NetBackup How-To Guide Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup

NetBackup How-To Guide
Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments
to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
This document will cover the steps required to configure Microsoft
Cluster Server/Failover Cluster N+1 Enterprise Vault environments
when using the NetBackup Enterprise Vault agent to back up the
environment.
If you have any feedback or questions about this document please
email
them
to
[email protected]
stating
the
document title.
This document applies to the following version(s) of Enterprise Vault:
8, 9, & 10
This document applies to the following version(s) of NetBackup:
7.0.x, 7.1.x, & 7.5.x
This document is provided for informational purposes only. All warranties relating to the information in this
document, either express or implied, are disclaimed to the maximum extent allowed by law. The information in
this document is subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2012 Symantec Corporation. All rights
reserved. Symantec, the Symantec logo and Enterprise Vault are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their
respective owners
NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Document Control
Contributors
Who
Contribution
ESi Technologies
Contributor
Evan Barrett
Author, contributor
Revision History
Version
Date
Changes
1.0
December 2011
Initial release
2.0
April 2012
Disclaimer added and minor revisions
Related Documents
Version
Date
Title
Table of Contents
Disclaimer
1
Current Issues with the NetBackup Enterprise Vault Agent
2
Resolving Backup Issues
3
Table of Figures
Figure 1 - Cluster Configuration before Failover
2
Figure 2 - Cluster configuration after failover
2
Figure 3 - Adding a Generic Service
3
Figure 4 - Selecting the Service Type
4
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Figure 5 - Service Confirmation
5
Figure 6 - Click on Finish
5
Figure 7 - New Resource Appears Offline
6
Figure 8 - Changing the Name of the New Resource
7
Figure 9 - Editing the Dependencies for the Newly Created Resource
8
Figure 10 - Configuring the Registry Replication Settings
9
Figure 11- After Registry Replication Configuration
10
Figure 12 - Bring the New Resource Online
11
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Disclaimer
This How-To guide offers a workaround to the issues described in this document. It is not a 100%
Symantec supported solution. Symantec Support can only provide best-effort support when using this
guide.
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Current Issues with the NetBackup Enterprise Vault Agent
The NetBackup 7.0.x and 7.1.x Enterprise Vault agents, when used in an N+1 Microsoft Cluster
Server/Failover Cluster environment, currently cannot back up all Enterprise Vault components in the
event of a failover of an Enterprise Vault instance from one node to another. Figure 1 illustrates a simple
N+1 cluster configuration.
EVNODE1 and EVNODE2 currently host instances of Enterprise Vault.
EVNODE3 can act as a failover node for either instance of Enterprise Vault (EVINSTANCE1 or
EVINSTANCE2).
Note how the NetBackup client names have been configured for EVNODE1
(EVINSTANCE1) and EVNODE2 (EVINSTANCE2). However, the NetBackup client name for EVNODE3
cannot be set to EVINSTANCE1 and EVINSTANCE2 at the same time as this node can host either
instance.
EVNODE1
(active node for EVINSTANCE1)
NBU client name:
EVINSTANCE1
EVNODE2
(active node for EVINSTANCE2)
NBU client name:
EVINSTANCE2
EVNODE3
(standby node for EV)
NBU client name:
EVNODE3
Figure 1 - Cluster Configuration before Failover
After a failover of EVINSTANCE2 to EVNODE3, Index Location backups fail for EVINSTANCE2. When
using the EV_INDEX_LOCATION=<site_name> directive, all index locations for the specified site are
backed up. The backups fail for EVINSTANCE2 due to the fact that the NetBackup client name is not
properly configured on the failed over node (EVNODE) as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Cluster configuration after failover
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Resolving Backup Issues
Backup issues can be resolved by ensuring that the NetBackup client name is automatically configured
on the cluster node after a failover. The NetBackup client name is stored in the registry and can be
successfully replicated to the failover node by setting up the necessary cluster resources.
The following steps will illustrate how to properly configure cluster resources for the replication of registry
settings.
1. On all active nodes hosting an Enterprise Vault instance, ensure that the NetBackup client name
is set to Enterprise Vault instance name either by using the NetBackup Administration console or
by
setting
the
name
in
the
(HKLM\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\NetBackup\CurrentVersion\Config\Client_Name)
registry
such
as
EVINSTANCE1 (as shown in Figure 1).
2. Open the Microsoft Failover Cluster Manager and add a Generic Service (4 – Generic Service)
resource as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 - Adding a Generic Service
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
3. Select “Application Experience” service. If this service is not present in the list, choose any other
such as Application Identity or Application Information and click on Next.
Figure 4 - Selecting the Service Type
Notes:
It should be noted that Application Identity can only be used once within a cluster configuration.
Some end users have reported that Application Experience will shut down after 8 to 10 minutes and
will report a failed/offline resource.
However, registry settings have been properly copied even
though the resource may show as failed or offline and backups should continue to work.
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
4. Click on Next again
Figure 5 - Service Confirmation
5. Click on Finish
Figure 6 - Click on Finish
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
6. The newly added resource should appear as Offline
Figure 7 - New Resource Appears Offline
7. Edit the properties of the newly created resource. Change the name under the general tab to
something meaningful such as “NetBackup Client Registry Settings”
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Figure 8 - Changing the Name of the New Resource
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
8. While still in the properties window for the newly created resource, click on the Dependencies tab
and select the name of the instance (such as EVINSTANCE1) and a shared disk resources as
shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9 - Editing the Dependencies for the Newly Created Resource
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
9. The next step is to add the registry replication path.
newly
created
resource,
click
on
the
While still in the properties window of the
Registry
Replication
tab
and
add
SOFTWARE\VERITAS\NetBackup\CurrentVersion\Config as shown in Figure 10 and Figure
11.
Figure 10 - Configuring the Registry Replication Settings
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
Figure 11- After Registry Replication Configuration
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NetBackup How To Guide – Configuring MSCS N+1 Environments to Work with the NetBackup
Enterprise Vault Agent
10. Start the resource as shown in Figure 12.
Figure 12 - Bring the New Resource Online
11. If possible, fail the Enterprise Vault instance over to the standby node.
Ensure that the
NetBackup client settings have been properly replicated by bringing up Registry Editor and
browsing HKLM\SOFTWARE\VERITAS\NetBackup\CurrentVersion\Config.
Note: After a failback from the standby node to the original node, the standby node will still have the
same NetBackup registry settings as the original node. This will not affect Enterprise Vault backups as
backups will take place on the active node.
Page 11
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