cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

brbackup online_split

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

I have been tasked with porting a backup using harware array split of a SAP database from Solaris to Linux and I know the theory of how it all works, but very little about the actual config files you have to setup for it to work.

The Linux media server is setup (7.5.06) and the NBU client has been installed on the host and the process as I understand is NBU master kicks off the following:

  1. On client DB is quiesed 
  2. On Media the storage is split off
  3. On client DB is unquiesed
  4. On Media, do the backup
  5. On media resync the storage

The backup policy on Solaris has Policy Type "SAP" and script in the "backup selections"  which looks as though it does all/some of the above

So the script in the "backup selections" sets some environment variables and runs:

 brbackup -u / -c -d util_file -t online_split -m all

So my questions are:

  1. Does the above brbackup do all of the 5 steps above or are scripts called before and after brbackup so the brbackup is only doing step 2
  2. Somewhere along the line a script called "/usr/local/bin/sap/split.sh" is called (for step 2) which is passed args like diskgroup.  How does brbackup know to call this script with the required args - I assume there is some config file somewhere
  3. Likewise, somewhere along the line a script called "/usr/local/bin/sap/resync.sh" is called (step 4) which is passed args like diskgroup - where is this configured.

Mike

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

In moving to Linux, LVM is going to be used instead of VxVM on the client to be backed up and a Linux media server is also being added to the enviroment, so the snapshot will have to stay as a hardware snapshot and I now have the answer I require which is:

  1. brbackup is a SAP utility as oppose to the very similar named (and with very similar options) bpbackup which is a netbackup utility and brbackup does the 5 steps mentioned in opening post (quiese, split, unquiece, backup, resync)
  2. The Initialization Profile init<DBSID>.sap file is used to specify the command to split (and mount) the snapshot using parameter split_cmd
  3. Likewise, parameter resync_cmd is used to specify the command to resync (and umount first) the snapshot 

More details about brbackup can be found at https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/c7/c90e6b7cfd44309bd90b2b7a8a89fd/content.htm

 

If you use brbackup with "-t online_split" then you MUST used custom scripts as specified above and therefore as the split is not being done using netbackup (bpfis), the compatibilty matrix at http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126901 does not apply.

 

Mike

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9

Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

What does a storage foundation TA do in the backup forum ;)

Mike - is this a supported configuration according to the compatible matrix ?

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126901

Step 2 and 3 sound like a custom hack.

Usally Netbackup does all step needed if its a supported configuration.

 

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

Hi Nicolai,

I don't know if this is supported as I don't know what the "Snapshot Method" means.  For current solution on Solaris 10 it looks as though line:

Hitachi_ShadowImage RAID Manager/LIB 01-13-03/00 SAP Oracle Agent Alternate Client VxFS / VxVM 7.0

is what we might have if Alternate Client means backup does not happen on the client (the diskgroup is imported on the media server to be backed up).

The scripts are custom (they do array split, import diskgroups and mount filesystems), but I don't know what the signifcance of this is in NBU.  In VCS you can use custom agents or Application agent with custom scripts and this means the overall VCS solution is still supported, but obviously you support the custom scripts.

For Linux we are using RH 6 and I see the matrix only has up to RH 5 for Hitachi Shadow Image, but if we are using custom script to do the pair split in Hitachi, I don't know if this matters as long as RH 6 is supported by NBU.

I haven't got to grips yet with NBU support as for NBU to support VCS NBU agent (this is a different issue I have) you have to use latest VCS with latest NBU which is not how support works with VCS as you don't want to upgrade 2 products at the same time, so with VCS you can use latest VCS with old Oracle and old VCS with new Oracle.  And with VCS if an application is not supported by an agent or the current agent doesn't do what you want it to do, then it is supported to write your own agent

So I guess I have an additional questions now:

  1. Is current Solaris solution still supported overall - i.e is is suported to use NBU split mirror in conjuction with custom scripts
  2. If 1 is suported then does it matter that RH 6 is not on compatibilitymatrix
  3. Is quiece/unquiece done by SAP agent or is this likely to be a custom script (or it maybe that database is not quieced, but I was assuming it was)

Thanks

Mike

Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

Alternate client means a other host than the source does the backup in Netbackup terms.

1: It sound like a not official supported configuration if you use custom scripts.

2: If its not the compatibility matrix is not supported - but you can request Symantec to support it. Somtimes it only mean Symantec need to test the configuration.

3: You can (need to) use brtools to set the oracle database in backup mode. Else the backup will be worthless.

 

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

I have done some more investigation:

The standard sap_online_backup template provided by netbackup in /usr/openv/netbackup/ext/db_ext/sap/scripts/sap_oracle does:

  1. Sets environment for SAP
  2. brbackup -c -d util_file_online -t online -m all
  3. brarchive -c -d util_file –sd

brbackup looks to be provided by SAP and we have changed template to run so that brbackup runs "-t online_split" rather than "-t online", and https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/0d/d30c504a0c11d182b80000e829fbfe/content.htm lists "onlne_split" as a valid option - futher it says at https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/0d/d30a914a0c11d182b80000e829fbfe/content.htm:

The split command must be created by the user in the form of a program, a shell script or a batch file.

So it would seem you HAVE to create a custom script and there is no option to use a provided script.  I would guess that this also means that the matrix at http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126901 does not apply as I would GUESS if you use bpbackup (not brbackup) then the split scripts are provided by netbackup, but as we HAVE to use own scripts, I don't see why the matrix is relevant.

Mike

Nicolai
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP   

This do sound like a straight out of the book SAP installation.

I have done a POC for SAP on HP-UX using split mirror with VxVM/VXFS some years ago. This all worked out of the box. Combination was listed in the support matrix by the way. No requirement for custom scripts. But also fear this custom split script is where Symantec Support will reject all support calls because is not in their stack.

You can always open a support ticket with Symantec and ask if they think its supported. Its a lot better than starting an argue if you run into problems. From my experience Symantec follow their compatibility matrix VERY close. If just one components is outside what written you are on "it may work, but unsupported".

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

I had already logged a call and this was their response:

The NetBackup Snapshot Client Compatibility only applies when NetBackup is performing/managing the snapshots, it does not apply if SAP is managing the volumes. i.e. The Snapshot Client Compatibility List documents what "bpfis" / "bppfi" are compatible with, if those programs are not part of the backup, then the SCCL does not apply.

Mike

Marianne
Moderator
Moderator
Partner    VIP    Accredited Certified

Hi Mike

I am late to this discussion (was on leave).

You may to have a look at the NetBackup way of scheduling and performing the entire operation (e.g. using SF DGSJ) using NBU Snapshot Client:
snapshot on source
diskgroup split and deport on source
diskgroup import on offhost client/media server
database backup
deport of dg
import on source, dg join and volume resync.

How to do this is documented in Chapter 9 of NetBackup for SAP Administrator's Guide  with references to NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator's Guide  .

**** EDIT ****

Just had another look at your opening post:

... using harware array split of a SAP database from Solaris to Linux

HDS Hardware Snapshots are supported with VxVM/VxFS on source and destination, but only on same OS - Solaris -> Solaris or Linux -> Linux.

The reason for this is probably the big endian vs little endian on the 2 OS'es.

So, unfortunately the NBU Snapshot Client will not be an option here and your only solution seems to be custom scripts.
Unless you can find a Solaris media server - once the policy and backup script is in place, everything happens 'automagically'.
(Used Snapshot Client at various customers with SF as well as hardware snapshot to perform offhost backups of  SQL and Oracle agent backups.)

Never tried custom scripts... sorry....

 

 

 

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

In moving to Linux, LVM is going to be used instead of VxVM on the client to be backed up and a Linux media server is also being added to the enviroment, so the snapshot will have to stay as a hardware snapshot and I now have the answer I require which is:

  1. brbackup is a SAP utility as oppose to the very similar named (and with very similar options) bpbackup which is a netbackup utility and brbackup does the 5 steps mentioned in opening post (quiese, split, unquiece, backup, resync)
  2. The Initialization Profile init<DBSID>.sap file is used to specify the command to split (and mount) the snapshot using parameter split_cmd
  3. Likewise, parameter resync_cmd is used to specify the command to resync (and umount first) the snapshot 

More details about brbackup can be found at https://help.sap.com/saphelp_nw70/helpdata/en/c7/c90e6b7cfd44309bd90b2b7a8a89fd/content.htm

 

If you use brbackup with "-t online_split" then you MUST used custom scripts as specified above and therefore as the split is not being done using netbackup (bpfis), the compatibilty matrix at http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH126901 does not apply.

 

Mike

mikebounds
Level 6
Partner Accredited

Thanks Marianne,

I had seen "Configuring split mirror backups" section in NBU SAP admin guide, but I somehow missed "NetBackup for SAP with Snapshot Client" section, although it wouldn't have answered my questions.

It seems as though to backup SAP, that you specify backup script in Backup Selections tab in policy, based on template provided by NBU SAP agent - /usr/openv/netbackup/ext/db_ext/sap/scripts/sap_oracle/sap_online_backup

The default in sap_online_backup  is to use "-t online" with brbackup and in this case I believe you click on "Perform snapshot backups" on Attribute Tab in policy and use "Options" to specify snapshot type and so NBU does the snapshot, but if you change backup script to use "-t online_split" with brbackup, then you do not select "Perform snapshot backups" and instead you provide your own scripts to manage snapshot by specifying them in the init<DBSID>.sap file.

Using "-t online_split" with brbackup does not seem to be mentioned in the NBU SAP admin guide, so you seem to have to refer to SAP docs, rather than NBU docs.

Mike