Client Licensing for VBR

[Davey83]

Is there a way to find out what clients are using up a client license in VBR?

Right now it shows that I am using 216 client licenses in VBR, and when I look in NetBackup I only have 211 clients, and if I look at Views -> Host IPs in VBR it finds 225 objects... none of my numbers seem to match up.

From what I have been told by our Sales rep, client licenses should be used up based on the number of clients listed in NetBackup.  Is that supposed to be correct?

[Joe_Pfeiffer]

When Backup Reporter collects host information it gets whatever the host name or IP address that NetBackup used to back it up and doesn't do automatic mapping of host names.  Often times NetBackup will use 2 names for the same host which is why you'll get more clients (225 in your case) over NBU.  So you have 211 actual clients in NBU and 225 in VBR which means 44 of them are duplicates.  There is a utility called "Object Merger" under the Settings tab that will let you combine those 44 and get them back down to 211.  The 216 client license count is simply how much has been licensed or paid for and doesn't reflect anything about the actual number in use.

Thanks!

[Davey83]

Josef,

Thanks for the response.  I've gone through the 225 objects that I have and none of them are duplicates.  14 of them just don't exist anymore.  I had already gone through and merged any duplicates that were showing.  And the 216 client license count IS the number of licenses that are currently being used.  When I look at Global Settings -> Licensing, it shows that I have 214 client licenses purchased and that I am currently using 216 client licenses.

Is there a way to see which 216 of the 225 objects are using a client license?  Do objects that no longer exist in NetBackup still use up a VBR client license until their backup records expire in VBR?  And how does VBR decide if the object uses up a client license, beings that 9 of the 225 objects are not using up a client license and are not duplicates?

[Joe_Pfeiffer]

Yep, any clients that have data (even if they are retired) require a license so that will add to the total client count since those clients are used for reporting and trending.  A NBU master or media server would also count as a VBR client so that may be where the other hosts are coming in.

[Davey83 · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the info Josef.  I also a call in with Symantec regarding this.  here is a link to a technote on how to create a tabular report showing this information.  http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/311758.htm