Veritas NetBackup™ WebSocket Service (NBWSS) Reference Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (9.0.0.1, 9.0)

WebSocket endpoint details and their formatting

To communicate with a cloud-based application, NetBackup uses the WebSocket protocol to establish a secure connection to the cloud application. NetBackup connects to a cloud application interface that is called a WebSocket endpoint. To connect, NetBackup needs certain details about the endpoint.

Table: Entries that define a WebSocket endpoint describes the information that is required for a WebSocket endpoint.

Table: Entries that define a WebSocket endpoint

Endpoint details

Description

token

The cloud application's security token.

When NetBackup initiates a connection to the cloud application, it sends the token to the application. The application then validates the token. If the application accepts the token, a secure connection is established between NetBackup and the application. If the application does not accept the token, the connection is not established.

priority

The endpoint's priority within its group. A lower number has higher priority.

The priority allows NetBackup to decide in which order to attempt connections for that server group. Only one connection can be active per server group.

groupId

A unique identifier of the group that the endpoint belongs to.

hostName

The host name or IP address of the cloud server that contains the endpoint.

url

The full URL of the WebSocket endpoint that NetBackup connects to.

The WebSocket URL begins with wss://

Note:

ws:// is not supported.

IMPORTANT: You may need to work with the cloud service provider to obtain the endpoint details. The endpoint details must be available to NetBackup in either of the following ways:

  • In a file that is formatted in JavaScript Object Notation (a JSON file). If the service provider does not provide the endpoint details in a JSON file, you can format the information in a JSON file yourself.

    Note:

    The endpoint details must include a security token for access to the cloud application. The service provider should be careful to send you the application token in a secure manner.

  • By means of a URL. NetBackup uses the URL to request the endpoint details from the cloud application.

Note:

NetBackup does not support an apostrophe (') anywhere in the endpoint details.

WebSocket endpoint details in a JSON file

The following shows the WebSocket endpoint details in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON):

{
      "token": "security_token ....",
      "priority": numeric_value,
      "groupId": "group_ID",
      "hostName": "host_name.domain", 
      "url": "wss://host_name.domain:port/uri"
}

Note the following:

  • In this version of NetBackup, each JSON file must specify a single endpoint, not multiple endpoints.

  • The file begins with a left curly bracket ({) and ends with a right curly bracket (}).

  • The entries consist of name:value pairs that are comma-separated.

  • Each string is enclosed in double quotes ("") except for the priority value.

  • The five name:value pairs (token, priority, groupID, hostName, url) can appear in any order.

  • NetBackup does not support an apostrophe (') anywhere in the file.

  • Save the JSON-formatted information as a text file in a location that the NetBackup master server can access.

  • For background on JSON formatting, see the Network Working Group memo on JavaScript Object Notation:

    http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4627.txt?number=4627

The following is an example of a JSON-formatted file that defines a WebSocket endpoint:

{
      "token": "MIID4TCCAsmgAwIBAgIEBZCDRzANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQsFADBxMQs
DVQQGEwJVUzELMAkGA1UECBMCQ0ExFjAUBgNVBAcTDU1vdW50YWluIFZpZXcx
vzu0n2rWon48ncp6jMjOFiWqMRXnV8Q0vOEpAzUV7Qml92EMV6z0PinAgMBAA
GjgYAwfjBdBgNVHREEVjBUgiJ2b21yaGVsNnU1LXZtMDQuZW5nYmEuc3ltYW
G7IsZ2fTDWKLGxbAG5NNKwEfD11LFhKGwaHkOXYkVi+HVnFEFKK0gxVWg==",
      "priority": 1,
      "groupId": "GROUPID1",
      "hostName": "vrhel6u5-vm4.acme.com",
      "url": "wss://vrhel6u5-vm4.acme.com:14146/cfs/nbufacade"
}

Notes on the JSON file example:

  • This example begins with the token. The token is a string that the cloud application uses to authenticate NetBackup when NetBackup requests a connection.

    Caution:

    When you obtain the endpoint information from the service provider, make sure that the token is provided in a secure manner.

  • The next entry in the file is the priority, followed by the groupId, hostName, and the cloud server's url.

When you have the JSON formatted file, use the FILE option on the NetBackup WebSocket Server dialog to specify that file. NetBackup extracts the endpoint details from the file. Use the following procedure:

See Saving NetBackup credentials for a WebSocket server endpoint.

WebSocket endpoint details obtained over the web

The cloud application can generate a URL that NetBackup can use to request the WebSocket endpoint details. Use the following procedure to enter the URL in the NetBackup WebSocket Server dialog:

See Saving NetBackup credentials for a WebSocket server endpoint.