Configuring Optimized Synthetic Backups to NetBackup Deduplication Pools

NetBackup has three type:

1. Synthetic – done without network transfer and make a whole new image

2. Optimnised Synthetic – done without network transfer and synthesises and new image but adding de-dupe pointers only

3. NetBackup Accellerator – small amount of data transfer from the client and synthesises a full backup

Problem

Configuring Optimized Synthetic Backups to NetBackup Deduplication Pools.

Solution

The following procedure explains how to configure the NetBackup Deduplication Pool to store NetBackup optimized synthetic full backups. Some steps in the procedure are written in general terms. The following publications provide more information about general steps in this procedure:
 

• The NetBackup Deduplication Guide 
• The NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume 1
• The NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume 2

Here NetBackup Deduplication Pool can be any of the following.

1. Deduplication Pools in NetBackup appliances (NetBackup 5200 series, NetBackup 5000 series)
2. Media Server Deduplication Pool (MSDP)
3. NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication Option(PDDO) Pool 

To configure the NetBackup Deduplication Pool to store NetBackup optimized synthetic full backups:

1 If NetBackup version is 7.0 or higher, skip to step 3.

   Install and configure the PureDisk agent as a PureDisk Deduplication Option (PDDO) plug-in on a NetBackup media server.
 

More information is available.
 

• See "About installing the PDDO plug-in on a NetBackup Linux media server or a NetBackup Solaris SPARC media server" on page 25 of the Symantec NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication Option Guide.
• See "About installing the PDDO plug-in on a Windows media server" on page 33 of the Symantec NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication Option Guide.

2 Configure the PureDisk storage pool to be all of the following NetBackup components. Make sure to configure the components in the order shown in the following list:
 

• A NetBackup storage server

The PDDO plug-in installation instructions instruct you to run the pddocfg command near the end of the installation procedure. The pddocfg command configures the PureDisk storage pool as a NetBackup storage server.
 

• A NetBackup disk pool and a NetBackup storage unit

See "Configuring the NetBackup disk pool and storage unit in the NetBackup Java interface" on page 44 of the Symantec NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication Option Guide.
 

See "Configuring the NetBackup disk pool and storage unit in the NetBackup Windows interface" on page 46 of the Symantec NetBackup PureDisk Deduplication Option Guide.
 

Update NetBackup device mappings
Download the device mappings package from of the following locations:
• Windows: https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000025758
• Linux: https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.000025759

Extract the new mappings file package, which will create three files:
• Readme.txt
• external_types.txt
• external_robotics.txt

Copy the external_types.txt file to the following location on the master or media
server:
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\global\
• Linux: /usr/openv/var/global

Copy the external_robotics.txt file to the following location on the master or
media server, each media server that controls a robot, and each media server
from which robot inventories will be run:
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\var\global\
• Linux: /usr/openv/var/global

Run the following command at the command line of your master or media server
to update the NetBackup Enterprise Media Manager database with the new
device mappings:
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Veritas\Volmgr\bin\tpext -loadEMM
• Linux: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/tpext -loadEMM
Restart Device Manager (ltid) on each media server.
Verify the version by running the following command at the command line:
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Veritas\Volmgr\bin\tpext –
get_dev_mappings_ver
• Linux: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin/tpext -get_dev_mappings_ver
PS. if the reutn loaded and used version were different, you will need restart all of Netbackup service or reboot.

3 Type the following command to add the OptimizedImage flag to each NetBackup storage server that needs to support optimized synthetic backups:
 

Example: nbdevconfig -changests -stype PureDisk -storage_server ss_name -setattribute OptimizedImage
​​./nbdevconfig -changests -stype FalconStor -storage_server H13-97 -setattribute OptimizedImage

For ss_name, make sure to type the name of the storage server as you configured it in NetBackup.
 

4 Type the following command to add the OptimizedImage flag to each NetBackup disk pool that needs to support optimized synthetic backups:
 

Example: nbdevconfig -changedp -stype PureDisk -dp dp_name -setattribute OptimizedImage
PS. If the stroage pool was under storage server which have perform step 3. You can skip this step.

For dp_name, make sure to type the name of the disk pool as you configured it in NetBackup.
 

As this procedure shows, make sure to add the OptimizedImage flag to the storage server first and then to the disk pool.
 

5 (Optional) Type the following commands on the media server to confirm that the OptimizedImage flag is set:
 

nbdevquery -liststs -U
[root@H12-217 admincmd]# ./nbdevquery -liststs -U
Storage Server      : H13-97
Storage Server Type : FalconStor
Storage Type        : Formatted Disk, Network Attached
State               : UP
Flag                : OpenStorage
Flag                : CopyExtents
Flag                : AdminUp
Flag                : InternalUp
Flag                : LifeCycle
Flag                : CapacityMgmt
Flag                : FragmentImages
Flag                : Cpr
Flag                : FT-Transfer
Flag                : OptimizedImage
 

nbdevquery -listdp -U
[root@H12-217 admincmd]# ./nbdevquery -listdp -U
Disk Pool Name   : DP-H13-97-001
Disk Pool Id     : DP-H13-97-001
Disk Type        : FalconStor
Status           : UP
Flag             : Patchwork
Flag             : Visible
Flag             : OpenStorage
Flag             : SingleStorageServer
Flag             : CopyExtents
Flag             : AdminUp
Flag             : InternalUp
Flag             : LifeCycle
Flag             : CapacityMgmt
Flag             : FragmentImages
Flag             : Cpr
Flag             : FT-Transfer
Flag             : OptimizedImage
Raw Size (GB)    : 1024.00
Usable Size (GB) : 1024.00
High Watermark   : 98
Low Watermark    : 80
Num Volumes      : 1
Max IO Streams   : -1
Comment          : 
Storage Server   : H13-97 (UP)
 

6 Use the NetBackup interface to create a backup policy that includes full, incremental, and synthetic full backup schedules.
 

When you configure the backups, make sure to configure them in the following order:
 

• On the Change Policy Wizard dialog box's Attributes tab, check Collect true image restore information and check with move detection.
• On the Add Schedule dialog box's Attributes tab, check Synthetic backup.
• On the Scheduling tab, make sure to configure the full backup and the incremental backup to run before the synthetic full backup schedule runs.

7 After the backups run, examine the NetBackup Job Details information for the synthetic full backup schedule, and confirm that the optimized synthetic operation was performed.

The NetBackup Job Details information includes the line Performing Optimized Synthetic Operation when NetBackup runs an optimized synthetic backup.