I had the same issue.

I have included a response from a NetApp engineer.

It is basically a NDMP issue.

Does anbody know when Veritas will support DAR ??


Greg Guenther
gguenthe AT csc DOT com




Greg,

NDMP compliant backup applications that support
DAR (Direct Access Restore) solve the problem you
describe.

In your scenario, the entire backup image is scanned
to retrieve a single file. With DAR functionality,
the first tape is inserted and the restore header
is then retrieved. If the requested file resides on
the first tape, the backup application positions to
this file and restores it. If the requested file
resides on a tape volume other than the first tape,
it is loaded and positioned for the restore.

In lab based tests at Network Appliance, I have seen
restores such as the one you've detailed, restore in
a matter of minutes (5 to 10) with DAR versus hours
for non-DAR NDMP compliant backup applications.

Support for DAR begins with Data ONTAP 6.0 and higher
from Network Appliance. NDMP compliant backup
applications currently supporting DAR include:

BakBone NetVault
CommVault Galaxy
Syncsort Backup Express
Workstation Solutions Quick Restore

Other NDMP compliant backup application vendors plan
on adding DAR support in future releases. You would need
to check with Veritas to determine the status of NetBackup
and DAR.

In your particular scenario, I would suggest trying to
use the Snapshot capabilities of Data ONTAP to perform
single file restores. The obvious drawback to this solution
is that Snapshot based backups offer a limited retention
period when compared to tape based solutions.

Please call me if this doesn't answer your question.

Thanks,

Bill Roth
Technical Marketing Engineer NDMP & Backup
Network Appliance, Inc.
495 East Java Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
408-822-3308