How to use catalog backup and recovery to transfer NetBackup catalogs between Windows master servers as part of a hardware refresh

Problem

How to use catalog backup and recovery to transfer NetBackup catalogs between Windows master servers as part of a hardware refresh

Solution

It is sometimes necessary for a customer to replace the hardware they use for their master server. For example they may need to replace a 32-bit master server with a newer model 64-bit master server. In most cases this just involves replacing the existing master server with a newer machine of a similar type but a higher specification and can be accomplished without assistance from Veritas Consulting Services.

This article explains how catalog backup and recovery can be used as part of a hardware refresh process provided the following conditions are observed.

If one or more of these conditions is not met please contact Veritas Consulting Services or your Business Critical Account Manager for assistance.

1. The version of NetBackup installed on the old and new Master server must be the same release update of NetBackup (e.g. if the old master server is running NetBackup 8.1, install NetBackup 8.1 on the new master server).
2. The master server cannot be a storage server for SharedDisk storage.
3. The host name of the old and new Server must be the same. (example if Old Master server was installed with Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) install the new Master server as well with FQDN.)
4. If Master server was installed with IP then make sure to have the New Master server as well has the same IP address.
5. The version of Windows on the old and new master servers does not matter, nor does the bit count, provided they are both supported by NetBackup. Thus a 32 bit Windows 2003 master server can be replaced by a 64 bit Windows 2008 master server provided both are running on same NetBackup version .
6. The NetBackup paths and directory structures must be the same on the old master server and new master server.

Procedure to replace Hardware

1. Make a full catalog backup of the old master server. Check that the Disaster Recovery file and Disaster recovery package are created saved off. Check that the DR package passphrase is known.
2. It is recommended to run NBSU on the master and save it off as reference.
3. Check if the master server is hosting Key Management Services (KMS) database and backup if necessary - see: About backing up the KMS database files
4.  Shut down the original master.
5. Prepare the new master server using the same host name and IP address as the old master server (ensure that the conditions stated above are met). If the master server is also a storage server for AdvancedDisk volumes ensure that the volumes are presented to the same mount points on the new master server (i.e. F:\ on the old master server must be mounted as F:\ on the new master server). Install any necessary operating system patches. If the old master server has access to OpenStorage and PureDisk deduplication devices ensure that the new master server can access the same devices using the same storage server name. If the migration is between 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows and OpenStorage is used ensure that correct OpenStorage plug in used in each case, as NetBackup requires OpenStorage vendor plug-ins to be 64-bit. Hence you also must update the vendor plug-in to a 64-bit version.
6. Install the same version of NetBackup on the new master as the version on the old master server. Ensure the installation is made to the same path as the one used on the old master server (a catalog backup made from C:\program files\veritas\netbackup cannot be restored to E:\program files\veritas\netbackup).
   • Note: If the NetBackup version is 8.1 or later, ensure that a DR Installation is selected and that the DR package file is available.
   • Note: Specify all the other servers in the domain when prompted because the catalog restore does not recover the registry hive containing the server list.
7. Restore the catalog backup created from the old master server to the new master server. Details of the catalog restore process can be found in the Disaster Recovery section of the NetBackup Troubleshooting Guide.
8. Once the catalog has been restored confirm the basic operation of NetBackup by running test backup and restore jobs.
9. if KMS was in use.see: About recovering KMS by restoring all data files
10. If the master server is also a media server, run the device discovery wizard to update the locally presented devices and storage units.
    • Note: Customer using the email notification, need to perform the action to migrate any custom scripts, such as nbmail.cmd and any other scripts, as these will not be restored as part of the Catalog. Hence, these should be copied from the source master and copied back into the new master post migration.