Deploying NetBackup 9.0 in the Google Cloud Marketplace

Table of Contents

1. Objectives
2. Terminology
3. Prerequisites
4. Deploying a NetBackup Master Server 
5. Deploying a NetBackup Media Server 

Objectives

The purpose of this user guide is to walk through the process of configuring Veritas NetBackup to deploy and run in Google Cloud Platform. This guide will cover the following scenarios:

• Launch NetBackup Master server using Google Cloud Marketplace
• Launch NetBackup Media server using Google Cloud Marketplace

Terminology

• Master Server – The server that controls the backup and restore process and contains the catalog of all data that has been backed up.
• Media Server – the server that carries out backup or restore using disk or cloud storage targets

Prerequisites

• A GCP account with privilege sufficient to create an instance with flavor at least c2-standard-4 and all associated resources
• A valid NetBackup license key or evaluation key
• A NetBackup Usage Insights Customer Registration key for your account

Deploying a NetBackup Master Server 

In order to deploy a NetBackup Master Server from the Google Cloud Marketplace, search for the Veritas NetBackup offering. Review the Terms of Service and other information and click Launch to start the deployment.

1. Basic deployment inputs:
   1. Deployment name: Provide a name for the deployment.
   2. Zone: Select the zone where you want the NetBackup server instance to be deployed.
   3. Machine type: Select the desired configuration for the NetBackup server. For the Master server role, the minimum supported configuration is 16 GB RAM and 4 CPUs.
   4. Boot Disk: Select the boot disk type and disk size. The disk size must be at least 128 GB. If you select a larger size, you will need to manually resize the filesystem once the instance is deployed so that it uses the entire available space.

2. Networking:
   1. Choose the appropriate VPC Network and Subnetwork in your account to deploy the NetBackup Server. Ensure that the VPC Network has access to your infrastructure, either through the internet or through VPN.
   2. Assign an external IP to the NetBackup server only if needed, as this will open it up to incoming internet access and could pose security risks.
   3. The basic NetBackup ports (443, 13724, 8443 and 1556) are selected in the firewall. Ensure that they are allowed access only from the required IP ranges. Select port 22 to enable SSH access only from your secure network.

3. NetBackup Installation Parameters
   1. NetBackup Server Role: Select the master role to deploy a NetBackup Master Server
   2. Master Server Hostname: Provide a hostname that will be assigned to the Master Server being deployed
   3. Media Server Hostname: Provide the hostname that you will use to later deploy a Media Server to connect to this Master Server. This hostname will be preconfigured in the Master Server to enable faster Media Server deployment.
   4. Domain Name: Provide a domain name to register the hostname for the Master Server. The domain name would be registered in the Cloud DNS service if required.
   5. Is a hosted zone already created for this Domain Name?: Select yes if the domain name provided has already been registered with the Cloud DNS service. If you select no, the deployment will attempt to register the domain first and then create an entry for the Master Server hostname.
   6. Hosted Zone Name: Provide the name of the hosted zone that you wish to create for this domain name, or provide the name of the existing hosted zone registered for this domain.
   7. NetBackup License Key: Paste your NetBackup license key to be used during installation
   8. NetBackup Media Server Token: Leave this field blank while deploying a Master Server
   9. NetBackup UsageInsights Key: Copy and paste the entire contents of the UsageInsights registration key file. If you paste an incomplete key, the deployment would fail.

Connecting to the NetBackup Server

1. Navigate to the NetBackup server instance in the Compute Engine.
2. Use the SSH remote access button to SSH into the instance using Google-managed SSH keys and your GCP user.
3. Use the command sudo passwd root to set a password for the root user. Use the root user and password to log on to the NetBackup console (Java or Remote Administration Console)
4. Launch the NetBackup web console using http://NetBackup Master IP/webui or connect to it using the NetBackup Java Console (ssh -Y)
5. If you want to connect to the NetBackup java console, ensure that you SSH using a client that has X11 forwarding enabled

Deploying a NetBackup Media Server 

Once the NetBackup Master Server has been deployed, you can deploy a Media Server to start backup and restore operations. The Media Server must be deployed in the same VPC network as a previously deployed Master Server and must be registered in the same domain so that it can connect to the Master Server. Go to the NetBackup offering in the marketplace, click Launch, and provide the inputs as below.

1. Basic deployment inputs:
   1. Deployment name: Provide a name for the deployment.
   2. Zone: Select the zone where you want the NetBackup server instance to be deployed.
   3. Machine type: Select the desired configuration for the NetBackup server. For the Media server role, the recommended configuration is at least 32 GB RAM and 8 CPUs.
   4. Boot Disk: Select the boot disk type and disk size. The disk size must be at least 128 GB. If you select a larger size, you will need to manually resize the filesystem once the instance is deployed so that it uses the entire available space.

2. Networking:
   1. Choose the appropriate VPC Network and Subnetwork in your account to deploy the NetBackup Server. Ensure that the VPC Network has access to your infrastructure, either through the internet or through VPN, and has a previously deployed Master Server present.
   2. Assign an external IP to the NetBackup server only if needed, as this will open it up to incoming internet access and could pose security risks.
   3. The basic NetBackup ports (443, 13724, 8443 and 1556) are selected in the firewall. Ensure that they are allowed access only from the required IP ranges. Select port 22 to enable SSH access only from your secure network.

3. NetBackup Installation Parameters
   1. NetBackup Server Role: Select the media role to deploy a NetBackup Media Server
   2. Master Server Hostname: Provide the hostname of the previously deployed NetBackup Master Server. The Master Server hostname must be in the same domain as the Media Server so that it can be reached. Provide only the hostname and not the FQDN.
   3. Media Server Hostname: Provide the hostname that you wish to use for the Media Server. Ensure to provide a hostname that has been previously configured in the Master Server.
   4. Domain Name: Provide the domain name to register the hostname for the Media Server. The Master Server hostname entered above must already be registered in this domain.
   5. Is a hosted zone already created for this Domain Name?: For the Media Server deployment, this input must always be set to yes.
   6. Hosted Zone Name: Provide the name of the existing hosted zone registered for this domain.
   7. NetBackup License Key: Paste your NetBackup license key to be used during installation
   8. NetBackup Media Server Token: Enter the token generated on the Master Server for this Media Server. To understand how to generate the token, read the NetBackup documentation.
   9. NetBackup UsageInsights Key: Leave this field blank while deploying a Media Server

Connecting to the NetBackup Server

1. Navigate to the NetBackup server instance in the Compute Engine.
2. Use the SSH remote access button to SSH into the instance using Google-managed SSH keys and your GCP user.