NDMP option 2

[ejonesx]

Hello,
We have just installed the Arcserve 11.1 NDMP option. We attached one of the four drives in our library directly to our NetApp filer. The filer recognizes the drive. Arcserve recognizes the drive. What we wanted to do was dedicate the one drive to the filer, while doing normal Windows server backups via the client agents with the other three drives.
CA now says (and I don't see it in the documentation) that we need to dedicate the entire library for NDMP, or use hardware partitioning on the library so it looks like two libraries. Has anyone else run into this? It doesn't seem like such an unusual scenario.
Basically, if we put the drive connected to the filer into the library group, the software isn't smart enough to use that drive only for NDMP backups. And if we leave the drive unconfigured, it tries to work but asks to have a tape loaded manually. Which defeats the purpose of a library.
Our reseller tells us that other backup software can do what we want with no problem. Any insights out there? Thanks...

 

[vschumpy]

Good luck with other backup software. If you want to dedicate 1 drive to NDMP then you have to virtualise the library in some way otherwise the library doesn't know what's going on either, as it's trying to be controlled from two different sources fighting for the same resources (whether they use them or not is irrelevant).

The advice you have been given is 100% correct for the version of software you have.

r11.5 allows you share a library on a SAN between BAB Windows and an NDMP NAS filer, but no different on a standard SCSI connection.

 

[papushka]

You could refer to the doc as an alternative

http://supportconnect.ca.com/sc/kb/...&docid=307836&bypass=yes&fromscreen=kbresults

http://supportconnect.ca.com/sc/kb/...&docid=340518&bypass=yes&fromscreen=kbresults

 

[Cyklops]

there are 5 ways to backup using NDMP:

1. two-way (library connected directly to filer, NDMP backups possible with ARCserve, normal Windows server backups not possible).

2. three-way (2 filers A and B, library connected directly to filer A or B, NDMP backups of filer A AND B possible with ARCserve, normal Windows server backups not possible).

3. filer-to-server (library connected directly to server, NDMP backups possible with backup application, normal Windows server backups with backup application).

4. server-to-filer, library connected directly to filer, NDMP backups possible with backup application, normal Windows server backups with backup application).

5. Dynamic Device Sharing - DDS (library connected to servers and filers through SAN and shared, NDMP backups possible with backup application, normal Windows server backups with backup application).

ARCserve supports methods 1, 2 and 5 (the last one when you purchase the 'Enterprise Module').

regards

 

[ejonesx]

Cyklops, do you know if NetBackup will do option 3?

 

[vschumpy]

Cyklops - I believe points 3 and 4, are only possible in 11.5. NDMP over the wire with the backup device connected to the host server was only via preferred shares in previous versions (ie not an NDMP backup), and windows backups to a backup device attached tothe filer were flat out not supported pre 11.5.

 

[ejonesx]

vschumpy, are you saying we could do what we are attempting simply by upgrading to 11.5?

 

[vschumpy]

If the library and filer are SAN connected, then yes, possibly, although this is cumbersome to configure.

 

[Cyklops]

vschumpy is right as always, with points 3 and 4 you can backup data on NetApp filers but NOT through NDMP (only through files shares) so you miss the NDMP advantages.

regards