Move Backups to SAN? 1

[jouell]

How do I make my backups go over the san and not the ethernet?

We have nw 7.0 on unix tru64.

Is there an FAQ somewhere?

I know about DDS, etc, but can I just make my servers/database use the server through the san w/o sharing the drives using dds?

thanks!
-John

 

[Serbtastic]

Are servers physically attached to the SAN? If so, you will need to make them storage nodes, and specify that they should backup to themselves in their client definitions on the Networker server.

 

[jouell]

Yes, they are. OK great, so they would not need to "control" the tape drive correct? And we would not have to rerun jbconfig, etc? I know we'd have to do so if we were doing DDS...but I am a little unclear...

Thanks!
-John

 

[Serbtastic]

Actually, they would need to control the tape drives, and you would have to run jbconfig to configure them. Have a look at the documentation for more information.

 

[jouell]

OK I was hoping to point to the server as the storage node, and it would find it on the san, with either the wwn in the config or using the name of the hba. Ill look more in the docs.

Thanks!
-John

 

[sunixadm]

Are your drives directly attached to the Backup Server, or are they attached to a FC switch?

-Joe

 

[jouell]

They are (all 6) available on the san and all the servers can see it. Currently only the server writes to the tape or controls it.

 

[Chacalinc]

man, this is quite simple, you need licences:

- 6 storage nodes
- 6 DDS

write down the devices for each server, example in unix/windows:

server1(NW) server2 server3
tape1: \\.\tape0 /dev/rmt/0mnb \\.\tape0
tape2: \\.\tape1 /dev/rmt/2mnb \\.\tape1

so run jbconfig *only* in the NW server and in the question "more than one path to the devices" answer yes... then when you specify the devices it will ask for the device:

path1: \\.\tape0
path2: server2:/dev/rmt/0mnb
path3: server3:\\.\tape0
path4: <hit enter with no entries>

second tape:
path1: \\.\tape1
path2: server2:/dev/rmt/2mnb
path3: server3:\\.\tape1
path4: <hit enter with no entries>

if your licences are "DEDICATED storage node" answer yes to the question "are you using dedicated storage node".

Then, on each client resource, specify the "storage node" attribute with the server name in the first line and then "nsrserverhost". with this attribute, you are telling to the client "backup using your tapes first, if it can not be done, use the NW server". Other clients with no tapes (through LAN backup) can use a storage node to backup, seting free the NW server of the backup job.

Hope this helps. This is well documented anyway.

 

[Chacalinc]

BTW, you can see the DDS with:

1. in the hardware ID attribute (of the device) you will see the same ID for the all tapes in the differents server (storage nodes) that correspond to the same physical tape.

2. when you mount a tape in a particular storage node, in the monitor you will see that the rest defined tape (for the same physical tape) will show "shared tape in use", so both the rest of storage nodes and NW server can not use the tape until the storage node unmount the tape.

cheers.

 

[jouell]

Hi Chacalinc,

This is great info and ultimately I believe how it will be setup. My goal was (naively or otherwise), for each server to send its data to the Networker server using its HBA, and the Networker server only to write to the tapes.

So instead of:

A)

"SAN", HBA to HBA

serv1--------\
serv2--------\
serv3-------->jukebox
serv4--------/
nw server----/

I would do:

B)

"SAN", HBA to HBA

serv1--------\
serv2--------\
serv3-------->NW server ---->jukebox
serv4--------/


I was hoping B) would be faster and more effecient since multiple servs (a legato "client") could be backed up at once by the NW server at the same time, just like over Ethernet.

I think this is either not possible or truly not as efficient.

-John

 

[Chacalinc]

Ok, I understand.

A) and B) are possible. A) as I mentioned in my previus post, but B) is only possible when you set the HBAs/FC switches up to use IP over FC. This is possible (take a look to the docs for your HBAs, at least QLogic, Emulex and JNI can do it). I never used IP over FC, but I'm not sure if this going to be efficient. If you want the B) option, an alternative is to use a private LAN, either Fast or Gigabit Ethernet. I guess this is more efficient than use the HBA. Let the HBAs for SCSI over FC and *not* IP over FC.

Cheers.

 

[jouell]

Ok that makes sense. Thanks again Chacalinc!