Veritas NetBackup™ 52xx Appliance Initial Configuration Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (4.0)
Platform: NetBackup Appliance OS

Appliance configuration guidelines

Use the following configuration guidelines when you deploy new appliances:

Table: Appliance configuration guidelines

Parameter

Description

NetBackup Appliance Web Console access

The NetBackup Appliance Web Console is accessible only over HTTPS on the default port 443. Port 80 over HTTP has been disabled.

Connectivity during initial configuration

When you perform the appliance initial configuration, you must take precautions to avoid loss of connectivity. Any loss of connectivity during initial configuration results in failure.

The computer that you use to configure the appliance should be set up to avoid the following events:

  • Conditions that cause the computer to go to sleep

  • Conditions that cause the computer to shut down or to lose power

  • Conditions that cause the computer to lose its network connection

Required names and addresses

Before the configuration, gather the following information:

  • Network IP addresses, netmask, and gateway IP addresses for the appliance

  • Network names for all appliances

  • DNS or host information

    If DNS is used, make sure that the network names of all appliances and the master server are DNS resolvable (FQHN and short name).

    If DNS is not used, make sure that you enter the proper host entries for the appliance during the initial configuration.

    Note:

    The Domain Name Suffix is appended to the host name and cannot be changed after the initial configuration is completed. If you need to change the suffix or move the appliance to a different domain at a later time, you must perform a factory reset first, and then perform the initial configuration again.

  • Names for NetBackup storage units

    The Storage Name fields appear when you configure the appliance role. You can change the default names or leave them.

    The default values that appear in the NetBackup Administration Console for the storage units and disk pools are as follows:

    • For AdvancedDisk:

      Default storage unit name: stu_adv_<hostname>

      Default disk pool name: dp_adv_<hostname>

    • For NetBackup Deduplication:

      Default storage unit name: stu_disk_<hostname>

      Default disk pool name: dp_disk_<hostname>

Note:

The short host name of the appliance appears as the default storage unit name and the disk pool name.

Default user name and password

New NetBackup appliances are shipped with the following default login credentials:

  • User name: admin

  • Password: P@ssw0rd

Starting with software version 4.0, the initial configuration process requires that you change the default passwords for the following user accounts:

  • admin

  • maintenance

  • sysadmin (IPMI)

From the NetBackup Appliance Web Console, the first page in the initial configuration prompts you to change the default passwords. From the NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu, you are prompted to change the default passwords when you run the Main_Menu > Appliance Master or Main_Menu > Appliance Media role configuration commands.

Firewall port usage

Make sure that the following ports are open on any firewall that exists between a master server and a media server:

  • 13724 (vnetd)

  • 13720 (bprd)

  • 1556 (PBX)

For more information about firewall ports for NetBackup and the NetBackup appliance, see the following tech note on the Veritas Support website:

https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/article.TECH178855

Media server role

Before you configure a NetBackup appliance as a media server, the master server that you plan to use with it must be updated with the new appliance media server name. Whether the master server is a NetBackup appliance or a traditional NetBackup master server, the name of the new appliance media server must be added to the Additional Servers list on the master server.

Adding the new appliance media server name to the master server before the new appliance is configured provides the following benefits when performing the initial configuration on the new appliance:

  • Provides the appropriate network communication that allows the media server to become part of the NetBackup domain.

  • Allows the media server to create the storage server and the disk pool entries.

Security certificate requirements

Starting with release 3.2, external certificate authority certificates are supported. This feature provides an alternative to using the NetBackup Certificate Authority for host verification and security. To configure this appliance as a media server, you have to deploy security certificates on the appliance to trust the master server.

If the master server is operating with an external CA issued certificate only, this appliance media server requires configuration with an issued certificate from the same external CA. For CA certificate provisioning, the Host certificate, Trusted certificate, Private Key certificate file, and the use of a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) are all required to proceed with the media server role configuration.

If the master server uses both an external CA issued certificate and a NetBackup CA-signed certificate, you can choose to configure this media server appliance with a certificate issued by the same external CA or with a NetBackup CA-signed certificate. If the master server is using a NetBackup CA-signed certificate only, a CA certificate and a host ID-based certificate must be deployed from the master server that you plan to use with this appliance. The CA certificate is automatically downloaded and deployed if you select to trust the master server.

To deploy the host ID-based certificate:

  • If the security level of the master server is Very High, you need to manually enter an authorization token to deploy the host ID-based certificate to the media server.

  • If the security level of the master server is High or Medium, the authentication token is not required. The host ID-based certificate is automatically deployed to the media server.

Note:

Regardless of the master security level, if the appliance is ever factory reset or re-imaged, a reissue token is required when the appliance is reconfigured.

If the security certificates have been deployed on the appliance media server, you are not requested to deploy them again during the role configuration.

For more information about security certificates, refer to the chapter Security certificates in NetBackup in the NetBackup Security and Encryption Guide.

See Configuring a master server to communicate with an appliance media server.

Disk storage option licenses

The appliance comes with a not for resale (NFR) license key that expires after a specific period of time. The appliance does not provide a warning message that this license key is about to expire. Therefore, Veritas recommends that you change this key to a permanent key after you install and configure the appliance. See the NetBackup Appliance Administrator's Guide for information and instructions on how to view and change a license key.

Replace the NFR keys with permanent keys before they expire.

NetBackup version compatibility

NetBackup appliance release 4.0 includes NetBackup version 9.0.

If you plan to configure a NetBackup appliance as a media server, use the following guidelines for the associated master server and clients:

  • Appliance master server

    The appliance master server that you plan to use with this appliance media server must use appliance software version 4.0 or later. If the appliance master server currently uses appliance software version 3.3.0.1 or earlier, it must be upgraded to version 4.0 before you configure this appliance.

  • Traditional NetBackup master server

    To use an appliance media server with a traditional NetBackup master server, the master server must use NetBackup version 9.0 or later. If the NetBackup master server currently uses NetBackup version 8.3.0.1 or earlier, it must first be upgraded to version 9.0 before you configure this appliance.

  • Clients and client add-ons

    NetBackup clients must use the same or an earlier software version as the appliance. Clients cannot run at a later version than the appliance. For example, a client with NetBackup version 9.0 can only be used with an appliance server with version 4.0 or earlier. Client add-ons must also be the same version as the client version.

More Information

About appliance system configuration sequence