Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Veritas NetBackup™
Administrator’s Guide, Volume II
for Windows
Release 6.5
12308282
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Veritas
NetBackup Administrator’s Guide, Volume II
Copyright © 1993-2007 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
NetBackup 6.5
Symantec, the Symantec logo, and NetBackup are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
The product described in this document is distributed under licenses restricting its use,
copying, distribution, and decompilation/reverse engineering. No part of this document
may be reproduced in any form by any means without prior written authorization of
Symantec Corporation and its licensors, if any.
Symantec Corporation
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA 95014
www.symantec.com
Technical support
For technical assistance, visit http://entsupport.symantec.com and select phone
or email support. Use the Knowledge Base search feature to access resources
such as TechNotes, product alerts, software downloads, hardware compatibility
lists, and our customer email notification service.
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Contents
Demultiplexing .............................................................................................19
NBRB_CLEANUP_OBSOLETE_DBINFO ............................................28
NBRB_ENABLE_OPTIMIZATIONS ....................................................28
NBRB_FORCE_FULL_EVAL ................................................................28
NBRB_REEVAL_PENDING ..................................................................28
NBRB_REEVAL_PERIOD .....................................................................28
NBRB_RETRY_DELAY_AFTER_EMM_ERR ......................................29
NBRB_MPX_GROUP_UNLOAD_DELAY ...........................................29
REQUIRED_NETWORK .......................................................................29
ACS_mediatype ......................................................................................30
ADJ_LSM ................................................................................................30
API_BARCODE_RULES ........................................................................31
AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED ..........................................................32
AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION ..............................................................32
AUTO_UPDATE_ROBOT .....................................................................33
AVRD_PEND_DELAY ...........................................................................33
AVRD_SCAN_DELAY ...........................................................................33
CLEAN_REQUEST_TIMEOUT ............................................................34
CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW ...................................................................34
CLUSTER_NAME ..................................................................................34
CONNECT_OPTIONS ........................................................................... 35
DAS_CLIENT ......................................................................................... 35
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS ....................................................................... 36
EMM_RETRY_COUNT ......................................................................... 36
EMM_CONNECT_TIMOUT ................................................................. 36
EMM_REQUEST_TIMOUT ................................................................. 36
ENABLE_ROBOT_AUTH ..................................................................... 37
INVENTORY_FILTER .......................................................................... 37
MAP_ID .................................................................................................. 37
MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT ............................................................. 38
MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS .......................................................... 38
MEDIA_ID_PREFIX .............................................................................. 39
MM_SERVER_NAME ........................................................................... 39
PREFERRED_GROUP .......................................................................... 40
PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL ........................................................... 40
RANDOM_PORTS ................................................................................ 40
REQUIRED_INTERFACE ..................................................................... 41
SERVER ................................................................................................. 41
SSO_DA_REREGISTER_INTERVAL .................................................. 42
SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT ............................................................... 42
SSO_HOST_NAME ............................................................................... 43
TLH_mediatype .................................................................................... 43
TLM_mediatype ................................................................................... 43
VERBOSE ............................................................................................... 43
Examples .......................................................................................................61
backup_notify.cmd ..............................................................................69
backup_exit_notify.cmd ......................................................................69
dbbackup_notify.cmd ..........................................................................78
diskfull_notify.cmd ..............................................................................79
mail_dr_info.cmd .................................................................................80
nbmail.cmd ............................................................................................81
parent_end_notify.cmd .......................................................................81
parent_start_notify.cmd .....................................................................82
restore_notify.cmd ...............................................................................82
session_notify.cmd ..............................................................................83
session_start_notify.cmd ....................................................................83
userreq_notify.cmd ..............................................................................83
Configuration .....................................................................................................141
10
Troubleshooting .................................................................................................145
To modify diskette sets for use with multiple Windows 2000 computers
155
11
12
Chapter 1
Additional configuration
This chapter explains settings that, in most instances, are optional. The sections
in this chapter include the following:
■ “Multiplexing” on page 13
Multiplexing
NetBackup multiplexing sends concurrent backups from one or several clients
to a single storage device. NetBackup multiplexes the backups sequentially onto
the media. Multiplexed and unmultiplexed backups can reside on the same
volume. Separate volume pools or media IDs are not necessary.
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14 Additional configuration
Multiplexing
Clients
Disk Server
Removable media or
magnetic disk
Disk
Disk
Note: To reduce the impact of multiplexing on restore times, set the storage unit
maximum fragment size to a value smaller than the largest allowed value.
Additional configuration 15
Multiplexing
■ Storage unit
■ Schedule
Note: If you change these values, it does not take effect until the next time a
schedule runs.
backups NetBackup can multiplex onto any single drive in the storage unit. The
For more information, see “Enable multiplexing” on page 228 in the NetBackup
The number can range from 1 through 32, where 1 is the default and specifies no
multiplexing.
Choose a value that is based on the ability of the central processing unit to
handle parallel jobs. Because extra buffers are required, memory is also
important. If the server cannot perform other tasks or runs out of memory or
processes, reduce the Maximum Streams Per Drive setting for the storage unit.
Consider the following to estimate the potential load that multiplexing can place
■ The maximum concurrent jobs that NetBackup can attempt equals the sum
of the concurrent backup jobs that can run on all storage units.
■ The maximum concurrent jobs that can run on a storage unit equals the
Maximum Streams Per Drive value, multiplied by the number of drives.
For more information, see “Media multiplexing” on page 148 in the NetBackup
The Media Multiplexing value specifies the maximum number of backups from
The Media Multiplexing setting ranges from 1 through 32, where 1 is the default
maximum jobs that NetBackup starts never exceeds the Maximum Streams Per
Drive value for the storage unit. NetBackup attempts to add multiplexed jobs to
drives that are already use multiplexing. If multiplexed jobs are confined to
16 Additional configuration
Multiplexing
When NetBackup multiplexes jobs, it continues to add jobs to a drive until the
number of jobs on the drive matches either of the following:
■ This schedule’s Media Multiplexing setting.
If the limit is reached for a drive, NetBackup sends jobs to other drives. In
the following figure, when the Schedule A limit is reached on Drive 1,
NetBackup adds Schedule A jobs to Drive 2.
■ The storage unit’s Maximum streams per drive setting. NetBackup can add
jobs from more than one schedule to a drive.
In the following figure, unshaded numbers denote a job starting. Shaded
numbers denote job completion. For example, 1 denotes the start of job
A1 on Drive 1.
9 denotes the completion of job A1 on Drive 1.
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Additional configuration 17
Multiplexing
1 9 A1 B1 5 12
2 10 A2 Drive 1
B2 6
A5
13
cat otter
3 11 A3 B3 7
Drive 2
4 A4 B4 8
Assume schedule A begins first (note that the schedules can be in the same or in different
policies). Also, assume that Allow Multiple Data Streams is enabled, so a client can have multiple
data streams.
Jobs A1 and A2 from client dog start on drive 1. Schedule A Media Multiplexing limit of 2
1 2 is reached for this drive.
3 4 Jobs A3 and A4 from client cat start on drive 2. Schedule A Media Multiplexing limit of 2 is
reached for this drive.
5 6 Jobs B1 and B2 for client fox start on drive 1. Storage unit max mpx is reached for this
drive.
Jobs B3 and B4 from client otter start on drive 2. All jobs are now running for schedule B.
7 8 Storage Unit Max mpx is reached for drive 2.
Jobs A1 and A2 from client dog finish on drive 1. However, jobs B1 and B2 for client fox
9 10 continue to run. Schedule A Media Multiplexing limit of 2 prevents job A5 from starting on
drive 1.
11 12 Job A3 from client cat finishes on drive 2 and job B1 from client fox finishes on drive 1.
Job B2 is the only job currently running on drive 1.
Job A5 from client cat starts on drive 1. JobA5 is the last job for schedule A. Schedule A
13 Media Multiplexing limit of 2 prevents job A5 from starting on Drive 2. Therefore, job A5
starts on Drive 1. NetBackup attempts to add multiplexed jobs to drives that already use
multiplexing. If multiplexed jobs are confined to specific drives, other drives are available
for non-multiplexed jobs.
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18 Additional configuration
Multiplexing
Note: If the backup window closes before NetBackup can start all the jobs in a
multiplexing set, NetBackup completes only the jobs that have started. For
example, Figure 1-1 on page 17 assumes that the Activity Monitor shows A1
through A5 as queued and active. If only A1 and A2 start before the window
closes, NetBackup does not perform the other jobs that are in the set. If the
window closes before any jobs have started, then only the first queued and
active job starts and completes. (A1 in this example.)
multiplexing.
For more information, see “Limit jobs per policy” on page 104 in the NetBackup
For more information, see “Maximum data streams” on page 386 in the
Additional configuration 19
Multiplexing
Demultiplexing
Demultiplexing speeds up future restores and is useful for creating a copy for
off-site storage. Use duplication to demultiplex a backup.
Duplication allows one multiplexed backup at one time to be copied from the
source media to the target media. When duplication is complete, the target
contains a single demultiplexed copy of each duplicated backup. (The target can
also contain other backups.) The duplicate copy can be made into the primary
copy. Do not select Preserve Multiplexing in the Setup Duplication Variables
dialog box when backups are duplicated.
20 Additional configuration
Using multiple NetBackup master servers
For a large site, you can use multiple NetBackup master servers to optimize the
backup loads. You divide the clients between the servers as necessary. The
following figure shows a multiple-server configuration where the two sets of
networks (A1/A2 and B1/B2) each have enough clients to justify separate
servers. In this environment, the two NetBackup server configurations are
completely independent. You can also create a configuration where one server is
the master and the other is a media server.
Workstations
Network A1
NetBackup Workstations
Mass Master Server A
Storage
Network A2
NetBackup
Mass
Master Server B
Storage
Network B1
Workstations
Router
Workstations
Network B2
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Additional configuration 21
Using multiple media servers with one master server
22 Additional configuration
Using multiple media servers with one master server
The following figure shows where software is installed and where the
NetBackup catalogs are located (by default). The following topics provide more
details on master and media servers and a procedure to configure them.
Master Server
Administration
Interface*
NetBackup Catalogs User Interface (BAR)
Image database
Information in
NetBackup Storage Administration
relational databases
Client Device Interface*
(about devices,
volumes)
NetBackup NetBackup
Storage Storage
Device Media Server Media Server Device
* You can also use the Backup, Archive, and Restore user
interface from a Windows client that has the Remote
Administration Console installed.
Additional configuration 23
Adding a media server
NetBackup catalogs
Applies to NetBackup Enterprise Server only.
The master server is the default location for the NetBackup catalogs. The
catalogs include the media and the volume database (emm_data.db). The volume
database contains the media usage information and the volume information
that are used during the backups.
Note: The NetBackup Enterprise Media Manager service must be active when
you add a media server, configure devices and volumes, and backup or restore
clients.
Note: To avoid problems with NetBackup, ensure that the host name you
use in NetBackup matches the host name in your TCP/IP configuration.
To add the new media server to the additional servers list, do the following:
a Select NetBackup Management > Host Properties > hosttype. For
example, to add the new media server to clients, select Clients.
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24 Additional configuration
Adding a media server
b Select the host that you want to change in the right pane. To select more
than one host, hold down the Shift key and select all the hosts that you
want to change in the right pane.
c Select Actions > Properties.
g Click Close.
h Click OK.
Additional configuration 25
Adding a media server
a Add storage units to the media server. Always specify the media server
as the media server for the storage unit.
b Enter the catalog paths if necessary:
To use the online, hot catalog backup method:
NetBackup enters the paths automatically.
To use the offline, cold catalog backup method:
Add the catalog paths for the media server to the NetBackup catalog
backup configuration.
media_server_name:install_path\NetBackup\db
media_server_name:install_path\NetBackup\var
media_server_name:install_path\Volmgr\database
Where install_path is the directory where the NetBackup
software is installed on the media server.
Paths on a UNIX media server:
media_server_name:/usr/openv/netbackup/db
media_server_name:/usr/openv/var
media_server_name:/usr/openv/volmgr/database
c Configure the NetBackup policies and schedules to use the storage units
that are configured on the media server.
10 Test your configuration by performing a user backup or a manual backup
that uses a schedule that specifies a storage unit on the media server.
is not registered. You cannot discover, configure, and manage devices. You must
2 On the EMM server host, run the following command (use the host name of
the media server):
nbemmcmd -addhost -machinename hostname -machinetype media
-netbackupversion level.major_level.minor_level
26 Additional configuration
Adding a media server
Note: To avoid problems with NetBackup, ensure that the host name you
use in NetBackup matches the host name in your TCP/IP configuration.
For nbemmcmd command usage, see NetBackup Commands for UNIX and Linux
or NetBackup Commands for Windows.
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Additional configuration 27
NetBackup configuration options
28 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
NBRB_CLEANUP_OBSOLETE_DBINFO
The NBRB_CLEANUP_OBSOLETE_DBINFO entry serves as a performance tuning
option for the Intelligent Resource Manager. This entry indicates the number of
seconds (default: 60) that can elapse between the cleanup of obsolete
information in the NetBackup Resource Broker (nbrb) database.
No equivalent exists in the NetBackup Administration Console host properties.
NBRB_ENABLE_OPTIMIZATIONS
The NBRB_ENABLE_OPTIMIZATIONS entry serves as a performance tuning
option for the Intelligent Resource Manager. This entry indicates whether the
Resource Broker caches states of resource requests. Default: 1 (true).
No equivalent exists in the NetBackup Administration Console host properties.
NBRB_FORCE_FULL_EVAL
The NBRB_FORCE_FULL_EVAL entry serves as a performance tuning option for
the Intelligent Resource Manager. This entry indicates the number of seconds
that can elapse between full evaluations of all NetBackup Resource Broker
(nbrb.exe) queues, using no cached EMM information. (Default: 1800
seconds/30 minutes.) For example, full evaluations include matching job
resource requests with available resources.
No equivalent exists in the NetBackup Administration Console host properties.
NBRB_REEVAL_PENDING
The NBRB_REEVAL_PENDING entry serves as a performance tuning option for
the Intelligent Resource Manager. This entry indicates the number of seconds
(default: 60) that can elapse between evaluations of the pending request queue.
For example, a pending request queue can include, jobs awaiting resources.
No equivalent exists in the NetBackup Administration Console host properties.
NBRB_REEVAL_PERIOD
The NBRB_REEVAL_PERIOD entry serves as a performance tuning option for the
Intelligent Resource Manager and NetBackup Resource Broker (nbrb.exe).
NBRB_REEVAL_PERIOD indicates the time between evaluations if an
outstanding request is not satisfied, and if no other requests or resources have
been released. Default: 5 minutes passes before the initial request is reevaluated.
No equivalent exists in the NetBackup Administration Console host properties.
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Additional configuration 29
NetBackup configuration options
NBRB_RETRY_DELAY_AFTER_EMM_ERR
The NBRB_RETRY_DELAY_AFTER_EMM_ERR entry serves as a performance
tuning option for the Intelligent Resource Manager. This entry indicates how
long NetBackup waits after an EMM error before attempting again. (Default: 60
seconds.) The error must be one where a retry is possible. For example, if a
media server is down.
NBRB_MPX_GROUP_UNLOAD_DELAY
The NBRB_MPX_GROUP_UNLOAD_DELAY entry serves as a performance tuning
This entry indicates the number of seconds that the NetBackup Resource Broker
(Default: 10 seconds.) This setting can help avoid unnecessary reloading of tapes
NetBackup Management > Host Properties > Select master server > Timeouts >
Media mount timeout. See Chapter 7 in the Administrator’s Guide, Volume I for
more details.
NBRB_MPX_GROUP_UNLOAD_DELAY.
REQUIRED_NETWORK
The REQUIRED_NETWORK entry specifies the required route for backup traffic in
an environment where the network traffic is segregated.
For example, an environment may contain a production network at
145.21.14.0 and a backup network at 192.132.28.0. To indicate that
NetBackup should use only the backup network, add the following entry in the
bp.conf file:
REQUIRED_NETWORK = 192.132.28.0
Note: If the variable is set and the network is not available, all connections fail
and no backups are performed.
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30 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
ACS_mediatype
ACS_mediatype = Media_Manager_mediatype
ADJ_LSM
ADJ_LSM = robot_num ACS_ID,LSM_ID ACS_ID,LSM_ID
Additional configuration 31
NetBackup configuration options
Without this entry present, NetBackup assumes that all LSMs are
interconnected with pass-through ports, except for the first LSM and the last
LSM. The LSMs are interconnected in a line formation.
robot_num is the robot number. ACS_ID and LSM_ID are the coordinates of
the LSM.
For example, the following entries are required to specify the physical layout of
LSM interconnections for robot number 700 (Figure 1-2 on page 31):
Interconnections for
Robot 700 1
0 2
5 3
API_BARCODE_RULES
API_BARCODE_RULES
32 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, barcode rule support for API robots is
enabled.
Barcode rules are especially useful when multiple generations of the same tape
For example STK 9940A and STK 9940B drives use STK1R media, but write data
at different densities. The drive must be configured using different drive types
such as hcart or hcart2. You can specify a barcode rule for a series of barcodes to
configure some of the media as hcart2. Other STK1R media not in this barcode
range are configured as hcart (the default for STK1R). Without this entry, a
robot inventory operation configures all media of type STK1R as either hcart or
AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED
AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED
This entry specifies that NetBackup should use the vm.conf file SERVER entry
to control which hosts can monitor and control devices on this host. This entry
is read and interpreted on the media server on which the NetBackup vmd service
runs.
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, the vm.conf file also must include a
SERVER entry for every media server that controls devices on this host.
If no AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED entry exists and no SERVER entries exist, any
NetBackup server can monitor and control devices on this host.
For maximum security, Symantec recommends that you use this entry and
SERVER entries.
This entry is read and interpreted on media servers on which the NetBackup
vmd service runs.
AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION
AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION = YES|NO
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, it specifies whether automatic device path
remapping is enabled or disabled.
If the value is NO, the device configuration remains unchanged when the
NetBackup Device Manager service (ltid) is started. Therefore, the saved
device configuration may be different than the actual configuration after you
change devices and restart the server.
If the value is YES, NetBackup tries to discover attached devices and then
automatically update the device configuration for any device paths that are
incorrect. On Windows computers, this entry is read and interpreted on the host
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Additional configuration 33
NetBackup configuration options
on which the NetBackup Device Manager service runs. On UNIX and Linux
computers, this entry is read and interpreted on the host on which ltid runs.
Device path remapping is enabled by default on Windows and Linux servers. It is
disabled by default on all other servers.
AUTO_UPDATE_ROBOT
AUTO_UPDATE_ROBOT
Use this entry to inject media automatically from the Media Access Port (MAP)
into a TL8 or TLD robot and update the EMM database. Media are injected if the
This entry only operates with the TL8 or TLD robots that post a unit attention
Symantec recommends that this entry not be used with partitioned libraries.
Most robotic libraries with multiple partitions do not post a unit attention when
AVRD_PEND_DELAY
AVRD_PEND_DELAY = number_of_seconds
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, avrd waits number_of_seconds before it
displays a pending status (PEND) in the Device Monitor. This entry is read and
interpreted on the host on which avrd runs.
On some server operating systems (Windows, Tru64, and HP-UX), NetBackup
reports PEND if the drive reports Busy when a volume is unmounted. Use this
entry to minimize the display of this misleading status.
The minimum for number_of_seconds is zero. The maximum is 255. The default
value is 180 seconds.
AVRD_SCAN_DELAY
AVRD_SCAN_DELAY = number_of_seconds
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, avrd waits number_of_seconds between
normal scan cycles. This entry is read and interpreted on the host on which
avrd runs.
Use this entry to minimize tape mount times. Without this entry, NetBackup
delays mount requests by an average of 7.5 seconds.
The minimum for number_of_seconds is 1. The maximum is 180. A value of zero
is converted to 1 second. The default value is 15 seconds. If a value is used that is
greater than the default, NetBackup delays mount requests and drive status
updates in the Device Monitor.
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34 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
CLEAN_REQUEST_TIMEOUT
CLEAN_REQUEST_TIMEOUT = minutes
Use this entry to specify how long NetBackup waits for a drive to be cleaned
before it removes the cleaning request from the cleaning queue. Unprocessed
requests to clean a drive are removed from the queue after 30 minutes.
minutes can be from 1 to 144000 (100 days). The default value is 30 and a value
of zero is converted to the default value of 30.
CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW
CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW = start end
Use this entry to specify the range of non-reserved ports on this host that are
used to connect to vmd on other hosts. This entry is read and interpreted on the
host on which vmd runs.
For example, the following entry permits ports from 4800 through 5000:
CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW = 4800 5000
The operating system determines the non-reserved port to use in the following
cases:
■ A CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW entry is not specified.
■ A value of zero is specified for start.
CLUSTER_NAME
CLUSTER_NAME = cluster_alias
This entry and the following two entries determine the name other NetBackup
servers and clients should use when they refer to this server:
MM_SERVER_NAME = host_name
REQUIRED_INTERFACE = host_name
Additional configuration 35
NetBackup configuration options
This entry is read and interpreted on the host on which the required interface is
needed.
CONNECT_OPTIONS
CONNECT_OPTIONS = server_name 0 0 [0|1|2]
Add this entry in vm.conf to specify the options that enhance firewall
following: use vnetd or the daemon’s port number, use only vnetd, or use only
server_name is the name of the media server to connect to. The server must be
The first and second options currently are not used. Specify zero for these
options.
server_name as follows:
Examples
The following entry specifies to use either vnetd or the daemon’s port number
to connect to server shark:
CONNECT_OPTIONS = shark 0 0 0
The following entry specifies to use vnetd only to connect to server dolphin:
CONNECT_OPTIONS = dolphin 0 0 1
The following entry specifies to use the daemons’s port number only to connect
to server perch:
CONNECT_OPTIONS = perch 0 0 2
DAS_CLIENT
DAS_CLIENT = client_name
36 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
name is the host name of the media server. This entry is read and interpreted on
the host where tlmd is running.
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS = days
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, specify the number of days to keep debug
logs before vmd deletes them. This entry is read and interpreted on the hosts
where vmd is running.
A value of zero means that the logs are not deleted. The default is zero. This
entry does not impact debug logs created by Unified Logging.
For more information about Unified Logging, see the NetBackup
Troubleshooting Guide for UNIX, Windows, and Linux.
EMM_RETRY_COUNT
EMM_RETRY_COUNT = number_of_retries
The vmd and the ltid daemons use this entry to determine how many times to
retry requests to the NetBackup Enterprise Media Manager.
Default: one retry.
Only change the value of this vm.conf file entry when directed to do so by your
NetBackup support representative. If you add this entry to the vm.conf file or
change this value, you must restart the vmd and the ltid daemons / services.
EMM_CONNECT_TIMOUT
EMM_CONNECT_TIMOUT = number_of_seconds
This value applies for broken connections between the vmd and the ltid
daemons and the NetBackup Enterprise Media Manager. The vmd and the ltid
daemons use this entry to determine for how long they should try to reconnect
to the NetBackup Enterprise Media Manager.
Default: 20 seconds.
Only change the value of this vm.conf file entry when directed to do so by your
NetBackup support representative. If you add this entry to the vm.conf file or
change this value, you must restart the vmd and the ltid daemons / services.
EMM_REQUEST_TIMOUT
EMM_REQUEST_TIMOUT = number_of_seconds
The vmd and the ltid daemons use this entry to determine how many seconds
Additional configuration 37
NetBackup configuration options
Only change the value of this vm.conf file entry when directed to do so by your
NetBackup support representative. If you add this entry to the vm.conf file or
change this value, you must restart the vmd and the ltid daemons / services.
ENABLE_ROBOT_AUTH
NetBackup encourages the use of Symantec Product Authentication and
Authorization for NetBackup Access Control (NBAC) instead of legacy security
implementations.
For information about the ENABLE_ROBOT_AUTH configuration entry, see the
NetBackup 6.0 documentation. For information on Symantec Product
Authentication and Authorization, see the NetBackup Security and Encryption
Guide.
INVENTORY_FILTER
INVENTORY_FILTER = robot_type robot_number mode value1 [value2 ...]
Note: This entry may be required for an ACS robot and the ACS library software
host was an STK Library Station. Newer versions of STK Library Station allow
robot inventory commands to function correctly so filters are not required.
MAP_ID
MAP_ID = robot_num map_ID
38 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
If the MAP is not available or the vm.comf file does not contain this entry,
NetBackup uses the default MAP selection process. By default, NetBackup uses
the smallest MAP that can hold the number of media to be ejected.
algorithm rather than the MAP that is specified in the MAP ID entry. For more
The following example specifies the MAP ID for ACS robot number 700. The ACS
MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT
MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT = seconds
This entry applies only when the vmchange command is used and the -w option
is specified. The default timeout value for seconds is 300 (5 minutes).
seconds cannot be zero and values greater than 1200 (20 minutes) may cause
the robotic daemon to cancel the operation.
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, the SCSI robotic daemons wait the
specified number of seconds before they time out. A timeout can occur while
waiting for a reply from the user to continue after removing volumes from the
media access port. A timeout results in the operation being aborted.
This entry is read and interpreted on the host on which the SCSI-controlled
robotic daemon or process runs.
Caution: Non-mount activities such as a robotic inventory can not occur during
this timeout period.
MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS
MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS = robot_num barcode_length media_ID_rule
Note: To use this entry, the robot must support barcodes and the robot type
cannot be an API robots.
Additional configuration 39
NetBackup configuration options
Choose how NetBackup creates media IDs by defining the rules that specify
which characters of a barcode on tape NetBackup uses. Alphanumeric
characters can be specified to be inserted in the ID.
Multiple entries can be added to the vm.conf file. For example, specify media ID
generation for each robot or for each barcode format that has different numbers
of characters. The multiple entries allow flexibility for multimedia.
If no MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS entries exist or the entry is invalid,
NetBackup uses the rightmost six characters of the barcode to create its media
ID.
robot_num is the robot number.
barcode_length is the length of the barcode.
A media_ID_rule consists of a maximum of six fields that colons delimit.
Numbers in the fields define the positions of the characters in the barcode that
NetBackup extracts (from left to right). For example, 2 in a field extracts the
second character from the barcode. The numbers can be specified in any order.
If the pound sign (#) prefixes a character, that character is inserted in that
position in the generated ID. Any alphanumeric characters must be valid for a
media ID. Use rules to create media IDs of many different formats. However, if
the generated media ID is different from the label on the media, media
management may be more difficult.
The following is an example rule and the resulting generated media ID:
Barcode on the tape: 032945L1
MEDIA_ID_PREFIX
MEDIA_ID_PREFIX = media_id_prefix
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, it defines the media ID prefixes to use for
media without barcodes. This entry is read and interpreted on the host where
vmcheckxxx and vmupdate are running as part of the robot inventory
operation.
The best way to add media to a robot is to use the Robot Inventory Update
Volume Configuration operation.
MM_SERVER_NAME
MM_SERVER_NAME = host_name
This entry determines the name other NetBackup servers and clients should use
when they refer to this server:
CLUSTER_NAME = cluster_alias
40 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
REQUIRED_INTERFACE = host_name
PREFERRED_GROUP
NetBackup encourages the use of Symantec Product Authentication and
Authorization for NetBackup Access Control (NBAC) instead of legacy security
implementations.
For information about the PREFERRED_GROUP configuration entry, see the
NetBackup 6.0 documentation. For information on Symantec Product
Authentication and Authorization, see the NetBackup Security and Encryption
Guide.
PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL
Applies to the TL8 robots only.
Specifying this entry changes the default operation for TL8 robots. Without this
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, TL8 robots execute the SCSI command
PREVENT MEDIUM REMOVAL. The robot's main door or the MAP cannot be
This entry is read and interpreted on the host on which the TL8 robot control
To override PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL
Do one of the following:
◆ Use the test utility and run allow media removal.
◆ Use inject or eject for access, when volumes are added or moved.
RANDOM_PORTS
RANDOM_PORTS = YES|NO
Additional configuration 41
NetBackup configuration options
Use this entry to specify whether NetBackup chooses port numbers randomly or
highest number in the allowed range, then tries the next highest, and so on until
a port is available.
REQUIRED_INTERFACE
REQUIRED_INTERFACE = host_name
This entry and the following two entries determine the name other NetBackup
servers should use when they refer to this server:
CLUSTER_NAME = cluster_alias
MM_SERVER_NAME = host_name
SERVER
SERVER = host_name
42 Additional configuration
NetBackup configuration options
SERVER entries in the vm.conf file are used for NetBackup media server
to control which hosts can monitor and control devices on this host.
a SERVER entry for every media server that controls devices on this host. If the
vm.conf file contains any SERVER entries, it also must include a SERVER entry
For security, the entries that allow only specific hosts to access the devices must
be added remotely.
This entry is read and interpreted on media servers on which the NetBackup
SSO_DA_REREGISTER_INTERVAL
SSO_DA_REREGISTER_INTERVAL = minutes
SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT
SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT = minutes
Additional configuration 43
NetBackup configuration options
SSO_HOST_NAME
SSO_HOST_NAME = host_name
This entry specifies the name that the current host uses to register, reserve, and
release shared drives with EMM/DA. The default is the local host name.
TLH_mediatype
TLH_mediatype = Media_Manager_mediatype
TLM_mediatype
TLM_mediatype = Media_Manager_mediatype
VERBOSE
If this entry is specified in vm.conf, all Media Manager components on the host
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS entry.
44 Additional configuration
Direct I/O for backups
By default, the buffer size for disk storage units is 256K. If the buffer size is set
to a value greater than 256K, backups written to that storage unit automatically
use direct I/O. An increased buffer size can improve backup speed.
To increase the buffer size, the following conditions must be met:
■ The storage unit must be owned by a Windows media server.
■ The storage unit must be either a Basic Disk or an Array Disk storage unit.
■ The backup to be stored cannot be multiplexed.
■ The touch file that disables direct I/O must not be present
(install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\DISABLE_DIRECT_IO).
To increase the buffer size, create one of the following touch files on the media
server that owns the storage unit:
■ For backups to disk:
install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\db\config\
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS_DISK
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS
If both touch files are present, SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS_DISK overrides the value
in SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS. At this time, Symantec recommends using
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS_DISK.
Possible values to include in SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS_DISK or
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS include the following:
For a data buffer of this size (kilobytes), enter this touch file value
32 32768
64 65536
96 98304
128 131072
160 163840
192 196608
224 229376
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Additional configuration 45
Dynamic host name and IP addressing
For a data buffer of this size (kilobytes), enter this touch file value
256 262144
Data buffer sizes continue in multiples of 32. Multiply the buffer size by 1024 for
the touch file value.
A direct I/O backup triggers the following message: “Enabling direct I/O. Buffer
size: <buffer size>.”
Note: If you use dynamic addressing, remember that the NetBackup servers still
require fixed IP addresses and host names.
Note: All clients configured to use dynamic addressing and host names must
trust each other, similar to the NetBackup altnames feature.
The following steps are required to support the configurations that use dynamic
IP addressing for NetBackup. Before you make changes to a configuration, read
this entire section.
1 Configure your network to use a dynamic IP addressing protocol like DHCP.
NetBackup requires that IP addresses of clients have a network host name.
Be sure to define network host names for the range of dynamic IP addresses
in the hosts file and (or) DNS on your network.
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46 Additional configuration
Dynamic host name and IP addressing
2 Determine the NetBackup client names for the machines that have dynamic
IP addresses and network host names.
These NetBackup client names are used in step 3 and step 6. Each
NetBackup client must have a unique NetBackup client name. The
NetBackup client name that is assigned to a client is permanent—do not
change it.
3 Make changes on the master server:
a Create NetBackup policies with client lists that include the names from
step 2.
b Create entries in the NetBackup client database for the client names
from step 2.
Create the entries by using the bpclient command.
4 Make changes on each dynamic NetBackup Windows client:
Start the Backup, Archive, and Restore user interface on the client. Select
File > NetBackup Client Properties. The NetBackup Client Properties dialog
box appears. Select the General tab. Change the Client Name to the correct
NetBackup client name for the machine.
5 On the master server, enable the Announce DHCP Interval option:
Open the NetBackup Administration Console and navigate to the Host
Properties for clients. (Select NetBackup Management > Host Properties >
Clients.) Open the client properties for the Windows client(s). Under the
Windows Client host properties, select Network. Check the Announce DHCP
Interval checkbox.
6 Make changes on each dynamic NetBackup UNIX client:
a Modify the bp.conf file to include a CLIENT_NAME entry with the
correct NetBackup client name for the machine.
b Configure the system to notify the master server of the machine's
NetBackup client name and current network host name during startup.
The bpdynamicclient command is used to notify the master server.
c Configure the system to notify periodically the master server of the
machine's NetBackup client name and current network host name.
Additional configuration 47
Dynamic host name and IP addressing
123.123.123.71 dynamic01
123.123.123.72 dynamic02
123.123.123.73 dynamic03
123.123.123.79 dynamic09
Assign a unique NetBackup client name to each NetBackup client that might use
one of these dynamic IP addresses. The NetBackup client name that is assigned
to a client is permanent and should not be changed. The client name that is
assigned to NetBackup clients with dynamic IP addressing must not be the same
as any network host names on your network. If the NetBackup client names are
changed or are not unique, backup and restore results are unpredictable.
For example, suppose you have 20 machines that share the IP addresses as
previously defined. If you want these machines to be NetBackup clients, you
might assign them these NetBackup client names as follows:
nbclient01
nbclient02
nbclient03
nbclient04
nbclient20
48 Additional configuration
In our example, you can enter these commands to create the 20 clients:
cd install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd
Current Host:
Hostname: *NULL*
IP Address: 0.0.0.0
Current Host:
Hostname: *NULL*
IP Address: 0.0.0.0
Current Host:
Hostname: *NULL*
IP Address: 0.0.0.0
Additional configuration 49
Dynamic host name and IP addressing
The NetBackup client notifies the NetBackup server of its NetBackup client
name and network host name. Then, the Current Host, Hostname, and IP
Address fields display the values for that NetBackup client.
Start the Backup, Archive, and Restore user interface on the client and then
select File > NetBackup Client Properties. The NetBackup Client Properties
dialog box appears. Select the General tab. Change the Client Name to specify
value specifies how many minutes the client waits before it announces that it
For more information, see “Announce DHCP interval” on page 457 in the
The server is not notified if the default value of 0 is used. For a DHCP client, a
On the client, stop and restart the NetBackup Client service to have the changes
take effect.
CLIENT_NAME = nbclient00
You must run the bpdynamicclient command once when the system first
starts up. bpdynamicclient notifies the NetBackup server of the machine's
NetBackup client name and current network host name. The
bpdynamicclient command is in the directory:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin
The format of the bpdynamicclient command is as follows:
bpdynamicclient -last_successful_hostname file_name
When bpdynamicclient starts up, it checks for the existence of file_name.
If file_name exists, bpdynamicclient determines if the host name that is
written in the file is the same as the current network host name. If the host
names match, bpdynamicclient exits and does not connect to the master
server. If the host names do not match, bpdynamicclient connects to the
master server and informs the server of its NetBackup client name and host
name. If bpdynamicclient successfully informs the server,
bpdynamicclient writes the current network host name into file_name. If
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50 Additional configuration
Configuring email notifications
Most UNIX systems provide a facility to define startup scripts. For example, you
#! /bin/sh
rm /usr/openv/netbackup/last_successful_hostname
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bpdynamicclient
-last_successful_hostname \
/usr/openv/netbackup/last_successful_hostname
EOF
Ensure that the dynamic client startup script is called after the machine obtains
its IP address.
You must also create a root crontab entry to call periodically the
bpdynamicclient command. For example, the following entry (one line) calls
7 * * * * /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bpdynamicclient
-last_successful_hostname
/usr/openv/netbackup/last_successful_hostname
Additional configuration 51
Specifying the locale of the NetBackup installation
Platform Directions
Windows To access the regional settings, double-click Regional and Language Options in the Windows
Control Panel. The Regional and Language Options dialog box provides access to the predefined
number, date, and time formats.
See the Microsoft Help pages for further assistance.
UNIX The /usr/openv/msg/.conf file contains information on the supported locales. This file
defines the date and the time formats for each supported locale.
The .conf file contains very specific instructions on how to add or modify the list of supported
locales and formats. However, the format of the file is summarized here.
The .conf file is divided into two parts, the TL lines and the TM lines.
TL Lines
The third field of the TL lines defines the case-sensitive locales that the NetBackup applications
support. The fourth and the fifth fields define the date and the time fields and associated
separators for that supported locale is as follows:
You can modify the existing formats to change the default output. For example, the TL line for the
C locale is:
TL 1 C :hh:mn:ss/mm/dd /yyyy
An alternate specification to the order of months, days, and years would be as follows:
TL 1 C :hh:mn:ss -yyyy-mm-dd
or:
TL 1 C :hh:mn:ss/dd /mm/yy
You can add more TL lines; see the comments in the .conf file.
If the .conf file is not accessible, the default locales (TL lines) are:
TL 2 ov :hh:mn:ss/mm/dd /yyyy
52 Additional configuration
Platform Directions
TM Lines
The TM lines define a mapping from unrecognized locales to those supported by NetBackup, as
defined by the TL lines.
The third field of the TM lines defines the unrecognized locale. The fifth field defines the
supported equivalent that is identified in the TL lines.
For example, use the following TM line to map the unrecognized locale french to the supported
locale fr, the TM line is:
TM 6 french 2 fr
To map french to C
TM 6 french 1 C
To add more TM lines, see the specific instructions in the .conf file.
If the .conf file is not accessible, no default TM lines exist, as the default locale is C (ov).
Chapter 2
Reference topics
The topics in this chapter provide additional information about various aspects
of NetBackup configuration and management:
■ “Rules for using host names in NetBackup” on page 54
54 Reference topics
Rules for using host names in NetBackup
Note: Do not change the host name of a NetBackup server. This practice is not
recommended. It can be necessary to import all previously used media to the
server before you can use it under the new host name.
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Reference topics 55
Rules for using host names in NetBackup
Policy configuration
The configured name for a client is the host name as it is added to a policy. This
name is how the client is identified in the NetBackup configuration.
The server uses the client’s configured name to connect to the client and start
the processes that satisfy client requests. Always use qualified host names to
add clients to a policy so that all NetBackup servers can connect to the clients.
When a client makes a user backup, archive, or restore request to the NetBackup
server, the server uses the peer name of the client. The peer name (identified
from its TCP connection) is used to determine the client’s configured name.
If you add a client to more than one policy, always use the same name in all
cases. If the same name is not used, the client cannot view all the files that are
backed up on its behalf. In this case, file restores become complicated because
both user- and administrator-action is required to restore from some of the
backups.
Image catalog
A subdirectory in the image catalog is created for a client when a backup is first
created for that client. The subdirectory’s name is the client’s configured name.
Every backup for a client has a separate file in this subdirectory. Each of these
backup records contains the host name of the server on which the backup was
written.
Error catalog
NetBackup uses entries in the error catalog for generating reports. These entries
contain the host name of the server that generates the entry and the client’s
configured name, if applicable. The server host name is normally the server’s
short host name. (For example, shark instead of shark.null.com.)
56 Reference topics
Note: Do not change the host name of a NetBackup server. A name change might
require that all previously used media be imported to the server before the host
can be used under the new name.
Use the following steps to update the NetBackup configuration if a client’s host
name is changed.
1 On the master server:
■ Delete the client’s old name from all policies where it exists and add the
client’s new name to those policies. You do not need to reinstall
NetBackup software on the client. The client continues to have access
to all previous backups.
a Create a file named ALTPATH in the image catalog directory.
For example, if the client name is client1, the ALTPATH file is created
in the following location:
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\db\images\client1\
ALTPATH
2 On the client:
■ On PC clients, change the client name setting either through the user
interface or in a configuration file. (See the online help in the Backup,
Archive, and Restore client interface.)
■ On UNIX clients, change the CLIENT_NAME value in the bp.conf file
to the new name.
Note: If users on UNIX clients have a bp.conf file in the $HOME directory, users
must change CLIENT_NAME in that file to the new name.
Reference topics 57
Rules for using host names in NetBackup
the master server Domain Name Service, the master server may not be able to
This possible situation depends on how the client and the server are configured.
If gethostname on the client returns host the names that DNS on the master
One possible solution is to reconfigure the client or the master server DNS hosts
file. Another option is to create a special file in the altnames directory on the
master server. The file forces the translation of NetBackup client host names.
install_path\NetBackup\db\altnames\host.xlate
Each line in the host.xlate file contains three elements: a numeric key and
two host names. Each line is left-justified, and a space character separates each
Where
■ key is a numeric value used by NetBackup to specify the cases where
translation is to be done. Currently this value must always be 0, which
indicates a configured name translation.
■ hostname_from_client is the value to translate. The client name must
correspond to the name that is obtained by running the client’s
gethostname. The value must be sent to the server in the request.
■ client_as_known_by_server is the name to substitute for
hostname_from_client for request responses. The name must match the
name in the NetBackup configuration on the master server and must also be
known to the master server’s network services.
Consider the following example:
0 xxxx xxxx.eng.aaa.com
The line specifies that when the master server receives a request for a
configured client name (numeric key 0), the name xxxx.eng.aaa.com always
replaces xxxx. The substitution resolves the problem if the following conditions
are true:
■ When gethostname is run on the client, it returns xxxx.
■ The master server’s network services gethostbyname library function did
not recognize the name xxxx.
■ The client was configured and named in the NetBackup configuration as
xxxx.eng.aaa.com. And, this name is also known to network services on
the master server.
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58 Reference topics
Reading backup images with tar
Note: You cannot use the NetBackup modified-GNU tar on UNIX or tar32.exe
on Windows to extract files from a NetBackup for Windows backup image.
Reference topics 59
Factors that affect backup time
Total data
The total amount of data to back up depends on the size of the files for each
client included the policy. The total amount of data also depends on whether the
backup is a full backup or an incremental backup.
■ Full backups involve all the data. Therefore, a full backup usually takes
longer than an incremental backup.
■ Differential incremental backups include only the data that has changed
since the last full or incremental backup.
■ Cumulative incremental backups include all the data that has changed since
the last full backup.
For incremental backups, the amount of data depends on the frequency with
which files change. If a large number of files change frequently, incremental
backups are larger.
Transfer rate
The transfer rate depends on the following factors:
■ The speed of the backup device. Backups that are sent to tapes with a
transfer rate of 800 kilobytes per second are generally faster than tapes with
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60 Reference topics
a transfer rate of 400 kilobytes. (Assume that other factors allow for the
faster transfer rate.)
■ The available network bandwidth. The available bandwidth is less than the
theoretical network bandwidth and depends on how much other network
traffic is present. For example, multiple backups occurring on the same
network compete for bandwidth.
■ The speed with which the client can process the data. The speed varies with
the hardware platform and depends on the other applications that run on
the platform. File size is also an important factor. Clients can process larger
files faster than smaller ones. A backup for twenty files, 1 megabyte each, is
faster than a backup for 20,000 files that are 1 kilobyte each.
■ The speed with which the server can process the data. Like client speed,
server speed also varies with the hardware platform and depends on the
other applications that run on the platform. The number of concurrent
backups being performed also affects server speed.
■ Network configuration can affect performance. For example, when some
machines run full-duplex and some run half-duplex in an Ethernet
environment, the throughput is significantly reduced.
For more information, see “Determining NetBackup transfer rate” on page 60.
Device delays
Device delays can be due to the following factors: the device may be busy or slow
to load the media. Or, the device may be slow to find the location on the media at
which to start writing the backup. These delays can vary widely and depend on
the devices and the computing environments.
rate.
For more information, see “Using the system monitor” on page 62.
Reference topics 61
Determining NetBackup transfer rate
The network transfer rate considers only the time it takes to transfer data over
the network from client to server. This rate ignores the following:
■ The time the device requires to load and position media before a backup.
■ The time that the tape file requires to close and write an additional
NetBackup information record to the tape.
To calculate the transfer rate, divide this time (in seconds) into the total bytes
that are transferred. (The total bytes that are transferred is recorded in the All
Log Entries report.)
Examples
Assume that the reports provide the following data.
Sample All Log Entries Report:
TIME SERVER/CLIENT TEXT
id giskard_0767592458, fragment 1 to
backup id giskard_0767592458,
230.325 Kbytes/sec
Policy: production_servers
62 Reference topics
Determining NetBackup transfer rate
Compressed: no
Kilobytes: 1161824
The following three rates were compiled with the backup data from the sample
reports:
Network transfer rate:
1161824 Kbytes at 230.325 Kbytes per second
Network transfer plus end-of-backup processing rate:
23:10:30 - 00:35:07 = 01:24:30 = 5070 seconds
1161824 Kbytes/5070 = 229.157 Kbytes per second
Total transfer rate:
Elapsed time = 01:27:32 = 5252 seconds
1161824 Kbytes/5252 = 221.216 Kbytes per second
The instances can be drive names or absolute paths to which NetBackup writes,
The System Monitor displays object instances when NetBackup reads or writes
from the disk or tape. The read or write counters are updated depending on the
write operation, the object instance exists after the NetBackup operation is
monitoring stops.
Reference topics 63
Determining NetBackup transfer rate
locks the object instances, thus, the object instances remain until the system is
rebooted.
Note: In order for the NetBackup objects to be available for selection, the
following conditions must be met:
- The drive must be connected to a Windows media server (or SAN media server).
- Performance data collection is enabled (select Host Properties > Media Servers
3 Select the counter to display from the list of available counters. Available
counters are:
■ Disk/Tape Read Bytes (GB)
■ Disk/Tape Read Bytes/sec (KB)
■ Disk/Tape Write Bytes (GB)
■ Disk/Tape Write Bytes/sec (KB)
4 Select one or more object instances from the list of instances. Instances are
displayed when NetBackup begins to read or write from the disk or the tape
drives.
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64 Reference topics
5 Click Add.
The NetBackup counter you select is displayed in the Performance dialog
box. The number of bytes that are read or written is updated dynamically,
along with the rate.
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Reference topics 65
How NetBackup builds a worklist
The following topics explain how NetBackup determines the order in which
automatic backups occur for each client. This information is useful to evaluate
problems with schedules.
considered Queued, and appears on the Jobs tab of the Activity Monitor.
Once a job receives the resources it needs, the job becomes Active and begins.
When the job completes, NetBackup computes the next due time for the job, thus
The order of the jobs on the worklist is dynamic. The following items are some of
■ Whether the job finished successfully or whether it failed and is Waiting for
Retry.
(The time that NetBackup waits before it tries the job again is configurable
by setting the Job retry delay Global Attribute master server property.
A retried job retains the original job ID. If the job does not succeed after the
number of attempts that are allowed, the job is considered Done. The status
of the job indicates that the job was not successful. The number of attempts
counts toward the Schedule backup attempts limit. (Found under Host
Properties > Global Attributes > Schedule backup attempts.)
■ Whether attempts to run the job exceed the number of attempts that the
Schedule backup attempts host property indicates.
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66 Reference topics
■ Whether the job is a child job. When a parent job is Active, all of the children
from that parent job have precedence over other jobs. The precedence
includes the children of another parent job.
Reference topics 67
Determining backup media requirements
Both clients are overdue for a backup. However, the job of client client_2 is
the most overdue and runs first.
This approach ensures that a backup that was unsuccessful during its
previous backup window has priority over the successful backups. The
priority of the most overdue jobs is important in a busy NetBackup
configuration where the backup window can close before all backups can
begin.
68 Reference topics
NetBackup notify scripts
NetBackup uses the following scripts or batch files for collecting information
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\backup_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\backup_exit_notify.cm
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\dbbackup_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\diskfull_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\mail_dr_info.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\nbmail.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\restore_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\session_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\session_start_notify
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\usereq_notify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\goodies\parent_end_no
tify.cmd
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\goodies\parent_start_
notify
y.bat
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\goodies\bpend_notify.
bat
To use the client scripts, the scripts must first be created on the client. Use
the procedures as described in “bpstart_notify.bat (Microsoft Windows
clients only)” on page 72 and “bpend_notify.bat (Microsoft Windows clients
only)” on page 76.
For further information, refer to the comments in the scripts.
Reference topics 69
NetBackup notify scripts
backup_notify.cmd
The backup_notify.cmd script runs on the NetBackup server where the
storage unit is located. It is called each time a backup is successfully written to
media. The parameters that NetBackup passes to this script are:
■ The name of the program doing the backup
■ The backup-image name or path
For example:
backup_notify.cmd bptm bilbo_0695316589
backup_exit_notify.cmd
The backup_exit_notify.cmd script runs on the master server. It is called to
perform site-specific processing when an individual backup completes.
Parameter Description
schedtype One of the following: FULL, INCR (differential incremental), CINC (cumulative incremental),
UBAK, UARC
For example:
backup_exit_notify.cmd freddie production fulls FULL 0
backup_exit_notify.cmd Dane production incrementals INCR
73
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70 Reference topics
Note: Ensure that this script can be run by other on the client before it is used.
To do so, run chmod 755 script_name, where script_name is the name of the
script.
On UNIX clients, NetBackup calls the bpstart_notify script each time the
To use this script, copy the following file from the server:
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\goodies\bpstart_notif
y.bat
Modify the script and ensure that you have permission to run the script.
The bpstart_notify script runs each time a backup or an archive starts and
initialization is completed. The script runs before the tape is positioned. This
script must exit with a status of 0 for the calling program to continue and for the
in the foreground and the bpbkar process on the client waits for it to complete
before continuing. Any commands in the script that do not end with an &
The server expects the client to respond with a continue message within the
The default for BPSTART_TIMEOUT is 300. If the script needs more time than
Parameter Description
schedtype One of the following: FULL, INCR (differential incremental), CINC (cumulative incremental),
UBAK, UARC
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Caution: The bpstart_notify script also runs for NetBackup catalog backups
if a .policyname[.schedule] is not specified.
For example:
bpstart_notify freddie cd4000s fulls FULL
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bpstart_notify.production.fulls
The first script affects all scheduled backups in the policy that are named
production. The second script affects scheduled backups in the policy that is
named production only when the schedule is named fulls.
Note: For a given backup, NetBackup uses only one bpstart_notify script and
that is the script with the most specific name. For example, if there are both
bpstart_notify.production and bpstart_notify.production.fulls
scripts, NetBackup uses only bpstart_notify.production.fulls.
UNIXBACKUPTIME=0857340526
72 Reference topics
NetBackup notify scripts
To use this script, copy the following file from the server:
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\goodies\bpstart_notif
y.bat
And place it on the client in the same directory as the NetBackup client binaries:
Install_path\NetBackup\bin\
Where Install_path is the directory where NetBackup is installed.
You can create bpstart_notify scripts that provide notification for all
backups or for backups of a specific policy or schedule.
To create a script that applies to all backups, name the script
bpstart_notify.bat
To create a bpstart_notify script that applies only to a specific policy or
policy and schedule combination, add a .policyname or
.policyname.schedulename suffix to the script name.
■ The following script applies only to a policy named days:
install_path\netbackup\bin\bpstart_notify.days.bat
■ The following script applies only to a schedule that is named fulls in a policy
named days:
install_path\netbackup\bin\bpstart_notify.days.fulls.bat
Caution: The bpstart_notify script also runs for NetBackup catalog backups
if a .policyname[.schedule] is not specified.
The first script affects all scheduled backups in the policy named days. The
second script affects scheduled backups in the policy named days only when the
schedule is named fulls.
For a given backup, NetBackup calls only one bpstart_notify script and
checks for them in the following order:
bpstart_notify.policy.schedule.bat
bpstart_notify.policy.bat
Reference topics 73
NetBackup notify scripts
bpstart_notify.bat
For example, if there are both bpstart_notify.policy.bat and
bpstart_notify.policy.schedule.bat scripts, NetBackup uses only the
bpstart_notify.policy.schedule.bat script.
When the backup starts, NetBackup passes the following parameters to the
script.
Parameter Description
%6 Results file that NetBackup checks for a return code from the script. NetBackup uses %6 to
pass the file name and then expects the script to create the file in the same directory as the
script.
If the script applies to a specific policy and schedule, the results file must be named
install_path\netbackup\bin\BPSTART_RES.policy.schedule
If the script applies to a specific policy, the results file must be named
install_path\netbackup\bin\BPSTART_RES.policy
If the script applies to all backups, the results file must be named
install_path\netbackup\bin\BPSTART_RES
An echo 0> %6 statement is one way for the script to create the file.
NetBackup deletes the existing results file before it calls the script. After the script runs,
NetBackup checks the new results file for the status. The status must be 0 for the script to
be considered successful. If the results file does not exist, NetBackup assumes that the
script was successful.
The server expects the client to respond with a continue message within the
time that the NetBackup BPSTART_TIMEOUT option specifies. The default for
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NetBackup notify scripts
BPSTART_TIMEOUT is 300. If the script needs more than 300 seconds, increase
For Windows 2000 clients, the bpstart_notify script can use the following
STREAM_NUMBER indicates the stream number. The first stream from a policy,
client, and schedule is 1. A 0 value indicates that multiple data streams is not
enabled.
Caution: The bpend_notify script is run when the client is finished sending
data, but the server has not yet completed writing to media.
Note: Ensure that this script can be run by other on the client before it is used.
To do so, run chmod 755 script_name, where script_name is the name of the
script.
Modify the script and ensure that you have permission to run the script.
The bpend_notify script runs each time a backup or archive completes. For
archives, it runs after the backup but before the files are removed.
waits until it completes. Any commands that do not end with an & character run
serially.
The server expects the client to respond within the time that the
BPEND_TIMEOUT is 300.
If the script needs more than 300 seconds, set BPEND_TIMEOUT to a larger
value. Avoid too large a value because it can delay the server from servicing
other clients.
Reference topics 75
NetBackup notify scripts
Parameter Description
exitstatus Exit code from bpbkar. The status is the client status and does not
indicate that the backup is complete and successful.
The client can display a status 0 when, due to a failure on the server,
the All Log Entries report displays a status 84.
Caution: The bpend_notify script also runs for NetBackup catalog backups if a
.policyname[.schedule] is not specified.
For example:
bpend_notify freddie pol_1 fulls FULL 0
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bpend_notify.production.fulls
The first script affects all scheduled backups in the policy production. The
second script affects scheduled backups in the policy production only when the
schedule is named fulls.
Note: For a given backup, NetBackup uses only one bpend_notify script and
that is the one with the most specific name. For example, if there are both
bpend_notify.production and bpend_notify.production.fulls
scripts, NetBackup uses only bpend_notify.production.fulls.
76 Reference topics
NetBackup notify scripts
BACKUPTIME
The NetBackup bpbkar process creates these variables. The following are
examples of the strings that are available to the script for use to record
information about a backup:
BACKUPID=freddie_0857340526
UNIXBACKUPTIME=0857340526
The following environment variables can be used for the support of multiple
data streams:
STREAM_NUMBER indicates the stream number. The first stream from a policy,
client, and schedule is 1. A 0 value indicates that multiple data streams is not
enabled.
indicates that the client was not finished sending all of the data. A value of 1
indicates that the client was finished sending all the of data.
■ The following script applies only to a schedule that is named fulls in a policy
named days:
Install_path\netbackup\bin\bpend_notify.days.fulls.bat
Reference topics 77
NetBackup notify scripts
Caution: The bpend_notify script also runs for NetBackup catalog backups if a
.policyname[.schedule] is not specified.
The first script affects all scheduled backups in the policy named days. The
second script affects scheduled backups in the policy named days only when the
schedule is named fulls.
For a given backup, NetBackup calls only one bpend_notify script and checks
for them in the following order:
bpend_notify.policy.schedule.bat
bpend_notify.policy.bat
bpend_notify.bat
When the backup completes, NetBackup passes the following parameters to the
script.
Parameter Description
%5 Status of the operation. It is the same as sent to the NetBackup server. The status is 0 for
successful backups and 1 for partially successful backups. If an error occurs, the status is the
value associated with that error.
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NetBackup notify scripts
Parameter Description
%6 Results file that NetBackup checks for a return code from the script. NetBackup uses %6 to pass
the file name and then expects the script to create the file in the same directory as the script.
If the script applies to a specific policy and schedule, the results file must be named
Install_path\netbackup\bin\BPEND_RES.policy.schedule
If the script applies to a specific policy, the results file must be named
Install_path\netbackup\bin\BPEND_RES.policy
If the script applies to all backups, the results file must be named
Install_path\netbackup\bin\BPEND_RES
An echo 0> %6 statement is one way for the script to create the file.
NetBackup deletes the existing results file before it calls the script. After the script runs,
NetBackup checks the new results file for the status. The status must be 0 for the script to be
considered successful. If the results file does not exist, NetBackup assumes that the script was
successful.
The server expects the client to respond with a continue message within the
time that the BPEND_TIMEOUT option specifies. The default for
BPEND_TIMEOUT is 300. If the script needs more than 300 seconds, increase the
value to allow more time.
For Windows 2000 clients, the bpend_notify script can use the following
environment variables for the support of multiple data streams:
STREAM_NUMBER indicates the stream number. The first stream from a policy,
client, and schedule is 1. A 0 value indicates that multiple data streams is not
enabled.
STREAM_COUNT specifies the total number of streams to be generated from this
policy, client, and schedule.
STREAM_PID is the pid (process ID) number of bpbkar.
dbbackup_notify.cmd
NetBackup calls the dbbackup_notify.cmd script each time NetBackup
completes an offline, cold catalog backup. The script runs on the server that
receives the data for the offline catalog backup. NetBackup passes the following
parameters to this script:
Parameter Description
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NetBackup notify scripts
Parameter Description
vsn_or_path Volume serial number (for tape) or path (for disk) used for the backup.
status Specifies whether the backup was successful and must have a value of
either SUCCESS or FAIL.
For example:
dbbackup_notify.cmd DISK /disk1/bpsync1 SUCCESS
You must be able to identify the most recent catalog backup. Modify this script
to produce a printed copy of the media ID to which the catalog backup was done.
diskfull_notify.cmd
The diskfull_notify.cmd script runs on the NetBackup server that contains
the storage unit. The disk media manager (bpdm) calls this script if it encounters
a disk full condition while it writes a backup to a disk storage unit. The default
action is to report the condition and immediately try to write the data again.
(The file being written is kept open by the active bpdm).
The script can be modified to send a notification to an email address. Or
modified to perform actions such as removing other files in the affected
directory or file system. NetBackup passes the following parameters to this
script.
Parameter Description
For example:
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80 Reference topics
diskfull_notify.cmd bpdm
/disk1/images/host_08193531_c1_F1
Note
In previous releases, the diskfull_notify.cmd script default condition was
to sleep for five minutes when a disk storage unit became full. To retain this
behavior upon upgrade, either:
■ Copy the netbackup/bin/diskfull_notify.old_revision_number
script to netbackup/bin/diskfull_notify, or
■ Modify the script, to change sleep 0 to:
sleep 300
mail_dr_info.cmd
Use mail_dr_info.cmd to send NetBackup disaster recovery information to
To create the script, copy the following script from the master server:
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\nbmail.cmd
Install_path\NetBackup\bin\mail_dr_info.cmd.
Parameter Description
Note: All NetBackup email notifications require that a public domain SMTP mail
client be configured. (For example, blat.) For details, see the comments in the
nbmail.cmd script.
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NetBackup notify scripts
nbmail.cmd
Use nbmail.cmd to send specified recipients notifications about scheduled
backups. The recipients email addresses must also be configured in the host
properties. For more information, see “Universal Settings properties” on
page 480.
Windows systems also require that an application to transfer messages using
the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol be installed in order to accept script
parameters. UNIX platforms have a built-in SMTP transfer method.
To create the script on a client, copy
Install_path\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\nbmail.cmd from the master
server into Install_path\NetBackup\bin of each client that is to receive the
notification.
Update the script using the following script parameters.
Parameter Description
%3 The file that is sent in the body of the email. This is generated by
another script.
parent_end_notify.cmd
NetBackup calls the parent_end_notify.cmd script each time a parent job
ends.
Parameter Description
82 Reference topics
NetBackup notify scripts
Parameter Description
parent_start_notify.cmd
NetBackup calls the parent_start_notify.cmd script each time a parent job
starts.
Parameter Description
restore_notify.cmd
The restore_notify.cmd script runs on the server that contains the storage
unit. The NetBackup tape or disk manager (bptm or bpdm) calls the script when
it is finished sending data to the client during a restore. The script is called
regardless of whether data is sent. NetBackup passes the following parameters
to this script:
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NetBackup notify scripts
Parameter Description
programname Name of the program doing the restore or other read operation.
For example:
restore_notify.cmd bptm bilbo_0695316589 duplication
session_notify.cmd
The session_notify.cmd script runs on the master server. It is called at the
end of a backup session if at least one scheduled backup has succeeded.
NetBackup passes no parameters to this script. Scheduling is suspended until
this script completes, so no other backups can start until that time.
session_start_notify.cmd
The session_start_notify.cmd script runs on the master server. When a
set of backups is due to run, NetBackup calls this script to do any site-specific
processing before it starts the first backup. NetBackup passes no parameters to
this script.
userreq_notify.cmd
The userreq_notify.cmd script runs on the master server. NetBackup calls it
each time a request is made to:
■ List files that are in backups or archives
■ Start a backup, archive, or restore
You can alter this script to gather information about user requests to
NetBackup. NetBackup passes the following parameters to this script.
Parameter Description
action Defines the action and can have the following values: backup,
archive, manual_backup, restore, list
84 Reference topics
Media and device management best practices
Parameter Description
For example:
userreq_notif.cmd backup mercury jdoe
General practices
The following are general best practices for media and device management:
■ Use only Symentec documented and Symentec supported options for
NetBackup commands.
■ Refer to the NetBackup release notes to see if the methods you use are
eliminated in the current release or eliminated in future releases. The
release notes also contain information about all new functionality in each
release.
■ Use the documented methods for terminating the NetBackup Media
Manager daemons and services.
■ Periodically verify your backups using NetBackup Management > Catalog in
the NetBackup Administration Console. Also, periodically restore files to
prove that restores work correctly.
■ Always back up the NetBackup catalogs. You may also want to back up the
vm.conf and bp.conf (UNIX system) files on your media servers. Those
files contain configuration settings.
■ When you restore the NetBackup catalog (for example, master server
databases and the EMM database), use backups from the same point in time.
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Media and device management best practices
■ Ensure that all names and numbers for devices and all media IDs and
barcodes are unique across the entire enterprise.
■ To use devices with other applications and NetBackup controls those
devices, you must down the drive if the drive is in the UP state.
Media management
The following are media management best practices:
■ Use the robot inventory update operation for media management.
■ Use a scratch pool for unassigned media.
■ Configure cleaning cartridges for your tape drives, and use TapeAlert for
automatic drive cleaning if the drives support automatic cleaning.
■ Replace old media according to the life-span recommendations of the
manufacturer. Replace old cleaning media also.
■ Use robotic libraries that have a barcode reader and use only barcode labels
that the robot vendor recommends.
■ Use barcode rules for media type assignment when you inventory
multimedia libraries. Use barcode naming conventions to differentiate
between data and cleaning tapes and different physical media types. A
common convention is a prefix that identifies the type of media.
■ Before performing inject or eject commands, ensure that the media access
port is empty. Although NetBackup can handle a port that is not empty,
some libraries may have problems.
Device management
The following are device management best practices:
■ Monitor the NetBackup system log for device errors encountered.
■ Monitor devices by using the NetBackup Device Monitor.
■ Investigate the causes of all drives that are down.
■ Do not use the robotic test utilities while running backup or restore jobs.
■ Read the NetBackup Device Configuration Guide before configuring devices
on media servers (or SAN media servers).
■ Use only robots, tape drives and tape drivers, and server platforms and
hardware that are tested and supported by Symatec. For supported devices,
see the NetBackup hardware compatibility list on the NetBackup support
site.
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Media and device management best practices
Reference topics 87
Using TapeAlert
■ See the NetBackup Shared Storage Guide before you install and configure
the NetBackup Shared Storage Option, OpenStorage, or SharedDisk.
Using TapeAlert
TapeAlert is a tape drive status monitor and message utility. The TapeAlert
utility can detect tape quality problems, defects in tape drive hardware, and the
need to clean drives. For the tape drives that support TapeAlert, the TapeAlert
firmware monitors the drive hardware and the media. Error, warning, and
informational states are logged on a TapeAlert log page. NetBackup writes
TapeAlert conditions into:
■ The bptm log
■ The error log
■ The job details log
■ The system log on UNIX and Event Viewer on Windows
For more information, also see “Reactive cleaning (TapeAlert)” on page 91.
88 Reference topics
Using TapeAlert
Reference topics 89
Using TapeAlert
90 Reference topics
Reference topics 91
Drive cleaning overview
using TapeAlert is a function of the tape drive. The drive determines and
initiates the cleaning when needed. If a drive supports the TapeAlert capability
and it is enabled on the drive, the NetBackup bptm process polls the drive for
TapeAlert allows reactive cleaning for most drive types. Not all platforms,
For the drives that do not support TapeAlert, you can configure and use
For more information, see “Requirements for using TapeAlert” on page 87.
TapeAlert cleaning
A drive with TapeAlert capability tracks how many read and write errors it has
encountered within a certain time period. Although a drive can recover from
these errors, the drives sets a CLEAN_NOW or CLEAN_PERIODIC flag when a
threshold is reached.
If bptm detects that either of these flags is set, it performs a cleaning at one of
the following times:
■ At the end of a backup or a restore to the drive.
■ Before the next backup or restore to the drive.
Library-based cleaning
NetBackup does not support library-based cleaning (also known as robotic
cleaning or auto cleaning) for most robots because robotic library and operating
systems vendors have implemented this cleaning in different ways. These
different methods often interfere with NetBackup robotic control operations.
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NetBackup does not define cleaning media that is used for library-based
cleaning, and the robotic library manages the cleaning media.
Because TapeAlert provides the same type of cleaning as library-based cleaning,
Symantec recommends that you disable library-based cleaning when using
TapeAlert.
Frequency-based cleaning
Frequency-based cleaning occurs when the accumulated mount time exceeds
the time you specify for the cleaning frequency. NetBackup updates the mount
time for the drive each time a tape is unmounted.
The cleaning frequency is configured when you add a drive to NetBackup. You
can also change the cleaning frequency by changing the drive properties or by
using the Media and Device Management Device Monitor.
If the following conditions are met, drive cleaning occurs when the accumulated
mount time exceeds the time you specified for cleaning frequency:
■ The drive is in a robotic library that supports drive cleaning.
■ A cleaning tape is configured and available for the robotic library.
■ The cleaning tape has cleanings that remain.
NetBackup cleans the drive immediately after a tape is unmounted. Drive
cleaning never causes an unmount in the middle of an active backup. The mount
time is reset after the drive is cleaned. The cleaning frequency value remains the
same.
A cleaning can occur within a backup if the backup spans tapes. For example, if
cleaning is due after the first tape is full, NetBackup cleans the drive before it
mounts the next tape.
Media can remain in a drive for extended periods. It does not affect cleaning
frequency because NetBackup increments the mount time only when NetBackup
Reference topics 93
Volume pool and volume group overview
Operator-initiated cleaning
You can initiate a drive cleaning regardless of the cleaning frequency or
accumulated mount time of the drive. You can clean stand-alone drives or
robotic drives if a cleaning tape of the correct media type and residence for the
drive was added to NetBackup.
NetBackup reports that a drive needs cleaning if either of the following
conditions are true:
■ The value for the mount time is greater than the cleaning frequency.
■ The TapeAlert CLEAN_NOW or CLEAN_PERIODIC flag is set.
and either of the following conditions are true:
■ The drive is a stand-alone drive and a cleaning tape is not defined.
■ The drive is a stand-alone drive and no cleaning tape has any cleanings that
remain.
NetBackup displays NEEDS CLEANING as follows:
■ The Tape Cleaning Comment column of the Drive List in the Devices node of
the NetBackup Administration Console.
■ The comment field of the output from the tpclean -L command.
Note: NetBackup does not control the cleaning tapes that library-based cleaning
uses.
You can specify the number of cleanings that are allowed for a cleaning tape.
This number is decremented with each cleaning. When the number of cleanings
is zero, NetBackup stops using the cleaning tape. You can use a new cleaning
tape or increase the number of cleanings that are allowed for the tape.
Symantec suggests that you follow the recommendations from cleaning tape
vendors for the amount of tape usage. If you use a cleaning tape past its
recommended life, cleaning delays may occur (due to excessive tape position
operations) and drives may be downed.
94 Reference topics
stand-alone).
You specify volume pools and volume groups when you add volumes to
NetBackup.
Volume pools
The volume pool concept is relevant only for NetBackup storage units and does
not apply to disk storage units.
Volumes pools protect volumes from access by unauthorized applications. You
can create volume pools for applications or other reasons, and as you add
volumes, associate them with the appropriate pool. You can also move
unassigned volumes to a different pool.
With the exception of the CatalogBackup, NetBackup, and DataStore volume
pools, you must create a volume pool before you can add volumes to it. By
default, NetBackup creates volume pools named None, NetBackup,
CatalogBackup, and DataStore.
Volume groups
Volume groups show the location of a volume, such as the robot in which it
resides. If you move a volume physically, you also must move it logically (a
logical move means to change the volume attributes to show the new location).
Volume groups are convenient for tracking the location of volumes, such as the
case when a volume is moved off-site.
Volume groups let you perform operations on a set of volumes by specifying the
group name rather than each individual media ID of each volume. Operations
include moves between a robotic library and a stand-alone location or
deletetions from NetBackup.
Reference topics 95
Volume pool and volume group overview
■ More than one volume group can share the same location. For example, a
robotic library can contain volumes from more than one volume group and
you can have more than one stand-alone volume group.
■ All volumes in a group must be in the same robotic library or be stand-alone.
That is, you cannot add a group (or part of a group) to a robotic library if it
already exists in another robotic library.
Standalone
Robotic NB_pool
Off-site 1
Group 1 Group 2
Group 3 Group 4
Off-site 2
In Figure 2-4 on page 96, members of the same volume pools are in different
volume groups. Note that the data is stored on separate volumes by assigning
different volume pools. The volumes in a pool can be in more than one physical
location and in more than one volume group.
In this example, the volumes in the pool NB_pool_dept_1 are spread among the
rob_A, standalone1, and off-site volume groups. These groups also have
volumes from more than one pool (though the volumes in each group must all be
the same type).
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Volume pool and volume group overview
Robot A Standalone
Group Standalone Group
rob_A off-site
Group
standalone1
NB_pool
_dept_1
NB_pool
_dept_2
Robot B
Group
rob_B
NB_pool
_dept_3
You also can configure a scratch pool from which NetBackup can transfer
volumes when a volume pool has no media available. For more information, see
“Scratch volume pools” on page 96.
Reference topics 97
Volume pool and volume group overview
Group
Group
rob_A rob_C
NB_pool_dept_1
Scratch_pool
Robot B - TL8
Group
rob_B
NB_pool_dept_2
98 Reference topics
Barcode overview
Barcode overview
When a robotic library has a barcode reader, it scans the media for barcodes and
saves the results. The results associate the slot number and the barcode with the
media in that slot. NetBackup obtains barcode and slot information from the
robotic library.
Barcode advantages
NetBackup functions well whether or not barcodes are used. However, Symantec
suggests that you use media with barcodes in the robots that can read barcodes.
Barcodes offer the following advantages:
■ Automatic media ID assignment. When you add new media to a robot,
NetBackup is able to assign media IDs according to the criteria that you
specify.
■ More accurate tracking of volume location. A robot inventory update can
determine which volumes are in a robot.
■ Increased performance. Not using barcodes can adversely affect
performance for some robots. A robot that reads barcodes performs a scan
each time it moves a tape. The robot stores the correct barcode in memory or
verifies a previously saved barcode. However, if a tape does not have a
barcode, the robot retries the scan multiple times, degrading performance.
Reference topics 99
Barcode overview
■ When you purchase barcode labels for use with NetBackup, always follow
the robotic library vendor’s recommendations. Ensure that the barcodes
have the correct number of characters.
■ Barcodes can represent any combination of alpha and numeric characters,
but different robots support different lengths of barcodes. See the robot
vendor’s documentation to determine the requirements for a specific robot
type.
■ Use barcodes without spaces (at the beginning, at the end, or between any
characters). Otherwise, the robot or NetBackup may not read them correctly.
■ Volumes in an API robot have a real or a logical barcode. This volume
identifier is used as the NetBackup media ID. This volume identifier is the
volume serial number in ACS, TLH, and TLM robots.
■ For API robots, the barcode for a volume must be identical to the NetBackup
media ID.
You can match barcodes to media IDs by getting custom labels in the same
series as your media IDs. For example, to match a set of media IDs from
AA0000 to ZZ9999, get barcode labels in that series.
■ When a robotic library can contain more than one media type, you should
assign specific characters in the barcode to different media types using
media ID generation rules. Also, you should use barcodes to differentiate
between data tapes and cleaning tapes or to differentiate between volume
pools.
Barcode rules
A barcode rule specifies criteria for assigning attributes to new robotic volumes.
NetBackup assigns these attributes using the barcode for the volume that the
robotic library provides and your barcode rules.
In NetBackup, you choose whether to use barcode rules when you set up the
robot inventory update operation. The barcode rules are stored on the EMM
server .
■ If the media types match, NetBackup assigns the attributes in the rule to the
volume. The attributes include the media type, volume pool, maximum
number of mounts (or number of cleanings), and description.
Note: NetBackup does not use barcode rules if a volume already uses a barcode.
Checking barcodes
In the robots that have barcode readers, NetBackup verifies the barcode to
ensure that the robot loads the correct volume. If the barcode on the volume
does not match the barcode in the EMM database, NetBackup:
■ May assign the request a pending status (for media-specific jobs such as a
restore)
■ May use another volume (for backup or duplicate jobs)
■ May fail the job (cold catalog backup jobs)
■ Check the Device Monitor to find a suitable drive and mount the requested
volume in that drive.
■ Move the volume into the robot, update the volume configuration to reflect
the correct location for the media, and resubmit the request.
If the volume is labeled (tape or optical platter), the automatic volume
recognition daemon reads the label and the drive is assigned to the request. If
the volume is unlabeled and not associated with a robot, the operator manually
assigns the drive to the request.
Refer to the previous table for example barcode rules for the following
examples. Assume that you select the following media settings (update options)
for the update operation for a new 8-mm volume in a TL8 robot:
uses the rule with the barcode tag of TL8 and assigns the following attributes for
the volume:
If a new volume has a barcode of TL000001, NetBackup uses the rule with the
barcode tag of TL and assigns the following attributes for the volume:
Note: To use media ID generation rules, the robot must support barcodes and the
robot cannot be an API robot. Media ID generation rules are saved in the Media
Manager configuration file (vm.conf).
Using media ID generation rules allows you to override the default media ID
naming method NetBackup uses. The default method uses the last six characters
of the barcode the robot provides to generate the media ID.
For example, two eight-character barcodes are S00006L1 and 000006L1. If you
do not specify any media ID generation rules, NetBackup uses the last six
characters of the barcode to generate its media IDs. In this example, the same
media ID for the two barcodes would be created (0006L1) .
In a rule, you can control how NetBackup creates media IDs by specifying which
characters of a barcode are used in the media ID. You also can specify that
alphanumeric characters are to be inserted into the ID.
You can define multipe rules to accommodate your robots and the barcode
lengths. You can define rules to specific robots and for each barcode format that
has different numbers of characters in the barcode. Multiple rules allow
flexibility for the robots that support multiple media types.
Replacing devices
If you replace an existing device in your configuration, the serial number of the
new device is different than the old device. NetBackup recognizes the change
and updates the EMM database without restarting ltid. NetBackup also
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recognizes device firmware upgrades. For devices on NetBackup 5.x hosts, you
must restart ltid before NetBackup recognizes the new device.
In upgrades from NetBackup environments earlier than 6.0, devices retain their
serial numbers. In NetBackup 6.0 and later, a change to a serial number
formatting algorithm may affect a small number of tape drives and robotic
libraries. Those devices may be configured as unserialized or configured with a
different serial number. Therefore, NetBackup integrity checks that query the
device serial number and compare it with the serial number in the database may
fail. If so, a device may be unusable (such as the tape drive may be downed).
Integrity checks occur when ltid performs automatic path correction or when
the run-time Plug-n-Play code (Windows only) performs serial number checks.
In such cases:
■ Update the serial number or reconfigure the device so that the new serial
number to be stored in the EMM database. For procedures, see
■ “To swap a serialized drive or to update drive firmware on a single
host” on page 103
■ For a shared drive, “To swap a shared serialized drive or to update drive
firmware on a shared drive” on page 104
■ Disable runtime serial number checks by using the
AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION vm.conf option.
Note: If you use NetBackup Vault and plan to decomission a media server,
contact Symantec Consulting for help with this task.
Use the following procedure to decommission a server (the old_server) and move
its media to a new media server (the new_server). If you do not do the following
and a subsequent restore requires media that is associated with the old media
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server, you must import the media. Importing media consumes more time than
performing the following procedure.
2 Select another server or the master server (new_server) to manage the tapes
from the old_server.
Run the bpmedia command for each tape that has active images as
identified in step 1. The command replaces the old_server with the
new_server in the EMM database and updates the images database on the
master server.
bpmedia -movedb -ev media_ID -oldserver old_server
-newserver new_server
3 Add the following command to the end of the bp.conf file on the master
server. The command allows restores from the media that are associated
with the old_server to occur from a new_server.
FORCE_RESTORE_MEDIA_SERVER = old_server new_server
4 Use the NetBackup Administration Console to move the tapes that are in the
robots that are attached to the old_server to non-robotic status
(stand-alone). Select each robot that is attached to the old_server, highlight
all of the tapes, and move them to stand-alone.
5 Use the NetBackup Administration Console to delete the drives and then the
robots from the old_server.
6 Use the NetBackup Administration Console to delete all storage units that
use the robots that are associated with the old_server.
7 If any robots from the old_server are reused on other media servers, do the
following:
a Power down the affected servers, disconnect the robots from the old
servers, and then connect them to the new media servers. Verify that
the operating systems on the new media servers recognize the robots.
b Use the NetBackup Administration Console to add the robots and drives
to those media servers. You can use the NetBackup Device
Configuration wizard.
c Use the NetBackup Administration Console to create the appropriate
NetBackup storage units.
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reserve correctly.
NetBackup lets you configure either SCSI persistent reserve or SPC-2 SCSI
adapters (HBAs) from issuing any commands that can cause data loss.
When the NetBackup process is finished with the drive, NetBackup unloads the
drive and sends a persistent reserve clear command to the drive. The command
SCSI persistent reserve also provides device status detection, which NetBackup
The reservation does not prevent other applications on the host that has the
reservation from using the same device and from causing data loss. For
example, if a user on the same host issues a UNIX mt command, the mt
command may take control of the drive.
Also, other HBAs can clear or release an SCSI persistent reservation. Therefore,
an application can clear another HBAs reservation (although it should not do
so).
The drive does not process commands from any other host bus adapters (HBAs)
until NetBackup releases the reservation or the reservation is broken. If the
reservation fails, NetBackup fails the job.
The reservation does not prevent other applications on the host that has the
reservation from using the same device and from causing data loss. For
example, if a user on the same host issues a UNIX mt command, the mt
command may take control of the drive.
After the NetBackup process has finished with the media, it issues an SPC-2
SCSI command to release the reservation during the unmount operation. The
release frees the device for access by another HBA.
SCSI reserve does not provide a method to determine if a device is reserved. Only
the reservation owner (the host bus adapter) can release the reservation.
However, these limitations do not interfere with NetBackup operations in most
environments.
A negative consequence of SPC-2 SCSI reserve occurs if the HBA that owns the
reservation fails. A device that an HBA reserves stays reserved until the
reservation is removed or broken. Only the original HBA can remove the
reservation, which means the system must be available. If the HBA that owns
■ SCSI reset
■ Bus device reset
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SPC-2 SCSI reserve commands are mandatory for all SCSI-2 and SCSI-3 devices.
See the SCSI 2 standard for a detailed description of SCSI reserve command
Also, the NetBackup Administration Console Device Monitor or the output from
the vmoprcmd command shows PEND in the Control column.
If a conflict occurs, a reservation problem may exist. If the HBA that reserves
the drive is unavailable (for example, due to a system crash or hardware failure),
it cannot release the reservation. NetBackup cannot release or break an SPC-2
SCSI reservation automatically. You must force a release or break the
reservation to make the drive available, even for a failover server in a cluster
environment.
When the conflict is resolved, the following message is written to the log:
Reservation Conflict status cleared from DRIVENAME (device NUMBER)
Forcing a release
To force a release of an unavailable HBA’s SPC-2 reservation, you can use the
This option requests that all hosts that are registered to use the drive issue
Issue the vmoprcmd command on the host that is the device allocator (DA host).
Alternatively, use the -h option of the command to specify the DA host. The DA
Caution: You can use this command after a PEND status has been displayed in
the NetBackup Administration Console Device Monitor. However, do not issue
this command during backups.
For more information about using the vmoprcmd command, see NetBackup
Commands for UNIX and Linux or NetBackup Commands for Windows.
Breaking a reservation
If you cannot release an SPC-2 SCSI reservation, you can try to use an operating
system command that forces a device reset. A device reset breaks a reservation.
The procedure depends on the operating system type.
Caution: The reset operation may reset other devices in your configuration. Loss
of data is also possible. You should first try alternate methods to break the
reservation on a device (using switch and bridge hardware).
■ There must be passthru driver access to all shared drives. The passthru
driver must be installed and all required paths must be created.
For information about how to configure and use the passthru driver for
UNIX operating systems, see the NetBackup Device Configuration Guide .
■ You must configure the operating systems on the NetBackup media servers
so they allow NetBackup to control SCSI persistent reserve or SPC-2 SCSI
reserve.
■ On HP-UX systems, you must disable the operating system's use of SPC-2
SCSI reserve. For instruction, see “Enabling SPC-2 SCSI reserve” in the
“Hewlett-Packard HP-UX” chapter of the NetBackup Device Configuration
Guides.
■ Depending on your tape drives, you may have to disable the operating
system’s use of SPC-2 SCSI reserve. AIX and Solaris may require such a
change. For more information, see the appropriate operating system
chapter of the NetBackup Device Configuration Guide.
The NetBackup implementation of SCSI persistent reserve and SPC-2 reserve
has the following limitations:
■ SCSI persistent reserve and SPC-2 reserve do not apply to NDMP drives. The
NDMP filer is responsible for providing exclusive device access.
■ Third-party copy configurations must be configured correctly. To retain
reservation of a tape device during a third-party copy backup, you must
configure the NetBackup mover.conf file. For procedures, see the
NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator's Guide. Do not use SCSI
persistent reserve on the drive paths that are used for third-party copy
backups.
■ With SPC-2 SCSI reserve, devices may remain reserved after a failover in
cluster environments or multipath environments with failover capability.
You cannot use SPC-2 SCSI reserve if the following are true: the failover
does not break the device reservations and those devices that were in use
during the failover must be available without manual intervention. You can
use SCSI persistent reserve.
■ If a drive path changes, backups and restores fail. Therefore, jobs fail in
cluster environments or any multipath environments that share paths
dynamically. If you cannot disable dynamic path sharing, you cannot use
SPC-2 SCSI reserve or SCSI persistent reserve in NetBackup. HP Tru64 is a
system that uses dynamic path sharing.
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Unfortunately, data loss cannot be prevented only recognized after the fact.
NetBackup does not remove catalog information about the backup sessions that
were lost. You must use the bpexpdate command to expire the images for the
lost backup sessions.
The backup data may be usable. If so, you can import the image using the
NetBackup bpimport command so the data is available for restores.
data loss. The most common configuration error is a failure to configure the
A less common error may be in the tape driver's configuration data, such as in
For information about tape driver configuration, see the NetBackup Device
Configuration Guide.
Spanning media
After an end of media (EOM) is reached, automatic media selection depends on
whether NetBackup is configured to allow backups to span media, as follows:
■ NetBackup spans media if the NetBackup Media host property Allow
backups to span media is specified for the server. In this case, NetBackup
uses another volume to start the next fragment and the resulting backup is
composed of fragments on different volumes.
■ NetBackup does not span media if Allow backups to span media is not
specified. In this case, the backup terminates abnormally and the operation
is retried according to the NetBackup Global Attributes host property,
Schedule backup attempts.
Spanning media
Media selection after an end of media (EOM) condition depends on whether
NetBackup is configured to allow backups to span media, as follows:
■ NetBackup spans media if the media server host property, Allow backups to
span media, is specified for the server. NetBackup selects another volume to
begin the next fragment, and the resulting backup has data fragments on
more than one volume.
■ After an EOM condition, NetBackup attempts to use an unassigned
volume rather than one that already has images on it. NetBackup
checks the EMM database for a volume that is the correct media type,
in the correct volume pool, and so on.
■ If a suitable unassigned volume is unavailable, NetBackup selects a
volume.
■ NetBackup does not span media if Allow backups to span media is not
specified. The backup terminates abnormally when the end of media is
reached. The operation is rescheduled according to the master server host
property Schedule backup attempts.
When NetBackup spans media and an EOM is encountered on a stand-alone
drive, you can direct NetBackup to wait until a volume is loaded in a compatible
stand-alone drive. NetBackup then does not search for other media or generate a
pending mount request. The wait period is helpful when a gravity feed tape
stacker takes a long time to load the next media in the drive. (A gravity feed tape
stacker is not controlled by software.)
To direct NetBackup to wait, specify the Media request delay media server host
property. This property specifies the number of seconds NetBackup waits to use
a volume that is loaded in a compatible drive before looking for another drive.
NetBackup also waits to generate a pending mount request during tape span
operations. The Media request delay property is effective only when
stand-alone drive extensions are enabled.
is encountered. Also, the media is ejected if the drive needs to be used with
See the NetBackup Commands for Windows for detailed information on the
nbemmcmd command.
Media formats
NetBackup writes media in a format that allows the position to be verified before
appending new backups. The format for tape and optical media differs slightly
because of characteristics of the media.
The following symbols are used in the media format descriptions in the
following subsections.
Symbol Description
* Tape mark.
BH1 ... BHn Backup Headers (1024 bytes). One for each job that is part of the set
of jobs being multiplexed
When you add a new backup image, the tape is positioned to the EH and the
When NetBackup encounters the end of media during a write, it terminates the
tape with two tape marks and does not write an EH.
the standard tape format, NetBackup does not write empty backup headers (EH).
To append backup images to QIC media, NetBackup positions to the end of data
Fragmented backups
For fragmented backups, the media format is similar to the standard tape
format. The difference is that NetBackup breaks the backup image into
fragments of the size that you specify when you configure the storage unit. The
following is an example:
MH * BH Image (frag 1)* BH Image (frag 2)* BH Image (frag n) * EH *
Fragmentation is intended primarily for storing large backup images on a disk
type storage unit. The following are some benefits of image fragmentation:
■ For multiplexed backups, faster restores because NetBackup can advance to
the specific fragment before starting its search for a file.
■ Faster restores from any backup images that NetBackup Storage Migrator
migrated. For example, if a 500-MB backup is stored in 100-MB fragments,
Storage Migrator has to retrieve only the fragment that has the files. Storage
Migrator does not have to retrieve the entire 500 MBs.
Note: If an error occurs in a backup, the entire backup is discarded and the
backup restarts from the beginning. It does not restart from the fragment where
the error occurred. Exception: checkpoint and restart backups resume from the
last checkpoint fragment.
Multiplexing format
The tape format for multiplexed backups is as follows:
By default, the data image is in 64-kilobyte blocks. Each block also contains 512
bytes that are reserved for multiplexing control information and to identify the
When a job ends or a new job is added to the multiplexing set, NetBackup writes
a tape mark and starts multiplexing the revised set of jobs. The following is an
example:
MH * BH1 BH2 BH3 Image* BH2 BH3 Image* BH2 BH3 BH4 Image. .
Spanning tapes
By default, NetBackup spans a backup image to another tape if it encounters the
end of media during a backup. The format is the same as described for
fragmented backups. The first fragment on the next tape begins with the buffer
The following is the first tape format (NetBackup does not write an EH, and
Note: Services should be started and stopped using the Services tool available in
Administrative Tools in the Windows control panel. If they are started from the
command line, some services will occupy that NetBackup Console session until
they are stopped.
tlhd The Tape Library Half-inch robotic process. This Applies only to
process is started by ltid. NetBackup
Enterprise Server.
tlmd The Tape Library Multimedia process. This process Applies only to
is started by ltid. NetBackup
Enterprise Server.
Device serialization
Device serialization is a firmware feature that allows device identification and
configuration. A unique serial number identifies a device.
NetBackup determines device relationships by comparing serial numbers from
multiple sources that refer to the same device. If both a robotic library and a
drive fully support serialization, NetBackup can determine the drive's position
(or address) in the robotic library.
Most robots and drives support device serialization. If a device supports
serialization, the following actions occur when the Device Configuration Wizard
queries the devices.
■ Each robot and each drive returns a unique serial number.
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The greater the number of drives and robots in your configuration that do not
The EMM database also contains the discovered device attributes that are
required for device correlation and for validation of consistency in the
configuration. The EMM database ensures consistency between drives, robotic
libraries, storage units, media, and volume pools across multiple servers. The
EMM server contains information for all media servers that share devices in a
multiple server configuration.
The NetBackup scheduling components use the EMM database information to
select the server, drive path, and media for jobs. When the device manager ltid
starts up, it reads device information from the EMM database into a shared
memory segment. Components on the same host communicate by using shared
memory IPC or socket protocols. Socket protocols are used between components
across multiple hosts. Command line interfaces are available to obtain run-time
(shared memory) information and static device configuration information.
from NetBackup. During a mount request, NetBackup uses the host that
requests the mount to poll the shared drive. (A scan host is the host from which
the automatic volume recognition process (avrd) scans unassigned drives.)
This design enables NetBackup to support Dynamic Loop Switching or SAN
zones. Each tape drive needs to be detected only from a single host. Each tape
drive can potentially have its own scan host that switches dynamically to
process errors and continue availability. A central device arbitrating component
manages scan host assignments for shared drives. The arbitrating component
also provides a network drive reservation system so that multiple NetBackup
media servers can share a drive.
Polling a shared tape drive allows dynamic loop switching and reduces the
number of device accesses and reduces CPU time. However, it cannot detect
connectivity breaks (for example, discontinuity in the Fibre Channel fabric) until
I/O occurs.
In some cases, you can add support for new or upgraded devices without waiting
for a release updates from Symantec. For information about how to update this
Related topics
After you create device files and configure NetBackup, you can verify the
configuration.
2 Start ltid, which starts the Automatic Volume Recognition daemon (avrd).
You must stop and restart ltid to ensure that the current device
configuration has been activated.
The following point applies only to NetBackup Enterprise Server.
If robotic control is not local to this host, also start the remote robotic
control daemon.
3 Use the robotic test utility to mount a tape on a drive.
4 Use the NetBackup Administration Console Device Monitor to verify that
the tape was mounted on the correct robot drive.
Verify configuration example
For example, assume a TLD robot includes three drives and the operating
system includes the following device paths:
■ Drive 1: /dev/rmt/0cbn
■ Drive 2: /dev/rmt/1cbn
■ Drive 3: /dev/rmt/3cbn
Also assume that in step 3 in “To verify the configuration (UNIX),” you
requested that the tape be mounted on drive 1. If the device path for the drive is
configured correctly, the Device Monitor shows that the tape is mounted on
drive 1.
If the Device Monitor shows that the tape is mounted on a different drive, the
device path for that drive is not configured correctly. For example, if the Device
Monitor shows that the tape is mounted on Drive 2, the device path for drive 1 is
incorrect. Replace the drive 1 device path (/dev/rmt/0cbn) with the correct
device path (/dev/rmt/1cbn) for drive 2. You may need to use a temporary
device path while making these changes. You also know that the device path for
drive 2 is incorrect. Possibly, the device paths were swapped during
configuration.
Use the robotic test utility to unload and unmount the tape from drive 1. Repeat
the test for each drive.
The following point applies only to NetBackup Enterprise Server.
If the path to the drive where the tape is mounted is not on the host with direct
robotic control, you may have to unload the drive with a command from another
host or from the drive’s front panel.
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drive are configured correctly, the Device Monitor shows that the tape is
mounted on drive 1.
If the Device Monitor shows that the tape is mounted on a different drive, the
SCSI coordinates for that drive are not correctly configured. For example, if the
Device Monitor shows the tape mounted on drive 2, the SCSI coordinates for
drive 1 are incorrect. Replace the drive 1 SCSI coordinates (5,0,0,0) with the
correct SCSI coordinates (5,0,1,0) for drive 2. You also know that the SCSI
coordinates for drive 2 are incorrect. Possibly, the SCSI coordinates were
swapped during configuration.
Use the robotic test utility to unload and unmount the tape from drive 1. Repeat
the test for each drive.
The following point applies only to NetBackup Enterprise Server.
If the data path to the drive where the tape was mounted is not on the host with
direct robotic control, you may have to unload the drive with a command from
another host or from the drive’s front panel.
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Chapter 3
UNIX reference topics
This chapter contains information that pertains specifically to administering
UNIX NetBackup clients or media servers from a Windows NetBackup master
server.
Most administrative tasks on the UNIX systems can be performed by using the
NetBackup administration interface on a Windows NetBackup server or
administration client.
This chapter includes the following sections:
■ “Cross mount points” on page 134
■ “Exclude and include lists on UNIX clients” on page 136
■ “Schedules for user backups or archives” on page 140
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Disabled Enabled Back up NFS files if the file path is (or is part of) an NFS mount.
Enabled Disabled Cross local mount points but not NFS mounts.
Enabled Enabled Follow the specified path across mount points to back up files and
directories (including NFS), regardless of the file system where they
reside.
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/(root)
NFS
Disks on d2 d3 Disk on
Local System Remote System
Here, the client has /, /usr, and /home in separate partitions on disk d1.
Another file system named /home/njr exists on disk d2 and is mounted on
/home. In addition, disk d3 contains a directory named /net/freddie/home
that is NFS-mounted on /net/freddie.
Example 1
Assume that you clear Cross Mount Points and Follow NFS and have the
following entries in the backup selection list:
/
/usr
/home
In this case, NetBackup considers only the directories and files that are in the
same file system as the backup selection list entry it process. It does not back up
/home/njr or /net/freddie/home.
Example 2
Assume that you select Cross Mount Points and Follow NFS and include only / in
In this case, NetBackup backs up all the files and directories in the tree,
To prevent the policy from backing up everything, leave / out of the list and
separately list the files and directories you want to include. The following
backup selection list backs up only /usr and individual files under /:
/usr
/individual_files_under_root
Note: Exclude and include lists do not apply to user backups and archives.
On UNIX clients, you create the exclude and include lists in the following files on
the client:
/usr/openv/netbackup/exclude_list
/usr/openv/netbackup/include_list
The following topics explain the rules for creating these lists on UNIX clients.
Note: Exclude and include lists do not apply to user backups and archives.
Note: Veritas suggests that you always specify automounted directories and
CD-ROM file systems in the exclude list. Otherwise, if they are not mounted at
the time of a backup, NetBackup must wait for a timeout before proceeding.
Check with users before any files are excluded from backups.
Syntax rules
The following syntax rules apply to exclude lists:
■ Blank lines or lines that being with a pound sign (#) are ignored.
■ Only one pattern per line is allowed.
■ The following special or wildcard characters are recognized:
[]
?
*
{}
■ To use special or wildcard characters literally, precede the character with a
backslash (\). For example, assume the brackets in the following are to be
used literally:
/home/abc/fun[ny]name
Note: A backslash (\) acts as an escape character only when it precedes a special
or a wildcard character. NetBackup normally interprets a backslash literally
because a backslash is a legal character to use in pathnames.
■ If all files are excluded in the backup selections list, NetBackup backs up
only what is specified by full path names in the include list. Files can be
excluded by using / or * or by using both symbols together (/*).
■ Spaces are considered legal characters. Do not include extra spaces unless
they are part of the file name.
For example, if you want to exclude a file named
/home/testfile (with no extra space character at the end)
and your exclude list entry is
/home/testfile (with an extra space character at the end)
NetBackup cannot find the file until you delete the extra space from the end
of the file name.
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■ End a file path with / to exclude only directories with that path name (for
example, /home/test/). If the pattern does not end in / (for example,
/usr/test), NetBackup excludes both files and directories with that path
name.
■ To exclude all files with a given name, regardless of the directory path, enter
the name without a preceding slash. For example:
test
rather than
/test
/*/
/*/*/
/*/*/*/
and so on.
■ Do not use patterns with links in the names. For example, assume /home is a
link to /usr/home and /home/doc is in the exclude list. The file is still
backed up in this case because the actual directory path, /usr/home/doc,
does not match the exclude list entry, /home/doc.
/home/doe/john
/home/doe/abc/
/home/*/test
/*/temp
core
Given the exclude list example, the following files and directories are excluded
from automatic backups:
■ The file or directory named /home/doe/john.
■ The directory /home/doe/abc (because the exclude entry ends with /).
■ All files or directories named test that are two levels beneath home.
■ All files or directories named temp that are two levels beneath the root
directory.
■ All files or directories named core at any level.
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/usr/openv/netbackup/exclude_list.wkstations.fulls
The first file affects all scheduled backups in the policy that is named
wkstations. The second file affects backups only when the schedule is named
fulls.
For a given backup, NetBackup uses a single exclude list—the list that contains
the most specific name. For example, if there are files named:
exclude_list.wkstations and exclude_list.wkstations.fulls
NetBackup uses only:
exclude_list.wkstations.fulls
Note: Exclude and include lists do not apply to user backups and archives.
To illustrate the use of an include list, we use the example from the previous
discussion. The exclude list in that example causes NetBackup to omit all files or
directories named test from all directories beneath /home/*/test.
In this case, add a file named /home/jdoe/test back into the backup by
creating an include_list file on the client. Add the following to the
include_list file:
# this is a comment line
/home/jdoe/test
To create an include list for a specific policy or policy and schedule combination,
use a .policyname or .policyname.schedulename suffix. The following are two
examples of include list names for a policy that is named wkstations that
contains a schedule that is named fulls.
/usr/openv/netbackup/include_list.workstations
/usr/openv/netbackup/include_list.workstations.fulls
The first file affects all scheduled backups in the policy that is named
workstations. The second file affects backups only when the schedule is named
fulls.
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For a given backup, NetBackup uses only one include list: the list with the most
specific name. Given the following two files:
include_list.workstations
include_list.workstations.fulls
These options can also be added to a user’s $HOME/bp.conf file on the client.
Chapter 4
Using NetBackup with AFS
This chapter explains how to install, configure, and use NetBackup to back up
AFS file servers. (AFS is an acronym for Andrew File System.)
Note: AFS is no longer available from IBM and IBM has ended support for AFS.
AFS is not supported with 6.5 clients. AFS continues to be supported with
NetBackup 5.x clients that run under 5.x or 6.0 servers.
Installation
System requirements
■ The AFS file servers that can be NetBackup AFS clients:
■ Solaris 7 and HP-UX 11.0, or IBM AIX 4.3.3 platforms
■ NetBackup 5.0 or 5.1 clients
■ AFS level 3.6 or later installed
Configuration
To configure backups for NetBackup AFS clients, add an AFS policy to the
NetBackup configuration on the master server. The requirements are the same
as for other NetBackup policies, except for the differences that are mentioned
here. To back up the files and directories that are not in AFS volumes, create
separate policies.
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Configuration
Client list
In the client list, specify the names of the AFS file servers to be backed up. These
systems must have the NetBackup client installed.
Backup selections
In the backup selection list for the AFS policy, specify the AFS volumes and vice
partitions to be backed up. The following example shows both volumes and vice
partitions:
user.abc
/vicepb
/vicepc/user.*
Note: NetBackup supports the maximum AFS 3.6 volume size of 8 GB.
■ REMOVE_BACKUP_VOLUMES
This directive causes NetBackup to remove .backup volumes after
performing the backup. The directive removes .backup volumes that are
created using the CREATE_BACKUP_VOLUMES directive or created by
another mechanism.
■ SKIP_SMALL_VOLUMES
This directive allows small or empty volumes to be skipped during backups.
For example:
SKIP_SMALL_VOLUMES=5
In this example, NetBackup skips volumes ≤ 5 KB. Specify any number for
SKIP_SMALL_VOLUMES
SKIP_SMALL_VOLUMES
/user.abc
/vicepb
Regular expressions
NetBackup supports regular expressions in backup selection list entries. These
are useful to perform the following actions:
■ Add or move volumes without having to change the backup selection list.
■ Add vice partitions without having to change the backup selection list.
■ Split volumes and vice partitions on AFS file servers into groups that can be
backed up by separate policies. The different groups allow for concurrent
backups or multiplexing.
The following examples use regular expressions:
user.[a-m]*
/vicep[a-c]
Automatic backup
The most convenient way to back up NetBackup for AFS clients is to configure
an AFS policy and set up schedules for automatic, unattended backups.
Manual backup
The administrator on the master server can use the NetBackup Administration
Restores
The administrator performs all restores on either the NetBackup AFS client or
the master server. Restores are performed on the basis of volumes. To restore a
vice partition, the administrator must select all the volumes in that partition.
Caution: If the Overwrite Existing Files option is selected, the volumes are
overwritten. All changes or files that were created since the last backup are lost.
Troubleshooting
The following sections provide tips and information for troubleshooting
problems with NetBackup for AFS. See the NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide for
UNIX and Windows for overall troubleshooting information.
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Troubleshooting backups
To increase the level of detail in the logs:
■ Add the VERBOSE option to the /usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file on
the NetBackup for AFS client.
■ Create the following debug log directory on the NetBackup for AFS client:
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar
If the AFS backup terminates with a status code of 9, the code indicates that
NetBackup AFS client software was not properly installed. (An extension
release update is needed.)
If the AFS backup terminates with a status code of 78, the code indicates an
AFS vos command failure. (afs/dfs command failed) The NetBackup
Problems Report provides additional information as to why the command
failed. The bpbkar debug log shows the command that was run. Run the
vos command manually to attempt to duplicate the problem.
Also, examine the /usr/openv/netbackup/listvol file on the
NetBackup client for irregularities. The vos listvol command can
demand much from system resources so NetBackup caches the output of
the vos listvol command in this file. NetBackup uses the cached
listvol file to obtain the volume list instead of running another vos
listvol command. (If the cached listvol file was created less than four
hours before the backup.)
Troubleshooting restores
If the restore of an AFS volume fails, check the restore process log for additional
information. Create a /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/tar debug log
directory if a vos restore command failure is indicated. Then, retry the
operation and check the resulting log to see that the vos restore command
was run.
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Chapter 5
Intelligent Disaster
Recovery
Intelligent Disaster Recovery (IDR) for Windows is an automated disaster
recovery solution. It allows administrators to recover Windows computers
quickly and efficiently after a disaster. The IDR wizards help administrators
prepare for disaster recovery and recover computers to their state before the
disaster.
This chapter contains the following sections:
■ “Changes for NetBackup 6.0 and later” on page 148 explains limited
supported for IDR in NetBackup 6.0 and later.
■ “Supported Windows editions” on page 148 documents the Windows
versions that IDR supports.
■ “Overview of IDR use” on page 150 explains the main steps that are involved
in using the disaster recovery software.
■ “About the DR files” on page 150 introduces the Disaster Recovery files and
explains their importance in disaster recovery
■ “Configuring NetBackup policies for IDR” on page 151 explains how to
configure the policies that contain the clients that use IDR.
■ “Backing up the protected computer” on page 152 explains that you must
back up the computer before you create the bootable media that is used in
recovery.
■ “Creating IDR media” on page 152 explains how to use the IDR Preparation
Wizard to prepare the bootable media that is used to recover data.
■ “Updating IDR media” on page 158 explains how and when to update the
IDR media so it is always ready when it is needed.
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directory on the client. The DR files that are generated after a backup are named
in the format netbackup_client_name.dr. For example, if the client name is
bison, the DR file is bison.dr.
Note: IDR requires that the DR file name match the computer name of the client.
That is, if the network recognizes the computer name bison, the DR file must be
named bison.dr. If the NetBackup client name is different, rename the DR file
that is created after each backup before using it in a recovery. (Use the format
computer_name.dr.)
On the NetBackup master server, the DR files for all clients are stored in the
NetBackup catalog on the server.
media, which includes the DR file used in recovery. The NetBackup master
server that performs the backup must be configured to collect disaster recovery
file.
You can prepare IDR bootable media if differential or incremental backups have
Ensure that all local drives are backed up. For Windows 2000 computers, ensure
Ensure that any utility partitions are backed up. Utility partitions are small
partitions created on the hard drive, usually by the computer vendor, that may
You must prepare the media before a disaster. For CD-R or CD-RW, you should
also try booting from the media before a disaster occurs to ensure that your
For more information, see “Step 1: Boot your computer” on page 162.
Note: IDR does not support bootable diskette media for Windows XP or Windows
Server 2003.
Consider the following factors to decide between diskettes and CD-ROM media:
■ Diskettes work on most computers but require more time for preparation
and recovery than CDs.
■ Diskettes require the Windows installation CD during recovery.
■ Because of space limitations, diskettes hold SCSI driver information for only
one computer. To use one set of diskettes to protect multiple computers,
choose one computer that represents all the other computers and create
bootable media for it. For computers with different SCSI drivers, create a set
of diskettes for each computer with a different driver.
■ CDs require less time for preparation and recovery than diskettes.
■ CD media has enough space to store SCSI driver information for multiple
computers. Use a single CD for multiple computers during disaster recovery.
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■ CD media requires that the protected computer have a BIOS that supports a
CD boot.
■ CD media requires CD writing hardware. The protected computer does not
require a CD writer. The IDR Preparation Wizard creates a bootable image to
write to a CD on any computer that contains a CD writer.
■ For CD media, third-party CD writing software is required if the protected
computer does not have a CD writer. The software is also required if the IDR
Preparation Wizard cannot detect the CD writer that is attached to the
protected computer. The CD hardware and software must be able to write
ISO 9660 CD images.
■ With both diskettes and CDs, prepare separate media for each operating
system level and language being protected.
Note: Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 do not support bootable diskettes.
Windows 2000 computers. However, you have to create a different diskette 1 for
each computer protected with IDR.
Diskette 1 contains a file named winnt.sif. It is the script used to automate
the installation of Windows 2000 for disaster recovery. This scripted
installation of Windows 2000 requires that the name of the computer being
recovered be listed in the winnt.sif file.
Therefore, for each Windows 2000 computer that shares diskettes 2 through 5,
make a copy of diskette 1 (and its files). For each copy of diskette 1, edit the
winnt.sif file and change the computer name to the name of the computer to
be protected. If you do not change the computer name, duplicate computer
names on the network may occur. The duplicate names may prevent the
recovered computer from participating on the network.
image to a CD using the IDR Preparation Wizard or other writing software. The
computer where you run the IDR Preparation Wizard may not have a CD-R or
CD-RW drive. If it does not, write the image onto a CD on a different computer
The CD image contains all the necessary IDR files unless you choose to store the
store them on the CD, the ASR files always are read from the CD even if more
recent versions are on a diskette. For example, suppose you create a bootable CD
and then later create IDR diskettes. During recovery, the ASR files are read from
the CD even though the IDR diskettes contain more recent versions.
The license key for your Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003
operating system is required. If you do not enter the license key while creating
Note: On Windows NT 4.0 computers, the IDR software cannot write to a CD;
therefore, you must use other CD writing software to create the CD.
3 Select Create - Bootable CD Image for Use with CD Writers (ISO 9660) and
click Next.
The Starting CD Image Creation screen appears.
4 Follow the prompts until the IDR Preparation Wizard is completed.
Caution: Test your bootable CD to ensure that your computer can boot from it.
(See “Step 1: Boot your computer” on page 162.)
2 Click Next to continue. The Create or Update IDR Boot Media screen
appears.
3 Select Create - IDR Diskettes Only (Includes ASR Files for XP/2003) and
click Next. The Creating the IDR Diskettes screen appears.
4 Follow the prompts until the IDR Preparation Wizard is completed.
Updating a bootable CD
You cannot update a bootable CD, you must create a new bootable CD image and
then burn a new CD. If you install new hardware or change components on a
protected computer, create a new bootable CD.
For procedures, see “Creating a bootable CD image” on page 156.
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3 Select Update - Full Set of Diskettes Used to Boot the Windows Installation
CD and click Next.
4 Follow the prompts until the IDR Preparation Wizard is completed.
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Preparation Wizard.
To update the DR file only, run the drfile.exe file from a command prompt to
page 160.
3 Select IDR Diskettes Only (Includes ASR Files for XP/2003) and click Next.
4 Follow the prompts until the IDR Preparation Wizard is completed.
contains the DR file. The name of the DR file should match the computer name
of the client (the name that IDR requires). The name is required, even if it differs
from the name that is used in the NetBackup policy configuration.
1 Go to install_path\NetBackup\bin and double-click drfile.exe.
The drfile.exe program creates (or updates) the DR file that is located in
the install_path\NetBackup\Idr\Data directory on your computer.
2 If the NetBackup client name is different than the computer name, rename
the DR file.
The DR file name is in the form computer_name.dr. The name of the DR
file must match the computer name of the client. If the NetBackup client
name is different than the computer name, you must rename the DR file so
it can be used in a recovery.
3 Insert the diskette that contains the DR file and copy the DR file to it.
The diskette can be one of the IDR diskettes or a separate diskette. If you
use a separate diskette, insert the separate diskette when prompted for the
DR file during disaster recovery.
Note: Windows 2000: if Let IDR Automatically Partition the Boot and System
Drives was not selected during IDR preparation,reinstall any utility partitions
before the recovery process begins. Reinstall the partitions by using the
OEM-supplied installation program. During recovery, select the option to
partition and format the drives manually.
Caution: Disconnect any storage area network or cluster computers that are
attached to the computer being recovered. If they are not disconnected, the hard
drives on those computers may be partitioned and formatted.
3 Follow the on-screen boot process instructions and continue with “Step 2:
Note: If a DR file does not exist, click Next to proceed. When the wizard
notifies you that you did not select a recovery file, click Yes to continue in
manual mode.
2 One or more screens about hard disk layout may appear, as follows:
■ Whether to replace the current hard drive partition with the partition
information contained in the DR file or to keep the current hard drive
partitions.
■ Run the Windows Disk Administrator (or Disk Manager) program. The
program lets you make additional changes to the partition information.
To make partition changes, click Run Disk Administrator or Run Disk
Manager.
For more information, see “Notes on altering hard drive partition
sizes” on page 167.
Otherwise, click Next to continue the recovery process.
For more information about Disk Administrator and fault tolerant
configurations, see the operating system documentation.
3 For Windows 2000, a Completed IDR Phase 1 dialog box appears. Perform
one of the following actions:
■ If your network adapter requires special driver software, click
Pre-install Custom Network Driver. Follow the prompts to find and
install the appropriate driver software. Special drivers are the drivers
that are not on the operating system installation program. For
example, a driver for a network interface card (NIC) supplied by the
manufacturer.
■ To continue, click Next and go to step 5 to continue the recovery.
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4 For Windows NT only, you are asked to select either Automatic Restore or
Manual Restore for network installation. Perform one of the following
actions:
■ If your network adapters use the drivers and the software that is
included with the operating system, select Automatic Restore. Click
Finish to complete the network installation. Proceed to step 5 to
continue the recovery.
■ If your network adapters require special drivers and software, select
Manual Restore. Select Wired to the Network and click Next. Proceed
to step a.
a To select the network adapter, perform one of the following actions:
■ Click Select from list if the network adapter requires a
manufacturer-supplied setup diskette. Then click Have Disk.
■ If the network adapter does not require a manufacturer-supplied
setup diskette, click either Select from list or Start search.
A list of network adapters appears.
Note: If your network adapter is not listed, click Select from list. Then click
Have Disk add an adapter to the Network Adapter List. For automatic
network installation to succeed, the Windows NT installation program must
be able to recognize the network interface card being used.
b The next screen lists the default network protocols. Select the
networking protocols that are used on the network. Click Next.
c Windows NT is ready to install the networking components. Insert the
Windows NT installation CD or the IDR bootable CD into the CD-ROM
drive. Click Next to continue. (If you created a bootable CD, it may
include the appropriate network drivers if the drive were found during
the IDR preparation process.)
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\VERITAS\NetBackup\Bin
-----------------------------------------
SYSVOL Restore: Primary
-----------------------------------------
SYSVOL Restore: Primary
Hard Link Restore: Perform secondary restore
Same Hardware Restore: Assume same hardware
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Note: This section applies only to Windows NT and Windows NT 4.0. Formatting
and partitioning is not supported on Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows
Server 2003.
IDR defaults to restore hard drive partitions to their pre-recovery size. The
recovery computer may contain a larger hard drive than before the recovery.
For example, a larger hard drive may have been installed or the DR file may be
from a computer with a smaller hard drive. There may be unused and
unallocated hard drive space. Run the Windows NT Disk Administrator program
to alter the partition sizes to match the larger hard drive size. The Windows NT
Disk Administrator program is accessible during the IDR recovery process
within the Recovery Wizard. For information about fault tolerant
configurations, please refer to the Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit.
Note: This section discusses how to restore a Dell computer. The general
procedure is the same for any computer that requires the use of third-party
drivers.
To load Windows on this type of computer, you must load the PowerRaid II
driver manually, which is not bundled with the Windows operating system.
Load the Adaptec controller driver manually after loading the PowerRaid II
Use the following steps with your IDR recovery diskette set
1 When the Windows blue Setup screen appears after booting with the IDR
boot diskette, press and hold down the F6 key.
2 Windows prompts for IDR diskette 2.
3 Insert IDR diskette 2 and press and hold the F6 key again.
After the additional drivers are loaded, a Setup screen appears that lets you
specify additional devices.
4 Release the F6 key and press the S key.
5 Follow the on-screen instructions to load the PowerEdge RAID II controller
software.
6 After the PowerEdge RAID software is loaded, press S again to specify
loading another device.
7 Follow the on-screen instructions to load the Adaptec controller software
next.
8 After both pieces of third-party software are loaded, press Enter and
proceed as normal to recover the computer.
A. No, because boot managers usually are installed at a very low level that
For example, the OS/2 boot manager resides in its own hard drive partition that
NetBackup cannot access. Because of the many different boot managers on the
unbootable even though the operating system has been restored. In this case,
Q. I ran a full backup of my computer but when I run the IDR Preparation
Q. Why does the recovery wizard warn me that one or more of my hard drives
A. The minimal version of Windows that runs the recovery wizard may have
Other types of mass storage controllers are usually seen as SCSI controllers by Windows.
Note: Windows NT: If the IDR Recovery Wizard does not detect the hard drive
order, set up hard drive partitions manually. To do so, use the Windows NT Disk
Administrator option within the Disaster Recovery Wizard. Then, continue with
the automated restore of the backup media.
If the recovery wizard reports drives greater than 8 GBs as being only 8 GBs,
create bootable diskettes. To do so, enable the Use SCSI drivers currently
installed on this computer option.
nbu_win_print_II.book Page 171 Saturday, June 2, 2007 7:12 PM
Index
A multiplexed 58
session_notify script 83
session_start_notify script 83
barcodes 98, 99
booting a computer
bpdynamicclient 49
directives 142
bpend_notify script
installing 141
UNIX client 74
Windows client 76
restores 144
bpstart_notify script
troubleshooting 145
UNIX client 70
Windows client 72
API robots 99
B cleaning
frequency-based 92
library-based 91
backup_exit_notify script 69
reactive 91
backup_notify script 69
times allowed 93
backups
backup_exit_notify script 69
clients
backup_notify script 69
bpend_notify script
UNIX client 74
Windows client 76
bpstart_notify script
UNIX client 70
Windows client 72
compressed 58
compressed backups 58
diskfull_notify script 79
media requirements 67
172
examples 135
setting 134
F
FlashBackup 58
dbbackup_notify script 78
frequency-based drive cleaning 92
G
device
GNU tar 58
delays 60
discovery 124
H
DHCP server 45
hardware compression 102
disaster recovery
changing client name 56
procedure 161
client peername 55
diskfull_notify script 79
host.xlate file and alternate client restores 56
drives
I
cleaning
IBM
manual 93
computers, recovering with IDR 168
operator-initiated 93
include files list 139
overview 90
Intelligent Disaster Recovery (IDR)
E preparing 152
e-mail notifications 50
configuration 151
UNIX 136
obtaining from server 151
exclude lists
overview 150
creating 136
update with drfile.exe 160
example 138
frequently asked questions 169
173
overview 150
demultiplexing 19
N
when to update 158
named data streams
Windows
nbmail.cmd 81
setup 163
NBRB_FORCE_FULL_EVAL 28
wizards
NBRB_MPX_GROUP_UNLOAD_DELAY 29
L use of 37, 40
library-based cleaning 91
network transfer rate 60
notification scripts 68
M
mail_dr_info.cmd 80
O
MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT, vm.conf entry 38
optical disk
media
determining requirements 67
formats 120
P
ID generation rules 102
peername, client 55
pool 93
Performance Monitor, using with NetBackup 63
server register 25
PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL, vm.conf entry 40
Media Manager
R
best practices 84
RANDOM_PORTS, vm.conf entry 40
configuration file 30
raw partitions 58
security 42
reactive cleaning 91
multiple servers 20
remove a server from a configuration 104
multiplexing (MPX)
REMOVE_BACKUP_VOLUMES 143
backups 121
replacing a device in a shared drive
174
configuration 102
SKIP_SMALL_VOLUMES 143
REQUIRED_INTERFACE 29
Solaris
restore_notify script 82
spanning media 117, 119, 122
restores
SSO, vm.conf entries 43
restore_notify script 82
entry 42
robotic cleaning 91
SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT, vm.conf entry 42
stand-alone drive
how processed 65
System Monitor, using with NetBackup 62, 63
scratch pool 96
scripts
backup_exit_notify 68
T
backup_notify 68
tape
bpend_notify 68
overhead, for catalogs 67
dbbackup_notify 68
tape format
diskfull_notify 68
fragmented 121
mail_dr_info.cmd 68
multiplexed 121
nbmail.cmd 68
non-QIC 120
notification 68
QIC/WORM 120
parent_end_notify 68
spanned tapes 122
parent_start_notify 68
TapeAlert 87, 91
restore_notify 68
log codes 87
session_notify 68
requirements 87
session_start_notify 68
tar
userreq_notify 68
GNU 58
SCSI reserve/release
TLH_ vm.conf entry 43
overview 108
requirements 112
U
RESERVATION CONFLICT 110, 111
UnixWare cachefs file system 136
servers
using Media Manager devices with other
NetBackup
master 21
V
media 21
VERBOSE, vm.conf entry 43
multiple 20
vm.conf file
session_notify script 83
ACS_ entries 30
session_start_notify script 83
ADJ_LSM entries 30
175
API_BARCODE_RULES entries 32
AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED entries 32
AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION entries 32
AUTO_UPDATE_ROBOTentries 33
AVRD_PEND_DELAY entries 33
AVRD_SCAN_DELAY entries 33
CLEAN_REQUEST_TIMEOUT entries 34
CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW entries 34
CLUSTER_NAME entries 34
CONNECT_OPTIONS entries 35
DAS_CLIENT entries 35
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS entries 36
ENABLE_ROBOT_AUTH entries 37
MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT entries 38
MAP_ID entries 37
MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS entries 38
MEDIA_ID_PREFIX entries 39
MM_SERVER_NAMEentries 39
overview 30
PREFERRED_GROUP entries 40
PREVENT_MEDIA_REMOVAL entries 40
RANDOM_PORTS entries 40
REQUIRED_INTERFACE entries 41
SERVER entries 41
SSO_DA_REREGISTER_INTERVAL entries 42
SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT entries 42
SSO_HOST_NAME entries 43
TLH_ entries 43
TLM_ entries 43
VERBOSE entries 43
volume
group
pool
overview 93
VxFS
W
wildcard characters
wizards
worklist, prioritizing 66
176