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How to specify a specific storage unit (media server) in an oracle backup

Updated: 22 May 2010 | 6 comments
MattS's picture
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This issue has been solved. See solution.

Goal - I need my oracle backups to specify a specific media server each time they backup

 

Problems - This is an Oracle RAC (NO PLEASE! DONT STOP READING!) and i have setup each node (6 total) to be a san media server.   One policy will control this backup because i need the 'master' node in the cluster to perform the backup.  And i would like that same master node to be the media server for the backup for that particular night.  So I guess my question is, is there a way to specify the media server or storage unit in the oracle script to use a specific server?

 

I'm not to worried about the scripting part on how to identify which node the script is running on. 

 

My lack of knowledge is how to tell netbackup THIS script wants use a particular media server instead of the one sent down in the policy.  From what i understand, the only variable in the script that specifies which media server to use is the policy name itself.  I imagine once netbackup sees the script connect with that policy name it then sends it to the storage unit specified in the policy.

 

Sorry if this is confusing.  Here is my setup:

 

NB6.0 MP6

Oracle RAC 10g

Master is solaris 9

Oracle Nodes are Oracle for Red Hat Ent Linux

Each node has 2 tapes drives assigned to it threw our NetApp VTL.

... let me know if any other info can help.  Thanks for any help!

 

Matt

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MattS's picture
15
Oct
2008
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Shoot!  May be answering my own question.

 

Where your specify the 'Policy Storage unit', if i select Any_available will it use the first media server in the bp.conf file on the client?

Message Edited by MattS on 10-15-2008 01:50 PM

J.Hinchcliffe's picture
15
Oct
2008
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if you want to make sure that this server is used as the media server.

 

I would create a storage unit with that server as the media server.

 

( you could have 20 or 30 storage units defined even if you only have 2 tape drives).

 

in this case you want to be very specific ( and you did answer your own quesiton) it is the storge unit in the policy that says who does the backup.

 

so just create 1 storage unit with that media server and how many every tape drives you want to use.

 

But what gets me is that you have each server set up as a SAN Media Server ( meaning they call can backup their own data) but you are only going to use one.  This I am not sure you can do as a SAN Media Server is only allowed to backup itself.

 

someone else pipe in if I am wrong here.

I don't have to know how to spell....I work on Unix.
NetBackup 7.0.1 - AIX & Windows

Manoj Siricilla's picture
15
Oct
2008
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I am not sure if I got your question correctly, here is my reply.

 

You can override the storage unit in the schedule and you can pass the Schedule as Parameter to your Oracle Script while allocating channel for example.

 

oracle rman script

allocate channel ch00 type 'sbt_tape';

send 'NB_ORA_POLICY=<type your policy name here>,NB_ORA_SCHED=<type your schedule name here>';

 

Also, If you define all your storage units in a Storage unit group, you could specify your schedules to use the storage unit group. Now you have an option in Netbackup which makes to USE THE LOCAL DRIVES FIRST.

 

You achieve this by going into

 

Admin Console -> Netbackup management -> Host Properties -> Master Server -> Right click and click Properties

 

Under properties --> go to General Server and Check the option

MUST USE LOCAL DRIVE

 

 

Cheers!
Manoj
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Time isn't running out, but life is...

MattS's picture
15
Oct
2008
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Manoj i think your "Must use local drive" option may work.  My only concern there is that the its a setting on the master server... i wonder how that may affect my other policies...

 

Before i go further let me explain the RAC backup a little better.  Basically for this cluster of servers there is only one client name specified in the policy.  That is the clustered dns name.  So when the backup occures whatever nodes repondes to that dns name will be the node performing the backup.  This backup also has to be a cold backup, so the speed of the backup is very important.  Thats why each node is a san media server.  Theres a lot of other factors involved like the main oracle volume is a shared disk group across all nodes but that shouldnt be a factor for this question.

 

Manoj specifying the policy manually may actually work for me too.  I imagine i can have a 'Master' policy start the backup by running this script on whatever node is the master.  Then in the script it can specify a completely seperate policy which would be setup specifically for that node.  For instance:

 

Master policy (ex, serverDB2) - contains the backup schedule, clustered node name for the client and specifies the script location

 

Client policy for each node - Default-Application-backup schedule would be allowed to run at all hours, only have that particular node (ex serverdb2a, serverdb2b so on) listed as a client and have the storage unit set to that particular san media server.

 

 

... make sense?

MattS's picture
15
Oct
2008
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I bow down to you Manoj!

 

It looks like the  MUST USE LOCAL DRIVE option is my ticket!

 

from the admin guide:

 

Must Use Local DriveThis property appears for master servers only.If the client is also a media server and the Must Use Local Drive check box (for the master server) is checked, backups of the client must occur on a local drive. If the client is not a media server, this setting has no effect.This property increases performance because backups are done locally rather than possibly being sent across the network. For example, in a SAN environment you can create a storage unit for each SAN media server, then mix the media server clients with other clients in a policy that uses ANY AVAILABLE storage unit. When a backup starts for a client that is a SAN media server, the backups go to the SAN connected drives on that server.

 

Thanks again!  You saved me a lot of headaches!

 

Matt

Manoj Siricilla's picture
15
Oct
2008
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Hey Matts,

 

Nice to know that it works for you.

 

I am glad that I could be of some help to you.

 

Cheers!
Manoj
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Time isn't running out, but life is...