topic Re: How can i backup fc lun environment with oncommand and without snapdrive in Active IQ Unified Manager Discussions

How can i backup fc lun environment with oncommand and without snapdrive

MARCEL_WERNER_BT — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:15:35 GMT

Hello *,

we have the situation that oncommand 5.1 backup my 16 Filers.

But we have more and more shared netapp's across customer , and here the problems started .

We can't use snapdrive , so customer are also local admin on the physical maschines and volume level security are only worked on windows.

We cant use Cluster Mode so snapvault is not supported at the moment.

Our favorite connection is FC , so vFiler is not possible.

So hopefully there are any solutions to work for us.

How can I do the following Backup / Restore Jobs with snapshot / snapvault from OnCommand :

- physical Server (Windows / Linux / Solaris ) connect over FC to the Netapp.

What are the differences between a snapshot and a backup SW like Netbackup or EMC Networker ?

I read some documents about snapvault and here are a chapter that says :

If you have FC and Lun to physical Systems, than for consistency backup you have to do the same like on database (But what I have to do is not described)

Is there a solution to use the netapp host agent to say on a windows server please do a volume shadow copy and than do a snapshot ?

thx

marcel

Re: How can i backup fc lun environment with oncommand and without snapdrive

reide — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:42:38 GMT

A lot of questions here. No way I can answer them all, but here are some quick answers.

NetBackup and Networker are completely different from SnapVault. Those applications run within the Host operating system (Windows/Linux/UNIX) and back-up individual files by reading the filesystem that resides on top of the NetApp LUN. They typically send the backed-up files over the TCP/IP network to some sort of backup target (tape/VTL/appliance). The key advantage is that they can easily do single-file restores. The disadvantages are many: inefficient, expensive, complex, can't easily meet backup windows, can't meet RPO/RTO requirements, etc...

Based on what you're looking for, it sounds like Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV) is the answer. OSSV is a client you install on the Host operating system. It behaves similar to NetBackup/Network in that it backs-up at the file system level. That is where the similarities end. OSSV is block-incremental, not file-incremental. OSSV uses volume shadow copy to take its backups on Windows platforms. OSSV has native MS SQL integration so you can back it up in a consistent state. OSSV is extremely space efficient and it uses a NetApp storage system as the backup target. You can use OSSV with OnCommand's Protection Manager software (for 7-mode systems only). Last, but not least, OSSV is 100% free. You can deploy as many OSSV clients as you want at no cost.

NOTE: If you've read this post and feel the burning need to argue in-defense of traditional backup software, please direct your comments to the nearest brick wall. Thank you.

Re: How can i backup fc lun environment with oncommand and without snapdrive

MARCEL_WERNER_BT — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:45:55 GMT

Hi,

big thanks to answer my question.

So by my testing it came out that OSSV is what I need I want, but I cant use it 😞 !

Ossv backuped all data to a netapp the only secutiry between OSSV and the netapp is the snapvault....access... option.

So the problem is, customer can restore all data for all or nothing.

So another senario are tested is (so i see without snapdrive no chance....) :

Oncommand (PM) <-> snapcreator<-> snapdrive (RBAC).

And now the luns are consitent and i have a "gui" integration.

What I not understand is, why snadrive need adminstrator capabiltys on the storage System or why snapdrive need access to the storage , all data are in Oncommand(DFM).

Or is there a way to use snapdrive without access to the storage only over dfm ?

Thx.

marcel

Message was edited by: Marcel Werner

Re: How can i backup fc lun environment with oncommand and without snapdrive

adaikkap — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:40:45 GMT

HI Marcel,

In order to take consistent Snapshot, SnapDrive needs to talk to controller that why it needs. The OCUM stored password of the controllers is not used. The same is only used for Backup filers and not the primary.

Regards

adai