Coexistence of SnapManager for SQL with Symantec NetBackup

[tsl]

Hi

My first posting in the community so please forgive any newbie errors..!!

We have a number of Windows hosts installed with MS SQL Server. Various versions are deployed across the estate. The data is currently backed up using a Symantec NetBackup SQL client.

We will be moving the SQL data to iSCSI LUNs presented from a NetApp filer. We will then change the backup methodology to SnapManager for SQL.

To ensure regression there will be a period of time when both the NetBackup client and the NetApp tools (host utilities, SnapDrive, SMSQL etc) will coexist on the host at the same time. Once the SnapManager restore has been proven we can uninstall the Symantec client.

Is there a conflict in coexisting the Symantec and NetApp software? My concern is whether there is some hook into Windows VSS which can only service one piece of software.

Thanks in advance

[tsl]

Hi

I've had feedback from elsewhere and posting here for others. I've not tested it but have no reason to doubt.

The crux is that this shouldn’t generally be a problem. Where it is a problem we can work around it without uninstalling.

Under the “client attributes” of NetBackup there is an option for “Open File Backups”. If a client does not use this option then nothing further needs to be considered. If a client uses this option but with the “VSP (Veritas Snapshot Provider)” then again nothing further needs to be considered.

If the option is used and set to “Use Microsoft VSS” then we will likely have problems after the install of SnapDrive.

Installing SnapDrive will install the “Data ONTAP VSS Hardware Provider”. Microsoft VSS by default uses providers in the following order – “hardware”, “software”, “system”. So after installing SnapDrive we’ll find that NetBackup is using the wrong provider under the covers.

The solution is to change the NetBackup config to use the VSP provider prior to the installation. This then gives a chance for testing etc prior to the SnapDrive installation. Taking this approach means we can coexist SnapDrive and NetBackup.