Veritas NetBackup™ Administrator's Guide, Volume II

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (9.1)
  1. NetBackup licensing models and usage reporting
    1.  
      About NetBackup licensing models
    2.  
      Tools for creating and viewing licensing reports
    3.  
      Setting the licensing type for scheduled reports
    4. How capacity licensing works
      1.  
        How capacity licensing detects overlap when multiple policies protect data
      2.  
        Backup policies and agents that support accurate licensing
      3.  
        Requirements before gathering data for multiple master servers in capacity licensing
    5.  
      How NEVC licensing works
    6.  
      Scheduling reports for capacity licensing
    7.  
      Scheduling reports for traditional licensing
    8.  
      Scheduling reports for NetBackup Enterprise Virtual Client (NEVC) licensing
    9.  
      Other configuration for incremental reporting
    10.  
      Troubleshooting failures for usage reporting and incremental reporting
    11.  
      Manually generating licensing reports
    12. Creating and viewing the licensing report
      1.  
        Report tab descriptions
    13. Reviewing a capacity licensing report
      1.  
        Summary tab
      2.  
        Client aliases and multiple IP addresses
      3.  
        Itemization tab
      4.  
        Clients backed up with multiple streams
      5.  
        Data backed up by multiple policies
      6.  
        BigData plug-ins for NetBackup
      7.  
        NetBackup for Exchange agent
      8.  
        NetBackup for NDMP agent
      9.  
        NetBackup for Oracle server agent
      10.  
        NetBackup for SQL Server agent
      11.  
        NetBackup for VMware agent
      12.  
        NetBackup for Hyper-V agent
      13.  
        NetBackup for RHV agent
      14.  
        NetBackup for Nutanix-AHV agent
      15.  
        NAS-Data-Protection policy
      16.  
        Cloud policy
      17.  
        NetBackup for Kubernetes
      18.  
        Windows file system backups
      19.  
        UNIX file system backups
    14. Reconciling the capacity licensing report results
      1.  
        Locate full backups for clients
      2.  
        Review compressed image information
      3.  
        Eliminate redundant counting of clients
      4.  
        Determine the effect of multistreamed backups
      5.  
        Confirm the accuracy of any database backups
      6.  
        Locate full backups for snapshot images
    15. Reviewing a traditional licensing report
      1.  
        Summary tab
      2.  
        Complete the Hosts tab
      3.  
        Resolve the NDMP tab
      4.  
        Update the Virtual Servers tab
      5.  
        Confirm the Drives tab
      6.  
        Final steps
    16. Reviewing an NEVC licensing report
      1.  
        Summary tab
      2.  
        Hosts tab
    17.  
      Using the NetBackup Storage API to get the total backup size information
  2. Additional configuration
    1.  
      About multiple NetBackup master servers
    2.  
      About multiple media servers with one master server
    3.  
      About direct I/O for backups on Windows
    4. About dynamic host name and IP addressing
      1.  
        About setting up dynamic IP addresses and host names
      2.  
        Configuring the NetBackup master server
      3.  
        bpclient commands that control client entries
      4.  
        Configuring dynamic NetBackup clients
    5. About busy file processing on UNIX clients
      1.  
        Configuring busy file processing on UNIX
      2.  
        Modifying bp.conf to configure busy file processing on UNIX
      3.  
        bp.conf file entries on UNIX
      4.  
        How NetBackup creates and uses action files on UNIX
      5.  
        About the logs directory on UNIX
      6.  
        Recommended changes for modifying bpend_notify_busy on UNIX
    6.  
      About specifying the locale of the NetBackup installation
    7. About the Shared Storage Option
      1.  
        About Shared Storage Option components
      2.  
        DELETE About reserving or releasing shared devices
      3.  
        How to share robotic libraries without using the Shared Storage Option
      4.  
        Shared Storage Option terms and concepts
      5.  
        DELETE About the Shared Storage Option license
      6.  
        About Shared Storage Option prerequisites
      7.  
        About hardware configuration guidelines
      8.  
        About installing and configuring drivers
      9.  
        Verifying the connectivity
      10. DELETE About configuring the Shared Storage Option in NetBackup
        1.  
          About configuring SSO in NetBackup
        2.  
          Configuring Shared Storage Option devices in NetBackup
        3.  
          About adding Shared Storage Option configuration options
        4.  
          About configuring NetBackup storage units and backup policies
      11.  
        Verifying your Shared Storage Option configuration
      12.  
        Device Monitor and Shared Storage Option
      13. Viewing SSO summary reports
        1.  
          Shared Storage Option summary reports
      14.  
        Operating system assistance
      15.  
        Common configuration issues with Shared Storage Option
      16.  
        Frequently asked questions about Shared Storage Option
    8. About the vm.conf configuration file
      1.  
        ACS_mediatype entry in vm.conf
      2.  
        ACS_SEL_SOCKET entry in vm.conf
      3.  
        ACS_CSI_HOSTPORT entry in vm.conf (on UNIX)
      4.  
        ACS_SSI_HOSTNAME entry in vm.conf
      5.  
        ACS_SSI_INET_PORT entry in vm.conf (on UNIX)
      6.  
        ACS_SSI_SOCKET entry in vm.conf
      7.  
        ACS_TCP_RPCSERVICE / ACS_UDP_RPCSERVICE entry in vm.conf (on UNIX)
      8.  
        ADJ_LSM entry in vm.conf
      9.  
        API_BARCODE_RULES entry in vm.conf
      10.  
        AUTHORIZATION_REQUIRED entry in vm.conf in NetBackup versions 8.0 and earlier
      11.  
        AUTO_PATH_CORRECTION entry in vm.conf
      12.  
        AUTO_UPDATE_ROBOT entry in vm.conf
      13.  
        AVRD_PEND_DELAY entry in vm.conf
      14.  
        AVRD_SCAN_DELAY entry in vm.conf
      15.  
        CLEAN_REQUEST_TIMEOUT entry in vm.conf
      16.  
        CLIENT_PORT_WINDOW entry in vm.conf
      17.  
        CLUSTER_NAME entry in vm.conf
      18.  
        DAYS_TO_KEEP_LOGS entry in vm.conf
      19.  
        EMM_RETRY_COUNT entry in vm.conf
      20.  
        EMM_CONNECT_TIMOUT entry in vm.conf
      21.  
        EMM_REQUEST_TIMOUT entry in vm.conf
      22.  
        ENABLE_ROBOT_AUTH entry in vm.conf
      23.  
        INVENTORY_FILTER entry in vm.conf
      24.  
        MAP_ID entry in vm.conf
      25.  
        MAP_CONTINUE_TIMEOUT entry in vm.conf
      26.  
        MEDIA_ID_BARCODE_CHARS entry in vm.conf
      27.  
        MEDIA_ID_PREFIX entry in vm.conf
      28.  
        MM_SERVER_NAME entry in vm.conf
      29.  
        PREFERRED_GROUP entry in vm.conf
      30.  
        RANDOM_PORTS entry in vm.conf
      31.  
        REQUIRED_INTERFACE entry in vm.conf
      32.  
        SERVER entry in vm.conf in NetBackup versions 8.0 and earlier
      33.  
        SSO_DA_REREGISTER_INTERVAL entry in vm.conf
      34.  
        SSO_DA_RETRY_TIMEOUT entry in vm.conf
      35.  
        SSO_HOST_NAME entry in vm.conf
      36.  
        VERBOSE entry in vm.conf
      37.  
        Example vm.conf file
      38.  
        How to access media and devices on other hosts
      39.  
        Host name precedence in the vm.conf file
  3. Holds Management
    1.  
      About Holds Management
    2.  
      Creating a hold
    3.  
      Viewing hold details
    4.  
      Adding a backup image to an existing hold
    5.  
      Releasing a hold
  4. Menu user interfaces on UNIX
    1.  
      About menu user interfaces
    2. About the tpconfig device configuration utility
      1.  
        About the tpconfig utility menu
      2.  
        Starting the tpconfig device configuration utility
      3.  
        Adding robots
      4.  
        Adding drives
      5.  
        Updating a robot configuration
      6.  
        Updating a drive configuration
      7.  
        Deleting a robot
      8.  
        Deleting a drive
      9.  
        Configuring drive paths
      10.  
        Configuring host credentials
      11.  
        Displaying and writing the device configuration
    3. About the NetBackup Disk Configuration Utility
      1.  
        Managing OpenStorage servers and disk pools
      2.  
        Managing global disk attributes
  5. Reference topics
    1. Host name rules
      1.  
        How NetBackup uses host names
      2.  
        Updating NetBackup after changing the host name
      3.  
        Special considerations for Domain Name Service (DNS)
    2. About reading backup images with nbtar or tar32.exe
      1.  
        Restoring files with non-NetBackup restore utilities (on UNIX)
      2.  
        Considerations for file restoration with non-NetBackup restore utilities (on UNIX)
      3.  
        About the files that restores generate
    3. Factors that affect backup time
      1.  
        Total amount of data to back up
      2.  
        Transfer rate
    4.  
      Methods for determining the NetBackup transfer rate
    5. NetBackup notify scripts
      1.  
        backup_notify script
      2.  
        backup_exit_notify script
      3.  
        bpstart_notify script (UNIX clients)
      4.  
        bpstart_notify.bat script (Windows clients)
      5.  
        bpend_notify script (UNIX clients)
      6.  
        bpend_notify.bat script (Windows clients)
      7.  
        bpend_notify_busy script (UNIX clients)
      8.  
        child_end_deployment_notify
      9.  
        child_start_deployment_notify
      10.  
        diskfull_notify script
      11.  
        drive_mount_notify script (on UNIX)
      12.  
        drive_unmount_notify script (on UNIX)
      13.  
        mail_dr_info script
      14.  
        media_deassign_notify script
      15.  
        nbmail.cmd script (on Windows)
      16.  
        parent_end_deployment_notify
      17.  
        parent_end_notify script
      18.  
        parent_start_deployment_notify
      19.  
        parent_start_notify script
      20.  
        pending_request_notify script
      21.  
        restore_notify script
      22.  
        session_notify script
      23.  
        session_start_notify script
      24.  
        shared_drive_notify script
      25.  
        userreq_notify script
    6. Media and device management best practices
      1.  
        Media management best practices
      2.  
        Device management best practices
      3.  
        Media and device performance and troubleshooting
    7. About TapeAlert
      1.  
        About TapeAlert cleaning (reactive cleaning)
      2.  
        About TapeAlert and frequency-based cleaning
      3.  
        About TapeAlert requirements
      4.  
        TapeAlert logs and codes
    8. About tape drive cleaning
      1.  
        About library-based cleaning
      2.  
        About frequency-based cleaning
      3.  
        About operator-initiated cleaning
      4.  
        About using a cleaning tape
    9.  
      How NetBackup selects drives
    10. How NetBackup reserves drives
      1. About SCSI persistent reserve
        1.  
          About SCSI persistent reserve commands
        2.  
          About SCSI persistent reserve conflicts
      2. About the SPC-2 SCSI reserve process
        1.  
          About SPC-2 SCSI reserve commands
        2.  
          About SCSI reservation conflicts
        3.  
          About forcing a release of an unavailable HBA's SPC-2 reservation
        4.  
          Breaking a reservation
      3.  
        About SCSI reserve requirements
      4.  
        About SCSI reserve limitations
      5.  
        About SCSI reservation logging
      6.  
        About SCSI reserve operating system limitations on Windows
      7. About checking for data loss
        1.  
          About possible data loss causes
      8. About checking for tape and driver configuration errors
        1.  
          About common configuration problems
      9.  
        About configuring SCSI reserve
    11. How NetBackup selects media
      1. About selecting media in robots
        1.  
          About spanning media with automatic media selection
      2. About selecting media in standalone drives
        1.  
          About selecting media by using standalone drive extensions
        2.  
          About disabling standalone drive extensions
        3.  
          About spanning media
        4.  
          About leaving standalone drives in the ready state
    12.  
      Volume pool and volume group examples
    13.  
      Media formats
    14.  
      Media and device management processes
    15. About Tape I/O commands on UNIX
      1.  
        About requesting tapes
      2.  
        About reading and writing tape files
      3.  
        About removing tape files
  6.  
    Index

Manually generating licensing reports

You can manually generate reports for either the capacity or the traditional reporting model. The tool is located in the following directory:

On Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\admincmd\

On UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/

You cannot manually generate the NetBackup Enterprise Virtual Client Edition (NEVC) licensing report.

Generating reports based on the licensing model

It is recommended to run the netbackup_deployment_insights, command. You can continue using the nbdeployutil command with the same options.

If you use capacity-based licensing, run the following commands:

netbackup_deployment_insights

  • For gather: netbackup_deployment_insights --gather --capacity

  • For reports: netbackup_deployment_insights --report --capacity

If you use traditional based licensing, run the following commands:

netbackup_deployment_insights

  • For gather: netbackup_deployment_insights --gather --traditional

  • For reports: netbackup_deployment_insights --report --traditional

The tool generates the report in multiple steps. Data is gathered in the first step, and then analyzed and presented.

Table: Steps to gather and report licensing information

Step

Action

Description

Step 1

Complete prerequisites.

If you want to gather data from one master for other remote master servers, ensure that you have granted the necessary access across all servers:

See Requirements before gathering data for multiple master servers in capacity licensing.

Multiple master servers are only supported in capacity licensing.

For back-level master servers, load the engineering binary that is associated with netbackup_deployment_insights onto all master servers for which you want to gather information.

 

Gather the backup size data

The tool uses the following options to gather data from one or more master servers.

netbackup_deployment_insights --gather [--output=DIRECTORY]
      [--capacity | --traditional] [--hoursago=N]
      [--start="mm/dd/yyyy HH:MM:SS" 
      [--end="mm/dd/yyyy HH:MM:SS"]]
      [--clientlist=FILENAME | --clients=HOSTNAME[,...]]
      [--master=HOSTNAME[,...]] [--log=FILENAME]
      [--runtimestats] [--nolog] [--bpimagelist=OPTIONS]
      [--use-bpflist]

You can continue using the nbdeployutil command with the same options.

Step 2

Analyze the data and prepare the report

The netbackup_deployment_insights commands uses the following options to analyze the gathered data and prepare the report:

netbackup_deployment_insights --report
      <--capacity | --traditional> <directory> ...
      [--dirlist=FILENAME | --parentdir=DIRECTORY]
      [--capacity] [--debug-inputs] [--log=FILENAME]
      [--clientlist=FILENAME | --clients=HOSTNAME[,...]]
      [--day-boundary=TIME] [--runtimestats] [--nolog]
      [--overlap-details]
      [--anonymize | --anonymize -anon-master=SOME_NAME]

For a traditional report, run: netbackup_deployment_insights --report --traditional

For a capacity report, run: netbackup_deployment_insights --report --capacity

You can continue using the nbdeployutil command with the same options.

Note: For NetBackup 8.0 and later, this step requires that you provide the web service credentials.

Step 3

Examine the report and make adjustments.

 
Providing web service credentials for the capacity licensing report

On the master servers that have NetBackup 8.0 or later, when you manually run the tool for the gather operation in capacity licensing, you must enter the following credential information for authentication of the NetBackup web management service:

Table: Required credential information

Option

Description

Domain Type

Enter a domain type value from NIS, NISPLUS, WINDOWS, vx, unixpwd, ldap. This value is case-sensitive.

Domain Name

Name of the domain that the master server host belongs to. If the master server does not belong to any domain, enter the name of the master server.

User name

Name of the user that has administrator privileges.

Password

Password of the same user that has administrator privileges. When you enter the password, characters are intentionally not displayed in the command line.

Note:

In a multi-master server scenario, you must enter the credentials for all the master servers that are mentioned with the gather command.

Performance of the usage reporting tool

The performance of the tool is dependent on the system running it as well as the size of the NetBackup catalog. The --gather option only executes as quickly as the bpimagelist command can run on 90 days of images. The speed of report generation is dependent on the number of images and fragments. The operating system running the command also affects the tool's performance.

Depending on the environment, the tool can take from several seconds to several minutes to run the --gather or the --report options.

If you use Flexible licensing, scanning a large number of clients increases the execution time of the usage reporting tool run accordingly. The clients that are scanned in the current run (for which the machine type is collected) are not scanned again in the subsequent runs. This reduces the execution time of netbackup_deployment_insights.

Overlap detection for any data that NetBackup protects with multiple policies

For capacity licensing reports for any agents that support the accurate licensing method, use the overlap option to detect any data that NetBackup protects with multiple policies. To enable overlap detection, run the netbackup_deployment_insights report with the --overlap-details option.

You can continue using the nbdeployutil command with the same options.

Table: Description of overlap detection option

Command line option

Description

--overlap-details

This option searches for any duplicate backup selections in policies of the same type. The results are noted in the Duplicate Selections column of the report.

Note:

The backup selection data must contain only ASCII or English-only characters. This option displays the actual backup selection data in the report.

Using scripts to automate data gathering in NetBackup 8.0 or later

If you used scripts to automate data gathering before NetBackup 8.0, these scripts must be updated when you upgrade. The data gathering process requires that you enter the credentials for the NetBackup web service.

Example: Gathering information for the local master server

In this example, the tool gathers information for the local master server.

C:\Program Files\Veritas\NetBackup\bin\
admincmd>netbackup_deployment_insights --gather
NetBackup Deployment Insights, version 9.1
Gathering license deployment information...
  Discovered master server pnnbcsm5b38v002

Enter credentials for Master Server(s):

Master Server:pnnbcsm5b38v002
Domain Type (NIS, NISPLUS, WINDOWS, vx, unixpwd, ldap):WINDOWS
Domain Name  :pnnbcsm5b38v002
User Name    :administrator
Password     :

Data gather is in progress. This process might take some time.
  Output for pnnbcsm5b38v002 at:
C:\Program Files\Veritas\netbackup\var\global\reports\
20210319_020925_pnnbcsm5b38v002
Gather DONE
Execution time: 1 min 30 secs
To create a report for this master server, run one of the following:
  capacity   : netbackup_deployment_insights.exe --report --capacity
"C:\Program Files\Veritas\netbackup\var\global\reports\
20210319_020925_pnnbcsm5b38v002"
  traditional: netbackup_deployment_insights.exe --report --traditional
"C:\Program Files\Veritas\netbackup\var\global\reports\
20210319_020925_pnnbcsm5b38v002"

You can continue using the nbdeployutil command with the same options.

The tool generates a log file named nbdeployutil-gather-timestamp.log during the gathering operation. By default, the log file is created in the directory where the gathered data resides.

Example: Gathering information for a remote master server
netbackup_deployment_insights --gather --master=sidon.example.com
Example: Gathering information for a subset of clients that the local master server protects
netbackup_deployment_insights --gather --client=dynamo,lettuce,marble2

or

netbackup_deployment_insights --gather --clientlist=filename.txt