How to set up the master , media servers and clients in the NBU?

How to make a cluster environment with Veritas Netbackup Software 3.4.

These are the steps, which I usually follow while setting up the netback up environment for my clients. I work as an independent consultant in the Vancouver area BC, Canada There is no guarantees/warranties that this will work for you. Give a try, If you find any new thing interesting, you can drop me a mail . Thanks
Atif Naseem
etcsolutions@mysun.com


We take a complex example to show how to develop the cluster environment with Veritas Netbackup 3.4 and some Sun servers running Solaris8 and IBM RS /6000 machines running AIX 4.2. In our example we have one master server, one media server and one standalone machine acting as a client. We also assume that our master server has one tape library along with one internal 8 mm tape drive so it also act as a media server. Our media server has one standalone DLT tape drive and running oracle database 8.1.7. Where as our client is an IBM RS 6000 machine running AIX 4.2 and serving as a file Server .


Machine Name Primary role Secondary role OS/Apps Perip.HW
kyber Master Media server Sol8 /Star off
L280 Tape lib 8mm Exabyte



Indus Media Client Sol8 /Oracle Dlt 8000

Sibi Client AIX 4.1/File Server




In a cluster environment it is recommended by the Veritas to have all master and media servers at the same patch level. We also make this environment trusted by creating the. rhost files in the root directory of Indus and sibi machines and include the name of master server ( kyber) in the rhost files. Also please make sure that host files in all machines must be updated.

1. ? Install the Netbackup server software on kyber , during Installation when installation process ask if there are any media servers , Please type Indus so that system can update the bp.conf file and add Indus as a media server.
2. ? During the installation when user is asked to load the additional clients, please load the Solaris and AIX /RS6000 clients. We will push this client software later to Indus (Solaris) and Sibi (AIX/RS 6000).
3. ? Configure the 8mm tape drive and as well as Sun L280 Tape library. Add Storage units for both tape drives (usr/openv/netbackup/bin/jnbSA , then select storage unit management and add two new storage units , attached with our master server , kyber. Please make sure to add the name of backer for the Netbackup media server setting while creating the storage units. We can use sg driver , installed with Veritas Netbackup in order to configure the Sun L280 tape library. (Please see the Media Manger Administration Manual, Chapter 2, how to configure the robotic libraries)
4. ? Install the Server part of the software on the machine Indus and when the installation process asked weather Indus machine will act as master server. Say NO and then type the kyber as the master server. Don?t install the client portion of the software on the media server. We will push client part later to the media server from our master server.
5. ? Login into Media server, create the necessary device files, in our case is DLT 8000. Add the storage unit. While creating the storage unit please add the name of the machine (Indus) in the netbackup media server settings. Please don?t add any volume, as we will use only one machine (kyber) as our Volume database host. We will add volumes later on our master server.
6. ? On the master server ( kyber) make the following changes in the NetBackup configuration. As we are using only one machine as volume database hosts where as we have drives on other machines, so we add the information ( directories) of the media server in the master ( kyber) NB configuration. See Chapter 4 , page 150-155 of system administration guide how to add this information. In brief /usr/openv/netbackup./bin/jnbSA . Click on configure and then Netbackup catalogue Backup. Click on Files tab and add the following location of files in the list
7. Indus:/usr/openv/netbackup/db/media
8. Indus:/usr/openv/volmgr/database.
9. ? Please confirm on the master server ( kyber) that /usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file has the entry for the media server (Indus) Other wise add yourself
10. Server = Indus
11. ? Login into the master server (kyber) and run the jnbSA interface from the binary directory of Netbackup.
12. ? Create the Storage unit , present on the media server by clicking on the storage unit Management icon. You must already have two storage units ( 8 mm and L280 tape library) there which you configured in the earlier steps . These units are present on the master (kyber) server. Click on new, create a new storage unit and please make sure while setting up this new storage unit , put the name of the media server ( Indus) in the Netbackup Media server question. Dlt 8000 is DLT2 type as per defined in Veritas 3.4.
13. ? After creating this new storage unit , You must have now three storage units , two which are on the master server (kyber) and one which is on the media server (Indus). All this you are doing on the master server. Kyber
14. ? Click on the media and device management. Then click on action and choose include new device host. Please put he name of media server (Indus) in this space.
15. ? Change the view to media server by clicking on file and media manager host while you are on the master server, Kyber. Please type Indus in that pop up window. You will get the view of media / volumes/volume pools defined on our media server (Indus). Please create a new volume pool ( action --- New ? volume pool ) . While creating a new volume pool ( say Indus-pool 1) please put the Indus machine as the media manager host.
16. ? After creating this volume pool on the master server, please add a new volume in this pool. Just to make sure that this volume pool and volume (Dlt 8000 cartdrige )you adding are present on the media server (Indus) where as you r login into the master server. In Veritas 3.4 , DLT 8000 is actually DLT cartridge type 2. Please select DLT cartridge type 2 in the available drive types while defining the volumes.
17. ? Go to main menu and choose backup policy. Create class with the Indus as a client, and push the Solaris software onto that machine. Please note while defining this class, choose the volume pool defined earlier ( Indus-pool1) as class volume pool and in class storage unit any available.
18. ? Make the manual backup of this class to test , you will see that drive on the media server (Indus) will be used.
19. ? Install the oracle agent on Indus , re configure it with Veritas Netbackup. See oracle agent administration guide for the complete steps, how to install, configure the Oracle agent. This administration guide also help you how to configure RMAN (Initialize the RMAN so cereate catalogs). You can take these backups on the DLT 8000 attached with Indus ( Media server ) or on the Tape library present on the master server. In order to take backups on the tape library , create a new volume pool and define some volumes in this volumes pool present on the L280- Library . Then you can define a new class or change the attributes of the existing class for Indus to use the new volume pool for the storage needs. This thing will direct the backups form the indus machine to the tape library attached on the master server. It is recommended to use the device attached with that Indus machine in order to avoid the network traffic.
20. ? Define a new class for your client Sibi. This process will push the AIX/RS6000 client part of the software onto the client (sibi).In this class you can use any volume pool , either defined for the storage unit present on the Indus ( DLT 8000 ) or that one which is defined to hold volumes present on the master server. Volume pools will direct the backup streams to go to that particular Tape drive.


This is just few main steps how to configure the Master, Media and client setups. For further Information, how to take the backups of the Net backup Databases, verification the image , how to duplicate the images, Trouble shooting , Performance tuning ,How to design and develop the Disaster recovery plan with veritas Netbackup and other issues please consult the administration manuals comes with Veritas .
You can also write to me etcsolutions@mysun.com .