Method 3 VCB Proxy server? Have you excluded the off-host method to backup your VM's?

What client version you use is determined by the master server. Never use a client version higher than the master. Always update the master first. Then clients follow later. So a 6.5.4 Master and a 6.5.5 Client is not allowed. 6.5.4 master and 6.5.x will be satisfactory.

See my comment in the post below on forthcoming NetBackup 7.0 (in beta) which hooks into vStorage API's (vSphere) and talks directly to the ESX Server without the need for proxy server.
https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/vmw...

Consider the following slides:

NetBackup 6.5 currently appears to advocate the best practice is to use VCB method, but I can assure this is not always the best choice. Intense Disk I/O applications inside the VM ie Databases can affect the snapshot VCB method and a client inside the VM maybe a better option.

See this it may help you

http://epie.blogbus.com/files/12198926840.pdf

Thanks for all documentation.

I need to know exactly what I need for VMware enviroment to backing up.
I need to back up all virtual maschine without to install on each VM the NetBackup client.
How I do this? 
What I need besides Master Server?
There is a VMware client???
If so, where I need to install???

Please briefly explain to me ... not really have time to read documentation.

Thank you for understanding,

Requirements to backup VM's without installing NetBackup Client inside the VM, but using the off-host Proxy Server method:

1 x Master Server (WINDOWS or UNIX/LINUX) @ v 6.5.x preferably 6.5.4 lots of bug fixes for specifically the VMware backups
- install NetBackup Enterprise Server Windows Server version 6.5 then update to 6.5.4
- configure this as your Master Server, configure devices
- Best Practice is to NOT have the Master and Media Server (VCB proxy) the same box.
1 x Media Server (WINDOWS 2003 Server x86 or X64 ONLY) this is your VCB Proxy to do off-host backups of your VM's
- install NetBackup Enterprise Server Windows Server version 6.5 then update to 6.5.4, configure devices
- Your VCB Proxy needs a large staging disk. This will be defined in the NetBackup policy.
- Storage: Disk or Tape that the Media Server can see.
- VM Datastores in VMware should also be accessible to the VCB Proxy server so we are talking possibly SAN Fibre Channel. Also present the LUNS to the VCB Proxy Server. So in this configuration you need HBA's installed on your Proxy Server. You may also be communicating with your library via HBA's.
- Install VMware Consolidated Backup software from VMware.com v1.5.1 is latest

Note:
NetBackup Client software is installed when you install the Server version of NetBackup.
There is NOT a VMware client. NetBackup software hooks into the VMware Consolidated Backup Framework you install on your VCB Proxy Server.
NetBackup uses the FlashBackup method to take a backup of your data in your VM's.

You need a Master Server license and a Enterprise Client License for the VMware backups to be allowed, you may require tape based licenses also. You know you have the correct license installed when the NetBackup Admin Console shows you the branch Media and Device Management\Credentials\Virtual Machine Servers

It took me a lot of time and effort testing and reading documentation and troubleshooting, support calls to Symantec to get NB and VI working so not having time to read documentation could be a shortcoming, and to understand what you require or how to shoehorn it into your environment.
(PS This was in the early days of 6.5.2 when there were many bugs and only now in 6.5.4 is it better implemented and working as expected)

ok. slowly slowlyslowly begin to understand.

Thanks a lot for your Description.

Tthe Master Server exist. Is a Windows 2003 64bit with NBU 6.5.4 connected to a HP Tape Library. Work for a year without problems. All with licensen.
What still I need is a VCB Proxy server as media server???  Need to be physically server??
About licenses: I have also "5 STD Client Starter Pack 6.5 Win TIER 2 Multi PROD BNDL LIC EXPRESS BAND S".  It is good this license or I need a Enterprise Client License???

When the VCB Proxy server is a Windows server I need to install just a Windows Netbackup client???? or need a extra Agent or VMware client???

Thanks on more time.

Marius -

I noticed that you mentioned "starter pack"  client licenses. If you bought a NBU starter pack you have a limited version of NetBackup also known as NetBackup Server.  I do not believe this edition of NetBackup allows you to use the "enterprise client" or any other snapshot/SAN backup featues.  To use those features you need a regular Enterprise Server license.  I'd recommend you go back and talk to the reseller who sold you your configuration.

To perform VCB backups you need an enterprise client license and a standard enterprise server license.  The media server can act as a proxy server or you can use another server.  There is a whitepaper that provides sizing and I/O guidance on what to expect with a single master/media acting as a proxy server.  See www.symantec.com/netbackup in the WP section.  Two papers I'd recommend - the SUN/VMware benchmark paper and the configuration guide (Feb 2009).

Sorry to be the one delivering the bad news about the starter pack.

Peter

Thank you Peter for your information.

I want to ask you one more question:

Can i us Master server also as proxy server?????  In our Backup environment the Master server is also the media server.
Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Can I us the master server also as proxy server (VCB)?????  In our Backup environment the Master server is also the media server.

Thank you.

Page 11 of the 6.5.4 NetBackup for VMware Administrators Guide. (http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/318357.htm)

VMware backup proxy server
NetBackup for VMware uses a special host that is called a VMware backup proxy server. The VMware backup proxy server is a NetBackup client that performs backups on behalf of the virtual machines. The proxy server can also be configured as a NetBackup master or media server.

The VMware backup proxy server is the only host on which NetBackup client software is installed. No NetBackup client software is required on the VMware virtual machines.

However, a Symantec whitepaper of hints tips and best practices states the following:

The VMware backup proxy can be configured as a NetBackup master server, media server or
enterprise client. We recommend that the backup proxy be configured as a media server. The
backup proxy is a natural focal point of backup-related I/O. Backup proxy access to VM files is
typically made through a fast Fibre or iSCSI connection. With the NetBackup 6.5.2 release, a
NAS-based datastore is supported as well. It makes sense in most configurations to avoid
configuring the backup proxy as a NetBackup enterprise client as this forces all of the VM backup
data through the NetBackup client network, typically a slow, shared resource.

Tip:
Point your browser at this address to get all latest guides, downloads, best practices - searchable by keyword from your browser (CTRL+F)
ftp://exftpp.symantec.com/pub/support/products/Net...

ahaa, can be but is not recommended.

What I need to do is just to connect the master server to storage environment.

And thanks for the last link.

Hi, all!
In VMWare documentation we cab see that there are 3 methods of accessing virtual machine disk data:

 SAN Mode – Use with Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage to completely off‐load
backups to a physical VCB proxy.
 Hot‐Add Mode – Use with any type of storage to perform backups by a VCB proxy
set up in a virtual machine.
 LAN Mode (NBD Mode) – Use when your environment does not permit the use of
the SAN or Hot‐Add modes.

In Symantec NetBackup documentation i found the mention about SAN mode only!!!

Does anybody know whether NetBackup supports LAN Mode?

Hi Andrii, check the documentation (linked below) page 30 for information on transfer methods , and Yes you can use NBD to export the VM to the Proxy Server

Veritas NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide, version 6.5.4

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/318357.htm

Hi, all!

I have Netbackup 6.5.3 installed on one server.  On the other server there are a media server which is also the VCB proxy server. I have VCB Server Running VCB 1.5  installed on VCB proxy server
Creating the policy  shows no error until the very end when after 5 min delay I get the message:

Snapshot could not be created with VMware method.

Any ideas?

Please consult this guide to help in checking your configuration. Its a good guide.

http://viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1392

You need to troubleshoot whether your Proxy can 'access' the datastores/LUNs the VM's are located on.

Verify credentials
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/323199.htm
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/326703.htm

Use the vcbmounter command on the proxy first.
http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/328505.htm

their is also a vcbSanDbg.exe utility on the proxy server. Use this to help analyze your SAN configuration with vcb.

Then work back to configuring NetBackup.

Furthermore, NetBackup for VMware implementation has been going through fixes and enhancements since its introduction. 6.5.4 has further bug fixes.