SME, NDMP backups of timestamp based snapshots

[harvey]

Scenario:

Exchange 2007 CCR Mailbox server. Two sites with clusterd FAS3160 controllers that host DB and log LUNs. SME used to run schedules snapshots on passive and copy on active.

We need to backup these timestamp based snapshots to tape using Netbackup.

Do we add a script on the CCR node to run after a scheduled SME backup that will query the snapshot name and pass this to the Netbackup master server so that another script on the server populates the information to the backup selection in a policy?

Has anyone done this and if so do you have example scripts that i can have.  Note: I have not scripting skills!

Regards

Harvey

[christoph]

Hi,

this can be accomplished very easy. if you use the post command of a SME Backup job SME does provide parameters to the given script with the name of the snapshot and lun and so on. you'll find the documentation about in the Snapmanager Help file under the topic "SnapManager backup archiving| Archives created with ndmp or dump command|Example: using NDMP or dump command to archive SnapManager Backups"

there is also a sample script with a batch command to find the right snapshot path.

BG Christoph 

[harvey]

Hi

Are there any example scripts that someone has for the above scenario that pass the snapshot names from the Exchange server to the Netbackup serevr? I have read the "SnapManager backup archiving" information and it shows how to pass the snapshot names to a file on the local server running SME. That snapshot information needs to be passed to the netbackup server.

Our plan was to install the media server component on the exchange server and use bpplinfo and bpbackup to get the snapshot names to the Netbackup master server which will run the policy with the correct backup selection paths. 

regards

[scottgelb · Accepted solution]

NDMP works for LUNs, but many prefer to mount the lun from the machine running the backup.  An NDMP of a lun is always a full backup, backs up the white space (and deleted blocks), and is a full restore without file level (ndmp sees the lun only as an object but not the files in the lun).  The advantage is if you have a lot of small files and can backup as one file instead of millions of files inside the container...  but if you want more granular backup...If you have snapdrive on the media server (or an agent on an existing snapdrive machine), you can use sdcli to mount the luns in a snapshot in a pre-script of the __recent snap for example, run a backup of those mounted drives (file level backup, no open file agent needed since no locked files), then post script to sdcli disconnect/unmount.