SnapProtect OSSV PlugIn Systemstate Backup and Restore

[ASCHUEPBACH]

Hi all

can anybody tell how to backup and restore a Systemstate with the OSSV PlugIn in SnapProtect.

on the CLI without SnapProtect are the comands for backup: snapvault start -S prim_host:SystemState sec_host:/vol/sec_vol/sec_tree and restore: snapvault restore -S sec_host:/vol/sec_vol/sec_tree SystemState

thank you in advance

Andy

[alessandro_loforte]

Hi all,

           I've the same issue. Not found any way to backup system state through the plugin. In the specific case it would be useful to offline mine the AD database file, that I don't see in the C: drive OSSV backup.

Anyone with an hint?

Thanks and best regards

Alex

[l_mitchell]

Hi there, what documentation did you use to get OSSV / SnapProtect working? I am struggling! Documentation is very frustrating, its like there are steps missing. And it was written by someone that could possibly have been half drunk at the time! Anyway heres what I've done so far:

• I have installed the host agent, I assume I have to configure it to point to dfm server, also added it to dfm server so it shows up as an ossv server, guessing this is right as snapmirror / snapvault is controlled through dfm. However I tried it without adding it to dfm also to no avail.
• deployed ossv agent, didn't do much other than configure access list to allow secondary storage, also tried completely turning off access list to see if that was messing me up....(storage access list is also set to * so currently wide open just in case, again doesn't seem to make a difference)

• Deployed all ossv plugin pieces (its not a media agent so left out the ndmp remote server bit, is this for ndmp to tape going through media agent, or is it needed to stream the ossv backup to the filer? not too sure, but not in use anyway, as I would assume the ossv client should just be able to send direct to the filer)
• So now I have a new registered computer in my Commserve, I've created a test volume pool. (Note I had to add the secondary filers as nas clients to be able to choose them, however they are only used for storing backups, so snapprotect license isn't on the controller, but also tried on primary filers too to no avail)
• Tried to create a OSSV policy and I can't choose to populate any of the Data management agent / Destination Volume fields, they are just blank.
• I can create a subclient in the ossv plugin under the client computer and associate my half completed ossv policy, select c: drive for instance OK that, then when I right click it and go to create ossv volumes and try to manually select volume to backup to, again its blank and I can't choose anything.

Can you see anything I am missing / or being dumb about. Doesn't seem tike too many people are using snapprotect / ossv together and I'm banging my head against a brick wall here! FYI, snapmirroring / snapvaulting works fine with SP. Everything is upto date too.

Thanks Guys

[aborzenkov]

As I understand, you also need to register DFM server in CS. Did you do it?

[l_mitchell]

yes, dfm server is registered, and works for normal snapmirror / snapvaulting.

This morning I have got slightly further. It seems that making the ossv client a media agent allows me to now populate the pieces I could not do before, obviously every ossv client cannot be a media agent, so it must be something around that as to why I can't select any of the options, perhaps the remote ndmp server piece is required to be working, however that is confusing in itself as the only option is EMC Centera, I'm guessing ndmp is ndmp, but having EMC in a NetApp branded product is blasphemy! But anyway that's where I'm at currently...

[aborzenkov]

obviously every ossv client cannot be a media agent

Why "obviously"?   But you do need to configure NAS Client and to configure NAS client you do need to install Media Agent which provides this functionality as NAS iDataAgent. This is a bit confusing, because NAS client is your filer, and it is not directly related to MA, but MA is used to control NAS client.

perhaps the remote ndmp server piece is required to be working

This is needed if you want to perform out of place restore to different client. Then this client needs remote NDMP server.

[l_mitchell]

Lol, thinking around the local index cache on the local disk, if I make one of these servers a media agent (or all!!!), they're not exactly the most modern servers with lots of room on disk, much prefer just a backup agent on these hosts!

That NAS client piece in the documentation is confusing, as it talks about adding the primary 'file server' as a nas client, but I have the client computer showing up already, with the ossv plugin as well as the file idataagent, so it doesn't look exactly like a filer nas client, as you configure the ndmp bit in the ossv plugin part?

Do you know if i'm to have one of my media agents work, do I need to install just the ossv bits for Snapprotect, and not the actual full ossv host agent / general ossv agent.

Something else if it doesn't need DFM do I need to install the host agent do you think?

[aborzenkov]

That NAS client piece in the documentation is confusing, as it talks about adding the primary 'file server' as a nas client, but I have the client computer showing up already, with the ossv plugin as well as the file idataagent, so it doesn't look exactly like a filer nas client, as you configure the ndmp bit in the ossv plugin part?

You need to configure filer that is target of OSSV as NAS client. Just accept this. You can look at Simpana 10 documentation that provides what looks like sufficiently full step by step guide: http://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/release_10_0_0/books_online_1/english_us/pdf/ossv_plugin_user.pdf I do not expect OSSV part changed significantly between 9 and 10.

Something else if it doesn't need DFM do I need to install the host agent do you think?

I would install everything that documentation required just to be sure. But honestly reading it I do not see where DFM comes in play at all.

[l_mitchell]

it does seem that when I make the ossv client a media agent, it seems to allow me to carry on and select the volume from the volume pool and create an ossv policy properly.

Now when I run a create OSSV volume it simply fails and looks to time out. I now have it logged, while I'm waithing I'm trying an SP8 client version just in case...

Nothing of note in the full logs but general error is:

    Error Code: [19:599]

Description: Loss of

    control process CVSnapTool.exe. Possible causes: 1. The control process

    has unexpectedly died. Check Dr Watson log or core file. 2. The

    communication to the control process machine OSSVTest might have gone down

    due to network errors. 3. If the machine OSSVTest is a cluster, it may

    have failed over. 4. The machine OSSVTest may have rebooted.

This is a clean server too, where I'm getting the same issue, it seems to sit there and eventually time out and the job goes into a pending state.

[alessandro_loforte]

exactly the error I was getting.

Alex

[alessandro_loforte]

Dear all,

         at least for me as of SP8B OSSV plugin doesn't make use of DFM.

OSSV setup is a bit tricky even following the documentation.

In my case anyhow I've created a single destination volume (size MUST be >= to the sum of the sizes of the OSSV source partitions) on the SnapVault secondary filer and assigned it to a "Destination Volume Pool" as per the documentation.

The "Destination Volume Pools" group will appear under "Storage Resources" after the first OSSV plugin is detected.

You've to assign the destination volume for OSSV to a pool.

Then you can proceed with OSSV plugin configuration.

Some caveats:

             1.Start the replication as "incremental": you can't use a "Full" backup as base for incrementals.

             2. Only after the volume is in a pool it'll be showed as a possible destination for OSSV. You MUST click on "Specify destination volume" and assign each source drive to a destination volume (even the same one for all of them will work, OSSV will create a qtree per source).

            For the system state starting SP8 (at least for what I saw) you'll be allowed to create a "classic mode" backup including system state via the filesystem agent. OSSV plugin doesn't handle it. Alternatively you could SnapVault system state through the OSSV interface. We went for the first solution to still have all backups under one roof.

Last but not least: upgrade form SP8B to SP9 broke the OSSV plugin on the DC I was using for testing, I had to roll it back.

BR

Alex

[l_mitchell]

Very interesting that it does not seem to use DFM at all. The documentation around this needs updating definitely!

Hmm, mines at SP9! I hope that doesn't cause me any issues. So you rolled back just the one ossv client back to SP8?

Did you have to make your test machine a media agent, or can you select a dedicated media agent. My current thought is that I will have to install some of the SnapProtect OSSV bits on one of my proper dedicated media agents so it will at least (I;m guessing here) allow me to select the right options during a ossv policy / subclient setup.

[alessandro_loforte]

Yes, I rolled back that client only to SP8B.

It was relatively easy since I had added SP9 only later on, and I could uninstall patches to point in time using "Remove updates".

Best regards

Alex

[charudut · Accepted solution]

SystemState backup is performed using Windows iDataAgent. So, ideally you would first backup drives C:\, D:\ etc. using OSSV Plugin and then do SystemState backup using Windows iDataAgent.

Follow this link for detailed steps:

https://support.netapp.com/NOW/knowledge/docs/snapprotect/relsnap_protect90sp9/215-07693_A0_books_online_90sp9/books_online_1/english_us/prod_info/act...

Screenshots:

http://i.imgur.com/zcdncX0.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1yvwl2Z.jpg

--

@charudut

[ASCHUEPBACH]

Hi together

I opened a Case at the Support and became the same answer, but i forgot update this discussion.

I tested to backup the SystemState with the Filesystem iDataAgent, with a separete Policy and Disklibrary.

Only one thing I've changed from the documentation, I became an error when i want to configure the default Subclient.

I uncheck the SystemState Checkbox and I disabled the default Subclient and created a new one.

works

cheers Andy