Veritas NetBackup™ Virtual Appliance Documentation

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (3.1.2)
Platform: NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  1. Getting to know the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    1. NetBackup Virtual Appliance product description
      1.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server role
      2.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server role
      3.  
        About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server role
      4.  
        About NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
    2.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance supported features
    3.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance documentation
    4.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.1.2 new features, enhancements, and changes
    5.  
      Known limitations of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.1.2 release
    6.  
      Operational Notes for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance 3.1.2 release
  2. Preparing to deploy the appliance
    1.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance product files (OVF templates)
    2.  
      NetBackup Virtual Appliance deployment methods
    3. NetBackup Virtual Appliance deployment guidelines
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment checklist
  3. Deploying and configuring the appliance
    1. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a combined master and media server appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a combined master and media server appliance
      3.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
      4.  
        Completing the initial configuration of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance combined master and media server
    2. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a media server appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a media server appliance
      3.  
        Configuring a master server to communicate with an appliance media server
      4.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance media server
    3. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a master server
      3.  
        Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance master server
    4. How to deploy and configure a NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
      1.  
        Using the vSphere Client to deploy a CloudCatalyst appliance
      2.  
        Using the OVF Tool to deploy a CloudCatalyst appliance
      3. Performing the initial configuration on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance CloudCatalyst
        1.  
          Deploying certificates for a credentials broker when the master server is an appliance
  4. Post initial configuration procedures
    1.  
      About modifying the NetBackup Virtual Appliance settings
    2.  
      Adding a permanent license key if an evaluation license key expires
    3.  
      Managing license keys on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  5. Appliance common tasks
    1.  
      Common tasks in NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  6. Storage management
    1. About NetBackup Virtual Appliance storage configuration
      1. About viewing storage space information using the Show command
        1.  
          Viewing all storage information
        2.  
          Viewing disk information
        3.  
          Viewing partition information
        4.  
          Viewing the partition distribution on disks
      2.  
        Resizing a partition
      3.  
        Troubleshooting resize-related issues
      4.  
        Moving a partition
      5.  
        Monitoring the progress of storage manipulation tasks
      6.  
        Scanning storage devices using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
      7.  
        Adding storage space for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      8.  
        Removing an existing storage disk
  7. Network connection management
    1.  
      About IPv4-IPv6-based network support
    2.  
      Network settings for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    3.  
      Configuring DNS and host name mapping for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    4.  
      Setting the date and time on a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    5.  
      Configuring static routes on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    6.  
      Expanding the bandwidth on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  8. Managing users
    1.  
      About managing NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    2.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance account types
    3.  
      Adding NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    4.  
      Deleting NetBackup Virtual Appliance users
    5.  
      Adding NetBackup Virtual Appliance user groups
    6.  
      Deleting NetBackup Virtual Appliance user groups
    7.  
      Granting roles to NetBackup Virtual Appliance users and user groups
    8.  
      Revoking roles from NetBackup Virtual Appliance users and user groups
    9.  
      About user name and password specifications
    10.  
      Changing NetBackup Virtual Appliance user passwords
    11.  
      About password management and recovery
    12. About authenticating LDAP users
      1.  
        Adding or modifying an LDAP server configuration on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Importing an LDAP server configuration for the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Setting the SSL certification for LDAP on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        Exporting an LDAP server configuration from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      5.  
        Unconfiguring LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      6.  
        Disabling LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      7.  
        Enabling LDAP user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      8.  
        Adding an LDAP attribute mapping on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      9.  
        Deleting an LDAP attribute mapping on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    13. About authenticating Active Directory users
      1.  
        Adding an Active Directory server configuration
      2.  
        Unconfiguring Active Directory user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    14. About authenticating Kerberos-NIS users
      1.  
        Adding a Kerberos-NIS authentication configuration on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Unconfiguring Kerberos-NIS user authentication on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    15.  
      Generic user authentication guidelines
    16. About user authorization on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance user role privileges
      2.  
        About the Administrator user role
      3.  
        About the NetBackupCLI user role
    17. Creating NetBackup administrator user accounts
      1.  
        Logging on as a NetBackup administrator
      2.  
        Managing NetBackup administrator user account passwords
      3.  
        Viewing NetBackup administrator user accounts
      4.  
        Auditing NetBackup administrator accounts
    18.  
      Deleting NetBackup administrator user accounts
  9. Using the appliance
    1. About configuring Host parameters for your appliance on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Configuring data buffer options on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Configuring lifecycle parameters on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Managing NetBackup Virtual Appliance deduplication
      4. About BMR integration
        1.  
          Enabling BMR from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    2. About Copilot functionality and Share management
      1.  
        Creating a Share
      2.  
        Editing a Share
      3.  
        Deleting a Share
      4.  
        Moving a Share
      5.  
        Viewing Share information from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
      6.  
        NFS export options
    3. About NetBackup Virtual Appliance as a VMware backup host
      1.  
        NetBackup Virtual Appliance as backup host: component overview
      2.  
        Notes on NetBackup Virtual Appliance as a VMware backup host
    4. About running NetBackup commands from the appliance
      1.  
        Running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Creating a NetBackup touch file from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      3.  
        Best practices for running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        About NetBackup operating system commands
      5.  
        Known limitations of running NetBackup commands from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    5. About mounting a remote NFS
      1.  
        Mounting a remote NFS drive
      2.  
        Unmounting an NFS drive
    6. About Auto Image Replication from a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Prerequisites for Auto Image Replication
      2.  
        Configuring a replication target
      3.  
        Determining the appliance deduplication password
    7.  
      Generating certificates
  10. Monitoring the appliance
    1.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance alerts
    2.  
      Setting up email notifications for a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    3.  
      Setting up SNMP notifications for a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    4.  
      Enabling and disabling Call Home from the appliance shell menu
    5.  
      Configuring a Call Home proxy server from the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    6. About SNMP
      1.  
        About the Management Information Base (MIB)
    7. About Call Home
      1.  
        Understanding the Call Home workflow
      2.  
        About the Product Improvement Program
    8.  
      About AutoSupport
    9.  
      About storage email alerts
  11. Appliance security
    1. About Symantec Data Center Security on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      1.  
        Auditing the SDCS logs on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      2.  
        Viewing SDCS audit log details
      3.  
        Changing the SDCS log retention settings on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
      4.  
        About SDCS event type codes and severity codes on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      About data security
    3.  
      About data integrity
    4.  
      About data classification
    5.  
      About data encryption
    6.  
      About SSL usage
    7.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance intrusion detection system
    8.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance intrusion prevention system
    9.  
      Major components of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance OS
    10.  
      Vulnerability scanning of the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    11.  
      About the appliance login banner
    12. Setting the appliance login banner
      1.  
        Creating the appliance login banner
      2.  
        Removing the appliance login banner
    13.  
      Log Forwarding feature overview
  12. Upgrading the appliance
    1. About upgrading to NetBackup Virtual Appliance software version 3.1.2
      1.  
        Supported upgrade paths
      2.  
        Preflight check before the upgrade
      3.  
        Appliance behavior during upgrades
      4.  
        About corresponding NetBackup software versions
      5.  
        About the Appliance Install Manager
    2. Requirements and best practices for upgrading NetBackup appliances
      1.  
        Upgrade time estimation
    3.  
      Pre-upgrade tasks for appliance upgrades
    4. Methods for downloading appliance software release updates
      1.  
        Downloading software updates directly to a NetBackup appliance
      2.  
        Downloading software updates to a NetBackup appliance using a client share
    5.  
      Installing a NetBackup Virtual Appliance software update using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    6.  
      Troubleshooting upgrade issues
  13. Appliance restore
    1.  
      About appliance restore
    2.  
      Creating an appliance checkpoint from the appliance shell menu
    3.  
      Rollback to an appliance checkpoint from the appliance shell menu
    4.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance factory reset
    5.  
      Factory reset best practices
    6.  
      How to factory reset the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
  14. Decommissioning and Reconfiguring
    1.  
      About decommissioning a NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      Decommissioning a NetBackup Virtual Appliance with the media server role
  15. Troubleshooting
    1.  
      About troubleshooting the NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    2.  
      About contacting Technical Support
    3.  
      Determining the NetBackup Virtual Appliance serial number
    4. About disaster recovery
      1.  
        Recovering a NetBackup appliance master server using NetBackup catalog restore
    5. About NetBackup support utilities
      1.  
        NetBackup Domain Network Analyzer (NBDNA)
      2.  
        NetBackup Support Utility (NBSU)
    6.  
      Troubleshooting NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment issues
    7.  
      Error messages displayed on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    8.  
      NetBackup status codes applicable for NetBackup Virtual Appliance
    9.  
      Installing an EEB
    10.  
      Rolling back an EEB using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
  16. Appliance logging
    1.  
      About NetBackup Virtual Appliance log files
    2.  
      Viewing log files using the Support command
    3.  
      Where to find NetBackup Virtual Appliance log files using the Browse command
    4.  
      Enabling and disabling VxMS logging
    5.  
      Gathering device logs on a NetBackup virtual appliance
    6. About forwarding logs to an external server
      1.  
        Uploading certificates for TLS
      2.  
        Enabling log forwarding
      3.  
        Changing the log forwarding interval
      4.  
        Viewing the log forwarding configuration
      5.  
        Disabling log forwarding
  17. Commands overview
    1.  
      About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    2.  
      Logging on to the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    3.  
      Using the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu
    4. About the NetBackup Virtual Appliance Shell Menu command views
      1.  
        About the commands under the Appliance view
      2.  
        About the commands under the Manage view
      3.  
        About the commands under the Monitor view
      4.  
        About the commands under the Network view
      5.  
        About the commands under the Reports view
      6.  
        About the commands under the Settings view
      7.  
        About the commands under the Support view
  18. Appendix A. Appliance commands
    1.  
      Appliance > Master
    2.  
      Appliance > Media
    3.  
      Appliance > ShowDedupPassword
    4.  
      Appliance > Status
    5.  
      Appliance > Configure
  19. Appendix B. Manage commands
    1.  
      Manage > Software > Delete
    2.  
      Manage > Software > Download
    3.  
      Manage > Software > List
    4.  
      Manage > Software > Install
    5.  
      Manage > Software > Share
    6.  
      Manage > Software > Readme
    7.  
      Manage > Software > Rollback
    8.  
      Manage > Software > Cancel
    9.  
      Manage > Software > DownloadProgress
    10.  
      Manage > Software > UpgradeStatus
    11.  
      Manage > Storage > Show
    12.  
      Manage > Storage > Add
    13.  
      Manage > Storage > Create
    14.  
      Manage > Storage > Delete
    15.  
      Manage > Storage > Edit
    16.  
      Manage > Storage > Monitor
    17.  
      Manage > Storage > Move
    18.  
      Manage > Storage > Remove
    19.  
      Manage > Storage > Resize
    20.  
      Manage > Storage > Scan
    21.  
      Manage > MountPoints > List
    22.  
      Manage > MountPoints > Mount
    23.  
      Manage > MountPoints > Unmount
    24.  
      Manage > License > Add
    25.  
      Manage > License > List
    26.  
      Manage > License > ListInfo
    27.  
      Manage > License > Remove
    28.  
      Manage > Certificates > Generate
    29.  
      Manage > Certificates > Delete
    30.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > Create
    31.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > Delete
    32.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > List
    33.  
      Manage > NetBackupCLI > PasswordExpiry
  20. Appendix C. Monitor commands
    1.  
      Monitor > Uptime
    2.  
      Monitor > Who
    3.  
      Monitor > NetworkStatus
    4.  
      Monitor > Top
    5.  
      Monitor > MemoryStatus
    6.  
      Monitor > SDCS
    7.  
      Monitor > NetBackup
    8.  
      Monitor > Hardware
  21. Appendix D. Network commands
    1.  
      Network > Configure
    2.  
      Network > Date
    3.  
      Network > DNS
    4.  
      Network > Gateway
    5.  
      Network > Hostname
    6.  
      Network > Hosts
    7.  
      Network > IPv4
    8.  
      Network > IPv6
    9.  
      Network > LinkAggregation
    10.  
      Network > NetStat
    11.  
      Network > NTPServer
    12.  
      Network > Ping
    13.  
      Network > SetProperty
    14.  
      Network > Show
    15.  
      Network > TimeZone
    16.  
      Network > TraceRoute
    17.  
      Network > Unconfigure
    18.  
      Network > WANOptimization
  22. Appendix E. Reports commands
    1.  
      Reports > Deduplication
    2.  
      Reports > Process
  23. Appendix F. Settings commands
    1.  
      Settings > Deduplication
    2.  
      Settings > LifeCycle
    3.  
      Settings > LogForwarding
    4.  
      Settings > NetBackup
    5.  
      Settings > Password
    6.  
      Settings > SystemLocale
    7.  
      Settings > Share
    8.  
      Settings > Sysctl
    9.  
      Settings > Notifications > LoginBanner
    10.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > LDAP
    11.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > ActiveDirectory
    12.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > Kerberos
    13.  
      Settings > Security > Authentication > LocalUser
    14.  
      Settings > Security > Authorization
    15.  
      Settings > Alerts > CallHome
    16.  
      Settings > Alerts > SNMP
    17.  
      Settings > Alerts > Email
    18.  
      Settings > Alerts > Hardware
  24. Appendix G. Support commands
    1.  
      Support > Checkpoint
    2.  
      Support > DataCollect
    3.  
      Support > Disk
    4.  
      Support > Errors
    5.  
      Support > FactoryReset
    6.  
      Support > InfraServices
    7.  
      Support > iostat
    8.  
      Support > Logs
    9.  
      Support > Maintenance
    10.  
      Support > Messages
    11.  
      Support > NBDNA
    12.  
      Support > nbperfchk
    13.  
      Support > NBSU
    14.  
      Support > Processes
    15.  
      Support > Reboot
    16.  
      Support > Service
    17.  
      Support > Shutdown
    18.  
      Support > Storage SanityCheck
    19.  
      Support > Storage Reset
    20.  
      Support > Test

NetBackup Virtual Appliance deployment guidelines

Use the following configuration guidelines when you deploy a new NetBackup Virtual Appliance:

Table: Appliance deployment guidelines

Parameter

Description

Deployment requirements

To deploy a NetBackup Virtual Appliance, you need a VMware vCenter Server user account and access to the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client. The appliance supports vSphere versions 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5. Your vCenter Server account must have at least the minimum privileges required to deploy an OVF template.

For how to deploy an OVF package directly on an ESXi host, see the following technical article.

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.100038949

Refer to the VMware documentation for more information.

Connectivity during deployment

When you perform the appliance deployment, Veritas recommends that you take precautions to avoid loss of connectivity. Any loss of connectivity during deployment results in failure.

The computer that you use to deploy the appliance should be set up to avoid the following events:

  • Conditions that cause the computer to go to sleep

  • Conditions that cause the computer to shut down or to lose power

  • Conditions that cause the computer to lose its network connection

Environment requirements

Depending on the product file (OVF template) you use, the appliance can use one of the following CPU and memory combination.

  • 16 GB of memory and 8 virtual CPUs (vCPUs)

  • 8 GB of memory and 4 vCPUs

  • 64 GB of memory and 32 vCPUs

See NetBackup Virtual Appliance product files (OVF templates).

Make sure that both the CPU and memory requirements are met before you deploy the appliance.

Performance

Veritas recommends that you adhere to the following best practices:

  • Do not overcommit the vCPUs on the ESX host. The number of vCPUs that are assigned to all virtual machines on the host should be equal to or less than the number of cores on that host.

  • Set a memory reservation to provide the appliance with full utilization of the available memory.

  • Do not overcommit the memory on the ESX host. The amount of memory that is assigned to all virtual machines on the host should be equal to or less than the amount of memory on that host.

  • Do not enable hyper-threading.

  • Use thick provisioning for the appliance virtual disks.

  • The NetBackup Virtual Appliance has a heavy I/O workload, so it should be isolated from shared storage as much as possible. At a minimum, make sure that the appliance uses a different datastore than other virtual machines with a heavy I/O workload.

Required names and addresses

Before the initial deployment, gather the following information:

  • Data center and storage details

  • Appliance host name and IP address

  • Netmask and Gateway IP address

  • DNS information

  • Names for AdvancedDisk and MSDP disk pools and storage units

    Note:

    You do not need to provide the storage details for a master server appliance or a CloudCatalyst appliance.

  • New passwords for the admin and maintenance accounts

    New password for the nbasecadmin account (master server and combined master and media server only)

    Note:

    You cannot access the NetBackup web UI until you have changed the nbasecadmin user password. The default password for all default accounts is P@ssw0rd.

See NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment checklist.

Licenses and registration

Before the initial deployment, gather the following information:

  • NetBackup Virtual Appliance license key

    The appliance comes with a not for resale (NFR) license key that expires after a specific period of time. The appliance does not provide a warning message that this license key is about to expire. Therefore, Veritas recommends that you change this key to a permanent key after you deploy the appliance.

    Make sure that you replace the NFR key with a permanent key before it expires.

    Warning:

    The NetBackup Virtual Appliance has a specific license key, and if the correct key is not installed, the appliance services stop functioning after the evaluation key expires. Make sure that the permanent license key that you add is correct for NetBackup Virtual Appliance.

    See Managing license keys on the NetBackup Virtual Appliance.

  • Smart Meter customer registration key (master server and combined master and media server only)

    Veritas Smart Meter helps you manage your NetBackup deployment more efficiently, spot trends, and plan for the future. To obtain a key, log in to the Veritas Smart Meter site with your VEMS credentials and go to the Registration Keys page to download the key.

Review the initial deployment checklist and make sure that you have all of the necessary information to complete the deployment procedure.

See NetBackup Virtual Appliance initial deployment checklist.