Backup to disk pool - migrate to tape - restore directy to disk

[JayKoonz]

I've been away from NetBackup for awhile but I have a new task to ...
(1) Backup some Windows client systems to a disk pool (instead of to tape) to reduce the backup window.
(2) Then migrate the disk-backup-pool to tape outside the backup window
(3) For a restore, can it be done directly from the tape to the client system without an intermediate stop in the disk pool ?

We haven't actually set this up yet, and are wondering if it is possible for it to work like we want it to.

 

[comtec17]

What version of NetBackup?

In NetBackup 5.0 there is a new feature called "Disk Staging". This allows you to backup to the disk storage unit and then vault or inline copy it to a tape storage unit.

When the backups go to disk it is copy #1. When you vault them to tape it is copy #2. You have a choice which one will be the primary copy.

When you restore the data, it will restore to the client, not the disk storage unit.

 

[JayKoonz]

Thanks for the reply. We're running 4.5 FP-6 on this guy.

 

[goace]

Hello cometec17, I have both 5.0 MP3 and 5.1MP1. I am using disk-staging on 5.1 with local attached disks. Is this the only way disk based backups will work? With locally available disks like in a SAN/ISCSI config? I just want to map to another server with large partitions but it doesn't allow me. Thx. Btw, I have a case open but it could be a while before the call me back.

 

[comtec17]

The only way to do disk staging is with local disk (Direct attached, SAN, iSCSI. Disk staging is meant to help reduce the time a backup takes, by using a shared drive (NFS, CIFS, Windows File Sharing) this will slow the backup down since it will have to be processed by the server and then sent over the network for the save.

 

[goace]

Right on comtec. I did manage to do a cifs share remotely and it did work. Thx!

 

[MaineDCAdmin]

Staging to Disk with Veritas NetBackup 4.5 can be done, though not as elegeantly as with 5.x. The process goes like this:

1.) Create a Disk Storage Unit (DSU) local to your Media Server. When creating the DSU, bear in mind the average size of the client backups. We want to keep four days worth of data in the DSU to speed up restores; therefore we made the DSU the size of a FULL backup plus three CINC (Cumulative Incrementals) for each of the clients to be backed up.

2.) Modify your Policies to write to the DSU. Each of the Schedules should have a a Retention Time of four days (in our case).

3.) Create a backup script outside of NetBackup using NetBAckup's bpduplicate command. The bpduplicate script will allow you to specify Policy, and Schedule of data you wish to duplicate. The duplicated fragments in the DSU can have a "new" retention time based upon the Policy and Schedule criteria.

4.) The bpduplicate scripts will appear in your NetBackup Admin Console. Additionally, we use a mailer called from the batch script to send e-mail notifying of duplication process status.

This technique has been in use for a little over a year on half a dozen Storage Domains with no problem. We use it as a means to back up remote clients over a WAN. Speed doesn't matter as long as it is completed overnight. Should we have to perform a restore, the files are in the DSU for 4 days, and a tape drive is not shoe shining trying to restore over a WAN.

Hope this helps