Data recovery :: NetBackup Tiered Architecture ::
Many commercial backup products are available on the market today. The leader amongst them on UNIX platforms is VERITAS Software's NetBackup DataCenter. We will use this product, which we refer to as just NetBackup, in our explanations and examples of setting up a backup domain. We start with an introduction to NetBackup, including an explanation of the unique architecture of the product, and then we define the terms that it uses. Most of the examples use the latest release, 4.5, but we will mention when there is a significant difference with older releases. NetBackup uses a four-tiered architecture for backup domains. The tiers are as follows:
All systems within a NetBackup domain fall within at least one of these tiers and can actually fit into more than one. The first three tiers are always found, even if on the same system. The fourth tier, the Global Data Manager tier, is usually found when there are multiple NetBackup domains that are monitored and administered from a single location. This tiered architecture is one of the things that make NetBackup so scalable and flexible. As you start out, you can have a single master server that gives you a single point of administration, and at the same time, you can have as many media servers as are needed to support your configuration. As you grow, you can add more tape devices and just add more media servers without having a great impact on your overall configuration. If your enterprise continues to grow, you can simply add another master server with media servers as needed. At this point, you might add the fourth tier. The first tier, clients, can be added or deleted easily, since the configuration is kept on the master server. The NetBackup product can be thought of as being made up of two major components: netbackup and media manager. The netbackup component is responsible for the who, what, when, where, and how aspects of the backup jobs:
It also tracks and manages all the backups and all of the backup images. The media manager component is responsible for managing all the physical media and all the devices. In general, the netbackup component deals with logical devices, and the media manager deals with physical devices. The netbackup component tracks and manages all the data that is backed up by using the unique backup identifier assigned to each backup image when it is created. It also manages the overall catalog and the scheduling of new tasks. It selects the appropriate media server to match each backup job. The media manager component manages all the physical storage devices and the physical media. It is through the media manager that the physical tape libraries and drives are configured, and the volume database is populated. The media manager controls the tape libraries and maintains the inventory of all the volumes. |
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