Symantec NetBackup 7.

5: Install, Configure, and

Deploy
Lesson 4: Configuring Tape Storage and Media

Lesson introduction
Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Install, Configure, and Deploy
Course Introduction
Lesson 1: Introducing NetBackup
Lesson 2: Installing NetBackup
Lesson 3: Introducing the NetBackup Administrative Interfaces

Lesson 4: Configuring Tape Storage and Media

Lesson 5: Configuring Disk Storage
Lesson 6: Configuring File System Backups

Lesson 7: Performing File System Backups and Restores

Lesson 8: Performing Backups and Restores
Lesson 9: Protecting the NetBackup Configuration
Symantec NetBackup 7.5: Manage and Administer
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Lesson topics and objectives

Topic
NetBackup storage device concepts

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

Define the terms storage device, storage unit, and
storage unit group.
Identify the NetBackup tape storage unit types.

Configuring tape devices

Use the Device Configuration Wizard to configure

new tape devices.

NetBackup media concepts

Describe volumes, volume pools, and volume groups.

Configuring media

Use the Volume Configuration Wizard and Robot

Inventory to configure new media.

Verifying tape storage

Monitor devices and media using the NetBackup

Administration Console.

NetBackup storage device

concepts
After completing this topic, you will be
able to:
Define the terms storage device,
storage unit, and storage unit group.
Identify the NetBackup tape storage
unit types.

Storage devices, storage units, and storage unit groups

Storage Device:
A physical
location to write
backups

Storage Unit
(STU):
Where backups
are sent

Tape drives

On one media
server

A hard disk with a

file system

Controlled by the
same robot
On the same type
and density of
devices

Storage Unit
Group:
Two or more STUs
grouped together

Addresses multiple
STUs as a single
unit
Specifies the order
in which storage
units are used
within the group

Have the same

write properties
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Storage devices and storage units

NetBackup
Master/EMM Server
Fibre Switch

SAN

STU-A
Media
Server 1

STU-B

Drives 1-25

Drives 26-50

Media
Server 2

Tape silo with

50 drives
LAN
NetBackup
Clients
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Shared tape drives (Shared Storage Option (SSO))

NetBackup
Master/EMM Server
Fibre Switch

SAN

STU-A
Media
Server 1

STU-B

Drives 1-50

Drives 1-50

Media
Server 2

Tape silo with

50 drives
LAN
NetBackup
Clients
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Media Manager storage unit types

Media Manager storage
units

NDMP
host

NBU
server

Tape
robots

NDMP storage
unit

Stand-alone
tape drives
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Tape storage unit layout example

NetBackup
Master/EMM Server
Fibre Switch

SAN

STU-A
Media
Server 1

STU-B

Drives 1-50

Drives 1-50

STU-C
Media
Server 2

Tape silo with

50 drives
LAN
NetBackup
Clients
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Storage unit group example

Master Server
Media Server
Host A

Media Server
Host B

Media Server
Host C

Media Server
Host D

(UNIX)

(Windows)

(UNIX)

(Windows)

Robot 0

Robot 1

Robot 2

Disk

Drive 1

Drive 1

Drive 1

Drive 2

Drive 2

Drive 2

D:\dsu1

STU-A

STU-B

STU-C

STU-D

HQDataCenter group
Priority for the HQDataCenter group:
1) STU-A
2) STU-B

GlobalSites group
Priority for the GlobalSites group:
1) STU-B 3) STU-C
2) STU-A 4) STU-D
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Storage unit group configuration

Selection

Brief description

Prioritized

NetBackup uses the next

available STU in the list.

Failover

When a job must queue

for a STU, the job queues
rather than try another
STU in the group.

Round Robin NetBackup chooses

the least recently selected
STU in the list as each
new job is started.
Media
server load
balancing

NetBackup selects a STU

based on a capacitymanaged approach, avoiding
sending jobs to busy media
servers.
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Storage unit group selection (1 of 2)

1. Prioritized

2. Round Robin

3. Failover

Master

Master

Master

Media1

Media2

Media1

Media2

Media1

Job 1

Job 3

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

Job 4

Job 3

Job 4

Job 2

Robot 0

Robot 1

Robot 0

Robot 1

Robot 0

Robot 1

Media1-SDLT

Media2-SDLT

Media1-SDLT

Media2-SDLT

Media1-LTO3

Media2-DLT2

Media2

Order Group:
1. Media1-SDLT
2. Media2-SDLT

LeastUsed Group:
1. Media1-SDLT
2. Media2-SDLT

Failover Group:
1. Media1-LTO3
2. Media2-DLT2

Job 1
Job 2
Job 3
Job 4
Job 5

Job 1
Job 2
Job 3
Job 4
Job 5

Job 1
Job 2
Job 3
Job 4
Job 5

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Storage unit group selection: (2 of 2)

Media server load balancing
1. Server rank

2. Fewest number of
jobs

3. Least reserved
space

4. Least recently
used

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Configuring tape devices

After completing this topic, you will be
able to use the Device Configuration
Wizard to configure new tape devices.

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Preparing for device configuration

Step

Action

Attach hardware devices to the server that acts as the device host.

Install appropriate drivers.

Confirm that the devices are available through operating system tools.

After NetBackup is installed, use the operating system-specific utility to

verify that devices are accessible.

Collect device identification information.

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Storage device and storage unit configuration methods

The Device
Configuration
Wizard

The final step in the wizard is configuring

storage units.

The Administration
Console

Use the Media and Device Management

and the NetBackup Management interfaces.

The command-line
interface

Use the tpconfig and bpstuadd

commands.

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Configuring storage devices using the wizard

The Device Configuration Wizard:

Performs auto-discovery of devices

Is the preferred method of device configuration
Automatically discovers the positions of the drives within the
library for the robot types that support device serialization:

Can be used to configure drive naming rules, robot properties,

drive properties, and storage units

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The Device Configuration Wizard (1 of 4)

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The Device Configuration Wizard (2 of 4)

19

The Device Configuration Wizard (3 of 4)

20

The Device Configuration Wizard (4 of 4)

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Viewing drive properties

22

Viewing robot properties

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Viewing Media Manager storage unit properties

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On demand only and any available

Policy1:
STU=STU-A

STU-A

On Demand
Only

Policy2:
STU=any_available

STU-B

Policy3:
STU=STU-D

STU-C

STU-D

Any Available

Using any available is not a best practice. Symantec recommends that you use storage
25
unit groups to provide multiple destination options for a backup.

NetBackup media concepts

After completing this topic, you will be
able to describe volumes, volume pools,
and volume groups.

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What are volumes?

Volume is NetBackups term for removable media.

Tapes

Each tape is a volume.

Each side of an optical platter is a volume.
Every volume is assigned a unique media ID in the EMM database.
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Media IDs

Default (rightmost six):

Bar code: JYN256S2

Media ID: N256S2

Customized:

Media ID: JYN256

Media ID: An EMM unique volume serial number

The bar code and the Media ID are recorded in the EMM database.
The media ID may be from one to six digits.
The media ID is also recorded on the first block of the tape.
This internal media ID is also called the tapes label.
You can customize media ID generation.
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What are volume pools?

A volume pool is a set of volumes defined for a specific purpose.
NetBackup: Volume pool for
NetBackup volumes

Other volume pools

scratch
DataStore: Volume pool for
integrated third-party
applications
CatalogBackup: Volume pool for
storing catalog backups

Default
volume
pools

MyHRPool
None: Volume pool for tapes
written by other
applications and for
cleaning tapes

MyDBPool

Administrator-defined as required
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The scratch volume pool

Used
volumes

The scratch volume pool

Other volume pool: no

free volumes

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Volume pools example

Volume Pools

Tape Library

NetBackup
Default

DataStore
CatalogBackup
None

Special

Defined
by the
administrator

scratch
acctg_backup
hr_backup

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Volume groups
Track the physical location of volumes

Are robotic (volumes are in a tape library) or stand-alone (volumes

are not in a tape library)
TLD0

Disk

Eject

Vault
Volume Group:
NONE

Volume Group:
000_00000_TLD

Volume Group:
OFFSITE
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Volume groups and volume pools

Accounting volume pool
A volume group is a set of
volumes that reside at the
same physical location
(such as in a specific robot).

Support volume pool

A volume pool is a group of

volumes used for a similar
purpose. Tapes in many
different physical locations
can reside in the same
volume pool.

Sales volume pool

Robot 1
volume group

Stand-alone
volume group

Offsite
volume group
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Configuring media
After completing this topic, you will be
able to use the Volume Configuration
Wizard and Robot Inventory to configure
new media.

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Volume configuration methods

The Volume
Configuration
Wizard or Robot
Inventory

Inventory robots.
Identify cleaning media in robots.
Add volumes for stand-alone drives.
Update the EMM database.

The NetBackup
Administration
Console

Use the Media and Device Management

interface.

The command-line
or text-menu
interface

Use the vmupdate, vmadd, vmdelete,

vmquery, and vmchange commands.

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Preparing to run the Volume Configuration Wizard

Task

When to run it

How to run it

Create the
scratch pool and
other volume
pools

Before running the

Volume
Configuration
Wizard

Media and Device Management > Media > Volume Pools >
New

Generate bar
code rules

Before or during
the Volume
Configuration
Wizard

Before running the wizard:

Use the Barcode Rules tab of the Advanced Robot
Inventory Options dialog box
During the wizard:
1. Click the Advanced Options button in the first and
second Robot Inventory dialog boxes.
2. Use the Barcode Rules tab.

Generate media
ID generation
rules

Before or during
the Volume
Configuration
Wizard

Before running the wizard:

Use the Media ID Generation tab of the Advanced Robot
Inventory Options dialog box
During the wizard:
1. Click the Advanced Options button in the first and
second Robot Inventory dialog boxes.
2. Use the Media ID Generation tab.
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Adding the scratch volume pool

37

The Volume Configuration Wizard (1 of 7)

38

The Volume Configuration Wizard (2 of 7)

39

The Volume Configuration Wizard (3 of 7)

40

The Volume Configuration Wizard (4 of 7)

41

The Volume Configuration Wizard (5 of 7)

42

The Volume Configuration Wizard (6 of 7)

43

The Volume Configuration Wizard (7 of 7)

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Summary of Robot Inventory utilities

Inventory function

Administration Console

Command line

Show the contents of the Actions > Inventory robot vmcheckxxx list
robot
vmcheckxxx full
Compare the contents of Robot inventory dialog
the robot with the defined box: Show contents
configuration
Preview the volume
configuration changes

Robot inventory dialog

box: Preview volume
configuration changes

vmupdate
recommend

Update the volume

configuration

Robot inventory dialog

box: Update volume
configuration

vmupdate

Create bar code rules and

media ID generation rules

Robot inventory dialog

box > Advanced options
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Verifying tape storage

After completing this topic, you will be
able to monitor devices and media using
the NetBackup Administration Console.

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Verifying devices using the Device Monitor

Get top or 1/3 of drive

details screen shot

47

Drive details

vmoprcmd
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Viewing all media

vmquery -a
nbemmcmd listmedia allrecords -brief
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Lesson summary
Key points
You can now define the following terms: storage device, storage unit, storage unit
group, volume, volume pool, and volume group. You can also identify the NetBackup
tape storage unit types.
In this lesson, you learned how to use the Device Configuration Wizard to configure
new tape devices. You also learned how to use the Volume Configuration Wizard and
Robot Inventory to configure new media.
Finally, you now know how to monitor devices and media using the NetBackup
Administration Console.

Reference materials
Symantec NetBackup Device Configuration Guide
Symantec NetBackup Administrators Guide, Volumes I and II

Symantec NetBackup for NDMP Administrators Guide

Symantec NetBackup Shared Storage Guide
Symantec NetBackup Commands Reference Guide
http://www.symantec.com/support
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End of Presentation