[Veritas-bu] Using NetBackup with multiple interfaces

>I have two Sunfire 3800 systems each with 4 Gigabit interfaces.  These are 
>interfaces
>that will all be used for backups.  I'm trying to figure out how to make 
>NetBackup use
>all of these interfaces without getting too complicated.  I'll be using IP 
>Network 
>Multipathing if possible.  Does anyone know how to set up NetBackup with 
>multiple 
>interfaces that are being used for backups.  I'm trying to figure out how to 
>have 
>proper communications with multiple interfaces and not have NetBackup blow up.

This is a hard problem. I think, currently, the only way is to define four 
different 
clients in NBU, with each client backing up 1/4th of the data. Note that there 
are 
scripts on the web that create filelists of a filesystem equally divided in n 
pieces, to 
be used with bpbackup.

IPMP: IF bundeling works for outgoing connections in a 'one to many' 
configuration. 
IPMP on the client fails the 'one to many' rule: there's only one backup 
server. IPMP on 
the server fails the 'outgoing connections' rule: bulk data comes INTO the 
server. Thus 
IPMP bundeling is useless for backup (as is Sun Trunking that has the same 
restrictions). 
However, IPMP in a failover config works as designed. 

If I understand your problem correctly: client(s) with large amount of data and 
a tight 
backup window:

a. look for ways to decrease the amount of data to back'd up (incrementals, 
   agents, redo logs, talking: it's not very intelligent behaviour to transfer 
n TB 
   on a daily basis)
b. look for ways to snapshot the filesystem. i've done this by using disksuite, 
vxvm 
   instant image and fssnap (included in s8 04/01). this enables you to reduce 
the backup
   window to a few (10) minutes, giving 23:50 for transfer to tape. Need disk 
storage
   for this though.
c. SAN does not help here. Native transfer speed for FC is 100MB/s as it is for 
   ge, allthough FC's efficiency is a bit better.
d. You'll need an awfull lot of diskspindles to feed 4 ge interfaces at the 
client side.
   (4 x ~60MB/s = 240MB/s. 1 T3 R5 LUN (for example) is capable of +- 25MB/s 
meaning that
   you would need (to stripe) 9 or 10 T3's to feed to ge's. Do you really have 
that
   storage?

I think the only viable ways are a and b, because striping is not introduced in 
the tape- 
and lan worl yet.
   
My 2 cents,

Joost

-- 
Mondeling examen.