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requirements of bare metal restore of linux server

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Hello,

I have a test environment with Netbackup 7.1 installed on Windows Server 2008 R2. And i have three client machines (2 Windows Server + 1 Linux Redhat Server).

Backups are configured for the three vms. Where all of them are BMR backups.

Restoring Windows Server machines works fine, (Boot Server installed on the server).

About restoring the Linux machine, is my following question :

Should i have a separate Boot server installed on Linux for this machine? if yes, what should be installed on that machine?

Should i create different SRT and CD to start the restore? if yes, how to create them? I mean, is it the same way of creating my Windows SRT and CD??

Thanks in advance.

12 REPLIES 12

sdo
Moderator
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If you want to network PXE boot the linux VM via NetBackup BMR, then you will need an additional Linux VM of exactly the same OS variant and version, which is pre-configured as NetBackup BMR Boot Server.

But, you don't necessarily have to do it that way...

...you could create a NetBackup BMR SRT Boot ISO on the one existing client, copy it off-host (perhaps to an ESXi host VMFS folder), and then use that to boot the Linux VM into NetBackup BMR Boot recovery mode, and therefore not actually need an alternate Linux VM to act as a NetBackup BMR Boot Server.

.

What Linux OS variant and version is the Linux VM?

(...as I might have some handy tips/steps for you.)

:)

Michal_Mikulik1
Moderator
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Hello,

you need separate Linux Boot Server only if you will boot from network. When booting from CD, you can create this SRT/CD on the same server and move the CD "offserver" before DR test.

Process of SRT/CD creating is almost the same - with the following differences:

- creation of Windows SRT is GUI based, whereas Linux SRT/CD creation is shell menu based (bmrsrtadm tool)

- you need Linux installation CD to be locally mounted for SRT creation (whereas Windows image files can be downloaded, and only for the first SRT creation on the Windows Boot Server)

- you also need this CD to be locally present: https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.TECH37875

- also note that Prepare to Restore action is mandatory for Linux clients (and optional for Windows clients)

Regards

Michal

 

 

sdo
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Here's some notes - quasi worked example...

...but these instructions will very likely not exactly work for you - because I cannot see what your folders are...

...so these steps are here purely as an outline guide...

...you will need to adapt them to suit your own site specifics:

.

You will need:
1) OS install ISO, e.g.:         rhel-server-6.6-x86_64-dvd.iso
2) NetBackup 3PPCD ISO, from:    https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.TECH37875
3) A copy of the NetBackup Client kits extracted locally within the guest VM.
4) Two CD ROM drives on the VM, you can do it with one, but two just makes it easier at the time.
5) circa 20GB free on the client.


# Install some packages for NetBackup BMR support, if you don't have these, then BMR SRT and/or ISO creation will fail:
yum install -y mkisofs parted usbutils


# ...check that you have one/two CD/DVD ROM drives:
ls -lashd /dev/cd*


# Check tar version, must be 1.16 or higher to be able to unpack the NetBackup Client kits:
tar --version
# ...if tar is not at least v1.16 then you cannot continue with this process, and you must upgrade tar before continuing...
# ...see:  http://www.veritas.com/docs/000012145


# Make the NetBackup Client kits folder:
mkdir /mnt/stuff/NBU-KITS
chown -Rv my-admina:my-admina /mnt/stuff


REM Copy the tar-ball kits up from NetBackup based management server:
REM ...start a DOS/cmd box:
cd /d "F:\NBU-KITS-CLIENTS\NetBackup Client - Linux"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\PuTTY\pscp.exe" *.tar my-admina@2.2.99.211:/mnt/stuff/NBU-KITS/


# On the client, unpack the kits:
cd /mnt/stuff/NBU-KITS
# ...extract as you normally would the client installer kits...
# tar -xvf tarball.tar
# ...optionally delete the large client ".tar" files...
# rm -v tarball.tar


# Create folders for NetBackup SRT (Shared Resource Tree) and NetBackup BMR boot ISO images:
mkdir /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT
mkdir /mnt/stuff/NBU-ISO


# Register this VM as a NetBackup BMR Boot Server:
bmrsetupboot -register


# In the VM properties, ensure:
#    DVD drive 1    points to    OS installer ISO    e.g.:    rhel-server-6.6-x86_64-dvd.iso
#    DVD srive 2    points to    NetBackup 3PPCD        e.g.:    bmr-3ppcd-1.0_275782.iso


# Create the first base version NetBackup BMR SRT:
bmrsrtadm
# Enter your selection (1-8) [8] :      1        (Create a new Shared resource Tree)
# Name:                                 R66_761
# Description:                          Redhat 6.6, NetBackup v7.6.1
# location:                             /dev/cdrom
# Enter the desired architecture (i686 or x86_64) [x86_64] :
# Enter the directory in which to place the new SRT [/export/srt] : /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT
# ...then prompts for the "Symantec BMR Third-Party Products CD (3PPCD)"
# location:                             /dev/cdrom1
# ...then prompts for the NetBackup Client kit:
# location:                             /mnt/stuff/NBU-KITS/NetBackup_Client_RedHat_v7.6.1/
# ...which runs the installer script...
# Do you wish to continue? [y,n] (y)    y
# Do you want to install the NetBackup client software for this client? [y,n] (y) y
# Enter the name of the NetBackup master server : mymaster.zzz.com
# Would you like to use "myclient.zzz.com" as the configured name of the NetBackup client? [y,n] (y) y
# Enter your selection (1-8) [8] :      8        (Quit.)
# [Info] V-125-669 SRT "R66_761" has been created successfully.


# Unmount the CD/DVD drives:
umount /dev/cdrom
umount /dev/cdrom1
eject  /dev/cdrom
eject  /dev/cdrom1


# Copy the SRT to another new name, so that we can patch it:
bmrsrtadm
# Enter your selection (1-8) [1] :              3        (Copy an existing Shared Resource Tree to a new location.)
# Enter the name of an existing SRT :           R66_761
# Enter the name of the new SRT to create :     R66_7612
# Enter the description of the new SRT [RedHat 6.6, NetBackup v7.6.1] : RedHat 6.6, NetBackup v7.6.1.2
# Enter the directory in which to place the new SRT [/mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT] :
# [Info] V-125-434 SRT "R66_761" has been successfully copied to "R66_7612".


# Now patch the copied SRT:
bmrsrtadm
# Enter your selection (1-8) [1] :              5        (Modify an existing Shared Resource Tree.)
# Enter the name of an existing SRT :           R66_7612
# Enter your selection (1-8) [8] :              1        (Install Symantec NetBackup Maintenance Pack.)
# Load media from (? for help, 'none' to return to the menu) [/dev/cdrom] : /mnt/stuff/NBU-KITS/NetBackup_Client_RedHat_v7.6.1.2/
# Enter pack name (or q) [q]:                   NB_CLT_7.6.1.2
# Enter pack name (or q) [q]:                   q
# Enter your selection (1-8) [8] :              8        (Quit.)
# [Info] V-125-670 SRT "R66_7612" has been modified successfully.


# check sizes of SRTs:
du --max-depth=1 -h /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT/
# 703M    /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT/R66_761
# 755M    /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT/R66_7612
# 1.5G    /mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT/


# Now create a BMR boot ISO from the SRT:
bmrsrtadm
# Enter your selection (1-8) [1] :              2        (Create a new CD image based Shared Resource Tree.)
# Enter the name of an existing SRT :           R66_7612
# Enter the name of the new SRT to create :     R66I7612
# Enter the description of the new SRT [RedHat 6.6, NetBackup v7.6.1.2] :
# Enter the directory in which to place the new SRT CD image [/mnt/stuff/NBU-SRT] : /mnt/stuff/NBU-ISO
# [Info] V-125-718 Media image has been successfully created.


# Check the size of the ISO:
du --max-depth=1 -h /mnt/stuff/NBU-ISO/
# 755M    /mnt/stuff/NBU-ISO


# Grab a copy of the ISO to keep in your shared repository on a management host somewhere:
cd /d "F:\"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\PuTTY\pscp.exe" my-admina@2.2.99.211:/mnt/stuff/NBU-ISO/R66I7612.iso .\
# ...and then copy the ISO to a location that is visible to the hypervisor host.


# [end]

sdo
Moderator
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Top tip:

Any SRT "name" can only ever be a maximum of 8 characters in length.

If you are going to have several/many BMR SRTs and/or BMR ISOs then my advice would be to devise a naming strategy for your SRTs.

e.g.:  I like to use:

"oooovvvv"

...where:   oooo     is some form of OS mnemonic

...where:   vvvv     is the NetBackup Client version inside the SRT

...e.g.:

W64_761      (where W64 denotes any Windows x64 based OS)

W64_7612

W64I7612     (where the "I" denotes an SRT in ISO form)  (where R66 denotes RedHat 6.6)

R66_761      

R66_7612

R66I7612     (where the "I" denotes an SRT in ISO form)

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Thank you so much for your instructive responses.

I add, the versions of Linux VMS : RedHat Enterprise 5 64 bit (with Netbackupclient 7.0 installed) and another CentOS 7 64 bits which does not have yet the Linux installed (used for other purposes but might be used for Netbackup backup/restore tests).

I understand from your answers the following, that i do not need to install a boot server since i do not have the intention to do a network boot for restore, am i right?

Another thing, about bmrsrtadm, should i install Netbackup or there's some files and folders that i can copy to my vm from Netbackup Linux setup DVD?

Thanks in advance.

sdo
Moderator
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Partner    VIP    Certified

Yes - you will need to have NetBackup Client installed inside the Linux VM, and it will need to be registered as a NetBackup BMR Boot Server in order to be able to create the NetBackup BMR Boot SRT which is then used to create the NetBackup BMR Boot ISO.

The only files that you might copy from the NetBackup Client Live Setup DVD might be the client kits - or you could just reference them via a mounted ISO on the VM.

But you will need to download any required NetBackup Client patch kit(s).

What NetBackup version is your master?

Have you investigated getting the 'client' to its highest possible version?  e..g. v7.1.0.4?  Or higher?

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Hello, and thank you so much for these helpful informations.

I managed to setup the linux machine as a boot server in Netbackup. But when i start creating the Shared Resource Tree, it tells me that i need to insert the Red Hat Enterprize Release 5.0. I only have 5.3 and it does not accept it.

I don't know if it is a normal behaviour or i can do something else to bypass this issue.

Thanks in advance.

sdo
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Moderator
Partner    VIP    Certified

1) Exactly what version of OS is the Linux client?

# cat /etc/redhat-release

# uname -a

2) Exactly what version of NetBackup Client is on the Linux client?

# cat /usr/openv/netbackup/version

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

1) version of OS :

[root@rhel5b media]# cat /etc/redhat-release
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 5.3 (Tikanga)

[root@rhel5b media]# uname -a
Linux rhel5b.ad2k3.loc 2.6.18-128.el5 #1 SMP Wed Dec 17 11:41:38 EST 2008 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

2) version of Netbackup client :

[root@rhel5b netbackup]# cat /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/version
NetBackup-RedHat2.6 7.0

 

 

 

 

sdo
Moderator
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Your kernel version (from uname) matches the release file text contents:

  • 5.1, also termed Update 1, 7 November 2007 (kernel 2.6.18-53)
  • 5.2, also termed Update 2, 21 May 2008 (kernel 2.6.18-92)
  • 5.3, also termed Update 3, 20 January 2009 (kernel 2.6.18-128)

I've not created a BMR SRT for RHEL 5.x, so I can only guess that you need to follow the bmrsrtadm instructions.

Let's see what happens when you load the RHEL 5.0 installation media?

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Thank you so much, i'll keep you updated when i get something new. I have first to find RHEL 5.0 as requested and then tell you what happens next.

Thank you.

Lotfi_BOUCHERIT
Level 5

Please, i downloaded version 5.10 (the least i were able to find till now) and gave me the same error.... It's not accepted because it's looking for version 5.0...

Is there any workarround i can do? for example using another version of Linux?? (It's a test environment, i am using it to learn Netbackup...)

Thanks in advance and sorry for the late answer.