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Netbackup 7.5 Policies

MarcNetbackupEn
Level 3

I am new to Netbackup and need to setup policies.  I am looking for different ideas on how to do this.  (i.e. should I setup a policies for just vm's, sql svr etc.)

Any feedback would be appreciated. 

Thanks

Marc

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions

AlanTLR
Level 5

It depends on how your company is structured and what policies they have in place.  You can separate out your policies as much as you want, but the more you have, the more you have to manage.  I have about 4 different policies for one supported group because I need them on separate schedules.  You definitely want your VMs on a separate policy at least (and you might even want to group certain VMs).  I also have my exchange folder-level backups separated out by letter groups (e.g. A-G, H-M, ...), and that was driven by the exchange admin.

I would say start with a few basic policies of what you know DEFNITELY needs to be backed up at first, and that you know when they need to be (e.g. I have some Oracle databases that aren't doing anything from 12:00 AM - 6:00 AM).  Then contact the admins of each box and ask when the best time is to schedule the backups.

Make sure when you set up your backup Windows, you're giving enough lead time for it being in the queue (waiting for a tape drive).  Keep in mind that your backup window is only the time range you give for the backup to START.  It finishes when it's done.  If you're having trouble scheduling backups, or you're missing your backup windows, take a look at some of the scripts I have in my blog to help for scheduling.

And definitely install OpsCenter.  It's a great visual to see the health of your backups and can help you figure out where to fit schedules in.

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7 REPLIES 7

revarooo
Level 6
Employee

Have a read of the admin guides. All the 7.5 links to get you going.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=DOC5138

VMs & SQL policies will be separate. Standard backups (flat files etc) will also be separate.

You need to read the documentation to familiarize yourself with the product. I would recommend that your company sends you on NetBackup training. It is a vast product and will be extremely difficult to manage it properly without any training at all.

AlanTLR
Level 5

It depends on how your company is structured and what policies they have in place.  You can separate out your policies as much as you want, but the more you have, the more you have to manage.  I have about 4 different policies for one supported group because I need them on separate schedules.  You definitely want your VMs on a separate policy at least (and you might even want to group certain VMs).  I also have my exchange folder-level backups separated out by letter groups (e.g. A-G, H-M, ...), and that was driven by the exchange admin.

I would say start with a few basic policies of what you know DEFNITELY needs to be backed up at first, and that you know when they need to be (e.g. I have some Oracle databases that aren't doing anything from 12:00 AM - 6:00 AM).  Then contact the admins of each box and ask when the best time is to schedule the backups.

Make sure when you set up your backup Windows, you're giving enough lead time for it being in the queue (waiting for a tape drive).  Keep in mind that your backup window is only the time range you give for the backup to START.  It finishes when it's done.  If you're having trouble scheduling backups, or you're missing your backup windows, take a look at some of the scripts I have in my blog to help for scheduling.

And definitely install OpsCenter.  It's a great visual to see the health of your backups and can help you figure out where to fit schedules in.

MarcNetbackupEn
Level 3

Thank you for your response.  I have attended the Netbackup Admin class and yes the product is vast indeed.  I have already begun what you are suggesting as far as seperating vm & sql policies, so thank you I wanted to make sure I was on the correct path.  I will coninue to read the admin guide as well.

If you think of anything else that might be useful please feel free to send over any tips or suggestions.

 

Thanks again,

 

Marc

Andy_Welburn
Level 6

You could also look at going along the "One client per policy" route - possibly a pain to set up initially (depending upon the size of your environment) but could, by the same token, be much more flexible ....

See Tim B's blog from a few years ago:

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/one-client-policy

which has been refererenced in numerous other posts covering the same subject e.g.

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/netbackup-organization
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/policy-creation

amongst others, altho' one of the reasonings is now moot with the implementation of the ability to deactivate clients.

MarcNetbackupEn
Level 3

Thank you for your response.  Great point regarding policies and keeping them to a minimum (if possible).  I have some test policies running already and also Opscenter/Analytics is installed everything has been running well so far. 

Once again thanks for the feedback.

 

Marc

Andy_Welburn
Level 6

Imagine the scenario:

You've just set up one of your several policies to backup all your 2008 servers, backup selection ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES.
Everything's running smoothly.
Now, it come to light that the backup either interferes with or is otherwise run at an inappropriate time
on half of these clients.
So, you set up a second policy to deal with these which are now scheduled to run at a different time.
Cool. You now have two 2008 policies & both run smoothly.
It then comes to light that you only need to back up the C:\ drive on half of your 2008 servers.
You could use exclude_lists to exclude everything else ... these could be a pain to administer, especially if you start to throw include_lists into the mix too ... or maybe create a couple more policies ...
So, maybe now you've got four 2008 policies 2x ALL_LOCAL_DRIVES plus 2x C:\ drive only with different schedules.
Maybe the schedules start interfering again for a few more clients, or maybe you just need to delay one schedule for one client by an hour, or ......


Probably not the best scenario, but you can see how one client per policy could be an advantage in such a situation.


Additionally, you'll also be able to prioritise your backups on a per client basis much easier. e.g. you have two clients whose schedules start at the same time but you always want one to have priority. If they're both in the same policy that currently isn't possible as prioritisation is (at the moment) only at the policy level.

So there is certainly something in the one client/policy approach if you feel you need the flexibility, certainly in a smaller environment!
 

pinchaser
Level 3

I have always managed policies on a per client basis since NB 3.1. Guess I am old school. I just like to know that my backups start when I want them too. I multiplex and multistream where required. THis gives me exacting control of the +21TB weekly backups. My problem with multiple clients in a single job is that I like standards and as few one offs as possible. When choosing to backup multiple clients in a single policy it is very likely that not all contraints can be grouped... and you end up with many one offs. This way every client having its own policy provides all the potential flexibility.

One of the chief complaints about this method is the higher management. I find that by using a standard naming convention for policies and then duplicating the policy and changing the name of the policy and client name within the policy I can make many policies quickly. However, once the policies are created there is very few additional managment tasks.