Networker

Re: [Networker] Backup to disk - replicate - then off to tape

2009-04-02 08:22:50
Subject: Re: [Networker] Backup to disk - replicate - then off to tape
From: Terry Lemons <lemons_terry AT EMC DOT COM>
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 2009 08:07:37 -0400
Hi Allan

Sorry, lost this in my Inbox.

"We had a DD system on site to test for simple backup purposes some time
ago, and we had no problem cloning to tape off it - that would be our
'storage node' reading from the DD and writing to tape - yes? " Yes!

You're certainly not being thick.  To answer your question, I need to
ask one of my own:  do you have a separate Networker server for each of
your sites, or do you have just one NetWorker server?  The answer to
that question will determine what is possible at the central site.

Thanks
tl

-----Original Message-----
From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU] On
Behalf Of Allan Nelson
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 4:26 PM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: Re: [Networker] Backup to disk - replicate - then off to tape

Hi Terry

Yes this does help (I think ;-)
Thanks for defining how Networker works for me, I hadn't realised a
storage node was present in our current setup, where we just have one
Networker backup server per site.

We had a DD system on site to test for simple backup purposes some time
ago, and we had no problem cloning to tape off it - that would be our
'storage node' reading from the DD and writing to tape - yes?  But of
course that was on the site where the data is and Networker had access
to the indexes of the clients in order to do the cloning.

The 4 DD systems we now have (1 per site) do replicate their data to a
central DD system - they can suppport 1 to 1, many to 1 and
bi-directional replication.

What exactly would the central Networker Server need to have available
to it in order to backup that data from the central DD system (which
contains all 4 sites backup data)?
To clone to tape, it would need each sites Networker indexes (which
won't be there).
I liked the cloning idea as we could actually specify which 'versions'
of the savesets get cloned (ie just once a month) but it would seem
cloning is out of the question in this case.
Are  you saying that we could do a Networker backup of the central DD
system, and then if we do need a restore of a particular saveset so that
we can bring a file or two back (this is all we would ever use these
tapes for) we would be able to do that? I'm just trying to get clear
what the process would be.

Would that then give us 3 possible options?
1) Central site pull a saveset off the tape and write it to a directory
on the DD at the central site which replicates back to the remote site
for the remote site to scan and recover?
2) Central site pull a saveset off the tape and write directly to the
remote DD system for the remote site to scan and recover?
3) Central site pull a saveset off the tape to their DD and they scan it
and recover the files to the remote client?  (We'd have to licence all
clients on the central system in this case I guess.)

Apologies if I'm coming over unbelievably thick here, but I seem to have
a mental block with regard to the process of recovering a single file
from one of those tapes, and what we need to have centrally (in terms of
licences, indexes etc) for that to be possible.

Cheeers... Allan

>>> lemons_terry AT EMC DOT COM 03/20/09 8:55 PM >>>
Hi Allan

Every NetWorker environment has three NetWorker 'roles': client, storage
node, and server.  You always have those three roles in your
environment.  When you install a NetWorker server, all three roles are
installed on that system; so you've had a storage node without realizing
it. Additional storage nodes and clients can be added to the
environment.

NetWorker clients read data from a source (file system, database
application, etc.) and write a datastream in 'NetWorker format' (my
term).  That datastream is delivered (either locally via memory or
remotely via IP) to a NetWorker storage node, which writes the
datastream onto the output device (tape or disk).  Only the storage node
accesses (reads/writes) output devices.

The Data Domain systems do not support writing directly to tape devices.
So, in order to create a tape copy of a backup on the central site DD
system, the data will need to be read from the DD system into a
NetWorker storage node and then written by a storage node to the tape
device.  What you'll have on that tape device is a standard NetWorker
tape with savesets stored on it, so you can restore directly from that
tape to your host system; the DD system is not involved at all with a
restore.

Hope this helps.
tl

-----Original Message-----
From: EMC NetWorker discussion [mailto:NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU] On
Behalf Of Allan Nelson
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 4:36 PM
To: NETWORKER AT LISTSERV.TEMPLE DOT EDU
Subject: [Networker] Backup to disk - replicate - then off to tape

Hi
I'm after a bit of advice from anyone doing this in the real world.
Sorry if this gets long...

We are about to implement a Data Domain setup at each of our 4 sites for
backup/DR purposes.
3 of the DataDomains will replicate their data to our central site, and
the central site will replicate its data (just that sites backup data)
to one of the other sites.  So, we have 2 copies of each sites data (one
local, one remote).
We aim to keep 3 months backups on line on each Data Domain system.

Partly (I think) due to perhaps an 'old way of thinking' - ie tape gives
a warm friendly feeling that it's safe ;-) but mainly because management
would like the ability to go back up to 12 months - for example someone
can come along and say that file I had 9 months ago - I'd like it back!
(we're partly to blame for this as we do take monthly snapshot backups
to tape which are stored for 12 months, and while this facility has been
used a handful of times - it has been very much appreciated when it's
been called on).  There's been a bit of a blurring of backups for DR and
an archive system I fear!

So, the problem - I'm at a remote site and I need some file(s) back from
up to 12 months ago.
We were intially thinking that at the central site, we would clone to
tape and store these off-site.  To do this, we'd need a client licence
for each client at each site on this central system I believe?  

What concerns me more is the logistics of getting this data back.
As I see it, we're going to have to set aside a heck of a lot of space
on the DD to leave in reserve so that we can get back the largest
saveset, and correspondingly we'd need to do the same at each of the
remote sites to get their largest saveset replicated back up to the site
in question. Would that be correct? or is there some way we can do that
at the central site, bearing in mind we need to retain all
ownership/permissions on these files.

Would implementing the backup servers at each remote site as storage
nodes help in any way?  We've never used storage nodes so I don't know
what added functionality they may give us (over the fact that backups
would be controlled centrally).

We're open to any / all suggestions, but I don't think 'buy a proper
archive system' is an option I'm afraid.

Thanks for reading... Allan.


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-- 
This message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only. NERC
is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the contents
of this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by NERC unless
it is exempt from release under the Act. Any material supplied to
NERC may be stored in an electronic records management system.

To sign off this list, send email to listserv AT listserv.temple DOT edu and
type "signoff networker" in the body of the email. Please write to
networker-request AT listserv.temple DOT edu if you have any problems with this
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