Backup Exec and SME Snapshots

[gavin_meadows]

Hi all,

i'm hoping someone can advise a way to schedule the backup of Snapmanager for Exchange uniquely named snapshots using Backup Exec 2010.

The problem is as they are uniquely named, the weekly snapshot name we want to backup changes each week (date/time stamp).

We take an unverified snapshot every hour using the Standard Management group so they are named like:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_20.00.31

Each night we take a snapshot and verify it using the Daily Management group so they are named like:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_22.00.31_Daily

We want to back up one of these verified snapshots each week to tape (directly FC attached to the SAN) and use BE to schedule and catalogue the jobs.

So I thought i'd drop one of the Daily backups on a Friday and create the same job in the Weekly Management group:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_22.00.31_Weekly

I tried creating an advanced selection in BE similar to:

//NETAPP:10000/vol/VOLUME_NAME/.snapshot/*__weekly/*

But i have now discovered that NDMP backups dont support wildcards so you have to explicitly name the volume you want to backup (I think its to do with the Ontap DUMP command)

SME has the option of a Generic Naming Convention:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_recent

Whereby the most recent backup is named _recent.  However this is irrespective of Management group so there is no way of having a diferentiation between the Standard, Daily or Weekly Snapshots.

I was hoping for something like exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_Weekly_recent but it doesnt work like that.  As soon as the hourly (Standard) snapshot runs the Weekly snapshot is renamed with a timestamp.

I thought i'd sussed it by adding the -GenericNaming parameter just to the weekly job which doesnt seem to aftect the overall naming convention.  The hourly jobs ran with unique naming and then the Weekly job ran with generic naming:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_18.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_19.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_20.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_recent

I checked the backup settings in SME and the naming was still set to unique.  But when the next hourly job ran, it kept its unique naming convention but also changed the Weekly job back to unique:

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_18.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_19.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_20.00.31

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_21.00.31_Weekly

exchsnap__SERVER_NAME_06-20-2013_22.00.31

Blocked at every turn

Has anyone else figured out a neat way to do this or something similar? - perhaps a post script in SME that feeds the weekly Snapshot name into BE (if such a thing is possible)?

cheers,

Gav

[peter_lehmann]

I think one option could be to "flexclone" the volume based on the exchsnap_...._WEEKLY snapshot and give it a name like weekly_ndmp_exch_backup, then point the Bacup Exec job to this volume.

The cloning could be done in a script and run "before" the tape backup, just do not forget to create another script to be run after the tape backup, to remove the clone...

Is this an idea?

Peter

[gavin_meadows]

Thanks Peter.  This is an approach I hadn't considered.

In order to script the creation of the flexclone I would need the source snapshot name which is going to change each week.  I am hoping this can be achieved in SME by using one of the variables in the "Run Command After Operation".  This is a new area for me so I will have to research it but I can see variables listed such as $ExchSnapshot which I am hoping will pass the source snapshot name (s) into the script?  Do you think using netapp powershell cmdlets would be the best to script the flexclone creation with from inside SME?  Again this is a new area for me

Gav

[peter_lehmann]

Hi Gav

I'm by no means a "scripter" or "programmer", therefor cannot answer your questions in detail. I guess the best way to achieve this would be to use the PowerShell cmdlets and the variables provided by SME Backup.

Good luck,

Peter