this (stolen from a DOS script I use each weekend to enable our Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly schedules, fill in the variables) and then deletes the trigger file.

BPPLSCHEDREP %POLICY% %SCHEDULE% -M %MASTER% -v -incl %TODAYDATE%

Depending on your system settings, within the next 10 minutes a backup should start.

 

PaulLaVigne
Level 4

I was thinking of something along the same lines. I am working it out with the admins who manage the batch scheduler (GECS) to see if this is do-able. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, so the fewer apps the better.

D_Flood
Level 6

If you wanted to keep it even simpler from a job point of view you could install full Media Server on each VM and then the batch processing could execute the command at the end...but then you have a whole lot of Media Servers that you'd have to make sure don't get load balancing dumped on them...

 

quebek
Moderator
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I would install a JAVA GUI for Netbackup (Java Windows Administration Console Installation) on VMWARE machines, if these are windows based. Later on to the bp.conf file of the master server (or registry equivalent) I would add these VM machines by adding lines SERVER = vmware1

SERVER = vmware2

etc

After adding those above to your master server list, you will need either to restart NBU master server or run bprdreq -rereadconfig

By doing so, you should have been able to use NBU admin commands (thus I encourage you to install the same version of NBU as is on Master server) - like

bpbackup -i -p policy_name -h hostname_from_policy -s schedule_name -S master_server

Let me quote REference guide for commands:

"The -i option of bpbackup starts an immediate manual backup of a client. The bpbackup option is available only to the administrator on the master server. It is equivalent to when you start a manual backup from the NetBackup Administration Console. Use the -h option to specify the host."

I just tested it from my opscenter server against some remote master and it worked ;) Have fun.

PaulLaVigne
Level 4

Why the Java GUI? Why not the regular client?

quebek
Moderator
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   VIP    Certified

Well regular client is not really needed inside the vmware guest, second this is the recommended way of having a 'management' remote server, and this is for free ... That's why.

Maybe with regular client it will be succesfull once you will add it as a server = xxxx to your master server.