2008/07/16

NDMP Backups with EMC Networker - Quick Start


Table of Contents

Background

Networker Server Setup

Install Base OS and prerequisites

Install and configure Networker App

Configure Licensing for NDMP Backups

Configure backup location, pool, and media (disk based backups are fast for testing)

Client/Management Station Setup

Install Networker Client and Management Center

Configure the Management Console and Networker Server

Configuring for NetApp FAS

Prep the FAS

Prep Networker

Perform the Backup

Configuring for EMC Celerra

Prep Networker

Prep the Celerra

Perform the Backup




Background

Why NetApp and/or EMC has not made such a short and simple guide (that I could find), why a humble sys-admin like myself has had to go through the trial and error process to figure this all out, is only a reflection on the fact that EMC (especially EMC, but to some extent NetApp also,) has become so large as to no longer realize that customers are there. Someone checks "Product Manual" off a release check-list, and calls it good. But none of those people evaluate whether the manual is any good, instead preferring to up-sell to $5000 of videos, or on-site consultants. Nobody thinks that, "Hey, this customer ordered the NDMP option; We should send them a quick-start guide to help them get started with some of the big partners".


This quick guide does provide a quick start guide to performing a disk-based backup via NDMP of your NetApp Filer or EMC Celerra NAS with EMC Networker 7.4. This quick guide does not cover the ins and outs of each platform, data archival and disaster preparedness best practices, etc. This guide was set up using my environment at a company where I know longer work; I cannot provide additional support.


If you are evaluating EMC Networker, ask your sales rep for evaluation license codes for the NDMP and disk backup features; otherwise, you'll need to buy them.


The license codes are all temporary, 30 days.


Networker Server Setup


Install Base OS and prerequisites

Install CentOS 5 i386. Install the X window system (no gnome or KDE is required), as some X libraries are a prerequisite for the networker client (and perhaps other components


Install libgcj and java-1.4.2-gcj-compat for the graphical java components.


service iptables stop

chkconfig iptables off

Disable selinux (set to disabled in /etc/sysconfig/selinux).

Install and configure Networker App

Extract the networker server Linux files as follows:

tar xzf nw74_linux_x86_64.tar.gz

Install the networker server linux component rpms as follows:

rpm -ivh lgtoclnt-7.4-1.i686.rpm lgtolicm-7.4-1.i686.rpm lgtoman-7.4-1.i686.rpm lgtoserv-7.4-1.i686.rpm lgtonode-7.4-1.i686.rpm lgtonmc-3.4-1.i686.rpm

If using DHCP, add DHCP_HOSTNAME=<hostname> to /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 . This will cause the DHCP client to also register the hostname in DNS.


Add an entry for the eth0 ip address and hostname to /etc/hosts.


Run these commands to configure and start networker services

/etc/init.d/networker stop

/etc/init.d/gst stop

/opt/lgtonmc/bin/nmc_config

[root@networker ~]# /opt/lgtonmc/bin/nmc_config


NOTE

====

Install has detected the configuration file of a previous lgtonmc

package. Install will attempt to read the configuration parameters

in this file and present them as default values where appropriate.

Please modify any value that is incorrect or needs to be changed.



The Command Line Reports feature of NetWorker Management

Console requires a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) be

installed on this machine. The JRE version should be

1.4.2 or higher, up to (but not including) 1.6.


Is there a supported JRE already installed on this machine [y]? y


Please specify the directory where JRE is installed [/usr/lib/jvm/jre]? /etc/alternatives/jre_1.4.2/


What port should the web server use [9000]?


What port should the GST server use [9001]?


What directory should be used for the LGTOnmc database [/opt/lgtonmc/lgto_gstdb]?


/opt/lgtonmc/lgto_gstdb/lgto_gst.db already exists, do you want to retain this database [y]? n


/opt/lgtonmc/lgto_gstdb/lgto_gst.db already exists, is it okay to remove it [n]? y


Where are the NetWorker binaries installed [/usr/sbin]?


Start daemons at end of configuration [n]?


Creating installation log in /opt/lgtonmc/logs/install.log.


Performing initialization. Please wait...


Installation successful.

/etc/init.d/networker start

/etc/init.d/gst start

chkconfig networker on

chkconfig gst on


Run nsradmin. Type “visual” at the “nsradmin>” prompt to go into visual edit mode. Select type: “NSR”, then you should see your networker server. Select “Edit”, then key down to the “administrator” field. Add ,“*@*” – WARNING: this is only for testing, and will enable anybody on any machine to affect your backups. DON’T FORGET TO CHANGE IT.


Configure Licensing for NDMP Backups

(See client setup for instructions on accessing the Networker Management Console.)


In the Networker Management Console, click Setup LicensingNew, and enter an enabler code for “NetWorker NDMP Client Connection for NetWorker” or “NetWorker NDMP Client Connection – Tier 1”, Networker Server, Storage, DiskBackup, NDMP for NetApp (use your tier in each case) as needed.



Configure backup location, pool, and media (disk based backups are fast for testing)

(See client setup for instructions on accessing the Networker Management Console.)


In the NMC, double-click the server name of your Networker Server.


Go to Devices Nodename Storage Nodes Nodename; right-click and select “Properties”. Change “Node Type” to NDMP.


Add storage location (device) for disk based backups on the Networker Storage node:


Go to Devices Nodename Devices, Right-click, and select “New”. For “Name:”, enter the backup path, and for “Media Type” enter “file”. Click “OK”. Then double-click the newly-created device again to pull up more configuration options.







Create a media pool for the disk-based backup:


Go to Media <Server Name>Media PoolsNew


Label the media for the device. Go to Devices<Server Name>Devices, right-click your disk backup device, and select “Label”. Change the pool to “disk backup pool” (or whatever your pool was). Note: if you don’t label it to the right pool, you’ll get a perpetual notice in /nsr/logs/messages: “NetWorker media: (waiting) Waiting for 1 writable volumes to backup pool 'disk based backup' disk(s) on <servername>”.


Ensure that a volume exists for the media pool. You may have to create this manually

Go to Media <Server Name> Volumes


Client/Management Station Setup


Your workstation will be the management station.


Install Networker Client and Management Center


This table describes the browser, OS, and JRE requirements:


Platform

Browser

AIX

Mozilla 1.7

HP/UX

Mozilla 1.6

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 3, 4 and 5
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8, 9 and 10

Mozilla 1.7

Solaris 8 or 9

Netscape 7
Mozilla 1.7

Solaris 10

Mozilla 1.7

Windows2003 Enterprise or Datacenter Edition

Internet Explorer 6.x

Windows XP
Windows2000
Windows2003 32-bit

Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.x

Windows Vista

Internet Explorer 7.0


Environment

Version

Java Runtime Environment

1.4.2 or greater (but not 1.6) for all, except,
1.5.0_11 or greater (but not 1.6) for Windows Vista



You may need to disable the Java 6 runtimes on your workstation from the java control panel (access it in the system control panel.) Also within the Java control panel, you may have to set your temporary file size to 300MB.


Map a drive to \a80IT-Software . Then browse to that drive AppsEMCNetworkerNetworker_7.4networker_7.4-win . Run setup.exe . Select “client” and “networker management console”.


Configure the Management Console and Networker Server


Start up the Networker console by opening a web browser on the management workstation to http://localhost:9000/ , click “start”, and use the credentials administrator:administrator .


Note: The Java app that opens will not receive an icon in the task bar.


Accept the EULA. Change the password as desired. Configure the NLM, Database Backup Server, and Networker server for your networker server FQDN. I receive an error about permissions on the database, but it seems to work okay.


In the Networker Management Console, on the Enterprise tab, your networker server should show up. Click on it, and then double-click the application, “Networker”. This is where you’ll configure



Configuring for NetApp FAS


Prep the FAS


First, ensure that manual entries exist in the hosts files for host name and FQDN for the networker server (e.g., networker), storage node, and NDMP server (e.g., fas270c), each of those nodes. (A correct DNS configuration is not necessarily adequate, and the application’s reverse lookups may fail).


Prep Networker


Configure the client Fas270c:


Go to Configuration <Server Name>ClientsNew


Perform the Backup


Run the command on the legato server:

(this example will perform a full NDMP dump of a volume, a qtree, or a subvolume or sub-qtree)

[root@vm-legato ~]# nsrndmp_save -T dump -M -c fas270c.<fqdn> -g Default /vol/vol0/auto-D


Configuring for EMC Celerra

Prep Networker

Configure the client for the Celerra Data mover in the Networker UI:



Set tape buffer size. (Ignore this step in 5.5.30. default of 128KB; networker disk backup requires 32KB; range is 64-1168)


Prep the Celerra


Log in to the Celerra front-end as nasadmin.

$ server_param server_2 -facility NDMP -modify bufsz -value 32

[nasadmin@ns350cs nasadmin]$ server_param server_2 -facility NDMP -list

server_2 :

param_name facility default current configured

maxProtocolVersion NDMP 4 4

convDialect NDMP '8859-1' '8859-1'

scsiReserve NDMP 1 1

dialect NDMP '' ''

includeCkptFs NDMP 1 1

md5 NDMP 0 0

forceRecursiveForNonDAR NDMP 0 0

snapTimeout NDMP 5 5

bufsz NDMP 128 128

snapsure NDMP 0 0

v4OldTapeCompatible NDMP 1 1


create ndmp user on data mover

[root@ns350cs root]# /nas/sbin/server_user server_2 -add -password ndmp

Creating new user ndmp

User ID: 1000

Group ID: 1000

Comment: NDMP user

Home directory: /home/ndmp

Shell:

Changing password for user ndmp

New passwd: ndmppass

Retype new passwd: ndmppass


Perform the Backup

[root@vm-legato ~] nsrndmp_save -T dump -M -c 192.168.123.156 -g Default /siq_daily.2/foo