Introduction to NetBackup for NDMP

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Defining Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP)

• An open standard protocol for network-based, enterprise-wide

backup of heterogeneous network-attached storage.
• Enables NDMP-compliant backup applications to control and
manage backups and restores of data resident on NDMP-
compliant network file servers.
• Consists of multiple specifications (versions 2, 3, and 4) to which
vendor products may comply.
• Described in detail at http://www.snia.org/ndmp.

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NDMP protocol and filer overview

• NDMP architecture consists of three components:

NDMP data • Transfers data between primary storage (disks) and the data
server connection

NDMP tape • Transfers data between secondary storage (tape) and the data
server connection

• Also referred to as the Data Management Application (DMA)

NDMP client • Controls NDMP backup or restore session

• NDMP support on a network file server enables communication

with commercial, NDMP-enabled, network-attached backup
applications (referred to as Data Management Applications or
DMAs).
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NetBackup for NDMP features

• Centralized backup-policy management

• NetBackup-clustered environment support
NetBackup • Media management including Shared Storage Option and
feature multiplexing
support • Enhanced customized scripts
• Remote NDMP to NetBackup deduplication and AdvancedDisk
• Replication Director support

• NetApp cDOT, EMC NAS, and Hitachi Isilion support

• NDMP DirectCopy and SnapVault disk copy support
NDMP
• Direct Access Recovery (DAR)
feature • Snapshots of data on NDMP hosts
support • Path-based file history
• IPv6 support

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NetBackup for NDMP backup types

Local
• Backup of NDMP host to tape drives that are directly (locally)
attached to the NDMP host.
• Metadata sent to NetBackup catalog.

Three-way
• Backup of network-attached NDMP hosts to tape device of
another NDMP host or with embedded NDMP server software.
• Metadata sent to NetBackup catalog.

Remote
• Backup of network-attached NDMP hosts to tape or disk storage
managed by NetBackup media servers.
• Metadata sent to NetBackup catalog.

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 NetBackup for NDMP local backups
LAN
Backup metadata

Master Media NDMP command NDMP

server server and control host*

Backup data
NDMP NDMP
Backup metadata client server
stored in NetBackup Tape
catalog storage

Backup data stored in

NDMP-attached
backup storage

* No NetBackup software is installed on NDMP host

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 NetBackup for NDMP remote backups
LAN
Backup metadata

Master Media NDMP command NDMP

server server and control host*
Backup data

Backup metadata
stored in NetBackup
catalog

Backup storage
Backup data stored in
NetBackup storage
units

* No NetBackup software is installed on NDMP host

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Preparing for NDMP backups

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Licensing requirements

• Install one NetBackup for NDMP license for each NDMP host
– On the master server
– On any media server with storage used for NDMP backups
• Other licensing options may be available
• NetBackup for NDMP licenses are not required for VTL direct
copy to tape.
• Verify license keys
– NetBackup Administration Console: Help > License Keys
– Command line:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpminlicense

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NetBackup Administration Console – NDMP Hosts list

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Three types of NDMP host credentials

Global Used by all NetBackup servers to access any

credentials NDMP host configured

Common Used by all NetBackup media servers to access

credentials this NDMP host

Unique Used for each media server that accesses this

credentials NDMP host

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Configuring global NDMP credentials

Note: Global credentials cannot be used for NDMP cDOT systems.

NetApp generates a separate, encrypted password for each Vserver.

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Configuring common NDMP credentials for all media
servers

Enter the user name and password

which all NetBackup servers use to
access the NDMP server.

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Configuring unique NDMP credentials for each media
server

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When NDMP host entry fails

• Adding an NDMP host entry using the NetBackup Administration

Console requires NetBackup to communicate with the NDMP
host.
• If this communication fails, the following message is displayed.

• The NDMPD service needs to running on the NetApp filer.

• Use NetApp’s command, ndmp status, to verify the NDMPD
service is running on the NetApp filer.
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Verifying tape hardware attached to an NDMP host

• Ensure robots and tape drives are physically attached and

configured on the NDMP host before configuring them in
NetBackup.
• Use filer-specific commands to list devices:
NDMP filer Command to list filer-attached tape and robot devices
NetApp Tape drives: sysconfig –t
Tape robots: sysconfig –m
EMC Celerra server_devconfig data_mover_name –list
–scsi ch# -nondisks

• Refer to:
– Vendor documentation for the NDMP host
– Article 000027113: NetBackup for NDMP: NAS appliance information

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Verifying tape hardware using the tpautoconf
command
• About the tpautoconf command
– Verifies robots and tape drives that are attached to an NDMP host.
– Determines the types of backups supported by an NDMP host.
– Requires support of NDMP version 3 or 4.
• Using tpautoconf
– Run on media server configured to have NDMP access to the NDMP host
– Command location:
• UNIX: /usr/openv/volmgr/bin
• Windows: install_path\volmgr\bin
– Example to verify NDMP host-attached devices :
tpautoconf -probe NDMP_host_name

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Sample tpautoconf -probe command output
Host "oven1" SCSI device model "ADIC Scalar 100 ":
Device "mc12" attributes=0x0
ELECTRICAL_NAME=broc2100ss07:6.126L4 robot
SERIAL_NUMBER=ADIC9K0023A27
WORLD_WIDE_NAME=WWN[1:000:00e002:033491]L4
ALIAS 0=mc12
Host "oven1" SCSI device model "IBM ULTRIUM-TD2 ":
Device "rst6l" attributes=(0x5) REWIND RAW
DENSITY=LT0-I tape only 100GB
ELECTRICAL_NAME=broc2100ss07:6.126L1
SERIAL_NUMBER=1110256109
WORLD_WIDE_NAME=WWN[1:000:00e002:033591]L1
ALIAS 0=st6
Device "nrst6l" attributes=(0x4) RAW
DENSITY=LT0-I tape only 100GB
ELECTRICAL_NAME=broc2100ss07:6.126L1
SERIAL_NUMBER=1110256109
WORLD_WIDE_NAME=WWN[1:000:00e002:033591]L1
ALIAS 0=st6 drives
Device "urst6l" attributes=(0x6) UNLOAD RAW
DENSITY=LT0-I tape only 100GB
ELECTRICAL_NAME=broc2100ss07:6.126L1
SERIAL_NUMBER=1110256109
WORLD_WIDE_NAME=WWN[1:000:00e002:033591]L1
ALIAS 0=st6
Device "rst6m" attributes=(0x5) REWIND RAW
DENSITY=LT0-I tape 200GB cmp
ELECTRICAL_NAME=broc2100ss07:6.126L1
SERIAL_NUMBER=1110256109
WORLD_WIDE_NAME=WWN[1:000:00e002:033591]L1
ALIAS 0=st6
...
The Device Configuration Wizard: Configuring a NDMP
device hosts

Select the checkbox for the

media server that has
accesses to the NDMP host.

Using the NetBackup Device Configuration Wizard

to configure tape devices requires support of
NDMP version 3 or 4 on the NDMP host.

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Optional Devices to be Scanned: NDMP

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The NDMP Hosts dialog box

Select the NDMP host to

which the tape device is
connected to.

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The Configure Storage Units dialog box

DeviceHostName-DriveType-robot-RobotType-RobotNumber-NDMP_host_name

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Configuring local NDMP backups

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 Review: NetBackup for NDMP local backups
LAN
Backup metadata

Master Media NDMP command NDMP

server server and control host*

Backup data
NDMP NDMP
Backup metadata client server
stored in NetBackup Tape
catalog storage

Backup data stored in

NDMP-attached
backup storage

* No NetBackup software is installed on NDMP host

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Configuring an NDMP policy for local NDMP backup

If NDMP policy type is not listed, verify a

valid NetBackup for NDMP license is
installed on the master server.

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Configuring policy storage for local NDMP backup

The NDMP-TLD-STU2 storage

unit is associated with the robot
on the SVM_1 NDMP host

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Configuring schedules for local NDMP backup

Schedule types NDMP backup levels

Full NDMP level 0
User backup and
user archive not
Cumulative Incremental NDMP level 1 supported by NDMP
Differential Incremental NDMP level (last level = 1, up to 9)
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Configuring clients for local NDMP backup

Must have the Hardware and

Operating System as NDMP, NDMP
(or NDMP, cDOT for NetApp cDOT)

Use if the client is not listed in

the Client name drop-down

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Configuring backup selections for local NDMP backup

• Entries under the Backup Selections tab:

– Must be listed from the perspective of the NDMP host
– Must be directory or volume names (no file names)
– Support the ALL_FILESYSTEM directive
– Support wildcards
– May include environment variables as supported by NDMP and the
NDMP host vendor
• For other supported entries, refer to:
– NetBackup for NDMP Administrator’s Guide
– Article 000027113: NetBackup for NDMP NAS Appliance Information

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Advantages and disadvantages of local NDMP backups
Advantages
• Keep backup data off the LAN
Eliminates network as a bottleneck
• Moves data moves directly from
NDMP host to tape device
• Supports both physical and virtual
tape
• Can share SAN attached tape drives
between NDMP hosts and
NetBackup media servers
Disadvantages
• Back up is only possible to an NDMP
tape storage unit
• Does not support multiplexing
• Does not support NetBackup client
side encryption
• Does not provide workarounds for
tape drive shoe shining if the data
stream from the NDMP host is not
fast enough to keep the drive
streaming at its maximum write
speed
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Configuring remote NDMP backups

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 Review: NetBackup for NDMP remote backups
LAN
Backup metadata

Master Media NDMP command NDMP

server server and control host*
Backup data

Backup metadata
stored in NetBackup
catalog

Backup storage
Backup data stored in
NetBackup storage
units

* No NetBackup software is installed on NDMP host

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Configuring remote NDMP backups

Policy attributes similar to local NDMP backups

• Policy type: NDMP

• Schedules: Full, Differential Incremental, and Cumulative Incremental
• Clients: NDMP hosts
• Backup Selections: Directory on NDMP host or ALL_FILESYSTEM directive

Policy attributes different from local NDMP backups

• Policy storage: Any NetBackup media server tape or disk device

• For backups to tape, the storage unit must be a Media Manager-type
storage unit, not an NDMP storage unit.
• Multiplexing is supported.

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Considerations and restrictions for Remote NDMP disk
backups
• Supports NetBackup media server disk storage
– BasicDisk
– AdvancedDisk
– Media Server Deduplication (MSDP)
– OST appliance storage unit
• Can be configured to write multiple concurrent jobs from one or
more NDMP hosts
• Does not support client-side deduplication

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Policy Attributes for remote NDMP backups

Supports all disk

storage unit.

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NDMP stream handler for deduplication backups

• Used for different backup data types to optimize deduplication rate.

• Supported for NDMP data streams with NetApp and EMC.
• Used automatically and requires no configuration.
• Greatly improves NDMP deduplication rates for backups of NetApp filers.

Data stream without a stream handler:

With a stream
handler:

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Advantages and disadvantages of remote NDMP
backups
Advantages Disadvantages
• Provides significant flexibility and • Potentially diminished backup
functionality over other NDMP performance
backup methods – Backup data travels across the LAN to
• Supports: the NetBackup media server.
– Media server load balancing – Backup performance is constrained by
network speed.
– Backup to tape or disk storage units
– Multiplexing
• Does not support NDMP DirectCopy
– NetBackup encryption with Key
Management Services (KMS)
– NDMP deduplication stream handler
– Storage Lifecycle Policies

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