Symantec Netbackup 7.5 For Unix: Manage and Administer (Lessons)

CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
Symantec NetBackup
7.5 for UNIX:
Manage and
Administer (Lessons)
100-002743-C
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Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
TECHNICAL Symantec Corporation
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Copyright © 2012 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.

2
Table of Contents
Course Introduction
Course overview...................................................................................... Intro-2
Lesson 1: Monitoring NetBackup

Using and customizing the NetBackup Activity Monitor ............................... 1-3
Reporting using the NetBackup Administration Console............................ 1-15
Reporting using OpsCenter........................................................................ 1-25
Lesson 2: Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage

Managing robots and tape drives ................................................................. 2-3
Monitoring media states ............................................................................. 2-14
Managing tapes.......................................................................................... 2-30
Media and device-related tips .................................................................... 2-43
Lesson 3: Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage

Comparing disk storage features ................................................................. 3-3
Managing basic disk and DSSU................................................................... 3-6
Managing AdvancedDisk and disk pools.................................................... 3-11
Additional NetBackup storage concepts..................................................... 3-21
Disk-related tips.......................................................................................... 3-29
Lesson 4: Optimizing File System Backups

File system backup challenges .................................................................... 4-3
Using synthetic backups............................................................................... 4-5
Using incremental backups ........................................................................ 4-11
Using multiple data streams ....................................................................... 4-18
Optimizing tape drive performance using multiplexing............................... 4-26
Introduction to file system snapshots ......................................................... 4-37
Using FlashBackup .................................................................................... 4-48
Lesson 5: Introduction to Enterprise Backups

Application protection concepts.................................................................... 5-3
Introduction to database backups ................................................................ 5-8

Introduction to enterprise application backups ........................................... 5-14
Introduction to virtual machine backups ..................................................... 5-21
Lesson 6: Working with Support

Support resources ........................................................................................ 6-3
NetBackup processes, services, and daemons ......................................... 6-11
NetBackup and Media Manager logging overview ..................................... 6-22
Using the support utilities ........................................................................... 6-31

3 Table of Contents iii

4 iv Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
5
Course Introduction

Course overview
Symantec Education’s core data protection curriculum for NetBackup
This course is the basic foundational component within the overall structure of
Symantec Education’s Data Protection curriculum. The 5-day NetBackup
Administration course is comprised of the 3-day Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Install,
Configure, and Deploy course plus this 2-day Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage
and Administer course. Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Install, Configure, and Deploy is
a course covering core tasks for installing, configuring, and monitoring
NetBackup. Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer is a course
covering management and administrative tasks for NetBackup.

6 Intro–2 Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
Symantec Education’s advanced data protection curriculum for
NetBackup
Advanced-level courses instruct you in additional methods you can use to
customize and maintain your NetBackup environment, such as advanced
troubleshooting methods and other high-level topics.
Because new courses are developed on an ongoing basis, see the Symantec
Education Web site at:
http://www.symantec.com/training and follow the path shown on the
slide for a complete and current list of available courses.
Intro

7 Course Introduction
Intro–3
Synopsis of lessons in the course
This section provides a synopsis of what is covered in each lesson in the course.
Symantec NetBackup 7.0: Install, Configure, and Deploy

Symantec Education offers a Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Install Configure, and
Deploy course, which is the first three days of the introductory Symantec
NetBackup: Administration course for NetBackup administrators. Symantec
NetBackup 7.5: Install Configure, and Deploy includes the following topics:
• Set up your environment to meet NetBackup requirements for installation.
• Configure and manage drives and robots for NetBackup.
• Create and configure storage units and storage unit groups.
• Manage media by defining volumes, volume pools, and volume groups.
• Create policies that define the rules NetBackup follows.

• Back up and restore data.
• Protect your backup data and your NetBackup Configuration
Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer

This course is the final two days of the introductory Symantec NetBackup:
Administration course for NetBackup administrators.

Lesson 1: Monitoring NetBackup
This lesson introduces you to reporting using the NetBackup Administration
Console and using OpsCenter. In this lesson, you learn to use the NetBackup
Administration Console to monitor jobs and to generate reports about your
backups. In addition, you learn to access OpsCenter and run basic NetBackup
reports using OpsCenter.
Lesson 2: Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage

This lesson describes various tasks you need to perform to optimize your tape
subsystem. These tasks include managing robots, tape drives, and shared tape
devices, and tape and media utilization. It also covers how to monitor your media
and media states.
Lesson 3: Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage

This lesson provides an overview of the various disk features, including
BasicDisk, AdvancedDisk, deduplication, and OpenStorage. In this lesson, you
learn to configure and manage disk pools.
Lesson 4: Optimizing File System Backups

In this lesson, you learn to customize your NetBackup policies to support
incremental backups, file system snapshots, multiple data streams, multiplexing,
synthetic backups, and FlashBackup.
Lesson 5: Introduction to Enterprise Backups

This lesson introduces you to application protection concepts, including options
for backing up and restoring Oracle, MS-SQL, Exchange, Active Directory,
SharePoint, and Enterprise Vault. You also learn about support for protecting
virtual machines.
Lesson 6: Working with Support

This lesson describes the resources available for NetBackup troubleshooting. You
learn to prepare troubleshooting tools before calling Symantec Technical Support.
Intro

Intro–5
Intended audience
Administering a company’s or organization’s backup environment is often a
complicated undertaking performed by a team of administrators, operators, and
technical engineers, each with specific tasks.
This course is intended for system or network administrators, system engineers,
technical support personnel, and system integration and development staff who are
responsible for performing the tasks listed on the slide within their environment.
For additional information about topics not covered by this course, refer to the
“Symantec Education’s advanced data protection curriculum for NetBackup”
section of this introduction.
Course Prerequisites
Students attending this course should be familiar with:
• UNIX or Windows system administration

• Storage area network (SAN) concepts
• Data protection concepts and terminology

Course objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to perform the tasks listed on this
slide.
Intro

Intro–7
Symantec Connect
Symantec Connect is the premier online technical community for IT professionals.
Symantec Connect has thousands of members and continues to grow rapidly.
Symantec Connect is filled with resources for IT professionals to be successful
with Symantec products. Symantec Connect is a customer-focused resource,
intended to help you design and implement a utility computing strategy to provide
availability, performance, and automation for your storage, servers, and
applications.
Symantec Connect provides the following resources:
• Technical documents, such as articles, white papers, and product specs
• Interactive services, such as the discussion forum, where members can discuss
current topics, share tips and tricks, and help one another troubleshoot
problems
Symantec Connect is responsive to the needs of Symantec customers. Features of

this online community are added based on feedback members provide.
Best of all, it is free. Sign up to become a member at
http://www.symantec.com/connect.

Symantec Operations Readiness Tools (SORT) for NetBackup users
Symantec Operations Readiness Tools (SORT) is a set of Web-based tools that
support Storage Foundation and NetBackup.
SORT automates and simplifies some of the most time-consuming administrative
tasks. It is designed to help you, the system administrator, identify risks in your
data centers and improve operational efficiency, enabling you to manage the
complexity associated with data center architectures and scale. SORT is available
at no additional charge.
SORT provides information on whether your environment is compatible with a
NetBackup installation or upgrade, and provides you with links to the latest
documentation and software.
SORT is available at http://sort.symantec.com/netbackup.
Intro

Intro–9
The Symantec Certified Specialist (SCS) program
Symantec offers Specialist certification credentials for many availability and
security products as a means to validate an individual's technical skills,
knowledge, and competence. Professional certification programs are a widely
recognized industry practice used to measure skills and competencies. Individuals
who are certified have demonstrated the knowledge and skills to effectively use
and manage Symantec applications and possess high-performance technical
problem solving expertise.
Although each product varies in complexity and depth, all certification exams are
created specifically for customers and cover core elements measuring technical
knowledge against factors such as installation, configuration, product
administration, day-to-day maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Lesson 1
Monitoring NetBackup

15

16 1–2 Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
1
Using and customizing the NetBackup Activity Monitor

After completing this topic, you will be able to:
• Describe the job states that are displayed in the Activity Monitor.
• Customize the Activity Monitor.
• Suspend, resume, restart, and prioritize jobs.
Monitoring jobs using the activity Monitor

You can use the Activity Monitor in the NetBackup Administration Console to
monitor and control NetBackup jobs. The Jobs tab within the Activity Monitor
provides a listing of jobs that are queued, are currently running, have completed
successfully (status code 0), have completed partially successfully (status code 1),
or have failed.

17 Lesson 1 Monitoring NetBackup
1–3
Customizing the Activity Monitor
To display job information, in the NetBackup Administration Console, click
Activity Monitor. Summary information about all jobs is displayed under the
Jobs tab in the details pane.
By default, not all columns are displayed. The following procedure describes how
to show or hide columns:
1 In the Activity Monitor, select View > Columns > Layout (Windows) or View
> Column Layout (Java).
The Set Column Layout dialog box is displayed.
2 Select the heading you want to display or hide.
– Click Show to display the heading.
– Click Hide if you do not want to see the column head.
3 To change the order in which the columns appear, select the column head.
Then, click the Move Up or Move Down button to reorder the columns.
4 Click OK to apply the changes.

1
Filtering jobs in the Activity Monitor

The Filter option on the View menu is useful for displaying only those jobs with
specified characteristics in the Activity Monitor. For example, you can filter for
jobs that were started before a specific date, queued jobs, or jobs with status
completion codes within a specified range.
To filter jobs:
1 In the Activity Monitor, select View > Filter.
The Filter dialog box is displayed.
2 Under the Advanced tab, select the Field, Comparison, and Value for which
you want to filter.
The slide shows a simple example.
3 Click Add to List (Java) or Add (Windows) to add your selections to the
filtering criteria.
4 Click OK (Java) or Filter (Windows) to filter the Activity Monitor jobs.

1–5
Clearing filters
When you have finished viewing the filtered jobs, you need to clear the filter. In
the Activity Monitor, you can confirm that filters are being applied when the Filter
Applied text is displayed at the top right.
To clear filters in Windows, click the Clear filter icon ( ), or select View >
Clear Filter. To clear filters in the Java interface, select View > Filter, and click
Clear All in the Filter dialog box.

1
Canceling or suspending a job

A NetBackup administrator can cancel a job at any time from both the Activity
Monitor and from the command line. A NetBackup administrator can suspend a
job that has checkpoint restart enabled.
Jobs cancelled “cleanly” as described here exit with NetBackup status code 150
(termination requested by administrator).
If you cancel a backup job, but the number of retries is not yet exceeded and the
backup window is still open, the backup is reattempted.
Also, note that after you cancel a backup job, the cancellation process can take
several minutes. For example, if the backup is being written to tape, the tape must
be rewound and unmounted before the cancellation process is fully completed.
Canceling or suspending jobs using the Administration Console

To cancel or suspend specific uncompleted jobs:

1 Open the Activity Monitor and click the Jobs tab.
2 Select the uncompleted jobs you want to cancel or suspend.
An uncompleted job is one that is in the Queued, Requeued, Active,
Incomplete, or Suspended state.
3 Select Actions > Cancel Job or Actions > Suspend Job. Another method is to
right-click the job and select Cancel Job or Suspend Job.
All selected jobs are cancelled or suspended.
To cancel all uncompleted jobs in the job list, select Actions > Cancel All Jobs.

1–7
Resuming a suspended job
To resume a suspended or an incomplete job:
1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, open the Activity Monitor and click
the Jobs tab.
2 Select the suspended or the incomplete job you want to resume.
Only backup and the restore jobs that contain checkpoints can be suspended.
3 Select Actions > Resume Job.

1
Using job priorities

Job priorities provide a method to help determine which jobs get available
resources. This can be used to help administrators prioritize certain high priority
clients and data against other clients with a lower priority.
Job priorities can be set as a default value for different job types on the policy
before the job runs, or on jobs that have already been added to the Activity
Monitor in NetBackup.
Note that there are other factors, such as multiplexing requirements, that are also
used to determine which job will run next. In addition, the NetBackup resource
broker (nbrb) re-evaluates resource requests every five minutes, or when triggered
by an external event, such as a resource release.

1–9
Setting default job priorities
In Master Server Properties > Default Job Priorities, you can set the default job
priorities for different job types. The Default Job Priorities host properties list 18
job types and the configurable default priority for each. The job priority range is 0–
99999.

1
Setting specific job priorities

This slide shows how to set job priorities on a policy and on running jobs.

1–11
Checkpoint restart
Checkpoint restart for backup jobs

The Take checkpoints every check box indicates whether NetBackup takes
checkpoints during backup jobs based on this policy at the frequency indicated.
Taking checkpoints during a backup is beneficial in the event that a backup based
on this policy fails. Without Take checkpoints every enabled, a failed backup
based on this policy is restarted from the beginning of the job. By taking
checkpoints periodically during the backup, NetBackup can retry a failed backup
from the last checkpoint rather than restarting the entire job.
The number of times that NetBackup automatically reattempts a failed backup is
configured by the Schedule Backup Attempts property located in the Master
Server Properties > Global Attributes dialog box.
Policy types MS-Windows (for Windows clients) and Standard (for UNIX clients)
support checkpoints for backup jobs.
Job types that do not support checkpoint restart are:
• Catalog backup
• Duplication
• Vault
• Imported
• Synthetic
• Database agents

Checkpoint frequency
How often NetBackup takes a checkpoint during a backup is configurable. The
administrator determines on a policy-by-policy basis how to balance more
frequent checkpoints with the likelihood of less time lost in resuming a backup
because of more checkpoints. If the frequency of checkpoints impacts 1
performance, consider increasing the time interval between checkpoints.
Default: 15 minutes.
Checkpoint restart for restores

Checkpoint restart for restore jobs saves time by providing the mechanism for
NetBackup to automatically resume a failed restore job from the start of the file
that was last checkpointed rather than from the beginning of the entire restore job.
The checkpoints are taken once every minute during a restore job.
Checkpoint restart for restore jobs is enabled by default, requiring no additional
configuration.
A backup that has been checkpointed does not need to be restored with a
checkpointed restore job. Conversely, a checkpointed restore job does not need to
be restored from a checkpointed backup.

1–13
Checkpoint restart limitations
The following are checkpoint restart limitations:
• No checkpoints are taken during the backup of a system state or shadow copy
components on a Windows client.
• No checkpoints are taken during a disk-image (raw) backup.
• No checkpoints are taken for the remainder of the backup after NetBackup
encounters an NTFS single-instance store (SIS).
Single-instance store is an architecture designed to maintain duplicate files
with a minimum of disk, cache, and backup media overhead. For more
information on NTFS single-instance store, see the Knowledge Base on the
Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com.
• On a Windows client's NTFS file system, when an incremental backup is
resumed and then completes successfully, the archive bits are cleared for the
files backed up since the resume, but not for the files backed up prior to the
resume.
This means that the files backed up prior to the resume are backed up again on
the next incremental backup.

1
Reporting using the NetBackup Administration Console

After completing this topic, you will be able to use the NetBackup Administration
Console to report on NetBackup activity.
Reporting methods
Reports can be run from any of the interfaces included with NetBackup.
• The Administration Console contains a selection of useful reports. These
reports are easy to run and can be printed or exported to other formats.
• NetBackup environments that have set up an OpsCenter server have access to a
suite of powerful, graphical reports. OpsCenter includes an assortment of
graphical, HTML-based reports that enable you to create more detailed reports
than what is available from the Administration Console.
• The command line interface (CLI) contains the most powerful set of reports.
All NetBackup reports are available from the CLI, including those found in the
Administration Console. In many cases, reports are more powerful or more
customizable from the CLI than they are from the Administration Console.
Administrators in many NetBackup environments write scripts to generate
custom reports.
• For UNIX servers, the bpadm menu-driven utility also produces reports from
the command line similar to those found in the Administration Console.

1–15
Accessing the Administration Console reports
To access the NetBackup reports available through the Administration Console,
expand NetBackup Management > Reports. Click the report you want to
generate.

1
The Status of Backups report

The Status of Backups report provides the first indications of problems that may
have occurred during backup operations. This report shows status and error
information on jobs that completed within the specified period. If an error has
occurred, a short explanation of the error is included.
This report contains similar information to the Activity Monitor, but with less
detail. Information about jobs is typically available longer than it is from the
Activity Monitor—28 days by default (compared to 72 hours by default for the
Activity Monitor).
To generate the report, specify a date and time range. You can also specify a
particular media server or all media servers, a particular client or all clients, or a
specific job ID.
To run this report from the CLI, type:
bperror –backstat -U

1–17
The Images on Media report
The Images on Media report lists detailed information about backups that have
been run, as recorded in the NetBackup image catalog on the master server. This
report is very detailed, and is one of the most useful reports for gathering
information about backup images. The Images on Tape and Images on Disk
reports are simply filters that show information about backups written to tape or to
disk, respectively.
You can generate these reports for any type of media and filter it according to
client, media ID, or path.
bpimmedia -U

1
The Client Backups report

The Client Backups report provides detailed information about backups for a
particular client. This report is useful for verifying that a particular client has been
backed up as expected, and that the number of files and amount of data backed up
from this client is correct.
bpimagelist -client client_name -U

1–19
The Tape Written report
The Tape Written report shows you the media that have been written within a
particular time frame. This report is often helpful in managing tape rotation. For
example, run this report after a duplication session to determine which tapes to
remove from the library and send offsite.
bpimagelist –media -U

1
The Tape Lists report

The Tape Lists report provides information, such as how many images are on a
tape, the retention level of the tape, and which media server owns the tape, for
tapes that are currently in use (Active, Full, Suspended, Frozen). Tapes that do not
contain any images (AVAILABLE) are not displayed in this report.
Because the Tape Lists report identifies when the last image on the tape is due to
expire, this report is also useful for tape rotation. This information reflects the date
when the tape will be rotated back onsite to be overwritten with new backups.
bpmedialist -U

1–21
The Tape Summary report
The Tape Summary report summarizes active and inactive volumes according to
expiration date. It also displays the number of volumes at each retention level. The
sample report on this page is in verbose mode, showing each media ID and the
expiration date. This report is also commonly used in managing tape rotation.
bpmedialist –summary -U

1
The Tape Contents report

The Tape Contents report physically mounts a tape and displays its contents.
Other reports, such as the Tape Lists report, derive their information from the
NetBackup catalogs and display only active images. Because the Tape Contents
report mounts and reads the tape, it displays everything that is on a particular tape,
regardless of whether the tape has expired.
This report is useful if you need to perform a restore from an image that has
already expired and you are trying to determine which tape contains the expired
image. This report is also useful in some troubleshooting situations.
CAUTION Because the tape must be mounted in a tape drive and read, the
Tape Contents report takes a few minutes to run.

bpmedialist -mcontents -m media_id -U

1–23
The Disk Storage Unit Status report
The Disk Storage Unit Status report displays information about the current disk
utilization by NetBackup. This is a convenient way to monitor how much disk
space you have available and to prevent failed backup jobs due to full disks.
nbdevquery -listdv -U -stype BasicDisk
Another common use for this command is to report on the potential free space of
disk staging storage units. The potential free space is the amount of disk space
being used by backups that have already been relocated to tape, and that will be
deleted by NetBackup if NetBackup needs additional space to write backups. This
cannot be seen from the Administration Console, but it can be seen from the CLI
using the following command:
nbdevquery –listdv –D –stype BasicDisk
–dp disk_staging_STU_name

1
Reporting using OpsCenter

After completing this topic, you will be able to use Symantec OpsCenter to report
on NetBackup activity.
Accessing the OpsCenter console

To access the OpsCenter console, start a Web browser on a system that has
network connectivity to the OpsCenter server. To start the OpsCenter console, type
http://host.domain/opscenter where host.domain is the fully
qualified domain name or the IP address of the OpsCenter server.
Note: If there is a conflict due to an already existing Web server (for example, IIS
on Windows), OpsCenter may have chosen a different port number to avoid
conflict. The default OpsCenter Web address may use this non-default port
number; for example: http://host.domain:8181/opscenter. For more
information, see the Symantec OpsCenter Administrator’s Guide.

To log on to the OpsCenter console, supply logon credentials as follows:
1 For the initial logon by an administrator, use the following values:
– User Name: admin
– Password: password
– Domain: OpsCenterUsers(vx)
2 After the initial logon, change the user name and password using the Settings
> User Preferences > MyProfile view in the OpsCenter console.
3 Click Log On.
Initially, a monitoring overview of the NetBackup master servers is displayed.

1–25
OpsCenter Report Templates
OpsCenter reports provide you with visibility into your data protection
environment. OpsCenter provides a number of report templates (or standard or
canned reports) that you can modify to generate a new report of that kind. In the
OpsCenter console, when you click the Reports tab, the Report Templates home
page is displayed. Click any of the report templates to view the respective report
with default parameter values.
In the example on the slide, the Report Templates home page is displayed with
the report templates tree showing the main report template categories. Report
templates are categorized as follows:
• Audit Reports
The Audit Reports template presents reports on audit trails. Audit trails are a
record of all the user-initiated activities. An audit trail consists of the changes
that are made in the NetBackup environment (for example, changes such as
creating a policy, deactivating a policy, or modifying a policy).
• Backups
The Backup reports show information related to backups, such as success rate,
job status, and protected bytes. This category also includes recovery reports.
• Catalog
These reports provide details about the catalogs.

• Chargeback
The Chargeback reports provide details of the backup services expenditures.
Using these reports, you can track the backup and recovery usage and the
associated cost. You can calculate the cost of data protection management and
chargeback to customers and business units. 1
• Client Reports
These reports provide details about clients jobs, such as client restores, clients
not backed up, job successes, and so on. This category also provides client
summary reports.
• Cloud Reports
Cloud Reports are only for NetBackup servers that have cloud configured on
them. The Cloud Reports templates include reports on job success rate, data
expiration, cloud metering, average data transfer rate, and cloud metering
chargeback.
• Disk and Tape Device Activity
This set of report templates provides reports on current disk usage, NetBackup
disk pool capacity, comparisons of disk pool size and percentage full, SAN
client performance, library summary and capacity forecasting, drive
throughput, drive utilization, and SAN client jobs.
• Hold Reports
The Hold Reports are visible only if you have added a valid NetBackup
Search license key in OpsCenter and when you log on as a Security
Administrator. These templates present an image retention summary, top holds
by size, and top holds by age.
• Media Reports
These reports provide media data, such as tape count or usage.
• Performance Reports
These reports show details about storage unit usage, master server job
throughput, media server job throughput, and disk usage.
• Policy Reports
These reports show details about the backup job policies in NetBackup.
• Restore
These reports show details about the restore jobs in NetBackup.

• Storage Lifecycle Policy
The Storage Lifecycle Policy reports in OpsCenter provide information about
storage lifecycle policies. The SLP reports help you to verify if each step in the
SLP is executed and to identify the possible bottlenecks.

1–27
Components of the report templates view
This slide shows the various components of a report generated using a template:
• Report templates tree: This tree lists all report templates that are available in
OpsCenter.
• Manage reports tool bar: Use this tool bar to save, export, or e-mail the
generated report.
• Time filters: Use these time filters to view the data for a specific period.
• Report area: OpsCenter reports are displayed here.
• Report views: Reports can be viewed in Distribution, Historical, or Ranking
forms or views. Use these buttons to change the current report view.

1
The Advanced Success Rate report

Access the Advanced Success Rate report from Reports > Report Templates >
Backup > Status & Success Rate > success Rate > Advanced Success Rate.
This report collects all information around both successes and failures and presents
results that are grouped by timeframe for either job or client success rate.
Client success rate is a count of successful clients. Because all policies that are
defined to the client must be successful to declare the client successful, a client is
either 0% or 100% successful, with no intermediate state.
Job success rate is derived from all jobs. A specific client can have a job success
rate that can range from 0% to 100%.
The primary use for this report is verification of trends and the days that are
exception to the norm. The report is highly effective for presenting long-term
tabular data on one of the most fundamental metrics of managing a backup

operation.

1–29
The Media Utilization report
Access the Media Utilization report from Reports > Report Templates > Media
Reports > Media Utilization.
The stacked bar chart in this report shows the number of media in use for a server
per date. The segments in the bars show assigned, unassigned, frozen, full, offsite,
or suspended media states. Tooltips in the chart show the count for each media
state.
The data for this report is only calculated once in a day. Therefore, the report
shows the summary until the previous date. The data for today will be reflected in
the report that you generate tomorrow.
The table in the report is organized by date and server, and shows counts for each
media state.

1
The Job Success by Client report

Access the Job Success by Client report from Reports > Report Templates >
Client Reports > Job Success by Client.
This report shows the rate of success for client jobs. The bar chart shows totals for
successful, partially successful, and failed jobs for each client for the selected
server or server group. Tooltips in the bars show these job counts. The Tooltips for
each client also include links to a drill-down report showing details for all job
types.
The table in the report summarizes job information (including the number of
successful and partially successful jobs, and the job success rate). The table is
organized by master server and client.
The following columns provide drill-down links to more detailed reports:
• Client Name
• Number of Successful Jobs
• Number of Partially Successful Jobs
• Number of Failed Jobs

1–31
The Current Disk Usage report
Access the Current Disk Usage report from Reports > Report Templates > Disk
Based Data Protection > Current Disk Usage.
This report shows the master servers that have disk pools configured. It provides
details about the disk pool usage and also how much free space is available in the
disk pool.

1
Licensed features
The licensed version of OpsCenter is called Symantec OpsCenter Analytics.
Symantec OpsCenter Analytics enables you to perform advanced business-level
reporting. The table on this slide lists the differences between licensed features in
Symantec OpsCenter and Symantec OpsCenter Analytics:
• In OpsCenter, you can only create reports using the existing templates. In
OpsCenter Analytics, custom reports are accessed from Reports > Report
Templates > Create a New Report > Create a Custom Report.
• Reporting using SQL queries is not available in OpsCenter. To create reports
using SQL queries in OpsCenter Analytics, use Reports > Report Templates
> Create a New Report > Create a report using SQL query.
• Chargeback reports and settings are not available in OpsCenter. To run or view
chargeback reports in OpsCenter Analytics, use Report > Report Templates
> Chargeback Reports. To control chargeback settings, use Settings >

Chargeback.
• Data collection for IBM’s Tivoli Storage Manager and EMC’s NetWorker is
not supported in OpsCenter. To create these data collectors in OpsCenter
Analytics, use Settings > Configuration > Agent > Create Data Collector.
To enable or edit these data collectors, use Settings > Configuration > Agent
> Edit Data Collector.
• In OpsCenter, you can view report data for the previous 60 days only. To view
the data that is older than 60 days, use OpsCenter Analytics to select either a
relative or absolute time frame for the report.

1–33
Labs and solutions for this lesson are located in the following appendixes:
• Appendix A provides step-by-step lab instructions.
• Appendix B provides complete lab instructions and solutions.
Lesson 2
Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage

49

2
Managing robots and tape drives

• Configure robot and tape drive settings.
• Use the Device Monitor and OpsCenter to up, down, and reset drives.
• Stop and restart device manager services.
Configuring tape drive properties

You can change the properties of a tape drive. The properties that you can specify
depend on the drive type, server platforms, or NetBackup server types.
To change the properties of a drive:
1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, expand Media and Device
Management > Devices.
2 Right-click the drive and select Change.

3 Complete the dialog box and click OK.
You can change the following properties:
• Drive name
The drive name identifies the drive and must be unique. A descriptive name is
recommended; however, the drive name is limited to 48 characters. You can
either enter a drive name or use a drive name rule to generate a unique drive
name.

51 Lesson 2 Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage
2–3
• Host and path information
The Host and path information section of the dialog box specifies the device
host and path for the drive. You can specify multiple paths to the same physical
device. Adding multiple paths may cause the drive to become shared.
• Drive Information
– Drive type
The Drive type specifies the type of drive you are adding.
– Cleaning Frequency (In hours) (Windows only)
Use the Cleaning Frequency (In hours) property to set the desired
number of mount hours between drive cleanings.
– Drive is in a robotic library
Mark the Drive is in a robotic library check box to specify that this drive
is in a robotic library; clear the check box to specify that this is a stand-
alone (nonrobotic) drive.
– Robotic library
Click the down arrow for a list of currently configured robotic libraries.
Select the robotic library that controls the drive from the list.
– Robot drive number
The robot drive number indicates the physical location of the drive in the
robot.
A common source of configuration problems is when a drive is mapped to
the wrong physical location in a robot. This is why Symantec recommends
using the Device Configuration Wizard.
Drive numbering begins with 1.

2
Using the Topology view

To display devices in the topology view, navigate to Media and Device
Management > Devices > Topology. The topology view shows how devices are
configured to the server being administered by showing images of servers and
devices. The topology information is taken from the EMM database and is
displayed in the details pane. Using this view, you can determine a drive’s status
and exercise a certain amount of control over a device by right-clicking it and
selecting an option from the drop-down menu.
Topology icons
The following table describes some of the device-related topology icons you may
see within the topology view:
Icon Meaning Icon Meaning Icon Meaning

Drive Drive Shared

Bay Writing Drive
Empty
Drive Drive Shared
Empty Reading Drive
Loaded
Drive Drive Shared
Loaded Down Drive
Writing

2–5
Icon Meaning Icon Meaning Icon Meaning
Robot Robot Shared
Arm Media Drive
Reading
Topology connections
Connections in the topology view indicate physical and logical connections of the
devices, as follows:
• Media server (or SAN media server) to robotic library and drive relationships
are indicated. A line attaches a robot arm to the media server that has robot
control.
• Drives that are physically located in a robotic library are shown within the
robotic library. Stand-alone drives are represented as individual drive objects
below the library.
• A line attaches a drive to the servers that are configured to use it. Robot-to-
server connections and robot-to-EMM database connections are always shown.
• Media are represented as in a robotic library. A line attaches the media to the
EMM server performing media management.
Selecting topology objects

Selecting an object in the topology view highlights the connecting lines from the
object to all other objects to which it is connected, as follows:
• Selecting a drive highlights the connection to the server where it is attached.
• Selecting a server highlights connections to all robots, media, and drives that
are connected or configured to the server.
• Selecting a shared drive highlights connections to all servers that are
configured to use the drive.

2
Stopping and restarting Media Manager daemons or services

After you configure a robot or drive, you are prompted to stop and restart the
device daemons or services. If you choose to do this later, you can stop and restart
the daemons or services using the Media and Device Management interface.
1 Select Actions > Stop/Restart Media Manager Device Daemon (Java) or
Actions > Stop/Restart Device Manager Service (Windows).
2 Complete the dialog box as follows:
a Select a device host. The status of the selected daemon or service is shown
under Current Status.
b In the Action pane, you can start, stop, or stop/restart the service. Select the
action you want to perform.
c The Options pane enables you to eject media from a stand-alone drive and
control the level of debug logging. Select the options you want to perform.
3 Click OK or Apply.
You may find it useful to select Stop and click Apply, and then select Start
and click Apply. By using Apply, you can select device hosts and actions for
more than one device host before clicking OK to close the dialog box.
The stopltid and ltid commands

You can also use the stopltid and ltid commands to manage the Media
Manager daemons or services. The stopltid command stops ltid, avrd, and
the robotic services; ltid starts ltid and avrd.

2–7
Windows computer management
You can also stop and start the Media Manager services using Windows Computer
Management. Right-click NetBackup Device Manager to stop or start the
services.

2
The robtest program

The robtest program searches the EMM database and presents a menu of
available robots physically controlled by a host. You must run robtest on the
media server that is the robot control host.
• UNIX: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/robtest
• Windows: /install_path\Veritas\Volmgr\bin\robtest.exe
When you select a robot, the device-specific robot test program invokes the
device-specific test tool (such as tldtest for a TLD type robot). From each test
utility, you can obtain a list of available test commands by entering a question
mark (?).
Sample robtest commands

The following example shows the output from entering the init command and
the inquiry command.

2–9
In the following example, the m s4 d1 command moves media from slot 4 to
drive 1. The s s command displays the status of the slots. You can see that slot 4
is now empty. The s d command confirms that drive 1 now contains the media.
robtest Notes
• Do not leave robtest running in your production environment. Doing so can
lead to device errors and prevent any access to the library for backups, restores,
and inventory.
• If you use robtest to load a tape into a drive, you need to remove the tape
using robtest. NetBackup does not autoeject a tape that has been loaded by
any other utility.

2
Using the Device Monitor

You can use the Device Monitor to determine a drive’s properties and
characteristics, such as its name, host (the media server to which it sends its
backup data), and type (such as DLT). You can also control drives using the
Actions menu or by right-clicking a drive and selecting an action from the drop-
down menu. Such actions include activating a downed drive, resetting a drive,
manually invoking drive cleaning, and changing the comments associated with a
drive. You can also use the Device Monitor to determine robot types and numbers.
To change a drive path operating mode:
1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, expand Media and Device
Management > Device Monitor.
2 Click the Drives tab.
In the details pane, the Drive Paths pane displays path information for drives.
3 In the Drive Paths pane, select a path or select multiple paths.

4 On the Actions menu, select one of the following commands for the path
action:
– Up Path
– Down Path
– Reset Path
Note: The Media Manager Device daemon (ltid) must be running on the host
being monitored, or the lists in the Device Monitor detail panes are blank.

2–11
Drive details
To display details about a particular drive, from the Device Monitor, right-click a
drive and select Drive Details.

2
Using OpsCenter to monitor and control devices

You can also use OpsCenter to monitor and control devices. Before you perform
these tasks, manually refresh your Web browser to obtain an updated view of all
drives. When you refresh, you also ensure that the drive is not involved in any
tasks by other users.
To control drives:
1 In the OpsCenter console, select Monitor > Devices > Drives.
By default, the List View is displayed.
2 Select a drive from the Drive Name column in the table.
3 Click Up, Down, or Reset.
Note that these options are located above the drive details table.
After you perform these tasks, the OpsCenter console may take some time to
display the updated status.

2–13
Monitoring media states
• Identify NetBackup media and volume states.
• Monitor and manage media states using the NetBackup Administration
Console and OpsCenter.
Media states
All volumes have a media state. The media state can change based on a number of
factors, such as how much the volume is used or the type of backup written to it.
The most common media states are:
• AVAILABLE
An AVAILABLE media state indicates that no active backup images are
currently associated with this tape. This can happen if:
– This is a new tape; NetBackup has never written data to it.

– NetBackup has used this tape, but all of the images on the tape have met
their retention and expired automatically.
– All of the images on the tape have been manually expired.
• ACTIVE
ACTIVE media currently contains at least one unexpired image.
• FULL
A FULL media state is set when end of media (EOM) is encountered during a
backup or archive. A tape in the FULL media state is not available for use until
the retention period for all backups on the media has expired.
• SUSPENDED
A volume can be temporarily write-protected against additional NetBackup
use by manually changing the state of the media to SUSPENDED in the
NetBackup Administration Console or by using the bpmedia command.
You cannot use a suspended volume for backups until it is either manually
unsuspended, or until retention periods for all backups on it have expired. At
that time, NetBackup deletes the suspended volume from the media catalog
and the media is returned to the Available state.
A suspended volume is available for restores for valid, unexpired backup
images. 2
• FROZEN
A FROZEN media state is set if, on the first read/write attempt, NetBackup
senses a format other than NetBackup. The frozen state is also set if
NetBackup is assigned a volume for an ordinary backup that contains a cold
NetBackup catalog backup. A third condition that causes a volume to be placed
in a Frozen media state is when three media write errors occur within a 12-hour
period.
Use the bpmedia command, the NetBackup Administration Console, or the
OpsCenter user interface to freeze a volume and prevent the volume from
being reassigned and overwritten. The volume is write-protected and the
volume does not expire, even if the retention periods for all backups on the
volume have expired.
A frozen volume is not mounted for backups or archives, but you can restore
from a frozen volume.
By default, NetBackup does not overwrite formatted volumes with media
headers not recognized by NetBackup. If ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE is
contained in the bp.conf file (UNIX) or the registry (Microsoft Windows),
certain formats, such as tar or cpio, can be overwritten and the media can be
reused immediately. Use the NetBackup Administration Console to set
ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE.
• IMPORTED
An IMPORTED media state is set if the images on this volume have been
added through the import process. The images on this volume are available for
restore only. The volume cannot be used for backup or archive until the last
image expires. Imported images are retained for one full retention period (as
recorded in the image header) from the date of import.
Other media-related information

The following lists additional media-related information that is available.
• MPX_MEDIA
An MPX_MEDIA media state indicates that this tape contains multiplexed
backups. MPX can be associated with tapes that are Active, Full, or Imported.

2–15
Backups that use the same storage unit, volume pool and retention can be
multiplexed to the same volume, only if allowed through policy and storage
unit multiplexing settings.
• WORM
A WORM media state indicates that this tape is a Write-Once-Read-Many
(WORM) volume. WORM media is used to protect key data from unwanted
modification or tampering, or to meet compliance regulations. For more
information on WORM media, see the NetBackup Administrator’s Guide.
• Multi-Retlev
A Multi-Retlev (multiple Retention Level) media state indicates that the
volume contains backups of more than one retention level.
• BE
A BE media state indicates that the volume contains Backup Exec images.

2
NetBackup volume selection example

A NetBackup backup request specifies a specific storage unit and volume pool, as
defined by the backup policy. When media management receives the request, it
searches its EMM database for an active volume in the specified library in that
volume pool. If an active volume is not available from the required pool, the EMM
database is searched for an available volume in the correct volume pool that meets
all of the appropriate criteria for usability.
If no suitable available or active volumes exist in the required pool and a scratch
pool has been configured, a volume from the scratch pool is reassigned to the
required pool. Media management then issues a mount command to the robotic
daemon or service controlling the robot, and the volume is mounted. After the
media has been allocated and mounted, control is returned to NetBackup, and the
media write operation proceeds.
When choosing an active or available tape, if multiple candidates exist, the tape
with the least recent mount time is chosen. If no volumes are available, the backup
job fails, and NetBackup flags an error 96 for the backup status. The NetBackup
administrator can disable or manually configure media ownership.
The example on the slide shows the default behavior and assumes the following:
• Volume pool = Win_Servers
• Storage unit = NBU1_LT03_Robot0
• Robot = Robot0
• Density = HCART3
• Media server = NBU1

2–17
Determining media and volume status
NetBackup provides various reporting methods by which you can determine the
status of media. Use any of the following interfaces to determine the media status.
• Available media: The available_media script reports on all media in the
environment that is usable by NetBackup. This report also indicates the current
media states.
• The NetBackup Administration Console: When you use the NetBackup
Administration Console to determine status information, you use the
NetBackup Management > Reports interface.
• OpsCenter: OpsCenter enables the administrator to view, manage, and report
on NetBackup media.
• The command line: Commands used to display volume-related and image-
related information and to perform volume configuration tasks are listed on the
slide.
• The text-menu interface (UNIX only): Use the bpadm command to access the
bpadm utility. Select the r option for reports, and then select the m option for
media. You can now choose from six different media-related reports.

2
The available_media script

Located in the goodies directory, the available_media script lists all the
media IDs that are available on the server where you run the script. Within the
report, the available_media script displays the status of each piece of media.
• UNIX
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/available_media
• Windows
install_path\NetBackup\bin\goodies\available_media.cmd
Note: An * in the ret level column indicates the media has images written to it
with multiple retention periods. The default for NetBackup is one retention
period per media.

2–19
Media and Device Management > Media
Using the Media interface of the NetBackup Administration Console, you can
obtain information about your media. This screen shot shows the volume catalog.
Use it to quickly determine if a piece of media is used. If the Time Assigned field
for a piece of media is empty, then the piece of media is not currently in use.

2
Tape reports
You can run various reports from the NetBackup Administration Console and
from the command line to gather information about the media used in your
NetBackup environment. These reports query one or more NetBackup media
catalogs to produce their respective summaries.
To access the media reports using the NetBackup Administration Console, expand
NetBackup Management and expand Reports > Tape Reports. Click the report
you want to generate.
The following list provides the name of the GUI report, an explanation of what the
report provides, and the command-line equivalent of the report. All commands
listed are typed on a single line. For full details about each command, see the
Symantec NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.
All of the commands in this list are located in the
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd directory (UNIX) or in the

install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd directory (Windows).
• Tape Reports > Tape Lists shows status information for volumes that have
been allocated for backups.
bpmedialist -mlist -U
• Tape Reports > Tape Contents shows the contents of a volume as read
directly from the media header and backup headers. This report lists the
backup IDs (not each individual file) that are on a single volume.
bpmedialist -mcontents -m media_id -U

2–21
• Media Logs shows media errors or informational messages that are recorded
in the NetBackup error catalog. This information is a subset of the All Log
Entries report.
bperror -media -U
• Tape Reports > Tape Logs is similar to Media Log, but only for tapes.
bperror -tape -U
• Disk Reports > Disk Logs is similar to Media Logs, but only for disks.
bperror -disk -U
• Tape Reports > Tape Summary summarizes active and non-active volumes
for the specified server according to the expiration date. This report also shows
the number of volumes at each retention level, and the state (ACTIVE, FULL,
SUSPENDED, or FROZEN) of the media. In verbose mode, the report shows
each media ID and its expiration date.
bpmedialist -summary -v
• Tape Reports > Tape Written identifies volumes that were used for backups
within the specified period. This report does not show volumes that were used
for NetBackup catalog backups or volumes that were used for duplication if
the original was created prior to the specified period.
bpimagelist -A [-media -d date -e date]
• Images-on-Media lists the contents of the media as recorded in the NetBackup
image catalog.
bpimmedia -L [-mediaid media_id]
• Tape Reports > Images on Tape is similar to the Images on Media report, but
only for images on tape.
bpimmedia -tape -L [-mediaid media_id]
• Disk Reports > Images on Disk is similar to the Images on Media report, but
only for images on disk.
bpimmedia -disk -L [-mediaid path_name]

2
The Tape Summary report

The Tape Summary Report summarizes active and nonactive volumes for the
specified media owner (server) according to expiration date. It also shows how
many volumes are at each retention level. In verbose mode, the report shows each
media ID and the expiration date.
Nonactive media are those with a status of FULL, FROZEN, SUSPENDED, or
IMPORTED. Other volumes are considered active.
The only expired volumes that are displayed in this report are those that are
FROZEN. NetBackup deletes other expired volumes from the media catalog when
it runs backups.

2–23
Determining media status using the OpsCenter Monitor > Media tab
In OpsCenter, use the Media sub-tab under the Monitor tab to monitor and
manage media within NetBackup. Summary, list, and hierarchical views by
volume pool or volume group are available under the Media tab.

2
Overriding media state using the Administration Console

All volumes have a media state. The media state can change based on a number of
factors, such as how much the volume is used or the type of backup written to it.
NetBackup automatically controls the media state of a volume, but in some cases,
you can override the NetBackup setting.
You can override some media states using the NetBackup Administration Console.
To do so, expand Media and Device Management > Media. In the details pane,
select a piece of media and select Actions. From the Actions drop-down menu,
select Freeze, Unfreeze, Suspend, or Unsuspend.

2–25
Overriding media state using OpsCenter
To override media state using OpsCenter, navigate to the Media tab under the
Monitor tab. Select a piece of media and click Freeze, Unfreeze, Suspend, or
Unsuspend.

2
Additional methods for overriding media state

You can override some media states using the following commands:
• bpexpdate
• bpmedia
• bplabel
The bpexpdate command

NetBackup unassigns a volume when the retention periods for all backups on the
volume have expired. There may be occasions when you do not need the data on
an assigned volume and want to use the volume for some other purpose.
The bpexpdate command changes the expiry date on images on a volume. It
does not change the expiry date of the volume itself. The bpexpdate command
has several options, one of them to specifically unassign an assigned volume by

expiring all images on the volume (run on the master server):
bpexpdate -m media_id -d 0
CAUTION Use this command with caution because it deletes the backup
metadata from the images catalog, and it changes the media state to
AVAILABLE.
A backup on a volume that has been unassigned (or expired normally) is not usable
for restores unless it is imported.

2–27
The bpexpdate command cannot be used to unassign a volume that has been
used for catalog backups.
For more information on the bpexpdate command, see the Symantec NetBackup
Commands Reference Guide.
The bpmedia command

The bpmedia command is used to freeze, unfreeze, suspend, or unsuspend
NetBackup media. This command applies only to media managed by Media
Manager.
The bpmedia command enables backups or archives to be directed to a
NetBackup volume.
Two specific volume states are controlled by the bpmedia command:
• Frozen (and unfrozen)
• Suspended (and unsuspended)
The following table provides the common parameters you use with this command.
Parameter Description
-freeze Freezes the specified media ID
-unfreeze Unfreezes the specified media ID
-suspend Suspends the specified media ID
-unsuspend Unsuspends the specified media ID
-m media_id Specifies the media ID that requires action
-h host Specifies the host name of the server that
owns the media
-v Selects verbose mode
If you encounter errors that suspend a volume, you can use the bpmedia
command with the -unsuspend option to unsuspend the volume for further
investigation.
The following example unfreeezes a volume with the A00001 media ID on the
hro7 media server. Running from the master server, enter:
bpmedia -unfreeze -m A00001 -h hro7
For more information on the bpmedia command, see the Symantec NetBackup
The bplabel command

The bplabel command is used primarily to write a NetBackup label to a
specified volume, but you can also use it (using the -o option) to forcibly
overwrite protected formats.
Additionally, you can use this command to assign specific media IDs.

The bplabel command must be run on the media server that is attached to the
tape drive that mounts the media, unless you use the -host media_server
option. Exercise caution when you run this command. After a volume is relabeled,
any backups that were on it cannot be restored.
Here is an example of a bplabel command:
bplabel -m A00001 -d 4mm -o -p olympic
This command performs the following:
• Writes a label of A00001 to a 4mm tape cartridge
• Unconditionally overwrites the media ID
2
• Specifies that the media will belong to the olympic volume pool
Use the bplabel -erase command to erase the media, or select
Actions > Long Erase or Actions > Quick Erase in the NetBackup
Administration Console.
For more information on the bplabel command, see the Symantec NetBackup
The Change Volumes dialog box

Use the Change Volumes dialog box to change a volume’s expiration date or its
maximum number of mounts.
The ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE attribute

By default, NetBackup does not overwrite formatted volumes with media headers
written in certain media formats. This is done to protect inadvertent overwrite of
valuable data. If ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE is contained in the bp.conf file
(UNIX media server) or the registry (Microsoft Windows media server), certain
formats, such as tar or cpio, can be overwritten and the media can be reused
immediately. Use the NetBackup Administration Console to set
ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE.
Note: ALLOW_MEDIA_OVERWRITE is configured independently for each media
server.

2–29
Managing tapes
• Move, eject, change, delete, and erase volumes.
• Describe the benefits of media sharing.
Move or change volumes?
Situations requiring a move operation

The following situations require a move operation rather than a volume
configuration update:
• After inserting existing volumes into a robot, when the volume does not have
readable bar codes or the robot does not support bar codes
Without bar codes, Media Manager cannot identify the volume, and it assigns a
new media ID that uses the media ID prefix that you set. A volume entry for
the old media ID remains in the EMM database. An error may occur if an
application attempts to use the new or old volume.
• After physically moving existing volumes that do not have readable bar codes
or if the volumes are in a robot that does not support bar codes
If you swap volumes between two different locations, Media Manager is
unable to automatically detect the change and does not update the EMM
database.
If you remove a volume from a slot and place it in an empty slot, Media
Manager assumes that it is a new volume. Media Manager then adds a new
logical volume entry with a generated media ID at its new robotic location. The

volume entry for the old media ID is moved to a stand-alone entry. An error
may occur if an application attempts to use the volume entry with the new or
old media ID.
Why move volumes?

Generally, use the move option when:
• A volume is full and must be replaced.
• A volume is moved to an offsite location.
• A robot is down, and the volumes must be moved to another robot.
2
If you select several media types in the volumes list, you see a Move Volumes
dialog box for each media type. Use a similar procedure to move volume groups.
A group move operation leaves slot numbers unchanged. If a volume group is
moved back into a robot, every volume must be returned to its original slot, or the
volume catalog must be updated using a robot inventory operation.
Why change volumes?

Generally, use the change option when you need to:
• Change the number of allowed mounts.
• Change the volume expiration date.
• Place a volume in a different volume pool.
• Change the description of the volume.

2–31
Moving volumes
To move a volume using the NetBackup Administration Console:
1 Physically move the volumes to their new physical locations.
2 In the object tree pane of the NetBackup Administration Console, select Media
and Device Management > Media.
3 Perform one of the following:
– In the volumes pane, right-click the desired volume and select Move.
– In the volumes pane, select the desired volume and select
Actions > Move.
The Move Volumes dialog box is displayed.
The Move Volumes dialog box

If you select several media types in the volumes list, you see a Move Volumes
dialog box for each media type. Use a similar procedure to move volume groups.
A group move operation leaves slot numbers unchanged. If a volume group is
moved back into a robot, every volume must be returned to its original slot, or the
EMM database must be updated using a robot inventory operation.
Options in the Move Volumes dialog box that are common to both Java and
Windows include:
• Volumes to move
This field displays the list of volumes to be moved (informational only).

• Volume group
Select the group name from the pull-down menu if the volume is also changing
volume groups.
• First slot number
This field displays the first slot in the volume group to receive the volumes.
Note: If you are moving a volume group back into a robot, then Media
Manager assumes that the volume group is being moved back into the same
slots.
Java
2
The option unique to the Java interface includes:
Volume is in a robotic library
This option is used if you are moving volumes in a robot. If marked, the Select
robot options are enabled:
– Device host: Select the device host for the robot from the pull-down menu.
– Robot: Select the robot into which you are moving the volumes from the
pull-down menu.
Windows
Options unique to the Windows Administration Console include:
• Robot
Robot specifies the robotic library to which you are moving the volumes. You
can specify a different robot. When moving volumes from one robotic library
to another, you must move the volumes to “standalone” as an intermediate step
and then to the new robotic library.
– To move volumes to a different robot, click the arrow and select one of the
robots in the list.
The list shows the robot type, number, and control host for any robot that
already has at least one volume in the EMM database.
– To move volumes to a stand-alone robot, select Standalone.
• Find Robots
Use Find Robots to move volumes to a robot that does not appear in the
Robot box (for example, a new robot).

2–33
Ejecting volumes
To eject a volume using the NetBackup Administration Console:
– In the volumes pane, right-click the desired volume and select Eject
Volumes From Robot.
– In the volumes pane, select the desired volumes and select
Actions > Eject Volumes From Robot.
The Eject Volumes dialog box is displayed.
The Eject Volumes dialog box

Generally, after the pre-checks for the eject are complete, the Media tab displays
the volumes that you selected to eject, and the Errors tab is empty. The eject may
not be possible because of an error or a hardware limitation. If an error occurs, the
dialog box is displayed with the Errors tab opened.
The following two classes of errors can occur:
• For more serious errors, Eject is not available, and the cause of the error must
be corrected.
• For other errors, the Errors tab shows an explanation of the error. You can
continue the eject action (select Eject) or exit (select Close), depending on the
type of error.
Click Eject to execute the eject.
2
Changing volume attributes

There may be times when you need to modify a volume that has already been
configured. For example, you may need to change the volume pool to which the
volume belongs, change the volume’s expiration date, or assign a keyword phrase
to the volume so you can easily locate the volume if you need to restore from it.
To change a volume’s attributes using the NetBackup Administration Console:
– In the volumes pane, right-click the desired volume and select Change.
– In the volumes pane, select the desired volumes and select Edit > Change.
The Change Volumes dialog box is displayed.
The Change Volumes dialog box

You can change the following attributes for your volumes:
• Maximum mounts
This option controls the number of times that the volume can be mounted.
When a volume reaches its maximum mounts (or its expiration date), Media
Manager suspends it. A suspended volume can still be read, but it cannot be
mounted for a write.
Maximum mounts does not apply to cleaning tapes.
– Do not change
Select this option to keep the current setting.
2–35
– Unlimited
Select this option to allow an unlimited number of mounts. Unlimited is the
default setting.
– Number
Select this option and type a number to set a specific number of mounts.
Entering 0 (zero; the default) is the same as selecting Unlimited.
• Expiration date
This option defines the expiration date for volumes. When a volume reaches its
expiration date (or its maximum mounts), Media Manager suspends it.
– Do not change
– Never
Select this option to set the expiration date to infinity.
– Date
Select this option and type a date and time (using a 24-hour clock format
MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm:ss) to define when you want to stop using the
volumes.
• Description (Java) or Media description (Windows)
Adding a description helps you identify a volume.
– Do not change
– Media description (Java) or New description (Windows)
Select this option and enter a short description in the provided field to
describe how the volumes are being used.
• Volume pool
If the volume is unassigned (for example, if you have unfrozen the volume
after it has expired), you can assign it to a specific volume pool. You cannot
change the volume pool for an assigned volume.
– Do not change
– New pool
Select this option and select a volume pool from the pull-down list to
specify the volume pool to which you want to assign the volumes.
• Number of cleanings remaining
Use this option to increase or decrease the number of cleanings remaining for
the volume.
– Do not change
– New count
Select this option and type a number to define the number of cleanings
remaining for the volumes.
2
Deleting volumes
You may want to delete a volume if it is:
• Unusable because of repeated media errors
• Past its expiration date or has too many mounts, and you want to replace it with
a new volume
• Lost and you want to clean up the EMM database
After a volume is deleted, you can discard it or add it back under the same or a
different media ID.
Before deleting a volume, ensure that it does not contain any important data.
NetBackup volumes have an extra safeguard against accidental deletion. If there is
data on the volumes, the volumes cannot be deleted.
If you want to completely unassign a tape from NetBackup and delete all records
of any backup images currently held on that tape, enter the following command:
bpexpdate -m media_id -d 0
The bpexpdate command changes the expiration date of backup images on a
volume, not the volume itself.
Deleting volumes using the NetBackup Administration Console

To delete a volume using the NetBackup Administration Console:

2–37
– In the volumes pane, right-click the desired volume and select Delete.
– In the volumes pane, select the desired volume and select Edit > Delete.
The Delete Volumes dialog box is displayed.
3 Click OK to delete the volume.
If you selected only one side of an optical platter, the volume on the other side
is also deleted.
Note: When you select an item under Volume Pools, Volume Groups,
Robots, or stand-alone in the Administration Console, the volumes list is
displayed. The volumes list features multiple columns detailing information
about the selected item.
The Time Assigned column is a quick indicator of whether NetBackup has
placed backups on a particular volume. Time Assigned indicates that the tape
has been assigned to NetBackup and cannot be altered or deleted by Media
Manager commands.
4 Remove the deleted volume from the device.

2
Erasing volumes
You can perform a quick (short) or long erase of used media. The media must be
currently unassigned by NetBackup and must have no valid NetBackup images on
it. The erase function removes the content index from the tape header.
Media erase functions are not supported on NDMP drives.
CAUTION When you erase a volume, any data previously written on the media
is no longer available for a restore or for an import.
Quick erase
If you select a quick (or short) erase, Media Manager performs a SCSI Quick
Erase. For a SCSI Quick Erase, the piece of media is rewound, and an erase gap is
recorded on the media. The format of this gap is drive-dependent, and this gap can
be an end-of-data (EOD) mark or a recorded pattern that is recognized by the drive
as not being data.
Some drives do not support a quick erase (for example, QUANTUM DLT7000).
For drives that do not support a quick erase, the new tape header that is written acts
as an application-specific quick erase.
To perform a quick erase:
1 Select the media you want to erase.
2 Select Actions > Quick Erase ( ).

2–39
Long erase
If you select a long erase, Media Manager performs a SCSI Long Erase. For this
erase, the piece of media is rewound, and the data on the tape is overwritten with a
known data pattern. A SCSI Long Erase is also called a secure erase because it
erases the recorded data completely.
To perform a long erase:
1 Select the media you want to erase.
2 Select Actions > Long Erase ( ).
A long erase is a time-consuming operation and can require several hours to
complete.
Labeling the volume

Use labeling to place a new media name on the tape. You can label media to assign
specific media IDs. The NetBackup Device Manager daemon (ltid) must be active
in order to label a piece of media.
To label a piece of media:
1 Select the media you want to label.
2 Select Actions > Label ( ).
CAUTION Ensure that the piece of media does not contain needed backups.
After the piece of media is labeled, any backups that were on it
cannot be restored.

2
What is media sharing?

The media sharing feature in NetBackup enables tape media sharing among any
number of media servers and NDMP tape servers. Appending to tape is no longer
restricted to a single media server. This capability is included in the base
NetBackup product at no additional cost. The benefits of media sharing include:
• Reduced media costs by minimizing the number of required tapes
• Improved media utilization by minimizing the number of partially full tapes
(media that is not completely utilized)
• Reduced vaulting costs by consolidating duplications to few destination media,
without requiring data to be sent over the network
• Improved mount times because media does not need to be unloaded and loaded
as part of media handoff among media servers, and increased media life as a
result of reduced media wear and tear
• Increased storage capacity when there are fewer partially full tapes taking up
slots in a tape library, and reduced administrative overhead because scratch
media is injected less often
• No unintentional sharing of media among media servers and NDMP tape
servers because NetBackup formally allows media to be shared among
NetBackup and NDMP servers

2–41
Enabling media sharing
By default, media sharing is disabled in NetBackup. With media sharing disabled,
only one media server can write to a volume—the media server that first wrote to
the volume—and that media server becomes the owner of the media while it is
assigned with outstanding images. In addition, the owning media server is the only
media server that can write subsequent images to that media.
Media sharing can be enabled by either of the following methods:
• Mark the Enable unrestricted media sharing for all media servers check
box in the Master Server Properties dialog box, under Media.
Although this is the simplest approach, it is very permissive, allowing all
media servers and NDMP tape servers managed by the same master server to
share all media (share everything). This approach allows multiple media
servers to write a tape with incompatible block sizes. Media cataloged in the
EMM shows UNRESTRICTED_SHARING_GROUP in the Server Group

column within the media records.
• Create a Media Sharing server group.
Use a Media Sharing server group in policies and schedules to allow logically
(and physically) related groups of servers to share and own media.
By creating server groups, you gain more granular control over which media
servers can write to media. After server groups are configured, you configure a
policy to use a specific group of servers. Any of the servers in that server group
can write future backup and duplication jobs to that piece of media. After all
images are expired, the media is flagged as unassigned and can be written to by
any media server or server group.
2
Media and device-related tips

• Perform drive and robot diagnostics.
• Describe how NetBackup uses cleaning tapes.
• Identify tape device, media, and media sharing reports.
Drive type/storage unit/volume density summary

The simplest rule for configuring a storage unit is: The volume media type
(density) must match the storage unit density, which must match the drive type
density.
Consider the following example where your robot type is TLD:
• When you configure the drive, select DLT Cartridge 2 (dlt2) as the drive type
in the New Tape Drive dialog box. Even though the configuration parameter is
named Drive type, you are actually specifying the media density.
• When you configure the storage unit, ensure that the Density field in the
Change Storage Unit dialog box matches the selected drive type. Notice that
the density value is already specified, and you cannot manually select the
density for a storage unit.
• When you configure volumes (media), select DLT cartridge tape 2 as the
Media type in the New Volumes dialog box. Media type is the same as media
density.
Improper volume configuration is a common cause for errors. If improperly
configured, a backup job may queue indefinitely or fail with a status code 96.

2–43
Performing drive and robot diagnostics
Media Manager drive diagnostic functions enable you to execute and manage
drive diagnostic tests. The diagnostic test steps are executed in an ordered
sequence to verify the functionality of hardware devices configured for use with
NetBackup. These tests help you to troubleshoot robotic library or tape drive
problems.
Before running drive diagnostics, use the available_media script to confirm
that there is an available tape in the NetBackup volume pool.
To execute diagnostic tests within the NetBackup Administration Console:
1 Select Media and Device Management > Devices > Drives or select Media
and Device Management > Devices > Robots.
2 Select a device or a robot.
3 Select Actions > Drive Diagnostics or Actions > Robot Diagnostics.

You can also right-click the device and select Drive Diagnostics or Robot
Diagnostics from the drop-down menu.
The Drive Diagnostics or the Robot Diagnostics dialog box is displayed,
respectively.

2
Drive and robot diagnostics results

In the Drive Diagnostics dialog box, click Start to run the drive diagnostic tests.
The results of the tests are displayed in the Results pane.
In the Robot Diagnostics dialog box, click Start to run the robotic library
diagnostic tests. The results of the tests are displayed in the Results pane.

2–45
Monitoring device cleanings
Routine maintenance of devices includes cleaning drives to ensure that they
continue to write to and read from the media properly. Although cleaning is
important, be careful to neither overclean nor underclean your drives.
Undercleaning can result in excess residue on the tape drive heads. Overcleaning
can cause undue wear on the drive heads. Either can result in data loss.
Refer to the drive manufacturer’s recommended cleaning schedule. You can
establish a cleaning schedule through NetBackup accordingly.
Using a cleaning tape

Drive cleaning is accomplished using cleaning tapes. Media Manager tracks the
usage of a cleaning tape by the number of times it has been used. For each cleaning
tape, you can specify the number of cleanings that remain. You can change the
number of cleanings at any time in Media Manager. Each time the tape is used, that
number decreases by one. When the number of cleanings reaches zero, Media
Manager stops using the cleaning tape.
Configuring a cleaning tape

To configure a cleaning tape:
1 Specify the Media type setting for the cleaning tape’s designation (such as
DLT_cleaning_tape).
Note: The cleaning tape is automatically assigned to the None volume pool.
2 Set the number of cleanings. (The default setting is 25.)

2
Device cleaning methods

This slide shows the various methods you can use to perform drive cleaning.
Robotic automatic cleaning

If the robot has an automatic cleaning capability, you can use it for your tape
drives. This is also referred to as hardware-based cleaning, library-based
cleaning, or auto-cleaning.
With robotic automatic cleaning, the tape drive sends an alert to the robot,
notifying the robot that the drive requires cleaning. After a backup tape is
unmounted, the robot mounts the cleaning tape and cleans the drive.
TapeAlert
Another method of automatic cleaning uses the TapeAlert feature, which allows
reactive cleaning for some drive types that support the TapeAlert capability. This
method is also called reactive cleaning.
Note: Without TapeAlert, hardware-based cleaning is not coordinated with
NetBackup, and problems can result.
Because TapeAlert provides the same type of cleaning as library-based cleaning, it
is recommended that you disable library-based cleaning when using TapeAlert.

2–47
Frequency-based cleaning
When you add a drive, you can specify the number of hours a drive is used
between drive cleanings. This is the cleaning frequency. Refer to the drive
manufacturer’s recommended cleaning frequency.
Media Manager updates the total mount time for a drive each time a tape is
unmounted.
If the drive is in a robot that supports cleaning and a cleaning tape is configured in
that robot, cleaning occurs when the accumulated mount time exceeds the time that
you specified for cleaning frequency.
Media Manager cleans the drive immediately after the unmount. 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 during a backup if the end of tape is reached before the
backup completes and a cleaning is due. After unmounting the first tape, Media
Manager cleans the drive before proceeding with the backup on a second tape.
Leaving media in a drive for extended periods does not affect cleaning frequency,
because Media Manager increments the mount time only when the media is
actually assigned to a process.
Using TapeAlert with frequency-based cleaning ensures that a drive is cleaned at
least every x hours, depending on the setting for the cleaning frequency. In
addition, the drive can be cleaned sooner if either the CLEAN_NOW or the
CLEAN_PERIODIC TapeAlert flag is set by the drive.
Manual drive cleaning

Manual cleaning is also known as operator-initiated cleaning.
You can manually clean a drive regardless of the cleaning frequency and
accumulated mount time. Stand-alone and robotic drives can be cleaned if a
cleaning tape of the correct media type and residence for the drive has been added
to the EMM database.
Alternatively, you can manually clean a robotic drive according to the
manufacturer’s instructions. Manual cleaning can involve using the menu buttons
on the front of the device to instruct the robot to load a cleaning tape and perform
drive cleaning. Check the details for your specific robot.
To perform drive cleaning functions:
1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, select Media and Device
Management > Device Monitor.
2 In the Drive status pane, select a drive.
3 Select Actions > Drive Cleaning.
The Drive Cleaning submenu choices enable you to perform the following
functions:

– Clean Now
Start an operator-initiated cleaning of the selected drive, regardless of the
cleaning frequency or accumulated mount time. If the drive is a stand-alone
drive, it must contain a cleaning tape and a mount request is issued. Clean
Now resets the mount time to zero, but the cleaning frequency value
remains the same.
– Reset Mount Time
Reset the mount time for the selected drive to zero. Use Reset Mount
Time to reset the mount time after performing a manual cleaning of a
drive. 2
– Set Cleaning Frequency
Set the desired number of mount hours between each drive cleaning. Set
Cleaning Frequency is not available for robots that do not support
frequency-based cleaning.
Updated drive cleaning information is displayed in the Drive Details dialog box.
Note: The Clean Now function may take several minutes to complete; therefore,
the cleaning information in the Drive Details dialog box may not be updated
immediately.
The tpclean command

The tpclean command enables you to monitor Media Manager tape drive usage
and optionally configure tape drives to be automatically cleaned (except drives in
ACS, ODL, or TLH robots, or QIC drives).

2–49
Physical media problems
A common physical problem is unreadable bar code labels on your media. Inspect
the labels on your tapes for torn or worn labels and for signs of smearing,
smudging, or fading of the ink. Replace the labels as necessary.
Other physical media problems are stretched, jammed, or broken tapes. Tapes can
be erased when exposed to strong electrical fields, so ensure that your robotic tape
library is not located near such a field.
If you encounter media problems that you cannot correct using NetBackup,
physically inspect the volume itself to check it for these or similar problems.
An additional media issue is that a volume can be completely destroyed. For
example, consider what can happen to a tape left inside your car on a hot summer
afternoon.
To help circumvent potential physical media issues, it is recommended that you

make multiple copies of all crucial backup images using duplication, inline copies,
or vaulting.

2
Reporting on tape devices

The table on this slide summarizes how to report on tape devices using the
NetBackup Administration Console (GUI), NetBackup commands (CLI), and
OpsCenter.

2–51
Reporting on media
The table on this slide summarizes how media can be managed using the
NetBackup Administration Console (GUI), NetBackup commands (CLI), bpadm
(MUI) (UNIX only), and the OpsCenter Web console.

2
Changing media
The table on this slide summarizes the methods for changing media using the
NetBackup Administration Console (GUI), NetBackup commands (CLI), and the
OpsCenter Web console.

2–53
Lesson 3
Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage

103

3
Comparing disk storage features

• Explain the differences among basic disk, AdvancedDisk, deduplication, and
OpenStorage.
• Explain the differences between the NetBackup appliance targeted storage
types.
Review of disk storage types

This slide is a reminder of the disk storage types that are available with
NetBackup.
• The BasicDisk disk type consists of a directory on a locally-attached disk or a
network-attached disk that is exposed as a file system to a NetBackup media
server. NetBackup stores backup data in the specified directory.
• An AdvancedDisk disk type is used for a dedicated disk that is directly

attached to a NetBackup media server. An AdvancedDisk selection is available
only when the Enterprise Disk Option is licensed.
• There are two types of PureDisk storage units: Media Server Deduplication
Pool (MSDP) and PureDisk (PDDO).
• The OpenStorage disk type is used for disk storage, usually provided by a
third-party vendor. The actual name of the disk type depends on the vendor. An
OpenStorage selection is available only when the OpenStorage Disk Option is
licensed.

105 Lesson 3 Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage
3–3
Review of disk backup methods
The table on this slide is a review of the main disk backup methods.
• BasicDisk: This disk type defines a specific directory as a backup destination
on a single media server. BasicDisk enables basic disk staging operations and
spanning between storage units.
• AdvancedDisk: This disk type defines a collection of disk volumes as a backup
destination on a single media server. AdvancedDisk enables disk volumes from
a single media server to be pooled into a single storage destination and
includes more robust features than BasicDisk.
• Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP): This is a logical pool of disks
connected to a NetBackup media server. This disk pool stores data that is
deduplicated by either NetBackup clients or by a NetBackup media server.
• PureDisk Deduplication Option (PDDO): This disk type requires a PureDisk
environment. With the PureDisk environment in place, NetBackup is

configured to use PureDisk as a logical disk pool. This disk pool stores data
that is deduplicated by either NetBackup clients or by a NetBackup media
server.
• OpenStorage: This disk type is a NetBackup API that enables NetBackup to
communicate with intelligent disk appliances. Disk appliances typically are the
hardware and the software solutions that include a host computer and the
storage.

3
Symantec NetBackup appliances

Symantec NetBackup Appliances provide a fully integrated hardware and software
solution based on NetBackup backup software.
The Symantec NetBackup appliance family consists of two series—backup
appliances, which are the 5200 series, and deduplication appliances, which are the
5000 series.
The NetBackup 5200 series appliances can function as media or master servers,
and are configured using the NetBackup Management Console. They can be used
for deduplication of both physical and virtual systems.
The NetBackup 5000 series appliances are deduplication appliances. Up to six
appliances or nodes can be connected to form a global deduplication pool.
Both the backup and deduplication appliances provide source and target
deduplication.

3–5
Managing basic disk and DSSU
After completing this topic, you will be able to configure high and low water
marks for basic disk and DSSUs.
Basic disk water marks

Basic disk storage units have configurable water marks. Depending on whether the
basic disk storage unit is configured with or without staging, the low water mark
may apply. Basic disk storage units without staging configured only use the high
water mark. During a backup job, when the amount of data written to the disk
causes the high water mark to be reached, the backup job fails with a disk full
condition (unless the media server host properties is configured to allow backups
to span disks).
When a basic disk storage unit (DSSU) is configured with a staging schedule, the
high and low water marks are used. When the data sent by a backup job to a DSSU
causes the high water mark to be reached, NetBackup starts to delete all images
that have already been duplicated until it reaches the low water mark. If there are
no duplicated images available for deletion and the high water has been reached,
the backup job fails with a disk full condition.
When configuring a DSSU, Symantec recommends that you keep the low water
mark set relatively high. This allows duplicated images to remain on disk for a
longer period of time and they can be used for faster restores.

3
Basic disk staging review

This slide is a review of the basic disk staging process.This two-stage process
enables the NetBackup administrator to use the advantages of disk-based backups
in the near term, while preserving the advantages of tape-based backups for the
long term.
Basic disk staging is conducted in three separate operations:
1 In the first step of disk staging, clients are backed up by a policy that specifies
a disk staging storage unit as the destination storage unit.
2 In the second step of disk staging, images are copied from the disk staging
storage unit to the final destination storage unit.
3 The third stage is deletion. The image copy continues to exist on the disk
staging storage unit until either the image expires or another staging operation
requires the disk space.

3–7
Manual relocation
When a Disk Staging Storage Unit (DSSU) is set up correctly, all the images that
are written to the disk staging location are automatically copied, based on the
staging calendar, to the final location—either disk or tape. During a DSSU backup,
when the high water mark is reached on the staging disk, NetBackup automatically
starts to remove the images that have already been copied until it reaches the low
water mark.
You can optionally initiate a relocation schedule manually to copy images to the
final destination before the schedule is due to run. When a manual relocation job is
performed, NetBackup starts a duplication job for all the images that reside on the
staging disk that have not been copied to the final location.
To initiate a relocation schedule:
1 In the NetBackup Administration Console, select NetBackup Management >
Storage > Storage Units.

2 In the details pane, select a basic disk staging storage unit.
3 Select Actions > Manual Relocation to Final Destination (Java) or right-
click and select Manual Relocation (Windows) to initiate the schedule.
If the relocation schedule finds data that can be copied, NetBackup creates a job to
copy the data to the final destination storage unit. The image then exists on both
storage units until the disk staging (Stage I) storage unit becomes full and the
oldest images are deleted.

3
Spanning basic disks

A backup may span storage units if a disk full condition is detected. Backups can
span from one BasicDisk storage unit to another BasicDisk storage unit if the
storage units are in the same storage unit group. The storage units must also share
the same media server.
The following destinations support disk spanning:
• A BasicDisk storage unit spanning to a BasicDisk storage unit
The units must be within a storage unit group.
• An OpenStorage or AdvancedDisk volume spanning to another volume in the
disk pool
For disk spanning to occur, the following conditions must be met:
• The storage units must share the same media server.
• The multiplexing level on spanning storage units should be the same. If there
are any differences, the level on the target unit can be higher.
• A disk staging storage unit cannot span to another storage unit. Also, a disk
staging storage unit is not eligible as a target for disk spanning.
• Disk spanning is not supported on NFS.

3–9
Enabling basic disk spanning
Basic disk spanning is enabled in the Host Properties under Media using the
Allow backups to span disk property.
The default is that this property is enabled. The Allow backups to span disk
property does not apply to AdvancedDisk or OpenStorage storage units. Backups
span disk volumes within disk pools automatically.

3
Managing AdvancedDisk and disk pools

• View and change the properties of a disk pool.
• View and change the status of a disk pool or disk volume.
• Inventory, merge, and remove disk pools.
Capacity-based license usage

Many licensed options in NetBackup are capacity-based; this means that these
options license a specific amount of data storage of a particular type. The
Enterprise Disk Option, which tracks space usage for AdvancedDisk pools, is
capacity-based.
Use the NetBackup License Keys dialog box to determine the licensed usage and
the actual usage. To access the NetBackup License Keys dialog box, select Help
> License Keys. Select the Summary of active capacity-based licensed features
radio button to determine the current usage and compliance.
Capacity-based licensing applies only to the used capacity (active backup images),
rather than the total capacity of the storage units or disk pools.

3–11
Capacity management
For backups targeting a disk pool, NetBackup estimates the size of a backup before
selecting a backup destination.
1 The size of the most recent similar backup is determined. The policy, schedule,
client, and stream (the file list for a specific job) are used as criteria.
NetBackup adds 20 percent to this size, and it seeks an appropriate storage
destination. BasicDisk storage units are not supported, and tape storage units
are considered to have infinite capacity.
2 A disk volume with sufficient space to store the entire image, avoiding the
need to span disk volumes, is given priority. After a disk volume is selected,
the estimated backup size is reserved on the selected volume within
NetBackup. If new backup jobs are initiated while all disk space is reserved,
the new backup jobs queue until the reserving jobs complete.
In the example on the slide, four disk volumes are available for use within a disk
pool. Based on the estimated job size, NetBackup selects the disk volume most
likely to fit the entire image. NetBackup does not use job size criteria to fail a
backup job. If no backup disk volume has the predicted space, the largest volume
is chosen, and spanning occurs as needed. Likewise, if NetBackup runs a job for
the first time, and, therefore, cannot determine an estimated size, the largest
volume in the pool is chosen.
When a disk volume contains staged backup images, the images are considered
potential free space if they have already been duplicated. Images that are staged,
but not yet duplicated, are considered used space.

3
Capacity management: Disk pool water marks

A disk pool is configured with high and low water mark values, affecting both the
pool as a whole and its individual disk volumes.
At the disk volume level, when the used capacity percentage exceeds the high
water mark value, jobs are no longer assigned to that disk volume. NetBackup
considers a pool to be full when all of its disk volumes have reached the high water
mark value.
When a pool is full and space is required for a new backup image, NetBackup
processes the potential free space. Within a disk pool, this space consists of backup
images that are currently available for restore from the disk pool, but that are
already duplicated to another storage unit using advanced staging.
The pool may once again receive new backups when the used capacity of the entire
pool falls to the low water mark value, either through the clearing of potential free
space, or through natural image expiration.

3–13
Changing disk pool properties
After a disk pool is created, the Comments field, High water mark, and Low
water mark values remain configurable. To change a disk pool, right-click the
disk pool and select Change. The slide shows the Change Disk Pool dialog box.
Note that disk volumes cannot be added or removed in the Change Disk Pool
dialog box, and that the storage server cannot be changed.

3
Viewing disk pools using the Administration Console

To view disk pools using the NetBackup Administration Console, expand Media
and Device Management > Devices and select Disk Pools to list all configured
disk pools.
The columns display the general configuration for the storage unit, in addition to a
percentage full value, showing the total used capacity of the disk pool.

3–15
Viewing disk pool status
To view the status of your disk pools, select Media and Device Management >
Device Monitor and click the Disk Pools tab. In the example on this page, you can
see that the status of all disk pools is UP.

3
The Disk Pool Status report

You can also use the Disk Pool Status report to view the status of your disk pools.
To access this report, in the Administration Console, select NetBackup
Management > Reports > Disk Reports > Disk Pool Status.
To use the command line to view the status of your disk pools, use the
nbdevquery command as follows:
nbdevquery -listdv -U -stype disk_type -dp pool_name
-dv volume_name

3–17
Changing the status of a disk pool or a disk volume
The state of both disk pools and disk volumes can be set UP or DOWN, which is
similar to the state of a tape device. To change the state of a disk pool using the
Administration Console, right-click the disk pool in the Device Monitor, and
select Up Disk Pool or Down Disk Pool.
You can also use the nbdevconfig command to change the state of disk pools
or disk volumes as follows:
nbdevconfig -changestate -dp pool_name
-stype storage_type
-state UP|DOWN|RESET
nbdevconfig –changestate –dv disk_volume_name
-stype storage_type
–state [UP|DOWN|RESET]
When a disk pool or disk volume is in a DOWN state, NetBackup considers it to be

unavailable to receive new backups. Typically, this feature is used to prevent
backups to a disk pool, or to prevent backups to an individual disk volume in a disk
pool during maintenance.

3
Modifying disk pools
Merging disk pools

Use the command on the slide to merge the contents of two disk pools. The new
disk pool retains the name and properties of the pool specified with the
-primarydp switch.
Use this command to merge two existing pools with active backup images, or to
introduce new disk volumes into an existing pool.
Removing a volume from a disk pool

Use the command on the slide to delete a disk volume from a disk pool. No backup
image fragments can exist on the volume and no backup jobs can be active on the
volume. The disk volume and disk pool must be DOWN.
In addition, before you remove a disk pool, you must remove all associated storage
units. If the disk pool is to be re-created under a different disk volume
configuration, note the current storage unit settings (high water mark, low water
mark, and fragment size) before removing the disk pool.
For additional information about modifying disk pools, see the Symantec
NetBackup Commands Reference Guide.

3–19
Removing a disk pool
Use the command on the slide to delete a disk pool from the NetBackup device
database. Be sure to expire and delete all images before you run this command.
The following are limitations of disk pools:
• Individual disk volumes cannot be removed from a pool. The pool itself must
be deleted and re-created.
• A pool cannot be removed while it contains active backup images. Images
must first be duplicated to another location, allowing the copy on the disk pool
to be expired.
In addition, before you remove a disk pool, you must remove all associated storage
units. If the disk pool is to be re-created under a different disk volume
configuration, note the current storage unit settings (high water mark, low water
mark, and fragment size) before removing the disk pool.

3
Additional NetBackup storage concepts

After completing this topic, you will be able to describe deduplication, NetBackup
appliances, third-party OpenStorage (OST) servers, and NDMP.
Deduplication overview
Deduplication is the process of using a hash to provide a set of data with a unique
identifier. This hash enables you to prevent the data from being stored multiple
times, while still allowing the data to be restored when necessary. The term single
instance storage, or SIS, is also used to describe similar behavior that applications
use to reduce storage use.
Backups are an ideal candidate for deduplication due to the redundant nature of
backup data. For example, in many environments, most of the data that is backed
up by full backups to tape or disk is identical to that of the previous backups.
In addition to the significant storage savings that come with only storing unique
data, time and other resources are also saved. Many vendors and solutions provide
the ability to deduplicate at the target, usually at the backup storage location or
appliance. Performing deduplication at the source (clients) significantly reduces
bandwidth use and speeds up the entire backup process. This is especially true
when backing up clients over a WAN or slow connection.

3–21
NetBackup deduplication options
NetBackup provides the ability to use and manage deduplication in a number of
source and target locations:
• NetBackup Media Server Deduplication Pools (MSDP)
A NetBackup media server that meets the system and storage requirements can
easily be made into a Media Server Deduplication Pool. This provides a built-
in method for NetBackup to support deduplication, without complex hardware.
• NetBackup PureDisk (PDDO)
A NetBackup PureDisk software appliance that is in the environment can be
used as a NetBackup storage unit using the PureDisk Deduplication Option
(PDDO).
• NetBackup appliances
NetBackup 52xx appliances are effectively media servers that can also perform
deduplication.
• Appliances supporting OpenStorage Technology (OST)
Third-party deduplication appliance vendors that support Symantec’s
OpenStorage Technology (OST) can also be managed as a NetBackup storage
location.
• NetBackup clients
Because all of the NetBackup technologies use the PureDisk technology,
deduplicating at the source, also known as client-side deduplication, is
supported.

3
Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP)

Deduplication is a method of retaining only one unique instance of backup data on
storage media. Redundant data is replaced with a pointer to the unique data copy.
Deduplication occurs on both a file level and a file segment level. When two or
more files are identical, deduplication stores only one copy of the file. When two
or more files share identical content, deduplication breaks the files into segments
and stores only one copy of each unique file segment.
Deduplication significantly reduces the amount of storage space that is required
for the NetBackup backup images.

3–23
PureDisk Deduplication Option (PDDO)
PureDisk is a backup application whose sole purpose is to deduplicate data from
PureDisk clients to disk-based storage. The NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication
Option (PDDO) is a plug-in for a NetBackup media server that performs
comparable tasks as MSDP. Similar to MSDP, the data can be deduplicated on the
client side or on the media server side, and then sent to the PureDisk environment
where the deduplicated data is stored. When PDDO is selected as a storage
destination, the PureDisk environment is used as a storage device for NetBackup’s
deduplicated data; no additional deduplication occurs. Because NetBackup
controls the backup job, the PureDisk catalogs are not updated with the metadata
from the backup. Therefore, PureDisk cannot restore any of the stored data.
Although PureDisk can be used as a storage device for NetBackup, it can also
manage and run its own backups of PureDisk clients.

3
NetBackup appliances
The NetBackup appliance is a solution that simplifies the initial configuration and
daily management of your backup environment. The goal is to provide a solution
that eliminates the need to provide dedicated individuals to manage the backup
environment.
NetBackup appliance deployment consists of the complete installation and
configuration of all appliance components to create a backup environment that is
ready to use. NetBackup appliances can be easily integrated into an existing
NetBackup environment.
NetBackup appliances that can be used as a NetBackup master or media server are
the NetBackup 5200 series models.
The NetBackup 5000 series models support 8, 16, or 32 TB of deduplication
capacity per appliance.

3–25
Third-party Open Storage (OST) servers
OpenStorage is a Symantec API that enables NetBackup to communicate with the
storage implementations that conform to the API. Disk appliance vendors
participate in the Symantec OpenStorage Partner Program. Symantec qualifies
their storage solutions for the OpenStorage API.
The vendor's storage controls the storage format, the location where the images
reside on the storage, and the data transfer method. As a result, performance and
storage utilization are highly optimized.
Disk appliance vendors provide a software plug-in that is installed on the
NetBackup media server. NetBackup media servers use the plug-in to
communicate with the disk appliance. NetBackup has no knowledge of how the
backup images are stored. The vendor’s disk appliance determines the API or
protocol to use between the plug-in and the storage server.
From the NetBackup master server, an AdvancedDisk pool is created that points to
the disk appliance. It is through this process that the vendor's disk storage is now
known as a storage server. NetBackup determines when backup images are
created, copied, or deleted. Images cannot be moved, expired, or deleted on the
storage unless NetBackup instructs the appliance to do so through the API.

3
Optimized duplication
Optimized duplication is the process of copying backup images from one Media
Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP), PureDisk Deduplication Option (PDDO) Pool
or NetBackup Appliance to an MSDP, PDDO, or NetBackup appliance. The
source and the destination must use the same NetBackup master server and media
server. The optimized duplication operation is more efficient than normal
duplication because only unique, deduplicated data segments are transferred.
Optimized duplication reduces the amount of data that is transmitted over your
network.
For more information about optimized duplication, see HOWTO Article 70634:
About MSDP optimized duplication and replication at:
http://www.symantec.com/docs/HOWTO70634.

3–27
Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP)
NetBackup for NDMP is an optional NetBackup application. It enables NetBackup
to use the Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) to initiate and control
backups and restores of Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems. NetBackup for
NDMP can be installed on a master or media server. NetBackup software provides
complete management and control of the devices and media that are used for
backups and restores of NDMP hosts. The NetBackup Device Configuration
Wizard discovers and configures the storage devices that are attached to an
NDMP host (required for version V3 or V4).
NetBackup supports NDMP protocols versions V2, V3, and V4.
NDMP local backups

Backup data travels between the disk drives of the NDMP device to direct attached
tape drives. This enables high-speed backup without slowing network throughput.
NDMP three-way backups (remote)

Backup data travels across the network, from the NDMP host to tape or disk on a
NetBackup media server.

3
Disk-related tips
After completing this topic, you will be able to diagnose common disk-related
issues.
Common storage unit issues

The causes of storage unit errors can range from physical issues external to
NetBackup to internal issues related to incorrect configuration.
Ask yourself two questions when investigating backup failures:
• “Did it work before?”
If backups using the storage unit in question have previously worked
successfully, the problem is more likely to be related to hardware or the
network.
• “Has it ever worked?”
If backups using the storage unit in question have never worked, the problem
may be due to an error in the storage unit configuration.
Common errors related to storage units are:
• NetBackup Status Code 129: Disk storage unit is full.
• NetBackup Status Code 213: No storage units are available for use.
• NetBackup Status Code 219: The required storage unit is unavailable.
• NetBackup Status Code 800: A resource request failed.

3–29
NetBackup status code 213
This error indicates that the NetBackup resource broker (nbrb) did not find any
storage units available for use. Either all storage units are unavailable (DOWN
state) or all storage units are configured for On demand only and the policy and
schedule specify Any Available storage unit.
Determine if all storage units are set to On demand only for a policy and schedule
combination that does not require a specific storage unit. If this is the case, either
specify a storage unit for the policy and schedule combination or turn off On
demand only for a storage unit.

The exact meaning of this error is that the policy or schedule for the backup
requires a specific storage unit, and that storage unit is unavailable. This error also
occurs for other attempts to use the storage unit within the current backup session.
If you encounter this error, verify which storage unit the policy calls for and check
for the following:
• Verify that the schedule specifies the correct storage unit and that the storage
unit exists.
• If the storage unit is a tape or optical disk, verify that at least one of the drives
is in the UP state.
• Verify that the robot number and host in the storage unit configuration matches
what is specified in the Media Manager device configuration.
• Ensure that the Maximum Concurrent Jobs parameter (for disk storage units)
is not set to 0 (zero).
• Confirm that the server is online.
The nbjm process was unable to obtain the required resources for a job. An EMM
reason string is displayed in the Activity Monitor job details and in the nbjm
debug log. This EMM reason string identifies the reason for the failed resource
request.

3
Reporting on storage units

The table on this slide summarizes the storage unit reporting tools using the
OpsCenter.

3–31
Reporting on volumes
The table on this slide summarizes the reporting tools for volumes using the
OpsCenter.

3
Reporting on disks
The table on this slide summarizes how disk information can be displayed using
the NetBackup Administration Console (GUI), NetBackup commands (CLI), and
OpsCenter.

3–33
Lesson 4
Optimizing File System Backups

137

File system backup challenges 4
After completing this topic, you will be able to discuss solutions to today’s backup
challenges.
What are your backup challenges?

There are many challenges administrators face when backing up an enterprise-
wide environment. The slide lists some of those challenges.
No matter what your backup challenge is, NetBackup has a solution.

139 Lesson 4 Optimizing File System Backups
4–3
NetBackup has solutions
The table on this slide lists some of the challenges that administrators face and the
solutions that NetBackup has to offer. Each of these solutions is discussed in the
following topics of this lesson.

Using synthetic backups 4
After completing this topic, you will be able to configure a policy to use synthetic
backups.
True image restore (TIR)

The Collect true image restore information attribute applies only to certain
policy types, and NetBackup enables you to select it only in those instances.
If the Collect true image restore information check box is marked, then when a
user selects a full or incremental backup to restore, NetBackup collects the
information it needs to restore data as it existed at the time the selected backup was
created. Files that were deleted before the selected backup was created are not
restored.
If the Collect true image restore information check box is not marked, a restore
based on the date of an incremental backup includes all files backed up since the
last full backup, including those that were deleted during that period.
To enable TIR, mark the Collect true image restore information check box
under the Attributes tab of a policy. If the TIR attribute is set, NetBackup records
a list of all files and directories that are present on the system at the time of an
incremental backup; that is, it records a similar amount of catalog information to
that of a full backup.

4–5
TIR backups can be restored normally, if required. Upon restore, before an image
is recovered, the TIR information is checked to identify files that were not present
when the selected incremental backup was taken. Those files that were not present
are not restored. Files that are not restored are listed before the restore actually
takes place.
TIR information is stored as an additional image at the end of the backup. By
default, TIR information is also kept in the catalog for one day. You can change
this default from the Master Server Properties > Clean-up dialog box.

Configuring true image restore (TIR) 4
Collecting true image restore information without move detection

Without move detection, NetBackup selects files for an incremental backup based
on the modification time of the file (compared with the date and time of the last
appropriate backup), or the archive bit. This means that files and directories that
have been moved or renamed but have not been modified are not backed up. Also,
files that have been installed from an archive and therefore have a modification
time prior to the last appropriate backup are not backed up.
All of these files are backed up by a full backup.
To collect true image restore information without move detection, clear the with
move detection check box.
Collecting true image restore information with move detection

When the with move detection check box is marked, true image incremental
backups include files that were moved, renamed, or newly installed. When this
check box is cleared, NetBackup skips these files and directories because their
modification times are unchanged.
With move detection, NetBackup compares path names and inode numbers with
those from the previous full or incremental backup. If a name or inode number is
new or changed, the file or directory is backed up.

143 Lesson 4 Optimizing File System Backups Copyright © 2012 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
4–7
Restoring from a true image backup
When restoring from a true image backup, special care needs to be taken when
selecting the restore options.
When starting the Backup, Archive, and Restore console, the Select for Restore
drop-down menu offers a number of restore types. If you are restoring from a true
image backup, two of those options are commonly used:
• Restore from a Normal Backup
Use this option to treat the true image backup as a standard backup. Any file
within the specific full or incremental backup can be selected for restore.
• Restore from a True Image Backup
Use this option to restore the entire backup selection. Individual files and
folders cannot be selected. Instead, everything is restored to the point in time
corresponding to the last backup that was selected.

Synthetic full backup 4
The synthetic full backup feature eliminates the need to perform full backups of a
client machine for supported resource types.
1 During week one, perform a full backup, also known as a baseline backup.
This is a normal full backup operation.
2 Between this first full backup and the schedule for the next full backup,
perform incremental backups on the changes that occur. This is a normal
backup procedure and is usually performed daily.
3 During the next schedule for a full backup, instead of running a normal full
backup, run an incremental backup.
In the example on the slide, instead of running a full backup on the second
Sunday at 9 P.M., an incremental backup was run.
4 Some time between this last incremental backup (on Sunday night, in the
example) and the next incremental backup (on Monday night), a synthetic full
backup is run.
The synthetic full backup operation occurs on the media server, leaving the
client free for the users. Because the synthetic full backup operations are
executed on the media server without accessing the client machine, they can be
performed outside of the time-critical backup window, reducing the overall
backup window and associated network bandwidth requirements.
The newly created synthetic full backup replaces the baseline full backup and
becomes the baseline full backup for subsequent synthetic full backup operations.

4–9
Configuring synthetic backups
To use the synthetic backup feature of NetBackup:
• Create a policy with either the Standard or the MS-Windows policy type.
• Mark the Collect true image restore information with move detection check
boxes.
• Create the policy with at least the following three types of schedules:
– One traditional full backup
The full backup must successfully run to completion.
– At least one incremental backup
The incremental backups capture the changes since the last full or
incremental backup.
– One full or cumulative backup with the Synthetic backup check box
marked
The synthetic backup is the combination and synthesis of the original full
backup with the incremental backups.

Using incremental backups 4
• Enable NTFS and VxFS change logs.
• Describe the benefits of NetBackup Accelerator.
Features of incremental backups

Incremental backups are one way to reduce the time it takes to back up a client’s
data. In addition to using incremental backups, NetBackup also incorporates File
Change Log, NTFS Change Journal, and NetBackup Accelerator. Using any one of
these features can enhance the speed of backups by saving unnecessary file system
processing time and greatly reducing your backup window.

4–11
Enabling the VxFS File Change Log for UNIX clients
To enable the VxFS File Change Log for UNIX clients, from the Client
Properties dialog box, expand Unix Client and select the Client Settings. Mark
the Use VxFS File Change Log for incremental backups check box. Specify the
default cache device path to be used for the snapshots.
Note: If the policy has Collect true image restore information or Collect true
image restore information with move detection enabled, the Use VxFS file
Change Log for incremental backups property is ignored on the client.

Guidelines for enabling the NTFS change journal 4
If the NTFS volume contains more than 1,000,000 files and folders and the
number of changed objects between incremental backups is small (fewer than
1,000), the volume is a good candidate for enabling NetBackup change journal
support. If the file system on the volume contains relatively few files and folders,
Symantec does not recommend this feature because a normal file system scan is
suitable in this case.
NetBackup supports the use of the change journal with checkpoint restart for
restores.
To avoid confusion caused by multiple backup settings, such as conflicting update
sequence number information, which can prevent the backups from running
correctly, the client must belong to only one policy.
Use caution when enabling the NTFS change journal on volumes that are
monitored with virus scanning software. When some virus scanning software
programs open, scan, and close the file, the access time is reset. This results in the
creation of a change entry in the change journal.

4–13
Enabling the Change Journal for Windows clients
To enable the Change Journal for Windows clients, from the Client Properties
dialog box, expand Windows Client and select Client Settings. Mark the Use
Change Journal check box. A change journal is created for each volume on the
client.
This option works together with the Use accelerator policy attribute and the
Accelerator forced rescan schedule attribute.

How NetBackup Accelerator works 4
NetBackup Accelerator facilitates intelligent, streamlined backups to disk by
increasing the speed of full and incremental backups.
After NetBackup Accelerator is enabled in a policy, a client track log is created on
each client in the policy.
The client track logs are key aspects of NetBackup Accelerator. The log files are
specific for a given policy, client, master server, storage server, and backup
selection. This enables multiple independent storage server backups.
NetBackup identifies file system changes that occurred since the last backup,
therefore allowing the client backup process to more efficiently send only changed
data to the media server.
Using synthesized full backups, a full backup is created on the media server with
the new changed client data combined with the previous backup image data.

4–15
Requirements for using NetBackup Accelerator
The NetBackup Accelerator requires the Data Protection Optimization Option
license.
This feature is only supported by specific deduplication (MSDP, PureDisk, and
NetBackup appliances), cloud storage plug-in, and OST-based disk storage types.
The feature is not supported by tape, BasicDisk and AdvancedDisk storage,
because these storage types do not support synthesized full backups on the media
server.
NetBackup Accelerator supports the following:
• Only MS-Windows and Standard policy types
• Full and incremental backup types
• Only Windows NTFS change journal

Enabling the NetBackup Accelerator in the policy 4
To enable the NetBackup Accelerator, in the Add New Policy dialog box, under
the Attributes tab, mark the Use accelerator check box.

4–17
Using multiple data streams
After completing this topic, you will be able to configure a policy to take
advantage of multiple data streams.
Multiple data streams

By marking the Allow multiple data streams check box, you specify that,
depending on directives under the Backup Selections tab, NetBackup can divide
automatic backups for each client into multiple jobs. Each job backs up only a part
of the backup selections. The jobs are in separate data streams and can run
concurrently.
Whether multiple backup jobs start for each client and how the backup selections
are divided into separate jobs are determined by the directives that you specify in
the backup selections list.
The total number of streams and how many can run concurrently are determined
by the number of available storage units, multiplexing settings, and the maximum
jobs parameters.

Job behavior with and without multiple data streams (MDS) 4
Parallel backup streams from a single client can significantly improve backup
performance. Parallelism is enabled by selecting Allow multiple data streams in
the policy attributes. Parallel data streams are managed within the backup
selections list definition.
The number of data streams that can be created and queued depends on the:
• Directives included in the Backup selections list of the policy
• Limit jobs per policy parameter for the policy
• Maximum jobs per client global attribute
Note: You can override this attribute on a per-client basis by using the
bpclient -max_jobs number command option.
The number of jobs that are displayed in the Activity Monitor is one for each
stream for a specific client, as well as a parent job that manages the streams for that
client.

4–19
Advantages of multiple data streams
There are two main advantages to multiple data streams: independent data streams
and increased backup speed.
Independent data streams

Because each stream is treated as a separate job, the data streams are independent.
If one of the streams or jobs fails, the other job is unaffected and can still complete
successfully. Only the failed jobs need to be requeued or restarted.
Increased backup speed

The other advantage of multiple data streams is increased backup speed, which
occurs when the multiple jobs can run concurrently. This means that, in theory,
twice the amount of data can be backed up in half the time. However, a reduction
in backup speed is also possible, for example, when the jobs are both running
concurrently and accessing the same source disks. In these cases, disk thrashing
may occur and actually slow down the backup jobs.

When to use multiple data streams 4
The benefits of using multiple data streams arise primarily from increasing the
concurrency of operation and potentially optimizing the use of tape drives when
combined with multiplexing.
Multiple data streams can reduce the time for large backups. The reduction is
achieved by splitting the data to be backed up into multiple streams, and then using
multiplexing, multiple drives, or a combination of the two for processing the
streams concurrently.
Additional benefits are reduced retry times in the case of failures and reduced
administration effort through the use of the ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES directive to
automatically include any new local logical drives in the backup.
As you fine-tune multiple data streams, it is very easy to reduce performance
instead of improving it by inadvertently enabling multiple data streams for
multiple data sets that reside on a single disk. This results in the disk “thrashing” as
the backups are performed. Overall performance in this case is often worse than if
the systems on the disk were backed up sequentially.
Enabling multiple data streams produces more concurrent backup jobs, which in
turn use additional network bandwidth and require more tape drives (or a higher
level of multiplexing). Use caution you do not overwhelm your network
environment.

4–21
Configuring multiple data streams (1 of 3)
The number of data streams can be established using a list of file paths, optionally
with wild cards. Each path defined or expanded by a wild card is placed in its own
data stream.
The number of data streams are affected by the following:
• NEW_STREAM
The first use of this directive must be on the first line of the Backup selections
list.
A backup is then split into a separate data stream at each point in the backup
selections list where the NEW_STREAM directive occurs. All file paths defined
between NEW_STREAM directives appear in the same data stream. The end of
each stream is defined by the start of a new stream (the NEW_STREAM
directive).
The last stream in the list is terminated by the end of the Backup selections
list.
• ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES
This directive is used to create a new stream for each file system.
For this directive to work, the NEW_STREAM directive must not be included in
the Backup selections list.

• Auto-discovery streaming mode
Auto-discovery streaming mode is invoked if NEW_STREAM is not the first line
of the Backup selections list. The list must contain either the
ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES directive or wildcards. In this mode, the Backup
selections list is sent to the client, which preprocesses the list and splits the
backup into streams as follows:
– If the Backup selections list contains the ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES directive,
NetBackup backs up the entire client. However, NetBackup splits each
drive volume (Windows) or mount point (UNIX) into its own backup
stream.
– If wildcards are used, the expansion of the wildcards results in one stream
per wildcard expansion.
– If the Backup selections list contains neither the ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES
directive nor wildcards, the auto-discovery mode is not used. In this case,
the server performs the preprocessing, rather than the client and each file
path in the Backup selections list becomes a separate stream.
In the example on the slide on the previous page, the Allow multiple data streams
check box is marked under the Attributes tab. The Backup Selections list
contains three file paths. Therefore, four backup jobs are generated—one parent
job, and one job for each of the specified file paths.
Additional examples are shown on the following pages. 4

4–23
Configuring multiple data streams (2 of 3)
In the example on this slide, the Allow multiple data streams check box is
marked under the Attributes tab. The Backup Selections list contains the
ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES directive and NetBackup backs up the entire client.
Because there are 3 drives in this example, five backup jobs are generated—one
parent job, one job for the system state, and one job for each drive or mount point.

Configuring multiple data streams (3 of 3) 4
In the example on this slide, the Allow multiple data streams check box is
marked under the Attributes tab. The Backup Selections list contains a
NEW_STREAM directive followed by two file paths, and then another
NEW_STREAM directive followed by two additional drive paths. In this example,
three backup jobs are generated—a parent job and a job for each of the two
NEW_STREAM directives.

4–25
Optimizing tape drive performance using multiplexing
After completing this topic, you will be able to configure backups for optimum
tape drive performance using multiplexing.
Writing backups using multiplexing

NetBackup multiplexing sends concurrent backups from one or several clients to a
single storage device. NetBackup multiplexes the backups onto the media.
Multiplexed and unmultiplexed backups can reside on the same volume.
No special action is required to restore a multiplexed backup. NetBackup locates
the media and restores the requested backup.
• Multiple slow networks
The parallel data streams take advantage of whatever network capacity is
available.
• Many short backups (for example, incremental backups)

In addition to providing parallel data streams, multiplexing reduces the time
each job spends waiting for a device to become available, and, therefore, better
uses the transfer rate of storage devices.

Configuring multiplexing 4
Multiplexing must be set in two places in the NetBackup configuration:
• Storage unit
• Schedule
If you change these values, the changes do not take effect until the next time a
schedule runs.
Maximum multiplexing per drive for a storage unit

The Maximum multiplexing per drive setting for a storage unit specifies how
many backups NetBackup can multiplex onto any single drive in the storage unit.
You set this value for each storage unit. The number can range from 1 through 32,
where 1 is the default and specifies no multiplexing.
Choose a value based on the ability of your CPU 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
multiplexing per drive setting for the storage unit. Consider the following when
estimating the load that multiplexing can potentially put on your CPU:
• The maximum number of concurrent-backup jobs that NetBackup is allowed
to attempt equals the sum of the concurrent-backup jobs that can run on the
storage units.
• The maximum potential concurrent-backup jobs that can run on a single
storage unit equals:
Maximum multiplexing per drive setting multiplied by the number of drives

4–27
Media multiplexing for a schedule
In addition to the Maximum multiplexing per drive setting for a storage unit, you
specify a Media multiplexing value for each schedule. This setting specifies the
maximum number of backups from the schedule that you can multiplex onto any
single drive in the configuration.
The Media multiplexing setting can range from 1 through 32, where 1 is the
default and specifies no multiplexing. Regardless of the setting on a schedule, the
maximum jobs that NetBackup starts never exceeds the storage unit’s Maximum
multiplexing per drive setting.

Other configuration settings 4
As you configure multiplexing, consider changing the following parameters:
• Limit jobs per policy
Set this value high enough to support the specified level of multiplexing. This
parameter is set under the Attributes tab of the New/Change Policy dialog
box. The default is disabled.
• Maximum jobs per client
This setting defines the global limit for the number of NetBackup jobs that can
run concurrently on any NetBackup client. This parameter is set in the Master
Server Properties > Global Attributes pane.
• Maximum data streams
You can also set the maximum number of jobs that are allowed on a specific
client without affecting other clients. You can set this value with the
bpclient command. This parameter is also set by marking the Maximum

data streams check box in the Master Server Properties > Client Attributes
pane.
• Delay on multiplexed restores
The NetBackup MPX_RESTORE_DELAY configuration option applies to
multiplexed restores and specifies how long (in seconds) the server waits for
additional restore requests of files or raw partitions that are in a set of
multiplexed images on the same tape. This parameter is set in the Master
Server Properties > General Server pane.

4–29
Reducing the impact of multiplexing on restores
Multiplexing can have an effect on restore times. This effect can be positive or
negative depending on the number of interleaved images, the type and number of
restores, and whether those restores are being performed concurrently. Ensure that
you use testing to determine the maximum effective multiplexing level that still
supports your backup and restore requirements.
The following are some measures you can take to reduce the impact of
multiplexing on your restore times:
• Set the maximum fragment size on the storage unit.
A lower value means that NetBackup more closely tracks where files are
located on the tape, and may result in faster positioning of the tape during a
restore operation.
• Configure the MPX restore delay.
This causes NetBackup to wait the specified amount of time before initiating a
restore from a multiplexed image. The wait allows time for additional restore
jobs to be submitted, and it potentially enables NetBackup to read the data
from tape in one pass.
The MPX_RESTORE_DELAY parameter in the bp.conf file (UNIX) or the
Registry (Windows) can be configured to give you more time to initiate concurrent
restore jobs:
MPX_RESTORE_DELAY = delay_in_seconds

Job management example (1 of 6) 4
This is the first slide in a six-slide example. On this slide, when Maximum
Concurrent Write Drives is set to 1, Job 1 is active on Drive 1, and Job 2 is
queued. Drives 2 and 3 are available.

4–31
Job management example (2 of 6)
The example on this slide continues the example from the previous slide. When
Maximum Concurrent Write Drives changes from 1 to 3, both Job 1 and Job 2
become active. Drive 1 and Drive 2 are now busy, and Drive 3 is available.

The example on this slide continues the example from the previous slide. Multiple
Data Streams is enabled, and 6 jobs are entered into the system. Job 1 is active on
Drive 1, and Job 2 is queued. Drives 2 and 3 are available.

4–33
Maximum Jobs Per Client is changed from 1 to 3, 3 jobs become active, and 3
jobs are queued. All 3 drives are busy.

Maximum Streams per Drive changes from 1 to 2, there is no change in the
number of active jobs or busy drives.

4–35
Media Multiplexing changes from 1 to 2, 2 jobs now become active on each
drive.

Introduction to file system snapshots 4
After completing this topic, you will be able to discuss the advantages of using
VSS, off-host backups, and Replication Director.
What are point-in-time copies and how are they used during
backups?
Point-in-time copies, also known as snapshots, are used to provide a static copy of
data, even when the application is running and making modifications. Snapshots
provide the ability to achieve consistent backups, even while an application is
online. Point-in-time copies also provide the ability to work around the problem of
busy files.
Physical point-in-time copies

Physical point-in-time copies are full copies of the original data, such as a data
mirror that has been broken off from the primary data set.
The advantage of physical copies is that they are a completely separate copy of the
data from the original, and therefore have less performance impact when they are
being used. The disadvantage is they take just as much space as the original data,
which effectively means you need twice the storage of the primary data set for a
single snapshot. Examples of physical snapshots are hardware and software
mirroring, which allow break-off mirrors.
Logical point-in-time copies

Other snapshots are logical point-in-time copies. In these cases, the snapshot keeps
track of changed files or blocks by using some kind of caching or logging.
4–37
The advantage of logical point-in-time copies is that they only need enough space
to store changes, so they can be very size-efficient. The following are
disadvantages of logical point-in-time copies.
• Logical point-in-time copies are sometimes “copy-on-write.” This means that
they require changes on the production data to first copy original blocks or
files to the cache area, therefore affecting production performance.
• When a backup is running, many of the backup reads are being performed on
the primary data set, again affecting production performance.
• The cache size needs to be sized appropriately so that excessive changes do not
fill the cache area and cause the snapshot to become invalid.
Examples of logical snapshots are file system snapshot features, such as
Symantec’s Veritas File System snapshots and checkpoints, and Microsoft’s
Volume Shadow Copy Service in NTFS.
What are busy files?

A busy file is a file that is detected as changed during a backup job. Typically, this
occurs if a process is writing to a file while NetBackup is attempting to back it up.
The backup usually completes with status code 1, indicating that the backup was
partially successful. Busy-file processing enables the user to control the actions of
NetBackup when busy files are detected.
NetBackup handles busy files differently on UNIX clients and Windows clients.

Handling busy files on UNIX clients 4
Configure busy-file settings for UNIX clients using the NetBackup Administration
Console as follows:
1 Select NetBackup Management > Host Properties > Clients.
2 In the details pane, select the client.
3 Select Actions > Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box is displayed.
4 In the object tree pane, expand UNIX Client and select Busy File Settings.
5 Set the appropriate actions.
Alternatively, you can configure busy-file processing as follows:
1 Add the BUSY_FILE_PROCESSING option to the client’s
/usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file on the master server. This
enables busy-file processing.

2 Add other busy-file options to control the processing of busy files. These other
options can exist in both the client’s bp.conf file and the user’s
$HOME/bp.conf file. The user’s bp.conf file takes precedence when the
options are in both places.
Different users on the same client can have different configurations for that
client. In this case, these configurations are saved in the $HOME/bp.conf
file.
The following table describes the available busy file actions:

4–39
Busy file action Description
MAIL Mail a busy file notification message to the
BUSY_FILE_NOTIFY_USER.
REPEAT Retry the backup on the busy file. A retry count can
be added.
IGNORE The file is backed up as is, and a log entry indicates
the file was busy.
BUSY_FILE_NOTIFY_USER Specify the user to be notified (the default mail
recipient is root).
When processing busy files, NetBackup creates several files and directories:
• Initially, NetBackup creates the following working directory:
/usr/openv/netbackup/busy_files
• NetBackup then creates the following directory to store action files:
/usr/openv/netbackup/busy_files/actions
– An action file has the information that NetBackup uses to control the
processing of busy files.
– By default, the contents of the action file are derived from the
BUSY_FILE_ACTION option in bp.conf.
– A user can also create an action file to control a specific backup policy and
schedule.
• NetBackup also creates a directory for storing busy-file status and diagnostic
information:
/usr/openv/netbackup/busy_files/actions/logs

Handling busy files on Microsoft Windows clients 4
Open file backup options are set for each client in the Client Attributes section of
the Master Server properties. List the clients for which you want to control the
open file backup options in the Clients section of this dialog box. After the client
is added to the Clients list, you can manipulate the settings.
In NetBackup 7.x, the default snapshot provider used for Microsoft Windows
2003, XP SP2, and newer clients is Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which is
provided by Microsoft. Snapshot usage and error control settings are set here.
Individual drive snapshot usage takes a snapshot of each item in your files list
individually. Global drive snapshot usage takes a single snapshot of all items in
your files list together. When using VSS, consider how snapshots of drives are
taken for each client when making this setting. Snapshot error control can be set to
either abort a backup when a snapshot fails, or disable the snapshot for that backup
and continue when a snapshot operation fails.

NetBackup versions prior to version 7.x used the Veritas Snapshot Provider (VSP)
as the default method of backing up open and active files on Microsoft Windows
clients. To enable backing up open and active files, VSP first captures a snapshot
of each volume that needs to be backed up. After creating a snapshot of the
volume, a virtual drive representing a static copy of the volume in a point in time is
created, along with a corresponding VSP cache file. VSP remains the default Open
File Backup option for Windows 2000.

4–41
VSS configuration tips
Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is supported on systems running
Windows Server 2003 and later. VSS also runs on Windows XP, but it cannot be
configured or customized as it can with other Windows versions. Third-party
software vendors provide additional components that work in conjunction with
VSS. Specifications for configuration and use of VSS differ according to the
nature of the hardware on which it is running, the purpose of the machine, and
many other configuration factors.
VSS shadow copies for different volumes are set through the Disk Management
utilities of the Windows server on which they are installed. An example of the
Shadow Copies settings are shown on this slide. Shadow Copy settings can also
be made from the command line using the vssadmin utility. The vshadow
utility is also included in Software Deployment Kits for Windows Vista and later
versions, such as Windows 2008. Either of these utilities can be used from the
command line to configure VSS.
It is not possible to make general recommendations for the configuration and use
of VSS, but the following are useful general tips:
• Create the shadow copy for a particular volume on a separate volume. This is
so that a shadow copy does not fill up its own volume.
• Do not set a Maximum size limit for the shadow copy volume. After a volume
fills up, VSS automatically deletes expired shadow copy images.
Additional information on configuring and using VSS can be found on Microsoft’s
support Web site, or in support documentation for Windows operating systems.

Off-host backup 4
Off-host backups offload the backup processing from the application server to a
NetBackup media server. In an off-host backup, snapshots of the application
servers’ volumes are taken and split off into a different disk group. The disk group
with these snapshots is then imported locally on the media server and backed up to
tape or disk. Performance is much better because no data travels across the LAN,
and the tape silos can be placed on a backup fabric separate from production.
NetBackup Advanced Client provides the following off-host backup options:
alternate client backup, NetBackup Media Server, Third-Party Copy Device, and
Network Attached Storage.

4–43
Primary storage replication
In recent years, many filer and disk array vendors have begun to provide
technology and capabilities to create snapshots of primary data that is resident on
filers and arrays. This technology enables the replication of primary data snapshots
to other filers. Snapshots of primary data can be created nearly instantaneously,
enabling the protection of large amounts of data in a short period. Replicated
snapshots can be retained for a longer periods than is typical of the original
snapshots, and can be used for disaster recovery.
The administration of these snapshot and replication capabilities is in the domain
of the storage administrator. Typically, the backup application and backup
administrator are not involved.
Benefits of using primary storage replication for disaster recovery are that the
technology enables the protection of large amounts of data in a short time, thereby
providing improved RPO. Because of the ability to recover data quickly from a
snapshot, this technology provides improved RTO and disaster recovery
capabilities. Drawbacks of primary storage replication are that storage vendor
software is not optimized for scheduling, cataloging, and maintenance of
snapshots and replicas, making administration more difficult. Snapshot contents
are not cataloged, making the restore of individual files tedious and time-
consuming.

The challenge: Complexity 4
When you put the traditional data protection and primary storage replication
pictures together, the challenges inherent with maintaining two unique disaster
recovery environments are apparent. The main issue is complexity. The
complexity comes from the need to maintain two infrastructures. This often
requires two administrators or administration teams—one for backups and one for
storage using multiple, often complex, applications. With increased complexity
comes increased network, storage, and administrative costs.
Challenges include:
• Multiple point solutions
• Complex management
• Multiple administrators
• Multiple user interfaces
• Difficulty in determining the health of the environment

4–45
What is Replication Director?
With Replication Director, NetBackup adds an integrated solution for the creation,
management, and recovery of snapshots, replicated snapshots, and snapshot copies
on OpenStorage Technology (OST)-compliant vendor’s filers and arrays.
Realized value includes:
• Near-instant, low-impact data protection with optimized recovery
• Reduced administrative costs to deploy, configure, manage, and test
• Better RTO using the OpsCenter Operational Restore feature
Replication Director adds improved snapshot support to the NetBackup portfolio
and takes advantage of the use of snapshot replication for data protection purposes.
By using NetBackup’s storage lifecycle policies (SLPs), Replication Director
provides end-to-end protection using snapshots and snapshot replication,
sometimes known as disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T). In addition, managing

snapshot and snapshot replication in NetBackup enables you to use a single
application to monitor and report on both the traditional backup and primary
storage environments. The slide lists additional value provided by NetBackup and
Replication Director over storage solutions alone.
With NetBackup 7.5, the first storage vendor that supports Replication Director is
NetApp. The terms Snapshot, SnapMirror, and SnapVault are snapshot and
replication features that NetBackup controls in the context of NetApp data. The
term SnapDupe refers to duplicating a snapshot or snapshot replica to a
NetBackup-specific storage, such as tape.

NetApp integration using OpenStorage 4
Replication Director depends upon the NetBackup OpenStorage architecture and
the OpenStorage Frozen Image Method, or OST FIM.
For storage vendor devices to take advantage of Replication Director’s snapshot
capabilities, the storage vendor must write OST-compliant code that enables
NetBackup to issue commands to the filer or array to create, replicate, and perform
other snapshot-related operations.
In NetBackup 7.5, NetApp is the first storage vendor to provide OST-compliant
software to enable Replication Director. Additional details on this architecture
include:
• NetApp has called their software component the NBUPlugin.
• The NBUPlugin is installed on the NetApp DataFabric Manager server.
• The NBUPlugin is implemented as a Web server, listening on port 8085.

• The NBUPlugin is version 1.0.x in NetBackup 7.5.
This page illustrates, at a very high level, how NetBackup uses the OpenStorage
API to perform Replication Director operations related to the creation and
replication of snapshots. These operations are discussed in more detail later in this
lesson.

4–47
Using FlashBackup
After completing this topic, you will be able to describe how to perform raw-
partition backups using FlashBackup.
How is FlashBackup different?

FlashBackup is a policy type that combines the speed of raw-partition backups
with the ability to restore individual files. The following features distinguish
FlashBackup from other raw-partition backups and standard file system backups.
• Increased backup performance relative to standard file-ordered backup
methods
For example, a FlashBackup of a file system completes faster than other types
of backup when the file system contains a large number of files, and most of
the file system blocks are allocated.
• Restore of individual files from raw-partition backups

• Ability to back up VxFS (Solaris, HP, Linux, and AIX), ufs (Solaris), online
JFS (HP), and NTFS (Windows) file systems
• Support for multiple data streams to further increase the performance of raw
device backups

FlashBackup capabilities 4
Supported features
FlashBackup supports the I/O system components shown on the slide. In addition,
FlashBackup on Linux supports only the VxFS file system on VxVM volumes.
For Linux clients, no other file system is supported, and VxFS file systems are not
supported without VxVM volumes.
FlashBackup-Windows supports the backup and restore of NTFS files that are
compressed. FlashBackup-Windows supports Windows NTFS encryption and
compression, but it does not support NetBackup’s compression or encryption.
Note: The compressed NTFS files are backed up and restored as compressed files
(they are not uncompressed).
Restrictions
FlashBackup-Windows policies do not support the backup of Windows system-
protected files (the System State), such as the Registry and Active Directory.
FlashBackup-Windows policies do not support the backup of Windows OS
partitions that contain the Windows system files (usually C:\).
FlashBackup (UNIX) does not support any type of compression or encryption,
regardless of whether the encryption or compression is set in the NetBackup policy
or in the operating system.

4–49
The FlashBackup-Windows policy type
When configuring a FlashBackup policy for Windows operating systems, select
the FlashBackup-Windows policy type. Select the desired Policy storage and
Policy volume pool from the drop-down lists.
When FlashBackup-Windows is selected, the check box for Perform snapshot
backups is automatically marked. Click Options to perform additional
configuration.
Under the Backup Selections tab for the policy, specify the drive letter, mounted
volume, or raw disk partition containing the files to back up.
Following are Windows examples:
\\.\E:
\\.\E:\mounted_volume\

The FlashBackup policy type 4
When configuring a FlashBackup policy for UNIX operating systems, select the
FlashBackup policy type. Select the desired Policy storage and Policy volume
pool from the drop-down lists.
When the FlashBackup policy type is selected, the check box for Perform
snapshot backups is automatically marked. Click Options to perform additional
configuration.
Under the Backup Selections tab of the policy, specify the drive letter, mounted
volume, or raw disk partition containing the files to back up.
Following are Solaris examples:
/dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s6
/dev/vx/rdsk/volgrp1/vol1
For UNIX, under the Backup Selections tab, specify the raw (character) device
corresponding to the block device over which the file system is mounted. For
example, to back up /usr, mounted on /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s6, enter raw
device /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s6. Note the r in /rdsk.
Note: Wildcards, such as /dev/rdsk/c0*, are not permitted. The following
device file name specification is not supported:
/devices/pci@1f,0/pci@1/scsi@3/sd@1,0:d,raw
Snapshot and replication management

Replication Director depends upon the NetBackup OpenStorage architecture and
the OpenStorage Frozen Image Method, or OST FIM.
4–51
For storage vendor devices to take advantage of Replication Director’s snapshot
capabilities, the storage vendor must write OST-compliant code that enables
NetBackup to issue commands to the filer or array to create, replicate, and perform
other snapshot-related operations. In NetBackup 7.5, NetApp is the first storage
vendor to provide OST-compliant software to enable Replication Director.
Using Replication Director enables NetBackup to take control of the creation and
replication of snapshots for supported filers and disk arrays.
1 Based on NetBackup OST, Replication Director uses a NetBackup storage
lifecycle policy (SLP) to initiate the creation of a snapshot of the client data on
the primary storage device.
2 After the snapshot has been created, the policy manager uses the SLP to initiate
the replication of the snapshot. In the example illustrated on this slide, the first
snapshot replication occurs to a filer located in the production data center.
3 Although NetBackup supports many NetApp snapshot replication cascades,
this slide illustrates that the storage lifecycle policy is used to initiate a second
replication of the snapshot to a filer located at the disaster recovery (DR) site.
4 Finally, you may want to create a NetBackup backup image, which is a tar-
based copy of the snapshot on secondary storage, to either disk or tape. The
Replication Director feature of NetBackup can use the SLP to create this tar
copy by performing a backup from snapshot operation.

4
4–53

Lesson 5
Introduction to Enterprise Backups

191

Application protection concepts
• Discuss application backup types.
• Describe the features of Granular Restore Technology (GRT) and Block Level
Incremental Backups (BLIB).
5
Application backup concerns
This slide describes the high level concerns you need to consider when preparing
for application backups. At a minimum, you should ask and answer the questions
shown on the slide. For many of the popular databases, such as Oracle, Microsoft
Exchange, and Microsoft SQL, there are Symantec NetBackup agents that answer
these questions and simplify the configuration and running of backups and restores
of these databases.

193 Lesson 5 Introduction to Enterprise Backups
5–3
How backups are initiated in NetBackup
Backups can be initiated in a number of ways in NetBackup:
• Most backups start automatically based on the schedules defined by the
NetBackup administrator. These include full schedules, incremental schedules
(both differential and cumulative), and automatic schedules, used by some
NetBackup agents to control when the application schedule runs. These
schedules tend to be based on frequency or on a calendar.
• Manual backups enable you to perform the backup immediately, on demand.
For this reason, they are sometimes known as immediate backups. Manual
backups can be initiated from any of the NetBackup administrative interfaces,
including the Administration Console, the command line, and OpsCenter.
Manual backups can also be run by schedulers outside of NetBackup, such as
scripts, the cron utility, or the Windows Task Scheduler.
• Application or user schedules, including user backups and archives, are client-
requested backups that enable the end-user or application on the NetBackup
client to control when a backup runs and which information is contained in the
backup. By default, users and applications on the client do not have permission
to request backups: the NetBackup administrator must create specific
schedules to allow this, and may choose to limit client requested backups to
specific hosts or at specific times of the day. Client requested backups do not
use the policy’s Backup Selections list; the user or application always chooses
what is to be protected at the time the backup runs. Some application backups
may be initiated by special automatic schedules by the NetBackup scheduler.

NetBackup policy types
As shown on the slide, there are many policy types in NetBackup, which
correspond to different ways of handling different types of data:
• File system data
File system backups tend to use either Standard or MS-Windows policy types
to back up UNIX or Windows file systems, respectively. 5
• NetBackup data
The NBU-Catalog policy type is special, and used specifically to back up the
NetBackup master server configuration, databases, and catalogs.
• Offsite data copies
The Vault policy type is used with the NetBackup Vault feature, for making
and tracking offsite copies of data for disaster recovery purposes.
• Databases, applications, and virtual machines

Many of the other policy types are used to back up specific applications, file
systems, or virtual machines. The policy type helps NetBackup determine how
to communicate and collect data. It performs this in coordination with the
application, sometimes with the goal of higher availability or automation of
tasks, such as controlling the starting and stopping of services, log truncation,
or enabling online backup methods.
Note: Prior to NetBackup 7.5, the FlashBackup-Windows policy type was used
for VMware and Hyper-V backups; however, starting in NetBackup 7.5,
Symantec recommends using the new VMware and Hyper-V policy types.

5–5
Choosing a policy type (Oracle example)
When configuring your environment to back up an application, it is important to
note that there may be multiple ways of achieving the same goal: being able to
back up and restore data.
When choosing the appropriate type of policy, consider the following:
• What kind of clients are going to be backed up by this policy?
• What type of files are going to be backed up?
• How much intervention can you tolerate when restoring the data?
This slide shows three ways you can choose to back up an Oracle database:
1 The database is shut down completely, and the database files are backed up as
standard files in a file system. When the backup is complete, the database can
be restarted. Database shutdown must be automated through scheduling or
scripting.
2 Within the Oracle database, the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) is used to
automate the process of dumping the database to files in the file system.
NetBackup is scheduled to systematically archive these files with a normal file
system backup policy.
3 The NetBackup Agent for Oracle contains everything that is needed to
successfully back up and restore an Oracle database by using APIs to control
RMAN and back up the database on NetBackup’s schedule, without affecting
database downtime. This method requires additional NetBackup licensing.

Application backup-related features
Granular Recovery Technology (GRT)

Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) enables the ability to restore individual
objects, such as mailbox and public folder items in Exchange, from full database
backups.
5
Block-level incremental (BLI) backups
The block-level incremental (BLI) backup interface extends the capabilities of
NetBackup to back up only changed data blocks.
A database BLI backup is performed at the file system block level, which means
that only changed blocks are backed up. Large database files or virtual machine
disk files that only have a very small percentage of changed data no longer require
the entire file to be backed up.

Integration with features, such as VxFS Storage Checkpoint, enables changed
block identification in real time. BLI backup does not need to search the entire
database for the modified blocks, which saves time, decreases the amount of
backup media that is required, and significantly reduces CPU and network
overhead during backups. In addition, because BLI backup enables more frequent
backups, backup images are more up to date.
BLI backup is particularly useful for any large databases that are sized in terms of
hundreds of gigabytes or terabytes. With BLI backup, only modified data blocks
need to be backed up. This technology is supported for some applications, such as
Oracle databases and VMware virtual machines, with the vStorage API.
5–7
Introduction to database backups
After completing this topic, you will be able to discuss options for backing up and
restoring Oracle and MS-SQL and how transactions logs can be affected.
Database overview
Definitions for a database, database system, and database management system
(DBMS) are provided on the slide.
Some well-known DBMSs are also listed.
Some basic database backup and restore concepts are discussed on the following
slides.

Database failures and resiliency
Database failures can be caused by a number of physical and logical problems. A
sampling of these is listed in the left side of the slide.
Recovering from these failures is achieved using a number of different strategies,
such as:
• Database transaction logs 5
• Database redo logs

• Storage redundancy and mirroring
• Snapshot technologies
• Data backups
• Replication
Each of these strategies can protect against some of the failure types. Each of them
also provides advantages and disadvantages, such as backup performance, restore

performance, and the minimization of database downtime. None of these methods
protects against all types of failures, and it is only with a comprehensive strategy
that takes into account all of these methods, that you are best equipped to handle a
disaster.
NetBackup provides the advantage of not only managing data backups, but also
being able to initiate restores within the application to take advantage of
transaction and redo logs, snapshots, and some replication features.

5–9
Determining your backup strategy
You have numerous options and choices when backing up a database:
• Physical or logical data backups
One of the first choices you must make is how to execute the backup process.
How you choose to back up your database influences other choices later in the
process.
The most common backup method is a physical backup of a database. This
method creates a mirror image of the database that is complete in detail down
to the physical location of the data blocks. You can occasionally perform a
logical backup, which exports a snapshot of the data from the database but
does not record the physical structure of the database.
• Cold (offline) backups
A consistent backup is commonly referred to as a cold backup because the
database must be shut down (offline) while the backup is performed. With a
cold backup, recovery actions are not needed to restart the database after a
restore.
• Hot (online) backups
An inconsistent backup is commonly referred to as a hot backup because the
database is open and operational (online) while the backup is performed. The
database must maintain an updated record of transactions that occur while the
backup is performed. With a hot backup, recovery actions are necessary before
you can restart the database after a restore, which usually involve using the
previously recorded set of transactions to assist in recovering the data to a
consistent state.
• Databases and partial backups
Other factors to consider when performing physical backups are database size
and tablespace traffic. Complete database backups take longer and require
large amounts of storage space. If you structure your database so that only
certain data files or tablespaces are modified regularly, you can save time and
storage space by backing up only the elements that change.
When you perform a database backup, all constituent files of the database are
backed up as a coherent whole.
An individual tablespace can be backed up independent of the remainder of the
database. Because tablespaces can consist of multiple data files, backing up
tablespaces is more common than backing up individual data files. Backing up
a tablespace is generally an online backup.
As with a tablespace backup, individual data files can be backed up
independent of the remainder of the database. If a tablespace consists of only
one file, this is identical to a tablespace backup. Otherwise, the effect is to back
up only a portion of a tablespace. Backing up a data file is generally an online
backup.
• Full and incremental backups
Running full backups can be prohibitive when the data set is very large. Use
incremental backups that take advantage of database transaction logs to
shorten the backup window and automate database log maintenance.
Additionally, Oracle supports block level incremental (BLI) backups to
provide increased performance and reduced resource usage.
• Backup storage destination
One of the key advantages of having NetBackup manage the database backups
is that they can be sent to any of the storage methods supported by NetBackup, 5
including tape-based, disk-based, or deduplication-based storage.
• Physical destination
Another advantage of using NetBackup is the range of physical destinations
and strategies that are supported, including automated duplication to any
supported storage destination, automation and management of offsite media
storage, and various replication features and technologies.
NetBackup agents optimize the performance of critical databases and applications
by providing the ability to use all of these backup strategies and technologies.

5–11
Database agent example: Oracle
The screen shot on the slide shows an example of a NetBackup database agent
policy.
In this example, an Oracle database is being protected. Note that the application
backup schedule enables the Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) to connect to the
master server and run backups. Database backups are treated identically to user
backups in NetBackup, except that the user in this case is RMAN.
In this example, the administrator also added an automatic full schedule. The
function of the automatic schedule is to enable the Oracle backups to be scheduled
using the NetBackup scheduler. The automatic schedule also specifies whether it is
a full or an incremental backup. Note that the retention is specified by the
application schedule, but the frequency is specified by the automatic schedule.
Also note that the Backup Selections for this policy is a script. It is common for
database backup policies to call a script instead of specifying specific files or

directories to protect. These scripts may be written by the Oracle administrator or
by the NetBackup administrator. For many database agents, such as the Microsoft
SQL server agent, NetBackup provides graphical tools to assist in the creation of
scripts for database backup and recovery.

Monitoring backups with an Oracle policy type
Backups that are initiated through application type policies can be monitored and
managed within the normal NetBackup methods: using the Activity Monitor and
other NetBackup interfaces.
In the example on the slide:
1 The NetBackup master server initiates the backup using an automatic full 5
schedule.
2 The Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN) connects to the master server.
3 RMAN sends the Oracle data using the NetBackup client.
In this example, because the Oracle server is a storage area network (SAN) media
server, it sends the backup data directly to tape or disk for improved performance.
If the Oracle server were a standard NetBackup client, it would send its data across
the local area network (LAN) to a media server.

203 Lesson 5 Introduction to Enterprise Backups Copyright © 2012 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
5–13
Introduction to enterprise application backups
After completing this topic, you will be able to discuss options for backing up and
restoring Exchange, Active Directory, SharePoint, and Enterprise Vault.
Database backups for Microsoft Exchange Server

NetBackup for Microsoft Exchange Server extends the capabilities of NetBackup
to include online backups and restores of Exchange databases when Exchange
Server is installed.
Some key advantages to using the NetBackup agent for Microsoft Exchange
include:
• Exchange Server data and transaction logs can be backed up without taking the
Exchange Server offline. Exchange services and data remain available.
• Exchange Server backups can be saved directly to a wide variety of storage
devices that the NetBackup master server supports.

• NetBackup supports all Exchange Server backup methods, including full,
cumulative incremental, and differential incremental backups.
• From one-pass backups of Exchange, Granular Restore Technology (GRT) can
be used to create consistent full backups, as well as restore Exchange storage
groups or databases and individual database objects. This backup takes much
less time than prior MAPI-based (brick-level) backups.
• From a one-pass backup of a virtual machine running Exchange, a GRT-
enabled backup can be created for full restore or granular restore ability.
• NetBackup for Exchange supports backups of Exchange 2010 stand-alone
servers and Exchange 2010 Database Availability Groups (DAGs).
• NetBackup can back up and restore storage groups and databases within the
storage group.
• For snapshot backups, NetBackup uses the Microsoft consistency check API to
check the consistency of databases and transaction logs and to provide
additional details. This speeds up a snapshot backup because it allows the
backup to proceed in parallel with the consistency check.
• NetBackup for Exchange can perform backups and restores of Exchange
objects with snapshot methodology. With a separate Snapshot Client license,
you can perform off-host backups, Instant Recovery backups, and backups
with a hardware provider.
• Exchange 2007 and later backups can be restored to another database or
another storage group on the local server or on a different server. Exchange
2003 snapshot backups can be restored to an identical storage group on a
different server.
• Exchange 2007 and later backups can be redirected to the recovery database or
recovery storage group (RSG). Streaming backups of Exchange 2003 can be
redirected to the RSG.
• The NetBackup for Exchange Server agent supports Microsoft Cluster Server
(MSCS) environment and Veritas Cluster Server (VCS).
For additional details, see the Symantec NetBackup for Microsoft Exchange Server
Administrator’s Guide.
5

5–15
Enterprise agent example: Microsoft Exchange
This is an example of an enterprise agent for NetBackup. Enterprise agents use
special directives in the Backup Selections list to define what is protected. In this
example, Microsoft Exchange is being protected. The NetBackup administrator
added a user backup schedule in addition to an automatic full backup. Note that
having a user backup schedule is not mandatory to protect Microsoft Exchange,
but it does provide increased flexibility.

Database backups for Microsoft SharePoint Server
NetBackup for SharePoint extends the capabilities of NetBackup to include online
backups and restores of a SharePoint server. The NetBackup agent for Microsoft
SharePoint Server is an optional, add-on component to the NetBackup for
Windows client software.
Some key advantages to using the NetBackup agent for SharePoint Server include: 5
• SharePoint Server objects can be backed up without taking the SharePoint
Server offline. SharePoint services and data are available during the backup.
• NetBackup supports full and differential-incremental backups of SharePoint.
• NetBackup for SharePoint is tightly integrated with NetBackup, including
support for NetBackup storage destinations and features.
• NetBackup for SharePoint supports the backup and recovery of multiple
SharePoint Server installations from a central location.
• Auto discovery is used where the topology is read from the SharePoint front-
end Web server and the backup selections list is automatically built.
• A user can perform backups of SharePoint Server resources through the
Backup, Archive, and Restore client interface on the front-end Web server.
• VMware backups that protect SharePoint Server provide granular recovery,
complete protection of the farm, and protection of the SharePoint components
in the Windows files system.
For additional details, see the Symantec NetBackup for Microsoft SharePoint
Server Administrator’s Guide.

5–17
Database backups for Microsoft Active Directory
Active Directory (AD) is a directory service created by Microsoft for Windows
domain networks. Active Directory serves as a central location for network
administration and security. It is responsible for authenticating and authorizing all
users and computers within a network of Windows domain type. Administrators
can use Active Directory for assigning and enforcing security policies for all
computers in a network, and for installing or updating software on network
computers. Server computers with Active Directory running are called domain
controllers.
NetBackup can be used to restore individual objects and attributes in the Active
Directory, instead of restoring the entire Active Directory. Administrators can also
restore deleted objects, known as tombstone objects, from the Active Directory.
Active Directory granular NetBackup restores are supported on the following
systems:
• Windows 2003 R2 SP2
• Windows 2008
• Windows 2008 R2

Granular Recovery Technology (GRT)
Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) enables the ability to restore individual
objects, such as mailbox and public folder items in Exchange, from full database
backups.
This type of backup can serve both kinds of recovery situations. From the same
backup image, you can restore entire storage groups or databases, or you can select 5
individual objects within that backup. This backup replaces the existing MAPI
mailbox backup, sometimes referred to as a brick-level backup, which took a
significant amount of time with Microsoft Exchange.
You can restore individual items using GRT from the following types of backups:
• Full or user-directed backups (Incremental backups are not yet supported.)
• Local snapshot backups
• Off-host snapshot backups

• Instant recovery backups, when the schedule copies the snapshot to a storage
unit
• Replica snapshot backups
• Streaming backups (Exchange 2007 and earlier)

5–19
Database backups for Symantec Enterprise Vault
Symantec Enterprise Vault enables an organization to store messaging and file
system data automatically in centrally-held archives. Clients and users can retrieve
selected items easily and quickly when required.
Enterprise Vault can archive any of the following types of data:
• Items in Microsoft Exchange user and journal mailboxes
• Items in Domino mail files and journal databases
• Files held on network file servers
• Documents held on Microsoft SharePoint servers
• Instant Messages, Bloomberg messages, and SMTP messages
The NetBackup Enterprise Vault agent consists of the components that enable you
to protect the Enterprise Vault configuration and archived data. The NetBackup
7.5 agent supports Enterprise Vault 7.5, 8.0, 9.0, and 10 configurations.
The Enterprise Vault agent enables you to back up and restore the Enterprise Vault
file system data and the Enterprise Vault SQL data. These types of data can reside
on different systems or devices, such as NTFS or NAS devices.
The Enterprise Vault agent also serves as a disaster recovery solution for data that
is archived using Enterprise Vault. Recovery of the archived data is not dependent
on the archive source, such as Exchange Server or a specific file system.
For additional details, see the Symantec NetBackup for Enterprise Vault Agent
Administrator’s Guide. Some Enterprise Vault databases may not be automatically
backed up with the agent; see the documentation for details.

Introduction to virtual machine backups
After completing this topic, you will be able to discuss support for protecting
virtual machines.
Machine virtualization overview

A virtual machine provides a complete system platform that supports the execution
5
of a complete operating system.
Virtual machines, sometimes referred to as VMs, enable the sharing of the
underlying physical machine resources between virtual machines, each running its
own operating system. The software layer providing the virtualization is called a
virtual machine monitor or hypervisor. A hypervisor can run on bare hardware
(native VM) or on top of an operating system (hosted VM). An example of a
hypervisor running on bare hardware is VMware ESX Server. An example of a
hypervisor running on top of an operating system is VMware Server and

Workstation. In the case of Microsoft Hyper-V, the hypervisor runs on a special
version of the Windows operating system.
NetBackup support for virtual machines

VMs consist of a number of files, including the critical virtual hard disk file
(VHDK), which contains the operating system and data for that VM. Traditionally,
backing up the VHDK file enables you to easily restore the VM but does not
provide the ability to perform individual file restores. Conversely, backing up files
from the VM as a normal client prevents easily restoring the full virtual hard drives
in the case of disaster recovery. NetBackup provides the ability to easily back up
and restore the VHDK file while allowing for granular, individual file restore.
5–21
Overview of NetBackup for VMware
NetBackup support for VMware virtual machines includes the ability to:
• Perform single-pass backups of virtual machines that provide full VM
recovery or file-level restores.
• Create policies using the VMware policy type that includes automatic virtual
machine selection and a query builder, simplifying backup configuration.
• Perform application-aware backups for granular recovery of popular
applications that run in the virtual machine.
• Perform backups of the full virtual machine, as well as incremental backups.
• Perform block-level incremental backups, which avoids backing up unused
space (storage optimized backups) because of NetBackup’s support for
VMware’s vStorage API.
• Perform off-host backups of virtual machines, which reduces the backup
processing load on the VMware host.

• Increase the backup speed, relative to standard file-order backup methods, if
the virtual machine is heavily populated with small files.
• Use snapshot technology to keep virtual machines fully available using
automatically created, quiesced snapshots for Windows and Linux VMs.
• Use VMware vSphere and related features.
• Perform backups of virtual machines, even when they are turned off.
• Review support details in article TECH127089: Support for NetBackup 7.x in
virtual environments, found online at http://www.symantec.com/
docs/TECH127089.

VMware and NetBackup for VMware components
The slide lists VMware components and components used by NetBackup when
backing up VMware.
The VMware vCenter server is not required for NetBackup to perform VMware
virtual machine backups; however, certain features may not be available or
alternate configurations may need to be used, such as VMware Consolidated 5
Backups (VCB) and the FlashBackup-Windows policy type. See the Symantec
NetBackup VMware Administrator’s Guide for further details.
The VMware backup host has certain operating system restrictions. These are
discussed on the following slide.
Note: The VMware backup host was referred to as the VMware backup proxy
server in some prior releases.
To perform backups that enable full VM and file-level recovery, the NetBackup
client does not need to be installed in the VM.
The NetBackup client needs to be installed in the following circumstances:
• Performing individual file restores directly to the virtual machine
The NetBackup client is required to perform a restore to a host. Without the
NetBackup client installed in the VM, an alternate client restores is necessary,
for example, to a shared folder that is mapped to the VM. Alternatively, the
NetBackup client can be installed in the virtual machine to enable restores
directly to the VM.

5–23
• Truncating transaction logs with a VMware backup policy
When using a VMware policy to back up a virtual machine that contains a
Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL database, if you want the backup to
truncate transaction logs, the NetBackup client must be installed.
• Using the VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) method to back up a virtual
machine, and desiring file-level restore capability
The NetBackup client must be installed to provide file-level restores using the
VCB method. Additionally, the policy type must be a Windows-FlashBackup
policy because the VMware policy type does not support the VCB method.
Note: The VCB method is not supported by NetBackup 7.5, and requires
earlier versions of NetBackup. See the Symantec NetBackup for
VMware Administrator’s Guide for more details on VCB backups and
requirements.

The VMware and NetBackup environment
The VMware backup host has operating system restrictions:
• NetBackup master server, media server, or clients running Windows 2003,
2008, or 2008 R2 server
• Starting in NetBackup 7.5.0.2, NetBackup appliances with firmware 2.5
• Starting in NetBackup 7.5.0.3, certain versions of specific Linux platforms 5
For the latest information, refer to Symantec Article DOC5605: Symantec

NetBackup for VMware Administrator's Guide – Release 7.5.0.x, which is found
online at http://www.symantec.com/docs/DOC5605, or the latest
NetBackup for VMware documentation.
Note: For more efficient backups, Symantec recommends installing the

NetBackup media server and the VMware backup host on the same host.
The slide shows two possibilities for NetBackup for VMware environments:
• Local area network (LAN) access to datastore
In this environment, because the backup host accesses the VMware datastore
using the ESX servers, the data in the datastore travels over the TCP/IP
network.
• Storage area network (SAN) access to datastore
The backup host in these environments access the VMware datastore directly over
the SAN, which usually has better performance, is more efficient, and has less
impact on the ESX servers.
5–25
Configuring VMware backups
Configuring VMware backups is covered in detail in the Symantec NetBackup for
VMware Administrator’s Guide. See the documentation for detailed steps, notes,
and limitations.
The general VMware configuration steps include:
1 Setting up the VMware disk storage
2 Installing the ESX servers and virtual machines
3 Installing VMware tools on the virtual machines
4 Optionally installing a vCenter server
The vCenter server is required to use vStorage integration. However, some
environments may require a VMware Converter server on the VMware restore
host for recovering VCB backups. See the documentation for details.
The general NetBackup for VMware configuration steps include:

1 Installing the NetBackup master and media servers, and environment
2 Adding the Enterprise Client license
3 Installing the NetBackup client on the VMware backup host
4 Adding the VMware backup host to the NetBackup configuration
5 Adding credentials for VMware to the NetBackup configuration
6 Creating NetBackup policies for VMware virtual machines
Some of these steps are shown on the following slides.

Adding VMware backup host to NetBackup
• Add any VMware backup hosts to the Host Properties for the master server:
a Click Host Properties > Master Servers, double-click the NetBackup
master server, and click VMware Access Hosts.
b Click Add, enter the VMware backup host, and click Add.
c When you are finished adding hosts, click Close. 5
Note: Starting in NetBackup 7.5, this procedure is not required for any backup
host that is also a media server. In the policy’s VMware backup host
drop-down list, select the Windows media server or Backup Media Server
to use any available media server.
Resource limits
Optionally, set limits on the use of VMware resources:
1 In the Properties screen, scroll down in the left pane and click Resource
Limit.
2 Click in the Resource Limit column to set the maximum NetBackup usage for
the resource type. The settings apply to all policies.
The default for all resource limits is unlimited. The screen shot shows a
maximum of four simultaneous backup jobs to any ESX server at a given time.
For details on resource limit types and behavior, see the Symantec NetBackup for
VMware Administrator’s Guide.

5–27
Adding VMware credentials to NetBackup
• Add VMware credentials to NetBackup.
To back up or restore virtual machines, the NetBackup server requires logon
credentials to the VMware ESX servers or the VMware vCenter servers.
In the NetBackup Administration Console, perform the following:
a Expand Media and Device Management > Credentials > Virtual
Machine Servers.
b Select Actions > New > New Virtual Machine Server.
c In the Add Virtual Machine Server dialog box, enter the name of a virtual
machine server (vCenter server or ESX server).
d In the Credentials pane of the Virtual Machine Server dialog box, enter
the following:
› Virtual machine server type of VMware Virtual Center server,
VMware ESX Server, or VMware Restore ESX Server.

› Username
› Password
› If the default port number has changed, mark the Connect using port
number check box, and enter the port number.
e Click OK.
f If your site has multiple standalone ESX servers, use the Virtual Machine
Server dialog box to enter credentials for each ESX server.

Creating a NetBackup policy for VMware
• To create a backup policy, use either the Policy Configuration Wizard or the
Policies utility in the NetBackup Administration Console.
There are two policy types that are generally used to back up VMware virtual
machines:
– VMware policy type 5
This policy type was introduced in NetBackup 7.5. When it is selected, a
new VMware tab is displayed in the policy configuration dialog. This tab
contains VMware-specific parameters.
Symantec recommends using the VMware policy type. This policy type is
discussed in this lesson.
– FlashBackup-Windows policy type
This policy type was used to back up virtual machines in versions prior to
NetBackup 7.5. It is still supported, and in fact required under some

circumstances, for example when using the VMware Consolidated Backup
(VCB) method to back up virtual machines.
Note: Symantec does not recommend using this policy type to back up
virtual machines unless it is required, because this policy type does
not support newer backup functionality and features.
To migrate FlashBackup-Windows policies to use the new VMware

policy type, see the nbplupgrade utility in the Symantec NetBackup
5–29
Adding clients to a VMware policy
When protecting VMware virtual machines you have the option to manually select
them by their attributes, such as, hostname or to automatically discover them by
building a query. When the manual option is selected you can enter the virtual
machine hostname, VMware display name, DNS name or VMware UUID. When
the Select automatically through the query option is selected you can construct a
query which will automatically discover virtual machines to be backed up using
the criteria you have selected. Note that using the query method is required if you
are using VADP to do application backups (Exchange, SQL Server or SharePoint).
You can leave the search criteria blank, which will cause NetBackup to protect all
virtual machines discovered to that backup host, or you can enter more specific
criteria to include or exclude virtual machines. An advanced query builder and a
query test function is also provided. For more information about working with
queries and VMware backups, see the NetBackup for VMWare Administrator’s
Guide.

NetBackup for VMware backup process example
The process within NetBackup for VMware-based backups follows these general
steps:
1 The NetBackup master server starts the backup and initiates a VMware
snapshot.
2 The VMware backup host (in many cases the Windows media server) reads the 5
VMDK files, maps their contents using the vStorage APIs to index individual
files and ensure only used space is being written, and writes the backup
directly to disk or tape.
3 After the backup completes successfully, the VMWare snapshot is deleted.

5–31
Overview of NetBackup for Hyper-V
NetBackup support for Hyper-V virtual machines includes the ability to:
• Perform backups of the full virtual machine, as well as file-level incremental
backups.
• Create policies of the Hyper-V policy type for simplified configuration of
Hyper-V backups.
• Perform off-host backups of virtual machines, which reduces the backup
processing load on the Hyper-V host.
• Use snapshot technology to keep virtual machines 100% available to users.
This automatically creates quiesced snapshots using VSS on Windows.
• Restore selected files from full virtual machine backups to the original virtual
machine, to other locations on the Hyper-V server, or to a different Hyper-V
server.
• Review support details in article TECH127089: Support for NetBackup 7.x in

virtual environments, found online at
http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH127089.

Hyper-V and NetBackup for Hyper-V components
This slide lists Hyper-V components and components used by NetBackup when
backing up Hyper-V.
5

5–33
The Hyper-V and NetBackup environment
This slide shows a NetBackup for Hyper-V environment on a local- or wide-area
network.
To use the NetBackup 7.5 Hyper-V policy type, a NetBackup 7.5 or later client
must exist on each Hyper-V server.
For the optional off-host backup approach, a NetBackup client must be installed on
the alternate client.
Note: In most cases, the NetBackup client does not need to be installed on any
virtual machine. For exceptions, see the Symantec NetBackup for Hyper-V
Administrator’s Guide.

Configuring Hyper-V backups
Configuring Hyper-V backups is covered in detail in the Symantec NetBackup for
Hyper-V Administrator’s Guide. See the documentation for detailed steps, notes,
and limitations.
The general NetBackup for Hyper-V configuration steps include:
1 Installing the NetBackup master and media servers, and environment 5
2 Adding the Enterprise Client license

3 Installing the NetBackup client on the Hyper-V servers
4 Creating NetBackup policies for Hyper-V virtual machines

5–35
Creating a NetBackup Hyper-V policy
To create a backup policy, use one of the following methods:
1 Policy Configuration Wizard in the NetBackup Administration Console
2 Policies utility in the NetBackup Administration Console
There are two policy types that are generally used to back up Hyper-V virtual
machines:
• Hyper-V policy type
This policy type was introduced in NetBackup 7.5. When it is selected, a new
Hyper-V tab is displayed in the policy configuration dialog box. This tab
contains Hyper-V-specific parameters.
• FlashBackup-Windows policy type
This policy type was used in prior versions of NetBackup to back up virtual
machines. It is still supported.

Because this policy type does not support newer backup functionality and
features, Symantec does not recommend using this policy type to back up
virtual machines unless it is required.
To migrate FlashBackup-Windows policies to use the new Hyper-V policy
type, see the nbplupgrade utility in the Symantec NetBackup Commands
Reference Guide.
For details on policy attributes and advanced attributes under the Advanced
button, see the Symantec NetBackup for Hyper-V Administrator’s Guide.

Restoring VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines
When restoring virtual machine data, select the type of restore based on the desired
outcome, as follows:
• If individual files are to be restored, select Restore from Normal Backup.
This lists the files inside the virtual machine that were backed up. The steps to
select and restore individual files are the same as they are for normal physical 5
servers. Individual files may be restored back to the virtual machine or to any
alternate client. To restore directly to a virtual machine, the NetBackup client
must be installed in the virtual machine. If it is not desirable to install the
NetBackup client in the virtual machine, consider a restore to a shared
directory.
• To restore a full virtual machine, select Restore from Virtual Machine
Backup.
This enables the VMDK (VMware) or VHD files (Hyper-V) that represent the
complete virtual machine to be restored.

5–37
Protecting Solaris virtual machines
The Solaris UNIX operating system has two virtual machine methodologies:
• Solaris zones
• Oracle Solaris virtualization (formerly known as logical domains or LDoms)
Both of these types of virtual machines are described on the slide, and are
supported in NetBackup with various requirements and limitations.
For details, see Symantec Article TECH162994: NetBackup Support for Oracle
Solaris Virtualization, which can be found online at:

5

5–39

Lesson 6
Working with Support

231

Support resources
After completing this topic, you will be able to identify available resources for
NetBackup troubleshooting.
The Symantec Support Web site

The Symantec Support Web site provides information and tools to help you
maintain your NetBackup environment. Navigate to
http://www.symantec.com/support and select NetBackup Enterprise
Server from the list of Support for Top Products. The NetBackup Enterprise
Server support page provides access to:
• Searching the Knowledge Base TechNotes
• Downloads, including manuals, release updates, and utilities 6
• Documentation for specific product versions and platforms

• Software alerts for critical issues that may affect your product
• Compatibility lists for peripherals, platforms, and software
• Release details for version-specific release type, date, and end-of-support-life
information
• Support forums, including Symantec Technology Network forums and peer-to-
peer news groups
• E-mail support for noncritical technical questions
• Information on how to contact Technical Support and manage any outstanding
case through MySupport Online Case Management

233 Lesson 6 Working with Support Copyright © 2012 Symantec Corporation. All rights reserved.
6–3
The NetBackup troubleshooting checklist
If you receive an error message or suspect that an error has occurred, you can
diagnose the source of NetBackup problems by using the following checklist.
Key points of this checklist are detailed later in this lesson.
1 Check for job failure in the Activity Monitor or in the Client Backups report.
This provides the backup ID and other related information for the failed job.
Double-click the failed job to view the Job Details windows for more
information.
2 Use the Troubleshooting Wizard in the Job Details window to display
comprehensive troubleshooting recommendations for the error.
3 See the Symantec NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide.
4 Examine the Problems and All Log Entries reports.
5 Check the Knowledge Base at the Symantec Support Web site:

http://www.symantec.com/support
6 Confirm that all services or daemons are running.
7 At this point, if you have not been able to resolve the issue, you probably need
to escalate the issue. Gather as much information as you can about the error
including:
– • What is the exact error message?
– • What, specifically, is failing?
– • How is it failing?
– • In which systems or subsystems is the failure located?

– • When was this issue first observed?
– • Have there been recurrences of the failure?
– • Is there a trend?
– • Are unique conditions or circumstances involved?.
8 If you are still unable to resolve the problem, contact Symantec Technical
Support.
9 Enable logging for the appropriate processes, restart the services, and force a
manual backup under a test policy. Examine the resulting log files for errors.
Run nbcplogs or NBSU to gather related system and NetBackup
environmental information. These are discussed later in this lesson.
6

6–5
The NetBackup troubleshooter
The success or failure of a NetBackup operation is identified with a status code.
Details about the problem represented by the status code are available using:
• The NetBackup Administration Console
– Activity Monitor, the Jobs tab
Double-click the affected job to obtain Job Details. The Detailed Status
tab provides access to the Troubleshooter button, the Troubleshooter
Problem tab summarizes the status code, the Troubleshoot tab provides
detailed directions to collect related information, and the Symantec
Support tab points out the appropriate Support URL for this status code.
– The Troubleshooter tool bar button
Type a status code and click Lookup to display the Problem,
Troubleshoot, and Symantec Support tabs. These tabs are also accessed
by selecting Help > Troubleshooter.

• The bperror command:
bperror -S status_code -r
• Online help, by selecting Help > Help Topics to access NetBackup Status
Codes and Messages
• The Symantec NetBackup Status Codes Reference Guide
• OpsCenter, using the clickable link for job status code
• The Symantec Support Web site, by searching the NetBackup Enterprise
Server Knowledge Base for “status code status_code_number”.

Reports for troubleshooting
The table on this slide summarizes some of the reports available in NetBackup that
can assist in troubleshooting various types of problems.
In addition, this slide shows the CLI equivalents to the reports that are available in
the NetBackup Administration Console. Note that the command examples shown
produce the simplest forms of the report. When you run one of these reports from
the command line, there are many options you can use to customize the output.
See the Symantec NetBackup Commands Reference Guide for more information
about running commands.
6

6–7
The All Log Entries report
The All Log Entries report displays logging information captured by NetBackup.
The information in this report is derived from the error catalog on the master
server. Unlike the detailed debug logs, the logging recorded to the error catalog is
always active; therefore, information is always available in this report. This report
displays all the information in the error catalog, including routine messages and
events and problems. When possible, NetBackup displays a severity for each
message.
To access the information in this report from the command line, type:
bperror -U

The Problems report
The Problems report displays logging information from the error catalog on the
master server. The Problems report is basically a filter for the All Log Entries
report. The Problems report only displays messages that appear to be errors or
problems; routine messages are not displayed. This report can be very helpful in
troubleshooting failed jobs because there is less output to sort through, and the
output is more likely to be relevant.
To access the information in this report from the command line, type:
bperror –problems -U
6

6–9
The Media Logs report
The Media Logs report displays errors that are specifically related to backup
media, for example, physical errors related to tape or disk media. The Media Logs
report is another filter of the All Log Entries report, and derives its information
from the error catalog on the master server.
Note that there are also separate reports for Tape Logs and Disk Logs, which filter
the results to display only errors related to tape or disk media, respectively. Having
separate reports for tape and disk enables you to identify problems quickly without
sorting through a large amount of information. It is also convenient if the
responsibility for disk backups and tape backups are assigned to different
operators.
To access the information on this report from the command line, type:
bperror –media -U

NetBackup processes, services, and daemons
To be an effective NetBackup administrator, you must be familiar with the
NetBackup run-time structure on all NetBackup component machines. This
structure includes NetBackup, Enterprise Media Manager (EMM), and client
processes and daemons or services.
• Identify which processes and services and daemons run on master servers,
EMM servers, media servers, and clients.
• List the running processes and services or daemons.
• Stop and restart processes and services or daemons.
6
Introduction to NetBackup processes
For the purposes of this course, the term daemon refers to a program that runs in
the background and is always active. Because daemons perform administrative

tasks, they execute only on the master server, EMM server, and media servers.
On Microsoft Windows systems, daemons are called services.
The term process refers to a program that is inactive until summoned by a daemon,
service, or another process.
Unless a specific distinction is required, the term process is frequently used in the
general sense to denote both daemons or services and processes.

6–11
NetBackup major processes overview
As you have seen earlier in this course, NetBackup uses a multitiered architecture.
This architecture includes:
• Master servers
• Enterprise Media Manager (EMM)
• Media servers
• Clients
The slide shows the processes that are most frequently used for debugging and that
are most commonly associated with logging. There are many more processes that
are used by NetBackup. For more detailed information about NetBackup processes
and troubleshooting, see the Symantec NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide or
attend the Symantec NetBackup: Maintain and Troubleshoot course.

High-level NetBackup process flow of a simple backup
This slide shows the connections among the major processes of the master server,
the media server, and the client, during a standard backup job. By understanding
this architecture, you can get a better idea of where to apply logging. For example,
if you believe that NetBackup is having a communication or authentication
problem during backups, then applying logging to the bpcd, bpbrm, bpbkar, and
bptm processes may make sense. If you think that NetBackup is having problems
allocating media or devices during a backup, then logging of nbrb, nbemm
(which is part of NBDB), and nbjm would be appropriate.
In the diagram on the slide, some processes have been colored slightly differently
to show that they are persistently running while NetBackup is running. In
NetBackup these are also known as daemons or services: bprd, bpdbm, nbpem, 6
nbjm, nbrb, nbemm, bpcd, and ltid. Other more transient processes, represented
by boxes with a dashed outline, only start running when a backup job occurs:
bpbrm, bptm, and bpbkar. In addition, the dashed lines represent the flow of
data, the dotted lines represent the flow of metadata, and the solid lines represent
the flow of communication to complete a backup job.
For additional information, see the Symantec NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide,
attend the Symantec NetBackup: Maintain and Troubleshoot course, and contact
Symantec Technical Support.

6–13
High-level NetBackup process flow of a simple restore
This slide illustrates, at a very high-level, the connections between the major
processes of the master server, the media server, and the client, during a standard
restore job. Having a good understanding of the processes in the NetBackup
architecture, and their general responsibilities, enables you to more effectively
troubleshoot job-related failures.
The processes on the slide are color-coded. The processes in yellow (lighter) are
processes that are running persistently, while those in red (darker) are started only
as needed to perform a task or job. In addition to the colored processes, the dashed
lines represent the flow of data, and the solid lines represent the flow of
communication to complete a restore job.
Restore jobs are initiated from the Backup, Archive, and Restore (BAR) interface.
The BAR GUI is known as the NetBackup client interface, even though the
NetBackup administrator uses this same interface to initiate restore operations.

When a restore request is initiated, it is sent to bprd on the master server. Then,
bprd spawns a child process to request information needed for the restore from
bpdbm.
In NetBackup 7.5, bpdbm not only queries the image catalog, but also queries
NBDB for additional image metadata. After this information has been obtained, it
is passed back to bprd. bprd passes the information to nbjm in the form of a
restore job request. The acquired image metadata provided to nbjm contains
specific information about where the backup is located, on tape or on disk, along
with other information that is needed for the restore operation.

2446–14 Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
Next, nbjm sends a request to nbrb, the NetBackup Resource Broker, to request
the necessary resources for the restore job. nbrb forwards the request to the EMM
process, which queries the NetBackup databases in order to allocate the needed
resources. The resources that are required are allocated, and a list of these
resources is returned to nbjm.
nbjm communicates with bpbrm, the Backup and Restore Manager, on the media
server, through bpcd. bpbrm has two responsibilities:
• To start the tar process on the client, through bpcd
• To start the bptm process, and provide it with a list of resources that has been
allocated for the restore operation
bptm accesses the resources (backup images on tape or disk) needed for the
restore, and reads the backup data in preparation for sending it the NetBackup tar
process on the client.
An understanding of this high-level overview of the restore process flow is
important for troubleshooting NetBackup restore-related problems. For additional
information, review the Symantec NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide, attend the
Symantec NetBackup: Maintain and Troubleshooting course, and contact
Symantec Technical Support.
6

6–15
Monitoring daemons or services using the Activity Monitor
To monitor which daemons or services are currently running:
1 Invoke the NetBackup Administration Console.
2 Verify that you are monitoring the master server.
3 Click Activity Monitor in the object tree area.
4 In the details pane, click the Daemons tab (Java) or the Services tab
(Windows).
From here, you can view the details of active daemons or services.

Monitoring processes using the Activity Monitor
To monitor which processes are currently running:
1 Invoke the NetBackup Administration Console.
2 Verify that you are monitoring the master server.
3 Click Activity Monitor in the object tree pane.
4 In the details pane, click the Processes tab.
From here, you can view the details of processes.
6

6–17
Viewing processes using the bpps script
NetBackup provides a script called bpps that determines which NetBackup
processes are active.
• UNIX
bpps is located in the following directory:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bpps
You can run bpps directly from the command line to display both NetBackup
and Media Manager active processes, daemons, and services. To do so, type:
bpps -a
To display the NetBackup, Media Manager, and shared Symantec processes,
type: bpps -x
• Microsoft Windows
bpps is located in the following directory:

install_path\NetBackup\bin\bpps
To create a short list of all processes, type: bpps -s
To create a long list of all processes, type: bpps -l
The Windows version of bpps is quite powerful, similar to a resource kit utility
for the amount of information it can reveal about processes. For more help on
bpps for Windows, type: bpps -?
Run bpps on the system when it is idle and then again when a backup is running
to determine which processes become active for the backup.

Starting and stopping services using the Activity Monitor
To manage daemons or services, invoke the NetBackup Administration Console
and click the Activity Monitor in the object tree pane. In the details pane, click the
Daemons (Java) or Services (Windows) tab. You can then view the details of
active services.
Daemons or services that are running are denoted by the green runner icon.
Daemons or services that are stopped are denoted by the stopped symbol.
To stop an active daemon or service, or to start a stopped daemon or service,
perform one of the following:
Java Windows 6
Click the specific daemon you want to Click the specific service you want to
control and select Actions > Stop control and select Actions > Stop
Daemon (or Start Daemon). Service (or Start Service).
Right-click the specific daemon you want Right-click the specific service you want
to control and select Stop Daemon (or to control and select Stop Service (or
Start Daemon). Start Service).
Click the specific daemon you want to Click the specific service you want to
control and click the Stop Daemon control and click the Stop Service button
button ( ) or the ( ) or the Start Service button ( ) in
Start Daemon button ( ) in the the toolbar.
toolbar.

6–19
Managing processes using commands and scripts
As was mentioned previously, processes are active as long as NetBackup is
running. The only way to stop processes is to shut down NetBackup altogether.
As was demonstrated using the GUI, you can stop daemons or services
individually without shutting down NetBackup. The table on this slide lists some
command-line equivalents of GUI actions.
Stopping and starting all processes

To stop all NetBackup processes, type: netbackup stop (UNIX) or
bpdown -f -v (Windows).
To start all NetBackup processes, type: netbackup start (UNIX) or
bpup -f -v (Windows).
Stopping and starting individual daemons or services

Individual daemons or services have different commands by which you can
terminate and restart them. For example, to terminate ltid, enter the stopltid
command.
See the Symantec NetBackup Commands Reference Guide for detailed information
about how to stop and restart specific services.
Consider that stopping certain daemons or services may impact other daemons or
services. For example, stopping the NetBackup request daemon or service (bprd)
stops all future backup and restore activity. Jobs already running are able to
complete because they no longer depend on bprd.

Also consider that stopping certain daemons or services may cause NetBackup to
wait indefinitely for an action that will never be performed. For example, if you
stop either of the robotic control daemons or services (txxd, txxcd), NetBackup
waits indefinitely because no robotic actions complete.
UNIX
Stopping and starting all daemons (UNIX only)

NetBackup provides a script that is intended to stop all daemons when no backup
or restore operation is in progress:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/bp.kill_all
In addition, you can restart all daemons using the following:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/goodies/bp.start_all
6

251 Lesson 6 Working with Support
6–21
NetBackup and Media Manager logging overview
After completing this topic, you will be able to describe legacy and unified
NetBackup logs and Media Manager logs.
NetBackup debug logs

Every NetBackup process (including daemons and services) has a detailed debug
log associated with it. This is in addition to the default information that NetBackup
logs to the error catalog on the master server. Each log is a text file containing
detailed output from its associated process.
In NetBackup, there are two kinds of processes related to logging.
• Newer processes and components in NetBackup that have been re-architected
since NetBackup 6.0 use unified logs. In general, these include processes that
begin with nb, and components that use the Symantec Private Branch
Exchange (PBX) to communicate, such as the NBDB (EMM) database, BMR,

NDMP, and OpsCenter. These logs are turned on all the time and are very
configurable.
• Older, legacy processes include all the other processes that begin with
something other than nb (for example bprd or bptm). These logs are not
turned on unless you activate them. Legacy logs are less configurable than the
newer, unified logs, but are still very useful for troubleshooting. These logs are
usually turned off during normal operations because they can grow very large
and can also affect performance.
There is one process, nbproxy, which uses legacy logs even though it starts with
nb.

Enabling legacy NetBackup logs
Legacy debug logs provide a record of NetBackup activity related to specific
services and processes.
The table on this slide shows the general process for enabling legacy logs.
When using debug logs, consider the following:
• A debug log is created by a process only if the subdirectory for that process has
been created. The subdirectory must exist before the process starts if logging is
to occur.
• A process creates one debug log file per day. Legacy process logs have names
in the form: mmddyy.log.
6
• NetBackup retains debug logs for the number of days specified by the
Duration to Keep Logs global attribute (28 days by default). After that time,
NetBackup deletes the files.

• Log files can grow very large. Enable these files only if unexplained problems
exist. Delete the logs and the directory when they are no longer needed.

6–23
Setting the logging levels
The Logging properties apply to currently selected master servers, media servers,
and clients. The available properties differ between a server and a client.
To access the host properties from the NetBackup Administration Console,
double-click the name of the host or right-click the name and select Properties.
The Master Server Properties dialog box is displayed. Select Logging in the left
pane and then increase the amount of information logged by adjusting the logging
levels.
Logging levels 0 through 5

Six logging levels are supported:
• A value of 0 sets logging to minimum (default).
• A value of 5 sets logging to maximum.

The Global logging level setting is used for debugging purposes. You can override
the Global logging level for bpbrm, bpdbm, bptm, bpdm, bprd, and Vault. You
can change individual log levels to be different than the global logging level.
UNIX
On UNIX clients and servers, you can also enable verbose logging by adding
VERBOSE=n to the /usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file. Some daemons
have a -verbose option that enables verbose logging. You can enable verbose
logging for individual processes by adding process_name_VERBOSE (where
the underscore (_) is required between the process_name and VERBOSE) to the
/usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file.
Days to keep logs
The Keep logs setting controls how long logs are kept on the master server. By
default, logs are kept for 28 days. If you have problems with low disk space,
reduce this setting. This setting applies to both legacy and unified logs (but not
other logs that may be on the master server, such as Media Manager logs). Because
this setting also controls how long NetBackup keeps information in the error
catalog, do not reduce this setting too much. The error catalog is the location from
which the information in the All Log Entries report, the Problems report, the
Media Logs report, the Status of Backups report, and the bperror command is
derived. The valid ranges are 1– 32767 days. Setting it to 0 turns off logging.
6

6–25
Enabling Media Manager debug logs
In addition to the Activity Monitor and reports, most Media Manager and device
problems are logged to the operating system’s standard system log utility (syslog
on UNIX and Event Viewer on Windows). You must enable system logging to
troubleshoot ltid or robotic software.
• The syslog UNIX service is used to log device log entries.
Media Manager automatically logs robotic and network errors to the system
logs through syslogd. System log entries are also made when robotically-
controlled drives change between the UP and DOWN states.
See the syslogd(8)man page for information on setting up system logs.
• On Windows, the Media Manager records robotic and drive errors in the Event
Viewer Application log. Log entries are also created when drives change
between the UP and DOWN states.
If a problem requires more information, increase the level of logging to the

Event Viewer Application log by adding a VERBOSE entry to the following
file: install_path\Volmgr\vm.conf.
Create the following folders under /usr/openv/volmgr/debug (UNIX) or
under install_path\Volmgr\debug (Windows) to enable logging for
Media Manager processes:
• daemon
Debugs information on vmd (Volume Manager service)
• reqlib
Debugs information on the process requesting a vmd service

• tpcommand
Debugs information on the tpconfig and tpautoconf commands
• ltid
Debugs information on ltid (device manager service)
• robots
Debugs information on SCSI robotic daemons and includes information for
tldcd, tl8cd, and tl4d daemons
NetBackup creates one log per day with file names in the form:
MMDDYY_NNNNN.log
where MMDDYY is the month, day, and year, and NNNNN is an incrementing
number from 00001 to 99999. For example, 120811_00001.log is a log file
generated on December 8, 2011.
To disable debug logging for the NetBackup volume manager service, either delete
or rename the directories.
By default, the Media Manager troubleshooting logs are not deleted. Media
Manager retains debug logs for the number of days you specify with the
DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS = number_of_days entry in the vm.conf file.
6

6–27
Managing unified logs
There are three commands for working with unified logs.
The vxlogcfg command

The vxlogcfg command changes the settings of one or more unified logs. The
first vxlogcfg example changes the verbosity level of the more technical Debug
and Diagnostic messages for all logs. The next vxlogcfg example shows how to
list the settings for the specified log.
Note the use of the -p switch, which identifies which product to configure. In this
example, 51216 is NetBackup. (Other Symantec products also use unified logs.)
Also note the use of the –o switch in these examples, which stands for originator.
The originator is the process or service that wrote the particular log.
The vxlogmgr command

The vxlogmgr command is used to copy or delete log files. Like other files, log
files may simply be moved or copied by shell commands or Windows Explorer.
The vxlogmgr command is provided to make it easier to automate common
tasks, such as log cleanup, or gathering all log files from a particular time frame.
The example on this slide gathers all log files from the past 12 hours and copies
them to a temporary file where they can be ZIPed or TARed and sent to Symantec
Support.

The vxlogview command
The vxlogview command is used to view the contents of unified logs. Because
unified logs are regular ASCII files, you can use any text editor to view them. The
vxlogview command is useful when you want to filter the output.
The example on the slide produces the unified log messages associated with job
1150, which has presumably failed. Because vxlogview typically returns a
significant amount of output, it is common to redirect the output to a text file.
There are many other options for filtering, such as date/time or specific originators
(processes). The –d switch controls which columns in the log are displayed; this
can be useful to refine your output to exclude unnecessary details.
The vxlogview command is useful for in-house debugging. If you are sending
logs to Symantec Support, Symantec recommends that you send the entire log file,
not the vxlogview command output, unless they specifically request it.
6

6–29
Making the most of NetBackup logging
The most efficient way to enable logging in NetBackup and to quickly gather the
required information from debug logs is to understand how NetBackup inter-
process communication works, and the direction of communication and data
within the NetBackup architecture. This information is best garnered over time and
with experience, but can be assisted by attending the Symantec NetBackup
Advanced Administration and Symantec NetBackup: Maintain and Troubleshoot
courses, by reviewing the Symantec NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide, and by
contacting Symantec Technical Support.

Using the support utilities
After completing this topic, you will be able to use the NBSU and NBCPLOGS
utilities to assist in troubleshooting issues.
What is the NetBackup Support Utility (NBSU)?

NBSU is a Symantec utility used to gather diagnostic information. By default,
NBSU gathers appropriate diagnostic information based on the operating system
and NetBackup environment. The amount of information gathered by NBSU can
be qualified using command-line switches. NBSU can be found in /usr/
openv/netbackup/bin/support (UNIX) and C:\Program
Files\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\support (Windows).
NBSU results are written to a relative subdirectory. Example NBSU output 6
directory names are:
• UNIX:
./output/nbsu/server29_master_20070516_010521
• Windows:
.\output\nbsu\pc5_media_20070512_132004

261 Lesson 6 Working with Support
6–31
Running NBSU
NBSU switches enable the collection of selective information. The following table
describes the NBSU command-line switches used in the examples in the table on
the slide:
Switch Description
-l List the diagnostic commands that are selected to run.
-d name Run the specified diagnostic commands or procedures. Use
nbsu -l to obtain a list of commands and procedures.
Note: Multiple -d options can be listed, for example:
-d OS_general -d OS_env
-nozip Do not compress the output files.
-g group_name Run the diagnostic commands or procedures related to the

group name. Diagnostic groups are OS, DEV, NET, NBU, and
MM.
Note: Multiple -g options can be listed, for example:
-g OS -g DEV
-s name Skip the diagnostic command, procedure, or group listed.
-nbu_e number Run only the diagnostic commands or procedures related to the
specified NetBackup exit status.
See the online help provided by nbsu –H for details on usage and nbsu –L for
the complete list of diagnostics and commands.

A sample NBSU run
This slide shows the response at the terminal or command window from an NBSU
run on a master server. The actual corresponding output file is too large to
represent here.
Typically, the output is a collection of command responses in a compressed file
within the NBSU output subdirectory. Symantec Support may ask you to use the
-xml switch to generate the output as a single XML file for their analysis.
6

6–33
What is NBCPLOGS?
NBCPLOGS is an automated log upload tool. It automates the gathering of all the
logs on a system, copies the logs to a temporary location, and uploads the logs to
the Symantec Support FTP site. It locates all of the logs for the products listed on
the slide that are required to debug and resolve your issue very quickly.
NBCPLOGS is fast and easy to use. NBCPLOGS saves time and bandwidth with
its fast operation and compressed transfer. NBCPLOGS TARs all of the log files
together, compresses them to one-sixth to one-twelfth of their original size, and
uploads them automatically.
Running NBCPLOGS is simple. By default, NBCPLOGS searches for all logs
generated during the last 24 hours. There are switches you can use to override the
defaults.

Running NBCPLOGS
Run the nbcplogs script from the location listed on the slide. The simplest
execution of nbcplogs gathers the last 24 hours of logs and sends them to
Symantec Support.
Specify the -f option with your Symantec Case ID.
As shown on the slide, there are other options that you can specify. For a full list of
these options, use the --help switch. For additional details, use --help-long.
6

6–35
A sample NBCPLOGS run
This slide shows an example of running nbcplogs.
In this example, logs for the last 30 minutes were requested using the following
command: nbcplogs -d 30m -f 123-456-789, where 123-456-789 is
the Titan ID.
Notice that the script asks for confirmation that there is at least 172.6 MB of disk
space in C:\temp. This represents the amount of disk space that the script
calculated is needed for the requested logs. On a UNIX system, the script requires
disk space on /tmp. Confirm that you have the required disk space, and type Y to
continue.
The script locates the logs for all of the products, copies the logs to the temporary
location, and displays a confirmation message. Next, the script compresses the
files and starts uploading the compressed version. The compressed output is a TAR
file for UNIX and a ZIP file for Windows. Hash marks (#) are displayed on the
screen as the upload progresses. If the upload is successful, the compressed file is
deleted and a completion message is displayed.
If the upload is not successful, the compressed file is not deleted and you are asked
to manually upload the file.
For additional information about NBCPLOGS, see TechNote 126223, How to use
Symantec’s NetBackup Copy Logs Tool at:

6
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CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

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Lesson 1: Monitoring NetBackup

Lesson 2: Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage

Lesson 3: Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage

Lesson 4: Optimizing File System Backups

Lesson 5: Introduction to Enterprise Backups

Introduction to database backups ................................................................ 5-8

Lesson 6: Working with Support

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CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

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Symantec NetBackup 7.0: Install, Configure, and Deploy

• Create policies that define the rules NetBackup follows.

Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer

CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

Lesson 2: Managing and Optimizing Tape Storage

Lesson 3: Managing and Optimizing Disk Storage

Lesson 4: Optimizing File System Backups

Lesson 5: Introduction to Enterprise Backups

Lesson 6: Working with Support

CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

• UNIX or Windows system administration

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Symantec Connect is responsive to the needs of Symantec customers. Features of

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Using and customizing the NetBackup Activity Monitor

Monitoring jobs using the activity Monitor

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Filtering jobs in the Activity Monitor

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Canceling or suspending a job

Canceling or suspending jobs using the Administration Console

To cancel or suspend specific uncompleted jobs:

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Using job priorities

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Setting specific job priorities

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Checkpoint restart for backup jobs

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Checkpoint restart for restores

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Reporting using the NetBackup Administration Console

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