Dell EMC NetWorker

Administration Guide
19.5

November 2021
Rev. 02
Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid
the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 1990- 2021 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Other trademarks may be trademarks of their respective owners.
 Contents

Figures........................................................................................................................................ 16

Tables..........................................................................................................................................19
Preface...................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Chapter 1: Overview.................................................................................................................... 27
The NetWorker environment.......................................................................................................................................... 27
NetWorker Components............................................................................................................................................ 27
NetWorker services.......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Processes on NetWorker hosts .............................................................................................................................. 30
Stop and start the NMC Server...............................................................................................................................32
Stop and start a NetWorker Server, Client, or Storage Node......................................................................... 33
NetWorker user interfaces............................................................................................................................................. 35
NMC user interface.................................................................................................................................................... 35
NetWorker Administration window......................................................................................................................... 37
NetWorker client interface........................................................................................................................................37
NetWorker character-based interface................................................................................................................... 37
NetWorker command-line interface........................................................................................................................37
Introduction to the NetWorker Management Web UI........................................................................................ 37

Chapter 2: Getting Started.......................................................................................................... 41

NetWorker Management Console interface................................................................................................................41
Connecting to the Console window.........................................................................................................................41
Connecting to the Administration window..................................................................................................................45
Opening the Administration window.......................................................................................................................45
Administration window...............................................................................................................................................45
Editing multiple resources......................................................................................................................................... 46
Drag-and-drop functionality..................................................................................................................................... 46
Multiple library devices and slots............................................................................................................................. 47
Setting user interaction preferences......................................................................................................................48
Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration window.........................................................48
Getting started with a new installation........................................................................................................................ 57
Common NetWorker tasks........................................................................................................................................ 57
Enabling and Disabling NetWorker services................................................................................................................62

Chapter 3: Backup Target............................................................................................................64

Label templates..................................................................................................................................................................64
Using label templates..................................................................................................................................................64
How the NetWorker server uses volume labels...................................................................................................65
Preconfigured label templates................................................................................................................................. 65
Guidelines for completing Label Template attributes......................................................................................... 65
Naming label templates.............................................................................................................................................. 67
Working with label templates................................................................................................................................... 68
Setting up a label template to identify volumes...................................................................................................69
Media pools.........................................................................................................................................................................69

Contents 3
 Using media pools........................................................................................................................................................69
Storage nodes.................................................................................................................................................................... 80
Requirements............................................................................................................................................................... 80
Licensing........................................................................................................................................................................80
Storage node configuration....................................................................................................................................... 81
Storage Node Options................................................................................................................................................85
Configuring a dedicated storage node................................................................................................................... 86
Troubleshooting storage nodes................................................................................................................................86
Disk storage devices......................................................................................................................................................... 87
Example environment................................................................................................................................................. 88
Considerations for Client Direct clients................................................................................................................. 88
Differences between FTDs, AFTDs, and DD Boost devices............................................................................. 89
Device target and max sessions default values and ranges.............................................................................. 91
Advanced file type devices....................................................................................................................................... 92
DD Boost and Cloud Tier devices.......................................................................................................................... 102
Libraries and silos.............................................................................................................................................................103
Overview of tape device storage...........................................................................................................................103
Support for LTO-4 hardware-based encryption................................................................................................ 103
Linux device considerations.................................................................................................................................... 103
Solaris device considerations.................................................................................................................................. 104
HP-UX device considerations................................................................................................................................. 104
AIX device considerations........................................................................................................................................ 107
SCSI and VTL libraries.............................................................................................................................................. 107
Silo libraries..................................................................................................................................................................134
NDMP libraries.............................................................................................................................................................141
NetWorker hosts with shared libraries.................................................................................................................. 141
Dynamic drive sharing...............................................................................................................................................143
File type devices...............................................................................................................................................................147
FTD capacity issues...................................................................................................................................................147
Full FTD prevention................................................................................................................................................... 148
Stand-alone devices........................................................................................................................................................148
Autodetecting and configuring a stand-alone tape drive.................................................................................148
Adding a stand-alone device manually..................................................................................................................148
Auto Media Management for stand-alone devices............................................................................................149
Mounting or unmounting a volume in a stand-alone tape drive..................................................................... 149
Labeling and mounting a volume in one operation (stand-alone tape drive).............................................. 150
Labeling volumes without mounting......................................................................................................................150
Mounting uninventoried volumes...........................................................................................................................150
Labeling volumes.............................................................................................................................................................. 151
Labeling or re-labeling library volumes.................................................................................................................. 151
Verifying the label when a volume is unloaded................................................................................................... 152
Troubleshooting devices and autochangers..............................................................................................................152
Additional attributes in the Autochanger resource............................................................................................152
Maintenance commands.......................................................................................................................................... 152
Autodetected SCSI jukebox option causes server to stop responding........................................................ 152
Autochanger inventory problems...........................................................................................................................153
Destination component full messages.................................................................................................................. 153
Tapes do not fill to capacity....................................................................................................................................153
Tapes get stuck in drive when labeling tapes on Linux Red Hat platform...................................................154
Increasing the value of Save Mount Time-out for label operations.............................................................. 154

4 Contents
 Server cannot access autochanger control port............................................................................................... 154
Changing the sleep times required for TZ89 drive types................................................................................ 155
Message displayed when CDI enabled on NDMP or file type device............................................................155
Verify firmware for switches and routers............................................................................................................155
Commands issued with nsrjb on a multi-NIC host fail...................................................................................... 155
SCSI reserve/release with dynamic drive sharing............................................................................................. 156
Recovering save sets from a VTL on a different NetWorker server............................................................ 156

Chapter 4: Data Protection Policies........................................................................................... 158

Designing data protection policies...............................................................................................................................158
Default data protection policies in NMC's NetWorker Administration window..........................................159
Overview of configuring a new data protection policy.....................................................................................159
NetWorker resource considerations..................................................................................................................... 160
Strategies for traditional backups......................................................................................................................... 160
Strategies for server backup and maintenance.................................................................................................. 177
Strategies for cloning................................................................................................................................................182
Policy Notifications..........................................................................................................................................................197
Monitoring policy activity.............................................................................................................................................. 198
Monitoring cloning..................................................................................................................................................... 199
Overview of protection policies............................................................................................................................. 199
Policy log files................................................................................................................................................................... 201
Starting, stopping, and restarting policies................................................................................................................ 202
Protection period...................................................................................................................................................... 203
Starting actions in a workflow for an individual client........................................................................................... 204
Modifying data protection Policy resources.............................................................................................................205
Policies.........................................................................................................................................................................205
Workflows...................................................................................................................................................................205
Protection groups...................................................................................................................................................... 212
Actions..........................................................................................................................................................................213
Configuring NSR Protection Policies from nsradmin .............................................................................................215
Commands...................................................................................................................................................................216
Managing NSR Data Protection Policy.................................................................................................................216
Managing Workflows.................................................................................................................................................217
Managing Actions...................................................................................................................................................... 218
Configuring Filters for Clone and Index Actions ............................................................................................... 219
Deleting multiple actions from multiple workflows and policies ................................................................... 220
Querying NSR protection policy workflow and NSR protection policy action resources without
specifying RAP resource types ........................................................................................................................ 220
Managing policies from the command prompt......................................................................................................... 221
Creating Data Protection Policy resources from a command prompt.......................................................... 221
Creating Action resources from a command prompt....................................................................................... 222
Starting, stopping, and restarting workflows from a command prompt..................................................... 222
Displaying Data Protection Policy resource configurations............................................................................ 224
Identifying clients that missed the workflow schedule.......................................................................................... 227
Troubleshooting policies................................................................................................................................................ 227

Chapter 5: Backup Options........................................................................................................229

Overview of resources that support backups..........................................................................................................229
Save sets...........................................................................................................................................................................229
The ALL save set.......................................................................................................................................................230

Contents 5
 Backup levels................................................................................................................................................................... 232
Comparing backup levels.........................................................................................................................................232
Backup levels and data recovery requirements................................................................................................. 233
Backup levels for the online indexes.................................................................................................................... 233
Synthetic full backups..............................................................................................................................................234
Virtual synthetic full backups................................................................................................................................. 239
Backup scheduling........................................................................................................................................................... 241
Migration of NSR schedule from 8.x to 19.5....................................................................................................... 241
Scheduling backup cycles........................................................................................................................................ 241
Considerations for scheduling backups............................................................................................................... 242
Methods for scheduling backups.......................................................................................................................... 243
Backup Browse and Retention.................................................................................................................................... 249
Methods for Setting Browse and Retention...................................................................................................... 249
Assigning a retention policy to a Client resource...............................................................................................251
Modifying the browse and retention policy on a save set............................................................................... 251
Changing browse and retention policies with nsrmm examples.................................................................... 252
NetWorker Year 2038 Readiness................................................................................................................................ 253
Upgrade path............................................................................................................................................................. 253
Limitations of the Year 2038 Readiness..............................................................................................................253
Querying save sets for old and new forever retention time...........................................................................254
Data Domain Retention Lock..................................................................................................................................254
Overrides and time policies.....................................................................................................................................255
Backward Compatibility...........................................................................................................................................255
General backup considerations....................................................................................................................................255
Renamed directories................................................................................................................................................ 255
Raw partitions............................................................................................................................................................256
Access control lists...................................................................................................................................................256
Client parallelism and parallel save streams........................................................................................................256
Maximum path and save set length......................................................................................................................259
Open files.................................................................................................................................................................... 259
Data deduplication.................................................................................................................................................... 260
Directives.......................................................................................................................................................................... 260
Types of directives................................................................................................................................................... 260
Format of directive statements..............................................................................................................................261
Order of Execution in the Directive......................................................................................................................264
Global directives........................................................................................................................................................265
NetWorker User local directives............................................................................................................................268
Creating local directives.......................................................................................................................................... 268

Chapter 6: Backing Up Data.......................................................................................................269

Configuring a Client resource for backups on Windows hosts ...........................................................................269
Windows backup considerations........................................................................................................................... 269
Windows file system backups.................................................................................................................................277
Windows Bare Metal Recovery.............................................................................................................................. 281
Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration wizard.................................................. 295
Mapped drives........................................................................................................................................................... 298
Configuring a Client resource for backups on UNIX hosts ..................................................................................299
UNIX/Linux backup considerations...................................................................................................................... 299
Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration wizard.................................................. 300
Supported save set configurations for UNIX hosts..........................................................................................302

6 Contents
 Configuring a Client resource for backups on Mac OS X hosts .........................................................................304
Mac OS X backup considerations......................................................................................................................... 304
Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration wizard.................................................. 305
Assigning directives to Mac OS X clients............................................................................................................307
Configuring Open Directory database backups................................................................................................. 307
Sending client data to AFTD or Data Domain devices only.................................................................................. 308
Non-ASCII files and directories................................................................................................................................... 308
Configuring checkpoint restart backups................................................................................................................... 308
About partial save sets............................................................................................................................................ 309
Partial saveset cloning and scanning................................................................................................................... 309
Checkpoint restart requirements.......................................................................................................................... 309
Configuring checkpoint restart.............................................................................................................................. 310
Restarting checkpoint-enabled backups...............................................................................................................311
Recovering data from partial save sets................................................................................................................312
Probe-based backups..................................................................................................................................................... 312
Encryption......................................................................................................................................................................... 313
AES Encryption...........................................................................................................................................................313
In-flight encryption.................................................................................................................................................... 314
Compression..................................................................................................................................................................... 315
Configuring compression for scheduled backups.............................................................................................. 315
Configuring compression for manual backups.................................................................................................... 315
Backing up distributed file systems.............................................................................................................................316
Configuring Single Name Space for Global Indexing......................................................................................... 316
Performing a Data Recover.....................................................................................................................................316
Best Practices and Recommendations for using Index Hostname................................................................ 316
Configuring Client Direct backups............................................................................................................................... 317
Requirements for Client Direct backups...............................................................................................................317
Configuring Client Direct backups......................................................................................................................... 317
Backup command customization................................................................................................................................. 318
Creating a custom backup script........................................................................................................................... 318
Customizing backups with the pre and post commands.................................................................................323
Client resources...............................................................................................................................................................323
Create a Client resource with the Client Properties dialog box.................................................................... 323
Editing a Client resource......................................................................................................................................... 324
Copying a Client resource....................................................................................................................................... 325
Changing the hostname of a client.......................................................................................................................325
Deleting a Client resource.......................................................................................................................................326
Decommission a Client resource........................................................................................................................... 326
Manual backups...............................................................................................................................................................328
Performing a manual backup on Windows.......................................................................................................... 328
Performing a manual backup from the command prompt.............................................................................. 329
Performing a manual backup on Mac OS X........................................................................................................ 329
Troubleshooting manual backups.......................................................................................................................... 329
Verifying backup data.................................................................................................................................................... 329
NetWorker Client FQDN compliant with RFC 1123.................................................................................................330

Chapter 7: Cloning, Staging, and Archiving................................................................................ 331

Cloning, staging, and archiving.....................................................................................................................................331
Benefits of cloning and staging....................................................................................................................................331
Cloning save sets and volumes....................................................................................................................................332

Contents 7
 Deciding when to clone........................................................................................................................................... 332
Clone Browse and Retention..................................................................................................................................332
Cloning requirements and considerations........................................................................................................... 332
Cloning example.........................................................................................................................................................334
Cloning with tape devices.......................................................................................................................................335
Cloning with file type and AFTD devices.............................................................................................................336
Cloning with Avamar................................................................................................................................................ 336
Cloning with Data Domain (DD Boost).................................................................................................................337
Controlling storage node selection for cloning...................................................................................................337
Recover Pipe to Save ............................................................................................................................................. 340
Cloning save sets from the command prompt....................................................................................................341
Updates to group, policy, workflow, and action fields in mediadb for a cloned save set .......................344
Staging save sets............................................................................................................................................................344
Staging bootstrap backups.....................................................................................................................................345
Creating a staging resource................................................................................................................................... 345
Editing staging configurations................................................................................................................................347
Copying a Staging resource....................................................................................................................................347
Deleting a staging policy.......................................................................................................................................... 347
Manual staging from the command prompt....................................................................................................... 348
Common NetWorker staging commands and issues........................................................................................ 348
Archiving data..................................................................................................................................................................349
Storage of archived data........................................................................................................................................ 350
Enabling archiving......................................................................................................................................................351
Archiving data from Windows.................................................................................................................................351
Archiving data from UNIX....................................................................................................................................... 352
Recovering archived data....................................................................................................................................... 352
Troubleshooting NetWorker archiving and retrieval.........................................................................................354

Chapter 8: Backup Data Management........................................................................................ 355

Overview of backup data management.....................................................................................................................355
Viewing volume and save set details..........................................................................................................................355
Viewing disk volume details.................................................................................................................................... 355
Viewing tape volume details................................................................................................................................... 356
Viewing save set details for a volume.................................................................................................................. 357
Viewing save set details from a search............................................................................................................... 360
Managing volumes.......................................................................................................................................................... 363
Changing the volume mode.................................................................................................................................... 363
Changing the volume recycle policy..................................................................................................................... 364
Marking a tape volume as full for offsite storage............................................................................................. 364
Removing volumes from the media database and online indexes................................................................. 365
Changing save set status..............................................................................................................................................365
Changing the save set retention time....................................................................................................................... 365
Removing expired save sets.........................................................................................................................................366
Save set management on tape devices............................................................................................................... 367

Chapter 9: Recovery..................................................................................................................368
Recovering data.............................................................................................................................................................. 369
Recovery roadmap..........................................................................................................................................................369
Planning and preparing to recovering data...............................................................................................................370

8 Contents
 Gathering key information.......................................................................................................................................370
Prerequisites for recovering a NetWorker client or storage node................................................................ 370
Downloading the NetWorker software and documentation............................................................................ 371
Reinstalling the NetWorker storage node............................................................................................................ 371
Optional, resetting the autochanger..................................................................................................................... 371
NetWorker recovery overview......................................................................................................................................371
Recovery types................................................................................................................................................................ 372
Directed recoveries...................................................................................................................................................372
Local recoveries.........................................................................................................................................................375
Recover programs...........................................................................................................................................................375
Using the NetWorker User program.....................................................................................................................376
Using the NetWorker Recovery program............................................................................................................ 376
Using the Recovery Wizard.................................................................................................................................... 376
Using the recover command.................................................................................................................................. 380
Scanner recovery...................................................................................................................................................... 380
Recovering the data........................................................................................................................................................381
Determining the volume for recovering cloned data.........................................................................................381
Recovering access control list files...................................................................................................................... 382
Browsable recovery.................................................................................................................................................. 382
Save set recovery...................................................................................................................................................... 391
Using the scanner program to recover data...................................................................................................... 394
VSS File Level Recovery......................................................................................................................................... 396
Recovering deduplication data.................................................................................................................................... 396
Improving restore performance with multiple threads.......................................................................................... 396
vProxy recovery in NMC............................................................................................................................................... 397
Entering management credentials for the Data Domain resource (instant recovery and User
mode file-level restore only)...............................................................................................................................397
File-level restore as an Active Directory user.................................................................................................... 398
Recovering a virtual machine using the NMC Recovery wizard................................................................... 399
vProxy Log Bundle collection using NMC..................................................................................................................413
Recovering file system data on Windows.................................................................................................................. 413
Recovering Windows volume mount points........................................................................................................ 413
Recovering Windows DHCP and WINS databases............................................................................................ 413
Recovering DFS..........................................................................................................................................................414
Recovering data on OS-X clients.................................................................................................................................415
Recovering files and directories from the command prompt..........................................................................415
Recovering files and directories by using the NetWorker Recover GUI...................................................... 415
Recovering client files on a different NetWorker server....................................................................................... 419
Recovering as NMC User with Non-Admin Privileges ..........................................................................................420
Preparing the NMC Sever for Recovery....................................................................................................................421
Creating an NMC Group for Recovery................................................................................................................. 421
Creating an NMC User with recovery privileges................................................................................................421
Creating a NetWorker User Group for recovery............................................................................................... 422
Recover the NMC Server database........................................................................................................................... 422
Prepare for an NMC Server recovery.................................................................................................................. 422
Recovering the NMC Server.................................................................................................................................. 423

Chapter 10: Special recoveries on Windows hosts......................................................................425

Special windows recoveries Restoring a Windows Domain Controller host.....................................................425
Active Directory restore information....................................................................................................................425

Contents 9
 Selecting a restore method.................................................................................................................................... 425
Performing a non-authoritative AD restore on Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019.........426
Performing an authoritative AD restore on Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019............... 426
Performing a Windows BMR to physical or virtual computers............................................................................ 426
Prerequisites to performing a Windows BMR.................................................................................................... 427
Gathering configuration information required by a Windows BMR.............................................................. 427
Obtaining the Windows BMR image..................................................................................................................... 427
Creating a Windows BMR bootable image..........................................................................................................427
Perform the BMR......................................................................................................................................................428
Troubleshooting Windows BMR............................................................................................................................ 434
Additional recovery options.................................................................................................................................... 438
Restart required after recovery operation..........................................................................................................438
Online recovery of Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster services.........................................................................438

Chapter 11: Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities............................................................... 440

Enterprise data reporting..............................................................................................................................................440
Enabling or disabling the gathering of report data........................................................................................... 440
Data retention and expiration policies...................................................................................................................441
Restricted report views........................................................................................................................................... 442
Report categories......................................................................................................................................................442
Legacy report categories........................................................................................................................................ 443
Report modes and types......................................................................................................................................... 443
Preconfigured reports..............................................................................................................................................449
Customizing and displaying report output.......................................................................................................... 467
Customizing and saving reports............................................................................................................................ 470
Sharing a report..........................................................................................................................................................471
Command line reporting........................................................................................................................................... 471
Save set History Database............................................................................................................................................472
Reporting policy status and backup job status........................................................................................................ 472
Policy completion and failure notifications..........................................................................................................473
Querying the job status............................................................................................................................................474
Reporting recover job status........................................................................................................................................487
Using nsrrecomp....................................................................................................................................................... 488
Checkpoint-enabled backup reporting.......................................................................................................................488
View the policy reports for checkpoint-enabled client backups....................................................................488
Determine the status of a checkpoint-enabled backup...................................................................................488
SNMP traps......................................................................................................................................................................489
Receive SNMP v2c traps on Linux....................................................................................................................... 490
Receive SNMP v2c traps on Windows.................................................................................................................491
Receive SNMP v3 traps on Linux ......................................................................................................................... 491
Receive SNMP v3 traps on Windows.................................................................................................................. 492
Disable SNMP traps on Linux and Windows.......................................................................................................493
Configuring NetWorker SNMP notifications...................................................................................................... 493
SNMP v2c trap support for NetWorker Modules............................................................................................. 498
NetWorker Notifications............................................................................................................................................... 498
Preconfigured notifications.................................................................................................................................... 499
Customizing notifications........................................................................................................................................503
Creating a custom notification.............................................................................................................................. 505
Editing a notification................................................................................................................................................ 505
Copying a notification.............................................................................................................................................. 506

10 Contents
 Deleting a custom notification...............................................................................................................................506
Configuring owner notifications............................................................................................................................ 506
Logging event notifications.................................................................................................................................... 507
Breakthrough logging ..............................................................................................................................................507
Front-end Capacity Estimation....................................................................................................................................507
Configuring MailHome............................................................................................................................................. 509
Configuring EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS).......................................................................................... 511
Troubleshooting ESRS..............................................................................................................................................513

Chapter 12: NetWorker Server Monitoring................................................................................. 515

Enterprise events monitoring....................................................................................................................................... 515
Polling interval for system events......................................................................................................................... 515
Enabling or disabling event capture for a host................................................................................................... 516
Event viewing............................................................................................................................................................. 516
Dismissing an event................................................................................................................................................... 517
Clear persistent alerts.............................................................................................................................................. 518
Disk space monitoring...............................................................................................................................................518
Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration window.............................................................518
About the Monitoring window................................................................................................................................ 519
Customizing the Monitoring window................................................................................................................... 520
Policies/Actions pane............................................................................................................................................... 521
Sessions window....................................................................................................................................................... 524
Devices pane.............................................................................................................................................................. 524
Operations window...................................................................................................................................................525
Log window................................................................................................................................................................ 526
Recover window........................................................................................................................................................ 527
Monitoring changes to the NetWorker and NMC Server resources..................................................................530
Disabling or enabling the Monitor RAP Attribute.............................................................................................. 530
Monitoring user access to the NMC server............................................................................................................. 530
Monitoring NetWorker server activities in the log files.........................................................................................530

Chapter 13: NMC Server Management........................................................................................531

Enterprise.......................................................................................................................................................................... 531
Enterprise components............................................................................................................................................ 531
Organizing NetWorker servers............................................................................................................................... 531
Viewing the enterprise.............................................................................................................................................532
Managing various servers in the Enterprise....................................................................................................... 533
Managing folders in the enterprise....................................................................................................................... 534
Adding or deleting multiple servers by using a hostname file........................................................................ 535
Customizing the Console window and views........................................................................................................... 537
Using the NMC filters.................................................................................................................................................... 538
Connecting to the NMC GUI using an ssh connection..........................................................................................539
Backing up the NetWorker environment...................................................................................................................539
Configuring an NMC server database backup................................................................................................... 540
Performing a manual backup of the NMC server database............................................................................ 541
Using the NMC Configuration Wizard........................................................................................................................ 541
NMC server authentication...........................................................................................................................................541
Configuring the NMC server to manage additional NetWorker servers...................................................... 541
Changing the NetWorker Authentication Service hostname and port number......................................... 542

Contents 11
 Modifying user groups for new NetWorker Authentication Service users................................................. 543
Adding the NMC service account to the Users user group................................................................................. 545
Enabling two factor authentication for AD and LDAP users................................................................................546
Moving the NMC Server............................................................................................................................................... 546
Migrating NMC users to the authentication service database............................................................................548
Updating the NetWorker User Group resources for migrated NMC users.................................................548
Resetting the administrator password...................................................................................................................... 549
Changing the service port used by the NMC database........................................................................................ 550
Changing the service port used by the NMC database on Linux................................................................. 550
Changing the service port used by the NMC database on Windows........................................................... 551
Changing database connection credentials..............................................................................................................552
Updating the NMC server IP address/hostname................................................................................................... 552
Setting system options to improve NMC server performance............................................................................552
Individual User Authentication............................................................................................................................... 554
Displaying international fonts in non-US locale environments.............................................................................554
NetWorker License Manager....................................................................................................................................... 554
Entering an enabler code........................................................................................................................................ 555
Deleting an enabler code.........................................................................................................................................555
Entering an authorization code............................................................................................................................. 555
Changing the License Manager server................................................................................................................ 555
NMC error messages and corrective actions.......................................................................................................... 555
Console troubleshooting notes and tips....................................................................................................................558
Troubleshooting an NMC server that is not responding................................................................................. 558
Unable to connect to host: Please check Security setting and daemon logs on the NetWorker
client and Console server for more information............................................................................................559
Username/password validation fails when you use the NMC New Device wizard to configure an
AFTD if storage node is UNIX............................................................................................................................560
Querying large numbers of save sets in the NetWorker user interface may cause a Java heap
space error............................................................................................................................................................. 560
NMC user interface exits unexpectedly...............................................................................................................561
Label and Mount devices page is not displayed in NMC device configuration wizard............................. 561
Error: Unable to connect to server is displayed while browsing the savesets in the client
properties using NMC GUI ................................................................................................................................. 561

Chapter 14: NetWorker Server Management.............................................................................. 562

Setting up the server..................................................................................................................................................... 562
License the NetWorker Server.............................................................................................................................. 562
Setting the Job inactivity timeout........................................................................................................................ 562
Modifying the retention period for jobs in the jobs database........................................................................ 563
Viewing the migration log file.......................................................................................................................................563
Hostname changes......................................................................................................................................................... 563
Managing the NSR task resource for nsrclientfix ..................................................................................................564
Parallelism and multiplexing..........................................................................................................................................565
Parallelism................................................................................................................................................................... 565
Multiplexing.................................................................................................................................................................567
Managing server access................................................................................................................................................568
Resource databases ......................................................................................................................................................568
Viewing resources in the resource database......................................................................................................568
Repairing resource database corruption............................................................................................................. 569
Indexes.............................................................................................................................................................................. 569

12 Contents
 Characteristics of the online indexes...................................................................................................................569
Automated index activities..................................................................................................................................... 570
Checking online indexes.......................................................................................................................................... 570
Viewing information about the indexes............................................................................................................... 570
Index save sets.......................................................................................................................................................... 570
Querying the media database................................................................................................................................. 571
Cross-checking client file indexes..........................................................................................................................571
Refreshing index information................................................................................................................................. 572
Client file index locations.........................................................................................................................................572
Managing the size of the online indexes............................................................................................................. 573
Internationalization......................................................................................................................................................... 576
Log file viewer............................................................................................................................................................576
Display issues............................................................................................................................................................. 576
Creating a Server Backup action.................................................................................................................................577
Creating an expire action.............................................................................................................................................. 579

Chapter 15: NetWorker Host Management................................................................................. 581

Controlling access to a NetWorker client..................................................................................................................581
NetWorker host management...................................................................................................................................... 581
Windows client interface...............................................................................................................................................583
Starting the NetWorker User program on Windows........................................................................................ 583
Toolbar buttons......................................................................................................................................................... 584
Browse window......................................................................................................................................................... 584
Connecting to a NetWorker server...................................................................................................................... 585
Editing a client NSRLA database................................................................................................................................ 585

Chapter 16: Restricted Datazones..............................................................................................587

Restricted Datazones overview.................................................................................................................................. 587
Administrators and users of RDZ................................................................................................................................ 587
Using multiple instances of an RDZ......................................................................................................................588
Setting up the RDZ........................................................................................................................................................ 588
Setting up RDZ Users.............................................................................................................................................. 589
Setting up an RDZ resource...................................................................................................................................590
Removing a resource association................................................................................................................................593
Backward compatibility................................................................................................................................................. 594

Chapter 17: Block Based Backup and Recovery.......................................................................... 595

Overview...........................................................................................................................................................................595
Supported operating systems and configurations............................................................................................ 596
Limitations...................................................................................................................................................................597
Block based backups......................................................................................................................................................598
Devices for block based backups..........................................................................................................................598
Installing the lgtobbb package on Linux.............................................................................................................. 598
Configuring block based backups......................................................................................................................... 599
Performing block based backups.......................................................................................................................... 600
Verifying block based backups...............................................................................................................................602
Cloning block based backups................................................................................................................................. 602
Limitations of Block based Backup....................................................................................................................... 602
Block based recoveries..................................................................................................................................................603

Contents 13
 Preparing for block based recoveries.................................................................................................................. 603
Performing block based recoveries...................................................................................................................... 603
Performing block based clone recoveries........................................................................................................... 605
Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery issues................................................................................... 607

Chapter 18: Networking and Connectivity..................................................................................609

Name resolution and connectivity.............................................................................................................................. 609
IPv6 support in NetWorker 19.3 and later................................................................................................................. 610
Network Protocol support for Networker 19.3 and later.......................................................................................612
Limitations of IPv6 protocol with NetWorker 19.3 and later.................................................................................612
Troubleshooting name resolution and connectivity errors.................................................................................... 612
Verifying basic connectivity.................................................................................................................................... 613
Verifying name resolution........................................................................................................................................ 615
Verifying the NetWorker configuration................................................................................................................ 618
Using multihomed systems............................................................................................................................................619
Multihomed system requirements......................................................................................................................... 619
Configuring multihomed hosts in a datazone.....................................................................................................620
NIC Teaming.....................................................................................................................................................................624
Using DHCP clients........................................................................................................................................................ 625
NetWorker TCP/IP keep-alive parameters ............................................................................................................. 625
Modifying the NetWorker TCP/IP Parameters in Linux and Unix Platform ................................ 625
Modifying the NetWorker TCP/IP parameters in Windows platform ......................................................... 626
Multi-subnet cluster configuration support for SQL AAG.................................................................................... 626

Chapter 19: Cloud Supportability............................................................................................... 627

CloudBoost appliance as the back up target............................................................................................................627
Support for Azure Stack............................................................................................................................................... 627
Cloud service provider support matrix for NetWorker.......................................................................................... 628

Chapter 20: Troubleshooting..................................................................................................... 629

Before you contact technical support....................................................................................................................... 629
Determining the version of NetWorker software running on a client.......................................................... 630
Displaying diagnostic mode attributes................................................................................................................. 630
NetWorker log files.........................................................................................................................................................630
NetWorker Server log files...................................................................................................................................... 631
NMC server log files.................................................................................................................................................633
NetWorker Client log files....................................................................................................................................... 634
View log files.............................................................................................................................................................. 636
Raw log file management........................................................................................................................................ 638
Configuring logging levels........................................................................................................................................641
NetWorker Authentication Service logs.................................................................................................................... 648
NetWorker Authentication Service log files....................................................................................................... 648
NetWorker Authentication Service server log file management................................................................... 649
CLI log file management..........................................................................................................................................649
NetWorker functionality issues................................................................................................................................... 650
Backup and recovery............................................................................................................................................... 650
Shut down NetWorker services prior to any significant changes to system date....................................652
Clone ID timestamp does not reflect the time the clone was created........................................................ 652
Memory usage when browsing large save sets................................................................................................. 652

14 Contents
 Memory usage and nsrjobd.....................................................................................................................................652
Media position errors encountered when auto media verify is enabled...................................................... 652
The scanner program marks a volume read-only.............................................................................................. 653
The scanner program requests an entry for record size.................................................................................653
Limitations for groups containing a bootstrap...................................................................................................653
Index recovery to a different location fails......................................................................................................... 653
Illegal characters in configurations....................................................................................................................... 653
Inaccessible object exception error when launching NMC with Java 9...................................................... 654
Error backing up large number of clients............................................................................................................ 654
Hostname aliases...................................................................................................................................................... 654
Directory pathname restrictions............................................................................................................................655
Backup of a new client defaults to level full.......................................................................................................655
Non-full backup of Solaris files with modified extended attributes..............................................................655
Client file index errors..............................................................................................................................................655
Aborting a recovery..................................................................................................................................................656
xdr of win32 attributes failed for directory........................................................................................................ 656
Cannot create directory directory........................................................................................................................ 657
The All save set and duplicate drive serial numbers......................................................................................... 657
No disk label errors................................................................................................................................................... 657
Resolving copy violation errors..............................................................................................................................657
Converting sparse files to fully allocated files....................................................................................................657
Backing up large sparse files.................................................................................................................................. 658
Queries using the mminfo -N command are case-sensitive........................................................................... 658
Usage of multiple pool names in the mminfo command.................................................................................. 658
Renamed directories and incremental backups................................................................................................. 658
Resolving names for multiple network interface cards....................................................................................658
Libraries entering ready state................................................................................................................................ 659
Successful save sets listed as failed in the Group Backup Details window................................................659
The NetWorker Server window does not appear on HP-UX......................................................................... 659
Backup fails with Win32 error 0x2........................................................................................................................659
Error displaying workflow details.......................................................................................................................... 660
Back up of All Save Sets takes a long time to complete.............................................................................. 660
GSS-API authentication error ...............................................................................................................................660
NetWorker locale and code set support.................................................................................................................... 661
Enabling service mode for NetWorker....................................................................................................................... 661
Resetting the NMC password for NetWorker 19.1 and later................................................................................ 661
No privileges to view NetWorker server from NMC...............................................................................................661
Network and server communication errors.............................................................................................................. 662
Unapproved server error.........................................................................................................................................662
Unapproved server error during client setup..................................................................................................... 662
Server copy violation................................................................................................................................................662
Remote recover access rights............................................................................................................................... 663
NetWorker server takes a long time to restart..................................................................................................663
Changing the NetWorker server address............................................................................................................663
Binding to server errors...........................................................................................................................................663
Identifying connection lost to device................................................................................................................... 664
Device Connectivity Check Configurations .......................................................................................................665
New.Net and NetWorker software are incompatible....................................................................................... 666
Glossary.................................................................................................................................... 667

Contents 15
 Figures

1 NetWorker components......................................................................................................................................... 27
2 Stopping the NetWorker Remote Exec Service...............................................................................................34
3 NMC GUI window.................................................................................................................................................... 36
4 Welcome to the NMC Server Configuration Wizard page.............................................................................43
5 Set authentication server service account for the NMC Server page....................................................... 43
6 Specify a list of managed NetWorker servers page........................................................................................ 44
7 Administration window........................................................................................................................................... 45
8 Monitoring window..................................................................................................................................................49
9 Recover window...................................................................................................................................................... 54
10 Labeling a volume by using a label template..................................................................................................... 64
11 Identifying WORM tapes in the NetWorker Console...................................................................................... 78
12 Example NetWorker disk backup configuration in a mixed backup environment.................................... 88
13 Paths for CIFS AFTD.............................................................................................................................................. 89
14 How library sharing works....................................................................................................................................142
15 Dynamic Drive Sharing.......................................................................................................................................... 144
16 Platinum policy configuration.............................................................................................................................. 159
17 Data protection policy example.......................................................................................................................... 160
18 Workflow path from a traditional backup action............................................................................................ 165
19 Visual representation of a workflow.................................................................................................................. 177
20 Workflow path from a server database backup action.................................................................................180
21 Workflow path from an NMC server backup action.......................................................................................181
22 Visual representation of the Server Protection workflows.......................................................................... 181
23 Replication using AMS.......................................................................................................................................... 182
24 Workflow path from a clone action................................................................................................................... 188
25 Visual representation of a clone workflow.......................................................................................................192
26 Example of a policy with separate workflows for backup and cloning......................................................193
27 Data Protection Policy......................................................................................................................................... 200
28 Creating a new policy........................................................................................................................................... 203
29 Policy properties.................................................................................................................................................... 204
30 Workflow path from a snapshot backup action............................................................................................. 206
31 Workflow path from a probe action..................................................................................................................206
32 Workflow path from a server backup action.................................................................................................. 206
33 Workflow path from a check connectivity action......................................................................................... 206
34 Workflow path from a clone action...................................................................................................................207
35 Workflow path from a discover action............................................................................................................. 207
36 Workflow path from a generate index action................................................................................................. 207
37 Workflow path from a VBA checkpoint discover action.............................................................................. 207
38 Traditional backup workflow...............................................................................................................................207
39 Incremental and cumulative incremental backup levels............................................................................... 233
40 Synthetic full backups.......................................................................................................................................... 234

16 Figures
41 Default weekly backup schedule........................................................................................................................242
42 Staggered weekly backup schedule for multiple groups of clients........................................................... 242
43 Selecting the schedule......................................................................................................................................... 243
44 Defining the schedule........................................................................................................................................... 244
45 The Force Backup Level attribute.....................................................................................................................245
46 Example....................................................................................................................................................................252
47 Example....................................................................................................................................................................252
48 Example....................................................................................................................................................................252
49 VSS backup process............................................................................................................................................. 278
50 Paths for CIFS AFTD.............................................................................................................................................318
51 Cloning example.....................................................................................................................................................335
52 Overview of archive operation...........................................................................................................................350
53 Volume Save Sets window..................................................................................................................................360
54 Change Expiration window..................................................................................................................................366
55 Recovery roadmap................................................................................................................................................ 369
56 A directed recovery from a remote client....................................................................................................... 373
57 NSR Data Domain Properties............................................................................................................................. 397
58 Virtual machine recovery in the NMC Recovery wizard..............................................................................400
59 Select the Virtual Machine to Recover.............................................................................................................401
60 Select the Target Backup (individual virtual machine)................................................................................. 401
61 Select the Target Backup (multiple virtual machines)................................................................................. 402
62 Select the Virtual Machine Recovery method................................................................................................402
63 Choose Disks to Revert....................................................................................................................................... 403
64 Select Alternate Recovery Sources.................................................................................................................. 404
65 Configure the Instant Recovery........................................................................................................................ 405
66 Configure the virtual machine recovery.......................................................................................................... 406
67 Configure the Virtual Disk Recovery.................................................................................................................407
68 Configure the Emergency Recovery.................................................................................................................408
69 Select Alternate Recovery Sources for file level recovery......................................................................... 409
70 Mount the save set for file level recovery....................................................................................................... 410
71 Select the files and folders to recover.............................................................................................................. 411
72 Connect to Server................................................................................................................................................. 416
73 NetWorker Recover window............................................................................................................................... 416
74 List of clients available for a NetWorker server............................................................................................. 417
75 Search browse view.............................................................................................................................................. 418
76 Versions side bar.................................................................................................................................................... 418
77 Group Summary in table view.............................................................................................................................444
78 Group Summary in Bar Chart view....................................................................................................................445
79 Sample log output................................................................................................................................................. 496
80 SNMP trap output.................................................................................................................................................497
81 Usage Analytics Properties- MailHome............................................................................................................ 510
82 Usage Analytics Properties- ESRS configuration...........................................................................................512
83 Monitoring window................................................................................................................................................ 519

Figures 17
 84 Recover window.................................................................................................................................................... 527
85 NetWorker servers worldwide............................................................................................................................532
86 Using filters to search and view policies......................................................................................................... 538
87 Copying the group DN..........................................................................................................................................544
88 Copying the group DN......................................................................................................................................... 545
89 Add Distinguished Names window.................................................................................................................... 546
90 Hosts window.........................................................................................................................................................582
91 NetWorker User program....................................................................................................................................583
92 Example of the browse window.........................................................................................................................585
93 Restricted Data Zones in NMC..........................................................................................................................589
94 Restricted Datazone User Configuration........................................................................................................ 590
95 Create Restricted Data Zone in the NetWorker Administration Server window....................................591
96 Restricted Data Zone Client Properties...........................................................................................................592
97 Restricted Data Zones in Device Properties window................................................................................... 592
98 Restricted Data Zones in Create Policy window........................................................................................... 593
99 New workflow associated with RDZ group.....................................................................................................593
100 Multihomed environment..................................................................................................................................... 621
101 Configuring the Aliases attribute for NetWorker Server Client resource................................................622
102 Configuring the Aliases attribute for NetWorker Storage Node Client resource.................................. 622
103 Storage Nodes attribute for clients in VLAN1................................................................................................ 623
104 Aliases and Server network interface attributes for VLAN1 clients..........................................................623
105 Storage Nodes attribute for clients in VLAN2............................................................................................... 624
106 Aliases and Server network interface attributes for VLAN2 clients......................................................... 624
107 Azure stack backup and disaster recovery..................................................................................................... 627
108 WinPE registry key to troubleshoot recoveries..............................................................................................647
109 Settings on Server CLI.........................................................................................................................................665
110 Settings on Storage Node CLI........................................................................................................................... 665
111 NMC Server settings............................................................................................................................................665
112 NMC Storage Node Settings............................................................................................................................. 666

18 Figures
 Tables

1 Revision history........................................................................................................................................................ 23
2 Style conventions.................................................................................................................................................... 25
3 NetWorker Server processes................................................................................................................................30
4 NetWorker Storage Node processes................................................................................................................... 31
5 NMC Server processes.......................................................................................................................................... 32
6 NetWorker startup commands............................................................................................................................. 35
7 Windows opened from the NMC GUI................................................................................................................. 36
8 Supported operations in the NetWorker Management Web UI................................................................... 38
9 Windows that are launched from the Administration window......................................................................46
10 Monitoring window panel.......................................................................................................................................49
11 Alerts window icons................................................................................................................................................. 51
12 Devices status icons............................................................................................................................................... 52
13 Operations window icons.......................................................................................................................................52
14 Icons in the Log pane..............................................................................................................................................53
15 Recovery toolbar options.......................................................................................................................................55
16 Save recover configuration job status............................................................................................................... 56
17 Find options...............................................................................................................................................................56
18 Key label template attributes................................................................................................................................65
19 Examples of number sequences for volume labels.......................................................................................... 66
20 Using label template components........................................................................................................................ 67
21 Preconfigured media pools.................................................................................................................................... 70
22 Determining which pool receives backup data................................................................................................. 72
23 NetWorker hierarchy for resolving media pool conflicts................................................................................ 73
24 WORM supported devices.....................................................................................................................................76
25 WORM/DLTWORM attributes............................................................................................................................. 78
26 Differences between disk devices.......................................................................................................................90
27 Default values and ranges for target and max sessions attributes.............................................................. 91
28 Determining the major number value................................................................................................................ 105
29 ioscan output when driver is configured.......................................................................................................... 105
30 ioscan output when driver is not configured...................................................................................................106
31 Tape alert severity................................................................................................................................................. 126
32 Common jbedit options......................................................................................................................................... 128
33 Device settings and environment variables..................................................................................................... 133
34 StorageTek environment variables.....................................................................................................................137
35 Library resource sleep attributes........................................................................................................................142
36 Shared Devices attributes....................................................................................................................................146
37 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 166
38 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 168
39 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 170
40 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 174

Tables 19
 41 nsrcloneconfig file details.....................................................................................................................................183
42 Save set criteria..................................................................................................................................................... 185
43 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 189
44 Schedule icons........................................................................................................................................................ 195
45 Policy status icons................................................................................................................................................. 198
46 Methods to create an action............................................................................................................................... 213
47 Methods to open the Policy Action wizard......................................................................................................215
48 Command descriptions......................................................................................................................................... 216
49 Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy resources............................................................................ 216
50 Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Workflow resources......................................................... 217
51 Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Action resources............................................................... 218
52 Filter values for clone and index actions.......................................................................................................... 219
53 Resource overview................................................................................................................................................229
54 Data in the ALL save set..................................................................................................................................... 230
55 File systems excluded from the ALL save set................................................................................................. 231
56 Special ALL save sets............................................................................................................................................231
57 Backup levels.......................................................................................................................................................... 232
58 Advantages and disadvantages of backup levels.......................................................................................... 232
59 mminfo commands for synthetic full backup validation...............................................................................238
60 Comparison of traditional synthetic full and virtual synthetic full backups.............................................239
61 Requirements for virtual synthetic full backups............................................................................................ 239
62 mminfo commands for VSF backup validation................................................................................................ 241
63 Scheduled backup level icons.............................................................................................................................243
64 Preconfigured NetWorker schedules................................................................................................................246
65 Types of schedule................................................................................................................................................. 248
66 Types of actions.................................................................................................................................................... 248
67 Backward Compatibility....................................................................................................................................... 255
68 Log files for PSS troubleshooting..................................................................................................................... 259
69 Supported wildcards in directives..................................................................................................................... 263
70 Preconfigured directives..................................................................................................................................... 265
71 Backup considerations for Windows features................................................................................................ 270
72 VSS Save operation attribute values.................................................................................................................281
73 DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ components in an incremental backup............................................................ 283
74 Save set configuration for a specific host...................................................................................................... 289
75 Special ALL save sets...........................................................................................................................................298
76 File systems excluded from the ALL save set................................................................................................ 303
77 Special ALL save sets...........................................................................................................................................303
78 NetWorker software requirements for checkpoint restart......................................................................... 309
79 Example backup script on Windows.................................................................................................................. 319
80 NetWorker Server Versions.................................................................................................................................321
81 Job control attribute selections......................................................................................................................... 322
82 Operations allowed in each client state........................................................................................................... 327
83 RPS Clone State....................................................................................................................................................340

20 Tables
84 List of nsrclone options and their descriptions.............................................................................................. 343
85 Staging criteria options........................................................................................................................................345
86 Disk volumes window........................................................................................................................................... 355
87 Volume details........................................................................................................................................................ 356
88 Save Set details..................................................................................................................................................... 358
89 Query criteria..........................................................................................................................................................360
90 Save set search results view...............................................................................................................................361
91 Query criteria..........................................................................................................................................................362
92 VBA save set search results window................................................................................................................363
93 General recover requirements............................................................................................................................ 373
94 Volume selection by recovery method..............................................................................................................381
95 Query criteria..........................................................................................................................................................383
96 Save set status...................................................................................................................................................... 384
97 Optional browsable recovery options............................................................................................................... 387
98 Save set information............................................................................................................................................ 390
99 Optional save set recovery options.................................................................................................................. 392
100 Save set information.............................................................................................................................................393
101 Additional recovery options................................................................................................................................ 438
102 Data retention policies.......................................................................................................................................... 441
103 Report categories..................................................................................................................................................442
104 Legacy report categories.....................................................................................................................................443
105 Report icons............................................................................................................................................................443
106 Report chart formats............................................................................................................................................446
107 NetWorker recovery statistics parameters.....................................................................................................458
108 Event parameters..................................................................................................................................................460
109 Host reports............................................................................................................................................................ 461
110 NetWorker backup statistics parameters........................................................................................................462
111 NetWorker backup status parameters............................................................................................................. 464
112 Clone report parameters..................................................................................................................................... 466
113 Date and time input formats for common locales......................................................................................... 469
114 Workflow-specific job record attributes.......................................................................................................... 476
115 Action job record attributes................................................................................................................................ 479
116 Job details for a Workflow.................................................................................................................................. 485
117 Job details for a Workflow continued.............................................................................................................. 485
118 SNMP attributes and descriptions.................................................................................................................... 489
119 Command-line options for nsrtrap.................................................................................................................... 493
120 Preconfigured notifications.................................................................................................................................499
121 Actions..................................................................................................................................................................... 503
122 Priorities.................................................................................................................................................................. 505
123 Event Viewer messages.......................................................................................................................................507
124 MailHome fields and descriptions...................................................................................................................... 510
125 ESRS fields and descriptions...............................................................................................................................512
126 NMC event information........................................................................................................................................516

Tables 21
 127 Event priorities........................................................................................................................................................517
128 Monitoring window panel..................................................................................................................................... 519
129 Policy status icons................................................................................................................................................. 521
130 Devices status icons.............................................................................................................................................525
131 Operations window icons.................................................................................................................................... 525
132 Icons in the Log pane........................................................................................................................................... 526
133 Recovery toolbar options.................................................................................................................................... 528
134 Save recover configuration job status............................................................................................................. 529
135 Find options............................................................................................................................................................ 529
136 Viewing the enterprise......................................................................................................................................... 532
137 NMC windows with filtering capability............................................................................................................ 538
138 NMC server system options............................................................................................................................... 553
139 Error messages or symptoms.............................................................................................................................555
140 Indexes window information............................................................................................................................... 570
141 Index save sets dialog box information............................................................................................................ 570
142 Schedule icons for the expire action................................................................................................................ 579
143 When to modify the servers file......................................................................................................................... 581
144 Summary pane....................................................................................................................................................... 582
145 NetWorker User Groups requirements............................................................................................................ 583
146 NetWorker User toolbar functions....................................................................................................................584
147 Supported backup and recovery scenarios.....................................................................................................596
148 Key options for the block based recover.exe command..............................................................................605
149 Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery issues..........................................................................607
150 Network Protocol Support...................................................................................................................................612
151 Configuring multihomed hosts in NetWorker (continued).......................................................................... 620
152 TCP/IP parameters...............................................................................................................................................625
153 Attributes................................................................................................................................................................ 626
154 Cloud service provider support matrix............................................................................................................. 628
155 NetWorker Server log files.................................................................................................................................. 631
156 NMC server log files............................................................................................................................................. 633
157 Client log files......................................................................................................................................................... 634
158 Message types....................................................................................................................................................... 637
159 Raw log file attributes that manage log file size............................................................................................639
160 Raw log file attributes that manage the log file trimming mechanism..................................................... 639
161 NetWorker Authentication Service log files....................................................................................................648
162 NetWorker Startup commands.......................................................................................................................... 664
163 Enabling and Disabling DCC based on Server and Storage node settings.............................................. 666

22 Tables
 Preface
As part of an effort to improve product lines, periodic revisions of software and hardware are released. Therefore, all versions of
the software or hardware currently in use might not support some functions that are described in this document. The product
release notes provide the most up-to-date information on product features.
If a product does not function correctly or does not function as described in this document, contact a technical support
professional.
NOTE: This document was accurate at publication time. To ensure that you are using the latest version of this document,
go to the Support website https://www.dell.com/support.

Purpose
This document describes how to configure and use NetWorker.

Audience
This guide is part of the NetWorker documentation set, and is intended for use by system administrators who are responsible for
setting up and maintaining backups on a network. Operators who monitor daily backups will also find this guide useful.

Revision history
The following table presents the revision history of this document.

Table 1. Revision history

Revision Date Description
02 November 11, 2021 A new topic is added in Console troubleshooting notes and tips section.
01 June 30, 2021 First release of this document for NetWorker 19.5.

Related documentation
The NetWorker documentation set includes the following publications, available on the Support website:
● NetWorker E-LAB Navigator
Provides compatibility information, including specific software and hardware configurations that NetWorker supports. To
access E-LAB Navigator, go to https://elabnavigator.emc.com/eln/elnhome.
● NetWorker Administration Guide
Describes how to configure and maintain the NetWorker software.
● NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) User Guide
Describes how to use the NetWorker software to provide data protection for NDMP filers.
● NetWorker Cluster Integration Guide
Contains information related to configuring NetWorker software on cluster servers and clients.
● NetWorker Installation Guide
Provides information on how to install, uninstall, and update the NetWorker software for clients, storage nodes, and servers
on all supported operating systems.
● NetWorker Updating from a Previous Release Guide

Preface 23
 Describes how to update the NetWorker software from a previously installed release.
● NetWorker Release Notes
Contains information on new features and changes, fixed problems, known limitations, environment and system requirements
for the latest NetWorker software release.
● NetWorker Command Reference Guide
Provides reference information for NetWorker commands and options.
● NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide
Provides planning and configuration information on the use of Data Domain devices for data deduplication backup and
storage in a NetWorker environment.
● NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide
Contains basic performance tuning information for NetWorker.
● NetWorker Server Disaster Recovery and Availability Best Practices Guide
Describes how to design, plan for, and perform a step-by-step NetWorker disaster recovery.
● NetWorker Snapshot Management Integration Guide
Describes the ability to catalog and manage snapshot copies of production data that are created by using mirror technologies
on storage arrays.
● NetWorkerSnapshot Management for NAS Devices Integration Guide
Describes how to catalog and manage snapshot copies of production data that are created by using replication technologies
on NAS devices.
● NetWorker Security Configuration Guide
Provides an overview of security configuration settings available in NetWorker, secure deployment, and physical security
controls needed to ensure the secure operation of the product.
● NetWorker VMware Integration Guide
Provides planning and configuration information on the use of VMware in a NetWorker environment.
● NetWorker Error Message Guide
Provides information on common NetWorker error messages.
● NetWorker Licensing Guide
Provides information about licensing NetWorker products and features.
● NetWorker REST API Getting Started Guide
Describes how to configure and use the NetWorker REST API to create programmatic interfaces to the NetWorker server.
● NetWorker REST API Reference Guide
Provides the NetWorker REST API specification used to create programmatic interfaces to the NetWorker server.
● NetWorker 19.5 with CloudBoost 19.5 Integration Guide
Describes the integration of NetWorker with CloudBoost.
● NetWorker 19.5 with CloudBoost 19.5 Security Configuration Guide
Provides an overview of security configuration settings available in NetWorker and Cloud Boost, secure deployment, and
physical security controls needed to ensure the secure operation of the product.
● NetWorker Management Console Online Help
Describes the day-to-day administration tasks performed in the NetWorker Management Console and the NetWorker
Administration window. To view the online help, click Help in the main menu.
● NetWorker User Online Help
Describes how to use the NetWorker User program, which is the Windows client interface, to connect to a NetWorker
server to back up, recover, archive, and retrieve files over a network.

24 Preface
 NOTE: Data Domain is now PowerProtect DD. References to Data Domain or DD systems in this documentation, in the UI,
and elsewhere in the product include PowerProtect DD systems and older Data Domain systems. In many cases the UI has
not yet been updated to reflect this change.

Typographical conventions
The following type style conventions are used in this document:

Table 2. Style conventions

Bold Used for interface elements that a user specifically selects or clicks, for example, names of
buttons, fields, tab names, and menu paths. Also used for the name of a dialog box, page,
pane, screen area with title, table label, and window.
Italic Used for full titles of publications that are referenced in text.
Monospace Used for:
● System code
● System output, such as an error message or script
● Pathnames, file names, file name extensions, prompts, and syntax
● Commands and options
Monospace italic Used for variables.
Monospace bold Used for user input.
[] Square brackets enclose optional values.
| Vertical line indicates alternate selections. The vertical line means or for the alternate
selections.
{} Braces enclose content that the user must specify, such as x, y, or z.
... Ellipses indicate non-essential information that is omitted from the example.

You can use the following resources to find more information about this product, obtain support, and provide feedback.

Where to find product documentation

● https://www.dell.com/support
● https://www.dell.com/community

Where to get support

The Support website https://www.dell.com/support provides access to product licensing, documentation, advisories,
downloads, and how-to and troubleshooting information. The information can enable you to resolve a product issue before
you contact Support.
To access a product-specific page:
1. Go to https://www.dell.com/support.
2. In the search box, type a product name, and then from the list that appears, select the product.

Knowledgebase
The Knowledgebase contains applicable solutions that you can search for either by solution number (for example, KB000xxxxxx)
or by keyword.
To search the Knowledgebase:
1. Go to https://www.dell.com/support.

Preface 25
2. On the Support tab, click Knowledge Base.
3. In the search box, type either the solution number or keywords. Optionally, you can limit the search to specific products by
typing a product name in the search box, and then selecting the product from the list that appears.

Live chat
To participate in a live interactive chat with a support agent:
1. Go to https://www.dell.com/support.
2. On the Support tab, click Contact Support.
3. On the Contact Information page, click the relevant support, and then proceed.

Service requests
To obtain in-depth help from Licensing, submit a service request. To submit a service request:
1. Go to https://www.dell.com/support.
2. On the Support tab, click Service Requests.
NOTE: To create a service request, you must have a valid support agreement. For details about either an account or
obtaining a valid support agreement, contact a sales representative. To find the details of a service request, in the
Service Request Number field, type the service request number, and then click the right arrow.

To review an open service request:

1. Go to https://www.dell.com/support.
2. On the Support tab, click Service Requests.
3. On the Service Requests page, under Manage Your Service Requests, click View All Dell Service Requests.

Online communities
For peer contacts, conversations, and content on product support and solutions, go to the Community Network https://
www.dell.com/community. Interactively engage with customers, partners, and certified professionals online.

How to provide feedback

Feedback helps to improve the accuracy, organization, and overall quality of publications. Go to https://
contentfeedback.dell.com/s to provide feedback.

26 Preface
 1
Overview
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• The NetWorker environment
• NetWorker services
• NetWorker user interfaces

The NetWorker environment

The NetWorker® environment provides the ability to protect an enterprise against data loss. As the enterprise grows, so does
the complexity and importance of protecting data. The NetWorker software provides the power and flexibility to meet these
challenges.
The NetWorker software is a cross-platform, client/server application that provides the ability to remotely manage all
NetWorker Servers from a web-enabled, graphical interface.

NetWorker Components
Several components make up the NetWorker environment and provide the ability to protect against data loss.
The following figure illustrates the main components in a NetWorker environment.

Figure 1. NetWorker components

Overview 27
NMC Server
The NetWorker Management Console (NMC) server or Console server is a Java-based application and database server. The
NMC Server manages all NetWorker Servers and Clients. The NMC Server provides reporting and monitoring capabilities for all
NetWorker Servers and Clients in the environment. The NMC Server relies on the NetWorker Authentication Service for user
account authentication.

NetWorker Management Web UI

The NetWorker Management Web UI is a web-based management interface that you can use to manage a single NetWorker
server. The NWUI Server relies on the NetWorker Authentication Service for user account authentication.
The NetWorker Management Web UI Online Help provides more information.

Datazone
A NetWorker datazone is composed of a single NetWorker Server, its clients, and storage nodes. You can add additional
datazones as backup requirements increase.

NetWorker Authentication Service

The NetWorker Authentication Service provides centralized token-based authentication to components in a NetWorker 19.5
environment. You can configure the NetWorker Authentication Service to use a local user database or external identity providers
(LDAP, LDAPS, and AD) for authentication.
NOTE: From NetWorker 19.4 and later, oldauth is removed as one of the default authentication methods for all new
installations. There is no change when an upgrade is performed. When a NetWorker upgrade is performed, the value oldauth
in authmethods will continue to exist. If there is an authorization failure, clear the NSR peer information on both the
components.

NetWorker Server
The NetWorker Server is a collection of processes and programs that are installed on a host that performs NetWorker services.
The NetWorker Server also acts as a storage node and can control multiple remote storage nodes.

NetWorker client
A NetWorker client is a physical or virtual computer on which you install the NetWorker client software on. The NetWorker
client computer can be any computer in a datazone that contains data you want to back up. The NMC server, NetWorker
server, and NetWorker storage node hosts are also NetWorker clients.

NetWorker client resource overview

A NetWorker client resource defines the data that you want to back up on a host. You can create multiple client resources for a
NetWorker host, and each resource defines a different dataset.
The NetWorker client software is available for a variety of operating system platforms. Any NetWorker server can backup a
NetWorker client, regardless of the platform the client resides on. For example, you can back up a NetWorker client on a
Microsoft Windows computer to a NetWorker server on a Linux computer.

NetWorker Storage Node

NetWorker can back up data to local devices on a NetWorker Server or remote devices on a storage node. A storage node
controls storage devices such as tape drives, disk devices, autochangers, and silos.
The NetWorker Server is a local storage node. Use a remote storage node to offload most of the data movement in a backup
or a recovery operation from the NetWorker Server. A remote storage node improves performance, but it requires high I/O

28 Overview
bandwidth to manage data transfer from local clients or network clients to target devices. The operating system of a remote
storage node can differ from the NetWorker Server.

NetWorker REST API

The NetWorker REST API is an interface that allows customer to access the NetWorker data protection service and to build
client applications that automate NetWorker operations. The NetWorker REST API Getting Started Guide describes how to use
NetWorker REST API, and the NetWorker REST API Reference Guide provides a full description of the API resources.

Dell EMC Licensing Solution

NetWorker 9.0.x and later servers use the Dell EMC Licensing Solution.
The Dell EMC Licensing Solution is a licensing standard that stores all licensing information for the environment in one license
file, which is stored on both the NetWorker server and, if using a served license, the License Server.
All new installations of NetWorker use the Dell EMC Licensing Solution. The chapter "Dell EMC Licensing Solution" in the
NetWorker Licensing Guide provides information on how to implement the Dell EMC Licensing Solution for new and upgraded
installations of the NetWorker software. The "Dell EMC Licensing Solution" chapter also describes the Dell EMC Licensing
Server and the use of the license file.

Restricted datazones
Restricted datazones provide NetWorker administrators with the ability to organize a NetWorker environment into a multi-
tenancy configuration.
In a multi-tenancy configuration, each restricted datazone contains one NetWorker server and other associated NetWorker
resources. Global administrators oversee the setup and management of several restricted data zones and assign tenant
administrators with access to a restricted datazone. A tenant administrator can only manage NetWorker resources within an
assigned restricted datazone.

Deduplication storage systems

The NetWorker software supports backup data deduplication on Data Domain® storage systems.
The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides detailed information about setting up DD Boost deduplication
devices to work with NetWorker.

Virtual environments
The NetWorker Vmware Integration Guide provides more information on the virtual environment solutions from Networker.

NetWorker services
The main services and programs for the NetWorker Server are the NetWorker Storage Node, NetWorker Client, and the
NetWorker Management Console (NMC) server.
This section includes information on the NetWorker services, and how to start and stop the services.
For more information about:
● Main NetWorker services—The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provides more information.
● Service port requirements when configuring a firewall—The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more
information.

Overview 29
Processes on NetWorker hosts
Each NetWorker host requires processes to provide configuration and management support of the NetWorker software.

NetWorker Authentication Service

To support the NetWorker Authentication Service feature, one or more tomcat processes start on the NetWorker Server. The
tomcat process provides the authentication service with a database server instance, which enables the authentication service to
manage tokens and supports user database management.

NetWorker REST API

The NetWorker REST API service is deployed in the same Apache Tomcat container as NetWorker Authentication Service. The
NetWorker REST API uses the same set of Tomcat processes to deliver its service.

NetWorker Client
The nsrexecd process runs on a NetWorker Client. This process authenticates and manages NetWorker Server remote
execution requests and starts the save and savefs processes on the client to support backup requests.

NetWorker Server
The following table summarizes the processes that support the NetWorker Server software.

Table 3. NetWorker Server processes

Process Function
nsrctld The top-level NetWorker Server process that monitors, stops,
and starts all NetWorker Server processes.
nsrd ● NetWorker save and recovery daemon.
● The main service that controls other services on the
NetWorker Server, clients, and storage nodes.
● Monitors active save or recover program sessions.
● In response to a recover session, nsrd spawns an agent
process, ansrd.
nsrmmdbd ● NetWorker save and recover media management database
service daemon.
● Provides media database management services to the local
nsrd and nsrmmd services and records entries in the
media database.
nsrjobd Monitors NetWorker activity during a backup or recovery
operation.
nsrindexd
Provides an indexing service to read, write, and remove index
entries.

The nsrd service starts one nsrindexd process on the

NetWorker server. The nsrindexd process spawns an
additional helper
nsrindexd process for each index session. NetWorker uses
index sessions to read, write, or delete index entries, for
example, when NetWorker saves an index, or when a user
performs a file-level or browsable recover. When the read or
write operation completes, the helper nsrindexd process
closes.

30 Overview
Table 3. NetWorker Server processes (continued)
Process Function
nsrmmgd ● Manages tape library operations.
● Provides an RPC-based service that manages all jukebox
operations on behalf of the nsrd service.
● The nsrd service starts only one instance of nsrmmgd on
the NetWorker Server as needed.
nsrlogd Supports the NetWorker audit log service, which is configured
to run on the NetWorker Server by default.
nsrcpd ● Starts automatically when a user accesses the Hosts Task
window in the NetWorker Administration interface.
● Allows users to distribute and upgrade NetWorker and
module software from a centralized software repository
across a network.
nsrdispd Handles RPC-based calls for the nsrd process, from remote
third party processes.
nsrdisp_nwbg Started by nsrdispd to handle NMC Server requests for
information from the RAP and media databases on the
NetWorker Server.
nsrlmc ● Supports licensing requests.
● For the traditional licensing model, nsrlmc requests a
license from the lgtolmd process.
● For the CLP/ELMS licensing model, nsrlmc requests
capacity and update licenses from the ELMS server.
nsrvmwsd Provides a web service to manage VMware VM backups that
are part of the NetWorker VMware protection feature.
tomcat7 (Windows), tomcat (UNIX) Tomcat web server instance for the NetWorker
Authentication Service.
nsrexecd Authenticates and processes the NetWorker Server remote
execution requests and runs the save and savefs programs
on the client.

NetWorker Storage Node

The following table summarizes the services that support the NetWorker Storage Node software.

Table 4. NetWorker Storage Node processes

Process Function
nsrmmd ● Provides device support, generates mount requests,
multiplexes save set data during a multi client backup, and
de-multiplexes recover data. It writes the data sent by
save to storage media.
● Forwards storage information to the nsrmmdbd process
on the NetWorker Server, which the NetWorker Server
adds to the media database.
nsrsnmd ● Provides an RPC-based service to manage all the device
operations that the nsrmmd process handles on behalf of
the nsrd process on the NetWorker Server.
● Ensures that the necessary device operations are actually
performed when needed by nsrd.
● Automatically run by nsrd as required.

Overview 31
Table 4. NetWorker Storage Node processes (continued)
Process Function
● Only one nsrsnmd runs on each storage node that has
configured and enabled devices.
nsrlcpd ● Provides a uniform library interface to the NetWorker
media management daemon, nsrmmgd.
● Manages the library subsystem media, slot, drive, and
port resources providing control to move and access the
resources within the library subsystems.
● One nsrlcpd starts for each configured tape library.
nsrexecd Authenticates and processes the NetWorker Server remote
execution requests and runs the save and savefs programs
on the client.

NMC Server
The following table summarizes the processes that support the NMC Server software.

Table 5. NMC Server processes

Process Function
nsrexecd Authenticates and processes the NetWorker Server remote execution requests and
runs the save and savefs programs on the client.
gstd Known as the Generic Services Toolkit (GST), controls other services that are
provided by the NMC Server.
httpd Starts the NMC Console GUI on the client through a web browser.
postgres A database server that manages information pertaining to NMC Server
management. For example, Console reports.
gstsnmptrapd ● Monitors SNMP Traps on a managed Data Domain system.
● Provides the ability to report SNMP Trap events in the NMC Events task.
● Started only when SNMP Trap monitoring is configured for the Data Domain
system.

Stop and start the NMC Server

To complete some tasks in the NetWorker software, first stop the NetWorker Console service and then start the NetWorker
Console service.

Stopping the NMC Server on Windows

Perform the following steps as a Windows administrator to stop the NMC Server service, which also stops the postgres and
httpd processes.
1. Right-click My Computer, and then select Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then select Services.
3. Right-click EMC GST Service and select Stop.
NOTE: The EMC GST Service stops the EMC GST Database Service and the EMC GST Web Service.

32 Overview
Starting the NMC Server on Windows
Perform the following steps as a Windows administrator to start the NMC Server service, which also starts the postgres and
httpd processes.
1. Right-click My Computer, and then select Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then select Services.
3. Verify that the NetWorker Client service is running.
The NetWorker Remote Exec Service should have a status of Started. If the service has not started:

a. Right-click NetWorker Remote Exec Service.

b. Select Start.
4. Right-click EMC GST Service, then select Start.
NOTE: The EMC GST Service starts the EMC GST Database Service and the EMC GST Web Service.

Stopping the NMC Server on Linux

Perform the following steps as root on the NMC Server to stop the NMC Server process, which also stops the postgres and
httpd processes.
1. To stop the NMC Server processes:
a. On sysVinit enabled Linux machines, type /etc/init.d/gst stop
b. On systemd enabled Linux machines, type systemctl stop gst
2. To confirm that the gstd, httpd, and postgres process are not running, type ps -ef | grep lgtonmc

Starting the NMC Server processes on Linux

Perform the following steps as root on the NMC Server to start the NMC process, which also starts the postgres and httpd
processes.
1. To verify that the NetWorker Client process, nsrexecd is running, type ps -ef | grep /usr/sbin/nsr .
When the client process is running, a message similar to the following appears:
root 240 1 0 ? 0:04 /usr/sbin/nsrexecd -s mysrvr
If nsrexecd is not running, type /etc/init.d/networker start to start the process.

2. To start the NMC Server daemon, postgres, and httpd processes., type /etc/init.d/gst start
3. To confirm that the gstd, postgres, and httpd processes have started, type ps -ef | grep lgtonmc
When the processes have started, output similar to the following appears:
nsrnmc 7190 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:06 /opt/lgtonmc/bin/gstd
nsrnmc 7196 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7197 7196 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7212 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/postgres/bin/postgres -D /nsr/nmc/nmcdb/
pgdata
root 18176 18141 0 02:47 pts/0 00:00:00 grep lgtonmc

Stop and start a NetWorker Server, Client, or Storage Node

This section describes how to manually stop and start the services for a NetWorker Server, client, or storage node. Attributes
exist that allow you to configure a NetWorker Server to not accept any new backup or recover sessions in preparation of a
NetWorker daemon shutdown or server restart.
NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information around how to prevent the NetWorker Server from
accepting new backup and recover sessions.

Overview 33
Stopping a NetWorker host on Windows
Perform the following steps as a Windows administrator to stop the services on a NetWorker Server, Storage Node, and Client.
1. Right-click My Computer, and then select Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then select Services.
3. Right-click NetWorker Remote Exec Service, and then select Stop.
NOTE: On a NetWorker Server, the NetWorker Remote Exec Service stops the NetWorker Backup and Recovery
and the NetWorker Message Queue Adaptor services. On an NMC Server, the NetWorker Remote Exec Service
also stops the EMC GST Service.
The following figure shows how to stop the NetWorker Remote Exec Service service.

Figure 2. Stopping the NetWorker Remote Exec Service

Starting a NetWorker host on Windows

Perform the following steps as a Windows administrator to start the services on a NetWorker server, storage node, and client.
1. Right-click My Computer, and then select Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then select Services.
3. Start the appropriate service:
● NetWorker server: Right-click the NetWorker Backup and Recover Server service and select Start.
NOTE: The NetWorker Backup and Recover Server service also starts the NetWorker Remote Exec Service and the
NetWorker Message Queue Adaptor service.
● NetWorker client or storage node: Right-click the NetWorker Remote Exec Service and select Start.

Stopping a NetWorker host on UNIX

Perform the following steps as the root user to stop the NetWorker processes on a NetWorker server, storage node, or client.
1. To stop the NetWorker processes:
a. On sysVinit enabled Linux machines, type /etc/init.d/networker stop
b. On systemd enabled Linux machines, type systemctl stop networker
2. To confirm that the NetWorker processes are not running, type the following command from a prompt:
ps -ef | grep /usr/sbin/nsr

34 Overview
Starting a NetWorker host on UNIX
Perform the following steps as the root user to start the NetWorker processes on a NetWorker server, storage node, or client.
1. Type the appropriate startup command for the operating system, as summarized in the following table.

Table 6. NetWorker startup commands

Operating system Startup command
Solaris, Linux /etc/init.d/networker start
For systemd enabled Linux machines - systemctl start
networker

HP-UX /sbin/init.d/networker start

AIX /etc/rc.nsr

2. Type /etc/init.d/networker status to confirm that the NetWorker processes that are appropriate to the
NetWorker installation type have started.
Processes on NetWorker hosts on page 30 provides more information.

Stopping the NetWorker processes on Mac OS X

Perform the following steps as a Mac Administrator to stop the NetWorker processes on a Mac OS X host.
1. Open the Mac OS-X Terminal application utility.
2. To stop the NetWorker processes, type the following command:
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.xyz.NetWorker.plist
NOTE: The launchd daemon/agent manager controls the NetWorker processes, and NetWorker configures the
processes to run continuously on the host in the background. It is not recommended that you manually stop and start
NetWorker processes under normal operating conditions.

Starting the NetWorker process on Mac OS X

Perform the following steps as a Mac Administrator to start the NetWorker processes on a Mac OS X host.
1. Open the Mac OS X Terminal application utility.
2. Type launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.emc.NetWorker.plist to start the NetWorker client
process.

NetWorker user interfaces

The NetWorker application consists of several user interfaces that provide the ability to configure and use NetWorker features
and functionality.

NMC user interface

The NMC server uses httpd to provide administrators with a graphical user interface to connect to an NMC server and
managed NetWorker servers. The NMC UI can be accessed from any computer in the environment with a supported web
browser and Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
The NetWorker Installation Guide provides more information about the web browser and JRE requirements for a host that runs
the NMC UI. Multiple users can use different browser sessions on different hosts to access the NMC UI simultaneously.

Overview 35
NMC GUI
Use the NMC GUI to manage an NMC server and NetWorker servers.
The following figure illustrates the NMC GUI.

Figure 3. NMC GUI window

Table 7. Windows opened from the NMC GUI

Button Window Description
Enterprise Select a NetWorker server to manage
and monitor the server and its backup
clients. The Enterprise window provides
the ability to open the Administration
window for a NetWorker server.
Reports Configure and view NMC reports.

Setup Control administrative functions:

● User management — Add, edit,
and delete NMC user accounts,
restrict user views of servers. The
NetWorker Security Configuration
Guide provides information about
user management.
● License management — Manage
NetWorker licenses. The NetWorker
Licensing Guide provides information
about license management.

36 Overview
NetWorker Administration window
The NetWorker Administration window provides you with the ability to manage and configure NetWorker server resources
in a GUI. The NMC UI provides you with the ability to open up a NetWorker Administration window for each managed
NetWorker server.

NetWorker client interface

Manual back up, recovery, and archive operations can be performed from a client. Manual operations are not scheduled. They
are client-initiated tasks that are performed when a user wants to back up, recover, or archive one or more files on the
NetWorker host immediately. You can schedule backup, recovery, and archive operations in the NMC GUI.
On Windows hosts only, you can use the NetWorker User GUI to perform manual back up, recovery, and archive operations.
On UNIX and Windows hosts, you can use command line utilities to perform manual operations:
● Use the save command to perform a manual backup.
● Use the recover command to perform a manual recovery.
● Use the nsarchive command to perform a manual archive.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide more information about these commands.

NetWorker character-based interface

Use the NetWorker character-based interface (nsradmin) to perform configuration and management tasks in the NetWorker
server resource database (resdb) and the NetWorker client resource database (nsrexec).
You can start the nsradmin interface by typing this command:
nsradmin

For more information about nsradmin, the NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provides more
information.

NetWorker command-line interface

Perform client and server tasks by typing commands at the prompt. The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX
man pages provides information about these commands.

Introduction to the NetWorker Management Web UI

The NetWorker Management Web UI is a web-based management interface that provides support for the following NetWorker
operations:
● Managing VMware vCenter servers
● Managing VMware Proxies
● Installing the vCenter Plugin
● Recovering virtual machines and file systems
● Creating and updating policies, workflows, and actions
● Creating and updating groups
● Creating and updating rules
● Creating and updating schedules
● Creating and updating client resources
● Creating and updating probes
● Creating and updating time policies
● Creating and updating directives
● Creating and updating restricted datazones
● Creating and updating lockboxes
● Creating and updating notifications
● Updating security audit logs

Overview 37
● Creating and updating user groups
● Creating and updating label templates, media pools, storage nodes, devices, and volumes
● Creating and updating external authorities, groups, tenants, and users
● Monitoring recover jobs, active sessions, devices, and server messages
● Viewing alerts
● Using the dashboard to view a summary of active sessions and alerts
The following table provides more information on the functionality available in the NetWorker Management Web UI.

Table 8. Supported operations in the NetWorker Management Web UI

Operation Description
Protection VMware vCenter servers
● Manage vCenter servers.
● Refresh and view the vCenter inventory.
● View properties of entities in the vCenter Inventory tree.
Groups
● Add, edit, and delete groups
● Refresh and view groups
Policies
● Add, edit, and delete policies, workflows, and actions
● Refresh and view policies, workflows, and actions
Rules
● Add, edit, and delete rules
● Refresh and view rules
Schedules
● Add, edit, and delete schedules
● Refresh and view schedules
Clients
● Add, edit, and delete client resources
● Refresh and view client resources
Probes
● Add, edit, and delete probes
● Refresh and view probes
VMware vProxies
● Manage vproxies.
● Monitor progress of vProxy registration.
Server management Time policies
● Add, edit, and delete time policies
● Refresh and view time policies
Directives
● Add, edit, and delete directives
● Refresh and view directives
Restricted datazones
● Add, edit, and delete restricted datazones
● Refresh and view restricted datazones
User groups
● Add, edit, and delete user groups
● Refresh and view user groups
Lockboxes

38 Overview
Table 8. Supported operations in the NetWorker Management Web UI (continued)
Operation Description
● Add, edit, and delete lockboxes
● Refresh and view lockboxes
Notifications
● Add, edit, and delete notifications
● Refresh and view notifications
Security Audit Log
● Edit security audit logs
● Refresh and view security audit logs
Device and Media management Media pools
● Add, edit, and delete media pools
● Refresh and view media pools
Label templates
● Add, edit, and delete label templates
● Refresh and view label templates
Storage nodes
● Add, edit, and delete storage nodes
● Refresh and view storage nodes
Devices
● Add, edit, delete, label, mount, and unmount devices
● Refresh and view devices
NOTE: Mount, unmount, label, and delete are not
supported for tape devices.
Data Domain systems
● Add, edit, and delete Data Domain systems
● Refresh and view Data Domain systems
Volumes—Manage tape and disk volumes

Authentication server management External Authorities

● Add, edit, and delete external authorities
● Refresh and view external authorities
Groups
● Add, edit, and delete groups
● Refresh and view groups
Tenants
● Add, edit, and delete tenants
● Refresh and view tenants
Users
● Add, edit, and delete users
● Refresh and view users
Recovery ● File system recovery
○ Save set recovery
○ File level recovery
○ Block based image level recovery
○ Block based file level recovery
● Virtual machine recovery
○ Image level recovery
○ File level recovery

Overview 39
Table 8. Supported operations in the NetWorker Management Web UI (continued)
Operation Description
Monitoring ● View and monitor the status of recover jobs, active
sessions, devices, and server messages.
● View recover logs.
Alerts Summary of alerts generated by a NetWorker server.

You can log in to the NetWorker Management Web UI by using the NetWorker credentials for authentication.
The NetWorker Management Web User Interface Online Help provides more information on how to use the NetWorker
Management Web UI to perform the supported tasks.
The NetWorker Administration Guide provides conceptual information that you might require to use the NetWorker
Management Web UI.
The NetWorker Installation Guide provides more information on how to install the NetWorker Management Web UI.

NOTE: NetWorker Management Web UI is not backward-compatible with the earlier versions of NetWorker.

Supported browsers
The NetWorker Management Web UI supports the latest versions of the following browsers:
● Google Chrome
● Mozilla Firefox
● Safari
● Microsoft Edge
● Microsoft Internet Explorer 11

40 Overview
 2
Getting Started
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• NetWorker Management Console interface
• Connecting to the Administration window
• Getting started with a new installation
• Enabling and Disabling NetWorker services

NetWorker Management Console interface

The interface for NetWorker Management Console (NMC), also called the NetWorker Console, consists of both the Console
window, and the Administration window.
NOTE: To start NMC, you must use 64-bit Java. NMC will fail to start if Java 32-bit is used.

Connecting to the Console window

The following sections describe how to connect to the Console window:

Before you connect

Ensure that you configure the NetWorker datazone correctly, and that the required daemons are running on the NetWorker
Server and the NMC Server.
● Linux NetWorker Server—Confirm that the NetWorker daemons have started, by typing the command below, based on the
initialization system running on your Linux machine : /etc/init.d/networker status. For a NetWorker server, the
nsrctld daemon starts. The nsrctld daemon starts other processes that the NetWorker server requires. Output similar
to the following example appears when the daemons are started:

+--o nsrctld (29021)

+--o epmd (29029)
+--o rabbitmq-server (29034)
+--o beam (29038)
+--o inet_gethost (29144)
+--o inet_gethost (29145)
+--o jsvc (29108)
+--o jsvc (29114)
+--o nsrd (29123)
+--o java (29135)
+--o nsrmmdbd (29828)
+--o nsrindexd (29842)
+--o nsrdispd (29853)
+--o nsrjobd (29860)
+--o nsrvmwsd (29968)
+--o eventservice.ru (29154)
+--o jsvc (29158)
+--o jsvc (29159)
+--o java (29838)
+--o node-linux-x64- (29885)
+--o nsrexecd (29004)
+--o nsrlogd (29899)
+--o nsrsnmd (30038)

● Linux NMC Server:

Getting Started 41
 1. Type ps -ef | /usr/sbin/nsrexecd. Output similar to the following example should appear:

root 24959 1 1 13:29 ? 00:00:00 /usr/sbin/nsrexecd

If you do not see this output, type /etc/init.d/networker start.

2. Type ps -ef | grep lgtonmc Output similar to the following should appear:

nsrnmc 7190 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:06 /opt/lgtonmc/bin/gstd

nsrnmc 7196 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7197 7196 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/
apache/conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7212 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/postgres/bin/postgres -D /nsr/nmc/nmcdb/
pgdata
root 18176 18141 0 02:47 pts/0 00:00:00 grep lgtonmc
● Windows NetWorker Server:
1. Confirm that the following services are started: NetWorker Backup and Recover Server, NetWorker Message Queue
Adaptor, and NetWorker Remote Exec Service.
2. If these services are not started, start the NetWorker Backup and Recover Server Service.
● Windows NMC Server:
1. Confirm that the following services are started: EMC GST Database Service, NetWorker Server Service, and NetWorker
Server Web Service.
2. If these services are not started, start the NetWorker Server service.

Connecting to the NMC server GUI

Complete the following procedure to connect to the NMC Server GUI from an NMC client. By default, the NetWorker
Authentication Service uses the local user database for user authentication. Specify the NetWorker Authentication Service
administrator account to log in to the NMC Server. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide describes how to configure the
NetWorker Authentication Service to use LDAP or AD for user authentication.
1. From a supported web browser session, type the URL of the NMC Server:
https://server_name:https_service_port
where:

● server_name is the name of the NMC Server.

● https_service_port is the port for the embedded HTTP server. The default https port is 9000.

For example: https://houston:9000

The gconsole.jnlp file downloads to the host. When the download completes, open the file.
2. Optional, associate the jnlp file with a program.
When you use Mozilla Firefox on Windows, and the jnlp extension is not associated with Java, you are prompted to choose
the program that opens the jnlp file. In the dialog box that appears, select Open with, and then select Java (TM) Web
Start Launcher. If this application does not appear, browse to the Java folder and select the javaws.exe file.
3. On the Welcome page, click Start.
NOTE: If the Start button does not appear but you see a warning message that states that Java Runtime Environment
cannot be detected, click the here hyperlink.

4. For Internet Explorer only, if a security warning appears, select I accept the risks and want to run this application, and
then click Run.
5. On the Log in page, specify the NetWorker Authentication Service administrator username and password, and then click
OK.
6. On the NetWorker Server Login Disclaimer, select Accept.
NOTE: If the banner.txt is empty, banner is not displayed. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more
information. In NMC, if you reject the login banner disclaimer, NMC is closed.

7. On the Welcome to the NMC Server Configuration Wizard page, click Next.
The following figures shows the Welcome to the NMC Server Configuration Wizard page.

42 Getting Started
 Figure 4. Welcome to the NMC Server Configuration Wizard page

8. On the Set authentication server service account for the NMC server page, review the setting and click Next.
The following figure shows the Set authentication server service account for the NMC server page.

Figure 5. Set authentication server service account for the NMC Server page

9. On the Specify a list of managed NetWorker Servers page:

a. Specify the names of the NetWorker Servers that the NMC Server will manage, one name per line.
NOTE: If the NMC Server is also the NetWorker Server, specify the name of the NetWorker Server.

b. Leave the default Capture Events and Gather Reporting Data options enabled.
Consider the following options:

● To allow the NMC Server to monitor and record alerts for events that occur on the NetWorker Server, select Capture
Events.

Getting Started 43
 ● To allow the NMC Server to collect data about the NetWorker Server and generate reports, select Gather Reporting
Data.

The following figure shows the Specify a list of managed NetWorker servers page.

Figure 6. Specify a list of managed NetWorker servers page

10. Click Finish. The installation starts the default web browser and connects to the NMC server. The NetWorker
Management Console and Getting Started windows appear.
11. In the Enterprise window, right-click the NetWorker Server, and then select Launch Application.
NOTE: If you do not specify any NetWorker Servers in the Specify a list of managed NetWorker servers page, the
NMC Enterprise window does not display any NetWorker Servers. To add a host, in the left navigation pane, right-click
Enterprise, and then click New > Host. The Add New Host wizard appears.

Connecting to the NMC server after the first time

Use one of the following methods to connect to the NMC server after the initial connection.
● Point the browser to the same URL.
● Double-click the NMC product name in the Java Web Start Application Manager.

● Double-click the desktop button , if one was configured by using the Java Web Start Application Manager.

Connecting to the NMC GUI using an ssh connection

You can use ssh port forwarding to connect to the NMC server and generate reports, from the NMC client.
Perform the following steps on the NMC client.
1. Open an ssh connection from the NMC client to the NMC server with ssh tunnels for ports 9000 and 9001.
For example:
ssh -L9000:localhost:9000 -L9001:localhost:9001 -L5432:localhost:5432 Console_servername
-N

NOTE: If you changed the default NMC server ports, specify the correct port numbers.

2. Use javaws to connect to the NMC server.

For example:

44 Getting Started
 javaws https://localhost:9000/gconsole.jnlp

Connecting to the Administration window

The following sections describe how to connect to the Administration window and browse through the interface.

Opening the Administration window

You can add and select a NetWorker server and open the Administration window.

1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.

2. Add one or more NetWorker servers:
a. Highlight Enterprise in the navigation tree.
b. From the File menu, select New>Host.
c. Type the name of the host on which the NetWorker server is running, and click Next.
d. Select NetWorker for the type of application to be managed.
e. Click Finish.
f. Repeat for all NetWorker servers in the network.
3. From the left pane, click a host in the Enterprise list.
4. From the right pane, click the application and select Enterprise > Launch Application, or double-click the application. The
Administration window opens as a separate application.

Administration window
NetWorker Servers are managed through the Administration window.
The following figure illustrates the NetWorker Administration window.

Figure 7. Administration window

You can toggle between the Administration window and the NMC UI.
The following table lists the windows that can be launched from the Administration window taskbar.

Getting Started 45
Table 9. Windows that are launched from the Administration window
Button Window Description
Monitoring Monitor various activities that are related to the NetWorker Server. For example, you can
monitor the progress of a policy and view any alerts. A portion of the Monitoring window
always appears at the bottom of the Administration window, providing information on Log
messages and Alerts.
Protection Manage NetWorker Server resources such as clients, groups, policies, probes, and schedules.
Provide the ability to monitor, start, stop, and restart data protection policies.

Recover Manage recover configurations and schedule recover jobs for NetWorker hosts from a
centralized location on the NMC Server.

Devices Add, configure, and operate single or multiple devices, libraries, and silos for the NetWorker
Server.

Media Manage the activities and the resources that are related to backup volumes. For example, you
can mount a backup volume or create a label template for backup volumes.

Hosts View information about known NetWorker hosts such as the NetWorker version, CPU type,
and operating system. Manage the NetWorker Client resource database. Perform software
upgrades on NetWorker hosts by using Package Manager.
Server Manage NetWorker Server resources such as licenses, notifications, user groups, directives,
and restricted datazones.

Editing multiple resources

In the NMC Protection window, you can edit an attribute for multiple resources at the same time.
For example, if you want the schedule for all clients within a group to change from the default to “Full Every Friday”, perform
the following steps:
1. Select each client resource row in the window.
2. Place the cursor in the column you want to change (in this case, the Schedule column).
The color of the column changes when the cursor is in the column.

3. Right-click in that column and select from the list of available options. The options include Edit, Add to, and Remove from,
depending on the column selected.
Only the columns that appear in the window can be selected for multiple resource editing. To add a column that is not
currently in view:

a. Right-click a table header and select Add Column from the drop-down.
b. Select from the list of available attributes.

Drag-and-drop functionality
Drag-and-drop functionality is available in the Console and Administration interfaces for many tasks.

Drag-and-drop between resource types in the Console window

The drag-and-drop functionality allows multiple resources to be selected and moved from one resource type to another.
In the Enterprise window from the Console interface, you can drag-and-drop to perform the following actions:
● Copy an individual folder in the enterprise hierarchy by selecting the folder, press and holding the Ctrl key, and dragging the
folder to a new location.
● Move an individual folder in the enterprise hierarchy to a new location by selecting and dragging a folder to a new location.
● Copy an individual host node in the enterprise hierarchy by selecting and dragging the host to a new parent folder.
● Move an individual host node in the enterprise hierarchy by selecting and dragging the host to a new parent folder.

46 Getting Started
● Copy a selected number of objects in a folder to a new folder in the hierarchy tree or folder contents table. Select an
individual folder in the navigation tree to display the contents of the folder, select the contents, while pressing Ctrl, drag
the contents to a new folder. Select a collection of folders or hosts and drag them to a new folder by creating a copy of the
selected contents in a new location.
● Move a selected number of objects in a folder to a new folder in the hierarchy tree or folder contents table. Select an
individual folder in the navigation tree to display the contents of the folder, select the contents, and drag the contents to a
new folder. Select a collection of folders and or hosts and drag them to a new folder by moving the selected contents to a
new location.
NOTE: Only one object may be selected for drag-and-drop in the navigation tree.

Client and group management in the Administration window

The drag-and-drop functionality allows multiple clients or groups to be selected and moved from one location to another. You
can use drag-and-drop functionality in the Protection window to do the following:
● Copy selected clients to a new NetWorker group:
1. In the left navigation pane, expand the server resource, and then expand the Groups resource.
2. Select Clients in the directory tree.
3. Drag-and-drop the client objects from the Client Summary table to a group in the directory tree.
● Move selected clients from one NetWorker group to another group:
1. Select a group in the directory tree.
2. Move clients from the Client Summary table to another NetWorker group.

Library operations in the Devices window

The drag-and-drop functionality allows multiple slots or devices to be managed in the Devices window.
You can use drag-and-drop functionality to manage media from the Library window from the Devices task, for instance:
● Mount an individual volume onto a device by selecting a slot in the Slots table and dragging it to a device in the Devices
table.
● Mount multiple volumes to available devices as assigned by the NetWorker server. To mount multiple volumes, select
multiple slots in the Slots table and drag them anywhere in the Devices table.
● Unmount a volume from a selected device and deposit it back in its designated slot by selecting an individual device from the
Devices table and dragging it anywhere in the Slots table. The volume image displays in the corresponding slot.
● Unmount multiple volumes from a selected device and deposit them back in their designated slot by selecting the devices
from the Devices table and dragging them anywhere in the Slots table. The volumes display in the corresponding slots.

Copy and paste tabular information to operating system clipboard

Tabular information can be selected and moved to an operating system clipboard by using drag-and-drop functionality. All tables
support selection of multiple rows in a table and the ability to copy and paste the data in the selected rows to the system
clipboard. Subsequently, the data in the operating system clipboard can be moved to a target application.
NOTE: Drag-and-drop operations from the operating system clipboard to a table are not supported.

Multiple library devices and slots

A single operation can be performed on multiple library devices and slots. Multiple rows can be selected in both the Devices and
Slots tables simultaneously.
In the Devices table for a library, multiple devices can be selected to perform the following operations:
● Unmount
● Release device (STL only)
● Enable/Disable
In the Slots table for a device, multiple volume operations can be performed for the following operations:
● Mount
● Load without mount

Getting Started 47
● Withdraw
● Label
● Inventory
● Remove (STL only)

Setting user interaction preferences

Depending on the window button that was selected from the Console window, you can set various user preferences such as the
user interface font, font size, parallel windows, and table settings. For the Reports window, there are ways you can enhance the
viewing of displayed reports.

1. On the main menu, select View.

2. Set the various options available under the selected window button. You may need to click OK, depending on the option
selection.

Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration

window
The Monitoring window in the NetWorker Administration application enables you to monitor the activities of an individual
NetWorker Server.
The Monitoring window provides the following types of activity and status information:
● Data protection policies, workflows, and individual actions.
● Cloning, recovering, synthetic full backups, and browsing of client file indexes.
● Operations that are related to devices and jukeboxes.
● Alerts and log messages.
You can also perform some management operations from the Monitoring window, for example, starting, stopping, or restarting
a data protection policy.
1. From the NMC Console window, click Enterprise.
2. In the Enterprise view, right-click the NetWorker Server, and then select Launch Application.
The Administration window appears.
3. To view the Monitoring window, click Monitoring.

48 Getting Started
 Figure 8. Monitoring window

About the Monitoring window

On the Administration window taskbar, select Monitoring to view the details of current NetWorker server activities and
status, such as:
● Policies and actions.
● Cloning, recovering, synthetic backups, checkpoint restart backups, and browsing of client file indexes.
● Alerts and log messages, and operations that are related to devices and jukeboxes.
While the Monitoring window is used primarily to monitor NetWorker server activities, it can also be used to perform certain
operations. These operations include starting, stopping, or restarting a workflow.
The Monitoring window includes a docking panel that displays specific types of information. Select the types of information you
want to view from the docking panel.
A portion of the Monitoring window, which is known as the task monitoring area, is always visible across all windows. A
splitter separates the task monitoring area from the rest of the window. You can click and move the splitter to resize the task
monitoring area. The arrow icon in the upper right corner of the Monitoring window allows you to select which tasks you want
to appear in this view.
Smaller windows appear within the Monitoring window for each window. Each smaller window, once undocked, is a floating
window and can be moved around the page to customize the view. You can select multiple types from the panel to create
multiple floating windows that can be viewed simultaneously. The following table describes the various types of information
available in the docking panel, and the details each one provides.

Table 10. Monitoring window panel

Window Information provided
Policies/Actions The Policies tab provides you with status information about all configure policies and the
associated workflows and actions. The Actions tab provides you with status information for
all actions. Policies/Actions pane on page 521 provides more information.

Getting Started 49
Table 10. Monitoring window panel (continued)
Window Information provided
Sessions Allows you to customize whether to display all session types, or only certain session types. The
information that is provided depends on which session type you select. For example, if you
select Save Sessions, the window lists clients, save sets, groups, backup level, backup start
time, duration of the backup, devices, rate, and size. Sessions window on page 50 provides
more information.
NOTE: The size displayed in the NMC GUI is as per the digital calculator, that is, 1 MB is
equal to 1000 KB (decimal).

Alerts Lists the priority, category, time, and message of any alerts. Alerts pane provides more
information.
NOTE: Alerts displayed in the NMC Monitoring page is from the server and cannot be
cleared from the GUI.

Devices Lists devices, device status, storage nodes, libraries, volumes, pools, and related messages.
Devices pane on page 51 provides more information.
Operations Lists the status of all library and silo operations, including nsrjb operations that are run from
the command prompt. Also lists user input, libraries, origin, operation data, operation start
time, duration of the operation, progress messages, and error messages.

When displaying Show Details from the Operations window, the length of time that the
window is
displayed depends on the value that is typed in the Operation Lifespan attribute on the
Timers tab of
the Properties dialog box for the corresponding library. To access library properties, click
Devices in the taskbar. By default, this pane is hidden.

Log Lists messages that are generated by the NetWorker server, including the priority of each
message, the time the message was generated, the source of the message, and the category.
Log window on page 53 provides more information.

Sessions window
Use the Sessions window to view the sessions that are running on a NetWorker server. You can change the view of this
window to display these sessions:
The Sessions pane below the Policies/Actions pane provides details on individual save, recover, clone, and synthetic full
sessions by client.
To view all sessions or to limit the list of sessions by the session type, click the tabs at the bottom of the Sessions pane.
Session types include:
● Save
● Recover
● Clone
● Browse
● Synthetic Full/Rehydrated Sessions
● All
To change the displayed session types go to View > Show, and select the type of sessions to display. To display all sessions
currently running on the NetWorker Server, regardless of type, select All Sessions.
You can stop a session (backup, synthetic full backup, clone, and recovery sessions) from the Monitoring window, even if the
session was started by running the nsrworkflow command.
To stop a session, right-click the workflow in the pane, and select Stop from the list box.

50 Getting Started
Alerts pane
The Alerts pane displays alerts that are generated by a particular NetWorker server or Data Domain system that has devices
that are configured on the NetWorker server. The Alerts pane includes priority, category, time, and message information.
An icon represents the priority of the alert. The following table lists and describes each icon.

Table 11. Alerts window icons

Icon Label Description
Alert Error condition detected by the NetWorker server that should be fixed by a
qualified operator.

Critical Severe error condition that demands immediate attention.

Emergency Condition exists that could cause NetWorker software to fail unless
corrected immediately. This icon represents the highest priority.

Information Information about the current state of the server. This icon represents the
lowest priority.
Notification Important information.

Waiting The NetWorker server is waiting for an operator to perform a task, such as
mounting a tape.

Warning A non-fatal error has occurred.

When items on the Alerts pane are sorted by the Priority column, they are sorted in alphabetical order based on the label of
the icon.

Devices pane
The Devices pane allows you to monitor the status of all devices, including NDMP devices. If the NetWorker server uses shared
and logical devices, the window is adjusted dynamically to present a set of columns appropriate for the current configuration.
The Devices pane provides the following information:
● Status of the operation.
● Name of the device.
● Name of the storage node that contains the device.
● For tape devices, the name of the library that contains the device.
● Name of the volume in the device.
● Name of the pool that is associated with the volume.
● Last message generated for the device.
● Whether the operation requires user input.

For example, a labeling operation may want the user to acknowledge whether the system should overwrite the label on a
tape.
Entering user input on page 53 provides instructions on how to deal with a user input notification.
If the current server configuration includes a shared device, a Shared Device Name column appears on the Devices pane. The
name of the shared device appears in the Shared Device Name column. If other devices for that configuration are not shared
devices, then the Shared Device Name column is blank for those devices. Only a single device per hardware ID can be active at
any particular moment. The information for inactive shared devices is filtered out, and as a result, only one device per hardware
ID is presented on the window at any time.
An icon represents the device status. The following table lists and describes each icon.

Getting Started 51
Table 12. Devices status icons
Icon Label Description
Library device active The library device is active.

Library device disabled The library device is disabled.

Library device idle The library device is idle.

Stand-alone device active The stand-alone device is active.

Stand-alone device disabled The stand-alone device is disabled.

Stand-alone device idle The stand-alone device is idle.

When you sort items in the Devices pane by the Status column, NetWorker sorts the devices in alphabetical order based on
the label name of the icon.

Operations window
The Operations window displays information about device operations. It provides the following information:
● Status of the operation.
● Name of the library.
● Whether the operation requires user input.
For example, a labeling operation may want the user to acknowledge whether the system should overwrite the label on a
tape. Entering user input on page 53 provides instructions on how to deal with a user input notification.
● The origin, or source, of the operation.
For example, the interface, nsrjb or the NetWorker server.
● Time the operation started.
● Type of operation.
● Duration of the operation.
● Status messages from the operation.
● Any error messages.
NOTE: Only the last error message of the operation appears in the Error Messages column. Move the mouse pointer
over the cell containing the last error message to display the entire list of error messages.
The operation status is represented by an icon. The following table lists and describes each of the icons.

Table 13. Operations window icons

Icon Label Description
Failed The operation failed.

Queued The operation is waiting in the queue to run.

Retry The operation failed, but may work if you try again.

Running The operation is running.

Successful The operation completed successfully.

User Input The operation requires user input.

52 Getting Started
When items on the Operations window are sorted by the Status column, they are sorted in alphabetical order based on the
label of the icon.

Viewing operation details

The Operation Details dialog box opens, providing information about the completion of the operation. The Completion Time
displays the time that the operation finished. The time that it took to complete the operation is the difference between the
completion and start times of the operation.
To save operation details to a file, click Save in the Operation Details dialog box. When prompted, identify a name and location
for the file.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Operations in the docking panel.
3. Right-click the operation, then select Show Details.

Stopping an operation
Certain operations can be stopped from the Operations window.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Operations in the docking panel.
3. Right-click the operation to stop, then select Stop.
4. Click Yes to confirm the stop.
NOTE: Operations that were started from a command line program, such as the nsrjb command, cannot be stopped
from the Operations window. To stop these operations, press Ctrl-c from the window where the command was
started.

Entering user input

If the system requires user input, select the labeling operation in slow/verbose mode and the Supply User Input icon appears.
1. Right-click the operation, then select Supply Input.
2. Confirm the requirement to supply input.
● If Yes, and input is supplied, the icon in the User Input column disappears.
NOTE: If two users try to respond to the same user input prompt, the input of the first user takes precedence, and
the second user receives an error message.
● If No, and input is not supplied, the operation will time out and fail.

Log window
To view the most recent notification logs, click the Log window from the docking panel in the Monitoring window. The Log
window provides the priority, time, source, category, and message for each log.
NOTE: If a particular log file is no longer available, check the log file on the NetWorker server. The log files are located in
NetWorker_install_path\logs directory.

An icon represents the priority of the log entry. The following table lists and describes each icon.

Table 14. Icons in the Log pane

Icon Label Description
Alert Error condition that is detected by the NetWorker server that should be
fixed by a qualified operator.

Critical Severe error condition that demands immediate attention.

Getting Started 53
Table 14. Icons in the Log pane (continued)
Icon Label Description
Emergency Condition exists that could cause NetWorker software to fail unless
corrected immediately. This icon represents the highest priority.

Information Information about the current state of the server. This icon represents the
lowest priority.
Notification Important information.

Waiting The NetWorker server is waiting for an operator to perform a task, such as
mounting a tape.

Warning Non-fatal error has occurred.

When you sort items on the Log pane by using the Priority column, NetWorker sorts the icons in alphabetical order based on
the name of the label.

Recover window
The Recover window displays information about recover configurations that are created with the NetWorker Management
Console (NMC) Recovery wizard.
You can use this window to:
● Start the NMC Recovery wizard to create recover configurations or modify saved recover configurations.
● Identify the status of a recover configuration that is created with the NMC Recovery wizard.
● Start and stop a recover job.
The Recover window is divided into five sections:
● Toolbar—The toolbar is hidden by default. To display the recovery toolbar, select View > Show toolbar
● Summary
● Configured Recovers
● Currently Running
A splitter separates the Configured Recovers section from Currently running window. You can click and move the splitter to
resize these two windows.
The following table shows an example of the Recover window.

Figure 9. Recover window

54 Getting Started
Recover toolbar
The Recover toolbar provides you with the ability to quickly perform common recover operations. The following table
summarizes the function of each toolbar button.

Table 15. Recovery toolbar options

Button Function
Starts the NMC Recover wizard to create recover configurations.

Displays the Properties window for the saved recover configuration that you selected in the
Configured Recover window.

Deletes the saved recover configuration that you selected in the Configured Recover window.

Displays online help for the Recover window.

Displays the Find window at the bottom of the Recover window. The Find window allows you to
perform keyword searches for messages that appear in the Logs window.

Start the recover operation for a selected saved recover configuration. This option is only available for a
recover configuration that has a Never run, or Failed status.

Stop in-progress recover operation that you selected in the Currently Running window.

NOTE: The Recover toolbar does not appear by default. To display the Recover toolbar, select View > Show toolbar.

Recover Summary
The Recover Summary section displays a high-level overview of recover jobs.
This section includes the following information:
● Total Recovers—The total number of successful recover jobs.
● Since—The number of successful recover jobs since this date.

Configured Recovers
The Configured Recovers window displays a list of saved recover configurations in a tabular format. You can sort
the information by column. The Configured Recovers table displays the following information for each saved recover
configuration:
● Status—The job status of a saved recover configuration.
● Name
● Source client
● Destination client
● Recovery list
● Recover type—For example, file system or BBB.
● Comment
● OS—The operating system of the source host.
● Recover requestor—The Windows or UNIX account used to create the recover configuration.
● Start Time
● End Time
● Start date

Getting Started 55
Table 16. Save recover configuration job status
Icon Description
The last recover attempt failed.

The last recover attempt completed successfully.

The recover job has never run.

The recover job is scheduled to run in the future.

The recover job has expired.

Currently running
The Currently Running window displays a list of in progress recover jobs in a tabular format. You can sort the information by
column. The Currently Running table displays the following information for each job:
● Status
● Name
● Source client
● Destination client
● Recovery list
● Recover type—For example, file system or BBB
● Volume
● Comment
● Device
● Size
● Total size
● % complete
● Rate (KB/s)
● Start time
● Duration
● Currently running

Find
The Find section appears along the bottom of the Recover window, after you select the Find button on the Recover toolbar.
Find allows you to search for keywords in the Configured Recovers window. The following table summarizes the available find
options.

Table 17. Find options

Find option Description
Find Highlight the first saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Prev Highlight the previous saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Highlight All Highlights each saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Sort Selected Sorts each highlighted recover configuration in the Configured Recover table so that they
appear at the top of the Configured Recover table.
Match case Make the keyword search case sensitive.

56 Getting Started
Getting started with a new installation
The following section provides basic information on how to get started with a new installation by configuring the NetWorker
datazone and starting the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) Enterprise window and Administration window.

Common NetWorker tasks

There are several common tasks available in the NetWorker Console.

Adding a new host

You can add hosts by using the NetWorker Console.

1. Log in to Console as a NetWorker Administrator.

2. Click the Enterprise button on the taskbar.

3. Right-click Enterprise in the navigation tree.
4. Select New > Host.
5. In the Host Name field, specify the IP address or DNS name of the NetWorker server and click Next.
6. On the Select Host Type window, select NetWorker and click Next.
7. On the Manage NetWorker window, leave the default options Capture Events and Gather Reporting Data enabled.
● Enable the Capture Events option to allow the NMC server to monitor and record alerts for events that occur on the
NetWorker server.
● Enable the Gather Reporting Data option to allow the NMC server to automatically collect data about the NetWorker
server and generate reports on the NMC server.

8. Click Finish.

Device configuration
You can configure devices to test the NetWorker software.

Configuring a stand-alone tape device

1. Log in to the NMC GUI as an administrator of the NetWorker server.

2. On the taskbar, click the Enterprise icon .

3. In the navigation tree, highlight a host:
a. Right-click NetWorker.
b. Select Launch Application. The NetWorker Administration window appears.

4. On the taskbar, click the Devices button .

5. In the navigation tree view, right-click a host and select Scan for Devices.
The Scan for Devices window appears.
6. On the Select Target Storage Nodes window, perform either of the following steps:
● Select the storage node for the library.
● Click Create a new Storage Node.
7. Select Start scan.
NetWorker scans for new devices. The Log pane provides the status of the scan operation.
8. On the left pane, select Devices and then from the right pane, select the new device.
9. From the Devices menu, select Devices > Device Operations > Label.
10. In the Label window, verify the information and click OK.

Getting Started 57
Configuring a stand-alone advanced file type device
Create a device that is local to the NetWorker server to receive the backup data.
1. Log in to the NMC GUI as an administrator of the NetWorker server.

2. On the taskbar, click the Enterprise icon .

3. In the navigation tree, highlight a host:
a. Right-click NetWorker.
b. Select Launch Application. The NetWorker Administration window appears.

4. On the taskbar, click the Devices button .

5. From the File menu, select New Device Wizard.
6. On the Select the Device Type window, select Advanced File Type Device (AFTD), then click Next.
7. On the Select Storage Node window, leave the default values, and click Next.
8. On the Select the Device Path window, select an empty folder or create a new folder on the NetWorker server, then click
Next.
9. On the Configure Device Attributes window, specify a name for the new device in the NetWorker Device Name field,
for example: myaftd, and click Next.
10. On the Label and Mount Devices window, leave the default values and click Next.
11. In the Review the Device Configuration Settings window, review the configuration information, and click Configure.
12. Click Finish.

Configuring an autochanger or silo

You can configure a new library resource.

1. Log in to the NMC GUI as an administrator of the NetWorker server.

2. On the taskbar, click the Enterprise icon .

3. In the navigation tree, highlight a host:
a. Right-click NetWorker.
b. Select Launch Application. The NetWorker Administration window appears.

4. On the taskbar, click the Devices button .

5. From the left pane, select Storage Nodes.
6. Right-click the storage node for the device and select Configure All Libraries.
7. On the Provide General Configuration Information window, leave SCSI/NDMP selected and click Next.
8. On the Select Target Storage Nodes window, perform either of the following steps:
● Select the storage node for the library.
● Click Create a new Storage Node.
9. Click Start Configuration.
10. Click Finish.

Labeling media
You can label tapes from the NMC GUI.

1. Log in to the NMC GUI as an administrator of the NetWorker server.

2. On the taskbar, click the Enterprise icon .

3. In the navigation tree, highlight a host:
a. Right-click NetWorker.
b. Select Launch Application. The NetWorker Administration window appears.

4. On the taskbar, click the Devices button .

5. In the navigation tree view, expand Libraries and highlight a library, or select Devices.
6. In the Device list, right-click a device and select Label.

58 Getting Started
Scheduling backups
Perform scheduled backups to automatically backup client data on an ongoing basis. Data protection policies enable you to
define the client resources, schedule, and other settings for the backup. The client resources and backup storage resources
must also be configured.
1. Configure the backup storage resources:
a. Configure the storage node that will own the backup storage devices.
b. Configure the backup storage device.
c. Create a label template for labeling volumes, or use one of the preconfigured label templates.
d. Create media pools for sorting and storing backup data.
Backup Target on page 64 provides more information on configuring backup storage resources.
2. Configure one or more client resources for each client computer by using either the Client Backup Configuration Wizard
or the Client Properties dialog box.
When you configure a client resource, you specify backup settings for the client, including:
● The save sets for the client, which define the data to back up on the client.
● Whether to automatically restart failed backups from a known good point, which is called checkpoint restart.
● Whether to bypass the storage node and send backup data directly to AFTD or DD Boost storage devices, which is called
Client Direct.
● Directives that control how the NetWorker server processes files and directories during the backup.
● Probe resources for probe-based backups, where the NetWorker server probes the client for a user-defined script before
the backup starts.
● Whether to back up each save set for the client by using multiple parallel save streams.
● Backup command customizations.
Client resources on page 323 provides more information on configuring client resources.

3. Configure a data protection policy for scheduled backups:

a. Create a group to define the client resources to back up.
The type of group that you create depends on the type of backup that you are performing:
● Create a client group or dynamic client group for a traditional backup or a server backup.
● Create a VMware group to back up virtual machines or VMDKs.
● Create a NAS device group to perform snapshot backups on NAS devices.
b. Create a policy.
Policies provide a container for the workflows, actions, and groups that support and define the backup.
c. Within the policy, create a workflow.
Workflows define the start time for a series of actions, the order of actions in a sequence, and the group of client
resources to back up.
d. Create a backup action.
When you create a backup action, you define the following settings:
● The type of backup to perform each day.
● The destination storage node and media pool.
● The retention setting for the backup, which specifies how long to retain the backup data.
e. (Optional) Create other actions for the workflow.
Actions that you may want to include in a backup workflow include:
● Check connectivity to verify connectivity between the NetWorker server and the client computer.
● Probe to probe a NetWorker client for a user-defined script before the backup starts.
● Clone to automatically clone the save sets that result from the backup.
Data Protection Policies on page 158 provides more information on configuring groups, policies, workflows, and actions.

Viewing failed backups

You can view the details for failed NetWorker backups.
1. Log in to the NMC GUI as an administrator of the NetWorker server.

Getting Started 59
2. On the taskbar, click the Enterprise icon .
3. In the navigation tree, highlight a host:
a. Right-click NetWorker.
b. Select Launch Application. The NetWorker Administration window appears.

4. Click Monitoring .
The Monitoring window displays four windows panes. The Log pane provides a summary of NetWorker server events. The
Policies pane displays all configured policies on the NetWorker server. To view details information about the status of the
actions in a workflow, expand the policy, right-click the workflow, and select Show Details.

Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization

When you configure the NetWorker Authentication Service to use LDAP/AD authentication, you modify the External Roles
attribute in the User Group resource to assign privileges to LDAP and AD users. As a result, NetWorker command line
operations and NetWorker module operations might fail due to insufficient privileges. To resolve this issue, use the nsrlogin
command to contact the NetWorker Authentication Service and authenticate a user. When user authentication succeeds, the
NetWorker Authentication Service issues a token to the NetWorker host for the user, which provides CLI operations with
token-based authentication until the token expires.
Ensure that the user that the NetWorker Authentication Service validates has the appropriate User Group privileges to run the
CLI commands.
Perform the following steps on a NetWorker Client on which you initiate the CLI commands, or the requesting host.
1. To validate a user and generate a token for the user, use the nsrlogin command:

nsrlogin [-s NetWorker_server] [-H authentication_host] [-P port] [-t tenant] [-d domain]
[-p password] [-f] [-u user]

where:
● -s NetWorker_server—Specifies the name of the NetWorker Server. Use this option when you use the nsrlogin
command on a NetWorker host that is not the NetWorker Server.
● -H authentication_host—Specifies the name of the NetWorker Authentication Service host. Use this option when
you use the nsrlogin command on a NetWorker host that is not the NetWorker Server. This option is only required
when you do not use the -s option.
● -P port—Specifies the NetWorker Authentication Service port number. Use this option when you do not use the -s
option and when the NetWorker Authentication Service does not use the default port number 9090 for communications.
● -t tenant— Specifies the tenant name that the NetWorker Authentication Service should use to verify the username
and password. When you omit this option, NetWorker Authentication Service uses the Default tenant to verify the user
credentials.
● -d logindomain—Specifies the domain name that the NetWorker Authentication Service should use to verify
the username and password with an external authentication authority. When you omit this option, the NetWorker
Authentication Service uses the local user database to verify the user credentials.
● -f— Allows nsrlogin to be run as a root user.
● -u username—Specifies the username that the NetWorker Authentication Service should validate to generate a token.
The user string might be a username, email address, or another string, depending on configuration of the identity
provider. After successful authentication, the banner is displayed on the screen with a prompt to accept or reject the
banner. If the user enters yes, the user can proceed. Otherwise, the user is logged out.
NOTE: The banner content is empty by default. If banner content is empty, the confirmation prompt does not
appear.
● -p "password"—Specifies the password to send to the identity provider to verify the user. If this argument is not
provided, nsrlogin prompts the user to specify the password. If the password contains special characters, the password
must be enclosed in double quote marks (""). After successful authentication, the banner is displayed on the screen.
For example, to generate a token for user Konstantin in the idddomain domain and the idd tenant, type the following
command:
If the /nsr/authc-server/conf/banner.txt file is empty, no banner content is displayed.

nsrlogin -s bu-idd-nwserver2 -d idddomain -u Konstantin -p "1.Password"

Authentication succeeded

60 Getting Started
 If the /nsr/authc-server/conf/banner.txt is updated with content, the banner content is displayed on successful
authentication.

nsrlogin -s bu-idd-nwserver2 -d idddomain -u Konstantin -p "1.Password"

Authentication succeeded
<Banner Content>

Log in to the NetWorker server with username Konstantin, which is defined in the local user directory with the password
1.Password. When you enter Yes at the prompt, the banner content is accepted and you can proceed. When you enter
No at the prompt, the banner content is rejected and user is logged out.

nsrlogin -u Konstantin
Enter the password: <password>
Authentication succeeded
<Banner Content>
Do you wish to accept and continue (Yes/No)? Yes

When the NetWorker Authentication Service successfully validates the user, the service issues an authentication token to
the requesting host.
2. At the command prompt, type the NetWorker command.
If the validated user does not have the appropriate privileges to run the command, an error message appears or the
command does not return the expected result. For example, when you try to perform an operation with a user account that
does not have the required privilege, a message similar to the following appears:
Permission denied, user must have the 'Operate NetWorker' privilege'.

The CLI command uses the authenticated token, until the token expires. By default the token expiration period is 480 minutes
or 8 hours. When the token expires and the user tries to run a CLI command, the command fails with a permissions error and a
message similar to the following appears to indicate that the token has expired:
Security token has expired

To resolve this issue, run the nsrlogin command again to generate a new authenticated token.
NOTE: To revoke the user token and enable the CLI commands to use the Users attribute in the Usergroups resources
to authenticate users, use the nsrlogout command. The nsrlogout UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command
Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrlogout command.

Performing a manual backup

Perform a manual backup of a file or folder, to test the NetWorker installation. The procedure to perform a manual backup is
different on Windows and UNIX.

Performing a manual backup on Windows

Use the NetWorker User program to perform a manual backup Windows. The NetWorker User program provides a graphical
interface to perform manual backups.

1. On a NetWorker client, start the NetWorker User program.

2. In the Change server window, select or type the name of the NetWorker server.
3. In the Source and Destination client windows, select the current NetWorker client.
4. Click Backup.
5. In the left pane of the Backup window, click the appropriate directory folder.
6. Select a file or directory file to back up in one of the following methods:
● Select the directory or file and click Mark. To clear an item, click Unmark.
● Right-click the directory or file.
When you mark a directory or file for backup, a check mark appears next to that item.

7. Click Start.

Getting Started 61
 The Backup Status window displays the progress of the backup. When the NetWorker server has successfully
finished the backup, this message appears:
Backup completion time: 2-15-07 3:27p

If the backup fails, then:

● Review the NetWorker daemon.raw log file on both the NetWorker server and client hosts. Use the nsr_render_log
program to review the log file in a readable format. The NetWorker Command Reference Guide describes how to use the
nsr_render_log program.
The location of the daemon.raw file is different on Windows and UNIX:
○ On Windows, the log file appears in the C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs directory.
○ On UNIX, the log file appears in the /nsr/logs directory.
● To determine the cause, refer to the Troubleshooting chapter.
● Review the operating system log files (Application event log on a Windows client) for more information.

Performing a manual backup on UNIX

Use the save program to perform a manual backup from the command prompt.
For example, to back up /tmp/myfile.txt to a server called jupiter, type:

save -s jupiter /tmp/myfile.txt

The UNIX man pages describe how to use the save program.

Enabling and Disabling NetWorker services

Perform the following to enable and disable NetWorker services:

Disabling GST service using systemctl

To disable GST service using systemctl , run the command systemctl disable gst.

[root@blr2v2lin80 etc]# systemctl disable gst

Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/gst.service.
Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/graphical.target.wants/gst.service.
Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/gst.service.

Enabling GST service using systemctl

To enable GST service using systemctl, run the command systemctl enable /opt/lgtonmc/etc/gst.service.

[root@blr2v2lin80 etc]# systemctl enable /opt/lgtonmc/etc/gst.service

Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/gst.service to /opt/
lgtonmc/etc/gst.service.
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/graphical.target.wants/gst.service to /opt/
lgtonmc/etc/gst.service.
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/gst.service to /opt/lgtonmc/etc/gst.service.

Disabling NetWorker service using systemctl

To disable NetWorker service using systemctl, run the command systemctl disable networker.

[root@blr2v2lin80 etc]# systemctl disable networker

Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/networker.service.

62 Getting Started
 Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/graphical.target.wants/networker.service.
Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/networker.service.

Enabling NetWorker service using systemctl

To enable NetWorker service using systemctl, run the command systemctl enable /opt/nsr/admin/
networker.service.

[root@blr2v2lin80 admin]# systemctl enable /opt/nsr/admin/networker.service

Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/networker.service to
/opt/nsr/admin/networker.service.
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/graphical.target.wants/networker.service to
/opt/nsr/admin/networker.service.
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/networker.service to /opt/nsr/admin/
networker.service.ts/networker.service.
Removed symlink /etc/systemd/system/networker.service.

Getting Started 63
 3
Backup Target
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Label templates
• Media pools
• Storage nodes
• Disk storage devices
• Libraries and silos
• File type devices
• Stand-alone devices
• Labeling volumes
• Troubleshooting devices and autochangers

Label templates
The NetWorker server creates a unique label for each volume by applying a label template. This section describes how label
templates and media pools are used to sort, store, and track data on media volumes.

Using label templates

The NetWorker server selects the media pool to which a given set of data is written. A volume is associated with a media pool
by its volume label.
The contents of the volume label follow rules that are defined in a specific label template. You then associate a label template
with a specific media pool in the Media Pool resource. If you do not associate data with a specific media pool, the NetWorker
server uses the preconfigured Default media pool and corresponding Default label template.
The following figure illustrates how a media pool configuration uses its associated label template to label a volume. For the label
template name to appear as a choice in the Media Pool resource, you must configure a label template before configuring the
associated media pool.

Figure 10. Labeling a volume by using a label template

64 Backup Target
How the NetWorker server uses volume labels
A volume label is a unique internal code, applied by the NetWorker server, that initializes the volume for the server to use and
identifies a storage volume as part of a specific pool. Using media pools on page 69 provides more information about pools.
Labeling a volume provides a unique name for tracking and recognizing the media, as well as references to volume labels in the
records stored in the media database. The NetWorker server uses the media database records to determine which volumes are
needed for backing up or recovering data.
When NetWorker labels a volume, the label operation performs the following actions:
1. Verifies that the volume is unlabeled.
2. Labels the volume with the name specified in the Volume Name attribute by using one of the following:
● The next sequential label from the label template that is associated with the chosen pool.
If a recyclable volume from the same pool is relabeled, the volume label name and sequence number remain the same, but
access to the original data on the volume is destroyed. The volume becomes available for new data.
● An override volume name that was entered by the user.

Preconfigured label templates

The NetWorker server contains these preconfigured label templates, which correspond to the preconfigured media pools:
● Archive
● Archive clone
● Data Domain Default
● Data Domain Default Clone
● DD Cloud Tier Default Clone
● Default
● Default clone
● Full
● Indexed archive
● Indexed archive clone
● NonFull
● Offsite
● PC archive
● PC archive clone
● Two Sided
Label templates have multiple fields separated by periods. The first field represents the name of the NetWorker server and the
final field contains a number to allow for expansion of the media pool. The number range from 001 to 999. For example:
mars.001
jupiter.054
jupiter.archive.197

Guidelines for completing Label Template attributes

There are certain guidelines to keep in mind when completing the attributes for a Label Template resource. The following table
describes how to complete the key attributes for this resource.

Table 18. Key label template attributes

Attribute Guidelines
Name Keep the label name consistent with the media pool name, so that the label name reflects how the
data is organized. For example, a label template named "AcctFull" would identify volumes that belong
to a media pool called "Accounting Full."

Do not use these characters in label template names:

/\*?[]()$!^;’"’~<>&|{}:-._

Backup Target 65
Table 18. Key label template attributes (continued)
Attribute Guidelines
Fields A label template is made up of one or more fields. Each field, or component, provides a layer of
specificity to your organizational structure. There can be any number of components, but it is best to
keep the template simple with as few as necessary. The label cannot exceed 64 characters.

You can use four types of components:

● Range of numbers (for example, 001-999)

● Range of lowercase letters (for example, aa-zz)
● Range of uppercase letters (for example, AA-ZZ)
● Character string (for example, Accounting)

Each range includes a start value, a dash (-), and an end value. The start value and the end value
must have the same number of characters. For example, use 01-99 (not 1-99) or aaa-zzz (not
aa-zzz).
The order in which you enter each component of the Field attribute is important.
The NetWorker Server applies each component in a left-to-right order, starting with the first one
entered.
Separator Choose the symbol to appear between component entries. Use the period, dash, colon, or underscore
to separate each component of the label template. If label components do not have separators (for
example, AA00aa), the labels can be difficult to read.
Next Choose the next sequence number to write on the label that the NetWorker Server places on a
volume (according to the template).
● To force a label to start the label scheme at a particular point, type a start label value. The server
continues to generate labels from that point on, according to the rules of the template.
● To have the NetWorker Server generate the first label, leave this attribute blank.

When the NetWorker Server recycles a storage volume, the volume label does not
change as long as the volume remains in the same media pool. That is, if a storage
volume labeled "Dev.006" is recycled, it retains the volume label "Dev.006" and does not
receive a new label with the next sequence number.

The following table lists examples of number sequences for volume labels.

Table 19. Examples of number sequences for volume labels

Type of components Fields Number sequence result Total number of labels
Range of numbers 001-100 001, 002, 003,...100 100
Character string SalesFull SalesFull.001,...SalesFull.100 100

Range of numbers 001-100

Range of lowercase letters aa-zz aa.00,...aa.99, 67,600 (262 times 102)

Range of numbers 00-99 ab.00,...ab.99,

ac.00,...ac.99,

az.00...az.99,

ba.00,...ba.99

:
zz.00,...zz.99

The label template should allow for expansion of the backup media storage system. For example, it is better to create a template
for 100 tapes and not use all of them, than it is to create a template for only 10 tapes and run out of labels. When the server
reaches the end of the template numbering sequence, it wraps to the starting value. For example, after zz.99 (used for the
67,600th label), the next label the server uses is aa.00 for label 67,601.

66 Backup Target
 NOTE: When the NetWorker server recycles a volume, the volume label does not change if the volume remains in the same
media pool. That is, if a volume labeled Dev.006 is recycled, it will retain the volume label Dev.006 and will not receive a new
label with the next sequence number. The original data on the volume, however, will be overwritten by the new data.

Naming label templates

The NetWorker server is packaged with preconfigured label templates that correspond to the preconfigured media pools. If you
choose to create the templates, you can include any number of components in the Fields attribute. However, it is best to keep
the template simple with as few components as necessary for your organization.
For example, if you create a label template for an accounting department, you can customize the label template in several ways,
depending on the size of the storage system and media device capabilities.
The following table illustrates several ways you can use components to organize labels.

Table 20. Using label template components

Type of organizational Components Separator Resulting volume labels
structure
Sequential AcctFull period AcctFull.001

‘001-100 (100 total labels)

Storage oriented (for 1-3 dash 1-1-001

example, 3 storage racks with
5 shelves each, each shelf 1-5 This label is for the first tape
holding 100 tapes) in
001-100 rack 1 on shelf 1. (1,500 total
labels)

Two-sided media (for AcctFull underscore AcctFull_000_a (side 1)

example, optical devices)
000-999 AcctFull_000_b (side 2)

a-b (2,000 total labels)

Tips for labelling

Naming schemes vary from site to site. One way is to name the volumes with the name of the NetWorker server followed by a
three-digit number, for example:

jupiter.001

Consider that the simpler a convention is, the easier it can be understood by operators and administrators.
The maximum length for a volume name is 63 characters. With advanced file type devices (adv_file), the maximum length is 60
characters.
Each volume should have a physical (adhesive) label attached to it. Since the NetWorker server keeps track of the backups and
which volumes they are on, you can name the volumes with any convenient name. For example, you can label your volumes 1, 2,
3, or Monday.1, Tuesday.1, Wednesday.1. You can assign a volume any name as long as each one is unique.
The adhesive label on the volume should match the name generated by NetWorker. For example, if you physically label a volume
mars.1, its NetWorker name should also be mars.1.

Backup Target 67
Working with label templates
This section explains how to create, edit, copy, and delete label templates.

Creating a label template

When creating a label template, consider the labeling guidelines for the Name, Fields, Separator, and Next components.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Label Templates.
3. From the File menu, select New.
4. Enter the components for the label template:
● Name: The name of the new label template.
● Comment: Any user-defined description or explanatory remarks about the label.
● Fields: A list of label components.
● Separator: The character to be inserted between label components. If no symbol is selected, the components will have
no separators, such as hostarchive[001-999].
● Next: (Optional) Enter the next label to be generated by the template.

5. Click OK.

Editing a label template

You cannot change the name of a label template. However, to change an individual label name, delete the existing name in the
Next text box, and type a new name.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Label Templates.
3. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Label Template Properties window,
right-click the staging configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

4. Make any required changes, then click OK.

Copying a label template

1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Label Templates.
3. In the right pane, select the label template to copy.
4. From the Edit menu, select Copy. The Create Label Template dialog box appears, containing the same information as the
label template that was copied, except Name attribute.
5. In the Name attribute, type the name for the new label template.
6. Edit any other attributes as appropriate, and click OK.

68 Backup Target
Deleting a label template
You cannot delete a preconfigured label template or a label template that is in use.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Label Templates.
3. In the right pane, select the label template to delete.
4. From the File menu, select Delete.
5. When prompted, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Setting up a label template to identify volumes

If you are not using tapes with barcode labels, and the Match Bar Code Labels attribute is not enabled for the Library resource,
then every backup volume requires a unique label for identification. The NetWorker server creates a unique label for each
volume by applying a label template.

1. From the Administration window, click Media.

2. In the expanded left pane, select Label Templates.
3. From the File menu, select New.
4. In the Name attribute, type a name for the label template.
5. In the Comment attribute, type a description for the label template.
6. In the Fields attribute, type the label’s components. Place each label component on a separate line. The template can use
any or all of these components, although at least one range component must be added:
● Range of numbers—For example, 001-999
● Range of lowercase letters—For example, aa-zz
● Range of uppercase letters—For example, AA-ZZ
● Character string—For example, Accounting
● Ranges of numbers or letters change incrementally with each new label. For example:
○ First label: Accounting.001
○ Second label: Accounting.002
○ Third label: Accounting.003
7. Select a Separator and click OK. If no symbol is selected, the components will have no separators (for example,
Accounting001).
8. Click OK.

Media pools
NetWorker uses media pools and volume labels to sort backup and clone data on media.
Media is a specific collection of volumes to which the NetWorker server writes data. For example, a tape volume or a Data
Domain device. A volume is identified with a unique label based on user configurable label templates.
Media pools act as filters that tell the NetWorker server which backup volumes should receive specific data. The NetWorker
server uses media pools along with label templates to track what data is on which specific volume. When you use a barcode-
enabled tape library, the NetWorker server uses media pools along with the volume barcode Labels to track which data is on a
specific volume.

NOTE: NetWorker does not use media pools for backup and clone operations to deduplication devices.

Using media pools

Action resources contain an attribute that defines the media pool to which NetWorker should send the backup or clone data.
When a backup or clone action starts, the NetWorker server then checks if a correctly labeled volume for that media pool is
mounted on a storage device. If a correctly labeled volume is mounted on a storage device, the NetWorker server writes data to

Backup Target 69
the volume. If there is no correctly labeled volume mounted on a storage device, the NetWorker server generates a request to
mount a volume that is labeled for the pool, and waits until an operator or an autochanger mounts an appropriate volume.

Preconfigured media pools

NetWorker provides you with the following preconfigured media pools.

Table 21. Preconfigured media pools

Pool name Description
Archive Receives archived backup data when you use the
nsrarchive command and use -b option to specify the
pool name. NetWorker does not assign a retention policy to
an archived save set, and the save set never expires. When
you enable Archive Services on a client resource and you
configure the backup action to send data to the Archive pool,
NetWorker does not write information about the archive save
set to the client file index for the client.
Archive Clone Receives the clone copy of archived backup data. when you
use the nsrclone command with -b option to specify the
pool name. NetWorker does not assign an expiration date to
the clone copy of an archive save set. NetWorker does not
write information about the clone save set to the client file
index for the client.
Default Receives backup data in the following configurations:
● When you select the Default pool in the Pool attribute of a
backup action resource.
● When you use save command to run a manual backup and
do not use the -b option to specify a specific backup pool.
● When NetWorker performs an action on a client and you
define the following configuration attributes:
○ In the Action resource, the option Client Override
Behavior is set to Client Can Override.
○ In the Client resource, you select the Default pool in
the Pool attribute.
Data Domain Default Receives backup data to DD Boost devices only. NetWorker
Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more
information about how to use NetWorker with DD Boost
devices.
Data Domain Default Clone Receives clone data to DD Boost devices only. NetWorker
Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more
information about how to use NetWorker with DD Boost
devices.
DD Cloud Tier Default Clone Receives clone data on DD Cloud Tier devices only.
NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides
more information about how to use NetWorker with DD Cloud
Tier devices.
Default Clone Receives clone data in the following configurations:
● When you select the Default Clone pool in the Pool
attribute of a clone action resource.
● When you use nsrclone command to run a manual
backup and do not use the -b option to specify a specific
backup pool.
Indexed Archive Receives archived backup data. NetWorker does not assign
a retention policy to an archived save set, and the save set
never expires. When you enable Archive Services on a client
resource and you configure the backup action to send data to

70 Backup Target
Table 21. Preconfigured media pools (continued)
Pool name Description
the Indexed Archive pool, NetWorker writes information about
the archive save set to the client file index for the client.
Indexed Archive Clone Receives the clone copy of an indexed archive. NetWorker
does not assign an expiration date to the clone copy of an
archive save set. NetWorker does not write information about
the clone save set to the client file index for the client.

Changes to the Client and Pool resources after migration

NetWorker uses a number of attributes that are defined in multiple resources to determine which pool receives the data that
is generated by an action task, and how NetWorker backs up the data. The migration process preserves the values that are
defined for the attributes and introduces new attributes in the Action resource.
NetWorker provides the following attributes, which work together to determine how NetWorker manages a backup and
determines which device to use to receive the backup data:
● Client resource—Pools, Retention, Save set, and Level attributes on the General tab of the Client Properties window.
The migration process retains the values in these legacy attributes.
NOTE: The Modify Client wizard does not display the Pools, Retention, Save set, and Level attributes.
● Action resource—Destination Pool and Retention attributes on the Specify the Backup Options and Specify the
Clone Options wizard windows. The backup levels are defined for the action schedule on the Specify the Action
Information wizard window.
● Pool resource—Clients, Save sets, and Retention policy attributes on the Legacy tab. The values that appear in these
attributes were defined in NetWorker 8.1.x and 8.2.x. After the migration completes, the NetWorker 19.5 server retains the
values and these legacy attributes become read-only. You cannot modify the values in these fields after migration.
The Action resource includes an attribute that is called Client Override Behavior. The value that is selected for this
attribute determines which resource attribute has precedence over the attributes in other resources that determine the same
behavior. By default, the migration process enables Legacy Backup Rules on an Action resource. Legacy Backup Rules allow
NetWorker to use the values during the pool selection criteria process.
NOTE: By default, the NetWorker Administration window does not show the legacy attributes. To view the legacy
attributes in the Client Properties window, go to the View menu and select Diagnostic Mode.

Pool selection criteria

It is recommended that you use the configuration settings in an Action resource to determine which pool received backup data.
NetWorker provides you with the ability to configure a Pool attribute in the client resource, which can override the value defined
in the Action resource. Additionally, the Pool resource contains 8.2.x legacy attributes that provide you with the ability to define
backup data criteria for the pool.
How and when NetWorker uses the attributes values defined in the Pool, Action, and Client resources to determine which
backup pool will receive data depends on the value that you select in the Client Override Behavior attribute of the Action
resource:
● Client Can Override—The value in Pool attribute of the client resource takes precedence over the Destination pool value
that is defined in the Action resource. NetWorker does not use the values that are defined in the Client, Save set, and
Levels attributes of the Pool resources when deciding which pool receives backup data for a client.
● Client Can Not Override—The value defined Destination Pool attribute in the Action resource takes precedence over the
value that is defined in the Pool attribute of the Client resource. NetWorker does not use the values that are defined in the
Client, Save set, and Levels attributes of the Pool resources when deciding which pool receives backup data for a client.
● Legacy Backup Rules—Enabled for migrations only. NetWorker uses the values that are defined in the Client, Save set,
and Levels attributes of the pool resource to determine which pool receives backup data from a client. The values that are
defined in the Client, Save set, and Levels of the pool resource take precedence over the Destination Pool value that is
defined in the Action resource, and the Pool value that is defined in the Client resource.
NOTE: You cannot modify the legacy attributes in the migrated Pool resources.

The following table summarizes how NetWorker determines which pool receives the backup data, which is based on the
configuration of the Action, Client, and Pool resource attributes.

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Table 22. Determining which pool receives backup data
Client Override Behavior Destination pool Pool (Client) Legacy criteria Pool that receives the
(Action) (Action) attributes (Pool) data
Client Can Override Defined Defined Defined and criteria Pool defined in Client
matches resource
Client Can Override Defined Undefined Defined and criteria Pool defined in Action
matches resource
Client Cannot Override Defined Defined Defined and criteria Pool defined in Action
matches resource
Legacy Backup Rules Defined Undefined Defined and criteria Pool that matches legacy
matches criteria
Legacy Backup Rules Defined Defined Defined and criteria Pool that matches legacy
matches criteria
Legacy Backup Rules Defined Undefined Undefined or no matches Default

Client Can Override is enabled

A Protection group contains two clients, SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt. The workflow that is associated with the protection
group contains a backup action.
● Backup action configuration:
○ Destination Pool=App_backups
○ Schedule=Daily full backup
○ Client Override Behavior=Client Can Override
● The Pool attribute that is defined for the SQL_clnt client resource is SQL_backups.
● The Pool attribute for Exchange_clnt is Exchange_backups.
● The Full level is enabled in the Levels attribute of a pool resource named Backups.
In this example, NetWorker sends the backup data for Exchange_clnt to Exchange_backups, the pool that is defined in the
backup action. NetWorker sends the backup data for SQL_clnt to the pool defined in the client resource, SQL_backups.
Example: Client Can Override is enabled
A Protection group contains two clients, SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt. The workflow that is associated with the protection
group contains a backup action.
● Backup action configuration:
○ Destination Pool=App_backups
○ Schedule=Daily full backup
○ Client Override Behavior=Client Can Override
● The Pool attribute that is defined for the SQL_clnt client resource is SQL_backups.
● The Pool attribute for Exchange_clnt is not defined.
● The Full level is enabled in the Levels attribute of a pool resource named Backups.
In this example, NetWorker sends the backup data for Exchange_clnt to App_backups, the pool that is defined in the backup
action. NetWorker sends the backup data for SQL_clnt to the pool defined in the client resource, SQL_backups.
Client Cannot Override is enabled
A Protection group contains two clients, SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt. The workflow that is associated with the protection
group contains a backup action.
● Backup action configuration:
○ Destination Pool=App_backups
○ Schedule=daily full backup
○ Client Override Behavior=Client Cannot Override
● The Pool attribute that is defined for the SQL_clnt client resource is SQL_backups.
● The Pool attribute for Exchange_clnt is Exchange_backups.
● The Full level is enabled in the Levels attribute of a pool resource named Backups.
In this example, NetWorker sends the backup data for SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt to App_backups, the pool that is defined in
the backup action.

72 Backup Target
Legacy Backup Rules is enabled
A Protection group contains two clients, SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt. The workflow that is associated with the protection
group contains a backup action.
● Backup action configuration:
○ Destination Pool=App_backups
○ Schedule=daily full backup
○ Client Override Behavior= Legacy Backup Rules
● The Pool attribute that is defined for the SQL_clnt client resource is SQL_backups.
● The Pool attribute for Exchange_clnt is not defined.
● The Full level is enabled in the Levels attribute of a pool resource named Backups.
In this example, NetWorker sends the backup data for SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt to Backups, the pool that matches the level
Full backup criteria.
Legacy Backup Rules is enabled
A Protection group contains two clients, SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt. The workflow that is associated with the protection
group contains a backup action.
● Backup action configuration:
○ Destination Pool= App_backups
○ Schedule=daily full backup
○ Client Override Behavior= Legacy Backup Rules
● The Pool attribute that is defined for the SQL_clnt client resource is SQL_backups.
● The Pool attribute for Exchange_clnt is not defined.
● The manual level is enabled in the Levels attribute of a pool resource named Backups.
In this example, NetWorker sends the backup data for SQL_clnt and Exchange_clnt to the Default pool because a pool does not
exist with legacy attributes that match the configuration for the backup data.

Matching the pool criteria with Legacy Backup Rules enabled

After a migration and configuring media pools, data generated by an action might match the criteria for more than one media
pool configuration. For example, if you configure one media pool to accept data from a client that is called mnd.corp.com, and
you configure another media pool to accept data from all full backups, NetWorker uses other criteria to determine which pool of
volumes receives the data from a full backup of the mnd.corp.com client.
The NetWorker Server uses the following media pool selection criteria:
1. Groups attribute (highest precedence)
2. Clients attribute
3. Save sets attribute
4. Levels attribute (lowest precedence)
When data matches the attributes for two media pools, for example, Client and Level, the data is written to the media pool
specified in the Client attribute. For example, in the case where the data from the client matched the criteria for two different
media pools, the data is routed to the media pool that accepts data from the mnd.corp.com client.
The following table details the hierarchy that the NetWorker Server uses to determine media pool selection when a conflict
arises. For example, the media pool criteria for Groups takes precedence over the media pool criteria for Clients, Save sets, and
Levels. If data does not meet the criteria for any customized pool, NetWorker writes the data to the Default media pool.

Table 23. NetWorker hierarchy for resolving media pool conflicts

Precedence Groups attribute Clients attribute Save sets attribute Levels attribute
Highest x x x x
x x x
x x x
x x
x x x
x x

Backup Target 73
Table 23. NetWorker hierarchy for resolving media pool conflicts (continued)
Precedence Groups attribute Clients attribute Save sets attribute Levels attribute
x x
x
x x x
x x
x x
x
x x
x
Lowest x

Working with media pools

This section explains how to edit, copy, delete, and create media pools.

Creating a media pool

Perform the following steps to create a new media pool.
Perform either of the following:
● If the Match Bar Code Labels attribute is not used for the Library resource, create a label template for the media pool.
● Determine a preconfigured label template to use for the media pool.

1. In the Administration window, click Media.

2. In the left pane, select Media Pools.
3. From the File menu, select New.
4. In the Name attribute, type a name for the media pool.
A media pool is associated with a label template. Use a name that clearly associates the media pool with the corresponding
label template.

5. In the Comment attribute, type a description of the media pool.

6. Leave the Enabled attribute selected.
7. For the Pool Type attribute, select the media pool type.
● Backup—Select this type to configure the pool to receive backup data.
● Backup clone—Select this option to configure the pool to receive a clone copy of backup data.
● Archive—Select this type to configure the pool to receive archive data.
● Archive clone—Select this option to configure the pool to receive a clone copy of archive data.
8. In the Label Template attribute, select the matching label template.
9. In the Data Source attribute, select the backup groups that are eligible to back up to this media pool.
10. (Optional), on the Selection Criteria tab, configure the following options:
● Devices—Select the devices on which NetWorker can mount volumes for this pool.
● Media type required—Select which device type NetWorker can use to label volumes for this pool. You cannot use this
attribute when you select an option in the Media type preferred attribute.
● Media type preferred—Select the device type that NetWorker should use first to label a volume for this pool. You
cannot use this attribute when you select an option in the Media type required attribute.
NOTE: When you do not configure the Media type required or Media type preferred attribute, you can write data
across several volumes of different media types (for example, magnetic disk and tapes), if the volumes mounted on the
storage devices have the appropriate label associated with the media pool.

11. On Configuration tab, configure the following options:

74 Backup Target
 Attribute Definition
Auto Media Verify Select this attribute to perform automated media verification while data is written to a volume labeled
for this media pool. Auto media verification provides more information.
Max parallelism Increase the value to define the maximum number of simultaneous save streams that NetWorker
writes to each device in the pool. The default value for this attribute is 0, which means that the
attribute has no effect on other parallelism settings. When you set the Max parallelism attribute to
1, a prolonged delay might occur between the backup of save sets. To resolve this issue, increase
the Max parallelism attribute for the pool resource. However, when you increase the pool parallelism
value, the time to recover data on the volume increases.
NOTE: For AFTD and DD Boost devices, the Max nsrmmd count attribute value for a device
affects the Max parallelism attribute. For example, consider an AFTD device (AFTD_1) that has
a Max sessions attribute value of 20 and a Max nsrmmd value of 4. Now suppose a backup
pool with a Pool parallelism attribute of 1 selects AFTD_1 . The total number of save sessions that
NetWorker can start for AFTD_1 is 4, one for each nsrmmd process. Tape and FTD devices can
only spawn one nsrmmd process at a time, so if the previous example used a tape device, then the
total number of save sessions would be 1.

Recycle from Select this option to enable NetWorker to use expired volumes that are labeled for other media pools
other pools in this pool that have the Recycle to other pools attribute enabled, when the NetWorker server does
not have access to blank volumes or volumes eligible for reuse and assigned to this pool.
Recycle to other Select this option to enable NetWorker to use expired volumes that are labeled for this media pool in
pools other pools that have the Recycle from other pools attribute enabled, when the NetWorker server
does not have access to blank volumes or volumes eligible for reuse and assigned to the other pool.
Recycle start Defines the time to start the automatic relabel process each day. By default this attribute is empty
and the automatic relabeling of recyclable volumes is not done. Use the format HH:MM. Automatically
relabeling volumes in a media pool provides more information.
Recycle interval Defines the interval between two starts of the automatic relabel processes. The default value is 24:00.
Use the format HH:MM.
Max volumes to Defines the maximum number of recyclable volumes that NetWorker can relabel during each automatic
recycle relabel process. The default value is 200.
Recycle start now Select this attribute to start the automatic relabel process of recyclable volumes for this pool
immediately after you create the pool. The default value is No.
Store index For archive pools only. Select this attribute to configure an archive pool that creates client file index
entries entries for the archive save sets. Clear this option to configure an archive pool that will not create
client file index entries for the archive save sets.
Worm pool/ Supported WORM and DLTWORM tape drives provides more information about how to create Worm
Create pools.
DLTWORM
12. Optionally, on the Restricted Data Zones tab, from the restricted datazone list, select the restricted datazone in which to
add the pool.
13. Click OK
If any of the settings for a new media pool match an existing media pool, this message appears:

Pool(s) pool_name has overlapping selection criteria.

If this message appears, review the media pool configuration and modify any overlapping criteria.

14. If you did not select a label template when you create the media pool, a message appears that tells you that NetWorker
creates a label template for the media pool, click OK.

Backup Target 75
Auto media verification
If the Auto Media Verify attribute is enabled, the NetWorker server verifies data written to tape volumes from this media pool.
This attribute does not apply to AFTD, file type and Data Domain devices.
Data is verified by repositioning the tape volume to read a portion of the data previously written to the media. The data read is
compared to the original data written. This feature does not verify the entire length of the tape.
If the data read matches the data written, verification succeeds.
Media is verified when the following occurs:
● A volume becomes full while saving and it becomes necessary to continue on to another volume.
● A volume goes idle because all save sets being written to the volume are complete.
When a volume fails verification, it is marked full so that the server will not select that volume for future saves. The volume
remains full until it is recycled or a user marks it not full. If a volume fails verification while the server is attempting to switch
volumes, all save sets writing to the volume are terminated.
Auto media verification should not be used to verify the integrity of the data written to the entire tape. To fully verify the data
written to the tape, either restore the tape contents or clone the data.

Automatically relabeling volumes in a media pool

Automatically relabeling a recyclable volume provides the following benefits:
● You can relabel volumes outside of the backup window without the need for a scripted solution.
● NetWorker has access to appendable volumes at the time of a backup or clone, which results in faster backup and clone
completion times.
Eligible volumes will not be relabeled if the volume is loaded in a device that is:
● Disabled
● In use by an nsrmmd process (for example, during a restore operation)
● In read-only mode
● Busy
When NetWorker automatically relabels a volume, message to the following appears in the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker
server:

"num_of_volumes volumes will be recycled for pool pool_name in jukebox jukebox_name."

Supported WORM and DLTWORM tape drives

NetWorker supports write-once, read-many (WORM) tape drives and media. It is able to recognize the WORM abilities of tape
drives and the presence of WORM media in those drives. It also supports the creation of DLTWORM (formerly DLTIce) tapes in
drives that are DLTWORM capable.
The following table describes the WORM devices that are supported by the NetWorker software. For a complete listing of
supported devices, refer to the NetWorker Hardware Compatibility Guide.

Table 24. WORM supported devices

Device Description
HP LTO Ultrium 3 and higher Unique to HP Ultrium-3 and higher:
● Inquiry VPD page 0xb0, byte 4 bit 0 indicates WORM capable
● Read attribute # 0x0408 bit 7 to indicate WORM media present
Quantum SDLT600, DLT-S4, and DLT- Any drive with product inquiry data of “*DLT*” tape drive that reports WORM
V4 (SCSI and SATA) capability the way these drives do (“Quantum” not required in the vendor inquiry
data):
● Inquiry data VPD page 0xc0, byte 2, bit 0 to indicate WORM capable
● Read attribute # 0x0408 bit 7 to indicate WORM media present
Sony AIT-2, AIT-3, AIT-4, and SAIT Any drive with “Sony” in the vendor inquiry data that reports WORM capability like
these drives do:
● Mode sense page 0x31, byte 5 bit 0 indicates WORM capable
● Mode sense byte 4 bit 6 indicates WORM tape present

76 Backup Target
Table 24. WORM supported devices (continued)
Device Description
IBM 3592 Unique to IBM 03592:
● Mode sense page 0x24, byte 7 bit 4 indicates WORM capable
● Mode sense page 0x23, byte 20 bit 4 indicates WORM tape present
STK 9840A/B/C, 9940B, T10000 Any drive with STK as the vendor data that reports WORM capability like these:
● Standard inquiry data byte 55 bit 2 indicates WORM capable
● Request sense data byte 24 bit 1 indicates WORM tape present
IBM LTO Ultrium 3 and higher, and These drives use the SCSI-3 method to report WORM capabilities, so there is not
Quantum LTO Ultrium 3 and higher a match against any of the inquiry data. Any drive that does not match the inquiry
data patterns listed above will have the SCSI-3 method applied to them:
● Inquiry data VPD page
0xb0, byte 4, bit 0 indicates WORM capable
● Mode sense page
0x1d, byte 2 bit 0 indicates WORM tape present
Byte 4, bits 0,1: label restrictions include
- 00 indicates no overwriting allowed
- 01 indicates some labels can be overwritten
● Byte 5, bits 0,1: filemark overwrite restrictions
- 0x02: any filemark at EOD can be overwritten except for the one closest to
the beginning of the tape
- 0x03: any filemark at EOD can be overwritten

The WORM and DLTWORM attributes determine whether or not the NetWorker software will back up to a write once-read
many (WORM) tape. You can apply these tape attributes to any pool.
NOTE: Various Quantum drive models (SDLT600, DLT-S4, and DLT-V4) have the ability to create WORM tapes from
ordinary blank DLT tapes supported by that particular drive. You cannot recycle an existing NetWorker tape to create a
DLTWORM volume without first having bulk-erased the tape. When the DLTWORM attribute is set, labeling one of these
drives into a WORM pool causes the Quantum drive to make the current tape a WORM tape.
Savegroups that belong to pools that have either the WORM or DLTWORM attribute set, are considered to be WORM
savegroups.

Backup Target 77
How to identify WORM media
Since WORM media cannot be reused, the tapes are uniquely identified as such so that they are only used when required. As
shown in this figure, a (W) is appended to the volume names displayed in the Volumes window. If a volume is both read-only
and WORM, an (R) is appended to the volume name.

Figure 11. Identifying WORM tapes in the NetWorker Console

Determining WORM and DLTWORM capability

1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Select the drive, right-click, and select Properties.
3. Click the Information tab and observe the WORM capable and DLTWORM capable attribute settings. NetWorker
automatically sets these attributes and, consequently, they are read-only and cannot be changed.
NOTE: The WORM capable and DLTWORM capable attributes are dimmed out when the device in use is WORM
capable but does not support DLTWORM (not a Quantum DTL-type drive).

Configuring WORM and DLTWORM support

The following table describes WORM and DLTWORM attributes.

Table 25. WORM/DLTWORM attributes

Attribute Description
WORM pools only hold WORM tape By default, the NetWorker software only allows WORM tapes
into WORM pools. Deselecting this option lets you add new
(non-WORM) tapes to a WORM pool. This is useful when
you need WORM functionality but do not have WORM tapes
available.
WORM tapes only in WORM pools By default, NetWorker only lets you label WORM tapes into
WORM pools. Clear this option when:

You do not want to separate WORM tapes within WORM

pools.

A volume is needed to complete a group and a non-WORM

tape is
unavailable.

WORM capable This attribute indicates that this drive supports the use of
WORM media.

78 Backup Target
Table 25. WORM/DLTWORM attributes (continued)
Attribute Description
DLTWORM capable This attribute indicates that this drive can create DLTWORM
tapes from a blank tape.
WORM pool This pool should hold WORM tapes (depending on the setting
of “WORM pools only hold WORM tape” in the server).
create DLTWORM If selected, before the NetWorker software labels a tape in
a drive capable of creating DLTWORM volumes, NetWorker
will try to convert the tape into a DLTWORM tape. If that
conversion fails, the labeling for that tape will fail. If a tape
drive in a pool where this attribute is set cannot create
DLTWORM tapes, (that is, the tape drive is not a Quantum
SDLT600, DLT-S4 or DLT-V4 tape drive, this attribute is
simply ignored.

Refer to the Quantum web site for information on which tapes

can be
converted to DLTWORM tapes. Not all firmware revisions for
all of these
devices support WORM operation. Check the tape drives
website to make
sure that your drive has up-to-date firmware.

1. In the Administration window, click Media.

2. In the left pane, select Media Pools.
3. In the right pane, select the appropriate pool.
4. Right-click and select Properties.
5. Click the Configuration tab and select one of these WORM tape handling attributes:
● WORM pools only hold WORM tapes
● WORM tapes only in WORM pools

6. Click OK when finished making the necessary selections.

NOTE: If you attempt to assign a non-WORM capable drive to a WORM pool an error message is generated.

Editing a media pool

Perform these steps to edit an existing media pool.

NOTE: You cannot change the name of a media pool. Preconfigured media pools cannot be modified.

1. In the Administration window, click Media.

2. In the left pane, select Media Pools.
3. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Media Pool Properties window, right-click
the staging configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

4. Make any required changes, then click OK.

Backup Target 79
Copying a media pool
Perform these steps to create a copy of a pool resource.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Media Pools.
3. In the right pane, select the media pool.
4. From the Edit menu, select Copy. The Create Media Pool dialog box appears, containing the same information as the
media pool that was copied, except for the Name attribute.
5. In the Name attribute, type a name for the new media pool.
6. Edit any other attributes as appropriate, and click OK.

Deleting a media pool

You can delete a media pool only if the media database does not contain information about active volumes that are labeled for
the media pool. You cannot delete a preconfigured media pool.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Media Pools.
3. In the right pane, select the media pool.
4. From the File menu, select Delete.
5. When prompted, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Storage nodes
Storage nodes (including the NetWorker server) are host computers with attached storage devices. A storage node has the
physical connection and ownership of the attached devices, but the NetWorker server maintains the client file index and media
database. With the NetWorker software, client data can be routed directly to a storage node’s storage devices without the data
first going to the NetWorker server. A storage node may be a client of the NetWorker server, although this is not a requirement.
However, the storage node must have the NetWorker client software installed.
From the NetWorker server, typical storage tasks can be performed, such as:
● Mounting and labeling volumes for the storage node devices.
● Configuring NetWorker resources associated with the storage nodes.
Only users who have the Configure NetWorker privilege can add to or change the configuration of the NetWorker server, media
devices, and libraries. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information.

Requirements
To operate the NetWorker software with storage nodes, certain requirements must be met.
● On UNIX systems, this software must be installed on the storage nodes. The packages must be installed in the following
order:
1. NetWorker client software
2. NetWorker storage node software
● On Windows systems, the Storage Node Option must be installed. The Storage Node Option installs both the NetWorker
client and storage node software.

Licensing
The NetWorker Licensing Guide provides information on NetWorker licensing support for storage nodes.

80 Backup Target
Storage node configuration
The following sections provide the procedures for configuring a NetWorker storage node.

Configuring the Linux host as a storage node

Configure a storage node host to manage the data protection activities on a host that is not the NetWorker server.
1. Ensure that the storage node software and required enabler codes have been installed on the host.
2. In the NetWorker server Administration interface, click the Devices view.
3. From the navigation tree, right-click Storage Nodes, and select New.
The Create Storage Node window appears, with the General tab displayed.

4. Set the Identity attributes:

a. In Name, specify the hostname or the FQDN of the NetWorker Storage Node. The FQDN of a NetWorker Storage Node
can contain up to 255 characters. For more information, see NetWorker Client FQDN compliant with RFC 1123 on page
330.
b. In Type of Storage Node, select SCSI.
5. In the Status attributes, review or set the storage node status:
a. Storage node is configured indicates whether a device has already been configured on this storage node.
b. Enabled indicates whether the storage node is available for use:
● Yes indicates available state.
● No indicates service or disabled state. New device operations cannot begin and existing device operations may be
canceled.
c. Ready indicates whether the storage node is ready to accept device operations.
6. Set the Device Management attributes:
a. In Max active devices, set the maximum number of devices that NetWorker may use from this storage node in a DDS
environment.
b. In AFTD allowed directories, for AFTD devices, type the pathnames of directories on the storage host where AFTDs
are allowed to be created.
c. In mmds for disabled devices, select the nsrmmd (data mover) option:
● To start nsrmmd processes for disabled devices, select Yes.
● To not start nsrmmd processes for disabled devices, select No.
d. In Dynamic nsrmmds, for AFTD or DD Boost devices, select whether nsrmmd processes on the storage node devices
are started dynamically.
● Selected (Dynamic mode): NetWorker starts one nsrmmd process per device and adds more only on demand, for
example, when a device's Target sessions is reached.
● Unselected (Static mode): NetWorker runs all available nsrmmd processes.
In environments where unattended firewall ports must be restricted for security reasons, the storage node settings
for mmds for disabled devices and Dynamic nsrmmds unselected (static mode) offer more control. These storage
node settings cause all available nsrmmd firewall ports to be attended by running nsrmmd processes.

7. Select the Configuration tab.

8. In Scanning, set the attributes for SCSI library target devices on this storage node:
a. In Device Sharing Mode, select an option:
● Server Default uses the NetWorker server setting for device sharing.
● Maximal Sharing allows sharing of all devices.
● No Sharing disables device sharing.
b. In Search all LUNs, select an option:
● For NetWorker to detect all LUNs (Iogical unit numbers), select Yes. Detection can be time consuming.
● For NetWorker to stop searching at the first available LUN, select No, the default setting.
c. In Use persistent names, choose whether NetWorker uses persistent device names specific to the storage host
operating system when performing device discovery and autoconfiguration operations.
d. In Skip SCSI targets field:
● If the storage node type is set to SCSI, list any SCSI targets to exclude from backup operations, one per line.

Backup Target 81
 ● The format is bus.target.lun where the target and LUN fields are optional.
● You can exclude a maximum of 63 targets.
9. For AFTD or DD Boost devices, configure the following settings in Advanced Devices:
● In Server network interface, type the unique network interface hostname of the NetWorker server to be used by the
storage nodes.
● In Clone storage nodes, list by priority the hostnames of the storage nodes to be used for the save or “write source”
side of clone operations originating from this storage node as the “read source.” The clone operation selects the first
storage node in this list that has an enabled device and a functional nsrmmd process.
○ If the Clone storage nodes attribute does not contain a value, then the device operations use the value that is
defined in the Clone storage nodes attribute for the Storage Node resource that was created for the NetWorker
server.
○ If the Clone storage nodes attribute for the storage node resource is empty, then device operations use the values
that are defined in Storage nodes attribute for the client resource that was created for the NetWorker server.
In backup-to-disk environments, it is possible for a single backup volume to be shared by multiple storage devices on
different storage nodes. This can result in an ambiguous clone write source.

10. Click OK.

Modifying the timeout attribute for storage node operations

An attribute named nsrmmd Control Timeout, which is set during NetWorker server configuration, configures the amount of
time a NetWorker server waits for a storage node request to be completed. If the timeout value is reached without completion
of the request, the operation stops and an error message is logged. The default value assigned to Nsrmmd Control Timeout is
five minutes.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click the Configuration button.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Node.
3. Right-click the NetWorker server in the left pane and select Properties.
4. Select the Media tab.
5. Modify the attributes as appropriate and click OK.

Configuring timeouts for storage node remote devices

Timeouts that determine how long to wait for mount requests on a storage node remote device before the save is redirected to
another storage node are set in the Properties window of a device.
The Storage Node Devices area of the tab includes these attributes related to storage node timeouts:
● Save Mount Timeout
● Save Lockout
Save Mount Timeout and Save Lockout attributes change the timeout of a save mount request on a remote device.
If the mount request is not satisfied within the time frame specified by the Save Mount Timeout attribute, the storage node is
locked out from receiving saved data for the time specified by the Save Lockout attribute.
The default value for Save Mount Timeout is 30 minutes. The default value for Save Lockout is zero, which means the device in
the storage node continues to receive mount requests for the saved data.

NOTE: The Save Mount Timeout applies only to the initial volume of a save request.

To modify the Save Mount Timeout and Save Lockout attributes, perform the following steps.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click the Devices button.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Node.
3. Right-click the remote device and select Properties.
4. Select the Advanced tab.
5. Modify the attributes as appropriate and click OK.

82 Backup Target
Balancing the load on the storage node
The Save Session Distribution feature allows you to configure how NetWorker distributes save sessions between the storage
nodes.
NOTE: This feature is not available for clone and recover operations.

You can apply this feature to all NetWorker clients or to selected clients. This feature has two options:
● Max sessions—Distributes save sessions that are based on the setting in the Max sessions option in the storage node
device resource. This is the default distribution method. The Max sessions option is more likely to concentrate the backup
load on fewer storage nodes.
● Target sessions—Distributes save sessions that are based on the setting defined in the Target sessions option in each
storage node device resource. The Target sessions option is more likely to spread the backup across multiple storage
nodes.
When you select the Max sessions option, the NetWorker server distributes the save sessions for a client among eligible
storage nodes as follows:
1. Identifies the available storage nodes in the NetWorker client’s storage node affinity list.
2. Uses an available device on the first storage node in the list that is working below its Target sessions level.
3. When all devices on the first storage node are running at their target sessions level but some are running below their max
sessions level, then NetWorker uses the least loaded device.
4. Continues until all available devices on all storage nodes in the client’s storage node affinity list are in use.
When you select the Target sessions option, the NetWorker server distributes save sessions among eligible storage nodes as
follows:
1. Identifies the available storage nodes in the storage node affinity list for the client.
2. Uses an available device on the first storage node in the list that is working below its Target sessions level.
3. When all devices on the first storage node are running at their target sessions levels, continue to the next storage node even
if some devices are running below their max sessions level.
4. When all devices on all eligible storage nodes are running at their target sessions level, use the least loaded device that is
running below its max session value.
5. Continues to send data to the least loaded device that is running below the max session value, until all devices on all available
storage nodes are running at their max session levels.
Note the following performance considerations for storage node load balancing:
● Depending on the configuration of the backup environment, there is a potential to shorten the backup times by using the
device Target sessions option rather than the device Max sessions option. However, using the device Target sessions
option with the checkpoint restart feature can result in slower recovery times because a single save set is more likely to be
spread across multiple storage nodes.
● It is recommended to use the default values for Max sessions as lowering these values can impact performance.
● Each NetWorker client has a storage node affinity list. The Save sessions distribution feature can only distribute a backup
session for a client to multiple storage nodes when the client resource has two or more storage nodes in its storage node
affinity list. The storage node affinity list is specified on the Globals (2 of 2) tab in the NetWorker Client Properties
window.

Configuring the storage node affinity list for a client

Storage node affinity is a feature that determines which NetWorker servers and storage nodes receive the data from a client.
Define the storage node affinity list in the Storage Nodes attribute of the Client resource.
For most Client resources, the default setting for the Storage Nodes attribute is nsrserverhost, which represents NetWorker
server host. To configure the NetWorker server to direct the data for a client to a storage node device, modify the Storage
Nodes attribute and specify the name of the storage node in the Storage Nodes attribute of the Client resource on a line above
the default nsrserverhost entry.
If you create the Client resource for a storage node after you create the remote device on the storage node, the default setting
of the Storage Nodes attribute is the storage node and the NetWorker server.
To modify the Storage Nodes attribute for a client, perform the following steps:
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In left navigation pane, expand Clients, right-click the appropriate client, and select Properties.
3. On the Globals (2 of 2) tab in the Storage Nodes attribute, specify the hostname of the storage node, and then click OK.

Backup Target 83
The NetWorker software directs the client data to the first storage node in the affinity list with an enabled device, capable of
receiving the data. The NetWorker software sends additional saves to the next storage node in the storage node affinity list that
is based on criteria that are specified in Balancing the load on the storage node on page 83.

Specifying storage node load balancing

By default, NetWorker balances client backups across storage nodes that are based on the Max sessions attribute for each
device on the storage node. If you choose to balance storage node loads by Max sessions, you can override this setting for
selected clients.

1. On the Administration window, click the Server button.

2. From the View menu, select Diagnostic Mode.
3. Right-click the NetWorker server in the left pane, and select Properties.
4. On the General tab, select a value from the Save session distribution list:
● If you select Target sessions, then the NetWorker server balances the backups for all NetWorker clients across the
storage nodes, based on device target session value. The NetWorker server ignores the value that is defined in Save
session distribution attribute for each NetWorker client.
● If you select Max sessions, then you can still override this value for selected NetWorker client resources by setting the
Save session distribution attribute in the client resource.
5. Click OK.

Overriding the save session distribution method for selected clients

If you selected Max sessions as the Save session distribution method for the NetWorker server, you can use the following
procedure to override the setting for selected clients.
1. On the Administration window, click the Protection button.
2. In the left navigation pane, expand Clients.
3. Right-click the appropriate client and select Properties.
4. On the Globals (1 of 2) tab, select Target sessions from the Save session distribution list.
5. Click OK.

Multiplexing
Multiplexing is the ability to write multiple data streams simultaneously to the same storage device. It is often more efficient for
the NetWorker server to multiplex multiple save sets to the same device. There are also times when limiting the number of data
streams to a particular device improves performance of the NetWorker environment.
Use the Target sessions, Max sessions, and Pool parallelism attributes to increase or limit the number of data streams that
NetWorker writes to a device.

Target sessions
Use the Target sessions attribute on the Configuration tab of the Device resource to define the optimal number of backup
sessions to assign to an active device.
Target sessions is not a hard limit; to set a hard limit for the number of sessions that a particular device can accept, use the Max
sessions attribute.
The Target sessions attribute aids in load balancing devices by determining when the NetWorker software should write save
streams to a device.
When a save session starts, the following actions occur:
● If a device is already receiving the number of backup sessions determined by the target sessions value, the NetWorker
server uses the next underutilized device for the backups.
● If all available devices are receiving the number of backup sessions determined by their target sessions value, the NetWorker
server overrides the set value and uses the device with the least activity for the next backup session.
Because it is often more efficient for the NetWorker server to multiplex multiple save sets to the same device, rather than write
each save set to a separate device, the NetWorker server attempts to assign to each device a number of save sets, up to the
value of target sessions, before assigning a save set to another device.

84 Backup Target
 NOTE: When the NetWorker software assesses how many devices need to be involved in multiple save streams
assignments with the same storage node, the device with the lowest target session value is used as a reference.

Max sessions
The Max sessions attribute on the Configuration tab of the Device resource defines the maximum number of save sessions for a
device. The max sessions value is never less than the target sessions value. It is recommended to use the default values for Max
sessions as lowering these values can impact performance.

Bootstrap backup on a storage node

When the NetWorker server backup action performs a backup of the bootstrap save set, the data writes to a device that is local
to the NetWorker server. You cannot back up bootstrap data to a remote device, but you can clone or stage the bootstrap to a
remote device. When you recover a bootstrap save set, you must recover the data from a local device.

Staging bootstrap backups

You can direct bootstrap backups to a disk device such as an AFTD or FTD device.
However, if you stage a bootstrap backup to a volume on another device, NetWorker reports the staging operation as complete
although the “recover space” operation has not started, and the bootstrap remains on the original device. Therefore, if the
staged bootstrap is accidentally deleted, you can recover the bootstrap from the original disk. The NetWorker Server Disaster
Recovery and Availability Best Practices Guide describes how to recover a bootstrap from the original disk.
Also, if the bootstrap data is not staged from the original disk, the data on the original disk is subject to the same retention
policies as any other save set backup and is, therefore, deleted after the retention policy has expired.

Troubleshooting storage node affinity issues

If a backup fails because of a problem related to the storage node affinity, a message similar to the following might appear:

no matching devices; check storage nodes, devices or pools

Possible causes for this error message include:

● No enabled devices are on the storage nodes.
● The devices do not have volumes that match the pool required by the backup request.
● All devices are set to read-only or are disabled.
For example, if the client has only one storage node in its Storage Node list, and all devices on that storage node are disabled, fix
the problem and then restart the backup.
Complete one of the following actions to fix the problem:
● Enable devices on one of the storage nodes in the storage node list for the client.
● Correct the pool restrictions for the devices in the storage node list.
● Configure an additional storage node that has enabled devices that meet the pool restrictions.
● Set one of the devices to read/write.

Storage Node Options

Storage node options secures the environment by restricting unattended firewall ports.
If Dynamic nsrmmds is selected, then the NetWorker adds devices only on demand. Dynamic mode can improve bandwidth
and performance, but the firewall ports may be left unattended by running processes. If Dynamic nsrmmds is set to No, then
the NetWorker starts all available nsrmmd processes. Static mode along with the "mmds for disabled devices" option provides
greater control on the nsrmmd firewall ports. They ports are attended by running processes.

Backup Target 85
MMDS for Disabled Devices Dynamic nsrmmds Functionality
No No This is a static configuration. The number of ports that are to be
open is equal to the number of disk devices on the storage node, that
is, the "max nsrmmd count".
Yes No This is a "static" configuration. The number of ports that are to be
open is equal to the number of disk devices on the storage node, that
is, the number of nsrmmds. In this configuration, the ports are not
utilized efficiently. A few of them remain unused. When the disabled
devices are re-enabled, then all the open ports might be used.
Yes/No Yes This is a "dynamic" configuration. This configuration ensures that the
nsrmmds are started on demand by the server.

NOTE: You must ensure that the sum of storage node devices nsrmmds count should not exceed 655.

Configuring a dedicated storage node

All devices created on storage nodes, except the devices for the NetWorker server include the Dedicated Storage Node
attribute. A dedicated storage node can only back up data that originates from the storage node host. When you configure a
storage node as a dedicated storage node, you require a Dedicated Storage Node license.
After you create a storage node, perform the following steps to configure the storage node as dedicated.
1. On the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left navigation pane, expand Storage Nodes, right-click the storage node, and then select Properties.
3. On the Configuration tab, in the Dedicated Storage Node option, select Yes.
4. Click OK.

Troubleshooting storage nodes

This section provides troubleshooting information about storage nodes.

Storage node affinity errors

A storage node affinity problem may exist when a backup fails with an error message similar to the following:
No matching devices; check storage nodes, devices or pools

This error message can appear for the following reasons:

● All the devices in the storage node are disabled.
● Each device in the storage node contains a volume that does not match the pool that the backup request requires.
● All the devices in the storage node are set to read-only.
To resolve this error:
● Enable devices on one of the storage nodes.
● Correct the pool restrictions for the devices that are listed in the Storage Nodes attribute of the Pool resource.
● Add another storage node that has enabled devices and meets the pool restrictions to the Storage Nodes attribute of the
Pool resource.
● Write-enable one of the devices.
● Adjust the Save Mount Timeout and Save Lockout attributes for in the Device resource for the storage node.

86 Backup Target
Storage node timeout errors
If the nsrd process starts on the NetWorker server and detects that a setting for the NSR_MMDCONTROL variable exists, a
message similar to the following appears:
NSR_MMDCONTROL env variable is being ignored
use nsrmmd control timeout attribute instead

If you receive this message, perform the following steps.

1. Shut down the NetWorker services.
2. Remove the environment variable setting for NSR_MMDCONTROL.
3. Restart the NetWorker services.
4. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.
5. Adjust the value of the nsrmmd Control Timeout attribute in the Storage Node resource to the value that was assigned to
the NSR_MMDCONTROL variable, or to a value that best meets the current requirements. Modifying the timeout attribute
for storage node operations on page 82 provides more information.

Disk storage devices

NetWorker software supports a variety of different backup to disk (B2D) methods. These methods all use disk files that
NetWorker creates and manages as storage devices. These devices can reside on a computer’s local disk or a network-attached
disk. NetWorker supports FTD, AFTD, and DD Boost device types. This section does not cover disk-based devices that emulate
other device types, such as virtual tape libraries (VTLs).

FTD
A file type device (FTD) is a basic disk device type that has been available for many years. FTDs have limited use and support
and this chapter describes them for legacy purposes only.

AFTD
Advanced file type devices (AFTDs) support concurrent backup and restore operations and require the NetWorker DiskBackup
Option (DBO) license. AFTDs are supported for the following configurations:
● A local disk on a NetWorker storage node.
● A network-attached disk device that is NFS-mountable to a NetWorker storage node running a Linux or UNIX operating
system.
● A network-attached disk device that is CIFS-mountable to a NetWorker storage node running on Windows.
The Client Direct feature enables NetWorker clients to back up directly to AFTDs over a CIFS or NFS network, bypassing the
storage node. For Client Direct backups, the storage node manages the devices but does not handle the backup data unless the
Client Direct workflow is not available.

DD Boost devices
DD Boost devices reside on Data Domain storage systems that have the DD Boost features enabled. These devices are similar
to AFTDs except they store backup data in a highly compressed and deduplicated format. The DD Boost API accesses the DD
Boost devices over a network. NetWorker can perform DD Boost backups through either the NetWorker storage node workflow
or the Client Direct file access workflow.
The Client Direct workflow enables NetWorker clients with distributed segment processing (DSP) and network access to
deduplicate their own backup data and send the data directly to the DD Boost devices. This method bypasses the storage node
and frees up network bandwidth. The storage node manages the devices but does not handle the backup data workflow if the
Client Direct workflow is available.
If Client Direct backup is not available, NetWorker automatically routes the backup through the storage node where it is
deduplicated and sent to the DD Boost devices for storage. Restore operations work similarly. If Client Direct is not available for
a restore, then NetWorker performs a traditional storage node recovery.

Backup Target 87
This guide does not cover DD Boost operations. The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides details on DD
Boost devices

Example environment
The following figure shows various backup-to-disk options deployed in a mixed operating system environment.
● Linux/UNIX Storage Node A writes its backups to either of the following:
○ The AFTD through an NFS connection to Disk Device 1.
○ The AFTD on Local Disk 1.
● Windows Storage Node B uses a CIFS connection to back up to the NAS AFTD on Disk Device 2.
● Data Domain system C writes its backups to a DD Boost device on Local Disk 2.

Figure 12. Example NetWorker disk backup configuration in a mixed backup environment.

Considerations for Client Direct clients

Client Direct backups enable clients to bypass the storage node and back up directly to storage devices. The storage node
manages the devices but does not handle the backup data. Device configuration for Client Direct clients depends on the type of
storage device and how it is connected to the storage nodes.
A Client Direct backup reduces bandwidth usage and bottlenecks at the storage node, and provides highly efficient backup data
transmission.
If a Client Direct backup is not available, a traditional storage node backup occurs instead.

Requirements for Client Direct backups

Ensure that the environment meets the following requirements to perform Client Direct backups:
● NetWorker clients on UNIX/Linux or Microsoft Windows can perform non-root and cross-platform Client Direct backups to
AFTDs. The AFTD can be managed by either a UNIX/Linux or a Windows storage node, and can be either local or mountable
on the storage node.
To perform non-root and cross-platform Client Direct backups to AFTDs, the NetWorker server and the storage node
software must be version 8.1 or later.
● If an NFS server provides the AFTD storage for Client Direct backups, then the NFS server must permit access by using the
NFSv3 protocol with AUTH_SYS (AUTH_UNIX) authentication. The NFS server also must not restrict access to clients by
using only privileged ports.
● If you enable checkpoint restart for a client, then Client Direct backups are supported only to AFTDs, and not to DD Boost
devices. If a client is enabled for checkpoint restart and a Client Direct backup is tried to a DD Boost device, then the backup
reverts to a traditional storage node backup instead.
For Client Direct backups to AFTDs, checkpoint restart points are made at least 15 seconds apart. Checkpoints are always
made after larger files that require more than 15 seconds to back up.

88 Backup Target
● Archive operations are not currently supported for Client Direct backups.

Configuring Client Direct backups

1. Ensure that the clients that perform Client Direct backups have a network connection and a remote network protocol to
reach the storage device.
Windows clients can use a CIFS or NFS path, although a CIFS path generally yields better performance. UNIX clients must
use an NFS path.
2. Specify the complete path for the destination device in the Device access information attribute on the General tab of the
Device Properties dialog box for the destination device.
Keep in mind the following points when you specify the path:
● If the storage device is directly attached to a Windows storage node, then the storage node uses a different path than
the Client Direct clients. If the storage device is not directly attached to any storage node, then the path is the same for
all storage nodes and Client Direct clients.
● The device access information path should include multiple access paths to cover local and remote use cases.
● To specify an NFS path, use the NFS_host:/path format regardless of whether the AFTD is local to the storage node
or mountable on the storage node. Non-root UNIX/Linux NetWorker clients require this NFS format for Client Direct
access.
● For Windows Client Direct backups, specify a CIFS path instead of an NFS path. A CIFS path generally yields better
performance.
● If you are setting up an AFTD on a Windows storage node, specify the CIFS path first. For example:
\\fileserver\aftd1
fileserver:/aftd1
● If you are setting up a UNIX/Linux storage node, specify the NFS path first. For example:
fileserver:/aftd1
\\fileserver\aftd1
The following figure shows an example set of paths for a CIFS AFTD.

Figure 13. Paths for CIFS AFTD

3. If an NFS server provides the AFTD storage for Client Direct backups, then specify the username and password that is
required to access the NFS server for the AFTD in the Remote user and Password attributes on the Configuration tab of
the Device Properties dialog box for the device.
4. Ensure that the Client direct attribute is enabled on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for each Client
Direct client.
Client Direct backups are enabled by default.
Select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Client direct attribute in the Client
Properties dialog box.

Differences between FTDs, AFTDs, and DD Boost devices

The following table lists the functional differences between traditional file type devices (FTDs), AFTDs, and DD Boost devices.
The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides details on DD Boost devices.

Backup Target 89
Table 26. Differences between disk devices
Function or operation File type device (FTD) Advanced file type device DD Boost device
(AFTD)
Create a device ● Device Property Window ● Device Configuration ● Device Configuration
Wizard Wizard
Select the media type: file.
● Device Property Window ● Device Property Window
UNIX/Linux storage node:
Select media type: Select media type:
local or NFS only.
adv_file. Data Domain
Windows storage node:
UNIX/Linux storage node:
local
local
path only. CIFS is not
or NFS only.
supported for
FTDs. Windows storage node:
local or
CIFS using UNC path or
using NFS:
Remote user, Password.
Storage location ● Specified in the Name ● Specified in the Device ● Specified in the Device
attribute. Access Information Access Information
attribute. attribute.
Concurrent save set ● No. ● Yes. ● Yes.
operations

Concurrent AFTD recovery

operation limitations on page
101 provides
more information about
performing
concurrent recovery
operations from an
AFTD.

Reclaiming or recovering ● The nsrim program ● Aborted save sets ● Reclaims only data that
space removes both aborted and immediately removed. is unique, not required by
expired save sets, once ● The nsrim program other existing backups.
NOTE: For Read-only
every 24 hours, by the removes expired save ● NetWorker does not
disk type volumes, nsrim Expiration action, at the sets from the media immediately remove
does not reclaim/recover time defined in the Server database once every 24 aborted save sets, but
the space. backup workflow (if you hours, by the Expiration marks them recyclable. A
have set volume recycle to action, at the time defined restarted save can be
Auto). in the Server backup deduplicated. Otherwise,
. workflow (if you have set NetWorker removes the
volume recycle to Auto). aborted save set during
NetWorker removes space the next Recover Space
on the AFTD as specified operation.
in the Reclaim Space
Interval of the staging
policy.
Volume default capacity for ● If the file type device was ● Does not apply. ● Does not apply.
devices used before setting the
Volume Default Capacity
attribute, the data for
that file type device must
be staged or cloned to
another device.
AFTD Percentage Capacity ● Does not apply. ● A setting determines the ● Does not apply.
capacity that NetWorker
software should stop

90 Backup Target
Table 26. Differences between disk devices (continued)
Function or operation File type device (FTD) Advanced file type device DD Boost device
(AFTD)
writing to an AFTD: spans
from 1% to 100%.
When file system or volume is ● Waiting message is ● Message is displayed ● Backup to a DD Boost
full displayed if no writable stating file system requires device fails and stops
volume available or until more space. when full.
volume becomes available. ● The nsrim program
● Volume marked full and invoked to reclaim space
is no longer available for for expired save set on
backups until the volume AFTD.
becomes appendable. ● Notification is sent by
email stating device is full.
● Device waits until space
become available. The
volume is never marked as
full.
Save set continuation ● Yes. ● No. Save sets that start ● No. Save sets that start
on an AFTD must be on a DD Boost device
completed on the same must be completed on the
device. same device.
Data format in device ● Open Tape Format (OTF). ● Save stream (uasm) ● Deduplicated
format (uses less space).
Client Direct backup: ● No. ● Yes. ● Yes.
the storage node manages the
devices for the NetWorker Clients send their own Clients use DD Boost
clients, but the clients send backup data DSP functionality to
their backup data directly directly to the storage deduplicate
to the devices via network devices. If Client their own backup data
access, bypassing the storage Direct backup is not before
node. available, a traditional sending it directly to the
storage node backup is storage
performed. devices. If Client Direct
backup is not
NetWorker archive available, a traditional
operations are storage
not supported for Client node backup is performed.
Direct backup.
NetWorker archive
operations are not
supported for
Client Direct backup.

Device target and max sessions default values and ranges

There are default values and ranges for device target and max sessions in the NMC NetWorker Administration window.
The following table lists the default values for target and max sessions values.

Table 27. Default values and ranges for target and max sessions attributes
Device type Default target Default max sessions Recommended Range
sessions sessions*
AFTD (traditional 4 32 1 - 32 1 - 1024
storage)
AFTD (including Data 4 32 1 - 10 1 - 1024
Domain CIFS/NFS)

Backup Target 91
Table 27. Default values and ranges for target and max sessions attributes (continued)
Device type Default target Default max sessions Recommended Range
sessions sessions*
CloudBoost 10 80 1 - 10 1 - 200
Data Domain (DD 20 60 1 - 10 1 - 60
Boost)
DD Cloud Tier 20 60 1 - 10 1 - 60
NDMP 4 512 1 - 32 1 - 1024
FTD (traditional) 4 32 1 - 16 1 - 1024
ProtectPoint 20 120 1 - 10 1 - 1024
VTL/Tape (traditional) 4 32 1 - 16 1 - 512
VTL/Tape (Data 4 32 1-1 1 - 512
Domain / Deduplicated)
* The recommended
session values are
guidelines only and are
subject to bandwidth,
data type, and device
capabilities.

Advanced file type devices

Advanced file type devices (AFTDs) overcome the main restrictions of traditional file type device (FTD) storage. AFTD storage
is designed for large disk storage systems that use a volume manager to dynamically extend available disk space if the disk runs
out of space during backup.
The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides a list of supported volume managers.

Memory requirements for AFTD backups

The physical memory requirements for a NetWorker storage node and Client Direct client depends on the peak AFTD usage.
The following is the list of physical memory requirements for AFTD:
● Allowing for other types of devices and services on a typical storage node, a storage node should have a minimum of 8 GB of
RAM to host AFTDs.
● AFTD clients require a minimum of 4 GB of RAM at the time of backup to ensure optimum performance for Client Direct
backups. Client Direct backups require client access to the AFTDs on either a CIFS or NFS network.
● Each AFTD requires an initial 24 MB of RAM on the storage node and Client Direct client. Each AFTD save session requires
an additional 24 MB. To run 10 sessions requires 24 + 240 MB. The default max sessions of 60 sessions per AFTD requires 24
+ 1440 MB.

Required AFTD DFA device settings for Hyper-V environments

For Hyper-V environments, when creating a NetWorker AFTD DFA device on an NTFS or ReFS volume, Microsoft requires
certain settings.
If the NetWorker AFTD DFA device is created on an NTFS volume, virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) files must be uncompressed
and unencrypted. If the NetWorker AFTD DFA device is created on an ReFS volume, virtual hard disk (VHD/VHDx) files must
not have the integrity bit set.

92 Backup Target
Create and configure an AFTD
You can create an AFTD by using either the Device Wizard or the device properties window.

Creating an AFTD by using the Device Wizard

If you are creating an AFTD to use the client direct feature, see Considerations for Client Direct clients on page 88 for
information about specifying network path information when creating the AFTD.
1. In the NMC Enterprise view, double-click the NetWorker managed application to launch its window.
2. In the NetWorker Administration window, select the Devices view.
3. Verify that the path to the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs is allowed.
a. In the navigation tree, select Storage Nodes.
b. Right-click the storage node that you will use, and select Properties.
c. In the AFTD allowed directories list, verify or type the path of the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs.
AFTDs can be created and accessed only by these listed paths. If this list is left empty, there are few restrictions as to
where a device path can be created.

d. Click OK.
4. In the navigation tree, right-click Devices, and select New Device Wizard.
5. In the Select the Device Type window, select AFTD and click Next.
6. In the Select Storage Node window, specify the path to the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs.
a. In the Storage Node list, select the storage node that you will use.
b. If the directory for the intended AFTDs is on a different storage node or a remote storage system, select Device
storage is remote from this Storage Node and type the Network Path of the remote host directory that will contain
the devices.
For example, if the storage node is a Microsoft Windows system and you use a CIFS AFTD on a remote storage system
host, this path could be something like the following:
\\dzone1_storhost2.lss.corp.com\share-1
This storage path is not a device. It is the directory location in which the shared devices are to be created.

7. In Browse or Manual, select which option you will use to specify the pathnames of the devices:
● Browse Storage Node or network path. The next wizard step will prompt you to browse and add the devices.
● Manually enter local or remote device paths. Select this to skip the browse step and manually type unique names for
the devices you want to add:
○ For remote devices, type the device paths relative to the Network Path that you specified for the storage directory.
For example:
cifsaftd-1
cifsaftd-2
○ For local devices, type the absolute paths to these devices. For example:
C:\cifsaftd-1
C:\cifsaftd-2
Multiple devices for a single volume configuration on page 98 provides details for shared volumes.

8. If the storage host is remote from the storage node, in the Authentication area, type the appropriate Username and
Password to access the storage directory.
9. Click Next.
10. If you selected the Browse option in the previous window:
a. In the Select the Device Path window, verify that the storage node shows the path of a storage directory.
b. Add devices to the storage directory by clicking New Folder and typing unique device names. For example:
cifsaftd-1
cifsaftd-2

c. Select the new devices to add and click Next.

Backup Target 93
11. In the Configure Device Attributes window, specify the attributes. If you added multiple devices in the previous window,
select each device individually and specify its attributes:
a. In NetWorker Device Name, type a unique name for the AFTD device.
For example, for a device on the NetWorker server host storage node:
aftd-1
If you configure the device on a storage node host that is not the NetWorker server host, it is a “remote device” and this
attribute must be specified with rd= and a colon (:) in the following format (for Microsoft Windows):
rd=remote_storagenode_hostname:device_name
For example:
rd=dzone1_storhost2:aftd-1

b. (Optional) Add a comment in the Comment field.

c. If Client Direct backup will be used, follow the details in Considerations for Client Direct clients on page 88.
d. In Target Sessions specify the number of sessions that a nsrmmd data mover process on the device will handle before
another device on the host will take the additional sessions. Use this setting to balance the sessions among nsrmmd
processes.
If another device is not available, then another nsrmmd process on the same device will take the additional sessions.
Typically, set this attribute to a low value. The default value is 4 for AFTDs. It may not be set to a value greater than 60.

e. In Max Sessions specify the maximum number sessions the device may handle. If no additional devices are available
on the host, then another available storage host takes the additional sessions, or retries are tried until sessions become
available.
The default value is 32 for AFTDs, which typically provides best performance. It cannot be set to a value greater than 60.

NOTE: The Max Sessions setting does not apply to concurrent recover sessions.

f. Click Next.
12. In the Label and Mount device window, if you select the Label and Mount option, specify the attributes for:
● Pool Type.
● Pool to use.
13. On the Review the Device Configuration page:
a. Review the settings.
b. Click Configure.
14. On the Check results page:
a. Review whether the devices were successfully configured or if any messages appeared.
b. Click Finish.
c. To change any of the settings, click Back to the correct wizard page.

Creating an AFTD by using the Properties window (Linux and UNIX)

1. Create one directory for each disk (or partition) to be used for an AFTD.
AFTDs require a directory (folder) to be created in the disk file system that the NetWorker server or storage node
recognizes as the device name (and the destination for the data).

NOTE: Do not use a temporary directory for AFTDs. The data could be overwritten.

2. In the NetWorker Administration window, click the Devices view.

3. Verify that the path to the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs is allowed.
a. In the navigation tree, select Storage Nodes.
b. Right-click the storage node that you will use, and select Properties.
c. In the AFTD allowed directories list, verify or type the path of the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs.
AFTDs can be created and accessed only by these listed paths. If this list is left empty, there are few restrictions as to
where a device path can be created.

d. Click OK.
4. In the navigation tree, right-click Devices and select New.

94 Backup Target
 The Create Device window opens, with the General tab selected. The Identity area might show a default device name in
the Name field.

5. In the Identity area, set the following attributes:

a. In the Name attribute, type the name of the directory that you created for the AFTD.
For example:
aftd-1
If you configure the device on a separate storage node host that is not the NetWorker server host, it is a remote device
and this Name attribute must be specified with rd= in the following format:

rd=remote_snode_hostname:device_name

For example:
rd=snode-1:aftd-1
b. (Optional) Add a comment in the Comment field.
c. In the Device Access Information attribute, provide complete paths to the device directory. You can provide alternate
paths for the storage node and for Client Direct clients, for example:
For non-root or cross-platform Client Direct access:
For non-root or cross-platform Client Direct access to an AFTD, do not specify an automounter path or a mounted path.
Instead, specify the path in the host:/path format, even if the AFTD is local to the storage node.
For example:
NFS_host:/path

where:
● NFS_host is the hostname of the NFS file server
● path is the NFS-mountable path that is exported by the file server
This format is required to allow Client Direct access for Windows or non-root UNIX clients.
NOTE: Non-root Client Direct access to an NFS AFTD is supported only with the NFSv3 protocol and
AUTH_SYS authentication on the NFS host. For Client Direct access to an AFTD when the backup client is
able to run as root on the AFTD host, provide a mount point or automounter path.

NOTE: For example, for an NFS-mounted device:

/mnt/aftd-1
/net/storho-1/snode-1/aftd-1

where:
○ aftd-1 is the storage device directory name
○ storho-1 is the storage system hostname
○ snode-1 is the storage node hostname
The first path enables the storage node to access the device via its defined mount point. The second path enables
Client Direct clients to use the automounter path to directly access the device, bypassing the storage node.

d. In the Media Type field, select adv_file, for the AFTD.

Considerations for Client Direct clients on page 88 provides additional details for Client Direct configurations.
Multiple devices for a single volume configuration on page 98 provides additional details for shared volumes.

6. In the Status area, ensure that the Auto Media Management tape feature is not enabled.
7. In the Cleaning area, leave the options for cleaning at their default (disabled) settings, so that automatic cleaning is not
invoked.
8. Select the Configuration tab.
9. In the Save Sessions area, set the number of concurrent save sessions (streams) and the number of nsrmmd (data mover)
processes the device may handle:
● Target Sessions is the number of sessions that a nsrmmd process on the device will handle before another device on
the host will take the additional sessions. Use this setting to balance the sessions among nsrmmd processes.
If another device is not available, then another nsrmmd process on the same device will take the additional sessions.

Backup Target 95
 Typically, set this attribute to a low value. The default values are 4 for AFTDs and 6 for DD Boost devices. It may not be
set to a value greater than 60.
Multiple devices for a single volume configuration on page 98 provides details on volume sharing.
● Max Sessions is the maximum number sessions the device may handle. If no additional devices are available on the
host, then another available storage host takes the additional sessions, or retries are attempted until sessions become
available.
The default values are 32 for AFTDs and 60 for DD Boost devices, which typically provides best performance. It cannot
be set to a value greater than 60.
The Max Sessions setting does not apply to concurrent recover sessions.
● Max nsrmmd count limits the number of nsrmmd processes that can run on the device. Use this setting to balance the
nsrmmd load among devices. The default value is 4.
To modify this value, first adjust the sessions attributes, apply, and monitor the effects, then update max nsrmmd count.
At least one nsrmmd process is reserved for restore or clone operations.

10. In the Local Backup area, leave Dedicated Storage Node at No (the default).
11. In the Remote Host area, if an NFS path is specified in the Device Access Information, then type a Remote User name
and Password.
The remote username is the name of the user on the NFS server. It is recommended that you also specify the numeric user
id (UID) of that user. Do this by appending a colon (:) and the UID after the username, for example, user_name:4242.
NOTE: If the device username is changed after labeling, manual action may be required to change the owner of all files
and directories in the AFTD. NetWorker will try to perform this automatically during the next operation, however the
ability to do so depends on the security configuration of the file server where the AFTD storage resides.

12. Click OK when the configuration is complete.

13. If a new password for an AFTD is provided, unmount and re-mount the device to ensure that the change takes effect.

Creating an AFTD by using the Properties window (Windows)

You can configure an AFTD on a storage node running Microsoft Windows.

1. Create one directory for each disk (or partition) to be used for an AFTD.
AFTDs require a directory (folder) to be created in the disk file system that the NetWorker server or storage node
recognizes as the device name (and the destination for the data).

NOTE: Do not use a temporary directory for AFTDs. The data could be overwritten.

2. In the NetWorker Administration window, click the Devices view.

3. Verify that the path to the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs is allowed.
a. In the navigation tree, select Storage Nodes.
b. Right-click the storage node that you will use, and select Properties.
c. In the AFTD allowed directories list, verify or type the path of the storage directory that will contain the AFTDs.
AFTDs can be created and accessed only by these listed paths. If this list is left empty, there are few restrictions as to
where a device path can be created.

d. Click OK.
4. In the navigation tree, right-click Devices and select New.
The Create Device window opens, with the General tab selected. The Identity area might show a default device name in
the Name field.

5. In the Identity area, set the following attributes:

a. In the Name attribute, type the name of the directory that you created for the AFTD.
For example:
aftd-1
If you configure the device on a separate storage node host that is not the NetWorker server host, it is a remote device
and this Name attribute must be specified with rd= in the following format:

96 Backup Target
 rd=remote_snode_hostname:device_name

For example:
rd=snode-1:aftd-1
b. (Optional) Add a comment in the Comment field.
c. In the Device Access Information attribute, provide complete paths to the device directory. You can provide alternate
paths for the storage node and for Client Direct clients, for example:
● For an AFTD on the storage node’s local disk, which it shares via CIFS:
E:\aftd-1
\\snode-1\aftd-1

The first path enables the storage node to access the device via its local drive. The second path enables Client Direct
clients to access the device directly, bypassing the storage node.
● For a CIFS-mounted AFTD, specify the complete paths of the directory that is created by using the Universal Naming
Convention (UNC), for example:
\\CIFS_host\share-point-name\path

d. In the Media Type field, select adv_file, for the AFTD.

Considerations for Client Direct clients on page 88 provides additional details for Client Direct configurations.
Multiple devices for a single volume configuration on page 98 provides additional details for shared volumes.

6. In the Status area, ensure that the Auto Media Management tape feature is not enabled.
7. In the Cleaning area, leave the options for cleaning at their default (disabled) settings, so that automatic cleaning is not
invoked.
8. Select the Configuration tab.
9. In the Save Sessions area, set the number of concurrent save sessions (streams) and the number of nsrmmd (data mover)
processes the device may handle:
● Target Sessions is the number of sessions that a nsrmmd process on the device will handle before another device on
the host will take the additional sessions. Use this setting to balance the sessions among nsrmmd processes.
If another device is not available, then another nsrmmd process on the same device will take the additional sessions.
Typically, set this attribute to a low value. The default values are 4 for AFTDs and 6 for DD Boost devices. It may not be
set to a value greater than 60.
Multiple devices for a single volume configuration on page 98 provides details on volume sharing.
● Max Sessions is the maximum number sessions the device may handle. If no additional devices are available on the
host, then another available storage host takes the additional sessions, or retries are attempted until sessions become
available.
The default values are 32 for AFTDs and 60 for DD Boost devices, which typically provides best performance. It cannot
be set to a value greater than 60.
The Max Sessions setting does not apply to concurrent recover sessions.
● Max nsrmmd count limits the number of nsrmmd processes that can run on the device. Use this setting to balance the
nsrmmd load among devices. The default value is 4.
To modify this value, first adjust the sessions attributes, apply, and monitor the effects, then update max nsrmmd count.
At least one nsrmmd process is reserved for restore or clone operations.

10. In the Local Backup area, leave Dedicated Storage Node at No (the default).
11. In the Remote Host area, if a network path is specified in the Device Access Information, then type a Remote User
name and Password.
12. Click OK when the configuration is complete.
13. If a new password for an AFTD is provided, unmount and re-mount the device to ensure that the change takes effect.

AFTD device target and max sessions

The default settings for AFTD target sessions and max device sessions typically provide optimal values for AFTD performance:
● Device target sessions is 1

Backup Target 97
● Device max sessions is 32 to avoid disk thrashing
If required, both device target, and max session attributes can be modified to reflect values appropriate for the environment.

NOTE: The Max Sessions setting does not apply to concurrent recover sessions.

Multiple devices for a single volume configuration

In some environments, a configuration of multiple devices that share a single NetWorker storage volume can result in
performance gains. For example, a read or write request can be sent to the storage node that is closest to the requestor.
However, for some use cases and environments concurrent read/write operations to a single volume from many storage nodes
could result in disk thrashing that impacts performance.
Multiple devices can be created on separate storage nodes or on the same storage node. Each device must be created
separately, have a different name, and must correctly specify the path to the storage volume location.
For example, if you create three devices, one on the NetWorker server host named “dzone1” (that uses the server’s local
storage node) and two remote devices (rd) on remote storage nodes, the Name attributes for the three devices, each created
separately, might be specified by different aliases as follows:
aftd-1a
rd=dzone1-sn2:aftd-1b
rd=dzone1-sn3:aftd-1c
The Device Access Information for each of these aliases would specify a single directory that must be specified as a valid
complete path. For example, if a directory is named “aftd-1” on the storage host named “storho1,” the path might be specified
as follows:
● If the storage node uses an automounter:
/net/storho1/dzone1/aftd-1
● If the storage node uses an explicit system mountpoint, you might specify one of the following paths:
○ /mnt/storho1/dzone1/aftd-1
○ /mnt/dzone1/aftd-1
○ storho1:/dzone/aftd-1

AFTD concurrent operations and device formats

The following operations can be performed concurrently on a single storage node with an AFTD:
● Multiple backups and multiple recover operations
● Multiple backups and one manual clone operation
● Multiple backups and one automatic or manual staging operation
It might be required to increase the server parallelism value to complete the concurrent operations with an AFTD device when
the number of simultaneous save sessions reaches the maximum value for server parallelism.
For example, if server parallelism is set to 4, and there are 4 simultaneous saves going to an AFTD, set the server parallelism to 5
to complete a concurrent clone/stage operation from this AFTD while the four saves are in progress.
NOTE: Starting with NetWorker 8.0, multiple clone sessions can be run from a single AFTD or DD Boost device if each
clone is written to a dedicated tape device. However, the number of clone sessions that can be run is limited by the value in
the device’s max nsrmmd count attribute. Create and configure an AFTD on page 93 provides more information.

Labeling and mounting an AFTD

If there are multiple volumes in the pool, you can select an available volume to associate with the device.
1. Right-click the AFTD storage device and then select Label.
The Label dialog box appears.

2. In the Pools field, select the media pool to be used for the device.
A label for the storage device is generated and displays in the Volume Label field. The label name is based on the label
template for the selected pool.

98 Backup Target
 It is recommended to use a pool that is dedicated to AFTD backup devices only.
NOTE: If an existing volume is re-labeled, a warning is issued. The data that is previously stored on the volume is lost
and this action cannot be undone. Mounting the volume without labeling provides access to previous data.

3. Select Mount after labeling and then click OK.

Insufficient AFTD disk space

When an AFTD runs out of disk space, the current backup is interrupted and the following message displays:

Waiting for more available space on filesystem device-name

Immediately following the message, the action that is associated with the "Filesystem Full — Recover adv_file Space"
notification occurs. By default, the action for this notification uses the nsrim command to delete expired save sets. If enough
space is cleared, the backup continues. If the recycle setting for the volume is manual, then the expired save sets are not
removed from the volume.
The AFTD deletes expired save sets depending on the retention policy and the recycle setting. If sufficient storage space is not
available after 10 minutes from when the expired savesets begin deletion, the associated "Filesystem Full—Waiting for adv_file
Space" notification action occurs. By default, an email notification is sent to the root user on the NetWorker server on UNIX and
Linux, and a message is logged in the media log file in NetWorker_install_path\logs on Windows.
When the notification is sent, and the message is logged in the media log file, the backup stops until space is available for the
backup to continue. You can create customized notifications to change and expand how the NetWorker software behaves when
an "AFTD Filesystem Full" notification occurs. Custom notifications can also run custom scripts and other programs to expand
the capacity of existing AFTDs.
The chapter "Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities" provides more information about how to configure notifications.

Creating a custom notification to extend disk space

While the NetWorker default Filesystem Full — Recover adv_file Space notification works by removing its expired save sets, a
custom notification could be configured to expand disk or file system space in other ways.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Server.
2. Right-click Notifications and select New.
3. In the Name field, type a unique name for this custom notification.
For example: First adv_full notice.
4. In the Event field, clear all choices except adv_file.
5. In the Priority field, clear all choices except Waiting.
6. In the Action field, type the full path of the custom script that is configured to expand disk space.
For example: /mybin/my_first_custom_script.
7. Click OK.

Creating a custom notification for insufficient disk space

The NetWorker default Filesystem Full — Waiting for adv_file Space notification works by sending an email notification. A
custom notification could be configured to do whatever the user indicates. The wait time after the default notification is
approximately 10 minutes.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Server.
2. Right-click Notifications and select New.
3. In the Name field, type a unique name for this second custom notification.
For example: Second adv_full Notice.
4. In theEvent field, clear all choices except adv_file.
5. In the Priority field, clear all choices except Critical, Emergency, and Alert.
6. In theAction field, type the full path of the custom script to be run.
For example: /mybin/my_second_custom_script.
7. Click OK.

Backup Target 99
AFTD load balancing
You can adjust the target and max sessions attributes per device to balance the data load for simultaneous sessions more
evenly across available devices. These parameters specify the maximum number of save sessions to be established before the
NetWorker server attempts to assign save sessions to another device.
For AFTDs, all volumes, depending on the selection criteria (pool settings), choose the AFTD with the least amount of data
written to it, and join sessions based on the device's target and max sessions. If the number of sessions being written to the
first device exceeds the target sessions setting, another AFTD is considered for new backup sessions and is selected from the
remaining suitable AFTDs. The AFTD that is selected will be the AFTD with the least amount of NetWorker data written to it.
The least amount of data written is calculated in bytes (not by percentage of disk space used) and only bytes that were written
by NetWorker are counted.
To ensure that a new session always writes to the AFTD with the least amount of data written to it, you can set each AFTD
device's max sessions attribute to 1. However, setting the max sessions attribute to 1 may not be practical. Alternatively, set the
target sessions attribute to 1. In this way, load balancing will occur on a best efforts basis.

Space management for AFTD

A configurable setting for determining at what capacity the NetWorker software should stop writing to an AFTD spans from 1 to
100%. Setting the value to 0 or leaving the attribute empty in the AFTD Percentage Capacity attribute is equivalent to a setting
of 100%. This means that the entire capacity of the file system can be used for the AFTD volume.
When set, the AFTD Percentage Capacity attribute is used to declare the volume full and to calculate high/low watermarks.
When the percentage capacity attribute is modified, mount and re-mount the volume for the new settings to take effect.
The level watermark is calculated based on the percentage of restricted capacity, not on the full capacity of the file system.
In the Console Administration interface, the AFTD Percentage Capacity displays in the Configuration tab of the Properties
window of a device, when Diagnostic Mode is enabled.
To enable Diagnostic Mode, select View > Diagnostic Mode.
NOTE: If your device uses compression or deduplication, you can still use the AFTD Percentage Capacity attribute
however, the device will be marked as having reached its threshold prematurely. In this case, there will be more unused
space on the disk than expected. This is because the threshold limit is based on the amount of data being protected without
accounting for the effect of compression or deduplication.

AFTD operation verification

The AFTD can be deployed in varying environments with local disks, and with NFS-mounted or CIFS-mapped disks. The
configuration of this feature affects its operation. Ensure that the AFTD is fully operational in the production environment
before deploying it as part of regularly scheduled operations.
As part of the validation process, test these operations:
● Backup
● Recover
● Staging
● Cloning
● Maximum file size compatibility between the operating system and a disk device
● Use of a volume manager to increase the file system size while the file system is in use
● File system behavior when the disk is full
Some versions of NFS and CIFS drop data when a file system becomes full. Be sure to use versions of NFS, CIFS, and operating
systems that fully support full file systems. On some disk devices, the volume labeling process can take longer than expected.
Labeling time depends on the type of disk device used and does not indicate a limitation of the NetWorker software. The upper
limits of save set size depend on either the upper limits supported by the operating system or the file size specified by the disk
device’s vendor.
NOTE: Do not edit device files and directories. This can cause unpredictable behavior and make it impossible to recover
data.

100 Backup Target

Deactivate and erase an AFTD
You can deactivate an AFTD device so it does not interfere with normal backup operations.

Converting a device to read-only

Conversion of a device to read-only prevents the use of the device for backup operations. The device can still be used for read
operations, such as restore and clone.
1. In the NMC window for the NetWorker server, click the Devices view and select the Devices folder in the navigation tree.
2. In the Devices table, right-click the device to be converted to read-only, and select Unmount.
3. Right-click this unmounted device and select Properties.
4. In the Device Properties window, select Read only, and click OK.
5. Right-click the device and select Mount.

Disabling a device
Disabling a device prevents further operation of the device. The device may be re-enabled to restore old data, which is retained
but not active.
1. In the NMC window for your NetWorker server, click the Devices view and select the Devices folder in the navigation tree.
2. In the Devices table, right-click the device to be disabled and select Unmount.
3. Right-click this unmounted device and select Enable/Disable to disable.
4. Inspect the Enabled column of the table to verify that the device is disabled.

Deleting a device
The procedure for deleting a device includes an option for also erasing the volume (access path) that stores the device’s data.
The volume can be erased only if no other device in the system shares the volume.

1. In the NetWorker server Device view, click Devices in the navigation tree.
2. In the Devices table, right-click the device to be removed and select Delete.
A confirmation window appears.

3. In the confirmation window:

● To delete the device from the NetWorker configuration only, without erasing the device’s data, click Yes.
● To delete the device and erase the device’s data and volume access path, select the Permanently erase all data and
remove media and index information for any selected AFTDs or Data Domain devices option, and click Yes.
NOTE: If the volume that you want to erase is shared by another device, then an error message displays the name of
the other device. You must delete all other devices that share the volume until the last one remaining before you can
erase the volume.
4. If the device is mounted or the device is a member of a pool, then a second confirmation window displays the details of the
device and pool. To confirm the device unmount, the removal of the device from the pool, and the deletion of the device,
click Yes.

Concurrent AFTD recovery operation limitations

AFTD concurrent recovery currently has the following limitations:
● Not available to the Windows recover interface (winworkr). Use the recover command. The NetWorker Command
Reference Guide or the recover man page provides more information.
● Not available to nonfile recoveries, such as NDMP and NetWorker database modules.
● Perform concurrent recoveries from the command line by using the recover command, either by using multiple -S options to
identify multiple save sets, or running multiple recover commands concurrently.
When you recover data from an AFTD, NetWorker recovers the save sets concurrently. You can recover multiple save sets to
multiple clients simultaneously and you can clone save sets from an AFTD to two different volumes simultaneously.

Backup Target 101

Changing the AFTD block size
The maximum potential block size for backups to an AFTD device can be adjusted. Larger block sizes for backups can improve
backup speed under certain conditions. This is especially noticeable on remote AFTD devices that are not local to the storage
node, for example, AFTDs that are connected with CIFS or NFS.
Changes to the maximum potential block size value for an AFTD device take effect only after the AFTD device is labelled. The
minimum allowable block size is 128 kilobytes and the maximum block size is 256 kilobytes.
If you have an AFTD device that is performing backups slowly, try marking the device as read-only and create a new AFTD
device with a block size between 128-256 kilobytes.
NOTE: Changing the block size and re-labeling an existing AFTD has the potential to destroy data if the data is not staged
to another location.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Double-click the device in the devices table and select the Advanced tab.
5. In the Device block size attribute, select a value from 128 to 256.
6. Click OK.
7. Relabel the AFTD device for the new setting take effect.

DD Boost and Cloud Tier devices

DD Boost and Cloud Tier devices are covered separately in the NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide

Creating a DD Boost device

1. In NMC, click Devices.
2. In the left panel, right-click Devices and select New Device Wizard.
3. On the Select the Device page, select Data Domain and click Next.
4. On the Data Domain Preconfiguration Checklist page, click Next.
5. On the Specify the Data Domain Configuration Options page:
a. Under Data Domain System Name:
● Select Create a New Data Domain System.
● In the text box, type the IP address of the Data Domain system.
b. In the Data Domain DDBoost Username field, type the username of the Data Domain user.
c. In the Data Domain DDBoost Password field, type the password of the Data Domain user.
In DDOS 6 and later, the default password expires in 90 days. To receive system alert reminders for password change,
run the command user password aging set <boost_user> max-days-between-change 99999.
d. Specify the required values in the other fields.
e. Click Next.
6. On the Select the Folder to Use as Devices page:
a. Click New Folder to create a folder for the device.
b. Select the newly created folder.
c. Specify the required values in the other fields.
d. Click Next.
7. On the Configure Pool Information page:
a. Under Pool Type, select one of the following pool types:
● Backup
● Backup Clone
b. Under Pool, perform one of the following tasks to select the pool:
● Select Create and use a new pool, and type the pool number in the text box.
● Select Use an existing pool, and select the pool from the drop-down list box.

102 Backup Target

 c. Specify the required values in the other fields.
d. Click Next.
8. On the Select Storage Nodes and Fibre Channel Options page:
a. Select the storage node.
b. Specify the required values in the other fields.
c. Click Next.
9. On the Select SNMP Monitoring Options page, specify the required field values, and click Next.
10. On the Review the Device Configuration Settings page, review the configuration settings, and click Configure.
11. On the Device Configuration Results page, click Finish.

Libraries and silos

NetWorker supports SCSI libraries, NDMP libraries, and ACSLS silos. In a fibre channel environment you can configure library
and device sharing between storage node hosts.

Overview of tape device storage

This chapter contains information on the creation, configuration, and management of tape devices. Tape devices may be
configured as stand-alone devices or configured as part of a traditional tape library or virtual tape library (VTL) storage system.
The libraries and devices available to a NetWorker server are listed in the Devices view of the NetWorker Administrator window.
The details and settings of a particular device can be viewed by right-clicking the device and selecting Properties. The full range
of property attributes can be viewed by selecting View > Diagnostic Mode. A description of the various attributes is provided by
the Field Help button.
As with other Console functions, you can view and work with only those NetWorker servers for which you have access
permission.
NetWorker software supports many different types of tape libraries, also called autochangers or jukeboxes. The general
categories of libraries are SCSI, NDMP, and silo.

Support for LTO-4 hardware-based encryption

NetWorker supports the use of LTO-4 hardware-based encryption, when controlled by management utilities that are provided
with the LTO-4 hardware, or by third-party key management software. EMC does not test or certify these key management
utilities. The NetWorker application can read from and write to LTO-4 devices that use hardware-based encryption. The
use of this encryption is transparent to NetWorker. The NetWorker application does not perform encryption or manage the
key management process. For example, NetWorker does not provide the ability to turn encryption on or off or manage the
encryption keys.

Linux device considerations

Review this section for information about using devices on Linux hosts.

Configure Linux operating system to detect SCSI devices

Proper configuration of the SCSI subsystem is required to get full use of SCSI devices and allow the operating system to detect
SCSI devices that are attached to the computer. If the device is configured with multiple LUNs, set the kernel parameter Probe
all LUNs of each SCSI Device to Yes.
The Linux Documentation Project website provides more information on configuring the Linux SCSI subsystem. For information
on the SCSI device, contact the manufacturer.

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The inquire command and the Scan for Devices operation do not detect more
than 128 tape devices
By default, the Linux st kernel module only configures up to 128 SCSI tape devices (/dev/nst).
When the number of SCSI tape devices exceeds the kernel value ST_MAX_TAPES, the following error may appear in
the /var/log/messages operating system log file:
st:Too many tape devices (max. 128)
The inquire command or the Scan for Devices option in NMC only displays the maximum number of st devices (/dev/nst)
defined by the ST_MAX_TAPES value.
To resolve this issue, edit and recompile the st module of the Linux kernel to increase the maximum number of allowable
st devices that are created by the OS to exceed the default value. The Linux documentation provides details on how to
reconfigure, rebuild, and install the kernel.

Configuration requirements for the inquire command

Depending on the specific OS requirements and the configuration of the NetWorker server or storage node, you may need to
create device files so that the inquire command can detect all devices.
For example, on a NetWorker server with Red Hat Linux, if devices sg0 through sg15 exist, create device file sg16 by using
the mknod program as follows:
mknod /dev/sg16 c 21 17
The operating system vendor documentation provides more information on creating devices.

Solaris device considerations

Review this section for information about using devices on Solaris hosts.

Support for tape devices not supported by Solaris

If Sun Microsystems does not directly support a device for use with the operating system on the storage node, obtain a
st.conf file from the device manufacturer.

The inquire command and Solaris 10

On Solaris 10, the inquire command does not show library information after you configure the library for NetWorker.

HP-UX device considerations

Review this section for information about using devices on HP-UX hosts.

Autochanger installation on an HP-UX system

The following sections explain how to install and configure Hewlett-Packard drivers.

Selecting SCSI addresses for the autochanger

Determine which SCSI address is assigned to each SCSI bus, and select the SCSI addresses to be allocated to the autochanger
drives and controller.
To select unused SCSI addresses for an autochanger, log in as root on the NetWorker server or storage node, and type the
ioscan -f command.
Use a SCSI address within the range of 0 to 6. The primary hard disk is usually on SCSI address 6.

104 Backup Target

 NOTE: For some devices, such as the HP Model 48AL autochanger, select one SCSI address for the entire autochanger.
The 48AL uses a different SCSI logical unit number (LUN) for the device (LUN 0) and robotics (LUN 1). The SCSI LUN
appears as the last digit of the H/W Path field in the ioscan output.

Installing the SCSI pass-through driver

The following procedure describes how to use SAM terminal mode to install a GSC, HSC, or PCI pass-through driver.
1. Select Kernel Config and press Enter.
2. Select Drivers and press Enter.
3. Select the SCSI_ctl driver by selecting SCTL from the list.
If the current state is in, go to step 9. Otherwise, select any unreserved name for the device. For example, do not select a
name such as /dev/null.
4. From the Actions menu, select Add Drivers to Kernel, and press Enter.
5. From the Actions menu, select Create a New Kernel, and press Enter.
A confirmation message appears.
6. Specify Yes, and press Enter.
The Creating Kernel message appears, followed by the Move Kernel message.
7. Select OK, and press Enter.
The system reboots.
8. Verify that the spt was successfully installed by typing the following command:
ioscan -kfn
9. Verify that the driver has claimed the autochanger.
If the autochanger has been claimed, CLAIMED should appear under the S/W State header. If not, verify that the
installation completed correctly.
10. If the device entry was defined by the operating system, use the OS-defined entry and continue to verify the installation.

Determining the major number

To determine the value for majornum, type lsdev -d sctl.
The output should resemble the following example output, although the assigned number may differ from the values in this
example:

Table 28. Determining the major number value

Character Block Driver Class

HP-PB 75 -1 spt spt
HSC or PCI 203 -1 sctl ctl

The value for majornum is the number in the Character column.

Determining the minor number

To determine the value for minornum, use the ioscan command.
The relevant lines in the ioscan output are those:
● For the controller itself, which contains HP C6280-7000 in the Description column.
● For the adapter to which the controller is connected, which is the second line above the line for the controller and contains
ext_bus in the Class column.
If the schgr driver is configured on the system, it appears associated with the library. The ioscan output line resembles:

Table 29. ioscan output when driver is configured

Class I H/W Path Driver S/W State H/W Type Description

spt 0 10/4/4.6.0 schgr CLAIMED DEVICE HP
C6280-7000

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If the schgr driver is not configured on the system, no driver appears to be associated with the library. The ioscan output line
resembles:

Table 30. ioscan output when driver is not configured

Class I H/W Path Driver S/W State H/W Type Description

unknown -1 10/4/4.6.0 schgr UNCLAIMED DEVICE HP
C6280-7000

Testing the device driver and device file installation

After the device driver is installed and the device file is created, run the inquire command to list available SCSI devices.
NOTE: Use the inquire command with caution. Running inquire sends the SCSI inquiry command to all devices
detected on the SCSI bus. Using the inquire command during normal operations may cause unforeseen errors and
possible data loss may result.
An example of the output from this command (with the -s option) is as follows:
scsidev@0.1.0:HP C1194F 0.14 Autochanger (Jukebox), /dev/rac/c0t1d0
scsidev@0.2.0:Quantum DLT4000 CC37 Tape, /dev/rmt/c0t2d0BESTnb
scsidev@0.3.0:Quantum DLT4000 CC37 Tape, /dev/rmt/c0t3d0BESTnb
scsidev@0.4.0:Quantum DLT4000 CC37 Tape, /dev/rmt/c0t4d0BESTnb
scsidev@0.5.0:Quantum DLT4000 CC37 Tape, /dev/rmt/c0t5d0BESTnb

As of HP-UX 11iv3, two different addressing modes are supported: LEGACY and AGILE. The inquire program lists devices
using the B.T.L. notation for the LEGACY addressing mode, for example:
scsidev@B.T.L.
For the AGILE addressing mode, it lists devices using the DSF notation, for example:
/dev/rtape/tape106_BESTnb

Inquire command does not detect tape drive

When a tape drive is attached to the HP-UX 11i V2 64-bit host and the inquire command is run, the tape drive is not
detected, even if the device is configured, labeled, and mounted and a save was successful.
To work around this issue, identify the drive path in the /dev/rmt folder, and configure the device with this path.
Whenever a new device is attached to the system, ensure that the cached file /tmp/lgto_scsi_devlist is updated.
Remove this temp file and then run the inquire command, which rebuilds the file.

Errors from unsupported media in HP tape drives

Certain HP tape drives can only read 4-mm tapes of a specific length. Some, for example, read only 60-meter tapes. To
determine the type of tape that is supported, refer to the drive’s hardware manual.
If unsupported media is used, the following error message may appear when you use the nsrmm or nsrjb command to label the
tape:
nsrmm: error, label write, No more processes (5)
The following error message may appear when you use the scanner -i command to label the tape when unsupported media
is used:
scanner: error, tape label read, No more processes (11)
scanning for valid records …
read: 0 bytes
read: 0 bytes
read: 0 bytes

106 Backup Target

Unloading tape drives on an HP-UX server or storage node
When the nsrjb -u -S command is used to unload a tape drive in an autochanger that is attached to an HP-UX server or
storage node, the unload operation ejects all tape volumes inside the autochanger devices, and into their respective slots.
To unload a single drive to its corresponding slot, use the nsrjb -u -f device_name command instead.

SCSI pass-through driver required for HP-UX autochangers

Review the required procedures in the before you run the jbconfig program to configure an autochanger with a NetWorker
server on HP-UX.
Follow the procedures to rebuild the kernel even if the SCSI pass-through driver is installed. Then run the jbconfig program
to configure the NetWorker Installation Guide autochanger.

AIX device considerations

Review this section for information about using devices on AIX hosts.

STK-9840 drives attached to AIX

If you attach an STK-9840 drive to an AIX server, use SMIT to modify the IBM tape drive definition field to set the value of Use
Extended File Mark to Yes.

LUS driver operation on AIX

When a library comes online, NetWorker obtains an exclusive lock on the library due to the operation of the LUS driver on AIX.
This lock is maintained if the library is enabled. As a result, you cannot use diagnostic tools such as inquire and the sji
utilities to access the library during this time. To access the library using these tools, you must first take the library offline.

SCSI and VTL libraries

SCSI libraries have automated robotic mechanisms to move tape media from a fixed number of library slots to devices for read
or write operations. The number of slots can typically vary between 2 to 10,000 and the number of devices can be between 1 to
100 or more.
Traditionally, libraries are physical units with mechanical robotics, however the same functionality can also be provided by virtual
tape libraries (VTLs) that emulate this functionality. VTLs can also be configured and used as Autochangers.
The robotic controller and associated tape devices are always all controlled through a SCSI interface which is available on one or
more storage hosts.

Selecting a volume for the NetWorker server

When a backup takes place, the NetWorker server searches for a volume from the appropriate pool to accept the data for
backup.
The available volumes are as follows:
● Mounted on stand-alone devices.
● Available for labeling and accessible to the NetWorker server through Auto Media Management or a library.
● Labeled for the appropriate pool and already mounted in a device, or are available for mounting, if a library is being used.
If two or more volumes from the appropriate pool are available, the server uses this hierarchy to select a volume.
● A volume in a jukebox device has priority over volume in a disk or tape device.
● A volume in a local disk device has priority over a volume in a local tape device.
● If two local disk are available, then the device less data sessions will have priority.
● if two local tapes devices have available volumes, then NetWorker will use the volume with the earliest label date.

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● If two jukebox are available, then NetWorker will select the volume with the earliest label date..

Data recovery and volume selection

The NetWorker server determines which volumes are required for recovery. If the appropriate volume is currently mounted, the
recovery begins. If the volume is not mounted and a library is used, the server attempts to locate and mount the volume in an
eligible device for appropriate media pool. Preference is given to mount the volume in a read-only device, if one is available.
If a stand-alone device is used, or if the server cannot locate and mount the volume, the server sends a mount request
notification.
If more than one volume is needed to recover the data, the NetWorker server displays all the volumes, in the order needed.
During the recovery process, the server requests the volumes, one at a time.
NOTE: NetWorker will automatically unload volumes that have been placed in a jukebox device but have never been
mounted (for example, nsrjb -l -n <volume>). Any command, such as the scanner command, that operates on volumes that
have never been mounted will be affected by this behavior. To prevent NetWorker from unloading the volume, the device
should be set to service mode while the command is being run.

Automatic volume relabeling

NetWorker has the ability to automatically relabel recyclable volumes when needed or when scheduled.
When you enable Auto Media Management, the NetWorker server will automatically relabel a volume when the mode is
recyclable. A volume is automatically set to recyclable when all save sets on the volume, including partial save sets that span
other volumes, are marked as recyclable. Auto Media Management on page 115 provides more information on Auto Media
Management.
NOTE: You can manually change the mode of a volume to recyclable. Changing the volume mode on page 363 provides
information about changing the mode of a volume.
You can configure a media pool to automatically relabel recyclable volume at a user defined time and interval. Automatically
relabeling volumes in a media pool on page 76 provides more information about configuring the automatic relabel process for
recyclable volumes in a media pool.

Virtual tape library (VTL) configuration

During library configuration, the NetWorker software automatically attempts to detect if a library is a VTL, and updates the
read-only Virtual Jukebox attribute to Yes, or if not, to No. VTLs that are mistakenly identified as autochangers can indicate
what type of license should be used, either autochanger or VTL.

VTL licensing
The NetWorker Licensing Guide provides information about NetWorker licensing support for a Virtual Tape Library.

Multiplex backups to Data Domain VTL devices

You can configure multiplexed backups to Data Domain VTL devices on remote, non-dedicated NetWorker storage nodes.
Multiplexing is the use of multiple parallel save streams or concurrent sessions to each device. Each additional save stream
(max sessions value) to a VTL device reduces the number of devices needed by somewhat less than one because deduplication
efficiency decreases slightly.
The following prerequisites, restrictions, and considerations apply:
● NetWorker dedicated storage nodes (DSNs) and NetWorker backup to local VTLs cannot use this configuration.
● Multiplexing decreases deduplication efficiency on the VTLs by 4% to 8% per additional save stream. For example, given
a sufficiently large device block size, 4 parallel streams (max sessions=4) results in deduplication ratios that are 12%-24%
below the non-multiplexed rate (max sessions=1).
● Deduplication ratios may be initially low when you increase max sessions due to extra processing, following which efficiency
improves.
● Heavily used Data Domain systems, with 75% or more disk space already used, can suffer impaired performance when used
with multiplexing.

108 Backup Target

● As a best practice, do not use client-side or server-side encryption during backup to the Data Domain system.

Multiplex to Data Domain VTL prerequisites and considerations

Ensure the following prerequisites and practices.
● If currently using DD OS 5.0.x, upgrade to DD OS 5.7 or later.
● The recommended settings for VTL are: max sessions=4; target sessions=4; and device block size=512 KB.
● Best max sessions and device block size values depend on the environment. For example, max sessions=2 might provide
better stability and deduplication while still meeting the backup window.
● Deduplication efficiency on the VTLs is reduced by 4% to 8% per additional save stream. For example, given a sufficiently
large device block size, 4 parallel streams (max sessions=4) results in deduplication ratios that are 12%-24% below the
non-multiplexed rate (max sessions=1).
● Typically, deduplication ratios are initially low when you increase max sessions and device block size due to re-priming and
re-analysis overhead, following which efficiency improves.
● Heavily used Data Domain systems, with 75% or more disk space that is already used, can suffer impaired performance when
used with multiple sessions.
● As a best practice, do not use client-side or server-side encryption during backup to the Data Domain system.

Configuring multiplex backup to Data Domain VTL devices

Configure Data Domain VTL devices for multiple session backups as follows.
1. Shut down backup service on the NetWorker VTL storage node, or shut down the NetWorker server if that is possible, and
verify that there is no backup activity on the storage node.
2. Use NMC or the nsradmin command to set the sessions values for each VTL device. The recommended values are as
follows:
● Max sessions=4 (32 maximum)
● Target sessions=4
● Device block size=512KB
Optimal max sessions and device block size values depend on the environment. For example, max sessions=2 might provide
better stability and deduplication while still meeting the backup window.
NOTE: If you shut down the NetWorker server in step 1, you can run the nsradmin command with the -d resdir
option. This option uses the NetWorker resource database, resdir, without opening a network connection.
For example, on UNIX/Linux or Microsoft Windows systems, run the following command:
nsradmin -i input_file.txt

where input_file.txt is a text file that contains the following lines that you can customize to the own environment:
option regexp: on
. type: nsr device; media type: LTO Ultrium-3; media family: tape; name: /dev/rmt*
update max sessions: 4; target sessions: 4; device block size: 512KB

3. Create a no intra-block multiplexing (nibmp) tag file in the NetWorker debug folder on the NetWorker storage node.
For example, you can use the standard NetWorker installation paths for the tag file. You can limit the tag file path to a
specific pool by adding the _poolname variable as a suffix to the tag file. The _poolname can include spaces, for example,
_My Pool. On Microsoft Windows systems, ensure that the specified pathname is enclosed in quotes.
Unix/Linux system examples.
touch /nsr/debug/nibmp
touch /nsr/debug/nibmp_My Pool

Microsoft Windows system examples.

echo > "NetWorker_install_path\nsr\debug\nibmp"
echo > "NetWorker_install_path\nsr\debug\nibmp_My Pool"

4. Restart the NetWorker services to enable the multiplexing functionality.

The technical note that is named , available on the Online Support website, provides more details.

Backup Target 109

Non-rewinding tape device usage (UNIX/Linux only)
Tape drives used as storage devices must be accessed by non-rewinding device files. The NetWorker server assumes that a
tape is in the same position in which it was the last time it was accessed. If the operating system’s device driver rewinds the
tape, then the position is lost, and previously written data will be overwritten by the next backup.
The NetWorker configuration software automatically chooses the correct device pathname for tape devices. If the user
specifies the pathname, then it must be non-rewinding, and it must follow the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) semantic
rules.
For example, /dev/rmt/0mbn, where:
● The b satisfies the BSD semantics requirement on Solaris and HP-UX.
● The n specifies non-rewinding behavior on Solaris, HP-UX, Linux, and HP-Tru64.
On AIX, the number following the decimal selects the BSD and non-rewinding behavior and must be either 1 or 5 for NetWorker
software (for example /dev/rmt2.1).
NOTE: Never change a device pathname from non-rewinding (/dev/rmt/0cbn) to rewinding (/dev/rmt/0cb). When
the pathname is changed to rewinding, the data could only be saved, but never recovered. All but the last save are
overwritten by later saves.

Pools with libraries

If the backup strategy includes both full and nonfull backups, estimate the number of volumes needed for the full backups and
assign them to the Full pool. This ensures that the full backups are located in a consecutive range of slots in the library. This
allows all of the volumes to be removed at the same time.

Persistent binding and naming

Some operating systems provide the persistent binding option to permanently bind logical and physical addressing so that the
associations are retained. This guarantees that the operating system always uses and creates the same symbolic path for a
device is known as persistent naming.
Proper configuration of the operating system to use persistent binding and persistent naming resolves issues related to device
ordering by forcing the operating system to always assign the same device filename regardless of external events.

Persistent binding
Persistent binding guarantees that the operating system always uses the same SCSI target ID for SAN devices, regardless
of reboots or other events, by statically mapping a target's WWN address to a desired SCSI address. On some operating
systems, this is done by default, while on others it has to be set manually. The operating system documentation provides further
information.
In most cases, persistent binding should also be set on the Host Bus Adapter (HBA) by using the configuration utility that comes
with the Fibre Channel HBA. The HBA device driver documentation provides details.
Persistent binding is required for consistent library operations within NetWorker, because the NetWorker server communicates
with the library controller over a SCSI address that is chosen during initial library configuration. If the SCSI address changes, the
library will become unavailable. In this case, disable the library and change the “control port” address to reflect the new SCSI
address of the library controller.
If devices have already been configured in NetWorker prior to enabling persistent binding on the host, delete existing devices
from the library resource and perform a re-scan of devices followed by a reconfiguration of the tape library.

Persistent naming
Persistent naming is used to ensure that the operating system or device driver of a server always creates and uses the same
symbolic path for a device (referred to as device file).
After you create persistently named device files and they are present on the host, enable the Use persistent names option
when scanning for tape devices from the NetWorker Management Console.

110 Backup Target

If devices have already been configured in NetWorker prior to enabling persistent naming on the host, delete existing devices
from the library resource and perform a re-scan of devices followed by a reconfiguration of the tape library.

Whether to add or recycle volumes

The NetWorker server saves files on volumes marked appen (appendable). If the volumes are marked full, they cannot receive
backups. There are situations best suited to either adding a new volume, or recycling an existing volume.
If volumes are marked full, you can:
● Remove the full volumes and replace them with new media if the volumes are being kept for long-term storage.
● Change the volume mode to recyc (recyclable) if the data on the full volumes is not needed. The NetWorker server
overwrites the data with new backups, but maintains the existing labels. Changing the volume mode on page 363 provides
information about changing the volume mode.
When all of the save sets on the volume have passed the time period specified by the retention policy, the mode of the volume
automatically changes to recyclable.
There are advantages both to recycling media and adding more media to a pool. With recycling, the same volumes are used
repeatedly, and there is no need to add new volumes to the pool. The volumes can, however, wear out over time and exhibit a
higher failure rate.
On the other hand, if backups are to be stored for some time, then it might be necessary to add more media to the pool instead
of recycling. For example, a library might need new volumes every three months if the company policy is to maintain the backups
for a year. In this case, new media must be added to the pool until the volumes that contain expired or old backups can be
recycled.

Configure libraries
A library resource must be created on a storage node for each library, including silos, that you want to use with NetWorker.
Because the NetWorker server is also a storage node, this procedure applies to a NetWorker server and all storage nodes. You
can configure a library either automatically with the Configure All Libraries wizard or manually with the user interface.
Before you create devices, you must create the storage node that will manage the devices. Storage nodes on page 80 provides
details. When you create the new devices, you can use NetWorker to perform a device scan, which searches for new devices
across multiple storage nodes.
NetWorker can only automatically create tape devices that have serial numbers. Use the inquire or sn commands to
determine if a device returns a serial number. UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed
information about how to use the inquire and sn commands.
NetWorker can automatically configure the following library types:
● SCSI
● NDMP
● ACSLS Silo
Use the jbconfig command to configure a library that contains tape devices or a robotic arm that does not have serial
numbers. Use the jbconfig command to configure IBM tape libraries that are controlled through the use of the IBMs tape
driver. This is because the device autodetection code uses the internal lus driver to control libraries.

NOTE: Before you create devices on a storage node, update the devices to the most recent firmware and driver versions.

Autodetection of libraries and tape devices

Autodetection is a scanning process that applies only to physical tape libraries and virtual tape libraries (VTLs). The NetWorker
software automatically discovers libraries and devices that are being used for backups and recoveries.
The maximum number of configured devices for any NetWorker server and storage node combination is 750. The maximum
number, including non-configured devices, can vary depending on the specific server that is being administered.
The following options are available from many of the menus throughout the Devices task:
● Configure all Libraries
● Scan for Devices

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If you start these options from the server folder instead of from the storage node folder, then all storage nodes on the
NetWorker server are automatically selected for configuration in the wizard, or for scanning, respectively.
As with other Console functions, you can view and work with only those NetWorker servers for which you have access
permission.
NOTE: Autodetection should not be used for devices on a Storage Area Network (SAN) while any of the devices are in
use, because this may cause the device in use to become unresponsive. To avoid this situation, do not configure a device in
multiple NetWorker datazones.

Adding a library resource

1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Open the Storage Nodes folder in the navigation tree.
3. Right-click the storage node to which the device is to be configured, and select Configure All Libraries (which is available
from many of the menus throughout the Devices task). This opens a wizard that can configure all detected libraries, except
those explicitly excluded in the library exclusion list during configuration.
NOTE: If Configure All Libraries is started from the server folder instead of from the Storage Node folder, then all
storage nodes on the NetWorker server are automatically selected for configuration in the wizard.

The Configure All Libraries wizard appears. This lets you step through library configuration, including this input (some of
which is filled in by default):

● Library type (select SCSI/NDMP).

● An NDMP remote username and a password are required for an NDMP device that acts as a storage node.
● Adjust the Enable New Device option, if necessary.
● Current server sharing policy. Use maximal sharing with Dynamic Drive Sharing (DDS). By default, the sharing policy is
displayed as “server default,” which is maximal sharing.
● Storage nodes to which libraries can be configured (select a storage node to see its details). If the appropriate storage
node is not listed, click Create a New Storage Node.
● When creating a new storage node, replace the default value in the Name field with the fully-qualified domain name or
short name of the new storage node.
● Update storage node properties, if required.

4. After specifying the required information, click Start Configuration. The configuration window displays a message that the
Configure All Libraries process has started. The status of the configuration activity can be viewed by the Monitoring > Log
screen.
5. When the configuration is complete, click Finish to close the configuration wizard. If problems occur during configuration,
you can click the Back button on the configuration window to adjust the settings.

Scanning for libraries and devices

Devices already known to the NetWorker server can be seen in the enterprise hierarchy in the navigation tree. Use the Scan for
Devices option described here to find devices that are not yet known to the NetWorker server. Be aware that:
● A storage node must be added to the hierarchy before its devices can be scanned.
● The Scan for Devices option does not detect file type or advanced file type devices.
● By default, the Linux kernel configures a maximum of 128 st devices by default. Refer to The inquire command and the Scan
for Devices operation do not detect more than 128 tape devices on page 104 if the Scan for Devices option does not detect
more than 128 tape devices on Linux operating systems.
● The Scan for Devices option scans for only 256 drives. For additional drives, you should either configure them manually or
configure a secondary storage node for the other drives to be detected.
● A specific network interface can be used between the NetWorker server and the storage node when scanning for devices.
Identifying a specific network interface for device scan operations on page 114 provides more information.
1. In the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. In the navigation tree, select a NetWorker server.

112 Backup Target

3. In the Name column of the Host detail table, double-click NetWorker. The NetWorker Administration window for the
selected server opens. Note that while multiple NetWorker Administration windows can be open simultaneously, each one
displays information about only one host or server.
4. In the Administration window, click Devices.
5. In the navigation tree:
a. Right-click the server name, and select Scan for Devices.
b. Click the storage node to be scanned.
c. If the appropriate storage node is not listed, click Create a New Storage Node.
d. When creating a new storage node, replace the default value in the Name field with the fully-qualified domain name or
short name of the new storage node.
e. Fill in any required information, such as whether to scan for SCSI or NDMP devices and whether to search all LUNs.
f. Click Start Scan. To monitor the scan activity, click Monitoring, then select the Log tab. Any relevant status
information is displayed there.
6. Return to the Devices navigation tree to view the refreshed device information (configured and unconfigured):
● To display SCSI and NDMP libraries available to the NetWorker server, select Libraries in the navigation tree. Any
available library or silo appears in the Libraries detail table.
● To display stand-alone devices available to the NetWorker server, select Devices in the navigation tree. Any available
stand-alone device appears in the Devices detail table, along with devices available in libraries.
● To display the libraries and devices that are available to a storage node, select the storage node in the navigation tree.
Available storage nodes appear in the table. Double-click a storage node to see its details, along with the devices that are
available in the storage node.

Barcode labeling tips

The NetWorker server uses volume labels and barcode labels to identify volumes. Both label types are recorded in the media
database. The volume label is also recorded internally on the media (internal volume label). The NetWorker server uses barcode
labels to inventory volumes, and uses volume labels to identify the volumes needed for backup and recovery. A requirement to
match the volume label with the barcode label can be set in the library’s Properties window.
Follow these guidelines when using barcode labels with the NetWorker software:
● When NetWorker software relabels volumes automatically, it reuses the original volume label name. A label name can be
changed only if the volume is relabeled manually. The NetWorker software scans the barcode label during the labeling
process and updates the media database with the new volume name and its associated barcode label.
● Do not use identical barcode labels for any of the NetWorker volumes. The use of identical labels defeats the purpose of
using barcode labels, which is to facilitate the inventory process and ensure label accuracy.
● Volume names must be unique on the NetWorker server. Give each volume a unique volume label. If a second volume is
labeled with an existing barcode label and the Match Barcode Labels attribute in the library’s properties is enabled, the
NetWorker server displays an error message and does not allow the second volume to be labeled. The error message
identifies the library slots containing the two volumes with identical labels and the barcode label.
To correct this problem, either apply a different label to one of the volumes and restart the labeling process, or disable the
Match Barcode Labels attribute in the library’s properties while labeling the second volume.
● It is not necessary to label existing volumes with barcode labels if they are stored in a vault or offsite for long periods. These
volumes are rarely, if ever, inventoried.
● Before using barcode labels on existing volumes, affix the barcode labels to them. Then, load and mount each volume
individually, so that the NetWorker server can match the barcode label with the existing volume label.
● Record the volume label on the tape.
● A variety of barcode labels can be purchased from third-party vendors. Choose from among numeric labels, alphanumeric
labels, or a special combination of numbers and characters. Furthermore, barcode labels can be ordered to match a current
volume labeling scheme.
● Use a consistent labeling scheme. If volumes are labeled with the server name and an extension such as “001,” order a range
of labels starting with “server_name.001” and ending with “server_name.100”, or as wide a range as necessary. Instructions
for barcode labels should be provided with the library hardware documentation. Contact the hardware manufacturer with
questions about barcode labels. A consistent labeling scheme helps better organize and track volumes. It also facilitates the
inventory process if all of the volumes, use barcode labels.

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Configuring a library to use volumes with barcodes
Barcode labeling tips on page 113 provides more information.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Right-click the appropriate library, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. In the Media Management area of the Configuration tab, select:
● Bar Code Reader
● Match Bar Code Labels

6. Click OK.

Using unmatched volume and barcode labels

NOTE: If unmatched volume and barcode labels are to be used, ensure that labels are attached to the outside of the
volumes.
1. Apply barcode labels to the volumes.
2. Place the volumes with the barcode labels in the library.
3. In the Administration window, click Devices.
4. Open the Libraries folder. The Libraries detail table appears.
5. Right-click the appropriate library, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
6. Select the Configuration tab.
7. In the Media Management area of the Configuration tab:
● Select Bar Code Reader.
● Ensure that Match Bar Code Labels is not selected.

8. Click OK. The NetWorker server uses the next available label from the label template for the volume name. It labels the
volumes and records both labels in the media database.
9. Inventory the volumes to ensure that the NetWorker server has the most current volume information.
10. Use Media > Volumes to match the correct volume labels to the barcode labels. Consider making a list of the name
correlations.
NOTE: If the barcode function is enabled, but no barcode label is affixed to the volume, an error message indicates that
a barcode label does not exist.

Identifying a specific network interface for device scan operations

If the NetWorker server has multiple network interfaces, you can specify that a specific network interface be used for
scan operations. In this case, the dvdetect (device scan) program will use the specified network address or hostname to
communicate with the NetWorker server.
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click the Devices button.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. In the left pane, click on the Storage Nodes folder.
4. In the right pane, select a storage node.
5. Right-click the storage node and select Properties.
6. Select the Configuration tab.
7. In the Server network interface field, type the network address or the unique hostname of the network interface on the
NetWorker server that is to be used.
8. Click OK.

114 Backup Target

Media Library parallelism
To define the media library parallelism, use the Max parallelism attribute on the Configuration tab of the Library resource .
Media library parallelism allows you to define the maximum number of available devices for inventory and label operations.
It is recommended that you set the Max parallelism attribute of the Library resource to one less than the number of devices
within the library, which allows you to reserve on device for recovery operations.
To improve the efficiency of library operations that operate on multiple volumes, use multiple devices in parallel for these
operations. However, you may want to restrict the number of devices that NetWorker uses for inventorying and labeling
operations, to ensure that some devices are available for other library operations.

Managing the library configuration

This section provides detailed information about managing a tape library in the NetWorker environment.

Auto Media Management

Auto Media Management gives the NetWorker server automatic control over media that are loaded in the storage device.
When you enable the Auto Media Management feature during device configuration, the NetWorker server automatically:
● Labels the volume (recognizes EDM labels and does not overwrite them).
NOTE: If the Auto Media Management feature is enabled, the NetWorker server considers volumes that were labeled by
a different application to be valid re-label candidates. Once the NetWorker server re-labels the volume, the previously
stored data is lost.
● Mounts the volume.
● Overwrites volumes that are consider to be unlabeled. The NetWorker server considers a volume to be unlabeled under the
following conditions:
○ Has no internal label.
○ Is labeled with information other than a NetWorker label.
○ Is labeled with a NetWorker label, but the density that is indicated on the internal label differs from that of the device
where the volume is mounted.
● Recycles volumes eligible for reuse that are loaded into the device.
When you do not enable the Auto Media Management feature, the NetWorker server ignores unlabeled volumes and does not
use the volume for backup.
The Auto Media Management feature can re-label a volume that has a different density, it is possible, inadvertently, to overwrite
data that still has value. For this reason, be careful if NetWorker volumes are shared among devices with different densities.

Existing tapes with NetWorker labels

When Auto Media Management is used with tapes that have NetWorker labels that have not been recycled, the volumes must
be removed from the media database before a utility such as tar is used to overwrite the labels. Also ensure that the tapes have
been fully rewound before overwriting the labels. Auto Media Management can then properly relabel the tapes.

Auto Media Management for stand-alone devices

The Auto Media Management feature can be enabled for stand-alone devices during manual device configuration, or from the
Properties window after configuration.
When Auto Media Management is enabled for a stand-alone device, the following processes occur when a volume becomes full
during a backup:
● A notification is sent that indicates that the server or storage node is waiting for a writable volume. Simultaneously, the
NetWorker server waits for the full, verified volume to be unmounted.
● The device is monitored and the software waits for another volume to be inserted into the device.
● After a volume is detected, a check is performed to determine whether the volume is labeled. If so:
○ The volume is mounted into the device.
○ The NetWorker server checks to see whether the newly mounted volume is a candidate to receive data:
1. If yes, the write operation continues.
2. If no, the NetWorker server continues to wait for a writable volume to continue the backup.

Backup Target 115

● If the volume is recyclable and is a member of the required pool, it is recycled the next time a writable volume is needed.
● If the volume is unlabeled, it is labeled when the next writable volume is needed for a save. Note that Auto media
management does not label disk type devices such as AFTD and Data Domain.
NOTE: If a partially full volume is unmounted, the NetWorker server automatically ejects the volume after a few
seconds. If a stand-alone device is shared between storage nodes, then Auto Media Management should not be enabled
for more than one instance of the device. Enabling Auto Media Management for more than one instance of the
stand-alone device will tie up the device indefinitely. No data is sent to the device and no pending message is sent.

Enabling Auto Media Management for libraries

Auto Media Management is not enabled for libraries during autoconfiguration. Auto Media Management for a library can be set
by changing the library’s properties after configuration.
1. In the server’s Administration window, click Devices.
2. Select the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Right-click the library, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. In the Media Management area, select Auto Media Management.
6. Click OK.

Labeling volumes
The NetWorker software applies a label template to create a unique internal label for each volume. The label corresponds to a
pool and identifies the pool for the volume during backup and other operations.
Several preconfigured label templates are supplied with the NetWorker software. You cannot delete these preconfigured label
templates. Naming label templates on page 67 provides more information.
When you label a volume, the labeling process:
● Writes a label on the volume.
● Adds the volume label to the media database.
● Prepares tape media to have data written to it.
When you re-label tape, the data on the tape is effectively gone.
During data recovery, the server requests the volume that contains the required data, identifying the required volume by the
name with which it was labeled.

Label templates
Several preconfigured label templates are supplied with the NetWorker software. These preconfigured label templates cannot be
deleted. Naming label templates on page 67 provides more information about label templates and preconfigured label template.

Labeling or re-labeling library volumes

Labeling volumes in a library is time-consuming, so consider labeling volumes before it is time to back up or recover files. When a
volume is re-labeled, that volume is initialized and becomes available for writing again.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left pane, select Libraries.
A list of libraries appears in the right pane.
3. Right-click the library and select Label.
Details for the selected library appear, including divided tables for devices and slots. The Label Library Media dialog box
also appears.
4. From the Target Media Pool list, select the pool for the volume.
The pool determines the label template that is used to label the volume.
5. To require manual recycling of the volume, select Allow > Manual Recycle.
With manual recycling, the volume is not automatically marked as recyclable when all save sets expire. You must manually
mark the volume as recyclable.

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 NOTE: A volume that has been set to manual recycle retains that setting, even after the volume is re-labeled. You must
explicitly reset the volume to automatic recycle by right-clicking the volume in the Media window, selecting Recycle,
and then selecting the Auto option.

6. To be prompted before the existing label is overwritten, select Prompt to overwrite label.
7. Click OK.
The Library Operation dialog box appears, stating that the library operation has started.
8. To track the status of the label operation, click Monitoring in the Administration window.
9. If you selected Prompt to overwrite label, confirm the overwrite of the existing volume label with a new label:
a. Right-click the label operation in the Monitoring window and select Supply Input.
A confirmation message appears.
b. Click Yes.

Verifying the label when a volume is unloaded

If a SCSI reset is issued during a backup, the volume rewinds and NetWorker may overwrite the volume label.
To detect if the label is overwritten in this circumstance, select the Verify label on eject checkbox in the Device resource, or
set the Verify label on unload setting in the Jukebox resource to Yes. With these settings, NetWorker verifies that a volume
label exists before ejecting the volume. If the volume label cannot be read, all save sets on the volume are marked as suspect
and the volume is marked as full.

Empty slots in label operations

Slots that have been intentionally left empty (such as bad slots) are skipped during labeling operations. The NetWorker software
logs a message similar to: “Slot 5 empty, skipping.”

Barcode labels
The option to label a library volume with a barcode is available during automatic device configuration. This option can be set in
the library’s Properties tab after configuration.
Barcode labels make volume inventory fast and efficient. They eliminate the need to mount the volumes in a device. The library
scans the external barcode labels with an infrared light while the volumes remain in their slots. Inventorying with barcode labels
greatly reduces the time needed to locate a volume or determine the contents of a library.
Barcode labels also provide greater labeling accuracy. The labels are placed on the volumes before the volumes are loaded and
scanned in the library. Once the library has scanned the barcode, the NetWorker server records and tracks the label in the media
database. The NetWorker server uses barcode labels only to inventory volumes. A volume must have a label, but it need not
have a barcode label.
NOTE: Libraries include hardware that reads barcode labels. The barcode information is then forwarded to the NetWorker
server. Problems reading barcode labels indicate hardware problems. In the event of a barcode-related problem, consult the
library’s documentation or the hardware vendor.

Requirements for performing an inventory with barcodes

To perform an inventory by using barcodes, the following requirements must be met:
● The library must have a barcode reader.
● A barcode label must be present on the tape.
● The location field within the NetWorker media database must be correct or null. To view the location field, use the mmlocate
command.

Device Service mode

Use the service mode setting to take a device offline temporarily. Service mode differs from the disabled state in that the
nsrmmd process is not stopped.
While a device is in service mode, save or recover sessions that are either in process or pending are completed. No new sessions
are assigned to the device while it is in service mode.

Backup Target 117

Although a drive in service mode is taken out of the collection of drives that the NetWorker software can select for automated
operations, the drive is available for some manual operations that use the nsrjb or nsrmm command with the -f option. For
more information, refer to the NetWorker Command Reference Guideor the UNIX man pages.
The device might also go into service mode, rather than become disabled, if consecutive errors occur in excess of the maximum
consecutive error count specified for the device. This means that if there are no hardware issues, the tape can be ejected and
used in other drives. Media handling errors on page 134 provides more information about how to set the maximum consecutive
error count.

NOTE: The drive must be manually reset to Enabled for the NetWorker software to use the device again.

Setting the Service mode for a device

1. Open the device’s Properties window.

2. On the General tab, set Status Enabled to Service.

Reconfiguring a library
Use this procedure to reconfigure a tape library.
To reconfigure a library or to add or remove access paths to the devices in a library, use an account with the Configure
NetWorker privilege. This includes access paths that allow libraries to be shared.
NOTE: The following procedure does not support adding NDMP devices to a non-NDMP library if both the NDMP server
and the NetWorker storage node are on the same host. Instead, use the jbedit command.

1. Run Scan for Devices, in case a device path has been added to, or removed from, the library since the latest scan.
2. In the server’s Administration window, click Devices.
3. Select Libraries in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
4. In the navigation tree, right-click the entry for the library to be reconfigured, or open the Storage Nodes folder, open the
library folder, and then right-click the library entry there.
5. Select Reconfigure Library. The Reconfigure Library window appears. Note that the storage node name and library name
cannot be changed in this window.
6. Make appropriate changes in the Configure devices on various storage nodes using existing drive connectivity area,
selecting or clearing checkboxes as necessary, or using the buttons at the right side of the area (Check All, Clear All,
Reset).
Drives that are already configured to be used by the library display check marks in the boxes that are adjacent to their
names:

● Selecting a box adds the drive to the library.

● Clearing a box removes the drive from the library.
● The Reset button returns the checkboxes to the condition they had when the Reconfigure Library window was opened.

7. Click Start Configuration to reconfigure, or Cancel to leave the window.

8. Run Scan for Devices to refresh the navigation tree and show the reconfiguration results.

Specifying library slots

The available slots feature controls which volumes the NetWorker server uses for backup. The server uses all volumes in a
library to perform recoveries, but the volumes that are automatically selected for backups can be controlled by designating a
range of available slots in the library.
Perform the following steps to define the available slots in a tape library.
1. Ensure that volumes have been placed in all the available slots of the library so that the NetWorker server can continue
uninterrupted with an automatic backup.
With two-sided media, the number of available slots is effectively doubled. For example, with 32 optical disks labeled
“jupiter.001.a” to “jupiter.032.b,” there are a total of 64 sides, and therefore, there are 64 slots from which to choose.

2. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, select View > Diagnostic Mode from the menu bar.
3. Click Devices.

118 Backup Target

4. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
5. In either the navigation tree or in the Libraries detail table, right-click the library on which the slots are to be designated,
and select Properties.
6. Select the Advanced tab of the Properties window.
7. In the Media Management Area, in the Available slots field, type a range of contiguous slots, then click + to add the
range of slots.
For example (assuming that no slots have already been configured), to designate slots 1 through 3 as available, then skip a
defective slot 4, and designate slots 5 through 7 as available, type this information in the Available Slots field:

a. Type 1-3, then click + to add these slots.

b. Type 5-7, then click + to add these slots.
c. Click OK. Slot 4 will be skipped when tapes are loaded.

Reset a library
A library must be reset each time the library and the NetWorker software become out of sync. A library reset can be done using
either the Administration interface or the command prompt.

Resetting a library in the Administration interface

To reset a library in the Administration interface:
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Select a library in the navigation tree or double-click a library in the Libraries detail table to open the double-paned Library
Operations view.
The library’s drives are listed in the pane on the left in the Device column. The library’s slots are listed in the pane on the
right.

4. Right-click a library in the Device column, and select Reset. You are prompted to reset the library.
5. Click Yes. The Library Operation window appears and displays this message:

The library operation has started.

Please see the Monitoring->Operations screen for its status.

6. Click OK.

Resetting a library from the command prompt

Use the nsrjb -HE command to reset a library from the command prompt. For example, the library inventory must be correct
after adding drives to an SJI-compliant library, such as adding DLT7000 drives to an ETL 7/3500 device.
To make the NetWorker software aware of these new drives, run nsrjb -HE to reset the library. The -E option reinitializes the
library’s element status. Some libraries can track whether there is media in a component in the library. This feature is known as
an element status capability.
A series of commands exists that allow direct interaction with libraries (sji commands) and tape drives (cdi commands). These
commands should only be used by the most knowledgeable of NetWorker users, as the consequences of using them can be
unknown. For information about these commands, refer to the NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages.

Deleting libraries
The library's devices remain, and can still respond to NetWorker operations (such as monitoring, labeling, deletion, and so on)
after the library definition is deleted. A deletion of a library deletes the library, not its devices.

1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.

2. Select Libraries in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. In either the navigation tree or in the Libraries detail table, right-click the entry for the library to be deleted, and select
Delete.
4. When prompted, click Yes.

Backup Target 119

 This message appears:

"Are you sure you want to delete this jukebox? If so, please re-attempt
deletion within a minute."

5. Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Library notifications
The NetWorker server uses notifications to send messages about NetWorker events. Several preconfigured notifications, such
as the following, provide information about various situations:
● Volumes in the library are 90% full
● Library needs more volumes to continue
● Library has a mechanical problem
● Library device needs cleaning
● Cleaning cartridge needs attention.
The NetWorker software automatically mounts a required volume as long as the volume is loaded in the library. If a recovery
operation requires a volume that is not loaded in the library, the Tape mount request 1 notification sends an alert to Monitoring >
Alerts, with a request to do something with a specific volume.
After a library problem is corrected, it might be necessary to mount a volume so the NetWorker server can continue to back up
or recover files.

Refreshing enterprise library views on request

1. From the Console window, click Libraries.
2. In the navigation pane, select a server to update, or select the top item in the hierarchy to update library information for all
NetWorker servers.
3. Right-click the server, and select Refresh.

Changing the polling interval for enterprise library views

Enterprise library views are updated periodically without user intervention.

1. From the Console window, click Setup.

2. From the Setup menu, select System Options.
3. In the Polling Interval for NetWorker Libraries field, type the appropriate time, in hours.
4. Click OK.

Adding and removing media by using the library front panel

Certain media libraries allow for media to be added and removed by using the front panel display. This operation circumvents the
NetWorker server's normal procedures for adding and removing volumes and may cause the server information to become out
of sync with the library. Normally, you should use the NetWorker server procedures for adding and removing media, rather than
the library's front panel display. This is more efficient and guarantees that the server and the library will be in sync.
If it is necessary to use the library's front panel display to add and remove volumes.
NOTE: When a library is partitioned, the NetWorker software does not become aware of the partitioning. This means that
the entire physical library will be disabled, not just one partition.
1. In the Properties window for the Library, on the General tab, set Status Enabled to Service.
NOTE: Putting the library in service mode will cancel all operations or wait for operations to complete that cannot be
canceled, and then put the library into disabled mode.

2. Once the library is in disabled mode, use the library's front panel to add and remove tapes.
3. In the Properties window for the Library, on the General tab, set Status Enabled to Enabled.
4. Inventory the library. Inventorying library volumes on page 124 has information about inventorying libraries.

120 Backup Target

Volume mounting and unmounting
A volume must be mounted before files can be backed up. If no volume is mounted at the start of a backup, an error message
appears and requests that a volume be mounted.

Mounting or unmounting a volume in a library

1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Select a library in the navigation tree or double-click a library in the Libraries detail table to open the double-paned library
operations view. The library’s drives are listed in the Devices column, and its slots are listed in the Slot column.
4. To mount a volume:
a. In the Devices column, select the appropriate drive.
b. In the Volume column, right-click a volume to mount, and select Mount.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

c. Click OK.
5. To unmount the volume:
a. Right-click the device or the volume in the double-paned table view of the library and select Unmount.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

6. Click OK.

Unmounting volumes automatically (idle device timeout)

At times, a volume that is mounted in one device might be needed by another device in the same library. For example, data being
recovered by one device could span more than one volume, and the required volume could be mounted on another device. To
address this need, a value can be defined in the Idle Device Timeout attribute for that particular library.
The Idle Device Timeout attribute specifies the number of minutes a mounted volume can remain idle before it is automatically
unmounted from the device and returned to its slot, where it can then be accessed by another device. For libraries, this
attribute appears on the Timers tab of a library's Properties. The default value for a library is 10 minutes.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree.
3. Right-click the appropriate library in the detail table, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
4. Select the Timers tab.
5. Specify a value in the Idle Device Timeout attribute.
You can also override the library’s Idle Device Timeout attribute for a specific device in the library.
To specify the Idle Device Timeout value for a specific device:

6. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.

7. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
8. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
9. Right-click the device and select Properties.
10. Select the Advanced tab.
11. Specify a value in the Idle Device Timeout attribute.
The default value is 0 (zero) minutes, which means that the device never times out and the tape must be ejected manually.
However, when the value of this attribute is set to 0, the value specified in the device library’s Idle Device Timeout attribute
will take precedence.

Backup Target 121

Mounting or unmounting a volume in a stand-alone tape drive
1. Manually insert a volume in the stand-alone drive, or ensure that a volume is already loaded.
In a stand-alone device, a volume that has been loaded into the drive is not considered to be mounted until it has been
explicitly mounted in the user interface or from the command prompt.

2. In the Administration window, click Devices.

3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Select the device. To mount the volume, in the Devices detail table, right-click the device, and select Mount.
5. To unmount the volume, in the Devices > detail table, right-click the device, and select Unmount.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

6. Click OK.

Labeling and mounting a volume in one operation (stand-alone tape drive)

When multiple storage devices are connected to the NetWorker server, the device for labeling must first be selected from the
list of available devices. Remember that labeling a volume makes it impossible for the NetWorker server to recover original data
from that volume.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Manually insert an unlabeled or recyclable volume in the NetWorker server storage device, or ensure that a volume of this
type is already present for the NetWorker server to access.
3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Right-click the stand-alone device in the detail table, and select Label. The Label window appears:
a. Type a unique label name, or accept the default name that is associated with the selected pool.
If the volume is unlabeled, the NetWorker server assigns the next sequential label from the label template that is
associated with the selected pool. If a recyclable volume from the same pool is being re-labeled, then the volume label
name and sequence number remain the same. Access to the original data on the volume is destroyed, and the volume
becomes available.

b. Select a pool on the Pools menu. The NetWorker server automatically applies the label template that is associated with
the Default pool unless a different pool is selected.
c. Select the Manual Recycle attribute if the volume should be manually recycled.
If the Manual Recycle attribute is enabled when the volume is labeled, the volume cannot automatically be marked
as recyclable according to the retention policy. When a volume is marked as manual recycle, the NetWorker server
disregards the assigned browse and retention policies. Therefore, only an administrator can mark the volume recyclable.
A volume that has been set to manual recycle retains that setting, even after re-labeling. A Manual Recycle policy cannot
be changed back to Auto Recycle by clearing the Manual Recycle checkbox. The volume must be explicitly reset to use
auto recycle.

d. The Mount After Labeling attribute is selected by default. The NetWorker server automatically labels the volume, and
then mounts the volume into the device.
5. Click OK.
6. If the volume is recyclable, a message warns that the named volume is about to be recycled, and asks whether to continue.
Click Yes to re-label and recycle the volume.
7. After a volume is labeled and mounted in a device, the volume is available to receive data. Since the NetWorker label is
internal and machine-readable, place an adhesive label on each volume that matches that internal volume label.
Configuring a library to use volumes with barcodes on page 114 provides information on using barcode labels.
NOTE: If you are in the process of re-labeling a mounted volume and you choose not to overwrite the existing label, the
volume is left in an unmounted state. To use this volume, mount it again.

122 Backup Target

Labeling volumes without mounting
Volumes can be prelabeled without being mounted.
To label a volume without mounting, follow the same procedures as for labeling and mounting in one operation, but clear the
Mount After Labeling attribute in the Label window.

Mounting uninventoried volumes

You can mount volumes that are not included in the library inventory, but are valid (properly labelled) NetWorker volumes.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode on the toolbar.
3. Manually insert the volume in an empty library slot.
4. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
5. Select the library in the navigation tree in which the volume was manually inserted, or double-click the same library in the
Libraries detail table. The Libraries detail table changes to the double-paned library operations view. The library’s drives are
listed in the Devices column, and its slots are listed in the Slot column.
6. In the Devices column, right-click the library in which the volume was manually inserted, and select Inventory. The
Inventory Library window appears.
7. Type the slot number of the volume in both the First and Last field of the Slot Range.
8. Select Operation Type: either Slow/Verbose (the default) or Fast/Silent.
● When Slow/Verbose is selected, the Supply Input option and icon on the Operations screen of the Monitoring
window can be used to confirm the choice to relabel a volume. The device path appears in the Device field.
● When Fast/Silent is selected, the Supply Input option and icon are not available, and relabeling proceeds automatically,
without user input. The device path does not appear in the Device field. Entering user input on page 53 provides details.

9. Click OK.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:
The library operation has started.
● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.
The NetWorker software then inventories the specified slot.

10. Mount the inventoried volume.

NOTE: Unlabeled tapes may not be mounted for inventorying. Unlabeled tapes can only be mounted to be labeled. An
attempt to mount an uninventoried volume by using unlabeled media results in an I/O error. The volume will also be
ejected.

Libraries with volume import and export capability

The NetWorker software supports the use of the SCSI-II import/export feature found in many brands of library. Depending
on the library model, this feature is also known as cartridge access port (CAP), mail slot, and loading port. The import/export
feature deposits and withdraws (ejects) volumes from slots in the library. This feature enables the operator to deposit and
withdraw cartridges without invalidating the device inventory list. Normally, if the operator opens the door to load or unload
media, the element status of the autoloader is invalidated, which requires the reinitialization the library. The NetWorker server
does not, however, automatically inventory the volume after a deposit and withdrawal.
The reinitialization usually consists of the following:
● An inventory of all slots
● A reset of the robotic arm
● A check to see whether each drive is working
The Deposit attribute causes a library to take the first available volume from the CAP and place it in the first empty library slot.
The Eject/Withdraw attribute moves a volume from a slot (never from a drive) to the CAP.

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Depositing a volume by using the import/export feature
Use these general instructions when working with a CAP. Specific instructions for working with a CAP can vary, depending on
the library manufacturer. For specific instructions, refer to the library’s documentation.
1. Ensure that volumes are available in the CAP for deposit.
2. In the Administration window, click Devices.
3. Select Libraries in the navigation tree.
The Libraries detail table appears.
4. Double-click the library in which to deposit the volume.
The Libraries detail table changes to the double-paned library operations view.
5. Right-click either the device or the slot, and select Deposit.
You are prompted to deposit the volume.
6. Click Yes. The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

7. Click OK.
8. Click Monitoring to go to the Monitoring window, and then select the Operations tab.
9. Right-click the User Input icon for the deposit job and select Supply Input.
You are prompted to load the cartridges into the ports and type Yes to continue.
10. Click Yes.
11. Right-click the User Input icon for the deposit job and select Supply Input again.
You are prompted to continue depositing volumes.
12. Click Yes to continue depositing volumes, or No when done.

Withdrawing a volume by using the import/export feature

NOTE: If the library is partitioned into logical libraries and the import/export slots are shared between the partitions, you
must withdraw volumes by using the nsrjb -P command to specify the ports from which to withdraw thevolumes. The
nsrjb man page or NetWorker Command Reference Guide the for more information.

1. Ensure that the volume to be withdrawn is in a known slot, and that the CAP has an empty port to hold the withdrawn
volume.
2. In the Administration window, click Devices.
3. Select Libraries in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
4. Double-click the library from which the volume is to be NetWorker Command Reference Guide withdrawn. The Libraries
detail table changes to the double-paned library operations view.
5. Right-click the slot that contains the volume, and select Eject/Withdraw.
You are prompted to withdraw the volume.
6. Click Yes.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:
The library operation has started.
● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays the status.

7. Click OK.
8. To review the result, select Monitoring > Log. A successful Eject/Withdraw operation ends with a Succeeded comment
in the log.

Inventorying library volumes

When the NetWorker software labels the contents of a library, the software registers the location of the volumes in the library
slots when it assigns the volume label. This process is called taking inventory. When the volumes in the library are inventoried,
the NetWorker software reads the label of each volume and records its slot number. If the volumes are not moved in the library
after they have been labeled, then the NetWorker server can access the volumes because each volume label is assigned to a
specific slot.

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If, however, the contents of the library are changed without being labeled, or if volumes are moved into new slots, the
NetWorker software must be notified that the library now holds a different set of labeled volumes or that the volumes are in
a different order. For example, if the library has more than one magazine, the volumes must be inventoried each time that a
magazine is removed, and another one is loaded into the library.
When the volumes in a new magazine are labeled, there is no need to inventory them. The NetWorker software automatically
records the slot number in which each newly labeled volume is located.
The NetWorker software can use barcode labels to speed up the inventory process. If the library supports the use of barcode
labels, consider using them if large numbers of volumes, and/or if the library contents change often. Barcode labels on page 117
provides more information on using barcode labels.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Select a library in the navigation tree or double-click a library in the Libraries detail table. The Libraries detail table changes
to the double-paned library operations view.
4. Right-click anywhere within the Devices pane, and select Inventory. The Inventory > Library window appears.
5. Type the numbers of the first and last slots to be inventoried in the Slot Range area.
6. Select Operation Type: either Slow/Verbose (the default) or Fast/Silent.
7. Click OK.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

8. Click OK. If the volumes do not have barcode labels, the NetWorker software must mount each volume, read its label, and
unmount it. In this case, the inventory process can take some time to complete.

Library maintenance
Periodically clean a storage library to keep it working correctly. The NetWorker server provides automatic cleaning of devices
located in libraries. The server does not support automatic cleaning for stand-alone devices. Cleaning is an option set during
configuration.
The service mode feature allows a library to be taken offline temporarily for cleaning or other maintenance.

Automatic tape device cleaning

Tape device cleaning is an automated, self-contained operation. It is no longer part of a media-loading operation. Tape device
cleaning is automatically triggered if one of these conditions exist:
● The last time the device was cleaned was a full cleaning interval ago.
● The Cleaning Required attribute for the device is set to Yes in one of the following ways:
○ Manually by the user.
○ Automatically by the NetWorker server, after it receives a “device needs cleaning” notification.
When one of these conditions is met for a device, cleaning begins as soon as the device becomes available. Loaded devices
are unloaded before a cleaning operation begins. Loading a cleaning cartridge (with the nsrjb -l cleaning cartridge command) to
force a cleaning operation is no longer supported.

Selecting a tape device manually for cleaning

NOTE: Do not enable automated cleaning for silos in the NetWorker software. The automated device cleaning feature
cannot be used in a silo, because it depends on fixed slot numbers. For information about how to clean devices in a silo,
refer to the silo manufacturer’s software documentation.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree and select the drive that contains the mounted volume with the block size
being checked. The drive’s detail table appears.
3. Right-click the drive in the detail table, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
4. Select the General tab.

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5. Set the Cleaning Required attribute to Yes.

Delaying tape device cleaning

Occasionally it is necessary to set the Cleaning Delay attribute in order to allow a tape device to sleep before attempting to
unload a cleaning cartridge.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree.
4. Right-click the appropriate library in the detail table, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
5. Select the Timers tab.
6. Select a value in seconds for the Cleaning Delay attribute.

Tape alert
The TapeAlert feature provides, among other things, diagnostic information for devices for which hardware cleaning is enabled.
NetWorker provides the following attributes for tape device cleaning:
● Cleaning required
● Cleaning interval
● Date last cleaned
When the Common Device Interface (CDI) is enabled, TapeAlert attributes provide tape drive status. SCSI Commands must be
selected for the CDI attribute on the Configuration tab of the relevant device’s Properties. If CDI cannot be enabled, TapeAlert
is not supported.
Devices that are capable of TapeAlert perform constant self-diagnostics and communicate the diagnostic information via the
nsrmmd program to logs that can be viewed in the Monitoring task.
The following TapeAlert attributes are found in the device’s Properties, on the Volume tab.
● TapeAlert Critical: Displays critical diagnostic information, such as for media or drive failure, when user intervention is urgent
and data is at risk.
● TapeAlert Warning: Displays a message when the media or device needs servicing.
● TapeAlert Information: Displays status information.
The following table describes the nature of the tape alert levels.

Table 31. Tape alert severity

Severity Urgently requires user Risks data loss Explanatory
intervention
Critical X X
Warning X X
Informative X

The messages indicate tape and drive states related to tape drive read/write management, cleaning management, or drive
hardware errors.

Informative messages
Informative messages indicate status information:
● A data or cleaning tape is nearing its end of life.
● A tape format that is not supported.
NOTE: When automatic cleaning is enabled, a diagnostic message to indicate that a drive needs cleaning initiates
NetWorker drive cleaning.

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Warning messages
Warning messages indicate the following types of drive errors:
● Recoverable read or write errors occurred.
● Media is at end of life.
● Read-only tape format is in the drive.
● Periodic cleaning is required.

Critical messages
Critical messages are warnings that a drive might be disabled and requires immediate attention to avoid data loss:
● Unrecoverable read or write errors occurred.
● Tape is marked read-only.
● Drive require immediate cleaning.
● Drive is predicting hardware failure.
Informative and warning messages should clear automatically by nsrmmd once the reported issue is handled.
Critical messages about hardware errors are not cleared by nsrmmd because they might indicate intermittent hardware
problems.

Troubleshooting libraries and devices

This section provides detailed information about how to troubleshoot issues with libraries and devices, including how to correct
drive ordering issues and block size issues between UNIX and Windows devices.

Troubleshooting autoconfiguration failure

Common symptoms of library autoconfiguration failure include the following:
● The library is not listed in the Libraries folder in the Administration interface.
● The library is listed, but is listed as being unconfigured.
Common causes include:
● Device drivers are not properly installed.
● Autodetection fails to match a detected library with its devices due to:
○ Out-of-date device firmware.
○ Failure of the library to return its devices’ serial numbers.
● Autodetection failed to start on the storage nodes.
1. Check Monitoring > Log for relevant messages.
2. From the command prompt, type the following command to verify that the library returns the serial numbers of its devices:
sn -a b.t.l.
where b.t.l. refers to the bus target LUN of the library. If the bus target LUN is not known, run the inquire command first, to
obtain this information.

Library configuration using the jbedit command

If the autoconfiguration program cannot be used, the jbedit (jukebox edit) program can be used as a fallback means of editing
library configurations. This command can be run on a NetWorker server, storage node, or client (if the client is a storage node).
It operates without disrupting any backup or recovery operations on the library.
Running the jbedit program requires Configure NetWorker user privileges.
The jbedit program supports all direct-attached SCSI/SJI, SAN, and NDMP libraries.
The jbedit program is not intended to be a full-fledged editor of the Library resource. The editing of Library resource
attributes should be done as described in Reconfiguring a library on page 118. The jbedit options provide selection lists that
make it easy to find drives or devices to be added or deleted.
The following table lists the most commonly used jbedit program options.

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Table 32. Common jbedit options
Option Description
-a Add a drive or device.
-d Deletes a drive or device.
-j Name of the autochanger to be edited.
-f Name of the device to be added or deleted.
-E Element address of the device to be added or deleted.

The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man page provides a detailed description of the jbedit command, its
options, and associated diagnostic messages.

Device ordering
The NetWorker server uses logical device names assigned by the operating system when communicating with devices. It is
possible for the operating system to re-associate logical device names with the physical addresses of the devices, generally
after rebooting the host or after plug-and-play events. This may cause device reordering, where the physical device will have
a different device filename. As a result, tape devices configured in the NetWorker software no longer match the names of the
devices as recognized by the operating system.
If device reordering occurs, the NetWorker software is unable to use any affected drives until the configuration is manually
corrected.
The NetWorker server detects device reordering events by comparing the current serial number of the device to the serial
number of the device at configuration. If the serial numbers do not match, the NetWorker server stops all operations on
that device and an error message will be posted, similar to the alert identified for device serial number mismatch in the table
Preconfigured notifications on page 499. CDI must be enabled for this functionality. Setting the common device interface on
page 133 provides more information about enabling CDI.

Detecting device ordering issues

To determine if there is a problem with device ordering in your environment, you first determine if the device order that appears
in nsrjb output matches the device order from the inquire and sjisn commands, then verify that the device configuration within
your NetWorker configuration conforms to this.
1. Execute the inquire command with the -cl option to determine the device path, scsi address, and serial number of the
device.
2. Execute the sjisn command to determine the current order of the devices:

sjisn scsidev@bus.target.lun

where bus.target.lun is the SCSI address of the robotic arm returned by the inquire command in step 1, for example, 1.2.0.

3. Match the serial numbers of the devices in the sjisn output to the device names that correspond to these serial numbers in
the inquire -cl output. This will give you the current device order by device filename.
4. Execute the nsrjb command to determine the order of devices as configured in NetWorker. Drive entries towards the end
of the nsrjb output list the device order as configured in NetWorker.
5. Compare the device ordering as determined in step 3 and step 4. If the device ordering in these two steps do not match, the
device ordering has changed and the library will need to be reconfigured.

Drive ordering change corrections

After a drive ordering change has taken place and the NetWorker software is no longer correctly communicating with devices,
you can correct the problem within your NetWorker configuration by using the NetWorker Console or the jbedit command line
program.

Using NetWorker Console to correct drive ordering changes

You can correct drive ordering changes by using the NetWorker Console.
1. Ensure that you have a current backup of the resource database.

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2. Delete the library resource in the NetWorker Console. Deleting libraries on page 119 provides details.
3. Rescan the library. Scanning for libraries and devices on page 112 provides more information.

Using the jbedit command to correct drive ordering changes

You can correct drive ordering changes by using the jbedit command.
1. Use the jbedit command with the -d option to delete devices from the NetWorker configuration.
2. Use the jbedit command with the -a option to add the devices again.
Library configuration using the jbedit command on page 127, or the UNIX man page for jbedit or the NetWorker Command
Reference Guide provides more information about the jbedit command.

Clearing device ordering/serial mismatch errors from the NetWorker Console

After a device ordering error has been detected, a message is displayed in the Alerts and Notifications windows of the
NetWorker Management Console, as well as the log files. The error message is similar to the following:

“Check system device ordering. Moving device on %s to . To correct, scan for devices in
NMC and re-enable the device.”

An Event ID for the error is also created, which will be removed along with the alert when the problem is resolved. You can
resolve the problem and clear the error message.
1. Disable the drive.
2. Perform one of the above procedures to correct the problem.
3. Re-enable the drive, and retry the operation that was being performed prior to receiving the error.
The Alert will be removed and the event dismissed.

Tape drive number reordering (Microsoft Windows only)

If more than one tape drive is attached to the NetWorker server when both the server and drives are shut down, restart all
of the tape drives, either before or immediately after the NetWorker server is restarted. If Windows does not locate all of its
previously configured tape drives at the time of startup, it automatically reassigns the tape registry name.
For example, assume that these three tape drives are attached to the server:
● The first one, \\.\Tape0, is a 4 mm tape drive.
● The second, \\.\Tape1, is an 8 mm tape drive.
● The third, \\.\Tape2, is also an 8 mm tape drive.
If only the second and third tape drives are restarted, Windows reassigns the tape registry numbers so that the second storage
device becomes \\.\Tape0 and the third storage device becomes \\.\Tape1. The tape registry numbers no longer match the
defined storage devices within the NetWorker software. As a result, the server mishandles the drives and their volumes.
It might be easier to leave a nonoperational drive (device) attached to the server until a replacement is available. If the drive is
removed, the name must be deleted, and then the new drive must be added.
To disable the drive, select No for the Enabled attribute in the device’s Properties.

Device calibration
For information about the frequency and method for calibrating the loading mechanism for the device, refer to the library
manufacturer’s documentation.

SCSI data block size issues between UNIX and Windows

Different SCSI hardware limitations exist between UNIX and Microsoft Windows operating systems. This can lead to data block
size compatibility problems (although they are less likely to occur now than in the past, given larger Fibre-Channel capacities).
For example, with a device defined in UNIX that is physically attached to a Windows HBA, it is possible to define a block size
greater than that allowed by the Windows hardware. This could lead to I/O errors in both write and read states on the device. In
order to use both operating systems, it is necessary to determine a block size that is acceptable to both.

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 NOTE: In NetWorker 8.0.1 and later, the default block size for an LTO device increases from 128 KB to 256 KB. When
NetWorker labels a new or used volume in an LTO device and the Device block size attribute of the device is handler
default, the label operation uses a 256 KB block size.

Determining the allowable block size

You can determine the allowable block size by checking the Properties window of a mounted volume while in Diagnostic Mode.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree and select the drive that contains the mounted volume with the block size
being checked. The drive’s detail table appears.
4. Right-click the drive in the detail table, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
5. Select the Volume tab. In the Loaded Volume area, one of the displayed volume attributes is the Volume Block Size.
6. Click OK.

Solving block-size compatibility problems

NOTE: It is also possible to solve problems with block-size compatibility by changing the block size for an entire device
type. The change, however, must be made on each storage node where it is to be available. Once the block size is changed,
it affects only those volumes that are labeled after the change. Volumes can be relabeled to use the new block size, but if
they contain data that should be saved, be sure to clone the data beforehand to a volume that already uses the new block
size.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode on the menu bar.
3. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree and select the drive that contains the mounted volume with the block size
being checked. The drive’s detail table appears.
4. Right-click the drive in the detail table, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
5. Select the Advanced tab. In the Device Configuration area, the currently configured Device Block Size value is
displayed.
6. Select the appropriate Device Block Size value.
7. Click OK.

Setting the block size for a device type

1. Change the block size:
● On UNIX, change the block size by setting this environment variable to the greatest common value for both systems. For
example:

setenv NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE value

where:
○ MEDIA_TYPE is the backup device type available to the NetWorker server (also found in the Media Type attribute
on the General tab of the device’s properties). The media type syntax must be all uppercase, with underscores (_)
replacing blank spaces and hyphens. Therefore, a device displayed in the NetWorker software as "8mm Mammoth-2"
would be listed as:
8MM_MAMMOTH_2
○ value must be a multiple of 32 KB, with a minimum value of 32 KB.
● On Microsoft Windows only, install a later model HBA, or upgrade to drivers that can support up to 128 KB blocks.
Windows also accepts the same environment variable format as UNIX to set block size.

2. Restart the NetWorker server in order for changed environment variables to take effect.

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Device block size for read and write operations
The block size for a volume is defined during the label operation. The label operation uses the value defined in the Device block
size attribute for the Device or the value defined by the appropriate block size environment variable.
The block size for both read and write operations uses the block size defined in the volume header during the label operation
rather than the device block size.

Block-size mode (UNIX/Linux only)

Ensure that the block size mode for tape devices that are used with NetWorker software is set to variable. Otherwise, data
recovery might fail. The procedure for setting the device block size varies depending on the operating system.
The operating system’s documentation provides information about setting the tape device block size in the operating system.

Device parameter settings

Device parameter settings can be modified for the devices the NetWorker software uses in two ways:
● Individually, through the NetWorker Administration interface.
● Globally, for all devices through operating system environment variables. The adjustment of environment variables should
only be done by users who know the server environment and performance tuning requirements. For example, an
administrator who wants to fine-tune performance by changing a certain setting for all LTO devices on a particular
NetWorker server.
The variables (and their equivalent names in the Administration interface) are described in the following sections.

Device setting environment variables

There are several device-related environment variables available to configure devices for the NetWorker software.
Device-related environment variables include the following:
● NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
● NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
● NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE
● NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_MEDIA_TYPE
● NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_MEDIA_TYPE
● NSR_DEV_DEFAULT_CAPACITY_MEDIA_TYPE
where:
MEDIA_TYPE is the backup device type available to the NetWorker server.
NOTE: The media type syntax must be all uppercase, with underscores (_) replacing blank spaces and hyphens. For
example, a device displayed in the NetWorker software as “8mm Mammoth-2” would be listed as: 8MM_MAMMOTH_2
To determine the media type, right-click the device an select the General tab. The Media Type attribute contains the
media type that should be used in these environment variables.

NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE is organized in units of kilobytes. This environment variable will cause NetWorker to
override the default block-size setting defined for the tape drive in the operating system. The value set must be a multiple of 32,
with a minimum value of 32. Maximums are determined by platform, SCSI driver, and device.
For example:
NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_4MM_20GB=64
For information about using this environment variable to set block-size compatibility between UNIX and Microsoft Windows.
SCSI data block size issues between UNIX and Windows on page 129 provides more information.

Backup Target 131

NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE is organized in units of NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE and is the number
of blocks written between filemarks. These filemarks are used to locate a particular spot on the tape during recovery, and more
filemarks generally lead to faster positioning. For example:
NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE_TZ89=512
On UNIX and Linux platforms, the NetWorker software writes a filemark by closing and reopening the tape device, which takes
one or two seconds. If this value is too small, throughput could be slowed and recoveries may take longer to complete.
On Microsoft Windows platforms, the NetWorker software writes asynchronous filemarks. This setting has a minimal effect on
performance.

NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE is the number of seconds that nsrmmd polls and waits for a drive to become ready
after the library inserts a tape into the device. NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_MEDIA_TYPE is used to set the number of
seconds nsrmmd waits between polls during load time.
If the value of NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE is too short, there could be unnecessary load failures. If it is too long, then
labeling new tapes takes longer than necessary. The minimum allowable value is 10 seconds. The maximum value is 600 seconds.
For example:
NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_DTL8000=300

NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_MEDIA_TYPE is the number of seconds that nsrmmd waits between each attempt to read
a newly inserted tape. The minimum allowable value is 1 second, the maximum value is 30 seconds. For example:
NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_DLT=10

NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_MEDIA_TYPE is the number of times that nsrmmd will attempt to open a drive. The nsrmmd
program will poll the drive until the limit set in NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE is reached. After the limit is reached, it will
retry until the NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_MEDIA_TYPE is reached. The default value and minimum allowable value is 2, the
maximum value is 120.
NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_DLT=4

NSR_DEV_DEFAULT_CAPACITY_MEDIA_TYPE
NSR_DEV_DEFAULT_CAPACITY_MEDIA_TYPE is the size of the particular tape used to base the percent full calculation. This
variable value has no effect on the actual tape capacity. Any integer value is allowed, with a KB, MB or GB designation to
indicate a range of values. Any value less than 200 MB will be overridden by the normal default capacity. There is no obvious
maximum, with the only practical limitation being the actual storage size. For example:
NSR_DEV_DEFAULT_CAPACITY_DTL7000=12GB

Setting device parameters in the NetWorker Administration interface

You can locate and change the device parameters in the Administration interface.

1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.

2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Double-click the device in the devices table or right-click the device and select Properties. The Properties window
appears, with the General tab selected.
5. Select the Advanced tab. In the Device Configuration area, the device settings are the first fields shown. The following
table lists the fields and their corresponding environment variables:

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Table 33. Device settings and environment variables
Device setting Corresponding environment variable
Device Block Size NSR_DEV_BLOCK_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
Device File Size NSR_DEV_TAPE_FILE_SIZE_MEDIA_TYPE
Device Load Time NSR_DEV_LOAD_TIME_MEDIA_TYPE
Device Eject Time None
Device Poll Interval NSR_DEV_LOAD_POLL_INTERVAL_MEDIA_TYPE
Device Min Load Tries NSR_DEV_LOAD_TRY_LIMIT_MEDIA_TYPE
Device Default Capacity NSR_DEV_DEFAULT_CAPACITY_MEDIA_TYPE
Device Tape Flags None

When device parameters are set in this interface, it is not necessary to stop and restart the NetWorker server in order for the
settings to take effect.

Setting device environment variables on Windows

Setting environment variables for the NetWorker software differs on Windows and UNIX operating systems.
Environment variables on Microsoft Windows are set using the Control Panel System applet on the NetWorker server.
1. Browse to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced System Settings.
2. In the General tab click Environment Variables...
3. Click New.
4. Specify the environment variable name and value.
5. Stop and start the NetWorker Backup and Recover Server service in order for the environment variables to take effect.

Setting device environment variables on UNIX

Setting environment variables for the NetWorker software differs on Windows and UNIX operating systems.
On UNIX and Linux NetWorker sources the /nsr/nsrrc file before starting the NetWorker processes.
1. On the NetWorker server, modify the /nsr/nsrrc file. If this file does not exist, create this file as a Bourne shell script file.
2. Add the environment variables in the following format:

ENV_VAR_NAME = value
export ENV_VAR_NAME

3. Stop and start the NetWorker server processes in order for the environment variables to take effect.

Setting the common device interface

Common device interface (CDI) allows the NetWorker server to send commands to tape devices. The CDI feature is not
supported within an NDMP environment. You can set CDI support in the NetWorker Administration interface.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode.
3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Double-click a device in the Devices table (or right-click the device and select Properties). The Properties window
appears, with the General tab selected.
5. Select the Advanced tab. In the Device Configuration area, locate the CDI settings:
● Not Used: Disables the CDI feature and uses standard tape driver calls for tape operations.
● SCSI Commands: Sends explicit SCSI commands to tape devices.
When enabled, the CDI feature:
● Provides clearer tape status messages.
● Informs when a tape is write protected.
● Enables Tape Alert, which provides diagnostic information for devices.

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 Although you can disable the CDI feature by selecting the Not Used option, it can be time-consuming to disable CDI on a
large number of devices.

In this situation, create an empty file named /nsr/debug directory and create an empty file that is named cdidisable.
Then restart the NetWorker server. The presence of this file disables the use of CDI for that server and all the storage nodes
that are controlled by that server.
NOTE: Use of CDI does not change what is written to tape. A tape that is written with CDI enabled can be read with
CDI disabled. Conversely, a tape that is written with CDI disabled can be read with CDI enabled. The CDI feature enables
NetWorker software to collect better diagnostic information and facilitates tape usage when enabled. Only set or disable
the CDI feature on the advice of an Customer Service representative. If tape or SCSI issues occur while the CDI feature
is enabled, contact Customer Service.

Media handling errors

The architecture of device drivers can produce media handling errors. The NetWorker software automatically retries a failed
operation such as a mount or read of a volume. The number of times the NetWorker software retries the failed operation
depends on the value of the Max Consecutive Errors attribute, which is set in the Advanced tab of the device’s Properties
window. The default value is 20. When the device’s Max Consecutive Errors value is reached, the device stops retrying the
operation and becomes disabled.
A mount or read operation might fail for several reasons, for example:
● Attempts to mount and read a damaged tape in a library can result in a loop of failed actions: the device might repeatedly try
to mount the tape, replace it in the slot, and then retry the action with the same result. In this example, to bring the drive
back into use, remove the damaged tape, then reenable the device.
● A drive that always reports a fixed number of failures before correctly mounting and reading a tape, even if the tape is not
damaged, can cause a failure loop. In this example, ensure that the Max Consecutive Errors value is higher than the number
of times that particular drive fails before working correctly.

Re-enabling a device
Once the number of retries equals the Max Consecutive Errors value, the device becomes disabled. After the problem that
disabled the device has been fixed, the device (drive) must be reenabled before it can be used again.
1. When the NetWorker computer is idle, remove any volume from the disabled drive and ensure that the drive is in good
working order.
2. In the Administration window, click Devices. The Devices detail table appears.
3. Right-click the drive to be reenabled, and select Properties. The Properties window appears.
4. In the Status area of the General tab, set Enabled to Yes.
5. Click OK.
If the disabled drive is part of a library, it might be necessary to reset the device. To do this:

6. From the command prompt, change the path to the directory that contains the NetWorker binaries.
7. Type this command:
nsrjb -HE
NOTE: A device retains it enabled or disabled status in the Properties window and in the Devices detail table regardless
of whether its storage node is enabled or disabled. Therefore, it is possible that the storage node Properties window is
set to disabled while its devices appear to be enabled in the GUI.

Silo libraries
This section describes silos and silo devices. Silos and libraries are managed similarly by NetWorker software.
A silo tape library (STL) is a peripheral that usually contains many storage devices.
Silos libraries have a robotic controller that moves tape media between slots and devices. Silos do not use a SCSI interface to
access and control the media movements. Media movements are controlled by a separate host that is called the silo server. The
silo server uses silo management software to manage media movement requests over the network. The silo vendor provides the
silo management software. The silo server cannot be the same computer as the NetWorker server.

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The silo can be shared among many applications, systems, and platforms. As with libraries, silos make data and media operations
more automatic. Silos can load, change, and manage volumes, and clean the devices automatically.
NetWorker only supports silos that use the Automated Cartridge System Library Software (ACSLS) Manager software.

NetWorker software interactions with a silo

A NetWorker server acts as a client of the silo management software, which resides on the silo server. The NetWorker server
communicates with the silo through the Silo Tape Library Interface (STLI), which must be installed on the NetWorker server
that uses the silo.
To access the volumes and devices in a silo, the NetWorker server sends a request to the silo management software, in the
form of an STLI call. For example, to mount a volume in a silo device, the NetWorker media service sends a request to the
silo management software to mount the volume into a particular device in the silo. The silo server responds to the request and
mounts the volume in the requested device.
The silo management software controls many of the operations that NetWorker software controls with a library. For example,
the silo management software keeps track of the slot where each silo volume resides, and might control the deposit and
withdrawal of volumes, as well as automated cleaning of silo devices.

Naming conventions for silo devices

The silo name of the storage devices is supplied during the configuration process. The silo name is the name that the silo
management software uses to refer to the storage device. Depending on the type of silo, the device name can take several
forms. This section describes the naming conventions of the currently supported silos.

StorageTek device naming conventions

The StorageTek (STK) silo management software uses either a program that is called ACSLS that runs on a UNIX system, or
a program that is called Library Attach that runs on a Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) system. These programs name devices
according to a coordinate system based on the physical location of the devices in the silo. When you configure the silo in
NetWorker, you supply the name of the silo that the silo management software uses to refer to the storage device.
For tape drives, the name consists of four digits that are separated by commas:
● The first digit refers to the automated cartridge system (ACS) with which the drive is associated.
● The second digit refers to the library storage module (LSM) in which the drive is located.
● The third and fourth digits refer to the panel and slot location in which the drive is located.
A typical name for an STK drive is similar to: 1,0,1,0.
You cannot determine the drive names from the NetWorker software. Contact the silo administrator for the drive names of
the devices that the NetWorker server can use. To connect to more than one drive, determine the SCSI IDs for each drive
and correctly match the IDs to the silo names. If the operating system device names and silo names are accidentally swapped,
NetWorker can only mount and unmount volumes. NetWorker cannot read or write to the volumes after they are mounted. To
reconfigure the device names correctly, modify the Library resource in the Administration window and change the order of the
device names in the STL Device Names attribute.

Installing a silo
1. Install the silo management software on the silo server.
2. If required, install the STLI library on the NetWorker server. For more information, refer to the documentation from the silo
vendor.
For example, for a NetWorker server or storage node running Windows to control an STK silo, the libattach program must be
installed.
On UNIX systems, do not install the STLI library because all the necessary software is installed when the NetWorker
software is installed.

3. Ensure that the NetWorker server is properly connected to the media devices in the silo.
4. Add the silo. Configuring silo libraries on page 136 provides further details.

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Configuring silo libraries
1. In the server’s Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Open the Storage Nodes folder in the navigation tree.
3. Right-click the storage node to which the device is to be configured, and select Configure All Libraries (which is available
from many of the menus throughout the Devices task). This action opens a wizard that can configure all detected libraries,
except those libraries that are explicitly excluded in the library exclusion list during configuration.
NOTE: If Configure All Libraries is started from the server folder instead of from the Storage Node folder, then all
storage nodes on the NetWorker server are automatically selected for configuration in the wizard.

The Configure All Libraries wizard appears, and allows the user to step through library configuration, including the
following input (some of which is filled in by default):
● Library type (select STL Silo).
● Adjust the Enable New Device option, if required.
● Current server sharing policy (use maximal sharing with Dynamic Drive Sharing [DDS]).
● Storage nodes on which the libraries should configure. You can select a storage node to see its details that are displayed.
If the appropriate storage node is not listed, click Create a New Storage Node. When creating a storage node, replace
the default value in the Name field with the name of the new storage node:
a. Update storage node properties, if required.
b. Type the Silo Controller count, which sets the number of silos to be configured for the selected storage node. The
default is 1. If a silo count of greater than one is selected, then a library name and hostname must be typed for each
one.
c. Type the Hostname of the silo controller.
d. (Optional) Use the Test Silo Controller Connectivity button to see whether the connection to a silo controller
works. Use it once for each silo. If the connection to a given silo fails, an error message appears.
4. Click Start Configuration after filling in the requested information. The Configuration window displays a message that the
Configure All Libraries process has started, and that the configuration activity can be viewed by checking the Monitoring >
Log screen for status.
5. Click Finish on the Configuration window to close the configuration wizard. If problems occur during configuration, then
the Back button on the Configuration window becomes active, which allows the user to return to the input screen to
adjust input.

NetWorker software with ACSLS silos

In this section, the term “ACSLS server” refers to the name of the system that is running any one of StorageTek's library
manager programs.
The ssi program is used indirectly by the nsrjb program to communicate with an ACSLS server. The nsrjb program loads
libstlstk, which handles the TCP calls to and from the ssi program. The ssi program then handles all of communication to
and from the ACSLS server. Starting with ACSLS version 5.3, it is possible to run either a NetWorker server or storage node on
the same host that is running ACSLS.
To configure a library, the ssi and mini_el programs must be running on the system on which library configuration is
performed. The ssi and mini_el programs are generally run as background processes, and are usually started automatically
by the system.
In addition to the ssi and mini_el programs, a shared library file (usually called libstlstk.xxx where xxx is an operating
system-dependent extension) is also required. An appropriate version of this library is installed as part of NetWorker installation.

ACSLS silos and firewalls

With ssi version 2.0, communication with the ACSLS server on a specified port number is supported, using the -a command line
option. This is part of the STK firewall enhancement. The ACSLS version 7 or later must be running on the ACSLS server to use
this functionality.
The UNIX man pages for these commands, or see the NetWorker Command Reference Guide, which provides information on
the ssi and mini_el programs.

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Releasing a silo device
When a silo device is configured for use with a NetWorker server, it is possible to restrict silo access only to the NetWorker
server. These restrictions allow increased availability to the silo for those with full access. These restrictions can be lifted by
using the Release Device feature.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Select a silo in the navigation tree or double-click a silo in the Libraries detail table to open the double-paned Library
Operations view. The silo’s drives are listed in the Device column. The slots are listed in the Slot column.
4. Right-click a silo in the Slot column, and select Release Device. A window appears and asks whether to release devices.
5. Click Yes. The Library Operation window appears and displays this message:

The library operation has started.

Please see the Monitoring->Operations screen for its status.

6. Click OK.
7. Repeat all steps for each device to be released.

Silo device cleaning

Do not enable automated cleaning for silos in the NetWorker software. The automated device cleaning feature depends on fixed
slot numbers, so it cannot be used in a silo, which does not have fixed slot numbers. For information about how to clean devices
in a silo, refer to the ACSLS silo manufacturer’s software documentation.

Environment variables for StorageTek silos

Environment variables must be set for StorageTek silos. The following table lists the environment variables to set.

Table 34. StorageTek environment variables

Silo model Environment variables
StorageTek For UNIX systems:
● CSI_HOSTNAME = name_of_ACSLS_system

The following commands should also be running on the system and can be
in the NetWorker startup script:
● <binaries_path>/mini_el &
● <binaries_path>/ssi &

For Windows systems:

The LibAttach Configurator program is available from StorageTek. It creates a

ssi process, and a link is available to start the mini_el process from

Start > Programs > LibAttach menu tree.

Once installed and configured, it starts on restart.

Setting environment variables for UNIX systems

1. Create a Bourne shell script file named/nsr/nsrrc on the NetWorker server if it does not already exist.
2. Add the variables in this format:
ENV_VAR_NAME = value
export ENV_VAR_NAME

3. Stop and start the NetWorker server daemons in order for the environment variables to take effect.

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Media management in a silo
More than one software application can use a single silo. Therefore, media management in a silo requires extra operations to
prevent the NetWorker software from overwriting volumes used by other programs.

Silo slot numbering

In a library, the NetWorker software specifies many functions by slot number. A library has a fixed number of slots, and
NetWorker software uses the slot number to refer to a volume’s physical location.
A silo works similarly, but a silo has a variable number of slots, starting at zero when it is first configured, and limited by the silo
license purchased. The fundamental identifier of a silo volume is its barcode, or volser (volume serial number). The volser never
changes over the life of a particular volume.
When the nsrjb command lists the contents of a silo, it also lists a slot number. Use the slot number to specify which volumes
to mount, unmount, label, and inventory. Volumes are not always assigned the same slot number in the silo. The slot numbers
in the silo are assigned dynamically, based on the sorted order of the barcodes that have been allocated. If additional barcodes
that fall earlier in the sort sequence are allocated later, then the slot numbers change for all volumes that are later in the
sequence.
The nsrjb UNIX man page or the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provide more information.

Silo volume mounting and unmounting

The mount and unmount operations for silos are the same as for library volumes.
Consider the following when mounting and unmounting library volumes:
● A volume must be mounted before it can be labeled, read, or had data written on it. The robotic mechanism mounts volumes
in the devices of a silo.
● Volumes must be unmounted before they can be inventoried in a silo or removed from a NetWorker pool.
Volume mounting and unmounting on page 121 provides more information.

Silo volume labeling

The NetWorker labels for volumes in a silo include both a regular NetWorker volume label (written on the media of the volume)
and a silo barcode identifier. The volume label is usually based on the volume pool’s label template. The barcode identifier is
written on a physical label on the outside of the volume, which the barcode reader in the silo can scan during inventory. Labeling
volumes on page 116 and Barcode labels on page 117 provide instructions on how to label silo volumes.
The use of barcodes with matching barcode labels and NetWorker volume labels, are both available for a silo. The Barcode
Reader attribute must be selected, however the Match Barcode Labels attribute is optional. When both attributes are selected,
the internal volume label that NetWorker software writes on the media of each volume will match the barcode label on the
outside of the volume. When the labels match, it is easier to track volumes. But the NetWorker software does not require the
internal and external labels to match.
With most silo management software, unlabeled volumes can be used. The silo management software assigns a “virtual” barcode
label to those volumes. Although volumes can be used without barcodes, it is difficult to maintain integrity, since once the
volume has been removed from the silo, the information about the virtual barcode is lost. Any volume without an actual barcode
can be reinserted into the silo under a virtual barcode that NetWorker software (or another application) associates with some of
the data.

Using silos with volume import and export capability

NetWorker software supports the use of the import/export feature that is found in many brands of silos. Depending on the silo
model, this feature is also known as CAP, mail slot, and loading port. The import/export feature deposits and withdraws volumes
from slots in the silo.
The import/export feature enables the operator to deposit and withdraw cartridges without invalidating the device inventory
list. If the operator opens the door to load or unload volumes, the element status of the autoloader is invalidated, requiring the
time-consuming operation of reinitializing the silo. Note, however, that NetWorker software does not automatically inventory
the volume after a deposit.

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Either the NetWorker software or the silo management software can be used to control the import/export feature on the
supported silos to deposit and withdraw volumes in a silo. But it is often more efficient to use the silo management software,
especially to deposit or withdraw many volumes.
If the import/export feature is set to automatic mode, the silo management software inserts volumes automatically and the
NetWorker software cannot be used to insert volumes.
To issue deposit and withdraw commands:
● To add and deposit volumes, type: nsrjb -a -T tags -d
● To remove and eject/withdraw volumes, type: nsrjb -x -T tags -w
where tags specifies the tags or barcodes of volumes in a remote silo.
NOTE: You cannot deposit a volume from the CAP (I/O Port) using the nsrjb -d command. A silo volume deposit
requires the -T and -a options in sequence to add a volume in the media database.
The sequence of operations is:
○ nsrjb -d -T Barcode
○ Ignore the error message that appears.
○ nsrjb -a -T Barcode

Barcode IDs
A list of available barcode-labeled volumes is available from the silo management software. Refer to the silo manufacturer’s
documentation for how to generate the list of barcode IDs.
To specify a barcode identifier or template for the volumes from a command prompt, use the -T option with the nsrjb
command. The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrjb
command.

Silo volume allocation

When volumes are added, the NetWorker server is directed to the volumes it can use.
NOTE: Because silos can be used by more than one software application, it is possible that a different application could
read or write to volumes that belong to the NetWorker software. To prevent this from happening, most silo management
software includes methods to limit access to volumes based on the hostname of the computer on which various programs
run. The NetWorker software does not provide a method for setting up this sort of protection. The silo management
software must configure it.
The addition of a volume causes the NetWorker software to query the silo management software to verify that the requested
volume exists.
If the volume exists, the volume is allocated to the NetWorker software.

Adding a silo volume

1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
3. Double-click a silo in the Libraries detail table to open the double-paned library operations view. The silo’s drives are listed in
the Device column, and its slots are listed in the Slot column.
4. Right-click a silo in the Device column, and select Add. The Add Library Volumes window appears, with the option to
select either Template or List for barcode selection.
5. Select either Template or List to enter barcode volume identifiers.
● The Template option allows the use of wildcards in creating a list of barcode IDs. Each entry should be on a separate
line. For example, to name four tapes A01B, A02B, A03B, and A04B, type:
A0
1-4
B
● The List option allows the entry of barcode IDs, separately. Each entry should be on a separate line. For example, type
the name for each tape:
A01B
A02B

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 A03B
A04B
6. Type the appropriate volume identifiers in the Barcodes field.
7. Click OK (or Cancel, to continue adding to the list).
● Click "+" to add an entry.
● Click "<-" to insert above a highlighted selection.
● Click "-" to delete an entry.
The Library Operation window displays this message:
The library operation has started.
The Monitoring > Operations > screen displays the status.

8. Click OK.
The Library detail table displays the added volumes.

Inventory silos
Taking inventory of the volumes in a silo ensures that the mapping between slot number and volume name is correct, or
reconciles the actual volumes in a silo with the volumes listed in the NetWorker media database.
The slot number of a silo volume is not a numbered slot inside the silo, as it is in a library. The slot number of a silo volume is the
number of the volume’s position in the list of volumes in a silo.
The tasks for inventorying volumes in a silo are the same as those for a library. Inventorying library volumes on page 124
provides information about inventorying a library.
The NetWorker software examines all of the volumes in the silo and compares the new list of volumes to the NetWorker media
database. Then the NetWorker software produces a message listing any volumes located in the silo that are not in the media
database.
When the NetWorker software inventories a silo, the silo’s barcode label reader reads the barcode labels on the outside of each
volume. When a barcode matches an entry in the NetWorker media database, the volume does not need to be loaded. The
inventory proceeds rapidly. If, however, the NetWorker software reads a barcode that does not match any of the entries in the
media database, the volume must be mounted and read in order for a proper inventory to be taken.

Troubleshooting a silo
If the particular silo model does not automatically deposit the volume, then place the volumes in the insert area, right-click the
volume, and select Deposit.
To perform the Deposit and Add operations from a command prompt:
● On silos that require manual depositing, type nsrjb -a -T tags -d
● On silos where the silo management software deposits volumes automatically, such as StorageTek silos, type
nsrjb -a -T tags

where:
○ tags specifies the tags or barcodes of volumes in a remote silo.
○ -d performs the manual deposit.
NetWorker software interactions with a silo on page 135 provides more information on STLIs.

Deallocating (removing) silo volumes

When an STL volume in a silo is no longer needed, the volume can be deallocated from the silo. Deallocation is basically the same
operation as removing a volume from a library. Although the volume cannot be loaded by the robotic mechanism, the entries in
the NetWorker media database remain intact. If the volume is allocated again, NetWorker software can retrieve the data from it
later.
Use deallocation when the silo license limits the number of usable slots, or when data is moved offsite for safer storage. When
the license limits the number of slots, it might be possible to leave the volumes in the silo, if it is certain that the volumes will not
be used by another application. That way, the volumes can easily be added again when the data on them must be accessible.

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The allocation operation is not automatic. The volumes must be manually allocated again and reinventoried to let the NetWorker
server access the data. If the volume is to be removed from the silo for offsite storage, it must be removed with NetWorker
software and then ejected from the silo by using the silo management software.
1. Unmount the volume from the device. Volume mounting and unmounting on page 121 provides instructions on unmounting
volumes.
2. In the Administration window, click Devices.
3. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.
4. Double-click a silo in the Libraries detail table to open the double-paned library operations view. The silo’s drives are listed in
the Device column.
5. Right-click a silo in the Device column, and select Remove.
The Remove Library Volumes window appears, with the option to select either Template or List for barcode selection.

6. Select either Template or List to enter barcode volume identifiers.

● The Template option allows the use of wildcards in creating a list of barcode IDs. For example, to name four tapes A01B,
A02B, A03B, and A04B, type A0, 1-4, and B.
● The List option allows the entry of barcode IDs, separately. For example, type the name for each tape: A01B, A02B,
A03B, and A04B.

7. Type the appropriate volume identifiers in the Barcodes field.

8. Click OK.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays the silo’s status.

9. Click OK. Notice that on return to the Libraries detail table, the removed volumes are no longer listed.
NetWorker software interactions with a silo on page 135 provides information on STLs.

NDMP libraries
NDMP libraries or devices are accessed by using the NDMP protocol and are typically used by network attached storage (NAS)
systems. These devices do not allow direct access to control from the host operating system. Control and data movement is
performed over the network by using the NDMP protocol.
The NDMP guide provides more information.

NetWorker hosts with shared libraries

The NetWorker software permits different NetWorker hosts (a NetWorker server or storage node) within a datazone to control
individual devices within a library. This is known as library sharing.
The presence of a SAN within the datazone is not required for library sharing.
Dynamic Drive Sharing (DDS) does not support sharing libraries across datazones.

How library sharing works

Library sharing enables one NetWorker host to control the library’s robotic arm, while other NetWorker hosts (as well as the
host controlling the robotic arm) can each control and use specific library devices. A specific device can be controlled only by a
single NetWorker host. The following figure shows how multiple NetWorker hosts can share library devices.

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Figure 14. How library sharing works

Library task inactivity periods

Library resources include attributes that are used by older, slower libraries that specify the number of seconds a library is
inactive after certain operations (such as loading, unloading, or ejecting a volume). For example, once a tape is loaded, the
library must read and, possibly, reposition the tape before the next operation can begin. This period of delay is known as
sleeping.
While sleeping, the library cannot receive or perform other operations. Without the sleep period, the loading or unloading of
volumes might fail.
The NetWorker software automatically configures default sleep periods. Change these values only when troubleshooting a
library’s performance, or if a NetWorker technical support specialist requests it. Typically, the higher the sleep values specified
in the attributes, the longer it takes the library to perform the task. Be cautious when changing these values.
The sleep attributes and their default values are shown in this table.

Table 35. Library resource sleep attributes

Attribute Description Default value
Load Sleep Number of seconds that the NetWorker 15 seconds
software waits for a library to complete
loading a cartridge.
Unload Sleep Number of seconds that the NetWorker 60 seconds
software waits for a library to complete
unloading a cartridge.
Eject Sleep Number of seconds that the NetWorker 60 seconds
software waits for an eject operation to
complete.
Deposit Timeout Number of seconds for a library to wait 15 seconds
for a tape to be deposited in the mail slot
before it times out.
Withdraw Timeout Number of seconds for a library to wait 15 seconds
for a tape to be withdrawn from the mail
slot before it times out.
Cleaning Delay Number of seconds that the NetWorker 60 seconds
software waits between the completion
of a drive cleaning operation and the
ejection of the cleaning cartridge from
the drive.

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Table 35. Library resource sleep attributes (continued)
Attribute Description Default value
Idle Device Timeout The number of minutes NetWorker 10 minutes
allows a device with a volume to be
idle before automatically unmounting it.
For specific devices, this value can
be overridden. Unmounting volumes
automatically (idle device timeout) on
page 121 provides more information.
Port Polling Period Number of seconds for a library to wait 3 seconds
before polling a mail slot to check for the
updated status.

Server Network Interface attribute

The Server Network Interface attributes in the Device resource are used to determine the network address or the hostname
used by the nsrmmd program to communicate with the NetWorker server. Similarly, the Server Network Interface attribute in
the Library resource is used to determine the network address or the hostname used by the nsrlcpd program to communicate
with the NetWorker server. These attributes are displayed in the NetWorker Console in diagnostic mode only. The Server
Network Interface attributes are only relevant if the device or library is connected to a storage node.
NOTE: For devices, the nsrmmd program will read the Server Network Interface value for the first enabled device from
the list of storage node devices, and each subsequent nsrmmd started by the NetWorker server will use the same value.
Therefore, the NetWorker server will always use the same Server Network Interface value for every nsrmmd it starts or
restarts, regardless of whether or not the Server Network Interface attribute is different for each device.

Dynamic drive sharing

Dynamic Drive Sharing (DDS) is a feature that provides NetWorker software with the ability to recognize shared physical tape
drives. DDS enables NetWorker software to perform the following operations:
● Skip the shared tape drives that are in use.
● Route the backups or recoveries to other available shared tape drives.

Introduction to DDS
DDS controls application requests for tape media and allows the NetWorker server and all storage nodes to access and share all
attached devices.
A system administrator can configure DDS by setting a sharing policy for devices that are accessible from multiple storage
nodes.
There are two terms that are central to the use of DDS are drive and device. Within the context of DDS, these terms are
defined as follows:
● Drive—The physical backup object, such as a tape drive, disk, or file.
● Device—The access path to the physical drive.
NOTE: NetWorker only supports DDS in a storage area network (SAN) Fibre Channel environment and not in a
direct-connect SCSI environment.

Benefits of DDS
Enabling DDS on a NetWorker system provides these benefits:
● Reduces storage costs—You can share a single tape drive among several storage nodes. In fact, since NetWorker software
uses the same open tape format for UNIX, Windows, NetWare and Linux, you can share the same tape between different
platforms (assuming that respective save sets belong to the same pool).
● Reduces LAN traffic—You can configure clients as SAN storage nodes that can send save sets over the SAN to shared
drives.
● Provides fault tolerance—Within a SAN environment, you can configure hardware to eliminate a single point of failure.

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● Provides configuration over a greater distance—You can configure a system over a greater distance than with SCSI
connections.

DDS configuration overview

The following figure illustrates the DDS process and potential device sharing configurations. This basic configuration consists of
a server, two storage nodes, and a library with two tape drives.

Figure 15. Dynamic Drive Sharing

In this figure:
● Storage nodes sn_1 and sn_2 are attached to the library.
● Each storage node, on its own, has access to drive_1 and drive_2.
● With DDS enabled, both storage nodes have access to both drives and can recognize when a shared drive is in use.
This configuration requires two DDS licenses, one for each drive.
NOTE: Ensure that all applicable devices can be seen from each storage node by running the inquire -l command
locally on each storage node.

DDS block-size compatibility between UNIX and Windows

With DDS enabled, drives can be shared between storage nodes on different platforms, such as UNIX and Microsoft Windows.
For NetWorker software operations (such as backups and recoveries) to take place successfully, ensure that the block size is
compatible between different platforms or hardware.
To ensure compatibility, make sure one of the following conditions is met:
● The various storage nodes sharing a drive support the same block sizes.
● When a tape is labeled on a drive, it is labeled with the block size defined on the storage nodes.

Block-size incompatibility between UNIX and Windows

Incompatible block-size settings between UNIX and Microsoft Windows storage nodes could result in any of these error
scenarios:
● A backup taken on a UNIX node might not be recoverable on a Microsoft Windows node if the Windows node does not
support large block sizes.

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● A UNIX process labels and saves data to a tape and leaves the tape mounted. A Microsoft Windows process subsequently
attempts to verify the label on this tape and fails because the label verification is done by reading a header from the data
portion.
● A tape on a UNIX node is labeled with a large block size. The backup is started on a Microsoft Windows node and the
Windows node attempts to write the backup by using the default block size. Internally, the backup on Windows is written by
breaking down the big buffer of data into smaller segments of writable block sizes.
Attempting to recover a specific file on Windows in this situation fails due to positioning errors on the tape. The data is still
recoverable from the Windows side, since the NetWorker software will switch from using file and block positioning to reading
the tape from the beginning to reach the correct position. The data might not, however, be recoverable from the UNIX side.

Unintended Access to DDS device prevention

The Reserve/Release attribute has been added to the Device resource for tape devices to support Reserve/Release, including
the Persistent Reserve commands.
Reserve/Release is a mechanism that uses SCSI commands to attempt to prevent unintended access to tape drives that are
connected by using a shared-access technology, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or SCSI multiplexers. It is a “cooperative” and
host-based mechanism, which means that all applications should respect the reservations and not purposely break them. Access
is granted based on the host system that reserved the device. Other applications that run on that host cannot be prevented
from accessing a reserved device.
Reserve/Release cannot prevent a malicious or badly behaved application from accessing a reserved device. It also cannot
prevent all problems caused by hardware issues (such as SCSI resets or FC LIPs) from interrupting data access.
The basic sequence requires that a host reserve a tape drive (using specific SCSI commands) before attempting to access the
tape drive. If this “reservation” succeeds, then the host can use the drive. If the reservation fails (usually because the device
is reserved by someone else), then the host attempting the reservation should not attempt to use the drive. When a host has
finished using a reserved drive, that host must release the drive by using the appropriate SCSI commands.
The reservation is maintained by the drive itself. With older (called “Simple” in NetWorker software) Reserve/Release, the
reservation is based on the SCSI ID of the system that issued the reserve command. For tape drives connected to Fibre Channel
(FC) using FC-SCSI bridges, the mapping between FC host and reservation is done inside the bridge, since the initiator on the
SCSI side is always the bridge itself, regardless which host actually issued the reserve command.
For Persistent Reserve, the reservation is associated with a 64-bit “key” that is registered by the host. Several keys can be
registered with a given drive at any given time, but only one may hold the active reservation. NetWorker software uses the
“exclusive” reservation method for Persistent Reserve. Only the host that holds the active reservation is allowed to access the
drive.
The Reserve/Release attribute does not support file type or advanced file type devices.
The settings that relate to Reserve/Release and Persistent Reserve are found in a device’s Properties window, on the
Advanced tab. They are visible only when diagnostic mode is turned on.
The default setting for Reserve/Release is None. Once any other Reserve/Release setting is selected, it works automatically,
without further user intervention. The Reserve/Release attribute is supported only on Common Device Interface (CDI)
platforms, so if the CDI attribute in a device’s Properties is set to Not Used, then Reserve/Release settings are ignored.
For newer hardware, once a Reserve/Release setting (other than None) has been selected, the appropriate Persistent Reserve
commands are automatically issued before a device is opened for reading or writing, and before the device is closed. With older
hardware, a SCSI-2 Reserve command is issued before opening the device, and a SCSI-2 Release command is issued after the
device is closed.
Reserve/Release has these possible settings:
● None (the default)
● Simple
● Persistent Reserve
● Persistent Reserve + APTPL (Activate Persist Through Power Loss)
The Persistent Reserve Key attribute has also been added. It is used with Persistent Reservation calls.

Restrictions for use of the SCSI Reserve/Release setting

There are restrictions for using the SCSI Reserve or Release setting.
Consider the following:

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● It is available on CDI platforms only. Consequently, since CDI is not supported within an NDMP environment, Reserve/
Release is not supported with NDMP.
● Not all drives support persistent Reserve/Release. (All drives support at least simple reserve release. The code automatically
drops back from Persistent +APTPL or Persistent to Simple on drives that do not support Persistent.)
● SCSI resets can clear Simple reservations at the device.
● Even with Reserve/Release, there is no guarantee against data loss.
● If the operating system has its own Reserve/Release feature, that feature must be disabled in order for the NetWorker
Reserve/Release feature to work.
● Even if all of the enterprise’s NetWorker storage nodes have this feature enabled, then it is possible that, on the storage
node where a backup operation is run, data loss can be caused by the operating system’s utilities or by third-party programs.

DDS attributes in the device properties

Configure the attributes that DDS uses, in the Properties window for a device.
The attributes include:
● Hardware ID
● Shared Devices

Hardware ID attribute
The Hardware ID attribute tracks the drives that are shared between multiple hosts. Device instances that share the same
physical drive across multiple hosts have the same hardware ID. The device autoconfiguration process automatically assigns the
Hardware ID to a device, or it is added when manually configuring a device. Users cannot edit the Hardware ID.
You can view the Hardware ID in the Properties window for a device, on the General tab, in the Device Sharing area.
NetWorker generates the Hardware ID when a device is scanned or configured. The Hardware ID consists of the following
components:
● Hardware serial number
● Device type
● Worldwide part number (WWPN)
● Worldwide name (WWN)

Shared Devices attribute

The Shared Devices attribute appears on the Operations tab of a device’s Properties window when in diagnostic mode. It
features values that can be used to manipulate all shared instances of a drive simultaneously. This attribute enables or disables
all devices that share the same Hardware ID with a single action. The following table lists allowed values and descriptions for the
attribute.

Table 36. Shared Devices attributes

Value Description
Enable All When selected, enables all devices with the same Hardware ID.
Disable All When selected, disables all the devices with the same Hardware ID.
Done This value is the default setting. After the server has enabled or disabled all devices
with the same Hardware ID, the attribute value is reset to Done.

You cannot configure the Shared Devices attribute with the jbconfig program.

Idle Device Timeout attribute and DDS

A tape might remain mounted in a drive after a backup completes. Other requests for the drive from another device path must
wait during this timeout period. Use the Idle Device Timeout attribute to adjust the timeout value.
The Idle Device Timeout attribute is not specifically a DDS attribute, but is useful in configuring shared drives. This attribute
appears on the device Properties window on the Advanced tab when displayed in Diagnostic Mode. The default value is 0
(zero) minutes, which means that the device never times out and you must manually eject the tape.

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If the device belongs to a library, you can also specify the Idle Device Timeout value for all devices in the library. However, the
library value will take effect only on those devices whose Idle Device Timeout value is 0. The Idle Device Timeout value for a
library is located on the Timer tab of the library Properties window.

Max active devices

In a DDS environment, use the Max active devices attribute, on the General tab of the Storage Node resource to define the
maximum number of active devices for a storage node.
This attribute sets the maximum number of devices that NetWorker may use from the storage node in a DDS configuration.
In large environments with media libraries that have a large number of devices, storage nodes might not have the ability to
optimize all the drives in the library. The Max active devices attribute allows you to limit the number of devices that the storage
node uses at a specified time, which allows the storage node to have access to all the devices in the library, but does not limit
the storage node to the number of devices it can fully optimize.

File type devices

File type devices (FTDs) are legacy devices and their use is limited. Continued support for legacy and test purposes is
maintained, however you are encouraged to use AFTD or DD Boost devices in preference to FTD. An FTD can be configured on
the NetWorker server by creating a new Device resource in the same manner as for other storage devices.
The following conditions and restrictions apply to FTDs:
● The upper limit of save set size on an FTD may be either:
○ The upper limits supported by the operating system
○ The file size specified by the disk device vendor
● If multiple FTDs are configured on a system, each device must have a unique name.
● To use multiple FTDs on the same disk, partition the disk and create only one FTD per partition.
● Dynamic Drive Sharing is not supported.
● For FTDs created on a UNIX or Linux network file system (NFS):
○ The file system used for the FTD must not be used for any other data.
○ There must be one FTD per NFS system.
○ The Volume Default Capacity attribute for the FTD must be set to a size that is less than 100 percent of the total
capacity of the file system.
NOTE: Data loss will result if a full FTD is made appendable while a backup is pending completion and a save set is
partially written to the full FTD. In this case, the partial save set (currently in “incomplete” state) will be overwritten.

FTD capacity issues

For FTDs, the Volume Default Capacity is a hard limit on the amount of data that can be written to the device. The Volume
Default Capacity value is an estimate of what the volume capacity is likely to be. If the value is not set correctly, the NetWorker
percent-used calculation will be incorrect.
NOTE: By contrast, AFTDs ignore the Volume Default Capacity value to allow dynamic expansion of disk space.

The Volume Default Capacity attribute displays on the Configuration tab of the Device properties when Diagnostic Mode (View
> Diagnostic Mode) is enabled:
● To avoid accidentally filling an FTD, set the Volume Default Capacity attribute to restrict the size of the device. For example,
if a capacity of 100 MB is set, then the device will be marked full when 100 MB is reached.
● Volume Default Capacity attribute must not be set to a value of more than 4 TB.
● If the Volume Default Capacity of a volume changes, the changes do not take effect until the FTD is re-created, the
directory contents are deleted, and the volume is relabeled.
NOTE: If the FTD is used before the Volume Default Capacity attribute is set, then the legacy data on that FTD must be
staged or cloned to another device. Otherwise, this data will be overwritten.

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Full FTD prevention
To prevent the file system from becoming full when backing up data to FTDs, policies can be used to move the data off the disk
as soon as necessary. Save sets from FTDs can be staged or cloned to an AFTD to take advantage of advanced file type device
features.
To make space for additional backups:
● Configure a save set staging policy. Staging save sets on page 344 provides details.
● Review and, if required, modify the retention policy of the save sets.

Stand-alone devices
A Device resource must be created for each stand-alone tape device on a storage node. Stand-alone drives must be configured
individually.
Storage nodes must have been created before devices can be configured to be used by them. Storage nodes on page 80
provides information about storage nodes and how to create them. Note that all scanning for devices is done at the storage
node level, and can be done across multiple storage nodes. Only devices that have serial numbers can be autoconfigured. Use
the jbconfig command to configure devices that do not have serial numbers.

NOTE: Devices must be updated to the most recent firmware and drivers.

Autodetecting and configuring a stand-alone tape drive

You can configure a new stand-alone tape drive, automatically by using Scan for Devices.
1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Right-click Devices in the navigation tree, and select Scan for Devices to detect available devices. The Scan for Devices
window appears.
3. Click Start Scan.
4. Check the scan status by clicking the Monitoring button and selecting the Log tab. Then return to the Devices navigation
tree.
5. Select either the Devices folder or the Storage Nodes folder in the navigation tree. All detected drives are listed. Any
still-unconfigured drives are preceded by a circular icon that displays a wrench.
6. Right-click the stand-alone drive to be configured, and select Configure Drive. A Configuration dialog box appears.
7. Click Yes to confirm that the drive should be configured. The new drive is automatically configured.

Adding a stand-alone device manually

1. In the server’s NetWorker Administration interface, click Devices.
2. Right-click Devices in the navigation tree, and select New. The Create Device window appears, with the General tab
selected, and a default device path in the Name field of the Identity area of the window.
3. Replace the default name with the path and name of the device:
a. If the device is configured on the server’s storage node, the name is the simple device path, such as /tmp/d0 for a file
type device. A tape device on Windows would have a format similar to \\.\Tape0.
b. If the device is configured on a remote storage node, then the name must indicate that the storage node is remote by
including rd= and the name of the remote storage node in the device path. For example, if the remote storage node is
neptune, then the device path might be rd=neptune:/tmp/d0 or rd=neptune:\\.\Tape0.
File type devices on page 147 provides instructions and restrictions on backing up to a file type device.

4. In the Identity area, configure the following:

a. In the Comment field, add an optional, descriptive comment.
b. In the Media Type field, select a media type.
5. In the Status area, configure the applicable checkboxes:
● Read Only

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 ● Auto Media Management

6. In the Cleaning area, configure the applicable fields:

● Cleaning Required
● Cleaning Interval
The Date Last Cleaned is filled in automatically once a drive has been cleaned.

7. Select the Configuration tab to set attributes, such as:

● Target Sessions
● Max Sessions
● Local Backup to a dedicated storage node
NDMP settings (NDMP remote username and password are required for an NDMP device that acts as a storage node.)

8. Click OK when the configuration is complete.

Auto Media Management for stand-alone devices

The Auto Media Management feature can be enabled for stand-alone devices during manual device configuration, or from the
Properties window after configuration.
When Auto Media Management is enabled for a stand-alone device, the following processes occur when a volume becomes full
during a backup:
● A notification is sent that indicates that the server or storage node is waiting for a writable volume. Simultaneously, the
NetWorker server waits for the full, verified volume to be unmounted.
● The device is monitored and the software waits for another volume to be inserted into the device.
● After a volume is detected, a check is performed to determine whether the volume is labeled. If so:
○ The volume is mounted into the device.
○ The NetWorker server checks to see whether the newly mounted volume is a candidate to receive data:
1. If yes, the write operation continues.
2. If no, the NetWorker server continues to wait for a writable volume to continue the backup.
● If the volume is recyclable and is a member of the required pool, it is recycled the next time a writable volume is needed.
● If the volume is unlabeled, it is labeled when the next writable volume is needed for a save. Note that Auto media
management does not label disk type devices such as AFTD and Data Domain.
NOTE: If a partially full volume is unmounted, the NetWorker server automatically ejects the volume after a few
seconds. If a stand-alone device is shared between storage nodes, then Auto Media Management should not be enabled
for more than one instance of the device. Enabling Auto Media Management for more than one instance of the
stand-alone device will tie up the device indefinitely. No data is sent to the device and no pending message is sent.

Mounting or unmounting a volume in a stand-alone tape drive

1. Manually insert a volume in the stand-alone drive, or ensure that a volume is already loaded.
In a stand-alone device, a volume that has been loaded into the drive is not considered to be mounted until it has been
explicitly mounted in the user interface or from the command prompt.

2. In the Administration window, click Devices.

3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Select the device. To mount the volume, in the Devices detail table, right-click the device, and select Mount.
5. To unmount the volume, in the Devices > detail table, right-click the device, and select Unmount.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:

The library operation has started.

● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.

6. Click OK.

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Labeling and mounting a volume in one operation (stand-alone tape
drive)
When multiple storage devices are connected to the NetWorker server, the device for labeling must first be selected from the
list of available devices. Remember that labeling a volume makes it impossible for the NetWorker server to recover original data
from that volume.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Manually insert an unlabeled or recyclable volume in the NetWorker server storage device, or ensure that a volume of this
type is already present for the NetWorker server to access.
3. Select Devices in the navigation tree. The Devices detail table appears.
4. Right-click the stand-alone device in the detail table, and select Label. The Label window appears:
a. Type a unique label name, or accept the default name that is associated with the selected pool.
If the volume is unlabeled, the NetWorker server assigns the next sequential label from the label template that is
associated with the selected pool. If a recyclable volume from the same pool is being re-labeled, then the volume label
name and sequence number remain the same. Access to the original data on the volume is destroyed, and the volume
becomes available.

b. Select a pool on the Pools menu. The NetWorker server automatically applies the label template that is associated with
the Default pool unless a different pool is selected.
c. Select the Manual Recycle attribute if the volume should be manually recycled.
If the Manual Recycle attribute is enabled when the volume is labeled, the volume cannot automatically be marked
as recyclable according to the retention policy. When a volume is marked as manual recycle, the NetWorker server
disregards the assigned browse and retention policies. Therefore, only an administrator can mark the volume recyclable.
A volume that has been set to manual recycle retains that setting, even after re-labeling. A Manual Recycle policy cannot
be changed back to Auto Recycle by clearing the Manual Recycle checkbox. The volume must be explicitly reset to use
auto recycle.

d. The Mount After Labeling attribute is selected by default. The NetWorker server automatically labels the volume, and
then mounts the volume into the device.
5. Click OK.
6. If the volume is recyclable, a message warns that the named volume is about to be recycled, and asks whether to continue.
Click Yes to re-label and recycle the volume.
7. After a volume is labeled and mounted in a device, the volume is available to receive data. Since the NetWorker label is
internal and machine-readable, place an adhesive label on each volume that matches that internal volume label.
Configuring a library to use volumes with barcodes on page 114 provides information on using barcode labels.
NOTE: If you are in the process of re-labeling a mounted volume and you choose not to overwrite the existing label, the
volume is left in an unmounted state. To use this volume, mount it again.

Labeling volumes without mounting

Volumes can be prelabeled without being mounted.
To label a volume without mounting, follow the same procedures as for labeling and mounting in one operation, but clear the
Mount After Labeling attribute in the Label window.

Mounting uninventoried volumes

You can mount volumes that are not included in the library inventory, but are valid (properly labelled) NetWorker volumes.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. Select View > Diagnostic Mode on the toolbar.
3. Manually insert the volume in an empty library slot.
4. Open the Libraries folder in the navigation tree. The Libraries detail table appears.

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5. Select the library in the navigation tree in which the volume was manually inserted, or double-click the same library in the
Libraries detail table. The Libraries detail table changes to the double-paned library operations view. The library’s drives are
listed in the Devices column, and its slots are listed in the Slot column.
6. In the Devices column, right-click the library in which the volume was manually inserted, and select Inventory. The
Inventory Library window appears.
7. Type the slot number of the volume in both the First and Last field of the Slot Range.
8. Select Operation Type: either Slow/Verbose (the default) or Fast/Silent.
● When Slow/Verbose is selected, the Supply Input option and icon on the Operations screen of the Monitoring
window can be used to confirm the choice to relabel a volume. The device path appears in the Device field.
● When Fast/Silent is selected, the Supply Input option and icon are not available, and relabeling proceeds automatically,
without user input. The device path does not appear in the Device field. Entering user input on page 53 provides details.

9. Click OK.
● The Library Operation window displays this message:
The library operation has started.
● The Monitoring > Operations screen displays its status.
The NetWorker software then inventories the specified slot.

10. Mount the inventoried volume.

NOTE: Unlabeled tapes may not be mounted for inventorying. Unlabeled tapes can only be mounted to be labeled. An
attempt to mount an uninventoried volume by using unlabeled media results in an I/O error. The volume will also be
ejected.

Labeling volumes
The NetWorker software applies a label template to create a unique internal label for each volume. The label corresponds to a
pool and identifies the pool for the volume during backup and other operations.
Several preconfigured label templates are supplied with the NetWorker software. You cannot delete these preconfigured label
templates. Naming label templates on page 67 provides more information.
When you label a volume, the labeling process:
● Writes a label on the volume.
● Adds the volume label to the media database.
● Prepares tape media to have data written to it.
When you re-label tape, the data on the tape is effectively gone.
During data recovery, the server requests the volume that contains the required data, identifying the required volume by the
name with which it was labeled.

Labeling or re-labeling library volumes

Labeling volumes in a library is time-consuming, so consider labeling volumes before it is time to back up or recover files. When a
volume is re-labeled, that volume is initialized and becomes available for writing again.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left pane, select Libraries.
A list of libraries appears in the right pane.
3. Right-click the library and select Label.
Details for the selected library appear, including divided tables for devices and slots. The Label Library Media dialog box
also appears.
4. From the Target Media Pool list, select the pool for the volume.
The pool determines the label template that is used to label the volume.
5. To require manual recycling of the volume, select Allow > Manual Recycle.
With manual recycling, the volume is not automatically marked as recyclable when all save sets expire. You must manually
mark the volume as recyclable.

Backup Target 151

 NOTE: A volume that has been set to manual recycle retains that setting, even after the volume is re-labeled. You must
explicitly reset the volume to automatic recycle by right-clicking the volume in the Media window, selecting Recycle,
and then selecting the Auto option.

6. To be prompted before the existing label is overwritten, select Prompt to overwrite label.
7. Click OK.
The Library Operation dialog box appears, stating that the library operation has started.
8. To track the status of the label operation, click Monitoring in the Administration window.
9. If you selected Prompt to overwrite label, confirm the overwrite of the existing volume label with a new label:
a. Right-click the label operation in the Monitoring window and select Supply Input.
A confirmation message appears.
b. Click Yes.

Verifying the label when a volume is unloaded

If a SCSI reset is issued during a backup, the volume rewinds and NetWorker may overwrite the volume label.
To detect if the label is overwritten in this circumstance, select the Verify label on eject checkbox in the Device resource, or
set the Verify label on unload setting in the Jukebox resource to Yes. With these settings, NetWorker verifies that a volume
label exists before ejecting the volume. If the volume label cannot be read, all save sets on the volume are marked as suspect
and the volume is marked as full.

Troubleshooting devices and autochangers

This section explains how to resolve problems with devices and autochangers.
NOTE: Do not edit device files and directories, this can result in unpredictable behavior and make it impossible to recover
data.

Additional attributes in the Autochanger resource

The Autochanger resource contains attributes that provide a detailed view of the hidden options that the nsrjb program uses.
Displaying diagnostic mode attributes on page 630 provides information about how to display hidden attributes.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about these attributes.

NOTE: Do not change time related attributes unless advised to do so by a Technical Support representative.

Maintenance commands
NetWorker device driver software provides maintenance commands, such as lusbinfo and lusdebug, that you can use to
diagnose problems on tape devices and autochangers.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about how to use these
commands.

Autodetected SCSI jukebox option causes server to stop

responding
If you use the jbconfig command to create an autodetected SCSI jukebox and the server stops responding, perform the
following steps.
1. Start the jbconfig program
2. Select the option that installs an SJI jukebox.
3. Type the number that corresponds to the type of jukebox you are installing.
4. Continue with jbconfig until this message appears:

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 Jukebox has been added successfully.

Autochanger inventory problems

This section provides an overview of the situations that can result in an outdated autochanger inventory of volumes and how to
update the inventory. When the jukebox inventory becomes outdated, the NetWorker software cannot use the autochanger.
The autochanger inventory can become out of date when:
● You manually eject the media from the autochanger drive.
● You manually remove the media is from the autochanger.
● You open the autochanger door.
To update the inventory and enable the NetWorker software to use the autochanger again, perform the following steps.
1. Verify that the volume is correctly installed in the autochanger and that the autochanger door is closed.
2. Log in as root or administrator on the NetWorker server.
3. Reset the autochanger:
nsrjb -Hv
4. Inventory: the autochanger:
nsrjb -Iv
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrjb command.

Destination component full messages

When you perform a manual operation on an autochanger, for example when you use the buttons on the autochanger to unload
the tape drive instead of unloading the tape drive by using NetWorker operations, a message similar to the following may
appear:
Destination component full

To resolve the problem, use the nsrjb -H command to reset the autochanger.

Tapes do not fill to capacity

The data stored on a tapes may not always fill the tape to capacity. For example, the NetWorker server can mark a tape with an
advertised capacity of 4,000 MB full, after writing only 3,000 MB of data.
To enable NetWorker to use the maximum tape capacity, select the highest density device driver for the device. Additional
reasons that the server appears to fill tapes prematurely include:
● Write errors occur during a backup. With any tape error, the NetWorker server marks the tape as full. To prevent tape write
errors, clean the tape drive regularly and use only data-quality tapes. If cleaning the drive does not help, ensure that you
perform the following actions:
○ Confirm the configuration of the device driver.
○ Set any necessary switch settings on the tape drive, based on the manufacturer specifications.
○ Confirm that all cables are secure.
○ Address other potential SCSI problems.
● Space requirements for NetWorker to create file marks. The NetWorker server periodically writes file marks to facilitate
rapid recovery of data. These file marks consume varying amounts of tape space, depending on the type of tape drive. The
number of file marks the server writes to the tape depends on how many save sets are on the tape. Many small save sets
require more file marks than a few larger ones.
● Tape capacity differences. Two apparently identical tapes from the same vendor can vary significantly in capacity. This can
cause problems when you copy one full tape to another, especially if the destination tape holds less data than the source
tape.
● Data compression affects the tape capacity. If you use compression on the tape drive, you cannot predict the effect on tape
capacity. A compressing drive can provide twice the capacity of a non-compressing drive. Tape capacity can vary depending
on the type of backup data. For example, if a non-compressing drive writes 2 GB of data to a specific tape, the compressing
drive could write 10 GB, 2 GB, 5 GB, or some other unpredictable amount of data.
● Tape length. Verify the tape lengths, for example, a 120-meter DAT tape holds more data than a 90-meter DAT tape.

Backup Target 153

Tapes get stuck in drive when labeling tapes on Linux Red Hat
platform
When you label a tape in a DDS configuration on an RHEL NetWorker server, the tape may become stuck in the drive and display
the following error message:
unload failure-retrying 30 seconds

To resolve this issue, set the auto_lock setting attribute to “0” (Off) in the /etc/stinit.def file for the following
drive types:
● Sony AIT-2 and AIT-3
● IBM LTO Gen1
● HP LTO Gen1
● IBM LTO GEN2
● IBM 3580 drive LTO-1
● IBM 3592 J1A
● Quantum DLT 7000
By default the auto_lock setting is set to 1 (On).

Increasing the value of Save Mount Time-out for label operations

A label operation initiated by a backup operation may take more than 30 minutes before it fails when the Auto media
management option is enabled and the label operation encounters a corrupted tape.
The NetWorker software keeps a record of the location of the corrupted tape only for the current backup operation, and
NetWorker can attempt to use a corrupted tape for the other backup operation, unless an operator removes the volume.
To modify the time it takes the label operation timeout, modify the Save Mount Time-out attribute for the storage node.
Configuring timeouts for storage node remote devices describes how to modify the attribute.

Server cannot access autochanger control port

The control port controls the autochanger loading mechanism. The autochanger hardware installation manual contains
information about how to verify that the control port is correctly connected.
If you cannot determine that the control port is working, contact the autochanger vendor for assistance.

Modifying the control port

When a change in the control port of the robotic arm of a library occurs, NetWorker may not be able to perform library
operations, such as labeling, mounting, and unmounting, and inventorying. You may see the error no such file or
directory when NetWorker tries to perform library operations.
To update the NetWorker server or storage node to use the new control port, perform the following steps.
Run the inquire command to determine the SCSI device address of the library arm and to confirm that a serial number is
reported.
NOTE: Use the inquire command with caution. The inquire command sends the SCSI inquiry command to all devices
detected on the SCSI bus. If you use inquire during normal operations, unforeseen errors and possible data loss may
result.

● If inquire reports the serial number of the arm, follow the procedure at Scanning for libraries and devices on page 112 to scan
the library for devices, then enable the library in NMC:
a. In the Administration window, click Devices.
b. Expand the Libraries folder, then right-click the library and select Enabled/Disable.
● If inquire does not report the serial number or if the scan for devices operation does not detect the control port change, use
the nsradmin command to change the control port:
a. Log in as root or as Windows administrator on the NetWorker host that manages the control port.

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 b. At the command prompt, type nsradmin The nsradmin prompt appears.
c. To disable the library, type the following commands:
type: NSR jukebox
update enabled: no
d. When nsradmin prompts you to update the resource, type yes.
e. To update the control port, type:
update control port: scsidev@b.t.l

where b.t.l is the bus.target.lun of the library’s robotic arm (as reported by the inquire command).
f. When nsradmin prompts you to update the resource, type yes.
g. To re-enable the library, type:
update enabled: yes
h. When nsradmin prompts you to update the resource, type yes.
i. To verify that the control port was changed and the library is now enabled, type print at the nsradmin prompt.

Changing the sleep times required for TZ89 drive types

When you unload a volume from a TZ89 tape device you may receive an error message similar to the following and NetWorker
will repeatedly try to unload the tape:
nsrd: media info: unload retry for jukebox `COMPAQTL895' failed - will retry again.

To resolve this issue, changes the sleep attributes in the Autochanger resource.
1. Shut down NetWorker services.
2. Shut down and restart the autochanger that contains the TZ89 drives.
3. When the autochanger is back online, restart NetWorker services. NetWorker will not try to unload the drive again.
4. Use NMC to edit the following autochanger sleep time attributes, and use the following values:
● Eject Sleep: 18 secs
● Unload Sleep: 40 secs
● Load Sleep: 40 secs
Additional attributes in the Autochanger resource on page 152 provides information about how to set the sleep attributes.
5. Try to unload the drive again. If the drive fails to unload, repeat this procedure and increase the sleep times.

Message displayed when CDI enabled on NDMP or file type device

If you enable the CDI feature for an NDMP tape device or file type device (FTD), a message similar to the following appears:
nsrd: media notice: The CDI attribute for device "/dev/rmt/3cbn" has been changed to "Not
used".

To avoid this message, do not enable the CDI attribute for these device types.

Verify firmware for switches and routers

Ensure that the switches or routers firmware that you use on the network was manufactured after August 1995. Most of the
switch and router vendors have significantly improved their handling of RPC traffic since August 1995.

Commands issued with nsrjb on a multi-NIC host fail

When you run nsrjb commands to manage a jukebox on a NetWorker server or storage node that has multiple network
interface cards (NIC), the commands may fail.
To prevent this failure, add the domain name of each additional NIC to the Aliases attribute in the Client resource for the
NetWorker server or storage node. Editing a Client resource on page 324 describes how to edit a Client resource.

Backup Target 155

SCSI reserve/release with dynamic drive sharing
When the NetWorker software uses Dynamic Drive Sharing (DDS) the operating system tape driver might use the SCSI
reserve/release feature in a manner that interferes with the proper operations of the NetWorker software. To resolve this issue,
disable the reserve/release feature.

Solaris
The st.conf file contains a setting for each device type in use that enables or disables the SCSI reserve/release feature. The
Tape Configuration section of the st man page provides more information. Use the most up-to-date st driver that is available
for the version of Solaris.
Edit the st.conf file only if one of the following conditions apply:
● The NetWorker configuration includes DDS.
● Solaris st does not support a tape drive that is configured on a Solaris host.
To determine if the Solaris st tape driver supports a tape drive, perform the following steps:
1. Use the mt command to load a tape in the drive. For example, with the tape device file 0cbn, the type: mt -f /dev/rmt/
0cbn status
● If the output of the mt command includes the line SCSI tape drive or appears similar to the following, the st tape driver
uses generic settings, which do not support the tape drive:
mt -f /dev/rmt/4cbn status
Vendor 'IBM ' Product 'ULT3580-TD2 ' tape drive:
sense key(0x6)= Unit Attention residual= 0
retries= 0 file no= 0 block no= 0

Tape operations may appear to work in NetWorker but you may run into problems when you try to recover saved data.
● If the output of the mt command appears similar to the following, the st tape driver recognizes the drive and uses the
correct internal settings to manage the drive:
mt -f /dev/rmt/0cbn status
HP Ultrium LTO tape drive:
sense key(0x0)= No Additional Sense residual= 0
retries= 0 file no= 0 block no= 0

In this configuration, you must only edit the st.conf file when you use the drive in a DDS configuration.

AIX
To reset the reserve/release setting on an AIX operating system, use the SMIT interface.
1. From the Devices menu, select Tapes.
2. Change the value for the RESERVE/RELEASE support attribute from No to Yes.

HP-UX
To reset the reserve/release setting on an HP-UX 11 operating system, perform the following steps.
1. Change the st_ats_enable kernel variable to a value other than zero.
2. (Optional) Restart the computer to ensure that the operating system implements the change.
NOTE: The reserve/release is a fixed setting in HP-UX 10.

Recovering save sets from a VTL on a different NetWorker server

The following procedure describes the steps that you need to perform before you can load a tape that was in a VTL managed by
one NetWorker server into a different NetWorker server.
Ensure the destination VTL is the same model, has the same drive names and the same number of drives as the original VTL.

156 Backup Target

1. Confirm the inventory of the VTL in the destination NetWorker storage node
2. Run the inquire command to determine the Control port of the VTL on the destination NetWorker storage node.
3. Run the sjimm command to load the tape into a drive on the destination NetWorker server.
4. Use the mt command to ensure that the tape status is online. For example: mt -f device_name status
When the mt command reports that the tape drive is online, you can use the scanner command to scan the save set
information into the media database and client file index of the destination NetWorker server.

Backup Target 157

 4
Data Protection Policies
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Designing data protection policies
• Policy Notifications
• Monitoring policy activity
• Policy log files
• Starting, stopping, and restarting policies
• Starting actions in a workflow for an individual client
• Modifying data protection Policy resources
• Configuring NSR Protection Policies from nsradmin
• Managing policies from the command prompt
• Identifying clients that missed the workflow schedule
• Troubleshooting policies

Designing data protection policies

Designing and developing effective data protection policies requires thoughtful analysis of the client resources from which to
back up data, the actions to perform on the data, and the order and timing of the actions.
Data protection policies can be grouped into six main strategies:
● Traditional backups—Includes file system backups, NDMP backups, NMDA backups, NMM backups, and Block Based
Backups. The NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) User Guide provides detailed information about
how to backup, clone, and recover NDMP data. The NMM and NMDA documentation provides information about how to
backup, clone, and recover application data.
● NetWorker and NMC Server database backups and maintenance activities—Performs NetWorker server bootstrap and NMC
database backups.
● Snapshot backups—Includes snapshot backups of supported storage arrays or appliances. You can clone snapshot data
currently with the backup operation, or after the snapshot backup completes. The NetWorker Snapshot Management
Integration Guide describes how to configure data protection policies for EMC storage arrays and appliances with the
NetWorker Snapshot Management feature.
● NAS device backups—Includes file system snapshots, and NAS snapshots. You can clone data after a snapshot backup
job completes or concurrently. The NetWorker Snapshot Management Integration Guide describes how to configure data
protection policies for snapshot backups.
● VMware backups—Includes NetWorker VMware Protection with the vProxy appliance (NVP), VMware Backup Appliance
(VBA) backups, VBA checkpoint backups for disaster recovery, and virtual machine backups. The NetWorker VMware
Integration Guide describes how to configure data protection policies for NVP, VBA, VBA checkpoint, and virtual machine
backups and clones.
● Cloning- You can configure data protection policies that clone backup data by querying the media database for a list of save
sets that are based on user defined criteria.
NOTE:
○ You can also clone traditional, snapshot, bootstrap, and VMware backup data concurrently with the backup
operation, or after the backup operation completes. The Integration Guides provide detailed information about how
to clone Snapshot and VMware backup data.
○ The NetWorker data protection policy applies to scheduled backups only, and it does not apply to manual backups.
Some NetWorker module backups might appear to be scheduled backups that are initiated by a policy backup action,
but they are manual backups because they are initiated or converted by a database or application. The NetWorker
Module for Databases and Applications Administration Guide and the NetWorker Module for SAP Administration
Guide provides additional details.

158 Data Protection Policies

Default data protection policies in NMC's NetWorker
Administration window
The NMC NetWorker Administration window provides you with pre-configured data protection policies that you can use
immediately to protect the environment, modify to suit the environment, or use as an example to create resources and
configurations. To use these pre-configured data protection policies, you must add clients to the appropriate group resource.

NOTE: NMC also includes a pre-configured Server Protection policy to protect the NetWorker and NMC server databases.

Platinum policy
The Platinum policy provides an example of a data protection policy for an environment that contains supported storage arrays
or storage appliances and requires backup data redundancy. The policy contains one workflow with two actions, a snapshot
backup action, followed by a clone action.

Figure 16. Platinum policy configuration

Gold policy
The Gold policy provides an example of a data protection policy for an environment that contains virtual machines and requires
backup data redundancy.

Silver policy
The Silver policy provides an example of a data protection policy for an environment that contains machines where file systems
or applications are running and requires backup data redundancy.

Bronze policy
The Bronze policy provides an example of a data protection policy for an environment that contains machines where file systems
or applications are running.

Overview of configuring a new data protection policy

The following steps are an overview of the tasks to complete, to create and configure a data protection policy.
1. Create a policy resource.
When you create a policy, you specify the name and notification settings for the policy.
2. Within the policy, create a workflow resource for each data type.
For example, create one workflow to protect file system data and one workflow to protect application data. When you create
a workflow, you specify the name of the workflow, the time to start the workflow, notification settings for the workflow, and
the protection group to which the workflow applies.
3. Create a protection group resource.
The type of group that you create depends on the types of clients and data that you want to protect. The actions that
appear for a group depend on the group type.
4. Create one or more action resources for the workflow resource.
5. Configure client resources, to define the backup data that you want to protect, and then assign the client resources to a
protection group.

Data Protection Policies 159

The following figure illustrates a policy with two different workflows. Workflow 1 performs a probe action, then a backup of the
client resources in Client group 1, and then a clone of the save sets from the backups. Workflow 2 performs a backup of the
client resources in Dynamic client group 1, and then a clone of the save sets from the backup.

Figure 17. Data protection policy example

NOTE: For more information on configuring a new data protection policy using the NetWorker Management Web UI, see
the NetWorker Management Web User Interface Online Help.

NetWorker resource considerations

When you create NetWorker workflow and action resources, consider the following recommendation:
● The total number of clients in a single workflow should not exceed 100.
NOTE: Action parallelism defines the maximum number of simultaneous data streams that can occur on all clients in a
group that is associated with the workflow that contains the action. Data streams include back up data streams, savefs
processes, and probe jobs. For a backup action, the default parallelism value is 100 and maximum value is 1000. For all other
action types, the default value is 0, or unlimited.

Strategies for traditional backups

The primary considerations for a traditional backup strategy are the groups of Client resources, the workflows that define the
series of actions that are associated with the backup, and the schedule for the backup.

Creating a policy
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Policies, and then select New.
The Create Policy dialog box appears.
3. On the General tab, in the Name field, type a name for the policy.
The maximum number of characters for the policy name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

160 Data Protection Policies

 NOTE: After you create a policy, the Name attribute is read-only.

4. In the Comment field, type a description for the policy.

5. From the Send Notifications list, select whether to send notifications for the policy:
● To avoid sending notifications, select Never.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the policy completes
all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send a notification with information about each failed workflow and action, after the policy completes all the actions,
select On Failure.
6. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
To send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows, use the default mailer program on Linux:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Windows, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

7. To specify the Restricted Data Zone (RDZ) for the policy, select the Restricted Data Zones tab, and then select the RDZ
from the list.
8. Click OK.
Create the workflows and actions for the policy.

Create a workflow for a new policy in NetWorker Administration

1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the left pane, expand Policies, and then select the policy that you created.
3. In the right pane, select Create a new workflow.
4. In the Name field, type the name of the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Name field is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
5. In the Comment box, type a description for the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Comment field is 128.
6. From the Send Notifications list, select how to send notifications for the workflow:

Data Protection Policies 161

 ● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to specify when to send a notification, select
Set at policy level.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the workflow
completes all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send notifications with information about each failed workflow and action, after the workflow completes all the
actions, select On Failure.
7. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages, or use the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Windows, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

8. In the Running section, perform the following steps to specify when and how often the workflow runs:
a. To ensure that the actions that are contained in the workflow run when the policy or workflow starts, in the Enabled
box, leave the option selected. To prevent the actions in the workflow from running when the policy or workflow that
contains the action starts, clear this option.
b. To start the workflow at the time that is specified in the Start time attribute, on the days that are defined in the action
resource, in the AutoStart Enabled box, leave the option selected. To prevent the workflow from starting at the time
that is specified in the Start time attribute, clear this option.
c. To specify the time to start the actions in the workflow, in the Start Time attribute, use the spin boxes.
The default value is 9:00 PM.
d. To specify how frequently to run the actions that are defined in the workflow over a 24-hour period, use the Interval
attribute spin boxes. If you are performing transaction log backup as part of application-consistent protection, you must
specify a value for this attribute in order for incremental transaction log backup of SQL databases to occur.
The default Interval attribute value is 24 hours, or once a day. When you select a value that is less than 24 hours, the
Interval End attribute appears. To specify the last start time in a defined interval period, use the spin boxes.
e. To specify the duration of time in which NetWorker can manually or automatically restart a failed or canceled workflow, in
the Restart Window attribute, use the spin boxes.
If the restart window has elapsed, NetWorker considers the restart as a new run of the workflow. NetWorker calculates
the restart window from the start of the last incomplete workflow. The default value is 24 hours.
For example, if the Start Time is 7:00 PM, the Interval is 1 hour, and the Interval End is 11:00 PM., then the workflow
automatically starts every hour beginning at 7:00 PM. and the last start time is 11:00 PM.

162 Data Protection Policies

 NOTE: If the interval attribute is set with less than 24 hours and the vProxy backup schedule is set to run, level Full
from backup action, manual start of the workflow will run level Incremental instead of level Full. Level Full backup will
be run during manual start of workflow only if the Interval is changed to 24 hours in the Workflow.

9. To create the workflow, click OK.

Create the actions that will occur in the workflow, and then assign a group to the workflow. If a workflow does not contain a
group, a policy does not perform any actions.

Protection groups for traditional backups

A protection groups for traditional backups identifies the client resources to back up.
Traditional backups support the following types of protection groups:
● Basic client group—A static list of client resources to back up.
● Dynamic client group—A dynamic list of client resources to back up. A dynamic client group automatically generates a list of
the client resources that use a client tag which matches the client tag that is specified for the group.
Create multiple groups to perform different types of backups for different Client resources, or to perform backups on different
schedules. For example:
● Create one group for backups of clients in the Accounting department, and another group for backups of clients in the
Marketing department.
● Create one group for file system backups and one group for backups of Microsoft Exchange data with the NetWorker
Module for Microsoft.
● Create one group for a workflow with backups actions that start at 11 p.m., and another group for a workflow with backup
actions that start at 2 a.m.
NOTE: A Client resource can belong to more than one group.

Creating a basic client group

Use basic client groups to specify a static list of client resources for a traditional backup, a check connectivity action, or a probe
action.
Create the policy and workflow resources in which to add the protection group to.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Groups and select New from the drop-down, or right-click an existing group and
select Edit from the drop-down.
The Create Group or Edit Group dialog box appears, with the General tab selected.
3. In the Name attribute, type a name for the group.
The maximum number of characters for the group name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ : - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

NOTE: After you create a group, the Name attribute is read-only.

4. From the Group Type list, leave the default selection of Clients.
5. In the Comment field, type a description of the group.
6. From the Policy-Workflow list, select the workflow that you want to assign the group to.
NOTE: You can also assign the group to a workflow when you create or edit a workflow.

7. (Optional) To specify the Restricted Datazone (RDZ) for the group, on the Restricted Datazones tab, select the RDZ from
the list.
8. Click OK.
Create Client resources. Assign clients to a protection group, by using the Client Configuration wizard or the General tab on the
Client Properties page.

Data Protection Policies 163

Creating a dynamic client group
Dynamic client groups automatically include group settings when you add client resources to the NetWorker datazone. You can
configure a dynamic group to include all the clients on the NetWorker server or you can configure the dynamic client group to
perform a query that generates a list of clients that is based on a matching tag value.
A tag is a string attribute that you define in a Client resource. When an action starts in a workflow that is a member of a tagged
dynamic protection group, the policy engine dynamically generates a list of client resources that match the tag value. If there is
a mismatch in the tag in the protection group instance and the client instance, the last dynamic group association to the client
instance is automatically removed to prevent any stale associations.
Use dynamic client groups to specify a dynamic list of Client resources for a traditional backup, a probe action, a check
connectivity action, or a server backup action.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Groups and select New from the drop-down, or right-click an existing group and
select Edit from the drop-down.
The Create Group or Edit Group dialog box appears, with the General tab selected.
3. In the Name attribute, type a name for the group.
The maximum number of characters for the group name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ : - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

NOTE: After you create a group, the Name attribute is read-only.

4. From the Group Type list, select Dynamic Clients. For steps 5 to 8, follow the instructions given in Creating a client group.

Supported actions in traditional backup workflows

Traditional backup workflows can optionally include a probe or check connectivity action before the backup, and a clone action
either concurrently with or after the backup.

Probe
A probe action runs a user-defined script on a NetWorker client before the start of a backup. A user-defined script is any
program that passes a return code. If the return code is 0 (zero), then a client backup is required. If the return code is 1, then a
client backup is not required.
Only a backup action can follow a probe action.

NOTE: In-built commands from NetWorker should be avoided as probe command.

Check connectivity
A check connectivity action tests the connectivity between the clients and the NetWorker server before the start of a probe or
backup action occurs. If the connectivity test fails, then the probe action and backup action does not start for the client.

Traditional backup
A traditional backup is a scheduled backup of the save sets defined for the Client resources in the assigned group. You must
specify the destination storage node, destination pool, the schedule (period and activity) and , the browse and retention period
for the backup.

Clone
A clone action creates a copy of one or more save sets. Cloning enables secure offsite storage, the transfer of data from one
location to another, and the verification of backups.
You can configure a clone action to occur after a backup in a single workflow, or concurrently with a backup action in a single
workflow. You can use save set and query groups to define a specific list of save sets to clone, in a separate workflow.

164 Data Protection Policies

 NOTE: The clone action clones the scheduled backup save sets only, and it does not clone the manual backup save sets.
Some NetWorker module backups might appear to be scheduled backups that are initiated by a policy backup action, but
they are manual backups because they are initiated or converted by a database or application. The NetWorker Module for
Databases and Applications Administration Guide and the NetWorker Module for SAP Administration Guide provides more
details.

Actions sequences in traditional backup workflows

Workflows enable you to chain together multiple actions and run them sequentially or concurrently.
A workflow for a traditional backup can optionally include a probe or check connectivity action before the backup, and a clone
action either concurrently with or after the backup.
The following supported actions can follow the lead action and other actions in a workflow.

Workflow path from a traditional backup action

The only action that can follow a traditional backup is a clone action.

Figure 18. Workflow path from a traditional backup action

Creating a check connectivity action

A check connectivity action tests the connectivity between the clients and the NetWorker server, usually before another action
such as a backup occurs.
Create the policy and the workflow that contain the action. The check connectivity action should be the first action in the
workflow.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Check Connectivity.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
8. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:

Data Protection Policies 165

 ● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
9. Specify the days to check connectivity with the client:
● To check connectivity on a specific day, click the Execute icon on the day.
● To skip a connectivity check on a specific day, click the Skip icon on the day.
● To check connectivity every day, select Execute from the list, and then click Make All.
The following table provides details about the icons.

Table 37. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Execute Check connectivity on this day.

Skip Do not check connectivity on this day.

10. Click Next.

The Specify the Connectivity Options page appears.
11. Select the success criteria for the action:
● To specify that the connectivity check is successful only if the connectivity test is successful for all clients in the
assigned group, select the Succeed only after all clients succeed checkbox.
● To specify that the connectivity check is successful if the connectivity test is successful for one or more clients in the
assigned group, clear the checkbox.
12. Click Next.
The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
13. (Optional) Configure advanced options and schedule overrides.
NOTE: Although the Retries, Retry Delay, Inactivity Timeout, or the Send Notification options appear, the Check
Connectivity action does not support these options and ignores the values.

14. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
15. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

16. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
17. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
18. (Optional) In Start Time specify the time to start the action.
Use the spin boxes to set the hour and minute values, and select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
● Disabled—Do not enforce an action start time. The action will start at the time defined by the workflow.
● Absolute—Start the action at the time specified by the values in the spin boxes.
● Relative—Start the action after the period of time defined in the spin boxes has elapsed after the start of the workflow.
19. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.

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 To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
20. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
21. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.
(Optional) Create one of the following actions to automatically occur after the check connectivity action:
● Probe
● Traditional backup
NOTE: This option is not available for NAS snapshot backups.
● Snapshot backup

Creating a probe action

A probe action runs a user-defined script on a NetWorker client before the start of a backup. A user-defined script is any
program that passes a return code. If the return code is 0 (zero), then a client backup is required. If the return code is 1, then a
client backup is not required. In-built commands from NetWorker should be avoided as probe command.
● Create the probe resource script on the NetWorker clients that use the probe. Create a client probe resource on the
NetWorker server. Associate the client probe resource with the client resource on the NetWorker server.
● Create the policy and workflow that contain the action.
● Optional. Create a check connectivity action to precede the probe action in the workflow. A check connectivity action is the
only supported action that can precede a probe action in a workflow.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Probe.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.

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 ● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
8. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
9. Specify the days to probe the client:
● To perform a probe action on a specific day, click the Execute icon on the day.
● To skip a probe action, click the Skip icon on the day.
● To perform a probe action every day, select Execute from the list, and then click Make All.
The following table provides details on the icons.

Table 38. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Execute Perform the probe on this day.

Skip Do not perform a probe on this day.

10. Click Next.

The Specify the Probe Options page appears.
11. Specify when to start the subsequent backup action:
● To start the backup action only if all the probes associated with client resources in the assigned group succeed, select
the Start backup only after all probes succeed checkbox
● To start the backup action if any of the probes associated with a client resource in the assigned group succeed, clear the
Start backup only after all probes succeed checkbox.
12. Click Next.
The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
13. In the Retries field, specify the number of times that NetWorker should retry a failed probe or backup action, before
NetWorker considers the action as failed. When the Retries value is 0, NetWorker does not retry a failed probe or backup
action.
NOTE: The Retries option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. If you specify a value for this option for other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

14. In the Retry Delay field, specify a delay in seconds to wait before retrying a failed probe or backup action. When the Retry
Delay value is 0, NetWorker retries the failed probe or backup action immediately.
NOTE: The Retry Delay option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. When you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

15. In the Inactivity Timeout field, specify the maximum number of minutes that a job that is run by an action can try to
respond to the server.
If the job does not respond within the specified time, the server considers the job a failure and NetWorker retries the job
immediately to ensures that no time is lost due to failures.
Increase the timeout value if a backup consistently stops due to inactivity. Inactivity might occur for backups of large save
sets, backups of save sets with large sparse files, and incremental backups of many small static files.
NOTE: The Inactivity Timeout option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and
Snapshot action types. If you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the value.

16. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
17. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:

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 ● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

18. Do not change the default selections for the Notification group box. NetWorker does not support notifications for probe
actions and ignores and specified values.
19. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
20. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
21. (Optional) In Start Time specify the time to start the action.
Use the spin boxes to set the hour and minute values, and select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
● Disabled—Do not enforce an action start time. The action will start at the time defined by the workflow.
● Absolute—Start the action at the time specified by the values in the spin boxes.
● Relative—Start the action after the period of time defined in the spin boxes has elapsed after the start of the workflow.
22. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
23. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
24. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.

Creating a traditional backup action

A traditional backup is a scheduled backup of the save sets defined for the Client resources in the assigned group for the
workflow.
● Create the policy and workflow that contain the action.
● (Optional) Create actions to precede the backup action in the workflow. Supported actions that can precede a backup
include:
○ Probe
○ Check connectivity
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @

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 ● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Backup.

6. From the secondary action list, select the backup type, for example, Traditional.
7. (Optional) From the Force Backup Level list select a backup level.
For workflows that have more than one scheduled backup within a 24-hour period, use the Force Backup Level attribute
to allow more than one backup to occur at two different backup levels in a 24-hour period. When you select a backup
level in the Force Backup Level attribute, the first backup is performed at the scheduled backup level. Each subsequent
occurrence of the backup action in the next 24 hours occurs at the level defined in the Force Backup Level attribute. For
example, if the level defined by the schedule is Full and the Force Backup Level attribute is set to Incr, the first backup
started by the action occurs at a level full and subsequent backups, within 24 hours of the start of the full backup are
incremental. By default this option is cleared, which means that if the action runs multiple backup operations in a 24 period,
all the backups occur at the scheduled backup level.

8. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
9. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
10. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
11. To specify the backup level to perform when Define option under Select Schedule is selected, click the icon on each day.
If it is Select option under Select Schedule, choose the customized NSR schedule using the drop down, after specifying the
backup level within the NSR schedule resource.
The following table provides details about the backup level that each icon represents.

Table 39. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Full Perform a full backup on this day. Full

backups include all files, regardless of
whether the files changed.

Incr Perform an incremental backup on

this day. Incremental backups include
files that have changed since the
last backup of any type (full or
incremental).

Cumulative Incr Perform a cumulative incremental

backup. Cumulative incremental

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 Table 39. Schedule icons (continued)
Icon Label Description
backups include files that have changed
since the last full backup.

Logs Only Perform a backup of only database

transaction logs.

Incremental Synthetic Full Perform an incremental synthetic

NOTE: Not supported for NDMP. backup on this day. An incremental
synthetic full backup includes all data
that changed since the last full backup
and subsequent incremental backups to
create a synthetic full backup.

Skip Do not perform a backup on this day.

To perform the same type of backup on each day, select the backup type from the list and click Make All.

NetWorker does not support the use of synthetic full backup levels for NDMP data.
Celerra, Isilon, VNX, Unity, and NetApp filers with NDMP version 4 or later support token-based backups (TBB) to perform
NDMP full and incremental backups. NetWorker supports the same number of incremental levels that the NAS vendor
supports. Celerra, Isilon, and NetApp documentation provide the maximum number of incremental levels that the TBB
incremental backup can support.
When you configure TBB after you update the NetWorker server from 7.6 SP1 or earlier, the first incremental backup does
not occur until after one complete full backup.
Filers that do not support TBB, do not support incremental backups. If you select the level Incr, the NetWorker server
performs a full backup.
Verify that the NAS storage vendor supports NDMP incremental backups before you use this feature.

12. Click Next.

The Specify the Backup Options page appears.
13. From the Destination Storage Node box, select the storage node with the devices on which to store the backup data.
14. From the Destination Pool box, select the media pool in which to store the backup data.
15. From the Retention boxes, specify the amount of time to retain the backup data.
After the retention period expires, the save set is removed from the client file index and marked as recyclable in the media
database during an expiration server maintenance task.
When you define the retention policy an NDMP client, consider the amount of disk space that is required for the client file
index. NDMP clients with several thousands of small files have significantly larger client file indexes on the NetWorker server
than a non-NDMP client. A long retention policy for an NDMP client increases disk space requirements on the file system
that contains the client file indexes.

16. From the Browse boxes, specify the amount of time you want to browse the backed-up data.
After the browse period expires, the client file indexes are deleted and savesets will not be browsable.
17. From the Client Override Behavior box, specify how NetWorker uses certain client configuration attributes that perform
the same function as attributes in the Action resource:
● Client Can Override—The values in the Client resource for Schedule, Pool, Retention policy, and the Storage Node
attributes take precedence over the values that are defined in the equivalent Action resource attributes.
NOTE: If the NetWorker policy action schedule is set to the Skip backup level, the Client can Override option is
not honored. For NetWorker to consider the Client can Override option, change the action schedule to a different
level.
● Client Can Not Override—The values in the Action resource for the Schedule, Destination Pool, Destination
Storage Node, and the Retention attributes take precedence over the values that are defined in the equivalent Client
resource attributes.

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 ● Legacy Backup Rules—This value only appears in actions that are created by the migration process. The updating
process sets the Client Override Behavior for the migrated backup actions to Legacy Backup Rules.
18. Click Next.
The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
19. In the Retries field, specify the number of times that NetWorker should retry a failed probe or backup action, before
NetWorker considers the action as failed. When the Retries value is 0, NetWorker does not retry a failed probe or backup
action.
NOTE: The Retries option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. If you specify a value for this option for other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

20. In the Retry Delay field, specify a delay in seconds to wait before retrying a failed probe or backup action. When the Retry
Delay value is 0, NetWorker retries the failed probe or backup action immediately.
NOTE: The Retry Delay option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. When you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

21. In the Inactivity Timeout field, specify the maximum number of minutes that a job that is run by an action can try to
respond to the server.
If the job does not respond within the specified time, the server considers the job a failure and NetWorker retries the job
immediately to ensures that no time is lost due to failures.
Increase the timeout value if a backup consistently stops due to inactivity. Inactivity might occur for backups of large save
sets, backups of save sets with large sparse files, and incremental backups of many small static files.
NOTE: The Inactivity Timeout option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and
Snapshot action types. If you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the value.

22. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
23. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

24. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
25. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
26. (Optional) In Start Time specify the time to start the action.
Use the spin boxes to set the hour and minute values, and select one of the following options from the drop-down list:
● Disabled—Do not enforce an action start time. The action will start at the time defined by the workflow.
● Absolute—Start the action at the time specified by the values in the spin boxes.
● Relative—Start the action after the period of time defined in the spin boxes has elapsed after the start of the workflow.
27. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:

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 ○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
28. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
29. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Window, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

30. Click Next.

The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
31. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.
(Optional) Create a clone action to automatically clone the save sets after the backup. A clone action is the only supported
action after a backup action in a workflow.

Creating a clone action

A clone action creates a copy of one or more save sets. Cloning allows for secure offsite storage, the transfer of data from one
location to another, and the verification of backups.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

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3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Clone.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
8. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
9. Specify the days to perform cloning:
● To clone on a specific day, click the Execute icon on the day.
● To skip a clone on a specific day, click the Skip icon on the day.
● To check connectivity every day, select Execute from the list, and then click Make All.
The following table provides details on the icons.

Table 40. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Execute Perform cloning on this day.

Skip Do not perform cloning on this day.

10. Click Next.

The Specify the Clone Options page appears.
11. In the Data Movement section, define the volumes and devices to which NetWorker sends the cloned data:
a. From the Destination Storage Node list, select the storage node with the devices on which to store the cloned save
sets.
b. In the Delete source save sets after clone completes box, select the option to instruct NetWorker to move the data
from the source volume to the destination volume after clone operation completes. This is equivalent to staging the save
sets.
c. From the Destination Pool list, select the target media pool for the cloned save sets.
d. From the Retention list, specify the amount of time to retain the cloned save sets.
After the retention period expires, the save sets are marked as recyclable during an expiration server maintenance task.
e. From the Browse list, specify the amount of time to browse the cloned save sets. After the browse period expires, the
save sets will not be browsable and the client file indexes are deleted.
12. In the Filters section, define the criteria that NetWorker uses to create the list of eligible save sets to clone. The eligible
save sets must match the requirements that are defined in each filter. NetWorker provides the following filter options:
a. Time filter—In the Time section, specify the time range in which NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone
in the media database. Use the spin boxes to specify the start time and the end time. The Time filter list includes the
following options to define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the time criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the time filter criteria.

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 ● Accept—The clone save set list includes save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the other
defined filter criteria.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the
other defined filter criteria.
b. Save Set filter—In the Save Set section, specify whether to include or exclude ProtectPoint and Snapshot save sets,
when NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Save Set filter list includes to the
following options define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the save set filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the save set filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible ProtectPoint save sets or Snapshot save sets, when you also enable
the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible ProtectPoint save sets and Snapshot save sets when you
also enable the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
NOTE: For NAS device, only Snapshot save set is applicable.
c. Clients filter—In the Client section, specify a list of clients to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches for
eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Client filter list includes the following options, which define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the client filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets that are associated with the clients in the media database, to
create a clone save set list that meets the client filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets for the selected clients.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets for the selected clients.
d. Levels filter—In the Levels section, specify a list of backup levels to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches
for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Levels filter list includes the following options define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the level filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets regardless of the level in the media database, to create a clone
save set list that meets all the level filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
NOTE: For NAS device, only full backup level is applicable.

13. Click Next.

The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
14. Configure advanced options, including notifications and schedule overrides.
NOTE: Although the Retries, Retry Delay, or the Inactivity Timeout options appear, the clone action does not
support these options and ignores the values.

15. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
16. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

17. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
18. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.

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 The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Window, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

19. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
20. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
21. (Optional) In the Start Time option, specify the time to start the action.
Use the spin boxes to set the hour and minute values, and select one of the following options from the list box:
● Disabled—Do not enforce an action start time. The action will start at the time defined by the workflow.
● Absolute—Start the action at the time specified by the values in the spin boxes.
● Relative—Start the action after the period of time defined in the spin boxes has elapsed after the start of the workflow.
22. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
23. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
24. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.
(Optional) Create a clone action to automatically clone the save sets again after this clone action. Another clone action is the
only supported action after a clone action in a workflow.

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Visual representation of workflows
After you create actions for a workflow, in the Administration interface, you can see a map provides a visual representation of
the actions on the right side of the Protection window.
The following figure illustrates the visual representation of a sample workflow for a traditional backup.

Figure 19. Visual representation of a workflow

The oval icon specifies the group to which the workflow applies. The rounded rectangle icons identify actions. The parallelogram
icons identify the destination pool for the action.
● You can adjust the display of the visual representation by right-clicking and selecting one of the following options:
○ Zoom In—Increase the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Out—Decrease the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Area—Limit the display to a single section of the visual representation.
○ Fit Content—Fit the visual representation to the window area.
○ Reset—Reset the visual representation to the default settings.
○ Overview—View a separate dialog box with a high-level view of the visual representation and a legend of the icons.
● You can view and edit the properties for the group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and
then select Properties.
● You can create a group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and then select New.

Strategies for server backup and maintenance

When you install or upgrade the NetWorker server, the installation or upgrade process creates a default Server Protection policy
for server backup and maintenance activities. You can edit the default policy, workflows, groups, and actions, or create a set of
policies for server backup and maintenance.
After you install or upgrade the NMC server and then connect to the NMC GUI for the first time, the Console Configuration
wizard prompts you to configure the NetWorker server that will backup the NMC server database.
When you define the database backup server, the Console Configuration wizard:
● Creates a Client resource for the NMC Server database backup. The Save set field for the client contains
the path to the database staging directory. By default, the staging directory is in C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\nmcdb_stage on Windows and /opt/lgtonmc/nmcdb_stage on Linux.
NOTE:

The file system that contains the staging directory must have free disk space that is a least equal to the size of the
current NMC database. The section "Changing the staging directory for NMC database backups" describes how to
change the staging directory location.

cst folder is not listed as save set under Server Protection - NMC server backup for linux servers.
Only /nsr/nmc/nmcdb_stage is listed under backed up save set. Backup of cst folder is taken internally, which
can be verified in Recovery Wizard after the Server Protection policy backup is succeeded.
● Creates a group called NMC server.
● Adds the Client resource to the NMC server group.
● Creates a workflow that is called NMC server backup in the Server Protection policy. The workflow contains the NMC
server backup action, which performs a full backup of the NMC server database every day at 2 P.M.
● Adds the NMC server group to the NMC server backup workflow.
NOTE: The NMC Server database backup only supports the full and skip backup levels. If you edit the NMC Server backup
action and change the levels in the backup schedule to a different level, for example synthetic full, NetWorker performs a
full backup of the database.

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Scheduling server backup and maintenance
Server backup and maintenance activities are configured in the default workflows to start at 9 p.m. To optimize performance,
ensure that the workflows start at times of minimal backup activity or other system activity.

Protection groups for NetWorker and NMC server backup and maintenance
When you install or upgrade the NetWorker server, the installation or upgrade process creates a default protection group for the
NetWorker server workflows in the Server Protection policy.

Server Protection group

The Server Protection group is a default protection group to back up the NetWorker server bootstrap and client file indexes.
The Server Protection group is assigned to the Server backup workflow in the default Server Protection policy. The Server
backup workflow performs a bootstrap backup, which includes the NetWorker server resource files, media database, NetWorker
Authentication Service database, and client indexes for disaster recovery. The group is a dynamic client group that automatically
generates a list of Client resources for the NetWorker server.

NMC server group

The NMC server group is a default protection group to back up the NMC database, which the Console Configuration wizard
prompts you to create the first time you log in to the NMC server. The group is a client group that contains the Client resource
for the NMC server and is created during the initial login and configuration of NMC server. The NMC server group is assigned to
the NMC server backup workflow in the default Server Protection policy.
NOTE: If you create custom groups for server backup and maintenance, ensure that they include both the NetWorker
server and the NMC server.

Server Protection policy and workflows

When you install or upgrade the NetWorker server, the installation or upgrade process creates a Server Protection policy with
default workflows to support NetWorker and NMC backup and maintenance activities.
The Server Protection policy includes the following default workflows:

Server backup
The workflow performs two actions:
● Expiration—An expire action to mark expired save sets as recyclable.
● Server database backup—A backup of the NetWorker server media database, authentication service database, and the
client file indexes. The data in this backup, also called a bootstrap backup, enables you to perform a disaster recovery of the
NetWorker server.
The workflow is scheduled to start daily at 10 a.m. The workflow is assigned to the default Server Protection group, which
contains a dynamically generated list of the Client resources for the NetWorker server.

NMC server backup

The workflow performs a traditional backup of the NMC database. The workflow is scheduled to start a full backup daily at 2
p.m. The workflow is assigned to the default NMC server group, which contains the NMC server.

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Supported actions in a server backup workflow
The NetWorker server backup workflow supports the following action types.

Server database backup

A server database backup action performs a bootstrap backup and can also include the client file indexes.
A bootstrap backup contains the following NetWorker server components:
● Media database
● Server resource files. For example, the resource (res) database and the Package Manager database (nsrcpd)
● NetWorker Authentication Service database
NetWorker automatically creates a server backup action in the Server Backup workflow of the Server Protection policy. By
default, a full backup of the media database, resource files, and the NetWorker Authentication Service database occurs daily. A
full backup of the client file indexes occur on the first day of the month. An incremental backup of the client file indexes occur
on the remaining days of the month. The default retention policy for the server database backup is one month.

Expiration
The expiration action expires save sets in the media database based on retention time of the save set. When the retention time
of the save set has been reached, NetWorker uses the nsrim process to expire the save set. When a save set expires, the
nsrim process performs the following actions:
● Removes information about the save set from the client file index.
● If the save set data resides on an AFTD, removes the save set information from the media database and removes the save
set data from the AFTD.
● If the save set data resides on a tape device, the nsrim process marks the save set as recyclable in the media database.
When all save sets on a tape volume have expired, the volume is eligible for reuse.
● If the disk type(AFTD and DD Boost) volume is marked read-only, nsrim does not reclaim or recover the space by deleting
expired save sets.
An expiration action is created automatically in the Server maintenance workflow of the Server Protection policy. An expiration
action only supports Execute and Skip backup levels.

Orphaned save sets

If there is a save set record in media database with no corresponding data on disk (called as orphaned save set records),
nsrim marks that save set record as suspect once the recover space operation is run for the corresponding device. Even if the
nsrsnmd service runs, it will mark the save set only when recover space operation is run for the corresponding device. However,
there is no definite time when the space recovery might happen.
NOTE: This feature is available when storage node is running on NetWorker version 19.2 or later.

Clone
A clone action creates a copy of one or more save sets. Cloning enables secure offsite storage, the transfer of data from one
location to another, and the verification of backups.
You can configure a clone action to occur after a backup in a single workflow, or concurrently with a backup action in a single
workflow. You can use save set and query groups to define a specific list of save sets to clone, in a separate workflow.
NOTE: The clone action clones the scheduled backup save sets only, and it does not clone the manual backup save sets.
Some NetWorker module backups might appear to be scheduled backups that are initiated by a policy backup action, but
they are manual backups because they are initiated or converted by a database or application. The NetWorker Module for
Databases and Applications Administration Guide and the NetWorker Module for SAP Administration Guide provides more
details.

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Actions supported in an NMC server backup workflow
The NMC server backup workflow supports the following action types.

NMC server backup

An NMC server backup action performs a backup of the Postgres NMC database.
An NMC server backup action is created automatically in the NMC server backup workflow of the Server Protection policy. The
NMC server backup action only supports the full and skip backup levels.
You can add the following action after the NMC server backup action:

Clone
A clone action creates a copy of one or more save sets. Cloning enables secure offsite storage, the transfer of data from one
location to another, and the verification of backups.
You can configure a clone action to occur after a backup in a single workflow, or concurrently with a backup action in a single
workflow. You can use save set and query groups to define a specific list of save sets to clone, in a separate workflow.
NOTE: The clone action clones the scheduled backup save sets only, and it does not clone the manual backup save sets.
Some NetWorker module backups might appear to be scheduled backups that are initiated by a policy backup action, but
they are manual backups because they are initiated or converted by a database or application. The NetWorker Module for
Databases and Applications Administration Guide and the NetWorker Module for SAP Administration Guide provides more
details.
You can add the following actions before the NMC server backup action:

Probe
A probe action runs a user-defined script on a NetWorker client before the start of a backup. A user-defined script is any
program that passes a return code. If the return code is 0 (zero), then a client backup is required. If the return code is 1, then a
client backup is not required.
Only a backup action can follow a probe action.

NOTE: In-built commands from NetWorker should be avoided as probe command.

Check connectivity
A check connectivity action tests the connectivity between the clients and the NetWorker server before the start of a probe or
backup action occurs. If the connectivity test fails, then the probe action and backup action does not start for the client.

Actions in the server database backup and NMC server backup workflows
Workflows enable you to chain together multiple actions and run them sequentially or concurrently.
The following supported actions can follow the lead action and other actions in a workflow.

Workflow path from a server database backup action

The Clone action is the only supported action after a server database backup action. You cannot insert an action before a server
database backup action.

Figure 20. Workflow path from a server database backup action

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Workflow path from an NMC server backup action
A clone action is the only supported action after an NMC server backup action. You cannot insert an action before an NMC
server backup action.

Figure 21. Workflow path from an NMC server backup action

Workflow path from an expiration action

The expiration action is an independent action, which means that you can add any other action after the expiration action. It is
recommended that you do not add actions after an expiration action in the server maintenance workflow. To use the expiration
action with other actions, create or modify a workflow.

Visual representation of workflows

After you create actions for a workflow, in the Administration interface, you can see a map provides a visual representation of
the actions on the right side of the Protection window.
The following figure illustrates the visual representation of the Server Protection workflows.

Figure 22. Visual representation of the Server Protection workflows

The oval icon specifies the group to which the workflow applies. The rounded rectangle icons identify actions. The parallelogram
icons identify the destination pool for the action.
You can work directly in the visual representation of a workflow to perform the following tasks:
● You can adjust the display of the visual representation by right-clicking and selecting one of the following options:
○ Zoom In—Increase the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Out—Decrease the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Area—Limit the display to a single section of the visual representation.
○ Fit Content—Fit the visual representation to the window area.
○ Reset—Reset the visual representation to the default settings.
○ Overview—View a separate dialog box with a high-level view of the visual representation and a legend of the icons.
● You can view and edit the properties for the group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and
then select Properties.
● You can create a group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and then select New.

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Strategies for cloning
You can use scheduled cloning or action based (automatic) cloning to manage your data.
● Scheduled cloning—You can have a policy, and a workflow followed by a clone action. The workflow is associated with a
dynamic group. In other words, a Query or Save set protection group.
● Action based (automatic) cloning—You can have a policy, and a workflow followed by a backup and a clone action. The
clone action can be configured as concurrent or sequential.
○ Sequential—When the backup action configured for a policy or workflow is triggered, backup copies are created in the
selected backup pool. However, the clone action is triggered only after backup copies are created for all the selected
save sets. For example, If there are save sets numbered 1 to 100, backup copies are created in order. The clone action is
triggered only after the backup copy is created for save set 100.
NOTE: Sequential cloning is the preferred cloning method.
○ Concurrent—When the backup action configured for a policy or workflow is triggered, backup copies are created in the
selected backup pool. The clone action is triggered even if only a single back up copy is created from the selected save
sets. For example, If there are save sets numbered 1 to 100, backup copies are created in order. The clone action for save
set 1 is triggered as soon as the backup copy for save set 1 is created. However, for performance optimization, clones for
save sets are triggered in batches.
You can also use automated multi-streaming (AMS) when cloning your data to speed up the replication process.
If you are replicating save sets between two Data Domain devices on different machines, replication using NetWorker takes
longer because each save set uses a single stream. The use of automated multi-streaming (AMS) splits up large files (files larger
than 3.5 GiB) into multiple smaller 2 GiB slices, replicates those slices individually, and recreates the original large file on the
destination DDR using those slices.
The following diagram illustrates replication using AMS.

Figure 23. Replication using AMS

AMS is supported only if:

● Both the source and destination Data Domain systems support the virtual synthetic capability (DDOS 5.5 and later). This can
be validated through ddboost option show command as shown below:

ddboost@localhost# ddboost option show

Option Value
---------------------- -------
distributed-segment-processing enabled
virtual-synthetics enabled
fc enabled
global-authentication-mode none
global-encryption-strength none
● The save set file being copied is large enough for the use of AMS to provide an improvement over normal replication.
● All save set types other than VBA, vProxy, and synthetic full. The exception is for Microsoft NMM Exchange module save
sets, where AMS is used even though it uses BBB and synthetic full.
Enable AMS, if the underlying bandwidth between two DDRs is 10Gbps. Because the use of AMS creates multiple streams, there
must be enough bandwidth between the two DDRs being used for the clone workflow.
The nsrcloneconfig file enables you to add debug flags, control cloning sessions, and use the AMS functionality. It must be
manually created under the /nsr/debug folder.
By default, AMS is disabled. To enable AMS, ensure that the ams_enabled flag is set to Yes.
The following table describes the nsrcloneconfig file details and their default values.

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Table 41. nsrcloneconfig file details
Settings Default value Description
ams_enabled Yes Enables or disables AMS support. The value can be Yes or
No.
ams_slice_size_factor 31 Allows you to change the slice size factor value. The slice
size factor corresponds to the size of the slices desired,
specified by a number of bits. For example, if the slice size
factor is 28, the desired slice size is 2^28, or 256 MiB.
The default value is 31, meaning the desired slice size is
2^31, or 2 GiB. The default value of 31 provides the best
performance during chopping and joining.
ams_preferred_slice_count 0 Allows you to change the preferred slice count. There is no
maximum value.
ams_min_concurrent_slice_count 1 Allows you to increase the minimum number of concurrent
file copies. If the specified value is less than the default
minimum value, the default value is used.
ams_max_concurrent_slice_count 20 Allows you to decrease the maximum number of concurrent
file copies. If the specified value exceeds the default
maximum value, the default value is used.
ams_force_multithreaded No Force AMS to use threads even when the DDRs support
multi-file copies. Because the multi-file workflow is faster,
this is only useful for explicitly testing the multithreaded
workflow. The value can be Yes or No.
Debug 0 Enables or disables logging of debug messages.
concurrent_clone_enabled TRUE This flag need not be set in the nsrcloneconfig
file. The default value for this flag is TRUE.
It can be changed to FALSE by setting
max_threads_per_client and max_client_threads explicitly
to 0 in nsrcloneconfig file. When concurrent_clone_enabled
is TRUE and max_threads_per_client, max_client_threads
and max_savesets_per_thread is set to non-zero values,
then the clone parallelism is computed such that

max_client_threads *
max_threads_per_client <=
max_concurrency
max_concurrency =
MIN(30, dest_pool_parallelism,
available_stream_count)

It is recommended to modify RPS disabled DD to DD proxy

cloning.
max_client_threads 0 Allows you to set the maximum number of client clone
sessions that can run concurrently.
max_threads_per_client 0 Allows you to set the maximum number of threads per client
clone session that can run concurrently.
max_savesets_per_thread 0 Allows you to set the maximum number of save sets that
can be grouped per workitem.
disable_vsr 0 Allows you disable VSR for save sets that were created by
synthesizing auxiliary files. This flag currently works only for
RPS enabled and VBA save sets. The value can be 0 or 1.
use_ip_if No Allows you to use alternate (fallback) interface to connect
to Data Domain (IP interface instead of FC interface). The
value can be Yes or No.

Data Protection Policies 183

Table 41. nsrcloneconfig file details (continued)
Settings Default value Description
mmd reservation timeout 10 Allows you to modify the mmd reservation timeout value
that is passed to the server while creating broker request.
The default value is 10 minutes. The value can be 10 to 60
minutes.

NOTE: The Backup Data Management chapter describes how you can clone save sets manually by using the nsrclone
command.

Road map for configuring a new cloning data protection policy

This road map provides a high level overview of how to configure a new policy for clone operations.
Configure the backup policy to back up the data that is cloned.
1. Create a group to define the data to clone.
2. Create a policy. When you create a policy, you specify the name and notification settings for the policy.
3. Within the policy, create a workflow. When you create a workflow, you specify the name of the workflow, the schedule for
running the workflow, notification settings for the workflow, and the protection group to which the workflow applies.
4. Create one or more clone actions for the workflow.

Protection groups for a cloning workflow

You can use two types of protection groups to clone save sets in a workflow that are separate from backup workflows. The type
of protection group that you use depends on the way that you plan to configure the workflow.
Use a save set group or a query group to specify a list of save sets if cloning occurs as the head action in a cloning workflow:
● Save set group—Use a save set group in clone-only workflows where you want to clone a specific list of save sets. Save set
groups are similar to the manual clone operations in NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier.
● Query group—Use a query group in clone-only workflows where you want to clone save sets on an ongoing basis, based
on the save set criteria that you define. Query groups are similar to the scheduled clone operations in NetWorker 8.2.x and
earlier.
NOTE: To clone save sets in a backup workflow, use basic client group or a dynamic client group. Strategies for traditional
backups provides detailed information about how to create clone actions in a traditional backup workflow.
Create multiple protection groups to perform cloning in different ways as part of separate workflows, or to perform cloning for
different save sets on different schedules. For example:
● Create a basic client group for a workflow that performs a traditional backup of the a client file system followed by cloning of
the save sets that result from the backup. In this case, concurrent cloning can be enabled.
● Create a query group that identifies full save sets in the last two days to clone.

Creating a save set group

A save set group defines a static list of save sets for cloning or for snapshot index generation.
Determine the save set ID or clone ID (ssid/clonid) of the save sets for the group by using the Administration > Media user
interface or the mminfo command.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Groups, and then select New.
The Create Group dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
3. In the Name field, type a name for the group.
The maximum number of characters for the group name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ : - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

NOTE: After you create a group, the Name attribute is read-only.

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4. From the Group Type list, select Save Set ID List.
5. In the Comment field, type a description of the group.
6. (Optional) To associate the group with a workflow, from the Workflow (Policy) list, select the workflow.
You can also assign the group to a workflow when you create or edit a workflow.
7. In the Clone specific save sets (save set ID/clone ID) field, type the save set ID/clone ID (ssid/clonid) identifiers.
To specify multiple entries, type each value on a separate line.
8. To specify the Restricted Data Zone (RDZ) for the group, select the Restricted Data Zones tab, and then select the RDZ
from the list.
9. Click OK.

Creating a query group

A query group defines a list of save sets for cloning or snapshot index generation, based on a list of save set criteria.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Groups, and then select New.
The Create Group dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
3. In the Name field, type a name for the group.
The maximum number of characters for the group name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ : - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

NOTE: After you create a group, the Name attribute is read-only.

4. From the Group Type list, select Save Set Query.

5. In the Comment field, type a description of the group.
6. (Optional) To associate the group with a workflow, from the Workflow (Policy) list, select the workflow.
You can also assign the group to a workflow when you create or edit a workflow.
7. Specify one or more of the save set criteria in the following table.
NOTE: When you specify more than one save set criteria, the list of save sets only includes save sets that match all the
specified criteria.

Table 42. Save set criteria

Criteria Description
Date and time range Specify the start date and time range for the save sets.
To specify the current date and time as the end date for the range, select Up to now.

To specify a time period, select Up to.

Backup level In the Filter save sets by level section, next to the backup level for the save set, select
the full checkbox.
NOTE: Only the full backup level is applicable for network-attached storage (NAS)
devices.

Limit the number of clones Specify the number for the limit in the Limit number of clones list. The clone limit is the
maximum number of clone instances that can be created for the save set. By default, the
value is set to 1, and cannot be changed for NAS or Block.
NOTE: When this criteria is set to 1, which is the default value, you may experience
volume outage issues with Data Domain and advanced file type devices.

Client Next to one or more client resources that are associated with the save set in the Client list,
select the checkbox.
Policy Next to the policy used to generate the save set in the Policy list, select the checkbox.
Workflow Next to the workflow used to generate the save set in the Workflow list, select the
checkbox.
Action Next to the action used to generate the save set in the Action list, select the checkbox.

Data Protection Policies 185

 Table 42. Save set criteria (continued)
Criteria Description
Group Next to the group associated with the save set in the Group list, select the checkbox.
Pools Next to the media pool on which the save set is stored in the Pools list, select the
checkbox.
NOTE: You cannot select Pools for NAS.

Name In the Filter save sets by name field, specify the name of the save set.
NOTE: You cannot use wildcards to specify the save set name.

If you specify multiple criteria, the save set must match all the criteria to belong to the group.

8. To specify the Restricted Data Zone (RDZ) for the group, select the Restricted Data Zones tab, and then select the RDZ
from the list.
9. Click OK.

Creating a policy
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Policies, and then select New.
The Create Policy dialog box appears.
3. On the General tab, in the Name field, type a name for the policy.
The maximum number of characters for the policy name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
NOTE: After you create a policy, the Name attribute is read-only.

4. In the Comment field, type a description for the policy.

5. From the Send Notifications list, select whether to send notifications for the policy:
● To avoid sending notifications, select Never.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the policy completes
all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send a notification with information about each failed workflow and action, after the policy completes all the actions,
select On Failure.
6. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
To send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows, use the default mailer program on Linux:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Windows, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:

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 ○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

7. To specify the Restricted Data Zone (RDZ) for the policy, select the Restricted Data Zones tab, and then select the RDZ
from the list.
8. Click OK.
Create the workflows and actions for the policy.

Create a workflow for a new policy in NetWorker Administration

1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the left pane, expand Policies, and then select the policy that you created.
3. In the right pane, select Create a new workflow.
4. In the Name field, type the name of the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Name field is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
5. In the Comment box, type a description for the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Comment field is 128.
6. From the Send Notifications list, select how to send notifications for the workflow:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to specify when to send a notification, select
Set at policy level.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the workflow
completes all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send notifications with information about each failed workflow and action, after the workflow completes all the
actions, select On Failure.
7. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages, or use the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Windows, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.

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 ○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

8. In the Running section, perform the following steps to specify when and how often the workflow runs:
a. To ensure that the actions that are contained in the workflow run when the policy or workflow starts, in the Enabled
box, leave the option selected. To prevent the actions in the workflow from running when the policy or workflow that
contains the action starts, clear this option.
b. To start the workflow at the time that is specified in the Start time attribute, on the days that are defined in the action
resource, in the AutoStart Enabled box, leave the option selected. To prevent the workflow from starting at the time
that is specified in the Start time attribute, clear this option.
c. To specify the time to start the actions in the workflow, in the Start Time attribute, use the spin boxes.
The default value is 9:00 PM.
d. To specify how frequently to run the actions that are defined in the workflow over a 24-hour period, use the Interval
attribute spin boxes. If you are performing transaction log backup as part of application-consistent protection, you must
specify a value for this attribute in order for incremental transaction log backup of SQL databases to occur.
The default Interval attribute value is 24 hours, or once a day. When you select a value that is less than 24 hours, the
Interval End attribute appears. To specify the last start time in a defined interval period, use the spin boxes.
e. To specify the duration of time in which NetWorker can manually or automatically restart a failed or canceled workflow, in
the Restart Window attribute, use the spin boxes.
If the restart window has elapsed, NetWorker considers the restart as a new run of the workflow. NetWorker calculates
the restart window from the start of the last incomplete workflow. The default value is 24 hours.
For example, if the Start Time is 7:00 PM, the Interval is 1 hour, and the Interval End is 11:00 PM., then the workflow
automatically starts every hour beginning at 7:00 PM. and the last start time is 11:00 PM.
NOTE: If the interval attribute is set with less than 24 hours and the vProxy backup schedule is set to run, level Full
from backup action, manual start of the workflow will run level Incremental instead of level Full. Level Full backup will
be run during manual start of workflow only if the Interval is changed to 24 hours in the Workflow.

9. To create the workflow, click OK.

Create the actions that will occur in the workflow, and then assign a group to the workflow. If a workflow does not contain a
group, a policy does not perform any actions.

Workflows for scheduled cloning

A workflow can contain one or more clone actions.

Supported workflow path from a clone action

Another clone action is the only supported action after a clone action.

Figure 24. Workflow path from a clone action

Creating a clone action

A clone action creates a copy of one or more save sets. Cloning allows for secure offsite storage, the transfer of data from one
location to another, and the verification of backups.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.

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 ● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Clone.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
8. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
9. Specify the days to perform cloning:
● To clone on a specific day, click the Execute icon on the day.
● To skip a clone on a specific day, click the Skip icon on the day.
● To check connectivity every day, select Execute from the list, and then click Make All.
The following table provides details on the icons.

Table 43. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Execute Perform cloning on this day.

Skip Do not perform cloning on this day.

10. Click Next.

The Specify the Clone Options page appears.
11. In the Data Movement section, define the volumes and devices to which NetWorker sends the cloned data:
a. From the Destination Storage Node list, select the storage node with the devices on which to store the cloned save
sets.
b. In the Delete source save sets after clone completes box, select the option to instruct NetWorker to move the data
from the source volume to the destination volume after clone operation completes. This is equivalent to staging the save
sets.
c. From the Destination Pool list, select the target media pool for the cloned save sets.
d. From the Retention list, specify the amount of time to retain the cloned save sets.
After the retention period expires, the save sets are marked as recyclable during an expiration server maintenance task.
e. From the Browse list, specify the amount of time to browse the cloned save sets. After the browse period expires, the
save sets will not be browsable and the client file indexes are deleted.
12. In the Filters section, define the criteria that NetWorker uses to create the list of eligible save sets to clone. The eligible
save sets must match the requirements that are defined in each filter. NetWorker provides the following filter options:

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 a. Time filter—In the Time section, specify the time range in which NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone
in the media database. Use the spin boxes to specify the start time and the end time. The Time filter list includes the
following options to define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the time criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the time filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the other
defined filter criteria.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the
other defined filter criteria.
b. Save Set filter—In the Save Set section, specify whether to include or exclude ProtectPoint and Snapshot save sets,
when NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Save Set filter list includes to the
following options define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the save set filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the save set filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible ProtectPoint save sets or Snapshot save sets, when you also enable
the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible ProtectPoint save sets and Snapshot save sets when you
also enable the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
NOTE: For NAS device, only Snapshot save set is applicable.
c. Clients filter—In the Client section, specify a list of clients to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches for
eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Client filter list includes the following options, which define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the client filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets that are associated with the clients in the media database, to
create a clone save set list that meets the client filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets for the selected clients.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets for the selected clients.
d. Levels filter—In the Levels section, specify a list of backup levels to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches
for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Levels filter list includes the following options define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the level filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets regardless of the level in the media database, to create a clone
save set list that meets all the level filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
NOTE: For NAS device, only full backup level is applicable.

13. Click Next.

The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
14. Configure advanced options, including notifications and schedule overrides.
NOTE: Although the Retries, Retry Delay, or the Inactivity Timeout options appear, the clone action does not
support these options and ignores the values.

15. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
16. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

17. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.

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18. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Window, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

19. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
20. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
21. (Optional) In the Start Time option, specify the time to start the action.
Use the spin boxes to set the hour and minute values, and select one of the following options from the list box:
● Disabled—Do not enforce an action start time. The action will start at the time defined by the workflow.
● Absolute—Start the action at the time specified by the values in the spin boxes.
● Relative—Start the action after the period of time defined in the spin boxes has elapsed after the start of the workflow.
22. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
23. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
24. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.
(Optional) Create a clone action to automatically clone the save sets again after this clone action. Another clone action is the
only supported action after a clone action in a workflow.

Data Protection Policies 191

Visual representation of a clone workflow
After you create actions for a workflow, in the Administration interface, you can see a map provides a visual representation of
the actions on the right side of the Protection window.
The following figure illustrates the visual representation of a clone workflow.

Figure 25. Visual representation of a clone workflow

The oval icon specifies the group to which the workflow applies. The rounded rectangle icons identify actions. The parallelogram
icons identify the destination pool for the action.
You can work directly in the visual representation of a workflow to perform the following tasks:
● You can adjust the display of the visual representation by right-clicking and selecting one of the following options:
○ Zoom In—Increase the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Out—Decrease the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Area—Limit the display to a single section of the visual representation.
○ Fit Content—Fit the visual representation to the window area.
○ Reset—Reset the visual representation to the default settings.
○ Overview—View a separate dialog box with a high-level view of the visual representation and a legend of the icons.
● You can view and edit the properties for the group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and
then select Properties.
● You can create a group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and then select New.

Road map to add a clone workflow to an existing policy

This road map provides a high level overview of how to create a clone workflow and add the workflow to an existing backup
policy.
Configure the backup policy to back up the data that is cloned.
1. Create a query or save set group to define the data to clone.
2. Add the new group to an existing policy.
3. Create a workflow in the existing policy.
4. Create one or more clone actions for the workflow.

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Example: Creating a policy that has a separate workflow for cloning
The following figure provides a high level overview of the configuration of a policy that contains two workflows, one for backups
and one to clone a list of save sets.

Figure 26. Example of a policy with separate workflows for backup and cloning

NOTE: The amount of data and length of time that is required to complete the backup can impact the ability to clone data
when the backup and clone workflows are in the same policy. For example, if the clone action starts before the backup
action completes, there might not be any data yet to clone, or in other cases, only the save sets that completed at the start
time of the workflow is taken into account. In both cases, NetWorker marks the Clone Workflow as successful, but there is
no guarantee that all the data from the backup workflow was cloned.

Editing an existing policy to create a workflow and clone action

Use the Policies window to create a workflow and create the clone action.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, expand Policies, and then select the existing policy.
3. In the right pane, right-click in the workflow section and select New, and select Properties.
The New Workflow dialog box appears.
4. In the Name field, type the name of the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Name field is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
5. In the Comment box, type a description for the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Comment field is 128.
6. From the Send Notifications list, select how to send notifications for the workflow:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to specify when to send a notification, select
Set at policy level.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the workflow
completes all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send notifications with information about each failed workflow and action, after the workflow completes all the
actions, select On Failure.
7. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.

Data Protection Policies 193

 The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● On Windows, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

8. In the Running section, perform the following steps to specify when and how often the workflow runs:
a. To ensure that the actions that are contained in the workflow run when the policy or workflow starts, in the Enabled
box, leave the option selected. To prevent the actions in the workflow from running when the policy or workflow that
contains the action starts, clear this option.
b. To start the workflow at the time that is specified in the Start time attribute, on the days that are defined in the action
resource, in the AutoStart Enabled box, leave the option selected. To prevent the workflow from starting at the time
that is specified in the Start time attribute, clear this option.
c. To specify the time to start the actions in the workflow, in the Start Time attribute, use the spin boxes.
The default value is 9:00 PM.
d. To specify how frequently to run the actions that are defined in the workflow over a 24-hour period, use the Interval
attribute spin boxes. If you are performing transaction log backup as part of application-consistent protection, you must
specify a value for this attribute in order for incremental transaction log backup of SQL databases to occur.
The default Interval attribute value is 24 hours, or once a day. When you select a value that is less than 24 hours, the
Interval End attribute appears. To specify the last start time in a defined interval period, use the spin boxes.
e. To specify the duration of time in which NetWorker can manually or automatically restart a failed or canceled workflow, in
the Restart Window attribute, use the spin boxes.
If the restart window has elapsed, NetWorker considers the restart as a new run of the workflow. NetWorker calculates
the restart window from the start of the last incomplete workflow. The default value is 24 hours.
For example, if the Start Time is 7:00 PM, the Interval is 1 hour, and the Interval End is 11:00 PM., then the workflow
automatically starts every hour beginning at 7:00 PM. and the last start time is 11:00 PM.
NOTE: If the interval attribute is set with less than 24 hours and the vProxy backup schedule is set to run, level Full
from backup action, manual start of the workflow will run level Incremental instead of level Full. Level Full backup will
be run during manual start of workflow only if the Interval is changed to 24 hours in the Workflow.

9. In the Groups group box, specify the protection group to which the workflow applies.
To use a group, select a protection group from the Groups list. To create a protection group, click the + button that is
located to the right of the Groups list.
10. Click Add.
The Policy Action Wizard appears.
11. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
12. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.

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13. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

14. From the Action type list, select Clone.

15. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
16. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
17. Specify the days to perform cloning:
● To clone on a specific day, click the Execute icon on the day.
● To skip a clone on a specific day, click the Skip icon on the day.
● To check connectivity every day, select Execute from the list, and then click Make All.
The following table provides details on the icons.

Table 44. Schedule icons

Icon Label Description

Execute Perform cloning on this day.

Skip Do not perform cloning on this day.

18. Click Next.

The Specify the Clone Options page appears.
19. In the Data Movement section, define the volumes and devices to which NetWorker sends the cloned data:
a. From the Destination Storage Node list, select the storage node with the devices on which to store the cloned save
sets.
b. In the Delete source save sets after clone completes box, select the option to instruct NetWorker to move the data
from the source volume to the destination volume after clone operation completes. This is equivalent to staging the save
sets.
c. From the Destination Pool list, select the target media pool for the cloned save sets.
d. From the Retention list, specify the amount of time to retain the cloned save sets.
After the retention period expires, the save sets are marked as recyclable during an expiration server maintenance task.
e. From the Browse list, specify the amount of time to browse the cloned save sets. After the browse period expires, the
save sets will not be browsable and the client file indexes are deleted.
20. In the Filters section, define the criteria that NetWorker uses to create the list of eligible save sets to clone. The eligible
save sets must match the requirements that are defined in each filter. NetWorker provides the following filter options:
a. Time filter—In the Time section, specify the time range in which NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone
in the media database. Use the spin boxes to specify the start time and the end time. The Time filter list includes the
following options to define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the time criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the time filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the other
defined filter criteria.

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 ● Reject—The clone save set list does not include save sets that are saved within the time range and meet all the
other defined filter criteria.
b. Save Set filter—In the Save Set section, specify whether to include or exclude ProtectPoint and Snapshot save sets,
when NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Save Set filter list includes to the
following options define how NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the save set filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets in the media database to create a clone save set list that meets
the save set filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible ProtectPoint save sets or Snapshot save sets, when you also enable
the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible ProtectPoint save sets and Snapshot save sets when you
also enable the ProtectPoint checkbox or Snapshot checkbox.
NOTE: For NAS device, only Snapshot save set is applicable.
c. Clients filter—In the Client section, specify a list of clients to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches for
eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Client filter list includes the following options, which define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the client filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets that are associated with the clients in the media database, to
create a clone save set list that meets the client filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets for the selected clients.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets for the selected clients.
d. Levels filter—In the Levels section, specify a list of backup levels to include or exclude, when NetWorker searches
for eligible save sets to clone in the media database. The Levels filter list includes the following options define how
NetWorker determines save set eligibility, based on the level filter criteria:
● Do Not Filter—NetWorker inspects the save sets regardless of the level in the media database, to create a clone
save set list that meets all the level filter criteria.
● Accept—The clone save set list includes eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
● Reject—The clone save set list does not include eligible save sets with the selected backup levels.
NOTE: For NAS device, only full backup level is applicable.

21. Click Next.

The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
22. Configure advanced options, including notifications and schedule overrides.
NOTE: Although the Retries, Retry Delay, or the Inactivity Timeout options appear, the clone action does not
support these options, and ignores the values.

23. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the clone action.The default value is 0
and the maximum value is 1000.
24. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

25. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
26. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.

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 Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● On Window, to send a notification email, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

27. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
28. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
29. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
30. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
31. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.

Policy Notifications
You can define how a Data Protection Policy sends notifications in the Policy, Workflow, and Action resources.
The following table summarizes how the notification settings in each resource work together.
In the Policy resource, the following notification choices are available:
● Never —Select this option when you do not want to send any notifications.
● On Completion—Select this option when you want to send a notification on completion of the workflows and actions in the
policy.
● On Failure—Select this option when you want to send a notification only if one or more of the workflows in the policy fail.
When you configure a notification at the policy level, NetWorker applies the notification to all workflows and actions in the policy
that are not configured to send out notifications.
In the Workflow resource, the following notification choices are available:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to send the notification, select Set a policy level.

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● To send a workflow notification on completion of all the actions in the workflow, select On Completion.
● To send a workflow notification only if an action fails to complete, select On Failure.
When you configure a notification at the workflow level, the setting overrides what you defined at the policy level.
In the Action resource, the following notification choices are available:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to send the notification, select Set a policy level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
When you configure a notification at the action level, the setting overrides what you defined at the policy level. If you configured
the Workflow resource to send out notifications, you will receive workflow notifications in addition to action notifications.

Monitoring policy activity

The Monitoring window in the NetWorker Administration window enables you to monitor activities for specific policies,
workflows, and actions.

Policies/Actions pane
The Policies/Actions pane at the top of the Monitoring window lists the policies on the NetWorker server by default. Click
the + (plus) sign next to a policy in the list to view the workflows in the policy, and the + (plus) sign next to a workflow to view
the actions for a workflow.
The Policies pane provides the following information for each item (where applicable):
● Overall status
The following table provides details on the status icons that may appear in the Policies pane.

Table 45. Policy status icons

Icon Status

Never run

Running

Succeeded

Failed

Probing
● Most recent start time
● Duration of the most recent run
● Next scheduled runtime
● Name of the assigned save set
● Device on which the save set is stored
● Backup level
● Data transfer rate
● Size of the save set
● Messages that resulted from an action
Right-click an action in the Policies pane, and select Show Details to view details on currently running, successfully
completed, and failed activities for the action.

When you sort the items on the Policy/Actions pane by using the Status column, NetWorker sorts the items in alphabetical
order that is based on the label of the icon.
Consider the following when a policy/action is in a probing state:
● A message is sent when the group starts and finishes the probe operation.

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● The results of the probe operation (run backup/do not run backup) are also logged.
● Probes do not affect the final status of the group, and the group status does not indicate the results of the probe.
● If probing indicates that a backup should not run, then the group status reverts to its state before the group running.
● Check the results of the probe in the Log window to ensure that the probe indicates that the backup can be taken.

Actions pane
To view a list of all actions, click the Actions tab at the bottom of the Policies pane. The Policies pane becomes the Actions
pane.
The Actions pane provides the following information for each action:
● Overall status

NOTE: The Actions pane displays the same status icons as the Policies pane.
● Name
● Assigned policy
● Assigned workflow
● Type
● Date and time of the most recent run
● Duration of the most recent run
● Percent complete, for actions that are in progress
● Next scheduled runtime
Right-click an action in the Actions pane, and select Show Details to view details on currently running, completed, and failed
activities for the action.

Monitoring cloning
You can view the status of scheduled clone jobs in the Monitoring window. Status information includes the last start time
of the policy, workflow, or clone action, the duration of the action, the size of the save set, and the target device, pool, and
volume.
To determine whether a save set on a volume has been cloned, or is itself a clone, check the search for the save set by using
the Query Save Set tab when you select Save Sets in the Media window.

Overview of protection policies

A protection policy allows you to design a protection solution for your environment at the data level instead of at the host level.
With a data protection policy, each client in the environment is a backup object and not simply a host.
Data protection policies enable you to back up and manage data in a variety of environments, as well as to perform system
maintenance tasks on the NetWorker server. You can use either the NetWorker Management Web UI or the NMC
NetWorker Administration window to create your data protection policy solution.
A data protection policy solution encompasses the configuration of the following key NetWorker resources:

Policies
Policies provide you with a service-catalog approach to the configuration of a NetWorker datazone. Policies enable you to
manage all data protection tasks and the data protection lifecycle from a central location.
Policies provide an organizational container for the workflows, actions, and groups that support and define the backup, clone,
management, and system maintenance actions that you want to perform.

Workflows
The policy workflow defines a list of actions to perform sequentially or concurrently, a schedule window during which the
workflow can run, and the protection group to which the workflow applies. You can create a workflow when you create a new
policy, or you can create a workflow for an existing policy.

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A workflow can be as simple as a single action that applies to a finite list of Client resources, or a complex chain of actions that
apply to a dynamically changing list of resources. In a workflow, some actions can be set to occur sequentially, and others can
occur concurrently.
You can create multiple workflows in a single policy. However, each workflow can belong to only one policy. When you add
multiple workflows to the same policy, you can logically group data protection activities with similar service level provisions
together, to provide easier configuration, access, and task execution.

Protection groups
Protection groups define a set of static or dynamic Client resources or save sets to which a workflow applies. There are also
dedicated protection groups for backups in a VMware environment or for snapshot backups on a NAS device. Review the
following information about protection groups:
● Create one protection group for each workflow. Each group can be assigned to only one workflow.
● You can add the same Client resources and save sets to more than one group at a time.
● You can create the group before you create the workflow, or you can create the group after you create the workflow and
then assign the group to the workflow later.

Actions
Actions are the key resources in a workflow for a data protection policy and define a specific task (for example, a backup or
clone) that occurs on the client resources in the group assigned to the workflow. NetWorker uses a work list to define the task.
A work list is composed of one or several work items. Work items include client resources, virtual machines, save sets, or tags.
You can chain multiple actions together to occur sequentially or concurrently in a workflow. All chained actions use the same
work list.
When you configure an action, you define the days on which to perform the action, as well as other settings specific to the
action. For example, you can specify a destination pool, browse and retention period, and a target storage node for the backup
action, which can differ from the subsequent action that clones the data.
When you create an action for a policy that is associated with the virtual machine backup, you can select one of the following
data protection action types:
● Backup — Performs a backup of virtual machines in vCenter to a Data Domain system. You can only perform one VMware
backup action per workflow. The VMware backup action must occur before clone actions.
● Clone — Performs a clone of the VMware backup on a Data Domain system to any clone device that NetWorker supports
(including Data Domain system or tape targets). You can specify multiple clone actions. Clone actions must occur after the
Backup action.
You can create multiple actions for a single workflow. However, each action applies to a single workflow and policy.
The following figure provides a high level overview of the components that make up a data protection policy in a datazone.

Figure 27. Data Protection Policy

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Policy log files
The NetWorker server contains the log files for all data protection Policy resources.

Policy log directory structure

The policy-related resource log files are found in the following directory:
● Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\policy_name\workflow_name\action_name

● Linux:
/nsr/logs/policy_name/workflow_name/action_name

where:
● Policy_name—is the name of the Policy resource. One folder per policy.
● Workflow_name—is the name of the workflow directory. One folder per action sequence.
● Action_name—is the name of the action log file within the workflow.

Workflow log files

The policy subdirectory contains raw log files for each workflow and one subdirectory for each action.
The location and format of the log file on Linux is:
/nsr/logs/policy/policy_name/workflow_name_jobid.raw
where name_jobid is the name of the workflow and the job id of the workflow. Job id is a value that uniquely identifies a
workflow job record in the jobdb.
For example, the log file for a workflow that is called server backup, with a job id of 0010072 appears as follows:
/nsr/logs/policy/server protection/workflow_server backup_0010072.raw
Use the job id to perform queries of the jobdb with the jobquery command. A workflow log file can be unrendered or
rendered. An unrendered log file has the file name extension .raw. A rendered log file's extension is .log. Unrendered log files
contain internationalized messages that can be rendered into the local language. The content of rendered log files has been
localized to a single country's language.
View log files provides more information about viewing rendered and unrendered log files.

Action log files

NetWorker creates a workflow directory for each workflow within the policy directory. The workflow directory contains log files
for each action that is assigned to the workflow.
The location of the workflow directory on Linux is:
/nsr/logs/policy/policy_name/workflow_name
where:
● policy_name—is the name of the policy that contains the workflow.
● workflow_name—is the name of the workflow.
The workflow directory contains log files for each action that is assigned to the workflow. The file name appears in the following
format:
action_name_job_id.raw
where:
● action_name—is the name of the action.
● job_id—is the job id of the action in the jobdb.

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For example, the server backup workflow has three actions: Backup, Clone, and Clone more. There are three log files in /nsr/
logs/policy/server protection/server backup directory with the following names:
Backup_ 1408063.raw
Clone_1408080.raw
Clone more_1408200.raw

Child action log files

Some actions create child actions, for example a backup action creates a save job and a savefs job. Each child action has a
unique job record.
Each of these child jobs have a log file. When the parent action starts a child action, NetWorker creates a directory for the
action that contains the log file for child activities.
The location of the action directory on Linux is:
/nsr/logs/policy/policy_name/workflow_name/action_name_job_id_logs
where:
● policy_name— is the name of the policy that contains the workflow.
● workflow_name— is the name of the workflow.
● action_name—is the name of the action.
● job_id—is the job id of the action in the jobdb.
The action directory contains log files for each child action started by the action. The file name appears in the following format:
job_id.log
where job_id is the job id of the child action in the jobdb.
For example, an action whose log file name is Backup_1408063.raw might have a directory that is named
Backup_1408063_logs, which contains three log files:
● 1408066.log
● 1408067.log
● 1408070.log
NOTE: The .log files are localized to a specific country or the language of the region.

NetWorker clears the information about a job from the jobsdb and deletes the associated log files at the interval that is defined
by the Jobsdb retention in hours attribute in the properties of the NetWorker Server resource. In NetWorker 9.0.1, the
default jobsdb retention is 72 hours.

Starting, stopping, and restarting policies

The workflows in a policy can run automatically, based on a schedule. You can also manually start, stop, and restart specific
workflows by using the the NMC NetWorker Administration Monitoring window.
You can restart any failed or canceled workflow. Note, however, that the restart must occur within the restart window that
you specified for the workflow. Additionally, for a VMware backup, if you cancel a workflow from NetWorker Administration
and then want to restart the backup, ensure that you restart the workflow from the NetWorker Administration window. If a
workflow that was started from NetWorker Administration is restarted from the vSphere Web Client, the backup fails.
1. In the Monitoring window, select the workflow or actions.
2. Right-click and then select Start, Stop, or Restart.
A confirmation message appears.
NOTE: You cannot stop, restart, or start individual actions.
3. Click Yes.

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Protection period
You can use protection period to retain the last valid copy of a saveset for a specified period of time even after it expires and
the protection period is more than the retention policy. This is a nsr data protection attribute and disabled by default. Protection
period is disabled by default. In order to enable this feature, you can check the enable check box in the policy configuration tab.
NOTE: The protection period applies to scheduled backup save sets only, and it does not apply to manual backup save sets.
Some NetWorker module backups might appear to be scheduled backups that are initiated by a policy backup action but
they are manual backups because they are initiated or converted by a database or application. The NetWorker Module for
Databases and Applications Administration Guide and the NetWorker Module for SAP Administration Guide provides more
details.

Enabling protection period in CLI

The following instructions describe how to enable protection period in CLI:
Use -P while creating or updating the data protection policy in CLI.
nsrpolicy create -p <policy_name> -q <yes> -P <protection_period>

Enabling protection period in NMC

The following instructions describe how to enable protection period in NMC:
1. Create a new policy or open an already existing policy.

Figure 28. Creating a new policy

2. Click Enable Protection Period from NMC.

3. Set the protection period at a policy level.

Data Protection Policies 203

 Figure 29. Policy properties

Starting actions in a workflow for an individual client

When you start a workflow, NetWorker performs all the actions in the workflow for all the clients that are defined in the groups
that are associated with the workflow. You can also start the actions for specific clients in a workflow.
Perform the following steps to start the actions for an individual client.
NOTE: You cannot start the actions for specific clients in the Server backup workflow.

1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.

2. In the Policies pane, expand the policy.
3. Right-click the workflow, and select Start Individual Client. The Start Workflow dialog box appears.
4. Optionally, from the Workflow list, select a different workflow.
5. Select the checkbox next to the names of the clients on which you want to perform all the actions in the workflow.
6. Click Start.

204 Data Protection Policies

Modifying data protection Policy resources
This section describes how to modify existing Policy, Workflow, Group, and Action resources.

Policies
Policies enable you to manage all data protection tasks and the data protection lifecycle from a central location.
A policy contains one or more workflows, which define the actions that should be performed, the order for the actions to occur,
and the group of Client resources or save sets on which to perform the actions.
Actions include backups, cloning, client/server connectivity checks, and NetWorker server maintenance activities.

Editing a policy
You can edit the description, notification setting, and RDZ for a policy.
You cannot edit the name of a policy. To rename a policy, first delete the policy, and then re-create it with the new name.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Right-click the policy, and select Properties.
The Policy Properties dialog box appears.
4. Edit the properties for the policy. The properties are the same properties that you specified when you created the policy.
5. Click OK.

Deleting a policy
When you delete a policy, the deletion process also deletes all workflows and actions for the policy.
Groups that are assigned to the workflows in the policy are not deleted, however. The workflow assignment for the group is
removed from the group properties. You can assign the group to a workflow in a different policy, or delete the group.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Right-click the policy, and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
4. Click Yes.
NOTE: The Policy resource remains in the Monitoring window until all the information about the workflows and actions
within the policy expire in the jobs database. The default job expiration time is 72 hours. Modifying the retention period
for jobs in the jobs database describes how to change the default job expiration time.

Workflows
Workflows define a list of actions to perform sequentially or concurrently, a schedule window during which the workflow can
run, and the protection group to which the workflow applies.
A workflow can be as simple as a single action that applies to a finite list of Client resources, or it can be a complex chain of
actions that apply to a dynamically changing list of resources, with some actions occurring sequentially and others occurring
concurrently.
You can also define notification settings for a workflow.

Data Protection Policies 205

Supported workflow paths
Workflows enable you to chain together multiple actions and run them either sequentially or concurrently. However, the
sequence of actions in a workflow is limited by certain logical constraints.
The following sections provide details on supported actions that can follow the lead action in a workflow.

Workflow path from a snapshot backup action

You can perform a generate index action (to generate an index of the snapshot) or a clone action after a snapshot backup
action.

Figure 30. Workflow path from a snapshot backup action

Workflow path from a probe action

You can perform either a traditional backup or a snapshot backup after a probe action.

Figure 31. Workflow path from a probe action

Workflow path from a server backup action

A clone action is the only supported action after a server backup action.

Figure 32. Workflow path from a server backup action

Workflow path from a check connectivity action

You can perform a traditional backup, snapshot backup, or probe action after a check connectivity action.

Figure 33. Workflow path from a check connectivity action

206 Data Protection Policies

Workflow path from a clone action
Another clone action is the only supported action after a clone action.

Figure 34. Workflow path from a clone action

Workflow path from an expire action

The expire action must be the only action in a workflow. No other actions are supported either before or after an expire action.

Workflow path from a discover action

You can perform a generate index or clone action after a discover action.

Figure 35. Workflow path from a discover action

Workflow path from a generate index action

The only supported action after a generate index action is a clone action.

Figure 36. Workflow path from a generate index action

Workflow path from a VBA checkpoint discover action

The only supported action after a VBA checkpoint discover action is a VBA checkpoint backup action.

Figure 37. Workflow path from a VBA checkpoint discover action

Workflow path from a VBA checkpoint backup action

VBA checkpoint backup cannot be the lead action in a workflow. You must precede the VBA checkpoint backup action with a
VBA checkpoint discover action.

Visual representation of traditional backup workflows

Figure 38. Traditional backup workflow

Data Protection Policies 207

After you create actions for a workflow, in the Administration interface, you can see a map provides a visual representation of
the actions on the right side of the Protection window.
The oval icon specifies the group to which the workflow applies. The rounded rectangle icons identify actions. The parallelogram
icons identify the destination pool for the action.
You can work directly in the visual representation of a workflow to perform the following tasks:
● You can adjust the display of the visual representation by right-clicking and selecting one of the following options:
○ Zoom In—Increase the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Out—Decrease the size of the visual representation.
○ Zoom Area—Limit the display to a single section of the visual representation.
○ Fit Content—Fit the visual representation to the window area.
○ Reset—Reset the visual representation to the default settings.
○ Overview—View a separate dialog box with a high-level view of the visual representation and a legend of the icons.
● You can view and edit the properties for the group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and
then select Properties.
● You can create a group, action, or destination pool by right-clicking the icon for the item, and then select New.

Create a workflow for an existing policy in NetWorker Administration

A policy can contain one or more unique workflows.
● Create a policy for the workflow.
● (Optional but recommended) Create a group of client resources or save sets to assign to the workflow.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Select the policy for the workflow.
4. In the right pane of the window, select the Workflows tab.
5. Right-click an empty area of the Workflows tab and select New.
The New Workflow dialog box appears.
6. In the Name field, type the name of the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Name field is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
7. In the Comment box, type a description for the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Comment field is 128.
8. From the Send Notifications list, select how to send notifications for the workflow:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to specify when to send a notification, select
Set at policy level.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the workflow
completes all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send notifications with information about each failed workflow and action, after the workflow completes all the
actions, select On Failure.
9. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages or the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient

208 Data Protection Policies

 ● On Windows, type the following command: smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver
recipient2@mailserver...
where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

10. In the Running section, perform the following steps to specify when and how often the workflow runs:
a. To ensure that the actions that are contained in the workflow run when the policy or workflow starts, in the Enabled
box, leave the option selected. To prevent the actions in the workflow from running when the policy or workflow that
contains the action starts, clear this option.
b. To start the workflow at the time that is specified in the Start time attribute, on the days that are defined in the action
resource, in the AutoStart Enabled box, leave the option selected. To prevent the workflow from starting at the time
that is specified in the Start time attribute, clear this option.
c. To specify the time to start the actions in the workflow, in the Start Time attribute, use the spin boxes.
The default value is 9:00 PM.
d. To specify how frequently to run the actions that are defined in the workflow over a 24-hour period, use the Interval
attribute spin boxes. If you are performing transaction log backup as part of application-consistent protection, you must
specify a value for this attribute in order for incremental transaction log backup of SQL databases to occur.
The default Interval attribute value is 24 hours, or once a day. When you select a value that is less than 24 hours, the
Interval End attribute appears. To specify the last start time in a defined interval period, use the spin boxes.
e. To specify the duration of time in which NetWorker can manually or automatically restart a failed or canceled workflow, in
the Restart Window attribute, use the spin boxes.
If the restart window has elapsed, NetWorker considers the restart as a new run of the workflow. NetWorker calculates
the restart window from the start of the last incomplete workflow. The default value is 24 hours.
For example, if the Start Time is 7:00 PM, the Interval is 1 hour, and the Interval End is 11:00 PM., then the workflow
automatically starts every hour beginning at 7:00 PM. and the last start time is 11:00 PM.
NOTE: If the interval attribute is set with less than 24 hours and the vProxy backup schedule is set to run, level Full
from backup action, manual start of the workflow will run level Incremental instead of level Full. Level Full backup will
be run during manual start of workflow only if the Interval is changed to 24 hours in the Workflow.

11. In the Groups group box, specify the protection group to which the workflow applies.
To use a group, select a protection group from the Groups list. To create a protection group, click the + button that is
located to the right of the Groups list.
12. The Actions table displays a list of actions in the workflow. To edit or delete an action in the workflow, select the action and
click Edit or Delete. To create one or more actions for the workflow, click Add.
The Actions table organizes the information in sortable columns. Right-click in the table to customize the attributes that
appear.
13. To create the workflow, click OK.

Create a workflow for a new policy in NetWorker Administration

1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the left pane, expand Policies, and then select the policy that you created.
3. In the right pane, select Create a new workflow.
4. In the Name field, type the name of the workflow.
The maximum number of allowed characters for the Name field is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
5. In the Comment box, type a description for the workflow.

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 The maximum number of allowed characters for the Comment field is 128.
6. From the Send Notifications list, select how to send notifications for the workflow:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the policy resource to specify when to send a notification, select
Set at policy level.
● To send notifications with information about each successful and failed workflow and action, after the workflow
completes all the actions, select On Completion.
● To send notifications with information about each failed workflow and action, after the workflow completes all the
actions, select On Failure.
7. In the Send notification attribute, when you select the On Completion option or On failure option, the Command box
appears. Use this box to configure how NetWorker sends the notifications. You can use the nsrlog command to send the
notifications to a log file or you can send an email notification.
The default notification action is to send the information to the policy_notifications.log file. By default, the
policy_notifications.log file is located in the /nsr/logs directory on Linux and in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs folder on Windows.
Use the default mailer program on Linux to send email messages, or use the smtpmail application on Windows:
● To send notifications to a file, type the following command, where policy_notifications.log is the name of the
file:
nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log
● On Linux, to send an email notification, type the following command:
mail -s subject recipient
● For NetWorker Virtual Edition (NVE), to send an email notification, type the following command:
/usr/sbin/sendmail -v recipient_email "subject_text"
● On Windows, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:
○ -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header
and nothing is added.
○ -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

○ recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are
separated by a space.

8. In the Running section, perform the following steps to specify when and how often the workflow runs:
a. To ensure that the actions that are contained in the workflow run when the policy or workflow starts, in the Enabled
box, leave the option selected. To prevent the actions in the workflow from running when the policy or workflow that
contains the action starts, clear this option.
b. To start the workflow at the time that is specified in the Start time attribute, on the days that are defined in the action
resource, in the AutoStart Enabled box, leave the option selected. To prevent the workflow from starting at the time
that is specified in the Start time attribute, clear this option.
c. To specify the time to start the actions in the workflow, in the Start Time attribute, use the spin boxes.
The default value is 9:00 PM.
d. To specify how frequently to run the actions that are defined in the workflow over a 24-hour period, use the Interval
attribute spin boxes. If you are performing transaction log backup as part of application-consistent protection, you must
specify a value for this attribute in order for incremental transaction log backup of SQL databases to occur.
The default Interval attribute value is 24 hours, or once a day. When you select a value that is less than 24 hours, the
Interval End attribute appears. To specify the last start time in a defined interval period, use the spin boxes.
e. To specify the duration of time in which NetWorker can manually or automatically restart a failed or canceled workflow, in
the Restart Window attribute, use the spin boxes.
If the restart window has elapsed, NetWorker considers the restart as a new run of the workflow. NetWorker calculates
the restart window from the start of the last incomplete workflow. The default value is 24 hours.
For example, if the Start Time is 7:00 PM, the Interval is 1 hour, and the Interval End is 11:00 PM., then the workflow
automatically starts every hour beginning at 7:00 PM. and the last start time is 11:00 PM.

210 Data Protection Policies

 NOTE: If the interval attribute is set with less than 24 hours and the vProxy backup schedule is set to run, level Full
from backup action, manual start of the workflow will run level Incremental instead of level Full. Level Full backup will
be run during manual start of workflow only if the Interval is changed to 24 hours in the Workflow.

9. To create the workflow, click OK.

Create the actions that will occur in the workflow, and then assign a group to the workflow. If a workflow does not contain a
group, a policy does not perform any actions.

Editing a workflow
You can edit all the properties for a workflow, including the name, description, schedule, notification settings, group, and
actions.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Select the policy for the workflow.
4. In the right pane of the window, select the Workflows tab.
5. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Workflow Properties window, right-click
the staging configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

6. Edit the properties for the workflow. The properties are the same properties that you specified when you created the
workflow.
NOTE: When you add actions to an existing workflow that is associated with a group, you only see the action types that
are allowed in the action sequence.

7. Click OK.

Deleting a workflow
When you delete a workflow, the deletion process also deletes all actions for the workflow.
The group that is assigned to the workflow is not deleted, however. The workflow assignment for the group is removed from
the group properties. You can assign the group to a different workflow or delete the group.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Select the policy for the workflow.
4. In the right pane of the window, select the Workflows tab.
5. Right-click the workflow, and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
6. Click Yes.

Data Protection Policies 211

Protection groups
Protection groups enable you to define a set of Client resources or save sets.

Assigning a protection group to a workflow

You can assign a protection group to a workflow either when you create or edit the group, or when you create or edit the
workflow.
Each workflow applies to only one protection group, and each protection group can be assigned to only one workflow.
● To assign a protection group to a workflow when you create or edit the group, select the workflow from the
Workflow(Policy) list in the Create Group or Edit Group dialog box.
● To assign a protection group to a workflow when you create or edit the workflow, select the group from the Groups list in
the New Workflow or Workflow Properties dialog box.

Editing a protection group

You can edit all properties for a protection group except for the group name and group type.
To rename a protection group, first delete the group, and then re-create it with the new name.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Groups.
3. Right-click the group, and select Properties.
The Edit Group dialog box appears.
4. Edit the properties for the protection group.
The properties are the same properties that you specified when you created the group. To modify the clients in a protection
group, perform on of the follow tasks:
● To modify the clients in a dynamic group, in the Dynamic clients table, specify the criteria that NetWorker uses to
select clients for the group:
○ To back up all the Client resources that are configured on the NetWorker server and have the Scheduled backup
attribute enabled, select Choose all clients.
○ To generate a list of clients that is based on the value that is defined in the Tag attribute of the Client resource,
select the Clients with these tags option. Specify the matching tag value in the Tags field and specify one tag on
each line.
NOTE: When you specify multiple tag values, the query uses an OR operation to match the tags. For example,
if you specify Sales and Support tag values, then the query builds a list of clients that contain the tag Sales or
Support.
● To modify the clients in a Client group, from the Clients table, perform one of the following actions in the Selected
Clients column:
○ To add a Client resource to the group, select the checkbox beside the name of the Client resource.
○ To remove Client resources from the group, clear the checkbox next to the name of the Client resource.
5. Click OK.

Adding clients to Protection groups from nsradmin

This can be performed from NSR Client or NSR Protection group resource.

From NSR Client Resource

Perform the following to add clients from NSR Client resource:
1. Select NSR Client resource from nsradmin.
2. In the attribute Protection group list , add the group with which you want to associate it with.
NOTE: Protection group list is hidden by default in NSR Client resource.

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From NSR Protection Group resource
This is a multi-step process. Obtain the resource ID of clients from NSR Client resource and then add them in the work items
attribute of NSR Protection group.
● Perform the following for NSR Client resource:
1. Enable the resource ID from Options in nsradmin.
2. Set Show: name; resource identifier.
This shows only name and resource identifier attributes.
3. Select the required client from NSR Client resource.
For example- p type: NSR client;name:client1,client2

● Perform the following for NSR Protection group resource:

1. Select NSR Protection group resource from nsradmin where you want to update the work items. For example: with client
1 and client 2.
2. Use the output of the selected NSR Client resource as an input for work items attribute of NSR protection group
resource.

Deleting a protection group

Delete the workflow that is assigned to the protection group, or assign the workflow to a different protection group. You cannot
delete a protection group if it is assigned to a workflow.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Groups.
3. Right-click the group, and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
4. Click Yes.

Actions
Actions are the key resources in a workflow for a data protection policy. An action is a task that occurs on a work list. A work
list is a list of pending work items, such a group of Client resources or save sets.
You can chain multiple actions together to occur sequentially or concurrently in a workflow.

Creating an action
The Policy Action wizard walks you through the steps to create an action. You can create an action either when you are
creating or editing a workflow, or as a separate process from the workflow configuration.
Create the policy and workflow that contains the action.
1. Open the Policy Action wizard by using one of the methods in the following table.

Table 46. Methods to create an action

Method Steps
To create an action during the workflow configuration Click Add in either the New Workflow dialog box or the
Workflow Properties dialog box.
To add additional actions after the last action in an existing a. In the Administration window, click Protection.
workflow b. In the expanded left pane select Policies.
c. Select the policy.
d. Select the workflow.
e. In the right pane, select the Actions tab.
f. Right-click an empty area of the Actions tab and select
New.

Data Protection Policies 213

 Table 46. Methods to create an action (continued)
Method Steps

NOTE: When you add actions to an existing workflow

that is associated with a group, you only see the action
types that are allowed in the action sequence.

To create the first action in a workflow a. In the Administration window, click Protection.
b. In the expanded left pane select Policies.
c. Select the policy.
d. Select the workflow.
e. In the right pane, select Create a new action.
To add an action before an action in an existing workflow a. In the Administration window, click Protection.
b. In the expanded left pane select Policies.
c. Select the policy.
d. Select the workflow.
e. In the right pane, select the action that you want the
new action to precede and select Insert before.
NOTE: When you add actions to an existing workflow
that is associated with a group, you only see the action
types that are allowed in the action sequence.

2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.

The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select the action.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
8. To select a predefined schedule, click Select radio button, then select the schedule from the drop-down menu. If you do not
want to associate a schedule to an action, then click Define.
9. The steps to go through the wizard depend on the action type that you select.

Editing an action
You can edit all the properties of an existing action.
Perform one of the following tasks to edit an action.
● Open the Policy Action wizard for the action by using one of the methods in the following table.

214 Data Protection Policies

 Table 47. Methods to open the Policy Action wizard
Method Steps
During workflow configuration Select the action and then click Edit in either the New Workflow dialog
box or the Workflow Properties dialog box.
From the Actions tab of the workflow 1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane select Policies.
3. Select the policy.
4. Select the workflow.
5. In the right pane, select the Actions tab.
6. Right-click the action, and select Properties.
From the visual representation of the workflow Right-click the action in the visual representation of the workflow, and
select Properties.

Edit the properties for the action, then click Configure.

● Use the quick edit option in the Actions window of a Workflow resource. To modify a specific attribute that appears in the
resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change, then right-click. The
menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the
Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit the
attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE

Deleting an action
You can delete an action in a workflow either when you are creating or editing a workflow, or as a separate process from the
workflow configuration.
If the action that you delete is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow, then you can only delete the action if the removal of
the action from the sequence would still result in a valid workflow. The properties for other actions in a sequence are updated to
reflect the new sequence of actions after the deletion.
● To delete an action when you are creating or editing a workflow:
1. Select the action in either the New Workflow dialog box or the Workflow Properties dialog box.
2. Click Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
3. Click Yes.
● To delete an action as a separate process from workflow configuration:
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Policies.
3. Select the policy.
4. Select the workflow.
5. In the right pane, select the Actions tab.
6. Right-click the action and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
7. Click Yes.

Configuring NSR Protection Policies from nsradmin

The nsradmin command is a command-line based administrative program for the NetWorker. Normally nsradmin monitors
and modifies NetWorker resources over the network. Commands are entered on standard input, and output is produced on
standard output.
If nsradmin command is started without a query argument, it uses a default query. By default, if the daemon being
administered is nsrd, then all resources will be selected, but for all other daemons, no resources will be selected.

Data Protection Policies 215

Create, Retrieve, Update, and Delete operations are supported through nsradmin for following resources:
● NSR protection policy
● NSR protection policy workflow
● NSR protection policy action
The NSR Protection Policy resource contains all related (nested) Workflows and Actions. CRUD operations can be carried out
through directly executing on nsradmin prompt or specifying in an input file.
● nsradmin
● nsradmin -i input_file.txt
NOTE:
○ nsradmin visual mode is not supported for Create, Retrieve, Update, and Delete operations for NSR data protection
policy, workflow, and action.
○ You should not change the permissions on the /nsr folder. The folder needs to remain as created at the time of
install. Any change in permissions will result in improper product operation including inability to run the product.

Commands
At each input prompt, nsradmin command expects a command name and some optional arguments. Command names can be
shortened to the smallest unique string (for example, p for print). Command arguments are always specified in the form of an
attribute list.

Table 48. Command descriptions

Command Description
create or c Create a resource with the given attributes. One of the attributes must be type to
specify a NetWorker Type resource that can be created. The types command can be
used to find out which NetWorker resource types a server supports.
delete or d Delete the resources that match the current query.
print or p Print the resources that match the current query. If a query is specified, it becomes
the current query. If a name has been specified for the current show list, only the
attributes for the specified name in the show list is displayed.
update or up Update the resources given by the current query to match attributes. Set current
query for print, update, or delete actions.

NOTE: Comma separated inputs for resource names are supported for print, update, and delete operations only.

The number of characters allowed for policy, action, and workflow are 64.
● Legal Characters:_ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}

Managing NSR Data Protection Policy

A NSR Data protection policy is a container for workflows. Each policy has one or more workflows. A workflow contains a set of
actions and a list of data sources to run those actions.
The following table lists nsradmin commands to manage NSR Protection Policy resources:

Table 49. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy resources

Actions Example Commands
To create policy with default nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy; name: Policy1
settings
To create policy with specific nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy; name: Policy1;
settings Notification execute on: completion; Notification action:"nsrlog -f
policy_notifications_latest.log"; policy protection period:3 Months

216 Data Protection Policies

Table 49. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy resources (continued)
Actions Example Commands
To print (display) a policy nsradmin> print type: NSR Protection Policy; NSR Protection Policy
Workflow; NSR Protection Policy Action; name: Policy1

To print (display) all policies nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy; Notification action:
with specific attribute value "nsrlog -f policy_notifications_updated.log" nsradmin> print

To update a policy nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy; name: Policy1

nsradmin> update Notification action: "nsrlog -f
policy_notifications_updated.log"

To update all policies that nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy; comment: Gold policy
match specific comment value
nsradmin> update Notification action:"nsrlog -f
policy_notifications_updated.log"

To delete a policy nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy; name: Policy1

To delete multiple policies nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy; name: Policy1,
with comma separated names Policy3, Policy3

To set current query to nsradmin>. type: NSR Protection Policy; comment: Backup
all policies with specific
comment attribute value

Managing Workflows
The following table lists the nsradmin commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Workflow resources:

Table 50. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Workflow resources

Actions Example Commands
To create workflow with default nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; name:
settings Policy1-Workflow1; policy name: Policy1

To create workflow with nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; name:
specific settings Policy1-Workflow1; policy name: Policy1; Auto Start enabled: yes;
Start time:"08:00"

To print (display) workflow with nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; name: Policy1-
query name Workflow1
nsradmin> print

To print all workflows nsradmin> print type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow

To update query set workflow nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; policy name:
Policy1; name: Policy1-Workflow1
nsradmin> update Notification action: "nsrlog -f
workflow_notifications_SAP.log"

To delete workflow nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; policy
name: Policy1; name: Policy1-Workflow1

To delete all workflows with nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; name:
query set as name Policy1-Workflow1

To delete multiple workflows nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow;
name: policy1-Workflow1; name: Policy1-Workflow2; name: Policy1-
Workflow3

To delete all workflows from nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; policy
multiple policies, policy names name: policy1, Policy3, Policy3
given as comma separated

Data Protection Policies 217

Table 50. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Workflow resources (continued)
Actions Example Commands
To delete all workflows from nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; name:
query set policy Policy1-Workflow1, Policy1-Workflow2, Policy1-Workflow3

To set current query to a nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy Workflow; policy name:
workflow Policy1; name: Policy1-Workflow1

Managing Actions
The following table lists nsradmin commands that manage NSR Protection Policy Action resources:

Table 51. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Action resources

Actions Example Commands
To create action with nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
default settings Policy1; Workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1

To create action with nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
specific settings Policy1; Workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1;
action type:backup; backup subtype:traditional; period:week;
actions:"full,full,full,incr,incr,incr,incr"; destination storage
node:"nsrserverhost"; destination pool: Data Domain Default;apply dd
retention lock:yes; dd retention lock time:"16 Days"; client can
override:no; overrides:"full third wednesday every month"; action
retries:3; retry delay:10; action inactivity timeout:44; action
parallelism:50; failure impact:"abort action"; soft limit:"21:23";
hard limit:"18:14"; start time:"14:14"

To create a clone action create type:NSR Protection Policy Action;name:clone1;policy

name:Policy1;workflow name:Policy1-Workflow1;driven by:
BackupAction1;action type:clone;retention:"12 days";browse:"2
Days";destination storage node:"StorageNode";source storage
node:"nsrserverhost";destination pool:"default clone";exclude
level:yes;filter level:"full";exclude client:yes;filter
client:"client1";exclude saveset type:no;filter save set
type:snapshot;exclude time range:yes;Filter time range
start:"12:00";Filter time range end:"23:00"

To create action with nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Action; name:
subtype snapshot Snaphot1 ; policy name: Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1;
action type: backup; backup subtype: snapshot

To create a VMWARE action create type:NSR Protection Policy Action;

name:VMAction1;policy name:Policy1;workflow name:Policy1-Workflow1;
action type:backup;backup subtype:vmware; destination storage
node:"StorageNode";retention:"12 days";vproxy name:"vproxy"
NOTE: The following operations are supported only via the NMC and NWUI for VMware
backup action subtype:
● Addition of the VMs to the NSR protection group
● Creation of dynamic tags and policies
● Update VMware action attributes to non-default values

To create action with type nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
clone following action type Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; action type: clone;
backup driven by: BackupAction1; name: Clone1; Retention: 1 Years;
browse:"2 Days"; destination pool: Data Domain Default Clone

To create a dependent clone nsradmin> create type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
action driven by earlier clone Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; action type: clone;
action driven by: Clone1; name: Clone2; Retention: 5 Years; Browse: 2
Years; destination pool: Data Domain Default Clone

218 Data Protection Policies

Table 51. Commands to manage NSR Protection Policy Action resources (continued)
Actions Example Commands
To create pseudo resource create type: NSR Protection policy action; policy name:Policy1;
of type NSR Protection workflow name:Policy1-Workflow1;name:BackupAction1; action type:
policy action and associate it backup; backup subtype: traditional; period: reference;
with NSR schedule resource actions:Schedule1
NOTE: Schedule1 is a valid NSR schedule resource.

To print (display) query set nsradmin> print type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
action Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1

To update a query set action nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1
nsradmin> update retention: 6 Months; browse:2 Months; dd retention
lock time:3 Months; destination storage node: networker; client
can override: yes; comment "This is special action with 3 Months
Retention Lock!"
nsradmin> update period: month; actions:
"full,incr,full,incr,full,incr,full,full,incr,full,incr,full,incr,fu
ll,full,incr,full,incr,full,incr,full,full,incr,full,incr,full,incr,
full,incr,full,incr"

To delete a query set action nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1

To delete all actions with nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Action; name: Snaphot1
query set name from all
workflows
To delete multiple actions nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
from single workflow Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: Clone1; name:
specifying action names Clone2; name: BackupAction1

To delete multiple actions nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Action; name:
with comma separated BackupAction1, Clone1, Clone2
names
To delete all actions from nsradmin> delete type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
query set workflow Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1

To set current query to an nsradmin> . type: NSR Protection Policy Action; policy name:
action Policy1; workflow name: Policy1-Workflow1; name: BackupAction1

Configuring Filters for Clone and Index Actions

The following filters can be applied on clone and index action from nsradmin:
● Time Range filter
● Saveset filter
● Client filter
● Level filter
Filters can be applied using Exclude option for each filter.
● Exclude - Do not filter (default value for attribute). No savesets are filtered based on the filter type (Time, Client, Saveset,
Level).
● Exclude - Yes. The filter is applied and this option is equivalent to Reject option on NMC.
● Exclude - No. The filter is applied and this option is equivalent to Accept option on NMC.

Table 52. Filter values for clone and index actions

Filters Values
Time Range Filter Exclude Time Range: Yes/No/Do Not Filter(Default Value of the Attribute)

Data Protection Policies 219

Table 52. Filter values for clone and index actions (continued)
Filters Values

Specify the time range in which NetWorker searches for eligible save sets to clone in
the media database.
Filter Time Range Start: Start time of the saveset in 24-hours format
Filter Time Range End: End time of saveset in 24-hours format

Save set Filter Exclude saveset type: Yes/No/Do not filter (Default value for attribute)
Filter Save set type: Protectpoint, Snapshot

Client Filter Exclude client: Yes/No/Do not filter (Default value for attribute)
Filter Client: Comma separated list of clients

Level Filter Exclude level: Yes/No/Do not filter (Default value for attribute)
Filter level: full, incr, 1, txnlog

When the value for Exclude is set to Do not Filter, filters (Time, Saveset, Client, Level) attribute values are not applied. Any
changes to filters do not take effect unless exclude level is set to Yes or No. When Exclude is updated to Do not filter, all filters
attribute values are set to Null. When Exclude is set to Do not filter, filter values are not updated and processed and no error
messages are printed.

Deleting multiple actions from multiple workflows and policies

The order in which action is deleted applies when all actions are specified or when all actions inside a policy or all actions inside a
workflow are selected. The order of deletion is reverse of the order of "Driven By" chain.
● Deletion of actions when action name is not specified- The nsradmin command iterates through all the actions in a
workflow in reverse order. When you specify a particular query, based on matching criteria, it displays all actions that have
to be deleted. If the action is independent then it is automatically deleted. If an action becomes independent depending upon
the previous delete and it matches the query, then it is deleted. Different attributes can behave differently among actions.
Therefore, deletion differs. For example, destination pool differs for backup and clone and action is fetched accordingly.
Random deletion of dependent actions fails when no action name is specified. It is recommended that you specify the action
name in order to match the query criteria.
● Deletion of actions when action name is specified- The nsradmin command deletes the random dependent actions if it
matches the query. When a random action is deleted in a workflow containing a set of actions, then the "driven by" attribute
of the deleted action is updated in the"driven" attribute of the action succeeding it.

NOTE: If the head action has more than one action dependent on it, then the head action cannot be deleted.

Querying NSR protection policy workflow and NSR protection

policy action resources without specifying RAP resource types
NSR Protection Policy Workflow and NSR Protection Policy Action are pseudo RAP resources and encapsulated under NSR
Protection Policy RAP resource. Querying these pseudo RAP resources in nsradmin requires resource type. The nsradmin
command displays the following warning message for these pseudo resources, if queried without resource type:

nsradmin> . comment:”This is Backup.”

Current query set
nsradmin> p
RAP resource type is required for print operation of NSR protection policy Workflow and
NSR protection policy Action resources.
type: NSR client;
name: mars;
comment: “This is Backup.”;

type: NSR Protection Policy;

name: Policy1;
comment: “This is Backup.”;

220 Data Protection Policies

 type: NSR pool;
name: Pool1;
comment: “This is Backup.”;

All other RAP resources including NSR Protection Policy resource can be queried without specifying RAP resource Types.

Managing policies from the command prompt

The nsrpolicy command enables you to create, start, stop, and display the attribute of policy, workflow, action, and group
resources.
The nsrpolicy command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges
This section provides some examples of how to manage data protection policies from a command prompt.
The UNIX man pages and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provide detailed information about how to use the
nsrpolicy command.

Creating Data Protection Policy resources from a command prompt

Use the nsrpolicy command to create Policy, Protection Group, Workflow and action resources.
1. Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the nsrpolicy command.
Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.
2. Use the nsrpolicy command to create each Data Protection Policy resource.
a. To create the Policy resource, type: nsrpolicy policy create --policy_name policy_name.
where policy_name is a unique name for the Policy resource.
b. To create a protection Group resource and add existing clients to the Group resource, type: nsrpolicy group
create client -g group_name -C "client_name1,client_name2,client_name3..."
where:
● group_name is a unique name of the Group resource.
● client_name1,client_name2,client_name3... is a comma separated list of client names to add to the group.
c. To create a workflow and associate the workflow with the new Policy and Group resources, type: nsrpolicy
workflow create --policy_name policy_name --workflow_name workflow_name --group_name
group_name
where:
● policy_name is the name of the Policy resource.
● group_name is the name of the Group resource.
● workflow_name is a unique name for the Workflow resource.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. Use the nsrpolicy display command to display the attributes for the new Data Protection Policy resource.
● To display a Policy resource, type: nsrpolicy action display --policy_name policy_name
Where policy_name is the name of the Policy resource.
● To display a Workflow resource, type: nsrpolicy action display --workflow_name workflow_name
Where workflow_name is the name of the Workflow resource.

Data Protection Policies 221

 ● To display a Group resource, type: nsrpolicy action display --group_name group_name

Creating Action resources from a command prompt

Use the nsrpolicy action create command to create Action resources
1. Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the nsrpolicy command.
2. Use the nsrpolicy action create command to create the Action resource.
For example: nsrpolicy action create action_type --policy_name policy_name --workflow_name
workflow_name -A backup_action_name [-M "start_time"] [-d preceding_action_name]
Where:
● action_types are one of the following: check-connectivity, probe, backup traditional, backup snapshot, clone, discover-
nas-snap, index-nas-snap, server-backup, expire, vba-checkpoint-discover, vba-checkpoint-backup.
● policy_name is the name of an existing Policy resource that contains this action.
● workflow_name is the name of an existing Workflow resource in the Policy resource that contains the action.
● action_name is a unique name for the new Action resource.
○ Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
○ Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
● start_time is the time to start the action, in one of the following formats:
○ -M "hh:mm"—To start the action at a specific time. For example, to create a new action in an existing workflow
that starts at 11:15 PM, type -M "23:15"
○ -M "+hh:mm"—To start the action after period of time has elapsed since the start of the workflow. For example, to
create a new action that starts 3 hours after the start of a workflow, type -M "+3:00"
● preceding_action_name is the name of the Action that precedes the new action in the Workflow.
For example:
● To create a traditional backup action and add this action to the SQL workflow in the SQL_hosts policy resource, type:
nsrpolicy action create backup traditional --policy_name SQL_hosts --workflow_name SQL
-A SQL_backup.
● To create a clone action and insert the clone action immediately after a backup action created in the SQL workflow,
type: nsrpolicy action create backup traditional --policy_name policy_name SQL_hosts --
workflow_name SQL -A SQL_clone -d SQL_backup.
● To create a new action in an existing workflow that starts at 11:15 PM, type the following command:
nsrpolicy action create backup traditional -p policy_name -w workflow_name -A
action_name -M "23:25"
● To create a new action that starts 3 hours after the start of a workflow, type:
nsrpolicy action create backup traditional -p policy_name -w workflow_name -A
action_name -M "+3:00"

Starting, stopping, and restarting workflows from a command

prompt
Use the nsrpolicy command to start, stop, and restart the actions in a workflow.

Starting a workflow from a command prompt

You can start all actions that are contained in one workflow in a policy, or start all actions for one client in a workflow.
● To start all actions in a specific workflow in a Policy resource, type the following command: nsrpolicy start --
policy_name "policy_name" --workflow_name "workflow_name"
NOTE: You cannot start another instance of a workflow that is already running.
● To start all actions for a specific client in a workflow, type the following command: nsrpolicy start --policy_name
"policy_name" --workflow_name "workflow_name" --client_list client_list
NOTE: You can use this command to start actions for failed clients in a workflow that is currently running.

222 Data Protection Policies

where:
● "policy_name" is the name of the Policy resource that contains the workflow that you want to start.
● "workflow_name" is the name of the Workflow resource that you want to start.
● client_list is a comma-separated list of host names for the clients in the workflow whose actions you want to start.
NOTE: Providing a client name in the CLI using --client_list or -c option for Server Protection policy is not supported.

Stopping all actions in a workflow from a command prompt

To stop all actions in a specific workflow in a policy, type the following command: nsrpolicy stop --policy_name
"policy_name" --workflow_name "workflow_name"
where:
● "policy_name" is the name of the Policy resource that contains the workflow that you want to stop.
● "workflow_name" is the name of the Workflow resource that you want to stop.

Restarting a workflow from a command prompt

To restart all actions in a workflows that a Policy resource contains, type the following command: nsrpolicy restart
--policy_name "policy_name" --workflow_name "workflow_name"
where:
● "policy_name" is the name of the Policy resource that contains the workflow that you want to restart.
● "workflow_name" is the name of the Workflow resource that you want to restart.

Running a workflow with action overrides

Before an action starts NetWorker defines how to run the action by reviewing the attributes values of the policy, workflow, and
action resources. The nsrworkflow command line option -A enables you to override attribute values that NetWorker uses to
run the action. Actions which support override values are: traditional and snapshot backups, probe, and clone.
Specify the -A option in the format -A "action_name cmd_line_flags", where:
● action_name—Specifies the name of the action resource.
● cmd_line_flags—Defines a list of command line flags and the new parameter value. For more options, refer to savegrp
command.
Use escaped double quotes or single quotes for action names or parameters that contain spaces or special characters. For
example: -A "\"action name\" -l full" or -A "'action name' -l full"
For example, to specify an override on the level of a backup action and the retention time of the backup and clone actions in the
workflow, type the following command:
nsrworkflow -p Backup -w workflow_name -A "action_name -l level -y \"retention_period\"" -A
"action_name -y \"retention_period\""

To specify a backup level override of 3 and a retention period of 3 years for the backup and clone actions for a workflow named
fs_backup_clone, an backup action named backup and a clone action named clone, type the following command:
nsrworkflow -p Backup -w fs_backup_clone -A "backup -l 3 -y \"3 years\"" -A "clone -y \"3
years\""

Running an adhoc workflow outside of the backup schedule

The nsrworkflow -a flag, which allows you to override a backup schedule and run an adhoc backup.
The following list describes workflow changes in adhoc mode:
● The action start time setting for all actions in a workflow (if set) is ignored.
● The action schedule activity of 'skip' is converted to the default schedule activity for the action. This conversion to the
default action allows adhoc execution of workflows on days where the schedule is configured to level 'skip'. You can use the

Data Protection Policies 223

 -A option to specify a different schedule activity if the action supports it. The following list describes the default schedule
activity for various actions:
○ Database-level backup actions: 'incr'
○ Server-level backup actions: '1' (cumulative incremental)
○ All other actions: 'exec'
NOTE: There are different backup-level override flags for file-level backups and virtual machine backups:
● For virtual machine backups, the backup-level override flag is -L.
● For file-level backups, the backup-level override flag is -l.

The following example commands use the nsrworkflow -a flag, the -A flag to specify the schedule activity, and the
backup-level override flag:
● Single saveset backup:
nsrworkflow -p <Policy> -w <Workflow> -A "backup -l full -c 10.63.101.77:<file_path>" -a

● Virtual machine backup: /

nsrworkflow -p "VM Backup" -w "2-Weekly VMCluster1" -c "vm:client1,vm:client2" -A
"'backup' -L full" -a

Displaying Data Protection Policy resource configurations

NetWorker stores Data Protection Policy resource configuration information in a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) string.
Displaying the contents of the JSON string provides you with the ability to view the hierarchical relationship between the
resources.
Use the nsrpolicy policy display command to display the configuration attributes for a Policy resource and all the
Workflow and Action resources that are associated with the Policy resource:
nsrpolicy policy display -p policy_name
where policy_name is the name of the Policy resource. Enclose Policy names that contain spaces in quotation marks.
For example, to display the resources in the Server Protection Policy resource, type the following command:
nsrpolicy policy display -p "Server Protection"
Output similar to the following appears

{
"policyName": "Server Protection",
"policyComment": "Default policy for server that includes server backup and maintenance",
"policySummaryNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "nsrlog -f policy_notifications.log",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "completion"
},
"policyWorkflows": [
{
"workflowName": "Server backup",
"synthesisRoot": [
"NSR group/Server backup",
"NSR Snapshot Policy/Server backup"
],
"workflowActions": [
{
"actionName": "Server db backup",
"actionSpecific": {
"actions": {
"actionType": "server backup",
"asbDestinationPool": "Default",
"asbDestinationStorageNode": "nsrserverhost",
"asbPerformBootstrap": true,
"asbPerformCFI": true,
"asbRetentionPeriod": "1 Months"
}

224 Data Protection Policies

},
"actionSchedulePeriod": "month",
"actionScheduleActivity": [
"full", "1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1",
"1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1","1"
],
"actionComment": "Perform server database backup that is required for disaster r
ecovery",
"actionCompletionNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "ignore"
},
"actionConcurrent": false,
"actionDrivenBy": "",
"actionEnabled": true,
"actionFailureImpact": "continue",
"actionHardLimit": "00:00",
"actionInactivityTimeout": 30,
"actionParallelism": 0,
"actionRetries": 1,
"actionRetryDelay": 30,
"actionSoftLimit": "00:00"
},
{
"actionName": "Expiration",
"actionSpecific": {
"actions": {
"actionType": "expire"
}
},
"actionSchedulePeriod": "week",
"actionScheduleActivity": [
"exec","exec","exec","exec","exec","exec","exec"
],
"actionComment": "Expire the savesets",
"actionCompletionNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "ignore"
},
"actionConcurrent": false,
"actionDrivenBy": "Server db backup",
"actionEnabled": true,
"actionFailureImpact": "continue",
"actionHardLimit": "00:00",
"actionInactivityTimeout": 30,
"actionParallelism": 0,
"actionRetries": 1,
"actionRetryDelay": 30,
"actionSoftLimit": "00:00"
}
],
"workflowAutostartEnabled": true,
"workflowComment": "Perform server backup",
"workflowCompletionNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "ignore"
},
"workflowDescription": "server backup action;expire action;",
"workflowEnabled": true,
"workflowGroups": [
"Server Protection"
],
"workflowInterval": "24:00",
"workflowNextstart": "2015-06-13T10:00:00-0400",
"workflowRestartWindow": "12:00",

Data Protection Policies 225

"workflowStarttime": "10:00"
},
{
"workflowName": "NMC server backup",
"synthesisRoot": [
"NSR group/NMC server backup",
"NSR Snapshot Policy/NMC server backup"
],
"workflowActions": [
{
"actionName": "NMC server backup",
"actionSpecific": {
"actions": {
"actionType": "backup",
"actionBackupSubtypeSpecific": {
"backupSubtypes": {
"abBackupSubtype": "traditional",
"abtDestinationPool": "Default",
"abtEstimate": false,
"abtFileInactivityAlertThreshold": 0,
"abtFileInactivityThreshold": 0,
"abtRevertToFullWhenSyntheticFullFails": true,
"abtTimestampFormat": "none",
"abtVerifySyntheticFull": true
}
},
"abDestinationStorageNode": [
"nsrserverhost"
],
"abRetentionPeriod": "1 Months",
"abOverrideRetentionPeriod": false,
"abOverrideBackupSchedule": false,
"abClientOverridesBehavior": "clientCanOverride"
}
},
"actionSchedulePeriod": "week",
"actionScheduleActivity": [
"full","full","full","full","full","full","full"
],
"actionCompletionNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "ignore"
},
"actionConcurrent": false,
"actionDrivenBy": "",
"actionEnabled": true,
"actionFailureImpact": "continue",
"actionHardLimit": "00:00",
"actionInactivityTimeout": 30,
"actionParallelism": 100,
"actionRetries": 1,
"actionRetryDelay": 30,
"actionSoftLimit": "00:00"
}
],
"workflowAutostartEnabled": true,
"workflowComment": "Perform NMC database backup",
"workflowCompletionNotification": {
"policyCompletionNotificationAction": "",
"policyCompletionNotificationExecuteOn": "ignore"
},
"workflowDescription": "Traditional Backup to pool Default, with expiration 1 Months;",
"workflowEnabled": true,
"workflowGroups": [
"NMC server"

226 Data Protection Policies

],
"workflowInterval": "24:00",
"workflowNextstart": "2015-06-12T14:00:00-0400",
"workflowRestartWindow": "12:00",
"workflowStarttime": "14:00"
}
]
}

Identifying clients that missed the workflow schedule

When a client misses the workflow schedule, it logs a message in the workflow logs. Therefore, job records are created so
that DPA can easily identify them and inform the end user about this. Clients can miss workflow schedule due to the following
reasons:
● Disabled clients included in workflow- Clients that are disabled from NetWorker, still remains part of a workflow. When a
client is disabled, it is removed from that workflow run. To identify this, disabled clients attribute is added to the workflow
job record that has the list of clients that were disabled.
● Workflow does not start at the scheduled time because the previous run still remains active- If a previous workflow is still
running at the time of the next scheduled run, the scheduled run does not start. This long running workflow can be due to a
slow client, large data change rate, and L0 backups for large hosts. When the workflow does not run, there is no indication
in NetWorker and DPA fails to report it. To identify this, a new utility type job record is created which corresponds to the
missed workflow. The new completion status displays missed the schedule and the completion report displays previous
instance is still running.
● Workflow is not started since the server is down at the scheduled time- Workflow is scheduled to run at a specific time
and does not cover the need for a server maintenance. If the server is down during that time, there is no indication once
it restarts that the workflow was not started on time. To identify this, a new utility type job record is created which
corresponds to the missed workflow. The new completion status displays missed the schedule and the completion report
displays server was down.
NOTE: The disabled clients attribute is populated irrespective of whether a workflow is missed or not. If the workflow has
only one action from the set (check connectivity and clone) then the disabled clients attribute is not populated.

Troubleshooting policies
This section provides information about issues related to the configuration and management of policy resources.

Remote system error - Cannot assign requested address

This message appears intermittently when a single workflow has more 2000 save sets and the backup and clone operations
occur concurrently. In this scenario the number RPC connections that the configuration requires exceeds the available number
of RPC ports. To resolve this issue, split the workflow with a large number of save sets into multiple workflows, up to a
maximum of 2000 save sets in each workflow and stagger the workgroup start times by 30 minutes.

Unable to start because the Group for this workflow is empty

This message appears when you use the Start Individual Client option to start actions for specific clients in the Server backup
workflow. NetWorker does not support the Start Individual Client option for the Server backup workflow. To resolve this issue,
start all actions for all the clients in the workflow.

Running actions from the command line

NetWorker 19.5 and later provide you with the ability to run actions from a command line for debugging purposes only.
To debug an action, use the action binary, for example, nsrworkflow, nsrpolicy, savegrp, or nsrnassnap_index with
the following options:

Data Protection Policies 227

● --policy_name—Specifies the name of the policy that contains the action. This option is required.
● --workflow_name—Specifies the name of the workflow that contains the action. This option is not required when a policy
only contains one workflow.
● --action_name—Specifies the name of the action. This option is not required when a workflow only contains one action.
● -Z action_type—Required for the savegrp binary. Specifies the action type of the action. Supported values are
backup:traditional, backup:snapshot and probe. If you do not specify this option, savegrp defaults to the backup:traditional
action type.
● --driven_by_action—Specifies the source of the input work items for an action, for example a list of backup save set.
Sources include one of the following options:
○ jobid—Specifies the jobid of the driving action.
○ stdin—Instructs the action binary to read the items from stdin.
○ file:absolute_path_to_file—Instructs the action binary to read the items from a file.
NOTE: This option is only required when the action is not the first action in a workflow.

Debugging an action by using stdin

In the following example, a backup of the save set /baz failed for host foo.com. The name of traditional backup action for the
save set is backup. A workflow named traditional1, which is in a policy named Backup contains the action.
To troubleshoot the backup action, perform the following steps:
1. Connect to the NetWorker Server with an administrator account.
2. From a command prompt, start the nsradmin program:

nsradmin
3. From the nsradmin prompt, define the attributes that nsradmin will display for a resource, for example, the resource
name and the save set value, by typing the following command:
show name; save set
4. Enable nsradmin to display the hidden resource ID attribute for the NetWorker resources:

option resource id
5. Display a list of client resources, by typing the following command:
p type: nsr client
6. From the output, record the resource identifier that appears for the client resource that contains the save set associated
with the action that you want to debug. For example, output similar to the following appears:

name:foo.com;
saveset:/baz;
resourceidentifier:70.0.77.10.0.0.0.0.208.36.124.87.128.222.109.22(1);

name:foo.com;
saveset:/foo,/bar;
resourceidentifier:93.0.89.114.0.0.0.0.55.25.124.87.128.222.109.22;(9)

NOTE: The resource ID does not include the brackets or the number contained within the brackets.
7. Use the savegrp command and the resource ID to start the action:

echo resource_ID|savegrp --policy_name=policy_name --

workflow_name=workflow_name --action_name=action_name -v --
driven_by_action=stdin

For example:
echo 93.0.89.114.0.0.0.0.55.25.124.87.128.222.109.22|savegrp --policy_name=Backup --
workflow_name=traditional1 --action_name=backup -v --driven_by_action=stdin

228 Data Protection Policies

 5
Backup Options
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Overview of resources that support backups
• Save sets
• Backup levels
• Backup scheduling
• Backup Browse and Retention
• NetWorker Year 2038 Readiness
• General backup considerations
• Directives

Overview of resources that support backups

NetWorker provides you with resources that enable you to customize what data is in the backup, when the backup occurs, and
how the backup occurs.
The following table summarizes each supporting resource. Many of the resources require planning and configuration on the
NetWorker server or on the client itself before the backup occurs.

Table 53. Resource overview

Resource Description Example
Backup levels Defines whether to back up all data on Perform a full backup to back up all
the client, or only data that has changed. files, regardless of whether they have
changed, or an incremental backup to
back up only files that changed since the
last backup.
Schedules Defines the backup level to perform on Perform a full backup on Sunday, and an
each day. incremental backup on all other days of
the week.
Time policies Defines time periods. Use time policies Backups for a client are maintained in
to define save set retention. Save set the database, and can be browsed for
retention is how long the save set recovery for a month.
entries are maintained in the media
database and client file indexes.
Directives Specifies resources that contain special A directive specifies that the backup
instructions that control how the should skip files with a .tmp extension.
NetWorker server processes files
and directories during backup and
recovery. For example, encryption and
compression.

Save sets
The collection of data items that are backed up during a backup session between the NetWorker server and a Client resource is
called a save set.
A save set can consist of the following:

Backup Options 229

● A group of files or entire file systems.
● Application data, such as a database, or operating system settings.
You can use the predefined save sets for scheduled backups, or specify a list of save sets to back up for a client resource in the
Save set attribute on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box.
Predefined save sets include the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set and the ALL save set.
When you specify a list of save sets for a client resource, the following guidelines apply:
● For Windows operating systems, use the same pathname case that the Windows file system uses. Although most file
systems are case-independent, the NetWorker software cross-platform indexing system is case-sensitive. Always specify the
Windows drive letter in uppercase.
● Place multiple entries on separate lines. For example, to back up a log file directory that is named C:
\Docs\CustomerLogs, and all data that is contained in a directory that is named D:\accounting, type the following
entries:
C:\Docs\CustomerLogs
D:\accounting
● For clients that use non-ASCII locales on UNIX platforms, or for Windows clients that are configured from a UNIX host that
uses non-ASCII locales, special considerations apply when you type a path or file name in the Save set attribute:
○ Type the path or file name in the locale that was used when you created the path or file. If using a different locale when
you type a path or file name, backups fail with a No such file or directory error message.
○ Either use the ALL save set in this situation, or log in to the client by using the correct locale and then configure the
client from that computer.
● To back up a UNIX or Linux host that contains path or file names with multiple locales, create a separate Client resource for
each locale. For example, to configure a multi-locale UNIX host with data in both Japanese and French, create two different
Client resources. One Client resource to define the save sets for the Japanese data, and one Client resource to define the
save sets for the French data.

The ALL save set

The ALL save set is the default save set when you create a Client resource.

Save sets included in the ALL save set

The following table provides a list of the save sets that are in the ALL save set for supported operating systems.

Table 54. Data in the ALL save set

Operating system Files
Windows ● DISASTER_RECOVERY:\
● Noncritical volumes
Mac OS X All local and mounted volumes
UNIX ● When the backup starts, the savefs process reads the contents of the /etc/
vfstab file on Solaris clients, the /etc/fstab file on HP-UX and Linux
clients, or the /etc/filesystems file on AIX clients. The contents of
the file are compared to the currently mounted file systems and BTRFS sub-
volumes. Only currently mounted file systems and BTRFS sub-volumes that
are configured in these files are backed up. When NetWorker encounters a
sub-directory that has a sub-volume ID that differs from the parent sub-volume
ID, NetWorker will not backup the contents of the subdirectory, unless you
specify the save -x in the Backup command field or select the Cross mount
points enabled option in the properties of the Client resource.
● For a Solaris sparse or whole root zone client, all mounted file systems in the
sparse or whole root zone that are not normally skipped, such as NFS, are
backed up.
● ZFS file systems are backed up.
● If the save set name includes a symbolic link, a save set recovery is not
supported.

230 Backup Options

Save sets excluded from the ALL save set
The following directories, file systems, and files are excluded from the ALL save set:

Table 55. File systems excluded from the ALL save set
● hsfs ● sharefs ● dfs ● binfmt_misc ● nucam
● proc ● nfs2 ● autofs ● usbfs ● fdfs
● fd ● nfs3 ● iso9060 ● devpts ● xx
● cachefs ● nfs3perf ● udf ● cifs ● none
● lofs ● profs ● sysfs ● swap
● mntfs ● nfs4 ● debugfs ● tmp
● ctfs ● nfs ● subfs ● tmpfs
● objfs ● brfs ● usbdevfs ● nucfs

NOTE: When you use the ALL save set for a backup, the NetWorker software creates a temporary file similar to a directive
under each drive. The file name uses the format drive guid.txt and lists the files that are excluded from the backup.
The file is temporary and is automatically deleted when the backup completes.

Keywords for scheduled file system backups

You can use special keywords with the ALL save set to define the file systems to include in a backup. The following table
provides a list of the special ALL save sets and the backup behavior.

Table 56. Special ALL save sets

Special ALL save set syntax Backup behavior
all-file_system ● Only back up locally mounted file systems of a particular
type, where file_system is zfs, ntfs, btrfs, or ext3.
For example:
○ all-zfs backs up all locally mounted ZFS file systems
on a Solaris host.
○ all-btrfs backs up all mounted BTRFS sub-volumes
that appear in the /etc/fstab file.
● File systems such as NFS that are normally skipped are still
skipped.
● The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides a list of the
supported file system for each operating system.
all-mounts ● On UNIX clients, back up all currently mounted file
systems.
● On Windows clients, the all-mounts save set is
equivalent to the ALL save set.
● File systems such as NFS that are normally skipped are still
skipped.
all-local ● For a global zone client, the file systems in the sparse or
whole root zone on the physical host are backed up. File
systems in the global zone are skipped.
● For a sparse or whole root zone client, the all-local
save set is equivalent to the ALL save set.
all-global ● For a global zone client, all file systems in the global zone
are backed up. All sparse and whole root zone file systems
on the physical host are skipped.
● For a Solaris sparse or whole root zone client, the all-
global save set is equivalent to the ALL save set.

Backup Options 231

Backup levels
You can specify the level of the backup to be performed during scheduled backups.
When you limit the frequency of full backups, you help maintain server efficiency while still ensuring that data is protected.
Different backup levels enable you to balance the amount of time that is required to complete a backup with the number of
volumes that are required to recover from a disk failure.
The following table describes the available backup levels.

Table 57. Backup levels

Backup level Function
Full Results in a back up of all files, regardless of whether the files have changed.
Incremental Results in the back up of the files that have changed since the last backup,
regardless of the level of the last backup.
Cumulative incremental Results in the back up of all files that have changed since the last full backup.
Logs only Results in the back up of the transaction log for databases that are created
by a NetWorker module. For example, the NetWorker Module for Databases and
Applications, the NetWorker Module for Microsoft, or the NetWorker Module for
SAP.
Synthetic full Results in the back up of all data that has changed since the last full backup and
subsequent incremental backups, to create a synthetic full backup.
Skip Skips the scheduled backup. For example, you can skip a backup on a holiday if no
one is available to change or add more media volumes.

Comparing backup levels

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each backup level to develop the backup strategy for an environment.
The following table lists key advantages and disadvantages of each backup level.

Table 58. Advantages and disadvantages of backup levels

Backup level Advantages Disadvantages
Full ● Faster recovery ● Slower backups
● High server load
● High load on the client and network
● Uses more volume space
Incremental ● Faster than a full backup ● Slow recovery
● Low server load ● Data can spread across multiple
● Uses less volume space than a full volumes
backup
Cumulative incremental ● Faster than a full backup ● Slow recovery
● Low server load ● Data can spread across multiple
● Uses the least amount of volume volumes
space
Logs only ● Faster than a full or incremental ● Slow recovery
backup ● Data can spread across multiple
● Low server load volumes
Synthetic full ● Faster than a full backup ● High load on the storage node
● Faster recovery ● Requires at least two volume drives
● Low load on the server, client, and ● Uses the most volume space
network
● Requires fewer volumes for recovery

232 Backup Options

Review the following additional considerations when selecting backup levels:
● If you have only one stand-alone storage device and the full backup does not fit on a single piece of media, an operator must
be available to monitor the backup, and change the media.
● Full backups cause the online indexes to grow more rapidly than incremental or cumulative incremental backups.
● Cumulative incremental backups serve as checkpoints in schedules because they collect all the files that have changed over
several days, or even weeks, into a single backup session.
● Synthetic full backups provide the same benefits at the same cost as full backups. The difference is that synthetic full
backups are less taxing on the network and client because a new full backup is created from a previously created full or
synthetic full backup and subsequent incremental backups.

Backup levels and data recovery requirements

The schedule and configuration of backup levels directly affects how long a recovery from a disk failure takes and how many
backup volumes are needed for the recovery.
Plan the backup levels to minimize the number of volumes or the amount of disk space that is used to store the data. The fewer
the number of volumes that are required to recover from a disk failure, the less the time that you require to restore the data.
NOTE: You can also reduce the size and the time it takes to back up data by using directives. For example, use a directive
to skip certain files or file systems when performing a backup.
The following example illustrates how the backup levels affect the requirements for data recovery.
In the following figure:
● Day 1—A full backup is run.
● Day 2— An incremental backup saves all files that have changed since the full backup.
● Day 3—Another incremental backup saves all files that have changed since Day 2.
● Day 4—A cumulative incremental backup saves all files that have changed since the full backup on Day 1.

Figure 39. Incremental and cumulative incremental backup levels

To recover all data from a disk failure on Day 4, you need the data from the full backup from September 30 and the cumulative
incremental backup on Day 4. You no longer need the data from Day 1, 2, and 3, because the volume with the cumulative
incremental backup includes that information.

Backup levels for the online indexes

The backup of the NetWorker server online indexes (client file index and media database) occur in a separate policy.
NetWorker automatically creates a server backup action in the Server Backup workflow of the Server Protection policy. By
default, a full backup of the media database, resource files, and the NetWorker Authentication Service database occurs daily. A
full backup of the client file indexes occur on the first day of the month. An incremental backup of the client file indexes occur
on the remaining days of the month.

Backup Options 233

Synthetic full backups
A synthetic full backup combines a full backup and subsequent incremental backups to form a new full backup. A synthetic full is
equivalent to a traditional full backup and can be used in all the same ways as a traditional full backup.
A synthetic full save set includes data that was backed up between the full backup and the last incremental backup. After a
synthetic full backup occurs, the next synthetic full backup includes data that was backed up between the previous synthetic
full backup, and subsequent incremental backups.
During a traditional full backup, client data is sent over the network to the NetWorker storage nodes, which can have a
negative effect on client network performance. For synthetic full backups, however, the NetWorker software analyzes the full
backup and subsequent incremental backups, extracts the most current versions of files, and then streams the data into a
new full backup. Synthesizing the new full backup does not include the client machines and localizes the network traffic to the
NetWorker server and storage nodes.
Performing synthetic full backups also reduces recovery time because the data is restored from the single synthetic full backup
instead of from the last full backup and the incremental backups that follow it.
Synthetic full backups do not eliminate the requirement for full backups. It is recommended to perform full backups on a monthly
or quarterly basis, and limit the number of incremental backups.

How a synthetic full backup is created

When a synthetic full backup operation starts, the NetWorker software performs an incremental backup of the save set and
then adds that to the full and incremental backups that are already in place for the synthetic full process. Then the synthetic full
backup occurs.
The following figure illustrates how a synthetic full backup is created.

Figure 40. Synthetic full backups

In this example, the synthetic full backup operation creates the incremental backup at T4. Then a synthetic full backup is
created by combining the full backup at T1 with the subsequent incremental backups at T2, T3, and T4 to form a synthetic full
backup at T4 + Delta. The save set at T4 + Delta is equivalent to a full backup that is taken at T4.
The T4 + Delta represents a small time change of one or two seconds from the time of T4, since two separate save sets
cannot be assigned the exact same save set time. For example, if T4 is created at 1334389404, then T4+Delta is created at
1334389405, with a difference of one second.
The synthetic full save set includes only files that are covered by save sets up to T4 at 1334389404. The incremental backup
after the synthetic full backup at 1334389405 includes all changes since 1334389404. Note that the synthetic full backup does
not include the changes since T4, since only one save set can exist at any particular time.
After a synthetic full backup is performed, the next synthetic full backup combines the previous synthetic full backup and
subsequent incremental backups.

When to use synthetic full backups

Synthetic full backups are supported only for backups of file system data with NetWorker 8.0 and later.
Synthetic full backups provide the most benefit in the following environments:
● The backup window is less than the amount of time it takes to perform a full backup.
● A client is at a remote location, and data transfer over the network to the server is a performance issue for either the
network or the client.

234 Backup Options

● Network bandwidth is limited.
● Large backups over the network are cost-prohibitive.
Synthetic full backups include only the NetWorker server and storage node. If all the data is on a few storage nodes, then the
network overhead for creating the synthetic full backup can be drastically reduced when compared to a traditional full backup of
the same save sets.
NOTE: Under most conditions, synthetic full backups can free network bandwidth and client resources. However, a
synthetic full backup might take longer to run on the storage node than a full backup because incremental backups are
combined into a synthetic full backup. Without proper planning, synthetic full backups might affect the performance of the
storage node.

To manage resource usage, perform synthetic full operations outside of the normal backup window. Also, synthetic full
backups do not eliminate the requirement for full backups. It is best practice to schedule and perform full backups on a
monthly or quarterly basis and limit the number of incremental backups.

Requirements for synthetic full backups

Ensure that the environment meets the requirements for synthetic full backups.

Save set requirements for synthetic full backups

All save sets participating in the construction of a synthetic full save set must meet the following requirements:
● Be file system save sets.
● Retain the same client name and save set name during the incremental and full backups that combine to form the synthetic
full backup.
● Be browsable in the online index.
● Be created with NetWorker 8.0 or later.
Do not perform synthetic full backups with the following types of save sets:
● NDMP, SCSI, VCB, or snapshot save sets.
● Save sets that contain backups of raw disk file partitions.
● Save sets that contain database systems such as Microsoft Exchange and Oracle.
● Save sets where the backup command with save is not used.
● The Save set attribute for the client resource contains the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set or the ALL save set on
Windows.
When you use the ALL save set with synthetic full and virtual synthetic full backups, the noncritical volumes save
successfully. However, critical volumes including DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ are not backed up. The nsrconsolidate()
command is unable to process the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. The client then runs a traditional full backup for the
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set.

Backups that are performed during a checkpoint restart might be in a synthetic full backup, if the other requirements for
synthetic full backups are met.
For UNIX clients, include the forward slash to designate root (/) when specifying a save set name for the client resource.
Otherwise, the synthetic full backup fails. For example, specify /tmp instead of tmp.
For Windows clients, include the backslash (\) when specifying a drive letter in a save set name for the client resource.
Otherwise, the synthetic full backup fails. For example, specify D:\ instead of D:.

Client resource configuration requirements for synthetic full backups

Ensure that the Backup renamed directories attribute is enabled on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for
the Client resource. Select View Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Backup renamed directories
attribute in the Client Properties dialog box.
If you configure multiple policy workflows to run concurrently, set the Parallelism attribute to 40 for the Client resource for
the NetWorker server. The Parallelism attribute is available on the Globals (1 of 2) tab of the Client Properties dialog box.
Setting the attribute to 20 limits the number of concurrent synthetic full operations to 20. Divide the parallelism setting by two

Backup Options 235

to control the number of concurrently running synthetic full operations. The best number of concurrent synthetic full operations
depends on the following criteria:
● Configuration of the NetWorker server.
● Size of the save sets and number of clients.
● Number of nsrpolicy instances that are concurrently running.

Backup storage for synthetic full backups

Configure a Client resource for the NetWorker storage node that you use for the synthetic full backup. A client connection
license for this storage node is not used if the storage node is not backed up.
There must be at least two available attached devices to perform a synthetic full backup: one for reading the backup data, and
one for writing the backup data to a synthetic full backup.
You can store synthetic full backups on any device that can be used in a traditional full backup. However, since synthetic full
backups include concurrent recover and save operations, it is strongly recommended that you direct synthetic full backups
to devices that can perform concurrent operations, such as Data Domain devices or Advanced File Type Devices (AFTDs).
Using these device types allows the NetWorker software to automatically handle volume contention, where the same volume is
required for both reading and for writing simultaneously. These devices typically offer better performance.
You can use other devices such as tape drives, VTLs, and basic file devices as the destination for synthetic full backups, but
careful preparation is required for the backup to succeed. The backup must be configured so that the destination volume does
not contain any of the sources save sets that are used for the synthetic full backup. Also, for tape media, ensure that there are
enough available drives to allow for concurrent recovery of the source data and for saving the synthetic full backup. Without
careful planning, synthetic full backups to tape, VTL, or basic file devices might stall because of volume contention.
To direct a synthetic full backup to a dedicated pool, configure a separate backup action for synthetic full backups in the data
protection policy, and select the pool as the destination pool in the backup action for the synthetic full backup.

Scheduling considerations for synthetic full backups

A synthetic full backup is resource intensive because it concurrently performs both recover and save operations. As a result, it is
best to perform synthetic full operations outside of the normal backup window.
You can do this by creating separate workflows in a data protection policy for synthetic full backups. When using synthetic full
backups, do not exceed the time interval of one month between traditional full backups.
To maintain current resource usage, which is defined as the space usage in the backup media and client file indexes, run
synthetic full backups in place of traditional full backups. Running synthetic full backups more frequently than traditional
backups are currently run results in the consumption of more space in the backup media and client file indexes.
For example, if a full backup occurs once a week, you can replace the full backup with an incremental backup followed by a
synthetic full backup without increasing the backup space usage.
If you perform a full backup on Sunday and then incremental backups on Monday through Saturday, then consider changing to
the following schedule:
● Full backup on the first Sunday of the month.
● Incremental backups on Monday through Saturday.
● Synthetic full backups on the second, third, fourth, and fifth Sunday of the month.

Support for directives with synthetic full backups

You can use the compressasm and aes (encryption) directives with synthetic full backups.
When using directives with synthetic full backups, consider the following:
● If directives were applied to save sets during the full and incremental backups that are part of the synthetic full backup, the
synthetic full backup does not remove those directives.
● Any directives, including the compressasm and aes directives, that were applied to the full and incremental backups that
are part of the synthetic full backup are not applied again.
● Do not use directives for synthetic full backups that are stored on a Data Domain device.
● Unsupported directives are ignored during a synthetic full backup.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrconsolidate
command.

236 Backup Options

 NOTE: Directives do not apply to virtual synthetic full backups.

Recovery storage node selection for synthetic full backups

The storage node that is used for recovery depends on whether the required volume is mounted.
If the required volume is already mounted, then the storage node where the volume is mounted is used for recovering data.
If the required volume is not mounted, then the recovery storage node is selected based on the value in the Recover storage
node attribute on the Globals (2 of 2) tab of the Client Properties dialog box for the Client resource. Select View
Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Recover storage node attribute in the Client Properties
dialog box.

Performing synthetic full backups

You can schedule synthetic full backups from the Administration window, or perform a manual incremental synthetic full backup
from the command prompt.

Performing scheduled synthetic full backups

Perform scheduled synthetic full backups by configuring a data protection policy with a traditional backup action.
1. Ensure that the environment meets the requirements that are provided in Requirements for synthetic full backups on page
235.
2. Create a group to define the clients for the synthetic full backups:
● Create a basic client group to specify a static list of clients.
● Create a dynamic client group to specify a dynamic list of Client resources.
When the backup starts, the NetWorker policy engine dynamically generates a list of Client resources that match the
tags that are specified for the group.

Create separate groups for Windows clients and UNIX clients. Do not mix clients with different operating system types in the
same group.
3. Create a policy.
Policies provide a container for the workflows, actions, and groups that support and define the backup action.
4. Create a workflow.
Workflows define the start time for a series of actions, the order of actions in a sequence, and the group of client resources
for which the action occurs.
5. Use the Policy Action wizard to create a traditional backup action with the following settings:
● In the schedule area of the Choose Action Type page, click the icon on each day to specify the type of backup to
perform. The following icon indicates that a synthetic full backup will occur on the selected day:

● On the Options page, leave the Verify synthetic full option selected to verify the integrity of the new index entries
that are created in the client file index for the synthetic full backup.
● On the Options page, leave the Revert to full when synthetic full fails option selected to perform a full backup of
the save set if the synthetic full backup fails.

Performing manual synthetic full backups

Run the nsrconsolidate program from the command line of the NetWorker server to perform a manual synthetic full backup
of a save set for a client.
Use the –c option to specify the client name, and the –N option to specify the save set name, with the nsrconsolidate
command. You can also use the –C option to specify both the client and save set name together, the –S option to specify the
save set ID (instead of the save set name), and the –t and –e options to specify the start time and end time for the save set,
respectively.

Backup Options 237

The value that you specify for a save set name, client name, file name, or directory name with nsrconsolidate for a
Windows client is case-sensitive because the NetWorker software cross-platform indexing system is case-sensitive. A best
practice is to always specify the Windows drive letter in uppercase.
When you run multiple nsrconsolidate commands, run fewer commands that include many save sets instead of multiple
commands with fewer save sets. This strategy helps nsrconsolidate to manage the number of concurrent synthetic full
operations and reduce resource usage. The best number of concurrent synthetic full operations depends on the following
criteria:
● Configuration of the NetWorker server.
● Size of the save sets and number of clients.
● Number of nsrpolicy instances that are concurrently running.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide details on nsrconsolidate.

Validating synthetic full backups

You can validate VSF backups by using the mminfo command, the Media window of the Administration interface, and the
savegrp logs.

Validating synthetic full backups with the mminfo command

The following table lists the mminfo commands with applicable switches for validating synthetic full backups.

Table 59. mminfo commands for synthetic full backup validation

Command with switches Description
mminfo –aS Shows detailed information about synthetic full backups,
including information about the save sets used to form the
synthetic full backup.
mminfo –q syntheticfull –c client -N save_set Queries all synthetic full save sets for the specified client and
save_set.

Validating synthetic full backups in the Media window of the Administration interface
When you search for save sets in the Media window of the Administration interface, you can limit the save set results to
synthetic full save sets by selecting the Synthetic Full checkbox on the Query Save Set tab. Searching for save sets on page
360 provides instructions.

Validating synthetic full backups in the backup action logs

The following excerpt from the backup action log file illustrates the type of messages NetWorker displays when performing a
synthetic full backup:
1707:97860:nsrconsolidate: Synthetic full save set hostname:/sat-tree at savetime
1358188522 was created by using non-virtual synthetic mode
95773:nsrrecopy: Virtual synthetic succeeded for hostname:/test1

Synthetic full backup reporting

The backup statistics and backup status reports provide details on synthetic full backups. A value of Synthetic in the Type
column for the Save Sets Details report or the Save Sets Details by client report indicates that the backup is a
synthetic full backup. Enterprise data reporting on page 440 provides more information.

238 Backup Options

Virtual synthetic full backups
A virtual synthetic full (VSF) backup is the same as a synthetic full backup, except that it is performed on a single Data Domain
system.
Similar to synthetic full, VSF uses full and partial backups to create a full backup. However, since the backup occurs on a Data
Domain system using DD Boost APIs, the backup does not require save set data to be sent over the network. The result is
improved performance over synthetic full and traditional full backups.
The following table compares traditional synthetic full and virtual synthetic full backups.

Table 60. Comparison of traditional synthetic full and virtual synthetic full backups
Traditional synthetic full Virtual synthetic full
Data is read from and written to volumes. Data movement is limited within the same Data Domain
system.
Read/write for all types of volumes is supported. Only Data Domain devices are supported, and the source and
destination volumes must belong to the same Data Domain
system. However, the volumes can belong to different MTrees
in the same Data Domain system.
The client file index is created by nsrrecopy. The client file index is created by nsrconsolidate.

Client Direct support is not required. Client Direct support is required.

Requirements for VSF backups

Ensure that the environment meets the requirements for virtual synthetic full (VSF) backups.
The following table lists the requirements for VSF backups.

Table 61. Requirements for virtual synthetic full backups

Requirement Details
DDOS version Version 5.3 or later for both Data Domain systems and Data
Domain Archivers.
DD Boost version Version 2.6 or later.
Data Domain system configuration Enable the
virtual-synthetics option on the Data Domain system.
To verify that
virtual-synthetics is enabled, log in to the Data Domain
system and type the following command:

ddboost option show

Ensure that a value of

enabled appears next to the
virtual-synthetics option in the output for the
command.

NOTE: If virtual-synthetics is disabled but all

other requirements for VSF are met, then the VSF backup
fails with errors. NetWorker does not perform a traditional
synthetic full backup in this case.

Backup storage All constituent backups for the VSF backup must be on the
same Data Domain system. The save sets can be distributed
across multiple storage nodes and located in different MTrees
on the Data Domain system.
Client resource configuration ● Enable the Client direct attribute on the General tab of
the Client Properties dialog box for the client resource.

Backup Options 239

Table 61. Requirements for virtual synthetic full backups (continued)
Requirement Details
You must select ViewDiagnostic Mode in the
Administration interface to access the
Client direct attribute in the
Client Properties dialog box.
● Enable the Data Domain backup attribute on the Apps &
Modules tab of the Client Properties dialog box for the
client resource.
● To ensure optimal backup performance, configure the
client to backup 10 or fewer save sets.
Device resource configuration Specify a value in the volume location attribute for the device
resource for the Data Domain system. NetWorker updates the
volume location attribute during the device mount operation.
NOTE: Before you update a storage node that uses Data
Domain devices, unmount each device. Once the update
completes, mount each device.

NetWorker upgrade requirements If you upgrade the NetWorker client to release 8.1 or later
from a release before 8.1, you must perform a full backup
before you perform a VSF backup. Otherwise, file-by-file
recovery fails.
Cloning requirements The virtual-synthetics option must be enabled for
Data Domain systems being used for cloning VSF backups.
Otherwise, cloning fails.

The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides details on configuring the NetWorker environment for use with a
Data Domain system.

Support for directives

Directives do not apply to VSF backups because the VSF backup is created by the Data Domain system.

Support for concurrent operations

The volume of concurrent VSF operations that a Data Domain system can handle depends on the model of the Data Domain
system and the capacity of the NetWorker host. The following scenarios have been tested and verified to work:
● Concurrent VSF backups.
● A VSF backup concurrent with a cloning operation.
● A VSF backup concurrent with clone-controlled replication.

Performing VSF backups

1. Ensure that the environment meets the requirements for virtual synthetic full (VSF) backups.
If NetWorker detects that one or more of the requirements are not met, then a traditional synthetic full backup occurs
instead.
2. Perform the backup:
● For scheduled backups, select the synthetic full backup level for the backup action in the data protection policy.
The procedure for scheduled VSF backups is the same as the procedure for scheduled traditional synthetic full backups.
Performing scheduled synthetic full backups on page 237 provides more information on configuring a data protection
policy for a scheduled synthetic full backup.
● For manual backups at the command line, use the nsrconsolidate command.
The procedure for manual VSF backups is the same as the procedure for manual traditional synthetic full backups.
Performing manual synthetic full backups on page 237 provides more information.

240 Backup Options

Validating VSF backups
You can validate VSF backups by using the mminfo command, the Media window of the Administration interface, and the
savegrp logs.

Validating VSF backups with the mminfo command

The following table lists the mminfo commands with applicable switches for validating VSF backups.

Table 62. mminfo commands for VSF backup validation

Command with switches Description
mminfo –aS Shows detailed information about synthetic full backups,
including information about the save sets used to form the
synthetic full backup.
mminfo –q syntheticfull –c client -N save_set Queries all synthetic full save sets for the specified client and
save_set.

Validating VSF backups in the Media window of the Administration interface

When you search for save sets in the Media window of the Administration interface, you can limit the save set results to
synthetic full and VSF save sets by selecting the Synthetic Full checkbox on the Query Save Set tab. Searching for save sets
on page 360 provides instructions.

Validating VSF backups in the savegrp logs

The following excerpt from the policy log file illustrates the type of messages NetWorker displays when performing VSF
backups or traditional synthetic full backups, or when performing a traditional synthetic full backup because the VSF backup
requirements are not met:
1707:97860:nsrconsolidate: Synthetic full save set hostname:/sat-tree at savetime
1358188522 was created by using non-virtual synthetic mode
95773:nsrrecopy: Virtual synthetic succeeded for hostname:/test1

Backup scheduling
When you schedule backups, you define the days on which backups occur and the level of backup (full, incremental, and so on)
that occurs each day.

Migration of NSR schedule from 8.x to 19.5

NSR schedule resource migrated to 19.5 has activity type set as backup except for the default VMware incremental forever
schedule in 8.x which has activity type as VMware. All NSR schedule associated with the NSR group resource in 8.x is retained
when NSR group is converted to NSR protection policy action in 19.5. This means that backup action created from NSR group
has the same association of schedule which NSR group had.
For scheduled clones, NSR schedule is embedded in 8.x and remains the same in 19.3. When they are converted to NSR
protection policy action, schedule still remains embedded. NSR task created for the same scheduled clone in 8.x is converted to
NSR schedule in 19.5 and the name of that schedule is same as the name of the scheduled clone in 8.x.

Scheduling backup cycles

The period from one full backup to the next full backup is called a backup cycle.
For example, the default schedule for backups is a full backup on a client each Sunday, and incremental backups on the other
days of the week, as illustrated in the following figure.

Backup Options 241

Figure 41. Default weekly backup schedule

Depending on the size of a network, you could perform full backups for all clients simultaneously. For example, if no one works
over the weekend you could schedule full backups during this time.
Alternatively, you may need to configure backups to balance the backup load on and increase the efficiency of a NetWorker
server. Since full backups transfer large amounts of data and typically take longer than other backup levels, you might want
to stagger them throughout the week. For example, you could configure backups so that full backups occur for one group of
clients on Sunday, for a second group of clients on Tuesday, and a third group of clients on Thursday, as illustrated in the
following figure.

Figure 42. Staggered weekly backup schedule for multiple groups of clients

NOTE: Consider using a synthetic full backup in environments with a short backup window period when you must create a
full backup.

Considerations for scheduling backups

Planning schedules for backups in an environment requires careful consideration of several factors.
For example:
● The amount of data you must back up.
● The number of backup media volumes to use.
● The amount of time available to complete a backup.
● The number of volumes that are required to recover from a disaster such as a disk failure.

Recovery considerations
You must also determine the requirements for recovering files. For example, if users expect to recover any version of a lost file
that was backed up during a three-month period (that is, the retention setting is three months), then you must maintain all the
backup volumes for a three-month period. However, if users expect to be able to recover data from only the last month, you do
not need to maintain as many volumes.

242 Backup Options

Methods for scheduling backups
You can configure the backup schedule for a group of clients as part of data protection policy settings, or you can configure
schedule overrides.

Schedules and backup levels assigned to an action

You specify the schedule and backup level as part of the backup action by selecting either Define or Select options under
Select Schedule. The following figure illustrates the default define weekly schedule for a traditional backup action, with a full
backup on Sunday and incremental backups on the remaining days of the week.

Figure 43. Selecting the schedule

You can also configure the schedule for a backup action on a monthly basis instead of on a weekly basis.
Click the icon in the schedule to change the backup level that is performed on that day. The following table provides details
about the backup level that each icon represents.

Table 63. Scheduled backup level icons

Icon Label Description
Full Perform a full backup on this day. Full
backups include all files, regardless of
whether the files changed.
Incr Perform an incremental backup on this
day. Incremental backups include files
that have changed since the last backup
of any type (full or incremental).

Backup Options 243

Table 63. Scheduled backup level icons (continued)
Icon Label Description
Cumulative Incr Perform a cumulative incremental
backup. Cumulative incremental backups
include files that have changed since the
last full backup.
Logs Only Perform a backup of only database
transaction logs.

Synthetic Full Perform a synthetic full backup on this

day. A synthetic full backup includes
all data that changed since the last
full backup and subsequent incremental
backups to create a synthetic full
backup.
Skip Do not perform a backup on this day.

The following figure illustrates the Predefined NSR schedule that can be associated with the action. If a level needs to be
changed, it can be done by updating the NSR schedule resource:

Figure 44. Defining the schedule

244 Backup Options

Configuring multiple backup levels for frequently scheduled backups
Use the Force Backup Level attribute in the Specify the Action Information window of the Action wizard to override the
backup levels of a Traditional backup action that occurs multiple times in a 24 hour period.
For workflows that have more than one scheduled backup within a 24-hour period, use the Force Backup Level attribute to
allow more than one backup to occur at two different backup levels in a 24-hour period. When you select a backup level in the
Force Backup Level attribute, the first backup is performed at the scheduled backup level. Each subsequent occurrence of
the backup action in the next 24 hours occurs at the level defined in the Force Backup Level attribute. For example, if the
level defined by the schedule is Full and the Force Backup Level attribute is set to Incr, the first backup started by the action
occurs at a level full and subsequent backups, within 24 hours of the start of the full backup are incremental. By default this
option is cleared, which means that if the action runs multiple backup operations in a 24 period, all the backups occur at the
scheduled backup level.
The following figure provides an example of the Force Backup Level attribute in the Specify the Action Information
window, with the Cumulative Incr option selected.

Figure 45. The Force Backup Level attribute

Defining a schedule for a client

NetWorker allows you to override the backup level for a schedule traditional backup action by configuring a schedule for a client.
NetWorker provides you with preconfigured schedules that you can assign to a client. Review the following sections for
information about preconfigured schedules, how to modify a schedule, and how to assign a schedule to a client resource.

Preconfigured schedules
When you override the policy backup schedule for a client resource, you can select or customize one of the preconfigured
schedules that are available when you install or upgrade the NetWorker software.
The following table describes the preconfigured schedules.

Backup Options 245

Table 64. Preconfigured NetWorker schedules
Schedule name NetWorker backup operation
Default Weekly schedule that performs a full backup every Sunday
and incremental backups on all other days.
Forever Incremental Monthly schedule that performs a synthetic full backup every
day.
Full Every Day Weekly schedule that performs a full backup every day.
Full Every Friday Weekly schedule that performs a full backup every Friday and
incremental backups on all other days.
Full on 1st Friday of Month Monthly schedule that performs a full backup on the first
Friday of the month and incremental backups on all other
days.

You cannot edit this schedule.

Full on 1st of Month Monthly schedule that performs a full backup on the first
calendar day of the month, and incremental backups on all
other days.
Quarterly Monthly schedule that performs a full backup on the first day
of a quarter, a cumulative incremental backup once a week
after the full backup, and then incremental backups on all
other days.
Synthetic Full Monthly schedule that performs a synthetic full backup on the
1st Friday of Month first Friday of every month, and incremental backups on all
other days.
Synthetic Full Weekly schedule that performs a synthetic full backup on
Every Friday every Friday and incremental backups on all other days.
Synthetic Full Monthly schedule that performs a synthetic full backup on the
on 1st of Month first calendar day of the month, and incremental backups on
all other days.
Synthetic Full Monthly schedule that performs a synthetic full backup on
Quarterly the first day of each quarter, a cumulative incremental
backup once a week after the synthetic full backup, and then
incremental backups on all other days.

You can edit all preconfigured schedules except for schedules that contain overrides, which are indicated by an asterisk next to
a backup level in the schedule calendar. You cannot delete a preconfigured schedule.

Managing the schedule resource

NetWorker provides to create NSR schedules of activity type backup, execute, VMware, and server backup. Once a schedule
is created for one activity type it cannot be changed to a schedule of different activity type. Activity type is a read-only
attribute.Review this section for information about how to create, edit, copy, and delete schedule resources.

Creating a backup schedule

1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Schedules.
3. From the File menu, select New.
The Create Schedule dialog box appears.
4. In the Name box, type a name for the schedule.
5. Under Select Schedule option, when Define is selected, from Period List, select Week or Month to control whether the
schedule repeats on a weekly or monthly basis.
6. Optional, specify a description of the schedule in the Comment box.

246 Backup Options

7. Set the backup level for each day by right-clicking the day, selecting Set Level and then the backup level.
8. From the Activity type list, select Backup or VMware or Server Backup or Execute to associate the schedule to the
appropriate actions. For details on activity type, refer to table 65.
9. Optional, set the override backup level for a day by right-clicking the day, selecting Override Level and then the backup
level.
For example, to prevent a full backup from running on a holiday, override the schedule so that the full backup runs on the
day before or the day after the holiday. An asterisk (*) next to a backup level indicates that an override has been set for that
day.
NOTE: If you override backup levels by using the nsradmin command line program, you can also specify relative date
values such as full first friday every 2 week. The nsr_schedule UNIX man page and the NetWorker
Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about overriding backup levels.

10. Click OK.

Editing a schedule
You can edit all custom schedules, and all preconfigured schedules, except for preconfigured schedules that contain overrides.
Overrides are indicated by an asterisk next to a backup level in the schedule calendar. You can edit all schedule settings except
for the name.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Schedules.
3. In the right pane, right-click the schedule and select Properties.
The Schedule Properties dialog box appears.
4. Edit the settings for the schedule and click OK.

Copying a schedule
You can create a new backup schedule by copying an existing schedule and then editing the copy.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Schedules.
3. In the right pane, right-click the schedule to copy and select Copy.
The Create Schedule dialog box appears with the same information as the copied schedule except for the name.
4. In the Name box, type a name for the new schedule.
5. Edit the settings for the schedule and click OK.

Deleting a schedule
You can delete any custom schedules that you have created. You cannot delete preconfigured schedules.
Ensure that the schedule has not been applied to any Client resources by verifying the setting in the Schedule list on the
General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for each Client resource.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Schedules.
3. In the right pane, right-click the schedule and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
4. Click Yes.

Types of schedule
The following table mentions the various schedule types, the corresponding activity type that needs to be provided during
create, update, and delete of NSR schedule resource and the supported levels and the actions of the NSR schedule resource
that can be used for.

Backup Options 247

Table 65. Types of schedule
Schedule type Activity type Allowed backup Allowed level string Actions supported
(nsradmin) levels in nsradmin
Backup Backup full, incremental, full, incr, 1, txnlog, Backup actions-
cumulative, logs only, inc_synth_full, skip traditional and snapshot
incremental synthetic
full and skip
VMware VMware full, incremental, logs full, incr, txnlog, skip VMware (vproxy)
only, and skip
Server backup Server backup full, incremental, full, incr, 1, skip Server backup
cumulative incremental
and skip
Execute Execute execute, skip exec, skip clone, probe, discover,
check-connectivity
actions, expire

NOTE:
● The default activity type is backup and the default period is month.
● The default values for the action attribute are populated as per the above table.
● If the action attribute is being provided, then the period attribute also needs to be provided.
● The activity type can be set only during the create operation and cannot be updated.
● All NSR schedule associations need to be removed from the workflow or action, before it can be deleted.
● The create or update operation might fail if an invalid level is specified for a given activity type.

Table 66. Types of actions

Activity type Default action values when period is month Default action values
when period is week
Backup full incr incr incr incr incr incr full incr incr incr incr incr
incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr

VMware incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr

Server backup full incr incr incr incr incr incr full incr incr incr incr incr
incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr incr incr incr incr
incr incr incr

Execute exec exec exec exec exec exec exec exec exec exec exec exec
exec exec
exec exec exec exec exec exec exec
exec exec exec exec exec exec exec
exec exec exec exec exec exec exec

248 Backup Options

Table 66. Types of actions (continued)
Activity type Default action values when period is month Default action values
when period is week

exec exec exec

Configuring a client to override the schedule assigned to an action

You can override the backup schedule that is specified in the data protection policies that apply to a client resource by
specifying a schedule for the Client resource itself.
1. (Optional) Create or customize the schedule that you plan to assign to the Client resource.
2. In the Administration window, select View > Diagnostic Mode to enable diagnostic mode view.
A check mark next to Diagnostic Mode in the View menu indicates that diagnostic mode view is enabled.
3. In the Administration window, click Protection.
4. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
5. In the right pane, right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
6. Ensure that the Scheduled Backup checkbox is selected.
When the checkbox is clear, scheduled backups do not occur for the client.
7. From the Schedule list, select the schedule to use instead of the schedule in the data protection policies that apply to the
Client resource.
8. Enable Client determines level.
9. Click OK.

Backup Browse and Retention

The retention setting for a save set determines how long the NetWorker server maintains save set entries in the media database
and client file indexes. Until the retention period expires, you can recover client backup data from backup storage either by
browsing the data or by recovering the entire save set.
The browse policy determines how long files are maintained in the client’s file index on the NetWorker server. During the period
of the browse policy, you can browse backed up data from the NetWorker client computer, and select individual files or entire
file systems for recovery. After the browse policy for a file is exceeded, the entry for that file is deleted.
Setting separate browse and retention policy for clone action might override the backup copy browse and retention value.
However, for some modules, other than FS and NDMP, requires browse period to always be same as retention period. It is
recommended to keep browse period same as retention for all clone copies as well for these modules.
NOTE: The maximum browse and retention time is limited to 136 years from the current date of execution for the
respective action.
Removing expired save sets on page 366 describes how to remove save sets from backup storage after the retention period
expires.

Methods for Setting Browse and Retention

You can specify the browse and retention for backup save sets and clone save sets in a variety of ways. If you specify browse
and retention by using multiple methods, then the browse and retention setting that applies depends on the scenario.
NOTE:

If you set a retention policy on February 29 of a leap year, the last day in which the policy applied is 1 day earlier than you
might expect. For example, if you set a retention policy to 1 year on March 3, 2015, the save set will expire on March 3, 2016
as expected, which is 366 days. If you set a retention policy to 1 year on February 29, 2016, you might expect that the policy
will expire March 1, 2017. However, the policy will actually expire on February 28, 2017, which is 365 days. This behavior is
only seen when a retention policy is set on February 29 for one or more years.

Backup Options 249

Browse and Retention for data protection policies
You can specify browse and retention for backup save sets and clone save sets as part of the actions in a data protection policy.
Retention settings are available for the traditional backup, snapshot backup, VMware backup, server backup, VBA checkpoint
backup, and clone actions. Browse settings are available for traditional backup and clone actions only.
A single Client resource can belong to multiple groups. Therefore, you can assign different retention settings for the same client
and save set data by configuring different workflows and actions. Consider the following example scenario:
● A client belongs to both Client Group A and Client Group B.
● Client Group A is assigned to Workflow 1, which performs a backup with a retention setting of 1 month.
● Client Group B is assigned to Workflow 2, which performs a backup with a retention setting of 1 year.
In this case, backups for the client that are performed with Workflow 1 are retained for 1 month, and backups for the client that
are performed with Workflow 2 are retained for 1 year.

Retention for Client resources

You can assign a retention policy to a client resource that overrides the retention period that is specified in an Action resource,
when you configure the Client Override Behavior attribute value to Client Can Override in the Action resource. Assigning a
retention policy to a Client resource provides more information.

Retention for Pool resources

Previous versions of NetWorker allowed you to define a value in the Retention attribute of a Pool resource. When you update
a NetWorker 8.2.x or earlier server, the update process retains the value that is defined in the Retention attribute of a Pool
resource as a read-only value.

Order of precedence for Retention resource attributes

It is recommended that you use the configuration settings in an Action resource to determine which pool received backup
data. NetWorker provides you with the ability to configure a Pool attribute in the client resource, which can override the value
defined in the Action resource. Additionally, the Pool resource contains 8.2.x legacy attributes that provide you with the ability
to define backup data criteria for the pool. How and when NetWorker uses the attributes values defined in the Pool, Action, and
Client resources to determine which backup pool will receive data depends on the value that you select in the Client Override
Behavior attribute of the Action resource:
● Client Can Override—The value in Retention attribute of the Client resource takes precedence over the Retention value
that is defined in the Action resource.
● Client Can Not Override—The value defined Retention attribute in the Action resource takes precedence over the value
that is defined in Retention attribute of the Client resource and the Retention attribute of the Pool resource. In order to
set different values for browse and retention periods this option should be set to true.
● Legacy Backup Rules—Enabled for migrations only. NetWorker uses the values that are defined in the Retention attribute
of the Pool resource to determine which the retention policy to assign to backup data from a client. The value that is defined
in the Retention attribute of the Pool resource take precedence over the Retention value that is defined in the Action
resource and the Retention value that is defined in the Client resource.
NOTE: You cannot modify the legacy attributes in the migrated Pool resources.

Browse and Retention for manual backups

If you specify browse and retention with a manual backup from the command prompt with save -w -y, the browse and
retention setting applies to all the save sets that are in the manual backup. Specify the browse and retention setting by using
the time and date formats that are accepted by the nsr_getdate program. The save and nsr_getdate UNIX man page
and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about data formats.
If you do not specify the browse and retention for a manual backup, then browse and retention is applied based on the browse
and retention setting of either the Client resource or the media pool for the backup, whichever is longer. If there are multiple
Client resources for the host, then the longest retention setting applies.

250 Backup Options

Assigning a retention policy to a Client resource
You can override the retention setting specified in the data protection policies that apply to a Client resource by specifying a
retention setting for the Client resource itself.
NetWorker provides one of the following default retention policies that you can assign to the Client resource. Default retention
policies include:
● Day
● Week
● Month
● Quarter
● Year
● Decade
You can also create a custom retention policy.
1. (Optional) Create or customize the retention policy that you plan to assign to the Client resource.
a. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Server.
b. In the expanded left pane, select Time Policies.
c. Create a policy or modify a retention Policy resource:
● To create a policy, from the File menu, select New.
● To modify a policy, right-click the retention policy and select Properties.
d. For a new policy only, in the Name box, type a name for the retention policy.
e. Optionally, in the Comment box, type a description of the retention policy.
f. From the Number of periods and Period lists, specify the duration of the retention period.
g. Click OK.
2. In the NetWorker Administration window, select View > Diagnostic Mode to enable diagnostic mode view.
A check mark next to Diagnostic Mode in the View menu indicates that diagnostic mode view is enabled.
3. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
4. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
5. In the right pane, right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
6. From the Retention policy list, select the retention policy to apply to all backups of the client resource, regardless of the
retention setting for any data protection policies that apply to the client resource.
7. Click OK.

Modifying the browse and retention policy on a save set

Starting from NetWorker 9.x the browse period is equal to retention period for save set life cycle management within Index
database and Media database respectively. This change restricts the index to be purged from client file indexes until save set
retention period is over and save set is eligible for recycle. If the Index database grows, this might add an additional overhead on
NetWorker server. This is seen in data sets such as, high dense file system or NDMP backup. To eliminate this issue, NetWorker
removes this restriction partially by providing a CLI capability to separate the browse period from the retention period.
Use the nsrmm command to modify the browse and retention policy of a save set after the backup has occurred.
When the retention value of a save set is changed, nsrmm only updates the media database record and not the save set
metadata on the media. When a volume is scanned to re-create save set records in media database using scanner, the
retention values of save sets on that volume is different from the updated retention time using nsrmm. The new retention time
is based on the retention information in the save set metadata on the media. For information about the new retention time for
scanned save sets, see the NetWorker Command Reference Guide or UNIX man pages.
Use nsrmm command with the following options:
● -e retention_time- Updates retention time
● -w browse_time- Updates browse time
Use the -e and -w options with the nsrmm option -S to specify a save set ID.
NOTE: The retention time must be later than the browse time.

Backup Options 251

Both the browse and the retention policies must be entered in date and time formats, accepted by the nsr_getdate program.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrmm and
nsr_getdate commands.
This CLI capability brings the feature at par with NetWorker 8.x. However, the feature is only implemented using the CLI in
NetWorker 19.3 and later. If any clone or stage operation is being run with higher retention than primary copy, then retention
and browse period would be recalculated as per the current behavior of NetWorker 19.3 or later, which can then be modified
using nsrmm (post clone or stage operation). NetWorker also recalculates the save set retention and browse period based on
highest clone retention copy. That is, if any cloned save set created or updated with different clone retention period greater
than the original backup copy, then the overall retention is recalculated and is reverted to browse equal to retention period.
This recalculation of retention and browse period is done by nsrmmdbd daemon. In such cases, use the nsrmm CLI option to
revert the browse period to required value. The following are the examples of browse time being recalculated based on the clone
retention period.
For example, a user has taken the backup and created a clone copy with some retention value (three years). Later the user
might change clone copy retention higher than the backup copy (clone retention of five years), then browse and retention
period would get recalculated based on the clone retention. In such cases, user can revert the browse period again back to three
years using nsrmm CLI.

Figure 46. Example

Figure 47. Example

Figure 48. Example

Changing browse and retention policies with nsrmm examples

The examples in this section use nsrmm to change browse and retention policies.
NOTE: To achieve consistency of setting the browse or retention time from remote machine, it is recommended to have
time sync between NetWorker server and remote machine. On the remote machine, if the user specifies the saveset
expiration as now and the machine is not in sync with NetWorker server, then the time of the remote machine will be
updated to saveset which might be in future.

252 Backup Options

● To change the retention time to midnight, January 15, 2022 and to change the browse time to midnight, January 15, 2021,
type the following command:

nsrmm -S 3315861249 -e "01/15/2022 23:59:59" -w "01/15/2021 23:59:59"

● To change the browse time to six months from the current date and time, type the following commands:

nsrmm -S 5315861249 -w "6 months"

● To change the retention time to two years from the current date and time, type the following commands:

nsrmm -S 3315861249 -e "2 years"

● To change the he retention time to 50 years from the current date and time, type the following commands:

nsrmm -S 3315861249 -e "50 years"

nsrmm -S 3315861249 -e "02/19/2070"

NOTE:

This feature is only supported for File systems type of savesets and not supported for NAS (snapshot and clone), VMware,
NMDA, NMSAP, and NMM savesets.

NetWorker Year 2038 Readiness

In NetWorker versions earlier than 19.3, the save sets could not be configured for browse and retention time beyond the year
2038. When you try to set a date beyond the year 2038, NetWorker returns an invalid retention time and the corresponding
operation fails. From NetWorker 19.3 onwards, you can set a retention time beyond the year 2038.
Perform one of the following steps to change the retention time:
1. Update the browse and retention time value of the respective backup action to a value greater than the year 2038 and
perform scheduled backups.
NOTE:
● For all the actions to support a retention value greater than the year 2038, both the NetWorker server and the
NetWorker client must be updated to NetWorker 19.3 or later.
● Browse value beyond the year 2038 is only supported for traditional backup action.

2. Update the browse and retention time value of the respective clone action to a value greater than the year 2038 and
perform the respective clone actions.
NOTE: Update only the NetWorker server to NetWorker 19.3 or later and clients can still be on any supported
NetWorker version. The backups are limited to the retention time of the year 2038. You can later change it to a value
greater than the year 2038 using the nsrmm command available as part of NetWorker 19.3 and later.

3. Change the browse and retention time value of the backups and clones using the nsrmm command available as part of
NetWorker 19.3 and later. No change in the actions are required.
NOTE: Update only the NetWorker server to NetWorker 19.3 or later.

Upgrade path
To support save set retention time beyond the year 2038, update the NetWorker server to NetWorker 19.5. Direct upgrade from
NetWorker 8.2.4 to NetWorker 19.5 is supported. Versions prior to NetWorker 8.2.4, need to be upgraded to NetWorker 8.2.4
before upgrading to NetWorker 19.5.

Limitations of the Year 2038 Readiness

The limitations are as follows:

Backup Options 253

● The maximum browse and retention time is limited to 136 years from the current date of execution for the respective action.
For example, if the current year when the action is executed is 2020, then the maximum retention time is 2156 (2020 + 136)
and if the current year when the action is executed is 2021, then the maximum retention time is 2157 (2021 + 136).
● Starting from NetWorker 19.3, the special value of forever time is updated from 19th Jan 2038 to ~292 billion years.
● The forever time from older NetWorker versions is not automatically converted to the new forever time. Refer to the section
Querying save sets for old and new forever retention time for information on querying and updating the forever time to the
new value.
NOTE: For the newer backups with the NetWorker 19.5 server with forever as the retention time, update to the new
64-bit value is automatic.
● NMC displays the year in the two-digit YY format, while the NetWorker UI displays the year in four-digit YYYY format.
● When a command line save is initiated from the client and when the client has a resource created on the server and is not
associated to any policy, then the default browse and retention time is set to 11:11:11 AM, 29th Feb, 2152 (GMT).

Querying save sets for old and new forever retention time
When the NetWorker server is upgraded to NetWorker 19.3 or later, the save sets with the old forever retention time are not
automatically upgraded to the new forever time. Manually modify this to a value according to your requirement.
To obtain the save sets with the old and new forever retention time, use the following commands:

Old Forever Retention Time New Forever Retention Time

mminfo -avot -q mminfo -avot -q
"ssattr=*NSR_OLD_FOREVER_TIME" "ssattr=*NSR_NEW_FOREVER_TIME"

The mminfo command returns retention time of save sets with old forever retention time as the absolute value of retention
time and the retention time of save sets with new forever retention time as a value of forever. For example,

mminfo -avot -q "ssattr=*NSR_OLD_FOREVER_TIME" -r "client(10), ssid, cloneid,

ssbrowse(23)
,ssretent(23),clretent(23)"
client ssid clone id browse time retention time clone retention time
client-1 4228225810 1577425676 1/19/2038 08:44 AM 1/19/2038 08:44 AM 1/19/2038 08:44 AM

mminfo -avot -q "ssattr=*NSR_NEW_FOREVER_TIME" -r "client(10), ssid, cloneid,

ssbrowse(23)
, ssretent(23),clretent(23)"
client ssid clone id browse time retention time clone retention time
client-1 4211453228 1577430315 forever forever forever

NOTE: During the upgrade of the NetWorker server to NetWorker 19.3 and later, the media database is queried
for all the save sets with an old forever retention time and are logged under the nsr/logs folder in the file
old_forever_retention_savesets-<timestamp>.log of the NetWorker installation.

Following are the save sets which have an older forever retention time of 2147483647
(Tuesday Jan 19 08:44:06 2038)
Start time: Mon Dec 16 16:08:23 2019
ClientName Saveset ID Saveset Name

client-1 15882184 C:\ServerInitIBkp_192

client-2 4294072349 C:\ServerInitIBkp_192

Total of 2 records found with an older forever time

End time: Mon Dec 16 16:08:23 2019

Data Domain Retention Lock

The Data Domain retention lock period using the policy configuration should be always less than the NetWorker retention period.

254 Backup Options

With the year 2038 readiness, if the NetWorker retention period value is set to 100 years and the Data Domain retention lock
period using the policy configuration is set to 70 Years, then the value of 70 years is applied to the file on the data domain,
whereas the NetWorker data base updates the save set with a retention period of 100 years.

Overrides and time policies

With the support of retention times greater than the year 2038, the overrides and the time policy resources are used to have
values beyond the year 2038 and limited to the maximum retention time of 136 years.
NOTE: Provide the year in the four-digit format, for example, 12/31/2155.

Backward Compatibility
With NetWorker versions prior to 19.3, the save sets cannot be configured for retention time beyond the year 2038. When you
try to set a date beyond the year 2038, NetWorker returns an invalid retention time and the corresponding operation fails. From
NetWorker 19.3 onwards, you can set a retention time beyond the year 2038, up to 136 years from the current date of execution
for the respective action.
Refer to the following table for backward compatibility information of older clients:

Table 67. Backward Compatibility

Backward Pre-19.3 server + Pre-19.3 server + 19.3 server + >2038 19.3 server + forever
Compatibility >2038 forever
Pre-19.3 x86 client Not Supported Supported(old forever Not Supported (2 and Supported (new
value) 3) forever value)
Pre-19.3 x64 client Not Supported Supported(old forever Not Supported (3) Supported (new
value) forever value)
19.3 x86 client Not Supported (1) Not Supported (1) Not Supported (2) Supported (new
forever value)
19.3 x64 client Not Supported (1) Not Supported (1) Supported Supported (new
forever value)

1. A NetWorker 19.5 client communicating with a pre-NetWorker 19.5 server is not an officially supported configuration.
2. Backup actions are not supported due to 32 bit operating system limitation. However, clone actions are supported.
3. Backup actions are not supported. However, clone actions are supported.
NOTE: Old forever value is 19th Jan 2038 and new forever value is ~292 billion years.

General backup considerations

Before you configure Client resources to backup data on a host, review this section for information that applies to Windows,
UNIX, and Mac OS-X hosts.

Renamed directories
When you rename a directory, a full backup is performed on all subdirectories and files of the renamed directory.
If you then rename the directory back to its original name, then files and subdirectories of the directory are not eligible for
backup until the files or subdirectories are updated or the next full backup occurs.
You can change this default behavior by clearing the Backup renamed directories checkbox on the General tab of the Client
Properties dialog box for a Client resource. You must select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to
access the Backup renamed directories attribute in the Client Properties dialog box.
When you clear the Backup renamed directories checkbox for a Client resource, unchanged files and folders under the
renamed directory are skipped during a non-full backup. This behavior can cause unexpected results during a recovery operation.
If you try to recover data under a renamed directory from a date between the time that the directory was renamed and the next

Backup Options 255

full backup, it may appear that data is missing. For that recovery period, any files or folders that were unchanged do not appear
under the renamed directory. Instead, they appear under the previous directory name.
You must leave the Backup renamed directories checkbox selected for clients that perform synthetic full backups.

Raw partitions
The NetWorker software must have exclusive access to a file system to perform a raw backup. Close as many applications as
possible before doing a raw disk backup. If the raw partition contains data that are managed by an active database management
system (DBMS), ensure that the partition is offline and the database manager is shut down. For greater flexibility when backing
up partitions that contain DBMS data, use a NetWorker Module application.

Raw partitions on Windows

Back up raw disk partitions on Windows by specifying the raw disk partition in a save set with the save command. Identify the
raw partition as a physical drive or logical drive. For example:
save -s NetWorker_server_name -o VSS:*=off \\.\e:
save -s NetWorker_server_name -o VSS:*=off \\.\PhysicalDrive0

Raw partitions on UNIX

Back up raw disk partitions on UNIX by using the rawasm directive.

Raw partitions on Linux

NetWorker can only save an unbound Linux raw device. When you back up a Linux raw disk partition, you must
specify /dev/sd or /dev/hd in the Save set attribute on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for the
Linux Client resource. The backup fails if you use the /dev/raw device.

Access control lists

The NetWorker software supports backup and restore of Access Control Lists (ACLs) and extended ACLs for Linux, HP-UX,
AIX, DEC, Solaris, OS X, and Windows.
When a file with an associated ACL is backed up, the ACL is backed up along with the file data. When the file is recovered, any
associated ACL is also recovered.
The ACL passthrough checkbox on the Configuration tab of the NetWorker Server Properties dialog box controls whether
to recover files with associated ACLs. Select the checkbox to recover files with associated ACLs.

Client parallelism and parallel save streams

Client parallelism defines the number of data streams that a client can use simultaneously during backup.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default value is different for the NetWorker server than it is for all other client resources:
● For the NetWorker server client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the server to complete a
larger number of index backups during a Server backup action.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
To define client parallelism, use the Parallelism attribute of the Client resource. You can find the parallelism attribute on the
Globals(1 of 2) tab of the Client property dialog box, in the NetWorker Administration window.
The NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) User Guide provides more information about recommended
parallelism settings for NDMP clients.
To avoid disk contention for clients other than the NetWorker server, specify a value that is the same as or fewer than the
number of physical disks on the client that are included in the backup.

256 Backup Options

For a Windows client with the ALL keyword save set attribute, the backup includes the local disks, for example C: and D: drives
as well as the System State and System DB. In this example, you can keep the default parallelism setting of 4. If you define
multiple save sets on the same disk, for example, C:\users, C:\system, C:\docs and so on , a higher client parallelism
results in multiple save streams attempting to access the disk at the same time.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more information about recommended client parallelism
values and performance benefits.
Enabling the parallel save streams (PSS) feature for a Client resource allows you to back up each save set for the client by using
multiple parallel save streams to one or more destination backup devices. You can use PSS to perform the scheduled file level
backup of file systems, and block based backups.
You can use PSS for clients with supported UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems. Supported save sets for PSS include
the Save Set ALL, and individual save points including Disaster_Recovery, deduplicated, and CSV volumes (Windows only).
Checkpoint restart is not supported when you use PSS.
When you enable PSS, you can specify the maximum number of save streams that a client can send simultaneously for one or
more save set backups concurrently running by using the Parallelism attribute in the Client Properties dialog. The default
value for the Parallelism attribute is different for the NetWorker Server than it is for all other Client resources:
● For the NetWorker Server Client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the server to complete a
larger number of index backups during a file system backup of the server or other index backups.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
Enabling PSS results in significant performance improvements due to save set aggregation, where the NetWorker Server
starts a single save process per client with all client save sets that are passed to the single process for various processing
optimizations, such as minimal Windows VSS snapshots and support for the following:
● Four parallel streams are started per save set, subject to any client parallelism limitations that might prevent all save sets
from starting simultaneously.
● The ability to modify the number of parallel streams per save set by defining the new PSS:streams_per_ss environment
variable save operations attribute in the properties of a Client resource. For example, setting PSS:streams_per_ss=2,* splits
all save sets into two parallel save streams, whereas PSS:streams_per_ss=3,/data1, 5,/data2 splits /data1 into three parallel
save streams and /data2 into five parallel save streams.
● Automatic stream reclaiming, which dynamically increases the number of active streams for an already running save set
backup to maximize utilization of limited client parallelism conditions.
NOTE: It is recommended that you set the client parallelism value to be a multiple of the PSS:streams_per_ss parameter
default value 4 or its largest defined value when configured. For example, a multiple of 4 is 8, 12, or 16.

If the client parallelism is less than the PSS:streams_per_ss default 4 or the lowest configured value, the backup fails
displaying an error message.

The PSS:streams_per_ss values range from 1 to 8. If you specify an invalid value, the backup proceeds with the default
value 4, and a warning message displays stating that that the entire PSS:streams_per_ss parameter is ignored.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides complete details on PSS requirements and performance
benefits.

Configuring parallel save streams

Enable parallel save streams and specify the maximum number of save streams for a client by using the Client Properties
dialog box. Note that the value specified for parallelism as part of an action in a policy is ignored for PSS backups.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
3. Right-click the Client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
4. In the Save set attribute, specify All or a list of paths, for example, on UNIX /X and /Y or on Windows X:\ and Y:\.
5. Select the Globals (1 of 2) tab.
6. From the Parallelism list, specify the maximum number of save streams.
7. Select the Parallel save streams per save set checkbox.
8. Click OK.

Backup Options 257

Configuring parallel save streams for virtual clients
If you are backing up virtual clients, you can base the client parallelism setting on the underlying physical host. In this way,
the total number of save streams for all virtual clients that reside on a physical host are limited to the value specified for the
physical host.
For example, consider an environment with ten virtual machines running on the same physical host. Each virtual machine is
a NetWorker client, and each client has a client parallelism setting of 4. This setting can result in a total of 40 save streams
occurring on the same physical host, which would significantly slow down that system. To avoid this situation, you can specify
that the client parallelism values are to be based on the underlying physical host. In this example, that would result in no more
than four save streams occurring for the backup of the ten virtual clients.
1. In the Administration window, select View > Diagnostic Mode to enable diagnostic mode view.
A check mark next to Diagnostic Mode in the View menu indicates that diagnostic mode view is enabled.
2. Click Protection.
3. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
4. Right-click the Client resource for the virtual client and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
5. Select the Virtual client checkbox.
6. Type the name of the underlying physical host in the Physical host box.
7. Select the Globals (1 of 2) tab.
8. From the Parallelism list, specify the maximum number of save streams.
9. Select the Physical client parallelism checkbox.
10. Select the Parallel save streams per save set checkbox.
11. Click OK.
12. Repeat these steps for all virtual NetWorker clients that share the same physical host.
Ensure that the value in the Physical host attribute is the same for all virtual NetWorker Client resources that share the
same physical host.

Configuring backup retry and retry delay

This can be set in backup action.
The number of retries can be set maximum up to 5. The default retry value is 1. The more the number of retries means that
NetWorker will try to complete the backup in successive attempts
The retry delay range can be set up from 1 to 720 seconds. The default retry delay value is 30 seconds.
NOTE: Starting with NetWorker 18.1 and later, the number of retries can be set maximum up to 24 and retry delay can be
set maximum up to 3600 seconds from CLI only.

Troubleshooting PSS
It is recommended that you troubleshoot PSS with the guidance of Customer Service. The NetWorker Performance
Optimization Planning Guide provides complete details on PSS requirements and performance benefits.
1. Enable detailed logging for the client:
a. Specify the following value for the Backup command attribute on the Apps & Modules tab of the Client Properties
box:
save -v -D7 (or D9 for more detailed logging)

b. Type the following command at the command prompt on the client computer:
touch /nsr/debug/mbsdfopen
2. In the Protection window of the Administration interface, enable the -v verbose option for scheduled backups by
selecting Policies > policy name > workflow name.
3. Wait for the next backup to occur, or manually start a backup by using one of the following methods:
● In the Protection window of the Administration interface, right-click the workflow and select Start.
● Use the nsrpolicy command on NetWorker server:

258 Backup Options

 nsrpolicy start -p "policy" -w "workflow"
where policy is the name of the policy and workflow is the name of the workflow to start.

4. After the workflow finishes, collect the log files in the following table for Customer Service.

Table 68. Log files for PSS troubleshooting

Log file type Log files to collect
Client All log files in /nsr/tmp/save-mbs-*

NetWorker ● /nsr/logs/daemon.raw
server ● All log files in /nsr/logs/policy/policy_name/ workflow_name/
action_name_sequence#_logs/*
For example, /nsr/logs/policy/Silver/Filesystem/Backup_032334_logs/*

● /nsr/tmp/savegrp.log

Maximum path and save set length

The maximum supported length in the NetWorker software for a pathname is 12 KB, and the maximum length for a save set
name is 1024 bytes. The number of characters that are allowed by each of these limits depends on the locale.
All operating systems have an internal limit for path and file names. The limit depends on the operating system and file system.
Typically, the pathname component size is 256.
For UNIX, only the path component length is checked against the limit. As a result, it is possible to create a path and file name
that is greater than the limit supported by the operating system, but an try to access this path fails.

Open files
Open files are a problem that all data backup applications must solve. Open files that are not backed up correctly represent a
potential data loss. They might be skipped, improperly backed up, or locked.
NetWorker can open files that are owned by the operating system and files that are owned by a specific application.
When you use VSS technology with NetWorker to create snapshot backups of volumes and exact copies of files, the backup
includes all open files and files that change during the backup process.

Files owned by the operating system

Most open files that are owned by the operating system can be backed up. However, some applications can apply operating
system locks to open files. These locks prevent other applications, such as NetWorker software, from writing to or reading from
the open file.
The NetWorker software normally skips locked files and returns the following message:
save: filename cannot open
Also, the operating system might return a permission denied error.
To back up locked open files, close any open files if possible. To automate this process, create a pre- and postprocessing backup
command that shuts down specific applications, backs up the open files, and then restarts any applications after the backup
finishes.
You can also use Open File Manager to back up open files.

Files owned by a specific application

The NetWorker software cannot normally back up an open file that belongs to a specific application, like a database. To back up
these open files, use a NetWorker Module. For example, use the NetWorker Module for SAP to back up open files in an Oracle
database.

Backup Options 259

Files that change during the backup
If a file changes during a backup, the NetWorker software displays the following message in the Monitoring window:
warning: filename changed during save
To ensure that the changed file is backed up, either rerun the scheduled backup or perform a manual backup of the file.
NetWorker Modules can back up these types of files correctly if they are files that are related to the database that the module
is backing up.

Data deduplication
Data deduplication is a type of data compression that removes duplicate information to reduce the amount of backup data sent
to storage devices and reduce the bandwidth that is required for the data transport. You can implement data deduplication of
NetWorker backup data by storing backups on Data Domain Boost deduplication devices.

Deduplication with DD Boost devices

The NetWorker client software includes the DD Boost library API and the distributed segment processing (DSP) component to
enable deduplication on the client. The API enables the NetWorker software to communicate with the Data Domain system. The
DSP component reviews the data that is already stored on the Data Domain system, and adds only unique data to storage.
DD Boost can run as many as 60 concurrent sessions (save streams) for a DD Boost device for backup and recovery. This
high throughput reduces the number of necessary devices and the performance and maintenance impact on the Data Domain
system. The resulting performance gain provides an advantage over conventional advanced file type device (AFTD) or virtual
tape library (VTL) interfaces that do not handle these high session rates.
To perform deduplication backups with a Data Domain system, perform the following tasks:
● Configure the Data Domain system for use with NetWorker.
● Add the device in the NetWorker Administration interface.
● Select Data Domain backup options for Client resources.
The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides details on system requirements and configuration steps.

Deduplication with Avamar

The Avamar client software only provides support to NetWorker hosts that used an Avamar system as a data protection target
with a previous release of NetWorker. You cannot configure new Avamar nodes in NetWorker 19.5

Directives
Directives are resources that contain special instructions that control how the NetWorker server processes files and directories
during backup and recovery. Directives enable you to customize the NetWorker software, maximize the efficiency of backups,
and apply special handling to individual files or directories.

Types of directives
There are three types of directives.
● Global directives—Stored as resources on the NetWorker server and can be selectively applied to individual clients by using
the Directive attribute of the Client resource.
● NetWorker User local directive—On Windows clients only, users with local Windows Administrator or Backup Operator
privileges can create a local directive in the NetWorker User program. A file that is named networkr.cfg on the
client file system contains the directive configuration information. NetWorker uses the directive that is specified in the
networkr.cfg during a scheduled backup, a backup that is started with the NetWorker User application, and save
operations that do not include the -i option.
● Local directive files—User-created files named nsr.dir (Windows) or .nsr (UNIX) anywhere on a client file system
where they have permission to create files. These directives apply only to the immediate data within the path where the
directive file is located.

260 Backup Options

If there is a conflict between directives, global directives are enforced over local directives. Also, NetWorker User program local
directives are enforced over local directive files (nsr.dir files) on Windows hosts.
NOTE: If you use the Windows BMR feature, implement user-defined directives with caution. Using such directives in
directories with system state files can lead to an incomplete BMR backup image and potentially render the BMR backup
image unusable. If you create user-defined directives, test the BMR backup image to ensure that you can recover the
Windows system state correctly.

Format of directive statements

Directive statements specify the files or directories and then the action to perform on the files and directories.
A directive statement specifies the following items:
● The directory for a directive statement.
● The action to perform, specified using either of the following:
○ An ASM specification with a pattern list of child file or directory names, which could include wildcards.
○ A save environment keyword specifies the action to perform.
A directive statement is written in the following format:
<< "directory_specification" >>
[+] ASM: pattern
save_environment_keyword
# comment

where:
● The directive statement does not contain blank lines.
● directory_specification is the absolute path to the highest-level directory for which the ASM in the directive applies.
● [+] is optional. The presence of the plus (+) sign indicates that the directive recursively applies to the directory defined by
the absolute path and all subdirectories.
● ASM is the ASM that specifies the action to take on one or more files in the current directory.
● pattern is a list of file or directory names, in the current directory on which to apply the ASM.
The pattern can include multiple names that are separated by spaces, and wildcards. Wildcards can replace a single character
or string of characters. Directive statements support the use of standard shell command interpreter file matching patterns.
You cannot specify lower-level subdirectories in the pattern. That is, the pattern must not contain the Unix "/" or Windows
"\" directory separator.

NOTE: File names are case-insensitive for directives that are applied to Windows clients.
● save_environment_keyword is a NetWorker keyword that controls how the current ASM and subsequent ASMs that apply
to the current directory and subdirectories are applied in the directive statement.
● comment is a user-defined description of the directive statement. A hash (#) character must precede the comment.
NOTE: If an ASM or pattern name includes a space, enclose the name or argument in double quotation marks.

The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about directives in the nsr
and nsr_directive commands.

Defining directory specifications

A directory specification is the absolute path to the highest-level directory for which the ASM in the directive applies.
Consider the following information before you define a directory specification.

Defining directory specifications using wildcards

You can use wildcards in the directory specification to avoid maintaining multiple directives for specific directory paths in both
the NetWorker server and the NetWorker client directive files.
To use wildcards in a directory specification, you must type an asterisk before the directory path. For example: This asterisk
does not do any matching and only enables the use of any following wildcards in the directory specification.

Backup Options 261

● UNIX: << */directory_specification/ >>
● Windows: << "*\directory_specification\" >>
Consider the following examples for using wildcards:
● The following UNIX directive skips backing up the tmp folder data for each user whose name starts with letters A, B, C, or
D:
<< */*/users/[A-D]*/tmp/ >> +skip: *

● The following Windows directive compresses the tmp folder data for each user whose name starts with letters A, B, C, or D:
<< "*C:\*\users\[A-D]*\tmp\" >> +compressasm: *

NOTE:

● Networker does not support symbolic links in skip directives. Symbolic links are considered as regular files.
For example, the symbolic link for the file example.dbf is .example.dbf.To skip the file .example.dbf, you must use
+skip: .*.dbf.

● Do not use wildcards in Windows VSS source volume directory mount names.

Defining multiple directory specifications

● Directives that follow a directory specification apply the ASM action to that directory until the next directory specification.
● Directory specifications that do not contain wildcards take precedence over directory specifications that contain wildcards.
For example, when a directive encounters a directory that matches a wildcard directory specification and a non-wildcard
directory specification, the directive will only apply the action defined in the ASM of the non-wildcard directory specification
of the directory.

Defining mount points in the directory specification

Directory mount names of Windows VSS source volumes cannot contain wildcards. For example, you cannot create a directory
specification in the format << "*?:\data\*\" >> . You must specify each drive letter, for example << "C:\data\*\" >>, and
create a separate directory specification for it.

Defining a directory specification for a Windows client system

● File and directory names are case-insensitive.
● If there is a colon (:) in the pathname, enclose the entire path in quotation marks.

Order of execution in the directive

The command that is listed first in the directive takes precedence over the rest of the commands.
When the first command in the directive is compressasm, then all the files are compressed. The skip command in the directive is
ignored. Example
+compressasm -gzip -1: * .* *.*
+skip: *.LRG
+skip: *.CAT
+skip: *.TLB

When the compressasm is positioned at the end of the directive, the commands in the directive work in the order that is
mentioned. The files specified with +skip are skipped and the rest are compressed. Example
+skip: zzz_DUMMY*
+skip: *.tmp
+skip: .db2diag.log.swp
skip: tmp_mnt
+compressasm -gzip -1: * .* *.*

262 Backup Options

Using wildcards in directive statements
NetWorker supports wildcards in directive statements.
In a directive statement, you can use wildcard characters in both the directory and path list specifications.
The following table describes the supported wildcard characters and their descriptions.

Table 69. Supported wildcards in directives

Wildcard Name Description
* Asterisk Matches any sequence of characters.
? Question mark Matches any single character.
[ and ] Square brackets Forms an expression. Represents any of the characters enclosed within the square
brackets. For example, the following directory specification includes all user folders
beginning with A or D:
<< */*/users/[AD]*/tmp/ >>
You can use exclamation marks and hyphens within expressions.

! Exclamation Must be used directly after the opening square bracket in an expression, for
example, [!...]. Matches any single character except for the characters typed after
the !. For example, to match any single character except a, b, and c, type:
[!abc]

- Hyphen When a hyphen is used between two characters within square brackets, it indicates
a range inclusive of those two characters. For example, the following directory
specification includes all user folders beginning with A, B, C, or D:
<< */*/users/[A-D]*/tmp/ >>

NOTE: Wildcards directives are applied only by the save process in the scheduled backup workflow. When you skip
unwanted mount points using directory specification wildcard directives with the save set keyword All, save processes still
run for the unwanted mount points. However, the save processes only log messages that the contents of the mount points
were skipped. For example: << */TestFileSystem[5-9]?/ >> +skip: *.

Directive specification with ASMs and save environment keywords

A directive specification specifies the action to perform in a directive statement.

Save environment keywords

Save environment keywords control how the current ASM and subsequent ASMs applied to the directory and subdirectories are
applied in the directive statement.
NetWorker supports the following save_environment_keyword values:
● forget—Instructs the NetWorker Server to no longer apply inherited directives (those directives that begin with a +). The
forget keyword works only if the corresponding directories are also explicitly specified in the NetWorker Client resource
Save Set attribute.
● ignore—Instructs the NetWorker Server to ignore all directives that are applied to the subdirectories below the current
directory.
● allow—Used in subdirectories that currently have the ignore keyword applied to them, and overrides the ignore.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about directives in the nsr
and nsr_directive commands.
Review the following examples of directive specifications that include ASMs and save environment keywords.

Backup Options 263

Using the skip directive for a Windows host
The following example directive statement skips the C:\Program Files folder on a Windows host during a backup:

<< "C:\Program Files" >>

skip

Using the skip directive for a UNIX host

The following example directive statement skips all files in the /tmp directory on a UNIX host, including hidden files:

<< /tmp >>

+skip: * .?*

NOTE: A space appears after the first asterisk (*) in the pattern.

Using the skip ASM and forget save environment keyword

The following example directive statement skips all *.o files in the G:\SRC directory except those *.o files in the G:
\SRC\SYS directory:
<< "G:\SRC" >>
+skip: *.o
<< "G:\SRC\SYS" >>
forget

This example uses the skip ASM to instruct the NetWorker server to skip all files that are named *.o in the SRC directory and
all subdirectories. It then uses the forget keyword to instruct the server to not apply the skip ASM to the SYS subdirectory.
Both the G:\SRC and the G:\SRC\SYS directories must be explicitly specified on separate lines in the client resource Save
Set attribute.

Using the ignore save environment keyword

The following example allows directives in the HOMEDOC directory to be applied to the preceding example for the ignore
keyword:
<< HOME >>
ignore
<< HOMEDOC >>
allow

Using the allow save environment keyword

The following example directive statement overrides any local directives set in user home directories:
<< HOME >>
ignore

Order of Execution in the Directive

The command that is listed first in the directive takes precedence over the rest of the commands.
When the first command in the directive is compressasm, then all the files are compressed. The skip command in the directive is
ignored. For example,
+compressasm -gzip -1: * .* *.*
+skip: *.LRG
+skip: *.CAT
+skip: *.TLB

264 Backup Options

When the compressasm is positioned at the end of the directive, the commands in the directive work as expected. The files that
are specified with +skip are skipped and the rest are compressed. For example,
+skip: *.LRG
+skip: *.CAT
+skip: *.TLB
+compressasm -gzip -1: * .* *.*

Global directives
Global directives are stored as resources on the NetWorker server and can be selectively applied to individual clients by using
the Directive attribute of the Client resource.
Global directives are listed when you select Directives in the expanded left pane of the Server window in the Administration
interface. You can add, edit, copy, and delete global directives.

Preconfigured global Directive resources

The NetWorker software includes a number of preconfigured global Directive resources. All preconfigured Directive resources
can be modified, but they cannot be deleted.
The following table lists the preconfigured directives and their descriptions.

Table 70. Preconfigured directives

Directive resource Description
AES Encrypts backup data with the aes ASM, which provides 256-
bit data encryption.
Mac OS with compression Contains the same set of directives as the Mac OS standard
directive, along with applying the compressasm ASM to
specific directories.
Mac OS standard Contains a set of directives that are used to back up standard
Mac OS clients. Applies these ASMs:
● The skip ASM is applied to these files and directories:
/Desktop DB

/Desktop DF

/cores

/VM_Storage

/TheVolumeSettingsFolder

/private/var/db/netinfo
/private/var/db/openldap
/private/tmp
/.Spotlight-V100
/.hotfiles.btree
● The allow save environment keyword is applied to
the /nsr directory to ensure that local directives in /nsr
and subsequent subdirectories are applied.
● The logasm ASM is applied to the /nsr/logs and /var
directories.
● The swapasm ASM is applied to the /private/var/vm

NT standard Is used to back up Windows clients. By default, this resource

has no directives.

Backup Options 265

Table 70. Preconfigured directives (continued)
Directive resource Description
NT with compression Used to back up and compress Windows clients. It applies the
compressasm ASM to all files.
UNIX standard Contains a set of directives that are used to back up standard
UNIX clients. Applies these ASMs:
● The skip ASM is applied to the tmp_mnt directory.
● The skip ASM is applied to core files on the file system.
● The allow save environment keyword is applied to
the /nsr directory to ensure that local directives in /nsr
and subsequent subdirectories are applied.
● The skip ASM is applied to the /tmp directory.
● The swapasm ASM is applied to the /export/swap
directory. If swap files are located in a different directory,
modify this directive to use the appropriate directory.
● The logasm ASM is applied to the /nsr/logs, /
var, /usr/adm, and /usr/spool directories. You can
apply this ASM to other directories as well.
● The mailasm ASM is applied to the /usr/spool/mail
and /usr/mail directories. If email files are located in
different directories, modify these directives to use the
appropriate locations.
UNIX with compression Contains the same set of directives as the UNIX standard
directive, along with applying the compressasm ASM to all
files.

This directive is only applied to save sets that contain

directories. If the save set is defined by using a file name, this
directive is not applied.

VCB directives VCB directives are valid for backing up virtual machines using
the VCB methodology. This directive is supported in the
following scenarios:
● When file level incremental backups are performed instead
of FULL image level backups.
● When FULL file level or incremental file level backups are
performed when the save set is ALLVMFS.
The vcb directive skips the following files and folders:
● pagefile.sys
● hiberfil.sys (Hibernation file)
● WINDOWS\system folder
● WINDOWS\System32 folder

Creating a global Directive resource

1. In the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Directives.
3. From the File menu, select New.
The Create Directive dialog box appears.
4. In the Name box on the General tab, type a name for the new directive.
5. In the Comment box, type a description of the directive.
6. In the Directive attribute, type one or more directive statements.
A directive statement specifies the files and directories for a directive statement, and then an ASM specification or a save
environment keywords specifies the action to perform. You can also include comments in a directive statement by preceding
text with a hash (#) character.

266 Backup Options

 For example, the following directive statement skips the C:\TEMP folder on a Windows system during a backup:

<<"C:\TEMP">>
skip

NOTE: Do not leave blank lines in the directive statement.

Format of directive statements provides more information about how to create a directive statement.
7. To specify a restricted datazone (RDZ) for the directive, click the Restricted Data Zones tab and then select the RDZ
from the list.
8. Click OK.
Apply the global directive to a Client resource by selecting the directive from the Directive list on the General tab of the
Client Properties dialog box for the Client resource.

Editing a global Directive resource

You can edit the directive statement, description, or RDZ of a global Directive resource. To rename a global directive, delete the
global directive and create a global directive with the new name.
1. In the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Directives.
3. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Directive Properties window, right-click
the staging configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

4. Edit the settings for the global directive, then click OK.

Copying a global Directive resource

1. In the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Directives.
3. In the right pane, right-click the directive and select Copy.
The Create Directive dialog box appears with the settings from the original directive.
4. In the Name box, specify a name for the directive.
5. Edit the other settings for the directive as necessary.
6. Click OK.
Apply the global directive to a Client resource by selecting the directive from the Directive list on the General tab of the
Client Properties dialog box for the Client resource.

Deleting a global Directive resource

● Ensure that the global Directive resource is not a default global Directive resource. You cannot delete global Directive
resources that are available by default when you install the NetWorker server software.
● Ensure that the Directive resource is not selected for any Client resources.
1. In the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Directives.
3. In the right pane, right-click the directive and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.

Backup Options 267

4. Click Yes.

NetWorker User local directives

On Windows clients, users with local Windows Administrator or Backup Operator privileges can create local directives by using
the NetWorker User program. These directives are stored on the client in a file named networkr.cfg.
When you perform a manual backup from the NetWorker User program, only local directives that were created with the
NetWorker User program are enforced. Global directives and local directive files (nsr.dir files) are not enforced. However, all
local directives are enforced when the NetWorker save command without the -i option is run at the command prompt.
NetWorker User program local directives are also enforced during scheduled backups and archive operations.
1. Log in to the client computer as a member of either the local Windows Administrators or Backup Operators security group.
2. Start the NetWorker User Program.
3. From the Options menu, select Local Backup Directives.
4. Set the local directive for each data item. You can clear data items to exclude them from scheduled backups, and select
items for password protection, encryption, and compression. This applies for both manual and scheduled saves.
NOTE: If password protection or encryption is selected, the password must be specified first.

5. From the File menu, select Save Backup Directives to save changes.
Depending on user privileges and the operating system version, the networkr.cfg file is created in one of the following
locations:
● If you are logged in with local Windows Administrator or Backup Operator privileges, networkr.cfg is created in the
root of the system volume (usually C:\).
● If you are not logged in with local Windows Administrator or Backup Operator privileges, networkr.cfg is created in
%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\User_name\Application Data\EMC NetWorker.
NOTE: The Application Data directories are hidden by default. To view these directories by using Windows
Explorer, select Tools > Folder Options. On the View tab of the View Options dialog box, select the Show
hidden files and folders option.

Creating local directives

Local directives are text files that are on the file system of the client. The directives apply only to the immediate data within the
path where the directive file is saved.
1. Use a text editor to create the directive file in the directory that contains the files to which you plan to apply the directive.
2. Create the directive statement.
A directive statement specifies the files and directories for a directive statement, and then an ASM specification or a save
environment keywords specifies the action to perform. You can also include comments in a directive statement by preceding
text with a hash (#) character.
For example, the following directive statement skips the C:\TEMP folder on a Windows system during a backup:

<<"C:\TEMP">>
skip

NOTE: Do not leave blank lines in the directive statement.

Format of directive statements provides more information about how to create a directive statement.
3. Save the local directive file.
● On Windows, the file must be named nsr.dir. The user account that creates the file must have the permissions to
create files either within the root of the volume or in a folder within the volume.
● On UNIX, the file must be named .nsr.

268 Backup Options

 6
Backing Up Data
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Configuring a Client resource for backups on Windows hosts
• Configuring a Client resource for backups on UNIX hosts
• Configuring a Client resource for backups on Mac OS X hosts
• Sending client data to AFTD or Data Domain devices only
• Non-ASCII files and directories
• Configuring checkpoint restart backups
• Probe-based backups
• Encryption
• Compression
• Backing up distributed file systems
• Configuring Client Direct backups
• Backup command customization
• Client resources
• Manual backups
• Verifying backup data
• NetWorker Client FQDN compliant with RFC 1123

Configuring a Client resource for backups on Windows

hosts
This section describes how to configure a Client resource to backup data on Windows hosts.

Windows backup considerations

Use the NetWorker software to back up Window file systems. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft (NMM) provides VSS-
based backup and recovery of the Windows operating system and Microsoft server applications such as Microsoft Exchange
Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Services.
The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Administration Guide provides more information about the NMM product.

Configuring how NetWorker determines when to back up a file

You can configure NetWorker to back up a file that is based on the setting of the Archive file attribute in the properties of a
Windows file or based on the modification time.
The NetWorker software saves a file when the Archive attribute is enabled. After NetWorker saves the file, the NetWorker
software disables the Archive attribute. If you restore the file from a backup, then the NetWorker software enables the
Archive attribute to ensure that the next backup includes the file.
To configure NetWorker to use the modification time of a file instead of the Archive attribute, perform the following steps:
1. Browse to Control Panel > System > Advanced System Settings.
2. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables...
3. In the System Variables section, click New.
4. In the Variable name field, type NSR_AVOID_ARCHIVE.
5. In the Variable value field, type Yes.

Backing Up Data 269

6. Click OK to close the Environment Variables window, and then click OK to close the System Properties window.
7. Log off or restart the client computer, or restart the NetWorker Remote Exec Service to make Windows aware of
the environment variable change.

Backup Operators group

The Windows Backup Operators local group provides its members the privileges necessary to back up and recover data from a
Windows computer.
Users who request backups must be in the Backup Operators or Administrators group of the domain into which they are logged.
The Backup Operators group is assigned on a computer-by-computer basis, rather than globally by the domain. If you are having
trouble performing tasks on one NetWorker server but not another, check the Backup Operators group on the problematic
computer to ensure that you are correctly assigned.

Enabling NetWorker logging operations performed by backup operator

By default, members of the Windows Backup Operators group do not have write permission to the
<NetWorker_install_path>\logs directory.
NetWorker log operations are performed by members of the Windows Backup Operators group.
Enable NetWorker logging for Backup Operators by modifying the security settings on the
<NetWorker_install_path>\logs directory. For example:
1. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the <NetWorker_install_path>\logs directory.
2. Right-click the <NetWorker_install_path>\logs directory icon and select Properties.
3. On the Security tab of the Properties dialog box, add the Backup Operators group to the list of groups and users.
4. Select the Backup Operators group and click Allow Write.
5. Click OK.

Windows backup considerations

Use the NetWorker software to backup Windows file systems. NetWorker Module for Microsoft (NMM) provides VSS-based
backup and recovery of the Windows operating system, and Microsoft server applications, for example, Microsoft Exchange
Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Services. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Administration Guide
provides more information about the NMM product.

Table 71. Backup considerations for Windows features

Windows Feature Backup considerations
Event logs—Used for troubleshooting hardware problems To back up event log files, configure a file system
as well as monitoring security conditions, and system and backup that includes the C:\Windows\system32\winevt
application software problems.
\logs folder.

The size of a recovered event log might be smaller than

the backup size. This is a characteristic of Windows event
logs
and does not cause any data loss or change of data. You can
use Microsoft Event Viewer to view the recovered, smaller log
file. NetWorker backs up all event log files when more than
one
active event log is marked for backup (for example,
SecEvent.Evt and SysEvent.Evt). You can recover event logs
to a location that differs from the location at the time of the
backup. You cannot recover event logs files that were on an
NTFS partition at the time of the backup to an FAT16 or
FAT32
partition.

270 Backing Up Data

Table 71. Backup considerations for Windows features (continued)
Windows Feature Backup considerations
Encrypted File System (EFS)—Allows NTFS files to be stored NetWorker will not encrypt or compress a file already
in encrypted format. A user without the private key to the file encrypted by Windows. Do not use AES encryption when you
cannot access the file. backup EFS encrypted files.

Files can become unusable if the encryption keys

change on the domain controller. For example, when you
move
the domain controller from one computer to another or the
domain controller failures.

NetWorker does not backup the encryption keys, or

keep a copy of the keys to ensure a successful recovery of
EFS encrypted files to an EFS that you reinstall after a
disaster.
When recovering encrypted files to an encrypted folder
that has been removed, consider the following:

● If you recover the encrypted files and the encrypted

folder, the recovered folder and files are all encrypted.
● If you recover only individual encrypted files (but do not
recover the encrypted folder that contains them) the
individual recovered files are encrypted but the re-created
folder is not encrypted. Windows documentation provides
instructions on encrypting the re-created folder.
● Windows EFS encrypted data is backed up and recovered
in its encrypted state.
Internet Information Server (IIS)— A web server that enables NetWorker uses the active metabase to back up
the publication of information on the Internet or a corporate IIS and can restore the backup versions to the
intranet by using HTTP. metabase location. NetWorker supports the recover of
the metabase to the default location %SystemRoot%
\system32\inetsrv\MetaBase.bin or in a location that
you specify in the registry. The Microsoft documentation
provides information about how to create a registry key that
specifies an alternate metabase location.
Sparse files— Enables a program to create huge files without NetWorker provides complete backup and recovery support
actually committing disk space for every byte. for sparse files.
Windows Print Queues NetWorker backs up and recovers print queues as a part of
the file system backup. During a recover operation, you may
have to restart the host depending on the status of the print
queue at the time of the backup.
Disk quota database The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set contains the
disk quota database. During a backup operation, NetWorker
creates temporary files to store the disk quota database
settings in the root directory of each drive on the client.
NOTE: To backup the disk quota database, the local
system account must have full control permissions on the
local drive, otherwise a backup fails with an error message
similar to the following: Failed to write to quota
file, 0x80070005

POSIX compliance NetWorker performs case sensitive backup and

recovery operations. During a recovery operation on a
Windows
host, NetWorker may create multiple files with the same name
but different cases.

For example, you back up a file on a Windows host that

is named temp.txt. The file is later deleted and created

Backing Up Data 271

Table 71. Backup considerations for Windows features (continued)
Windows Feature Backup considerations
with a new file named Temp.txt. When you select the
temp.txt file for recovery, NetWorker will not overwrite
the file that is named Temp.txt. You will have two identical
files in the directory, one named temp.txt and the other
named Temp.txt. To configure NetWorker to ignore the
case of a file, you can set the system environment variable
NSR_DISABLE_POSIX_CREATE=YES, which disables POSIX
compliance.
Windows Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component of the
Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) databases DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains the DHCP and
WINS databases. Use Windows BMR recovery to perform an
offline restore of these databases.
Native Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) volumes—Used as a mounted The ALL save set does not include native VHD volumes.
volume on designated hardware without any other parent Configure a separate client resource to backup native VHD
operating system, virtual machine, or hypervisor. You can use volumes. Do not use VHD volumes as critical volumes if
a VHD volume as a boot volume or as a data volume. the volume that contains the native VHD is also a critical
volume. This situation creates a conflict during a Windows
BMR backup.
Windows Content Index Server (CIS) or Windows Search The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component of
Index— Index the full textual contents and property values the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains the CIS or
of files and documents that are stored on the local computer. Windows Search Index. The CIS or Windows Search is
The information in the index can be queried from the Windows automatically regenerated on system restart.
search function, the Indexing Server query form, or a web
browser. NetWorker performs the following actions when
performing a CIS or Windows Search backup:

● Pauses any CIS or Windows Search catalogs. You can still

query a paused catalog, so the indexing functionality is no
lost during the CIS or Windows Search backup.
● Backs up all catalog files.
● Turns on the catalogs when the backup completes.
● CIS or Windows Search deletes the catalog folder during a
backup and restores it as part of a recovery operation.

DHCP and WINS databases

The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains the Windows Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) databases. Use Windows BMR recovery to
perform an offline restore of these databases.
The ALL save set also includes the DHCP and WINS databases because the ALL save set automatically includes the
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set.
If you do not specify the ALL save set or the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set in the Save set attribute for the client, then
include the databases as part of a file system backup:
● To back up a DHCP database, include the %SystemRoot%\System32\dhcp directory in the Save set attribute of the
Client resource for the DHCP server.
● To back up a WINS database, use the Microsoft WINS administrative tools to configure an automated backup of the WINS
database to a local drive on the WINS server. Then specify the path to the database backup on the local drive in the Save
set attribute of the Client resource for the WINS server.

Hard links
You can back up and recover files with hard links on a Windows client. However, the hard links of files that are created by using
a Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) application are not preserved during recovery.
Support for hard links is disabled by default to improve performance.

272 Backing Up Data

Backup and recovery of hard links is disabled by default to improve performance. To enable backup and recovery of hard links
on a client, select the Hard links checkbox on the Globals (2 of 2) tab of the Client Properties dialog box for the Client
resource.
Enable diagnostic mode view by selecting View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration window to access the Hard links
checkbox.

Microsoft DFS
You can back up and restore Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) data.
Microsoft DFS is a Windows file system feature that enables you to create a namespace of shared directories that are physically
distributed across a network. With DFS, you can organize a set of distributed directories logically, according to any scheme you
choose, to provide centralized access to files that reside in a variety of locations.

DFS junctions
A DFS junction is a DFS root or link:
● A DFS root is a namespace for files and DFS links.
● A DFS link is a connection to a shared file or folder.
DFS junctions are file system objects, not files or directories. Therefore, the NetWorker software does not treat DFS junctions
the same as files or directories for backup and recovery. However, DFS junctions appear as files and directories in the
NetWorker User program.

DFS backups with the ALL-DFSR save set

The All-DFSR save set includes all DFS related save sets for a backup. Unlike other all-inclusive save set types, ALL-DFSR is
not related to any particular file system. ALL-DFSR backs up all components that are defined by DFS\FRS writers. Backups fail
if you specify ALL-DFSR for a system where DFS or FRS is not installed.
The syntax for this save set is ALL-DFSR. It is not case sensitive.
The ALL-DFSR save set does not support BBB. BBB only creates backups at the volume level, and DFSR replication folders can
be a subfolder, which creates a conflict.
Synthetic full backup is not supported with ALL-DFSR.
The ALL-DFSR save set registers the corresponding writer and writer component nodes under WINDOWS ROLES AND
FEATURES. All Replication folders are restored through these nodes.

Configuring a scheduled DFS backup

To avoid inconsistencies among the various save sets, configure a scheduled backup that includes the DFS topology information,
junctions, and destination directories. Alternatively, you can use the ALL-DFSR save set.
NOTE: When a DFS client resource is run for the first time, the save set sizes should be verified to ensure that they are
correct.
To configure a scheduled backup for a DFS:
1. In the Administration screen, include the following clients in the NetWorker group that will back up the DFS:
● The DFS host server
● Any computer where remote DFS destination directories reside
● A domain controller (domain-based DFS only)
For example, you could create a NetWorker group named DFS, then make each of the preceding clients a member of the
DFS group.

2. Enter the following save sets in the Save Set attribute of the DFS host server’s client resource:
● The DFS root. For example, C:\MyDfsRoot.

● DFS destination directories that reside on the DFS host. For example, D:\MyLocalDir
NOTE: DFS destination directories are also be backed up if you enter the entire volume (for example, D:\) in the
Save Set attribute.

Backing Up Data 273

3. For clients where remote DFS destination directories reside, enter the destination directory paths in the Save Set attribute.
For example:

E:\MyRemoteDir
E:\MyOtherRemoteDir
E:\

Windows Optimized Deduplication

NetWorker supports backup of optimized data deduplication volumes and files and can restore optimized deduplication backups
to a set of eligible restore targets. However, due to recovery performance issues observed with optimized backup for Windows
deduplication volumes, it is recommended that you use non-optimized backup, which is enabled by default.
When the backup is set to non-optimized, NetWorker will not deduplicate the backup. Instead, the deduplicated files get
rehydrated in memory before they are backed up. This type of backup requires you to enable VSS. If you disabled VSS
(for example, by specifying VSS:*=off in the Save Operations attribute), the backup might back up the chunk stores
unnecessarily. To back up the deduplicated volume, it is recommended to use block based backup (BBB) instead.
If you still require optimized backup, you can add VSS:NSR_DEDUP_NON_OPTIMIZED=no to the Save Operations attribute
to restore settings to the traditional (non-BBB) optimized backup. However, it is not recommended that you use this setting
because recovery performance issues might result in an unusable backup. Note also that even when optimized deduplication
backup is enabled, NetWorker will not perform an optimized backup when the backup path is a subdirectory of the volume, or
the non-optimized deduplication save option is specified in the Save operations field of the Client resource.
NetWorker supports the data deduplication feature on Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Storage
Server 2012, and Windows Storage Server 2012 R2. NetWorker does not support the feature on Windows 8 client computers or
computers that run the older versions of the Windows operating system. On computers that run the Windows Server operating
system, NetWorker supports the feature on volumes that use the NTFS file system, which can be part of a fail over cluster,
including CSV volumes.
To back up and restore Windows Server deduplication volumes or files, you must use a NetWorker 8.1 or later client. You
can only restore deduplicated backups to computers that run on supported versions of Windows Server that have the data
deduplication role enabled. The data deduplication role is a child role of File Services, which is a File and Storage Services role.

Detecting deduplication in a backup

When a deduplication volume is backed up, you can verify the form of the data that was backed up. This information is identified
in the mminfo extended save set attributes output. To show all extended save set attributes, use the mminfo output flag -r
attrs. Deduplication backups are indicated with *MSFT_OPTIMIZED_DEDUP_ENABLED:yes.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the mminfo command.

Data Deduplication Backup and Restore

NetWorker supports two types of backup and four types of restores for data stored on a deduplication volume.

Optimized full-volume backup

Optimized full-volume backups are the default backup type for Windows data deduplication volumes. The backup type occurs
when the non-optimized data deduplication save option is not specified and the backup path is a mount point, drive letter or full
volume backup. NetWorker full, incremental, and synthetic full backups are supported with Windows data deduplicated volumes.
The optimized data deduplication files that are part of the backup include:
● Windows data deduplication reparse points
● Chunk store containers and data deduplication meta data files
NetWorker backup does not differentiate whether a volume is configured for data deduplication, except to add the media
database attribute if the volume is deduplicated. The media database attribute, *MSFT_OPTIMIZED_DEDUP_ENABLED, is set
to true and is saved as part of an optimized data deduplication volume save set.
For Windows BMR, the Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 data deduplication writer is not part of the system
state. Additionally, data deduplication volumes can be critical volumes and are supported with Windows BMR.

274 Backing Up Data

Unoptimized full and incremental backup
NetWorker creates an unoptimized data deduplication backup under the following conditions:
● When you specify in the save set attribute of the client resource, a backup path that is a subdirectory of the volume, except
in the case where the subdirectory is the root of a mount point.
● When you perform a manual backup of the client that does not make up the entire volume.
● When you specify the string VSS:NSR_DEDUP_NON_OPTIMIZED=yes in the Save Operations settings of the client
resource. If the save operation flag is set to yes the data deduplication backup is not optimized. If no string is present, or if
the attribute is set to no, a normal volume level backup is performed.
To add this string, perform the following steps:
1. From the NetWorker Administration window, select the Protection menu.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Clients, right-click the client, and then select Modify Client Properties.
3. On the client Properties text box, select the Apps & Modules tab.
4. In the Save operations field, enter the string and attribute setting and then click OK.
In an unoptimized data deduplication backup, all files are rehydrated before the back up is performed. The deduplication
chunk store directory is not backed up.
Windows dedup backups, either optimized or unoptimized, will be corrupt if they are backed up with VSS off.

Reasons to create an unoptimized data deduplication volume backup include:

● Support restores of a Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 backups to an earlier version of Windows Server.
● Support restores of a Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 backups to a non-Windows computer.

Full volume restore to original path on the original computer

NetWorker supports a restore to the original volume mount path on the original server. All optimized files newer than the backup
time of the restore save sets are rehydrated to prevent data loss.
When a deduplicated CSV volume is restored, CSV ownership is moved to the cluster node where the restore is being
performed. This ensures that deduplication jobs and data access can be disabled during the restore process. The CSV is
assigned back to original ownership when the restore is complete.

Full volume restore to original path on a different computer

NetWorker supports a restore of a data deduplication backup from one computer to the same volume mount path on another
compatible computer. Part of this type of restore includes validation checks to ensure that Windows Server 2012 or Windows
Server 2012 R2 is installed on the target computer and that the deduplication role is enabled.
You can manually reformat the volume, but this is not a requirement for NetWorker. The restore can only take place if the
volume does not have a pre-existing chunk store. Additionally, the volume will be enabled for data deduplication after the restore
is complete.

Support for save set restore of level FULL backups

A save set restore of a FULL backup is identical to a full volume restore with the following limitations:
● Limited to level Full backups in order to maintain chunk store integrity.
● Limited to volume level restores to the same path on the same computer where the backup was performed.
● No support for selective file restores due to insufficient information about the save set’s restore context.
● No support for save set recovery of a Windows Optimized Deduplication volume backup. If you see the following sample
error message, perform either a complete save set restore or select files to restore to an alternate location:
Failed to recover save sets: Unable to relocate a Windows deduplication save set, so
will not recover save set 123xxxxxxx. Either restore the whole save set to its original
location or select the files to restore to an alternate location using the Recover
operation.
In the preceding sample error message, "123xxxxxxx" represents the save set ID.

Backing Up Data 275

File level restore
File level restore is performed if the volume to be restored is a subset of the original volume or if the restore is to a different
volume. All files are restored in rehydrated form. The data deduplication meta data and chunk stores are not restored. For file
level restores, the system account of the host where the restore is performed has to be a member of the NetWorker server's
NetWorker Operators User Group. For example, if you are performing a dedup file level restore on host1, add system@host1 to
the group.
NOTE: If an optimized deduplication restore is aborted, it is likely to have mismatched reparse point and chunk store
entries. This restored volume is not a valid restore. You must restore the backup again and allow the restore process to
complete.

Windows Data Deduplication Volume Best Practices

Review the following information, which describes the recommended best practices when you backup volumes that have
Windows data deduplication enabled.
● A full backup should be performed immediately after deduplication has been enabled on a volume.
● Windows performs garbage collection on the chunk store of each deduplicated volume to remove no-longer-used chunks. By
default, a garbage collection job is scheduled weekly for data deduplicated volumes. A full backup should be scheduled to run
after garbage collection, because the garbage collection job may result in many changes in the chunk store, as a result of file
deletions since the last garbage collection job.
● If there is significant chunk store container activity, control the size of incremental backups by limiting the frequency of
Windows deduplication optimization jobs.
● Avoid performing extremely large file level restores. If a large percentage of a volume is restored, it is more time efficient to
restore the entire volume. Because file level restores recover files in rehydrated form, a file level restore that includes many
files might take up more space than is available on the volume.
● If a large file level restore is to be performed, first perform a full backup of the volume in its current state.
● When you choose to unoptimize many files at once from an optimized deduplication backup, the process can take a
significant period of time. The selected files restore feature is best used to restore a moderate number of files. If most of
a volume is to be restored, a full volume restore is a preferred solution. If a small amount of data needs to be skipped, that
data can be moved to a temporary storage area, then back to its original location after the volume level restore is completed.

Recommended Deduplication Workloads

Based on recommendations by Microsoft, the ideal workloads for data deduplication include:
● General file shares: Group content publication/sharing, user home folders and profile redirection (offline files)
● Software deployment shares: Software binaries, images, and updates
● VHD libraries: VHD file storage for provisioning to hypervisors
For NetWorker, AFTD device directories are good candidates for deduplication. AFTD directories contain a large number of
redundant data blocks, which in general are infrequently accessed.

Short filenames
You can back up and recover the short filenames that are automatically assigned by the Windows filename mapping feature.
Windows filename mapping is an operating system feature in which each file or folder with a name that does not conform to the
MS-DOS 8.3 naming standard is automatically assigned a second name that does. For example, a directory named Microsoft
Office might be assigned a second name of MICROS~2.
Backup and recovery of short filenames is disabled by default to improve performance. To enable backup and recovery of short
filenames on a client, select the Short filenames checkbox on the Globals (2 of 2) tab of the Client Properties dialog box
for the client resource.
You must enable diagnostic mode view by selecting View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration window to access the
Short filenames checkbox.

Volume mount points

You can back up and restore data available through a volume mount point (or mount point) on a Windows client.
Assigning a drive letter to a mount point is optional. Many disk volumes can be linked into a single directory tree, with a single
drive letter assigned to the root of the host volume.

276 Backing Up Data

To include mount points in scheduled backups for a client, specify the host volume and each mount point in the Save set
attribute on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for the Client resource. For example, to back up a single
mount point on drive D:\ and all its data, type D:\mount_point_name in the Save set attribute.
To include nested mount points in scheduled backups, either use the ALL save set or specify the host volume and the full path
to each mount point. For example, to back up three nested mount points and their data on drive D:\, type the following values
in the Save set attribute:
D:\mount_point_name1
D:\mount_point_name1\mount_point_name2
D:\mount_point_name1\mount_point_name2\ mount_point_name3

To include mount points in a manual backup with the NetWorker User program, select the checkbox next to the mount point
name within the host volume entry in the Backup window.
To perform a manual backup of nested mount points and their data, perform a separate backup for each mount point. When you
select a mount point in the Backup window, all files, directories, and nested mount points beneath the mount point are selected
by default. Before you start the backup, clear the checkboxes next to any nested mount points. Then perform separate backups
for the nested mount points.

Windows file system backups

You can configure NetWorker to use VSS technology to backup file systems on a Windows host. You can recover individual file
system objects from a VSS backup.

Overview of VSS
If the NetWorker Module for Microsoft is installed on the client computer, information in this chapter might be superseded by
information in the NetWorker Module for Microsoft documentation. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Administration Guide
provides more information about the NetWorker Module for Microsoft.
Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is a Microsoft technology that acts as a coordinator among all the components that create,
archive, modify, back up, and restore data, including:
● The operating system
● Storage hardware
● Applications
● Utility or backup programs, such as NetWorker software
VSS allows for the creation of a point-in-time snapshot, or temporary copy, of a volume. Instead of backing up data directly
from the physical file system, data is backed up from the snapshot. In addition, VSS allows for a single, point-in-time capture of
the system state.
NetWorker uses VSS technology to create snapshot backups of volumes and exact copies of files, including all open files.
Databases and files that are open due to operator or system activity are backed up during a volume shadow copy. In this way,
files that have changed during the backup process are copied correctly.
Shadow copy (snapshot) backups ensure that:
● Applications can continue to write data to the volume during a backup.
● Open files are not omitted during a backup.
● Backups can be performed at any time, without locking out users.
NOTE: VSS backups do not use snapshot policies, which are required to perform snapshot backups. The NetWorker
Snapshot Management Integration Guide documentation provides more information.

VSS and the backup process

In VSS terms, NetWorker software is a requestor — an application that needs data from other applications or services. When a
requestor needs data from an application or service, this process occurs:
1. The requestor asks for this information from VSS.
2. VSS reviews the request for validity.
3. If the request is valid and the specified application has the requested data, the request goes to the application-specific
writer, which prepares the requested data.

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Each application and service that supports VSS has its own writer, which understands how the application or service works:
1. After the writer signals that it has prepared the data, VSS directs the writer to freeze I/O to the selected volumes, queuing
it for later processing.
2. VSS then calls a provider to capture the requested data.
3. The provider, which is either software-based or associated with particular hardware (for example, a disk array), captures the
prepared data, creating a snapshot (or shadow copy) that exists side-by-side with the live volume. Provider support on page
278 contains more information.
The process of creating a snapshot involves interaction with the operating system. The amount of time it takes to create a
snapshot depends on a number of factors, including the writer activity taking place at the time. Once the snapshot is created,
the provider signals VSS, which tells the writer to resume activity. I/O is released to the selected volumes and any queued
writes that arrived during the provider's work are processed.
The following figure provides a graphical representation of the VSS backup process.

Figure 49. VSS backup process

1. NetWorker software (the requestor) asks VSS to enumerate writers and gather their metadata.
2. Writers provide an XML description of backup components and define the recover method.
3. VSS asks which providers can support a snapshot for each of the required volumes.
4. Requestor asks VSS to createsnapshot.
5. VSS tells the writers to freeze activity.
6. VSS tells the providers to create the snapshot of the current state on disk.

Provider support
By default, the NetWorker client always chooses the Windows VSS system provider for backups. If you want to use a hardware
provider or a specific software provider for a particular NetWorker client, enter the following command in the NetWorker client
resource Save Operations attribute:
VSS:VSS_ALLOW_DEFAULT_PROVIDER=yes
When the previous command is specified for a NetWorker client, a backup provider is selected based on the following default
criteria as specified by Microsoft:

278 Backing Up Data

1. If a hardware provider that supports the given volume on the NetWorker client is available, it is selected.
2. If no hardware provider is available, then if any software provider specific to the given NetWorker client volume is available,
it is selected.
3. If no hardware provider and no software provider specific to the volumes is available, the Microsoft VSS system provider is
selected.
Controlling VSS from NetWorker software on page 279 provides more information about specifying VSS commands for a
NetWorker client. VSS commands on page 280 provides information about other VSS commands.
NOTE: Windows Bare Metal Recovery backups always use the Windows VSS system provider even if the
VSS:VSS_ALLOW_DEFAULT_PROVIDER=yes command is specified for the NetWorker client resource.

Troubleshooting hardware providers

If you have specified the VSS:VSS_ALLOW_DEFAULT_PROVIDER=yes command as described in Provider support on page 278
and the hardware provider and NetWorker are incompatible, try one of the following workarounds:
● Uninstall the hardware provider.
● Migrate any data that is backed up by the NetWorker client to a disk LUN (Logical Unit Number), such as C:\, that is not
controlled by a hardware provider. In this way, the NetWorker client will backup all data using the software provider.
Be aware that if the NetWorker Module for Microsoft is installed on the client host, then the previously mentioned workarounds
may not be required. Refer to the NetWorker Module for Microsoft documentation for details.

The importance of writers

Writers play an important role in correctly backing up data. They provide metadata information about what data to back up, and
specific methods for correctly handling components and applications during backup and restore. They also identify the type of
application or service that is being backed up. Writers do not play a role in backing up the file system.
Writers are currently only available for active services or applications. If a service or application is present on a system but is not
active, information from its writer is not available. Consequently, a writer can appear or disappear from backup to backup.
Also, NetWorker software maintains a list of supported writers in the NSRLA database of the client computer. When backing up
data, the software checks to ensure that these conditions exist:
● The writer that is associated with the application is present on the system and active.
● The writer appears on the list of supported writers in the NSRLA database.
● A user has not disabled the writer.
If these conditions are all true for a particular writer, NetWorker software defaults to backing up data by using VSS technology.
If any of the conditions are false for a particular writer, the data that is served by that writer is excluded from the backup
operation.

List of supported writers

During a VSS backup operation, NetWorker software validates each writer against a list of supported writers. As part of a
software release, or between releases, there may be updates to the list of supported writers. The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator
provides a list of the currently supported writers.

Controlling VSS from NetWorker software

By default, NetWorker uses VSS technology to back up a client. For VSS SYSTEM save sets, this means NetWorker software
uses VSS for most save sets and writers. For the file system, this means the software tries to take a snapshot of each drive, but
if it fails, then it saves the file system by using the legacy method (that is, no snapshot is taken). During a particular backup for
an individual client, either the VSS method or the legacy method is used, but not both.
There may be times when you need finer control over how NetWorker software uses VSS. For example, if you must disable VSS.
You can control VSS from the Administration window, the NetWorker User program, or the command prompt.

Controlling VSS from the Administration window

1. From the Administration window, click Protection.
2. Click Clients.

Backing Up Data 279

3. Right-click the client for which you want to control VSS, then select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears, with
the General tab displayed.
4. Click the Apps & Modules tab.
5. In the Save Operations attribute, type the command, then click OK.
● Separate multiple commands with a semicolon (;).
● If the Save Operations attribute is left blank, NetWorker software backs up data by using VSS.

Notes:
● The Save Operations attribute does not support NetWorker Module save sets. If a NetWorker Module save set name is
entered in the window, the backup fails.
● If you enter a VSS command in the Save Operations attribute of the Administration window, the command runs when the
client backup is started as part of a save set.
● Use the Save Operations attribute only for clients running NetWorker software release 7.2 or later. If anything is entered in
this attribute for a client that is running an earlier NetWorker software release, the backup will fail.

Control VSS from the command-prompt

You can control VSS from the command-prompt on a NetWorker client or the NMC server by using the -o option and the Save
Operations commands, but only while performing a save, savefs, or nsrarchive operation.
For example, to completely disable VSS while backing up C:\myfile to the server jupiter, type:
save -s jupiter -o "vss:*=off" "C:\myfile"

Although the server name is not required in the preceding command example, include the name to ensure that the save
command finds the correct server. Separate multiple Save Operations commands with a semicolon (;).
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides more information about the save, savefs, and nsrarchive commands.
NOTE: If you change the VSS setting on a client by using the Local Save Operations dialog box or the command prompt,
it does not affect that client’s VSS setting on the server. Likewise, if you change a client’s VSS setting on the server, it
does not affect the Local Save Operations setting or the command-prompt VSS setting on the client.

Globally disabling VSS

Use the nsradmin program to disable VSS for all clients running on Windows operating system.
To disable VSS for all NetWorker clients, perform the following steps:
1. Log in as root or as Windows Administrator on the NetWorker server.
2. Create an input text file. For example, create a file that is named disable-vss-nt.txt and type the following into the
file:
3. Create a text file that is named disable-vss.txt , and then type the following into the file:

show name; client OS type; Save operations

print type: NSR client; client OS type: "Windows NT Server on Intel"
update Save operations: "VSS\:*=off"
print

4. Run the nsradmin command and specify the input file.

Type the following command at the command prompt:
nsradmin -i <path>\disable-vss.txt

Where <path> is the directory location of the input file.

VSS commands
This section lists the commands and syntax that are used to control VSS.

280 Backing Up Data

Table 72. VSS Save operation attribute values
Task Save operations attribute Behavior
To enable VSS. Blank Leaving the attribute empty results in
NetWorker software automatically using
VSS.
To completely disable VSS. VSS:*=off VSS backups will not occur and backing
up the following save sets for a
NetWorker client resource yields these
results:
● DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set

Backup fails at the beginning of

backup operation.
● All save set

Backups fail.
To use a hardware provider or a specific VSS:VSS_ALLOW_DEFAULT_PROVIDE A backup provider is selected based on
software provider for a NetWorker client R=yes the following default Microsoft criteria:
backup.
If a hardware provider that supports
the particular volume on the NetWorker
client is available, it is selected.

If no hardware provider is available,

then if any software provider specific to
the particular NetWorker client volume is
available, it is selected.

If no hardware provider and no

software provider specific to the
volumes
is available, the Microsoft VSS system
provider is selected.
Windows Bare Metal recovery
backups always use the Windows VSS
system provider even if the
VSS:VSS_ALLOW_DEFAULT_
PROVIDER=yes command is specified
for the NetWorker client resource.
Windows Bare Metal Recovery on page
281
provides more information about
Windows
Bare Metal recovery backups.

Windows Bare Metal Recovery

You can configure a Windows Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) backup on a Windows host. NetWorker Windows BMR is an
automated recovery solution that uses the Windows ASR writer and other Microsoft VSS writers to identify critical volumes and
perform a full recovery on a target host. You cannot recover individual file system objects from a Windows BMR backup.

Terminology
The following list provides a description of typical Windows BMR backup and recovery terminology. The road map indicates
which steps you must perform before you try a Windows BMR recovery.
This chapter uses the following terms to describe NetWorker support for Windows BMR technology:

Bare Metal The operation that restores the operating system and data on a host after a catastrophic failure, such
Recovery (BMR) as a hard disk failure or the corruption of critical operating system components. A BMR is an automated

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 process that does not require the manual installation of an operating system. NetWorker provides an
automated BMR solution for Windows that uses the Windows ASR writer and other Microsoft VSS
writers to identify critical volumes and perform a full recovery on a disabled computer.
Offline recovery A restore operation that is performed from the NetWorker Windows BMR boot image. A BMR recovery is
an offline recovery. You cannot select specific files or save sets to recover during an offline recovery. You
must perform an offline recover to the same or similar hardware.
Online recovery A restore operation that is performed from the NetWorker User interface or recover command. An online
recovery requires you to start the computer from an installed operating system and enables you to
recover only specific files or save sets. The topic Recovering file system data provides more information
about online recoveries.
Application data User data that an application creates, such as log files or a database. For example, the application data of
a SQL server includes databases and log files. You cannot use Windows BMR to recover the application
data. You must back up and recover application data with NetWorker Module for Microsoft (NMM).
ASR writer The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) writer that identifies the critical data that NetWorker must back
up to perform an offline recovery.
Boot A data store that contains a description of the boot applications and boot application settings that
Configuration start the Windows operating system. To perform an offline recovery, you must back up this ASR writer
Data (BCD) component.
Critical volume One of the following:
● Any volume that contains files for an installed service. The volume can be mounted as an NTFS
directory. Exchange 2010 is an example of an installed service, but the Exchange database and log
files are not considered critical.
● Any parent volume with a mounted critical volume.
NOTE: NetWorker considers all volumes on all dynamic disks critical if at least one of the volumes
is critical.
A Windows BMR recovery requires a current backup of all critical volumes.

Recovery The restoration of the operating system and data for a host after a catastrophic failure, such as a hard
disk failure or the corruption of critical operating system components. The recovery operation might be an
offline recovery (Windows BMR) or an online recovery.
NetWorker A bootable image that contains the NetWorker binaries and a wizard to control the Windows BMR
Windows BMR recovery process.
image
Non-critical A volume that contains user data and does not contain installed applications that run as a service.
volume
System State All the files that belong to VSS writers with a usage type of BootableSystemState or SystemService. You
data require these files to perform an offline recovery.
User data Data that users generate, typically for the purposes of a business function. For example, a Microsoft
Word document or an Excel spreadsheet. Windows BMR does not back up or recover user data unless the
data resides on a critical volume. The simplest way to back up all user data is to specify the keyword All in
the backup save set of the client resource. You can recover user data online at any time (on demand) or
after a Windows BMR recovery operation.
WinPE A bootable stripped-down version of the Windows operating system. The NetWorker Windows BMR
image contains a customized WinPE with NetWorker binaries and a wizard to control the offline recovery
process. WinPE does not support writers, except for the ASR writer. Therefore, VSS writers are not
available with a NetWorker Windows BMR.

Overview of Windows Bare Metal Recovery (BMR)

Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) is data recovery and restoration where the backed up data is available in a form that allows you
to restore a system from bare metal, that is, without any requirements as to previously installed software or operating system.
Typically, the backed up data includes the necessary operating system, applications, and data components to rebuild or restore
the backed up system to an entirely separate piece of hardware. The hardware receiving the restore should have a similar
configuration as that of the hardware that was the source of the backup. The basic BMR is the process of bringing up a server

282 Backing Up Data

after a disaster and ensuring that the system recovers with the operating system, the applications, and the data as they were at
the time of the failure.
NetWorker Windows BMR is an automated recovery solution that uses the Windows ASR writer and other Microsoft VSS
writers to identify critical volumes and perform a full recovery on a target host.
NetWorker Windows BMR supports file system backup and recovery of critical volumes. NetWorker Module for Microsoft
(NMM) supports application data backup and recovery. Additional backup and recovery procedures are required to backup and
restore application data. The NMM documentation provides specific instructions on how to backup and recover applications.
You can use Windows BMR to recover a backup from a physical host. You can also use Windows BMR to recover a VMware
virtual machine or VMware CD to a physical host, VMware virtual machine, or a VMware CD.
NetWorker uses a special save set called DISASTER_RECOVERY:\, a subset of the ALL save set, to backup all the data that is
required to perform a Windows BMR. NetWorker performs the BMR backup while the Windows operating system is active. You
can recover an offline BMR backup without first reinstalling the Windows operating system. This action prevents problems that
can occur when you restore operating system files to a running version of Windows.
To support a NetWorker Windows BMR recovery, download the Windows BMR image from Online Support website. This image
enables you to create a bootable Windows BMR ISO that contains NetWorker binaries and a wizard, which controls the recovery
process.

NOTE: The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides more information about operating systems support for Windows BMR.

Components of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set

The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains a group of component save sets that are required to perform a Windows BMR
recovery. A full backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains the following components:
● All critical volumes.
● WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\ (a subset of the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ and ALL save sets).
● System Reserved partition.
● UEFI partition (if available).
NetWorker supports full and incremental backup levels of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. Also, when the Windows
BMR recovery operation recovers data from an incremental backup, the recovery operation recovers all incremental backups.
The first time NetWorker performs a backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, NetWorker performs a level Full
backup, regardless of the level that is defined for the backup.
When you configure a level Incremental backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, NetWorker backs up some
components of the save set at a level Full, and other components at an Incremental level.
The following table summarizes the backup level of each save set component of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, when
you perform an incremental backup:

Table 73. DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ components in an incremental backup

Save set Backup level
Critical volumes Incremental
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\ Incremental
UEFI partitions Full
System reserved partition Full

During an incremental backup, the backup operation checks both the modification time and the archive bit to determine if a file
must be backed up. The backup operation ignores the archive bit when you assign the nsr_avoid_archive variable a value of Yes
on the client host. As a result, NetWorker only uses the modification time to determine which files to back up.
Use the environment variable nsr_avoid_archive with caution. If you use the environment variable nsr_avoid_archive, test the
BMR backup image to ensure that you can recover the Windows system state correctly. Performing a BMR recovery to a
physical computer provides more information on validating the BMR backup image.
A Windows BMR recovery requires a successful backup of each component save set in the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save
set. If one component of the save set fails, then the backup operation fails. For a scheduled backup, NetWorker retries the
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ backup. The number of retries that NetWorker performs is based on the value that is defined in the
client retries attribute of the protection group that the Client resource is assigned to.

Backing Up Data 283

 NOTE: In NMC Administration GUI, the Log tab of the Monitoring window, or the Save Set tab of the Media window
displays each component save set of a DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ backup.

Critical volumes
This topic describes critical volumes and the associated management tools.
NetWorker considers a volume as critical when it contains files for an installed Windows service. NetWorker also considers the
following volumes as critical and will include the volumes in a DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ backup:
● A non-critical volume that has a critical volume mounted on it, or a non-critical volume that serves as a parent to a critical
volume.
● All volumes on a dynamic disk when one of the volumes critical. If one disk in a dynamic disk pack is critical, then NetWorker
must treat all disks in that pack as critical. This can substantially increase the number of disks that NetWorker includes in the
BMR backup. It is recommended that you do not install services on a dynamic disk.
NOTE: By default, the Windows 2012 System Writer does not report Win32 Service Files as a part of systems components.
As a result, the volumes that contain Win32 Service Files are not considered critical and the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save
set will not include a volume that contains files for an installed service. To configure the Windows 2012 server to report
Win32 Service Files as a part of system components, set the ReportWin32ServicesNonSystemState registry sub key to 0.
Microsoft KB article 2792088 provides more information.
A Windows BMR backup does not back up the following files on a critical volume:
● Files listed in the FilesNotToBackup registry key.
● Files excluded by system writers.
● Files that an application VSS writer backs up. For example, Exchange databases. Use NetWorker Module for Microsoft
Applications (NMM) to backup these files.

Excluded critical volumes during a Windows BMR backup

A NetWorker Windows BMR backup excludes critical volumes based on the operating system, disk types, configuration and
installation of your computer.
Install applications with third-party services on the system disk, or a disk that already has other services installed. To identify the
disks that contain third-party services, use the utility, list writers detailed command.
NetWorker excludes a volume from a backup when one of the following Windows application service is installed on the host:
● Storage Spaces volume
● Cluster volume
● Cluster Shared Volume
NOTE: To ensure that you can recover all required files, perform a file system backup of any excluded disk.

Displaying a list of the critical volumes

To view a list of the critical volumes for a NetWorker client, type the NetWorker command save -o VSS:LCV=yes from the
command line on the client host.
For example:

NetWorker_install_path\bin>save -o VSS:LCV=yes

Output similar to the following appears:

The following volumes are determined as critical by the system
state writers:
C:\ (disk num 0)
i:\mount\ (disk num 7)
The following volumes are critical because they are parents for
one or more mounted critical volumes:
i:\ (disk num 2)
The following volumes are critical because they are in the
same dynamic disk pack with one or more critical volumes:
H:\ (disk num 4,5)
i:\ (disk num 2)

284 Backing Up Data

WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set
The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set was introduced in NetWorker 8.1 and replaces the VSS SYSTEM BOOT,
VSS SYSTEM FILESET and VSS SYSTEM SERVICES save sets. The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set contains the
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set as a component save set.
The WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set contains:
● Data that are associated with the roles and features that are installed on the Windows server.
● Metadata that represents the volume data which the ALL or DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set backs up.
Before backing up the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set, consider the following:
● Block Based Backups (BBB) do not support the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set.
● You cannot restore the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set simultaneously with data from a file system backup. If
you must recover data from both the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES backup and a file system backup, restore the file
system data first, and then restore the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES data.
● The NetWorker software automatically backs up AD as a component of the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets.
An AD backup or restore includes the AD log files, database, patch files, and expiry token.
● You can perform an online recovery of the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set to recover the Active Directory,
DFSR, or Windows Server Failover Cluster services. The topic Online recovery of Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster service
provides more information.
● If you cancel a deduplication recovery, the state of the recovered data is not reliable and may contain corrupted data. To
ensure that the recovery is correct, restart the deduplication recovery process.
● The backup operation only confirms that the VSS System Writer exists on the target host. If the backup operation does not
detect the writer, the backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ or ALL save set fails. The backup operation does not track
and report any other missing VSS writers.
● You can perform a component level granular restore of the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set with a command
line recover or the NetWorker User application. For example, you can recover the system state and replication folders
separately. You cannot use the NMC Recovery UI to perform a component level restore.
● Do not restore the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES system state multiple times in succession without restarting the
computer as required. If you do not restart the computer, you can put the system in an unreliable operational state.
NOTE: The NetWorker 8.2 and later clients can only recover WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets. If you try to
recover a VSS System State save set that was created with a NetWorker 8.0 SP1 client or earlier, then the Windows host
will not function correctly. To recover VSS system state save sets that are created with a NetWorker 8.0 SP1 or earlier
backup, use the NetWorker 8.0 SP1 or earlier client to create a backup. It is recommended that you restore the WINDOWS
ROLES AND FEATURES save set from a NetWorker 8.1 or later backup.

The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set

The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set is available for Windows clients.
The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set backs up critical volumes, UEFI, the system reserved partition, and WINDOWS ROLES
AND FEATURES.
The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set does not include data for clusters, Active Directory, DFS-R, and Windows Server
Failover Cluster.
Checkpoint restart is not supported for backups of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. If you enable checkpoint restart
for a client with the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, then the setting is quietly ignored for the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\
save set. The save set is marked with a cb flag instead of a k flag, indicating that the checkpoint is not considered for
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\.
The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set is also in the ALL save set.

UEFI Partition Support

NetWorker supports a backup and recovery of unmounted Unified Extensible Firmware Interface () partitions on hosts that use
a supported . The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides more information about support operating systems.
The topic Performing a Windows BMR recovery to a physical computer describes how to perform a Windows BMR of a
computer that has UEFI partitions.

Backing Up Data 285

The following list summarizes the properties of a UEFI partition backup:
● NetWorker can backup an unmounted partition.
● NetWorker uses the following path pattern to backup the UEFI partitions:
\\<root>\Device\HarddiskVolume#
where # is the number of the volume.
● The DISASTER_RECOVERY \: save set contains a backup of the UEFI partitions.
● NetWorker always performs a level Full backup of UEFI partitions, regardless of the backup level of the
DISASTER_RECOVERY \: save set.
● NetWorker does not index the UEFI partitions or make the UEFI partitions available for online recoveries.
After a successful BMR restore, a host that uses UEFI might fail to start. This can occur when the UEFI boot manager does
not have a valid Boot Order entry, for example, when you delete the Boot Order entry or restore the Windows BMR backup to
different hardware. In these situations, the operating system recreates the Boot Order entry during a restart operation but may
not use the same path.
To resolve this issue, load Boot Manager and select Boot from the File menu to correct the Boot Order entry.

Boot Configuration Data

In earlier versions of the Windows operating system, the BOOT directory was present in the system drive. In Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2, a hidden, unmounted system-reserved partition
can be present, and the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store is on this partition. The BCD store contains the boot configuration
parameters and controls the computer boot environment.
The NetWorker Windows client backs up the system reserved partition and the BCD store only for Windows offline Bare Metal
Recovery (BMR). During a Windows offline BMR backup, NetWorker checks the type of operating system. If it is Windows 7,
Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2, NetWorker assigns a GUID to the partition and
performs the backup of the BCD. The BCD partition does not need to be mounted for the backup to occur. If the BCD partition
is not mounted, the backup is not indexed. The save set name is GLOBALROOT/xxxxxx/.
The BCD can only be restored as part of offline BMR. Online recovery of the BCD is not available. Consult Microsoft
documentation for using the BCDEdit tool to save copies of BCD before making Boot Configuration Data changes.

Windows Server 2012 Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV)

NetWorker does not support Windows Server 2012 Cluster Shared Volumes () as a critical volume. If a CSV disk is marked as a
NetWorker critical disk, then the Windows BMR backup reports a warning, and continues to perform the backup operation as if
the CSV is not on the critical list. NetWorker does not backup the CSV because a CSV cannot reside in the same shadow copy
set with a local volumes.
Applications such as SQL Server and Hyper-V in a Windows Continuous Availability scenario using CSV are not supported.
The NetWorker Cluster Integration Guide provides more details.

Windows Server 2012 Storage Spaces

NetWorker Windows BMR does not support the backup and recovery of critical System State data that are on virtual disks.
A NetWorker BMR backup skips all critical volume data that are on Storage Spaces and does not add the volume to the BMR
critical volume list.
A BMR recovery cannot recover critical volume data on Storage Spaces. If the Storage Pool disks that compose a Storage
Spaces virtual disk are not damaged, a recovery operation to the original computer will mount the Storage Pool virtual disks
after the critical volume recovery operation completes.
NOTE: It is recommended that you detach the physical disks that Storage Spaces use when you recover critical volumes,
and then reattach the physical disks after recovery. A Window BMR recovery operation can overwrite data on attached
Storage Spaces disks.
The topic Windows Storage Pools considerations describes how to perform a Windows BMR recovery of Storage Spaces to a
new computer.

286 Backing Up Data

 NOTE: To backup and recover data on virtual hard disks and volumes that are created by Storage Spaces, use NetWorker
file system backup and recovery operations.
A Windows BMR backup of a Windows 2012 host creates a file that is named OSSR_sysinfo.xml. The file is located in the
[root]\EMC NetWorker\nsr\tmp directory. This file captures pertinent information about the configuration of the backed
up host. For example:
● Host information (name, boot drive, BIOS, or EFI).
● NIC cards and their parameters.
● Disk information.
● Storage Spaces information.
The purpose of this file is to support the manual recreation of the Storage Spaces configuration following a BMR recovery.

Synthetic full backups

A synthetic full backup uses the most recent full and incremental backups to create a full backup without transferring any data
from the client. NetWorker performs all the work to synthesize a full backup on the NetWorker server. A synthetic full backup
gives you the benefits of a full backup, such as a faster restore, without having to perform a full backup.
The topic Synthetic full backups describes the synthetic full backup feature.
When a client backup includes the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, NetWorker will always backup volumes that
are identified as critical, at a level full. NetWorker will not create a synthetic full backup for critical volumes. The
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set is included during full backups when either the ALL or DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save
set is specified in the NetWorker Client resource.
Synthetic full backups with save set ALL
The save set attribute of the Client resource contains the ALL save set and the backup schedule includes a synthetic full
backup on Sundays. The NetWorker client host has four volumes: two are critical, and two are non-critical.
● C:\ and E:\ are critical volumes.
● F:\ and G:\ are non-critical volumes.
On Sundays, NetWorker performs a backup of the following save sets:
● C:\ — At a true level full backup level.
● E:\ — At a true level full backup level.
● F:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.
● G:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.
● DISASTER_RECOVERY:\— At a true level full backup level.
Synthetic full backups with file system save sets
The save set attribute of the Client resource contains a list of all volumes and the backup schedule includes a synthetic full
backup on Sundays. The save set attribute does not contain the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. The NetWorker client host
has four volumes: two are critical, and two are non-critical.
● C:\ and E:\ are critical volumes.
● F:\ and G:\ are non-critical volumes.
On Sundays, NetWorker performs a backup of the following save sets:
● C:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.
● E:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.
● F:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.
● G:\ — At a synthetic full backup level.

Online recovery of Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster services

The DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set includes the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component save set. You can recover
the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES backup in an online recovery operation, to a host that uses the same Windows
operating system instance. NetWorker 8.2 and higher support the online recovery of the following Windows services, which the
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component contains:

Active Directory SolVe Desktop provides procedures that describe how to recover this service.

Backing Up Data 287

Distributed The topic, Backing Up and Restoring a Microsoft DFS, provides more information.
File System
Replication
(DFSR)
Cluster SolVe Desktop provides procedures that describe how to recover this service.

NetWorker does not support the online recovery of any other Windows service that the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES
save set contains. Unsupported online recovery of WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES components results in an inconsistent
state of the Windows server.
NOTE: When you perform an online recovery, you cannot mark the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set and use
the Required Volumes option. To determine the volume that contains the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set
that you want to restore, mark the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set, then use the Required Volumes option. After you
determine the required volumes, unmark the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set and mark the WINDOWS ROLES AND
FEATURES save set.

Windows BMR Planning

This section provides guidelines on how to plan your Windows BMR backups.

Requirements for Windows BMR backup and restore

The BMR recovery process restores the operating system that was installed on the source host. If you perform a BMR recovery
to a different host with different hardware, after the recovery operation and restart completes, Windows prompts you to install
the required drivers.
Before you perform a BMR recovery to a different host, ensure that you meet the following requirements:
● The source and target hosts use the same processor architecture.
● The hardware on the target host is operational.
● The target host has a minimum of 512 MB of RAM.
● The target host startup hard disk capacity must be larger or the same size as on the source host, regardless of the amount
of space actually in use. If the disk is smaller by a single byte, BMR fails.
NOTE: Verify whether the source critical volumes are part of a larger physical disk. If critical volumes are on a larger
physical disk, all target critical volumes must be large enough to accommodate the entire underlying physical disk. Use
the Windows Disk Management utility to verify disk configuration and size.
● The number of disks on the target host is greater than or equal to the number of disks there were on the source host. The
disk LUN numbering on the target host must match the disk LUN numbering on the source host.
● The RAID configuration on the target host should match the disk order of the hard disks.
● The disk or RAID drivers that are used on the source system must be compatible with the disk or RAID controllers in the
target system. The recovery process restores the backup to the same logical disk number that was used by the source host.
You cannot restore the operating system to another hard disk.
● Windows BMR supports IDE, SATA, or SCSI hard disks. You can make the backup on one type of hard disk and recover on
another type of hard disk. For example, SAS to SATA is supported.
● The target system can access the Windows BMR image as a bootable CD/DVD volume or from a network start location.
● The target system has the NIC or storage device drivers installed that match the NIC.
NOTE: All NIC or storage device drivers must not require a restart to complete the driver installation process. If the
drivers require a restart, then the BMR recovery process fails and prompts you to install the drivers again.

Save set configuration by host type

This section describes the attributes of save sets that are used by Windows BMR. This information helps you select the correct
save set configuration for the computer and operating system.
The following table lists the save sets to back up, depending on the Windows host to be protected.

288 Backing Up Data

Table 74. Save set configuration for a specific host
To back up this host Specify these save sets in the client Considerations
resource Save Set attribute
A host or file server ● Specify the save set All in the NetWorker ● WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES must be
that is not a Microsoft Client resource. backed up.
Application server ● By default, the save set All includes the ● WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save
DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set and all of sets are recovered in a Windows BMR
the local physical drives. operation and are also available for
online recovery. WINDOWS ROLES AND
FEATURES save sets should only be
recovered online as part of an Active
Directory, DFSR, or Windows Server Failover
Cluster online recovery.
A host that is a ● Specify the ALL save set in the Save set ● Use the Windows BMR Wizard to recover
Microsoft Application attribute in the NetWorker Client resource. the data contained in the DISASTER
server. For example, ● Use NMM to back up the application RECOVERY:\ save set.
a Microsoft Exchange databases. The NMM provides details. ● Use NMM to recover the application
Server, Microsoft SQL databases.
Server, Hyper-V, or
Microsoft SharePoint
Server

Best Practices for Windows BMR

The following sections outline best practices for Windows BMR.

Perform regular backups

Perform a full backup that contains the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set regularly and after any you install, remove or
update any system components. For example, when you add, change, or remove Windows roles and features, or install Windows
updates and service packs.
NetWorker will automatically back up the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set when you specify the ALL save set in the Save
Set attribute of the NetWorker Client resource.

Capture disk configuration changes for Windows BMR

The NetWorker BMR recovery operation uses the Microsoft ASR writer to reconstruct a disk configuration. The ASR writer
is sensitive to the disk numbers and disk configuration of the original host. NetWorker saves this disk information during a
Windows BMR backup and uses the disk configuration information to perform the recovery. After you reconfigure any disk on a
host, reboot the host and then perform a Windows BMR backup to ensure that NetWorker captures the new disk configuration.
Examples of a disk reconfiguration include the addition or removal of a disk or partition.

Mixing critical and non-critical volumes on a physical disk

Windows allows you to partition a physical disk into multiple volumes. These volumes can be either critical or non-critical,
depending on the type of data that they contain. During a Windows BMR recovery operation, the ASR writer can re-create
and format a partition, including non-critical partitions. If the ASR writer formats a non-critical partition, the use of an online
recovery is required to recover data on the non-critical partitions. Recovering the Data describes how to perform an online
recovery.

NOTE: Do not mix critical and non-critical volumes on the same physical disk.

Considerations for NetWorker user defined directives

Use user defined directives, such as nsr.dir, with caution. When you use directives in directories where system state and
installed services data resides, the backup creates an incomplete BMR backup image and potentially render the BMR backup
image unusable. If you create user defined directives, test the BMR backup image to ensure that you can successfully perform a
BMR Recovery. Performing a Windows BMR recovery to a physical computer provides more information about testing the BMR
backup image.

Backing Up Data 289

Critical volume recommendations

Use the following practices to minimize the size of Windows BMR backups.
● Do not store non-critical data, such as MPEG files, on critical volumes.
● Consolidate critical volumes. For example, install services on the same disk.
● Do not mount critical volumes on a non-critical volume.

Windows BMR limitations and considerations

Review the following Windows BMR limitations and special considerations before you perform Windows BMR backup, clone and
recovery operations.

Disk configuration limitations

This sections describes disk configuration limitations in Windows BMR.

Dynamic disks
A BMR recovery does not bring dynamic disk volumes online. After the BMR recovery completes, use Windows Disk Manager to
bring the dynamic disks back online.

NTFS and ReFS

Only NTFS and ReFS file systems are recognized as critical volumes
Although the backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set fails, NetWorker will backup, the contents of the partition and
the data is available for an online recovery only.
To ensure a successful backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, install all services or application on an NTFS or ReFS
volume.

Critical volumes
Windows BMR only supports critical volumes on NTFS and ReFS partitions. This is a Microsoft ASR limitation. If a critical volume
is on a partition other than NTFS or ReFS, the backup of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set fails. A message similar to the
following appears in the policy.log file:
Disaster Recovery: critical volume volumename identified for disaster recovery backup has
a non-NTFS file system, filesystemname. Backups of non-NTFS critical volumes are not
supported.
NOTE: Windows BMR does not support FAT and FAT32 file systems as critical volumes.

HP ProLiant system considerations

You cannot recover from a Windows BMR backup on an HP ProLiant system when the HP i Provisioning Tool (IPT) 1.4 or 1.5
was used to configure an entire disk as a critical volume, such as the system partition.
To resolve this issue, shrink the logical volume before you perform the Windows BMR restore. The HP website contains a
customer advisory that describes the issue and the impact to Windows Bare Metal Recovery with Windows Server Backup. This
advisory and the resolution also applies to NetWorker Windows BMR critical volumes.

NOTE: It is recommended that you test your BMR solution before a disaster recovery is required.

Optimized deduplication backup considerations

Review this section before you configure backups that use optimized deduplication.
● You can recover a complete volume backup recovery to the original volume only if the backup was performed at a level Full.
● You cannot recover specific files from a level FULL or INCREMENTAL save set.
● You cannot perform a full volume recovery of a non-full level save set.
● You cannot recover data from an optimized and unoptimized deduplication backup when VSS is disabled. The backups that
NetWorker created are corrupt.

290 Backing Up Data

● You cannot cancel the recovery of an optimized deduplication backup to a deduplication volume. If the recovery process
is interrupted or fails, the destination volume becomes unusable. You must repeat the recovery process and the recovery
operation must complete successfully to prevent volume corruption.
● If the optimized deduplication recovery cannot successfully complete, you can perform a selected files restore of directories
from the optimized deduplication backup. This restores the directories' files to a rehydrated state, but will take significantly
more time.

Save set considerations

This topic describes limitations and considerations that relate to save sets.

Checkpoint restart backup for Windows DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set is not supported
The NetWorker software does not support a checkpoint restart backup for the Windows DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set.
When you enable the Checkpoint restart option for a Client resource that you configure to back up the DISASTER_RECOVERY:
\ save set, the backup fails.

Including DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ in multiple save sets

When you use specify multiple save sets with the save command, you must use the -N option to specify the symbolic name of
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, and specify the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ as the last save set in the save set list.
For example:
save.exe -s server -N "DISASTER_RECOVERY:\\" save_set1 save_set2 ... "DISASTER_RECOVERY:\\"

where:
save_set1 or save_set2 are unique save set names, such as a drive letter (f:\) or mount point (n:\mountpoint).

Monitoring save operations

When you monitor Windows BMR save operations, for example, by using the NetWorker Administration > Monitoring >
Sessions window, you might notice that the number of save sessions differ from the number of save sets that appear in the
Save set attribute of the Client resource. This is because NetWorker optimizes Windows BMR backups to generate the correct
number of Windows BMR backup sessions and save sets.

Cloning considerations
To clone a Windows BMR backup, ensure that you clone all of the critical volumes, DISASTER_RECOVERY:\, and WINDOWS
ROLES AND FEATURES save sets that were created during the backup operation. While you can clone individual save sets, you
cannot perform a successful BMR recovery unless you recover each save set that the backup operation created.
To ensure that you clone all of the BMR save sets, review the following information before you start a clone operation:
● When you use the automatic clone, you enable the Clone attribute on the group resource that contains the BMR client. The
automatic clone operation will clone all of the required save sets after the scheduled backup operation completes.
NOTE: Synchronize the NetWorker server and client host clocks before the backup operation to ensure that all of the
save sets are cloned.
● When you use the nsrclone command to perform a manual clone, ensure that you include the ssid/cloneid for each save
set. Use the mminfo or nsrinfo -v command to report all save set backups that occurred for the Windows client during
the save session. The Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about using the mminfo and nsrinfo
commands.
● When you use the schedule clone function, do not filter on other attributes such as save set name. Filter only by client name.
When you enable automatic cloning for a backup group that contains the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, synchronize
the clocks on the NetWorker server and client host clocks across the network to ensure that NetWorker clones all save sets.

Backing Up Data 291

Security considerations
This section describes security issues related to planning Windows BMR backup and recovery.

NetWorker support for Windows Encrypting File System (EFS)

This topic describes the behavior of EFA and BitLocker after you complete a BMR with NetWorker.
Windows BMR supports backup and recovery of files and folders encrypted with Windows Encrypting File System (EFS),
and volumes encrypted with BitLocker. After BMR, the EFS or BitLocker services might be running but the EFS encryption
attributes on files or folders must be re-enabled and BitLocker volumes must be re-encrypted. Consult Microsoft documentation
for steps to encrypt with EFS and BitLocker.
If a folder is encrypted in Windows, for example, by selecting Folder Properties > Advanced > Encrypt contents to secure
data, it is recovered as encrypted. However, the encryption attribute is not be set on the folder. You can manually reset the
encryption attribute after the recovery operation. This is a Microsoft limitation.

Windows BMR and third-party encryption tools

This topic provides information on how to correctly validate Windows BMR when you use a third-party encryption tool.
NetWorker Windows BMR has not been thoroughly tested with third-party drive encryption products other than Microsoft's
BitLocker. If you use a third-party drive encryption product, then validate the backup and recovery procedures by performing a
Windows BMR backup and recovery to verify that the restored computer is fully functional. Perform the test against the original
hardware and new hardware to confirm both scenarios. You must learn if any additional steps are required to reencrypt the
drivers after a successful restore.

NetWorker Strong Authentication and Windows BMR recoveries

This topic describes how to use NetWorker strong authentication.

NOTE: Starting with NetWorker 19.3, BMR can be performed for clients that uses nsrauth as authentication method.

When you recover a Windows client that uses NetWorker strong authentication (nsrauth) to communicate with other
NetWorker hosts, communications with the NetWorker server may fail during a Windows BMR recovery. When you perform
a Windows BMR recovery for a host that uses nsrauth authentication only, the Windows PE image does not have the nsrauth
credentials file that the original client used, and it generates the new credentials. NetWorker server refuses to allow the
recovery operation to complete as it is not aware of the new credentials.
To resolve this issue, before you perform the BMR recovery perform the following task:
● Delete the NSR Peer Information resource for the NetWorker Client from the NSRLA database on the NetWorker Server.
This will cause the NetWorker Server to create a new NSR Peer Information resource for the client.

Server role considerations

This section describes considerations for Windows Server Roles in Windows BMR.

Protecting Windows server roles

Several server role components of Windows host store the data in a database. Examples of Windows server roles with
databases include:
● Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS).
● Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM).
● Universal Description, Discovery, and Integrations (UDDI) Services.
● Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
When you install the Windows server role on a host, the installation process prompts you to store data on either an existing SQL
Server installation or in a Windows Internal Database (WID).
NetWorker uses the VSS SQL Server writer to back up the role databases that are stored in WID but does not protect role
databases, which the server role component stores in a SQL Server. Use NMM or a third-party SQL backup product to backup
and recovery the roles databases.

292 Backing Up Data

Backup and recovery workflows for server roles that use WID
These are the backup and recovery workflows are as follows:
● Perform a NetWorker Windows BMR backup, which includes all the SQL writer components for WID. If required, backup user
data on the client.
● Perform a NetWorker Windows BMR recovery operation, which recovers all the WID components.
After the NetWorker Windows BMR system restart, the WID service is available and Windows server roles have access to their
databases.
Saving and recovering SQL Server components with Windows BMR and NMM:
1. Perform a NetWorker Windows BMR backup. If required, backup user data on the SQL client.
2. Use NMM or a third-party backup application to back up the SQL Server application.
3. Perform a NetWorker Windows BMR recovery operation.
After the recovery and restart operations complete, you cannot start the SQL Server service. Also, any server roles that
store data in SQL databases outside WID will not work.
4. For non-clustered SQL servers only, ensure that the SQL group is offline.
5. Run the following setup.exe command from a command prompt with elevated privileges, to rebuild the SQL Server:
C:\> setup /QUIET /ACTION=REBUILDDATABASE /INSTANCENAME=Instance_name /
SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=domain_name\administrator

NOTE: The SQL Server installation media contains the Setup tool.
6. Bring the SQL server services online.
7. Use NMM or a third-party backup application to recover the SQL system databases (primary, model, msdb).
8. Use NMM or a third-party backup application to recover the role databases.
9. Restart the services that require the role databases that you recovered.
NOTE: The NetWorkerModule for Microsoft Applications Application Guide provides more information about using
NMM to recover SQL databases.

Microsoft server application considerations

Use both the NMM and the NetWorker software to protect Microsoft server applications, such as Microsoft Exchange Server,
Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, and Microsoft SharePoint. The NMM software protects the application data, such as databases
and log files and the NetWorker client software protects the user data and critical disks on the host, for the purposes of
Windows BMR.
Below is a high level overview of NetWorker and NMM backup and recovery workflow for Microsoft server applications:
1. Use NetWorker to back up critical and non-critical disks as part of a regular file system backup.
2. Use NMM to back up application data, such as Microsoft SQL Server.
3. Use NetWorker to perform a Windows BMR backup of the critical volumes on the host.
4. Use the Windows BMR boot image to perform a BMR recovery.
5. Use the NetWorker User application to recover any non-critical disks.
6. Use NMM to recover the application data.
The NetWorker Module documentation provides more information about recovering application data.

Online recovery of Windows services considerations

This section describes limitations and considerations that are related to Windows services.

Active Directory considerations

A Windows BMR recovery of a Domain Controller is non-authoritative by default. If you must perform an authoritative recovery,
then you must start into DSRM mode directly from the Windows BMR wizard. The topic Performing post-recovery tasks for
Active Directory services, provides more information.

DFSR considerations
DFSR namespaces are junction mount points. The DISASTER _RECOVERY:\ and ALL save sets do not backup DFSR
namespaces, even if the DFSR shares reside on a critical volume. To backup DFSR Shares, either use the new save set
ALL-DFSR or provide the full DFSR Share path as the save set name. The ALL-DFSR save set applies to all supported

Backing Up Data 293

platforms. Unlike the ALL save set, which skips the DFSR namespace because it is a junction point, the ALL-DFSR save set
backs up every namespace, along with the associated replication folders.
The topic Recovering Windows volume mount points, provides more information about recovering volume mount points.

MSCS considerations
Review these considerations before you perform a Windows BMR recovery on a clustered host.
● Before you start the Windows BMR recovery operation, ensure that you detach the shared disks. After the Windows BMR
recovery operation and the restart completes, attach the shared disks before you perform the online recovery.
● After an authoritative restore completes, the recovery operation does not bring the cluster services online on the remote
nodes. You must bring the services online manually.

Windows Storage Pools considerations

When a system failure occurs which damages Storage Pools, perform the following steps as recommended by Microsoft to
perform a BMR recovery to a new host. In the case of a complete system failure, a Storage Pool may not exist on the target
host. There can only be physical disks. Some of these disks are required to create Storage Pools.
Before beginning Windows BMR wizard, physically remove from the target recovery computer any physical disks reserved for
storage pools. This manual step is required because the Windows BMR wizard does not have any option to exclude the disks.
To recover Storage Spaces to a new host, perform the following steps:
1. Boot the host with the Windows BMR image.
2. Recover only the critical volumes.
3. Reboot the host.
4. Attach physical disks that are reserved for Storage Pools.
5. Use Windows Server Manager or Powershell Cmdlets to configure the Storage Pools.
6. Perform a volume or file recovery of the Storage Spaces volumes.
7. Perform a volume or file recovery of other volumes on physical disks.

WinPE considerations for SAN boot devices

When you recover to a host that uses a SAN boot device, the WinPE environment requires that you temporarily disable all but
one path to the boot device. After the BMR recovery and reboot completes you can re-enable the remaining paths.

VMware network interface card driver limitations

The Windows BMR image does not contain a driver for any of the VMware VMXNET, VMXNET3, or the VMware Paravirtual
SCSI NIC models. The Windows BMR image does contain a driver for the e1000 NIC. When you perform a Windows BMR
recovery, ensure that the VM has at least one configured e1000 NIC, or add custom NIC drivers when you run the NetWorker
BMR wizard.
The VMware Tools installation media in the \Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\Drivers folder on the system
drive of the VM contains the VMware NIC drivers.

BCD partition limitations

NetWorker requires that the BCD partitions are online during a Windows BMR backup. If a BCD partition is offline during a
Windows BMR backup, the backup fails with an messages similar to the following:

save: Unable to get volume information of file system.The device is not ready. (Win32
error 0x15) with the volume offline

294 Backing Up Data

Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration
wizard
The Client Backup Configuration wizard enables you to quickly configure a client resource with a limited set of key backup
options. Follow these steps to configure a file system backup and a BMR backup for a Windows host.
● Install the NetWorker client software on the client computer.
● Ensure that the NetWorker server host is listed in the servers file on the client computer.
● Ensure that the communication between the NMC server, NetWorker client, and NetWorker server uses nsrauth strong
authentication.
● Ensure that the user who runs the wizard meets the following requirements:
○ Root (UNIX) or Administrator (Windows) privileges.
○ A member of a User Group on the NetWorker server that has Configure NetWorker privileges.
● Ensure that multiple wizard hosts are not trying to access the same client computer simultaneously.
● (Optional) Check for reverse entries in the DNS server. If the reverse entries are not present, then do not use the IP address
for creating the clients.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, right-click Clients, and then select New Client Wizard.
The Client Backup Configuration wizard appears.
3. In the Client Name box, type either the hostname or the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the client.
It is recommended that you specify the FQDN of the host. The FQDN of a NetWorker Client can contain up to 255
characters. For OS cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the virtual host.

For application cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the application cluster host. For example:

● For an Oracle cluster, type the RAC hostname.

● For an Exchange IP DAG, type the DAG name.

The application module administrator guides provide more information.

NOTE: If the Client Configuration wizard cannot resolve the specified hostname, an error message appears after you
click Next.

4. Optionally, in the Comment box, type a description of the client.

If you are creating multiple client resources for the same NetWorker client host, then use this attribute to differentiate the
purpose of each resource.
5. In the Tag box, type one or more tags to identify this Client resource for the creation of dynamic client groups for data
protection policies.
Place each entry on a separate line.
6. In the Type box, select Traditional NetWorker client.
7. Optionally, from the Group list, select a group for the Client resource.
The group to which the client belongs determines the workflow that is used to back up the client.

NOTE: You can also assign the client to one or more groups after you create the Client resource.

8. Click Next.
9. On the Specify the Backup Configuration Type page, select Filesystem, and then click Next.
10. On the Select the NetWorker Client Properties page, configure the following options:

Option Description
Priority Enables you to control the order in which the NetWorker server contacts clients for backup. During a
backup operation, the NetWorker server contacts the client with the lowest priority value first. If you do
not specify a priority for the client resources, then the backup order is random. The default value is 500.
While the Priority attribute specifies the order of client contact, many variables affect the order in which
clients complete their backups. For example:
● The backup operation on a client does not begin until the worklists for each of the save sets on the
client are complete.

Backing Up Data 295

 Option Description
● The amount of work can vary greatly from one client to the next.
● If a client stops responding and times out, then the backup operation puts the client backup at the end
of the backup order list.
The only way to guarantee that the backup of one client occurs before the backup of another client is to
configure the workflows for the clients to start at different times.

Parallelism Specifies the maximum number of data streams that a client can send simultaneously during a backup
action.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default value is different for the NetWorker server than it is for all other client resources:
● For the NetWorker server client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the
server to complete a larger number of index backups during a Server backup action.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
To avoid disk contention for clients other than the NetWorker server, specify a value that is the same as
or fewer than the number of physical disks on the client that are included in the backup.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more information about recommended
client parallelism values and performance benefits.

Remote Specifies a list of the users that have access to perform remote access operations. For example, users
Access that can perform a directed recovery of backup data that originated on this host.

Data Domain Specifies the protocol to use if you send the backup data to a Data Domain Device. Available selections are
Interface IP, Fibre Channel, or Both.

NOTE: Mac OS X clients only support the IP protocol.

Client Direct
Block Based Enables Block Based Backups for the host. When you select this option, you must also select the .
Backup (BBB)
This option applies to Linux only.
NOTE: The Block Based Backup chapter provides complete information about how to configure a
host for BBB backups.

Client Direct Allows the client to try to directly connect to the backup storage device, instead of connecting to a
NetWorker storage node. If a direct connection is not possible, then the backup operation connects to the
NetWorker storage node that you configure to accept data from the client.

Parallel Save Enables NetWorker to use multiple parallel save streams to backup each save set defined for the client, to
Streams one or more destination devices. PSS does not support Checkpoint Restart backups.
(PSS)

11. Click Next.

12. On the Select the File System Objects window, select the file system objects to backup.
NOTE: To avoid the over consumption of memory, NetWorker limits the number of files that you can view when you
browse a directory that contain a large number of files, for example, 200,000 files. When NetWorker determines that
displaying the number of files will exhaust memory resources, NetWorker will display a partial list of the files and a
message similar to the following appears: Expanding this directory has stopped because the result
has too many entries

CIFS, DFS, and msdos file systems do not appear as selectable file system objects. Modifying_the save_sets defined for a
Windows client describes how to modify the save set attribute to define backup a remote file system.
NOTE: When you select all file system objects and the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, the ALL value appears
in the Save set attribute for the client resource. When you select file system objects, enables you to perform
granular recoveries of files and directories. The DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set enables you to perform a BMR

296 Backing Up Data

 restore of the Windows host. To backup Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster Services, ensure that you perform
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ backup.

13. On the Backup Configuration Summary page, click Create.

14. On the Client Configuration Results page, review the results of the client configuration process, then click Finish.
The Client resource appears in the Clients window pane.

Verifying a valid Windows BMR backup

After you perform a Windows BMR backup, verify that the backup exists. NetWorker creates one save set for each critical
volume backed up by the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set.
You can verify that the backup exists by using the NMC console, the NetWorker User program, or the nsrinfo program.
NOTE: If any of the components of the Windows BMR backup fail, then NetWorker does not create a
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set and you cannot perform an offline recovery. The backup process may backup the
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets or critical volumes, which NetWorker makes available for an online recovery.

Verifying that a valid backup exists by using the NMC console

1. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.
2. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Media.
3. In the left pane, click Save Sets.
4. On the right pane, on the Query Save Set tab, specify the search criteria such as the NetWorker Client Name and a date
range for the Save Time.
5. Select the Save Set List tab in the right pane to generate and display a list of save sets that meet the search criteria.

Verifying that a valid DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set exists by using the NetWorker
User Program
By default, the Recovery window displays the most recent backup. To verify an older backup select the View > Change
Browse Time menu option, and then specify a different backup date and time.
1. Start the NetWorker User program by using the winworkr command with the -s option to connect to the NetWorker server
to which the source client data is backed up:
winworkr -s server_name
If the -s option is not entered and there is only one server detected, that server is connected automatically. If there are
no servers detected, or if there is more than one server available, the Change Server dialog box appears, enabling you to
choose the server.

2. Click Recover.
The Source Client dialog box appears.
3. Select the source client of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, and then click OK.
4. Select a destination client, and then click OK.
5. In the Recover window, browse and locate the save set named DISASTER_RECOVERY:\.

Verifying that a valid DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set exists by using the nsrinfo
program
To query the client file index of the Windows host and display information about the DISASTER_RECOVERY: save set, type the
following command from a command prompt.
nsrinfo -v -s server_name -N "DISASTER_RECOVERY:\\" client_name

where:
● server_name is the name of the NetWorker server.
● client_name is the name of the client that performed the Windows BMR backup.

Backing Up Data 297

Performing a NetWorker Bare Metal Recovery wizard test
Before you need to perform a Windows BMR, test the wizard to ensure that you can complete a recovery and that you have
the required drivers. This task is especially important for 64-bit hosts that might require additional drivers. For both 64-bit and
32-bit hosts, the wizard must use drivers that do not require a reboot.

NOTE: After you test the wizard, you can safely exit the wizard before completing the entire recovery process.

1. Follow the procedures in Performing a Windows BMR to physical or virtual computers on page 426.
Verify the following as you step through the BMR recovery wizard screens:

● If DNS is not available, that the host can resolve the NetWorker server name by some method, such as a local hosts file.
● You can see the network interface that is required to communicate with the NetWorker server. If you cannot see the
network interface, use the wizard to load the required NIC driver.

● You can see the critical and non-critical disks for the host that is to be recovered. If you cannot see all of the disks, use
the wizard to load the required disk drivers.
2. Click Exit to safely exit the wizard.
3. Exit the command window.
The system automatically reboots.

Modifying the save sets defined for a Windows client

You can modify an existing client to change the file system objects to backup on the client.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, in the Save set attribute, specify the file system, directory or path to a file. Specify one file system
object on each line. You can also modify specify a special ALL save set to backup a specific type of file system only. The
following table summarizes the available ALL save sets.

Table 75. Special ALL save sets

Special ALL save set syntax Backup behavior
all-file_system Only back up locally mounted file systems of a particular
type, where file_system is the name of the file system, for
example ntfs. The NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides a
list of the supported file system for each operating system.
all-mounts On Windows clients, the all-mounts save set is
equivalent to the ALL save set. File systems that are
normally skipped are still skipped.

Mapped drives
To back up mapped or CIFS drives on a Windows client for either a scheduled or a manual backup, you must perform additional
configuration steps in the Client resource.
● Create a dedicated client resource for the backups of mapped drives. A common user account must have access to each
mapped drive.
● Create a separate Client resource for backups of local drives.
● Ensure that the Administration window is in Diagnostic Mode. To enable Diagnostic Mode, from the View menu, select
Diagnostic Mode.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.

298 Backing Up Data

3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, in the Save set attribute, specify the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the drive.
Do not specify the drive letter. For example, to specify the accounts directory on the jupiter server, type \
\jupiter\accounts.
5. On the Apps & Modules tab, configure the following attributes:
a. In the Remote user and Password fields, specify a username and the associated password for an account that has
access to the UNC path.
b. In the Backup command box, type save -xL or select the Cross mount points enabled option in Client Properties.
c. In the Save operations box, type VSS:*=off

Configuring a Client resource for backups on UNIX

hosts
This section describes how to configure a Client resource to backup data on UNIX hosts.

UNIX/Linux backup considerations

The following topics provide details on considerations for backing up client data on Solaris, Linux, HP-UX, and AIX computers.

Linux
You can install the NetWorker client, server, storage node, and NetWorker Management Console (NMC) server software on
Linux.
Backup and recovery operations are supported on the following Linux journaled file systems:
● ext3
● reiserfs
● jfs
● xfs
For ext3 file systems with the journal set to visible, do not back up or recover the journal. Recovering the journal may cause
the file system to become unstable. Use a directive to ensure that the file system is excluded from a backup. Directives on page
260 provides information on directives.

Solaris
You can install NetWorker client and storage node on the Solaris platform.
The NetWorker software supports local and global zones for a NetWorker client and a dedicated storage node. You can install
and back up a NetWorker client, server, or storage node on a computer running in a local zone. The NMC and NetWorker
License Manager can only be installed in a global zone.
NOTE: Extended file attribute data is in the calculation of the save set file size for Solaris clients. As a result, the save set
file size in NetWorker appears to slightly larger than expected.

NetWorker executables not found for Solaris client

On Solaris client computers, NetWorker executables are installed by default in /usr/sbin. The search path for root on
the NetWorker server must include /usr/sbin. Otherwise, scheduled backups fail on a client with NetWorker executables
in /usr/sbin because the savefs command is not in the search path.
To solve this issue, edit the search path for root on the NetWorker server to include /usr/sbin, even if the directory does not
exist locally.

Backing Up Data 299

Alternatively, specify /usr/sbin in the Executable path attribute on the Globals (2 of 2) tab of the Client Properties
dialog box for the Client resource.

HP-UX
You can install NetWorker client and storage node on the HP-UX platform.

Customized backup scripts

On HP-UX, do not use the posix shell (/bin/sh) for customized backup scripts that are meant to be automatically started by
the backup. Use the korn shell (/bin/ksh) instead.

Symbolic link entries in the fstab file

For HP-UX operating systems, do not use symbolic link entries in the /etc/fstab file. If you use symbolic links in the fstab
file, the backup does not include the file system to which the symbolic link points.

AIX
You can install the NetWorker client and storage node on the AIX platform.
NOTE: On AIX, non-root users who are performing a recovery cannot restore group ownership (the set-group-id-on-
execution or setuid permission bit) on binaries or files. This behavior is to be expected.

Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration

wizard
The Client Backup Configuration wizard enables you to quickly configure a Client resource with a limited set of key backup
options. Follow these steps to configure a file system backup and a UNIX host.
● Install the NetWorker client software on the client computer.
● Ensure that the NetWorker server host is listed in the servers file on the client computer.
● Ensure that the communication between the NMC server, NetWorker client, and NetWorker server uses nsrauth strong
authentication.
● Ensure that the user who runs the wizard meets the following requirements:
○ Root (UNIX) or Administrator (Windows) privileges.
○ A member of a User Group on the NetWorker server that has Configure NetWorker privileges.
● Ensure that multiple wizard hosts are not trying to access the same client computer simultaneously.
● (Optional) Check for reverse entries in the DNS server. If the reverse entries are not present, then do not use the IP address
for creating the clients.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, right-click Clients, and then select New Client Wizard.
The Client Backup Configuration wizard appears.
3. In the Client Name box, type either the hostname or the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the client.
It is recommended that you specify the FQDN of the host. The FQDN of a NetWorker Client can contain up to 255
characters. For OS cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the virtual host.

For application cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the application cluster host. For example:

● For an Oracle cluster, type the RAC hostname.

● For an Exchange IP DAG, type the DAG name.

The application module administrator guides provide more information.

NOTE: If the Client Configuration wizard cannot resolve the specified hostname, an error message appears after you
click Next.

300 Backing Up Data

4. Optionally, in the Comment box, type a description of the client.
If you are creating multiple client resources for the same NetWorker client host, then use this attribute to differentiate the
purpose of each resource.
5. In the Tag box, type one or more tags to identify this Client resource for the creation of dynamic client groups for data
protection policies.
Place each entry on a separate line.
6. In the Type box, select Traditional NetWorker client.
7. Optionally, from the Group list, select a group for the Client resource.
The group to which the client belongs determines the workflow that is used to back up the client.

NOTE: You can also assign the client to one or more groups after you create the Client resource.

8. Click Next.
9. On the Specify the Backup Configuration Type page, select Filesystem, and then click Next.
10. On the Select the NetWorker Client Properties page, configure the following options:

Option Description
Priority Enables you to control the order in which the NetWorker server contacts clients for backup. During a
backup operation, the NetWorker server contacts the client with the lowest priority value first. If you do
not specify a priority for the client resources, then the backup order is random. The default value is 500.
While the Priority attribute specifies the order of client contact, many variables affect the order in which
clients complete their backups. For example:
● The backup operation on a client does not begin until the worklists for each of the save sets on the
client are complete.
● The amount of work can vary greatly from one client to the next.
● If a client stops responding and times out, then the backup operation puts the client backup at the end
of the backup order list.
The only way to guarantee that the backup of one client occurs before the backup of another client is to
configure the workflows for the clients to start at different times.

Parallelism Specifies the maximum number of data streams that a client can send simultaneously during a backup
action.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default value is different for the NetWorker server than it is for all other client resources:
● For the NetWorker server client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the
server to complete a larger number of index backups during a Server backup action.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
To avoid disk contention for clients other than the NetWorker server, specify a value that is the same as
or fewer than the number of physical disks on the client that are included in the backup.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more information about recommended
client parallelism values and performance benefits.

Remote Specifies a list of the users that have access to perform remote access operations. For example, users
Access that can perform a directed recovery of backup data that originated on this host.

Data Domain Specifies the protocol to use if you send the backup data to a Data Domain Device. Available selections are
Interface IP, Fibre Channel, or Both.

NOTE: Mac OS X clients only support the IP protocol.

Client Direct
Block Based Enables Block Based Backups for the host. When you select this option, you must also select the .
Backup (BBB)
This option applies to Linux only.

Backing Up Data 301

 Option Description

NOTE: The Block Based Backup chapter provides complete information about how to configure a
host for BBB backups.

Client Direct Allows the client to try to directly connect to the backup storage device, instead of connecting to a
NetWorker storage node. If a direct connection is not possible, then the backup operation connects to the
NetWorker storage node that you configure to accept data from the client.

Parallel Save Enables NetWorker to use multiple parallel save streams to backup each save set defined for the client, to
Streams one or more destination devices. PSS does not support Checkpoint Restart backups.
(PSS)

11. Click Next.

12. On the Select the File System Objects window, select the file system objects to backup.
To avoid the over consumption of memory, NetWorker limits the number of files that you can view when you browse
a directory that contain a large number of files, for example, 200,000 files. When NetWorker determines that displaying
the number of files will exhaust memory resources, NetWorker will display a partial list of the files and a message similar
to the following appears: Expanding this directory has stopped because the result has too many
entries
NOTE: When you select all file system objects, the ALL value appears in the Save set attribute for the client
resource. When the backup starts, the savefs process reads the contents of the /etc/vfstab file on Solaris clients,
the /etc/fstab file on HP-UX and Linux clients, or the /etc/filesystems file on AIX clients. The contents of the
file are compared to the currently mounted file systems and BTRFS sub-volumes. Only currently mounted file systems
and BTRFS sub-volumes that are configured in these files are backed up. When NetWorker encounters a sub-directory
that has a sub-volume ID that differs from the parent sub-volume ID, NetWorker will not backup the contents of the
subdirectory, unless you specify the save -x in the Backup command field or select the Cross mount points enabled
option in the properties of the Client resource. After you create the client configuration wizard, you can modify the
client resource or create a new client resource to include the excluded file systems. Supported save set configurations
for UNIX hosts provides more information.

When you specify the ALL save set:

● For a Solaris sparse or whole root zone client, all mounted file systems in the sparse or whole root zone that are not
normally skipped, such as NFS, are backed up.
● ZFS file systems are backed up.
● If the save set name includes a symbolic link, a save set recovery is not supported.

13. On the Backup Configuration Summary page, click Create.

14. On the Client Configuration Results page, review the results of the client configuration process, then click Finish.
The Client resource appears in the Clients window pane.

Supported save set configurations for UNIX hosts

The Client Configuration wizard does not display some types of file systems on UNIX hosts and these save sets are not in the
ALL save set.
When the backup starts, the savefs process reads the contents of the /etc/vfstab file on Solaris clients, the /etc/
fstab file on HP-UX and Linux clients, or the /etc/filesystems file on AIX clients. The contents of the file are compared
to the currently mounted file systems and BTRFS sub-volumes. Only currently mounted file systems and BTRFS sub-volumes
that are configured in these files are backed up. When NetWorker encounters a sub-directory that has a sub-volume ID that
differs from the parent sub-volume ID, NetWorker will not backup the contents of the subdirectory, unless you specify the save
-x in the Backup command field or select the Cross mount points enabled option in the properties of the Client resource.
If you edit a client resource and modify the Save set attribute to include file system objects for file systems that are not in the
OS file system file, NetWorker will not back up the file system objects.
The following file systems are excluded from the ALL save set. If you manually define the file system or directories and files for
one of these file systems in the Save set attribute of the Client resource, the backup operation excludes the object:

302 Backing Up Data

Table 76. File systems excluded from the ALL save set
● hsfs ● sharefs ● dfs ● binfmt_misc ● nucam
● proc ● nfs2 ● autofs ● usbfs ● fdfs
● fd ● nfs3 ● iso9060 ● devpts ● xx
● cachefs ● nfs3perf ● udf ● cifs ● none
● lofs ● profs ● sysfs ● swap
● mntfs ● nfs4 ● debugfs ● tmp
● ctfs ● nfs ● subfs ● tmpfs
● objfs ● brfs ● usbdevfs ● nucfs

When you specify the ALL save set:

● For a Solaris sparse or whole root zone client, all mounted file systems in the sparse or whole root zone that are not normally
skipped, such as NFS, are backed up.
● ZFS file systems are backed up.
● If the save set name includes a symbolic link, a save set recovery is not supported.
Use a customized ALL save set to backup files.

Modifying the save sets defined for a UNIX client

You can modify a client to change the file system objects to backup on the client.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, in the Save set attribute, specify the file system, directory or path to a file. Specify one file system
object on each line. You can also modify specify a special ALL save set to backup a specific type of file system only. The
following table summarizes the available ALL save sets.

Table 77. Special ALL save sets

Special ALL save set syntax Backup behavior
all-file_system Only back up locally mounted file systems of a particular
type, where file_system is the name of the file system. For
example, the all-zfs save set backs up all locally mounted
zfs file systems on a Solaris host. File systems such as
NFS that are normally skipped are still skipped. When the
backup starts, the savefs process reads the contents
of the /etc/vfstab file on Solaris clients, the /etc/
fstab file on HP-UX and Linux clients, or the /etc/
filesystems file on AIX clients. The contents of the file
are compared to the currently mounted file systems and
BTRFS sub-volumes. Only currently mounted file systems
and BTRFS sub-volumes that are configured in these files
are backed up. When NetWorker encounters a sub-directory
that has a sub-volume ID that differs from the parent
sub-volume ID, NetWorker will not backup the contents
of the subdirectory, unless you specify the save -x in the
Backup command field or select the Cross mount points
enabled option in the properties of the Client resource. The
NetWorker E-LAB Navigator provides a list of the supported
file system for each operating system.

all-mounts Back up all the currently mounted file systems. File

systems such as NFS that are normally skipped are still
skipped.

Backing Up Data 303

 Table 77. Special ALL save sets (continued)
Special ALL save set syntax Backup behavior

all-local For a global zone client, the file systems in the sparse
or whole root zone on the physical host are backed up. File
systems in the global zone are skipped.

For a sparse or whole root zone client, the all-local

save set is equivalent to the ALL save set.

all-global For a global zone client, all file systems in the global
zone are backed up. All sparse and whole root zone file
systems
on the physical host are skipped.

For a Solaris sparse or whole root zone client, the

all-global save set is equivalent to the ALL save set.

NOTE: If you explicitly list a BTRFS sub-volume in the Save set field, NetWorker will back up the files in the sub-
volume, even if the sub-volume does not appear in the /etc/fstab file. When NetWorker encounters a sub-directory
that has a sub-volume ID that differs from the parent sub-volume ID, NetWorker will not backup the contents of the
subdirectory, unless you specify the save -x in the Backup command field or select the Cross mount points
enabled option in Client Properties. To back up data in the subdirectories, perform one of the following tasks:
● Specify save -x in the Backup command field or select the Cross mount points enabled option in Client
Properties.
● Explicitly list the path of each sub-volume in the Save set field.
● Mount each sub-volume, include the mount point in the /etc/fstab file, and then specify ALL or all-btrfs in
the Save set field.

5. Click OK.

Configuring a Client resource for backups on Mac OS

X hosts
This section describes how to configure a Client resource to backup data on Mac OS X hosts.

Mac OS X backup considerations

You can configure a Mac OS X host as a NetWorker client. You can use any supported NetWorker server on UNIX, Linux, or
Windows to back up and restore an OS X host. You cannot configure an OS X host as a NetWorker server or an NMC server.
The NetWorker client for OS X supports the following file systems:
● HFS+ (including journaled)
● HFS
● UFS
The NetWorker client for OS X also backs up and recovers all file system metadata, including:
● Finder information
● Resource forks
● Extended attributes
● Access Control Lists (ACLs)

304 Backing Up Data

Creating a Client resource with the Client Backup Configuration
wizard
The Client Backup Configuration wizard enables you to quickly configure a Client resource with a limited set of key backup
options. Follow these steps to configure a file system backup and an OS-X host.
● Install the NetWorker client software on the client computer.
● Ensure that the NetWorker server host is listed in the servers file on the client computer.
● Ensure that the communication between the NMC server, NetWorker client, and NetWorker server uses nsrauth strong
authentication.
● Ensure that the user who runs the wizard meets the following requirements:
○ Root (UNIX) or Administrator (Windows) privileges.
○ A member of a User Group on the NetWorker server that has Configure NetWorker privileges.
● Ensure that multiple wizard hosts are not trying to access the same client computer simultaneously.
● (Optional) Check for reverse entries in the DNS server. If the reverse entries are not present, then do not use the IP address
for creating the clients.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, right-click Clients, and then select New Client Wizard.
The Client Backup Configuration wizard appears.
3. In the Client Name box, type either the hostname or the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the client.
It is recommended that you specify the FQDN of the host. The FQDN of a NetWorker Client can contain up to 255
characters. For OS cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the virtual host.

For application cluster hosts, type the FQDN of the application cluster host. For example:

● For an Oracle cluster, type the RAC hostname.

● For an Exchange IP DAG, type the DAG name.

The application module administrator guides provide more information.

NOTE: If the Client Configuration wizard cannot resolve the specified hostname, an error message appears after you
click Next.

4. Optionally, in the Comment box, type a description of the client.

If you are creating multiple client resources for the same NetWorker client host, then use this attribute to differentiate the
purpose of each resource.
5. In the Tag box, type one or more tags to identify this Client resource for the creation of dynamic client groups for data
protection policies.
Place each entry on a separate line.
6. In the Type box, select Traditional NetWorker client.
7. Optionally, from the Group list, select a group for the Client resource.
The group to which the client belongs determines the workflow that is used to back up the client.

NOTE: You can also assign the client to one or more groups after you create the Client resource.

8. Click Next.
9. On the Specify the Backup Configuration Type page, select Filesystem, and then click Next.
10. On the Select the NetWorker Client Properties page, configure the following options:

Option Description
Priority Enables you to control the order in which the NetWorker server contacts clients for backup. During a
backup operation, the NetWorker server contacts the client with the lowest priority value first. If you do
not specify a priority for the client resources, then the backup order is random. The default value is 500.
While the Priority attribute specifies the order of client contact, many variables affect the order in which
clients complete their backups. For example:
● The backup operation on a client does not begin until the worklists for each of the save sets on the
client are complete.

Backing Up Data 305

 Option Description
● The amount of work can vary greatly from one client to the next.
● If a client stops responding and times out, then the backup operation puts the client backup at the end
of the backup order list.
The only way to guarantee that the backup of one client occurs before the backup of another client is to
configure the workflows for the clients to start at different times.

Parallelism Specifies the maximum number of data streams that a client can send simultaneously during a backup
action.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default value is different for the NetWorker server than it is for all other client resources:
● For the NetWorker server client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the
server to complete a larger number of index backups during a Server backup action.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
To avoid disk contention for clients other than the NetWorker server, specify a value that is the same as
or fewer than the number of physical disks on the client that are included in the backup.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more information about recommended
client parallelism values and performance benefits.

Remote Specifies a list of the users that have access to perform remote access operations. For example, users
Access that can perform a directed recovery of backup data that originated on this host.

Data Domain Specifies the protocol to use if you send the backup data to a Data Domain Device. Available selections are
Interface IP, Fibre Channel, or Both.

NOTE: Mac OS X clients only support the IP protocol.

Client Direct
Block Based Enables Block Based Backups for the host. When you select this option, you must also select the .
Backup (BBB)
This option applies to Linux only.
NOTE: The Block Based Backup chapter provides complete information about how to configure a
host for BBB backups.

Client Direct Allows the client to try to directly connect to the backup storage device, instead of connecting to a
NetWorker storage node. If a direct connection is not possible, then the backup operation connects to the
NetWorker storage node that you configure to accept data from the client.

Parallel Save Enables NetWorker to use multiple parallel save streams to backup each save set defined for the client, to
Streams one or more destination devices. PSS does not support Checkpoint Restart backups.
(PSS)

11. Click Next.

12. On the Select the File System Objects window, select the file system objects to backup.
To avoid the over consumption of memory, NetWorker limits the number of files that you can view when you browse
a directory that contain a large number of files, for example, 200,000 files. When NetWorker determines that displaying
the number of files will exhaust memory resources, NetWorker will display a partial list of the files and a message similar
to the following appears: Expanding this directory has stopped because the result has too many
entries
NOTE: When you select all file system objects, the ALL value appears in the Save set attribute for the Client resource.
The ALL save set includes local and mounted volumes.

13. On the Backup Configuration Summary page, click Create.

14. On the Client Configuration Results page, review the results of the client configuration process, then click Finish.
The Client resource appears in the Clients window pane.

306 Backing Up Data

Assigning directives to Mac OS X clients
After you create a client resource for an OS X client, select one of the Mac OS directives to exclude certain files and directories
from the backup, and ensure a consistent state after a recovery operation.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the General tab, in the Directive box, select one of the following directives:
● Mac OS Standard Directives
● Mac OS with Compression Directives
Preconfigured global Directive resources on page 265 provides more information about the Mac OS directives.

5. Click OK.

Configuring Open Directory database backups

The Mac OS directive does not back up Open Directory database files, which contain system configuration information that is
essential for disaster recovery. To ensure complete protection of a Mac OS X computer if a catastrophic failure occurs, create a
script file and then modify the client resource for the Mac OS X host to include the Open Directory database files.
Customizing backups with the pre and post commands on page 323 provides more information about the script file and the how
to modify the client resource to use the command.
1. On the OS X host, create the script file as an executable text file.
The name of the script file must start with nsr or save. For example nsr_opendir_backup.sh
2. Add the commands to backup open files to the script file.
NOTE: Open Directory database files remain available during the backup.

● To back up LDAP directory domain for the Open Directory, type:

#slapcat -l /var/backups/networker.ldif
● To back up Password Server database for the Open Directory when the OS-X host uses LDAP over SSL, type:
# mkdir -p /var/backups/networker.odpdb
# mkpassdb -backupdb /var/backups/networker.odpdb
● To back up the local NetInfo directory domain, type:
# nidump -r / . > /var/backups/networker.nidump

The following script file provides an example of how to back up the LDAP directory, Password Server, and NetInfo databases
before each scheduled save:

"/usr/sbin/slapcat -l /var/backups/networker.ldif;
/bin/mkdir -p /var/backups/networker.odpdb;
/usr/sbin/mkpassdb -backupdb /var/backups/networker.odpdb;
/usr/bin/nidump -r / . > /var/backups/networker.nidump"

3. Connect to the NetWorker server by using NMC.

4. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
5. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
6. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
7. On the Apps & Modules tab, in the Pre command attribute, specify the name of the script file that you require NetWorker
to run before a backup.
NOTE: Do not specify the path to the file.

8. Click OK.

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Sending client data to AFTD or Data Domain devices
only
Use the Backup target disks attribute of the client resource to define an ordered list of AFTD and Data Domain disk devices
that will receive data for this client. When you specify a value in this attribute, NetWorker ignores the values that you specify in
the Storage nodes attribute. This attribute does not apply to the client resource of the NetWorker server, and applies to each
instance of the client resource. You can specify devices that are local or remote to the NetWorker server.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the Globals (2 of 2) tab, in the Backup target disks attribute, specify the name of the AFTD or Data Domain devices
that NetWorker uses to store data for this client.
Specify each device name on a separate line.
5. Click OK.
NetWorker does not use the values in the Storage nodes attribute of the client resource when selecting the device to receive
data for the client.

Non-ASCII files and directories

If you create a client resource by using the Client Properties dialog box and the Save set field contains non-ASCII characters,
you must edit the Save operations field on the Apps & Modules tab for the client resource.
To access the Save operations field, in the NetWorker Administration window, click View > Diagnostic Mode .
In the Client Properties dialog box, on the Apps & Modules tab, in the Save operations field, specify
I18N:mode=utf8path

Configuring checkpoint restart backups

The checkpoint restart feature allows a failed backup operation to restart at a known good point, before the point of failure
during the backup.
NOTE: Checkpoint restart is only supported on Linux and UNIX environments when performing standard save operations;
you cannot use checkpoint restart with block-based backup or parallel save streams enabled. Checkpoint restart is not
supported on Windows platforms.
A known good point is defined as a point in the backup data stream where the data is successfully written to the save set and
that data can be located and accessed by subsequent recovery operations. This feature allows client backups that are part of
a scheduled backup to be restarted, if they fail while running. This prevents the files and directories that have already been
backed up from being backed up again.
Backup failures occur for various reasons. The most common reasons include hardware failures, loss of network connectivity,
and primary storage software failures. If a backup fails and checkpoint restart is enabled, then failed save sets are marked as
partial instead of as aborted. Partial save sets remain in the index, the media databases, and media such as AFTD.
You can manually restart a failed backup, or you can configure the backup to restart automatically. A restarted save set has a
new SSID and savetime.
The NetWorker server and storage node components must remain running to manage the client failure and to create a partial
save set. If the NetWorker server or storage node components fail during a backup, then partial save sets are not created. In
this case, the backup for the checkpoint-enabled client starts from the beginning.
If the checkpoint restart feature is not enabled, a failure that is encountered during a scheduled backup operation might require
a rerun of an entire backup tape set. This can be costly when a limited backup window of time is available, as a significant
portion of the backup data might have been successfully transferred to tape, and the NetWorker software cannot resume a
save set from the point of interruption.

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For example, when performing an 800 GB backup that requires approximately 10 hours to complete and spans six tapes, if a
failure occurs while writing to the last tape, the previous five tapes representing 9 hours of backup time may need to be rerun.
As datasets continue to increase in size, so does the impact of backup failures.

About partial save sets

The backup sequence of partial save sets is not the same as the backup sequence for complete backups. Each partial save set
provides protection for part of the file system, but the completeness and consistency of the coverage of the whole file system
cannot be guaranteed.
The checkpoint restart window is user-defined and can be large. If restarted hours apart, the partial backups might provide an
image of the file system that is different from the state of the file system at any fixed point in time. The resulting file system
backup is not guaranteed to be consistent.
NetWorker performs file and directory backups in alphabetical order. If a failure occurs, and you restart the backup, the backup
operation starts alphabetically with the next file or folder that was not previously backed up. NetWorker does not review files or
folder that were previously backed up for changes. If a previously backed up file or folder was edited or added after the backup
failure, NetWorker does not back up the file or directory again.
Consider the following example in which a backup is interrupted while it is saving a directory and is restarted after the directory
contents have changed:
1. A save set contains /disk1/dir with files file_a, file_c and file_d.
2. The backup of the save set is interrupted while file_d is backed up.
As a result, the first partial save set includes only file_a and file_c.

3. A user adds file_b to the file system.

4. The checkpoint restart is initiated for the save set.
The second partial save set contains file_d and /disk1/dir, which includes file_a, file_b, file_c and file_d.
However, file_b is not in the save set.

Partial saveset cloning and scanning

Partial save sets can be cloned and scanned individually. These operations must be performed on every partial save set.
If legacy automatic cloning is enabled, all partial save sets are cloned because automatic cloning is run as part of the scheduled
backup.

Checkpoint restart requirements

Ensure that the environment meets the following requirements to support checkpoint restart.

Server and client software requirements

Checkpoint restart requires the server and client software listed in the following table.

Table 78. NetWorker software requirements for checkpoint restart

Client NetWorker server and client software requirements
Non-NDMP clients NetWorker 8.0 or later
NDMP NetApp clients NetWorker 8.0 or later
NDMP Isilon clients NetWorker 8.1 SP1 or later

Platform requirements
Checkpoint restart is only supported on Linux and UNIX environments when performing standard save operations. You cannot
use checkpoint restart with block-based backup or parallel save streams enabled.

Backing Up Data 309

Checkpoint restart is not supported on Windows platforms.

Client hostname requirements

Use a consistent convention for all NetWorker client hostnames. Do not configure client resources with both short and fully
qualified domain names (FQDN).

Save set requirements

Backup of the Windows DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set is not supported. If a client with a DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save
set is enabled for checkpoint restart, the backup fails.
The checkpoint restart option is ignored for index and bootstrap save sets.

Client Direct requirements

Checkpoint restart supports Client Direct backups only to AFTD devices, and not to DD Boost devices. If a client is enabled
for checkpoint restart and a Client Direct backup is attempted to a DD Boost device, then the backup reverts to a traditional
storage node backup instead.
For Client Direct backups to AFTDs, checkpoints are made at least 15 seconds apart. Checkpoints are always made after larger
files that require more than 15 seconds to back up.

Performance requirements
Enabling checkpoint restart might impact backup speed, depending on the datazone environment and configuration.
Checkpoint restart also might increase the size of the index because additional index records are created for the valid
recoverable data. These partial save sets should not be manually removed from the index.

Configuring checkpoint restart

To allow a failed backup for a client to restart from a known good point, you must enable checkpoint restart for the NetWorker
Client resource and configure the number of automatic retries for the backup action in the data protection policy.
When you enable checkpoint restart, you define whether to restart the backup at the directory or file level from the point of
failure.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. From the View menu, select Diagnostic Mode.
3. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
4. Right-click the client resource and select Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
5. On the General tab, select the Checkpoint enabled checkbox.
6. From the Checkpoint granularity list, select whether to restart the backup from the point of failure at the directory or file
level:
● Select Directory to restart the backup at the directory level. After each directory is saved, the data is committed to the
media and index database. If a directory contains a large number of entries, intermediate checkpoints are created.
● Select File to restart the backup at the file level. Use this option only for save sets with a few large files. Committing
every file to the index and the media database is time consuming. Performance degradation may occur for backups that
contain many small files.
7. Click OK on the Client Properties dialog box.
8. Configure the number of times to retry a failed backup:
a. In the expanded left pane of the NetWorker Administration window, select Policies.
b. Select the policy.
c. In the right pane, select the Actions tab.
d. Right-click the action and select Properties.
The Policy Action wizard appears.

310 Backing Up Data

 e. On the Advanced Options page, perform the following tasks:
i. In the Retries box, specify the number of retries that should occur if the backup fails.
ii. In the Retry Delay box, specify a delay in seconds before a failed backup is retried.
iii. Click Next.
f. On the Action Wizard Summary page, review the settings for the backup action, and then click Configure .

Restarting checkpoint-enabled backups

You can configure automatic restarts of checkpoint-enabled backups by specifying the number of retries for the backup action
in the data protection policy. You can also manually restart a checkpoint-enabled backup.
NOTE: If you rename a save set, the checkpoint restart fails to find a match against a previous run and the restart reverts
to a complete backup. Also, do not edit retention in between checkpoint restarts, as an expired partial save set may leave
gaps in the backup set.

Automatically restarting a checkpoint-enabled backup

If the NetWorker server fails to connect to a client for a backup, the Retries attribute for the backup specifies the number of
times that the server tries the connection to the client before the backup is considered a failure.
The Retries attribute applies to a backup regardless of whether the checkpoint restart is enabled for the client. However, a
partial save set is created when there is a failure for a checkpoint-enabled client, and the backup is automatically restarted from
the checkpoint until the specified number of retries has been exceeded.
The automatic restart must occur within the restart window that you specify for the workflow for the data protection policy.

Example 1
There are six clients in a group, each with three save sets. The Retries attribute for the backup is 1. One save set fails and is
checkpoint restarted immediately. The remaining save sets in the group continue to back up. The save set fails a second time. A
checkpoint restart for the save set does not occur because the retry attempt would exceed the value for the Retries attribute.
When all the save set backup attempts in the group complete, the backup completion report:
● Provides a list of the successful save sets.
● Reports that the failed partial save set is unsuccessful.
● Reports that the backup failed.

Example 2
There are six clients in a group, each with three save sets. The Retries attribute for the backup is 2. One save set fails and is
checkpoint restarted immediately. The remaining save sets continue to back up. The partial save set fails a second time and is
checkpoint restarted immediately. This time, the partial save set succeeds.
When all the save set backup attempts in the group are complete, the backup completion report:
● Provides a list of the successful save sets.
● Reports that the two partial save sets are successful.
● Reports that the backup completed successfully.

Manually restarting a checkpoint-enabled backup

You can manually restart the data protection policy or workflow for a failed backup. For checkpoint-enabled clients, the backup
continues from the checkpoint. For other clients, the incomplete save sets are backed up again in full.
1. In the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Right-click the policy or workflow for the failed backup, and select Restart.
A confirmation message appears.
3. Click Yes.

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Recovering data from partial save sets
If there is a complete sequence of partial save sets that span the original save set, then you can browse to and recover
individual files and directories. If the sequence of partial save sets is incomplete and does not make up the original save set, then
you must perform a save set recovery to recover the data from the partial save set.
To recover data from partial save sets that span the original save sets, perform a query for all partial save sets, and then use
either the NetWorker User program on Windows or the recover program on UNIX to restore the data.
The steps to recover data from a single partial save set are the same as save set recovery from a complete save set. The partial
save set contains only files that were successfully backed up. You cannot browse partial save sets.
When you perform a save set recovery of a partial NDMP save set, the recovery process recovers all partial save sets in the
checkpoint sequence. You cannot recover data in a partial save set separately from other partial save sets in the checkpoint
sequence.
Use the nsrinfo command to display the contents of a partial save set.

Probe-based backups
You can configure the NetWorker server to search or probe a NetWorker client for a user-defined script before the start of a
scheduled backup operation. A user-defined script is any program that passes a return code.
When the NetWorker server detects the script, the NetWorker server runs the script and interprets two return codes:
● Return code 0 indicates that a client backup is required.
● Return code 1 indicates that a client backup is not required.
NetWorker interprets all other return codes as an error and does not perform a backup.
1. Create the Probe resource script, and save the script in the same directory as the NetWorker binaries on each client that
uses the client probe.
The name of the probe script must begin with save or nsr.

NOTE: Users are responsible for creating and supporting user-defined scripts.

2. Create the Probe resource on the NetWorker server:

a. In the Administration interface, click Protection.
b. In the expanded left pane, right-click Probes and select New.
The Create NSR probe dialog box appears.
c. In the Name box, specify the name of the probe.
d. (Optional) In the Comment box, specify details for the probe script.
e. In the Command box, type the name and path of the probe script.
NOTE: The Command options box applies to NetWorker Module probes only.

f. Click OK.
3. Associate the probe with a Client resource:
a. In the expanded left pane of the Protection window, select Clients.
b. In the right pane, right-click the Client resource, and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
c. Click the Apps & Modules tab.
d. Select the probe resource from the Probe resource name list.
e. Click OK.
4. Configure a data protection policy with a workflow that includes a probe action:
a. Create a group that includes the client with the assigned probe resource.
b. Create a policy.
c. Create a workflow.
d. Create a probe action and a backup action for the workflow.

312 Backing Up Data

Encryption
You can use either AES encryption or in-flight encryption to encrypt data.
The Advanced Encryption Standard feature (AES encryption) encrypts data both in transit and at rest on the backup volume.
In-flight encryption secures data that is in transit.
NOTE: Do not use the in-flight encryption feature and the AES encryption feature together. Combining the encryption
types is redundant and could significantly increase the duration of the backup.

AES Encryption
You can apply password protection and 256-bit data Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption to backup and archive
data on UNIX and Windows hosts for additional security.
NOTE: You can apply password protection alone, AES encryption alone, password protection and encryption together,
or compression alone. You cannot apply password protection and compression together or encryption and compression
together. Do not apply AES encryption and in-flight encryption together.
When NetWorker uses aes to encrypt the backup data, backup times increase. The process of encrypting the data increases
CPU and memory usage on the backup client. The impact to CPU and memory resources depends on a number of factors
including the load on the host, network speed, and the number of backup files. A backup of a single large file requires less
resources than a backup of a dense file system, where NetWorker must access a large number of small-sized files.
Do not use the aes ASM for data encryption when backing up files that are encrypted by using the Microsoft Windows
Encrypting File System (EFS). The backup is reported as successful, but recovery of the file fails and the following message is
written to the NetWorker log file:
recover: Error recovering
filename. The RPC call completed before all pipes were processed.

When a backup includes EFS encrypted files, the files are transmitted and stored on backup volumes in their encrypted format.
When the files are recovered, they are also recovered in their encrypted format.

Password protection
AES Encryption is supported through the use of the aes Application Specific Module (ASM) based on the password that is
defined on the UNIX or Windows host. If a password is not defined on the host, then data is encrypted with the default
password that is configured for the NetWorker server.
NOTE: You must specify the password to recover password-protected files. If the password was configured or changed
after the backup occurred, then you must provide the password that was in effect when the file was originally backed up.
Keep password changes to a minimum.

Configuring encryption for scheduled backups

1. Configure a password on the host.
To configure the password on a Windows host:
a. Select Options > Password in the NetWorker User program.
b. Type a password.
2. Configure the default password on the NetWorker server:
a. In the Administration window, click Protection.
b. In the left pane, right-click the NetWorker server, and select Properties.
The Server Properties dialog box appears, starting with the Setup tab.
c. Click the Configuration tab.
d. Type the password in the Datazone pass phrase attribute.
e. Click OK.
3. Configure a directive for the Client resource with the aes ASM for encryption.

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 You can use the Encryption global directive to apply encryption. You can also configure a local directive on the client
computer. Directives on page 260 provides more information.

Configuring AES encryption or password protection for manual backups

When you perform a manual backup on Windows with the NetWorker User program, you can specify AES encryption or
password protection.
1. Configure a password on the Windows host:
a. Open the NetWorker User program.
b. Select Options > Password.
c. Type the password in the Password dialog box and click OK.
2. Open the NetWorker User program and click Backup.
3. Select the data to back up.
4. From the File menu, select Special Handling.
The Special Handling dialog box appears.
5. Select the handling method for the backup data:
● Password Protect
● Password Protect and Encrypt
6. Click OK.
7. Click Start to start the backup.

In-flight encryption
In-flight encryption secures data that is in transit. By default, the in-flight encryption feature is not enabled in NetWorker.
Backup times might be longer with in-flight encryption than with AES encryption. Because in-flight decryption occurs on the
target NetWorker storage node, CPU and memory usage could significantly increase. The impact to CPU and memory resources
depends on a number of factors including the load on the host, network speed, and the number of backup files.
You can enable in-flight encryption from the NMC or from nsradmin.
NOTE:
● Do not use the in-flight encryption feature and the AES encryption feature together. Combining the encryption types is
redundant and could significantly increase the duration of the backup.
● Do not use in-flight encryption to backup and recover to Data Domain devices (DDBoost). Refer to the Data Domain
documentation set to configure DDBoost encryption.
● In-flight encryption is not supported for a client direct backup and recovery operation from a NetWorker client host over
a network to a remote host's AFTD. If in-flight encryption is enabled, data is not encrypted in-flight over the network.

Use AES encryption for a client direct save operation from a NetWorker client host over a network to a remote host's
AFTD.

Using NMC to configure in-flight encryption for the NetWorker server

1. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.
2. On the NetWorker Administration window, select Hosts.
3. Right-click the hostname of the NetWorker server.
4. Select Configure Local Agent. The Local Agent Properties window appears.
5. Go to the Advanced tab and select Connection encrypted.
6. Click OK.

Using nsradmin to configure in-flight encryption for a NetWorker client

Use the following procedure to enable in-flight encryption for a NetWorker client's save set data.

314 Backing Up Data

1. Log in as root or as Windows Administrator on the NetWorker client.
2. Type the following at the command prompt:
nsradmin -p nsrexec

The nsradmin prompt appears.

3. Edit the NSRLA resource by typing the following command:

print type:NSRLA
4. Change the value of the connection encrypted attribute in the NSRLA resource to enabled.
Type the following line at the nsradmin prompt:

update connection encrypted:enabled;

5. Type Yes when prompted to confirm the change.

6. If the auth method attribute is not set, ensure that the peer certificate for the NetWorker client matches the storage node.
NOTE: When you modify an attribute with the nsradmin program, you must specify the attribute name and value
correctly. If you do not specify the attribute name and value correctly, the nsradmin program does not update the
attribute and nsradmin does not provide an error message.

The EMC NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about the nsrexec database and how to modify
attributes in the nsrexec database.

Compression
You can compress backup data to reduce network traffic and backup storage requirements.
Compressing data for a backup generates less network traffic. However, compression uses computing resources, so its benefits
may be limited on low-powered systems. If the storage device also compresses data, the result may be that more data is actually
written to tape.
NOTE: You can apply password protection alone, encryption alone, password protection and encryption together, or
compression alone. You cannot apply password protection and compression together or encryption and compression
together.

Configuring compression for scheduled backups

Configure a directive for the Client resource with the compressasm ASM for compression.
You can use one of the global directives with compression or configure a local directive on the client computer.

Configuring compression for manual backups

The methods of configuring compression for UNIX and Windows differ.
To compress data for a manual backup on UNIX, you must use the compressasm ASM in a local directive file.
To configure data for a manual backup on Windows, use either thecompressasm ASM in a local directive file, or use the
following procedure.
1. Configure a password on the Windows host.
a. Open the NetWorker User program.
b. Select Options > Password.
c. Type the password in the Password dialog box and click OK.
2. Open the NetWorker User program and click Backup.
3. Select the data to back up.
4. From the File menu, select Special Handling.
The Special Handling dialog box appears.
5. Select Compress as the handling method for the backup data.

Backing Up Data 315

6. Click OK.
7. Click Start to start the backup.

Backing up distributed file systems

With this feature, you can support the protection of large-scale distributed file systems like GPFS and Lustre using NetWorker.
You can perform backups across multiple physical clients, each of which protects a subset of the high-level directory structure
of the distributed file system. Client file indexes that are generated from all the configured NetWorker clients is then
consolidated under a single global index client known as the index host.
You can use this global index name to browse the entire file system and perform the recover. All the index entries and media
entries that you create as part of these backups must be regarding the index host. Synthetic full and virtual synthetic full
backups work seamlessly with index host. One or many NetWorker clients can have the same index host. If the index host is
changed or removed from a NetWorker client, the subsequent backup is a level full backup indexed accordingly under the new
index host client or that client itself.
You can view the backup of an entire file system from a single place instead of manually mapping the directories. This is useful
while performing the recovery. For recovery, an individual client must have remote access permission from global index client.

Configuring Single Name Space for Global Indexing

Starting from NetWorker 19.3, the client properties have a new RAP attribute called the index hostname. It is maintained under
the General tab of the client properties under the Index Management section.
Perform the following steps to configure single name space for global indexing:
1. Populate the text box with the name of a valid NetWorker client.
The backup of the client is indexed under the new index host client.
2. Add the user to the remote access list of the index host NetWorker client, that performs the NetWorker backup and restore
from all client's hostname and IP with a valid index hostname. For example, if client 1 is the index host of a NetWorker client
2, then client 2 must be added into the remote access list of client 1 for a successful backup, clone, and recover using single
name space for global indexing.

Performing a Data Recover

Perform the following steps to initiate a recover:
1. Use the command recover -s <server_name> -c <index_host> to initiate a browse recover.
2. Select the recover client as the index host and the target client as the actual client when the recover process is stopped.

Best Practices and Recommendations for using Index Hostname

The following are the best practices and recommendations for using index hostname:
● When a client is configured with index host, save -c cannot be used as the save command for the same client.
● Parallel Save Stream (DPSS) cannot be enabled for a client which has an index host configured. Since PSS attribute is global
for client resource, even if a different instance of this same client participates in different group, PSS cannot be enabled.
● Any change in the index host of a client results in the subsequent backups being promoted to level Full. This is because,
backups are already indexed under older index hostname. When new backups start with different index hostname, it looks for
indexes under new index hostname. If it does not find any indexes then it reverts the backup to level full.
● The number of nsr consolidate process that runs for single namespace client is limited to the NetWorker client's parallelism
value. The default value of NetWorker server client's parallelism is 12. Use the default value unless NetWorker server has
enough resources to perform concurrent consolidated operations. It can be increased up to 64 based on clients and save
sets. The multiple concurrent nsr processes operate on client file index that is based on save sets that are processed from
respective client's data. Therefore, more concurrent nsr processes can consume more IOPS and compute resources on
NetWorker server.
● Configure all clients that participates in a distributed file system into a single NetWorker protection group.

316 Backing Up Data

Configuring Client Direct backups
NetWorker clients with network access to AFTD or DD Boost storage devices can bypass the NetWorker storage node and send
backup data directly to the devices. This type of backup is called a Client Direct backup.
The storage node manages the devices for the NetWorker clients, but does not handle the backup data.
A Client Direct backup reduces bandwidth usage and bottlenecks at the storage node, and provides highly efficient backup data
transmission.
If a Client Direct backup is not available, a traditional storage node backup occurs instead.

Requirements for Client Direct backups

Ensure that the environment meets the following requirements to perform Client Direct backups:
● NetWorker clients on UNIX/Linux or Microsoft Windows can perform non-root and cross-platform Client Direct backups to
AFTDs. The AFTD can be managed by either a UNIX/Linux or a Windows storage node, and can be either local or mountable
on the storage node.
To perform non-root and cross-platform Client Direct backups to AFTDs, the NetWorker server and the storage node
software must be version 8.1 or later.
● If an NFS server provides the AFTD storage for Client Direct backups, then the NFS server must permit access by using the
NFSv3 protocol with AUTH_SYS (AUTH_UNIX) authentication. The NFS server also must not restrict access to clients by
using only privileged ports.
● If you enable checkpoint restart for a client, then Client Direct backups are supported only to AFTDs, and not to DD Boost
devices. If a client is enabled for checkpoint restart and a Client Direct backup is tried to a DD Boost device, then the backup
reverts to a traditional storage node backup instead.
For Client Direct backups to AFTDs, checkpoint restart points are made at least 15 seconds apart. Checkpoints are always
made after larger files that require more than 15 seconds to back up.
● Archive operations are not currently supported for Client Direct backups.

Configuring Client Direct backups

1. Ensure that the clients that perform Client Direct backups have a network connection and a remote network protocol to
reach the storage device.
Windows clients can use a CIFS or NFS path, although a CIFS path generally yields better performance. UNIX clients must
use an NFS path.
2. Specify the complete path for the destination device in the Device access information attribute on the General tab of the
Device Properties dialog box for the destination device.
Keep in mind the following points when you specify the path:
● If the storage device is directly attached to a Windows storage node, then the storage node uses a different path than
the Client Direct clients. If the storage device is not directly attached to any storage node, then the path is the same for
all storage nodes and Client Direct clients.
● The device access information path should include multiple access paths to cover local and remote use cases.
● To specify an NFS path, use the NFS_host:/path format regardless of whether the AFTD is local to the storage node
or mountable on the storage node. Non-root UNIX/Linux NetWorker clients require this NFS format for Client Direct
access.
● For Windows Client Direct backups, specify a CIFS path instead of an NFS path. A CIFS path generally yields better
performance.
● If you are setting up an AFTD on a Windows storage node, specify the CIFS path first. For example:
\\fileserver\aftd1
fileserver:/aftd1
● If you are setting up a UNIX/Linux storage node, specify the NFS path first. For example:
fileserver:/aftd1
\\fileserver\aftd1
The following figure shows an example set of paths for a CIFS AFTD.

Backing Up Data 317

 Figure 50. Paths for CIFS AFTD

3. If an NFS server provides the AFTD storage for Client Direct backups, then specify the username and password that is
required to access the NFS server for the AFTD in the Remote user and Password attributes on the Configuration tab of
the Device Properties dialog box for the device.
4. Ensure that the Client direct attribute is enabled on the General tab of the Client Properties dialog box for each Client
Direct client.
Client Direct backups are enabled by default.
Select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Client direct attribute in the Client
Properties dialog box.

Backup command customization

You can customize client backups by creating additional programs (scripts) that affect the way the NetWorker server will back
up client file system data.
NetWorker provides you with the following features, which enable you to customize scheduled backups for a client:
● Create a custom backup script that starts the save command.
● Create a script file that performs operations before the start of a backup.
● Create a script file that performs operations after the backup of all save sets for a client completes.
For example, you can create a custom backup script that performs the following tasks:
1. Shuts down a mail server or database before the NetWorker server performs a backup.
2. Prints a message such as Backup started at 3:33 A.M.
3. Starts the save command and performs a backup.
4. Prints a message such as Backup completed at 6:30 A.M.
5. Restarts the mail server or database after the backup completes.

Creating a custom backup script

Create a script that runs the save program as part of its instructions to customize behavior of scheduled backups of a client.
When NetWorker performs a back up of the client, NetWorker runs the customized program for each save set instead of the
standard save program.
1. Use a text editor to create a script in the networker_installation_dir\bin directory on Windows clients or the
networker_installation_dir/bin on LINUX or UNIX clients.
The script file must meet the following requirements:
● The name starts with save or nsr.
● The name contains a maximum of 64 characters.
● For Windows, the script file must end with a .bat extension.
● For UNIX, the script file must have executable file permissions.

318 Backing Up Data

 For example, script file names that meet these criteria include save_custom_script.bat and
nsr_backup_script.bat for windows, and save_custom_script.sh and nsr_backup_script.sh for Linux and
UNIX.

2. Add commands to the script in the following order:

a. Declare all required environment variables, for example the PATH variable.
b. (Optional) Run a preprocessing command before each save set backup.
c. (Required) Back up the data by using the NetWorker save command. Always specify the full path of the save command
in the script.
On UNIX and Linux hosts, run the NetWorker save command with the arguments save “$@” to enable the save
command to accept the arguments that the NetWorker savefs program would run during a regular backup.

d. (Optional) Run a postprocessing command after each save set backup.

NOTE: All commands within the script must complete successfully. Otherwise, the NetWorker server cannot complete
the remaining instructions.

3. Save and close the script file.

4. Specify the name of the backup script in the Backup command attribute for the Client resource:
a. In the Administration window, click Protection.
b. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
c. Right-click the Client resource, and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
d. Select the Apps & Modules tab.
e. Type the name of the backup script in the Backup command box.
f. Click OK.
5. Back up the client to ensure that the new backup command works.
NetWorker logs information about the backup status in separate log files, and not in the save output.
Reporting policy status and backup job status on page 472 provides more information about how to review backup job status.

Example backup script on Windows

In this example backup script for a Windows client computer, the customized backup program runs pre-backup commands, the
NetWorker save command, and then post-backup commands.

Description of the example script

The following table provides details on each type of command in the example backup script.

Table 79. Example backup script on Windows

Command type Description
Pre-backup Redirects the output of the net start DOS command
to create a netstart.txt file at the root of the C:\
drive, and sends all information about started services for the
current computer to this file.
save Runs NetWorker commands that are required to start the
backup process.
Post-backup Redirects the output of the set DOS command to a
set.txt file at the root of the C:\ drive, and sends all
computer system environment information to this file.

The netstart.txt and set.txt files are placed in the C:\directory. New information is appended to these files each
time a backup is run.

Backing Up Data 319

Example script

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
ECHO =======START BATCH FILE================
ECHO =====NetWorker PRE_BACKUP COMMAND======
ECHO =======NET START - creates netstart.txt file and
ECHO =======sends all Started Services information
ECHO =======to the file c:\netstart.txt

NET START >>C:\NETSTART.TXT

REM This command takes incoming arguments from

REM the savegrp command and handle them
REM to overcome batch file limitations:

REM PARSE ALL INCOMING ARGUMENTS

REM and pass single argument in case
REM more than 10 arguments are passed to this file
REM (ie %0-%9 is not enough).

ECHO =====NetWorker SAVE SET COMMAND=======

SHIFT
SET arg=%0

:loop
SHIFT
IF %0.==. GOTO save
SET arg=%arg% %0
GOTO loop

REM These are the save commands that run the required
REM NetWorker backup commands.

:save

REM Note: Enter correct path to your NetWorker bin

REM directory (line below is default path)
C:\PROGRA~1\nsr\bin\save.exe %arg%

ECHO =====NetWorker POST_BACKUP COMMAND====

ECHO ====="SET" - creates set.txt file and sends all
ECHO =====computer system environment information to
ECHO =====C:\set.txt file========

SET >>C:\SET.TXT

ECHO ======END OF BATCH FILE====

ENDLOCAL

Monitoring details for the script

The following information appears in the Monitoring window of the Administration interface and the backup action log file.
After the backup process completes, review the log output to verify the execution of the commands in the script.
--- Successful Save Sets ---
:* jupiter:c:\inetpub =======START BATCH FILE============
* jupiter:c:\inetpub ===NetWorker PRE_BACKUP COMMAND===
* jupiter:c:\inetpub=======NET START
* creates netstart.txt file and sends all started
* jupiter:c:\inetpub ======services information to
* that file c:\netstart.txt==

* jupiter:c:\inetpub ===NetWorker SAVE SET COMMAND====

* jupiter:c:\inetpub save: using `C:\Inetpub' for
* `c:\inetpub'
jupiter: c:\inetpub level=full,194 KB 00:00:02 37 files

320 Backing Up Data

* jupiter:c:\inetpub =====NetWorker POST_BACKUP COMMAND
* jupiter:c:\inetpub ====="SET" - creates set.txt
* file and sends all computer system
* jupiter:c:\inetpub ==== environment information
* to C:\set.txt file
* jupiter:c:\inetpub ======END OF BATCH FILE====

Example backup script on UNIX

This example script on UNIX locks a ClearCase version object base (VOB), performs the backup, and then unlocks the VOB.

#!/bin/sh
# export the SHELL that we are going to use
SHELL=/bin/sh
export SHELL
# export the correct PATH so that all the required binaries can be found
case $0 in
/* ) PATH=/usr/atria/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:`/bin/dirname $0`
c=`/bin/basename $0`
;;
* )PATH=/usr/atria/bin:/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
c=$0
;;
esac
export PATH

# These are the valid statuses that save reports upon completion of the backup
statuses="
failed.
abandoned.
succeeded.
completed savetime=
"
# Perform the PRECMD (Lock VOB)
/usr/atria/bin/cleartool setview -exec "/usr/atria/bin/cleartoollock -c \
‘VOB backups in progress’ -vob /cm_data/mis_dev" magic_view >
/tmp/voblock.log 2>&1
# Perform backup on client
save "$@" > /tmp/saveout$$ 2>&1
# cat out the save output
cat /tmp/saveout$$
# search for backup status in output reported by save
for i in ${statuses}; do
result=`grep "${i}" /tmp/saveout$$`
if [$? != 0]; then
echo ${result}
fi
done
# Perform the POSTCMD (Unlock VOB)
/usr/atria/bin/cleartool setview -exec "/usr/atria/bin/cleartoolunlock -vob
/cm_data/mis_dev" \
magic_view > /tmp/vobunlock.log 2>&
# exit gracefully out of the shell script
exit 0

Table 80. NetWorker Server Versions

NetWorker Server Versions NetWorker client version configures Client properties need to be updated
with the NetWorker Server
8.2.x 8.2.x backup command savepnpc

9.x 8.2.x backup command savepnpc

9.x 9.x pre command and post command

Backing Up Data 321

Controlling exit status reporting for a custom backup script
Use the Job control attribute on the Apps & Modules tab of the Client Properties dialog box for a Client resource to control
how end of job and exit status messages are determined for a custom backup script.
To access the Job control attribute, select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to enable diagnostic mode
view. A checkmark next to Diagnostic Mode in the View menu indicates that diagnostic mode view is enabled.
There are three check boxes for the Job control attribute:
● end on job end
● end on process exit
● use process exit code
The following table provides details on exit status reporting depending on the selection of one or more of the checkboxes.

Table 81. Job control attribute selections

Selections Description
No selections (default The nsrpolicy and nsrjobd programs determine the success or failure of a custom script
behavior) based on the completion of the save program (end of job). The following criteria apply:
● If the save job completion status is success, then nsrpolicy and nsrjobd report that
the custom backup job succeeded.
● If the save job completion status is failure, then nsrpolicy and nsrjobd report that the
custom backup job failed.
● If no completion status is received, the custom job output is examined for completed
savetime=savetime lines. If found and the savetime is a value other than 0 (zero),
then the custom backup job is considered to have succeeded. If the value is 0, then the
custom backup job is considered to have failed.

The exit code of the custom script process is not taken into consideration.

end on job end only A backup job is considered to be ended as soon as an end job message is received from the
save command.

Select this option when you do not want to wait for the postprocessing commands of the script
to end.

end on process exit only A backup job is considered to be ended as soon as the started process exits. Background
processes started by the backup command could still be running on the client.
Use this option when you want the custom script to start background processes and you do
not want savegrp or nsrjobd to wait for the processes to complete.

use process exit code only Only the process exit code is used to determine the success or failure of the job. An exit code
of 0 indicates success. Otherwise, the job is reported as failed.
Use this option when you want the script postprocessing command status to have an impact
on the status of the save backup command without having to unset the NSR_STD_MSG_FD
environment variable.
If the script invokes more than one NetWorker backup command such as save, then you must
still unset the NSR_STD_MSG_FD environment variable.

Both end on job end and Either event can trigger the end of a job.
end on process exit
Both end on job end and If an end job message is received before the process exits, then the exit status provided by the
use process exit code end job message is used to determine the success or failure of the job.

322 Backing Up Data

Customizing backups with the pre and post commands
Customize backup behavior by running preprocessing and postprocessing commands only once during the client backup, instead
of once for each save set.
Preprocessing and postprocessing scripts can be useful if the client is running a database or another program that should be
stopped before the client is backed up, and then restarted after the backup has completed.
1. In the NetWorker Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left panel, select Clients.
3. Right-click the client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
4. On the Apps & Modules tab, in the Pre command attribute, specify the name of the script file that you require NetWorker
to run before a backup.
NOTE: Do not specify the path to the file.

5. Optionally, in the Post command attribute, specify the name of the script file that you require NetWorker to run after a
backup of all the save sets for the client completes.
NOTE: Do not specify the path to the file.

6. Click OK.
The customized instructions are applied the next time that the client is backed up.

Client resources
A client is both a physical computer with NetWorker client software installed on it and a NetWorker resource that specifies a set
of files and directories to be in a scheduled backup. A Client resource also controls backup settings for the client, such as the
save sets to back up for the client, the groups to which the client belongs, and whether to automatically restart failed backups
for the client.
You can configure multiple Client resources for a single NetWorker client computer, although clients with the same save set
cannot be in the same group. You might want to create multiple Client resources for a single client computer in the following
scenarios:
● To separate different types of backup data, such as application data and operating system files. For instance, to back up the
accounting data on a computer on a different schedule than the operating system files, create two client resources for the
computer: one for accounting data and another for operating system data.
● To back up large client file systems more efficiently. For instance, you could create separate client resources for each file
system on a computer and back them up on different schedules.
You can create a Client resource either by using the Client Backup Configuration wizard or the Client Properties dialog box.
You can configure NetWorker clients to use a unique network interface on the NetWorker server and storage node for backup
and recovery operations. Using multihomed systems on page 619 provides more information.

Create a Client resource with the Client Properties dialog box

The following procedure provides the basic steps to create a client resource for scheduled backups. Additional configuration
of the Client resource may be necessary for clients such as VMware or NAS device clients, or to take advantage of product
features such as probe-based backups or archiving.
● Install the NetWorker Client software on the client computer.
● (Optional) Configure directives to control how the NetWorker Server processes files and directories during backup and
recovery. For example, you can create a directive to skip certain directories or file types, to compress backup data, or to
encrypt backup data. Directives on page 260 provides more information.
● (Optional) To view advanced options in the Client Properties dialog box, select View > Diagnostic Mode in the
Administration window. Advanced options are not discussed in this procedure.
● (Optional) Check for reverse entries in the DNS server. If the reverse entries are not present, then do not use the IP address
for creating the clients.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.

Backing Up Data 323

2. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
3. From the File menu, select New.
The Client Properties dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
4. In the Name box, type the hostname or the FQDN of the client computer. The FQDN of a NetWorker Client can contain up
to 255 characters. For more information, see NetWorker Client FQDN compliant with RFC 1123 on page 330.
NOTE: In NetWorker 19.5, you can configure NSM with NetApp ONTAP. The NetWorker Snapshot Management for
NAS Devices Integration Guide provides more information on how to configure NSM with NetApp ONTAP 7-Mode and
ONTAP Cluster Mode.

5. (Optional) In the Comment box, type a description of the client.

If multiple Client resources are being set up for the same host, type a comment that distinguishes the Client resources.
6. In the Tag box, type one or more tags to identify this Client resource for the creation of dynamic client groups for data
protection policies.
Place each entry on a separate line.
7. To allow a failed backup operation to restart at a known good point before the point of failure during the backup, select the
Checkpoint enabled checkbox.
Configuring checkpoint restart backups on page 308 provides more information on the requirements for checkpoint restart.
8. From the Directive list, select a directive to control how the NetWorker Server processes files and directories during
backup and recovery.
9. In the Save set box, type the name of the files or directories to back up, or click the Browse button to browse and select
file system objects.
NOTE: To avoid the over consumption of memory, NetWorker limits the number of files that you can view when you
browse a directory that contain a large number of files, for example, 200,000 files. When NetWorker determines that
displaying the number of files will exhaust memory resources, NetWorker will display a partial list of the files and a
message similar to the following appears: Expanding this directory has stopped because the result
has too many entries

When you manually specify the save set value, place multiple entries on separate lines. For example, to back up a log file
directory that is named C:\log and all the data under the directory that is named D:\accounting, type the following
entries:
C:\log
D:\accounting

Follow the guidelines in the section "Mapped drives" to back up mapped drives on Windows systems.
To back up all client data, type ALL. For Windows operating systems, the ALL save set includes the
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, which includes the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set.
NOTE: Some operating systems contain files and directories that should not be backed up. Use directives to ensure that
these files and directories are not backed up.
Save sets on page 229 provides more information on defining the save sets for a Client resource.

10. Select the other tabs in the Client Properties dialog box and configure options as necessary.
11. Click OK.
Verify that the client is enabled for scheduled backups by ensuring that a check mark appears next to the client in the
Scheduled backup column in the right pane for the client.

Editing a Client resource

1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
3. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Client Properties window, right-click the
staging configuration and select Modify Client Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.

324 Backing Up Data

 NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

4. Edit the attributes of the Client resource.

NOTE: Only client resources in active state can be associated with protection groups.

5. Click OK.

Client priority
The Priority attribute on the Globals (1 of 2) tab of the Client Properties dialog box for a Client resource enables you to
control the order in which the NetWorker server contacts clients for backup.
The attribute can contain a value between 1 and 1,000. The lower the value, the higher the priority.
You must select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Priority attribute in the Client
Properties dialog box.
During a backup operation, the NetWorker server contacts the client with the lowest priority value first. If you do not specify a
priority for the Client resources, then the backup order is random.
While the Priority attribute specifies the order of client contact, many variables affect the order in which clients complete their
backups. For example:
● The backup operation on a client does not begin until the worklists for each of the save sets on the client are complete.
● The amount of work can vary greatly from one client to the next.
● If a client stops responding and times out, then the backup operation puts the client backup at the end of the backup order
list.
The only way to guarantee that the backup of one client occurs before the backup of another client is to configure the data
protection policies for the clients to start at different times.

Copying a Client resource

1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
3. In the right pane, right-click the Client resource and select Copy.
The Create Client dialog box appears with the same attributes as the original client except for the client name.
4. Type the hostname of the client in the Name box.
5. (Optional) Edit other attributes for the Client resource.
6. Click OK.

Changing the hostname of a client

To change the hostname of a client, you must delete the Client resource, rename the directory with the client file index for the
client, and then create a Client resource with the new hostname and the original client ID.
If you create the new Client resource but do not use the client ID of the original NetWorker host:
● The NetWorker server considers the new hostname to be a new NetWorker host.
● The NetWorker server assigns the new hostname a new client ID.
● To recover data, you must perform a directed recovery from the original hostname to the new hostname.
● You cannot perform a browsable recovery, only a save set recovery.
Use the nsrclientfix command to analyze the media database and identify client ID inconsistencies. To resolve client ID
issues, use the nsrclientfix command to merge information about multiple clients in the media database and resource
database into one client resource with the original client ID. The following KB articles on the Online Support website provide
more information about using the nsrclientfix command:

Backing Up Data 325

● For NetWorker Server client ID issues: 000185727
● For NetWorker Client client ID issues: 000193911
1. Record the client ID of the original Client resource:
a. Enable diagnostic mode view by selecting View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration window.
b. In the Administration window, click Protection.
c. In the expanded left pane, select Clients.
d. In the right pane, right-click the Client resource and select Modify Client Properties.
The Client Properties dialog box appears.
e. Select the Globals (1 of 2) tab.
f. Record the value in the Client ID attribute.
g. Click Cancel.
2. Delete the Client resource:
a. Right-click the resource, and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
b. Click Yes.
3. Stop all the NetWorker services on the NetWorker server.
4. On the NetWorker server, rename the client file index directory for this client from old_client_name.domain.com to
new_client_name.domain.com.
The default location for the client file index is NetWorker_install_path\index\client_name.domain.com on
Windows and /nsr/index/client_name.domain.com on UNIX/Linux.
5. Restart the NetWorker services on the NetWorker server.
6. Create a Client resource with the new hostname and the original client ID.

Deleting a Client resource

When you delete a Client resource, the NetWorker server can no longer back up the client computer. The backup history for the
client remains in the client file index and media database until the entries are removed. You can still access and recover backup
data for the client directly from the volume that contains the data by using the scanner command.
If you create a Client resource to re-create the deleted client, specify the same hostname for the client. The NetWorker server
recalls and uses the original client ID for the hostname.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, click Clients.
3. In the right pane, right-click the Client resource and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
4. Click Yes.

Decommission a Client resource

From the NetWorker 19.4 release onwards, you can decommission a client by modifying the attribute of the Client resource. A
new attribute, client state, has been introduced for the NSR Client resource.
The attribute, client state can take the values, active, retired, migrated, scanned, and decommissioned.
When the Networker Server is upgraded to 19.4 or a later version, all the clients irrespective of the NetWorker Client version will
have the default value of the client state attribute as active.
After the upgrade, if you want to retire a client, you can do so by using nsradmin (CLI), the UI (NetWorker UI or NMC), or the
REST interface.
You can change the client state from active to retired. However, the NetWorker server automatically changes the client state
from retired to decommissioned when all the active save sets have expired and are deleted from the NetWorker catalog. This
automatic transition happens through the Server Protection Policy.
To retire a client, change the client state from active to retired after ensuring that the following prerequisites are met:
● If the client is part of any protection group, remove the association.
● If the client has tags configured, remove the tags from all the instances of the client.
After the client state is transitioned to retired, the following applies:

326 Backing Up Data

● Backup (either manually or through policy) operations are not allowed.
● Clients cannot be added to any new protection group or tags.
● NetWorker server does not perform DNS lookup against a retired client during startup.
● New client instances cannot be created.
However, you are allowed to:
● Perform recovery, cloning, and staging of existing save sets.
● Modify the attribute of a retired client.
If you have to backup the client, you can only do that by transitioning the client state back to active.

NOTE: In such cases, ensure that the client is reachable and the valid entries are added in hosts or in the DNS server.

State transitioning from retired to decommissioned is done automatically by the NetWorker Server, when the retention time of
all the save sets of the client has expired.
The following restrictions are applicable for the client in the decommissioned state:
● A client cannot be transitioned from active to decommissioned state.
● A client in the decommissioned state cannot be changed back to retired or active state.
● If you want to take backups for the decommissioned client again, you must delete the client and add it back to the
NetWorker Server.

Table 82. Operations allowed in each client state

NetWorker Operations or State: Active State: Retired/Scanned/ State: Decommissioned
Features Migrated
Member of a policy Yes No No
Manual or Policy Backups or Yes No No
Archive
Cloning and Staging of Yes Yes No
existing save sets
Restore save sets Yes Yes No
DNS resolution by NetWorker Yes No No
Server
Client Metadata Protection Yes Yes No
(Index backups, media db
backup)
nsrpush Operations Yes No No
(Inventory or Upgrade)

For more information about the types of clients to which the state transition is not applicable, see the NetWorker Command
Reference Guide or the UNIX manual page nsr_client.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, click Clients.
3. In the right pane, select the Client resource, and then in the Client State column click Right.
4. Select Edit client state and then select the state as Retired.
A confirmation message appears.
5. Click OK.

Decommission a cluster client

Backup in a cluster depends on the successful backup of all its associated nodes. So it is recommended that the cluster nodes
must not be marked as retired.
If you want to mark the cluster node as retired, then you must first remove that node from the cluster. After that the client can
be marked as retired. This is applicable for both Filesystem and Application clusters.

Backing Up Data 327

Manual backups
Manual backups enable users to make quick backups of a few files from the client host.
When you perform a client-initiated or manual backup, by default NetWorker backs up the data to a volume assigned to the
Default pool on the NetWorker server. The retention policy that is assigned to the data is one year, and the level is manual.
Perform manual backups on Windows by using the NetWorker User program. Perform manual backups on UNIX and Linux only
from the command line.

Performing a manual backup on Windows

Create a local directive on the client computer to exclude local file type devices from manual backups with the NetWorker User
program:
1. Start the NetWorker User program.
2. From the Options menu, select Local Backup Directives.
3. Clear the checkbox for the local file type device.
4. From the File menu, select Save Directive.
NetWorker User local directives on page 268 provides more information on local directives.
NOTE: You cannot perform data deduplication during backups with the NetWorker User program. You must perform
scheduled backups or manual backups from the command line to perform data deduplication during the backup.
1. In the NetWorker User program, click Backup.
The Backup window appears.
2. Select the data to back up.
To back up critical volumes, UEFI, the system reserved partition, and WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES for disaster
recovery purposes, select the DISASTER_RECOVERY save set.
3. Click Start.
The Backup Status dialog box displays the progress of the backup. When the backup finishes, a Backup completion
time message appears.
If the backup fails due to a problem with VSS or a writer, an error message appears. Use the Windows Event Viewer to
examine the event logs for more information. VSS backup error messages are also written to the NetWorker log file.
The NetWorker log file in \install_path\logs\networkr.raw contains a record of every file that was part of an
attempted manual backup from the NetWorker User program. This file is overwritten with the next manual backup. To save
the information in the file, rename the file or export the information by using the nsr_render_log program.
NOTE: Certain types of corrupt files or errors on computer disk volumes are not detected. NetWorker might back up
this corrupt data. To avoid this situation, run diagnostic programs regularly to correct disk volume errors.

Including Windows BMR in manual backups

When you use the NetWorker User program to back up a host, to ensure the backup operation will backup all of the data on the
host, select Computer in the Backup window.
If you only select the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set, then the NetWorker User program automatically selects the critical
volumes and WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets.
NOTE: When you use the NetWorker User program or the save command to perform a manual backup, NetWorker
performs the backup operation as a single backup stream. To multi-stream the backup operation, run a scheduled group
backup.
Backing Up Data on page 269 provides more information about manual backups.

328 Backing Up Data

Performing a manual backup from the command prompt
Perform a manual backup from the command prompt by using the save command.
For example, to back up myfile to the jupiterserver, type:
save -s jupiter myfile
If you do not specify the -s option with the save command, the files are backed up to the NetWorker server that is
alphabetically listed first in the /nsr/res/servers file on the client computer.
UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the save command.

BTRFS backups
NetWorker support BTRFS volume backups. When you specify a BTRFS volume or sub-volume save set, NetWorker performs
a recursive back up of the directory tree that you specified with the save command. When NetWorker encounters a sub-
directory that has a sub-volume ID that differs from the parent sub-volume ID, NetWorker will not back up the contents of the
subdirectory, unless you specify the -x option with the save command.

Performing a manual backup on Mac OS X

To perform a manual backup on a Mac OS X client, use the save command in a Terminal session.
For example:
$ save "file_or_directory_to_back_up" -s NetWorker_server
If you do not specify the -s NetWorker_server option, the save command contacts the NetWorker server that is defined
in the /nsr/res/servers file. The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides more information about the save
command.

Troubleshooting manual backups

This section describes how to troubleshoot error messages that might appear during a manual or client-initiated backup.

Could not create log file: Permission denied

This message appears when a non-root user performs a manual client direct-enabled backup to a CloudBoost device but the
user account does not have write access to the /nsr/logs/cloudboost directory. To resolve this issue, configure the
following environment variables to define an alternate location for the log files, where the non-root user has write access:
export CB_CACHE_LOCATION=cache_dir

export CB_LOG_DIR_LOCATION=log_dir

where:
● cache_dir is the directory that stores backup cache files.
● log_dir is the directory that stores for the backup log files.

Verifying backup data

You can use the NetWorker User program on Windows clients to ensure that backup data on the NetWorker server matches the
data on the local disk. This verification process enables you to test whether you can successfully recover the data.
During the verification, the file types, file change times, file sizes, and file contents are compared. Other system attributes, such
as read-only, archive, hidden, system, compressed, and file access control list (ACL), are not part of the verification.
The NetWorker server alerts you to any changes that have occurred to the data since the backup. Verification also determines
whether a hardware failure kept the NetWorker server from completing a successful backup.

Backing Up Data 329

 NOTE: This feature is not available on UNIX clients.

1. Log in as an administrator on the Windows client computer.

2. Open the NetWorker User program.
3. From the Operation menu, select Verify Files.
4. Select the data items to verify.
5. Click Start.
6. Monitor the data verification progress in the Verify Files Status dialog box.
After the verification is complete, the Verify Status dialog box shows any data discrepancies.

NetWorker Client FQDN compliant with RFC 1123

In the earlier versions of NetWorker, the NetWorker Server, the NetWorker Storage Node, and the NetWorker Client can be
configured with a FQDN of up to 63 characters.
From NetWorker 19.4 onwards, the NetWorker Storage Node and the NetWorker Client are RFC 1123 compliant and can be
configured with a FQDN of up to 255 characters. The FQDN for the Networker Server is limited to 63 characters.
Each element of the FQDN must be from 1 to 63 characters long and the entire FQDN, including the dots, must comply with
RFC 1123. See Windows recommendations from Microsoft or UNIX recommendations from UNIX OS vendors for FQDN or
Active Directory configurations to comply with RFC 1123.
To use the feature, the NetWorker Server and the NetWorker Clients with FQDN greater than 63 characters have to be on
the NetWorker 19.4 version. For information about limitations, see Known issues and limitations for NetWorker 19.4 in the
NetWorker 19.4 Release Notes.

330 Backing Up Data

 7
Cloning, Staging, and Archiving
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Cloning, staging, and archiving
• Benefits of cloning and staging
• Cloning save sets and volumes
• Staging save sets
• Archiving data

Cloning, staging, and archiving

The storage device that you use for the initial backup is often a compromise between a number of factors, including location,
availability, capacity, speed, and cost. As a result, the backup data on the initial storage device is unlikely to be on the ideal or
best storage for the entire duration of the retention period.
NetWorker provides you with three ways to manage data for long term storage.
● Cloning—The clone process allows you to perform the following tasks:
○ Create a duplicate copy of backup data securely offsite.
○ Transfer data from one location to another.
○ Verify backups.
You can clone volumes and save sets. The clone process copies existing save sets from a volume in one device to a volume
in a different device. The target volume can be the same media type or a different media type than the original.
● Staging—The stage process uses the clone process to transfer backup data from an AFTD or file type device to another
medium, then removes the data from the original location.
● Archiving—The archive process captures files or directories as they exist at a specific time, and writes the data to archive
storage volumes. NetWorker does not automatically recycle the archive volumes. After the archive process completes, you
can delete or groom the original files from the disk to conserve space.
NOTE: Cloning of APP Consistent TLOG backup will fail when you use CloudBoost 19.3 and later embedded storage
node. For cloning APP consistent full and Tlog backups to CloudBoost 19.3 and later, use the external storage node with
NetWorker 19.3 and later.

Benefits of cloning and staging

Cloning and staging enables you to use storage devices more effectively by moving data between different types of devices.
You can copy the data that is stored on local tape devices to other devices in remote locations without an impact to the initial
backup performance. You can copy backups from disk devices to tape device to facilitate offsite or long term storage. When
you move data from disk to tape, you can use the storage capacity more effectively. When you make use of a deduplicated disk,
NetWorker can reclaim the initial storage space for new backups.
NetWorker can only perform a clone operation after a successful backup, which provides the following benefits:
● Allows the backup process to complete at maximum performance without any impact to speed due to multiple write
acknowledgments, delays, or retries on one or more devices. A clone operation limits the performance impact on a client,
while providing data protection as quickly as possible.
● Ensures that a successful backup, that the data is valid, and that the clone operation completes successfully.
● Ensures that the storage requirements have been determined, and that the storage is made available.
● Allows you to schedule and rank the clone operation outside of the backup window, when resources are less constrained.
● Reduces the load on the backup infrastructure.
● Allows you to easily start recoveries because the backup operation has already completed.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 331

 NOTE: You cannot use the NetWorker software to create an instant clone by writing to two devices simultaneously. This
operation is also referred to as parallel cloning, twinning, or inline copy. Where parallel cloning or twinning is required,
consider using the NetWorker cloning feature. Using cloning helps ensure that the initial backup completes successfully.
Additional data protection can also be implemented by using the best devices and bandwidth available for the backup
environment.

Cloning save sets and volumes

The cloning operation reads save sets from a volume within a backup or archive pool and writes the data to a volume in a clone
pool. You can clone save sets multiple times, but NetWorker must write each clone to a separate volume.
When you clone backup data, the clone operation validate that NetWorker can read the original backup data successfully in the
media database and on the media volume, which provides additional assurance that you can recover the data.
When you try to establish clone save session enabling writes to target for creation of a new copy, by design it is checked if the
expiry time of the save set is lesser than the current time. If expiry is non-zero and less than the current time, it means that the
time when such check is performed, clone is marked as failed in the clone log with notification retention time must be in the
future. To create further copies using clone, it is important that the save set has not expired before clone initiation or is not
going to expire during the clone run.
To schedule save set cloning, configure Data Protection Group, Data Protection Policy, followed by a workflow having a clone
action. The Data Protection Policies chapter provides detailed information about creating a clone action. To manually clone
backup save sets or to clone the backup volume itself from the command prompt, use the nsrclone command.

Deciding when to clone

The need to clone data is normally driven by a requirement for additional protection, or the need to move data to a specific
media type or location. In both cases, the priority is to secure the data as quickly as possible.
There is a high probability that any restore request within the first 48 hours is due to local failure or corruption and that the
original backup copy is the most likely source for that recovery. If there is a local disaster recovery or site loss, the recovery
actions and objectives are likely to be very different. Selected systems and services are assigned specific priorities, recovery
point objective (RPO) values, and recovery time objective (RTO) values.

Clone Browse and Retention

NetWorker supports the ability to define a browse and retention time for a clone save set that differs from the original save set.
The following attributes determine the browse and retention time that NetWorker assigns to the original save set and clone save
set.
● Retention policy attribute that is defined for the Client resource.
● Browse and Retention policy attribute that is defined for the Action resource that created the save set.
● Retention policy attribute that is defined for the Pool resource that contains the save set.
NOTE: This read-only attribute appears on the Configuration tab of the Pool resource, when Diagnostic mode is
enabled in the NetWorker Administration window. This is a 8.2.x and earlier attribute, which you cannot modify.
It is recommended that you define the retention policy for data in the Action resource. If you define the retention policy for save
sets in multiple resources, you might experience unexpected save set expirations.
NOTE: The maximum retention time is limited to 136 years from the current date of execution for the respective action.

Cloning requirements and considerations

Review this section before you configure a clone action or perform a manual clone operation.
NOTE: The Clone Data Domain must be running on an operating system version that is similar to or later than that of Back
up Data Domain operating system.

332 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

Device requirements
NetWorker requires two or more storage devices to perform a clone operation. One device contains the volume with the original
data and one device contains the volume to which NetWorker writes the clone data. The clone data must reside on a volume
that differs from the original volume. Each clone volume can only contain one instance of a cloned save set, even if the clone
operation did not complete successfully. For example, if you want to create three clone copies of a save set, NetWorker must
write each clone save set to a separate volume. As a result, you would need three separate volumes.
NOTE: When configuring multiple clone workflows for a scheduled clone, if a single backup pool has multiple save sets,
ensure that each clone workflow is streamlined to split the list of save sets that must be cloned. If you attempt to clone
a common SSID from a backup pool using multiple workflows into a single clone pool, using only backup pool as the filter,
the clone action might result in a media waiting event. Ensure that the clone workflows in a single backup pool that
have multiple save sets are separated by multiple clone pools. The best practice is to configure multiple workflows using
additional filters along with the backup pool.
When using a tape library with multiple devices, the NetWorker Server automatically mounts the volumes that are required to
complete the clone operation. When you use standalone tape devices, you must manually mount the volumes. A message in the
Alert tab of the Monitoring window indicates which volumes to mount.
Often businesses choose devices for the initial backup that is based on speed or cost requirements. NetWorker supports cloning
or staging data to a device type that differs from the source data volume. A common cloning or staging scenario includes
using an AFTD for the initial backup to gain speed and versatility benefits, then to clone or stage the data to tape devices or
dedpulication devices. This scenario allows for an extended retention period without increasing disk space requirements. The
use of deduplication can also provide efficient use of storage. Cloning to or from deduplication devices can ensure that these
devices are used effectively. If the clone operation includes save sets from different devices, and you want all the save sets to
be written to the same volume, include only one volume in the clone target pool.
NOTE: It is recommended that you do not write NDMP and non-NDMP data to the same clone volume because the number
of file marks and positioning on the device differs for both data types.

Cloning multiplexed backups

You can clone multiplexed save sets. NetWorker writes the clone copies of multiplexed save sets as a single contiguous data
stream on the target media (demultiplexed). When you recover from a multiplexed save set, read and recovery times increase
as a result of the time NetWorker spends reading and locating the data. The process of demultiplexing save sets by the clone
operation allowed you to read and recover data faster from a clone save set than a backup save set.
When you clone multiplex save sets, you can only clone one save set to the same target volume simultaneously. However, if the
save sets have separate target volumes, you can start multiple clone sessions simultaneously from the same source.

Save set spanning

Some devices, for example Data Domain, support save set spanning across multiple volumes. When NetWorker clones a save
set, the clone copy might start on one volume but continue on one or more additional volumes.
When using devices that support save set spanning, ensure that you:
● Identify save sets that span multiple volumes.
● Keep the number of continued save sets to a minimum.
● Use separate pools and larger or alternative devices.
● Use the Data Domain backup-to-disk and optimized cloning feature with Data Domain devices.
● Plan ahead to ensure that the volumes are available and that they are read in the best sequence.
NOTE: You can create a custom, scripted solution that uses the nsrclone command to manage save set spanning.

Save set status

NetWorker does not clone save sets that are recyclable or eligible for recycling. If NetWorker encounters a save set that is not
browseable, the save set is skipped and is not cloned. However, the clone status is successful.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 333

Recovery scenarios
When you clone data, you provide the datazone with an alternative data recovery source, which helps to protect against media
loss or corruption. However, if the media is located in one of the following locations, then the second copy of the data is still
vulnerable to major disasters that can affect the entire site:
● On the same tape library as the original data volume.
● On a deduplication device within the same data center, in a Data Domain environment.
● In an onsite safe.
Sometimes, you may require more copies of a save set to ensure that all the recovery scenarios are accommodated while
maintaining the expected return on investment. This requirement may not apply to all clients and all data, or be practical.
However, consider the reasons for cloning to ensure that the cloning strategy meets requirements and expectations.
Changing the target device, or moving tapes to a second location after the cloning operation completes, can provide additional
protection.

Retention considerations
A Retention policy value applies to every type of save set. The retention policy value determines the length of time that the data
remains available for recovery in the NetWorker media database and the client file index. You can specify a retention policy value
for the clone save set that differs from the value that is defined for the original save set. When the retention policy differs for
the original and clone save set, you can expire the original save set and reclaim the space on the source volume but maintain the
data on a clone volume for future recoveries.
NOTE: The retention setting impacts the amount of disk space that is required by the NetWorker Server. The recovery
procedure is likely to be different if retention has expired. The retention setting should be equal to or greater than the client
or data requirements, and allow for the expected recovery conditions.

Cloning example
In this example, a backup of a client with three data drives creates three save sets. These save sets are stored on a volume that
is accessible through Storage Node A. Once a cloning action occurs, the copies of these save sets are sent to eligible devices in
the clone pool on Storage Node B.
In this figure:
● A client performs a backup of three data drives to Storage Node A. NetWorker creates three save sets, one save set for
each data drive.
● A clone operation reads the data from the volumes on Storage Node A, and then copies the save sets to Storage Node B.

334 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

Figure 51. Cloning example

Cloning with tape devices

There are a number of reasons why tape devices are used as part of the cloning process:
● In cases where tape is used as a secondary storage tier where selected data is cloned to tape for offsite storage or for
extended data retention periods. This allows disk devices to be used for the initial backup where their speed and flexibility
can be most effectively used for fast backup and recovery performance.
● In cases where tape is used as the primary backup media, there are still benefits in creating clone copies, including:
○ Secondary copy at different location or for offsite storage.
○ Data validation.
○ Verification of the ability to read data from the media.
○ Added protection of multiple copies across multiple volumes.
○ De-multiplexing of multiplex backups for faster recovery.
Cloning with tape devices provides two benefits which should be considered for every clone:
● Unlike disk-based devices, tape devices read data in a serial format. This means that while multiplexing is beneficial from a
backup streaming perspective, this is not the case for recovery.
● If recovery speed is important, the use of clone copies as the source is likely to result in faster recovery throughput.
Tape clone copies are often the preferred method to read data in a disaster recovery situation. The ability to acquire, install, and
configure a tape unit to read data is often the first task on a disaster recovery plan.
By creating a copy of the backup on tape, you can eliminate the need for appliances such as VTLs or disk systems to be in
place. This often takes longer to acquire, install, and configure. However, ensure that the tape copy is a full and complete copy,
without the dependence on other backups or deduplication appliances to complete the restore operation.

Production storage node cloning of data to physical tape

This section outlines the advantages and disadvantages of cloning data to physical tapes:
● The NetWorker software can clone from virtual tape in the disk library through a production storage node to a SAN-attached
tape library to produce copies of save sets. This operation is a standard NetWorker cloning procedure.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 335

● For the disk library, a virtual tape drive works in conjunction with a SAN-attached target tape device to complete the cloning
process.
● Cloning from a production storage node to a second storage node can also be performed over IP.
NOTE: Do not use a production storage node to perform cloning operations when the embedded storage node cloning
capability is present.

Advantages
The advantages of cloning data to physical tapes include the following:
● Cloning can occur with the disk libraries under NetWorker control with standard NetWorker policy support. You can use
multiple retention policies for different cloned copies of the data.
● Cloning can occur at the save set and volume level.
NOTE: NetWorker can clone a single save set, multiple save sets or all of the save sets on a volume.
● Copying can occur from one tape type (virtual) to another tape type (target tape library), also known as tape conversion.
● Copying can occur from multiple virtual tapes to a single tape, also known as tape stacking.

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of cloning data to physical tapes include the following:
● Requires storage node licenses.
● Requires maintenance of front-end SAN infrastructure to a target tape library as well as the virtual tape library.
● Consumes SAN bandwidth as data must be from virtual tape over the SAN to a target device on the SAN.

Cloning with file type and AFTD devices

Disk backup devices such as file type devices and advanced file type devices (AFTD) are ideal for cloning operations because
they provide high speed, random access, and flexibility.
There are differences in the cloning process for file type devices and advanced file type devices.
● For file type devices, scheduled and manual cloning begins only after all save sets in a group have been backed up.
● For AFTDs, scheduled cloning begins only after all save sets in a group have been backed up. However, you can begin
manually cloning a save set when it has finished its backup. For example, if there are three save sets (A, B, and C) in a
backup, you can begin manually cloning Save Set A after its backup is complete and while the backups of Save Sets B and
C are in progress. You can only manually clone one save set at a time. AFTDs allow recoveries during cloning operations
(Read(source) or Write(target)). This assumes that the recover operation is not from the active save set and that only one
clone operation is running at a time.
Often, the disk devices are used as the initial target device for backups, especially in situations where slower clients are unable
to match the speeds that are expected for modern tape devices. In these situations, the ability to clone or stage data to tape
often provides extended retention and data protection, while maximizing the disk use and benefits.
Data can remain on the disk devices for short periods, typically 3 to 14 days, which allows for:
● Adequate time for immediate and urgent restore operations to occur.
● Plenty of time to create further copies to tape or other disk-based devices for longer term retention.

Cloning with Avamar

When you configure NetWorker with Avamar to deduplicate backup data, the backup data is stored on an Avamar deduplication
node on the Avamar server. The metadata (hash information) is stored on a NetWorker storage node.
NOTE: NetWorker does not support the protection of new Avamar clients. You can only protect Avamar 7.2 clients that
were initially configured on a NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier host.
To clone Avamar deduplication backups:
● Configure a clone action to clone the metadata. Cloning this hash metadata is highly recommended.
● Configure replication of the backup data from the original Avamar deduplication node to another Avamar deduplication node.
The NetWorker software does not start replication. A replication host (an Avamar server) must be configured by Customer
Service before a deduplication backup can be replicated.

336 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

 NOTE: For disaster recovery, you must replicate the client data to another Avamar deduplication node and clone the
metadata. Both the metadata and the client data are required to recover client backup data.
You can also output the backup data of Avamar deduplication nodes to tape volumes. Create a second Client resource for the
client, but do not configure the second instance as a deduplication client. Configure a data protection policy to back up the
second client instance as a normal NetWorker client and store the backups on tape.

Cloning with Data Domain (DD Boost)

As with other NetWorker devices, you can use Data Domain device types to perform clone operations. You can clone single
save sets or the entire Data Domain volume from a Data Domain device. You can also use the Data Domain device as the target
device, to receive cloned data.
Cloning works differently for deduplication devices. You can perform clone-controlled replication (CCR), or optimized cloning of
data, from one Data Domain system to another. Or you can clone data from a Data Domain device to tape or to any other device
type.
NOTE: To use Data Domain with NetWorker, the NetWorker server hostname should be in lower case. Data Domain
functions with lowercase and DD Cloud tier operations fails if it is mixed case.

Controlling storage node selection for cloning

You can control the storage node from which clone data is read (read source) and the storage node to which the clone data
is written (write source). If you do not specify the read and write source storage nodes, then the cloning operation uses the
nsrserverhost or NetWorker server as the storage node.
When you use data protection policies to clone, the selections that you make from Source Storage Node and Destination
Storage Node lists on the Clone Options page for the clone action control the read source and write source. The "Creating a
clone action" topic provides more information about how to configure a clone action and configure the filters that enable you to
define the criteria that NetWorker uses to create the list of eligible save sets to clone.
When you use the nsrclone command, Use the –J recover storage node option to specify the read source host for the
original volume and the –d save storage node option to specify the write source for the clone volume. The NetWorker
Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide more information about the nsrclone command.

Determining the storage node for reading clone data

When you do not specify the source storage node for a clone action in a data protection policy or for the nsrclone command,
the storage node from which clone data is read (read source) depends on whether the source volume is mounted or unmounted,
as well as environment variable settings.
To control the storage node from which clone data is read, ensure that the source volume is mounted on the device for the
storage node, or list the storage node in the Recover storage nodes attribute of the Client resource for the NetWorker
server and in the Read Hostname attribute for the Library resource, if the source volume is in a media library. Select View >
Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Recover storage nodes and Read Hostname attributes in the
Client Properties dialog box.
NOTE: If the clone source volume is on a remote storage node and is unmounted, a volume clone operation cannot
complete successfully, even if the source volume is mounted after the clone operation tries to start. The nsrclone
program is unavailable with a message that the server is busy. This issue does not occur when the storage node is on the
NetWorker server (or, not remote) or when you perform a clone controlled replication (optimized clone) operation.

Cloning operation logic for selecting a read source storage node

The cloning operation uses the following logic to determine the read source storage node:
1. If the source volume is mounted, then the storage node of the device on which the volume is mounted is used as the read
source except in the following scenarios:
● If the FORCE_REC_AFFINITY environment variable is set to Yes.
● If the volume resides in a Virtual Tape Library (VTL) environment such as a CLARiiON Disk Library (CDL).

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 337

 In these scenarios, the NetWorker software ignores whether the source volume is mounted and behaves as though the
volume is not mounted.
2. If the source volume is not mounted or the FORCE_REC_AFFINITY environment variable is set to Yes, then the NetWorker
software creates a list of eligible storage nodes, based on the storage nodes that meet both of the following criteria:
● The storage node is listed in the Recover storage nodes attribute of the Client resource for the NetWorker server.
If there are no storage nodes in the list and the Autoselect storage node checkbox in the NetWorker server Client
resource is clear, then the clone operation uses the value in the Storage Nodes attribute for the NetWorker server
Client resource.
If there are no storage nodes in the list and the Autoselect storage node checkbox in the NetWorker server Client
resource is selected, then the clone operation uses autoselect logic to choose the storage node.
● If the requested volume is in a media library, then the storage node is listed in the Read Hostname attribute for the
Library resource is used.
If the Read Hostname attribute for the Library resource is not set, then all storage nodes on which any device in the
library is configured are added to the list of eligible storage nodes.
NOTE: If the volume is not in a media library, then the list of storage nodes is based only on the criterion for storage
node settings in the NetWorker server Client resource.

Example
Consider the following example for a volume that resides in a media library and is not mounted:
● The Recover storage nodes attribute in the NetWorker server Client resource lists the following storage nodes in order:
○ Storage node F
○ Storage node E
○ Storage node D
● The Read Hostname attribute for the Library resource is not set, but the following devices in the media library are
configured with storage nodes:
○ Device A is configured on storage node D.
○ Device B is configured on storage node E.
○ Device C is configured on storage node B.
The list of eligible storage nodes is the intersection of the two previous lists (storage nodes E and D). The order in which the
storage node is selected depends on the order of the storage nodes in the Recover storage node attribute list. In this example,
storage node E is selected first as the read source storage node. If storage node E is not available, then storage node D is
selected.
If no matching storage nodes are found in the intersecting list, then an error is written to the daemon log file that indicates that
no matching devices are available for the operation. To correct the problem, ensure that at least one matching storage node
appears in both lists.

Determining the storage node for writing cloned data

When you do not specify the destination storage node for a clone action in a data protection policy or for the nsrclone
command, the storage node to which clone data is written (write source) depends on the storage nodes listed in the Clone
storage nodes attribute for the read source storage node or the NetWorker server storage node.
To control the storage node to which clone data is written, specify the hostname of the write source storage node in the Clone
storage nodes attribute for the read source storage node.
To clone from many read source storage nodes to a single write source storage node, specify the hostname for the write source
storage node in the Clone storage nodes attribute for the NetWorker server storage node.
In backup-to-disk environments, a single backup volume can be shared by multiple storage devices on different storage nodes.
To ensure unambiguous clone write sources in this situation, specify the same write source storage node in the Clone storage
nodes attribute of all storage nodes that have access to the backup volume.
Regardless of where the cloned data is written, the client file index and media database entries for the cloned save sets reside
on the NetWorker server.

338 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

Cloning operation logic for selecting a write source storage node
The cloning operation uses the following logic to determine the storage node that stores cloned backup data:
1. The write source storage node is listed in the Clone storage nodes attribute for the read source storage node.
2. If the Clone storage nodes attribute for the read source storage node is blank, then the write source storage node is listed
in the Clone storage nodes attribute for the NetWorker server storage node.
3. If the Clone storage nodes attribute for the NetWorker server storage node is blank, then the write source storage node
depends on whether the Autoselect storage node checkbox is selected or clear in the Client resource for the NetWorker
server:
● If the checkbox is clear, then the clone operation uses the value in the Storage Nodes attribute of the Client resource
for the NetWorker server.
● If the checkbox is selected, then the clone operation uses autoselect logic to choose the storage node.
You must select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Autoselect storage node attribute
in the Client Properties dialog box.

Determining the storage node for recovering cloned data

The storage node from which clone data is recovered depends on whether the source volume is mounted or unmounted, as well
as environment variable settings.
To control the storage node from which cloned data is recovered, ensure that the source volume is mounted on the device
for the storage node. Alternatively, list the storage node in the Recover storage nodes attribute of the Client resource that
is being recovered and in the Read Hostname attribute for the Library resource, if the source volume is in a media library.
You must select View > Diagnostic Mode in the Administration interface to access the Recover storage nodes and Read
Hostname attributes in the Client Properties dialog box.
-J SNhost, source storage node, is a forced volume location from which the NetWorker Server attempts to read a selected
volume. To read the selected volume, either the volume must already be mounted on that forced volume location or the forced
volume location must have a device that can mount the selected volume. If -b pool_name is mentioned, the pool selection is
restricted.

Recovery operation logic for selecting the storage node from which to recover cloned data
The recovery operation uses the following logic to determine the storage node from which to recover cloned data:
1. If the source volume is mounted, then the storage node of the device on which the volume is mounted is used as the read
source except in the following scenarios:
● If the FORCE_REC_AFFINITY environment variable is set to Yes.
● In a Virtual Tape Library (VTL) environment such as a CLARiiON Disk Library (CDL).
In these scenarios, the NetWorker software ignores whether the source volume is mounted and behaves as though the
volume is not mounted.
NOTE: If -S ssid/cloneid is used then the recovery operation picks up the exact copy. If only -S ssid or the save set
path is used, any valid copy can be read.
2. If the source volume is not mounted, or the FORCE_REC_AFFINITY environment variable is set to Yes, then the
NetWorker software creates a list of eligible storage nodes, based on the following criteria:
● The storage node is listed in the Recover storage nodes attribute of the NetWorker Client resource that is being
recovered.
If there are no storage nodes in the list and the Autoselect storage node checkbox in the Client resource is clear, then
the clone operation uses the value in the Storage Nodes attribute for the Client resource.
If there are no storage nodes in the list and the Autoselect storage node checkbox in the Client resource is selected,
then the recovery operation uses autoselect logic to choose the storage node.
● If the requested volume is in a media library, then the storage node is listed in the Read Hostname attribute for the
Library resource is used.
If the Read Hostname attribute for the Library resource is not set, then all storage nodes on which any device in the
library is configured are added to the list of eligible storage nodes.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 339

 NOTE: If the volume is not in a media library, then the list of storage nodes is based only on the criterion for storage
node settings in the NetWorker server Client resource.

Recover Pipe to Save

Recover Pipe to Save (RPS) is a feature that improves performance by allowing clone, backup, and recovery operations to
access the same nsrmmd process concurrently.
To clear or select the Disable (RPS) Clone attribute, perform the following steps.
1. On the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the left pane of the Server window, right-click the NetWorker server.
3. From the File menu, select Properties.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. Clear or select the Disable RPS Clone attribute, and then click OK.
NOTE:
● Cloning of saveset is not supported from a non-Data Domain device to a DD Cloud Tier device. Cloning fails with the
following error:

Failed to get mmd reservation with err: Clone saveset(s) operation from a non-
Data Domain device to a DD Cloud Tier device is not supported.

● When you perform a fresh installation of NetWorker Server 19.5, RPS cloning is disabled by default.
● If you have NetWorker 19.5 server installed, Dell EMC recommends that you maintain parity with the NetWorker
19.5 storage node in both the RPS Enabled and Disabled mode. However, if you have compatibility and migration
challenges and want to maintain earlier versions of the storage node, that is, the N-2 version, then Dell EMC
recommends that you use the RPS Disabled mode for cloning. In cases where VMware vProxy save sets are used for
cloning, RPS Enabled mode is supported by default. Therefore, Dell EMC recommends that you maintain NetWorker
server and storage node compatibility and configure clone actions with the appropriate storage node based on the
workloads.

RPS Clone State

The following table lists the recommended RPS cloning state for source and destination devices.

Table 83. RPS Clone State

RPS Devices DD to DD to DD to CT DD to CB to AFTD to AFTD to Tape to AFTD to
State in source DD Tape CB CB DD tape Tape AFTD
and
destinati
on pool
RPS One to Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Disabled one
One to Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
many
Many to Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
many
Many to Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
one
RPS One to Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No
Enabled one
One to Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No
many

340 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

Table 83. RPS Clone State (continued)
RPS Devices DD to DD to DD to CT DD to CB to AFTD to AFTD to Tape to AFTD to
State in source DD Tape CB CB DD tape Tape AFTD
and
destinati
on pool
Many to Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No
many
Many to No No No No No No No No No
one

Cloning save sets from the command prompt

Use the nsrclone command to clone save sets and volumes from a command prompt, or to script clone operations.
Script clone operations for any of the following scenarios:
● To control the conditions before cloning occurs. For example, following a specific event or test, or as part of a workflow.
● To control the actions after cloning has been successful. For example, deleting files, or moving data as part of a workflow.
● To control the cloning as part of an enterprise management scheduler that is independent of NetWorker scheduling or NMC.
● To create multiple clones. For example, clone 1 on disk, clone 2 to tape, each with specific dependencies, timing, and logic.
NOTE: When using the scripted cloning feature, use the latest versions of NetWorker software. This minimizes the
complexity of the logic in the cloning script.
The nsrclone command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.

Mounting clone source volumes on remote storage nodes

When the volume that contains the original data resides on a storage node that is not the NetWorker server, mount the source
volume in a device on the storage node before you try the clone operation.
NetWorker displays the following error message in the daemon.raw and the Logs window in the NetWorker Administration
window when the source volume is not mounted before the clone operation:
Server server_name busy, wait 30 second and retry

Cloning volumes from the command prompt

Volume cloning is the process of reproducing complete save sets from a storage volume to a clone volume. Use the nsrclone
command to clone save set data from backup or archive volumes.
1. Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the
Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.
2. Use the mminfo command or the NetWorker Administration window to determine the name of the volume that contains
the save sets that you want to clone.
● To use the NetWorker Administration window, perform the following steps:
a. Click Media.
b. In the expanded left pane, select either Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
c. In the right pane, record the name that appears in the Volume Name column.
● To use the mminfo command to display volumes. For example, to display a list of all the available volumes, type the
following command:

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 341

 mminfo -mv
state volume written (%) expires read mounts capacity volid next type
bu_iddnwserver2.iddlab.local.001 46 MB 100% 04/04/2015 0 KB 0 0 KB 16193908 0 adv_file
bu_iddnwserver2.iddlab.local_c.002 0 KB 0% undef 0 KB 0 0 KB 4294384030 0 adv_file
NOTE: For disk type devices, the amount of data on the device (DD, DDCT, and AFTD) by Networker and reported by
mminfo for the written in the volume record, must match the disk usage on the file system directory where the device
path is configured.

3. From a command prompt on the NetWorker server, use the nsrclone command to clone the save sets on a volume. For
example to clone save sets to volume in the default clone pool, type:
nsrclone -v -b Default backup.001
where:
● backup.001 is the name of the volume that contains the source save sets.
● The clone pool that the clone operation uses to write the clone save sets is the Default clone pool.

Cloning save sets from the command prompt with filters

You can use the nsrclone command on the NetWorker server to manually clone save sets, based on user defined criteria or
identifiers. Use the mminfo command to determine which identifiers you want to use to define a list of save sets to clone.
Identifiers include the client name, the save set name, the backup level, and the number of valid copies or clones not yet created
in the target pool.
UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrclone and the
mminfo commands.
The following examples illustrate the nsrclone command:
NOTE: Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the nsrclone and
mminfo commands. Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.

● To clone all save sets created in the last 24 hours for clients mars and jupiter with save set names /data1 and /data2 for
only backup level full, type:
nsrclone -S -e now -c mars -c jupiter -N /data1 -N /data2 -l full

● To clone all save sets that were not copied to the default clone pool in a previous partially aborted nsrclone session, type:
nsrclone -S -e now -C 1

● To clone all save sets that were not copied to the default clone pool in a previous partially aborted nsrclone session and
then assign the save sets a browse and retention policy value that differs from the original save set, type:
nsrclone -S -e now -C 1 -y 12/12/2016
nsrclone -S -e now -C 1 -y 12/12/2022 -w 12/12/2021

Using query filter (-q) to specify savesets

You can clone specific savesets that are a part of policy, workflow or action by using filters to the nsrclone command. You can
provide any combination of the 3 new query options.
● Standalone query options:
nsrclone -q "policy=Gold" -S -t "1 month ago"
nsrclone -q "workflow=NMC server backup" -S -t "1 month ago"
nsrclone -q "action=backup" -S -t "1 month ago"

● Combination of 2 options:
nsrclone -q "action=backup" -q "policy=Gold" -S -t "1 month ago"
nsrclone -q "workflow=NMC server backup" -q "policy=Gold" -S -t "1 month ago"
nsrclone -q "workflow=NMC server backup" -q "action=backup" -S -t "1 month ago"
● Combination of 3 options:

342 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

 nsrclone -q "action=backup" -q "policy=Gold" -q "workflow=NMC server backup" -S -t "1
month ago"

User can add pre-existing group query options along with the newly added query options . For example, -q group=<>
nsrclone -q "group=DPG" -q "action=backup" -q "policy=Gold" -q "workflow=NMC server backup" -S -t "1 month ago"
The following table provides the descriptions of the options that are used in the nsrclone command example.

Table 84. List of nsrclone options and their descriptions

Options Description
-S Specifies that the subsequent nsrclone options are save set
identifiers and not volumes names.
-C less_than_clone_copies_value Specifies the upper non-inclusive integer limit such that only
save sets with a lesser number of clone copies in the target
clone pool are considered when nsrclone searches for save
sets to clone. Use this option when you retry an aborted clone
operation.
NOTE: NetWorker does not consider the following save
sets when calculating the copies value for a save set:
● Original save set.
● AFTD read-only mirror clone. NetWorker counts the
read or write primary clone only because there is only
one physical clone copy between the related clone pair.
● Recyclable, aborted, incomplete, and unusable clone
save sets.

Requires the -t or -e option.

-l level_or_range_value Specifies the backup level to search for when nsrclone

determines which save sets to clone:
● Manual—For ad-hoc or client-initiated save sets.
● full—For level full save sets.
● incr—For level incremental save sets.

You can specify more than one level by using multiple -l

options.

Requires the -t or -e option.

-N save_set_name Specifies the save set name to search for when nsrclone
determines which save sets to clone. Use multiple -N options
to specify more than one save set name.

Requires the -t or -e option.

-c client_name Specifies the name of the client to search for when

nsrclone determines which save sets to clone. Use multiple
-c options to specify more than one client name.

Requires the -t or -e option.

-y date Specifies the retention policy date to assign to the clone

save set.

Use a time and date format that is accepted by the

nsr_getdate program. UNIX man page and the NetWorker
Command Reference Guide provides detailed information
about nsr_getdate.

-w date Specifies the browse policy date to assign to the clone save
set.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 343

Table 84. List of nsrclone options and their descriptions (continued)
Options Description
Use a time and date format that is accepted by the
nsr_getdate program. UNIX man page and the NetWorker
Command Reference Guide provides detailed information
about nsr_getdate.
NOTE:
To set a browse period that is different from the
retention period, ensure that the group associated with
the workflow does not include client types other than File
System or NDMP.

-A action_parallelism Specifies the maximum number of concurrent operations for

the nsrclone action

Updates to group, policy, workflow, and action fields in mediadb

for a cloned save set
When a cloned save set is queried for group, policy, workflow or action fields in mediadb, output of the query can be categorized
based on how cloning was carried out (whether it was run through action or command line).
Action or policy clones- For concurrent, sequential, and scheduled clone types, the cloned copy displays group, policy, workflow,
and action for policy tree under which clone action is created. For concurrent and sequential clones these fields are same as
backup copy.
Command line clones- Policy, workflow, and action fields are empty and only the group which is inherited from backup is
populated.

Staging save sets

Staging is the process of transferring backup data from one storage device, usually an AFTD to another device, and then
removing the data from the original device. Staging save sets from the primary data device ensures that there is always
sufficient disk space available on the primary device to store data.
To manage the staging process, manually stage individual save sets from a command prompt or you can configure a Staging
resource that automatically stages the data. The Staging resource defines the criteria that the stage process uses to determine
when the data device requires data staging and which save sets are eligible to stage and in what order.
Based on the configuration of the Staging resource, the staging process performs the following high level activities:
1. Performs file system checks at an interval that is defined in the File system check interval attribute to determine:
● If the percentage of used disk space on the source device exceeds the value that is defined in the High water mark
attribute of the Staging resource.
● If the length of time that the save sets have resided on the disk exceeds the value that is defined in the Max storage
period attribute of the Staging resource.
2. Creates a list of save sets on the source device that are eligible to move to a destination device.
3. Clones the eligible save sets from the source device to the destination device, and then updates the media database with
information about the save sets on the destination device. The save set on the destination device retain the same attributes
values, for example retention policy, as the original save set.
4. Removes the original save sets from the source device, recovers disk space on the source volume for staged save sets, and
then removes information about the original save sets from the media database.
NOTE: When the staging process encounters an error after successfully cloning some save sets, the staging process
only removes successfully staged save sets from the source volume before the process ends. Only a single set of save
sets will exist on either the source or destination volumes after staging.
Staging data allows you to accommodate multiple service levels. You can configure a staging policy that keep the most recent
backups on one storage device for fast recovery and move other backups with less demanding recovery requirements to more
cost-effective slower storage. For example, you can store the initial backup data on a high performance file type or advanced
file type device to reduce backup time. At a later time, outside of the normal backup period, you use the staging process to
move the data to a less expensive but more permanent storage medium, such as magnetic tape. After the backup data moves to

344 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

the other storage medium, NetWorker deletes the backup data from the file or advanced file type device so that sufficient disk
space is available for the next backup. Staging does not affect the retention policy of backup data and the staged data is still
available for recovery on the destination device.
You can stage a save set from one disk to another as many times as required. For example, you could stage a save set from
disk 1 to disk 2 to disk 3, and finally to a remote tape device. When the save set is staged to a tape, it cannot be staged again.
However, you could still clone the tape.

Staging bootstrap backups

You can direct bootstrap backups to a disk device such as an AFTD or FTD device.
However, if you stage a bootstrap backup to a volume on another device, NetWorker reports the staging operation as complete
although the “recover space” operation has not started, and the bootstrap remains on the original device. Therefore, if the
staged bootstrap is accidentally deleted, you can recover the bootstrap from the original disk. The NetWorker Server Disaster
Recovery and Availability Best Practices Guide describes how to recover a bootstrap from the original disk.
Also, if the bootstrap data is not staged from the original disk, the data on the original disk is subject to the same retention
policies as any other save set backup and is, therefore, deleted after the retention policy has expired.

Creating a staging resource

To prevent an AFTD from becoming full, configure a Staging resource to automatically move save sets to another medium and
make disk space available. The Staging resource defines when NetWorker starts the stage or reclaim disk space operation on
the source device, and the criteria that NetWorker uses to determine which data to stage.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Staging.
3. From the File menu, select New.
The Create Staging dialog box appears, starting with the General tab.
4. In the Name box, type a name for the staging policy.
5. In the Comment attribute, type a description for the staging policy.
6. In the Enabled attribute, select Yes to enable the staging policy or No to disable the staging policy.
When you select Yes, NetWorker automatically starts the staging policy, based on the configuration settings that you define.
7. In the Devices attribute, select the check boxes next to each source device from which you want to stage data.
You can assign multiple devices to a single staging policy. However, you cannot assign a single device to multiple staging
policies.
8. From the Destination Pool list, select the destination clone pool that contains the volumes to which NetWorker stages the
data.
If you select the clone pool that only uses remote storage node devices, you must also modify Clone storage nodes
setting on the Configuration tab of the storage node resource for the NetWorker server to include the storage node name.
Determining the storage node for writing cloned data on page 338 Provides details.

9. In the Configuration group box, specify the criteria that starts the staging policy.
The following table summarizes the available criteria that you can define for the staging policy.

Table 85. Staging criteria options

Option Configuration steps
High water mark (%) Use these options to start the stage policy based on the amount of used disk space on the
file system partition on the source device. You must define a value higher than the value
Low water mark (%) defined in the Low water mark (%) attribute.

High water mark (%)—Defines the upper used disk space limit. When the percentage of
used disk space reaches the value that is defined in the High water
mark (%) attribute, NetWorker starts the stage operation to move save sets from the
source disk.

Low water mark (%)—Defines the lower used disk space limit. When the
percentage of used disk space reaches the value that is defined in the Lower water mark

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 345

 Table 85. Staging criteria options (continued)
Option Configuration steps

(%) attribute, NetWorker stops moving save

sets from the source disk.

NOTE: When staging and backup operations occur concurrently on the source disk
device, NetWorker does not accurately display the disk volume usage total in the Written
column in output of the mminfo -mv command or in the Used column on the Media
window of the NetWorker Administration application.

Save set selection Use this option to rank the order in which NetWorker stages the save sets, based on save
set size or age. Available values include:
● largest save set—Stage the save sets in order of largest save set size to smallest save
set size.
● oldest save set —Stage the save sets in order of oldest save set to most recent save
set.
● smallest save set—Stage the save sets in order of smallest save set size to largest
save set size.
● youngest save set—Stage the save sets in order of most recent save set to least
recent save set.
Max storage period Use this option to start the stage operation based on the amount of time that a save set has
resided on the volume.
Max storage period unit
● Max storage period—Defines the number of hours or days that a save set can reside
on a volume before the stage process considers the save eligible to move to a different
volume.
● Max storage period unit—Defines the unit of measurement for the value in the max
storage period attribute. Available values are Hours and Days.
The maximum storage period setting is used along with the file system check interval. Once
the maximum storage period is reached, staging does not begin until the next file system
check.

Recover space interval Use this option to determine when the stage operation removes the successfully staged
save set from the source volume.
Recover space unit
● Recover space interval—Defines the frequency in which NetWorker starts of the
recover space operation, which removes successfully stage data from the source volume.
● Recover space unit—Defines the unit of measurement for the value in the recover
space interval attribute. Available values are Hours and Days.
File system check interval Use this option to define when NetWorker automatically starts the staging process.
● File System Check Interval—Defines the frequency in which NetWorker starts the
staging process. At every file system check interval, if either the high water mark or the
maximum storage period has been reached, then staging begins.
● File system check unit—Defines the unit of measurement for the value in the file
system check interval attribute. Available values are Hours and Days.
Read-only volumes contain No new data can be written to the volume. However, the save sets are still subject to
read-only save sets retention settings. Space recover and reclaim operation (nsrim) does not delete the expired
save sets from read-only disk type volumes

10. Optionally, to start the staging process immediately:

a. Select the Operations tab.
b. From the Start Now list, select the component of the staging process to perform immediately, for all source devices
that are assigned to the staging policy:
● Recover space—To recover space for save sets with no entries in the media database and to delete all recycled
save sets.
● Select Check file system—To check the file system and stage eligible sage set data to a destination volume.
● Select Stage all save sets—To stage all save sets to a volume in the destination pool.
After the staging operation is complete, this option returns to the default setting (blank).

346 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

11. Click OK.

Editing staging configurations

You can edit all settings for a Staging resource except for the name of the resource. To edit the name of a resource, first delete
the resource, and then re-create the resource with the new name.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:
● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Staging window, right-click the staging
configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

3. In the left pane, select Staging.

4. Click OK.

Copying a Staging resource

1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left pane, select Staging.
3. In the right pane, right-click the staging policy, and select Copy.
The Create Staging dialog box appears with the same settings as the original staging policy except for the name.
4. Type the name for the new staging policy in the Name box.
5. Select the checkboxes next to the source devices for the staging policy in the Devices list.
You can assign multiple devices to a single staging policy. However, you cannot assign a single device to multiple staging
policies.
6. Edit other settings for the staging policy as necessary.
7. Click OK.

Deleting a staging policy

You can delete any staging policy except for the default staging policy. Disable the default staging policy if you do not want to
perform staging.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left pane, select Staging.
3. Remove all devices from the staging policy:
a. In the right pane, right-click the staging policy, and select Properties.
b. Clear the checkboxes next to all the devices in the Devices list.
c. Click OK.
4. In the right pane, right-click the staging policy, and select Delete.
A confirmation message appears.
5. Click Yes.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 347

Manual staging from the command prompt
Use the nsrstage command to stage individual save sets from a command prompt.
The nsrstage command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges, and Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.

Staging save sets from the command prompt

You can use the nsrstage command to stage save sets to another volume, based on the ssid.
If the save set has been cloned and you stage the save set from the command prompt, the cloned versions of the save set are
removed when the original save set is removed. To keep the cloned save sets after you remove the original save set, specify a
clone ID with the save set ID to indicate the source volume of the staging.
1. Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the nsrstage and mminfo
commands. Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.
2. Use the mminfo command to determine the ssid and cloneid of a save set.
For example:

mminfo -avot -r "volume,ssid,cloneid,name"

3. Use the nsrstage command to migrate the save sets to another volume.
For example:

nsrstage -m -S ssid/cloneid

NOTE: When you do not use the -b option to specify a destination clone pool, the nsrstage command migrates the
save sets to a volume in the Default Clone pool.
UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrstage and
mminfo commands.

Common NetWorker staging commands and issues

This section describes how to run common staging ptasks from the command prompt and how to resolve common staging
issues.

How to migrate all save sets created by specific date

nsrstage -m -S 'mminfo -r ssid -q 'savetime>last saturday'

How to use the -f and -d option in the nsrstage command

mminfo -r ssid -q 'savetime>last saturday' >inputfile.txt
nsrstage -m -d -f inputfile.txt

348 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

How to use the -s and -J option in the nsrstage command
The save set limit for nsrstage operation using -s <NetWorker server name> and -J <NetWorker storage node
name> options is 25000.
For example, nsrstage -v -s <NetWorker server name> -J <NetWorker source storage node name> -b
“Tape_Clone_Pool_Name” -m “DD_source_volume_name”
The suggested limit for the number of save sets in "DD_source_volume_name" is 25000. The number of save sets
recommended in the example is considering a scenario where RPS is disabled.

How to recover space from volume by using nsrstage command

For example, to recover space from volume volume.012:
nsrstage -C -V volume.012

How to remove incomplete or aborted save sets that the staging process does not
migrate
The stage operation does not move aborted or incomplete save sets to a tape device. To remove the save sets from the source
device, perform the following steps:
1. Manually delete the save set from the media database by typing: nsrmm -d -S ssid
2. Remove the save sets from the source device by typing: nsrstage -C -V volume

How to resolve the 'nsrstage: device `(staging_volume)' is not enabled' error

Staging fails with this error when either the source or destination device is not ready. The following error message might also
appear:
Error: 'nsrd: media warning: (staging_volume) reading: Badfile number'
When you see these errors, ensure the following:
● The source device is not in service mode.
● The destination tape device or jukebox is properly synchronized.

Archiving data
The archive process captures files or directories as they exist at a specific time, and writes the data to archive storage volumes,
which are not automatically recycled. After the archive process completes, you can delete (groom) the original files from the
disk to conserve space.
The client archive program (nsrarchive) creates an archive. The client nsrexecd service starts this archive.
The following figure illustrates how the NetWorker software archives data.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 349

Figure 52. Overview of archive operation

where:
1. Client file systems
2. Backup data tracking structures
3. Data
4. Media database information
5. File index information

Archive save sets

Archive save sets are similar to backup save sets. The main difference is that there is no retention period for archive save sets,
so the archive save sets never expire.
By default, the archive backup level is always set to full.

Licensing
You must purchase and license the archive feature separately from other NetWorker software components. The NetWorker
Licensing Guide provides more information on licensing procedures.

Encryption of archive data

If the NetWorker client is set up for encryption with the aes ASM, then archive data is also encrypted.

Limitations
The following limitations apply to the archive feature:
● You cannot archive the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set.
● The Client Direct feature does not support archiving.

Storage of archived data

To archive data, you must configure a device, either stand-alone or in an autochanger or silo, that is connected to a NetWorker
server or storage node. If you are cloning archives, at least two devices must be available. Also, archive data must be written to
archive pools instead of backup or clone pools.
The archive volume must be loaded and mounted in the server device to complete an archive operation.

350 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

Information about archive data is tracked in the media database for the NetWorker server.

Configuring pools to index archive data

The settings for the archive pool that is used to store archive data determine whether you index archive data.
When you index archive data, information about individual files in the archive save set is tracked in the client file index. The
client file index entries that are generated during an archive are backed up to volumes from the default pool during the next
scheduled backup. You can browse and recover individual files from indexed archive save sets. However, indexed archive data
can result in a large client file index that never expires.
When you perform nonindexed archiving, entries are not added to the client file index. You must recover the entire save set
instead of browsing to and recovering individual files.

Default archive pools

The following default pools are available for archived data:
● Indexed Archive pool
● PC Archive pool
● Archive pool
The Indexed Archive pool and the PC Archive pool support indexed archiving. The Archive pool supports nonindexed archiving.
You cannot change the settings for these default pools, although you can create custom archive pools.
If you do not specify a pool to store archived data, the NetWorker software uses the Indexed Archive pool by default.

Custom archive pools

You can create custom archive pools in the Media window of the Administration interface. The Store index entries checkbox
on the Configuration tab for the media pool determines whether the archive data written to the volumes in the pool are
indexed. Select the checkbox to perform indexed archiving, or clear the checkbox to perform nonindexed archiving.

Enabling archiving
After you license the archive service and type the enabler code in the NetWorker server, all clients for that server are enabled
for the NetWorker archive feature by default. You can specify which clients and users have permission to archive data.
Ensure that the NetWorker Server is in diagnostic mode. To enable diagnostic mode, from the View menu, select Diagnostic
mode.
1. To control whether a client can archive data, in the Client Properties window, on the Globals (2 of 2) tab, perform one of
the following actions on the Archive services box.
● Clear the checkbox to disable archiving for the client.
● Select the checkbox to enable archiving for the client.
You must select or clear the Archive services checkbox for all Client resources that are associated with the client. You
might have multiple Client resources for a single client. For example, if both the NetWorker module software and the
NetWorker client software are installed on the same computer, there are multiple Client resources.
2. Add users that should have permission to perform archiving to the Archive Users user group in the Server window of the
Administration interface.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides details.

Archiving data from Windows

You can manually archive data from a NetWorker client on Windows by using the NetWorker User program.
NOTE: Manual archives from a Windows client do not enforce global or local file (nsr.dir) directives. However, local
directives (networkr.cfg) that are created with the NetWorker User program are enforced.

1. In the NetWorker User program (winworkr.exe), click Archive.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 351

 The Archive Options dialog box appears.
2. Type a comment in the Annotation attribute.
The annotation uniquely identifies the archive save set during retrieval. Consider adopting a consistent naming convention so
that you can easily identify archives, based on the annotation name.
3. From the Archive Pool list, select the archive pool for the data.
NOTE: To clone Archive save sets you can use the nsrclone command with -b option to specify the pool name.

The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide more information about nsrclone command
parameters.

4. To check the integrity of the archive data on the storage volume, select the Verify checkbox.
5. To remove the archived files from the disk after archiving completes, select the Groom checkbox.
6. Click OK.
The Archive browse dialog box appears.
7. Select the checkbox next to the directories and files to archive, and clear the checkbox next to the directories and files that
you do not want to archive.
8. From the File menu, select Start Archive.
The Archive Status dialog box displays the status of the archive process. When the archive process completes, a
confirmation message appears if you selected the Groom checkbox.
9. Click Yes to continue with deletion of archived files from the local disk.

Archiving data from UNIX

To perform a manual archive from a UNIX client, use the nsrarchive command. The UNIX man page and the NetWorker
Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrarchive command.

Recovering archived data

The steps to recover archived data depend on the client operating system and whether the data is indexed.

Required permissions for archive recovery

To recover archive data, a user must be a member of the Archive Users user group and must have read permissions for the
archive data.
The Public archives checkbox on the Setup tab of the NetWorker Server Properties dialog box controls whether all users
with read permissions for the data can recover the data, or if only the user who owns the data can perform recovery. Select the
checkbox to allow all users with read permissions to recover the data, or clear the checkbox to require users to own data that
they want to recover.
NOTE: The user that recovers archived data becomes the owner of the data. Some operating systems allow you to change
the ownership of archived data to the original owner during the recovery.

Recovering indexed archive data from a Windows client

You can recover indexed archive data from a Windows client the same way that you recover backup or clone data.
Indexed archive data must be stored on a volume in one of the following pools:
● Indexed Archive pool
● PC Archive pool
● Custom archive pool with the Store index entries checkbox selected in the pool properties
1. In the NetWorker User program (winworkr.exe), select Operation > Archive Retrieve.
The Source Client dialog box appears.
2. Select the source client with the data to recover, and click OK.
The Archive Retrieve dialog box appears.

352 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

3. In the Annotation string box, type the annotation string that you specified for the save set when it was archived and click
OK.
The Save Sets dialog box appears.
4. To recover the entire save set, click OK.
5. To recover only specific directories and files, click Files.
The Files dialog box appears.
a. Specify the directories and files that you want to recover and click OK.
b. Click OK in the Save Sets dialog box.
You can only archive data or recover archived data using the NetWorker User program (winworkr.exe) or the CLI. It is
not possible using NMC.

Recovering nonindexed archive data from a Windows client

When you recover nonindexed archive data, you must recover the entire save set instead of individual directories and files.
Nonindexed archive data must be stored in the default Archive pool or in a custom archive pool with the Store index entries
checkbox cleared in the pool properties.
You can recover nonindexed archive data either by using the Archive Retrieve feature or the Save Set Recover feature in the
NetWorker User program (winworkr.exe). Performing a save set recover with NetWorker User on page 391 provides details
on save set recovery.
1. Mount the archive volume in the storage device.
2. In the NetWorker User program, select Operation > Archive Retrieve.
The Source Client dialog box appears.
3. Select the source client with the data to recover, and click OK.
The Archive Retrieve dialog box appears.
4. In the Annotation string box, type all or part of the annotation string that you specified for the save set when it was
archived.
Leave the box empty to view a list of all archived save sets for the client.
5. Click OK.
The Save Sets dialog box appears.
6. To view a list of volumes that are required to retrieve the data from this archived save set, click Required Volumes.
7. To type a new path for the location of the recovered data and to indicate what the NetWorker server should do when it
encounters duplicate files, click Recover Options.
8. Select the archived save set to recover and click OK.
The Retrieve Status dialog box displays the status of the recovery.

Recovering archive data from a UNIX client

Use the nsrretrieve program to retrieve archive data for a UNIX client. You must specify the files or directories to recover,
or recover the entire save set on a UNIX client. You cannot browse archive data on UNIX.
1. Mount the archive volume in the storage device.
2. Open a command prompt, and type the nsrretrieve command using the following syntax:

nsrretrieve -s NetWorker_server -A annotation -S ssid/cloneid

-i{N|Y|R} path

where:
● NetWorker_server is the hostname of the NetWorker server.
● -A annotation specifies the annotation string for the archive save set. You must specify at least one annotation or save
set ID.
Consider an example where archive A is annotated with Accounting_Fed and archive B is annotated with
Accounting_Local. If you type nsrretrieve -A Accounting, then no match is found and the archive data
is not recovered. If you type nsrretrieve -A ting_L, then the recovery process recovers the data from Archive B.

● -S ssid/cloneid specifies the archive save set to recover. To recover a cloned archive save set, specify both the save set
ID and the clone ID. You must specify at least one annotation or save set ID.

Cloning, Staging, and Archiving 353

 ● -i{N|Y|R} specifies how the NetWorker server should handle a naming conflict between a recovered file and an
existing file:
○ iN does not recover the file when a conflict occurs.
○ iY overwrites the existing file when a conflict occurs.
○ iR renames the file when a conflict occurs. The recover process appends a .R to each recovered file name.
● path specifies the file or directory to recover. When you do not specify a path, NetWorker recovers all data in the archive
save set.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about additional options
for the nsrretrieve command.

Troubleshooting NetWorker archiving and retrieval

This section explains how to troubleshoot issues with the Archive Module.

Remote archive request from server fails

If a remote archive request from the NetWorker server fails, ensure that the username for the archive client (for example, root)
appears in the Archive Users attribute of the Client resource for the archive client.
You can also grant NetWorker administrator privileges for root@client_system in the Administrator attribute in the Server
resource. However, be aware that NetWorker administrators can recover and retrieve data owned by other users on other
clients.

Multiple save sets appear as a single archive save set

When you combine multiple save sets in an archive, such as /home and /usr, NetWorker stores the archived data in a single
archive save set. To retrieve archives separately, archive the save sets separately.

Wrong archive pool is selected

If multiple archive pools exist in the NetWorker configuration, the archive operation will write the archive data to a volume in the
last archive pool that was created on the NetWorker server .

Second archive request does not execute

If you create two archive requests with the same name, NetWorker will only perform the first request.
To ensure that NetWorker performs all of the archive requests, do not create two archive requests with the same name.

The nsrarchive program does not start immediately

If you run the nsrarchive command from a command prompt, the archive operation does not start immediately. Wait a short
time until the archive starts. Do not press [Ctrl]+[D] multiple times to stop the archive operation.

Archive request succeeds but generates error when nsrexecd is not running
If the nsrexecd process is not running on a remote client during an archive request operation, NetWorker reports that the
archive operations completed successfully, but the following error message appears in the daemon.raw file and the archive
fails:
Failed to get port range from local nsrexecd: Service not available.

To resolve this issue, ensure that you start the nsrexecd daemon on a UNIX client or the NetWorker Remote Exec service on
a Windows client before you perform an archive operation.

354 Cloning, Staging, and Archiving

 8
Backup Data Management
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Overview of backup data management
• Viewing volume and save set details
• Managing volumes
• Changing save set status
• Changing the save set retention time
• Removing expired save sets

Overview of backup data management

After a backup occurs, there are several options to manage the save sets and volumes on backup storage.
The following backup data management features are available:
● View detailed status information about the save sets and volumes.
● Change the mode of a volume, for example, from Appendable to Read-only.
● Change the recycle policy for a volume to achieve greater control over the recycling of the volume.
● Relabel a library volume after all the save sets for the volume expire.
● Mark a volume as full for offsite storage.
● Remove a volume from the media database and online indexes, for example, if the volume is physically damaged.
● Change the status of a save set to Normal or Suspect.
● Clone save sets or volumes to create a copy of the backup data.
● Stage save sets to move data from one type of media to another.
● Archive data from a client, which copies the data to NetWorker storage and then removes the data from the client.
● Remove expired save sets so that you can recycle volumes and reclaim backup storage.

Viewing volume and save set details

The Media window of the NetWorker Administration interface provides details on volumes and save sets, including both backup
and archive volumes and save sets. You can view save set details for a specific volume, or you can search for the save sets to
view.

Viewing disk volume details

1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Disk Volumes.
A list of disk volumes for the server appears in the right pane. The following table lists the information that appears for each
volume.

Table 86. Disk volumes window

Category Description
Volume Name Name of the volume, which is the same as the name that
appears on the volume label in the NetWorker Administration
interface.

Backup Data Management 355

 Table 86. Disk volumes window (continued)
Category Description

At the end of the name, one of the following designations

might
appear:

● (A) indicates an archive volume.

● (R) indicates a read-only volume.

Media Type The type of media for the volume.

Used The amount of space currently in use on the volume, which
is shown in KB, MB, or GB, as appropriate.

The value of full indicates that there

is no more space on the volume or an error has occurred.

Mode Whether the volume is appendable, read-only, or recyclable:

● Appendable volumes contain empty space. Data that
meets the acceptance criteria for the pool to which this
volume belongs can be appended.
● Read-only volumes contain read-only save sets. No new
data can be written to the volume. However, the save
sets are still subject to retention settings, and the
volume is recycled when the retention periods for all the
save sets on the volume expire.

When the mode is read-only, the Mode field

appears blank. An (R) appears next to the
volume name.
● Recyclable volumes contain save sets that have all
exceeded their retention periods.
Expiration The expiration date for the volume. If the recycle policy is
set to manual instead of automatic, then manual appears in
this column.

To change the expiration date for the volume, use the

nsrmm command from the command prompt, or
right-click the volume, select Recycle, and then select
Manual on the Recycle dialog box.

Pool Name of the pool to which the volume belongs.

Location An administrator-defined description of the physical location
of a volume.

Viewing tape volume details

1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Tape Volumes.
A list of tape volumes for the server appears in the right pane. The following table lists the information that appears for each
volume.

Table 87. Volume details

Category Description
Volume Name Name of the volume, which is the same as the name that appears on the volume label in the
NetWorker Administration interface.

At the end of the name, one of the following designations might appear:

356 Backup Data Management

 Table 87. Volume details (continued)
Category Description
● (A) indicates an archive volume.
● (R) indicates a read-only volume.
● (W) indicates that the volume is a write once, read many (WORM) device.

Barcode Barcode label for the volume, if one exists.

Used The amount of space currently in use on the volume, which is shown in KB, MB, or GB, as
appropriate.

The value of full indicates that there is no more space on the volume and the end-of-tape
marker has been reached, or that an error has occurred.

% Used An estimate of the percentage that is used, based on the total capacity of the volume, and on the
Media type setting of the device resource.
A value of 100% indicates that the value is equal to or exceeds the estimate for this volume.

A value of full indicates that the volume is full and you cannot write any more data to the
volume, regardless of the estimate of the volume capacity.

Mode Whether the volume is appendable, read-only, or recyclable:

● Appendable volumes contain empty space. Data that meets the acceptance criteria for the pool
to which this volume belongs can be appended.
● Read-only volumes contain read-only save sets. No new data can be written to the volume.
However, the save sets are still subject to retention settings, and the volume is recycled when
the retention periods for all the save sets on the volume expire.

When the mode is read-only, the Mode field

appears blank. An (R) appears next to the
volume name.
● Recyclable volumes contain save sets that have all exceeded their retention periods.
You can also manually set the volume mode to full from the command prompt by using the
nsrjb command with the -o option for libraries, and the nsrmm command with the -o option for
stand-alone drives. When you set the volume mode to full, there is no more space for data in the
volume, and the save sets have not yet exceeded the retention periods. The UNIX man pages of
those commands and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provide more information on the
commands.
Expiration The expiration date for the volume. If the recycle policy is set to manual instead of automatic, then
manual appears in this column.

To change the expiration date for the volume, use the

nsrmm command from the command prompt, or
right-click the volume, select Recycle, and then select
Manual on the Recycle dialog box.

Pool Name of the pool to which the volume belongs.

Location An administrator-defined description of a physical location of the volume.

Viewing save set details for a volume

You display information about save sets on a volume.
Perform the following steps to view and print information about save sets on a volume, export the data to an HTML, CSV, or
Post Script file, and filter the save set output for a particular time period.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left navigation pane, select either Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
A list of volumes appears in the right pane.
3. To modify or save the information that appears in the window, perform one of following tasks:
● To print the information that appears in the window, right-click the column header, and select Print.

Backup Data Management 357

 ● To limit the output that appears in the window to a date range, right-click the column header and select Show Filters.
Use the From and To drop downs to select the dates in the range. To remove the filters, click Clear All.
● To export the data to a file, right-click the column header, and then select Export. From the menu, select the export
format.
● To remove a column and the column details from the details window, right-click the column header that you want to
remove, and then select Remove This Column.
● To customize the columns that appear in the details window, right click in the column header, and select Choose Table
Columns. Perform the following tasks:
○ Check the columns that you want to appear, and clear the columns that you want to hide.
○ Select a column from the box to choose a column on which to sort the save set details.
○ Select a column, and then use the up and down buttons to change the order in which the columns appear.
○ Click Restore Defaults to reset the save set details table to the default settings.
4. To view information about the save sets on a volume, right-click a volume, and then select Show Save Sets.
The Volume Save Sets window appears.
The following table lists the information that appears for each save set.

Table 88. Save Set details

Column Description
Client Name of the NetWorker client computer that created the
save set.
Save Set Pathname of the file system that contains the save set. This
column also includes clone information. If the save set has
a clone, the pathname is marked has clones and the cloned
save set is marked clone save set.
SSID Save set ID number.
Checkpoint ID Checkpoint ID number.
Save Time Date and time when the save set was created.
Clone Retention Time Date and time when the clone expires.
Level Level of backup that generated the save set. This refers
only to scheduled backups. For manual backups, the level is
blank.
Status Status of the save set, such as whether the save set is
browsable or recoverable.
Size Size of the save set.
NOTE: For every save set, the backup data size and
the space that the backup data occupies on the disk are
different. The backup data size is less than the space
it occupies on the disk. The size of backup reported by
NetWorker is the backup data size and not the space it
occupies on disk.

Flags Flags that provide additional details about the save set.

The first flag indicates which part of the save set is on the
volume:

● c indicates that the save set is completely contained on

the volume.
● h indicates that the save set spans volumes and the
head is on this volume.
● m indicates that the save set spans volumes and a middle
section is on this volume.
● t indicates that the save set spans volumes and the tail
section is on this volume.

358 Backup Data Management

 Table 88. Save Set details (continued)
Column Description

The second flag provides the save set status:

● b indicates that the save set is in the online index and is

browsable.
● r indicates that the save set is not in the online index
and is recoverable.
● E indicates that the save set is eligible for recycling and
may be overwritten at any time.
● a indicates that the save set aborted before completion.

Aborted save sets with targets of AFTD or DD Boost

devices
never appear in the Volume Save Sets dialog box
or in mminfo reports because such save set
entries are immediately removed from the media
database.
● i indicates that the save set is still in progress.

The third flag is optional and provides the following

information for
the save set:

● N indicates that the save set is an NDMP save set.

● R indicates that the save set is a raw partition backup
(such as for a supported module).
● P indicates that the save set is a snapshot backup.

The fourth flag is optional. If the fourth flag appears, the

value is
s to indicate that the save set is an NDMP save
set backed up by the nsrdsa_save command to a
NetWorker storage node.

VBA Provides details about a VBA save set.

5. To modify the information that appears in the window, perform one of following tasks:
● To print the information that appears in the window, right-click the column header, and select Print.
● To limit the output that appears in the window to a date range, right-click the column header and select Show Filters.
Use the From and To drop downs to select the dates in the range. To remove the filters, click Clear All.
● To export the data to a file, right-click the column header, and then select Export. From the menu, select the export
format.
● To add a new column of information, right click the column header, select Add Column, and then select a column option.
● This remove a column and the column details from the details window, right-click the column header that you want to
remove, and then select Remove This Column.
● To customize the columns that appear in the details window, right-click in the column header, and select Choose Table
Columns. Perform the following tasks:
○ Check the columns that you want to appear, and clear the columns that you want to hide.
○ Select a column from the box to choose a column on which to sort the save set details.
○ Select a column, and then use the up and down buttons to change the order in which the columns appear.
○ Click Restore Defaults to reset the save set details table to the default settings.
The following figure provides an example of the Volume Save Sets window, after you right-click on the column header.

Backup Data Management 359

 Figure 53. Volume Save Sets window
6. Click OK on the Volume Save Sets dialog box.

Viewing save set details from a search

You can search for save sets associated with a policy or workflow in the Media window of the Administration interface. The
search steps depend on whether you are searching for a normal save set or a VMware Backup Appliance save set.
You can Print the save sets, Set the Filter to show details of particular time period. Export to data to PDF, HTML,CSV and Post
Script Add and remove column and Choose Table Columns
Based on the requirement Column can be sorted on Ascending or Descending Order

NOTE: You cannot search for save sets that were created in releases prior to NetWorker 9.0.x.

Searching for save sets

1. On the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Save Sets.
3. In the right pane, select All Save Sets.
4. On the Query Save Set tab, specify one or more of the search criteria in the following table.

Table 89. Query criteria

Criterion Description
Client Name Type the name of the client that is associated with the save
set.
Save Set Type the name of the save set.
Save Set ID Type the identifier of the save set.
Volume Select the volume on which the save set is stored from the
list.
Pool Select the media pool for the volume on which the save set
is stored from the list.
Checkpoint ID Type the identifier of the checkpoint for partial save sets.
Copies To limit the save set results to the number of copies of the
save set:
a. From the Copies list, select whether the number of
copies is less than (>), equal to (=), or greater than (<) a
number that you specify.
b. Specify the number in the second box.
Save Time Select the start and end dates and times for the save time
of the save set.

360 Backup Data Management

 Table 89. Query criteria (continued)
Criterion Description
Clone Retention Time Select the start and end dates and times for the retention
time of a cloned save set.
Status Select All to view save sets of any status.

Select Select from to view save sets of a

specific status, and then select the checkbox next to one or
more of the
following statuses:

● Browsable
● Recoverable
● Recyclable
● Scanned-in
● Suspect
● Aborted
● In-Progress
● Checkpoint Enabled
Type Select All to view save sets of any type.

Select Select from to view save sets of a

specific type, and then select the checkbox next to one or
more of the
following statuses:

● Normal
● Raw
● Data Domain
● Synthetic Full
● Rehydrated
● NDMP
● Snapshot
● ProtectPoint
Maximum Level Select the maximum level of the backup. Save sets that
meet the selected level and backups of levels below the
selected level appear in the results.

5. Click the Save Set List tab.

A list of save sets that meet the search criteria appears with details for each save set. The following table provides more
information.

Table 90. Save set search results view

Column Description
Client Name of the client.
Save Set Name of the save set.
SSID Save set identifier.
Clone ID Clone identifier if the save set is a cloned save set.
Level Backup level.
Status Status of the save set, such as Recyclable or Recoverable.
Type Type of backup, such as Normal or Synthetic Full.
Media The media that contains the save set.
Volume Name Name of the volume on which the save set is stored.

Backup Data Management 361

 Table 90. Save set search results view (continued)
Column Description
Pool Name of the media pool for the volume on which the save
set is stored.
Size Size of the save set.
Files Number of files in the save set
Save Time Date and time at which the save set was saved to backup
storage.
Clone Retention Time Retention period for a cloned save set.
Checkpoint ID Identifier of the checkpoint for a partial save set.

Searching for VMware Backup Appliance save sets

1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select Save Sets.
3. In the right pane, select VMware Backup Appliance Only.
4. On the Query Save Set tab, specify one or more of the search criteria in the following table.

Table 91. Query criteria

Criterion Description
VBA Name Select the checkbox next to VBA Name above the list, and
then select the VBAs from the list.
VM Name Type the name of the virtual machine.
vCenter Name Type the name of the vCenter for the VBA.
Policy Select the policy that generated the VBA save set.
Save Set ID Type the save set identifier.
Volume Select the volume on which the save set is stored from the
list.
Pool Select the media pool for the volume on which the save set
is stored from the list.
Copies To limit the save set results to the number of copies of the
save set:
a. From the Copies list, select whether the number of
copies is less than (>), equal to (=), or greater than (<) a
number that you specify.
b. Specify the number in the second box.
Save Time Select the start and end dates and times for the save time
of the save set.
Status Select All to view VBA save sets with any status.

Select Select from to view VBA save sets of

a specific status, and then select the checkbox next to one
or more of the
following statuses:

● Recyclable
● Recoverable
● Suspect
● Scanned-in

362 Backup Data Management

 Table 91. Query criteria (continued)
Criterion Description
● In-Progress

5. Click the Save Set List tab.

A list of VBA save sets that meet the search criteria appears with details for each save set. The following table provides
more information.

Table 92. VBA save set search results window

Column Description
VBA Name Name of the VBA.
VM Name Name of the virtual machine.
vCenter Name of the vCenter for the VBA.
Policy Name of the policy that generated the save set.
SSID Save set identifier.
Clone ID Clone identifier if the save set is a cloned save set.
Status Status of the save set, such as Recyclable or Recoverable.
Media Type of Media.
Volume Name Name of the volume on which the save set is stored.
Pool Name of the media pool for the volume on which the save
set is stored.
Size Size of the save set.
Save Time Date and time at which the save set was saved to backup
storage.
Clone Retention Time Retention period for a cloned save set.

Managing volumes
A volume is a physical piece of media such as a tape cartridge or disk. On file type devices, a volume is a directory on a file
system. Volume management tasks include changing the mode or recycle policy for the volume, relabeling the volume, removing
volumes from the media database and online indexes, and marking a volume as full for offsite storage.
If a volume is not mounted when a backup is started, then one of three messages appears, suggesting that one of these tasks
be performed:
● Mount a volume.
● Relabel a volume (only when Auto Media Management is enabled).
● Label a new volume (only when Auto Media Management is enabled).
During file recovery, the NetWorker server requests the volume name. If multiple volumes are needed to recover the files,
the server lists all the volumes in the order of which they are needed. During the recovery process, the server requests each
volume, one at a time. If a library is used, the server automatically mounts volumes that are stored in the library.
To manage volumes, you must have the correct permissions that are associated with the NetWorker server and its storage
nodes.

Changing the volume mode

You can manually change the mode of a volume to a different mode such as read-only, recyclable, or appendable.
When the volume mode is read-only, no new data can be written to the volume, but the save sets are still subject to retention
settings. However, a read-only volume is not a write-protected volume. When the retention period for all the save sets on the

Backup Data Management 363

volume expire, the volume is recycled. Recyclable volumes contain save sets that have all exceeded their retention periods.
Appendable volumes can receive additional backup data.
1. Unmount the volume by right-clicking the device in the Devices window and selecting Unmount.
2. In the Administration window, click Media.
3. In the left pane, select either Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
A list of volumes appears in the right pane.
4. Right-click the volume and select Change Mode.
The Change Mode dialog box appears.
5. Select a mode and click OK.
The new volume mode appears in the Mode column.
6. (Optional) Mount the volume by right-clicking the device in the Devices window, and selecting Mount.
NOTE: Nsrim does not delete the expired save sets from Read-only disk (AFTD and DD Boost) devices.

Changing the volume recycle policy

You can override the retention policy for a volume by changing the recycle policy from automatic to manual. You may want to
set the recycle policy to manual to keep save sets on a volume longer than the specified retention period. If you reset a volume
to the automatic recycle policy, then the original retention policy applies to the volume.
Unmount the volume by right-clicking the device in the Devices window, and selecting Unmount.
NOTE: A volume that has been set to manual recycle retains that setting, even after the volume is relabeled. You must
explicitly reset the volume to automatic recycle.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select either Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
A list of volumes appears in the right pane.
3. Right-click the volume, and select Recycle.
The Recycle dialog box appears.
4. Select either the Auto or Manual recycle policy.
5. Click OK.
Mount the volume by right-clicking the device in the Devices window, and selecting Mount.

Marking a tape volume as full for offsite storage

When you remove a tape volume from a library to store the volume offsite, mark the volume as full so that the NetWorker
software does not request the volume. Marking the volume as full also marks the volume as read-only. You can also specify the
physical location of the volume for reference purposes in the NetWorker Administration interface.
1. Unmount the tape volume by right-clicking the volume in the Devices window, and selecting Unmount.
2. Use the nsrjb command for libraries or the nsrmm command for stand-alone drives from the command prompt to mark the
volume as full:
● For libraries, type nsrjb -o full volid, where volid is the volume identifier.
● For stand-alone drives, type nsrmm -o full volid, where volid is the volume identifier.
3. Specify the physical location of the volume for reference purposes:
a. In the Administration window, click Media.
b. Select Tape Volumes.
A list of volumes appears in the right pane.
c. Right-click the volume in the right pane and select Set Location.
The Set Location dialog box appears.
d. Type a description for the physical location of the volume.
e. Click OK.

364 Backup Data Management

Removing volumes from the media database and online indexes
You may need to remove a volume from the media database and online indexes to eliminate physically damaged or unusable
volumes from the NetWorker server.
When you remove the volume from the media database and online indexes, you can recover data from the volume by using the
scanner program if the volume is undamaged.
If there is a clone of the volume, you cannot delete the volume entry from the media database. This is because the NetWorker
server accesses the cloned volume rather than the original volume. As a result, removing volume entries from the media
database is not an effective way to reduce index size, although it does reduce the size of the online indexes by deleting index
entries that are associated with specific volumes.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrmm and
mminfocommands.
1. In the Administration window, click Devices.
2. In the left pane, select Libraries.
A list of libraries appears in the right pane.
3. Select the library in the left pane or double-click the library in the right pane.
The library drives and mounted volumes appear in the right pane, as well as the library slots and volumes.
4. Right-click the volume, and select Unmount.
You can only delete unmounted volumes.
5. Right-click the volume, and select Delete.
The Delete dialog box appears.
6. Specify the locations from which to remove the volume:
● Select File and Media Index Entries to remove the volume from both the media database and the online indexes.
● Select File Index Entries Only to remove the volume only from the online indexes.
Do not remove the indexes of save sets on bad volumes. In addition, do not remove both the client file index and media
database entries simultaneously unless the volume is damaged or destroyed.
7. Click OK.
After you remove a bad volume, perform an index consistency check by using the nsrck command in the command prompt.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrck command.

Changing save set status

You can manually change the status of a save set to either suspect or normal. Change the status to suspect if there may be a
problem with the save set, for example, if a recovery from the save set failed.
The status of a save set may change to suspect automatically if the volume label of the volume for the save set cannot be read
when the volume is ejected and the option to verify that the label is selected for the device.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left pane, select either Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
3. Right-click the volume for the save set and select Show Save Sets.
The Volume Save Sets dialog box appears.
4. Select the save set.
5. Click Change Status.
The Change Save Set Status dialog box appears.
6. Select either the normal or suspect status for the save set.
7. Click OK on the Change Save Set Status dialog box.
8. Click OK on the Volume Save Sets dialog box.

Changing the save set retention time

You can change the expiration of a save set, including a cloned save set in three ways.
● Extend the retention time to a new expiration date.

Backup Data Management 365

● Keep the selected save set indefinitely, which sets the retention time to forever.
● Expire the save set immediately.
NOTE: The maximum retention time is limited to 136 years from the current date of execution for the respective action.

Perform the following steps to change the retention time on save sets:
NOTE: To achieve consistency of setting the browse or retention time from remote machine, it is recommended to have
time sync between NetWorker server and remote machine such as NMC. Ensure that browse is always lower or equal to
retention period. On the NMC server, if the user specifies the saveset expiration as now and the machine is not in sync with
NetWorker server, then the time of the NMC server machine will be updated to saveset which might be in future.
1. In the Administration window, click Media.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Disk Volumes or Tape Volumes.
3. Right-click the volume for the save set and select Show Save Sets.
The Volume Save Sets box appears.
4. Select the save set, and the click Change Expiration.
The Change Expiration window appears. The following figure provides an example of the Change Expiration window.

Figure 54. Change Expiration window

5. Perform one of the following tasks:
● To define a new retention date, select New Retention Time, and then click on the calender to select the date.
● To keep the save sets indefinitely, leave the default selection Keep the selected save sets indefinitely.
● To expire the save sets immediately, select Expire the selected save sets now.
6. Click OK.
The browse and retention attributes for the save set change.

Removing expired save sets

After the retention period for a save set expires (and the retention period for all the save sets that depend on the save set
expire), the expire action, which is a part of the server maintenance workflow, marks the save set as recyclable in the media
database. The NetWorker server tracks save set dependencies regardless of whether the dependent save sets are stored on the
same or different volumes.
The activities that the expire action performs when a save set and all depend save sets expire, differs for advanced file type
devices (AFTD) or Data Domain devices and tape volumes:
● Tape volume—Entries for save sets that are marked browsable are removed from the client file indexes. The status of the
save set changes to recyclable in the media database. When all the save sets on the volume are recyclable, the mode of the
volume changes to recyclable. You can relabel and overwrite a recyclable volume to reclaim backup storage.
● AFTD or Data Domain devices—Entries for save sets that are marked browsable are removed from the client file index and
media database. Entries that are recoverable are removed from the media database. The expire action removes the data that
are associated with the save sets from the disk volume and reclaims the disk space.
The NetWorker server maintains one file index for each client computer (regardless of the number of client resources for the
client), and one media database that tracks data from all clients and all save sets.

366 Backup Data Management

 NOTE: For AFTD devices, there might be some instances where the save sets are not removed. This might happen, if
you have any incremental or level backup dependency with previous backups. The save sets are removed only after all the
dependent incremental or level backup gets into the recyclable mode.

Save set management on tape devices

Review the following information about save set status management for tape volumes.
A volume can contain save sets from multiple backup sessions, all with different retention policies. The mode of a tape volume
might not change to recyclable in the media database for a long time. All data on the volume remains available for recovery by
using either save set recovery or the scanner program. All entries for recyclable save sets remain in the media database.
You can also manually delete save set entries from the media database. However, the data on that volume is still available for
recovery by using the scanner program. The scanner program retrieves the information that is needed to re-create entries in
either the client file index, in the media database, or in both places:
● If you re-create the entries in the client file index, a user with the proper permissions can recover data by using the
NetWorker client computer.
● If you re-create the save set entries in the media database, a UNIX root user or a member of the Windows Administrators
group can recover data by using save set recovery.
Entries for a save set are automatically removed from the media database when NetWorker relabels the volume. You cannot
recover data after NetWorker relabels a volume.
NOTE: When NetWorker relabels a volume for reuse within the same pool, the volume identification (the volume name as
it appears on the volume label) remains unchanged. Although the volume has the same label, information that is required
by the NetWorker server to locate and restore data on the volume is destroyed. All existing data is inaccessible and is
overwritten.
If a volume contains one or more deduplication save sets, the resource for the deduplication node that was used to create
the backup must exist when the save sets pass their retention time. If the resource for the deduplication node has been
deleted, NetWorker cannot mark the volume as recyclable in the media database or relabel the volume. Furthermore, when
deduplication save sets pass their retention time, the NetWorker server begins the process of deleting the deduplicated data
from the deduplication node. Therefore, deduplication data may not be recoverable by using the scanner program when the
deduplication save set has passed its retention time.

Backup Data Management 367

 9
Recovery
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Recovering data
• Recovery roadmap
• Planning and preparing to recovering data
• NetWorker recovery overview
• Recovery types
• Recover programs
• Recovering the data
• Recovering deduplication data
• Improving restore performance with multiple threads
• vProxy recovery in NMC
• vProxy Log Bundle collection using NMC
• Recovering file system data on Windows
• Recovering data on OS-X clients
• Recovering client files on a different NetWorker server
• Recovering as NMC User with Non-Admin Privileges
• Preparing the NMC Sever for Recovery
• Recover the NMC Server database

368 Recovery
Recovering data
You can recover NetWorker data by using the recover command, the NetWorker User program on Windows, or the NMC
Recovery wizard on the NMC server.

Recovery roadmap
The following figure provides a high-level roadmap of the recovery paths for a NetWorker Client and Storage Node host.

Figure 55. Recovery roadmap

1. The "Special recoveries on Windows hosts" chapter describes how to perform a Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) of a NetWorker
Client or Storage Node. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Administration Guide describes how to perform a BMR of an
Microsoft application data.
2. The "Special recoveries on Windows hosts" chapter describes how to recover the Active Directory Domain Service (AD DS)
on a Windows domain controller.
3. The "Recovery" chapter describes how to recover file system data on Window, Linux, UNIX, and OS X hosts.
4. The NetWorker application documentation describes how to recover application data. For example, the NetWorker Module
for Microsoft Administration Guide describes how to recover Microsoft application data that was backed up by using the
NetWorker Module for Microsoft.
NOTE: The NetWorker Server Disaster Recovery and Availability Best Practices Guide describes how to perform a disaster
recovery of a host.

Recovery 369
Planning and preparing to recovering data
NetWorker enables you to recover backup data on hosts that use supported operating systems. Unless you are performing a
bare metal recovery (BMR), you can only use NetWorker to recover data to a host that has a supported operating system and
the NetWorker software installed on it.
The following sections provide you with an overview of the information and steps that you might need to perform before you
can use the NetWorker software to recover backup data.

Gathering key information

Maintain accurate records for each hardware, software, network, device, and media component.

Hardware information
Maintain up-to-date information on computer hardware as follows:
● File system configuration
● Fully qualified domain names, IP addresses, and hostnames
● For Domain Name System (DNS) clients, maintain the DNS host's internet address and hostname
● Hard drive configuration
● Media device names
● Hardware vendor
● Configuration information for each piece of hardware, both active and inactive, within the organization or organizational site

Software information
Maintain up-to-date information on computer software as follows:
● Copies of the original operating system media and patches (and where they are located)
● Software enabler and authorization codes
● Software vendor contact information and contract number
● The operating system version and patches installed
● Operating system configuration
● Emergency media that can be used to recover a computer if a disaster occurs
● NetWorker bootstrap information for each NetWorker server
● Kernel configuration and location
● Device drivers
● List of any volume mount points

Prerequisites for recovering a NetWorker client or storage node

Before recovering a NetWorker client or storage node, perform the following steps.
1. Verify that the same operating system as the source host is installed on the target host.
2. Verify that the NetWorker server is functioning and available on the network.
3. Obtain the following information:
● NetWorker server hostname.
● NetWorker client or storage node software version and patch level on the computer before the disaster occurred.
● Link names to the NetWorker directories you must recover. An example of a typical link from a NetWorker directory to a
user directory is /nsr to /var/nsr.

370 Recovery
Downloading the NetWorker software and documentation
To obtain the latest NetWorker software and documentation, perform the following steps.
1. Review the online NetWorker documentation, such as the NetWorker Administration Guide, NetWorker Installation Guide,
and NetWorker Release Notes, for the latest information.
2. Obtain the required NetWorker cumulative hotfix media kits that provide customers with the opportunity to install the latest
version of NetWorker including important hotfixes. Cumulative builds are released approximately once a month and each
build contain a rollup of the fixes in each previous build.
If additional hotfixes are required in an environment where a cumulative build is installed, hotfixes can be generated for
use with the latest cumulative version. The cumulative releases for specific NetWorker versions are available at the Online
Support website.
3. Open the NetWorker Cumulative Hotfix document for details regarding fixes that are in each build, knowledge base articles
that are related to the fixes in each build, and download instructions.

Reinstalling the NetWorker storage node

To reinstall the NetWorker storage node and client software, perform the following steps.
1. Reinstall the same version of the NetWorker storage node software into its original location. Installation instructions are
provided in the NetWorker Installation Guide.
NOTE: To upgrade the storage node software, first recover the storage node to its original state and then perform the
upgrade.

2. Reinstall any NetWorker backup patches that were installed before the disaster.
3. Re-create any links to NetWorker directories.
4. (Optional) To perform a test recovery to ensure that the recovery process is functioning correctly, use the recover
command.
NOTE: The NetWorker client software is also installed when you install the storage node software.

The storage node can now access volumes that contain backups for other computers on the network. These volumes contain
the application and user data that are required to recover computers that were protected with the NetWorker client software.

Optional, resetting the autochanger

After you reinstall the NetWorker software on a storage node host that manages an autochanger, reset the autochanger.
Ensure that the autochanger resource exists for the storage node in the Devices window of the NetWorker Administration
window.
1. Reset the autochanger by using the nsrjb -vHE command.
This command resets the autochanger, ejects backup volumes, reinitializes the element status, and checks each slot for a
volume.
NOTE: If the autochanger does not support the -E option, initialize the element status by using the ielem command.

2. Inventory the autochanger by using the nsrjb -I command.

NetWorker recovery overview

Use the recover command, the NetWorker User program on Windows, or the NMC Recovery wizard on the NMC server to
recover backup and clone data.
NOTE:
● NetWorker 9.0.x and later does not support the recovery of archive data. Use an older version of the NetWorker client
software to recover archive data.

Recovery 371
 ● Compressed restore is the default behavior of the DD Boost workflow. To disable compressed restore, create the
disable_compressed_restore file in the <install_location>/nsr/debug/ folder.

Hosts in a NetWorker recovery operation

All recovery operations use three types NetWorker hosts to perform a recovery:
● Administering host—The NetWorker host that starts the recovery operation. The administering host can be the source host,
the destination host, or another NetWorker host in the datazone.
● Source host—The NetWorker host from which the backup was run.
● Destination host—The NetWorker host that receives the recover data. The destination host can be the source host or
another NetWorker host in the datazone.

Recovery types
NetWorker provides you with two types of recoveries.
● Local recover—A single NetWorker host is the administering, source, and destination host.
● Directed recover—The administering host is the source host or any other NetWorker host in the datazone. The destination
host is not the source host. Use a directed recovery:
○ To centralize the administration of data recoveries from a single host.
○ To recover the data to a shared server, when the user cannot recover the data themselves.
○ To recover data to another host because the source host is inoperable or the network does not recognize the source
host.
○ To transfer files between two NetWorker hosts.

Directed recoveries
A directed recovery enables a user to recover data to a NetWorker host that differs from the source of the backup, while
retaining the original file ownership and permissions.
A directed recovery is a restricted NetWorker function available only to user accounts that have the necessary privileges that
are required to perform the directed recovery operation.
A user with directed recovery privileges can:
● Browse the backup data of all NetWorker clients.
● Recover the data to any NetWorker client.
The following figure provides an example of a directed recovery.
In this figure:
● Saturn is the administering host.
● Neptune is the NetWorker server.
● Mars is the destination host.
● Pluto is the source host (not shown).
● The OS of destination host is the same as a source host.

372 Recovery
Figure 56. A directed recovery from a remote client

In this figure, the numbers represent the following:

1. A user on Saturn sends a request to the NetWorker server to browse backup data from Pluto. If the user has the privileges
that are required to perform a directed recovery of data on Pluto, the user can select the data to recover, and then starts the
recovery operation.
2. The NetWorker server mounts the volume that contains the data in a local tape device.
3. The NetWorker server recovers the requested backup data to Mars.

Directed recover requirements

The following table summarizes the requirements for each host in a directed recover session.

Table 93. General recover requirements

Host Requirements
Destination Ensure that the destination host:
● Is the same platform as the source host, for example, Linux to Linux, AIX to AIX, or
Windows to Windows.
● Uses the same file system as the source host, for example, XFS to XFS, UFS to UFS,
or NTFS to NTFS.
● Contains an entry for the administering host in the servers file. The NetWorker
Security Configuration Guide provides more information about client-tasking rights
and how to modify the servers file.
● Is configured to accept directed recoveries from a remote host. Ensure that the
Disable Directed Recover attribute is set to the default value No, in the NSRLA
database. Editing a client NSRLA database on page 585 describes how to edit the
NSRLA database.
● Has the required access rights to receive data.
○ If you run the nsrlogin command on the administering host to create an
authenticated recover session, ensure that the External Roles attribute of a user
group with Remote Access All Clients privileges contains one of the following
entries:
￭ User DN for the authenticated user

Recovery 373
Table 93. General recover requirements (continued)
Host Requirements
￭ Group DN for a group that contains the authenticated user
○ If you do not run the nsrlogin command on the administering host to create an
authenticated session, the root user or the Administrator user on the destination
host must appear in one of the following configurations:
￭ A member of a NetWorker User Group with Remote Access All Clients
privileges. Add an entry to the User attributes for the Root or Admin account in
this format.
￭ Added to the Remote Access attribute of the source host.

For example:

The source client is mars. The destination client, venus, is a

Windows host. The Remote Access attribute for the client mars
contains:
Administrator@venus
Source Ensure that the source host:
● Is the same platform as the destination host, for example, Linux to Linux, AIX to AIX,
or Windows to Windows.
● Uses the same file system as the destination host, for example, XFS to XFS, UFS to
UFS, or NTFS to NTFS.
● Has the required access rights to enable the administering host to browse the data.
○ If you run nsrlogin on the administering host to create an authenticated recover
session, ensure that the Remote access attribute on the source host contains one
of the following entries:
￭ User DN for the authenticated user
￭ Group DN for a group that contains the authenticated user
○ If you do not perform a nsrlogin on the administering host to create an
authenticated session, ensure that Remote access attribute on the source host
contains the root user or the Administrator user of the administering host. For
example:
The source client is mars and the administering client is venus.
The Administrator account on venus starts the recover program. The
value in the Remote Access attribute for the client mars is:
Administrator@venus
Administering Ensure that the administering host:
● Is a client of the NetWorker server that contains the backup information. The
administering client can be a different platform from the source and destination
clients.
● Has the required access rights to perform the recover operation.
○ If you run the nsrlogin command on the administering host to create an
authenticated recover session, ensure that the External Roles attribute of the
Operators, the Application Administrators, the Database Administrators, or the
Database Operators user group contains one of the following entries:
￭ User DN for the authenticated user
￭ Group DN for a group that contains the authenticated user
○ If you do not perform a nsrlogin on the administering host to create
an authenticated session, ensure that Users attribute of the Operators,
the Application Administrators, the Database Administrators, or the Database
Operators user group contains the root user or the Administrator user of the
administering host in the Users attribute.
NOTE: If you do not use the Operators, the Application Administrators, the
Database Administrators, or the Database Operators user group, ensure that you
add the required user information to a user group that has the following privileges:
○ Remote Access All Clients
○ Operate NetWorker

374 Recovery
Table 93. General recover requirements (continued)
Host Requirements

○ Monitor NetWorker
○ Operate Devices and Jukeboxes
○ Backup Local Data
○ Recover Local Data
○ Recover Remote Data
You must have operator privileges in the Operators user group to perform a
selective file restore from a Microsoft Windows deduplication backup. Microsoft
provides complete documentation for working with the Windows deduplication
functionality.

Windows requirements
NetWorker enables you to perform directed recoveries of data to a local drive on Windows destination host, when you enable
Windows File and Print Sharing option on the destination host . You cannot perform a directed recovery to a CIFS share.
When you use the recover command on a Windows destination host and the NetWorker server is also a Windows host,
change the account that starts the NetWorker Backup and Recovery service on the NetWorker server:
● When the NetWorker server and the destination host are in the same domain, start service with a domain user that is a
member of the local Administrators group.
● When the NetWorker server and destination host are not in a domain, or are not in the same domain, start the service with a
local user that meets the following requirements:
○ The same username exists as a local user on the destination host.
○ The local user must have the same password on both hosts.
○ The local user on the NetWorker server is a member of the local Administrators group.

UNIX specific requirements

Review this information before you recover non-ASCII directories to a different directory on UNIX hosts.
● If the remote directory is an existing non-ASCII directory, the locale of the administering client must match the locale of the
destination client.
● If the remote directory does not exist, NetWorker creates the relocation directory on the destination file system, which is
based on the locale of the administering client.

Local recoveries
When you perform a local recovery, the administering host is also the source and destination host. Local recoveries are the
simplest way to recover NetWorker data.
Ensure that user account that performs the recovery operation meets the following requirements:
● Belong to a NetWorker User Group that has the Recover Local Data privilege.
If you use nsrlogin, add the DN or the user or group to the External Roles. If you do not use nsrlogin, add the account in
user@host to the Users attribute. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information.
● Have operating system ownership of the recovered files. The root user on UNIX, and a Windows Administrator have this
privilege.
● Have write privileges to the local destination directories. The root user on UNIX, and a Windows Administrator have this
privilege.

Recover programs
NetWorker provides you with the following tools to recover data.
● NetWorker Recover program—Recover GUI for OS-X hosts.

Recovery 375
● NMC Recovery wizard—Recover wizard that you start from the NMC server. The NMC Recovery wizard provides a
NetWorker datazone with a centralized recovery method.
● The recover command—CLI tool available on Windows, UNIX, and OS-X. Use the recover command to recover data
from a command prompt. To perform multiple recovery operations in parallel, use multiple recover commands.
● NetWorker User program—Recover GUI for Windows hosts. Use the NetWorker User program to recover file system data
when the administering client is Windows.
● The scanner command—CLI tool available on Windows, UNIX, and OS-X. Use the scanner command to recover data
from a volume by save set ID (SSID) to the host that starts the program. To perform multiple recovery operations in parallel,
use multiple scanner commands.
When the retention value of a save set is changed, nsrmm only updates the media database record and not the save set
metadata on the media. When a volume is scanned to re-create save set records in the media database using scanner, the
retention values of save sets on that volume is different from the updated retention time using nsrmm. The new retention
time is based on the retention information in the save set metadata on the media. For information about the new retention
time for scanned save sets, see the NetWorker Command Reference Guide or UNIX man pages.

NOTE: The NetWorker User, NetWorker Recover, and NMC Recovery wizard programs only recover data sequentially.

Using the NetWorker User program

Use the NetWorker User program to recover file system data when the administering client is Windows. To recover application
data for Microsoft applications that are protected with NMM (NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications) use the
NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications Client User program. The NetWorker Module for Microsoft Administration Guide
provides more information.
NOTE: The NetWorker log file in \install_path\logs\networkr.raw contains a record of every file that was part
of an attempted recovery from the NetWorker User program. This file is overwritten with the next recovery. To save the
information in the file, rename the file or export the information by using the nsr_render_log program.

Using the NetWorker Recovery program

Use the NetWorker Recovery program to recover file system data when the administering client is Mac OS-X.

Using the Recovery Wizard

NetWorker includes a new Recovery Wizard that allows you to recover data to NetWorker 8.1 and later clients from a
centralized location, the NMC GUI. The Recovery Wizard supports browsable, save set, and directed recoveries. The Recovery
Wizard does not support cross-platform recoveries.
Use the Recovery Wizard to configure scheduled and immediate recoveries of:
● File system backups.
● NDMP backups, when you use a NetWorker server 8.1.1 or later and NMC server 8.1.1 or later.
NOTE: When you use NetWorker server 8.1 and earlier, the Recovery Wizard does not display NDMP clients in the
Select Recovery Hosts window.
● Block Based Backups (BBB), when BBB is enabled for a client and BBB are available for recovery.
● BBB that you cloned to tape.
You can also use the Recovery wizard to configure an immediate recover of a Snapshot Management backup.
When you create a recover configuration by using the Recovery Wizard, NetWorker saves the configuration information in an
NSR recover resource in the resource database of the NetWorker server. NetWorker uses the information in the NSR recover
resource to perform the recover job operation.
When a recover job operation starts, NetWorker stores:
● Details about the job in the nsrjobsd database. Using nsrrecomp on page 488 describes how to query and report on recovery
status.
● Output sent to stderr and stdout in a recover log file. NetWorker creates one log file for each recover job. Troubleshooting
the Recovery Wizard on page 378 provides more information.

376 Recovery
 NOTE: NetWorker removes the recover log file and the job information from the job database based on value of the
Jobsdb retention in hours attribute in the properties of the NetWorker server resource. In NetWorker 9.0.1, the default
jobsdb retention is 72 hours.

Recovery Wizard requirements

Review this section before you use the Recovery Wizard.
Ensure that:
● The destination host is a client of the NetWorker Server.
● For a directed recover, the Remote Access attribute of the source client must contain the hostname of the destination
client.
● The source and destination clients are running the NetWorker 8.1 or later software.
NOTE: You can recover data from a pre-8.1 backup after you update the source host to NetWorker 8.1 or later.
● The account that you use to connect to the NMC Server has Configure NetWorker privileges. The NetWorker Security
Configuration Guide provides more information.
● The required configuration is in place to perform a directed recover. Directed recoveries on page 372 provides more
information.
NOTE: On Windows, scheduled recovery to CIFS shared folder fails as recovery is spawned as system user and it does not
have the required privileges to access the shared folder.

Create a new recover configuration

The Recovery wizard allows you to create and save a configuration that you can reuse or modify later.
1. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.
2. Click Protection from the left navigation pane, then select Clients.
3. Right-click the client from which you want to recover the data, then select Recover.
The Recovery wizard appears.
4. Browse through the Recovery wizard screens and define the configuration for the recover job.
Online help describes how to use the Recovery wizard.
NOTE: To avoid the over consumption of memory, NetWorker limits the number of files that you can view when you
browse a directory that contain a large number of files, for example, 200,000 files. When NetWorker determines that
displaying the number of files will exhaust memory resources, NetWorker will display a partial list of the files and a
message similar to the following appears: Expanding this directory has stopped because the result
has too many entries

Modifying a saved recover configuration

The Recovery Wizard allows you to save partial recover configurations and complete the configuration at a later time.
1. Use NMC to the NetWorker server.
2. Click Recover on the Administration window toolbar. The Recover window appears. Recover window on page 54 provides
more information about the Recover window.
3. In the Configured recovers window, right-click the saved recover configuration, select Open Recover.

Reusing recover configurations

When you define a recover configuration, the Recovery Wizard provides you with the option to save the recover configuration
or delete the configuration after the recover completes. When you save the configuration, you can reuse the configuration
information to perform a new recover job.
Connect to the NMC server from an NMC client. Ensure that the account you use to connect to the NMC server has Configure
NetWorker privileges. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information.
1. Connect to the NetWorker server.

Recovery 377
2. Click Recover on the Administration window toolbar. The Recover window appears. Recover window on page 54 provides
more information about the Recover window.
3. In the Configured recovers window, right-click the saved recover configuration, select Recover Again.
4. Change the configuration as required and save the configuration with a new name.

Troubleshooting the Recovery Wizard

At the start time for a Recovery resource, nsrd uses an nsrtask process on the NetWorker server to start the recover job.
The nsrtask process requests that the nsrjobd process on the NetWorker server run the recovery job on the destination
client, then nsrtask monitors the job.
Once the recover job starts:
● The log files on the NetWorker server contain stdout and stderr information for the recover job. NetWorker stores the logs
files in the following location, by default:
○ Windows: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\recover
○ UNIX: /nsr/logs/recover
NOTE: NetWorker names the log file according to the name of the recover resource and the time of the recovery
job: recover_resource_name_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS
● The jobsdb contains job status information for the recover job.

Debugging recover job failures from NMC

To troubleshoot a recovery issue by using NMC, configure the Recovery resource to display greater detail in the log file, then
retry the recover configuration in debug mode:
1. In the Recover window, right-click the recover configuration and select Recover Again.
2. Click the Back button until you reach the Select the Recover Options window.
3. Select Advanced Options.
4. Increase the value in the Debug level attribute to enable debugging. The higher the value, the more the debug output that
appears in the recover log file.
5. Click Next until you reach the Perform the Recover window.
6. In the Recover name field, provide a new name for the recover configuration.
7. Click Run Recover.
8. Monitor the status of the recover job in the option in the Recover window.
9. When the recover completes, review the recover log file.

Debugging recovery failures from command line

To troubleshoot recovery issue from the command line, use the nsradmin and nsrtask programs.
1. From a command prompt on the NetWorker Server, type nsradmin.
2. From the nsradmin prompt:
a. Set the resource attribute to the Recover resource. For example:

. type: nsr recover

b. Display the attributes for the Recover resource that you want to troubleshoot. For example:

print name: recover_resource_name

Where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

c. Make note of the values in the recover, recovery options, and recover stdin attributes. For example:

recover command: recover;

recover options: -a -s nw_server.corp.com -c mnd.corp.com -I - -i R;
recover stdin:
“<xml>
<browsetime>

378 Recovery
 May 30, 2013 4:49:57 PM GMT -0400
</browsetime>
<recoverpath>
C:
</recoverpath>
</xml>”;

where:
● nw_server.corp.com is the name of the NetWorker server.
● mnd.corp.com is the name of the source NetWorker client.
3. To confirm that the nsrd process can schedule the recover job:
a. To start the recover job, update the Recover resource:

update: name: recover_resource_name;start time: now

where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

b. Exit the nsradmin application.

c. Confirm that the nsrtask process starts.
d. If the nsrtask process does not start, review the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker server for errors.
4. To confirm that the NetWorker server can run the recover command on the remote host, type the following command on
the NetWorker server:
nsrtask -D3 -t ‘NSR Recover’ recover_resource_name

Where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

5. When the nsrtask command completes, review the nsrtask output for errors.
6. To confirm that the Recovery UI sends the correct recovery arguments to the recover process:
a. Open a command prompt on the destination client.
b. Run the recover command with the recover options that the Recover resource uses. For example:

recover -a -s nw_server.corp.com -c mnd.corp.com -I - -i R

c. At the Recover prompt, specify the value in the recover stdin attribute.
NOTE: Do not include the “ ,”, or the ; that appears with the recover stdin attribute.

d. If the recover command appears to stop responding, review the daemon.raw file for errors.
e. When the recover command completes, review the recover output for errors. If the recover command fails, then
review the values that are specified in the Recover resource for errors.
7. Use the jobquery command to review the details of the Recover job. From a command prompt on the NetWorker server,
type: jobquery.
8. From the jobquery prompt, perform one of the following steps:
a. To set the query to the Recovery resource and display the results of all recovery jobs for a Recovery resource, type:
print name: recover_resource_name
Where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

b. To set the query to a particular jobid and display the results of the job, type:
print job id: jobid
Where jobid is the jobid of the Recover job that you want to review.

NOTE: Review the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker server to obtain the jobid for the recovery operation.

Recovery 379
Common recovery error messages
This section contains a summary of common recovery error messages and resolutions.

Unable to connect to the server. Remote system error - unknown error

This error appears in the Select the Recovery Hosts window when the Wizard cannot contact the host that you selected as
the source or destination host.
To resolve this issue, ensure that:
● The host is powered on.
● The NetWorker Remote Exec service (nsrexecd) is started.
● Name resolution for the host is working correctly.

Host destination_hostname is missing from the remote access list of source_hostname. Press [Yes] to update the remote
access list of source_hostname with destination_hostname
This message appears in the Select the Recovery Hosts window when you select a destination host that does not have the
correct permissions to receive directed recovery data.
To resolve this issue, click Yes. The Recovery Wizard will update the Remote access attribute in the properties of the source
host with the hostname of the destination host.
If you click No, then you cannot proceed in the recovery wizard until you select a destination host that is in the Remote access
attribute of the source host.

This host is either improperly configured or does not support this operation
This message appears in the Select the Recovery Hosts window after you select a source or destination host when the source
or destination host is running NetWorker 8.0 or earlier.

Destination_host_name does not support recovery_type

This message appears in the Select the Recovery Hosts window after you select a destination host and the destination host
does not support the recovery type that you selected. To resolve this issue, select a destination host that supports the recovery
type.

Using the recover command

Use the recover command to perform the data recovery from a command prompt.
There are two recovery methods:
● Interactive mode—enables the user on the administering host to browse, and select files and directories from the source
backup.
● Non-interactive mode—enables the user on the administering host to recover a directory or file immediately, without
browsing the client file index for file information. Use non-interactive mode when you know the path to recover and do not
need to browse through the backup data find it.

Scanner recovery
The scanner program enables you to recover data directly from a NetWorker volume.
Use the scanner program in the following scenarios:
● To perform a by-file-selection recovery, when the save set information is not in the client file index.
● To recover data directly from a tape.
● To recover data from an incomplete save set.

380 Recovery
Recovering the data
Use one of the recovery applications to recover data.
NetWorker provides you with a number of recovery methods:
● Browsable recovery—By selecting individual files and folders.
● Save set recovery—By recovering all data in a save set.
● Scanner recovery—By recovering the data directly from the media
● VSS File Level Recovery—By recovering Windows System State data with VSS File Level Recovery (FLR).

Determining the volume for recovering cloned data

You can specify whether to use the original volume or a cloned volume to recover data in some recovery scenarios. In other
scenarios, NetWorker decides which volume to use.
The following table provides details on when you can select the volume from which to recover data and when NetWorker
selects the volume.

Table 94. Volume selection by recovery method

Recovery method Volume selection
NMC Recovery wizard Choose whether to specify the volumes or to allow
NetWorker to select the volumes on the Obtain the Volume
Information page of the wizard.
NetWorker User program You can select the volume when you perform a save set
recovery.

NetWorker selects the volume when you perform a browsable

recovery.

recover command You can specify the clone pool for a browsable recovery or
the clone ID for a save set recovery.

If you do not specify the clone pool or the clone ID, then
NetWorker
selects the volume.

When NetWorker selects the volume from which to recover data, the recovery operation uses the following logic:
1. The highest priority is assigned to the volume (clone or original volume) that has a complete, non-suspect save set status. A
complete save set that is suspect has a higher priority than an incomplete non-suspect save set.
2. If the volumes still have equal priority, then priority is assigned to the mounted volume.
3. If the volumes are mounted, then priority is based on the media type. The media types from highest to lowest priority are:
● Advanced file type device
● File type device
● Other (such as tape or optical)
4. If the volumes are not mounted, then priority is based on the media location. The media locations from highest to lowest
priority are:
● Volumes in a library.
● Volumes that are not in a library but are onsite (or, the offsite flag is not set).
● Volumes that are offsite (or, the offsite flag is set).
To specify that a volume is offsite, use the nsrmm command. For example:

nsrmm -o offsite -V volume_id

where volume_id is the ID of the volume to mark offsite.

Recovery 381
The volumes that are required for recovery appear in the Required Volumes window of the NMC Recovery wizard and the
NetWorker User (Windows) programs.

Recovering access control list files

NetWorker allows a user to browse and recover files with associated access control lists (ACLs) in directories for which the user
is not the primary owner. To recover files with associated ACLs, enable the ACL passthrough attribute on the NetWorker server.
The feature is enabled by default.
When the ACL passthrough attribute is disabled, the following message appears when a non-owner tries to browse ACL files in a
directory: Permission denied (has acl)
To enable ACL passthrough, perform the following steps:
1. On the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the left pane of the Server window, right-click the NetWorker server.
3. From the File menu, select Properties.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. In the Recover section, select ACL passthrough.

Browsable recovery
A file selection recovery method, or browsable recovery inspects the client file index that NetWorker creates for the source
host, to gather information about backups. When the recovery process reviews entries in the client file index, you can browse
the backup data and select the files and directories to recover. The retention policy that NetWorker applies to a backup
determines the earliest versions of files and file systems that are available for recovery. Backup Browse and Retention on page
249 provides more information about browse and retention policies.
Use a browsable recovery in the following scenarios:
● To recover a file or directory when you are not certain of its exact name or location.
● To recover a small number of files or directories. When you select many files and directories, the process of marking the files
for recovery and the recovery process can take some time to complete, particularly from the NetWorker User program.
● To perform a directed recovery.
● To recover only the files that you select in one or more directories, not all files in a directory.

Adding information about recyclable save sets to the client file index
Each NetWorker client, including the NetWorker server, has a client file index (CFI). The CFI is a database that contains
information about the files that are in a save set.
When NetWorker adds save set information into the media database and CFI, NetWorker assigns the save set a retention date,
which is based on the retention policy that is assigned to the backup, clone, or archive. Browsable information about the save
set remains in the CFI until the current date is equal to the retention date.
When the current date is equal to the retention date, NetWorker expires the save set and identifies the save set as no longer
required for recovery, or as eligible for recycling. When the status of the save set is eligible for recycling, NetWorker removes
the information about the save set from the CFI, and you cannot perform a browsable recovery of the save set data. Some
applications, such as the NetWorker Module for Databases and Applications, require that a save set is browsable to perform a
recovery.
You can make expired save set files browsable for recovery by adding the save set information back into the client file index.

Determining the status of a save set

Use the save set query feature in NetWorker Administration to determine the status of a save set.
Perform the following steps to determine the status of a save set and record the information that you require to add the save
set information back into the client file index (CFI) for an expired save set.
1. Connect to the NetWorker server that contains the data in NMC.
2. On the Administration window, click Media.
3. In the left pane, select Save Sets.

382 Recovery
4. In the right pane, select All Save Sets.
5. On the Query Save Set tab, specify one or more of the search criteria in the following table.

Table 95. Query criteria

Criterion Description
Client Name Type the name of the client that is associated with the save
set.
Save Set Type the name of the save set.
Save Set ID Type the identifier of the save set.
Volume Select the volume on which the save set is stored from the
list.
Pool Select the media pool for the volume on which the save set
is stored from the list.
Checkpoint ID Type the identifier of the checkpoint for partial save sets.
Copies To limit the save set results to the number of copies of the
save set:
a. From the Copies list, select whether the number of
copies is less than (>), equal to (=), or greater than (<) a
number that you specify.
b. Specify the number in the second box.
Save Time Select the start and end dates and times for the save time
of the save set.
Clone Retention Time Select the start and end dates and times for the retention
time of a cloned save set.
Status Select All to view save sets of any status.

Select Select from to view save sets of a

specific status, and then select the checkbox next to one or
more of the
following statuses:

● Browsable
● Recoverable
● Recyclable
● Scanned-in
● Suspect
● Aborted
● In-Progress
● Checkpoint Enabled
Type Select All to view save sets of any type.

Select Select from to view save sets of a

specific type, and then select the checkbox next to one or
more of the
following statuses:

● Normal
● Raw
● Data Domain
● Synthetic Full
● Rehydrated
● NDMP
● Snapshot
● ProtectPoint

Recovery 383
 Table 95. Query criteria (continued)
Criterion Description
Maximum Level Select the maximum level of the backup. Save sets that
meet the selected level and backups of levels below the
selected level appear in the results.

6. Click the Save Set List tab.

Review the results of the query in the Save Set List window for the save set that you want to recover. If the value in the
status column is not browsable, then record the values in the SSID, Clone ID, and level columns.
NOTE: When the level value is anything other than full, ensure that you record the SSID and Clone ID for the previous
full backup and all level backups in between.
The following table summarizes some of the status attributes assigned to the save set that are relevant to the process of
adding save set information back into a CFI.

Table 96. Save set status

Status Definition
Browsable The save set is browsable. The save set has not exceeded the defined retention policy.
Recoverable Information about the save set Information appears only in the media database. NetWorker does not
allow information about some save sets, for example the bootstrap save set to appear in the CFI for
browsing.
Recyclable The save set has expired is eligible for recycling. The save set has exceeded the defined retention
policy.
Incomplete The save set did not complete. NetWorker does not store save set information about an incomplete
save set in a CFI.

Using nsrmm to modify the save set properties

Modify the save set properties with the nsrmm command.
1. When the save set is recyclable:
a. Modify the save set entry to make it recoverable with the nsrmm command:

nsrmm -e MM/DD/YYYY> -S ssid/cloneid

where:
● MM/DD/YYYY is the date that is chosen to make the save set browsable from.
● ssid/cloneid is the save set ID/cloneid.
For example:
nsrmm -e "11/21/2009" -S 4294078835/1257402739

When more than one SSID was recorded, repeat this step for all SSIDs.

b. Modify the save set to the not recyclable status:

nsrmm -o notrecyclable -S ssid/cloneid -y

where ssid/cloneid is the save set ID/cloneid.

For example:
nsrmm -o notrecyclable -S 4294078835/1257402739 -y

When more than one SSID was recorded, repeat this step for all SSIDs.

c. Verify that the save set status is recoverable:

mminfo -q ssid=ssid -r sumflags
Recoverable save sets have an r, in addition to other values in the sumflags output.

384 Recovery
 For example:
mminfo -q ssid=4294078835 -r sumflags cr

When more than one SSID was recorded, repeat this step for all SSIDs.

2. Query the media database to confirm that the index save set for a client is recoverable:
mminfo -avot -N index:client_name

where client_name is the name of the client to which this save set is located.

3. Confirm that the value in the fl column is cr for an index backup with the time frame of the client save set to be restored.
NOTE: If the index save set is not recoverable, the save set expires when the NetWorker software cross checks the
indexes. For example, when the NetWorker server runs the nsrim -X command.

4. Record the values in the date and time columns.

Repopulating the client file index

Use the nsrck or scanner command to repopulate the client file index with information about files in a save set.

Repopulate the client file index by using the scanner program

Use the scanner program to repopulate the client file index with information about files and directories for a specific save set.
The entries assume the browse policy of the original save set. For example, suppose a save set originally had a browse time of
one month and a retention time of three months. However, the browse and retention times have expired. When you restore the
save set entry by using the scanner program, the save set then remains browsable for one month and recoverable for three
months.
To Repopulate the client file index by using the scanner program, perform the following steps:
1. Ensure the idle device timeout value of the device containing the volume is 0. Refer to Unmounting volumes automatically
(idle device timeout) on page 121 for details.
2. Query the media database using the mminfo program for save set information:
For example:

mminfo -avq ssid=ssid -r volume,client,name,ssid,mediafile,mediarec

where ssid is the associated save set id for the data you want to recover.

3. Use the information from the mminfo command for the save set to run the scanner program. When the save set spans
more than one volume, scan the volumes in the order in which in which they were written:

scanner -v -i -S ssid -f mediafile -r mediarec device

where:

● mediafile is the starting file number for the save set, obtained from the mminfo output.
● mediarec is the starting record number for the save set, obtained from the mminfo output.
● device is the name of the device the volume is loaded in, for example /dev/rmt0.1 or \\.\Tape0.

4. When the save set spans multiple volumes, the scanner program prompts for a new volume as needed.

Repopulating the client file index by using the nsrck program

Use the nsrck program to repopulate the client file index with information about all save sets for the client up to the date and
time specified.
1. Ensure that the volume containing the index backup is available.
2. Use the nsrck command to repopulate the client file index:
nsrck -L 7 -t MM/DD/YYYY client_name

Recovery 385
 where:

● where client_name is the name of the client with the data to be recovered.
● MM/DD/YYYY is the backup date of the save set.

For example:
<NetWorker_install_path>\nsr\bin>nsrck -L 7 -t "11/21/2009" swift nsrck: checking index
for 'swift' 9343:nsrck: The file index for client 'swift' will be recovered.Requesting
1 rec over session(s) from server Recover completion time: 11/20/2009 1:45:55 PM
nsrck: <NetWorker_install_path>\nsr\index\swift contains 12 records occupying 2 KB nsrck:
Completed checking 1 client(s)
When you recover a client file index from a time and date in the past, nsrck adds the full contents of the index from that
time and date to a temporary subdirectory of the client file index directory. When a time value is not specified, everything for
the specified date (up to 23:59) is included. After the index has been read from the backup media, the required index data is
integrated fully into the client file indexes and the temporary subdirectory is removed. The “required index data” includes the
indexes from the date specified to the first full backup that occurred prior to the date specified.
Be aware that if a save set from the specified date runs into the next day, which would be Nov 22, 2009 in this example,
then the index required to browse the save set will not be recovered. To recover this index, you would have to specify Nov
22, 2009 as the recovery date as shown in the following command:
nsrck -t "11/22/2009" -L7 swift

A check on the required index date may be necessary if index backups are set to be taken once daily. When the back up of
the index does not take place until the following day, the date of the following day must be specified.
3. Confirm that the client save sets are now browsable:
mminfo -q ssid=ssid -r sumflags

Browsable save sets contain a b, in addition to other values in the sumflags output.
For example:

NetWorker_install_path\nsr\bin>mminfo -q ssid=4294078835 -r sumflags

cb

4. Perform a file-by-file recovery by using the NetWorker User program (Windows), the recover command or the NMC
Recovery Wizard.

Adding information about a save set in the client file index and media
database
When a volume contains a save set that does not appear in the media database or client file index, use the scanner command
to restore save set information into the media database and client file indexes.

1. Log in as root or a Windows Administrator.

2. Load the first volume that contains the save set information into an available device. Ensure the Idle Device Timeout value
for the device is 0. Refer to Unmounting volumes automatically (idle device timeout) on page 121 for details.
3. At the command prompt, run the scanner and specify the name of the device that contains the volume:
scanner device_name
4. Use the output from the scanner program to determine:
● If the volume contains the save set that you want to scan.
● If you want to scan the contents of the volume in the online indexes.
● If the save set spans multiple volumes.

5. Use the scanner command to add the save information into the media database and CFIs:

● To repopulate media database and CFIs with the save set information for all save sets on the volume, type scanner -i
device_name
● To repopulate the media database and client file index with the save set information for a specific save set , type
scanner -i -S ssid device_name

386 Recovery
 NOTE: When the volume contains data from an earlier version of NetWorker, there may be no pool information on
the volume. In this case, the volume is considered to belong to the Default pool. To assign the volume to another
pool, use the -b pool_name option in this step. When the volume already belongs to a pool, the -b option will have
no effect.

Performing a browsable recover with NetWorker User

Perform these steps on the administering host.
1. Open the NetWorker User program.
To recover data that was encrypted with the current AES pass phrase, no special action is required. However, to recover
data that was encrypted with an AES pass phrase that is different than the current pass phrase,start the recover
command specify the -p pass_phrase. To enter multiple pass phrases with the -p option, type: recover -p
pass_phrase1 -p pass_phrase2 -p pass_phrase3.
NOTE: When an incorrect pass phrase or no pass phrase is entered, encrypted data is not recovered. Instead, the file
names are created without data. However, if unencrypted data is also selected for recovery, it is recovered.

2. Select the NetWorker server when you are prompted.

3. From the Operations menu, select Recover/Directed. To perform a save set recover, select Save Set Recover.
4. Select the source host that has the data you want to recover, then click OK.
5. Select the destination host for the recovered data, then click OK.
6. Mark the files and directories to recover, in the Recover window.
NOTE: When a drive letter is not present on the destination client, the drive appears with a red question mark.

7. Select optional recover options. The following table summarizes the available recovery options.
NOTE: To achieve consistency of setting the browse or retention time from remote machine, it is recommended to have
time sync between NetWorker server and remote machine such as NMC. Ensure that browse is always lower or equal to
retention period.

Table 97. Optional browsable recovery options

Recover option Details
Change the browse time The Recovery window appears with the latest version of
the backup files.

To change the browse date and time for all files in the
Recovery
window:

Select View > Change Browse Time.

On the Change Browse Time window, select a

new day within the calendar. Select Previous Month
or Next Month to change from the current month.

In the Time field, change the time of day by

typing an hour, minute, and the letter a (for a.m.) or p (for
p.m.). Use the
12-hour format.
Click OK.

View all versions of a selected file or directory The Recovery window appears with the latest version of
the backup files. When you mark a file system object for
example, a file or directory, you recover the last backup
version. To view earlier versions of file system objects:

Highlight the file or directory that you want to review.

Select View > Versions.

Select a previous version.

Recovery 387
 Table 97. Optional browsable recovery options (continued)
Recover option Details

Select Change Browse Time.

When prompted to change the browse time, click OK.

Mark the new version of the file system object.

Search for file system objects To search for file system objects in the defined browser
time:

From the File menu, select Find.

Type the name of the file or directory. Use wildcards to

expand the
search. Without wildcards, partial file names result in no
match being found.

Relocate the recovered file system objects By default, NetWorker recovers file system objects to their
original location. To relocate the files to a different location:

Select Options > Recover Options

In the Relocate Recovered Data To field, type the path on

the
destination host to recover the data, then click OK.

For NDMP data restores, the target path is a string and

must match
the path as seen by the NAS filer in its native OS.
Otherwise, NetWorker
recovers the files to the original location and overwrites the
existing file host
with the same name. NetWorker Network Data
Management Protocol (NDMP) User Guide provides details
about NDMP recoveries.

View volumes required for recovery Before you start the recovery operation, monitor which
volumes NetWorker requires to recover the selected file
system objects.

To view the required volumes, select

View > Required Volumes.

Ensure that the listed volumes are available or NetWorker to

mount into an available device.
Resolve name conflicts By default, the Naming Conflict window appears each time
there is a file name conflict during a recovery. To specify the
method to automatically resolve all name conflicts:

Select Options > Recover Options.

Select a conflict resolution option:

● Rename the recovered files. By default, the recover

operation appends a tilde (~) to the beginning of the
name of the recovered file ~file name. When a file named
~file name already exists, the recovered file is renamed
~00_file name, and so forth, to ~99_file name. When
this fails, the recover process does not automatically
rename the file and prompts the user is to specify a
name for the file.
● Discard recovered file: Discards the recovered file and
keeps the existing file.
● Overwrite existing file: Replaces the file on the file
system with the recovered version.

388 Recovery
 Table 97. Optional browsable recovery options (continued)
Recover option Details
● Overwrite and replace a reboot: Replaces the file on the
file system with the recovered version after you restart
the destination host.

NDMP recoveries do not support resolving name

conflicts NDMP recoveries always overwrite existing
files. Relocate the NDMP data to a different location to
avoid data loss.
NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol
(NDMP) User Guide describes how to perform NDMP
recoveries

8. Click Start to begin the recovery. It takes the NetWorker server a few moments to recover the files, depending on file size,
network traffic, server load, and tape positioning. During this time, messages appear so that you can monitor the progress of
the recovery.
When the recovery is successful, a message similar to this appears:

Received 1 file(S) from NSR server server

Recover completion time: Tue Jan 21 08:33:04 2009

NOTE: When an error occurs while recovering Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft SQL Server data by using VSS,
you must restart the recovery process. When the recovery fails due to a problem with VSS or a writer, an error message
appears. Use the Windows Event Viewer to examine the event logs for more information. VSS recovery error messages
are also written to the NetWorker log file.

Performing a browsable recover by using the recover command

Use the recover command in interactive mode to access the client file index of the source client and recover individual
files and folder from a command prompt. Interactive mode enables you to browse and select files and directories from a save
set. NetWorker supports a local or directed browsable recovery from a command prompt. You cannot recover the Windows
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set in interactive mode.
The recover command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges provides more information.
For Windows hosts only, to ensure that you use the NetWorker recover.exe command and not the Windows OS recover
command, perform one of the following tasks:
● Ensure that NetWorker_install_path\bin appears before %SystemRoot%\System32 in the $PATH environment
variable.
● When you start the recover command include the path to the binary. For example:
NetWorker_install_path\bin\recover.exe.
Perform the following steps on the destination host in the data zone.
1. Use the mminfo command to display information about the save set of the data that you want to recover. For example,
type:
mminfo -r volume,savetime,client,ssid,cloneid,name

Output similar to the following appears:

Recovery 389
 Table 98. Save set information
volume date client ssid pool name
backup.001 05/03/2015 bu_iddnwserve 3644194209 Default C:\ddlib
r
clone.001 05/03/2015 bu_iddnwserve 3644194209 Default Clone C:\ddlib
r

The mminfo command provides you with information that you require to recover the save set. For example, the name of
the volume that contains the save set, the date that the save set was created and the name of the pool that contains the
volume. NetWorker assigns each backup and clone save set the same save set ID (SSID) and unique clone ID (cloneid). To
recover from a clone volume, the name of the clone pool is required.

2. Ensure that the volume which contains the save set is available for a device in the datazone.
3. Use the recover command to select and then to recover the data from the backup save set or the clone save set.
For example, type:
recover -t date -c source_host -R destination_host -b pool_name - i_recover_option

where:
● date is the date that NetWorker created the save set.
NOTE: When you do not specify a date, the recover command displays the latest version of each file in the save
set.
● source_host is the original data host.
NOTE: When you do not specify source host, NetWorker assumes that the source client is the host where you run
the recover program.
● destination_host is the host on which to recover the data.
● pool_name is the name of the pool that contains the volume. Use this option when you want to recover data from a clone
volume.
● - i_recover_option specifies how NetWorker handles a naming conflict between a recovered file and an existing
file.
○ iN does not recover the file when a conflict occurs.
○ iY overwrites the existing file when a conflict occurs.
○ iR renames the file when a conflict occurs. The recover process appends a .R to each recovered file name.
NOTE: The recover command requires the -i option when you use the -R option to perform a directed recovery.

For example, to recover the data from a clone volume from a clone operation that was performed on July 20, 2015, type:

recover -t 07/20/2015 -b Default Clone

The Recover prompt appears.

4. Select the files or directories and perform the recover:
a. Specify the directory to browse:
recover> cd path

For example: cd /var/adm

b. Select the file or directory for recovery:
recover> add file_name

For example: add system.log

NOTE: On Windows, to recover files or directories that begin with a dash (-) such as -Accounting, try one of the
following options:
● Type add ./-Accounting to recover the -Accounting file or directory and its contents.
● Use the cd command to change directories to -Accounting. Type add . to add the current directory and the
directory contents for recovery.

390 Recovery
 ● When the current directory is /temp and -Accounting resides in the /temp directory, type add /temp/
Accounting. This input adds -Accounting and the contents of the directory to the recovery list.

c. To view the files or directory that you marked for recovery, type:
recover> list

d. To view the list of the volumes that NetWorker requires to recover the data, type:
recover> volumes

e. To recover the files to a location that differs from the original location, type:
recover> relocate path

5. To start the recovery operation, type:

recover> recover

When the recovery process completes, messages similar to the following appear:
Received 1 file(s) from NSR server `bu-idd-nwserver2'
Recover completion time: Tue Aug 21 08:33:04 2015
recover>
6. To close the recover program, type Quit.

Save set recovery

The save set selection recovery method, or save set recover enables you to recover data without browsing and selecting the
files for recovery. Unlike a browsable recovery, a save set recover does not inspect the client file index for information about
each selected file.
When you perform a save set recovery, NetWorker recovers the last full backup first, then recovers incremental backups in the
chronological backup order. Backup levels on page 232 provides information about the relationship between each backup level.
Use a save set recovery in the following scenarios:
● To recover many files or all the data in a save set, for example, if there is a total disk failure. When you perform a save set
recovery, you do not select individual files or directories for recovery.
● To recover data from a recyclable save set. Backup Browse and Retention on page 249 provides more information about
browse and retention policies. Adding information about recyclable save sets to the client file index on page 382 describes
how to repopulate the client file index entries for recyclable (expired) save sets.
● To recover data on a host with limited memory resources. A save set recovery requires less memory than a browsable
recovery.
● Expired savesets cannot be cloned.

Performing a save set recover with NetWorker User

Perform the following steps on the administering host.

NOTE: Only members of the Windows Administrators group have permission to perform a save set recovery.

1. Open the NetWorker User program.

To recover data that was encrypted with the current AES pass phrase, no special action is required. However, to recover
data that was encrypted with an AES pass phrase that is different than the current pass phrase,start the recover
command specify the -p pass_phrase. To enter multiple pass phrases with the -p option, type: recover -p
pass_phrase1 -p pass_phrase2 -p pass_phrase3.
NOTE: When an incorrect pass phrase or no pass phrase is entered, encrypted data is not recovered. Instead, the file
names are created without data. However, if unencrypted data is also selected for recovery, it is recovered.

2. Select the NetWorker server when you are prompted.

3. Select Operation > Save Set Recover.
4. Select the source host that has the data that you want to recover, and then click OK.

Recovery 391
5. In the Save Sets window, select the name of the save set from the Save Set Name list.
6. Select the version of the save set . Optionally, select the cloned version of a save set.
7. Select optional recover options. The following table summarizes the recover options that are available with a save set
recovery.

Table 99. Optional save set recovery options

Recover option Description
Specify file system objects By default, NetWorker recovers all selected files and
directories.

To recover only certain file system objects in a save set:

Click Files...

Specify the files and directories to recover, one full path per
line.

Click OK.
View required volumes Before you start the recovery operation, monitor which
volumes NetWorker requires to recover the selected file
system objects.To view the required volumes, select
Required Volumes.

Ensure the listed volumes are available for NetWorker to

mount into an
available device.

Relocate the recovered file system objects By default, NetWorker recovers file system objects to
their original location. To relocate the files to a different
location:Select Recover Options.

In the Relocate Recovered Data To field, type the full path

of the
directory where the data should be relocated and then click
OK.

For NDMP data restores, the target path is a string and

must match the
path as seen by the NAS filer in its native OS. Otherwise,
the recover
process uses the original location and overwrites existing
files with the
same name. NetWorker Network Data Management
Protocol (NDMP) User Guide provides details about NDMP
recoveries.

Resolve name conflicts By default, the Naming Conflict window appears each time
there is a file name conflict during a recovery. To specify the
method to automatically resolve all name conflicts:

Select Options > Recover Options.

Select a conflict resolution option:

● Rename the recovered files. By default, a tilde (~) is

appended to the beginning of the name of the recovered
file ~file name. When a file named ~file name already
exists, the recovered file is renamed ~00_file name,
and so forth, to ~99_file name. When this fails, the
recover process does not automatically rename the file
and prompts the user to specify a name for the file.
● Discard recovered file: Discards the recovered file and
keeps the existing file.
● Overwrite existing file: Replaces the file on the file
system with the recovered version.

392 Recovery
 Table 99. Optional save set recovery options (continued)
Recover option Description
● Overwrite and replace a reboot: Replaces the file on the
file system with the recovered version after you restart
the destination host.

NDMP recoveries do not support resolving name

conflicts. NDMP recoveries always overwrite existing
files. Relocate the NDMP data to a different location to
avoid data loss.
NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol
(NDMP) User Guide describes how to perform NDMP
recoveries

8. Click OK to begin the recovery. The NetWorker server takes a few moments to start the file recovery, depending on file size,
network traffic, server load, and tape positioning. When NetWorker starts to recover the files, messages appear that enable
you to monitor the progress of the recovery.
When the recovery is successful, a message similar to the following appears:
Received 1 file(S) from NSR server server Recover completion time: Tue Jan 21 08:33:04
2009

Performing a save set recover from the command prompt

Use the recover command in non-interactive mode to perform a save set recover data from a command prompt. Non-
interactive mode enables you to recover a directory or file immediately, without browsing the client file index for file information.
Use non-interactive mode to recover data when you know the path to recover and you do not need to browse through the
directory contents of the save set. NetWorker only supports a local save set recover. You cannot perform directed recover by
using a save set recover.
The recover command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges
1. Connect to the target host with the root account on UNIX or the Administrator on Windows.
2. Use the mminfo command to display information about the save set of the data that you want to recover.
For example, type: mminfo -av -r volume,savetime,client,ssid,cloneid,name
Output similar to the following appears:

Table 100. Save set information

volume date client ssid clone id name
backup.001 05/03/2015 bu_iddnwserve 3644194209 1362492833 C:\ddlib
r
clone.001 05/03/2015 bu_iddnwserve 3644194209 1362493448 C:\ddlib
r

The mminfo command provides you with information that you require to recover the save set. For example, the name of the
volume that contains the save set and the date that the save set was created. NetWorker assigns each backup and clone
save set the same save set ID (SSID) and unique clone ID (cloneid).
3. Ensure that the volume which contains the save set is available for a device in the datazone.
4. Use the recover command to recover the data from the backup save set or the clone save set.

Recovery 393
 NOTE: To perform concurrent recoveries from an advanced file type by either using multiple -S options to identify
multiple save sets, or starting multiple recover commands.

● To recover the all the data from a backup save set, type the following command:
recover -S ssid - i_recover_option

where:
○ ssid is the SSID of the backup save set.
○ - i_recover_option specifies how NetWorker handles a naming conflict between a recovered file and an existing
file.
￭ iN does not recover the file when a conflict occurs.
￭ iY overwrites the existing file when a conflict occurs.
￭ iR renames the file when a conflict occurs. The recover process appends a .R to each recovered file name.
For example:
recover -S 3644194209 -iR
● To recover the all the data from a clone save set, type the following command:
recover -S ssid/cloneid

where:
○ ssid is the SSID of the backup save set.
○ clonied is the cloneid of the clone save set.
For example:
recover -S 3644194209/1362493448
NOTE: When you do not specify the cloneid of the save set, the recover command recovers the data from the
backup save set.
● To recover a single directory from the clone save set and relocate the data to a new directory location, type the following
command:
recover -S ssid/cloneid -d destination_dir original_dir

where:
○ ssid is the SSID of the backup save set.
○ cloneid is the cloneid of the clone save set.
○ destination_dir is the location to which you want to recover the data.
○ original_dir is the directory that is contained in the save set that you want to recover.
For example, to recover the directory /var/adm on the backup save set to the /usr/mnd directory, type the following
command:
recover -S 3644194209/1362493448 -d /usr/mnd /var/adm
● To recover data that was encrypted with the current AES pass phrase, no special action is required. However, to recover
data that was encrypted with an AES pass phrase that is different than the current pass phrase,start the recover
command specify the -p pass_phrase. To enter multiple pass phrases with the -p option, type: recover -p
pass_phrase1 -p pass_phrase2 -p pass_phrase3.
NOTE: When an incorrect pass phrase or no pass phrase is entered, encrypted data is not recovered. Instead, the
file names are created without data. However, if unencrypted data is also selected for recovery, it is recovered.

Using the scanner program to recover data

You can use the scanner command to recover data from a volume by save set ID (SSID) to the host that starts the program.
Ensure that the operating system of the NetWorker host that runs the scanner command is the same operating system as the
source client.
The scanner command requires specific privileges which are assigned based on session authentication. NetWorker supports
two types of session authentication. Token-based authentication, which requires you to run the nsrlogin before you run the
command and authenticates the user that runs the command against entries that are defined in the External Roles attribute of a
User Group resource. Classic authentication, which is based on user and host information and uses the user attribute of a User

394 Recovery
Group resource to authenticate a user. Classic authentication does not require an authentication token to run the command. For
example, if you run the command without first running nsrlogin, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the
entries that are specified in the Users attribute of the User Group resource. When you use nsrlogin to log in as a NetWorker
Authentication Service user, NetWorker assigns the privileges to the user based on the entries that are specified in the External
Roles attributes of the user Group resource. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about
privileges

NOTE: You cannot use the scanner command recover data from a NetWorker Module, NDMP or DSA save set.

1. Optionally, use the nsrlogin command to authenticate a user and generate a token for the
Using nsrlogin for authentication and authorization provides more information.
2. Ensure the value in the Idle device timeout attribute of the device that contains the volume is 0. Unmounting volumes
automatically (idle device timeout) on page 121 provides more information.
3. Use the mminfo program to query the media database for save set information.
For example:
mminfo -avq ssid=ssid -r volume,client,name,ssid,mediafile,mediarec

where ssid is the save set ID associated with the data.

4. Use the save set information from the mminfo command to run the scanner program:
● To recover all files in a save set on Windows, type:
scanner -v -Sssid -f mediafile -r mediarec device | path\uasm -rv

where:
○ ssid specifies the save set ID value that you obtained from the mminfo output.
○ mediafile specifies the starting file number of the save set that you obtained from the mminfo output.
○ mediarec specifies the starting file record number of the save set that you obtained from the mminfo output.
○ device is the name of the device that contains the volume. is the name of the device the volume is loaded in, for
example /dev/rmt0.1 or \\.\Tape0
○ path is the path on the NetWorker host that contains the uasm binary.
For example, on Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin

Scanner command examples

Recovering a single file to a different location on Windows

To recover a single file in the save set on Windows to a different location, type:
scanner -v -S ssid -f mediafile -r mediarec device | path\uasm -rv -m source_dir=dest_dir
filename

Where:
● source_dir is the directory where the data resided during the backup.
● dest_dir is the directory where the data is relocated during the recovery.
● filename is the name of the file or directory to recover.

Recover a complete save set on UNIX

To recover all files in a save set on UNIX, type:
scanner -v -S ssid -f mediafile -r mediarec device -x path/uasm -rv

Recovering a single file to a different location on UNIX

To recover a single file in the save set on UNIX and to a different location, type:

Recovery 395
scanner -v -S ssid -f mediafile device -x path/uasm -rv -m source_dir=dest_dir filename

The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the scanner program.

Recovering when save set spans more than one volume

When the save set spans more than one volume, scan the volumes in the order in which they were written:
scanner -v -i -S ssid -f mediafile -rmediarec device

Where:
● mediafile is the starting file number for the save set, obtained from the mminfo output.
● mediarec is the starting record number for the save set, obtained from the mminfo output.
● device is the name of the device the volume is loaded. For example, /dev/rmt0.1 or \ \.\Tape0.
When the save set spans multiple volumes, the scanner program prompts for a new volume as needed. All the parts of the
saveset must be scanned to be able to recover.

VSS File Level Recovery

VSS File Level Recovery (FLR) provides the ability to browse, select and restore any System State file from the backup of
the volume where it resides. There are changes to how Windows VSS-based backups and restores behave. The major changes
include:
● System state files are now backed up as part of the volumes where they reside.
● All file system backups require that all system writers affected by the backed up volumes be included to ensure the backups
are VSS consistent. You can use the command line flag VSS:*=off, to remove this VSS requirement.
● The Exclude file list specified by system state writers, and directives specified by unsupported application writers continue to
work and are excluded from file system backups.

Recovering deduplication data

The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more information on how to recover deduplication data.

Improving restore performance with multiple threads

Recover workflow for file system backups has been enhanced to perform restores in parallel. This splits recover requests into
multiple recover requests resulting in more than one recover stream. This has improved recover performance in comparison to
earlier versions. The following recover workflows are supported with devices DD and AFTD:
● File-by-File restore
● Save set restore
File-by-file restore:
● If files are selected from a single saveset , an allocation of maximum four streams is made.
● If files are selected from multiple savesets less than four, an allocation up to four streams is made. One stream is allocated
for each distinct saveset.
● If files selected from multiple savesets more than four, the split restore logic does not apply as it exceeds the parallelism
count; files from each saveset processed together in one stream exceeds the parallelism count.
● If files are selected from multiple savesets from a single volume, an allocation of one stream per saveset is made.
● When files are selected from multiple savesets from multiple volumes, an allocation is made based on sessions secured on all
required devices. If sessions cannot be assigned for all required devices at the same time, the algorithm falls back to safe
mode with a single session against a single volume at a time. This is an existing safety mechanism to ensure recovery can
proceed under all circumstances, though not necessarily at the highest possible speed.
Saveset restore: For saveset restore if indexes are online for that particular save set then it applies split restore logic and tries
to allocate maximum four recover streams. If indexes are not available for that particular saveset then it reverts back to the old
mode of using single stream. As in the file-by-file case, the streams are allocated first at the saveset boundary. This means that
if one provides two ssids to be recovered, an allocation of one stream will be made to each of the savesets and the remaining
two streams will be used for split restore logic.

396 Recovery
This feature is not enabled by default. The user can turn on this feature using "-z" flag using recover command line. To
enable from NMC , select the advanced options check box and pass the "-z" flag in the additional command line options. The
NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more details on when to turn on the feature.
NOTE:

NDMP and BBB backup types are not supported for parallel restore. Tape, VTL, CloudBoost, and DDCT device types are not
supported. The Recover feature is not supported using WinWorkr GUI application.

vProxy recovery in NMC

You can use the Recovery wizard in NMC to perform image level recovery, which allows you to recover full virtual machines
and VMDKs. You can also use the Recovery wizard to perform file-level restore from a primary or cloned backup on a Data
Domain device, but only as an administrator.
In NMC's NetWorker Administration window, click Recover. From the Recover window, launch the Recovery wizard by
selecting Recover > New.

Entering management credentials for the Data Domain resource

(instant recovery and User mode file-level restore only)
Before you perform an instant recovery of a virtual machine or file-level restore (User mode), ensure that you provide the
management credentials for the Data Domain resource. For instant recovery, these credentials are required when performing
the recovery using the NMC Recover wizard or the VM Backup and Recovery interface in the vSphere Client.
1. In the NMC Administration window, click Devices.
The Devices window displays.
2. In the expanded left navigation pane, select Data Domain Systems.
3. In the right details pane, right-click the Data Domain system, and then select Properties.
The NSR Data Domain Properties window displays.

Figure 57. NSR Data Domain Properties

4. In the Access pane, type the management credentials.

Recovery 397
 a. In the Management host field, specify the hostname of the Data Domain system that is used for management
commands.
b. In the Management user field, specify the username for a Data Domain user that has admin access. For example,
sysadmin. The Management user should have Data Domain administrator privileges.
c. In the Management password field, specify the password of the management user.
d. In the Management port field, specify the management port. By default, the port is 3009.
NOTE: The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides information about the Cloud unit field and use of
the Cloud tier device.

5. If required, in the Configuration pane, update the export path. It is recommended that you leave this field blank, which sets
the export path to the default path. The short name of the NetWorker server is the default path.
If you do type a path in this field, ensure that the path has NFS permissions. When you log in to the Data Domain resource,
browse to the NFS section and add the Mtree device path (the path to the NetWorker backup device) as a valid NFS path.
6. To save the changes, click OK.

File-level restore as an Active Directory user

In order to perform a file-level restore as an Active Directory (AD) user in the NMC NetWorker Administration window's
Recovery wizard or the Dell EMC Data Protection Restore Client, you need to register a tenant user and provide the FLR
AD user required permissions.
NOTE: The following steps include high level information for running authc_config. More detailed steps might be
required if configuring AD authentication in the NetWorker environment. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide
provides more information.
1. Log in to your AD server, and make note of objects related to this user (such as the Organizational Units (OU) and Groups
in the Active Directory server) that will be added as a tenant user of NetWorker. You can use any third party AD viewer/
browser to obtain the required objects and their properties.
For example,
a. Create an OU proxy inside the domain.
b. Inside the OU proxy, create a group named vmware and another OU user.
c. Inside the OU user, create a user named ADuser and make this user a member of the group vmware.
d. If you plan to use the command line to register the AD user to NetWorker, as described in step two below, make note of
the values for the following variables as you will require these values for the registration commands:
● config-name
● config-server-address
● config-domain
● config-user-dn
● config-user-dn-password
● config-user-object-class
● config-user-search-path
● config-user-id-attr
● config-group-search-path
● config-group-name-attr
● config-group-object-class
● config-group-member-attr
● config-active-directory
e. If you plan to use the NetWorker Management Console to register the AD user to NetWorker, also described in step
two below, make note of the following values as you will require these values for the registration:
● Domain
● Port number
● Provider Server name
● User DN
● Group Object Class
● Group Search Path
● Group Name Attribute
● Group Member Attribute

398 Recovery
 ● User Object Class
● User Search Path
● User ID Attribute
2. Register the AD domain user to NetWorker either using the command line or the NetWorker Management Console user
interface.
If using the command line:
a. Create a tenant user on NetWorker by running the authc_config command, as in the following:
authc_config -u administrator -e add-tenant -D tenant-name=your tenant name -D tenant-
alias your selected aliases -p password
For example, to create a tenant user ADuser with the alias FLR, run authc_config -u administrator -e
add-tenant -D tenant-name=ADuser -D tenant-alias FLR -p password
b. Obtain the tenant ID by running the authc_config command using the find-tenant parameter. For example:
authc_config -u administrator -e find-tenant -D tenantname=ADuser -p password
c. Register the AD domain user to NetWorker by running the authc_config command using the add-config parameter
and using the values obtained in Step1d, as in the following:
authc_config -u administrator -e add-config -D config-tenant-id=tenant ID
number -D config-name=your tenant name -D config-server-address=ldap IPv4/
IPv6 address OU=proxy,DC=domain name,DC=com -D config-domain=domain name -D
config-user-dn=CN=Aduser,OU=user,OU=proxy,DC=domain name,DC=com -D config-user-dn-
password=password -D config-user-objectclass= inetOrgPerson -D config-user-search-
path=OU=user -D config-userid- attr=cn -D config-group-search-path=OU=user -D config-
group-nameattr= cn -D config-group-object-class=group -D config-group-memberattr=
member -D config-active-directory=y -p password
If using the NetWorker Management Console:
a. Click the Setup tab.
b. On the left pane of the Setup window, expand Users and Roles, right-click External Authority and select New from
the drop-down. The Add External Authentication Authority dialog displays.
c. Provide a name for the external authority (for example, Aduser), select Active Directory from the Server Type
drop-down, and then fill in the required details with the values obtained from Step1e.
d. Click OK.
3. In the NetWorker Management Console, click the Server tab.
4. On the Server window, select User Groups.
5. Add a user group (for example, ADuser group) with the following permissions:
● View Security Settings
● View Application Settings
● Remote Access All Clients
● Operate NetWorker
● Monitor NetWorker
● Operate Devices and Jukeboxes
● Recover Local Data
● Recover Remote Data
● Backup Local Data
6. Edit the new user to add the required AD user and AD group in the External Roles field. For example, for a user named
ADuser with the domain rideblr, add the following in the External Roles field:
CN=Aduser,OU=user,OU=proxy,DC=rideblr,DC=com CN=vmware,OU=proxy,DC=rideblr,DC=com
7. Log in to the Dell EMC Data Protection Restore Client as the AD user, in the format
<tenant>\<domain>\<userid>. For example, default\rideblr.com\ADuser.
You can now perform file-level restore as an Active Directory user.

Recovering a virtual machine using the NMC Recovery wizard

When you click Recover in NMC's NetWorker Administration window and select Recover > New from the menu, the
Recovery wizard launches. Virtual Machine Recovery is the second recovery type displayed.

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Figure 58. Virtual machine recovery in the NMC Recovery wizard

After selecting the Virtual Machine Recovery type, you can perform recovery of individual virtual machines, or (for revert and
virtual machine recovery options) recovery from multiple virtual machines.
1. In the Select the Recovery Type page, select Virtual Machine Recovery, and then select a vCenter server to recover
from using the Source vCenter server drop-down. Click Next.
2. In the Select the Virtual Machine to Recover page, enter the name of the source virtual machine(s) to recover from, or
perform a search for the virtual machine. Additionally, you can use the tabs on this page to choose a single virtual machine
or multiple virtual machines from a selected backup, or browse the source vCenter to determine the required virtual machine
source. When you locate and choose the desired virtual machine(s), click Next.

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 Figure 59. Select the Virtual Machine to Recover

3. In the Select the Target Backups page, select the virtual machine backup(s) you want to restore from the Available
Backups pane. This pane lists both primary backups and, if available, clone copies. If you selected recovery from multiple
virtual machines, you can switch between virtual machines to browse each machine's available backups by using the Virtual
Machine Name drop-down. Click Next.

Figure 60. Select the Target Backup (individual virtual machine)

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 Figure 61. Select the Target Backup (multiple virtual machines)

4. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery method page, select from one of the available recovery options:
● Revert (or rollback) a virtual machine
● Instant Recovery of a virtual machine (direct restore from a Data Domain device)
● Virtual Machine recovery (recovery to a new virtual machine)
● Virtual Disk recovery (recover VMDKs to an existing virtual machine)
● Emergency recovery (recovery to an ESX host)
● File Level recovery (recover files from VMDKs to a file system, or as a download).

Figure 62. Select the Virtual Machine Recovery method

Subsequent wizard options change based on the recovery option selected, as described in the following sections.

Revert (or rollback) a virtual machine backup

The first virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is to revert, or rollback, a virtual machine
backup. With a Revert a virtual machine backup recovery, you use an existing virtual machine to rollback the VMDKs as a virtual
machine.
NOTE: When you revert a virtual machine, the current virtual machine is removed in the process. You cannot use the
Revert a Virtual Machine recovery option when the ESXi has been removed from the vCenter and then added back to the
vCenter. In this case, use the Virtual Machine recovery option instead.
To complete the Recovery wizard with the reverting a virtual machine method, perform the following.
1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select Revert a Virtual Machine.
b. Click Next.
The Select Options to Revert a Virtual Machine page displays
2. In the Revert Type pane of the Select Options to Revert a Virtual Machine page:

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 a. Select Revert both VM configuration and data to revert both the configuration information (such as operating
system, virtual machine size) and data for a virtual machine. When you select this revert type, the Delete existing disk
on disk configuration mismatch option appears in the Revert Options pane to allow you to overwrite an existing disk
if a configuration mismatch occurs.
b. Select Revert VM Data Only to revert only the virtual machine data without changing the virtual machine configuration.
3. In the Revert Options pane of the Select Options to Revert a Virtual Machine page, choose from the following options
a. Select Revert all disks on this virtual machine to rollback all VMDKs, or select Revert one or more disks only and
then select a specific disk drive to rollback only that disk.
b. Select the Power on virtual machine checkbox to power on the virtual machine after the restore.
c. Select Delete existing disk on disk configuration mismatch if you want to be presented with the option of deleting
the existing disk if a disk configuration mismatch is detected. Note that this option only appears when you select the
Revert both VM configuration and data revert type in step two.
d. Click Next.
NOTE: If the virtual machine is currently powered on, a dialog displays requesting confirmation to power off the virtual
machine. Additionally, if a change has occurred in the virtual machine configuration since the backup, a warning message
displays.

Figure 63. Choose Disks to Revert

NOTE: The entire VMDK will be rolled back unless you have CBT enabled, in which case only the changed blocks will be
moved.

4. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:

a. Select the original backup or a clone copy if one is available.
b. If recovering from a clone that is not on a Data Domain device, or recovering from a Data Domain Cloud Tier device,
specify the DD Boost clone pool.
c. Click Next.

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 Figure 64. Select Alternate Recovery Sources

5. In the Perform the Recovery page:

a. Specify a name for the recovery and check the summary at the bottom of the page to ensure all the details are correct.
b. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the reversion is
complete.

Instant Recovery of a virtual machine

The next virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is instant recovery of a virtual machine backup.
With instant recovery, the virtual machine backup is read directly from the Data Domain device and the VMDKs will be restored
directly on a Data Domain device. You can perform one instant recovery session at a time.
Before you begin, make note of the following:
● For the Data Domain resource, ensure that you provide the management credentials and, if required, enter the export path
appropriately.
● Ensure that the free space on the Data Domain system is equal to or greater than the total disk size of the virtual machine
being restored, as the restore does not take into account the actual space required after deduplication occurs. If there is
insufficient disk space, an error appears indicating "Insufficient disk space on datastore," and creation of the target virtual
machine fails.
● Ensure that you have at least one proxy that is not restricted to a specific datastore. For the vProxy, select Properties and
then select Configuration, and verify that datastores is left blank.
● Do not perform an instant recovery of virtual machines in resource pools and other similar containers that are part of a
currently running protection group.
To complete the Recovery wizard with the instant recovery method, perform the following steps:
1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select Instant Recovery.
b. Click Next.
2. In the Configure the Instant Recovery Options page:
a. Select the location where you want to restore the virtual machine in the vCenter environment.
This does not have to be the original location, and can also be on a different vCenter server.
b. Ensure that you select the Power on virtual machine and Reconnect to network options.
c. Click Next.

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 Figure 65. Configure the Instant Recovery

3. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:

a. Select the original backup, or a clone copy if one is available.
b. If recovering from a clone that is not on a Data Domain device, or recovering from a Data Domain Cloud Tier device,
specify the DD Boost clone pool.
c. Click Next.
4. In the Perform the Recovery page:
a. Specify a name for the recovery.
b. Check the summary at the bottom of the page to ensure all the details are correct.
c. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the instant recovery
is complete. When the instant recovery is complete and ready for use, you can then storage vMotion the virtual machine to a
datastore, or perform a file level recovery to the target file system, and then stop the completed instant recovery to free up
those resources.
To stop an instant recovery in NMC:
1. Navigate to the Recover window.
2. Right-click the entry for the recovery within the Recover sessions pane.
3. Select Stop from the drop-down.
NOTE: To optimize use of NetWorker and Data Domain resources, it is strongly recommended that you stop the instant
recovery session once you satisfy your recovery objectives.

Virtual machine recovery

The next virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is to perform a recovery of a virtual machine
backed up with the vProxy Appliance to a new virtual machine.
NOTE: Recoveries of virtual machines backed up with the VMware Backup Appliance should still be performed with the
EMC Backup and Recovery user interface in the vSphere Web Client.
To complete the Recovery wizard with the virtual machine recovery method, perform the following.
1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select Virtual Machine Recovery.
b. Click Next.
2. In the Configure the Virtual Machine Recovery page, select the location where you want to restore the virtual machine in
the vCenter environment
a. In the Destination pane, select the option to recover the new virtual machine to the original location, or browse to select
a new location on the same vCenter server or a different vCenter server.
b. In the Recovery Options pane, choose a vProxy for the virtual machine recovery from the Select vProxy drop-down,
specify the name of the new virtual machine, and then optionally select the virtual machine file datastore and folder

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 where you want to recover the files. You can recover the virtual machine to a Blue folder by using the VM Folder
drop-down, as shown in the following figure. The folder can be the default folder, or a new folder.

Figure 66. Configure the virtual machine recovery

If you have a single disks, or multiple disks with multiple datastores, you can perform the following:
● Choose to recover a collection of all the available hard drives.
● Select a different datastore than the original datastore.
● Select a different datatore for each disk you want to recover.
● Specify the datastore where the virtual machine configuration files reside.
Optionally, select the Power on virtual machine and Reconnect to network options to power on and reconnect after the
recovery, and then click Next.

3. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:

a. Select the original virtual machine backup, or a clone copy if one is available.
b. If recovering from a clone that is not on a Data Domain device, or recovering from a Data Domain Cloud Tier device,
specify the staging pool.
c. Click Next.
NOTE: If selecting a clone from Select Alternate Recovery Sources, additionally review the "Selecting alternate
recovery sources" section.

4. In the Perform the Recovery page:

a. Specify a name for the recovery and check the summary at the bottom of the page to ensure all the details are correct.
b. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the virtual machine
recovery is complete.

Virtual Disk Recovery

The next virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is to perform a virtual disk, or VMDK, recovery.
With VMDK recovery, the disks from the virtual machine backup are recovered to an existing virtual machine.
To complete the Recovery wizard with the virtual disk recovery method, perform the following.

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1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select Virtual Disk Recovery.
b. Click Next.
2. In the Configure the Virtual Disk Recovery page:
a. Select the virtual machine where you want to restore the VMDKs. This can be the original virtual machine, or another
existing virtual machine.
b. Select the desired disks from the Recovery Data pane, and select a datastore.
c. Click Next.

Figure 67. Configure the Virtual Disk Recovery

3. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:

a. Select the original virtual disk backup, or a clone copy if one is available.
b. If recovering from a clone that is not on a Data Domain device, or recovering from a Data Domain Cloud Tier device,
specify the staging pool.
c. Click Next.
4. In the Perform the Recovery page:
a. Specify a name for the recovery.
b. Check the summary at the bottom of the page to ensure all the details are correct.
c. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the disk recovery is
complete.
NOTE: When you start a VMDK recovery, the virtual machine will be powered off automatically without issuing a warning
message.

Emergency Recovery
The next virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is an Emergency Recovery. An Emergency
Recovery is required when you need to restore the virtual machine to an ESXi host.
Emergency Recovery requires a vProxy set up on the ESXi host prior to running the recovery.
Additionally, ensure that you disconnect the ESXi host from the vCenter server.
NOTE: During an Emergency Recovery, the vProxy gets associated with the ESXi host and is unavailable for other
operations on the vCenter server. Wait until the recovery completes before initiating any other operations on the vProxy.

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To complete the Recovery wizard with the Emergency Recovery method, perform the following:
1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select Emergency Recovery.
b. Click Next.
2. In the Configure the Emergency Recovery page:
a. Specify the target ESXi server in the vCenter environment.
b. Click Connect.

Figure 68. Configure the Emergency Recovery

The Proxy Selection and Recovery Data panes get populated with the ESXi server details.
3. In the Proxy Selection pane, if a proxy is not discovered, add a new proxy which is deployed in vCenter but not added to
NetWorker.
4. For the disks in the Recovery Data pane:
a. Select a datastore.
b. Optionally, select the Power on virtual machine and Reconnect to network options.
c. Click Next.
5. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:
a. Select the original disk backup, or a clone copy if one is available.
b. If recovering from a clone that is not on a Data Domain device, or recovering from a Data Domain Cloud Tier device,
specify the staging pool.
6. In the Perform the Recovery page:
a. Specify a name for the recovery and check the summary at the bottom of the page to ensure all the details are correct.
b. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display a progress bar with the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when
the Emergency Recovery is complete.
NOTE: The progress bar may not update correctly when you perform an Emergency Recovery directly to the ESXi host.

File Level recovery

The final virtual machine recovery option available in the NMC Recovery wizard is File Level recovery. With file level recovery,
you can recover individual files from backups of virtual machines or VMDKs to a primary or secondary vCenter server, and for
application-consistent backups, you can also restore the transaction log from Data Domain to the SQL database.

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NetWorker only supports file level recovery operations from a primary or cloned backup if the save set is on a Data Domain
device. If a cloned backup does not exist on the Data Domain device, you must manually clone a save set from the tape device
to Data Domain before launching the Recovery wizard.
For the Data Domain resource, ensure that you provide the management credentials and, if required, type the export path
appropriately. The section Entering management credentials for the Data Domain resource (instant recovery and User mode
file-level restore only) provides detailed steps.
Additionally, if recovering to a virtual machine on a secondary vCenter, ensure that a vProxy appliance has been deployed on the
secondary vCenter server and configured with the NetWorker server.
NOTE: vProxy FLR Agent creates and maintains a file on each discovered file system (volume) that has information about
the volume’s original path. The file name is in the form “DellEMC_VolumeID_path.info”, where the path is in URL-encoded
form of the last discovered path of the file system. These files are used during the FLR mount operation and are re-created
again if they are found missing.
File level recovery in the NMC Recovery wizard can only be performed by an administrator.
NOTE: For file-level recovery of high-density file systems (more than few hundred files/folders), it is recommended to use
either the NetWorker Management Web UI or the Dell EMC Data Protection Restore Client (User or Admin mode, as
applicable) instead of the NMC Recovery wizard.
To complete the Recovery wizard with the file level recovery method, perform the following:
1. In the Select the Virtual Machine Recovery Method page:
a. Select File Level recovery.
b. Click Next.
2. In the Select Alternate Recovery Sources page:
a. Select the primary backup to recover from, or select the Recover the Virtual machine from a clone on a Data
Domain device option.
b. Select the clone copy that you want to recover files from.
c. Click Next.
NOTE: If selecting a clone from Select Alternate Recovery Sources, additionally review the section "Selecting
alternate recovery sources".

Figure 69. Select Alternate Recovery Sources for file level recovery

3. In the Select the target Virtual Machine page:

a. Select the virtual machine that you want to recover the files to.

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 By default, the virtual machine that you selected for recovery in the Select the Virtual Machine to Recover page is
displayed.
b. To recover to another virtual machine in the vCenter, or recover to a virtual machine on a secondary vCenter, select
Browse the vCenter server to select a Virtual Machine to recover to, and choose a vCenter from the drop-down to
browse that vCenter's tree and select a different virtual machine.
c. Click Next.
NOTE: Cross-platform recovery, for example from a Windows to a Linux virtual machine, is not supported.

4. In the Mount The Saveset page:

a. Provide the username and password of the virtual machine where the files will be restored to.
b. Click Start Mount.
c. If performing file level recovery as a domain user, provide the AD user details—no operating system or local account is
required if you have configured the AD/domain user.

Figure 70. Mount the save set for file level recovery

When the Mount Results pane shows that the mount has succeeded, click Next.
NOTE: This user should have privileges to install the FLR Agent, which is required to perform file level recovery. For
Linux virtual machines, this requires the root user account or an equivalent sudo local user account, as described in the
section "FLR Agent installation on Linux platforms" of the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide.

5. In the Select the Files and Folders to Recover page:

a. Browse through the folder structure to select the files you want to recover.
b. Click Next.

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 Figure 71. Select the files and folders to recover

6. In the Select the Restore Location page:

a. Select the folder that you want to recover the files to, or create a folder.
b. Click Next.
NOTE: NetWorker does not currently support creating folders with spaces in the folder name.

7. In the Perform the Recovery page:

a. Specify a name for the recovery.
b. To ensure all the details are correct, check the summary at the bottom of the page
c. Click Run Recovery.
NOTE: vProxy FLR Agent creates and maintains a file on each discovered file system (volume) that has information
about the volume’s original path. The file name is in the form “DellEMC_VolumeID_path.info”, where the path is in
URL-encoded form of the last discovered path of the file system. These files are used during the FLR mount operation
and are recreated again if they are found missing.

The Check the Recovery Results page displays the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the file level recovery is
complete.

Selecting alternate recovery sources in the NMC Recovery wizard

The NMC Recovery wizard contains a step for each virtual machine recovery method where you can select an alternate source
to recover from, for example, a clone copy on a Data Domain or non-Data Domain device. If the primary source is present, it is
recommended that you recover from the primary source. However, if both the primary source and clone copies are present and
enabled and you want to recover from a clone copy, perform the following.
1. In the Select Alternative Recovery Sources page, select the clone you want to recover from, either a clone on a Data
Domain device or non-Data Domain device.
Additionally, make note of the name indicated in the Volume column for all of the volumes you do not want to recover from,
as you will require this information in steps 5 and 6.
2. Click Close to display the Save Progress dialog, and then specify a name for the recover and click Save to save your
progress.
3. In the NMC Administration window, click Devices to display the Devices window.
4. In the left navigation pane, select Devices. The list of devices displays in the right pane.

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5. For each volume you do not want to recover from that you made note of in step 1, locate the corresponding device, and
make note of that device name.
6. For each device you identify as corresponding with those volumes, right-click the device and select Unmount from the
drop-down, and then also select Disable from the drop-down.
NOTE: Ensure that no backups are currently running to these devices prior to unmounting.

7. In the NMC Administration window, click Recover to display the Recover window, and locate the saved recovery
8. Right-click the saved recovery and select Open Recover.
The Recovery wizard re-opens on the Select Alternative Recovery Sources page.
9. In the Recovery Source pane of the Select Alternative Recovery Sources page, select either Recover the virtual
machine from a clone on a Data Domain device, or Recover the virtual machine from a clone on a non-Data Domain
device. Click Next.
NOTE: If you want to recover from a clone on a non-Data Domain device, manually change the staging pool to a
different pool, and ensure that your selected pool does not already contain copies for this backup. If the primary source
is present and you select a clone to recover from using the same staging pool that contains the existing copy, the
recovery may become unresponsive.

10. In the Perform the Recovery page, specify a name for the recovery and check the summary at the bottom of the page to
ensure all the details are correct. Click Run Recovery.
The Check the Recovery Results page will display the duration of the recovery, and a log file entry when the recovery is
complete.
11. In the NMC Administration window, click Devices to return to the Devices window, and in the left navigation pane, select
Devices to display the list of devices in the right pane.
12. For each device that you unmounted and disabled in step 6, right-click the device and select Enable from the drop-down,
and then select Mount from the drop-down.

Monitoring and verifying Virtual Machine recoveries

After selecting Run Recovery to complete the Recovery wizard, there are multiple ways you can monitor the progress of the
virtual machine recovery, and then verify when the recovery is complete.

NMC Recover and Monitoring windows

To monitor the progress of the virtual machine recovery, use the Recover sessions pane in the Monitoring window, or the
Currently Running pane of the Recover window.
To verify that the virtual machine recovery is complete, use the Configured Recovers pane in the Recover window.

Check the Recovery results in the NMC Recovery wizard

The final step of the Recovery wizard also allows you to check the recovery results. Upon completion of the virtual machine
recovery, an entry for the log file appears in the Recovery log pane. Click Export log to save and view the log file.

Recovery configuration information storage

When you create a recover configuration by using the Recovery wizard, NetWorker saves the configuration information in an
NSR recover resource in the resource database of the NetWorker server. NetWorker uses the information in the NSR recover
resource to perform the recover job operation.
When a recover job operation starts, NetWorker stores:
● Details about the job in the nsrjobsd database.
● Output sent to stderr and stdout in a recover log file. NetWorker creates one log file for each recover job.
NOTE: NetWorker removes the recover log file and the job information from the job database based on value of the
Jobsdb retention in hours attribute in the properties of the NetWorker server resource. The default jobsdb retention is
72 hours.

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vProxy Log Bundle collection using NMC
To collect log bundle information for a particular vProxy, perform the following steps in NMC:
1. From NMC's NetWorker Administration, open the Devices window.
2. From the left pane, select VMware Proxies to display the configured vProxies.
3. Right-click the vProxy that you want to collect log bundle information from, and then from the menu, click Log Bundle.
4. (Optional) Collect the recycled logs from the pop-up window selection.
NOTE:
● Since the temporary log bundle download occurs on the NetWorker server, ensure that there is sufficient space on the
drive where the Networker server is installed.
● NMC cannot collect the log bundle when accessed from a remote machine that cannot communicate with vProxy.

Recovering file system data on Windows

This section provides detailed information about how to recover Windows data without using BMR.

Recovering Windows volume mount points

A volume mount point (or mount point) is a disk volume that is grafted into the namespace of a host disk volume. This allows
multiple disk volumes to be linked into a single directory tree, similar to the way DFS links network shares into a unified
structure.
Assigning a drive letter to a mount point is optional. Many disk volumes can be linked into a single directory tree, with a single
drive letter assigned to the root of the host volume.

Recovering mount points

Perform separate recovery operations to recover the mount point and the mounted volume’s data.
NOTE: The NetWorker Save Set Recovery feature does not support recovery of mount points. To recover mount points
and their data, use these special procedures.
1. Manually create the mountpoint, if it does not exist already.
2. Start the NetWorker User program and recover the data under the mount point.
Using the NetWorker User program on page 376 provides more information about performing data recoveries.

Recovering nested mount points

1. When the mount points do not already exist, manually create the top-level mount point, then work down the hierarchy and
create each successive mount point.
2. Start the NetWorker User program and recover the data under the mount points.

Recovering Windows DHCP and WINS databases

Use the following procedures to perform an offline recovery of the DHCP and WINS databases.
NOTE: When you recover from a save set ALL backup, the recovery operation automatically recovers the DHCP and WINS,
and these procedures are not required.

Recover a DHCP database

1. Use the NetWorker User program to recover the %SystemRoot%\System32\dhcp directory.

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2. Use the Microsoft DHCP administrative tools to restore the DHCP database. The Microsoft documentation provides detailed
instructions about Microsoft DHCP administrative tools.

Recovering a WINS database

NOTE: Microsoft documentation describes how to use the Microsoft WINS administrative tools to recover the databases.

1. Use the NetWorker User program to recover the backup configured in the WINS backup procedure. DHCP and WINS
databases on page 272 provides more information.
2. Use Microsoft WINS administrative tools to restore the WINS database.

Recovering DFS
Review this section for information about how to recover DFS.

DFS topology information

Domain-based DFS topology information is backed up as part of AD, which is a component of the WINDOWS ROLES AND
FEATURES save set on domain controllers. Registry-based DFS topology information is backed up as part of the Windows
registry, which is a component of the DFS host server’s WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set.

Restoring a DFS
Restore DFSR through the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set.
1. Restore the DFS topology information:
● To restore a domain-based system, restore the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets on the domain controller.

2. On the DFS host server:

a. Restore the DFS root.
NOTE: You cannot restore individual DFS links. If the DFS root has lost a link, restore the entire DFS root in which
that link resided.

b. If required, restore any local DFS destination directories.

3. If required, restore the remote DFS destination directories.

Authoritative restores of DFS Replication writers

You must perform authoritative restores of the DFS Replication writers from the command line. Restores from the NetWorker
User program GUI are not authoritative.
To perform an authoritative restore of the DFS Replication writer, use the -U option with the recover command.
The following examples assume that you have two DFSR shares, E:\Share1 and E:\Share2.
● To restore all the DFSR shares (two shares in this example), type the following command:
recover -s server -U -N "WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\DFS Replication service writer"
● To restore just one DFSR share (Share1 in this example), type the following command:
recover -s server -U -N "WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\DFS Replication service
writer:Share1"

Non-authoritative DFS Replication writer granular recovery

Windows Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) granular recovery is supported on Windows Server 2012, and Windows
Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019.

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DFSR Shared Directories supports granular DFSR folder and file recoveries on computers that run Windows Server 2012 and
later operating systems. You do not have to recover the entire WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save sets to restore DFSR
shared directories. If you perform a file level non-VSS granular recovery, then the recovered file is treated as new version of the
file by DFS.
You must use volume backup to correctly back up a DFSR namespace. Also, namespaces are skipped when specifying the ALL
save set. You must back up namespaces directly by specifying the path of the namespaces as separate save sets in the Save
Set attribute.
For recovery of namespace data, use the NetWorker User program and select individual files or folders of the NetWorker Client
resource.

Recovering data on OS-X clients

Use the recover command or the NetWorker Recover application to recover files on a OS-X host.

Recovering files and directories from the command prompt

Use the recover command to recover individual files and directories from the command prompt on an OS-X client.
The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the recover
command.
1. From the Mac OS-X Terminal application, type:
$ recover -s NetWorker_server

NOTE: If you do not specify the -s NetWorker_server option, the save command contacts the NetWorker server that
is defined in the /nsr/res/servers file.

2. At the recover prompt:

a. To browse the files and directories, use common UNIX shell commands such as cd and ls.
b. To specify the files and directories that you want to recover, use the add command.
For example:

recover> add directory_name

c. Optionally, to automatically overwrite existing files, use the force option at the recover prompt.
d. To start the recovery operation, type recover:

recover> recover

NOTE: Do not recover any OS-X operating system start files. For example, do not recover the OS-X operating
system kernel, /mach_kernel.

Recovering files and directories by using the NetWorker Recover

GUI
Use the NetWorker Recover application to recover data from a NetWorker server.

Connecting to the NetWorker server

Perform the following steps on the OS-X client.
1. Start the NetWorker Recover application.
2. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.
● When you start the NetWorker Recover GUI for the first time, the Connect to Server dialog appears. Specify the
NetWorker server that contains the backup data for the client:

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 ○ In the Available Servers field, select the NetWorker server, and click Connect.
The Available Servers field displays a list of host names that appear in the /nsr/res/servers file on the Mac
client. To query the network for other NetWorker servers, click Update.
○ In the Server Address field, specify the hostname or IP address of the NetWorker server, and click Connect.
The following figure shows the Connect to Server dialog box.

Figure 72. Connect to Server

● When you close the NetWorker Recover GUI, subsequent recover operations will connect to the last NetWorker server
selected, by default. To change the NetWorker server, perform one of the following steps:
○ In the SERVERS section on the side bar, select the NetWorker server, then click Connect.
○ On the Go menu, select Connect to Server. The Connect to Server dialog box appears.
After you successfully connect to a NetWorker server, the NetWorker Recover window appears.

Figure 73. NetWorker Recover window

416 Recovery
Changing the source NetWorker Client
After you connect to the NetWorker server, the browse view displays a list of files and folders that you can recover from the
last local host backup.
NetWorker Recover provides you with the ability to recover of files from a host that is not the local host. Directed recoveries on
page 372 provides detailed information about directed recovery requirements.
To change the source host, perform one of the following actions:
● From the Go menu, select Browse Client. A list of clients for the current NetWorker server appear in a drop down. To
establish a browse session with a new host, select the source host from the drop down.
● On the side bar, in the SERVERS section, select the NetWorker server. The browse view displays a list of clients. To
establish a browse session with a new host, double-click the source host. The following figure provides an example of
browse session window after you select a NetWorker server from the SERVERS section.

Figure 74. List of clients available for a NetWorker server

Changing the browse time

By default, the browser view displays files and directories from the last backup. To browse or recover files from an earlier
backup, use one of the following methods to change the browse time:
● On the tool bar, select Browse Time. The Browse Time view appears, which displays the current browse time. Use the
controls to specify a new date and time.
● From the Go menu, select Browse Time. Select one of the preconfigured options from the drop down. To use a calendar
and clock to choose the date and time, select Other.
NOTE: To achieve consistency of setting the browse or retention time from remote machine, it is recommended to have
time sync between NetWorker server and remote machine such as NMC. Ensure that browse is always lower or equal to
retention period.

Selecting objects to recover and recovering the data

The NetWorker Recover feature support the ability to perform a browsable recovery or a save set recovery.
1. Display a list of file system objects in the browser view.
● To perform a browsable recovery, on the side bar in the Devices section, select a file system. NetWorker Recover
queries the client file index and displays the objects that you can recover.

NOTE: To show hidden files, from the View menu, select Show Hidden Files.

Recovery 417
 ● To perform a save set recover, on the side bar in the SAVE SETS section, select a save set. NetWorker Recover queries
the media database and displays each instance of the save set, including cloned save sets.
NOTE: The Save Sets filter bar, located above the list of save sets enables you to filer the save set list by save
set type. For example, to show all the original save set instance, select Save Sets s or to display cloned save set
instances, select Cloned Save Sets.
2. To search browser view for the files you want to recover:
a. Type the text string in the Search field in the upper right of the NetWorker Recover window.
b. Use the Search Scope bar to narrow the scope of the search result. The following figure displays some of the search
criteria you can use.

Figure 75. Search browse view

3. To display information about an object, right-click the object, and select Get Info.
4. To mark objects in the browser view for recovery, select the checkbox next to each object that you want to recover. You
can only mark one save set or clone instance at a time.
NetWorker Recover adds each item that you mark to the RECOVERY SETS section on the side bar. A number appears next
to each recovery set in the sidebar, which represents the total number of items that are selected for recovery.

5. To view or select different versions of a marked file, perform the following steps:
a. Right-click the file and select File Versions. The Versions side bar appears. The following figure provides an example of
the Versions side bar.

Figure 76. Versions side bar

b. To recover a specific version of a file, perform one of the following actions:

● Drag and drop the file from the Versions side bar to the browser view.
● Drag the file to a folder for recovery.
● Right-click the file to select Mark for recovery.
6. To review a summary list of the marked files, in the RECOVERY SETS section on the side bar, perform one of the following
actions:
● Select Files to display a list of objects that you marked for a browsable recovery.

418 Recovery
 ● Select Save Sets to display a list of objects that you marked for a save set recovery.
The Recover Files browse view displays a list of marked files and the list of volumes that the recovery operation
requires.

7. To view the status of the required volumes, click Volume Status. Ensure that the status of the required volume indicates
online, then close the dialog box.
8. To start the recover operation, click the Recover button in the toolbar. The Recover window appears.
9. In the Recover window, select the recovery options.
● To recover the objects to a directory that differs from the original location, perform one of the following actions:
○ In the Relocate files to field, type the path on the destination host to recover the data.
○ Click Browse and select the target directory.
● Select a conflict resolution option:
○ Rename the recovered file— By default, the recover operation appends a tilde (~) to the beginning of the name
of the recovered file ~file_name. When a file named ~file_name already exists, the recovered file is renamed
~00_file_name, and so forth, to ~99_file_name. When this fails, the recover process does not automatically rename
the file and prompts the user is to specify a name for the file.
○ Discard recovered file— Discards the recovered file and keeps the existing file.
○ Replace local file— Replaces the file on the file system with the recovered version.
○ Prompt me for an action— Each time the recovery operation encounters a file or folder with the same name in the
destination location, the recovery operation prompts you to select a conflict resolution method.
● To recover the files to a different host, select the hostname from the Direct recover to drop down.
● Click OK. The recover status dialog box appears. At any time during the recovery, you can click the Stop button to
cancel the operation.

10. To monitor the recovery process, on the Recover progress, select Monitor Server.
The NetWorker Monitor dialog box appears with the following tabs:

● Info— Displays general server information including name, IP, OS type, NetWorker version, Save totals, and Recover
totals.
● Messages— Displays server messages that are logged during the recovery, for example, errors and warnings.
● Devices— Displays the status for all connected devices.
● Sessions— Displays Save sessions, Recover sessions, and Browse sessions.
● Settings— Allows you to adjust the polling interval for server updates.

11. To review the recover log, after the recovery operation completes, select Recover Log. The Console application appears
and displays the contents of the ~/Library/Logs/recover.log file.

Recovering client files on a different NetWorker

server
You can use a NetWorker server, which differs from the original NetWorker server to recover data for a client.
Determine the pool names that were used to write the client data to the media on the original NetWorker server.
To use a different NetWorker server to recover client data, you must perform the following tasks on the NetWorker server:
● Create a Client resource with the same client ID that the original NetWorker server associated with the client name.
● Create each Pool resource that was used to write the client data to a volume.
● Use the scanner command to repopulate the media database and client file indexes with save set information for the client.
1. Determine the Client ID value of the NetWorker client on the original server:
a. On the Administration window, click Protection.
b. In the left pane, click Clients.
c. In the right pane, right-click the client, and then select Properties.
d. On the Globals (1 of 2) tab, make note of the value in Client ID attribute, then click Cancel to close the Properties
window.
2. On the new NetWorker server, create a client:

Recovery 419
 a. In the Name attribute, type a name for the client.
You can use the same name that was used on the original server, but you cannot use a name that exists for the new
server. When a client with the same name exists on the new server, use this format to specify the client name:
~hostname-#
where hostname is the hostname of the client.
For example, if the client’s hostname is jupiter, and a client named jupiter already exists on the new server, type:
~jupiter-1
3. On the new NetWorker server, create each Pool resource that was used to write the client data on the original NetWorker
server.
NOTE: Ensure that you create each Pool resource with the same name that you used on the original NetWorker server.

4. Use the scanner command to import the save set information into the new NetWorker server.
● To import the save set information into the client file index and media database entries, type the following command:
scanner -i -c client_name device_name

where client_name is the name of the client that appears on the original NetWorker server.
● To import the save set information into the media database only, type the following command: scanner -m -c
client_name device_name
where client_name is the name of the client that appears on the original NetWorker server.

NOTE: When you use the scanner -i or scanner -m to import data before you configure the Client resource on
the new server:
● Only the media database contains the client ID and save set information for the imported save sets.
● If the same hostname already exists on the NetWorker server, NetWorker will not use the original hostname to store
the save set information because the client ID is different. NetWorker associates the save set information with a
hostname in the format clientname-#.
● You must create a Client resource with the name clientname-# and specify the client ID that you recorded from the
original NetWorker server.
● Optionally, after you create the new Client resource, run the scanner -i command to store the save set
information into the client file index. When you use the scanner command, specify the client name as it appears on
the original NetWorker server.

Recovering as NMC User with Non-Admin Privileges

NMC user performs recovery operation without any admin or security privileges. Recovery operation is performed with the
following privileges:
● Recover remote data
● Recover local data
The NMC user performing the recovery through NMC, REST API and NWUI, does not need to be granted Application
administrator or Security administrator privileges. The NMC non-admin user cannot delete the existing recovery tasks, however
they can reuse the same recovery task to perform the recovery operation without admin/semi admin privileges. The NMC
non-admin user cannot delete or add resources but they can use existing resources. The following are the applications that are
supported for recovery operation as non-admin NMC user:
● Recovery through NMC
○ Filesystem
○ Oracle
○ DB2
○ MYSQL
○ Lotus
○ SYB (Skybase)
○ SAPO (SAP-Oracle)
○ VMware

420 Recovery
● Recovery through REST API
○ Filesystem
○ VMware
● Recovery through NMUI
○ VMware
Exception: As a non-admin NMC user, user cannot add or delete any resources. Therefore the following recovery operation does
not work:
● Creating new remote recovery job
● VMware emergency recovery
NOTE: If the non-admin user performs remote recovery, the administrator should configure the remote access list attribute
in client properties and provide view security privilege to the non-admin user. For non-admin users, a module recovery that
requires Lockbox operation, needs Configure NetWorker privileges that the admin should grant.

Preparing the NMC Sever for Recovery

The following sections outline how to prepare the NMC server to take recovery of the data to the original host or a different
host, from a point-in-time backup or the last backup time, through NMC, NWUI, REST-API with only recovery privileges to NMC
user.

Creating an NMC Group for Recovery

Use the NMC GUI to create NMC user group resources:
1. Connect to the NMC server with a NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account.
2. Click Setup.
The Users and Roles window appears.
3. In the left navigation pane, select Users and Roles > Groups .
4. In the Groups window, right-click the Groups, and then select New.
The Create Group window appears.
5. In the Name attribute, type a name for the NMC user group.
NOTE: You cannot modify the name of an existing NMC group.

6. Click OK.

Creating an NMC User with recovery privileges

Use the NMC GUI to create NMC user resources.
Perform the following steps to create an NMC user with recovery privileges:
1. Connect to the NMC server with a NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account.
2. Click Setup.
The Users and Roles window appears.
3. In the left navigation pane, select Users and Roles > Groups .
4. In the Users window, right click the Users, and then select New.
The Create User window appears.
5. In the User Name attribute, type a name for the user.
NOTE: You cannot modify the name of an existing user.

6. In the Groups attribute, select the group created for recovery.

7. Provide password.
8. Click OK.

NOTE: Perform recovery operation as NMC user through NMC GUI, REST API, and NWUI.

Recovery 421
Creating a NetWorker User Group for recovery
Use the NMC GUI to create user group resources.
Perform the following steps to create a NetWorker user group for recovery:
1. Connect to the NMC server with the NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account.
2. Click Enterprise.
3. Right-click the NetWorker server and select Launch Application.
4. On the NetWorker Administration window, select Servers.
5. In the left navigation pane, select User Groups.
6. In the User Groups window, right-click and then select New.
The Create User Group window appears.
7. In the Name attribute, type a name for the user group.
NOTE: You can not modify the name of an existing user.

8. In the External Roles attribute, specify the users and groups.

9. In the Privileges attribute, select the following privileges to assign to the user group:
● Recover remote data
● Recover local data
● Monitor NetWorker
NOTE: Privilege Monitor NetWorker is basic for NMC user.

10. Provide the password and click OK.

Recover the NMC Server database

The NMC Server database contains management data such as report information. You can recover the NMC Server databases
to the original NMC host or to a new NMC host.
Before you can perform a NMC Server database recovery, you must have an NMC Server database backup.
An NMC backup contains the following components:
● NMC database files
● NMC database credential file (gstd_db.conf)
● NMC lockbox files
● Legacy authentication configuration files
The "NMC Server management" chapter provides more information about NMC Server database backups.

Prepare for an NMC Server recovery

Before you recover an NMC Server, review the following information.
● If required, install the operating system on the target NMC Server.
NOTE: To recover an NMC Server from one host to another, both hosts must run on the same operating system.
● If required, install the NetWorker and NMC Server software on the target host. When you are prompted to specify the
NetWorker Authentication Service host, specify the NetWorker Authentication Service host that was used by the source
NMC Server.
● If you use a License Manager server, install and configure the License Manager software first. If you use the License
Manager software and the License Manager server moves to a new host, specify the new License Manager hostname in the
Console window.
● By default, the recover process overwrites existing NMC files. To recover to the original location, stop the NMC services by
typing the following command from a prompt:
On Windows:
net stop gstd

422 Recovery
 On Linux:
/etc/init.d gst stop

Recovering the NMC Server

Perform the following steps to recover the NMC Server to the original host or a different host, from a point-in-time backup or
the last backup time.
1. Optional, to recover from an earlier backup, determine the nsavetime of the save set.
For example, on the NetWorker Server, type the following command:
mminfo -avot -q client=NMC_Server,level=full -r client,name,savetime,nsavetime

where NMC_Server is the hostname of the NMC Server.

Output similar to the following appears:
On Windows:

client name date save time

bu-iddnwserver C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\nmcdb_stage\pgdata 13/03/2017
1489431765

On Linux:

client name date save time

bu-iddnwserver /nsr/nmc/nmcdb_stage 13/03/2017 1489431765

The nsavetime value appears in the last column.

2. On a target Linux NetWorker Authentication Service, set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable to include the
postgres library path.
For example:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=NMC_Installation_dir/postgres/lib

where NMC_installation_path is /opt/lgtnmc by default.

3. Change the directory to the NMC bin directory:

On Windows the bin directory is :
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\GST\bin
On Linux the bin directory is:
/opt/lgtonmc
4. Follow step 1-9 of Moving the NMC Server topic of NetWorker Administration Guide.
5. On the target NetWorker Authentication Service, restore the NetWorker Authentication Service backup by typing the
following command:
recoverpsm -s NetWorker_server -c source_NMC_server /nsr/nmc/nmcdb_stage
or
recoverpsm -f -s NetWorker_server -c source_NMC_server -p AES_Passphrase staging_dir -d
dir_name

NOTE: If you had set datazone pass phrase during backup, then -p AES_Passphrase is required.

where:
● -f instructs the recovery operation to delete the database files that currently exist in the database directory. Do not use
this option if you want to restore the database files to a different location.
● NetWorker_server specifies the name of the NetWorker Server.
● source_NMC_server specifies the name of the source NetWorker Authentication Service, when you recover the
database to a different NetWorker Authentication Service host.
● AES_Passphrase specifies the passphrase that was used during the NMC database backup.

Recovery 423
 ● staging_dir specifies the staging directory that was used during the backup of the database on the source NetWorker
Authentication Service.
● dir_name specifies the directory to relocate the recovered database files. When you use this option, you must
manually copy the database files from the destination directory to the database directory defined for the NetWorker
Authentication Service. Ensure that you retain the same ownership and permissions on the database files and the
credential files after the copy completes.
During a recovery of the NetWorker Authentication Service database, the console GUI is unavailable. Consequently,
messages such as mount requests cannot be addressed from the console. Consider the following during a recovery of
the NetWorker Authentication Service database:
● Monitor the daemon log files for messages. The use of the NetWorker nsr_render_log command can make the
daemon.raw file more user friendly for interpretation.
● Use the nsrwatch command to view messages and use commands such as nsrjb to address those messages.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides more information about nsr_render_log, nsrwatch, nsrjb
and other NetWorker commands.

6. After the recovery completes, if you stopped the NMC services, start the NMC services, by typing the following command
from a prompt:
On Windows:
net start gstd
On Linux:
/etc/init.d gst start

424 Recovery
 10
Special recoveries on Windows hosts
This chapter contains the following sections:
Topics:
• Special windows recoveries Restoring a Windows Domain Controller host
• Performing a Windows BMR to physical or virtual computers
• Online recovery of Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster services

Special windows recoveries Restoring a Windows

Domain Controller host
After you recover the file system data on a Windows host, you can recover the AD DS configuration. A Windows host that
is assigned a Domain Controller role in a Windows environment has the Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) software
installed.
The Windows Roles and Features save set contains the AD DS backup. To recover the AD DS configuration on a domain
controller, perform an authoritative or non-authoritative restore.

Active Directory restore information

Active Directory (AD) is the Windows directory service and the foundation for the Windows Distributed file system (DFS). AD is
a component of the Windows system state on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 domain controllers.
A domain controller is a computer that stores directory data and manages user interactions with a domain, including login,
authentication, directory searches, and access to other shared resources.
AD, identified by its writer name NTDS, is backed up as part of the Windows Roles and Features save set, a collection of system
components that depend on each other.
These components are backed up together and usually restored together, through a BMR.
Only three of these components lend themselves to being restored separately through an online restore: Active Directory, DFSR,
and Cluster Services (Cluster Database).

Selecting a restore method

Consider the following when selecting a restore method:
● The circumstances and characteristics of the failure and the two major categories of failure from an AD perspective are AD
data corruption and hardware failure. AD data corruption occurs when the directory contains corrupt data that replicated
to all domain controllers. Also, when a large portion of the AD hierarchy that is accidentally changed and this change was
replicated to other domain controllers.
● The roles and functions of a failed NetWorker server.
● The types of restore for AD are non-authoritative restore and authoritative restore.

Non-authoritative restore

A non-authoritative restore returns the domain controller to its state at the time of backup, then allows normal replication to
overwrite that state with any changes that have occurred after the backup completed.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 425

After restoring the system state, the domain controller queries its replication partners. The replication partners replicate any
changes to the restored domain controller, ensuring that the domain controller has an accurate and updated copy of the AD
database.
Non-authoritative restore is the default method for restoring AD. This method is used in most situations that result from AD
data loss or corruption.

Authoritative restore
An authoritative restore is an extension of the non-authoritative restore process that allows an administrator to recover a
domain controller to a specific point in time and mark objects in the AD as authoritative. After you recover objects that
are marked authoritative the objects are replicated to all the other domain controllers in the domain. Before you perform an
authoritative restore, you must complete the steps for a non-authoritative restore.

Performing a non-authoritative AD restore on Windows Server

2012, 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019
To perform a non-authoritative restore of the AD on a Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019 complete the following
tasks.
1. Start the target domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode.
2. Recover objects by using the NetWorker User application or the recover command. For example, perform an online AD
restore in one of the following ways:
● ln the NetWorker User application or NMC, browse to and restore the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES\NTDS save
set.
● From a command prompt, type the following recover command:

recover -s NetWorker_server -N "WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\NTDS"

3. When the restore completes, verify that the operation was successful.
4. To complete the AD restore, restart the domain controller.

Performing an authoritative AD restore on Windows Server 2012,

2012 R2, 2016, and 2019
Perform the following tasks for an authoritative restore of AD objects.
1. Start the target domain controller in Directory Services Restore Mode.
2. To recover the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES\NTDS save set, perform the following step:
To use the command prompt for recovery, type the following command:
recover -s NetWorker_server -U -N "WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\NTDS"

3. When the restore completes, verify that the operation was successful.
4. To complete the AD restore, restart the domain controller.

Performing a Windows BMR to physical or virtual

computers
This section describes how to use the NetWorker Windows BMR image to perform a Bare Metal Recovery on physical hosts and
VMware virtual machines.
Before you perform a BMR, verify that the new host meets the Requirements for Windows BMR backup and restore on page
288 and ensure that you complete the tasks listed in this section. For more information on Windows Bare Metal Recovery, refer
to the section Windows Bare Metal Recovery.

426 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

Prerequisites to performing a Windows BMR
If you do not first add the recovering host to a group that has the Recover Local Data privilege, BMR of a NetWorker
server fails through the authc process. Before you perform a BMR, add the following entries into the users list in
NMC\Server\User Groups.
For example, to add the recovering host in to the Application Administrators group, add the following entries to the users list in
NMC:
group=Administrators,host=<recovering_host>
user=administrator,host=<recovering_host>
user=system,host=<recovering_host>

where recovering_host is the name of the host that you are performing the BMR to.

Gathering configuration information required by a Windows BMR

Before you start a Windows BMR, ensure that you have the following configuration information:
● The driver software for NICs or disk devices, if you perform the Windows BMR to a host with hardware that differs from the
source host.
● The network name and IP address of the target host.
● The network name and IP address of the NetWorker server.
● The network name and IP address of the NetWorker storage node, if the target host uses a storage node that is not the
NetWorker server.
● The default gateway and the name of the DNS server. If a DNS server is not available, use a local hosts file to resolve
hostname of the NetWorker server and storage nodes to the IP address.
● The NetWorker media volumes that contain the backup save sets.

Obtaining the Windows BMR image

To perform a Windows BMR, use the Windows BMR image available from Online Support website to create a bootable CD/DVD
or deploy for a network boot operation. The BMR image contains the Windows PE operating system. WinPE is only available in
English, localized versions of the Windows BMR wizard are not available. When you use the image to boot the Windows host,
the recovery process starts the NetWorker BMR wizard, which guides you through the recovery process.
You can use the 32-bit, or 64-bit Windows BMR image to recover either an x86, or x64 operating system backup to an x86 or
x64 computer.
NOTE: A BMR treats the AMD and Intel processors as equivalent if they follow the same architecture. For example, you can
recover the operating system from the backup of AMD x64 computer to an Intel x64 computer.
Use the following procedure to download the recovery boot image.
1. On the Online Support website, search for “NetWorker Wizard ISO”, and then narrow the search results by selecting items
that are associated with the NetWorker release number.
2. On the NetWorker Software Downloads page:
a. Locate the section that is labeled NetWorker Y.Y - Build xxx .
b. Select the link to download a Windows BMR ISO recovery file.
where:
● Y.Y is the version number of the NetWorker release.
● xxx is the build number of the released version.

Creating a Windows BMR bootable image

Create a Windows BMR bootable CD/DVD or a network boot location from the Windows BMR ISO image, which you
downloaded from the Online Support website.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 427

Creating a Windows BMR bootable CD/DVD
Use the ISO image to create a bootable CD/DVD, then configure the host to boot from a CD/DVD.
1. Open the CD/DVD creation software, and then select an option to burn an ISO image.
2. Browse to the location of the downloaded NetWorker Windows BMR image, and then complete the steps that are required
to create a bootable CD/DVD with the image.

Enabling a protected host to boot from a CD/DVD

1. Start the host, and then start the BIOS setup program, by pressing F2.
NOTE: If you are restoring either from or to a virtual host such as a VMware virtual machine, you can set up options
such as the host boot location within vSphere. The VMware documentation provides specific steps.

2. Select the boot options menu, and then ensure that the CD/DVD boot option is at the top of the list of locations from
which to boot.
3. Save the changes, and then exit the BIOS program.

Creating a Windows BMR recovery network boot location

Ensure that you meet the following requirements for using the network boot option:
● Ensure the NetWorker clients that you protect with a Windows BMR backup can start from the network with a Pre-Boot
Execution Environment (PXE).
● Configure and make available a Deployment Services server.
● Add the NetWorker Windows BMR boot image to the Deployment Services server so that a client host on the network can
start from it.

Enabling a host to boot from the network

The host should obtain an IP address from the WDS server, and then prompt you to perform a network boot. Typically, a
network boot is activated by pressing the F12 key.
1. Start the host, and then start the BIOS setup program.
Typically, this action is performed by pressing the F2 key.
NOTE: If you are restoring to a virtual host such as a VMware virtual machine, you can set up options such as the host
boot location within vSphere. The VMware documentation provides specific steps.

2. Select BIOS options necessary so that the network boot option is enabled.
The BIOS documentation provides more information.

3. Save the changes, and then exit the BIOS program.

Perform the BMR

Perform the BMR to a physical host or a virtual host:
● Performing a Windows BMR to a physical computer on page 428
● Performing a BMR from a Physical Computer to a Virtual Machine (P2V) on page 433

Performing a Windows BMR to a physical computer

To recover a BMR backup to a physical host, perform the following steps. If the target host uses unified extensible firmware
interface (UEFI) volumes, unmount the UEFI volumes before you perform the recovery operation.
Review the following information before you perform a recovery operation to a host that differs from the original:
● Ensure that the hardware configuration of the target host is similar to the original host.
● Ensure that the NetWorker server has a client resource for both the source host and the target host.

428 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

● Ensure that the Remote Access attribute of the source client resource contains the account SYSTEM@target_client. This
attribute enables the recovery process to perform a directed recovery.
● Add user=system,host=target_client to the Users attribute of Application Administrators user group.
● Ensure that you have a writable volume available for the media pool being used. After the recover operation recovers all the
data, the wizard generates log files in a save set named Offline Restore Logs. The recovery operation performs a backup of
the log files to a volume in the media pool.
● Ensure that you enable the NetWorker server to accept manual save operations for the Recovery wizard log file backup.
1. Start the target host from the Windows BMR image.
The NetWorker Windows BMR wizard appears.
2. On the Welcome screen, click Next.
3. If a DNS server is not available on the network, perform the following:
a. Exit the NetWorker Windows BMR wizard but do not restart the host.
The WinPE command line appears.
b. Edit the hosts file, for example, X:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts.
c. Add the IP address and hostname for the NetWorker server and the NetWorker storage node.
d. Restart the wizard from the X:\Program Files\EMC Networker\nsr\wizard directory.
For example: X:\Program Files\EMC Networker\nsr\wizard> javaw -jar WinPEWizard.jar
e. When the wizard appears, click Next.
4. On the Select Network Interface screen:
a. Select the NIC driver.
b. Click Next.
If the driver list does not contain the driver for the NIC on the target host, select Load Driver, and then browse to the
location that contains the required driver.
NOTE: The selected driver cannot require a restart operation because the recovery process loads the WinPE
environment in memory only and changes are not persistent after a restart operation.

5. On the Configure Hostname and Network screen, complete the fields:

a. In the Hostname field, type the hostname of the source host.
b. In the DNS domain field, type the name of the domain in which the host resides.
If the host resides in a workgroup instead of a domain, you can leave this field blank.
c. In the Configure desired IP Settings field, choose the tab for the Network Protocol deployed on the network, either
IPv4 or IPv6.
d. In the TCP/IP Address settings section, select either Obtain an IP address automatically (DHCP) or Use the
following IP Address.
e. If you choose Use the following IP Address, type the IP address in the IP address field.
If applicable, type the subnet mask in the Subnet mask field, and then type the default gateway in Default gateway
field.

f. In the DNS Server section, select either Obtain DNS server address automatically or Use the following DNS
server address:
● If you choose Use the following DNS server address, type the IP address of the DNS server in the Preferred
DNS server field.
● If applicable, type an alternate DNS server address in the Alternate DNS server field.
NOTE: If you added the NetWorker server hostname and IP address to the X:
\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts file, you can ignore the DNS Server fields.

g. Click Next.
The Available Disks screen displays all detected local disks.
6. If the Windows BMR wizard fails to detect a disk, perform the following steps:
a. Select Load Driver.
b. Browse to the location that contains the disk driver, and then load the required disk driver.
c. To update the list of detected disks, select Refresh.
d. Click Next.
7. On the Select NetWorker Server screen, complete the fields:
a. In the Server field, specify the NetWorker server that performed the backup:

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 429

 ● Select the NetWorker server from the server list. To update the list of NetWorker servers, click Search. The Search
function locates only those NetWorker servers on the local subnet.
● Type the fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
b. In the Client field, ensure that the client name matches the Client resource name on the NetWorker server.
NetWorker automatically populates this field with the values that you specified in the Hostname and DNS Domain fields
on the Configure Hostname and Network screen of the wizard. For example, if the client resource on the NetWorker
server uses an FQDN, then specify the FQDN of the client in the Client field.
To recover the backup to a host that differs from the source host, modify the Client field to specify the target
hostname.
If you specify a different client, the recovered host uses the same hostname and IP settings as the source computer. If
the source computer is running on the same network, using the same hostname and IP settings can cause hostname and
IP address conflicts.

c. Click Next.
8. On the Select Bare Metal Recovery Backup screen, select the system backup that you want to recover, and then click
Next.
System backups appear in descending order from most recent to oldest.

9. Review the Save Sets to Restore screen, and then click Next.
The recovery process reformats critical volumes. The recovery process reformats non-critical volumes only if the disk
signature on the target disk differs from the original disk.
For example, to perform a quick format instead of a full format operation if the disk was replaced, select Perform a quick
format of disks.

NOTE: A quick format is much faster than full format but does not verify each sector on the volume.

The recovery process does not recover non-critical volume data. Recovering file system data provides more information.

10. On the Bare Metal Recovery Summary screen, select Options to display the Non-Default Recover Options screen.
11. On the Non-Default Recover Options screen:
a. In the Additional Options field, type any required non-default options with their corresponding values.
Non-default options are primarily used for troubleshooting purposes.
b. To save and close the Non-Default Recover Options screen, and then return to the Bare Metal Recovery Summary
screen, click OK.
c. To begin the recovery process, click Restore.
12. On the Confirmation screen, select the I confirm that I want to format the disks and restore the backup option, and
then click OK.
NOTE: All data is lost on all volumes that the recovery process reformats.

After the data recovery completes, the wizard writes the recovery log files to volumes in the backup media pool being used.
If you do not have a volume available, then the recovery operation appears to be unavailable until media for the media pool
becomes available.

NOTE: You can cancel the log file backup without affecting the recovery operation.

13. After the wizard and log files complete, click either Reboot or Exit:
● To restart the system when any subsequent application data resources must be performed, click Reboot. If you are
recovering an Active Directory domain controller, it is recovered in non-authoritative mode by default.
● If you must recover a domain controller in authoritative mode, click Exit. The computer returns to the WinPE command
prompt. Start into Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM). See Performing post recovery tasks for active directory
services for more information.

430 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

Post-recovery tasks
The following sections provide information about recovering data that was not recovered in the Windows BMR operation.

Using NMM for post-recovery tasks

If the recovered host has applications that are protected with NMM, all application-recovery operations must be performed by
using the NMM client interface. The NMM documentation provides information on the post-recovery operations.
Before reviewing the NMM documentation, review the following information:
● After the recovery has completed and the system is rebooted, check the host’s disk and volume configuration. All disks
and volumes should appear as they did on the original system. However, if disk signatures do not match the original disks,
non-critical disks might be offline or unmounted. Use Microsoft Disk Manager to bring online or mount the disks. After the
disks are online, a reboot operation should result in disk drive letter reassignments. If these correct drive letter assignments
do not occur, manually assign drive letters to non-critical disks as needed. Non-critical volumes that are accessed by mount
points might have similar issues.
● To recover the host, perform additional online recovery of any required user data on non-critical volumes by using the
NetWorker User program.
● If a folder is encrypted in Windows, for example, by selecting Folder Properties > Advanced > Encrypt contents to
secure data, it is recovered as encrypted. However, the encryption attribute is not be set on the folder. You can manually
reset the encryption attribute after the recovery operation. This task is a Microsoft limitation.
● Windows BMR supports backup and recovery of files and folders encrypted with Windows Encrypting File System (EFS),
and volumes encrypted with BitLocker. After BMR, the EFS or BitLocker services might be running but the EFS encryption
attributes on files or folders must be re-enabled and BitLocker volumes must be re-encrypted. For steps to encrypt with EFS
and BitLocker, consult Microsoft documentation.
NOTE: You cannot install the NetWorker software on volumes that are encrypted with Microsoft BitLocker.

Using an application backup tool other than NMM

If you backed up a database application with an application backup tool other than NMM, perform the following post-recovery
operations:
● Recover any required file system data by completing the steps in the topic, Recovering file system data.
● Recover the application data by using the application backup tool, such as NetWorker User for SQL Server, NME, or any
third-party application backup tool. Refer to the documentation that your application backup tool includes.

Recovering file system data

Perform an online recovery of any required user data on non-critical volumes. Sometimes, user data on non-critical volumes
must be recovered, for instance, when disk hardware was replaced due to a disaster before the Windows BMR operation.
1. Manually remount any non-critical volumes as needed.
2. To connect to the NetWorker server that backed up the source client data, start the NetWorker User program by using the
winworkr command with the -s option.
For example: winworkr -s server_name
If the -s option is not used and there is only one server that is detected, that server is connected automatically. If there are
no servers that are detected or if there is more than one server available, the Change Server dialog box appears, allowing
you to choose the server.

3. To open the Source Client dialog box, click Recover.

4. Select the source client, and then click OK.
5. Select the destination client for the recovered data, and then click OK.
6. In the Recover screen, select the files to recover.
7. To begin the directed recovery, click Start.

Performing post-recovery tasks for Active Directory services

Perform the offline recovery of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ component save sets if there is a non-authoritative domain
controller. If a non-authoritative recovery is wanted, then no additional steps are required. However, if you must perform an
authoritative recovery, follow these steps.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 431

1. To exit the wizard so that you can start into Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM), on the System Recovery Results
screen of the NetWorker Bare Metal Recovery wizard, select Exit.
NOTE: Do not select Reboot in the wizard. Failure to start into DSRM mode results in a non-authoritative recovery. If
you select Reboot, perform one of the following:
● On restart, start the system in the WinPE operating system instead of the restored operating system.
● Run the Windows BMR wizard again and ensure that you select Exit.

The WinPE command prompt appears.

2. At the WinPE command prompt, type the following bcdedit commands.
a. To force the system to start into DSRM, add a boot loader entry:
bcdedit /copy {default} /d “Directory Service Repair Mode”
A message similar to the following appears:
The entry was successfully copied to {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}

The numbers and dashes in the previous message form a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) that identifies a new entry. In
this example, the GUID is for illustration purposes only. The actual GUID that is generated when you run the command is
unique.

b. To set the safeboot option for the bootloader entry in the BCD store, type the following command using the generated
GUID:
bcdedit /set {GUID_value} safeboot dsrepair

where GUID_value is the GUID displayed by the previous bcdedit command.

c. To restart the system, exit the WinPE command prompt.

NOTE: Failure to start into DSRM results in a non-authoritative recovery.

3. (Optional) If you have a WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\ Active Directory subcomponent save set that is newer than
the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set used in the preceding BMR, you can recover the save set in DSRM through the
NetWorker User program.
4. From the WinPE command prompt, run the Windows ntdsutil utility.
The ntdsutil prompt appears. The ntdsutil utility is a command interface similar to the NetWorker recover interface.
For help with the ntdsutil utility, type:

NTDSUTIL: ?

5. At the ntdsutil prompt, type:

NTDSUTIL: activate instance ntds

NTDSUTIL: authoritative restore

6. To perform an authoritative recovery of a subtree or individual object, type:

NTDSUTIL: restore subtree “distinguished_name”

For example:
NTDSUTIL: restore subtree “OU=engineering,DC=Seattle,DC=jupiter,DC=com”
NTDSUTIL: restore subtree “CN=mars,CN=users,DC=Seattle,DC=jupiter,DC=com”

The Microsoft Windows Server Resource Kit documentation on Active Directory provides information.

7. Exit the ntdsutil utility by typing quit at each successive ntdsutil prompt until the command prompt appears.
8. Type the following command at the WinPE command prompt so that the host does not start into DSRM mode on restart.
bcdedit /deletevalue safeboot

9. Restart the domain controller in normal mode, log in, and then verify that the authoritative changes are replicated to the
Active Directory replication partners.

432 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

Performing post-recovery tasks for hosts with Windows server roles that use SQL Server
1. On the target host, rebuild the SQL server by running the following Setup command:

Setup /QUIET /ACTION=REBUILDDATABASE /INSTANCENAME=Instance_name /

SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=domain_name\administrator

The Setup tool is located on the SQL Server installation media and must be run from the command prompt with Windows
Administrator privileges. Before you run this command, ensure that the SQL group is offline except for the shared disks.

The following Microsoft article provides more information:

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189302

2. Bring the SQL server services online.

3. Recover the SQL system databases (primary, model, msdb) with NetWorker User for SQL Server, or a third-party
application.

Performing post-recovery tasks for a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine

Use NMM to restore the Hyper-V virtual machines.

Performing a BMR from a Physical Computer to a Virtual Machine (P2V)

This section describes the process of restoring a NetWorker backup of a physical computer to a virtual machine (P2V).
P2V is supported for physical computers running the following operating systems:
● Windows Server 2012
● Windows Server 2012 R2
● Windows Server 2016
● Windows Server 2019
P2V is supported when restoring to virtual machines created with the following hypervisors:
● Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012
● Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2
● VMware ESX 5.1
● VMware ESX 5.5
● VMware ESXi 5
1. Perform a backup of the physical computer.
2. On the computer that runs the hypervisor, create a target virtual machine (VM).
a. Configure the VM to use a virtual network adapter.
b. On the VM configuration page:
i. Select the LSI Logic SAS SCSI controller.
ii. Configure the disks on the VM to match the original physical computer configuration.
iii. Create the same number of physical disks.
Extra disks can be added after the P2V recovery.

c. Consider the following:

● The SCSI disk numbers must match the original disk numbers.
● The VM disk sizes must match, or exceed, the original disk sizes.

For VMware hypervisors, use a Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) templates as the guest operating system when you create the
VM.

3. On the VM, start the WinPE ISO which starts the BMR wizard.
4. On the VM, use the BMR wizard to configure the hostname and network configuration:
a. On the Select NetWorker Server screen, specify the name of the physical computer as the NetWorker client.
b. On the Save Sets to Restore screen, review the selected items to restore, and then click Next.
c. On the Select Bare Metal Recovery Backup screen, select the backup to restore. Backups are listed in chronological
order with the most recent backup first.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 433

 d. On the Summary screen, if the save set was created with NetWorker 8.1 or earlier, select the Restore physical
computer to virtual machine (P2V) checkbox.
If the Restore physical computer to virtual machine (P2V) checkbox is not marked, the VM might not start successfully
after the restore is complete.

e. To start the restore, select Restore.

5. Restart the VM when the P2V BMR is complete.

Performing Post-P2V tasks

The following section provides information about additional tasks that are required after a P2V recovery.
1. If you are running VMware, install VMware tools.
2. To remove disabled NIC devices, use Device Manager:
a. From Device Manager, select the Show Hidden Devices option.
b. Select the hidden NIC device.
c. Select Uninstall.
This step is required because the original network adapter is no longer available.

3. To restore network connectivity, configure the virtual network adapter.

Troubleshooting Windows BMR

The following topics provide information to help troubleshoot Windows BMR operations.

Performing a manual uninstall and reconfigure of a NIC on Windows Server

2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2
f the guest operating system is Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2, then Windows performs some Plug-N-Play
configuration during the post-BMR restart. This activity disables the original NIC and creates a NIC.

1. In the Device Manager, select Display disabled devices > Uninstall the disabled NIC.
2. Configure the new NIC with the wanted network settings.

Recovering and viewing Windows BMR log files

Windows BMR log files

To help troubleshoot an unsuccessful recovery, the following log files are generated and backed up during the Windows BMR
operation:
● daemon.raw—This log file is the same as daemon.log for monitoring services.
● Ossr_director.raw—Contains the recovery workflow of the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set. This log also contains
any errors that are related to recovering the save set files or Windows ASR writer errors.
● recover.log—Contains output from the NetWorker recover.exe program. This information is generated during the
recovery of each save set. This log also contains messages about errors that are related to critical volume data recovery.
● WinPE_Wizard.log—Contains information about the workflow flow that is related to the NetWorker Bare Metal
Recovery wizard user interface.
● winpe_nw_support.raw—Contains output from the winpe_nw_support.dll library. The output provides information
about the communication between the NetWorker Bare Metal Recovery wizard and the NetWorker server.
● winpe_os_support.log—Contains output information that is related to Microsoft native API calls.
If the Windows BMR fails, you can recover the log files using one of the following options:
● By using FTP on the recovery host.
● By using a directed recovery.
● By copying the log files to a mapped drive.

434 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

If the Windows BMR was successful, you can recover the log files directly to the recovered host.
To view log files, you can use either a text editor or the nsr_render_log program, depending on the log file format.

Viewing the log files

To view the following log files, use a text editor:
● recover.log
● WinPE_Wizard.log
To view the following log files, use the nsr_render_log program:
● Ossr_director.raw
● winpe_nw_support.raw
For example, to display the Ossr_director.raw file, type the following command at a command prompt:
nsr_render_log "C:\logs\Client-bv1\Ossr_director.raw"

To direct the Ossr_director.raw file to a text file that can be viewed in a text editor, type the following:
nsr_render_log "C:\logs\Client-bv1\Ossr_director.raw" > mylog.txt

Accessing the log files using FTP

1. On the recovery host, access the WinPE command line.
You might have to exit the Windows Bare Metal Recovery wizard to access the WinPE command line. If you exit the wizard,
do not restart.

2. Disable the Windows firewall.

For example:
wpeutil DisableFirewall

By default, the Windows firewall is enabled on WinPE, and this action blocks the FTP port from transferring files.

3. Change to the following directory that contains the log files:

X:\Program Files\EMC Networker\nsr\logs

4. To move the log files to another NetWorker host, use the FTP utility.

Accessing log files using a directed recovery operation

1. To connect to the NetWorker server that backed up the source client data, start the NetWorker User program by using the
winworkr command with the -s option:

winworkr -s server_name

If the -s option is not included, and there is only one server that is detected, that server is connected automatically. If
there are no servers that are detected or if there is more than one server available, the Change Server dialog box appears,
enabling you to choose the server.

2. To open the Source Client dialog box, click Recover.

3. Select the source client, which is the recovered client, and then click OK.
4. Select the destination client for the recovered data, and then click OK.
5. From the Options menu, select Options, specify a folder location in which to relocate the recovered log files, and then click
OK.
6. In the Recover window, select the log files to recover.
The log files are typically located in the following directory:
X:\Program Files\EMC Networker\nsr\logs

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 435

7. To begin the directed recovery, click Start.
Recovering file system data provides more information about the permissions that are required for directed recoveries.

BMR backup fails when System Reserved Partition is offline

BMR backups may fail with the following error:
device is not ready

Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 has 100 MB reserved as the System Reserved Partition. When backing
up the system state, VSS includes the System Reserved Partition (used for BitLocker and Boot files), but the backup fails
because the System Reserved Partition is offline. This can occur if the Windows automount capability is disabled. Although there
are circumstances where the automount capability must be disabled, it can result in the partition being offline after a restart.
Automount must be enabled for a BMR backup to succeed.
To work around this issue, use either of the following solutions:

Solution 1
From the command prompt, run DISKPART with the following commands:
DISKPART

List volume

Select volume <number of 100 MB system partition>

Online volume (if the volume is offline)

If automount is disabled while using third party storage software or if the user manually disabled the automount for the volume,
the volumes can go offline.
This Microsoft KB article 2419286, available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2419286, provides details on preventing
volumes from going offline by checking and setting the system automount attribute.

Solution 2
From the Disk Management console:
1. Access Disk Management from the command prompt:
C:\>Diskmgmt.msc
2. To bring the disk online, assign the drive letter to the 100 MB partition:
a. Right-click the 100 MB volume, and then select Change Drive Letter and Paths.
b. Assign a new drive letter to the volume.
Assigning the drive letter ensures that the volume are online after a restart.

Wizard cannot locate the NetWorker server or DNS server

If the NetWorker Bare Metal Recovery wizard cannot locate the NetWorker server or the DNS server (if one is being used),
consider the following:
● If you are using a local hosts file instead of a DNS server, verify that the hostname and IP address of the NetWorker server
was typed correctly.
● If you are using a DNS server, verify that the values typed in the Configure Hostname and Network screen were typed
correctly.
● Verify that the NetWorker server was correctly specified in the Select NetWorker Server screen.
To verify hostname and IP address values, use the ping utility that is in the WinPE environment:
1. Exit the NetWorker Bare Metal Recovery wizard but do not restart the host.
You are returned to the WinPE command line.

436 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

2. To locate, and then verify hostnames and IP addresses, use the ping utility. For example:
ping -a hostname
3. Restart the wizard. For example:
javaw -jar WinPEWizard.jar

NOTE: After the wizard has been restarted, you can switch between the wizard and the WinPE command line without
exiting the wizard.

Multiple NICs cause errors in locating the NetWorker server

An error message similar to the following might appear when you try to recover a host with multiple NICs:
Error retrieving the list of Networker servers

This message is an indication that the NIC selected by the wizard is not the NIC that was connected to the NetWorker server
when the backup was performed and the NIC might not have connectivity to the server. This applies when searching for an
available server or specifying a specific server. To resolve the issue, select another NIC.

Network configuration values might not be retained after reboot

Sometimes, a host does not retain its network configuration data after a Windows BMR operation and after the host starts. If
the recovered host is experiencing network connectivity issues, confirm that network properties for the local connections are
correct. If required, manually update the network configuration data on the host.

VSS backups fail because a critical disk is offline

VSS backups fail if a critical volume is offline during the backup operation. You can remedy the problem by following the steps
that are outlined in the Microsoft Knowledgebase (KB) article 980794, which can be found at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/980794

The patch that is mentioned in this knowledgebase article is most likely on the Windows system if it is up-to-date. In this case,
you can create and populate the Registry keys as described in the article.
This issue is most often encountered when backing up a passive node in an MSCS cluster and a critical volume is not on the
physical host of the passive node but is instead on the physical host of the active node.

Jobquery fails to establish a connection with large scale jobs

When querying the number of save sets, jobquery fails to establish a connection with the jobsDB when the jobsDB contains
more than 3,00,000 records.
The workaround is to run nsradmin from the command line with the following parameters:
nsradmin -S <jobsdatabse path>

8dot3name support disabled after recovery

In a WinPE 5.0 environment, 8dot3 file name support becomes disabled after recovery. This is not an issue from block-based
backups.
If you require 8dot3name support, run the following command:
fsutil 8dot3name set C: 0

The Microsoft knowledgebase article 121007, available at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/121007, provides more information.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 437

Additional recovery options
You can specify non-default recovery options on the WinPE command line or in the Additional Options field in the NetWorker
Bare Metal Recovery wizard.
The following table describes the additional recovery options that can be used with a Windows BMR operation.

Table 101. Additional recovery options

Entry Result
-D x Additional troubleshoot information is in the Windows BMR log files.

where x is a number from 1 to 9,

with 9 providing the most troubleshoot
information and 1 providing the least.

-v Additional information on the progress of the recovery displays in the wizard’s

System Recovery Status window.
-p By default, the Windows BMR recovery skips the formatting of non-critical disks.

By using the -p option, any existing partitions are deleted and all disks are
reformatted on the recovered computer to match the layout of the system image.
However, by Microsoft specification, even if the -p option is selected, a non-
critical volume is not reformatted if the disk signature has not changed since the
backup.

This option might be useful in situations where a system fails to recover because of
disk mismatch errors. In this case, the -p option might resolve those errors.

The recovery process does not recover non-critical volume data even if the volume
is reformatted. Non-critical volumes can be recovered by using the NetWorker User
program after the wizard has completed and the host has been restarted.

recover -s <NetWorker server> When the restored data is meant to override the data on other nodes, it should
-U -N "WINDOWS ROLES AND be restored using the authoritative mode. Once this data is restored to one of the
FEATURES\Cluster Database" nodes, it is propagated to the other nodes and overwrites any newer data on those
nodes. Perform Authoritative restore by using the command on the left.

While the recovery is in progress, observe that the status of the groups changes
from Online to Pending to Offline in the Failover Cluster Management application.
Alternatively, check the Event Viewer, under Application and Services Logs >
Failover Clustering > Operational on all nodes that the Cluster Service has
stopped and restarted.

Recover the shared drive data through winworkr on the cluster node with its
current active node. Select source client as the virtual client, and destination
client as the current active node.

Restart required after recovery operation

Newly recovered NetWorker client computers running Windows Server 2012 R2 can require an extra restart to restore access to
application icons, previously viewable on the desktop.

Online recovery of Active Directory, DFSR, or Cluster

services
The DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set includes the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component save set. You can recover
the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES backup in an online recovery operation, to a host that uses the same Windows
operating system instance. NetWorker 8.2 and higher support the online recovery of the following Windows services, which the
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES component contains:

438 Special recoveries on Windows hosts

Active Directory SolVe Desktop provides procedures that describe how to recover this service.
Distributed The topic, Backing Up and Restoring a Microsoft DFS, provides more information.
File System
Replication
(DFSR)
Cluster SolVe Desktop provides procedures that describe how to recover this service.

NetWorker does not support the online recovery of any other Windows service that the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES
save set contains. Unsupported online recovery of WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES components results in an inconsistent
state of the Windows server.
NOTE: When you perform an online recovery, you cannot mark the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set and use
the Required Volumes option. To determine the volume that contains the WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES save set
that you want to restore, mark the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set, then use the Required Volumes option. After you
determine the required volumes, unmark the DISASTER RECOVERY:\ save set and mark the WINDOWS ROLES AND
FEATURES save set.

Special recoveries on Windows hosts 439

 11
Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Enterprise data reporting
• Save set History Database
• Reporting policy status and backup job status
• Reporting recover job status
• Checkpoint-enabled backup reporting
• SNMP traps
• NetWorker Notifications
• Front-end Capacity Estimation

Enterprise data reporting

NetWorker software automatically collects data on a continual basis from the NetWorker enterprise to facilitate trend analysis,
capacity planning, and problem detection.
The NMC server stores the collected information in the Console database for a specified number of days, as described in Data
retention and expiration policies on page 441.
The NetWorker software then integrates and processes this data to produce a number of reports on backup status, backup
statistics, events, inactive files, hosts, users, and devices. Report categories on page 442 provides detailed information about
the various types of reports.
The following options are available through the NetWorker Console reporting feature:
● Data collection for the entire enterprise or for specific NetWorker servers.
● Creating of various types of reports.
● User preferences for report data, such as font, size, and whether to use bold. This can be useful in I18N environments.
● Selection of columns to display when viewing reports in a table format, and the order in which to display them.
● The ability to save customized reports for repeated use.
● The ability to determine how long collected data should be retained.
● Only NetWorker administrators can modify these time periods.
● The ability to share reports, or restrict the sharing of reports, with other users by giving them access to the reports.
● The ability to hide shared reports of other users when listing reports.
● The ability to run reports from the command prompt.

Enabling or disabling the gathering of report data

When you add a host to the enterprise, the Configuration wizard enables the Gather Reporting Data feature by default. To
enable or disable the Gather Reporting Data option after you add a host to the enterprise, perform the following steps.
1. From the NMC GUI, click Enterprise.
2. In the left navigation pane, expand Enterprise, and then right-click the NetWorker server on which to enable the collection
of report information.
3. Select Properties.
4. In the Features section, select Gather Reporting Data to enable the feature or clear the option to disable the feature,
then click OK.

440 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Data retention and expiration policies
The NetWorker Console provides separate expiration polices for retaining different types of data to meet the needs of the
environment as described in this table. Only a Console Application Administrator can modify these policies.

Table 102. Data retention policies

Retention policy Type of data to be retained Default
Statistical data—Affects all legacy Backup Backup and cloning statistics. One year
Statistics reports and Policy Statistic reports.

The retention policy for statistics data can affect

multiple reports.

Recover Statistics — Affects Save Set Data in Save set records. One year
Recover Statistics reports.
Audit Data— Affects User reports. Reports on all NetWorker tasks (except License One year
Manager tasks) performed by specified users
The retention policy for audit data affects only (but only when the NetWorker User Auditing
audit reports. system option is activated).

Completion Data (legacy)— Affects Backup Savegroup and save set completion data and One month
Status reports, except in the save set output. drive data.

Retention policy for completion data can affect

multiple reports.

Completion Message (legacy)— Affects Backup Messages, such as error messages for failed save Two weeks
Status reports, only in the save set output). sets.

The retention policy for completion messages can

affect
multiple reports.

You can view the retention policies for data to which they have access by following the first three steps in Setting expiration
policies for data retention on page 441. These different policies give administrators the flexibility to retain certain types of
information for less time than others, as showed in the following example.

NOTE: Reports not mentioned in the above table have no retention policies.

Retention Flexibility
An administrator might want to set the completion message policy to a shorter period than the completion data policy. The
precise error messages about what caused a save set backup to stop might not be relevant over a longer period. But it might be
useful to save the completion data for a somewhat longer period to help with load balancing and trends.
The longest period (one or more years) might be a suitable selection for save set data. This data is used to generate the
NetWorker Backup Statistics reports. These reports can be used to determine historical trends about backups and to help guide
capacity planning.
NOTE: The expiration policies restrict the data that can be retrieved by NetWorker Console. In other words, reports cannot
include data that is older than the data retention policy. If, for example, an administrator changed a policy expiration period
from 1 year to 1 month and soon afterwards reset it to 1 year, 11 months of data would be lost. Once data is cleared because
of the retention policy, you can only retrieve the data by recovering the full database.

Setting expiration policies for data retention

Log in to the NMC server as a Console Security Administrator. The NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account is a
Console Security Administrator.
Perform the following steps to define how long the NMC server stores information about NetWorker server activities in the
NMC database.
1. From the NMC GUI window, click Reports.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 441

2. From the Reports menu, select Data Retention. The Data Retention dialog box appears.
3. For each policy, type the number of periods and select a period of time (year, month, week, day).
4. To save the configuration of the data retention policies, click OK.
NOTE: There must be adequate space in the NMC database to hold the data. If the data retention policy settings cause
the NMC database to run out of storage space and the NMC processes to stop running. The NetWorker Installation
Guide provides information about estimating the size of the NMC database.

Restricted report views

NMC users can only view report information about servers to which they have permission to manage.
Since each user can have different access restrictions, different users may see different report results. This applies to
customized, private, and shared reports.
For example, a shared Group Summary report entitled “Building C Backups” will show different data for different users if the
access permissions for each user includes different NetWorker servers. This applies even if the users run the report at the same
time.
On the Configuration tab of each report, the, configuration parameters will only display to the user, the allowed NetWorker
servers, groups, and clients as sources of report information. The generated report will only contain data from allowed
resources. Users may only run reports for servers to which they are allowed to manage.
NOTE: If no data is available for a given server, that server will not appear in any lists, regardless of the access permissions
for the user.

Report categories
The following table describes the various report categories in the NetWorker software. Each of these categories is discussed in
detail in Preconfigured reports on page 449.
Report categories appear as folders within the Reports folder in the Reports window. You can run these reports from the NMC
GUI or from a command prompt.

Table 103. Report categories

Category of report Purpose
Policy Statistics Provide statistical information about activities and resources in the Data Protection
Policies. Include information about the Workflow resources, Client resources, Group
resources, and Action results.
Recover Statistics Provide the history of recovery operations that have been performed by NetWorker
servers.
Devices Provide information about the way devices are being used.
Events Provide summary and detailed information about NetWorker events.
Hosts Provide a listing of NetWorker servers in the Enterprise, including information about
event and reporting features.
Users Provide lists of defined NetWorker Console users, logout and login reports, audit
reports, and users with restricted views.
Manual saves Provides save set information about backup operations that are initiated by a user
with the save command, and details about clone operations that are initiated by a
user with the nsrclone command.

442 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Legacy report categories
The following table describes the various report categories available in NMC, which enables you to report information about
activities that occurred on the NetWorker server before an update to NetWorker 19.5, or for NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier
servers that the NMC server manages.
Report categories appear as folders within the Legacy Reports folder. You can run these reports from the NMC GUI or from the
command prompt.

Table 104. Legacy report categories

Category of report Purpose
NetWorker Backup Statistics Provide statistical information about save sets from the media database. Include
summaries of size, number of files, and number of save sets that are backed up.
NetWorker Backup Status Provide status information about group completion and save set backups.
Inactive Files Manages inactive files on a client or group, and sets the NetWorker software to
automatically generate a list of inactive files in an environment.
Data Domain Statistics Provides deduplication backup statistics for each selected NetWorker client.
NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more information.
NetWorker Clones Provides the history of automatic and scheduled clone operations.
NetWorker Data Protection Policy Provides details and summaries for VMware Data Protection Policies. The
NetWorker VMware Integration Guide provides more information.
Snapshot Statistics Provides details and summaries for Snapshot backups.

Report modes and types

All of the reports are listed within the report category folders. These folders are seen in the left pane of the Reports window.
Each folder contains basic and drill-down reports. Basic reports on page 448, and Drill-down reports on page 448 provide
detailed information.
Different icons represent the different types of reports:

Table 105. Report icons

Icon Description
Basic report

Shared basic report

Drill-down report

Shared drill-down report

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 443

Interactive mode
Interactive mode displays a report with dynamic components, which allow you to update the report and display the modified
results in real time. The effect of the dynamic components depends on whether a report is viewed as a table or as a chart.

Table view
The table view in interactive mode enables you to:
● Scroll through rows of the table.
● Sort, rearrange, or resize columns in the table, in the same way you sort data in other NMC windows.
● Use the Choose Table Columns menu to choose the columns to display, and the order in which to display them.
● Create and view drill-down reports.
The following images provides an example of the Group Summary report in table view.

Figure 77. Group Summary in table view

Chart view
The chart view in interactive mode displays data in a chart format. You can switch back and forth between different chart
formats by selecting a format from the Chart Type list.
The following image provides an example of a Group Summary report in Bar Chart view.

444 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Figure 78. Group Summary in Bar Chart view

Some legacy reports in chart view provide a Data Selector option that provides the ability to control the information that
appears in the chart. Use the Data Selector section to display interesting and useful data groupings in chart format.
For example, in a Group Summary by Server report that is displayed in Bar Chart format, the bar chart displays the amount of
data in each group, and the Data Selector lists the "Server" control column, making it possible to see—in one place—a summary
of groups across all servers, simply by moving through the list of servers in the Data Selector. This could be useful for finding
the group that backed up the most data, or for balancing groups on servers.
You can limit the set of X and Y axes in the report by clearing one or more options from the Chart Selector boxes. This does
not apply to Drive Utilization reports.
● For Drive Utilization reports, hover over a chart in Save Set view or Drive view to display a tool tip that includes this
information:
○ Drive (Drive view only)
○ Save Set Name (Save Set view only)
○ Start Time
○ End Time
○ Client Name
○ Throughput (B/Sec)
NOTE: The tool tip feature for Drive Utilization reports is available only in interactive mode.

Document mode
Document mode displays data in a static table or chart report that resembles the view in Print Preview as shown by a PDF file
viewer.
The following options are available with document mode:
● Orientation (portrait or landscape)
● Table or chart format
● Size (zoom level)

Table view
Document mode reports displayed in a table view contains several columns of information:
● One or more control columns represent qualitative information. For example, server name, save set name, and backup type.
The control columns topics generally appear as X-axis data in charts.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 445

● One or more data columns represent quantitative information. For example, Amount of data, number of files, number of save
sets, and duration. The data columns topics generally appear as Y-axis data in charts. Each report gives subtotals and totals
of all the columns of quantitative data that are shown in the report.
For example, a report on Save Set Details by Client provides a list of clients and the following quantitative information:
○ Subtotals of the data columns for each of that client’s save sets.
○ Totals of all the data columns for each client.
○ Totals of the data for all clients in the report.
The report allows you to easily parse the data, visually, on a per-client basis, on a save set-per-client basis, and for all clients in
the report.

Chart view
In document mode, NMC displays two graphs for any chart type that displays X-Y axes. If the top graph contains excessive
Y-axis data, NMC may display truncated data in both graphs.
You cannot sort, rearrange, or resize the columns of a tabular report. Also, you cannot choose which columns to display, and
the order in which to display the columns. Likewise, you cannot change the chart format while viewing a report. NetWorker
software does not maintain any customized changes made while displaying a report in interactive mode (such as sorting or
rearranging the columns in a table), except for charts (in Chart Type and Chart Selector). Instead, document mode displays the
report in a standard table or chart format, as specified by the internal report definition within NetWorker software.
Unlike interactive mode, which provides you with a set of chart selection parameters that limit the displayed data, a report in
document mode displays all the data. As a result, report views in document mode often consist of several screens. For this
reason, the viewing choices in document mode include these navigation options to enable you to page through the output:
● First
● Previous
● Next
● Last

Interactive and document mode chart types

These chart types are available in both interactive and document mode:
● Bar chart
● Pie chart
● Plot chart
● Stacking bar chart
● Gantt chart (for Drive Utilization reports only -- more information is provided in the section Device reports on page 459)
When displaying reports in chart format, the size and appearance of the chart may differ depending on the orientation (portrait
or landscape), and the presentation format—that is, whether viewing it in the Console window, or in other file formats, such
as PDF, HTML, or PostScript. When displaying reports as charts in document mode, or when printing or exporting to HTML or
PostScript, the charts are always displayed on a single page, regardless of their size. As a result, some data and labels may not
display. To see full report details, view the chart in interactive mode.
The following table shows a simplified version of chart format options.

Table 106. Report chart formats

Format Example Description
Bar Uses bars to illustrate the different types of data. For example, in a
bar chart of a NetWorker Backup Statistics Server Summary report,
the vertical bars show the amount of data that are backed up by
each server. The additional lines show the corresponding numbers of
files and save sets that are backed up by each server.

The set of axes that are displayed in the report depends on the type
of report.

To select various elements for display, select or clear the boxes in

the Chart Selector.

446 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Table 106. Report chart formats (continued)
Format Example Description
Plot Displays data that are graphed as points along X and Y axes.

To select various elements for display, select or clear the boxes in

the Chart Selector.

Pie Display data graphically as a percentage of a circular “pie.” When

specifying this chart type from the Console window, the Chart
Selector includes a radio button that allows the display of only one
element, or axis, at a time. If an additional element is selected, it
replaces the first. This limitation does not occur when this chart type
is specified from the command prompt:
● When this chart type is selected from the Console window, all
applicable data axes are shown.
● When this chart type is specified from the command prompt, only
the requested information is included.
Stacking Bar Displays data in a way that enables you to group and measure the
data according to more than one category.

For example, use of a stacking bar chart to display a report that

measures data
according to only a single point of focus would display just a simple
bar chart. Stacking
bar chart reports generally include by in the name, such as by date or
by host.

Gantt When you view a Drive Utilization report as a chart, NMC

automatically displays the data as a Gantt chart, and you cannot
change the chart type. The Drive Utilization report is the only report
that displays data as a Gantt chart.

In Save Set view, the x-axis displays the time, and the y-axis displays
save set data.
Hovering over the chart in Save Set view displays a tool tip that
provides this
information.

● Save set name

● Start time
● End time
● Client name
● Throughput value
In Drive view, the x-axis displays the time, and the y-axis displays
drive data.
Hovering over the chart in Drive View displays a tool tip that provides
the following
information:

● Drive
● Start time
● End time
● Throughput value

Chart axis selection

NOTE: Document mode can display more than one chart in the document. You can insert any or all available Y axes into the
report. When you change to document mode, print or export a report, or save a configuration, NMC uses the axis selection
that is currently set in the Chart Selector section of the Configuration tab. The exceptions to this are stacked bar and pie
charts, which display all axes when the gstclreport command is used to generate a report.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 447

Stacking bar charts
In interactive mode, movement of the cursor over a section of stacked color causes a pop-up legend to appear. The legend
describes the data that are represented by that color. This chart type is inappropriate for complicated data in document mode,
since the cursor does not display a legend describing the data that are represented by that color. Instead, in document mode,
select a different chart type (bar, pie, or plot) if the report data is complicated.
When specifying this chart type from the NMC GUI, the Chart Selector includes a radio button that enables the display of only
one element, or axis, at a time. If an additional element is selected, it replaces the first. This limitation does not occur when this
chart type is specified from the command prompt.
● When you specify this chart type from the NMC GUI, all applicable data axes are shown.
● When you specify this chart type from the command prompt, the gstclreport command only displays the requested
information.
To appreciate the different ways in which you can use a stacking bar chart, consider these reports:
● NetWorker Backup Statistics Group Summary by Server — Shows statistics that are broken down by savegroup for each
server. Different blocks of color are used for the amounts of data that are backed up by each group within the vertical bars
that represent the amount of data backed up by servers.
● NetWorker Backup Statistics Server Summary — Shows data from only one focus, a server-centric point of view. If a
stacking bar chart is selected to display a NetWorker Backup Statistics Server Summary, the chart would display solid bars
of color to represent the servers. However, there would be no blocks of color within the bars, because the report focuses
only on the server level. The result would therefore look like a simple bar chart.

Basic reports
The basic reports organize the collected data in a manner that focuses on a specific datazone component, time span, or
attribute. For example:
● A Server Summary of Backup Statistics provides backup statistics in a server-centric manner.
● A Monthly Summary of Backup Statistics provides the backup statistics in a date-centric manner.
Select the basic report that best provides the information you need.

Drill-down reports
Drill-down reports present report information in a preset sequence of basic reports. You can save drill-down reports as
customized reports in shared mode. You can only use drill-down reports from the NMC GUI. You cannot use drill-down reports
from a command prompt.
Select a line of output in a report to generate information about the selected item in the next report in the drill-down sequence.
For example, configure a Policy Summary Over Time category report, and then click View report. From the generated Policy
Summary report, double-click the output for one of the policies. NMC generates a Monthly Summary report of data for the
policy that you selected in the Policy Summary report. In the Monthly Summary report, double-click a month. NMC generates a
Daily Summary report of data that is generated on each day of the month that you selected in the Monthly Summary report. In
the Daily Summary report, double-click a day. NMC generates a Client Summary report with information about clients for whom
data was generated on the day that you selected in the Daily Summary report. In the Client Summary report, double-click one of
the clients. NMC generates a Save Set Summary report of all save sets associated with the client that you selected in the Client
Summary report, on the day you selected in the Daily Summary report, in the month that you selected in the Monthly Summary,
for the policy you selected in the Policy Summary report.
NOTE: In document mode for drill-down reports, the print and export commands do not print or export the entire drill-down
report, just the basic report that is displayed.

Customized reports
A report that is included with NetWorker software is known as a canned reports, and includes several configuration parameters
that allow the tailoring of report data. With customized reports, report versions can be configured—a single time—to fit the
needs of the enterprise. These reports can then be saved and rerun whenever necessary, without having to be configured again.
This feature saves time, especially with regularly run reports that include complex combinations of parameters. Customized
reports can be run either on demand, or according to a preset schedule. The owner of a saved report can also allow it to be
shared with all users.

448 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

The Hide Other Users Reports option toggles the view of reports between:
● The owner’s reports (private and shared).
● The owner’s reports, plus all shared custom reports.
Customizing and saving reports on page 470 and Sharing a report on page 471 provide more information.

Preconfigured reports
The Reports window contains two folders that contain preconfigured reports.
The Reports folder contains preconfigured reports that enable you to query for information about data that is created with
a NetWorker 19.5 server. The Legacy Reports folder contains preconfigured reports that enable you to query for information
about that created with a NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier server.

Preconfigured reports
The Reports folder contains preconfigured reports that enable you to generate reports about data that was created with a
NetWorker 19.5 server :

Policy statistics
The Policy Statistics report category provides you with the ability to create reports that contain details and summary
information about Data Protection Policy resources for each selected NetWorker server within the enterprise.
The Policy Statistics report category includes basic and drill-down reports.

Policy reports
NMC provides two types of reports that provide information about Policy resources: Policy Summary reports, and Policy
Summary over time reports.

Policy Summary
A basic report that provides information that is gathered from the media database and client file indexes about data that are
generated by backup and clone actions in all workflows that are associated with a Policy resource. The reported Information
includes the following statistics:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy—Name of the Policy resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Policy Summary over time

Drill-down reports that provide a point-in-time basic report about the data that are generated by backup and clone actions in all
workflows that are associated with a Policy resource. You can generate the following types of drill-down reports:
● Policy Summary—A basic report that provides a summary of all policies that are associated with the selected NetWorker
servers.
● Monthly Summary—A summary of monthly activities for the policy that you selected in the Policy Summary report.
● Daily Summary—A summary of daily activities for the month that you selected in the Monthly Summary report
● Client Summary—A summary of client information for the day that you selected in the Daily Summary report.
● Save Set Details—A summary of information for each save set generated for the client that you selected in the Client
Summary report.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 449

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Group reports
NMC provides three types of reports that provide information about Group resources: Group Summary reports, Group Details
reports, and Group Summary over time reports.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Group—By default, the report generates information about all groups that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Group Name Selected field provides a list of groups on which to report information. The Group Name Available field
provides a list of groups for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Group resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Group Summary
A basic report that provides a list of groups in each policy resource on NetWorker servers that are managed by the NMC server.
The report provides the following information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Group—Name of the Group resource.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Group resource.
● Workflow—Name of the workflow that is associated with the Group resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Group Details
A basic report that provides details about all groups on all NetWorker servers that are managed by the NMC server. The report
provides the following information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.

450 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

● Group—Name of the Group resource.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Group resource.
● Workflow—Name of the workflow that is associated with the Group resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Successful save sets—Total number of backup or clone save sets that are created successfully by the action task.
● Failed save sets—Total number of failed attempts to create backup or clone save sets by the action task.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.
● Successful clones—Total number of clone save sets that are created successfully Group resource.
● Failed Clones—Total number of failed attempts to create a clone save set Group resource.

Group Summary Over Time

Drill-down reports that provides a point-in-time basic report about the data that are generated by all groups that are associated
with a Policy resource. You can generate the following types of drill-down reports:
● Group Summary—A basic report that provides a summary of all groups that are associated with the selected NetWorker
servers.
● Monthly Summary—A summary of monthly activities for the group that you selected in the Group Summary report.
● Daily Summary—A summary of daily activities for the month that you selected in the Monthly Summary report
● Client Summary—A summary of client information for the day that you selected in the Daily Summary report.
● Save Set Details—A summary of information for each save set generated for the client that you selected in the Client
Summary report.

Workflow reports
NMC provides two types of reports that provide information about Workflow resources: Workflow Summary reports, and
Workflow Details reports.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Workflow—By default, the report generates information about all workflows that are configured on each NetWorker server.
The Workflow Name Selected field provides a list of workflows on which to report information. The Workflow Name
Available field provides a list of workflows for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All,
Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Workflow resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Workflow Summary
A basic report that provides a list of groups for the resources that you selected in the Parameter section. The report includes
the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Workflow resource.
● Number of runs—Number of times that the Workflow resource has run.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 451

● Successful—Number of times that the run of the actions in the workflow have completed successfully.
● Failed—Number of times the run of the actions in the workflow run failed.
● Interrupted—Number of items that the run of the actions in the workflow were interrupted.
● Total duration— Total amount of time that the actions in the workflow have run.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Workflow Details
A basic report that provides detailed information about the backup and clone data that are generated by all actions that are
associated with a Workflow resource. The report includes the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Workflow resource.
● Workflow start time—Start time of the workflow.
● Total duration—Total amount of time that the actions in the workflow have run.
● Workflow status—Status of the workflow. For example, successful or failed.
● Name of the Group that is associated to the workflow.
● Successful save sets—Total number of backup or clone save sets that are created successfully by the action task.
● Failed save sets—Total number of failed attempts to create backup or clone save sets by the action task.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.
● Successful clones—Total number of clone save sets that are created successfully by clone actions in the workflow.
● Failed Clones—Total number of failed attempts to create a clone save set by clone actions in the workflow.

Action reports
NMC provides four types of reports that provide information about Action resources: Action Summary By Group reports, Action
Summary By Policy and Workflow reports, Action Details reports, and Action Details By workflow reports.

Action Summary reports

NMC provides two types of summary reports that provide information about Action resources: Action Summary By Group
reports, and Action Summary By Policy and Workflow reports.

Action Summary By Group

A basic report that provides a list of actions that are associated with each Group resource for a NetWorker server. The report
provides the following information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Group resource.
● Group—Name of the Group that is associated with the Action resource
● Action—Name of the Action resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.

452 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Action Summary By Policy or Workflow

A basic report that provides a list of actions that are associated with each Group resource for a NetWorker server. The report
provides the following information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Group resource.
● Workflow—The name of the Workflow that is associated with the Action resource.
● Action—Name of the Action resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Workflow—Action Summary By Policy or Workflow report only. By default, the report generates information about all
workflows that are configured on each NetWorker server. The Workflow Name Selected field provides a list of workflows
on which to report information. The Workflow Name Available field provides a list of workflows for which you do not
want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Workflow
resources on which to report.
● Group—Action Summary By Group report only. By default, the report generates information about all groups that are
configured on each NetWorker server. The Group Name Selected field provides a list of groups on which to report
information. The Group Name Available field provides a list of groups for which you do not want to report information
about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Group resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Action Detail reports

NMC provides two types of detail reports that provide information about Action resources: Action Details reports, and the
Action Details By Workflow reports.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 453

 Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Workflow—By default, the report generates information about all workflows that are configured on each NetWorker server.
The Workflow Name Selected field provides a list of workflows on which to report information. The Workflow Name
Available field provides a list of workflows for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All,
Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Workflow resources on which to report.
● Action—Action Details report only. By default, the report generates information about all actions that are configured on each
NetWorker server. The Action Name Selected field provides a list of actions on which to report information. The Action
Name Available field provides a list of actions for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All,
Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Action resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Action Details
A basic report that provides detailed information about the backup and clone data generated by the resources that are defined
in the Parameters section. The report includes the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Workflow resource.
● Workflow—Name of the Workflow resource that contains the action.
● Action—Name of the Action resource.
● Action Type—The action type that is defined for the Action resource. For example, Backup, Clone, or Check Connectivity.
● Action Start Time—The time that the task in the Action resource starts.
● Status—Status of the task that is performed by the Action resource. For example, succeeded or failed.
● Group—Name of the group that is associated with the Action resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Successful save sets—Total number of backup or clone save sets that are created successfully by the action task.
● Failed save sets—Total number of failed attempts to create backup or clone save sets by the action task.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.
● Successful clones—Total number of clone save sets that are created successfully Group resource.
● Failed Clones—Total number of failed attempts to create a clone save set Group resource.

Action Details By Workflow

Drill-down reports that provide a point-in-time basic report about the data generated by the resources that are defined in the
Parameter section. You can generate the following types of drill-down reports:
● Workflow Summary—A basic report that provides a summary of information about all actions in all workflows that are
associated with the selected NetWorker servers.
● Workflow Details—A basic report that provides a summary of all actions in the workflow that you selected in the Workflow
Summary report.
● Action Details—A basic report that provides details about each action in the Workflow that you selected in the Workflow
Details report.
● Client Summary—A basic report that provides a summary of information about all actions in the client that you selected in
the Action Details report.

454 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Client reports
NMC provides three types of reports that provide information about Client resources: Client Summary reports, Client Details
reports, and Client Summary by Group reports.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Group—Client Summary by Group report only. By default, the report generates information about all groups that are
configured on each NetWorker server. The Group Name Selected field provides a list of groups on which to report
information. The Group Name Available field provides a list of groups for which you do not want to report information
about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Group resources on which to report.
● Workflow—Client Summary report only. By default, the report generates information about all workflows that are configured
on each NetWorker server. The Workflow Name Selected field provides a list of workflows on which to report information.
The Workflow Name Available field provides a list of workflows for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Workflow resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Client Summary
A basic report that provides a list of clients for the resources that you selected in the Parameter section. The report includes
the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Client Name—Name of the Client resource.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

Client Details
A basic report that provides detailed information about the backup and clone data that are generated for a Client resource. The
report includes the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Client Name—Name of the Client resource.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Workflow resource.
● Workflow—Name of the Workflow that is associated with the Client resource.
● Group—Name of the Group resource.
● Workflow start time—Start time of the workflow.
● Status—Status of the save set in the media database. For example, succeeded or failed.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save set size—The original size of the save set, as recorded in the media database.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 455

Client Summary By Group
Drill-down reports that provide a point-in-time basic report about the data generated for client in the Group resources that are
defined in the Parameter section. You can generate the following types of drill -own reports:
● Group Summary—A basic report that provides summary information about all groups that are associated with the
NetWorker servers selected in the Parameters section.
● Client Summary—A basic report that provides summary information about all clients that are associated with the group that
you selected in the Group Summary report.

Save set reports

NMC provides one basic report, the Save Set Details report. This report provides detailed information about the save sets
stored in the media database of a NetWorker server.

Report Parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Client—By default, the report generates information about all the save sets for each client that is configured on the
selected NetWorker servers. The Client Name Selected field provides a list of clients on which to report information. The
Client Name Available field provides a list of clients for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add,
Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of clients on which to report.
● Workflow—By default, the report generates information about all workflows that are configured on each NetWorker server.
The Workflow Name Selected field provides a list of workflows on which to report information. The Workflow Name
Available field provides a list of workflows for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All,
Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of Workflow resources on which to report.
● Save set name—By default, the report generates information about all save sets for the selected clients on the selected
NetWorker servers. The Save Set Name Selected field provides a list of save sets on which to report information. The
Save Set Name Available field provides a list of save sets for which you do not want to report information about. Use the
Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of save sets on which to report.
● Action type—By default, the report generates information about all action types for the selected clients on the selected
NetWorker servers. The Action Type Selected field provides a list of action types on which to report information. The
Action Type Available field provides a list of action types for which you do not want to report information about. Use the
Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of action types on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Save Set Details report

A basic report that provides detailed information about the backup and clone save sets that are stored on a NetWorker server.
The report includes the following Information:
● NetWorker server—Name of the NetWorker server.
● Client Name—Name of the Client resource.
● Save Set Name—Name of the save set.
● Save Set ID—The SSID of the save set.
● Clone ID—The cloneid of the save set.
● Action Type—The action type that is defined for the Action resource. For example, Backup, Clone, or Check Connectivity.
● Policy Name—Name of the Policy resource that is associated with the Workflow resource.
● Workflow—Name of the workflow that is associated with the Group resource.
● Group—Name of the Group resource.
● Workflow start time—Start time of the workflow.
● Status—The status of the save set. For example, succeeded or failed.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save set size—The size of the save set, as recorded in the media database.

456 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.

Manual saves
Users must run the following commands in order to view the save set reports.
● save -b Default "<C:\Program Files\Java>"
● mminfo -q "name=C:\Program Files\Java" -r
"volume,client,name,ssid,nfiles,savetime(24),sumsize"

Monthly and Daily Summary reports

NMC provides Monthly and Daily Summary reports that provide information backup and clone data on a NetWorker server.

Report parameters
The Parameters section allows you to define the selection criteria to generate a customized report:
● NetWorker server—By default, the report generates information about all the NetWorker servers that are managed by
the NMC server. The Server Name Selected field provides a list of NetWorker server on which to report information. The
Server Name Available field provides a list of NetWorker servers for which you do not want to report information about.
Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and Remove All buttons to modify the list of NetWorker servers on which to report.
● Policy— By default, the report generates information about all policies that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Policy Name Selected field provides a list of policies on which to report information. The Policy Name Available field
provides a list of policies for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Policy resources on which to report.
● Group—By default, the report generates information about all groups that are configured on each NetWorker server. The
Group Name Selected field provides a list of groups on which to report information. The Group Name Available field
provides a list of groups for which you do not want to report information about. Use the Add, Add All, Remove, and
Remove All buttons to modify the list of Group resources on which to report.
● Workflow start and end times— By default the report generates information about all workflows that started within one
day of the current time. Use the From and To arrows to select a new date range.

Monthly and Daily Summary

The Monthly Summary report provides monthly summary information about groups in the months that are within the range
that is specified in the Workflow Start and Workflow End Time attributes. The Daily Summary report provides daily summary
information about groups in the days that are within the range that is specified in the Workflow Start and Workflow End Time
attributes. The Summary reports provide the following information:
● Month—Monthly Summary only. The month in which the report data was created.
● Date—Daily Summary only. The day in which the report data was created.
● File count—Total number of files.
● Save Sets Count—Total number of save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Amount of data—Total size of backup data that is stored on media.
● Target size— Size of the save set on the target backup or clone device. When the target device is a Data Domain device,
the value represents the size of the data after deduplication. When the target device is an AFTD device, the value is the
same size as the original save set size.
● Deduplication ratio— Deduplication ratio for the data.
● Clone count—Total number of clone save sets that are stored in the media database.
● Clone size—Total size of cloned data that is stored on media.

NetWorker recovery reports

The recovery reports, available from the Reports task pane in the NMC GUI, allow you to view the history of recovery
operations that have been performed by a NetWorker Server. Also, the NMC Server checks for new recovery operations and
stores the recover statistics in the NMC database every 12 hours, and each time a scheduled backup completes.
You can review reports in both chart and table modes. Table mode set is the default mode. You can generate four different
types of recover reports:

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 457

● Server Summary
● Client Summary
● Recover Details
● Recover Summary Over Time
The NMC Server gathers recover job history every 12 hours and on completion of every scheduled backup action. Recovery
reports will not display information about recovery history within 12 hours of when you run the report.

Types of NetWorker recovery reports and configuration

The NetWorker recovery report category includes basic and drill-down reports. The different types of reports that are included
within the NetWorker Recover Statistics report category provide recover statistics for each selected NetWorker Server within
the enterprise.
The Configuration tab allows you to limit the scope of the report that was selected.
The parameters available within the NetWorker Recovery report category are described in this table. The specific parameters
available depend on which NetWorker Recovery Statistics report is selected.

Table 107. NetWorker recovery statistics parameters

Parameter Description Options
NetWorker Server Managed hosts within the enterprise. Selected server names.
Source Client Name One or more clients whose data is being Selected client names.
recovered.
Target Client The client where the data is being Selected target client names.
recovered to.
Initiating Client The client that started the recover. n/a
User Name of the user who started the Selected user names.
recover.
Size The size of the recover. n/a
Number of files For file system recoveries, the number of n/a
files in the recover.
Start time/End time Limits the report to a specified time Start time of recover/end time of
range. recover.

The date/time format available depends

on the
language locale of the operating system.

Completion Status Final status of the recover. ● Successful

● Failed

The parameters available for each report type in the NetWorker Recovery Statistics report category are listed in the user
interface.

Recovery Statistics basic reports

Within the NetWorker Recovery Statistics report category, choose any of the basic reports that are listed in the user interface.
Once a report is chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes with lists of the selected parameters for that report. To exclude
unwanted parameters from the report, delete them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page 467 provides
information on selecting and removing parameters.

Recovery This drill-down report consists of multiple NetWorker Recovery Statistics basic reports, which are
Statistics drill- connected in a predetermined sequence. Drill-down reports on page 448 provides general information
down report about drill-down reports.
The configuration parameters for a drill-down report are the same as the parameters for the top-level
report in the report sequence. Thus, if the top layer of the drill-down report is a Server Summary report,
the configuration parameters are the same as they would be for the basic report, Server Summary.

458 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 When a report is chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes that list the selected parameters for the
top-level report.
To exclude unwanted parameters from the report, delete them from the list. Customizing and displaying
report output on page 467 provides information on selecting and removing parameters.
Recover Recover Summary Over Time is a drill-down report sequence that allows you to explore the history of
Summary Over recover jobs that were performed by NetWorker Servers over a period.
Time

To generate the Recover Summary Over Time report, you must first specify the same parameters as those in the Server
Summary report, which is the first report that is displayed in the sequence.
To drill-down to the client level, perform one of the following, depending on the viewing mode:
● When in table mode, double-click any individual row referencing the desired NetWorker Server.
● When in chart mode, click anywhere in the chart area of the desired NetWorker Server.
The Client Summary report for the selected NetWorker Server appears. Return to the Server Summary report to select another
server to explore.
To drill-down to the Recover Details level, perform one of the following, depending on the viewing mode:
● When in table mode, double-click any individual row referencing the desired NetWorker Client.
● When in chart mode, click anywhere in the chart area of the desired NetWorker Client.
The Recover Details report for the selected NetWorker Client appears. Return to the Client Summary report to select another
client to explore.

Recovery data retention policy and configuration

The retention policy for the recover statistics that are used to generate these reports can be set with the other retention
policies currently defined from the Data Retention page in the Reports task pane. The default retention policy for these
statistics is one year.

Device reports
Device reports provide information about the way devices are being used. They show scheduled and manual backup activity on
one or more selected devices over time. You can identify periods of heavy activity or inactivity. Device reports aid NetWorker
administrators in performance tuning, and they help identify bottlenecks. For example, if all drives are being used continuously
for a long period, at maximum throughput, backup speeds may improve by adding tape drives or moving clients to another
backup server.

Types of Device reports and configuration

The Devices report category includes only one report, the Drive Utilization report. This report, which is a drill-down report,
supports NetWorker servers running NetWorker software release 7.3 or later. These versions are now unsupported. The report
includes backup activity data for all device types, including advanced file type devices and digital data storage devices.
When viewing a Drive Utilization report as a chart, it is automatically displayed as a Gantt chart, where the backup activity level
of one or more devices is depicted in relation to time. Unlike with other reports, you cannot choose an alternate chart type.
Placing the cursor over the chart in Save Set view displays a tool tip that provides this information:
● Save set name
● Start time
● End time
● Client name
● Throughput value
Placing the cursor over the chart in Drive View displays a tool tip that provides this information:
● Drive
● Start time
● End time
● Throughput value

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 459

 NOTE: One of the activities in the Drive Utilization report is throughput. Since the Drive Utilization Report provides data
for backup activities only, throughput values will normally be non-zero. However, zero (0) is considered a valid throughput
value.

Event reports
These reports provide summary information about current events on NetWorker and Console servers within the Enterprise.
Additional details about a particular event can be displayed, including annotation contents. While the Events window within the
NetWorker Console displays the current events of the NetWorker servers, the Event reports provide additional features. The
reports enable you to organize, export, and print the event data.
Event reports can include this information:
● Number of events
● Priority of events
● Category of events
● Server name
● Server type
● Event time
● Notes and annotations
NOTE: When an event has been resolved, it does not remain in the records.

Types of event reports and configuration

The Events report category includes both basic and drill-down reports. The report’s Configure tab allows you to limit the scope
of the report.
The Event parameters are described in this table. The specific parameters available depend on which Event report is being
configured.

NOTE: Data retention policies do not have any impact on Event reports.

Table 108. Event parameters

Configuration parameter Description Options
Server Name Selects one or more managed hosts. Selected server names.
Server Type Selects some or all server types in the Console
enterprise.
NetWorker
Only the names of servers that have
current events
are shown.

Priority Selects only priority events. Warning

Priority represents the relative severity Waiting

of the event.
Notice

Info

Emergency

Critical

Alert

Category Selects only category events, or all Database Backup

categories.
Registration
Category refers to the source of the
event. Savegroup

Event Time Selects a time range. Event time (range)

460 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Table 108. Event parameters (continued)
Configuration parameter Description Options

This parameter applies only to the

Annotation
Details report.

Event basic reports

Within the Events report category, select any of the basic reports that are listed in the user interface. When a report has been
chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes listing the selected parameters for that report.
To exclude unwanted parameters from the report, remove them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page
467 provides information about selecting and removing parameters.

Event drill-down reports

The drill-down reports consist of multiple Event basic reports, which are connected in a predetermined sequence. Drill-down
reports on page 448 provides general information about drill-down reports.
The configuration parameters for a drill-down report are the same as the parameters for the top-level report in the report
sequence. Thus, if the top layer of the drill-down report is a Server Summary report, the configuration parameters are the same
as they would be for the basic report, Server Summary. When a report has been chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes
listing the selected parameters for the top-level report. To exclude unwanted parameters from the report, remove them from
the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page 467 provides information on selecting and removing parameters.

Host reports
The Hosts report category includes only basic reports. There are two basic reports, as described in this table.

Table 109. Host reports

Report name Purpose Configuration parameters Default
Host List Provides an overview of None All servers
servers in the enterprise,
including:
● Whether the Capture
Events feature is enabled
for the server.
● Whether the Gather
Report Data feature is
enabled for the server.
● Where the server is
located in the enterprise
path.
Enterprise Inventory Allows movement through the Enterprise Path Start from Enterprise folder
Enterprise. Limit the report’s
scope by first viewing one of
the lower-level folders within
the Enterprise:
● Start from Enterprise
folder.
● Start from selected folder.

Enterprise on page 531 provides a description of the Enterprise and its folders.

User reports
The Users report category provides information on NetWorker Console user activity. NMC Server Management provides
information about NetWorker Console users and creating user accounts.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 461

The Users report category includes only basic reports, no drill-down reports. The Full Name and Description information appears
in the User reports only if this information was specified when the user was created.

Preconfigured legacy reports

The Legacy Reports folder provides you with the ability to generate reports about data that was created with a NetWorker 8.2.x
and earlier server.

NetWorker backup statistics reports

The different types of reports that are included within the NetWorker Backup Statistics report category provide backup
statistics for each selected NetWorker server within the enterprise.
NetWorker Backup Statistics reports may include this information:
● Amount of data that is backed up.
● Number of files that are backed up.
● Number of save sets that are backed up.

Types of NetWorker backup statistics reports and configuration

The NetWorker Backup Statistics report category includes basic and drill-down reports.
The Configure tab allows you to limit the scope of the report that was selected.
The parameters available within the NetWorker Backup Statistics report category are described in this table. The specific
parameters available depend on which NetWorker Backup Statistics report is selected.

Table 110. NetWorker backup statistics parameters

Parameter Description Options
Server Name Selects managed hosts within the Selected server names
enterprise.
Group Name Selects one or more groups. Selected group names
Client Name Selects one or more clients. Selected client names
Save Set Name Selects one or more save sets. Selected save set names
Backup Type Selects one or more file types. List of supported file types
Level Select one or more backup levels. List of backup levels such as, Full,
Incremental, Skip, synthetic full, or Level
1–9
Save Time Limits the report to a specified time Save time (range)
range. The default range is one day for
save set details reports.

The date/time format available depends

on
the language locale of the operating
system.

The parameters available for each report type in the NetWorker Backup Statistics report category are listed in the user
interface.

Save set data retention policy and configuration

Settings for the save set retention policy impact the data that is available to the NetWorker Backup Statistics reports. If a save
set retention policy of six months is specified, NetWorker software cannot query the database for a time range that extends
back more than six months. The report cannot display data that has expired because that data has been removed from the
database. Thus, even if a save time parameter of one year is specified, the report can display only six months of data if the limit
of the save set retention policy is six months.

462 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Backup statistics basic reports
Within the NetWorker Backup Statistics report category, choose any of the basic reports that are listed in the user interface.
Once a report is chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes with lists of the selected parameters for that report. To exclude
unwanted parameters from the report, delete them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page 467 provides
information on selecting and removing parameters.

NOTE: These basic reports do not distinguish between regular and deduplication clients.

Backup statistics drill-down reports

Drill-down reports consist of multiple NetWorker Backup Statistics basic reports, which are connected in a predetermined
sequence. Drill-down reports on page 448 provides general information about drill-down reports.
The configuration parameters for a drill-down report are the same as the parameters for the top-level report in the report
sequence. Thus, if the top layer of the drill-down report is a Monthly Summary report, the configuration parameters are the
same as they would be for the basic report, Monthly Summary.
When a report is chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes that list the selected parameters for the top-level report. To
exclude unwanted parameters from the report, delete them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page
467 provides information on selecting and removing parameters.

NetWorker backup status reports

The NetWorker Backup Status reports consolidate information about the success of scheduled group backups. As with the
NetWorker Backup Statistics reports, these reports can provide either an enterprise-wide, or a more focused summary of
activity over a specified time range.
The NetWorker Backup Status reports provide the same basic function as selecting Show Details for a group in the Monitoring
window of the Administration window. The NetWorker Backup Status reports, however, allow you to select the scope and
level of detail.
The report calculates the amount of time that is taken by each backup group individually. Consequently, if several groups run
in parallel, their total combined backup time is greater than the time elapsed between the start of the first group and the
completion of the last group. For example:
● Group A starts at 13:00, and completes at 15:00.
● Group B starts at 13:30, and completes at 15:30.
Although the groups both completed within a 2.5-hour period, the total group runtime is counted as 4 hours.
NetWorker Backup Status reports can include this information:
● Total group runs
● Totals of successful, failed, and interrupted group runs
● Success ratio
● Backup duration
● Backup level
● Backup type
● Save type

Backup type and save type information

Backup type is one of the configuration parameters for both NetWorker Backup Statistics and NetWorker Backup Status
reports, and it is one of the fields of information that is included in these reports. The backup type indicates whether the files
backed up were regular files, bootstrap files, indexes, or a particular database file.
Specialized NetWorker modules (such as NetWorker Module for SAP) are used to back up the various databases. Most of these
modules apply a distinct prefix when backing up a save set. This prefix enables NetWorker software to identify the backup type
and include it in the reports.
A couple of the Backup Status reports (Save Set Details and Save Set Details by Client) include an additional field of information
that is called save type. The save type can be any one of the following:
● Bootstrap
● Index
● Save
● Save (backup command)

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 463

Types of NetWorker backup status reports and configuration
The NetWorker Backup Status Report category includes both basic and drill-down reports. The report’s Configure tab allows
you to limit the scope of the report selected. The choice of available parameters depends on which report is to be generated.
The parameter options available within the NetWorker Backup Status Report category are described in this table.

Table 111. NetWorker backup status parameters

Parameter Description Options
Server Name Selects one or more NetWorker servers. Selected server names.
Group Name Selects one or more savegroups. Selected group names.
Group Start Time Limits the report to a specified time Start and end dates.
range. The default range is one day for
save set details reports.
Client Name Selects one or more clients. Selected client names.
Save Set Name Selects one or more save sets. Selected save set names.
Backup Type Selects one or more file types. List of supported file types.
Level Selects one or more backup levels. ● Full
● Incremental
● Skip
● Level 1–9
(Partial list of options)

Status Selects status. ● Successful

● Failed
● Interrupted

The parameters available for each report type are listed in the user interface.

Completion data retention and NetWorker backup status

The settings for the completion data policy impact the data that is available to the NetWorker Backup Status reports. The
report cannot display data that has expired, because it has been removed from the database.
Thus, even if a one-year time range is specified for the Group Start Time parameter, the report displays only six months if the
limit of the completion data policy is six months.

Backup status basic reports

Within the NetWorker Backup Status report category, choose any of the basic reports that are listed in the user interface.
When a report has been chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes listing the selected parameters for that report. To
exclude unwanted parameters from the report, remove them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page
467 provides information on selecting and removing parameters.

Backup status drill-down reports

The drill-down reports are composed of multiple NetWorker Backup Status basic reports, which are connected in a
predetermined sequence. Drill-down reports on page 448 provides general information about drill-down reports. When a report
has been chosen, the Configuration tab displays boxes with lists of the selected parameters for the top-level report. Thus, if the
top layer of the drill-down report is a Daily Summary report, the configuration parameters are the same as they would be for the
basic report, Daily Summary.
To exclude unwanted parameters from the report, remove them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page
467 provides information on selecting and removing parameters.

464 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Inactive files
A NetWorker administrator can manage inactive files on a client or group and set the NetWorker software to automatically
generate a list of inactive files in an environment. Inactive files are files that have not been accessed or modified other than
being backed up regularly. The period of time a file has been inactive is called the Inactivity Threshold.
The inactivity files report is not supported on releases earlier than release 7.4 of the NetWorker servers. These versions are now
unsupported.
Client support for this feature will be enabled only on Windows platforms.
The Inactive files report is a drill-down report that lists the inactive files from the latest scheduled backup. The report operates
at both the client and group level.
The inactive files report can do the following:
● Generate a report on the percentage of inactive files backed up as part of a group.
● Set the threshold time periods per group so that the percentage of inactive files in that group does not exceed the threshold
time period.
● Set alerts so that the NetWorker software sends an alert when the threshold set for a group is exceeded.
● Provide a report that details the percentage of inactive files backed up as part of a group.
● Report the percentage of inactive files per client.
The range limit specification given to configure File Inactivity Threshold and File Inactivity alert threshold attributes can be
configured within the following ranges:
● File Inactivity Threshold attribute can be set between 0-365 days.
● File Inactivity Alert Threshold attribute can be set between 0-99.

Group File Details

The Group file Details report provides statistical information about inactive files that are included in a scheduled backup. Data
will be provided for every requested NetWorker group at the time of the last backup. Chart mode is the default mode for the
report. The data can also be viewed in tabular mode for more detailed information.
When generating the Group Details report, you can specify the following parameters:
● One or more NetWorker servers. Only servers that have the Gather Reporting Data attribute turned on will appear in the
selection list.
● One or more NetWorker groups for the selected NetWorker servers.

Client File Details

The Client File Details report provides information about inactive files backed up for selected NetWorker clients. Data will be
provided for every requested NetWorker client at the time of the last backup. Chart mode is the default mode for the report.
The data can also be viewed in tabular mode for more detailed information.
When generating the Client File Details report, you can specify the following parameters:
● One or more NetWorker servers. Only servers that have the Gather Reporting Data attribute turned on will appear in the
selection list.
● One or more NetWorker groups for the selected NetWorker servers.
● One or more NetWorker clients for the selected NetWorker servers.

Data Domain statistics reports

The Data Domain reports, available from the Reports task pane in the Console window, provide Data Domain deduplication
backup statistics for each selected NetWorker client.
The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more Information.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 465

NetWorker clone reports
The Clone reports, available from the Reports task pane in the Console window, allow you to view the history of automatic and
scheduled clone operations that have been performed by NetWorker servers for any server version 7.6 Service Pack 2 and later.
These versions are unsupported.
Four different types of clone reports can be generated:
● Server Summary
● Clone Details
● Save Set Details
● Clone Summary Over Time
Be aware that clone reports may not be up-to-date because clone records are gathered by the console server every 12 hours.

Types of NetWorker clone reports and configuration

The NetWorker clone report category includes basic and drill-down reports for each selected NetWorker server within the
enterprise. The Configuration tab allows you to limit the scope of the report that was selected.
The parameters available for clone reports are described in this table. The specific parameters available depend on which clone
report is selected.

Table 112. Clone report parameters

Parameter Description Options
NetWorker Server Select one or more NetWorker servers. Selected server names.
Client Name Name of the NetWorker client whose Selected client names.
save sets were cloned.
Clone Name Name of the scheduled clone resource Selected clone resource.
that is used for cloning.
Save Set Cloned save set name. Selected save set names.
Level Backup level of the clone. ● Full
● Incremental
● Skip
● Level 1–9 (Partial list of options)
Status Completion status of the clone. ● Successful
● Failed
● No save sets found
Type Type of clone operation. ● Scheduled
● Manual
Start/End Time Limits the report to a specified time Start time of clone
range. The default range is one day for / End time of clone.
save set details reports.

The date/time format available depends

on the
language locale of the operating system.

Clone basic reports

Within the Clone report category, choose any of the basic reports that are listed in the user interface. Once a report is chosen,
the Configuration tab displays boxes with lists of the selected parameters for that report. To exclude unwanted parameters
from the report, remove them from the list. Customizing and displaying report output on page 467 provides information on
selecting and removing parameters.

Clone drill-down reports

The Clone Summary over Time drill-down report consists of the basic clone reports, which are connected in a predetermined
sequence. Drill-down reports on page 448 provides general information about drill-down reports.

466 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

The configuration parameters for the drill-down report are the same as the parameters for the Server Summary basic clone
report.
To generate the Clone Summary Over Time report, first specify the same parameters as those in the Server Summary clone
report, which is the first report displayed in the sequence.
To drill-down to the clone detail level, perform one of the following, depending on your viewing mode:
● When in Table mode, double-click any individual row referencing the desired NetWorker server.
● When in Chart mode, click anywhere in the chart area of the desired NetWorker server.
The Clone Details report for the selected NetWorker server appears. Return to the Server Summary report to select another
server to explore.
To drill-down to the Save Set Details level, perform one of the following, depending on the viewing mode:
● When in Table mode, double-click any individual row referencing the desired clone resource name.
● When in Chart mode, click anywhere in the chart area of the desired clone resource name.
The Save Set Details report for the selected clone resource appears. Return to the Clone Details report to select another client
to explore.

Data Protection Policy reports

The Data Protection policy reports, available from the Reports task pane in the Console window, provides details and
summaries for Data Protection Policies.
The NetWorker VMware Integration Guide provides more information.

Customizing and displaying report output

NMC provides you with configuration parameters for each type of report. Configuration parameters act as filters to limit criteria
that are used to generate the information that is provided in a report. By default, each report sets these parameters to include
all the information available in the report, the report does not filter any data.
When you accept the default configuration of the parameters results, NMC generates a report that includes statistics for all
backup and clone actions that are initiated in a data protection policy resource within the last day, for all the servers in the
enterprise. The statistics reported for each server would include all backup types and levels, and the time range would include all
data available. Use the configuration parameters to define the data that is displayed by a report.
NOTE: An administrative user can restrict the user that have access to certain servers in the enterprise, which can limit the
scope of the reports that the user can create and view.
1. From the NMC GUI, click Reports.
2. Expand a report category folder, and then select an available report type.
The report open on the Configuration tab. The possible parameters for that report appear by default in the Selected
boxes.
3. Define the report criteria:

● To limit the scope of the report, click any of the parameters in the Selected box, then click Remove ( ).
● To remove all the parameters from the Selected box, click Remove All (

).
Removed parameters appear in the Available boxes.

● To return a single parameter to the Selected box, select it from the Available box, and then click Add ( ).

● To return all available parameters to the Selected box, click Add All ( ).
4. To display the report, select the View Report tab.
NOTE: If you receive the error com.sybase.jdbc3.jdbs.SybDriver when you generate a report, close the NMC
GUI, clear the Java Cache on the NMC client, and then generate the report again. The NetWorker Installation Guide
describes how to clear the Java Cache.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 467

5. Most reports display initially in interactive mode and table format, to modify the report, right-click the View Report tab and
select one of the following options:

Option Description
Table Display the data in Table view.
Chart Display the data in Chart view
Document Display the report in Document mode.
Interactive Display the report in Interactive mode.
Portrait Display the data in Portrait format.
Landscape Display the data in Landscape format.
6. To print the report, right-click the View Report tab, and select Print.
7. To export the report, right-click the View Report tab, and select Export. In the Save dialog box, specify the file name and
file location, and then click Save.
You can export the report to one of the following formats:

Option Description
Postscript For printing. Shows data totals.
PDF For printing or viewing with a PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat. Shows data totals.
HTML For viewing in a browser. Shows data totals.
CSV For importing raw data into other programs, such as spreadsheets, that accept the comma separated values
(CSV) format. Does not show data totals.

Start date and time formats

NMC includes Workflow Start Time and Workflow End Time parameters for Policy reports, and Start Time and End Time
parameters for other reports, including legacy reports.
If a report includes a start date-and-time-range parameter, configure the time range in the following way:
● Specify the end date and time in the To box.
● Specify the start date and time in the From box.
● Use the arrow beside the time input field to display a calendar and clock selector, which includes adjustment arrows that
enable you to set values.
All Policy reports and the Manual Save reports default to a one day time range, where one day represents a 24 hour period
before the time on the NMC client host. The Legacy reports do not have a default time range and by default, the report displays
the available data in the NMC database at time you generate the report.
Before modifying the time range, consider the following information:
● In US English locales, the default “From” hour is 12:00:00 (midnight/morning) on the “From” date, and the default “To” hour
is 11:59:59 (night) on the “To” date. The US English locale is the only one that includes a box for an a.m. or p.m. value.
● In non-US English locales, the default “From” hour is 00:00:00 (midnight/morning) on the “From” date, and the default “To”
hour is 23:59:59 (night) on the “To” date.
NOTE: The Regional and Language Settings on the system determines whether the times appear in 12-hour or 24-hour
formats.

468 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Input formats
Date and time input formats in the NetWorker software vary. Some acceptable input formats for a collection of common locales
are shown in this table.

Table 113. Date and time input formats for common locales
Language Date formats Time formats
US English ● EEEE, MMMM D, YYYY (Monday, March 8, ● h:mm:ss a z (11:27:30 P.M. PST)
2009) ● h:mm:ss a (11:27:30 P.M.)
● MMMM D, YYYY (March 8, 2009) ● h:mm a (11:27 A.M.)
● MMM D, YYYY (Mar 8, 2009)
● M/D/YY (3/8/07)
UK English ● DD MMMM YYYY 08 March 2009) ● HH:mm:ss z (23:27:30 PST)
● DD-MMM-YYYY (08-Mar-2009) ● HH:mm:ss (23:27:30)
● DD/MM/YY (08/03/07) ● HH:mm (23:27)
French ● EEEE D MMMM YYYY (lundi 8 mars 2009) ● HH:mm:ss z (23:27:30 PST)
● D MMMM YYYY (8 mars 2009) ● HH:mm:ss (23:27:30)
● D MMM YYYY (8 mar. 2009) ● HH:mm (23:27)
● DD/MM/YY (08/03/07)
German ● EEEE, D. MMMM YYYY (Montag, 8. März ● HH:mm:ss z (23:27:30 PST)
2009) ● HH:mm:ss (23:27:30)
● D. MMMM YYYY (8. März 2009) ● HH:mm (23:27)
● DD.MM.YYYY (08.03.2009DD)
● MM.YY (08.03.07)
Japanese ● YYYY/MM/DD (2009/03/08) ● HH:mm:ss z (23:27:30 JST)
● YY/MM/DD (07/03/08) ● HH:mm:ss (23:27:30)
● HH:mm (23:27)
Simplified Chinese ● YYYY-M-D (2009-3-8) ● HH:mm:ss (23:27:30)
● YY-M-D (07-03-8)

Note that in the previous table:

● Formats shown as single digits (M, D, h) may also be entered as double digits. For example, M could be either 7 or 07 for the
seventh month.
● In the time-formats column:
○ The a character denotes a 12-hour format.
○ The absence of an a character denotes a 24-hour format.
○ The z character indicates time zone. If the z is present, then the output time will contain a time zone.
Relative times can also be entered in the From and To fields. A valid relative time consists of an number followed by a unit of
time, for example, 2 months. Time units can include Hour, Day, Week, Month, and Year.
Remember that these reports are run by using dates that have already occurred. Consequently, even the To date is always a
past date. The relative time 4 months would provide report data covering the past 4 months. A report specifying from 9 months
to 1 month includes data from nine months ago up to one month ago.
NOTE: For Drive Utilization reports, the time range cannot exceed 8 days. That is, the date entered in the To field cannot
exceed 8 days from the date entered in the From field. If typing a relative time in the To field, the value cannot exceed 8
days.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 469

Background processing of reports
When you select the View Report tab, the NMC GUI queries the NMC server. This process happens in the background and may
take a while. You can access other areas of the interface while the report data is being processed, the requested report appears
when you return to the View tab.
NOTE: Do not request multiple reports simultaneously. Reports run sequentially in the background, and you can browse
around in the user interface while a report is running. If you start a new report before an earlier report completes, NMC
stops and deletes the earlier report. A report is either complete or deleted. The results are never partial.

Customizing and saving reports

A customized report is a changed copy of a canned report. Canned reports can be changed and then saved under different
names. You can preserve the report configuration parameters that are most useful for the enterprise. For NetWorker reporting
purposes, the terms customized report and saved report are synonymous.
A customized report can be rerun the same way at a later time, and even by another user. This saves time if the same report
information must be generated repeatedly.
Customized reports offer these additional options, available from the right-click menu of a customized report:
● Delete—To delete the report.
● Rename—To rename the report.
● Save—To save the report.
● Save As...—To resave the report by using a different name.
● Share—To add sharing to the report or to remove sharing from the report.
NOTE: Only the original owner of a customized report or the Console Application Administrator can select these additional
options. If the Console Application Administrator removes sharing, the report becomes private again to the original owner,
the report’s creator.
Since it is a copy, a customized report can be changed again and resaved, or even deleted. Reports can be saved either to
preserve particular configurations (such as which servers are polled) or to save the view type (such as pie or bar chart).
Customized reports appear alphabetically in the report hierarchy below the canned report from which they were created. They
are stored in the NMC database, which means that users can access them from any host that they use to log in to the NMC
GUI and can use the report from a command prompt. Command line reporting on page 471 provides more information about
running reports from the command line.
A customized report stores the following configuration information:
● All options from the report’s Configure tab.
● Column display preferences for tables.
● Orientation (portrait or landscape).
● Current view type (table or chart). For charts, NMC also saves the current chart type (bar, pie, plot, or stacked bar) and
the chart axis selection. Interactive and document mode chart types on page 446 provides more information about chart axis
selection.

Naming reports
When naming a report to save, keep in mind that the set of usable characters is limited in the same way as for hostnames and
usernames. Report names may not contain:
● Characters having an ASCII representation number less than ASCII 32 (such as carriage return, bell, newline, escape)
● Comma (,)
● Slash (/) or backslash (\)
● Double quote (“) or single quote (’)
NOTE: Report names are not case-sensitive. Also, canned reports cannot be deleted or customized, and then saved under
the same name as a report that already exists under the same parent folder or directory.

470 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Saved file ownership and deleted users
When a user saves a report by using the Save As command, that user becomes the owner of the new report. When a Console
Application Administrator deletes from the system a user who owns reports, then the Console Application Administrator sees a
dialog box that shows all of the reports owned by that user, and can choose either to delete the reports or reset the owner to a
different user.

Sharing a report
By default, when you save a customized report, the report is private and appears only in the report hierarchy. The report
owner or an NMC user with the Console Application Administrator role can share the report with other NMC users. Perform the
following steps to share a customized report.
Any user viewing a sharable report may perform these operations on the report:
● Change any runtime parameter of the report (such as configuration or view type).
● Run the report, but not save changes to the report.
● Copy the report by using the Save As command. The user becomes the owner of the new report, and by default, the report
is not shared.
● Choose the Hide Other Users’ Reports option to toggle the view of reports between only those reports owned by the user
(both private and shared), and all shared custom reports.
Perform the following steps to share a report.
1. From the NMC GUI window, click Reports.
2. Expand the report folder that contains the customized report that you want to share.
3. Right-click the customized report, then select Share.

The report is now shared, and is represented in the report hierarchy by a shared-report icon or .
Once you enable a report for sharing, all users can see the report in the report folder hierarchy.

NOTE: The Share option is a toggle. To disable sharing, right-click the shared report and select Share.

Command line reporting

Command line reporting offers the following features:
● Allows reports to be run offline, either as needed or by using scheduling software that makes reports available at
predetermined times.
● Uses both canned and customized reports, which can be exported in various formats.
● Provides a more advanced feature that requires a fair amount of knowledge about running and scripting from the command
prompt of the Console server. This feature should be reserved for advanced users.
NOTE: Command line reports may only be printed or run to generate exported output. They cannot be saved or shared.
Drill-down reports cannot be run from the command line.

The command line reporting program

The command line reporting program is gstclreport. It uses the JRE to run. Command line reports must be run on the NMC
Console server host.
The options are typical command line options in the form of a hyphen (-) followed by one or two letters and an argument,
if applicable. The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the
gstclreport command.

System performance
Each time the gstclreport command is run, it starts a separate JVM, which can use many system resources. The
gstclreport command runs a database query and generates report output by using the results. Since this uses both CPU and
memory resources on the host computer, it could affect performance of NetWorker software and of the host. Consequently,

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 471

depending on the system used, it is probably not wise to run more than a few instances of the gstclreport command at the
same time.

Security
The gstclreport command must contact the Console server in order to run a report. The command requires a valid username
and password. A user either uses the -P option to type the password, or the command checks standard input to see whether
the password is there. If a password is not supplied, the program prompts for a password.
On UNIX systems, use of the -P option is a security concern, because a user may type the ps command and see the commands
that were used to start any program that is running.
To solve this problem, use scheduling software that can conceal password input. Alternatively, ensure that the scheduling
system sends the password as standard input. For example:

echo password | gstclreport

A cron command can be used to schedule the report, or the command could be placed in a secure script file that is invoked by
the cron command.

Java runtime environment

Support of command line reporting requires JRE version 1.6 or later to run the gstclreport command. The JRE must be
installed before installing NetWorker software.
You must also add an environment variable that is named JAVA_HOME to the NetWorker server host. Open either the
gstclreport.bat or gstclreport.sh file and follow the instructions at the top of the file to set up the correct
environment for command line reporting.

Save set History Database

When you manually perform any operations that lead to change in the save set retention time or a save set deletion, then the
NetWorker records that event in a data audit log (logd server) and a save set history database (nsrmmdbd).
Each entry contains the save set id, clone id, timestamp, details of username, attribute that is being changed, the old value,
the new value of the attribute, and the validity period of the entry. The old value and new value will be in the printable
representation of the relevant attributes.
The data audit log provides information about the changes that can be used for auditing. The save set history database is a data
source for generating customized reports of those changes and this data can be used by programs such as DPA .
For security audit and data audit, when you are changing nsrlogd server with a linux host, ensure that you update the existing
windows path with /nsr/logs. Similarly, when you are changing nsrlogd server with a windows host, ensure that you update
the existing linux path with C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs.
NOTE: For the retention change operation, the record is retained until the validity is expired. After the validity expiry, only
that last change is retained until the save set is deleted. For a delete operation, the record will be purged after the validity
period. The current validity period is 7 days from record creation.
You can get the report by running the command: mminfo -h -t (start time) -T (end time)
For example, you can get the records of save set changes that are done in one week by running the command: mminfo -h -t
"1 week ago"

Reporting policy status and backup job status

When you perform a backup, clone or archive actions, NetWorker records the status of the action and job activities. There are
three ways to report job activities:
● In the Monitoring window for the NetWorker server in NMC. Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration
window on page 48 describes how to view the action completion status in the Monitoring window.
● Through predefined notifications, that you can define at the policy, workgroup, or action level. Policy completion and failure
notifications on page 473 provides more information.

472 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

● By querying the job status. Querying the job status on page 474 provides more information.

Policy completion and failure notifications

You can configure NetWorker to generate a notification for each action that fails in a policy, or an email that summarizes the
status of a policy in which all actions succeed. By default, a UNIX NetWorker server sends an email that provides information
about the status of completed actions to the root account of the NetWorker server. A Windows NetWorker server writes
information to the policy_notifications.log file located in the NetWorker_install_dir\nsr\logs directory.
Policy Notifications on page 197 describes how to configure Policy notifications.

Format of the Policy Completion and Policy Failure notifications

Policy notifications are divided into two sections that describe the job activities for a Policy.
This information also appear in the policy_notifications.log file.
● Summary notification report—Provides a summary of the status of the workflow and actions that are associated with a
Policy resource.
For example:
---Summary notification report---
Policy name:Server Protection
Workflow name:Server backup, Workflow status:failed, Workflow start time:Thu Nov 20
21:00:01 GMT-0500 2014, Duration:
Action name:Server db backup, Action status:failed, Action start time:Thu Nov 20 21:00:01
GMT-0500 2014, Duration:0 hours 0 minutes 14 seconds
● Action report—Provides summary and status information about each action that is associated with the Policy resource.
For example:
--- Traditional Backup Action report ---
Policy name:Server Protection
Workflow name:NMC server backup
Action name:NMC server backup
Action status:failed
Action start time:Thu Nov 20 21:00:02 GMT-0500 2014
Action duration:0 hours 4 minutes 13 seconds
Total 1 client(s), 0 Succeeded with warning(s), 0 Succeeded, 1 Failed.
---Successful backups---
none
---Failed backups---
bu-iddnwserver2.iddlab.local:C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\nmcdb_stage,
level=full, size 0.000 MB , Duration 0 hours 1 minutes 3 seconds, (null) files

Customizing the save sets status in the policy notifications

NetWorker reports the status of a save session that completes with warning based on the value defined in Success threshold
attribute for an action.
Events that might trigger a warning when they occur during a backup include the following conditions:
● The file size increases or decreases
● The mtime of the file changes
To define the success threshold for a save session, select one the following values in the Specify the Backup Options screen
of the Policy Action Wizard:
● Warning—Save sets that complete with warnings are reported as success with warnings.
● Success—Save sets that complete with warnings are reported as failed. This is the default value. The number of times
NetWorker retries a failed save set is determined by the value defined in the Retries attribute, which you specify in the
Specify the Advanced Options screen of the Policy Action Wizard.
The Success threshold attribute also applies to the save sets displayed in the Monitoring window.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 473

Querying the job status
When a workflow or action resource runs within a Policy resource, NetWorker stores job information in policy log files and the
jobs database (jobsdb) on the NetWorker server host.
The NetWorker software provides two command line programs to query job information in the jobsdb:
● jobquery —To locate and retrieve detailed information on a job, including the child jobs of an action.
● nsrpolicy monitor—To retrieve summary information about a job.
The man pages or the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides more information on the jobquery and nsrpolicy
monitor commands.

Workflow and action job records

NetWorker represents each Workflow and Action resource with a job record in the jobsdb. Some actions create child jobs to
perform the tasks that are associated with the action. NetWorker creates a unique job record for each child job and stores
session information about each child job. NetWorker associates each piece of information about a job with an attribute. Each job
record is composed of a group of attributes, including the job id attribute. The job id attribute is a numeric value that uniquely
identifies the job record. NetWorker groups attributes together by type. A type contains unique attributes and attributes that
are common to all job types.

Job record types

To display information about a job record, build queries that are based on the job type. The jobsdb contains the following
policy-related job record types:
● Backup action job —Job that is created for a traditional or snapshot backup action. A traditional backup action job starts
child jobs, for example, the save job and the savefs job to perform action tasks that NetWorker requires to complete an
action.
● Bootstrap save job — Job that is created for the server database backup action. The bootstrap save job starts child jobs, for
example, an index save.
● Check connectivity job action- Job that is created for the check connectivity action.
● Clone job — Job that is created for a clone action. A clone action job starts child jobs to perform action tasks that complete
an action.
● Discover job action —Job that is created for a NAS discover action.
● Generate index action job —Job that is created for a generate index action.
● Probe action job —Job that is created for a probe action.
● Utility job — Is an action that performs a maintenance task, for example, the expire action, the vba-checkpoint-discover
action, and the vba-checkpoint-backup action. A job can start a child utility job to perform tasks that the parent job requires
to complete an action. For example, the server backup action job starts a child job that runs the mminfo -B command.
● Vbasave job — Child job that is created by a VMware backup action job.
● Workflow job — Job that is created for a workflow.
NetWorker clears the information about a job from the jobsdb and deletes the associated log files at the interval that is defined
by the Jobsdb retention in hours attribute in the properties of the NetWorker Server resource. In NetWorker 9.0.1, the
default jobsdb retention is 72 hours.

Using jobquery
The jobquery program provides a CLI similar to the nsradmin program. The jobquery program contacts the nsrjobd
process to query job information that is stored in the jobsdb. A query is defined by an attribute list that is made up of one or
more attribute names with or without values.
In the query, the attribute name (for example, 'type') is preceded by a period ('.'), and optionally followed by a colon (':') and
a comma-separated list of values (for example, "host: mars";"job state: STARTED, ACTIVE, SESSION ACTIVE"). When a query
consists of more than one attribute names, attributes are separated by a semi-colon (';'). When an attribute name is specified
without values, any resource descriptor that contains this attribute is a match. If an attribute name is followed by one or more
values, a resource whose value list matches at least one of the values for the specified attribute satisfies the criteria.
To launch the jobquery interface, type:

jobquery -s NetWorker_server

474 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Where NetWorker_server is the hostname of the NetWorker Server. Use the -s option when you run the jobquery command
from a NetWorker host that is not the NetWorker Server.
NOTE: When you do not use the -s option, jobquery tries to connect to nsrjobd process on the local host. If the
nsrjobd process is not running on the specified server or the local host, an error is returned.

The jobquery -s<server> command connects to the specified NetWorker server and returns jobquery prompt. The data in
the job database is queried with the following commands:
● types — a command that lists all job types currently known by nsrjobd that does not take any argument (for example,
types return a list indicating Known types: save job, savegroup job, and so on).
● . — a command that sets the query criteria and is followed by one or more attribute names, or lists current query criteria
when not followed by any attribute.
Query criteria may contain several attributes, including job type, host, and job state, with each attribute separated by a
semi-colon and each value separated by a comma, as in the following example:
jobquery> . type: savegroup job; host: mars; job state: ACTIVE, COMPLETED

This example would return information on all savegroup jobs from the host mars that are either in progress or in completed
state.
● show — restricts the list of attributes that are returned for each resource descriptor that matches the query. For the above
example, specifying the following:
show name; job id; completion status; completion severity

returns the names, job ids, completion status, and completion severity for all matched completed and active savegroups.
● print — runs the query and displays the results. If show list is in effect, each resource descriptor in the result list is
restricted to desired attributes.
● all — returns all resource descriptors in the jobs database. If show list is in effect, result is restricted to desired attributes.
● help — displays help text.
● quit — exits jobquery.
Running jobquery -s NetWorker_server -i input_file reads input from the file for non-interactive usage. The man
pages or the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the jobquery program.

Querying the jobsdb for workflow job records

Each time that you start a workflow, NetWorker creates a single workflow job in the jobsdb. Run the jobquery command to
display information about the workflow job.
To query the jobsdb for information about workflows in a policy, type the following command in the jobquery interface:
. type: workflow job; data protection policy name: policy_name; workflow name:
workflow_name

where policy_name is the name of the policy that contains the workflow and workflow_name is the name of the workflow.

NOTE: The policy_name and workflow_name values are case sensitive.

For example, to query the jobsdb for a workflow named SQL Clients in a policy named Backup, type the following commands at
the jobquery prompt:

jobquery>. type: workflow job; data protection policy name: Backup; workflow name: SQL
Clients
jobquery>print

Output similar to the following appears:

type: workflow job;
activity progress: 1/0/1;
actual exit code: 1;
adhoc job: False;
authtype: ;
automatic: False;
Checkpoint restart ID: ;
Checkpoint restart sequence: ;

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 475

command: ;
completion severity: 50;
completion status: failed;
data protection policy name: Backup;
dependent job id: 0;
end time: 1435107619;
exit code known: True;
host: bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local;
input flag: False;
job id: 832031;
job log file: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Backup\\workflow_SQL
clients_832031.raw";
job output: \
"133550 1435107602 1 0 0 3376 4996 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrworkflow NSR notice 31
Starting %s '%s' workflow '%s'. 3 11 24 127405:Protection Policy \
0 6 Backup 0 11 SQL clients
123316 1435107602 1 0 0 3376 4996 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrworkflow NSR notice 46
Starting action '%s/%s/%s' with command: '%s'. 4 0 6 Backup 0 11 S\
QL clients 0 6 backup 0 32 savegrp -Z backup:traditional -v
123321 1435107602 1 0 0 3376 4996 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrworkflow NSR notice 39
Action '%s/%s/%s's log will be in '%s'. 4 0 6 Backup 0 11 SQL clie\
nts 0 6 backup 23 83 C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Backup\\SQL
clients\\backup_832032.raw
123325 1435107619 1 0 0 3376 4996 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrworkflow NSR notice 21
Action '%s/%s/%s' %s. 4 0 6 Backup 0 11 SQL clients 0 6 backup 0 6\
failed
133555 1435107619 1 0 0 3376 4996 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrworkflow NSR notice 24
Workflow '%s/%s' failed. 2 0 6 Backup 0 11 SQL clients";
job state: COMPLETED;
name: Backup;
ndmp flag: False;
NW Client name/id: ;
override parameters: ;
parent job id: 0;
policy definition changetime: 1434655597016534;
previous job id: 0;
protection groups: SQL clients;
Reason job was terminated: ;
redirect stdio: False;
remote password: ;
remote user: ;
restricted data zone: ;
root parent job id: 0;
savegrp spawned: False;
sibling job id: ;
SSID: ;
start time: 1435107602;
type attributes: ;
type classes: ;
type help: ;
type name: ;
type references: ;
type table: ;
userid: ;
workflow name: SQL clients;

The following table summarizes some of the attributes that appear in workflow job types.

Table 114. Workflow-specific job record attributes

Attribute Description
Job id A unique number value that identifies the job.

476 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Table 114. Workflow-specific job record attributes (continued)
Attribute Description
Parent job id The job id of the job that started this job. A job may not have
a parent job.
Job state The status of the job. Status values include:
CREATED, QUEUED, STARTED, ACTIVE, SESSION ACTIVE,
CANCELLED, and COMPLETED.
Job log file The location and name of the log file that contains detailed
information about the job activities.
Job output The information that is contained in the job log file.
NOTE: Truncation of the content might occur when the
file is large, which results in only displaying the last 2 KB
of information.

Start time The time the job started, in seconds since Jan 1, 1970.
End time The time the job ended, in seconds since Jan 1, 1970.
Completion status The completion status set by the job. Status values include
never started, did not run, succeeded, failed, abandoned,
canceled, and communication lost between job and nsrjobd.
Completion severity The severity level of any error that caused the job to
end. Severity levels include: EMERGENCY, ALERT, CRITICAL,
SEVERE, ERROR, INTERVENTION, WARNING, NOTICE, and
INFORMATION.
Data protection policy name The name of the policy that contains the workflow.
Workflow name The name of the Workflow resource.
Override parameters A list of parameters that were configured in the
Workflow resource, when the workflow started. Use override
parameters to override the value that is defined for an
equivalent action property.
Protection groups The protection groups that are assigned to the workflow.
Restricted datazone The datazone to which the resource is assigned.
Policy definition changetime The last change time of the policy that contains the workflow.
Previous jobid The job id of the instance of a restarted workflow.

Querying the jobdb for action records

Each time that an action starts, NetWorker creates a job record for the action in the jobsdb. Some actions create child actions,
for example a backup action creates a save job and a savefs job. Each child action has a unique job record. Use the jobquery
command to display information about an action job.
To query the jobdb for information about an action job, type the following command in the jobquery interface:

. type:action_name

where action_name is the name of the action.

For example, to query the jobdb for a bootstrap save job, type the following commands at the jobquery prompt:

jobquery>. type: bootstrap save job

jobquery>print

Output similar to the following appears:

type: bootstrap save job;
actual exit code: 0;
adhoc job: False;

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 477

authtype: ;
automatic: False;
canceled input count: 0;
canceled input work items: ;
Checkpoint restart ID: ;
Checkpoint restart sequence: ;
command: nsrdbsave -l 1;
completed output count: 0;
completed output work items: ;
completion severity: 50;
completion status: failed;
data protection policy name: Server Protection;
data size: ;
dependent job id: 0;
end time: 1434895738;
exit code known: True;
failed input count: 2;
failed input work items: bu-iddsql.corp.com,
bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local;
file count: ;
filtered input count: 0;
filtered input work items: ;
hard runtime limit: 0;
host: bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local;
input flag: True;
input job id: ;
job id: 800020;
job log file: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Server Protection\\Serve\
r backup\\Server db backup_800020.raw";
job output: \
"suppressed 799 bytes of output.
140403 1434808808 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR notice 55
Started '%s' job with jobid [%u]. Backup command:\\n %s. 3 0 12 inde\
x backup 5 6 800022 0 367 save -q -e \"1 Months\" -b Default -J bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local
-a \"*policy name=Server Protection\" -a \"*policy workflow name\
=Server backup\" -a \"*policy action name=Server db backup\" -g \"Server Protection\" -l
full -S -f - -LL -W 78 -N index:2668af1d-00000004-54528c1a-5452a19b\
-00155000-7396bc56 -x \"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\EMC NetWorker\\\\nsr\\\\index\\bu-
iddsql.corp.com\"
140402 1434895685 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR notice 35
Completed '%s' job with jobid [%u]. 2 0 12 index backup 5 6 800022
140402 1434895738 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR notice 35
Completed '%s' job with jobid [%u]. 2 0 12 index backup 5 6 800021
112777 1434895738 5 3 13 2200 1572 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrd RAP critical 119
Permission denied, application provided an expired session ticket; us\
er '%s' on '%s', cur time %s, expiration time %s . 4 13 6 SYSTEM 12 27 bu-
iddnwserver.iddlab.local 35 10 1434895738 35 10 1434812401
138211 1434895738 3 0 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR error 33
Verify that NetWorker is running. 0
140403 1434895738 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR notice 55
Started '%s' job with jobid [%u]. Backup command:\\n %s. 3 0 10 mmin\
fo_job 5 6 800040 0 9 mminfo -B 140402 1434895738 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-
iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR \
notice 35 Completed '%s' job with jobid [%u]. 2 0 10 mminfo_job 5 6 800040 140407
1434895738 1 5 0 2284 2280 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrdbsave NSR \
notice 48 See the file '%s' for detail output of each job. 1 0 107 C:\\Program Files\\EMC
NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Server Protection\\Server backup\\Se\
";er db backup_800020_logs
job state: COMPLETED;
level: ;
name: nsrdbsave;
ndmp flag: False;
number of files: ;
NW Client name/id: ;

478 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

override parameters: ;
parallelism: 0;
parent job id: 800019;
policy action name: Server db backup;
previous job id: 0;
Reason job was terminated: ;
redirect stdio: True;
remote password: ;
remote user: SYSTEM;
restricted data zone: ;
root parent job id: 800019;
running input count: 0;
running input work items: ;
savegrp spawned: False;
saveset id: ;
sibling job id: ;
size: ;
soft runtime limit: 0;
SSID: ;
start time: 1434808802;
successful input count: 0;
successful input work items: ;
type attributes: ;
type classes: ;
type help: ;
type name: ;
type references: ;
type table: ;
userid: ;
waiting input count: 0;
waiting input work items: ;
workflow name: Server backup;

The following table summarizes some of the attributes that appear in action job types.

Table 115. Action job record attributes

Attribute Description
Job id A unique number value that identifies the job.
Parent job id The job id of the job that started this job. A job may not have
a parent job.
Job state The status of the job. Status values include:
CREATED, QUEUED, STARTED, ACTIVE, SESSION ACTIVE,
CANCELLED, and COMPLETED.
Job log file The location and name of the log file that contains detailed
information about the job activities.
Job output The information contained in the job log file.
NOTE: Truncation of the content might occur when the
file is large.

Start time The time the job started, in seconds since Jan 1, 1970.
End time The time the job ended, in seconds since Jan 1, 1970.
Completion status The completion status set by the job. Status values include
never started, did not run, succeeded, failed, abandoned,
canceled, and communication lost between job and nsrjobd.
Completion severity The severity level of any error that caused the job to
end. Severity levels include: EMERGENCY, ALERT, CRITICAL,
SEVERE, ERROR, INTERVENTION, WARNING, NOTICE, and
INFORMATION.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 479

Table 115. Action job record attributes (continued)
Attribute Description
Data protection policy name The name of the policy that contains the action.
Workflow name The name of the Workflow resource that contains the action.
Policy action name The name of the action.
Input job id The job id of the action that is controlling this action.
Waiting input work items For the first or head action in a workflow, this is a list
of work items for the protection group that is assigned to
the workflow that contains the head action. For subsequent
actions, this list displays the value in the completed output
work items attribute, for the action that precedes this action.
When an action starts a work item, the work item value moves
from the waiting input work items attribute to the running
input work items attribute.
Waiting input count The number of work items in the waiting input work items
attribute.
Filtered input work items Contains work items that an action has filtered out of the
waiting input work items attribute.
Filtered input count The number of work items in the filtered input work items
attribute.
Running input work items A list of in progress work items that were previously in the
waiting input work items attribute. This list does not display in
progress work items that were previously in the filtered input
work items attribute.
Running input count The number of work items in the running input work items
attribute.
Successful input work items A list of input work items that have completed successfully.
When an input work item completes successfully, the value
moves from the running input work items to the successful
input work items attribute.
Successful input count The number of work items in the successful input work items
attribute.
Failed input work items A list of input work items that have not completed
successfully. When an input work item does not complete
successfully, the value moves from the running input work
items to the failed input work items attribute.
Failed input count The number of work items in the failed input work items
attribute.
Canceled input work items A list of input work items that were canceled and did not
complete. When an input work item is canceled, the value
moves from the running input work items to the cancelled
input work items attribute.
Canceled input count The number of work items in the cancelled input work items
attribute.
Completed output work items The list of work items that are produced by this action.
Completed output count The number of work items in the completed output work items
attribute.

480 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Querying session information
Some actions, for example, backup, clone, and expiration actions create child actions to perform the tasks that are required to
complete an action. NetWorker creates a session information record for each task that the child job starts. Use the jobquery
command to view session information for the child action task. To view session information about an action task, the job id of
the child job that created the save set is required.
To view session information for a child job, perform the following steps:
1. Review the logs directory to determine the job id of the workflow. Policy log files provides more information about policy-
related log files.
2. Query the jobsdb for the workflow that contains the action.
3. In the output, search for the parent action that started the child job and record the job id of the parent.
4. In the output, search for the child action that contains the job id of the parent job id attribute, and record the value in the
job id attribute of the child action.
5. Query the jobsdb by using the child job id to display the session information that relates to the child task.
Viewing session information
In this example, the server backup workflow failed for a host at 7:54 PM on June 26. We want to review session information
about the action tasks started by the server database backup and expiration actions.
1. In the C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\policy\Server Protection folder on Windows or
the /nsr/logs/policy/Server Protection directory on LINUX, the workflow_Server backup_832001.raw
file appears for the workflow. The job id of the server backup workflow is 832049.
2. From a command prompt, start the jobquery program.
3. Display information about the actions started by the server backup workflow .
jobquery>print job id: 832049

In this example, two action jobs created child jobs. The server database backup action created a child process for the
nsrdbsave command and the expiration action created a utility job. Output for the bootstrap save job appears, as follows.
The job id for the failed bootstrap backup action is 832050. The following example displays some of the attributes that
appear in the print output.
type: bootstrap save job;

canceled input count: 0;

canceled input work items: ;
command: nsrdbsave -l 1;
completed output count: 3;
completed output work items: 4253813558/1435241270, 4237036342/1435241270,
4220259140/1435241284;
completion severity: 10;
completion status: succeeded;
data protection policy name: Server Protection;
failed input count: 0;
failed input work items: ;
file count: ;
filtered input count: 0;
filtered input work items: ;
input flag: True;
input job id: ;
job id: 832050;
job log file: \
C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Server Protection\\Serve\
backup\\Server db backup_832050.raw";
job output:
job state: COMPLETED;
level: ;
name: nsrdbsave;
override parameters: ;
parent job id: 832049;
policy action name: Server db backup;
previous job id: 0;
root parent job id: 832049;
running input count: 0;

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 481

 running input work items: ;
successful input count: 2;
successful input work items: bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local,
bu-iddsql.corp.com;
waiting input count: 0;
waiting input work items: ;
workflow name: Server backup;

type: utility job;

canceled input count: 0;
canceled input work items: ;
command: nsrim -MXq;
completed output count: 0;
completed output work items: ;
completion severity: 10;
completion status: succeeded;
data protection policy name: Server Protection;
failed input count: 0;
failed input work items: ;
filtered input count: 0;
filtered input work items: ;
input flag: True;
input job id: 832050;
job id: 832057;
job log file: \
C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Server Protection\\Serve\
backup\\Expiration_832057.raw";
job output: \
88411 1435241295 1 5 0 4996 1560 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrim NSR noti\
e 28 Checking for invalid volumes 0
6069 1435241295 1 5 0 4996 1560 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrim NSR notic\
21 Processing %d clients 1 1 1 3
6067 1435241295 1 5 0 4996 1560 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrim NSR notic\
37 Crosschecking indexes for %d clients. 1 1 1 1
6068 1435241297 0 0 0 4996 1560 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrim NSR info \
0 Managing %d volumes. 1 1 1 4
6073 1435241298 0 0 0 4996 1560 0 bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local nsrim NSR info \
; Compressing media database. 0
job state: COMPLETED;
name: nsrim;
override parameters: ;
parallelism: 0;
parent job id: 832049;
policy action name: Expiration;
previous job id: 0;
root parent job id: 832049;
running input count: 0;
running input work items: ;
successful input count: 0;
successful input work items: ;
waiting input count: 0;
waiting input work items: ;
workflow name: Server backup;
4. Display information about the failed bootstrap save job by specifying the job id, obtained from the bootstrap save job
output .
jobquery>print parent job id: 832050

The jobquery program displays detailed information about the save jobs that are created by the job. The following example
displays some of the attributes that appear in the print output.
type: save job;
actual exit code: 0;
adhoc job: False;
authtype: ;

482 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

automatic: False;
backup_device: ;
Checkpoint restart ID: ;
Checkpoint restart sequence: ;
command: \
"save -q -e \"1 Months\" -b Default -J bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local -a \"*polic\
y name=Server Protection\" -a \"*policy workflow name=Server backup\" -a \"*po\
licy action name=Server db backup\" -g \"Server Protection\" -l full -LL -LL -\
S -f - -W 78 -N bootstrap \"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\EMC NetWorker\\\\nsr\\\\res\
\" \"C:\\\\Program Files\\\\EMC NetWorker\\\\nsr\\\\mm\" \"C:\\\\Program Files\
\\\\EMC NetWorker\\\\nsr\\\\authc-server\\\\tomcat\\\\data\"";
completed savetime: 1435241284;
completion severity: 10;
completion status: succeeded;
data class: ;
Data set size: ;
data size: 255;
dedupe sent bytes: ;
dependent job id: 0;
end time: 1435241293;
estimated bytes: ;
exit code known: True;
file count: 185;
Files totals: 156, 114497;
first_clone_id_for_ssid: ;
group name: ;
host: bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local;
Inactive files: 0, 0, 0;
input flag: False;
job id: 832055;
job log file: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Server Protection\\Serve\
r backup\\Server db backup_832050_logs\\832055";
job output: ;
job state: COMPLETED;
level: ;
mmdb-avamar-backup-time: ;
mmdb-avamar-client-id: ;
mmdb-avamar-server: ;
name: bootstrap backup;
ndmp flag: False;
New data on De-Dup Node: ;
NW Client name/id: ;
parent job id: 832050;
policy action name: ;
policy name: ;
policy_action_name: ;
policy_name: ;
previous job id: 0;
primary_clone_id: ;
processed bytes: ;
proxy agent name: ;
proxy error code: ;
proxy_hostname: ;
Reason job was terminated: ;
redirect stdio: True;
remote password: ;
remote user: SYSTEM;
restricted data zone: ;
root parent job id: 832049;
savegrp spawned: False;
saveset name: ;
saveset time: 1435241284;
saveset_id: ;
sibling job id: ;

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 483

 snap session id: ;
SSID: ;
start time: 1435241283;
type attributes: ;
type classes: ;
type help: ;
type name: ;
type references: ;
type table: ;
userid: ;
vba_backup: ;
vba_name: ;
vcenter_hostname: ;
vm guest os: ;
vm_name: ;
vm_uuid: ;
5. Display session information for the save job by specifying the job id.
jobquery>print jobid from session info: 832055

The jobquery program displays detailed session information about the save job. For example, output similar to the
following appears:
type: session info;
client name: bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local;
completed: 1;
compression ratio: 0;
current pool: Default;
current read/write total: 254;
device family: disk;
Device path: aftd;
device type: adv_file;
extended information: ;
Jobid from session info: 832055;
number of volumes used: 0;
recover file count: 0;
recover file total: 0;
restricted data zone: ;
savegroup name: Server Protection;
saveset id: \
7d52bfb9-00000006-fb8c0b44-558c0b44-00065000-7396bc56;
saveset name: bootstrap;
Session end time: 1435241299;
session id: 18269;
Session mode: 0;
Session start time: 1435241284;
total amount to be read/written: 0;
total volumes needed: 0;
transfer rate: 0;
type attributes: ;
type classes: ;
type help: ;
type name: ;
type references: ;
type table: ;
volume name: bu_iddnwserver.iddlab.local.002;

Using nsrpolicy monitor

Use the nsrpolicy monitor command to query the jobsdb for details and status information about an active or inactive job
started by a Data Protection Policy resource.
The nsrpolicy monitor command allows you to view information about the last active or inactive job that is associated
with a Policy resource in a tabular or non-tabular output. You can display output for all Data Protection Policy resources in a
policy, or limit the output by client name, workflow name, or protection group name.

484 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

nsrpolicy monitor -p policy_name -w workflow_name -c client_name -g group_name -d -n -j
job_id -s networker_server -D debug_level
where:
● -p policy_name —Specifies the name of the Policy resource. You cannot use this option with -g group_name.
● -w workflow_name—Specifies the name of the Workflow resource. Requires the -p policy_name option or the -j job_id
option.
● -c client_name—Specifies the name of the Client resource. Requires the -g group_name option.
● -g group_name—Specifies the name of the Protection Group. You cannot use this option when you use the -p
policy_name option.
● -d— Displays detailed information about the job.
● -n— Displays the output in non-tabular view.
● -j job_id— Displays detailed information about a specific job, which is identified by the jobid. You cannot use this option
when you use the -p policy_name option.

Displaying job details for a Workflow resource

To retrieve the details about the last active or inactive jobs in a Workflow resource, type the following command:
nsrpolicy monitor -p policy_name [-w workflow_name]
For example, to provide information about a workflow that is called Default in the Backup Policy, type the following command:
nsrpolicy monitor -p Backup -w Default

Table 116. Job details for a Workflow

Policy Workflow Action Job Name Job id Parent Job Type Job Completio Start Duration
Job id Status n Status Time
Backup Default Backup 32524 Workflow COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:01:22
TED d 16:59:43
Backup Default Backup savegrp 32525 32524 Backup COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:01:21
act TED d 16:59:43

For example, to provide detailed information about the last active or inactive jobs in a workflow that is called Default in the
Backup Policy, type:
nsrpolicy monitor -p Backup -w Default -d

Table 117. Job details for a Workflow continued

Policy Workflow Action Job Name Job id Parent Job Type Job Completio Start Duration
Job id Status n Status Time
Backup Default Backup 32524 Workflow COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:01:22
TED d 16:59:43
Backup Default Backup savegrp 32525 32524 Backup COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:01:21
act TED d 16:59:43
pseudo_s 32527 32525 save job COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:01:14
av TED d 16:59:50
C:\Softw 32528 32527 save job COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:00:14
ar TED d 17:00:47
bu- 32526 32525 savefs job COMPLE succeede 5/26/15 00:00:01
iddnwse TED d 16:59:43

For example, to display detailed information about the last active or inactive job in a Workflow resource, in a non-tabular format,
type:
nsrpolicy monitor -p Backup -w Default -d -n

Workflow status:
data protection policy name:Backup
workflow name:Default

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 485

name:Backup
job id:32524
type:workflow job
job state:COMPLETED
completion status:succeeded
start time: 5/26/15 16:59:43
duration: 00:01:22
Action 1 status:
data protection policy name:Backup
workflow name:Default
policy action name:backup
name:savegrp
job id:32525
parent job id:32524
type:backup action job
job state:COMPLETED
completion status:succeeded
start time: 5/26/15 16:59:43
duration: 00:01:21

Displaying job details for a client in a group

To retrieve the information about the last job for a client in a group, type the following command:
nsrpolicy monitor -c client_name -g group_name
For example:
nsrpolicy monitor -c bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local -g Default

Workflow status:
data protection policy name:Backup
workflow name:Default
name:savegrp
job id:32525
type:backup action job
job state:ACTIVE
completion status:
start time: 5/26/15 16:59:43
duration: unknown

Displaying information about a workflow or backup action

To retrieve information about of a specific workflow or job action, type the following command:
nsrpolicy monitor -j job_id
For example, to view an information about a job with jobid 32524, type the following command:
nsrpolicy monitor -j 32524

activity progress: 1/1/0;

actual exit code: 0;
adhoc job: False;
authtype: ;
automatic: False;
Checkpoint restart ID: ;
Checkpoint restart sequence: ;
command: ;
completion severity: 10;
completion status: succeeded;
data protection policy name: Backup;
dependent job id: 0;
end time: 1432674065;
exit code known: True;

486 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

host: bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local;
input flag: False;
job id: 32524;
job log file: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Backup\\workflow_Default\
_032524";
job output: \
"133550 1432673983 1 0 0 4100 3352 0 bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local nsrworkflow \
NSR notice 31 Starting %s '%s' workflow '%s'. 3 11 24 127405:Protection Policy\
0 6 Backup 0 7 Default
123316 1432673983 1 0 0 4100 3352 0 bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local nsrworkflow N\
SR notice 46 Starting action '%s/%s/%s' with command: '%s'. 4 0 6 Backup 0 7 D\
efault 0 6 backup 0 32 savegrp -Z backup:traditional -v
123321 1432673983 1 0 0 4100 3352 0 bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local nsrworkflow N\
SR notice 39 Action '%s/%s/%s's log will be in '%s'. 4 0 6 Backup 0 7 Default \
0 6 backup 23 75 C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\policy\\Backup\\\
Default\\backup_032525
123325 1432674065 1 0 0 4100 3352 0 bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local nsrworkflow N\
SR notice 21 Action '%s/%s/%s' %s. 4 0 6 Backup 0 7 Default 0 6 backup 0 9 suc\
ceeded
133553 1432674065 1 0 0 4100 3352 0 bu-iddnwserver3.iddlab.local nsrworkflow N\
SR notice 27 Workflow '%s/%s' succeeded. 2 0 6 Backup 0 7 Default";
job state: COMPLETED;
name: Backup;
ndmp flag: False;
NW Client name/id: ;
override parameters: ;
parent job id: 0;
policy definition changetime: 1431525315508563;
previous job id: 0;
protection groups: Default;
Reason job was terminated: ;
redirect stdio: False;
remote password: ;
remote user: ;
restricted data zone: ;
root parent job id: 0;
savegrp spawned: False;
sibling job id: ;
SSID: ;
start time: 1432673983;
type: workflow job;
type attributes: ;
type classes: ;
type help: ;
type name: ;
type references: ;
type table: ;
userid: ;
workflow name: Default;
resource identifier: 223.0.232.10.0.0.0.0.192.87.83.85.172.21.21.102(9);

Reporting recover job status

When you perform a recover by using the NMC Recovery wizard, NetWorker records the status of the recover operation and
job activities. There are two ways to report job activities:
● In the Recover window for the NetWorker server in NMC. Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration
window on page 48 describes how to view the recover status in the Recover window.
● By querying the job status by using nsrrecomp command on the NetWorker server. Using nsrrecomp on page 488 provides
more information.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 487

Using nsrrecomp
Use the nsrreccomp program to query the jobsdb for information about recover jobs and to create a recover completion
report. The name specified for the recover job is the name of the saved recover configuration. The nsrreccomp program
differs from the jobquery program because it also queries recover log files and is limited to recover job information only.
Example: Summary report of recover jobs
To generate a summary report of each recover job in the jobsdb, type:
nsrreccomp -L

Example: Recovery job completion report

To generate a completion report for recover job, type:
nsrreccomp -b -1 recover_job_name

where -b -1 is optional and used to override the default 2kb limit for job output.
Example: Summary report of the last recovery job
To generate a summary of last recovery job for a Recover resource, type:
nsrreccomp -H group_name

The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrsreccomp
program.

Checkpoint-enabled backup reporting

The daemon.raw file on the NetWorker Server contains details about groups that are run with checkpoint-enabled clients.
When a group backup is completed, policy notifications also report the status of each client backup.

View the policy reports for checkpoint-enabled client backups

There are several things to consider when reviewing the summary notification report and the action report for the backup status
of a checkpoint-enabled client.
● When a checkpoint-enabled client backup attempt fails:
○ The action is reported as a failure.
○ The failed save sets are reported in the Unsuccessful Save Set status section.
● When a checkpoint-enabled client backup succeeds:
○ The action status is reported as a success.
○ The total number of partial save sets that make up the checkpoint save sets is displayed in the Save Set Summary
section.
○ The successful save sets are reported in the Successful Save Set status section.

Determine the status of a checkpoint-enabled backup

Review the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker server to determine the status of a checkpoint-enabled client backup.

nsrd info, Savegroup Info: group_name:client_name checkpoint enabled, mode: mode. (severity
0, message 71193)

This message is reported when a backup action starts. This message reports the names of the clients that are checkpoint-
enabled, and the mode that was selected at the time of the backup.
savegrp test: checkpoint restartable saveset client_name:save_set created in previous
run(s) of the group. It will be checkpoint restarted. Checkpoint ID cp_id.

This message reports that a partial save set is detected for a client in the group and a checkpoint restart occurs for the save
set.

488 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

savegrp group_name checkpoint restartable saveset client_name:save_set failed and will not
be restarted.

This message is reported when the backup of a checkpoint-enabled client fails and the backup will not be retried.
Common reasons for this error message include:
● The restart window for the group has been exceeded.
● The maximum number of client retries has been reached.
NOTE: When this message is reported, the failed save set are removed from an AFTD:
nsrd info, MeDia Info: save set save_set for client client_name was aborted and
removed from volume volume_name (severity 0, message 71193)Recovering data.

savegrp group_name: checkpoint restartable saveset client_name:save_set completed without

interruption.

This message reports that the save set for a checkpoint-enabled client successfully completed during the backup action.

SNMP traps
The NetWorker Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Module allows NetWorker servers to send notification messages
to SNMP management agents.
You must configure SNMP-enabled network management software to accept traps from the NetWorker server. For detailed
information about SNMP management operations refer to your network management documentation.
The NetWorker SNMP Module uses traps to communicate NetWorker event notifications to SNMP management stations. A trap
is an unsolicited notification sent from the SNMP agent (the NetWorker server) to the SNMP event manager.
When you configure the SNMP notification in NetWorker, you can define the types of traps that the NetWorker server sends to
the SNMP event manager. Typical traps include warnings, critical errors, and other messages from the NetWorker server.
NetWorker 19.3 and later includes the following SNMP trap enhancements:
● SNMP v2c and v3 MIB support. The same MIB file is used for SNMP v3 support.
● SNMP trap alert for NetWorker to comply with the MIB format.
● Both SNMP v2c and SNMP v3 traps have the same content. The only difference with the SNMP v3 is that it introduces the
security model to all trap messages and it is still based on SNMPv2-Trap-PDU.
● Do not configure both SNMP v2c and SNMP v3 on the same trap receiver. Also, only a single SNMP v3 user is supported
and not multiple users.
● SNMP v2c and v3 traps are also supported in an IPv6 environment for file system workflows.
● SNMP MIB support for successful or failed notifications for backup, clone, and restore
NOTE: SNMP v2c traps are not supported for client initiated RMAN triggered backup in NMDA Oracle and for client
initiated brbackup in NMSAP Oracle.
● File system save set with backup and clone workflows with the following payload or attributes:

Table 118. SNMP attributes and descriptions

Attribute Description
Server FQDN, IP address, or the hostname of the Networker
server.
Job Type Save and Clone.
Job ID Root parent job ID (based on the action and not on the
client).
Status Completion status (Success or failure).
Client FQDN, IP address, or the hostname of the client.
Severity Completion severity code.
○ JOB_IND_DEBUG = 0
○ JOB_IND_INFORMATION = 10
○ JOB_IND_NOTICE = 20
○ JOB_IND_WARNING = 30

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 489

 Table 118. SNMP attributes and descriptions (continued)
Attribute Description
○ JOB_IND_INTERVENTION = 40
○ JOB_IND_ERROR = 50
○ JOB_IND_ERROR = 50
○ JOB_IND_SEVERE = 60
○ JOB_IND_CRITICAL = 70
○ JOB_IND_ALERT = 80
○ JOB_IND_EMERGENCY = 90
○ JOB_IND_INVALID = -1
Exitcode The actual exit code.
StartTime The start time of the action in human readable format.
EndTime The end time of the action in human readable format.
NOTE: The NetWorker MIB file is available at the following location:
● On Windows: <C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\snmp>
● On Linux: /opt/nsr/snmp

Receive SNMP v2c traps on Linux

To receive SNMP v2c traps on Linux, perform the following:
Install the following packages:
● net-snmp-agent-libs
● net-snmp-libs
● net-snmp
1. Copy the MIB file for NetWorker located at the following location to the Linux trap receiver folder (/usr/share/snmp/
mibs):
● Linux NetWorker server: /opt/nsr/snmp
● Windows NetWorker server: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\snmp
2. Add the following to the snmptrapd.conf file:
authCommunity log,execute,net public
3. On the NetWorker server, specify the SNMP notification command at the policy and action levels:
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Linux Trap Receiver>
● For Windows: “C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe” <IP address of the
Windows Trap Receiver>
4. On the Linux trap receiver, execute the following commands to receive SNMP traps:
snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Le -M /usr/share/snmp/mibs -m NETWORKER-MIB
5. Initiate the policy or workflow on the NetWorker server to view the traps.
If you are using PuTTY to capture the session output for SNMP traps, do the following:
1. Launch PuTTY.exe.
2. Navigate to Session > Logging > All session output to capture the SNMP traps in a log file.
3. Type the following command:
snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Le -M /usr/ share/snmp/mibs -m NETWORKER-MIB

To save the SNMP traps log file to a predefined location, type the following command:
nohup snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Lf /var/log/snmptrap.log -M /usr/share/snmp/mibs
-m NETWORKER-MIB &
The nohup option ensures that the command runs even after the session is terminated. Use & to run the command in the
background.

490 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Receive SNMP v2c traps on Windows
To receive SNMP v2c traps on Windows, perform the following:
For SNMP Trap receiver:
● Install the iReasoning MIB browser.
● In the Address field, specify the IP of the NetWorker server.
● Select Tools > Trap Receiver > Trap Receiver Settings.
● Select UDP and port 162.
1. On the NetWorker server, specify the SNMP notification command at the policy and action levels:
● For Windows: “C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe” <IP address of the
Windows Trap Receiver>
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Linux Trap Receiver>
2. Load the NetWorker MIB file located at the following location to the iReasoning MIB Browser using the Load MIBs option on
the iReasoning MIB Browser.
● Linux NetWorker server: /opt/nsr/snmp
● Windows NetWorker server: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\snmp
3. Navigate to iReasoning MIB Browser > Trap Receiver.
4. Initiate the policy or workflow on the NetWorker server to view the traps.

Receive SNMP v3 traps on Linux

To receive SNMP traps on Linux, perform the following:
Install the following packages:
● net-snmp-agent-libs
● net-snmp-libs
● net-snmp
1. Copy the MIB file for NetWorker from the following paths to the Linux trap receiver directory (/usr/share/snmp/
mibs).
● Linux NetWorker server: /opt/nsr/snmp
● Windows NetWorker server: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\snmp
2. Provide the following information on the NMC > NetWorker admin console > NetWorker server properties > Security
tab :
● Username
● Engine ID
● Authentication Protocol
● Authentication Key
● Privacy Protocol
● Privacy Key
NOTE: The above information should be the same as provided under snmptrapd.conf file on the Linux Trap Receiver
(mentioned in step 3).

3. Follow these steps on Linux trap receiver:

a. Stop snmptrapd.
b. Add the createUser -e <Engineid> <SNMPv3 username> <MD5/SHA> <password for
authentication protocol> <AES/DES> <password for private protocol> authuser log
<SNMPv3 username> to the snmptrapd.conf file.
NOTE:
● EngineID should be a hexadecimal number from 10 to 64 characters.
● Username can have a maximum of up to 32 characters.
● Length of the passwords for both authentication protocol and private protocol should be in between 8-32
characters.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 491

 For example:

createUser -e 8000000001020304 myuser MD5 mypassword123 DES mypassword123

authuser log myuser

c. Start snmptrapd.
4. To receive SNMP v3 traps for backup and clone action, specify the SNMP notification command only at policy level on the
NetWorker server:
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of trap receiver> -i 3
● For Windows: “C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe” <IP address of trap
receiver> -i 3
5. On the Linux trap receiver, execute the snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Le -M /usr/share/snmp/
mibs -m NETWORKER-MIB commands to receive SNMP traps. If you are using putty to capture the session output for
SNMP traps, perform the following:
a. Launch PuTTY.exe. .
b. Navigate to Session > Logging > All session output to capture the SNMP traps in a log file.
c. Type the snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Le -M /usr/ share/snmp/ mibs -m NETWORKER-
MIB command.
NOTE: To save the SNMP traps log file to a predefined location use the nohup snmptrapd -f -C -c ./
snmptrapd.conf -Lf /var/log/ snmptrap.log -M /usr/share/snmp/mibs -m NETWORKER-MIB &
command. The nohup option ensures that the command runs even after the session is terminated. Use & to run the
command in the background.

6. Initiate the policy or workflow on the NetWorker server to view the traps on the Linux trap receiver.
NOTE: In case of IPv6 addresses, provide the snmptrapd -f -C -c /etc/snmp/snmptrapd.conf -Leo
udp6:162 -m /usr/share/snmp/mibs/NETWORKER-MIB.txt parameter to receive the SNMP traps in Linux
trap receiver.

Receive SNMP v3 traps on Windows

To receive SNMP traps on Windows, perform the following:
1. Install a licensed version of MG-Soft MIB browser. Click View and select SNMP Protocol Preferences.
NOTE: Select the SNMP protocol version as SNMP v3 USM.

2. Go to the Edit User option and add the following SNMP v3 security parameters:
● Security user name- Name of the SNMP v3 user should be of the same value as provided in NetWorker server properties
under the Security tab.
● Context name- This is not mandatory and can be provided as any set of alphabetical characters.
● Context Engine ID- Specify the same Engine ID that is provided in NetWorker server properties under the Security tab.
● Authentication Protocol- Specify the authentication protocol as HMAC MD5 or HMAC-SHA.
● Private Protocol- Specify the private protocol as CBC-DES or CFB-AES.
3. Load the user profile after making the necessary entries for the attributes in Step 2.
4. Load the MIB file to the MG-Soft MIB browser using the option Import MIB from the MIB tab.
Keep the NetWorker MIB file at the location C:\ProgramData\MG-SOFT\SMI Modules\MIB Modules\SMI.
NOTE: Copy the NetWorker MIB file from the following locations:
● Linux NetWorker server: /opt/nsr/snmp
● Windows NetWorker server: C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\snmp

5. Go to the Remote SNMP Agent box on the top left of the MG-Soft MIB browser. Provide the IP address of the
NetWorker server from which the SNMP v3 traps are to be received.
6. On the MG-Soft MIB browser, go to Tools > Trap Ringer Console section.
7. Start the Policy> Workflow on the NetWorker server to receive traps on the MG-Soft MIB browser.

492 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Disable SNMP traps on Linux and Windows
To disable SNMP traps, perform the following:
1. On the NetWorker Administration window, click Server.
2. Right-click the NetWorker server name in the left pane and select Properties.
3. On the Security tab, under Configuration, select No for the following attributes:
● Accept new sessions
● Accept new recover sessions
4. Click OK.
The server is in maintenance mode and you no longer receive SNMP traps.

Configuring NetWorker SNMP notifications

The NetWorker software provides notifications to a variety of resources about NetWorker server events. The NetWorker SNMP
module is one of those resources.
The module uses the nsrtrap program to forward notifications to the SNMP management software. To configure nsrtrap
to send SNMP notifications to the SNMP server, you must configure a Notification resource on the NetWorker server and the
SNMP server to receive the SNMP notifications. When you configure the SNMP notification, you include the IP address or
hostname of the SNMP management server, and other nsrtrap command line options, for example, the SNMP community and
the trap type.

Configuring SNMP notifications in NetWorker

You can create an SNMP notification or modify a preconfigured SNMP notification.
Before you configure the NetWorker SNMP notification, you must first license the NetWorker SNMP module. Contact Dell EMC
Licensing for more information.
1. On the NetWorker Administration window, click Server.
2. On the Server window, select Notifications, and perform one of the following actions:
● Right-click SNMP notification request, and select Properties.
● Right-click Notifications, and select New.
3. In the Name attribute, specify the name of the notification.
NOTE: You cannot modify the Name attribute for an existing notification.

4. Optionally, in the Comment field, specify a description of the notification.

5. In the Event and Priority attributes, select the events and priorities that the notification should communicate to the SNMP
server.
NOTE: You cannot modify the Event and Priority attributes for an existing notification.

6. In the Action attribute, specify the options for the nsrtrap command:

nsrtrap -c community_name -t trap_type -s specific_trap_type SNMP_server_name

The following table summarizes the available nsrtrap options.

Table 119. Command-line options for nsrtrap

Option Description
-c community Specifies the SNMP community that is authorized to receive traps from the
NetWorker server. You configure SNMP communities on the SNMP server. The
default setting for this option is Public, which means that the public community
can receive traps from the NetWorker server.

For security purposes, system administrators often customize the SNMP server
to limit the
communities that can accept traps. If the SNMP server configuration specifies a

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 493

 Table 119. Command-line options for nsrtrap (continued)
Option Description

community other
than Public, specify the community name.

-t trap_type Optional, sets the type of trap that the NetWorker SNMP Module sends to the
SNMP server. The default setting is six, which sets the trap type to “enterprise-
specific” and is the correct type for the notifications (error messages) that
the NetWorker server sends to the SNMP server. Only modify the trap type if
you intend to send a specific trap to the SNMP server and not a NetWorker
notification.
-s specific_trap_type Optional, allows you to customize the identity of the type of trap that the
NetWorker server sends. Set this option to any integer value. Use this option
along with different SNMP notifications to distinguish different traps from the
NetWorker server.

For example, you can create separate SNMP notifications for critical messages,
warnings, and events
or priorities then use the -s option with a unique number to differentiate the
various notifications.
The Action attribute for each notification appears as follows:

● Critical notification: nsrtrap -s 1 SNMP_server_host_name

● Warning notification: nsrstrap -s 2 SNMP_server_host_name
● Event or priorities notification: nsrtrap -s 3 SNMP_server_host_name
Configure the SNMP management software to recognize that NetWorker traps
with the specific trap type of 1 are critical messages, trap type 2 are warning
messages and trap type 3 are event or priority messages. Additional SNMP
notifications can have other settings for the -s option to further differentiate
various traps from the NetWorker server.
-v Sets the output mode to verbose. When you run nsrtrap from the command
line in verbose mode, the program displays the community, trap type, specific
trap type, and the hostname or IP address.

7. Click OK.

Configuring SNMP notifications at the policy level

You can configure SNMP notifications at the policy level.
Before you configure the NetWorker SNMP notification, you must first license the NetWorker SNMP module. Contact Dell EMC
Licensing for more information.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, right-click Policies, and then select Properties.
The Policy Properties dialog box appears.
3. Under Notifications:
a. Select On Completion to send a notification on completion of the workflows and actions in the policy.
b. Specify the following command to set notifications (SNMP v2c) for Windows and Linux.
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Trap Receiver>
● For Windows: "C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe" <IP address of the
Trap Receiver>
c. Specify the following command to set notifications ( SNMP v3) for Windows and Linux:
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Trap Receiver> -i 3
● For Windows: "C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe" <IP address of the
Trap Receiver> -i 3
4. Click OK.

494 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Configuring SNMP notifications at the action level
You can configure SNMP notifications at the action level.
Before you configure the NetWorker SNMP notification, you must first license the NetWorker SNMP module. Contact Dell EMC
Licensing for more information.
1. In the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the expanded left pane, expand Policies, and then select an existing policy.
3. Select a workflow associated to the selected policy.
4. Select an action.
5. Right-click the action, and select Properties.
The Policy Action wizard appears.
6. On the Specify the Advanced Options window, under Notifications, do the following:
a. Select On Completion to send a notification on completion of the workflows and actions in the policy.
b. Specify the following command to set notifications (SNMP v2c) for Windows and Linux.
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Trap Receiver>
● For Windows: "C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe" <IP address of the
Trap Receiver>
c. Specify the following command to set notifications (SNMP v3) for Windows and Linux:
● For Linux: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Trap Receiver> -i 3
● For Windows: "C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe" <IP address of the
Trap Receiver> -i 3
7. Click OK.
NOTE: For SNMP v3 traps, set the SNMP v3 notification command only at policy level.

SNMP v2c traps for restore

Use either NMC or the NetWorker CLI to perform a restore.
1. On the NetWorker Administration window, click Server.
2. Under Notifications, select Create a new notification using the SNMP notification command.
The Create Notification window appears.
3. In the Name attribute, type a name for the notification.
4. In the Event attribute, select Recover.
5. In the Priority attribute, select the priorities of the corresponding actions.
6. In the Action attribute, type a command to run in response to the selected events and priorities.
● For Linux NetWorker server: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Linux Trap Receiver>
● For Windows NetWorker server: “C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe” <IP
address of the Windows Trap Receiver>
7. Initiate restore using either NMC or the NetWorker CLI.
● NMC: Open NMC and navigate to Recover > New Recover.
● CLI: Go to the NetWorker client on which restore has to be performed and execute the recover command.
For more information on receiving SNMP traps, see the following sections:
● Receive SNMP traps on Linux
● Receive SNMP traps on Windows
NOTE:
● Restore workflow configuration is applicable for all file systems as well as NetWorker Modules.
● When recovering save sets of NMDA Oracle and NMSAP Oracle, multiple SNMP v2c traps (one notification per save
set) are sent.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 495

SNMP v3 traps for restore
Use either NMC or the NetWorker CLI to perform a restore.
Perform the following steps to perform a restore:
1. On the NetWorker Administration window, click Server.
2. Under Notifications, select Create a new notification using the SNMP notification command.
The Create Notification window appears.
3. In the Name attribute, type a name for the notification.
4. In the Event attribute, select Recover.
5. In the Priority attribute, select the priorities of the corresponding actions.
6. In the Action attribute, type the following command to run in response to the selected events and priorities.
● For Linux NetWorker server: /usr/sbin/nsrtrap <IP address of the Linux Trap Receiver> -i 3
● For Windows NetWorker server: "C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\bin\nsrtrap.exe" <IP
address of the Windows Trap Receiver> -i 3
7. Initiate restore using either NMC or the NetWorker CLI.
● NMC: Open NMC and navigate to Recover > New Recover.
● CLI: Go to the NetWorker client on which restore has to be performed and execute the recover command.
For more information on receiving SNMP traps, see the following sections:
● Receive SNMP v3 traps on Linux
● Receive SNMP v3 traps on Windows

View SNMP traps on Linux Trap Receiver

After you configure SNMP notifications at the policy or action level, you can view the SNMP traps.
1. Place the NETWORKER-MIB file in the /usr/share/snmp/mibs directory.
2. Execute the following command from the Linux machine, which is configured as the Trap Receiver:
# snmptrapd -f -C -c ./snmptrapd.conf -Le -M /usr/share/snmp/mibs -m NETWORKER-MIB

Figure 79. Sample log output

496 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

View SNMP v2c traps on Windows Trap Receiver
After you configure SNMP notifications at the policy or action level, you can view the SNMP v2c traps.
To view SNMP v2c traps, several third party MIB Browsers are available, such as iReasoning, Power SNMP Manager, SNMP J
Manager, and so on. To receive SNMP traps using the iReasoning MIB Browser:
1. On the iReasoning MIB Browser, select Tools > Trap Receiver.
2. Select Trap Receiver Settings, and set the port number as 162 and the protocol as UDP.
3. In the Address field, type the NetWorker server IP address.
4. Select File > Load MIBs to load the NETWORKER-MIB file
NOTE: There will be two SNMP notifications captured, the first one is the Legacy Notification and the second one
is the OID based SNMP notification, containing the fields: Server, client, jobtype, jobid, status, severity, exitcode,
starttime, and endtime.

Figure 80. SNMP trap output

View SNMP v3 traps on Windows Trap Receiver

After you configure SNMP notifications at the policy or action level, you can view the SNMP traps.
To view SNMP v3 traps, several third party MIB browsers are available, such as iReasoning Enterprise Edition, Power SNMP
Manager, SNMP J Manager, Wireshark, Manage Engine and so on. To receive SNMP traps using the MG-Soft MIB browser
perform the following steps:
1. Follow the steps in Receive SNMP V3 traps on Windows.
2. On MG-Soft MIB browser (licensed edition), go to Tools> Trap Ringer Console.
3. In the remote SNMP Agent section, provide the IP address of the NetWorker server from which SNMP v3 traps are to be
received.
4. Start the policy or workflow on the NetWorker server.
You will view SNMP v3 traps on the Trap Ringer Console

Configuring SNMP management software

You must configure the SNMP management software to recognize and accept traps sent by NetWorker servers.
For specific instructions that describe how to configure the types of acceptable traps in the SNMP management software, refer
to the SNMP management software documentation.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 497

NetWorker SMI Network Management Private Enterprise Code
When you configure the SNMP management software to accept traps, you must indicate the specific trap type. Use the
Structure of Management Information (SMI) Network Management Private Enterprise Code that applies to the specific network
application that will send traps to the software. The Private Enterprise Code for the NetWorker server is 160. The complete
code is .1.3.6.1.4.1.160.

Receiving traps in the SNMP network management software

After you configure the SNMP network management software to accept traps from NetWorker servers, an icon for each
NetWorker server appears on the network management console.
You can configure the SNMP network management software in the following ways:
● To indicate that a trap was received. For example, the NetWorker server icon may blink or change color.
● To track pending, alert, and other configured messages.
● To separate traps into event categories, such as Error Events, Status Events, Threshold Events, Configuration Events,
Application Alert Events, or All Events. For information on how to set up SNMP trap templates, refer to the network
management software documentation.

SNMP v2c trap support for NetWorker Modules

The following table provides information on the SNMP v2c trap support for NetWorker Modules.

Modules Backup Clone Restore

GUI CLI GUI CLI GUI CLI
File system 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 19.5 19.5
Virtualization 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5
(vProxy)
Oracle 19.5 19.5 a 19.5 19.5 b 19.5 c 19.5 d

SAP Oracle 19.5 19.5 e 19.5 19.5 f 19.5 g 19.5 h

BBB 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5

SQL 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 Not Applicable
NMDP 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5
BMR 19.5 19.5 Not Applicable Not Applicable 19.5 Not Applicable
NSM 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5
NMMEDI 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.5

a. SNMP v2c traps are not supported for client initiated RMAN scripts.
b. SNMP v2c traps are not supported for client initiated RMAN scripts.
c. Multiple notifications (one notification per save set) for a single restore.
d. Multiple notifications (one notification per save set) for a single restore.
e. SNMP v2c traps are not supported for client initiated RMAN scripts.
f. SNMP v2c traps are not supported for client initiated RMAN scripts.
g. Multiple notifications (one notification per save set) for a single restore.
h. Multiple notifications (one notification per save set) for a single restore.

NetWorker Notifications
A notification provides information about events that occur in a NetWorker environment. You can configure the events to
be reported and how the NetWorker server reports them to you. Specific programs can be run when an event occurs,
including third-party programs. By default, the NetWorker server sends notifications to log files that are located in the
NetWorker_install_dir\logs directory on Windows and the /nsr/logs directory on UNIX.

498 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Preconfigured notifications
NetWorker is preconfigured to provide most of the event notifications that are required to monitor NetWorker events. The
following table lists these preconfigured notifications and the associated actions that are performed by the NetWorker server.

Table 120. Preconfigured notifications

Notification Default action
Bus/Device Reset Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail command to
send an email to the administrator account stating that a bus
or device reset has been detected.

The action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504
describes how to customize the smtpmail command.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a bus or

device reset has been detected.
Cleaning cartridge expired Windows: Reports to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file that a cleaning
cartridge has expired.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that an

expired cleaning
cartridge has been detected.

Cleaning cartridge required Windows: Reports to the C:\Program Files\EMC

NetWorker\nsr\logsmedia.log file that a device
cleaning is required.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a

cleaning cartridge is
required.

Client install Windows: Reports the hostname and NetWorker client

software version information to the C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to root account:

host
host_name installed
product_version.

Where host_name is the name of the NetWorker host, and

product_version is the NetWorker client software release and
build number.
Device cleaned Windows: Reports that a device has been
cleaned to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a

device cleaning
operation has completed.

Device cleaning required Windows: Reports that a device requires

cleaning to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a

device requires
cleaning.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 499

Table 120. Preconfigured notifications (continued)
Notification Default action
Device disabled Windows: Reports that a device has been
automatically disabled to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that

NetWorker automatically
disabled a device.

Device ordering issue detect Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail command to
send an email to the administrator account with the message
Check system device ordering. Moving device
on NetWorker_server to service mode.

To correct this issue, scan for devices in NMC and re-enable

the device. The
action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver with
the actual hostname
of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email notifications on
page 504 describes how
to customize the smtpmail command.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account with the

message Check system device ordering. Moving
device on NetWorker_server to service mode.
To correct, scan for devices in NMC and re-enable the device.
Event log Windows only. Logs notification events that are triggered by
events and priorities to the Event Log.
File system full - recovering adv_file space Launches the nsrim program to remove aborted and expired
save sets. Used with advanced file type devices only.
File system full - waiting for adv_file space Windows: Reports that the advanced file
volume is full to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that an

advanced file volume
is full.

Inactive Files Alert Windows: Reports that the space occupied by inactive
files exceeds configured threshold to the C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that the

space occupied by
inactive files exceeds configured threshold.

Index size Windows: Reports a message that the size of the index
will soon exceed the space available to the C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\index.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to root with the message Check the

size of the
client file index because it will soon
exceed the space
available.

Log default Windows: Sends data about NetWorker

events to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages log file.

500 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Table 120. Preconfigured notifications (continued)
Notification Default action

Linux: Directs data about the NetWorker events to logger. The

logger utility
sends the event with a tag of daemon.notice to the Operating
system log file
defined in the system log configuration file, for example
syslog.conf.

NetWorker Daemons Not Running Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program
to send an email to the administrator account stating that
NetWorker daemons are not running on the NetWorker
server. The action attribute must be modified to replace
mailserver with the actual hostname of the mail server. Using
smtpmail to email notifications on page 504 describes how to
customize the smtpmail program.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that

NetWorker
daemons are not running on the NetWorker server.

New Virtual Machine Windows: Reports a message that new virtual machines
have been detected to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that new

virtual machines
have been detected.

Registration Windows: Sends messages about the registration status of

the NetWorker products to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages log file. Linux: Sends
an email to root with this message Check the
registration status.

Resource File Corruption Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program
to send an email to the administrator account stating that
resource file corruption has been detected on the NetWorker
server.

The action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes
how to customize the smtpmail program.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that

resource file corruption has been detected on the NetWorker
server.
Save set marked suspect Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program to
send an email to the administrator account when a save set
has been marked suspect.

The action attribute must be modified to replace maillserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes
how to customize the smtpmail program.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account when a save set has
been marked suspect.
SNMP notification request Sends event notifications to a network management console.
This notification occurs when the NetWorker SNMP module

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 501

Table 120. Preconfigured notifications (continued)
Notification Default action
has been purchased and enabled. Configuring NetWorker
SNMP notifications on page 493 provides details on SNMP
notifications
Tape mount request 1 Windows: Requests that media be mounted in a device and
displays a pending message in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages log file.

Linux: Sends a request message to the system logger to

mount a backup
volume, using a local0 facility and an alert level.

Tape mount request 2 Windows: Requests that media be mounted in a device and
displays a critical message.

Linux: Sends a request message to the system logger to

mount a backup
volume, using a local0 facility and an alert level.

Tape mount request 3 Windows: Sends a request to mount a backup volume

with a priority of Alert, to the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account requesting that the

tape be
mounted.

Tape mount request 4 Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program to
send an email to the administrator account that a Tape mount
request 4 event has occurred.

The action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes
how to customize the smtpmail program.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a Tape

mount request 4 event has occurred.
Verify Label failed on unload Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program, to
send an email to the administrator account stating that a label
verification on unload operation has failed.

The action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes
how to customize the smtpmail program.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a label

verification on unload operation has failed.
Volume Marked full Windows: Provides the syntax for the smptmail program
to send an email to the administrator account stating that a
volume has been marked full.

The action attribute must be modified to replace mailserver

with the actual
hostname of the mail server. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes
how to customize the smtpmail program.

502 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

Table 120. Preconfigured notifications (continued)
Notification Default action
Linux: Sends an email to the root account stating that a
volume has been marked full.
Volume Scan needed Windows: Sends an event notification to the C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log file with
a message that a volume with the Scan needed flag is
detected.

Linux: Sends an email to the root account with a message that

a volume with
the Scan needed flag is detected.

Customizing notifications
Notifications require the following three elements:
● Events
● Actions
● Priorities

About Events
An event signals that user intervention is required. For example, if a NetWorker server needs a new tape, the server alerts users
to the situation by posting an event to the Console window.
NetWorker software generates an event that is based on various factors, including the following scenarios:
● The software or hardware encounters an error that requires user intervention to resolve.
● A NetWorker savegroup has failed.
● Drive ordering or serial number mismatch issues — a description of the problem is provided, along with a corrective action to
fix the problem.
● Capacity monitoring — for example, reaching the space threshold on the deduplication node.
● NetWorker software is unable to poll a host it is monitoring for events or for generating reports.
● A license or enabler code that is managed by the License Manager is about to expire.
Some situations do not result in the generation of an event. For example, when a license managed by the NetWorker Console
(instead of by the License Manager) approaches its expiration date. In this situation, a message is recorded in the NetWorker
logs, but an event is not generated until the expired license causes a backup to fail. Check the Administration window from
time to time for important messages.

Actions
The Actions attribute defines the action that the NetWorker server takes after an event notification occurs. The following table
provides a summary of actions.

Table 121. Actions

Action Description
eventlog Windows only, logs the notification message to the event log. Priority determines
whether the notification is an error, warning, or information-only message.
nsrlog Windows only, sends a message about an event to a file. Use option -f to identify a
specific file. For example:

nsrlog -f log file path

If no option is specified, then messages go to the /nsr/logs/ messages file.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 503

Table 121. Actions (continued)
Action Description

NOTE: The log file path must not include any space or special characters, and
must not be enclosed in quotes.

logger UNIX only, uses the UNIX syslog facility (/usr/bin/logger) to log information
or send messages.
lp UNIX only, prints the notification.
mail UNIX only, sends an email to the specified user.
sendmail NetWorker Virtual Appliance (NVE), sends an email to a specified user.
smtpmail Windows only, sends an email to the specified user.
nsrtrap Sends notifications to an SNMP management console. Use with the following
options:
● -c community (if not specified, then the default public is used)
● -f file (reads message from a file and sends as snmp trap.)
● -i version (if not specified, then the default version is SNMPV2)
● -s specific (default is NetWorker enterprise assignment, which is 1)
● -t trap (default trap is #6 which is the enterprise-specific trap)
● -u snmp uptime
● -v verbose

Third-party programs can also be used for the action, if the programs support reading from standard input.
For example:
● On UNIX systems, you can use a third-party email program rather than the mail program.
● On Windows systems, you can use a third-party email program rather than the smtpmail program to send the information
to other locations, such as an email address or pager system.
Only users who belong to the NetWorker server Administrators list, or a member of the Application Administrators user group,
can change the Action attribute of an existing notification.

Using smtpmail to email notifications

Use the smtpmail program included with the NetWorker software on Windows systems to email an event notification to a list
of specified email addresses.
The smtpmail program requires:
● A mail server that allows SMTP relays.
● An active TCP/IP connection. This command does not have dialing capabilities.
The smtpmail command reads the message that is sent from standard input.
The message is terminated in one of the following ways:
● An EOF.
● CTRL-Z on console.
● A line consisting of a single period (.).
To use the smtpmail program to email event notifications:
1. From the Administration window, click Server.
2. Click Notifications.
3. Right-click the notification, then select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. In the Action attribute, type the following command:
smtpmail -s subject -h mailserver recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

where:

504 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 ● -s subject—Includes a standard email header with the message and specifies the subject text for that header.
Without this option, the smtpmail program assumes that the message contains a correctly formatted email header and
nothing is added.
● -h mailserver—Specifies the hostname of the mail server to use to relay the SMTP email message.

● recipient1@mailserver—Is the email address of the recipient of the notification. Multiple email recipients are separated by
a space.

5. Click Ok.

Priorities
Each NetWorker event has a series of associated messages, and each message has an associated priority. The preconfigured
notifications have selected priorities based on the importance of the message being sent. For example, the first time the
NetWorker server sends a mount backup volume request, the priority that is assigned to the message is Waiting. The priority of
the second request is Alert. The priority of the third request is Critical.
The following table lists the priorities on which notifications are based.

Table 122. Priorities

Priority Description
Information Information about the current state of the server.
Notice Important information.
Warning A non-fatal error has occurred.
Waiting The NetWorker server is waiting for an operator to perform a routine task, such as
mounting a backup volume.
Alert A severe condition exists that requires immediate attention.
Critical The server detected an error that should be fixed.
Emergency A condition exists that may cause NetWorker to fail unless corrected immediately.

NOTE: Event priorities are sorted alphabetically, rather than by severity.

Creating a custom notification

NetWorker also provides preconfigured notifications. Preconfigured notifications on page 499 provides a complete list of
preconfigured notifications.
1. From the Administration window, click Server.
2. Right-click Notifications, then select New. The Create Notification dialog box appears.
3. In the Name attribute, type a name for the notification.
4. In the Event attribute, select the events to be acted on.
5. In the Priority attribute, select the priorities of the corresponding actions.
6. In the Action attribute, type a command to run in response to the selected events and priorities.
7. Click Ok.

Editing a notification
NOTE: You cannot change the name of a notification.

1. From the Administration window, click Server.

2. Click Notifications.
3. In the right pane, perform one of the following tasks:

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 505

 ● To modify multiple attributes in a single configuration resource by using the Notification Properties window, right-click
the staging configuration and select Properties.
● To modify a specific attribute that appears in the resource window, place the mouse in the cell that contains the attribute
that you want to change, then right-click. The menu displays an option to edit the attribute. For example, to modify the
Comment attribute, right-click the resource in the Comment cell and select Edit Comment.
NOTE: To modify a specific attribute for multiple resources, press and hold the Ctrl key, select each resource, and
then right-click in the cell that contains the attribute that you want to change. The menu displays an option to edit
the attribute. Application information field or any environment variable must be set in the following way:
○ VARIABLE_NAME=VARIABLE_VALUE
Include the = symbol between an application information variable name and the value of the variable.

4. Make any required changes, then click OK.

Copying a notification
1. From the Administration window, click Server.
2. Click Notifications.
3. Right-click the notification to copy, then select Copy. The Create Notification dialog box appears, containing the same
information as the notification that was copied, for Name attribute.
4. In the Name attribute, type a name for the new notification.
5. Edit any other attributes as appropriate, then click OK.

Deleting a custom notification

NOTE: You cannot delete preconfigured notifications.

1. From the Administration window, click Server.

2. Click Notifications.
3. Right-click the notification to delete, then select Delete.
4. When prompted, click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Configuring owner notifications

Owner notification is an attribute of the NetWorker Client resource. Use this attribute to send an email to a user with the results
of the backup of the individual client.
For Windows NetWorker servers, use the smtpmail program to send the owner notification email. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes how to configure the smtpmail program.
For UNIX NetWorker servers, use the /usr/ucb/mail program or a third-party mail application to send the owner
notification.
1. From the Administration window, click Protection.
2. Select Clients in the left navigation pane.
3. Right-click the client, and select Properties.
4. Select Globals (2 of 2).
● For a Windows NetWorker server, use the smtpmail program to configure email notifications. Using smtpmail to email
notifications on page 504 describes how to configure smtpmail.

● For a UNIX NetWorker server, use the /usr/ucb/mail program:

/usr/ucb/mail -s "subject" recipient1@mailserver recipient2@mailserver...

For example:
/usr/ucb/mail -s "Backup status for client xyz in group abc" debbie@mymailhost.com

5. Click OK.

506 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

When the group containing the client completes, the notification is sent to the recipient email address defined in the Owner
notification attribute.
For example:
-----Original Message-----
From: Super-User [mailto:root@NWserver.corp.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 12:45 PM
To: debbie@mymailhost.com
Subject: Backup status for client xyz in group abc
cdcsdunndl1c, savefs, "succeeded:full:savefs"
* cdcsdunndl1c:savefs savefs cdcsdunndl1c: succeeded.
cdcsdunndl1c, C:\cmdcons\system32, "<NULL>:full:save"
* cdcsdunndl1c:C:\cmdcons\system32 cdcsdunndl1c:C:\cmdcons\system32 aborted
* cdcsdunndl1c:C:\cmdcons\system32 Termination request was sent to job 64006 as requested;
Reason given: Aborted

Logging event notifications

NetWorker keeps two general notification log files. By default, these files are located in <NetWorker_install_dir>\logs:
● The messages log file (Windows only) — The data in the messages log file is generated by nsrlog, a program that is
part of the NetWorker event notification mechanism. The nsrlog program is triggered by a notification, and it prints the
message to the messages log file.
● The daemon.raw log file — The nsrd, nsrexecd, and their subordinate processes redirect their output to the
daemon.raw log file.
To better access and use these event logs in Windows systems, an Event Logging mechanism enables applications to the
application event log, and access them from any computer that has the Windows Event Viewer. The Event Viewer enables you
to look selectively at the messages that interest you by filtering messages based on the categories that are listed in this table.

Table 123. Event Viewer messages

Event Viewer category Displayed information
Source Events from NetWorker software always designate NetWorker as the source.
Category Mapped from NetWorker notification event type (server, registration, and so on).
Severity Mapped from NetWorker notification priority:
● Critical and Emergency are mapped to Error.
● Priorities between Alert and Warning are mapped to Warning.
● Notification and Information are mapped to Information.
Event ID Events from NetWorker software always designate the numeral 1 for the ID.

Breakthrough logging
Breakthrough logging feature in NetWorker helps you to understand the steps involved in the various operations such as Save,
Recover and Clone. Each step is logged in the defined order to ensure successful completion of Save, Recover and Clone
operations. Breakthrough logging helps the user to review the log associated with each step of operation and determine the
step that failed during the execution of that particular operation.
You can check logs for clone and backup at/nsr/logs/Policy/<policy name> .
You can check logs for recovery at /nsr/logs/recover.

Front-end Capacity Estimation

NetWorker supports an automatic reporting mechanism that communicates with Dell EMC's Usage Intelligence portal. The
reports are sent through either MailHome (Default) or EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS).

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 507

The ESRS RAP resource can be configured to send periodic license, configuration and usage information to Dell EMC as well as
track the liveness of NetWorker servers. Several reports are sent, the details of the reports are extracted from command line
tools.
The command line tool nsrcapinfo, generates an estimate of the total data protected in a NetWorker datazone. The capacity
estimate uses a simple heuristic where it measures the maximum size of a backup save set for each application type and each
client in the datazone, this is defined as the client's capacity. The sum of each individual client's capacity provides a capacity
estimate for the entire datazone. The nsrcapinfo client granular report provides more details on the individual client capacity
parameters such as the following for a given date range:
● Daily Peak Usage— The maximum size of the save set or save stream backed up for a given client on a particular day.
● Daily Maximum Cumulative Report— The sum of all the save set or save stream size backed up for a given client on a
particular day.
● Days Measured—The number of days between the start date and the end date.
● Overall Peak Usage—The maximum of "Daily Peak Usage" over a particular duration (Days measured).
● Overall Maximum Cumulative Report—The maximum of "Daily Maximum Cumulative Report" over a particular duration (Days
measured).
● Cumulative Report—The sum of the maximum data size of all the unique save sets pertaining to a client for a particular
duration (Days measured).
Configuration information is extracted from the RAP database through the command line tool nsrdump. The nsrdump tool
automatically hides sensitive information like passwords, but can also be configured to hide other information that customers
might not wish to share with Dell EMC.
The following is a sample output of the nsrcapinfo command:

[root@rhel7-cl3 ~]# nsrcapinfo

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF8" standalone="yes" ?>
<!--
~ Copyright (c) 2017-2020 Dell EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
~
~ This software contains the intellectual property of Dell EMC Corporation or is
licensed to
~ Dell EMC Corporation from third parties. Use of this software and the intellectual
property
~ contained therein is expressly limited to the terms and conditions of the License
~ Agreement under which it is provided by or on behalf of Dell EMC.
-->
<Capacity_Estimate_Report xmlns="http://www.emc.com/esrs/2014/product_usage"
xmlns:swid="http://standards.iso.org/iso/19770/-2/2009/schema.xsd">
<Time_Stamp>2020-07-28T11:14:56Z</Time_Stamp>
<Unit_Measurement>GB = 1024000000</Unit_Measurement>
<Server_Timezone>IST</Server_Timezone>
<asset>
<system_name>NetWorker</system_name>
<platform>Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.3 (Maipo)</platform>
<instance_id></instance_id>
<swid>
<software_id>ELMXC2MQB4PCRM</software_id>
<product_line_code>NETWV</product_line_code>
<product_line>Dell EMC NetWorker</product_line>
<product_title>NetWorker</product_title>
<product_version>99.0.99.10605.Build.10605</product_version>
<software_creator>Dell EMC Corp.</software_creator>
<software_licensor>Dell EMC Corp.</software_licensor>
</swid>
</asset>
<Clients>3</Clients>
<DB2>0.0000</DB2>
<Informix>0.0000</Informix>
<IQ>0.0000</IQ>
<Lotus>0.0000</Lotus>
<MySQL>0.0000</MySQL>
<Sybase>0.0000</Sybase>
<Oracle>0.0000</Oracle>
<SAP_HANA>0.0000</SAP_HANA>
<SAP_Oracle>0.0000</SAP_Oracle>
<Exchange_NMM8.x>0.0000</Exchange_NMM8.x>
<Exchange_NMM9.x>0.0000</Exchange_NMM9.x>
<Hyper-V>0.0000</Hyper-V>
<SharePoint>0.0000</SharePoint>

508 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 <SQL_VDI>0.0000</SQL_VDI>
<SQL_VSS>0.0000</SQL_VSS>
<Meditech>0.0000</Meditech>
<Other_Applications>0.0000</Other_Applications>
<Unix_Filesystems>55.7574</Unix_Filesystems>
<VMware_Filesystems>0.0000</VMware_Filesystems>
<Windows_Filesystems>0.0000</Windows_Filesystems>
<Total_Largest_Filesystem_Fulls>55.7574</Total_Largest_Filesystem_Fulls>
<Peak_Daily_Applications>0.0000</Peak_Daily_Applications>
<Capacity_Estimate>55.7574</Capacity_Estimate>
<Days_Measured>60</Days_Measured>
<Physical_sockets>6</Physical_sockets>
<HyperV_sockets>0</HyperV_sockets>
<Number_Of_Protected_HyperV_VMs>0</Number_Of_Protected_HyperV_VMs>
<Vcenter_sockets>0</Vcenter_sockets>
<Number_Of_Protected_VMware_VMs>0</Number_Of_Protected_VMware_VMs>
<Number_Of_ESXi_Hosts>0</Number_Of_ESXi_Hosts>
</Capacity_Estimate_Report>

Consider the following for capacity measurement:

● If multiple backups are taken for the same save set, only the maximum size of the save set is considered among the available
backup levels (full, incremental, manual save, and cumulative incremental) for capacity measurement.
● In the case of multi stream or PSS backups, the save stream with the maximum data size is considered for capacity
measurement.
● Capacity is measured by querying the media database. Therefore, the capacity estimate increases, if new entries are added
to the media database or if a larger data size of the existing save set is backed up.
● For VMware clients, the allocated size rather than the used size is considered for capacity measurement.
● Data that is explicitly backed up from the server client is considered for capacity measurement.
The following is not considered for capacity measurement:
● Expired save sets or the save set entries that are removed from the media database.
● Transaction log and server protection policy backup data.
NOTE: Client granular reporting is not supported for NMDA and NMSAP Oracle modules.

The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides more information on the nsrcapinfo command usage and client granular
reports.

Configuring MailHome
1. In the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) click Server, and then select Usage Analytics.
2. In the Usage Analytics area, select the Telemetry option as MailHome to configure MailHome (default selection).
If you select the Telemetry option as ESRS, then reports are sent using ESRS.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 509

 Figure 81. Usage Analytics Properties- MailHome

3. Clear Enable alerts to remove all the alerts pertaining to Usage Analytics. This option is enabled by default.
4. In the MailHome Identity area, type information for the fields in the following table.

Table 124. MailHome fields and descriptions

Field Description
Name Identifier for the MailHome resource. This field is populated by NetWorker.
Mail program The mail program for MailHome. The default for:
● Windows—smtpmail -h <mail_server>
● Linux—/bin/mail
For Linux NetWorker server, perform the following one time configuration.
a. Run the postfix stop command to stop the postfix service.
b. Open /etc/postfix/main.cf using vi/vim editor. Search for relayhost
attribute value, if already available modify, relayhost = <Mail Server>. For
example, <Mail Server> = <Customer-Mail-Server Name with FQDN>
c. Run the postfix command.
NOTE: Ensure that you provide the correct mail server hostname.

Sender email address The email address of the sender for MailHome.
Email address Email address to which the reports are sent. The default value is
NetWorkerProfile@emc.com and it is non-editable.
Additional email recipients The list of additional email addresses to receive reports from MailHome. In case
of multiple values, use space as a separator.

5. (Optional) In the Configuration area you can change the defaults.

510 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 Field Description
Send now To send the database immediately select the checkbox. Once the database is
sent, NetWorker by default clears the checkbox.
Review daemon.raw for errors:
● On Windows—Reports are in the
<NW_installlocation>\nsr\applogs\rh folder.
● On UNIX—Reports are in the /nsr/applogs/rh folder.

Frequency in weeks Select the frequency in weeks that the local database is sent. The default
frequency is set to 2.
Day of the week Select the day of the week that the local database is sent. The default day is set
to Monday.
Hours Select the hour of the day that the local database is sent. The default hour is set
to 8 for 8am.
Exclude attributes To prevent nsrdump from reporting certain attributes through MailHome, type
the list of comma-separated attributes. Excluded attribute names apply to all
resources across the database. The default attributes are hostname, datazone
pass phrase, password, and user id.
Exclude resources To prevent nsrdump from reporting certain resources through MailHome, type
the list of comma-separated resources. The default excluded resource is set to
NSR lockbox.

6. Once the details are updated, click OK. Infrastructure Telemetry Notice banner is populated and on accepting, MailHome
changes are honored.
If you want to cancel the changes that you entered click Reset.

Configuring EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS)

You must install the EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS) appliance version 3.20.20.08 or later from the ESRS Virtual Edition
Product Page, and configure NetWorker to communicate with the appliance. Review the ESRS V3 Quick Install guide for details
about how to install the ESRS appliance.
1. Install the ESRS appliance v3.20.20.08 or later. You can access ESRS documentation and downloads from the ESRS Virtual
Edition Product Page.
NOTE: This download is separate and is not a part of the NetWorker package.

2. Ensure that NetWorker can reach the host port 9443.

3. In the NetWorker Management Console (NMC) click Server, and then select Usage Analytics.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 511

 Figure 82. Usage Analytics Properties- ESRS configuration

4. In the Usage Analytics area, select the Telemetry option as ESRS to configure ESRS.
5. Clear Enable alerts to remove all the alerts pertaining to Usage Analytics. This option is enabled by default.
6. In the ESRS Identity area, type information for the fields in the following table.

Table 125. ESRS fields and descriptions

Field Description
ESRS hostname or IP Hostname or IP of the ESRS.
ESRS port TCP port number for the ESRS service. The default port is 9443.
Username Username is your online support account email. Go to the Support website at
https://support.emc.com to check your account. For more details on Support
website, see the Preface section of the NetWorker Administration Guide.
Password Password is your online support account password.
Comment (Optional) Description of this resource or other explanatory remarks.
E-mail contact Administrator's email address.

During the ESRS Provisioning process, after you use your online support credentials to authenticate, you select your
particular site ID from a list of site IDs associated with your login. An email containing a code will be sent to the associated
email address. The code that is sent is used to complete the provisioning. The EMC Secure Remote Services Installation
Guide provides information.

The following fields are populated by NetWorker.

Field Description
Name Identifier for the ESRS resource.
Product key After a successful registration, ESRS returns the product key. This key is
used for authentication with the ESRS service. (Hidden Attribute) The key

512 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 Field Description
automatically gets updated after the ESRS host is successfully registered with
the NetWorker Server.
ESRS instance id The value that is returned from the ESRS host to identify this NetWorker Server
instance. The id automatically gets updated after the ESRS host is successfully
registered with the NetWorker Server.
E-mail contact Administrator's email address.

7. (Optional) In the Configuration area you can change the defaults.

Field Description
Send now Identifier for the ESRS resource.
Frequency in weeks Select the frequency in weeks that the local database is sent to ESRS. 0 disables
scheduled sends. The default frequency is set to 2.
Day of the week Choose the day of the week that the local database is sent to ESRS. The default
day is set to Monday.
Hours Select the hour of the day that the local database is sent to ESRS. The default
hour is set to 8 for 8am.
Exclude attributes To prevent nsrdump from reporting certain attributes through ESRS, type
the list of comma-separated attributes. Excluded attribute names apply to all
resources across the database. The default attributes are hostname, datazone
pass phrase, password, and user id.
Exclude resources To prevent nsrdump from reporting certain resources through ESRS, type the
list of comma-separated resources. The default excluded resource is set to NSR
lockbox.

8. Once the details are updated, click OK. Infrastructure Telemetry Notice banner is populated and on accepting, the ESRS
related changes are honored.
If you want to cancel the changes you entered click Reset.

Troubleshooting ESRS

EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS) registration fails

Issue
The registration could fail due to:
● Incorrect ESRS hostname, IP, or port
● Incorrect ESRS username or password
● Firewall blocks access to the ESRS port

Fix
Use the correct connection information and open the ESRS port on the firewall.
For incorrect ESRS username or password, go to the Support website at https://support.emc.com to check your online support
account and verify that you have access to the NetWorker asset. If you still have issues, create a support ticket for ESRS
deployment issues that are caused due to username or password issues.

NOTE: For more details on Support website, see the Preface section of theNetWorker Administration Guide.

Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities 513

EMC Secure Remote Services (ESRS) keepalive or file transfer fails

Issue
The failure could be due to invalid credentials:
● ESRS has not been configured and registered
● ESRS instance id has been edited manually
● ESRS product key has been modified

Fix
Configure ESRS and verify that the registration call obtained an ESRS instance id:
● Undo modification of ESRS instance id and/or the product key.
● Alternatively, force the ESRS re-registration by deleting the contents of the ESRS instance id in the NSR ESRS resource.

514 Reporting NetWorker Datazone Activities

 12
NetWorker Server Monitoring
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Enterprise events monitoring
• Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration window
• Monitoring changes to the NetWorker and NMC Server resources
• Monitoring user access to the NMC server
• Monitoring NetWorker server activities in the log files

Enterprise events monitoring

The NetWorker Management Console (NMC) makes the administration of servers more efficient by providing a centralized
means of monitoring activity throughout an enterprise.
You can view details of current NetWorker and Data Domain systems. Managing various servers in the Enterprise on page
533 provides details on adding hosts to be monitored.
Information that can be monitored includes activities and operations that are related to devices and libraries, and events that
require user intervention.
An event signals that user intervention is required. For example, if a NetWorker server needs a new tape, the server alerts users
to the situation by posting an event to the Console window.
NetWorker generates an event that is based on various factors, including the following examples:
● Software or hardware errors that require user intervention to resolve.
● Failed backups.
● Drive ordering or serial number mismatch issues.
A description of the problem is provided, along with a corrective action to fix the problem.
● Capacity monitoring, such as reaching the space threshold on the deduplication node
● Inability to poll a host for event monitoring or report generation.
● Impending expiration of a license or enabler code that is managed by the License Manager.
Some situations do not result in the generation of an event. For example, when a license managed by the NetWorker Console
(instead of by the License Manager) approaches its expiration date. In this situation, a message is recorded in the NetWorker
logs, but an event is not generated until the expired license causes a backup to fail. Check the Administration window from
time to time for important messages.

Polling interval for system events

You can set the polling interval for system-level events and activities in the System Options dialog box.
Polling interval configuration is available for the following items:
● Events and reporting (in seconds).
● NetWorker activities (in seconds).
● Data Domain events (in seconds).
● NetWorker libraries (in hours).
NOTE: Event polling for NetWorker libraries can occur a maximum of once per hour.

Setting system options to improve NMC server performance on page 552 provides information on setting polling intervals.

NetWorker Server Monitoring 515

Enabling or disabling event capture for a host
Enable the Capture Events option for a host in the NMC to enable event monitoring for the host. This option is selected by
default when you add a host.
1. From the NMC GUI, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the host, and select Properties.
3. Enable or disable event capture for the host by selecting or clearing the Capture Events checkbox.
4. If the host is a Data Domain system, select the Configure SNMP Monitoring tab.
a. Type public in the SNMP Community String box.
b. Type the value of the SNMP process port that is used by all Data Domain systems that are monitored by the NMC in the
SNMP Process Port box.
The default port is 162.
c. In the SNMP Traps list, select the checkbox next to the Data Domain system events that you want to monitor with
NetWorker.
5. Click OK.

Event viewing
Events appear in the lower right pane of the Console window.
The following table describes the information that appears in the columns for each event.

Table 126. NMC event information

Column Description
Priority Represents the relative severity of the problem by displaying one of seven icons.
Server Name Identifies the host that caused the event to be generated.
Server Type Identifies the type of server to which the event belongs. Server types include but
are not limited to NetWorker and Data Domain.
Time Indicates the day of the week and time that the Console server discovered the
problem. The time which an event is reported is always based on the time zone
of the Console server. For example: If a backup fails at 11:00 A.M. in New York, a
Console server in Los Angeles reports the event as occurring at 8:00 A.M.

The time format depends on the current locale setting. Start date and time formats
on page 468 provides more
information.

Category Classifies the source of the problem.

Message Displays the text of the error message that generated the event.
Annotation Displays an icon when an annotation has been made. An annotation provides a place
to record comments that are associated with an event, and can accommodate more
information than the Note column.

Each annotation can be up to 12 KB. For example, use annotations to log steps that
are taken to resolve
an event.

You can add multiple annotations to a single event, but you cannot edit or delete
annotations.

To add or view annotations, right-click the event and select Annotation.

Note Provides an editable field for making brief administrative information that is
associated with an event. For example:
● Name of the NetWorker administrator or operator that is assigned to the event.
● Letters or numbers that allow the sorting of events into a preferred order.

516 NetWorker Server Monitoring

Table 126. NMC event information (continued)
Column Description

To add, edit, or delete a note, double-click the cell in the Note column for the
event. When you finish
adding, editing, or deleting the note, click outside the cell.

The maximum number of characters for a note is 30.

Event priorities
Each event is designated with one of seven possible priorities. When the Console window sorts events by priority, it lists the
events in alphabetical order, with Emergency between Critical and Information.
The following table provides more information on each type of event priority.

Table 127. Event priorities

Icon Priority Description
Alert Error condition that is detected by the NetWorker server that
should be fixed by a qualified operator.

Critical Severe error condition that demands immediate attention.

Emergency Condition exists that may cause NetWorker software to fail

unless corrected immediately. This icon represents the highest
priority.
Information Information about the current state of the server. This icon
represents the lowest priority.
Notification Important information.

Waiting Indication that the NetWorker server is waiting for an

operator to perform a routine task, such as mounting a tape.

Warning Non-fatal error has occurred.

Dismissing an event
After you view and act on an event, you can dismiss the event from the Console window to prevent other users from acting
unnecessarily on events that have already been resolved.

NOTE: Dismissing an event makes it disappear from the Console window for all NetWorker users.

1. From the Console window, right-click the event and select Dismiss.
A confirmation message appears.
2. Click Yes.
There are slight differences in how event dismissals are handled, depending on the source:
● Events from NetWorker software are automatically dismissed in the Console window when the problem that triggered the
event is resolved.
● Events from device ordering or serial mismatch issues are automatically dismissed in the Console window when the problem
is resolved via the corrective action provided.

NetWorker Server Monitoring 517

Clear persistent alerts
In NetWorker, the alerts retained till the restart of the datazone are considered as persistent alerts.
Currently, alerts generated due to the core dump of NetWorker processes are persistent. To clear persistent alerts from the
Alerts window of NMC after a certain period, edit the Event clear interval attribute in the NSR resource. After the specified
duration in Event clear interval is exceeded for a generated alert, the respective alert is cleared.
The default value for the attribute is 72 hours and the attribute can take any value from 1 hour to 14 days. The acceptable time
units are hours and days.
The special keyword now can be used to clear all the persistent alerts immediately. After the alerts are cleared using now, the
value of the attribute is set to the previous value.
To update Event clear interval:
1. Enable Diagnostic Mode.
2. Click the Server tab.
3. From the right pane, click Server Properties.
4. In the Server Properties window, click the Alerts tab and modify Event clear interval.
Event clear interval can be modified from nsradmin by editing the NSR resource.

Disk space monitoring

Alerts are listed in the Alerts pane of the NMC and also received in the SNMP trap receiver.
NOTE: To configure SNMP traps, see SNMP traps on page 489.

There are individual alerts for each NetWorker client whose occupied disk space goes beyond 80%. These alerts are not
persistent and get cleared automatically when the occupied disk space goes below 80%.
Once the services are up and running, the following alerts are generated if there is low disk space:
● Info - If the disk volume occupied is 80% to 90% of the total disk size.
● Warning - If the disk volume occupied is 90% to 95% of the total disk size.
● Emergency - If the disk volume occupied is greater than 95% of the total disk size.
The minimum available disk space for monitoring threshold is 20% of the disk size. This is for disk size less than 100 GB. If the
disk size is greater than 100 GB, the minimum available disk space monitoring threshold is 20 GB. Based on this threshold limit,
the corresponding alert is generated.

NOTE: NetWorker server services start only if the available disk space is greater than 10 MB.

Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the

Administration window
The Monitoring window in the NetWorker Administration application enables you to monitor the activities of an individual
NetWorker Server.
The Monitoring window provides the following types of activity and status information:
● Data protection policies, workflows, and individual actions.
● Cloning, recovering, synthetic full backups, and browsing of client file indexes.
● Operations that are related to devices and jukeboxes.
● Alerts and log messages.
You can also perform some management operations from the Monitoring window, for example, starting, stopping, or restarting
a data protection policy.
1. From the NMC Console window, click Enterprise.
2. In the Enterprise view, right-click the NetWorker Server, and then select Launch Application.
The Administration window appears.
3. To view the Monitoring window, click Monitoring.

518 NetWorker Server Monitoring

 Figure 83. Monitoring window

About the Monitoring window

On the Administration window taskbar, select Monitoring to view the details of current NetWorker server activities and
status, such as:
● Policies and actions.
● Cloning, recovering, synthetic backups, checkpoint restart backups, and browsing of client file indexes.
● Alerts and log messages, and operations that are related to devices and jukeboxes.
While the Monitoring window is used primarily to monitor NetWorker server activities, it can also be used to perform certain
operations. These operations include starting, stopping, or restarting a workflow.
The Monitoring window includes a docking panel that displays specific types of information. Select the types of information you
want to view from the docking panel.
A portion of the Monitoring window, which is known as the task monitoring area, is always visible across all windows. A
splitter separates the task monitoring area from the rest of the window. You can click and move the splitter to resize the task
monitoring area. The arrow icon in the upper right corner of the Monitoring window allows you to select which tasks you want
to appear in this view.
Smaller windows appear within the Monitoring window for each window. Each smaller window, once undocked, is a floating
window and can be moved around the page to customize the view. You can select multiple types from the panel to create
multiple floating windows that can be viewed simultaneously. The following table describes the various types of information
available in the docking panel, and the details each one provides.

Table 128. Monitoring window panel

Window Information provided
Policies/Actions The Policies tab provides you with status information about all configure policies and the
associated workflows and actions. The Actions tab provides you with status information for
all actions. Policies/Actions pane on page 521 provides more information.

NetWorker Server Monitoring 519

Table 128. Monitoring window panel (continued)
Window Information provided
Sessions Allows you to customize whether to display all session types, or only certain session types. The
information that is provided depends on which session type you select. For example, if you
select Save Sessions, the window lists clients, save sets, groups, backup level, backup start
time, duration of the backup, devices, rate, and size. Sessions window on page 50 provides
more information.
NOTE: The size displayed in the NMC GUI is as per the digital calculator, that is, 1 MB is
equal to 1000 KB (decimal).

Alerts Lists the priority, category, time, and message of any alerts. Alerts pane provides more
information.
NOTE: Alerts displayed in the NMC Monitoring page is from the server and cannot be
cleared from the GUI.

Devices Lists devices, device status, storage nodes, libraries, volumes, pools, and related messages.
Devices pane on page 51 provides more information.
Operations Lists the status of all library and silo operations, including nsrjb operations that are run from
the command prompt. Also lists user input, libraries, origin, operation data, operation start
time, duration of the operation, progress messages, and error messages.

When displaying Show Details from the Operations window, the length of time that the
window is
displayed depends on the value that is typed in the Operation Lifespan attribute on the
Timers tab of
the Properties dialog box for the corresponding library. To access library properties, click
Devices in the taskbar. By default, this pane is hidden.

Log Lists messages that are generated by the NetWorker server, including the priority of each
message, the time the message was generated, the source of the message, and the category.
Log window on page 53 provides more information.

Customizing the Monitoring window

This section describes how to customize the Monitoring window in the Administration interface.

Customizing tables
You can customize the organization and display of tabular information in the Monitoring window.

Sorting tables
You can change the display of tabular information that appears in the window. You can sort Table grids by column heading, and
then by alphabetic or numeric order within those columns.
1. Drag and drop the column heading to its new position.
2. Click the column heading to sort the items into alphabetic and numeric order. An arrow appears in the column heading to
indicate the sort order.

Sorting selected rows in a table

Selected rows are sorted to the top of the table. This sorting is particularly useful when you select Highlight All from the Find
panel to select all rows matching the Find criteria and then moving all selected rows to the top of the table to view the results.
1. From the Edit menu, select Find, or press Ctrl + F to view the Find panel.
2. To select the rows, click each row or use the Find criteria.
3. Select Sort Selected.

520 NetWorker Server Monitoring

Sorting multiple columns in a table
You can select the column that you want to use as the tertiary sort key, the secondary sort key, and the primary sort key.
1. Click the column that you want to use as the last sort key.
2. Click the column that you want to use as the next-to-last sort key, and so on, until you select the primary column.

Displaying columns in a table

You can select which columns to display in a table.
1. From the View menu, select Choose Table Columns.
2. Click a column name to select or clear the column and then click OK. You can also select the columns to display by
right-clicking a table header and selecting Add Column from the drop-down.

Displaying panes
You can choose to show or hide panes in the Monitoring window.
Perform the following steps to hide or show a pane in the Monitoring window.
1. From the View menu, select Show. A check mark appears beside the panes that appear in the Monitoring window.
2. To hide a pane, select a marked pane.
A check mark does not appear beside the pane.
3. To show a pane, select an unmarked pane.
A check mark appears beside the pane.

Policies/Actions pane
The Policies/Actions pane provides you with the ability to review status information about policies and actions.
This pane has two tabs:
● Policies—Provides a navigation tree that displays all configured policies on the NetWorker Server. Expand each policy to
display the workflows that are associated with each policy. Expand each workflow to display each action that is contained in
the workflow.
● Actions—Provides a list of all Action resources.

Policies pane
The Monitoring window in the NetWorker Administration window enables you to monitor activities for specific policies,
workflows, and actions.
The Policies/Actions pane at the top of the Monitoring window lists the policies on the NetWorker Server by default. Click
the + (plus) sign next to a policy in the list to view the workflows in the policy, and the + (plus) sign next to a workflow to view
the actions for a workflow.
The Policies pane provides the following information for each item (where applicable):
● Overall status
The following table provides details on the status icons that may appear in the Policies pane.

Table 129. Policy status icons

Icon Status

Never run

Running

Succeeded

NetWorker Server Monitoring 521

 Table 129. Policy status icons (continued)
Icon Status

Failed

Probing

Interrupted

Queued

Cloning

Consolidating (NetWorker Server 8.2.x and lower only)

NOTE: When the schedule for an action is skip, the status of the action appears as Never Run and the status of the
Workflow is Succeeded.
● Most recent start time.
● Duration of the most recent run.
● Next scheduled runtime.
● Name of the assigned save set.
● Device on which the save set is stored.
● Backup level.
● Data transfer rate.
● Size of the save set.
● Messages that resulted from an action.
Right-click an action in the Policies pane and select Show Details to view details on currently running, successfully completed,
and failed activities for the action.
When you sort the items on the Policies/Actions pane by using the Status column, NetWorker sorts the items in alphabetical
order that is based on the label of the icon.
Consider the following when a policy/action is in a probing state:
● A message is sent when the group starts and finishes the probe operation.
● The results of the probe operation (run backup/do not run backup) are also logged.
● Probes do not affect the final status of the group, and the group status does not indicate the results of the probe.
● If probing indicates that a backup should not run, then the group status reverts to its state before the group running.
● Check the results of the probe in the Log window to ensure that the probe indicates that the backup can be taken.

Actions pane
To view a list of all actions, click the Actions tab at the bottom of the Policies pane. The Policies pane becomes the Actions
pane.
The Actions pane provides the following information for each action:
● Overall status

NOTE: The Actions pane displays the same status icons as the Policies pane.
● Name
● Assigned policy
● Assigned workflow
● Type
● Date and time of the most recent run
● Duration of the most recent run

522 NetWorker Server Monitoring

● Percent complete, for actions that are in progress
● Next scheduled runtime
Right-click an action in the Actions pane and select Show Details to view details on currently running, successfully completed,
and failed activities for the action.

Workflow operations
This section describes how to use the Monitoring window to start, stop, and restart workflows.

Starting, stopping, and restarting policies

The workflows in a policy can run automatically, based on a schedule. You can also manually start, stop, and restart specific
workflows by using the the NMC NetWorker Administration Monitoring window.
You can restart any failed or canceled workflow. Note, however, that the restart must occur within the restart window that
you specified for the workflow. Additionally, for a VMware backup, if you cancel a workflow from NetWorker Administration
and then want to restart the backup, ensure that you restart the workflow from the NetWorker Administration window. If a
workflow that was started from NetWorker Administration is restarted from the vSphere Web Client, the backup fails.
1. In the Monitoring window, select the workflow or actions.
2. Right-click and then select Start, Stop, or Restart.
A confirmation message appears.
NOTE: You cannot stop, restart, or start individual actions.
3. Click Yes.

Viewing workflow backup details

Perform the following steps to view backup details for workflows.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Policies in the docking panel, and expand the Policy that you want to monitor.
3. Right-click the workflow, and then select Show Details. The Workflow Summary window appears.
4. In the Workflow runs pane of the Workflow Summary window, select the workflow.
5. Click Show Messages. In the Show Messages window, select one of the following options:
● Get Full Log—To display all messages.
● Print—To print the log.
● Save—To save the log to a local file.
● OK—To close the Show Messages window.
6. Click OK to close the Workflow Summary window.

Viewing action backup details

Perform the following steps to view backup details for actions.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Actions in the docking panel.
3. In the Actions pane, right-click the action, and then select Show Details. The details window for the action appears.
4. Review the information in the Actions Messages pane. To display detailed information from the action log file, click Show
Action Logs, and then select one of the following options:
● Get Full Log—To display all messages.
● Print—To print the log.
● Save—To save the log to a local file.
● OK—To close the Show Messages window.
5. In one of the Actions detail panes, for example, the Completed successfully pane, select the action that you want to
review.
6. Click Show Messages. In the Show Messages window, select one of the following options:

NetWorker Server Monitoring 523

 ● Get Full Log—To display all messages.
● Print—To print the log.
● Save—To save the log to a local file.
● OK—To close the Show Messages window.
7. Click OK to close the Details window.

Sessions window
Use the Sessions window to view the sessions that are running on a NetWorker server. You can change the view of this
window to display these sessions:
The Sessions pane below the Policies/Actions pane provides details on individual save, recover, clone, and synthetic full
sessions by client.
To view all sessions or to limit the list of sessions by the session type, click the tabs at the bottom of the Sessions pane.
Session types include:
● Save
● Recover
● Clone
● Browse
● Synthetic Full/Rehydrated Sessions
● All
To change the displayed session types go to View > Show, and select the type of sessions to display. To display all sessions
currently running on the NetWorker Server, regardless of type, select All Sessions.
You can stop a session (backup, synthetic full backup, clone, and recovery sessions) from the Monitoring window, even if the
session was started by running the nsrworkflow command.
To stop a session, right-click the workflow in the pane, and select Stop from the list box.

Devices pane
The Devices pane allows you to monitor the status of all devices, including NDMP devices. If the NetWorker server uses shared
and logical devices, the window is adjusted dynamically to present a set of columns appropriate for the current configuration.
The Devices pane provides the following information:
● Status of the operation.
● Name of the device.
● Name of the storage node that contains the device.
● For tape devices, the name of the library that contains the device.
● Name of the volume in the device.
● Name of the pool that is associated with the volume.
● Last message generated for the device.
● Whether the operation requires user input.

For example, a labeling operation may want the user to acknowledge whether the system should overwrite the label on a
tape.
Entering user input on page 53 provides instructions on how to deal with a user input notification.
If the current server configuration includes a shared device, a Shared Device Name column appears on the Devices pane. The
name of the shared device appears in the Shared Device Name column. If other devices for that configuration are not shared
devices, then the Shared Device Name column is blank for those devices. Only a single device per hardware ID can be active at
any particular moment. The information for inactive shared devices is filtered out, and as a result, only one device per hardware
ID is presented on the window at any time.
An icon represents the device status. The following table lists and describes each icon.

524 NetWorker Server Monitoring

Table 130. Devices status icons
Icon Label Description
Library device active The library device is active.

Library device disabled The library device is disabled.

Library device idle The library device is idle.

Stand-alone device active The stand-alone device is active.

Stand-alone device disabled The stand-alone device is disabled.

Stand-alone device idle The stand-alone device is idle.

When you sort items in the Devices pane by the Status column, NetWorker sorts the devices in alphabetical order based on
the label name of the icon.

Operations window
The Operations window displays information about device operations. It provides the following information:
● Status of the operation.
● Name of the library.
● Whether the operation requires user input.
For example, a labeling operation may want the user to acknowledge whether the system should overwrite the label on a
tape. Entering user input on page 53 provides instructions on how to deal with a user input notification.
● The origin, or source, of the operation.
For example, the interface, nsrjb or the NetWorker server.
● Time the operation started.
● Type of operation.
● Duration of the operation.
● Status messages from the operation.
● Any error messages.
NOTE: Only the last error message of the operation appears in the Error Messages column. Move the mouse pointer
over the cell containing the last error message to display the entire list of error messages.
The operation status is represented by an icon. The following table lists and describes each of the icons.

Table 131. Operations window icons

Icon Label Description
Failed The operation failed.

Queued The operation is waiting in the queue to run.

Retry The operation failed, but may work if you try again.

Running The operation is running.

Successful The operation completed successfully.

User Input The operation requires user input.

NetWorker Server Monitoring 525

When items on the Operations window are sorted by the Status column, they are sorted in alphabetical order based on the
label of the icon.

Viewing operation details

The Operation Details dialog box opens, providing information about the completion of the operation. The Completion Time
displays the time that the operation finished. The time that it took to complete the operation is the difference between the
completion and start times of the operation.
To save operation details to a file, click Save in the Operation Details dialog box. When prompted, identify a name and location
for the file.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Operations in the docking panel.
3. Right-click the operation, then select Show Details.

Stopping an operation
Certain operations can be stopped from the Operations window.
1. From the Administration window, click Monitoring.
2. Click Operations in the docking panel.
3. Right-click the operation to stop, then select Stop.
4. Click Yes to confirm the stop.
NOTE: Operations that were started from a command line program, such as the nsrjb command, cannot be stopped
from the Operations window. To stop these operations, press Ctrl-c from the window where the command was
started.

Entering user input

If the system requires user input, select the labeling operation in slow/verbose mode and the Supply User Input icon appears.
1. Right-click the operation, then select Supply Input.
2. Confirm the requirement to supply input.
● If Yes, and input is supplied, the icon in the User Input column disappears.
NOTE: If two users try to respond to the same user input prompt, the input of the first user takes precedence, and
the second user receives an error message.
● If No, and input is not supplied, the operation will time out and fail.

Log window
To view the most recent notification logs, click the Log window from the docking panel in the Monitoring window. The Log
window provides the priority, time, source, category, and message for each log.
NOTE: If a particular log file is no longer available, check the log file on the NetWorker server. The log files are located in
NetWorker_install_path\logs directory.

An icon represents the priority of the log entry. The following table lists and describes each icon.

Table 132. Icons in the Log pane

Icon Label Description
Alert Error condition that is detected by the NetWorker server that should be
fixed by a qualified operator.

Critical Severe error condition that demands immediate attention.

526 NetWorker Server Monitoring

Table 132. Icons in the Log pane (continued)
Icon Label Description
Emergency Condition exists that could cause NetWorker software to fail unless
corrected immediately. This icon represents the highest priority.

Information Information about the current state of the server. This icon represents the
lowest priority.
Notification Important information.

Waiting The NetWorker server is waiting for an operator to perform a task, such as
mounting a tape.

Warning Non-fatal error has occurred.

When you sort items on the Log pane by using the Priority column, NetWorker sorts the icons in alphabetical order based on
the name of the label.

Recover window
The Recover window displays information about recover configurations that are created with the NetWorker Management
Console (NMC) Recovery wizard.
You can use this window to:
● Start the NMC Recovery wizard to create recover configurations or modify saved recover configurations.
● Identify the status of a recover configuration that is created with the NMC Recovery wizard.
● Start and stop a recover job.
The Recover window is divided into five sections:
● Toolbar—The toolbar is hidden by default. To display the recovery toolbar, select View > Show toolbar
● Summary
● Configured Recovers
● Currently Running
A splitter separates the Configured Recovers section from Currently running window. You can click and move the splitter to
resize these two windows.
The following table shows an example of the Recover window.

Figure 84. Recover window

NetWorker Server Monitoring 527

Recover toolbar
The Recover toolbar provides you with the ability to quickly perform common recover operations. The following table
summarizes the function of each toolbar button.

Table 133. Recovery toolbar options

Button Function
Starts the NMC Recover wizard to create recover configurations.

Displays the Properties window for the saved recover configuration that you selected in the
Configured Recover window.

Deletes the saved recover configuration that you selected in the Configured Recover window.

Displays online help for the Recover window.

Displays the Find window at the bottom of the Recover window. The Find window allows you to
perform keyword searches for messages that appear in the Logs window.

Start the recover operation for a selected saved recover configuration. This option is only available for a
recover configuration that has a Never run, or Failed status.

Stop in-progress recover operation that you selected in the Currently Running window.

NOTE: The Recover toolbar does not appear by default. To display the Recover toolbar, select View > Show toolbar.

Recover Summary
The Recover Summary section displays a high-level overview of recover jobs.
This section includes the following information:
● Total Recovers—The total number of successful recover jobs.
● Since—The number of successful recover jobs since this date.

Configured Recovers
The Configured Recovers window displays a list of saved recover configurations in a tabular format. You can sort
the information by column. The Configured Recovers table displays the following information for each saved recover
configuration:
● Status—The job status of a saved recover configuration.
● Name
● Source client
● Destination client
● Recovery list
● Recover type—For example, file system or BBB.
● Comment
● OS—The operating system of the source host.
● Recover requestor—The Windows or UNIX account used to create the recover configuration.
● Start Time
● End Time
● Start date

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Table 134. Save recover configuration job status
Icon Description
The last recover attempt failed.

The last recover attempt completed successfully.

The recover job has never run.

The recover job is scheduled to run in the future.

The recover job has expired.

Currently running
The Currently Running window displays a list of in progress recover jobs in a tabular format. You can sort the information by
column. The Currently Running table displays the following information for each job:
● Status
● Name
● Source client
● Destination client
● Recovery list
● Recover type—For example, file system or BBB
● Volume
● Comment
● Device
● Size
● Total size
● % complete
● Rate (KB/s)
● Start time
● Duration
● Currently running

Find
The Find section appears along the bottom of the Recover window, after you select the Find button on the Recover toolbar.
Find allows you to search for keywords in the Configured Recovers window. The following table summarizes the available find
options.

Table 135. Find options

Find option Description
Find Highlight the first saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Prev Highlight the previous saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Highlight All Highlights each saved recover configuration that contains the specified keyword.
Sort Selected Sorts each highlighted recover configuration in the Configured Recover table so that they
appear at the top of the Configured Recover table.
Match case Make the keyword search case sensitive.

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Monitoring changes to the NetWorker and NMC
Server resources
NetWorker provides two ways to monitor changes made in to the NetWorker and NMC Server resources:
● Monitor RAP (resource allocation protocol) attribute in the NetWorker Server resource — This feature tracks both before
and after information related to additions, deletions, or modifications to NetWorker Server resources and their attributes.
● Security Audit Log feature — This feature provides the NetWorker Server and the NMC Server with the ability to log
specific security audit events related to their operations.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide describes how to use and configure the Monitor RAP attribute and the Security
Audit Log feature.

Disabling or enabling the Monitor RAP Attribute

The Monitor RAP attribute is enabled by default. To change the setting, perform the following steps in the Console window.
1. From the Administration window, select View > Diagnostic Mode.
2. Right-click the NetWorker server name in the left pane and select Properties.
3. In the Setup tab of the NetWorker Server Properties dialog box, select the Monitor RAP Enabled or the Disabled
attribute as required.
4. Click OK.

Monitoring user access to the NMC server

NMC allows you to determine the last time that a user accessed the NMC user interface, and when the user logged out of the
NMC user interface.
Log in to the NMC server as a Console Security Administrator. The NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account is a
Console Security Administrator.
1. On the toolbar, select Setup.
2. In the User and Roles navigation pane, select Users.
3. In the Users window pane, right-click click a column heading and select Add columns.
● To monitor when a user last logged in to the NMC UI, select Login Time.
● To monitor when a user last logged out of the NMC UI, select Logout Time.

Monitoring NetWorker server activities in the log files

NetWorker provides plain text and unrendered log files that enable you to monitor NetWorker server activities.
The Troubleshooting chapter provides a summary of the log files on each NetWorker host and how to manage the log files.

530 NetWorker Server Monitoring

 13
NMC Server Management
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Enterprise
• Customizing the Console window and views
• Using the NMC filters
• Connecting to the NMC GUI using an ssh connection
• Backing up the NetWorker environment
• Using the NMC Configuration Wizard
• NMC server authentication
• Adding the NMC service account to the Users user group
• Enabling two factor authentication for AD and LDAP users
• Moving the NMC Server
• Migrating NMC users to the authentication service database
• Resetting the administrator password
• Changing the service port used by the NMC database
• Changing database connection credentials
• Updating the NMC server IP address/hostname
• Setting system options to improve NMC server performance
• Displaying international fonts in non-US locale environments
• NetWorker License Manager
• NMC error messages and corrective actions
• Console troubleshooting notes and tips

Enterprise
The Enterprise is a visual representation of the NetWorker Console control zone. You can monitor various servers in the
enterprise such as the NetWorker and Data Domain servers for events. You can also generate various reports on events,
backups, and user activity.

Enterprise components
Enterprise components include hosts and folders.

Hosts A host, also known as a managed node, is the NetWorker or Data Domain server being monitored. A host
terminates a branch in the Enterprise.
Folders The purpose of folders is to enable the Enterprise to contain multiple levels. Each folder can contain more
folders, more hosts, or more of both.

Organizing NetWorker servers

Use the Enterprise to organize the NetWorker servers by some logical or functional criteria.
Examples of organizational criteria include:
● By geography — For example, you can put all the hosts from the same city or country in the same folder.
● By function — For example, you can have the servers that back up web servers in one folder, and the servers that back up
mail servers in another folder.

NMC Server Management 531

● By administrative divisions within the Enterprise — For example, you can use separate folders for servers that back up
Marketing, Sales, or Engineering hosts.
You can create and maintain multiple folders to organize multiple copies of a host in the Enterprise. When you create each folder
that is based on different organizational criteria, you can view the organization in different, yet parallel, and complementary
ways.
Example: An enterprise that is arranged by geographic location
This figure provides an example of an Enterprise arranged by geographic location. There are three folders, one for each country
that manages NetWorker servers: USA, France, and Australia. Each folder contains a number of hosts that correspond to the
location of the NetWorker servers. The Australia folder, for instance, contains three host computers that are labeled perth1,
perth2, and sydney.

Figure 85. NetWorker servers worldwide

Viewing the enterprise

In the Console window, you can view the organization of the NetWorker servers in much the same way as you use a file
manager program to view the contents of a file system.
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
● The left pane displays folders and hosts in a tree-like arrangement to illustrate the organization of the NetWorker
servers.
● The right pane displays the contents of the selected folder or host.

2. Select a view option as described in the following table.

Table 136. Viewing the enterprise

To: Perform the following action:
Show or hide contents of the Enterprise. Click Enterprise.
Show or hide contents of a folder. Click the folder.
Show the managed applications that are installed on a host Click the host.
computer.

532 NMC Server Management

Managing various servers in the Enterprise
NetWorker Console enables centralized management of NetWorker or Data Domain servers within the Enterprise. Use the
Console window to add, delete, move, and copy servers.
When you use the NetWorker software to manage many NetWorker servers, you can use a single command gstmodconf from
a command prompt to efficiently add or delete multiple hosts. Adding or deleting multiple servers by using a hostname file on
page 535 provides further information.
The server management activities include, but are not limited to, operations that are related to devices and libraries, and events
that require user intervention.

Adding a managed host

The Console window can display server events and to generate server activity-reports.
NOTE: When you configure a Data Domain device with the New Device wizard, the wizard adds Data Domain servers as
a managed host. The NetWorker Data Domain Boost Integration Guide provides more information about Data Domain as a
managed host.
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. In the left pane, right-click Enterprise, then select New > Host. The Add New Host wizard appears.
3. Type a hostname, IP address, DNS name, or WINS name in the Host Name attribute, then click Next.
NOTE: Hostnames and aliases cannot exceed 80 characters.

4. Select the server type and click Next.

5. Follow the instructions for configuring selected host type, then click Finish.
NOTE: You can also use the Console Configuration wizard to add a host.

Deleting a host
You can delete a single host or multiple hosts within a folder.
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the host, then select Delete. The Deleting Host dialog box appears.
● To delete multiple hosts, select multiple hosts in the details pane and select Delete.
● If additional copies of the host exist in the Enterprise, use the Delete all existing copies of the host option to delete all
instances of that same host in a single operation.

3. Click Yes to confirm deletion of the host.

Copying a host
You can create multiple copies of a host for a single NetWorker server. For example, you can create one copy of a host in the
logical position of the host in the Enterprise, while another copy of the host is in a Hosts-to-Watch folder where you can easily
monitor it. In this configuration, you can check the server without browsing through the Enterprise.
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the host, then select Copy.
3. Right-click a new location, then select Paste.
NOTE: You can also use the drag-and-drop feature while press and holding the Ctrl key to copy hosts.

NMC Server Management 533

Moving a host
To move a host from one location to another in an Enterprise, perform the following steps.
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the host to move, then select Move.
3. Right-click a new location, then select Paste.
NOTE: You can also use the drag-and-drop feature while holding down the Ctrl key to move hosts.

Managing folders in the enterprise

The NetWorker software allows you to manage folders within the Enterprise. This means that you can add, rename, delete, and
move folders as needed.
You can add new folders directly beneath the Enterprise node or beneath other folders.

Adding a folder
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the location within the Enterprise where you want the new folder to appear, then select New > Folder.
A new folder appears in the Enterprise with the default name Untitled1.

3. Highlight the default name and type a new name to replace it. The name must meet these criteria:
● Include at least one, but no more than 80 characters.
● Exclude forward slashes (/).

4. Press Enter.

Deleting a folder
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the folder to delete, then select Delete.
● If hosts exist in the folder, a dialog box prompts you to confirm the deletion of each host. Select Yes to continue with the
operation, or No to cancel it.
● If hosts do not exist in the folder, the NMC server deletes the folder.
● If the folder contains any unique hosts (meaning hosts that do not have copies anywhere else in the Enterprise), an
additional dialog box appears to confirm deletion of the unique host.
A separate dialog box with four options appears for each unique host in the folder:
● To delete the specified host, click Yes.
● To delete all hosts and subfolders in the selected folder, without further prompts, click Yes to All.
○ To cancel the deletion, click No.
○ To cancel any further deletion of hosts in the selected folder, and leave the remaining contents intact, click Cancel.
The NMC server deletes non-unique hosts, and folders containing only non-unique hosts without additional
prompting.
NOTE: If there are user group restrictions in place that control which hosts a user can view, the folder might
appear empty.

Copying a folder
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the folder to copy, then select Copy.

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3. Right-click a new location, then select Paste. A copy of the folder appears in its new location.
NOTE: You can also use the drag-and-drop feature to copy folders while holding down the Ctrl key.

4. A folder cannot be copied within the same Enterprise level.

Moving a folder
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the folder to move, then select Move.
3. Right-click a new location, then select Paste. The folder appears in its new location.
NOTE: You can also use the drag-and-drop feature to move folders while holding down the Ctrl key.

Renaming a folder
1. From the Console window, click Enterprise.
2. Right-click the folder, then select Rename.
3. Highlight the folder name and type a new name to replace it. The name must meet these criteria:
● Include at least one, but no more than 80 characters.
● Exclude forward slashes (/).

4. Press Enter.

Adding or deleting multiple servers by using a hostname file

For larger enterprises, use the gstmodconf command and a hostname file to add or delete multiple NetWorker servers to the
Enterprise, with the features Capture Events and Gather Reporting Data enabled. Using the gstmodconf command on page
536 provides more information about the gstmodconf command.

Restrictions
Before you use the gstmodconf command, review the following restrictions.
If a host already exists anywhere in the Enterprise, either at the base or within a folder, you cannot use the gstmodconf
command to add copies of the host.
You cannot use this command to add a host to a folder. You can only add a host to the base level of the Enterprise. After you
add the host to the Enterprise, use the Console GUI to move the host to a folder. Moving a host on page 534 provides more
information.
When you use the gstmodconf command to delete a host, the command only deletes hosts from the base level. The command
does not delete hosts that are within folders.

Creating the hostname file

To use the gstmodconf command to add or delete multiple hosts simultaneously, specify the hostnames in a hostname text
file.
To create a hostname file, use these guidelines.
● Only list one hostname on each line of the file.
● A non-comment line that contains more than one space-separated or tab-separated hostname generates an error.
● To include a comment in the file, start the line with a "#" character.
● Blank lines are treated as comments and ignored, as shown in the following example.
Hostname file
#This is a hostname file for XYZ Corporation

NMC Server Management 535

 apple
banana
grape
kiwi
mango
nectarine
pineapple
strawberry
tangerine

Using the gstmodconf command

The gstmodconf command has this syntax:
gstmodconf -i file -f function -s server -k -p port -l username -P password
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide a complete description of the command and its
options.
The following provides an example of how to use gstmodconf to add nodes from the file, xyz_hostlist. In this example,
the NMC server name is myconsole and the xyz_hostlist file contains the following entries:
apple
banan
grape

Example: Adding multiple hosts with the gstmodconf command

gstmodconf -s myconsole -i xyz_hostlist -l Administrator

Trying 111.22.3.444... connected

processing file’xyz_hostlist’
adding host ’apple’
successfully added host ’apple’
adding host ’banana’
successfully added host ’banana’
adding host ’grape’
successfully added host ’grape’
//Closing connection

You can use the gstmodconf -s myconsole -i xyz_hostlist -f delete command to delete multiple Networker
hosts.
NOTE: The gstmodconf file on Windows is located in the following folder: C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\GST\bin. The gstmodconf file on Linux is located in the following folder: /opt/
lgtonmc/bin/. The folder location is not in the default environment path.

Error messages generated by the gstmodconf command

This section describes two common error messages that can appear when you use the gstdmodconf command.
The following provides an example of the error that appears when you use the gstmodconf command to add a host that exists
in the Enterprise:
Example: Trying to add a host that already exists

% gstmodconf -s myconsole -i xyz_hostlist

Trying 111.22.3.444... connected
processing file ’xyz_hostlist’
adding host ’apple’
///Error!
{
string object_type = "gterror";
int severity = 16;
int reason = 23;
list msg = {

536 NMC Server Management

int level = 1;
string text = ’Host name already exists";
};
// Closing connection...

The following output provides an example of the error that appears when you use the gstmodconf command but you did not
specify the administrator password when the password is not the default value.
Example: Trying to use gstmodconf without specifying the password

% gstmodconf -s myconsole -i xyz_hostlist

Trying 111.22.3.444... auth failed.
gt_session_connect: clnt_create: Remote system error-Connection refused.

Customizing the Console window and views

This section describes how to customize the Console window.

Sorting tables
You can change the display of tabular information that appears in the window. You can sort Table grids by column heading, and
then by alphabetic or numeric order within those columns.
1. Drag and drop the column heading to its new position.
2. Click the column heading to sort the items into alphabetic and numeric order. An arrow appears in the column heading to
indicate the sort order.
For example: to see all the managed events about servers that were unreachable by the NMC server, perform the following
steps.
1. From the Console window, select Events.
2. Drag the Message column until it is over the Priority column and drop it.
3. Click the Message column heading. A down-arrow appears.
Scan down the list of messages until you find all three servers with the message, Unable to connect to server. You
can also generate a Managed Event Details report to get the same information, and then print, or export it for use in another
application.

Sorting selected rows in a table

Selected rows are sorted to the top of the table. This sorting is particularly useful when you select Highlight All from the Find
panel to select all rows matching the Find criteria and then moving all selected rows to the top of the table to view the results.
1. From the Edit menu, select Find, or press Ctrl + F to view the Find panel.
2. To select the rows, click each row or use the Find criteria.
3. Select Sort Selected.

Sorting multiple columns in a table

You can select the column that you want to use as the tertiary sort key, the secondary sort key, and the primary sort key.
1. Click the column that you want to use as the last sort key.
2. Click the column that you want to use as the next-to-last sort key, and so on, until you select the primary column.

Displaying columns in a table

You can select which columns to display in a table.
1. From the View menu, select Choose Table Columns.
2. Click a column name to select or clear the column and then click OK. You can also select the columns to display by
right-clicking a table header and selecting Add Column from the drop-down.

NMC Server Management 537

Using the NMC filters
This section describes how to apply filters to view detailed information in the Administration window.
From the Administration window, you can use filters to search and view details about NetWorker server resources, recover
configurations, devices, media, and hosts. Search fields and list boxes display on all NMC windows with filtering capability.
The search fields and list boxes allow you to filter information that appears on a page. By typing a value in the search fields or
selecting an option from the list box, the display changes based on the values that you specified in the fields.
For example, in the Protection > Policies window, you can search and view details for a policy. By typing Bronze in the
Search Name field, only the policies with the name Bronze appear in the list.

Figure 86. Using filters to search and view policies

In this example, the policy with the name Bronze displays and the Send Notification attribute is set to On Completion.
The following table describes how to use filters to search and view details in the Administration window.

Table 137. NMC windows with filtering capability

Window Using filters to search and view details in the Administration window
Protection To search and view detailed information about the following NetWorker server resources, type a value in
the search fields or select an option from the list box, and then press Enter.
● Clients
● Groups
● Policies
● Probes
● Schedules
● VMware View
Recover To search and view detailed information about recover configurations, type a value in the search fields
or select an option from the list box, and then press Enter.
Devices To search and view detailed information about devices, type a value in the search fields or select an
option from the list box, and then press Enter.
NOTE: Filtering is not available for Staging, VMware Backup Appliances, and VMware Proxies.

Media To search and view detailed information about the following activities and resources, type a value in the
search fields or select an option from the list box, and then press Enter.
● Label Templates
● Media Pools
● Disk Volumes
● Tape Volumes
● Client Indexes
● Save Sets
NOTE: In the Save Sets window, filtering is not available on the Query Save Set tab.

Hosts To search and view detailed information about hosts, type a value in the search fields or select an option
from the list box, and then press Enter.
NOTE: Filtering is not available on the Software Inventory or Software Repository tabs.

Server To search and view detailed information about the following NetWorker server resources, type a value in
the search fields or select an option from the list box, and then press Enter.
● Directives

538 NMC Server Management

Table 137. NMC windows with filtering capability (continued)
Window Using filters to search and view details in the Administration window
● Notifications
● Time Policies
● User Groups

Toggle the display of items

● To show all available items, select Filtered: 0 of 0 items.
● To show only filtered items, select Showing: 0 of 0 items.

Hide or show filters

● To hide filters, right-click in the column header and select Hide Filters (CTRL-H).
● To show filters, right-click in the column header and select Show Filters (CTRL-L).

Clear filters
To clear all filters, select Clear All. The display returns to the default view.

Connecting to the NMC GUI using an ssh connection

You can use ssh port forwarding to connect to the NMC server and generate reports, from the NMC client.
Perform the following steps on the NMC client.
1. Open an ssh connection from the NMC client to the NMC server with ssh tunnels for ports 9000 and 9001.
For example:
ssh -L9000:localhost:9000 -L9001:localhost:9001 -L5432:localhost:5432 Console_servername
-N

NOTE: If you changed the default NMC server ports, specify the correct port numbers.

2. Use javaws to connect to the NMC server.

For example:
javaws https://localhost:9000/gconsole.jnlp

Backing up the NetWorker environment

When you install or upgrade the NetWorker Server, the installation or upgrade process creates a default Server Protection
policy that backs up the NetWorker Server and the NMC Server database.
The Server Protection policy includes the following workflows for backing up the NetWorker environment:
● The NMC Server backup workflow performs a backup of the NMC database, which includes NMC Server management data
such as report information. The database remains available during the backup. The workflow is scheduled to start a full
backup daily at 2:00 p.m. The workflow is assigned to the default NMC Server group, which contains the NMC Server if you
specified a NetWorker Server when you configured the NMC Server in the Console Configuration wizard.
● The server backup workflow performs a bootstrap backup of the NetWorker Server for disaster recovery purposes. The
workflow is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. A full backup occurs on the first day of the month, and incremental backups
occur the remaining days of the month. The workflow is assigned to the default Server Protection group, which contains a
dynamically generated list of the Client resources for the NetWorker Server and the NMC Server.

NMC Server Management 539

 NOTE: The Server Protection policy also includes the server maintenance workflow, which performs an expire action to
mark expired save sets as recyclable.
You can edit the default policy, workflows, groups, and actions, or create a set of policies for server backup and maintenance.

Configuring an NMC server database backup

The first time that you connect to the NMC GUI, the Console Configuration wizard prompts you to configure an NMC server
database backup. If you did not configure the NMC database backup or you want to configure a new NetWorker server to
backup the NMC server database, perform the following steps.
Connect to the NMC GUI with an account that has the Console Application Administrators role.
1. On the toolbar, select Setup.
2. From the Setup window, select Setup > Set Database Backup Server.
3. In the NetWorker server field, specify the hostname of the NetWorker server that will backup the NMC server database.
4. Leave the Create Client resource and add to the 'Server protection policy' checkbox selected.
5. In the Client name field, specify the hostname of the NMC server.
6. Click OK.
When you define an NMC database backup, the wizard performs the following actions on the NetWorker server:
● Creates a Client resource for the NMC server database backup. The Save set field for the client contains
the path to the database staging directory. By default, the staging directory is in C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\nmcdb_stage on Windows and /nsr/nmc/nmcdb_stage on Linux.
NOTE: The file system that contains the staging directory must have free disk space that is a least equal to the size of
the current NMC database.
● Creates a group called NMC server.
● Adds the Client resource to the NMC server group.
● Creates a workflow that is called NMC server backup in the Server Protection policy. The workflow contains the NMC
server backup action, which performs a full backup of the NMC server database every day at 2 P.M.
● Adds the NMC server group to the NMC server backup workflow.
NOTE: The NMC Server database backup only supports the full and skip backup levels. If you edit the NMC Server backup
action and change the levels in the backup schedule to a different level, for example synthetic full, NetWorker performs a
full backup of the database.

Changing the staging directory for NMC database backups

To backup the NMC database, the savepsm process creates a copy of the NMC database in a staging directory.
After the backup operation completes, the savepsm process deletes the contents of the staging directory. By default,
when you configure an NMC database backup, the configuration process sets the default staging directory to the
NetWorker_installation_directory\nsr\nmc\nmcdb_stage folder on Windows and the /nsr/nmcdb_stage
directory on Linux.
Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server with a user that is a member of the Application Administrators or Database
Administrators user group.
The size of staging database equals the size of the NMC database. Ensure that the file system on which the savepsm
process writes the staging database has sufficient free disk space. To change the location of the staging directory, perform the
following steps:
1. On the Protection window, in the left navigation pane, select Clients.
2. On the Client window, right-click the client resource for the NMC database backup and select Modify Client Properties.
3. On the General tab, modify the Save set field and specify the path to the nmcdb_stage directory on a file system that
has sufficient disk space.
NOTE: If the path does not exist, the savepsm process creates the directory at the time of the backup.

4. Click OK.

540 NMC Server Management

Performing a manual backup of the NMC server database
Use the savepsm command to perform a manual backup of the NMC server database.
UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the savepsm command.
1. For Linux hosts, if you did not install NMC server software in the default path /opt/lgtonmc, then add the
NMC_install_dir/bin directory to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
2. From a command prompt, use the savepsm command to backup the NMC database

savepsm staging_directory

where staging_directory is the location that the backup uses to temporarily store a copy of the NMC database for backup.
For example, on windows, type:
savepsm e:\nmcdb_stage

Using the NMC Configuration Wizard

You can use the NMC Configuration wizard to create the account that the NMC server service account in the NetWorker
Authentication Service local database, specify which NetWorker server will back up the NMC database, and add NetWorker
servers to the Enterprise.
Connect to the NMC server with a user that has the as Console Application Administrator role.
1. From the NMC GUI, click Setup.
2. From the Setup menu, select Configuration Wizard.

NMC server authentication

When you use a web browser on a host (NMC client) to connect to the NMC server, the http daemon on the NMC server
downloads the Java client to the NMC client.
The NMC server relies on the NetWorker Authentication Service to manage and validate users. When you log in to the NMC
server, the NMC server contacts the NetWorker Authentication Service on the host that you specified during the NMC
installation process to verify the credentials of the user account. When the NetWorker Authentication Service successfully
verifies the user, the application issues a time-based, signed, and encrypted SAML token to the requesting process. All
the operations that require authentication can use the token to verify the user, until the token expires. The NetWorker
Authentication Service maintains a local user database for authentication. NetWorker Authentication Service also supports
the use external authentication authorities for authentication. For example, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP),
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol over SSL (LDAPS), and Microsoft Active Directory server (AD). You can configure
the NMC server and the managed NetWorker servers to use LDAP, AD, or the NetWorker Authentication Service local user
database to provide user authentication and authorization.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide describes how to perform the following tasks:
● Manage the NetWorker Authentication Service.
● Configure user authentication on the NMC.
● Configure user authorization to the NMC and NetWorker servers.

Configuring the NMC server to manage additional NetWorker

servers
The NMC Server can use only one NetWorker Authentication Service to provide authentication services. When the NMC Server
manages more than one NetWorker Server, configure a trust between each NetWorker Server that the NMC Server will manage
and NetWorker Server that will provide authentications services to the NMC Server. After you establish each trust, update the
user groups on each NetWorker Server to include the users and groups that require access to the NetWorker Server.
1. Ensure that the NMC Server and the NetWorker Server are in time sync with each other and points to an NTP Server.

NMC Server Management 541

2. To establish the trust, type the following command on each NetWorker Server that is not local to the NetWorker
Authentication Service that NMC uses for authentication:

nsrauthtrust -H Authentication_service_host -P Authentication_service_port_number

where:
● The location of the nsrauthtrust command differs on Linux and Windows:
○ Linux—/usr/sbin
○ Windows—C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr
● Authentication_service_host is the hostname of the NetWorker Server that authenticates the NMC Server host.
● Authentication_service_port_number is the port number used by the NetWorker Authentication Service. The default port
number is 9090.
For example:
nsrauthtrust -H nwserver.corp.com -P 9090

3. Grant the NetWorker Authentication Service user groups access to the NetWorker Server, by typing the nsraddadmin
command:
nsraddadmin -H Authentication_service_host -P Authentication_service_port_number

For example:
nsraddadmin -H nwserver.corp.com -P 9090

The nsraddadmin command updates the following user groups:

● Application Administrator—Adds the distinguished name (DN) of the NetWorker Authentication Service Administrators
group.
● Security Administrator—Adds the DN of the NetWorker Authentication Service Administrators group.
● Users—Adds the DN of the NetWorker Authentication Service Users group.
Add additional users and groups to user groups on each NetWorker server. Modifying user groups for new NetWorker
Authentication Service users provides more information.

Changing the NetWorker Authentication Service hostname and

port number
When you install the NMC server software, you specified the hostname of the NetWorker Authentication Service and the
port number that the service uses for communication. Perform the following steps to change the host that provides user
authentication to the NMC server.
1. Connect to the NMC server with an Administrator account on Windows or the root account on UNIX.
2. Stop the EMC gstd process:
● Linux—/etc/init.d/gstd stop
● Windows—Stop the EMC GST Database Service service.
3. From a command prompt, to change the NetWorker Authentication Service host that is used by the NMC server, type the
gstauthcfg command.
The location of the gstauthcfg command is not in the path by default and differs on Linux and Windows:
● Linux—/opt/lgtonmc/bin
● Windows—C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\Management\GST\bin
For example:
gstauthcfg -c -t -h New_authentication_service_hostname -p port_number

NOTE: The default port number is 9090.

4. Start the EMC gstd process:

● Linux: /etc/init.d/gstd start
● Windows: Start the EMC GST Database Service service.

542 NMC Server Management

5. To establish the trust, type the following command on each NetWorker Server that is not local to the NetWorker
Authentication Service that NMC uses for authentication:

nsrauthtrust -H Authentication_service_host -P Authentication_service_port_number

where:
● The location of the nsrauthtrust command differs on Linux and Windows:
○ Linux—/usr/sbin
○ Windows—C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr
● Authentication_service_host is the hostname of the NetWorker Server that authenticates the NMC Server host.
● Authentication_service_port_number is the port number used by the NetWorker Authentication Service. The default port
number is 9090.
For example:
nsrauthtrust -H nwserver.corp.com -P 9090

6. Grant the NetWorker Authentication Service user groups access to the NetWorker Server, by typing the nsraddadmin
command:
nsraddadmin -H Authentication_service_host -P Authentication_service_port_number

For example:
nsraddadmin -H nwserver.corp.com -P 9090

The nsraddadmin command updates the following user groups:

● Application Administrator—Adds the distinguished name (DN) of the NetWorker Authentication Service Administrators
group.
● Security Administrator—Adds the DN of the NetWorker Authentication Service Administrators group.
● Users—Adds the DN of the NetWorker Authentication Service Users group.
7. Connect to the NMC server GUI with a user that has the NMC Console Security Administrator role.
8. When prompted to create a service account for the NMC server in the NetWorker Authentication Service database, click
OK.
NOTE: If you do not create the service account, the NMC server cannot monitor events or gather reporting data from
the managed NetWorker servers.

Modifying user groups for new NetWorker Authentication Service

users
Use NMC to add NetWorker Authentication Service users and groups to user groups on a NetWorker server. If you configured
the NetWorker Authentication Service to use external LDAP or AD authorities, use NMC to add LDAP or AD users and groups to
User Groups on a NetWorker server.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about user groups and how to configure user
authorization on a NetWorker server.

Modifying NetWorker user group membership for NMC

Use the External roles field in the User Group resource to manage local database, LDAP, and AD user and group access to the
NetWorker server.
Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server with a user that is a member of the Security Administrators user group on the
NetWorker server.
1. On the Administration window, click Server.
2. Click User Groups.
3. Right-click the user group, and then select Properties.
4. Modify the External roles attribute. To add NetWorker Authentication Service local database users or groups, click the +
sign, and then select the users or groups. When you add an LDAP or AD user or group, specify the distinguished name (DN).

NMC Server Management 543

 The following sections provide more information about how to get the dn for the user or group in an AD or LDAP external
authentication authority, and how to add the NMC service account.
NOTE: It is recommended that you specify usernames when your user accounts are a member of a large number of
groups.

Example: Adding AD group to the External roles attribute

The following example uses ADSI Edit, a Windows tool that allows you to view information about users and groups in AD
directory service. Microsoft TechNet provides the most up to date information about how to use ADSI Edit.
1. To connect to the AD directory, use ADSI Edit.
2. Navigate to the AD group, right-click the group name, and then select Properties.
3. On the Attribute Editor window, select distinguishedName from the attribute list, and then select View.
4. On the String Attribute Editor window, with the entire dn highlighted, right-click in the value field, and then select Copy.
The following figure provides an example of copying the group DN in the ADSI Editor.

Figure 87. Copying the group DN

5. Click Cancel, and then close ADSI Editor.

6. Paste the dn value for the group into the External roles attribute.

Example: Adding LDAP group to the External Roles attribute

The following example uses LDAP Admin, a third party tool that allows you to view information about users and groups in the
LDAP directory service.
1. To connect to the LDAP server, use LDAP Admin.
2. Navigate to the LDAP group, right-click on the group name, and then select Copy dn to clipboard. The following figure
provides an example of the LDAP Admin window.

544 NMC Server Management

 Figure 88. Copying the group DN

3. Close the LDAP Admin window.

4. Paste the dn value for the group into the External roles attribute.
authc_mgmt -u administrator -p "Password1" -e query-ldap-users -D
"query-tenant=IDD" -D

"query-domain=ldapdomain"

Adding the NMC service account to the Users user

group
When the NMC Server manages multiple NetWorker Servers, the nsraddadmin -H command automatically adds a NetWorker
Authentication Service group called "Users" to the "Users" user group on each remote NetWorker Server. The NetWorker
Authentication Service Users group contains the NMC service account. To monitor operations on a NetWorker Server that is
remote to the NMC Server, the NMC service account requires Monitor NetWorker privileges. If the NetWorker "Users" user
group does not specify a NetWorker Authentication Service group that contains the NMC service account, NMC cannot monitor
remote NetWorker Server operations.
To add the NMC service account to the "Users" user group on a NetWorker Server, perform the following steps.
1. Connect to the NMC server with the NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account.
2. Click Enterprise.
3. Right-click the NetWorker Server and select Launch Application.
NOTE: Perform this step and each subsequent step on for each NetWorker Server that is not local to the
authentication service that the NMC Server uses to authenticate users.

4. On the NetWorker Administration window, select Servers.

5. In the left navigation pane, select User Groups.
6. Right-click the Users user group, and then select Properties.
7. Click the plus sign (+) beside the External roles attribute.
The Add Distinguished Names window appears.
8. In the Authentication Service Hostname field, specify the name of the host that the NMC Server uses to authenticate
users, and then click Change.
9. In the user table, select the service account for the NMC Server and click OK.
The following figure provides an example of the Add Distinguished Names window with the service account selected.

NMC Server Management 545

 Figure 89. Add Distinguished Names window

Add Distinguished Names window

The service account appears in the External roles attribute.
10. Click OK.

Enabling two factor authentication for AD and LDAP

users
You can use NMC to enable two factor authentication for AD and LDAP users.
1. On Linux, modify the /opt/nsr/admin/gst_linux.sh script and add the following at the beginning of the script:

GST_LDAP_USING_2FA="true"
export GST_LDAP_USING_2FA

2. On Windows, do the following to set the environment variable:

a. Browse to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced Settings.
b. On the General tab, click Environment Variables.
c. In the System variables section, click New.
d. In the Variable name field, type: GST_LDAP_USING_2FA, and in the Variable value field, type: True. Click OK.
3. Log in to NMC as an Administrator.
4. From the NMCConsole window, click Setup.
5. In the left pane, select Users.
a. Right-click the service account (for example, svc_nmc_*), and then select Properties.
b. On the Groups window, select Administrators and click OK to add the service account user as a part of this group.
6. Restart the EMC GST service:
● Linux: /etc/init.d/gstd start
● Windows: Start the EMC GST service
7. Configure AD and LDAP users. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides information on configuring AD and
LDAP users.
8. Connect to the NMC server with an LDAP or AD user.

Moving the NMC Server

You can move an NMC Server from one host to another only if both hosts use the same operating system.
● Perform a level full backup of the NMC database on the source NMC Server. Performing a manual backup of the NMC
server database on page 541 provides more details.
● On the target NMC host, install the NetWorker and NMC Server software. When prompted to specify the NetWorker
Authentication Service host, specify the same NetWorker Authentication Service host as the source NMC Server. The
NetWorker Installation Guide provides more information.

546 NMC Server Management

● If you use a License Manager server, then install and configure the License Manager software first. If you use the License
Manager software and the License Manager server moves to a new host, then specify the new License Manager hostname
in the Console window.
1. Connect to the NMC GUI on the target NMC Server.
2. In the NMC GUI, connect to the NetWorker Server that performed the NMC database backup.
3. On the Administration window, select Protection.
4. In the left navigation pane, select Clients.
5. Create a Client resource for the target NMC host. Create a Client resource with the Client Properties dialog box on page
323 describes how to create a Client resource.
6. Edit the Client resource for the source NMC Server. On the Globals (2 of 2) tab in the Remote Access attribute specify
the administrator account of the target NMC Server.
For example, administrator@target_NMC_server
where target_NMC_server is the hostname of the target NMC Server.

7. Stop the NMC Server service on the source NMC Server.

8. Stop the NMC Server service on the target NMC Server.
9. For Linux hosts, if you did not install NMC Server software in the default path /opt/lgtonmc, then add the
NMC_install_dir/bin directory to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable.
10. Run the recoverpsm command on the recovery host:
recoverpsm -f -s NetWorker_server -c source_NMC_server -p AES_Passphrase staging_dir

where:
● NetWorker_server is the name of the NetWorker Server.
● source_NMC_server is the name of the source NMC Server.
● AES_Passphrase is the passphrase that was specified for the NMC database backup.
● staging_dir is the staging directory specified during the backup of the database on the source NMC Server.
NOTE: When you perform an NMC database backup, the backup operation performs a backup of the database from
the staging directory. As a result, the save set name is name of the staging directory. Use the mminfo command on
the NetWorker Server to determine the name of the staging directory.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide a complete description of the recoverpsm
command line options.

11. If the source NMC Server managed NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier servers that use LDAP authentication, then recover
the LDAP configuration authority files. Use the recover command, the NetWorker User program, or the NMC
Recovery wizard to recover all the files in the console_install_dir/cst directory. Recover these files to the
console_install_dir/cst directory on the target NMC Server.
12. Start the NMC Server service on the target NMC Server and connect to the NMC GUI.
If the target NMC Server uses a different NetWorker Server to provide authentication services than the NetWorker Server that
the source NMC Server used, then you must use the gstauthcfg command on the NMC Server to update the NetWorker
Authentication Service host, and then run the nsrauthtrust commands on each NetWorker Server that is managed by the
NMC Server.
When the source NMC Server uses a different NetWorker Server for authentication and you do not establish a trust, the
following behavior occurs:
● The NMC Events window displays Unable to connect to the server error messages for each managed NetWorker
Server.
● When you try to connect to the NetWorker Server, a message similar to the following appears: Unable to connect
to the server: Unable to set user privileges based on user token for SYSTEM: Failed to
validate security token.
Changing the Authentication service hostname and port number provides more information.

NMC Server Management 547

Migrating NMC users to the authentication service
database
If you did not migrate the NMC users to the authentication service database when the login process prompted you to during the
login process after the NMC server after an update, you can perform the migration later.
Log in to the NMC server as a Console Security Administrator. The NetWorker Authentication Service administrator account is a
Console Security Administrator.
1. Click Setup.
2. From the Setup menu, select Migrate Users.
3. On the Migrate Users page, select the users that you want to migrate.
NOTE: By default all users are selected for migration. The migration deletes unselected user accounts.

4. For each user, perform the following steps:

a. In the Password field, specify an initial password.
Ensure the password complies with the following minimum requirements:
● Nine characters long
● One uppercase letter
● One lowercase letter
● One special character
● One numeric character
b. Leave the default selection for Password Change Required, which ensures that when the user connects to the NMC
Server for the first time, that the log in process prompts the user to change their password.
c. In the Groups field, if the user will manage user accounts, select the Administrators group.

Updating the NetWorker User Group resources for migrated NMC

users
The NetWorker server uses the membership in the External Roles field of the user group resources to determine the privileges
that are assigned to the NetWorker Authentication Service local database users. After the log in process migrates NMC users
into the NetWorker Authentication Service local database, update the User Group resources on each managed NetWorker
server, to provide the migrated NMC users with the privileges to each NetWorker server.
Perform the following steps while logged in to the NMC server with the Administrator account.
1. In the NMC GUI, create an NMC group that contains the local database users. This group allows you to quickly add multiple
users that require the same privileges to one or more user groups:
a. On the NMC GUI, click Setup.
b. On the User and Roles navigation pane, right-click Groups and select New.
c. In the Name field, specify a unique name for the group.
In the Local Users section, select all the user accounts to add to this group, and then click OK.
2. In the Administration window, perform the following steps:
a. On the toolbar, select Server.
b. On the left navigation pane, expand User Groups.
c. Right-click the user group to which the NMC users require membership, and select Properties.
d. In the Configuration section, click the Add (+) button beside the External Roles attribute.
e. Select each local database user or group that requires the privileges that are assigned to the user group, and then click
OK.
To select multiple successive users or groups, hold the Ctrl key while you select the first and last user or group. To
select multiple individual users or groups in any order, hold the Shift key while you select each user or group.
For more information on External Roles and User Groups, see NetWorker Security Configuration Guide
The distinguished name (dn) for each selected user and group appears in the External Roles field.

548 NMC Server Management

Resetting the administrator password
To reset the administrator password, create a JSON file on the NetWorker server that contains the new password in a Base64
encoded format.
1. To determine the Base64 password value for the new password, use Base64 encoding utilities:
● On Windows, perform the following steps:
a. Create a text file and specify the password value in clear text, on one line.
For example, create a password file that is called mypassword_in.txt with the password value "1.Password".
b. To create a Base64 encoded password for the password value that is defined in the mypassword_in.txt file, use the
certutil.exe utility.
For example:
certutil.exe -encode mypassword_in.txt mypassword_out.txt

where mypassword_out.txt is the name of the output file that contains the Base64 encoded password.
Output similar to the following appears:
Input Length = 10
Output Length = 74
CertUtil: -encode command completed successfully.

The contents of the mypassword_out.txt file contains the following encoded text for the password value
"1.Password":
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MS5QYXNzd29yZA==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

where the Base64 encoded password is MS5QYXNzd29yZA== .

● To create the Base64 encoded password on Linux, use the base64 utility.
For example, to create the Base64 encoded password for a password value of "1.Password", type:
echo -n "1.Password" | base64

The command displays the encoded text for the password value "1.Password": MS5QYXNzd29yZA==

2. Use a text editor to open the authc-local-config.json.template file, which is located in the C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\scripts folder on Windows and the /opt/nsr/authc-server/
scripts directory on Linux.
3. In the template file, perform the following steps:
a. Replace the your_username variable with the name of the administrator account for which you want to reset the
password.
b. Replace the your_encoded_password variable with the base64 encoded password value.
For example, to reset the password for the user account administrator with a password of "1.Password ", the modified file
appears as follows:
{
"local_users": [
{
"user name": "administrator",
"password": "MS5QYXNzd29yZA=="
}]
}
4. Rename the authc-local-config.json.template file to authc-local-config.json.
5. Copy the authc-local-config.json file to the Tomcat conf folder.
By default, the conf folder is/nsr/authc/conf on Linux and C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\authc-
server\tomcat\conf on Windows.

6. Change privileges on the authc-local-config.json file:

NMC Server Management 549

 chmod 755 /nsr/authc/conf/authc-local-config.json
If you do not change the privileges, the authc-server.log displays an error indicating that you do not have the
necessary permissions to open the file.
7. On the NetWorker server, stop, and then start the services:
● For Windows, type the following commands from a command prompt:
net stop nsrexecd

net start nsrd

NOTE: If the NetWorker server is also the NMC server, start the NMC server service. Type the following
commands: net start gstd
● For Linux, type the following commands:
/etc/init.d/networker stop
/etc/init.d/networker start
When the NetWorker Authentication Service starts, the startup process checks for the authc-local-config.json.
If the file exists and the password adheres to the minimum password policy requirements defined for a password, the
NetWorker Authentication Service resets the password. Review the authc-server.log file for errors.
By default, the authc-server.log file is located in /nsr/authc/logs on Linux and C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\authc\tomcat\logs on Windows.
NOTE: The startup process automatically deletes the authc-local-config.json file to ensure that the password
is not reset the next time that you restart the NetWorker Authentication Service.
8. To confirm that you can connect to the NetWorker Authentication Service with the new password, use the authc_mgmt
command.
For example:
authc_mgmt -u administrator -p "1.Password" -e find-all-users

The query returns 2 records.

User Id User Name
1000 administrator
1001 svc_nmc_bu-iddnwserver2

Changing the service port used by the NMC database

The installation process prompts you to specify the NMC database port. By default, the NetWorker Management Console
database uses port 5432 for TCP/IP communications. You can change the port after the installation process completes.

Changing the service port used by the NMC database on Linux

Perform the following steps to change the service port that is used by NMC.
1. Stop the NMC daemons, by typing the command below, based on the initialization system running on your Linux machine:
● sysvinit—/etc/init.d/gst stop
● systemd—systemctl stop gst
2. Edit the /opt/lgtonmc/etc/gstd.conf file to add or change the following line:
db_svc_port=port_number
For example:
db_svc_port=2639

3. Run the /opt/lgtonmc/bin/gstconfig command to update the port value in the NetWorker NMC server configuration
file.
4. Edit the postgresql.conf file to add or change the following line:
port=port_number

550 NMC Server Management

 For example:
port=2639

NOTE: By default the postgresql.conf file is located in the /nsr/nmc/nmcdb/pgdata directory.

5. Close the terminal or command prompt window.

6. Start the NMC daemons, by typing the command below, based on the initialization system running on your Linux machine:
● sysvinit—/etc/init.d/gst start
● systemd—systemctl start gst

This action also starts the postgres and httpd processes.

NOTE: If /etc/init.d/gst file is missing for sysvinit systems or gst file is not enabled for systemd systems, run the
script - /opt/lgtonmc/bin/nmc_config

Multiple Postgres processes appear. Two or more httpd processes appear. By default, these httpd processes run as
nsrnmc.

7. Confirm that the daemons have started, by typing the following command: ps -ef | grep lgtonmc.
Output similar to the following appears when the daemons have started:
nsrnmc 7190 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:06 /opt/lgtonmc/bin/gstd
nsrnmc 7196 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7197 7196 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7212 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/postgres/11.1/bin/postgres -D /nsr/nmc/
nmcdb/pgdata
root 18176 18141 0 02:47 pts/0 00:00:00 grep lgtonmc

Changing the service port used by the NMC database on Windows

Perform the following steps to change the service port that is used by NMC.
1. Stop the EMC GSTD Service service.
2. Edit the gstd.conf file to add or change the following line:
db_svc_port=port_number
For example:
db_svc_port=2639
NOTE: By default the gstd.conf file is located in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\GST\etc directory.

3. Edit the postgresql.conf file to add or change the following line:

port=port_number
For example:
port=2639
NOTE: By default the postgresql.conf file is located in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\nmcdb\pgdata directory.

4. Use the regedit command to update the port number in the registry.
a. Browse to \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBC.INI\lgto_gst_pgsql.
b. Edit the Port registry key.
c. In the Value Data field, specify the new port number.
d. Click OK.
5. Start the EMC GST Service.

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Changing database connection credentials
When the NMC server starts for the first time, it automatically generates the login credentials that are used to log in to
the NetWorker Console database. The NMC server stores this information internally and the user does not need to know the
required credentials. However, it may be necessary to force the NMC server to change the database connection credentials.
1. Stop the GST Service.
2. Set the environment variable GST_RESET_DBPWD to any value.
For Windows system, set this value as a System Variable, then restart the system after you set the variable.

3. Restart the GST Service.

4. Delete the GST_RESET_DBPWD environment variable. On Windows system, restart the computer after you delete the
variable.

Updating the NMC server IP address/hostname

If you modify the IP address or hostname of the NMC server or if you add or remove protocols such as IPv6, you must update
the NMC server configuration.
Perform the following steps with the root account on Linux hosts or the Administrator account on Windows hosts.
1. Stop the gstd service:
● On Linux:
○ sysvinit—/etc/init.d/gst stop
○ systemd—systemctl stop gst
● On Windows: Stop the EMC GSTD Service service.
2. Edit the gstd.conf file and update the IPv4/IPv6 address that is defined for the line string authssvc_hostname.
3. Browse to the NetWorker bin directory then run the platform-specific commands:
● On Windows, run gstconfig in the NMC_install_dir\GST\bin folder.

● On Linux, as root, run the gstconfig command in the /opt/lgtonmc/bin directory.

4. Start the gstd service:

● On Linux:
○ sysvinit—/etc/init.d/gst start
○ systemd—systemctl start gst
● On Windows: Start the EMC GST Service service.
5. For NMC server hostname changes only, delete the Client resource that you created to perform NMC server database
backups, then create a new client resource.

Setting system options to improve NMC server

performance
The NMC server includes several options that enable users to fine-tune the performance of the NMC server.
To set system options, log in to the NMC server as a Console administrator.
1. From the Console window, click Setup.
2. From the Setup menu, select System Options.
3. Set a value, or enable or disable the appropriate system option. The following table provides a description of the available
system options.
NOTE: Do not adjust these system options without careful consideration. A mistake in setting system options can
seriously degrade performance.

552 NMC Server Management

Table 138. NMC server system options
System option Description
Log-on banner Default Value: Warning: Authorized user only

Defines the log-on banner displayed in the NMC server login window.

Debug level Default value: 0

Range: 1-20

Defines the level of debug information to log in the gstd.raw file. Increase this
value to troubleshoot only.
Polling interval for events and reporting Default value: 20
(seconds)
Range: 2-unlimited

Defines how frequently the NMC server contacts the managed NetWorker
servers for event and report updates.
Polling interval for NetWorker activities Default value: 10
(seconds)
Range: 2-unlimited

Defines the frequency in which the NMC server contacts the managed
NetWorker servers for activity updates.
Polling thread factor Default value: 5

Range: 0-10

Defines how many server threads to create when polling the NetWorker server
for NetWorker activities, events, and reporting. The higher the number the higher
the number of threads created. It is not a one-to-one relationship.
Maximum number of log messages Default value: 32

Range: 32-512

Defines the number of log messages that display in the Console Log window.
NetWorker user auditing Default value: enabled

When enabled, the NMC server collects auditing information. For example,
NetWorker server
configuration changes performed from the Console GUI. The NMC server
database stores the
auditing information. To view audit information browse to Reports > Users >
User Audit Report.

When disabled, the NMC server does not collect auditing information.
User authentication for NetWorker Default value: enabled

Defines how the Console user accesses a managed NetWorker server.

● When enabled, the Console username determines the Console user access.
Individual User Authentication on page 554 provides detailed information.
● When disabled, the user id of the gstd process owner determines the Console
user access.
RPC ping via UDP when connecting to Default value: disabled
NetWorker
Before the NMC server connects to a managed NetWorker server, the NMC
server confirms that
the NetWorker server daemons are running.

● When enabled, the NMC server uses the UDP protocol to confirm that the
NetWorker server is up and running.

NMC Server Management 553

 Table 138. NMC server system options (continued)
System option Description
● When disabled, the NMC server uses the TCP protocol to confirm that the
NetWorker server is up and running.

4. Click OK.

Individual User Authentication

Console security administrators restrict or grant Console user access to NetWorker servers based on the Console username
when you enable the User Authentication for NetWorker system option, after a subsequent restart of the NMC server service.
The NMC server software enables this system option is by default.
Requests to NetWorker servers through the Administration window always come from the NMC server, regardless of any
system option settings.
When you enable the User Authentication for NetWorker system option:
● Access requests to a NetWorker server appear to be coming from users on the NMC server, rather than from the gstd
process owner on the NMC server.
● A NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier server allows requests only from users who belong to the Administrators list of the NetWorker
server. You must include the username of the Console daemon process owner in the NetWorker Administrators list on
NetWorker 8.2.x and earlier servers to which the Console users have access. The NetWorker Installation Guide describes
how to add the Console daemon process owner to the NetWorker Administrators list by using the nsraddadmin command.
NOTE: You must specify the username of the root or system user on the NMC server, regardless of whether you use
individual user authentication.

Impact on network connections

When you enable individual user authentication, the NMC Server software might require more network connections. Additional
network connections might firewall port requirements. The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides information about
firewalls.
When you set the User Authentication for NetWorker system option, the NetWorker Authentication Service software creates a
separate network connection the NetWorker Authentication Service to a NetWorker Server for each Console user that has an
Administration window open to that server.
When you do not set the user authentication for NetWorker system option, there is only one network connection from the
NetWorker Authentication Service to the managed NetWorker Server.

Displaying international fonts in non-US

locale environments
To use or view data from a localized NetWorker Server, ensure that the appropriate font is available to the NMC Server.
The NetWorker Installation Guide describes how to display international fonts on an NMC Server that operates in English mode.

NetWorker License Manager

The NetWorker License Manager (LLM) software provides centralized license management, which enables you to maintain all
licenses in the Enterprise from a single host if using the traditional licensing model.
NOTE: NetWorker 19.5 requires the use of the Dell EMC Licensing Solution, which deploys an Dell EMC Licensing Server.
You do not require the NetWorker License Manager and it is recommended that you skip the NetWorker License Manager
software installation during the NetWorker 19.5 install. When upgrading to NetWorker 19.5, you can back up the NetWorker
License Manager by following the procedure outlined in the section "Backing up the NetWorker License Manager" in the
NetWorker Licensing Guide.

554 NMC Server Management

With the NetWorker License Manager, you can move NetWorker software from one host to another, or change the IP address
on an existing NetWorker Server without having to reauthorize the software. You can install the NetWorker License Manager
program as an option during the NetWorker software installation.
The latest NetWorker License Manager server Installation and Administration Guide provides more information on how to install
and use the NetWorker License Manager.

Entering an enabler code

1. From the Console window, click Setup.
2. Right-click Licensing, then select New. The Create dialog box appears.
3. In the Enabler Code attribute, type the enabler code and leave the other attributes blank.
4. Click OK.

Deleting an enabler code

1. From the Console window, click Setup and then click Licensing.
2. Right-click the license to delete, then select Delete.
3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Entering an authorization code

1. Log in as a Console Application Administrator.
2. From the Console window, click Setup and then click Licensing.
3. Right-click the license to be authorized, then select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
4. In the Auth Code attribute, enter the authorization code for the product (the authorization code assigned to the specified
permanent enabler or update enabler code).
5. Click OK. The license is now permanently enabled.

Changing the License Manager server

You can change the License Manager server that manages NetWorker Console licenses at any time.

1. Log in as a Console Application Administrator.

2. From the Console window, click Setup.
3. Right-click Licensing, then select Change LLM Server. The Change LLM Server dialog box appears.
4. In the LLM Server attribute, type the hostname of the appropriate server and click OK.

NMC error messages and corrective actions

The following table provides a list of NMC error messages or symptoms and corrective actions to take.

Table 139. Error messages or symptoms

Error message or symptom Possible cause Corrective action
If the Console server fails to load and JavaScript is not enabled on the In Internet Explorer, ensure that the
instead displays a Save As... dialog box. host. The security level in Internet security level is lower than high, which
Explorer is set to High, which disables disables JavaScipt, or enable Active
JavaScript, which is needed to launch Scripting.
the product, or JavaScript has been
disabled by some other means.
The NetWorker Server does not accept A temporary enabler code has already Log out, then stop and restart the NMC
the authorization code. expired. Server services.

NMC Server Management 555

Table 139. Error messages or symptoms (continued)
Error message or symptom Possible cause Corrective action
An application window is unresponsive. Insufficient disk space on the file ● Ensure that the NMC Server is running.
system where the NMC database is If it is not, close all application windows
installed. and check the gstd log file for errors.
● Back up and move the Console
database, if required.
● On a Windows system, run InstallShield
with the Repair option to move the
database to a different drive.
Application ran out of memory. Close all instances of the application and
restart it.
Another dialog box is open in the Close any open dialog boxes or error
NMC window or Administration messages.
window.
Connection refused: no further NMC Server is in the process of Check to see if the NMC Server is running.
information. crashing or has already crashed. ● If it is running, stop and restart the
NMC server.
or
● If it is not, close all application windows
Problem contacting server server_name: and check the gstd log file for errors.

Console server has been started Wait a couple of minutes and retry.
within the previous few minutes.
Failed to bind to port port_mumber Another process is using the gstd Close any running NMC GUIs or any
message appears in the gstd.raw log service port (default 9001) or the processes that may be using the gstd
file. port is in a timeout (TIME_WAIT/ service port. Wait until the timeout period
FIN_WAIT) state. passes so that the operating system can
free up the port. The timeout period may
differ between operating systems.
Database fetch operation failed The NMC database is corrupt. Recover the database.
messages appears in the gstd.raw log
file.
Display problem: The gstd service is not running on Restart the NMC server.
the NMC server.
In Internet Explorer:
Browser is not pointing to the correct Check the install log file to determine the
The page cannot be displayed. URL. HTTP port that is used by the NMC Server.
Network connection is down. Ping the NMC Server to confirm the
network connection. If it is available,
contact the system administrator.
Enabler code not accepted. Temporary enabler code has expired. Close the NMC Server and log in again.

Repeat the procedure of typing the enabler

code. If the
enabler code is still not accepted, log out,
then stop
and restart the NMC Server.

Database delete operation failed: Another user has already deleted that None
Reference object does not exist. user or folder.
Database store operation failed: An ● Another user is trying to add a ● Wait a few moments and try again.
object with pathname folder to the same location in the ● Check whether there is an existing
Enterprise simultaneously. object with the same name.
“pathname” already exists.
● An object was added with the
same name as an existing object.
Invalid Object ID. Another user deleted that host. None

556 NMC Server Management

Table 139. Error messages or symptoms (continued)
Error message or symptom Possible cause Corrective action
Could not contact License Manager on License Manager hostname has not If you are using the License Manager and a
hostname. been assigned or License Manager is hostname has not been assigned:
not running or installed.
- or - Select the Software Administration task.

Program not registered. Click Licensing.

Click Software Administration on the

menu bar.

Click Change LLM Server.

Type the new License Manager hostname.

Click OK.
If License Manager is installed, but not
running, start it.
The NetWorker License Manager server
Installation and Administration Guide
provides details.
NetWorker Client was stopped, Stop the NetWorker software.
but the License Manager was not
stopped, and then the NetWorker Stop License Manager, if it is running.
Client was restarted. Restart License Manager.
Although both services are now Restart the NetWorker software.
running,
NetWorker Client must be started
before License
Manager is started. If the services are
not
started in the correct order, an error
condition
occurs.

License allocation failed. Temporary license for NetWorker Enter enabler codes and register the
software is expired. product.
License managed event indicates that License has been authorized within None needed. To remove the managed
license is expiring/expired even though the last 24 hours. event from the display, dismiss the event
it has been authorized. or it is deleted within 24 hours.
Logging of troubleshoot messages has Disk space on the /opt file system is Allocate more disk space.
stopped. nearly full.

alloc /opt: File system full.

Event disappears from the Events Another user dismissed it, or the None
window. problem that was causing the event
no longer exists.
Dialog box: "Java Web Start –Download Java Web Start preferences are set Check the Preference settings in the
Error" with the message, "Unable to to something that is incompatible with Java Web Start Application Manager for
launch NetWorker Console". the rest of the environment. compatibility with the environment. Change
any settings that prohibit the download of
(For example, a proxy server has been the Console client software.
set up
that stops Java Web Start from In the proxy server example, go to the
downloading the General tab of
Console client software from the the Preferences dialog box and select
Console web None, for
server.) Proxies.

NMC Server Management 557

Table 139. Error messages or symptoms (continued)
Error message or symptom Possible cause Corrective action

This error message may also occur if If the Java Web Start cache path contains
the non-English characters, change the path to
Console is being launched on a contain no non-English characters.
localized
operating system and the Java Web
Start cache
path contains non-English characters.

gstd.log file error: internal error: could When you move the system time None
not end transaction ahead, the NMC Server starts a time
out event and closes database client
connection for the gstd process.
GC overhead limit exceeds This error message appears when you Increase the Java heap size to 1400MB.
are performing tasks in NMC and 1. Start the Java Control Panel
there is insufficient Java memory, or application: javaws -viewer.
heap. 2. Close the Java Cache window.
3. On the Java tab, click View.
4. On the Java Runtime Environment
Settings window, double-click in the
Runtime Parameters cell for the Java
version that you use with NMC.
5. In the Runtime Parameters field, specify
a heap size of 1400 MB: -Xms1400m
6. Click OK.
7. Click OK to close the Java Control
Panel.
8. Close the NMC and NetWorker
Administration windows and reconnect
to the NetWorker.

Console troubleshooting notes and tips

This section provides general troubleshooting tips for the NMC server.

Troubleshooting an NMC server that is not responding

If the NMC server is not responding, answer the following questions:
● Is a potentially long-running process such as a device operation (label or inventory, for example) currently running?
Any process that you start on the Console server locks the user interface until that process completes. To perform multiple,
long-running operations simultaneously (that is, to administer multiple NetWorker servers), open a separate web browser
instance of the NMC server to run each operation.
● Are the all of the following processes running?
○ GST server (gstd)
○ Database server dbsrv12)
○ Web server (httpd)
● Is the ntpdate command synchronizing at midnight?
In some cases, when you have a cron job that perform an ntpdate synchronization at exactly midnight, the NMC server
may lose connection to the database. To resolve this issue, modify the time that the cron job performs the ntpdate
synchronization or have ntp run as a service and synchronize continuously.

558 NMC Server Management

Determining if the Console server is running on a Windows system
On a Windows computer:
1. From the Start menu, select Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
2. Verify that EMC GST Service is running.

Determining if the Console server is running on a Linux system

Use the ps command to confirm that the process, which the NMC server requires, are running.
● For the gst server process, type:
/usr/bin/ps -ef | grep gstd

If the gstd process is running, output similar to the following appears:

nsrnmc 7190 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:06 /opt/lgtonmc/bin/gstd

● For the database server process, type:

/usr/bin/ps -ef | grep postgres

If the database server is running, output similar to the following appears:

nsrnmc 7212 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/postgres/bin/postgres -D /nsr/nmc/nmcdb/
pgdata
nsrnmc 7213 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: logger process
nsrnmc 7215 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: checkpointer process
nsrnmc 7216 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: writer process
nsrnmc 7217 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: wal writer process
nsrnmc 7218 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: autovacuum launcher process
nsrnmc 7219 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:03 postgres: stats collector process
nsrnmc 7231 7212 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 postgres: lgtogst lgto_gst 127.0.0.1(44296) idle

● For the web server process, type:

/usr/bin/ps -ef | grep httpd

If the web process is running, output similar to the following appears:

nsrnmc 7196 1 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf
nsrnmc 7197 7196 0 Nov23 ? 00:00:00 /opt/lgtonmc/apache/bin/httpd -f /opt/lgtonmc/apache/
conf/httpd.conf

Unable to connect to host: Please check Security setting and

daemon logs on the NetWorker client and Console server for more
information
This message can appear when you perform Client Configuration wizard tasks, Device Configuration wizard tasks, or when
you browse save sets simultaneously while you add or modify a Client resource.
Check for one of the following scenarios when you receive this error.
● Verify that the SSL key matches between the NMC Server and the NetWorker client host. The SSL key is in the NSR Peer
Information attribute, which is located in each host’s nsrladb database. A mismatch can occur when the nsrladb on one host
is corrupted.
To resolve this issue, delete the Console Server’s NSR Peer Information from the NetWorker Client’s nsrladb, and delete
the NetWorker Client’s NSR Peer Information from the Console Server’s nsrladb as following:
○ To delete the Console Server’s NSR Peer Information from the NetWorker Client’s nsrladb, on the client host, type:

NMC Server Management 559

 nsradmin –p nsrexec
nsradmin> print type:NSR peer information

NOTE: Identify the Console Server’s NSR Peer Information, and delete it.

nsradmin> delete type: NSR peer information;name:<Console Server name>

Delete? Yes
○ To delete the NetWorker Client’s NSR Peer Information from the Console Server’s nsrladb, on the Console Server host,
type:
nsradmin –p nsrexec
nsradmin> print type:NSR peer information

NOTE: Identify the NetWorker Client’s NSR Peer Information, and delete it.

nsradmin> delete type: NSR peer information;name:<Client name>

Delete? Yes

After the deletion is complete, it is not mandatory to restart the NetWorker or Console services.
● The Client cannot resolve hostname of NMC Server or NetWorker Server. Sometimes, NMC can resolve the client
hostname, but, client cannot resolve the NMC or NetWorker Server hostname.
To resolve this issue, ping the NetWorker Server and NMC server from the Client. If the ping fails, DNS is not resolving the
hostname issue and add the hostname to the client hosts file.
● Ensure NetWorker users have at least the “Operate NetWorker” privilege to launch the Client Wizard. To resolve this issue,
add the user to the user_group in the NetWorker Server.
● The NetWorker Server may not be present in the client's servers file. To resolve this issue, add the NetWorker Server to the
client's servers file.
● The NMC Server, NetWorker Server, and NetWorker client hosts must only use nsrauth authentication.

Username/password validation fails when you use the NMC New

Device wizard to configure an AFTD if storage node is UNIX
When you use the NMC New Device wizard to configure an AFTD, the username/password validation for browsing the file
system may fail for a UNIX storage node .
This failure can occur in the following situations:
● The system is missing the Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) library.
● The rule in the pam.conf file (/etc/pam.conf) for OTHER service is set to deny.
The operating system documentation provides more information about how to install the PAM library and how to modify the
pam.conf file.

Querying large numbers of save sets in the NetWorker user

interface may cause a Java heap space error
When you query a large number of save sets in the NetWorker user interface, the query may fail with a Java heap space error.
To resolve this issue, increase the Java heap size that the NMC application uses.
1. On the NMC server host, open the Console_install_dir\web\gconsole.jnlp file in a text editor.
2. Increase the default max-heap-size value from 700MB to 1400MB.
For example:
<resources>
<j2se version="1.5+" initial-heap-size="64M"
max-heap-size="1400M"/>

NOTE: To provide meaningful query results and to reduce the chance of encountering this error, narrow the save set
search criteria by specifying selection parameters.

560 NMC Server Management

NMC user interface exits unexpectedly
If the NMC guided user interface (GUI) loses its connection to the gstd service because the gstd service was shut down or
failed, then the GUI displays a warning and exits after 10 seconds. This is normal behavior. NMC error messages and corrective
actions on page 555 provides more troubleshooting information.

Label and Mount devices page is not displayed in NMC device

configuration wizard
The display of the pool selection page is toggled based on the below criteria:
● The page is displayed when the user selects new folders that do not contain any volume information.
● The page is displayed when using existing folders containing volume information for another device (on different datazone),
but not a device in the current NetWorker server.
● This page is not displayed when the user selects folders containing volume information for another device (on the same
datazone).

Error: Unable to connect to server is displayed while browsing the

savesets in the client properties using NMC GUI
NMC runs as a non-root user (nsrnmc) and requires read and write access to /etc/hosts file. To browse the savesets using
the client properties, provide 644 permission to /etc/hosts file

NMC Server Management 561

 14
NetWorker Server Management
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Setting up the server
• Viewing the migration log file
• Hostname changes
• Managing the NSR task resource for nsrclientfix
• Parallelism and multiplexing
• Managing server access
• Resource databases
• Indexes
• Internationalization
• Creating a Server Backup action
• Creating an expire action

Setting up the server

When you set up the NetWorker server, enter the NetWorker product serial number that appears on the Enabler Certificate that
you received from Dell EMC Licensing.
1. From the Administration window, click Protection.
2. Select the server name.
3. From the File menu, select Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, configure the appropriate attributes.
5. Click the System Summary tab and enter the product serial number for the server, as well as any other required
information.
6. Click Ok.

License the NetWorker Server

The NetWorker Licensing Guide describes how to license the NetWorker Server.

Setting the Job inactivity timeout

Use the Job inactivity timeout attribute to specify the maximum time, in minutes that the NetWorker server should wait for a
response from a job before the server considers the job inactive and terminates the job.
The job inactivity timeout applies to all actions defined in all workflows in a policy. The inactivity timeout value assigned to an
action, only applies to the action to which you defined the timeout value.
1. On the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the left pane of the Server window, right-click the NetWorker server.
3. From the File menu, select Properties.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. In the Job inactivity timeout attribute, specify the timeout value in minutes.
6. Click Ok.

562 NetWorker Server Management

Modifying the retention period for jobs in the jobs database
By default, the NetWorker server retains information about jobs in the Jobs database for 72 hours. During this time, all details
such as the status of workflows run will be available for viewing.
if required, you can change the jobs database retention to a longer period. Note, however, that as the retention period grows
and data is preserved for a longer period of time, performance impacts may be observed. Perform the following steps to modify
the amount of time NetWorker retains jobs information in the Jobs database:
1. On the Administration window, click Server.
2. In the left pane of the Server window, right-click the NetWorker server.
3. From the File menu, select Properties.
4. Select the Configuration tab.
5. In the Jobsdb retention in hours, specify a retention time value in hours.
NOTE: After the expiration of jobsdb, any expired workflows will display a status of never run.

6. Click OK.

Viewing the migration log file

When you update the NetWorker Server from version 8.2.x and earlier to version 19.5, the migration process creates log files
that provide information about the resources and attribute migration results.
When you connect to the NetWorker Server for the first time after an update, a window appears that provides you with the
option to view the main migration log window. The NetWorker Server does not remove the log files. Perform the following steps
to view the main migration log file at a later time:
1. Connect to the NetWorker Server from the NMC GUI.
2. From the File menu, select Open Migration Log File.

Hostname changes
NetWorker considers each unique client name as a separate client. NetWorker assigns each unique client name in the datazone a
unique identifier called client ID. NetWorker stores the client ID for each client in the media database.
The NetWorker software has a built-in mechanism to prevent the nsrd daemon from starting on the NetWorker server if the
startup process detects a change in the name of the NetWorker server. For example, when you change the hostname of the
NetWorker server or modify the aliases order in the hosts file.
A message similar to the following appears in the daemon.raw file:

NetWorker is unable to continue its startup sequence due to a server hostname change
to hostname. Please verify that the server's hostname and its aliases are properly
represented in the local host database (eg. /etc/hosts) and DNS.

This mechanism prevents the NetWorker software from assigning a new client ID to the NetWorker server, which is based
on the new hostname. To resolve this issue, verify the hostname resolution of the NetWorker server. The "Networking and
Connectivity" chapter provides more information.
If the startup process did not detect the hostname change, NetWorker assigns the NetWorker server a new client ID, which
can impact NetWorker operations. Use the nsrclientfix command to analyze the media database and identify client ID
inconsistencies. To resolve client ID issues, use the nsrclientfix command to merge information about multiple clients in the
media database and resource database into one client resource with the original client ID. The following KB articles on the Online
Support website provide more information about using the nsrclientfix command:
● For NetWorker Server client ID issues: 000185727
● For NetWorker Client client ID issues: 000193911

NetWorker Server Management 563

Managing the NSR task resource for nsrclientfix
By default NetWorker uses an NSR Task resource that is named DefaultNsrclientfixTask. The resource runs the
nsrtask command daily but only runs the nsrclientfix command on the days defined by the resource schedule.
By default, NetWorker runs thensrclientfix command every Sunday at 7:00 P.M. and reports client ID issues in the
daemon.raw file.
When the DefaultNsrclientfixTask task detects a client ID issue, an error message similar to the following appears in the
daemon.raw file:

nsrd NSR Index Warning: Detected error with client id(s): hostname

You can use the nsradmin program to modify the schedule of the scan.
1. On the NetWorker server, start the nsradmin program from a command prompt.
2. At the nsradmin prompt, set the current query to select the NSR task resource named DefaultNsrclientfixTask:
print type:nsr task;name:DefaultNsrclientfixtask

Output similar to the following appears:

type: NSR task;
name: DefaultNsrclientfixTask;
comment: Periodic execution of nsrclientfix Task;
action: "NSR client fix:DefaultNsrclientfix";
autostart: Enabled;
start time: "7:00";
interval: "24:00";
period: Week;
plan: "
exec skip skip skip skip skip skip";
last start: "Thu Oct 30 15:13:04 2014";
last end: "Thu Oct 30 15:13:05 2014";
last message: Successful;
job id: ;
last job: 32086;
status: idle;
3. Use the update command to modify the following attributes:
● Autostart— Acceptable options are Start now, enabled and disabled.
● Start time—Specify a new start time in the format "HH:MM".
● Period—Specifies when the plan cycle repeats. Acceptable options are week and month.
● Interval—Specifies how often to run the task. Specify a 24 hour clock value in the format "HH:MM".
● Plan—When you set the period to weekly, the plan attribute defines which days of the week the NetWorker server runs
the nsrclientfix command. When you set the period to monthly, the plan attribute defines which days in a 30 day
period the NetWorker server runs the nsrclientfix command. Acceptable values are exec and skip.
NOTE: The action attribute specifies the name of the NSR Client Fix resource, which contains the nsrclientfix
command.

For example, to specify that the task should run every day of the week at 1:00 P.M. except for Sunday, type the following
command:
update: start time: "13:00"; plan: skip exec exec exec exec exec exec

The Command Reference Guide provides more information about the nsrtask and NSR client fix resources.

564 NetWorker Server Management

Parallelism and multiplexing
Parallelism is a general term within the NetWorker software for a number of configurable options that allow you to adjust
the volume of data that a system processes, which can improve the performance of servers, storage nodes, and devices.
Multiplexing is the ability to write multiple save streams simultaneously to the same storage device.
This section identifies attributes related to parallelism and multiplexing and describes how they work together to optimize your
NetWorker environment.

Parallelism
You can use several attributes in various NetWorker resources to adjust the volume of data that a host processes to improve
overall performance.
The following attributes are related to parallelism:
● Client parallelism
● Server parallelism
● Action parallelism
● Max active devices
● Media library parallelism
These attributes are described in detail in the following sections.

Client parallelism and parallel save streams

Client parallelism defines the number of data streams that a client can use simultaneously during backup.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default value is different for the NetWorker server than it is for all other client resources:
● For the NetWorker server client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the server to complete a
larger number of index backups during a Server backup action.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.
To define client parallelism, use the Parallelism attribute of the Client resource. You can find the parallelism attribute on the
Globals(1 of 2) tab of the Client property dialog box, in the NetWorker Administration window.
The NetWorker Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) User Guide provides more information about recommended
parallelism settings for NDMP clients.
To avoid disk contention for clients other than the NetWorker server, specify a value that is the same as or fewer than the
number of physical disks on the client that are included in the backup.
For a Windows client with the ALL keyword save set attribute, the backup includes the local disks, for example C: and D: drives
as well as the System State and System DB. In this example, you can keep the default parallelism setting of 4. If you define
multiple save sets on the same disk, for example, C:\users, C:\system, C:\docs and so on , a higher client parallelism
results in multiple save streams attempting to access the disk at the same time.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides more information about recommended client parallelism
values and performance benefits.
Enabling the parallel save streams (PSS) feature for a Client resource allows you to back up each save set for the client by using
multiple parallel save streams to one or more destination backup devices. You can use PSS to perform the scheduled file level
backup of file systems, and block based backups.
You can use PSS for clients with supported UNIX, Linux, and Windows operating systems. Supported save sets for PSS include
the Save Set ALL, and individual save points including Disaster_Recovery, deduplicated, and CSV volumes (Windows only).
Checkpoint restart is not supported when you use PSS.
When you enable PSS, you can specify the maximum number of save streams that a client can send simultaneously for one or
more save set backups concurrently running by using the Parallelism attribute in the Client Properties dialog. The default
value for the Parallelism attribute is different for the NetWorker Server than it is for all other Client resources:
● For the NetWorker Server Client resource, the default value is 12. This higher default value enables the server to complete a
larger number of index backups during a file system backup of the server or other index backups.
● For all other clients, the default value is 4.

NetWorker Server Management 565

Enabling PSS results in significant performance improvements due to save set aggregation, where the NetWorker Server
starts a single save process per client with all client save sets that are passed to the single process for various processing
optimizations, such as minimal Windows VSS snapshots and support for the following:
● Four parallel streams are started per save set, subject to any client parallelism limitations that might prevent all save sets
from starting simultaneously.
● The ability to modify the number of parallel streams per save set by defining the new PSS:streams_per_ss environment
variable save operations attribute in the properties of a Client resource. For example, setting PSS:streams_per_ss=2,* splits
all save sets into two parallel save streams, whereas PSS:streams_per_ss=3,/data1, 5,/data2 splits /data1 into three parallel
save streams and /data2 into five parallel save streams.
● Automatic stream reclaiming, which dynamically increases the number of active streams for an already running save set
backup to maximize utilization of limited client parallelism conditions.
NOTE: It is recommended that you set the client parallelism value to be a multiple of the PSS:streams_per_ss parameter
default value 4 or its largest defined value when configured. For example, a multiple of 4 is 8, 12, or 16.

If the client parallelism is less than the PSS:streams_per_ss default 4 or the lowest configured value, the backup fails
displaying an error message.

The PSS:streams_per_ss values range from 1 to 8. If you specify an invalid value, the backup proceeds with the default
value 4, and a warning message displays stating that that the entire PSS:streams_per_ss parameter is ignored.
The NetWorker Performance Optimization Planning Guide provides complete details on PSS requirements and performance
benefits.

Server parallelism
To define the server parallelism for a NetWorker server, use the Parallelism attribute of the Server resource. The Parallelism
attribute appears in the NetWorker Administrator window on the General tab of the Server property dialog box.
Server parallelism defines the number of simultaneous data streams that the NetWorker server allows.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
The default and the maximum server parallelism values vary depending on the edition of NetWorker software. Each storage
node that you enable and connect to the NetWorker server can increase the parallelism maximum value. The maximum
parallelism value for any NetWorker server and storage node combination can vary. The NetWorker Release Notes provides
more information.
Optimally, configure the NetWorker server to process enough data streams to keep all the backup devices in the datazone
writing at their maximum speed. When you tune the server parallelism setting, along with other settings discussed in this
section, you can maximize the speed that NetWorker writes the data to backup devices.

Action parallelism
Action parallelism defines the maximum number of simultaneous data streams that can occur on all clients in a group that is
associated with the workflow that contains action.
Data streams include backup data streams, savefs processes, and probe jobs.
To define the parallelism for an action, modify the Parallelism attribute on the Specify the Advanced Options page in the
Action wizard. For a Backup action, the default parallelism value is 100 and maximum value is 1000. For a clone action, the
default parallelism value is 0 and maximum value is 1000. For all other action types, the default value is 0, or unlimited.

Max active devices

In a DDS environment, use the Max active devices attribute, on the General tab of the Storage Node resource to define the
maximum number of active devices for a storage node.
This attribute sets the maximum number of devices that NetWorker may use from the storage node in a DDS configuration.
In large environments with media libraries that have a large number of devices, storage nodes might not have the ability to
optimize all the drives in the library. The Max active devices attribute allows you to limit the number of devices that the storage
node uses at a specified time, which allows the storage node to have access to all the devices in the library, but does not limit
the storage node to the number of devices it can fully optimize.

566 NetWorker Server Management

Media Library parallelism
To define the media library parallelism, use the Max parallelism attribute on the Configuration tab of the Library resource .
Media library parallelism allows you to define the maximum number of available devices for inventory and label operations.
It is recommended that you set the Max parallelism attribute of the Library resource to one less than the number of devices
within the library, which allows you to reserve on device for recovery operations.
To improve the efficiency of library operations that operate on multiple volumes, use multiple devices in parallel for these
operations. However, you may want to restrict the number of devices that NetWorker uses for inventorying and labeling
operations, to ensure that some devices are available for other library operations.

Multiplexing
Multiplexing is the ability to write multiple data streams simultaneously to the same storage device. It is often more efficient for
the NetWorker server to multiplex multiple save sets to the same device. There are also times when limiting the number of data
streams to a particular device improves performance of the NetWorker environment.
Use the Target sessions, Max sessions, and Pool parallelism attributes to increase or limit the number of data streams that
NetWorker writes to a device.

Target sessions
Use the Target sessions attribute on the Configuration tab of the Device resource to define the optimal number of backup
sessions to assign to an active device.
Target sessions is not a hard limit; to set a hard limit for the number of sessions that a particular device can accept, use the Max
sessions attribute.
The Target sessions attribute aids in load balancing devices by determining when the NetWorker software should write save
streams to a device.
When a save session starts, the following actions occur:
● If a device is already receiving the number of backup sessions determined by the target sessions value, the NetWorker
server uses the next underutilized device for the backups.
● If all available devices are receiving the number of backup sessions determined by their target sessions value, the NetWorker
server overrides the set value and uses the device with the least activity for the next backup session.
Because it is often more efficient for the NetWorker server to multiplex multiple save sets to the same device, rather than write
each save set to a separate device, the NetWorker server attempts to assign to each device a number of save sets, up to the
value of target sessions, before assigning a save set to another device.
NOTE: When the NetWorker software assesses how many devices need to be involved in multiple save streams
assignments with the same storage node, the device with the lowest target session value is used as a reference.

Max sessions
The Max sessions attribute on the Configuration tab of the Device resource defines the maximum number of save sessions for a
device. The max sessions value is never less than the target sessions value. It is recommended to use the default values for Max
sessions as lowering these values can impact performance.

Pool parallelism
The Max parallelism attribute on the Configuration tab of the Pool resource defines the parallelism for a pool.
Pool parallelism determines the maximum number of simultaneous save streams for each device that belong to a NetWorker
pool. The default value for this attribute is 0, which means that the attribute has no effect on other parallelism settings.
You can use pool parallelism to increase recovery times. For example, you can create a pool to back up business critical data
and use this attribute to restrict the number of save sets that NetWorker writes in parallel to the media in the pool. As a result,
recovery speed increases for data on that media.

NetWorker Server Management 567

However, when you set the Max parallelism attribute to 1,a prolonged delay between the backup of save sets may occur. To
resolve this issue, increase the Max parallelism attribute for the pool resource.
NOTE: For AFTD and DD Boost devices, the Max nsrmmd count setting for a device affects the Max parallelism attribute.
For example, consider an AFTD device (AFTD_1) that has a Max sessions attribute of 20 and a Max nsrmmd count of 4.
Now suppose a backup pool with a Pool parallelism attribute of 1 selects AFTD_1 . The total number of save sessions that
NetWorker can initiate for AFTD_1 is 4, one for each nsrmmd process. Tape and FTD devices can only spawn one nsrmmd
process at a time, so if the previous example used a tape device, then the total number of save sessions would be 1.

Managing server access

User privileges define the NetWorker operations and tasks that NMC, AD, and LDAP users can perform on a NetWorker Server.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide describes how to restrict access to the NetWorker Server and NetWorker
operations, including the following information:
● How to restrict administrator access to the NetWorker Server.
● How to modify the privileges assigned to NMC, LDAP, and AD users and groups.
● How to Restrict server and client initiated backup and recover operations.

Resource databases
Information about the NetWorker Server resides in series of files in the following directories:

NetWorker_install_path\res\nsrdb\00
.
NetWorker_install_path\res\nsrdb\09

NetWorker stores each resource in a separate numbered file. As you create resources, for example, a new Client, Group, or Pool
resources, the NetWorker Server adds files to the directories.
A Client resource database (nsrexec) also exists on each NetWorker host and contains configuration information about each
NetWorker host. The nsrexec database resides in a series of files in the following directories:

NetWorker_install_path\res\nsrladb\00
.
NetWorker_install_path\res\nsrladb\09

The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about the Client resource database.

Viewing resources in the resource database

You can view and modify NetWorker resources through the NMC Administration window.
NetWorker also provides a command line tool, nsradmin, to modify resource databases.
For example:
● To access the NetWorker server resource database, type:

nsradmin -s server_name
● To access the client resource database, use the following command :
nsradmin -p nsrexec
● To access the Package Manager database, use the following command:
nsradmin -p nsrcpd

568 NetWorker Server Management

Repairing resource database corruption
A power outage, operating system failure, or manual edits the database with a text editor can cause NetWorker resource
database file corruption.
If the NetWorker server cannot read the resource files when the NetWorker services start, a message similar to following
appears in the daemon.raw file.

nsrd: WARNING: NSR configuration database detected invalid

resource ...\00019803aa14713c89456b41
nsrd: Invalid resource saved at ...\00019803aa14713c89456b41

The NetWorker server removes any corrupt resource files from the nsrdb directory structure and places them in the dbg
directory. NetWorker creates the dbg directory only after resource database file corruption has occurred. To correct this issue,
open the corrupt file with a text editor and review the file contents, then re-create the resource. You can delete the corrupted
resource file.

NOTE: If you do not know the cause of the resource file corruption, contact Technical Support assistance.

Indexes
The NetWorker server tracks the files it backs up in two databases, which are stored on the local file system of the server:
● The client file index tracks the files that belong to a save set. There is one client file index for each client.
● The media database tracks:
○ Volume name
○ Backup dates of the save sets on the volume
○ File systems in each save set
Unlike the client file indexes, there is only one media database per server.

The client file indexes and media database can grow to become prohibitively large over time. Managing the size of the online
indexes on page 573 provides information about managing the size of these indexes.

Characteristics of the online indexes

The size of an index is proportional to the number of entries the index contains. The media database is usually smaller than the
client file index, because the media database stores one entry for each volume, while the client file index stores one entry for
each file that NetWorker saves on a volume. The NetWorker server selects which volume to mount to perform a recovery by
mapping the saved files to their volumes.
Each entry in the client file index includes this information for a saved file:
● Filename
● Number of blocks
● Access privileges
● Number of links
● Owner
● Group
● Size
● Last modified time
● Backup time
The client file indexes grow with each backup, as entries are added for each newly saved file and save set. As long as an index
entry for a file remains in the client file index, you can perform a browsable recovery of the file. Over time, the size of these
indexes can grow very large.
NOTE: If the file system that contains the indexes gets full, the NetWorker server cannot access the media database and
cannot recover data. Unless you use browse and retention policies to control the size of the online indexes, the indexes
continue to grow until they exceed the capacity of the file system.
NetWorker uses browse and retention policies to manage the lifecycle of the data, and to automatically control the size of the
client file index. Backup Browse and Retention on page 249 provides information about policies.

NetWorker Server Management 569

Automated index activities
The NetWorker server performs these online index activities:
● Inserts entries in the client file index for each file saved during a backup. For each new backup, the NetWorker server
acquires more space from the file system for the new entries.
● Removes entries and returns disk space to the operating system. The browse and retention policies automatically determine
when entries are removed from the index.
You can also remove index entries manually by clicking Remove Oldest Cycle in the Index Save Sets dialog box. Removing the
oldest save set cycles on page 576 provides more information.

Checking online indexes

Each time the NetWorker server starts, the startup process uses nsrck -ML1 to perform a level 1 consistency check on the
client file indexes. In some circumstances, this consistency check will not detect corruption in the client file indexes. If you
believe that an index may be corrupt, run a higher level check on the index, for example:
nsrck -L5

If the index is still corrupt, recover the index by using the procedure that is outlined in Adding information about recyclable save
sets to the client file index on page 382.
It is recommended that you periodically run the nsrck -F and nsrim -X commands to check the integrity of the client
and media indexes. The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide more information about these
commands.

Viewing information about the indexes

The following table identifies the index information displayed for each client.

Table 140. Indexes window information

Column Description
Client Name Names of the NetWorker clients that have been backed up by
the current server.
Size Amount of disk space currently allocated to the client file
index. As the index size increases, the allocated disk space
automatically grows.

1. From the Administration window, click Media.

2. In the left pane, click Indexes. The right pane displays index information for all clients of the server.

Index save sets

The Index Save Sets dialog box displays the save sets assigned to a particular client, along with detailed information about
each save set. The dialog box also includes an option to remove old save set cycles.

Viewing client save set information

The following table identifies the information in the Save Sets dialog box for each save set.

Table 141. Index save sets dialog box information

Column Description
Save Set Name Name of the save set.
Size Estimated amount of the index space used by the save set in
the client file index.

570 NetWorker Server Management

Table 141. Index save sets dialog box information (continued)
Column Description
Cycles Number of backup cycles available for browsing. A cycle starts
with a full backup and ends with the next full backup, and
includes any incremental and level 1–9 backups that occur
between full backups.
SSID Unique identification number of the instance of the save set.
Files Number of files backed up during that instance.
Size Size of the backup.
Time Date and time of the backup.
Level Level of the backup (full, incr [incremental], or 1-9)

Reduce the size of the client file index on page 573 provides information about reducing the size of the client file indexes by
using the Remove Oldest Cycle button.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Indexes.
3. Right-click the client whose save sets you want to view, then click Show Save Sets. The Index Save Sets dialog box
appears.
4. To view detailed information about a save set, click the save set name.

Querying the media database

You can query the media database for information about save sets. Queries apply to all complete, browsable save sets, not just
those from the last 24 hours.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Save Sets.
3. On the Query Save Sets tab, indicate the appropriate query parameters, then click the Save Set List tab to run the query
and view the results.
NOTE: If the query is unsuccessful, an error dialog box appears, which indicates that NetWorker could not find save
sets that matched the specified query. Click OK to close the dialog box.

You can also use the mminfo -av command to query the media database. The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the
UNIX man pages provides detailed information about how to use the mminfo command.

Cross-checking client file indexes

Perform a cross-check to verify the consistency between the client file index and the media database. If the NetWorker server
finds entries in the client file index that do not have corresponding entries in the media database, it removes the client file index
entries. This feature is useful, for example, if you perform an index operation and the server fails before the NetWorker server
has completely updated the indexes. Once the server is running again, cross-check to accurately update the online indexes.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Indexes.
3. Right-click the client with the index to cross check, then select Cross Check Index.
The following prompt appears:

Cross-checking may take considerable time. Would you like to cross-check

client_name?

4. Click Yes to continue. The NetWorker server displays a status box until the cross-checking is complete.

NetWorker Server Management 571

Refreshing index information
Occasionally refresh the information in the Indexes tab, particularly if you are connected to a server for a long period of time.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Indexes.
3. From the View menu, select Refresh.

Client file index locations

During the initial client setup, the NetWorker software normally designates a default location for the client file index on the
NetWorker server. This default location is:
● For UNIX: /nsr/index/client_name
● For Windows: NetWorker_install_path\index\client_name
However, you may need to designate a different index location when first configuring a Client resource, or you might need to
move the file index of an existing client. These sections address these needs.

Designating the client file index location for a new client

1. From the Administration window, click Protection.
2. Right-click Clients, then select New. The Create Client dialog box appears.
3. Click the Globals (2 of 2) tab.
4. In the Index Path attribute, type the full path of the directory where the client file index resides.
5. For the remaining tabs, type information as necessary to create the new client.
6. Click Ok.

Changing the client file index location for an existing client

To change the client file index location to a nondefault location for an existing client, you must first move the index to its new
location.

Moving a client file index

You can move a client file index from its current location to a new location. For example, if the size of the client file index is too
large, you can move it to a location with more space.
1. Ensure that backups and recovers are not occurring on the NetWorker server.
2. Log in to the NetWorker server root on UNIX or as an administrator on Windows.
3. From the directory that contains the indexes, type:

uasm -s -i "client_index_directory_name" | (cd target_directory; uasm -r)

NOTE: On Solaris and Linux platforms, uasm is installed in /usr/lib/nsr. On all other platforms, uasm is installed in
the same location as the NetWorker binaries.

4. Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server.

5. Click Protection, then click Clients in the left navigation pane.
6. Right-click the client that requires the client file index location update, and then select Modify Client Properties.
7. On the Globals (2 of 2) tab, in the Index Path attribute, specify the full path of the directory where the client file index
now resides.
8. Click OK.

Updating the index location for a client in NetWorker

1. From the Administration window, click Protection.

572 NetWorker Server Management

2. Click Clients.
3. Right-click the client with the client file index location to be changed, then select Properties. The Properties dialog box
appears.
4. Click the Globals (2 of 2) tab.
5. In the Index Path attribute, type the full path of the directory where the client file index now resides.
6. Click OK.
7. (Optional) From a command prompt, run the nsrck or nsrls command and check the output for any errors.
For example, to run nsrck on client jupiter, type:

nsrck -L6 jupiter

Output similar to the following appears:

nsrck: checking index for 'jupiter'

nsrck: nsrindexesjupiter contains 54 records occupying 7 KB
nsrck: Completed checking 1 client(s)

NOTE: Depending on the size of the client file index, running either nsrck or nsrls can take a considerable amount of
time. Running the nsrck -L6 command, as shown in the example, also checks the index for corruption.

If no problems are found, then all future client file index information is saved to the new location.

Managing the size of the online indexes

Over time, the size of the online indexes on the NetWorker server can become prohibitively large. Reduce the size of these
indexes by using the solutions suggested in these sections.

Reduce the size of the client file index

You can reduce the size of the client file indexes on the NetWorker server by using one or more of these methods:
● Remove save sets that consists of the oldest backup cycle from the client file index. Removing the oldest save set cycles on
page 576 provides details.
● Delete volume-based entries from the client file index. Deleting volume-based online index entries on page 574 provides
details.
● Adjust the Retention Policy attributes of clients backing up to the NetWorker server to shorten the time that entries remain
in the client file indexes. This solution works only for client backups that occur after you change these policy attributes.
● Modify the Browse policy associated with a particular save set by using the nsrmm command. Once the browse policy has
expired, you have to run the nsrim -X option to purge the index entries. Unless the associated save set contains a large
number of files, this method may not be a practical method to reduce the index size. Modifying the browse and retention
policy on a save set on page 251 provides detail.
If the size of the client file index for a client is still too large, consider moving the location of the index. Moving a client file index
on page 572 provides details.

Reduce the size of the media database size

Use one or more of the following methods to reduce the size of media database on the NetWorker server.
● Remove volumes that contain recyclable save sets from the NetWorker inventory. Removing volume-based entries from the
online indexes on page 574 provides details.
When you remove a volume from the media database, NetWorker removes the entries that are associated with that volume
from the media database and the client file index for the client. If you select this option, you can use the scanner command
to recover the data on the volume, if NetWorker has not relabeled the volume.
NOTE: You gain very little disk space from removing a media database entry. Leaving index entries of a volume in the
media database prevents the accidental labeling of another volume with the same name.
● Recycle volumes that contain recyclable save sets. Changing the volume mode on page 363 provides details.
When a volume mode changes to recyclable, the volume becomes eligible for reuse and NetWorker can perform the following
operations:

NetWorker Server Management 573

 ○ Relabel the volume
○ Remove information about the save sets on the volume from the media database
○ Reinitialize the volume
Once NetWorker relabels a volume, you cannot recover the contents.
To increase the number of currently recyclable save sets, modify the retention policy that is associated with the current
media database by using the nsrmm command. Modifying the browse and retention policy on a save set on page 251
provides details.
● Compress the media database.Compressing the media database on page 575 provides details.

Removing volume-based entries from the online indexes

The main purpose of removing volume-based entries from the online indexes is to eliminate damaged or unusable volumes from
the NetWorker server. You can also use this feature to reduce the size of the online indexes by purging index entries associated
with specific volumes.

Removing client file index entries

Use the nsrmm command to remove information about save set from the client file index. This changes the status of browsable
save sets to recoverable.
1. At the command prompt, type:
nsrmm -d -P -S ssid
where ssid is the save set ID for the save set.

2. Use mminfo to determine the save set ID. At the command prompt, type:

mminfo -v -c client_name

The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsrmm and
mminfo commands.

When NetWorker marks a save set as recoverable, you cannot browse to recover these files. Use the save set recover
procedure to recover data from a recoverable save set.

Removing client file index and media database entries

You can remove both the client file index and media database entries for a volume. This action removes all traces of the volume
from the NetWorker server. Remove a volume from the media database only if the volume has been physically damaged and
is unusable. However, if you remove the database entries for a volume, the volume is undamaged, and NetWorker has not
relabeled the volume, you can use the scanner command to recover the data. Adding information about recyclable save sets to
the client file index on page 382 provides details.
Typically, do not remove both the client file index and media database entries at the same time unless the volume is damaged or
destroyed.
NOTE: The presence of a clone of a particular volume prevents the deletion of the volume entry in the media database.
This is because the NetWorker server accesses the cloned volume rather than the original volume as needed. NetWorker
does not purge the entry of the volume in the media database. Because of this functionality, removing volume entries from
the media database is not a particularly effective way to reduce index size.

Deleting volume-based online index entries

You can use NMC or the nsrmm command to delete volumes from the media database and client file indexes. The NetWorker
server first cross-checks the indexes before it clears a volume. As a result, the volume might still appear in the Volumes window
in NMC for a brief period.

1. From the Administration window, click Media.

2. Click Volumes.
3. Right-click the volume with the entry to delete from the online indexes, then select Delete.

574 NetWorker Server Management

4. Select one of these options to determine how volume entries are removed:
● File and Media Index Entries. Removing client file index entries on page 574 provides details about this option.
● File Index Entries Only. Removing client file index and media database entries on page 574 provides details about this
option.

5. Click OK.

Deleting volumes from a command prompt

Use the nsrmm command to remove volume information from the media database and client file indexes.
To remove both client file index and media database entries for a volume, type the following command:
nsrmm -d -S ssid

To remove information about the volume from the client file index only, type the following command:
nsrmm -d -P volume_name

Deleting volumes in NMC

Use NMC to remove volumes from the client file index or from both the media database and client file index.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Volumes.
3. Right-click the volume with the entry to delete from the online indexes, then select Delete.
4. Select one of these options to determine how volume entries will be removed:
● File and Media Index Entries to remove the volume information from the media database and client file indexes.
● File Index Entries Only to remove the volume information from the client file indexes only.

Compressing the media database

You can free up more space on the server by compressing the media database.
1. Delete the appropriate file:
● On Windows:
NetWorker_install_dir\mm\cmprssd

● On UNIX:
/nsr/mm/.cmprssd

2. Type the following command at the command prompt:

nsrim
When we perform the compression on a SQLite media database, SQLite in the background creates a copy of the SQLite
database in a temporary space. After the compression is complete, the copy in the temporary space gets deleted. You can
configure the temporary space that the SQLite uses on the host machines. It uses the temporary path of the system by
default.
When you install NetWorker on your system the following paths are set by default:
● /nsr/tmp on Linux during the NetWorker installation.
● <nw_install_path>/nsr/tmp on Windows when the nsrmmdbd starts after the NetWorker installation.
The paths can be modified as follows:
● On Windows, the system environment variable MMDB_SQLITE_TMP can be set to the desired path as required by the
user.
● On Linux, the environment variable SQLITE_TMPDIR can be modified by updating the same in nsr_serverrc file.
NOTE: In both cases, stop the NetWorker services, make the changes and start the services again.

NetWorker Server Management 575

Removing the oldest save set cycles
Client file index entries for a full save set cycle include the last full backup and any dependent incremental or level saves. When
you remove the oldest cycle, you free up disk space.
1. From the Administration window, click Media.
2. Click Indexes.
3. Right-click the appropriate client, then select Show Save Sets.
4. Select the save set with the oldest cycle to remove, then click Remove Oldest Cycle.
5. When prompted, click Yes to confirm the removal.
After the Remove Oldest Cycle operation has finished, NetWorker updates the statistics in the Index Save Sets dialog box to
reflect the current state of the client file index.

Internationalization
The NetWorker software supports language packs, which you can install as part of the NetWorker installation, or you can install
the language packs separately after you have installed the NetWorker software. The NetWorker Installation Guide provides
more information.
Internationalization support in the NetWorker software depends on internationalization support of the underlying operating
system. If you plan to use non-English data in the NetWorker software, ensure that you install and configure the appropriate
support for that language on the operating system.
The following sections describe a number of issues and limitations that relate to the use of NetWorker software in a multi-
language environment.

Log file viewer

To view NetWorker log files, use the nsr_render_log program.

Display issues
There are number of issues and limitations associated with displaying characters in various locales.

Character display at the command line

From the command line, characters supported by the current locale display correctly. Characters that the current locale of the
user do not support will not appear correctly. For Microsoft Windows systems, if the user and system locales do not match,
characters supported in the user locale but not the system locale may not appear correctly.

Character display in graphical user interfaces

How character display from within the different NetWorker GUIs vary and depend on the platform on which you run the GUI.
● On Microsoft Windows:
○ All Unicode encoded data will display correctly.
○ When you view UNIX path and filenames, path and filenames that you create with a character set that the current locale
or UTF-8 supports, will display correctly. Paths that you create with another character set may not display correctly.
Because Microsoft Windows does not have native support for many of the character sets used on UNIX (for example,
euc-jp, euc-cn and euc-tw), if a non-ASCII character is encoded by using these character sets, characters will not display
correctly on Microsoft Windows.
● On Unix:
○ Characters that the current locale does not support may not display correctly.
● On OS-X:
○ Differences in Unicode support, non-ASCII paths, and filenames on OS-X machines can result in characters not displaying
correctly when you browse the file system from a non-Mac platform.

576 NetWorker Server Management

Creating a Server Backup action
A Server Backup action performs a bootstrap backup of the NetWorker media and resource databases, and can also include the
client file indexes. By default, the NetWorker server configuration contains a Server Protection policy that contains NMC server
backup and Server db backup workflows. The Server db backup workflow contain a server backup action. This section describes
how to create a new server db backup action, if required.
Create the policy and workflow that contain the action. The Server Backup action should be the first action in the workflow.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. From the Action Type list, select Server Backup.
3. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
4. Specify the order of the action in relation to other actions in the workflow:
● If the action is part of a sequence of actions in a workflow path, in the Previous box, select the action that should
precede this action.
● If the action should run concurrently with an action, in the Previous box, select the concurrent action, and then select
the Concurrent checkbox.
5. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
6. Click the icon on each day to specify the type of backup to perform.
To perform the same type of backup on each day, select the backup type from the list and click Make All.

7. Click Next.
The Server Backup Options page appears.
8. From the Destination Storage Node list, select the storage node with the devices on which to store the backup data.
9. From the Destination Pool list, select the media pool in which to store the backup data.
10. From the Retention lists, specify the amount of time to retain the backup data.
After the retention period expires, the save set is marked as recyclable during an expiration server maintenance task.
11. Specify whether to include the client file indexes in the server backup by selecting or clearing the Perform CFI checkbox.
When you clear this option, the action will only backup the bootstrap.
12. Specify whether to include a bootstrap backup in the server backup by selecting or clearing the Perform Bootstrap
checkbox.
When you clear this option, the action will only backup the client file indexes.
NOTE: You must select either the Perform CFI checkbox, the Perform Bootstrap checkbox, or both checkboxes.
Otherwise, the server backup action does not back up any data.

13. Click Next.

The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
14. In the Retries field, specify the number of times that NetWorker should retry a failed probe or backup action, before
NetWorker considers the action as failed. When the Retries value is 0, NetWorker does not retry a failed probe or backup
action.
NOTE: The Retries option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. If you specify a value for this option for other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

15. In the Retry Delay field, specify a delay in seconds to wait before retrying a failed probe or backup action. When the Retry
Delay value is 0, NetWorker retries the failed probe or backup action immediately.

NetWorker Server Management 577

 NOTE: The Retry Delay option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot action
types. When you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the values.

16. In the Inactivity Timeout field, specify the maximum number of minutes that a job that is run by an action can try to
respond to the server.
If the job does not respond within the specified time, the server considers the job a failure and NetWorker retries the job
immediately to ensures that no time is lost due to failures.
Increase the timeout value if a backup consistently stops due to inactivity. Inactivity might occur for backups of large save
sets, backups of save sets with large sparse files, and incremental backups of many small static files.
NOTE: The Inactivity Timeout option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and
Snapshot action types. If you specify a value for this option in other actions, NetWorker ignores the value.

17. In the Parallelism field, specify the maximum number of concurrent operations for the action. This is applicable if multiple
rollover is implemented at an action level.
For Direct-NDMP backups, set the parallelism value to the number of available NDMP drives.
If you set the parallelism attribute to a higher value, there will not be enough drives to support all the queued backup save
sets. Large save sets might fail due to the inactivity timeout limit.
When NDMP groups back up simultaneously, divide the number of drives by the number of groups. Use this value for each of
the parallelism attributes.
Setting the parallelism value for the group overrides the parallelism value that is defined for the NDMP clients.

18. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

19. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
20. From the Soft Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to stop the initiation of new activities. The default
value of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
21. From the Hard Limit list, select the amount of time after the action starts to begin terminating activities. The default value
of 0 (zero) indicates no amount of time.
22. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
23. Click Next.

578 NetWorker Server Management

 The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
24. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.
(Optional) Create a clone action to automatically clone the bootstrap backup when the backup completes or create an expire
action.

NOTE: NetWorker only supports one action after the server backup action.

Creating an expire action

The expire action removes all expired save sets from the client file index and marks the save sets as recyclable in the media
database. Save sets expire when the retention period for the save set is exceeded. You can create an expiration action in an
existing workgroup only after a server backup action.
Create the policy and workflow that contain the action. The expire action should be the first action in the workflow or you can
create the expire action after a server backup action.
1. In the expanded left pane, select the policy's workflow, and then perform one of the following tasks in the right pane to start
the Policy Action wizard:
● If the action is the first action in the workflow, select Create a new action.
● If the workflow has other actions, right-click an empty area of the Actions pane, and then select New.
The Policy Action wizard opens on the Specify the Action Information page.
2. In the Name field, type the name of the action.
The maximum number of characters for the action name is 64.
● Legal Characters: _ - + = # , . % @
● Illegal Characters: /\*:?[]()$!^;'"`~><&|{}
3. In the Comment field, type a description for the action.
4. To ensure that the action runs when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, in the Enabled box, select
the option. To prevent the action from running when the policy or workflow that contains the action is started, clear this
option.
NOTE: When you clear the Enabled option, actions that occur after a disabled action do not start, even if the
subsequent options are enabled.

5. From the Action Type list, select Expire.

6. If you create the action as part of the workflow configuration, the workflow appears automatically in the Workflow box and
the box is dimmed.
7. Specify a weekly, monthly, or reference schedule for the action:
● To specify a schedule for each day of the week, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Weekly by
day.
● To specify a schedule for each day of the month, select Define option under Select Schedule and period as Monthly
by day.
● To specify a customized schedule to the action, select Select option under Select Schedule and choose a customized
schedule using the drop-down menu that is already created under NSR schedule resource.
8. Click the icon on each day to specify whether to perform expiration.
The following table provides details on the icons.

Table 142. Schedule icons for the expire action

Icon Label Description

Execute Perform expiration on this day.

Skip Do not perform expiration on this day.

To perform expiration every day, select Execute from the list, and click Make All.

9. Click Next.

NetWorker Server Management 579

 The Expiration Options page appears.
10. Click Next.
The Specify the Advanced Options page appears.
11. From the Failure Impact list, specify what to do when a job fails:
● To continue the workflow when there are job failures, select Continue.
● To stop the current action if there is a failure with one of the jobs, but continue with subsequent actions in the workflow,
select Abort action.
NOTE: The Abort action option applies to probe actions, and the backup actions for the Traditional and Snapshot
action types.
● To stop the entire workflow if there is a failure with one of the jobs in the action, select Abort workflow.
NOTE: If any of the actions fail in the workflow, the workflow status does not appear as interrupted or canceled.
NetWorker reports the workflow status as failed.

12. From the Send Notifications list box, select whether to send notifications for the action:
● To use the notification configuration that is defined in the Policy resource to send the notification, select Set at policy
level.
● To send a notification on completion of the action, select On Completion.
● To send a notification only if the action fails to complete, select On Failure.
13. (Optional) Configure overrides for the task that is scheduled on a specific day.
To specify the month, use the navigation buttons and the month list box. To specify the year, use the spin boxes. You can
set an override in the following ways:
● Select the day in the calendar, which changes the action task for the specific day.
● Use the action task list to select the task, and then perform one of the following steps:
○ To define an override that occurs on a specific day of the week, every week, select Specified day, and then use the
lists. Click Add Rules based override.
○ To define an override that occurs on the last day of the calendar month, select Last day of the month. Click Add
Rules based override.
NOTE:
○ You can edit or add the rules in the Override field.
○ To remove an override, delete the entry from the Override field.
○ If a schedule is associated to an action, then override option is disabled.
14. Click Next.
The Action Configuration Summary page appears.
15. Review the settings that you specified for the action, and then click Configure.

580 NetWorker Server Management

 15
NetWorker Host Management
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Controlling access to a NetWorker client
• NetWorker host management
• Windows client interface
• Editing a client NSRLA database

Controlling access to a NetWorker client

NetWorker uses the contents of the /nsr/res/servers (UNIX), or the NetWorker_install_path\res\servers
(Windows) file on each NetWorker client to control who has client-tasking rights. Client-tasking rights provide a host with the
right to request a program execution on another client. The following table provides a list of tasks that require an update to the
servers file.

Table 143. When to modify the servers file

Operations Update required on the NetWorker client’s servers file
Archive request Add the FQDN or shortname of the NetWorker server.
Scheduled backup Add the FQDN or shortname of the NetWorker server.

For a clustered NetWorker server, add the FQDN and shortname of the virtual
NetWorker and all physical
nodes.

Remote Directed Restore Add the FQDN or shortname of the administering client to the server file on the
destination client.
NDMP DSA backups Add the FQDN or shortname of the NetWorker client that starts the backup.
NOTE: For NDMP, the servers file resides in the NetWorker Server.

NOTE: Before adding the FQDN or shortname to the NetWorker server file, ensure that the host name resolution for FQDN
or short name is working correctly.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about client-tasking rights and how to modify the
servers file.

NetWorker host management

The Hosts window on the NetWorker Administration window provides you with the ability to manage NetWorker hosts in the
datazone.
The following figure provides an example of the Hosts window.

NetWorker Host Management 581

Figure 90. Hosts window

The Hosts window contains a taskbar and two window panels, the summary panel and a task monitoring panel.
The information that appears in summary panel changes based on the task option that you select on the taskbar. The following
table provides an overview of the information that appears in the summary panel when you select a task on the taskbar.

Table 144. Summary pane

Selected Task Summary panel Summary panel column description
description
Active Hosts Hosts pane—Displays a ● Hostname—The name of the NetWorker host as it appears in the
list of NetWorker hosts in Name attribute of the NetWorker Client resource. It can also be
the datazone that have an the FQDN. The FQDN of a NetWorker Client can contain up to
associated Client resource 255 characters. For more information, see NetWorker Client FQDN
in active state on the compliant with RFC 1123 on page 330.
NetWorker server. ● OS—The operating system of the client as it appears in the OS
attribute of the NetWorker Client resource. The operating system
attribute appears blank until you have performed one successful
backup operation for the host or performed an inventory operation.
● NetWorker version—The version of the NetWorker software on the
host. This attribute appears blank until you have performed one
successful backup operation for the host.
Software Inventory Software pane—Displays ● Hostname—The name of the NetWorker host.
information about the ● OS—The operating system of the host.
NetWorker software that ● OS Platform—The operating system architecture of the host.
is installed on active
● Package name—The names of the NetWorker packages that are
hosts in datazone. The
installed on the host that you can use Package Manager to upgrade.
information that appears
in this view is based ● Version—The version of the detected NetWorker software.
on information that is ● Upgrade available—Displays Yes when the software repository
gathered during the contains a version of the NetWorker software that you can upgrade
last inventory operation. on the client.
You can only run an
inventory operation after
you add software into the
software repository.
Software Repository Repository pane—Displays ● Software—The name of the NetWorker software in the software
information about the repository.
NetWorker packages ● Version—The version of the NetWorker software package.
that are contained in ● Package Name—The name of the NetWorker package.
the NetWorker software
● OS—The operating system for the package.
repository.
● OS Platform—The OS architecture for the package.
● Size—The size of the NetWorker package.

582 NetWorker Host Management

The NetWorker Updating from a Previous Release Guide describes how to use the Software Inventory and Software Repository
panes to update the NetWorker software on active hosts.
The task monitoring panel is always visible for each task option. A splitter separates the task monitoring panel from the summary
panel. You can click and move the splitter to resize the task monitoring panel.
The task monitoring panel contains three window panes:
● Software Operations—Displays status information about operations that are performed for each task option.
● Log—Displays the most recent notification logs for the NetWorker server.
● Alerts—Displays alerts that are generated by a NetWorker server.
Monitoring NetWorker Server activities in the Administration window on page 48 provides detailed information about the Log
and Alerts window panes.

Windows client interface

The NetWorker User program provides the ability to manage clients in the NetWorker environment.
The following figure illustrates the Windows client interface.

Figure 91. NetWorker User program

Starting the NetWorker User program on Windows

There are two ways to start the NetWorker User program.
● Click the Windows Start button and select Programs > EMC NetWorker > NetWorker User.
● From the Administration window, click Start on the main menu, and select NetWorker User... If the NetWorker Module
for Microsoft Applications (NMM) is installed on the client computer, this operation starts NMM instead.
The NetWorker client package must be installed on the host where you start the NetWorker User program. Otherwise, you
see an error message similar to the following:

The user program you are trying to run (winworkr) is either not installed on this
computer, or is not in your path.

To start the NetWorker User program, you must belong to the appropriate Windows groups. The following table lists the groups
that you must belong to in order to run the NetWorker User program.
The Backup Operators and Administrators groups are the local and remote Microsoft security groups.

Table 145. NetWorker User Groups requirements

Logged in Workstation Server Server (domain controller
only)
Locally Backup Operators or Backup Operators or Not applicable

Administrators Administrators

NetWorker Host Management 583

Table 145. NetWorker User Groups requirements (continued)
Logged in Workstation Server Server (domain controller
only)
To the domain Domain Administrators Domain Administrators Backup Operators or

Administrators

Toolbar buttons
The NetWorker User program has a toolbar with buttons for common User program tasks. The following table describes the
function of each button.

Table 146. NetWorker User toolbar functions

Button Name Function
Backup Starts a manual (unscheduled) backup of the client's data to a
NetWorker server.

Recover Starts a recovery operation to retrieve copies of saved data

back to the client computer.

Archive Starts an archive operation to save copies of data to a server

for storage on an archive volume. Once the data is stored on
the archive volume, you have the option of removing the data
from the disk.
Verify Starts a verification operation to ensure that the data items
that were just backed up are the same as the data items that
are currently on the disk.

Browse window
If you select menu items or buttons, a browse window opens in the NetWorker User program .
A browse window opens if you select any of the following items:
● A toolbar button.
● A Backup, Recover, Archive, Verify, or Local Directive command from the NetWorker User File menu.
The browse window, which is shown in the following figure, displays the directory tree of the file system that is being browsed.

584 NetWorker Host Management

Figure 92. Example of the browse window

NOTE: When you mark a disk volume or directory for an operation, all its nested subdirectories and files are also marked.

A check mark beside an item name indicates that the item is selected for backup, recovery, archiving, or verification.
The Attributes column indicates any special handling option that was applied:
● P — The item is marked for password-protection.
● E — The item is marked for password-protection and encryption, using the PW2 ASM.
● C — The item is marked for compression.

Connecting to a NetWorker server

A typical user that runs the NetWorker User program needs to connect to the NetWorker server that performs scheduled
backups. However, to perform a directed recovery or to back up files to another server, you might need to connect to a
different NetWorker server.
Before the NetWorker User program can connect to a NetWorker server, the client computer must be set up as a Client
resource on that NetWorker server:
1. From the Operation menu, select Change NetWorker Server.
2. In the Change Server dialog box, select a server from the list of available NetWorker servers. If the server is not listed, do
one of the following:
● Click Update List to search the network for available NetWorker servers.
● Type the server’s hostname.

3. Click OK.

Editing a client NSRLA database

The NetWorker Client database, nsrexec contains a NetWorker resource, called the NSRLA resource. The NSRLA resource
contains information about the client and attributes that you can modify. Use the character-based nsradmin program to
modify the NSRLA resource.
1. Log in as root or as Windows Administrator on the NetWorker Client.
2. Type the following at the command prompt:
nsradmin -p nsrexec

The nsradmin prompt appears.

3. To determine the current settings for attributes in the NSRLA resource, perform the following two steps:

NetWorker Host Management 585

 a. To determine the current settings for any hidden attributes (such as the Disable Directed Recover attribute), type the
following at the nsradmin prompt:

option Hidden

b. To display attributes, type the following:

print type:NSRLA

4. To change the value of attributes in the NSRLA resource, type the following line at the nsradmin prompt:

update attribute:value;

For example, to update the Disable Directed Recover attribute, type the following:
update disable directed recover:Yes

5. Type Yes when prompted to confirm the change.

NOTE: When you modify an attribute with the nsradmin program, you must specify the attribute name and value
correctly. If you do not specify the attribute name and value correctly, the nsradmin program does not update the
attribute and nsradmin does not provide an error message.

The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about the nsrexec database and how to modify
attributes in the nsrexec database.

586 NetWorker Host Management

 16
Restricted Datazones
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Restricted Datazones overview
• Administrators and users of RDZ
• Setting up the RDZ
• Removing a resource association
• Backward compatibility

Restricted Datazones overview

Restricted Datazones (RDZ) allows NetWorker administrators to organize a NetWorker environment into a multi-tenancy
configuration, providing the ability to add an extra layer of privilege control.
This additional layer of control allows you to isolate access to resources, and separate these restricted resources into specific
groups. RDZs also provide the ability to set up communal, or shared, resources (resources that are not owned by a specific
RDZ).

Restricted and shared resources

A restricted resource (a resource that is owned by an RDZ) can only be operated by users within the RDZ who have the
appropriate privileges, and by the global administrator. Restricted resources can reference both other restricted resources
within the same RDZ, and shared resources.
A shared resource can be operated on by any RDZ, but only modified by global administrators. Shared resources can only
reference other shared resources (for example, a shared client can only reference other shared directives).

Resource type associations

You can associate the following resources to an RDZ:
● Clients
● Protection policies
● Protection groups
● Directives
● Labels
● Pools
● Jukeboxes
● Status of operations (for example, jukebox actions)
● Devices
● Storage nodes
● Scheduled recovery

Administrators and users of RDZ

The following section identifies the administrator and user roles in relation to the RDZ feature.
● Global Administrator—A full administrator that has access to all resources. This user is equivalent to a traditional NetWorker
administrator. Global administrators oversee the setup and management of several RDZs and determine the access tenant

Restricted Datazones 587

 administrators have. A Global Administrator is the only user who can set up the users and privileges of an RDZ. A full
administrator may have access to all datazones.
● Tenant/Restricted Administrator—An administrator that exists only in the RDZ to which they are assigned, and therefore
has a limited view and operation of NetWorker. A tenant administrator can only manage NetWorker resources within their
assigned restricted data zone. Although, this user has the Monitor NetWorker privilege, they can also view shared resources.
It is the Monitor NetWorker privilege within an RDZ, which allows the user to see all shared resources. If the user has
the Monitor NetWorker privilege set in the User Groups resources within NetWorker (which is the default privilege for the
resources Users and VMware FLR Users) then they can see all resources and all save sets. You cannot associate a tenant
administrator with more than one RDZ, however you can associate with more than one instance of the same RDZ. By using
multiple instances of an RDZ, the global administrator can divide and assign specific tasks and privileges among the tenant
administrators and users of that RDZ.
● Tenant/Restricted User—A user that exists only within the RDZ to which they are assigned, and who has no administrative
privileges in that datazone. NetWorker does not support a tenant user in two RDZs simultaneously.

Administrator roles
Management and use of RDZs is divided among global administrators and tenant administrators. A global administrator creates
and manages RDZs. The global administrator can perform all the RDZ tasks, or associate specific tasks and privileges within
each RDZ to one or more RDZ users as tenant administrators.
Although there are many possibilities for the roles of administrators, most setups fall into the following two approaches:
● Global administrator sets up the initial configuration, and also configures everything, so there is no need for a tenant
administrator. This approach may be preferred for a customer with a very large environment, where one individual controls
the network and sets up RDZs for various divisions within their company.
● Global administrator sets up the initial configuration, and tenant Administrators can configure and operate clients and create,
view, operate, manage, and modify the NetWorker resources that are associated with their own RDZ according to the
privileges assigned by the global administrator. Controls can be put in place to limit a tenant administrator's impact on the
server. The global administrator can restrict the NetWorker resources that each RDZ can use, such as the maximum number
of clients, devices, jukeboxes, or storage nodes.

Using multiple instances of an RDZ

You can give different RDZ users different privileges or levels of access within the same RDZ. This is done by creating multiple
instances of an RDZ.
For example, you can create one RDZ instance for a tenant administrator to configure the RDZ resources. You can then create a
second instance of the same RDZ for a tenant user to only monitor the RDZ resources, but not to modify the RDZ resources. In
this way, different NMC users are given different levels of access within the same RDZ.
The global administrator can create multiple instances of an RDZ. They can create an RDZ multiple times using the same RDZ
name and the same restrictions (number of clients, number of devices, and so on). NetWorker propagates all the information in
each instance (except for the tenant administrators, privileges, and comments) to all the instances of the RDZ that have the
same name.

Setting up the RDZ

A NetWorker administrator or global administrator can set up the RDZ in the Server window of NMC.
An entry for Restricted Data Zones appears in the left navigation pane, as shown in the following figure.

588 Restricted Datazones

Figure 93. Restricted Data Zones in NMC

Setting up RDZ Users

You can set up Users in the Restricted Datazone resource the same way as you would in the User Group resource, with the
same set of privileges to choose from.
If you do not use the External Roles attribute, these are normal users. Privileges for the most part only apply to the resource
they are associated to, excepting shared resources, which can be seen if the user has Monitor NetWorker privileges.
Note that privileges are additive. If you have a privilege in a User Group resource, that applies to everything, including users who
are also simultaneously inside an RDZ. By default, users can see all resources in the User Group resource. You must ensure you
modify the User Groups very carefully to make views more restrictive.
An NMC user account can only be assigned to one RDZ at a time. However, NetWorker might not prevent this from happening.
Therefore, be cautious when setting up accounts, particularly when using External Roles, where an account might potentially
overlap two RDZs. Having the same NMC user account in multiple RDZs results in unpredictable behavior and is not supported.

Adding a User
Add a user to the RDZ to allow them to do administrative tasks within the RDZ by right-clicking Restricted Datazones in the
Server window and selecting Properties.
In the User Configuration section of the window, click the + next to External roles to add a group that contains a user, and
check the privileges that this user has.

Restricted Datazones 589

Figure 94. Restricted Datazone User Configuration

NOTE: Wildcard characters such as an asterisk (*) are not permitted.

Setting up an RDZ resource

The following procedure shows RDZ resource setup for a client, but you can use this procedure when setting up any type of
RDZ resource.
Before you create an RDZ, you must first review the NMC User Groups.
● In the NMC Administration window, under Server, select User Groups.
● Review the properties of each existing User Group to check which External Roles and Users are specified, along with the
respective privileges.
● By default, the Users user group contains all users ("*@*"), and if left unmodified, any RDZ user that you create inherits
those privileges for all shared resources.
● To prevent RDZ users from gaining unwanted access to shared resources, you must either restrict the External Roles or
Users for the Users Group (or any others), or alternatively, uncheck some privileges.
1. In the Server window, right-click Restricted Data Zones and select New .
The Create Restricted Data Zone window appears.

590 Restricted Datazones

 Figure 95. Create Restricted Data Zone in the NetWorker Administration Server window

2. Create the RDZ (for example, RDZ1) by naming the RDZ and specifying any restrictions.
Use the Restrictions subsection to set limits on the clients, devices, storage nodes, and jukeboxes that can be owned by
the restricted datazone to prevent resource abuse and limit what the tenant administrator can create. Setting restrictions
can provide more control for major events that may impact the server, licensing limitations, and so on. These restrictions are
in place even if using the RDZ as a global administrator.
NOTE: Setting a resource restriction to a value of 0 indicates that the user cannot create this resource.

If you plan to have a tenant administrator or tenant user, do the following:

a. Specify the user using the External Roles or Users parameters.
b. Under Privileges, select the privileges that the user will have in the RDZ.
Typically, an RDZ tenant administrator will have all privileges, while a tenant user will have limited privileges.

You can specify multiple users. However, they will each have the same privileges. To set up separate users with different
privileges within the same RDZ, create a separate instance of the RDZ by repeating the above steps using the same RDZ
name and restrictions, but with different External Roles, Users, and Privileges.
If the global administrator is going to administer the RDZ and if there are no RDZ users, then the User Configuration
section of the Create Restricted Data Zone window can be ignored.

3. In the left navigation pane of the Protection window, right-click the desired resource (for example, Client) and select
Properties to configure the resource with the RDZ. Note that in addition to using an existing resource, you can also create
the resource for the RDZ.
Resources that you can associate to an RDZ displays a Restricted Datazone tab in NMC (or the Restricted Datazone
attribute in nsradmin).
4. Select the Restricted Datazone tab. Resources automatically get associated to the Restricted Datazone a user belongs to
when they create a resource.

Restricted Datazones 591

 Figure 96. Restricted Data Zone Client Properties

5. (Optional) In the left navigation pane of the Devices window, select a device if you want to give this RDZ client access to a
specific device by right-clicking the device and selecting Properties. Give the RDZ client access to this device.

Figure 97. Restricted Data Zones in Device Properties window

NOTE: The RDZ can access the shared devices without any further device setup requirements for the shared resource
if these devices are configured. Note, however, that multiple RDZs cannot simultaneously access the same device.

6. Create a policy. In the Protection window, right-click Policy in the left navigation pane and select Create Policy.
7. In the General tab, specify a name for the policy (in this example, RDZ1). In the Restricted Data Zone tab, select the RDZ
from the drop-down, then click OK.

592 Restricted Datazones

 Figure 98. Restricted Data Zones in Create Policy window

8. Create a group. In the Protection window, right-click Group, and select New.
9. Name the group and select the desired client(s). In the Restricted Datazone tab, select the RDZ from the drop-down, then
click OK.
10. In the Protection window, highlight the new policy and create a workflow. Associate this workflow with the new group.

Figure 99. New workflow associated with RDZ group

NOTE: You only must configure the policy and group resources for RDZ when using policies. The workflows and actions
that are created as a result of it are kept within the policy feature and do not need any further RDZ configuration.

11. Return to the Server window and highlight Restricted Datazones. Right-click and select Properties.
12. Browse to the Clients tab. This tab now shows the clients that are associated with this RDZ. When a user belongs to an
RDZ and creates a resource, this resource is automatically set to being owned by that RDZ.

Removing a resource association

You can remove a resource association in two ways:
● By deleting the resource itself. This involves deleting multiple instances of a resource if there are two or more resources with
the same name.
● By unselecting the Restricted Datazone in the respective attribute.

Restricted Datazones 593

Backward compatibility
RDZ is a feature of the server and storage node, so the client does not necessarily have to be upgraded to match the server
version. RDZ is backward compatible with the NetWorker client if that client is supported with the NetWorker 19.5 server.

594 Restricted Datazones

 17
Block Based Backup and Recovery
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Overview
• Block based backups
• Block based recoveries
• Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery issues

Overview
The NetWorker block based backups are high-performance backups which are supported on Windows and Linux.
During block based backups, the backup application scans a volume or a disk in a file system, and backs up all the blocks that are
in use in the file system. Block based backups use the following technologies:
● The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshot capability on Windows and Logical Volume Manager (LVM) and Veritas
Volume Manager (VxVM) on Linux to create consistent copies of the source volume for backups.
● The Virtual Hard Disk (VHDx), which is sparse, to back up data to the target device.
Block based backups support only the following Client Direct enabled devices as target devices:
● Advanced File Type Devices (AFTDs)
● Data Domain devices
● Cloud Boost devices
The block based incremental backups use the Change Block Tracking (CBT) driver to identify the changed blocks, and back up
only the changed blocks.
Block based full and incremental backups are fast backups with reduced backup times because the backup process backs up
only the occupied disk blocks and changed disk blocks respectively. Block based backups can coexist with traditional backups.
Block based backups provide instant access to the backups. The block based backups enable you to mount the backups by using
the same file systems that you used to back up the data.
Block based backups provide the following capabilities:
● Mounting of a backup as a file system
● Mounting of an incremental backup
● Sparse backup support
● Backups to disk-like devices
● Backups of operating system-deduplicated file systems as source volumes on Windows
● Forever virtual full backups to Data Domain
● Data Domain retention lock
● 38 incremental backups to AFTD and Cloud Boost devices
● Synthetic full backups to AFTD and Cloud Boost devices
● Backups of volumes up to 63 TB each
● NetWorker-supported devices as secondary devices for backups
● Recoveries from Data Domain without using CIFS share
● Recovery of multiple save sets in a single operation
● Setting parallel save streams if the target or destination is Data Domain
The following table lists the backup scenarios and the recovery scenarios that block based backups support.

Block Based Backup and Recovery 595

Table 147. Supported backup and recovery scenarios
Backup scenarios Recovery scenarios
● Full backups ● File level recovery by mounting the backup image on a
● Virtual full backups target host
● Synthetic full backups ● Image/destructive recovery at the block level
● Incremental backups ● Image/destructive recovery from clones
● Full backups and incremental backups intermixed with ● Windows Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) by using a WinPE
built-in provisions to anchor the incremental backups with image
an appropriate backup type

Supported operating systems and configurations

NetWorker supports block based backup and recovery of the following operating systems and configurations:
● Operating systems on x64:
○ Windows:
￭ Windows client 8.1
￭ Windows client 8
￭ Windows Server 10
￭ Windows Server 2016
￭ Windows Server 2012 R2
￭ Windows Server 2012
￭ Windows Server 2016
￭ Windows Server 2019
○ Linux:
￭ Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6.0
￭ RHEL 6.1
￭ RHEL 6.2
￭ RHEL 6.3
￭ RHEL 6.4
￭ RHEL 6.5
￭ RHEL 6.6
￭ RHEL 6.7
￭ RHEL 6.8
￭ RHEL 6.10
￭ RHEL 7.0
￭ RHEL 7.1
￭ RHEL 7.2
￭ RHEL 7.3
￭ RHEL 7.4
￭ RHEL 7.5
￭ RHEL 7.6
￭ RHEL 7.7
￭ RHEL 7.8
￭ RHEL 8.0
￭ RHEL 8.1
￭ SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 SP4
￭ SLES 11 SP2
￭ SLES 11 SP3
￭ SLES 11 SP4
￭ SLES 12
￭ SLES 12 SP2
￭ SLES 12 SP3
￭ SLES 12 SP4
￭ SLES 12 SP5
￭ SLES 15 SP1

596 Block Based Backup and Recovery

 ￭ Community Enterprise Operating System (CentOS) 6.0
￭ CentOS 6.1
￭ CentOS 6.2
￭ CentOS 6.3
￭ CentOS 6.4
￭ CentOS 6.5
￭ CentOS 6.6
￭ CentOS 6.7
￭ CentOS 6.8
￭ CentOS 6.10
￭ CentOS 7.0
￭ CentOS 7.1
￭ CentOS 7.2
￭ CentOS 7.3
￭ CentOS 7.4
￭ CentOS 7.5
￭ CentOS 7.7
￭ CentOS 8.0
￭ Ubuntu 14.04 with kernel 3.13.0-24
￭ Ubuntu 16.04 with kernel 4.4.0-21
● Operating systems on x86:
○ Windows client 8.1
○ Windows client 8
● File systems:
○ Windows:
￭ New Technology File System (NTFS)
￭ Resilient File System (ReFS)
○ Linux:
￭ Third extended file system (ext3)
￭ Fourth extended file system (ext4)
￭ XFS
● Group policies on Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 2016 (64-bit), and Windows 2019 (64-bit) with secure boot enabled:
○ Hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI)
○ Credential Guard (CG)
● Client Direct target devices
● Concurrent backups of multiple volumes
● Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 deduplicated volumes without rehydrating the deduplicated data
● Windows Server core installation role
● Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) based systems
● GUID Partition Table (GPT) and Master Boot Record (MBR) volumes
● Data Domain systems in a Fibre Channel environment
● Full backup of Windows Server 2012 Cluster Shared Volumes on File Servers and Windows Clusters
● LVM2 and VxVM managed volumes on Linux
NOTE: Each volume group on LVM2 and VxVM must have at least 10% free space for a block based backup to succeed.

Limitations
NetWorker's block based backups and recoveries do not support the following capabilities and configurations:
● FAT32 file system
In the case of the ALL save set backups, either unmount or remove the FAT32 volumes, and perform the backups.
● Live updates and service patches for Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04
● Backup levels 1 through 9
● Backups of Microsoft 2012 clusters without Cluster Shared Volumes
● Incremental backups of cluster shared volumes
● Cloning of AFTD incremental backups

Block Based Backup and Recovery 597

● Granular save sets at either the folder level or the file level, for example, D:\data
● Checkpoint restart
● Standard NetWorker directives
● The scanner command with the -i option for rebuilding indexes for block based backups
● Staging and the nsrclone command with the -m option for migrating block based backup save sets to other volumes
● Image recovery to a system volume
● Troubleshoot kernel on RHEL, and Trace and Xen kernels on SLES
● For XFS file system, block size of 64 KB
● Redirected recovery of XFS save sets on pre 19.4 clients since block based backup XFS support has been introduced in the
NetWorker 19.4 release

Block based backups

This section provides information about block based backups (BBB).

Devices for block based backups

You must create a backup device and configure block based backups before you perform block based backups and recoveries.
You can create the following types of devices that depend on the backup requirements:
● AFTD
● Data Domain CIFS or NFS
● DD Boost
● Cloud Boost
NOTE:

For block based backups to succeed, ensure that you meet the following requirements:

● Block based full and subsequent incremental backups of a client must reside on the same volume.
● As a best practice, a pool with a single device can be created and configured to hold the block based backups.
● Multiple clients configured for block based backups may share the same device, or they can each have their own device
in individual pools.

If you want to make a local AFTD a Client Direct enabled device, specify either the CIFS path or the NFS path in the Device
access information field of the Create device properties dialog box.
The "Backup Target" chapter describes how to configure devices.

Installing the lgtobbb package on Linux

You must install the lgtobbb package, which is packaged along with NetWorker, for block based incremental backups and
recoveries to succeed on Linux. If you do not install the package, block based full backups succeed, but incremental backups and
recoveries fail.
1. Ensure that the NetWorker client is installed.
2. Install the lgtobbb package:
● On RHEL:
a. Ensure that the lsb package from the operating system installation media is installed.
b. Run the following command:
rpm -ivh lgtobbb-18.0.0.0-1.x86_64.rpm

● On SLES:
a. Ensure that the lsb-release package from the operating system installation media is installed.
b. Run the following command:
rpm -ivh lgtobbb-18.0.0.0-1.x86_64.rpmm

● On Ubuntu:

598 Block Based Backup and Recovery

 a. Ensure that the following packages are installed:
○ Shells: ksh and pdksh
○ C++ library: libstdc++5
○ gawk
b. Run the following command:
dpkg -i lgtoxtdclnt_99.0.99.8228_amd64.deb

Configuring block based backups

When you configure block based backups, consider the following notes:
● If you select the Block based backup option, and do not select the Parallel save streams per save set option, block
based backups without parallel save streams are performed.
● If you select the Parallel save streams per save set option, and do not select the Block based backup option, file level
backups with parallel save streams are performed.
● If you do not select the Block based backup and Parallel save streams per save set options, file level backups without
parallel save streams are performed.
1. Enable the block based backup feature when you use one of the following methods to configure the client:
● NetWorker Client Configuration wizard
● Client Properties window
● The nsradmin program

2. Select the following fields to enable the block based backup feature:
● Client direct (selected by default)
● Block based backup

3. [Optional] To set parallel save streams if the target or destination is Data Domain:
a. In the NetWorker Client Properties dialog box, on the Globals (1 of 2) tab, select Parallel save streams per save
set.
b. On the Apps & Modules tab, in the Save operations field, type one of the following values:
● PSS:streams_per_ss=2,*
● PSS:streams_per_ss=4,*
This is the default value.

NOTE: Parallel save streams is applicable only for full backup.

c. To perform parallel save streams enabled backups for block based backup volumes:
i. In NMC, under Server, select User Groups.
ii. Right click Application Administrators and select Properties.
iii. In the User Group Properties Application Administrators window, under Users, add
user=system,host='hostname'.

NOTE: Consider the following notes about parallel save streams and save sets:
● When a backup contains more than four save sets, the parallel save streams value must be either greater than or
equal to the number of save sets.
● The parallel save streams per save set value is the same for all the save sets of the client, that is, you cannot set the
value of one save set to 2 and the value of another save set to 4 on the same client.

[Optional] Creating an AFTD CIFS share on Windows for block based

recoveries
You must enable a CIFS share to access save sets on the device to recover data from an AFTD. The access credentials are the
same as the administrator’s credentials on the host.
1. Right-click the folder that you want to share, and select Share with > Specific people....

Block Based Backup and Recovery 599

2. In the File Sharing dialog box, select or add the people with whom who want to share the folder, and click Share.

Performing block based backups

The procedure for performing a block based backup is the same as the procedure for performing a NetWorker backup.
Backing Up Data on page 269 provides more information about how to back up data by using NetWorker.
You can perform a block based backup as any of the following types of backup:
● Scheduled backups
● Incremental backups
● Virtual full backups
● Synthetic full backups
● Manual backups or client-initiated backups
● Save set backups
● Exclude list backups
● Windows deduplication volume backups
● CSV backups
● Windows BMR backups

Scheduled backups
NetWorker supports block based backups for all scheduled backups.
The scheduled backup process is transparent to you and does not require any additional actions or considerations.

Incremental backups
You must perform an incremental backup of a volume only to the same device, to which a full backup of the volume was
performed.
NOTE: Incremental backups can span across multiple storage units on the same Data Domain device.

On AFTDs, selecting any backup level apart from full or incremental results in performing an incremental backup.
An incremental backup shifts to a full backup when any of the following conditions occur:
● You restart the client host for any reason when the backup is either in progress or scheduled.
● The preceding incremental backup failed.
NOTE: This condition applies only to Windows. On Linux, an incremental backup continues even if its preceding
incremental backup failed.
● You already performed 38 incremental backups to AFTD.
NOTE: After you perform a full backup, you can perform a maximum of 38 incremental backups.
● You add a volume for the backup of the ALL save set.
● You change the size of the volume.
The incremental backup process is transparent to you and does not require any additional actions or considerations.

Virtual full backups

Virtual full backups apply only to the Data Domain devices. When you perform an incremental backup to a Data Domain device,
you perform the backup as a virtual full backup. However, the type of the backup that you have performed is displayed as full. A
virtual full backup backs up only the changed blocks from its previous full backup while referencing the unchanged blocks to the
corresponding blocks of the previous full backup.
NOTE: On Data Domain devices, selecting any backup level apart from full results in performing a virtual full backup.

600 Block Based Backup and Recovery

Synthetic full backups
The synthetic full backups apply only to AFTDs. A synthetic full backup consolidates data from all the existing full and
incremental backups.
NOTE: When you perform a synthetic full backup to a non-Windows remote storage node, you must create a client
configuration for the storage node.

Manual backups or client-initiated backups

Use the save command with the -z option to perform a client-initiated block based backup from the command line.
Ensure that you meet the following requirements for a client-initiated backup:
● The device must be Client Direct enabled.
You can provide a pool of Client Direct enabled devices by using the save command with the -b option.

● The client-initiated block based backup supports the full level save sets that you define only at the volume level.
● Do not name a manual snapshot with the same name as the block based backup snapshot.
If a block based backup snapshot and a manual snapshot have the same name, performing the manual snapshot deletes the
block based backup snapshot.

Save set backups

You can use a block based backup to back up the following save sets:
● Windows:
○ ALL—This save set includes VSS volumes, critical volumes, and non-critical volumes.
○ DISASTER_RECOVERY:—This save set includes VSS volumes and critical volumes.
○ Volumes—Specify any type of volume drive letters as save sets. For example: D:\
○ Volume mount points—Specify volume mount points as save sets. For example:
D:\mount_point_name (for a single mount point)
D:\mount_point_name1\mount_point_name2\mount_point_name3 (for nested mount points)

● Linux:
○ ALL—All the mounted volumes that the /etc/fstab file lists.
NOTE: If the ALL save set contains block based backup supported and unsupported volumes, and you specify
parallel save streams for the save set, the following types of backups will be performed:
￭ Block based backup of the supported volumes, each with random parallel save streams, but not with the parallel
save streams that you specified
￭ NetWorker traditional backup of the unsupported volumes
○ Volume mount points—Specify volume mount points as save sets. For example:
/<mount_point_name> (for a single mount point)
/<mount_point_name1/mount_point_name2/mount_point_name3> (for nested mount points)

Windows deduplication volume backups

The block based backups occur at the block level. The file system layout does not affect the backup. The backup virtual hard
disk is deduplication in nature. The block based backups merge the blocks out of the deduplication volumes. In case the volume
changes from deduplication to non-deduplication, the block based backup detects these events and forces the next backup to
be a full backup.

Block Based Backup and Recovery 601

CSV backups
You can simultaneously see Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs) across all nodes. The block based backups support only full backups
of CSVs, even in the case of a failover. If you try to perform an incremental backup, the backup shifts to a full backup with a
warning message.

Windows BMR backups

The procedure for performing a block based backup as a Windows BMR backup is the same as the procedure for performing a
NetWorker Windows BMR backup. However, you must select the block based backup option when you configure the client using
the NetWorker Client Configuration wizard, the Client Properties window, or the nsradmin program.

Verifying block based backups

1. To list the block based backup save sets, run the following command:
mminfo -avot -q "ssattr=*BlockBasedBackup"

To list the block based virtual full backup save sets, run the following command:
mminfo -avot -q "ssattr=*BlockBased Virtual Full"

To list the block based synthetic full backup save sets, run the following command:
mminfo -avot -q "ssattr=*Synthetic full"

2. Verify whether all the selected save sets have been successfully backed up.

Cloning block based backups

The procedure for cloning a block based backup is the same as the procedure for cloning a NetWorker backup.
You can configure the NetWorker clone operations according to the environment and storage requirements. Block based
backups support cloning of the full and incremental backups .

Limitations of Block based Backup

The limitations of block based backups are as follows:
● On Linux with udisk package version 1.0.1-2 or earlier installed, block based backups might fail to delete snapshot after
backup.
● On Linux, if the load of the volume being backed up is high, then block based backup might fail due to insufficient storage
capacity.
● During file level recovery of block based backups, the mount point path where the block based backup save set is mounted is
listed when you select the destination path for recovering files.
● When a block based backup recover session is initiated and another user browses the mounted save set using OS tools and if
the recover session is closed, then the mounted save set is not unmounted properly due to OS locking mechanism.
● When you try to recover a cloned block based backup save set from a remote client using recover binary with -l option to
specify the pool name, the operation fails due to missing clone binary from client package.
● In case of PSS backups of a virtual client, the client parallelism value is picked from the active node and not from the active
node client . If the picked value is less than user defined value then it results in backup failure.
● When backing up large number of save sets (exceeding 60 or more) and if PSS is enabled, then it might overload NetWorker
server resources due to number of save sessions and the backups might time out.
● You cannot perform an image recovery of block based backup save set to a destination volume that does not have the same
disk sector size as the source.
● Block based backup is not supported on Linux UEFI machines when secure boot is enabled.
● While performing block based backup file level recovery from cloned DDCT device; staging to user specified pool using -l
option does not work from recover CLI.

602 Block Based Backup and Recovery

Block based recoveries
This section provides information about block based recoveries.

Preparing for block based recoveries

You must be familiar with the recovery operations, workflows, and interfaces that associate with the block based recovery. Use
either NMC or the NetWorker command-line interface (CLI) to perform a block based recovery.
You typically complete the following tasks to perform a recovery by using NMC:
1. Selecting the save set.
2. Performing either file level recovery or image/destructive recovery.
If you want to perform a recovery by using the CLI, you must run the recover.exe command with the save set ID. Unlike a
traditional backup, the block based backup does not maintain any indexes in the NetWorker client file index database.
The recovery process mounts all the save sets on a device that supports the Client Direct functionality.
If you want to recover data from either an AFTD or a Data Domain device by using the CIFS or NFS share, enable the CIFS or
NFS share to access save sets on the device.

Performing block based recoveries

You can perform block based recoveries by using either NMC or the NetWorker CLI.

Using NMC to perform block based recoveries

1. Open NMC.
2. Click Recover.
3. From the menu bar, select Recover > New Recover.
4. On the Recovery Hosts page:
a. Under Source Host, in the Name field, type the name of the host on which the backed-up data exists.
b. Under Destination Host, specify the host to which you want to recover the backed-up data.
c. Under Available Recovery Types, select Block Based Backup.
d. Click Next.
5. On the Select the Data to Recover page:
a. Select one of the following types of recovery that you want to perform:
● File level recovery
● Image level recovery
b. Select the timestamp of the backup that you want to recover.
c. Perform one of the following tasks that depend on the type of the recovery that you have selected:
● For a file level recovery:
○ In the left panel, select the save sets that you want to recover.
○ In the right panel, select the relevant files that you want to recover.
● For an image level recovery, in the left panel, select the save set that you want to recover.
d. Click Next.
6. On the Select the Recovery Options page, perform one of the following tasks that depend on the type of the recovery
that you have selected:
● For a file level recovery, select a file path for recovery and an appropriate option for duplication, and click Next.
● For an image level recovery, select a file path for recovery, and click Next.

7. On the Perform the Recovery page:

a. Under Identity, in the Recover name field, type a name for the recovery.
b. Select one of the following recovery start times:
● Start recovery now—Immediately starts the recovery.

Block Based Backup and Recovery 603

 ● Schedule recovery to start at—Schedules the recovery according to the choice.
c. If you want to stop the recovery at a certain time, in the Specify a hard stop time field, type the time.
d. Select the Recover Resource persistence option according to the choice.
e. Click Run Recovery.
The recovery log appears when the recovery progresses.
After the recovery succeeds, a successful completion message appears at the bottom of the recovery log.
To export the log file, click Export Log File.

8. On the Check the Recovery Results page, click Finish.

Using the CLI to perform block based recoveries

Use the recover.exe command to perform a block based recovery. The command applies only to local clients. However, you
cannot use the command to perform a remote or redirected recovery.

Performing file level recoveries

NOTE: For Windows hosts only, to ensure that you use the NetWorker recover.exe command and not the Windows OS
recover command, perform one of the following tasks:
● Ensure that NetWorker_install_path\bin appears before %SystemRoot%\System32 in the $PATH
environment variable.
● When you start the recover command include the path to the binary. For example:
NetWorker_install_path\bin\recover.exe.

1. On Windows:
a. Run the following command to mount the backup and start the command prompt at the mount point:
recover.exe -w -S <save_set_ID>
Use the Windows copy option and paste option to recover the backup.
After you perform the recovery, close the command prompt to exit the process.

b. Run the following command to mount the backup and copy specific files from the input file to the destination:
recover.exe -w -S <save_set_ID> -I <input_file> -d <destination>

2. On Linux:
Ensure that you meet the following prerequisites before you perform a file level recovery:
a. You have disabled Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) by running one of the following relevant commands:
● setsebool -P nis_enabled 1, if you use either RHEL 7.x or CentOS 7.x
● setsebool -P allow_ypbind 1, if you use either RHEL 6.x or CentOS 6.x
b. You have installed the iscsiadm utility by installing one of the following relevant packages on the Linux client:
● iscsi-initiator-utils<version_number>.rpm, if you use either RHEL or CentOS
● open-iscsi<version_number>.rpm, if you use SLES
c. On SLES, if you want to start the iscsiadm utility for the first time, restart the iSCSI services by running the following
command:
service open-iscsi restart

Perform a file level recovery:

a. Run the following command to mount the backup:

recover.exe -w -S <save_set_ID>
Open a new terminal, and use Linux copy and paste commands to recover the data.
After you perform the recovery, type quit to exit the process.

b. Run the following command to mount the backup and copy specific files from the input file to the destination:

604 Block Based Backup and Recovery

 recover.exe -w -S <save_set_ID> -I <input_file> -d <destination>
NOTE: For Windows, the command is recover.exe. For Linux, the command is recover

Performing image and destructive recoveries

Ensure that you meet the following requirements to perform a recovery:
● The size of the target volume is either the same or more than the size of the source volume.
● The cluster size of the source volume is the same or more than the cluster size of the target volume.
● The target volume is not a system volume.
Run the following command to perform an image recovery:
recover.exe -S <save_set_ID> -r <target_volume>

Command-line options for recover.exe

The following table describes the key options that you can use with the recover.exe command to perform a block based
recovery.

Table 148. Key options for the block based recover.exe command
Option Description
-r [volume GUID or mount point] (On Windows) Specifies the supported destinations for save set recovery on
Windows:
-r [raw device name or mount point] (On Linux)
● Volume name
● Raw pathname
● Volume GUID
● Existing mount point

Specifies the supported destinations for save set recovery on

Linux:

● Mount point
● Raw device name
-S [save set ID or clone ID] Specifies the save set ID or the clone ID that you want to
recover.
-I [input file] Specifies a file that contains a list of files that you want to
recover. This is useful to perform the disaster and remote
recoveries.
-w Specifies the file level recovery of Block Based backup.

Performing Windows BMR

The procedure to recover a block based backup through a Windows BMR is the same as the procedure to perform a NetWorker
Windows BMR. However, you must select an appropriate block based backup on the Select System Recovery page of the
wizard when you perform the block based recovery.

Performing block based clone recoveries

You can recover cloned data from the Client Direct enabled devices and the Client Direct disabled devices.

Recovering data from Client Direct enabled devices

Client Direct enabled devices include AFTD, DD Boost, and Data Domain CIFS devices.
Use one of the following methods to recover the data:

Block Based Backup and Recovery 605

● NMC
Perform the steps that the Using NMC to perform block based recoveries on page 603 section describes.
● NetWorker CLI
Run one of the following commands:
○ recover.exe -w -S save_set_ID/clone_ID for file level recoveries
○ recover.exe -S save_set_ID/clone_ID -r target_volume for image recoveries

Recovering data from Client Direct disabled devices

Client Direct disabled devices typically include tape devices.
The file level recovery process requires a Client Direct enabled device. The recovery process first temporarily stages the data to
a Client Direct enabled device that you have selected and then recovers the data from the device. The retention period of the
staged data on the Client Direct enabled device is three days. You can delete the data before the retention period lapses.
The image recovery process by using the GUI is the same as the process to perform a file level recovery. However, you can
perform image recoveries directly from the tape devices without mounting the backup images by using the CLI.
NOTE: o perform either a file level recovery or an image recovery of data from a CloudBoost device, first clone the data to
a Client Direct enabled device and then recover the data from the Client Direct enabled device.
Use either NMC or the recover.exe command to perform recoveries.

Using NMC to perform clone recoveries

1. Open NMC.
2. Click Recover.
3. From the menu bar, select Recover > New Recover.
4. On the Select the Client to Recover page:
a. Under Source client, in the Name field, type the name of the client on which the cloned data exists.
b. Under Destination client, specify the client to which you want to recover the cloned data.
c. For the type of backup that you want to recover, select Block Based Backup (cloned to tape).
d. Click Next.
5. On the Select a Block-Based Backup Clone page:
a. Under Found in, specify the period during which you performed the clone and click Query.
The cloned save set groups appear in the Block-Based backups field.

b. Select the save set group.

c. Under Select the Save Sets, select either All save sets, or Subset of save sets and appropriate save sets that belong
to the selected save set group.
d. Under Recovery Type:
Select one of the following types of recovery that you want to perform:
● File level recovery
If you have selected this option, from the Copy to Pool list, select the pool that has the Client Direct enabled device
to which you want to copy the cloned data.
● Image level recovery
e. Click Next.
● If you have selected File level recovery in step d, the Copying the Backup to Disk page appears.
After the cloning succeeds, click Next.
The Select the Data to Recover page appears.
● If you have selected Image level recovery in step d, the Select the Data to Recover page appears.

6. On the Select the Data to Recover page:

a. Perform one of the following tasks that depend on the type of the recovery that you have selected:

606 Block Based Backup and Recovery

 ● For a file level recovery, select the save set to recover from the left panes and select the files to recover from the
right panes.
● For an image level recovery, select the save set that you want to recover from the left pane.
b. Click Next.
7. On the Select the Recovery Options page, perform one of the following tasks that depend on the type of the recovery
you have selected:
● For a file level recovery, select the File path for Recovery and Duplicate File Options, and click Next.
● For an image level recovery, select the File path for Recovery, and click Next.

8. On the Perform the Recovery page:

a. Under Identity, in the Recover name field, type a name for the recovery.
b. Select one of the following recovery start times:
● Start recovery now—Immediately starts recovery.
● Schedule recovery to start at—Schedules the recovery according to the choice.
c. If you want to stop the recovery at a certain time, in the Specify a hard stop time field, type the time.
d. Select the Recover Resource persistence option according to the choice.
e. Click Run Recovery.
The recovery log appears when the recovery progresses.
After the recovery succeeds, a successful completion message appears at the bottom of the recovery log.
To export the log file, click Export Log File.

9. On the Check the Recovery Results page, click Finish.

Using the CLI to perform the clone recovery

Run one of the following commands to recover the data from the Client Direct disabled devices:
● For file level recoveries:
recover.exe -w -S save_set_ID/clone_ID -b pool_name

NOTE: The pool that you select must have a Client Direct enabled device. The pool must also be a backup clone type
pool.
● For image recoveries:

recover -S save_set_ID/clone_ID -r target_volume

Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery

issues
This section lists the common issues with the block based backups and recoveries and provides workarounds for these issues.

Table 149. Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery issues

Error message or Issue Resolution
Block based backups are only supported with Client Direct. In the Client Properties dialog box, select Client Direct.
VSS OTHER: ERROR: VSS failed to process snapshot: The Ensure that there is no recover session running on the client.
shadow copy provider had an unexpected error while trying to
process the specified operation. (VSS error 0x8004230f)

90108:save: Unable to save the SYSTEM STATE save sets:

cannot create
the snapshot.

No save sets clone to clone device. Block based backups clone only full backup save sets. Block
based backups do not clone incremental backup save sets.

Block Based Backup and Recovery 607

Table 149. Troubleshooting block based backup and recovery issues (continued)
Error message or Issue Resolution
Unable to construct the recover list from input file. Perform an image recovery if applicable. Otherwise, select
all the files except the system files such as, System Volume
Information and Recycle Bin to perform a file level recovery.
Failed to recover save set with error: To perform the recovery In the Client Properties dialog box, select Client Direct.
of a block based backup save set, the device must be enabled
for Client Direct.
Though the size of a target volume is more than the size of a To enable the target volume file system to use its volume to
source volume, after performing an image recovery, the target the actual size, extend the file system:
volume file system can use its volume only up to the same size 1. In the command prompt, type diskpart and press
as the size of the source volume. <Enter>.
2. In the DISKPART command prompt, select the target
volume to extend the file system by running the following
command:
select volume <target_volume>

For example, select volume G:

3. Extend the file system by running the following command:
extend filesystem
4. Exit from the DISKPART command prompt by running the
following command:
exit

Block based backup failed partially, when parallel save streams To perform parallel save streams enabled backups for block
is enabled: based backup volumes:
1. In NMC, under Server, select User Groups.
9904:nsrmmdbd: access denied to media database, `SYSTEM'
on 2. Right click Application Administrators and select
`hostname' must have 'Operate NetWorker' or 'Change Properties.
Application 3. In the User Group Properties Application
Settings' privilege 90096:save: save of 'E:\' to 'hostname' Administrators window, under Users, add
failed: user=system,host='hostname'.
access denied to media database, `SYSTEM' on `hostname'
must have
'Operate NetWorker' or 'Change Application Settings' privilege

Block based backup failed partially, when parallel save streams For block based backup to succeed, ensure that the following
is enabled: requirements are met:
1. Create a separate pool.
155185:save: Successfully closed the backup session
158612:save:GUID of the current plex and previous plex for 2. The pool must contain only one backup device.
the save set 3. Perform all backups of a client on the same backup device.
'<2>C:\' are different. However if more clients are backed up, create a separate
12/11/20 10:12:55.884595 VHDx format generator successful. group. For more information about Parallel Save Streams
12/11/20 10:12:55.884595 NsrBlockSave Failed. (PSS), see Dell EMC NetWorker Performance Optimization
12/11/20 10:12:55.884595 Initiating nsrblockbase failed for Planning Guide.
save set 'C:\'.

608 Block Based Backup and Recovery

 18
Networking and Connectivity
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Name resolution and connectivity
• IPv6 support in NetWorker 19.3 and later
• Network Protocol support for Networker 19.3 and later
• Limitations of IPv6 protocol with NetWorker 19.3 and later
• Troubleshooting name resolution and connectivity errors
• Using multihomed systems
• NIC Teaming
• Using DHCP clients
• NetWorker TCP/IP keep-alive parameters
• Multi-subnet cluster configuration support for SQL AAG

Name resolution and connectivity

A NetWorker host must consistently and reliably connect to, and resolve, each destination NetWorker host by fully qualified
domain name (FQDN), shortname, and IP address.
The NetWorker software requires consistent and predictable forward and reverse name resolution to work correctly. From
NetWorker version 18.1 and later, you must enable nsrauth to work seamlessly in an environment where reverse DNS entries are
unavailable. All features of NetWorker and NetWorker modules are supported in this environment. NetWorker performs name
resolution checks during the following operations:
● NetWorker daemon startup.
● Client and Device resource configuration.
● Backup, recovery, and device operations.
NetWorker relies on the operating system to perform the following tasks:
● Handle name resolution requests.
● Resolve hostnames to IP addresses (forward name resolution lookups).
● Resolve IP addresses to hostnames (reverse name resolution lookups).
NetWorker supports the use of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) in a dual stack or in a pure IPv6 environment. NetWorker does
not support NetWorker resource configurations that use temporary or link-local IPv6 addresses.
When a NetWorker host uses IPv6 addressing, ensure that you add the IPv6 address for the host in DNS Server or the hosts file
and to the alias field in the client resource. The NetWorker Installation Guide provides information about using NetWorker in an
IPv6 environment.
NOTE:
1. In a configuration without reverse DNS entries, NetWorker supports FQDN only. For information on how to use IP
address, see the troubleshooting section.
2. Forward DNS entry is mandatory for every host present in the NetWorker datazone.
3. NetWorker Client, NetWorker Server, NetWorker Storage Node and NetWorker Management Console (NMC) must be
using NetWorker 18.1 or later.
4. NetWorker will not change the behavior of third party applications interacting with NetWorker that mandates the
requirement of reverse DNS lookups.
5. If the IP address or the short name is used for any of the NetWorker operations, then the /etc/hosts should be
updated or ALIASES should be defined.

Networking and Connectivity 609

IPv6 support in NetWorker 19.3 and later
NetWorker 19.3 and later supports Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) addresses defined by RFC2732 in a pure IPv6 environment
along with dual stack. IPv6 address can be used in place of FQDN and alias values in all NetWorker operations. The following
areas use IP address, FQDN, and alias as input, where IPv6 address can be specified:
● Client configuration:
○ NMC Client Configuration Wizard- This does not support square brackets. For example, Client Name:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x
○ NMC Client properties- This supports both with and without square brackets. For example, Name:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x, Name:
[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]
○ CLI-nsradmin- This supports both with and without square brackets. For example, name:"x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x",
name:"[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]"
● Device configuration
○ Data Domain Device
￭ Using NMC Device Configuration Wizard- Adding of a Data Domain system during device configuration. Without
square bracket is only supported. For example, Add a new Data Domain system - x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x
￭ Using NMC Device Properties- The remote storage node name and the device name needs to be enclosed in square
brackets in the Data Domain Device Name. For example,
- Data Domain Device Name- rd=[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]_DD_Device
- Device Access Information- x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:/<server_name>/DD_Device
￭ Using CLI - nsradmin- For example,
- Data Domain Device Name- rd=[x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x]\:[x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x]_DD_Device;
- Device Access Information- "x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:/<server_name>/DD_Device";
○ Advanced File Type Device
￭ Using NMC Device Configuration Wizard- For example,
- On an NFS share, without square bracket is only supported. Network Path is x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:/data/
col1/testnfs
- On a CIFS share, without square bracket is only supported. Network Path is
\\x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x.ipv6-literal.net\x$

￭ Using NMC Device Properties- On an NFS share, provide the Device Access Information and the name in square
brackets. For example,
- Name- rd=[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:AFTD_Device
- Device Access Information- [x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:/data/col1/testnfs
On a CIFS share, provide the name in square brackets. For example,
- Name- rd=[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:AFTD_Device
- Device Access Information- \\x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x.ipv6-literal.net\x$

￭ Using CLI- nsradmin- For example on an NFS share,

- Name- rd=[x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x]\:AFTD_Device;
- Device Access Information- x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:/data/col1/testnfs
For example on a CIFS share,
- Name- rd=[x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x\:x]\:AFTD_Device ;
- Device Access Information- \\\\x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x.ipv6-literal.net\\x$;

● Storage Node Configuration -

○ NMC- For example, Name:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x, Name:[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]
○ CLI - nsradmin- For example, name:"x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x", name:"[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]"
● -s <NetWorker Server IPv6 address> option is all NetWorker commands and utilities.
● Client and Server Cluster configuration is supported for pure IPv6 and dual stack environment. However, even if you use the
IPv6 address and FQDN while configuring the virtual IP, the NMC will always take the FQDN for the server’s client instance.
● Backward Compatibility is supported for clients.
● Bare Metal Recovery is supported in both pure IPv6 and Dual stack environment.

610 Networking and Connectivity

● In an IPv6 enabled VMware environment, the following components should not have any unreachable IPv4 entries in the DNS
server:
○ NetWorker server FQDN
○ vProxy appliance FQDN
○ Data Domain FQDN
○ vCenter FQDN
○ ESXi FQDN
The FQDNs listed above should return only AAAA records from the DNS and should not have any unreachable IPv4 records
in the DNS.

● REST API- To launch NetWorker RESTAPI using IPv6 address, the address should be enclosed in "[]" brackets. For
example, https://[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9090/nwrestapi. Here are some examples of using IPv6 addresses for
various configurations.
NOTE: "[] "should not be used in the API payloads

○ Client configuration-

POST https://[ x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9090/nwrestapi/v3/global/clients

{
"aliases": ["Windows-client"],
"backupType": "Filesystem",
"blockBasedBackup": false,
"hostname": "x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x",
"parallelSaveStreamsPerSaveSet": true,
"parallelism": 4,
"protectionGroups": ["MyGroup"],
"remoteAccessUsers": [],
"saveSets": ["C:\\MySavesets"],
"scheduledBackup": true
}

○ vProxy Registration-

POST https://[ x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9090/nwrestapi/v3/global/vmware/vproxies

{
"enabled": true,
"hostname": "x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x",
"maxHotaddSessions": 13,
"maxNbdSessions": 13,
"userName": "admin",
"vCenterHostname": "fqdn.domainname.com",
"password":"password",
"vProxyPort": 9090
}

○ Data Domain Device Configuration-

POST https://[ x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9090/nwrestapi/v3/global/devices

{
"deviceAccessInfo": "x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:<folder structure>",
"mediaType": "Data Domain",
"name": "RESTAPI",
"password": "password",
"remoteUser": "remoteuser"
}

Standard URL strings which contain IPv6 address should be enclosed by the "[" and "]" characters.
To launch NWUI through IPv6 address, the address should be enclosed in "[]" brackets. For example, https://
[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9090/nwui.
NOTE: During NWUI installation, user can provide IPv6 address or hostname for the authentication server and NetWorker
server if they are running on a IPv6 environment.
To launch NMC using IPv6 address, the address should be enclosed in "[]" brackets. For example, https://
[x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x]:9000.
NOTE: During NMC configuration wizard, specify a list of IPv6 addresses or hostnames of NetWorker servers if they are
running on a IPv6 environment.

Networking and Connectivity 611

Network Protocol support for Networker 19.3 and
later
The following tables lists the network protocol support for NetWorker 19.3 and later:

Table 150. Network Protocol Support

IPv4 only server Dual stack server IPv6 only server
IPv4 only client Supported (v4) Supported (v4) Not supported
Dual stack client Supported (v4) Supported (Dual Stack) File system (v6)
Not supported- NMM, NMDA

IPv6 only client Not supported Supported - File system (v6) Supported - File system (v6)
Not supported- NMM, NMDA Not supported- NMM, NMDA

NOTE: Clients, Storage Nodes, NDMP, Clusters is supported. NetWorker prefers to communicate over IPv4 where both
IPv4 and IPv6 communication channels exist.

Limitations of IPv6 protocol with NetWorker 19.3 and

later
The known limitations of IPv6 are as follows:
● Use of IPv6 address is not supported for NMM and NMDA clients.
● On Windows, NetWorker lockbox creation fails if an IPv6 address is passed. As a workaround, FQDN value of the client can
be used.
● nsrauthtrust command fail to write the authentication service certificate in case of IPv6 address is passed, As a
workaround, FQDN value of the client can be used.
● Dual stack is not supported for vProxy due to VMware limitations.
● CloudBoost is not supported.
● Tape configuration is not supported.
● Backward compatibility is not supported for storage node.
● Multihomed configurations are not supported.
● In an environment, where NetWorker server supports dual stack and a client supports only IPv4, if the NetWorker server is
configured in NMC using IPv6 address, recovery of the client save sets through NMC fails. The failure is because the client
is unable to reach the server through IPv6 address. As a workaround, use CLI based recover using hostname or IPv4 address
of NetWorker server.

Troubleshooting name resolution and connectivity

errors
When NetWorker operations fail due to name resolution issues, the following types of error conditions can appear in the
daemon.raw file or in the savegroup completion report:
● RPC errors
● Unknown host errors
● Failures in contacting the portmapper
● Connection failures or time outs
● Unexpected exits by programs
● Connection refused errors
● Failure of a remote command (rcmd() function) to an active client
● Failures in name-to-address translation

612 Networking and Connectivity

● Program not registered errors
● Failures of NetWorker services to start
● Failures of NetWorker services to remain active
● Invalid path errors
When NetWorker operations fail due to name resolution issues, the following error messages can appear in the daemon.raw file
or in the policy report:
● Host name for IP address IP_address could not be determined through DNS
● IP address for host 'hostname' could not be determined through DNS
● Warning, cannot resolve host hostname to IP_address, name server may be misconfigured.
● 'Client_name': Couldn't look up the name of address:'NetWorker_server_IP':node name or service name not known.
● nsrexec: nsrexecd on (client) is unavailable. Using rsh instead
● nsrexec: host hostname cannot request command execution permission denied
● Cannot connect to nsrexecd on client NetWorker_server .rhost permissions do not allow rsh permission denied
Before you can troubleshoot name resolution and connectivity issues, you must determine between which hosts the connection
problems occurred. The problems can occur between any two types of NetWorker hosts, for example, between the NetWorker
server and a client or between a client and a storage node.
Complete the following steps to troubleshoot name resolution and connectivity errors:
1. Document the steps you take and the results, especially error messages, in case you need to contact Customer Service.
2. Use operating system tools to confirm that basic connectivity exists between the source and destination hosts. For example,
telnet, ping, and traceroute. Verifying basic connectivity on page 613 provides more information.
3. Check that the source and destination hosts consistently and correctly resolves all names and IP addresses for each host.
Verifying name resolution on page 615 provides more information.
4. Verify that the configuration of the source and destination host includes all relevant information for each host in the Aliases
attribute and the servers file. Verifying the NetWorker configuration on page 618 provides more information.

Verifying basic connectivity

NetWorker requires reliable and consistent connectivity between the source and destination hosts. Confirm that you can
remotely connect to the host. When the source and destination hosts reside on different networks, verify the network
connectivity between the hosts.

Verifying remote host connectivity

Try to connect to the host. If a backup fails for a NetWorker client, then try to connect to the client by using other tools. For
example, try to connect to the host by using Remote Desktop Connection on Windows or the telnet command on UNIX. If
remote connections to the host fail, then investigate external host connectivity issues.

Verifying network connectivity

Use the ping command and the traceroute command on UNIX and Linux, or the pathping command on Windows, to
transmit packets between hosts and verify that network connectivity exists between the source and the destination hosts.
Run each command from the source host and destination host and use each command with the shortname, FQDN, and the IP
address of the destination host.
In the following example, the source host mnd.corp.com is a Linux host with the IP address 10.1.1.10. The destination host
pwd.corp.com is a Windows host with the IP address 10.1.1.20.
1. On the pwd.emc.com host, run the following pathping commands:

pathping pwd.corp.com
pathping pwd
pathping 10.1.1.20
pathping mnd.corp.com
pathping mnd
pathping 10.1.1.10

A successful pathping command displays the following information:

Networking and Connectivity 613

 C:>pathping mnd.corp.com
Tracing route to mnd.emc.com [10.1.1.10]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
0 pwd.corp.com [10.1.1.20]
1 mnd.corp.com [10.1.1.10]
Computing statistics for 25 seconds...
Source to Here This Node/Link
Hop RTT Lost/Sent = Pct Lost/Sent = Pct Address
0 pwd.corp.com [10.1.1.20]
0/ 100 = 0% |
1 0ms 0/ 100 = 0% 0/ 100 = 0% mnd.corp.com [10.1.1.10]
Trace complete.

An unsuccessful pathping command displays the following information:

C:>pathping 10.1.1.10
Tracing route to 10.1.1.10 over a maximum of 30 hops
0 pwd.corp.com [10.10.10.20]
1 * * *
Computing statistics for 0 seconds...
Source to Here This Node/Link
Hop RTT Lost/Sent = Pct Lost/Sent = Pct Address
0 pwd.corp.com [10.10.10.20]
Trace complete.

2. Complete the following steps on the mnd.corp.com host:

a. Run the following ping commands:

ping pwd.corp.com
ping pwd
ping 10.1.1.20
ping mnd.corp.com
ping mnd
ping 10.1.1.10

b. Run the following traceroute commands:

traceroute pwd.corp.com
traceroute pwd
traceroute 10.1.1.20
traceroute mnd.corp.com
traceroute mnd
traceroute 10.1.1.10

Ensure that each ping and traceroute command succeeds. Lost packets can indicate a slow connection between
hosts. If any try to transmit a packet fails with an error message, then verify the name resolution and ensure that all
routers between the source host and destination hosts are operational.

Using nsrrpcinfo to report the status of registered RPC services

Use the nsrrpcinfo command to verify that you can establish sessions to the portmapper daemon on the source and
destination host. The NetWorker Remote Exec service on Windows and the nsrexecd daemon on UNIX, starts the portmapper
service that NetWorker uses.
Type the following commands on the source and destination host:

nsrrpcinfo -p hostame_of_NetWorker_server
nsrrpcinfo -p FQDN_of_NetWorker_server
nsrrpcinfo -p IP_address_of_NetWorker_server
nsrrpcinfo -p shortname_of_destination_host
nsrrpcinfo -p FQDN_of_destination_host
nsrrpcinfo -p IP_address of the destination host

NOTE: On Windows, the NetWorker_installation_dir\nsr\bin contains the nsrrpcinfo program.

614 Networking and Connectivity

When the nsrrpcinfo command runs successfully, the output displays a list of port numbers and names. For example:

# nsrrpcinfo -p
program vers proto port
100000 2 tcp 7938 nsrportmapper
100000 2 udp 7938 nsrportmapper
390436 1 tcp 7943 nsrexecd
390435 1 tcp 9549 nsrexecd
390113 1 tcp 7937 nsrexecd

Ensure that the correct program number appears for each NetWorker process. If you do not see the correct program number or
the appropriate NetWorker ports, and a personal or external firewall exists between the source and the destination hosts, then
review the NetWorker configuration port requirements.
The EMC NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about how to configure NetWorker in a firewall
environment and the correct program numbers for each NetWorker daemon.

Verifying name resolution

When NetWorker performs name resolution lookups, NetWorker uses the first entry in the name resolution resource that
matches the request. Name resolution services include: the resolver cache, DNS, LDAP/AD, and the hosts file. Name resolution
lookups check the resolver cache first. Entries that appear in the cache do not reflect changes made to the host tables and on
the DNS server until a cache flush occurs.
A cache flush occurs for the following hosts:
● All hosts in the cache at intervals defined by the operating system, by system-specific commands, or by reinitialization of
network components, including a reboot.
● A specific host in the cache each time that you use the operating system command nslookup to resolve the hostname.

Determining the IP name search order

NetWorker relies on the operating system to determine the order in which to check name resolution services. Before
troubleshooting a possible name resolution error, determine the search order that is used by the operating system.
The name resolution search order differs for each operating system:
● Linux, Solaris, and HP-UX operating systems use the hosts database entry in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file to define the
name resolution search order.
For example, when the operating system checks the DNS Server and then the hosts file, the nsswitch.conf entry
appears as follows:
hosts: dns files

● AIX operating systems use one of three methods to select the name resolution search order:
○ The NSORDER environment variable.
For example, when the operating system checks the hosts file first and then DNS, the NSORDER environment variables
appears as follows:
NSORDER=local,bind4

○ The hosts database entry in the /etc/netsvc.conf file.

For example, when the operating system performs name resolution checks by using the DNS Server and then the hosts
file, the hosts entry in the netsvc.conf file appears as follows:

hosts=local,bind4

○ The /etc/irs.conf file.

For example, when the operating system checks the hosts file first and then the DNS (IPv4/IPv6 address), the hosts
entries in irs.conf file appear as follows for IPv4/IPv6:

Networking and Connectivity 615

 ￭ IPv4 hosts local
hosts dns4
￭ IPv6 hosts local6
hosts dns6
NOTE: The NSORDER environment variable setting overrides the settings in the /etc/netsvc.conf file and
the /etc/irs.conf file. The /etc/netsvc.conf file setting overrides the /etc/irs.conf file setting.

Verifying correct hosts file resolution

The operating system provides NetWorker with the first entry in the hosts file that matches the name resolution requirement.
Additional instances of an IP address, FQDN, or shortname that appear in the hosts file for a host are ignored when NetWorker
tries to resolve names.
When you create or modify the hosts file, ensure that you:
● Specify each hostname or IP address only once.
● Specify each FQDN and alias for a host on the same line as the IP address. For example:
IP address Canonical name FQDN alias alias...
● Specify the IPv6 loopback interface (::1) with the localhost on Linux and UNIX, when the operating system configures the
IPv6 loopback interface. For example:
::1 localhost6
127.0.0.1 localhost

NOTE: The IPv6 loopback entry must remain in the hosts file when the host exists in a pure IPv4, pure IPv6, or dual
stack configuration to ensure that localhost is resolvable. If IPv6 is enabled and ::1(IPv6 localhost) cannot be resolved,
the following error message is displayed:
Ensure that host 'hostname' is resolvable in the IPV6 enabled environment.

Using the nslookup command

Use the nslookup command to verify that each DNS Server used by the source and destination hosts, correctly and
consistently resolves both hosts by the short name, FQDN, and IP address.
Perform the following steps on the source host and destination host.
1. Determine the Primary and Secondary DNS Servers that the host uses for name resolution:
● On UNIX, review the /etc/resolv.conf file.

● On Windows, type the following command from a command prompt:

ipconfig /all
2. Use the nslookup command in interactive mode to validate forward name resolution lookups with the Primary DNS Server:
a. From a command prompt, type: nslookup
b. At the nslookup command prompt, specify the following values:

Shortname_of_source_host
FQDN_of_source_host
IP_address_of_source_host
Shortname_of_destination_host
FQDN_of_destination_host
IP_address_of_destination_host

NOTE: It is recommended that you resolve every name and IP address for each host three times to ensure that
successive queries return correct and consistent values.

3. Complete the following steps when the host uses multiple DNS Servers for name resolution:
a. Change the DNS Server that nslookup uses for name resolution.

616 Networking and Connectivity

 In this example, the ipconfig /all command on a Windows host returns two DNS Servers, the Primary DNS Server
10.5.5.10, and secondary DNS Server 10.5.5.11.
To configure nslookup to use the IP address 10.5.5.11, type the following commands:

C:\>nslookup
Default Server: lad.corp.com
Address: 10.5.5.10
> server 10.5.5.11
Default Server: dmd.corp.com
Address: 10.5.5.11

b. At the nslookup command prompt, specify the following values:

Shortname_of_source_host
Shortname_of_source_host
Shortname_of_source_host
FQDN_of_source_host
FQDN_of_source_host
FQDN_of_source_host
IP_address_of_source_host
IP_address_of_source_host
IP_address_of_source_host
Shortname_of_destination_host
Shortname_of_destination_host
Shortname_of_destination_host
FQDN_of_destination_host
FQDN_of_destination_host
FQDN_of_destination_host
IP_address_of_destination_host
IP_address_of_destination_host
IP_address_of_destination_host

NOTE: It is recommended that you resolve every name and IP address for each host three times to ensure that
successive queries return correct and consistent values.

4. Use the nslookup command in interactive mode to validate reverse name resolution lookups in the reverse lookup zone
with the Primary DNS Server:
a. From a command prompt, type: nslookup.
b. In the nslookup command prompt, type:

set q=ptr

c. At the nslookup prompt, type:

IP_address_of_source_host
IP_address_of_destination_host

Clearing the resolver cache

Each operating system uses a local resolver cache. A local resolver cache removes the reliance on checking name resolution
services for each name resolution request, which increases the hostname resolution speed. The operating system checks the
cache first to resolve the host, and if the host record exists, the operating system does not check other name resolution
services. The operating system adds an entry to the resolver cache after the first successful hostname resolution, and the entry
remains in the cache for a predetermined time.
On Windows only, to display the contents of the resolver cache, type the following command:
ipconfig /displaydns

Use the appropriate command to even the contents of the resolver cache:
● On AIX and HP-UX:
○ For bind 9, type:
rndc flush

Networking and Connectivity 617

 ○ For bind 8, type:
refresh -s named
● On Solaris and Linux, restart the nscd daemon.
● On Windows, type:
ipconfig /flushdns

Verifying the NetWorker configuration

NetWorker contains two configurable options, the servers file that allows you to control access to a host and the aliases
attribute in the Client resource, which allows you to define the names by which a host is known. When either option contains
an incorrect host name, NetWorker operations can fail despite correct host name resolution and when an established connection
exists between the source and destination hosts.
Ensure that the name that NetWorker uses primarily for a host appears consistently in all NetWorker resources. For example:
● Names of Client and Storage node resources. For example, if you specify the FQDN in the Name attribute when you create
the Client resource for a storage node, ensure that you specify the FQDN in the Name attribute when you create the
Storage Node resource.
● Names of the index database directory.
● Names specified in the Remote Access and Administrator attributes.
● Hostname references in resource attributes such as the Storage Node and Recover Storage Node attributes of a Client
resource.
● Cached host certificates (NSR Peer information).

Verifying the validity of the servers file

The servers file defines a list of remote hosts that can ask the local nsrexecd process to start a program. For example, the
NetWorker Server requests that the nsrexecd process on a client start the save process to begin a backup. The NetWorker
Server installation process on certain operating systems prompts you to define remote hosts to add to the servers file. You
can also manually modify the servers file at any time.
The servers file on a NetWorker Server host resides in the res subdirectory of the nsr directory. The location varies
depending on the installation path.
When a host asks nsrexecd to start a process but the host does not appear in the servers file, a message similar to the
following appears:

Cannot request command execution, permission denied

If you receive this message but the requesting host requires access, then manually edit the servers file on the destination
host and add each short name and FQDN for the requesting host, on a separate line.
NOTE: After you make changes to the servers file, stop and then restart the NetWorker Server services on the host. The
NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about how to modify the servers file.

Confirming the validity of Aliases attribute

Each Client resource contains an Aliases attribute that defines a list of known names that are associated with the client. The
NetWorker server generates this list when you create the Client resource.
You can also manually edit the Aliases attribute value to add or remove hostname instances or IP addresses. Use the following
guidelines when you modify the Aliases attribute value:
● Specify all short names and FQDNs for the host, including any retired hostnames.
● Specify each name on a separate line.
When the name returned by the operating system name lookup does not exist in any Aliases attribute for any client, a message
similar to the following appears in the daemon.raw file:

hostname is not a registered client

618 Networking and Connectivity

Clearing the NetWorker name resolution cache
NetWorker processes maintain an internal name resolution cache of recent DNS lookups.
The amount of time that NetWorker maintains a cached entry depends on the success of the lookup:
● Successful lookup—30 minutes.
● Failed lookup—5 minutes.
When a NetWorker operation requires a name resolution lookup, NetWorker checks the internal cache first. If NetWorker finds
the name in the internal cache, then NetWorker does not consult the operating system.
Use the dbgcommand command on the NetWorker server to send a list of cached names to the daemon.raw file:
dbgcommand -p nsrd_pid PrintDnsCache=1

where nsrd_pid is the process id of the nsrd process.

Use the dbgcommand command on the NetWorker server to even the internal name resolution cache:
dbgcommand -p nsrd_pid FlushDnsCache

where nsrd_pid is the process id of the nsrd process.

Using multihomed systems

When the NetWorker server, storage node, or client has more than one IP address, you can specify the exact TCP/IP network
path that NetWorker uses during a backup.
A multihomed system is a system that has any of the following types of NICs:
● More than one NIC, each having separate IP address.
● A single NIC with multiple IP addresses.
● Multiple NICs in a single bond that has multiple IP addresses.
NOTE: For synthetic backups:
● Populate the server network interface of the client resource for the storage nodes.
● If you have two groups of clients, the configuration should be such that each group of clients, for example, group-X,
backs up to a specific storage node (or a set of specific storage nodes) that is different from the storage node (or a set
of specific storage nodes) that the second group, for example, group-Y of clients can write to. In effect, the two groups
must back up to different storage nodes.

NOTE: Dell Technologies recommends that you set the FQDN as the hostname, instead of short names.

Multihomed system requirements

Before you configure NetWorker in a multihomed environment, review these requirements.
● Each IP address must always resolve to a unique primary hostname.
● Each IP address bound to a separate physical NIC must reside in a separate subnet.
● All the shortnames, FQDNs, and IP addresses for each NetWorker host must be correctly and consistently resolvable.
● Specify all of the hostnames that belong to a NetWorker server, storage node, or client in the Aliases attribute in the
appropriate Client resource.
● Ensure that the servers file on each NetWorker client contains all the hostnames that resolve to the NetWorker server.

Networking and Connectivity 619

Configuring multihomed hosts in a datazone
The following table summarizes how to configure the NetWorker environment to use a multihomed NetWorker server, storage
node, and client.

Table 151. Configuring multihomed hosts in NetWorker (continued)

Multihomed host Required behavior NetWorker configuration
requirements
NetWorker server The client sends metadata to the The servers file on each client must
NetWorker server by using a specific contain the shortname and FQDN for
NetWorker server NIC. each NetWorker server NIC.
The metadata includes the save set The Server network interface attribute
control session of each
information and index database Client resource must contain the FQDN
operations. of the
NetWorker server NIC.

Each instance of the Client resource

must
have the same value for the Server
NetWorker
Interface attribute.
The Alias field for the NetWorker server
Client resource must contain an entry for
the shortname and FQDN of each NIC.
Each storage node device sends The Server network interface attribute
metadata to the NetWorker server by of each Storage Node resource must
using a specific NetWorker server NIC. contain the FQDN of the NetWorker
server NIC.
Metadata includes the device control
session The Aliases attribute of the NetWorker
information and the media database server Client
operations resource must contain an entry for the
that connect back to the nsrmmdbd shortname
process on the and FQDN of each NIC.
NetWorker server.

Each storage node library sends The Server network interface attribute
metadata to the NetWorker server by of Library resource must contain the
using a specific NIC on the NetWorker FQDN of the NetWorker server NIC.
server.
The Aliases attribute of the NetWorker
The metadata includes SCSI commands server Client resource must contain an
for entry for
the tape movements and the library the shortname and FQDN of each NIC.
inventory
operations that connect back to
nsrmmgd process.

Storage node The client sends backup data to a The Storage Nodes attribute of each
NetWorker storage node over a specific Client resource must contain the FQDN
NIC. of the storage node NIC.

This also applies when the NetWorker

server
is the storage node.

The Aliases attribute in the Client

resource
for the storage node must contain an
entry for the
shortname and FQDN of each NIC.

620 Networking and Connectivity

Table 151. Configuring multihomed hosts in NetWorker (continued) (continued)
Multihomed host Required behavior NetWorker configuration
requirements
Client The NetWorker server communicates When you create a Client instance for
with a client over a specific NIC. the client, specify a hostname for the
client that is only reachable over the
desired NIC.

Configuring NetWorker Server in a multihomed environment

This section provides an example of how to configure NetWorker in a multihomed environment when the NetWorker Server and
the storage node have 2 NICs that communicate through different networks.
The following figure provides a graphical representation of the environment.

Figure 100. Multihomed environment

Complete the following steps to configure the multihomed environment:

1. Update the Aliases attribute in the Client resource for the NetWorker Server to include the FQDN and the shortname for
each NetWorker Server NIC. This figure shows the values in the Aliases attribute.

Networking and Connectivity 621

 Figure 101. Configuring the Aliases attribute for NetWorker Server Client resource

2. Create a Client resource for the storage node. Update the Aliases attribute to include the FQDN and the shortname for
each storage node NIC. This figure shows the values in the Aliases attribute.

Figure 102. Configuring the Aliases attribute for NetWorker Storage Node Client resource

3. Update the Storage Nodes attribute for each Client resource in VLAN1 to contain the hostname of the NIC for the storage
node to which the client connects. For example, for NetWorker Client VLAN1_client, specify the storage node hostname sn1.
This figure shows the values in the Storage Nodes attribute.

622 Networking and Connectivity

 Figure 103. Storage Nodes attribute for clients in VLAN1

4. Update the Aliases attribute for each Client resource in VLAN1 to contain the FQDN and shortname of the client. The
Server network Interface attribute must contain the hostname of the NIC for the NetWorker Server to which the client
connects. This figure shows the values in the Aliases and Server network interface attributes.

Figure 104. Aliases and Server network interface attributes for VLAN1 clients

5. Update the Storage Nodes attribute for each Client resource in VLAN2 to contain the hostname of the NIC interface for
the storage node to which the client connects. For example, for NetWorker Client VLAN2_client, specify the storage node
hostname sn2. This figure shows the values in the Storage Nodes attribute.

Networking and Connectivity 623

 Figure 105. Storage Nodes attribute for clients in VLAN2

6. Update the Aliases attribute for each Client resource in VLAN2 to contain the FQDN and shortname of the client. The
Server network Interface must contain the hostname of the NIC interface for the NetWorker Server to which the client
connects. This figure shows the values in the Aliases and Server network interface attributes.

Figure 106. Aliases and Server network interface attributes for VLAN2 clients

7. Create the Device resource on the remote storage node by specifying either one of the hostnames for the storage node.

NIC Teaming
NIC Teaming is a term that describes the use of multiple network interfaces in parallel. NIC teaming increases the link speed
beyond the limits of any one cable or any one port and increases redundancy for higher availability.
Other terms for NIC Teaming include link aggregation, Ethernet trunk, port channel, port teaming, port trunking, link bundling,
EtherChannel, Multi-Link Trunking (MLT), and NIC bonding.
NIC Teaming at the TCP level, regardless of the protocol or algorithm used, has no effect on a single TCP session. When you
combine multiple links into a single link, the backup performance of a single session does not improve.
Depending on the algorithm used, starting parallel backup jobs with multiple NICs produces load balancing and can improve
backup performance. To achieve load balancing, use a TCP session-based link aggregation algorithm and not a host-based
algorithm. For example, use the IEEE 803.3ad/802.1ax Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP).

624 Networking and Connectivity

The use of trunked interfaces is transparent from a NetWorker point of view and the configuration of trunked interfaces inside
NetWorker does not differ from the configuration of stand-alone interfaces. You can combine TCP trunking with multihoming,
for example, by trunking some NICs on the system and leaving other NICs to work on separate subnets.

Using DHCP clients

NetWorker relies on forward and reverse hostname and IP address resolution for communication between NetWorker hosts.
When DHCP allocation changes an IP address, NetWorker cannot correctly resolve the current client IP address back to a valid
hostname.
To back up DHCP clients, choose one of the following solutions:
● Configure the clients and the DNS Server to allow Dynamic DNS Registration. In this configuration, each time a client
receives a new IP address, the DHCP service registers the hostname and IP address with the central DNS Server.
● Configure the DHCP server to always issue the same IP address to a host. In this configuration, bind the MAC address of the
host to an IP address. Register this IP address in DNS Server or add the IP address to the servers file on the client and
the NetWorker server.
NOTE: It is recommended that you do not configure the NetWorker server as a DHCP client. If the NetWorker server
is a DHCP client, then the NetWorker server must use a reserved address that the DHCP server synchronizes with the
DNS server.

NetWorker TCP/IP keep-alive parameters

In NetWorker, the TCP/IP keep-alive parameters are enabled by default for connections in between "nsrjobd" and "nsrexecd",
and "nsrindexd" and save in case of client direct save. You can modify the TCP IP keep-alive parameters to prevent any
potential connection failures.
The table lists the default TCP IP keep-alive parameters values in NetWorker. These values override the default operating
system keep-alive parameters.

Table 152. TCP/IP parameters

TCP Parameter Value in second
Keepalive time 900
Keepalive interval 10
Keepalive count 20

Modifying the NetWorker TCP/IP Parameters in Linux and Unix

Platform
You can modify the NetWorker TCP/IP parameters by changing the environment variables in the "nsrrc" file for Linux based
operating systems.
1. Log in as root.
2. Create a bourne shell file with a name as "nsrrc" in /nsr location

NOTE: If the file already exists, then ignore the step.

3. Enter the parameters and the values in seconds as per your network settings.

NW_TCP_KEEPIDLE_SECS=<value>
export NW_TCP_KEEPIDLE_SECS
NW_TCP_KEEPINTVL_SECS=<value>
export NW_TCP_KEEPINTVL_SECS
NW_TCP_KEEPCNT=<value>
export NW_TCP_KEEPCNT

Networking and Connectivity 625

 A sample /nsr/nsrrc file.

NW_TCP_KEEPIDLE_SECS=200
export NW_TCP_KEEPIDLE_SECS
NW_TCP_KEEPINTVL_SECS=20
export NW_TCP_KEEPINTVL_SECS
NW_TCP_KEEPCNT=10
export NW_TCP_KEEPCNT

NOTE: You must restart the NetWorker services for the changes to take effect.

Modifying the NetWorker TCP/IP parameters in Windows platform

You can modify the NetWorker TCP/IP parameters by changing the environment variables in the system properties.
1. Open System Properties and click on the Advanced tab.
2. Click on Environment variable.
3. In the section System Variables, click New and a pop up is displayed.
4. Type the variable name and value.

NOTE: You must restart the system for the changes to take effect.

Multi-subnet cluster configuration support for SQL

AAG
Backup and restore operations in a multi-subnet environment can be successfully run without manual intervention to select the
active IP address of the cluster.
The following attributes have been added to the resource type, NSRLA, and can be updated using nsradmin command prompt:

Table 153. Attributes

Attribute Information
Multi-subnet state Specifies whether the multi-subnet state is enabled or disabled. Restart the
NetWorker services after this attribute is updated. It is recommended to enable
this attribute only from the server.
TCP Retry Specifies the number of attempts taken to connect to a particular host before
considering the connection attempt as a failure. For example, if the TCP Retry
attribute is set to 5, during the first attempt, NetWorker iterates through all the
entries in the DNS for that particular host and there is timeout after 2 seconds
if the host is unreachable on the particular entry. It attempts a connection to the
next entry in the DNS and waits for 2 seconds.

After the iteration on all the entries is complete for the first attempt, the same
operations
are performed on the next retry and the timeout is 4 seconds. The timeout for the
third, fourth,
and fifth retry attempts are 8 seconds, 16 seconds, and 32 seconds respectively.
The TCP
retry attribute is dependent on the Multi-subnet attribute. It takes effect only
when the
Multi-subnet state attribute is set to enabled.
Restart the NetWorker services after this attribute is updated. The default value
is 5 and the
maximum supported value is 25.

626 Networking and Connectivity

 19
Cloud Supportability
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• CloudBoost appliance as the back up target
• Support for Azure Stack
• Cloud service provider support matrix for NetWorker

CloudBoost appliance as the back up target

The CloudBoost appliance provides an integrated solution for existing supported backup environment by enabling the transfer
of backups to public, hybrid, or private cloud storage. The CloudBoost appliance supports the following use cases: long-term
retention to the cloud and backup to a private or public cloud.
CloudBoost decouples metadata from data. Encryption keys, metadata, and file system information are housed separately from
the data, which removes a common bottleneck for cloud read/write operations. All advanced data services, such as chunking,
encryption, inline deduplication, compression, and bulk data transfers are performed separately from metadata storage.
CloudBoost appliance can be configured on VMware ESXi and public clouds. For more information on installation and
configuration, see the NetWorker 19.5 with CloudBoost 19.5 Integration Guide.

Support for Azure Stack

You can install NetWorker client agent on Azure stack and protect the virtual machines with guest level protection.

Figure 107. Azure stack backup and disaster recovery

Cloud Supportability 627

Cloud service provider support matrix for NetWorker
You can install NetWorker on both public and Hybrid cloud environment.

Table 154. Cloud service provider support matrix

Cloud Cloud type AWS AWS US Gov Azure Azure US Azure Stack Google Cloud
Platform Gov Platform
NetWorker Public Supported in Supported in Supported in Supported in Not available Not available
Virtual Edition NetWorker NetWorker NetWorker NetWorker
18.1 and later 18.1 and later 18.1 and later 18.1 and later
NetWorker Public Supported in Supported in Supported in Supported in Not available Supported in
Software NetWorker NetWorker NetWorker NetWorker NetWorker 18.2
Installation 9.2.1 and later 9.2.1 and later 9.2.1 and later 9.2.1 and later and later
NetWorker Hybrid Not available Not available Not available Not available Guest based Not available
Software backup for
Installation Virtual
Machines
running inside
stack to
NetWorker
server and
DD running
outside stack.

For more information on deploying NetWorker Virtual Edition, see NetWorker Virtual Edition Installation Guide.

628 Cloud Supportability

 20
Troubleshooting
This chapter contains the following topics:
Topics:
• Before you contact technical support
• NetWorker log files
• NetWorker Authentication Service logs
• NetWorker functionality issues
• NetWorker locale and code set support
• Enabling service mode for NetWorker
• Resetting the NMC password for NetWorker 19.1 and later
• No privileges to view NetWorker server from NMC
• Network and server communication errors

Before you contact technical support

If the solutions in this chapter do not solve the problem, go to the Online Support website at https://support.emc.com for
technical assistance.

NOTE: For more details on Support website, see the Preface section of the NetWorker Administration Guide.

Provide the following information.

● Software version of the NetWorker component.
● Operating system version.
For example:
○ For Solaris, at the command prompt type the uname -a command.
○ For AIX, at the command prompt type the oslevel command.
● Hardware configuration.
● Information about devices and other SCSI IDs.
To determine this information, use the following commands:
○ For AIX, Linux, and Solaris, type the /usr/sbin/inquire command.
○ For HP-UX, type the /etc/ioscan command.
● If you are using an autochanger, then the type of connection (SCSI or RS-232). Also, provide the version of the autochanger
driver you are using:
○ For Solaris, type the pkginfo -x command:
# pkginfo LGTOdrvr

○ For AIX, type the lslpp -l | grep EMC command.

● Supply the following information:
○ How to reproduce the problem.
○ Exact error messages that you have encountered.
○ Number of times that you have seen the problem.
○ If the NetWorker operation was successful before you made any changes and, if so, the changes that you made.

Troubleshooting 629
Determining the version of NetWorker software running on a client
To determine the version of the NetWorker software running on a client, use either the client properties window in NMC, the
NetWorker User program on Windows or the nsradmin command.

Determining the software version by using NMC

Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server with a user that is a member of the Application Administrators user group on the
NetWorker server.
1. On the Protection window, select Clients from the left navigation pane.
2. Right-click the client and select Modify client properties.
3. On the Info & Licensing tab, review the NetWorker version attribute.
NOTE: When you do not use the Client Configuration wizard to create the client, NMC updates the NetWorker
version attribute after the first backup. When you update the NetWorker software on a client, the NetWorker version
attribute does not reflect the new version until the first backup after the update.

Determining the software version by using NetWorker User

On Windows hosts, use the NetWorker User application to determine the NetWorker software version.
1. From the Help menu, select About NetWorker User. The NetWorker version number appears in the About dialog box.
2. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Determining the client software version by using nsradmin

Use the nsradmin program on the NetWorker server to determine the version of the NetWorker software that is installed on a
host, from a command prompt.
1. At the command prompt, type:
nsradmin -p nsrexecd
2. At the nsradmin command prompt, type:
nsradmin> show NetWorker version
nsradmin> print type: NSRLA
The nsradmin output displays the version of NetWorker software running on each client.

Displaying diagnostic mode attributes

NetWorker resources such as clients and devices contain diagnostic attributes that are hidden by default from the Console
server view.
1. Open the Administration window.
2. From the View menu, select Diagnostic Mode.
3. Right-click any resource and select Properties to see diagnostic attributes.

NetWorker log files

This section provides an overview of the log files that are available on NetWorker hosts and the NMC server.
NOTE: Do not rename or delete NetWorker log files such as daemon.raw when NetWorker services are running.

630 Troubleshooting
NetWorker Server log files
This section provides a summary of the log files available on a NetWorker Server and log file management.

Table 155. NetWorker Server log files

Component File name and default location Description
NetWorker Server UNIX: /nsr/logs/daemon.raw Main NetWorker log file.
daemons
Use the nsr_render_log program to view the
Windows: C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\daemon.raw contents of the log file.

Client fix UNIX: Contains status information that is related to the

● /nsr/logs/client_fix use of the nsr_client_fix command.
● /nsr/logs/client_fix.raw

Windows:

● C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\client_fix
● C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\client_fix.ra
w

NetWorker Server UNIX: Contains general NetWorker error messages.

generated syslog
messages and OS log file that is defined by system log
daemon.notice configuration file.

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\messages

NetWorker Log file name and location that is defined by the UNIX only, OS log file.
Servergenerated syslog system log configuration file. NOTE: NetWorker does not modify
the syslog.conf file to configure
messages
local0.notice and local0.notice and local0.alert.
local0.alert Vendor specific documentation describes
how to configure local0.notice and
local0.alert

Disaster recovery UNIX: Contains detailed information about the internal

command line wizard, operations that are performed by the nsrdr
nsrdr program /nsr/logs/nsrdr.log program. NetWorker overwrites this file each
time you run the nsrdr program.
Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\nsrdr.log

Index log UNIX: Contains warnings about the size of the client file
index and low disk space on the file system that
/nsr/logs/index.log contains the index files. By default, the Index
size notification on the NetWorker Server sends
Windows: information to the log file.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\index.log

Hypervisor UNIX: Contains status information about the Hyper-V

FLR interface.
/nsr/logs/Hypervisor/hyperv-flr-ui/
hyperv-flr-ui.log

Windows:

Troubleshooting 631
Table 155. NetWorker Server log files (continued)
Component File name and default location Description
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\hyperv-flr-
ui\hyperv-flr-ui.log

VMware protection UNIX: Contains status information about VMware

policies Protection Policy actions. NetWorker creates a
/nsr/logs/Policy/ separate log file for each action.
VMware_protection_policy_name

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\Policy\VMware_pro
tection_policy_name
Policies UNIX: Contains completion information about VMware
Protection Policies. By default, the VMware
/nsr/logs/policy.log Protection Policy Failure notification on the
NetWorker Server sends information to the log
Windows: file.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\policy.log

Snapshot management UNIX: Contains messages that are related to snapshot

management operations. For example, snapshot
/nsr/logs/nwsnap.raw creation, mounting, deletion, and rollover
operations. Use the nsr_render_log program
Windows: to view the contents of the log file.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\nwsnap.raw /nsr/
logs/nwsnap.raw

Migration UNIX: Contains log files that provide detailed

information about the migration of attributes
/nsr/logs/migration in an 8.2.x and earlier resources during an
update of the NetWorker Server. The NetWorker
Windows: Installation Guide provides more information
C:\Program Files\EMC about all the migration log files.
NetWorker\nsr\logs\migration

Media management UNIX: Contains device related messages. By default,

the device notifications on the NetWorker
/nsr/logs/media.log Server send device related messages to the
media.log file on the NetWorker Server and
Windows: each Storage Node.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\media.log

Recovery Wizard UNIX: Contains information that can assist you in

troubleshooting recovery failures. NetWorker
/nsr/logs/recover/ creates a log file on the NetWorker Server for
recover_config_name_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS each recover job.

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\recover\recover_co
nfig_name_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS
Package Manager log UNIX: Contains information that is related to the
Package Manager and the nsrpush command.
/nsr/logs/nsrcpd.raw Use the nsr_render_log program to view the
contents of the log file.

632 Troubleshooting
Table 155. NetWorker Server log files (continued)
Component File name and default location Description

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\logs\nsrcpd.raw

Rap log UNIX: Records configuration changes that are made to

the NetWorker Server resource database.
/nsr/logs/rap.log

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\logs\rap.log

Security Audit log UNIX: Contains security audit related messages.

/nsr/logs/
NetWorker_server_sec_audit.raw

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\logs\Networker_server_sec
_audit.raw

NMC server log files

This section provides a summary of the log files available on an NMC server.

Table 156. NMC server log files

Component File name and default location Description
NMC server log files Linux: Contains information that is related to NMC
server operations and management. Use the
/opt/lgtonmc/management/logs/ nsr_render_log program to view the
gstd.raw contents of the log file.
Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\logs\gstd.raw

NMC server database Linux: Contains the results of the NMC server database
conversion conversion that is performed during an upgrade
/opt/lgtonmc/logs/gstdbupgrade.log operation.

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\logs\gstdbupgr
ade.log

NMC web server Linux: Contains messages for the embedded Apache
httpd web server on the NMC server.
/opt/lgtonmc/management/logs/
web_output

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\logs\web_outpu
t

Troubleshooting 633
Table 156. NMC server log files (continued)
Component File name and default location Description
NMC server database Linux: Contains messages for the embedded
log files PostgreSQL database server on the NMC server.
/opt/lgtonmc/management/nmcdb/
pgdata/db_output

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\Management\nmcdb\pgdata\d
b_output

NetWorker Client log files

This section provides a summary of the log files available on a NetWorker Client.

Table 157. Client log files

Component File name and default location Description
NetWorker Client daemons UNIX: Main NetWorker log file.

/nsr/logs/daemon.raw Use the nsr_render_log program to

view the
Windows: contents of the log file.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\daemon.raw /
nsr/logs/daemon.raw

User log C:\Program Files\EMC For Windows only, contains a record of

NetWorker\logs\networkr.raw every file that was part of an attempted
manual backup or recovery operation
that is started by the NetWorker User
program. Subsequent manual backup or
recover operations overwrite the file.
Use the nsr_render_log program to
view the contents of the log file.
Windows Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) The following files in the X:\Program Contains the recovery workflow of
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\ the DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ and any
directory: errors that are related to recovering the
save set files or Windows ASR writer
ossr_director.raw errors. Use the nsr_render_log
program to view the contents of the log
file.
recover.log Contains the output that is generated by
the NetWorker recover.exe program
and error messages that are related to
critical volume data recovery.
winPE_wizard.log Contains workflow information that is
related to the NetWorker BMR wizard
user interface.
winpe_nw_support.raw Contains output from the
winpe_nw_support.dll library.
The output provides information
about communications between the
NetWorker BMR wizard and the
NetWorker Server.

634 Troubleshooting
Table 157. Client log files (continued)
Component File name and default location Description

Use the nsr_render_log program to

view the
contents of the log file.

winpe_os_support.log Contains output information that is

related to Microsoft native API calls.
CloudBoost - NetWorker Client The following log files in the These files appear on a client direct-
enabled NetWorker Client and contain
/nsr/logs/cloudboost information about data stored on a
directory: CloudBoost device. The severity of the
message determines which log file that
MagFS.log.ERROR.date- error message is written to.
timestamp.pid.txt
The maximum size of the log files are 100
MagFS.log.FATAL.date- MB.
timestamp.pid.txt Before a client direct backup, the save
process
MagFS.log.INFO.date-
checks the size of the file. When the
timestamp.pid.txt
maximum size
is reached, save starts an automatic
trimming mechanism, which renames and
compresses the log file. The maximum
number of versions for a file is 10. When
the number of renamed log files reaches
the maximum version value, NetWorker
removes the oldest log when a new
version of the log file is created.

NOTE: The Troubleshooting manual

backups section of the NetWorker
Administration Guide describes how
to use the CB_LOG_DIR_LOCATION
environment variable to change the
default log file location.

CloudBoost - CloudBoost Appliance The following log files in the /nsr/logs/ These files appear on the CloudBoost
cloudboost directory: appliance and contain information about
operations performed on a CloudBoost
MagFS.log.ERROR.date- device. The severity of the message
timestamp.pid.txt determines which log file that error
MagFS.log.FATAL.date- message is written to.
timestamp.pid.txt The maximum size of the log files are 100
MagFS.log.INFO.date- MB.
timestamp.pid.txt When the maximum size is reached, the
nsrmmd
process starts an automatic trimming
mechanism,
which renames and compresses the log
file. The
maximum number of versions for a file is
10. When
the number of renamed log files reaches
the
maximum version value, NetWorker
removes the
oldest log when a new version of the log
file is
created.

Troubleshooting 635
View log files
NetWorker sends messages to two types of logs. Plain text log files that are saved with the .log extension and unrendered log
files that are saved with the .raw extension.
The .log files and the messages that appear in NMC use the locale setting of the service that generates the log message. To
view the contents of .log files, use any text editor. Before you can view .raw files in a text editor, render the .raw file into
the locale of the local computer. You can use the nsr_render_log command manually render the raw log files or you can
configure NetWorker to render the log files at runtime.
The nsr_render_log command renders internationalized NetWorker log files in to the current locale of the host that the
user uses to run the program. All other log files, as well as messages displayed in NMC, use the locale of the service that is
generating the log message. The nsr_render_log program is non-interactive. Use command line options to specify the log
file that you want to view and the format of the output. The nsr_render_log program sends the results to stdout. You can
redirect and save the output to a file.

Rendering a raw file manually

The nsr_render_log program is non-interactive. When you use the nsr_render_log program to render the contents of
the .raw file to the locale of the host where you run the command, nsr_render_log prints the output to stdout. You can
redirect this output to a file and view the output in a text editor.
The bin subdirectory in the NetWorker installation directory contains the nsr_render_log program. If the bin directory
is not in the search path of the host where you run the command, include the full path when you use the nsr_render_log
program. If you do not run the nsr_render_log command from the directory that contains the .raw file, include the path to
the .raw file.
The nsr_render_log program supports a number of options that allow you to filter the contents of a .raw file and render
the contents into an easy to read format.
● To render a raw file into a format similar to a .log file and redirect the output to a text file, type: nsr_render_log -c
-empathy raw_filename 1>output_filename 2>&1
where:
○ raw_filename is the name of the unrendered file. For example, daemon.raw
○ output_filename is the name of the file to direct the output to
○ -c suppresses the category
○ -m suppresses the message ID
○ -e suppresses the error number
○ -a suppresses the activity ID
○ -p suppresses the process ID
○ -t suppresses the thread ID
○ -h suppresses the hostname
○ -y suppresses the message severity
● To render a .raw file from a remote machine, type: nsr_render_log -c -empathy -R hostname raw_filename
1>output_filename 2>&1
where:
○ hostname is the name of the host that contains the .raw file.
○ raw_filename is the name of the unrendered file. For example, daemon.raw
○ output_filename is the name of the file to direct the output to
○ -c suppresses the category
○ -e suppresses the error number
○ -m suppresses the message ID
○ -p suppresses the process ID
○ -a suppresses the activity ID
○ -t suppresses the thread ID
○ -h suppresses the hostname
○ -y suppresses the message severity
● To render a .raw file and only view log file messages for a specific device, type: nsr_render_log -c -empathy -F
devicename raw_filename 1>output_filename 2>&1

636 Troubleshooting
 where devicename is the name of the device.
● To render only the most recently logged messages, type: nsr_render_log -c -empathy -B number
raw_filename 1>output_filename 2>&1
where number is the number of lines that you want to render.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the nsr_render_log program and the
available options.

● To render a .raw file and only view certain messages severities, type: nsr_render_log -c -empath -Y
message_severity 1>output_filename 2>&1
where message_severity is one of the severity types listed in the following table.

Table 158. Message types

Type Description
Informational Information that may be useful, but does not require any specific action.
Warning A temporary problem that NetWorker software may resolve or prompt you to resolve.
Notification An event has occurred that generated a message.
Error Errors that you are required to resolve.
Critical Errors that you are required to resolve, to ensure successful NetWorker operations.
Severe Errors that cause NetWorker services to become disabled or dysfunctional.

The UNIX man page and the NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about the
nsr_render_log program and the available options.

Rendering raw log files at runtime

You can instruct the NetWorker software to render the daemon.raw and gstd.raw files into the locale of the host at
runtime, in addition to creating locale-independent log files. This allows you to view the log file in a text editor without using the
nsr_render_log program to render the file first.
Log in to the NetWorker host with the root (UNIX) or Administrator (Windows) user account.
To instruct the NetWorker software to render logs in the locale of the computer hosting the file, set the runtime rendered
log file attribute in the NSRLA database. For backward compatibility with previous releases of the NetWorker software, runtime
rendered log files contain the following attributes:
● Message ID
● Date and time of message
● Rendered message
1. To access the NSRLA database, from a command prompt, use the nsradmin program:

nsradmin -p nsrexec

2. Set the resource type to NSR log:

. type: NSR log

3. Display a list of all log file resources:

print

For example, on a Windows NMC server, output similar to the following appears:
nsradmin> print
type: NSR log;
administrator: Administrators,
"group=Administrators,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NMC Log File;
maximum size MB: 2;
maximum versions: 10;

Troubleshooting 637
 runtime rendered log: ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time: ;
name: gstd.raw;
log path: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\Management\\GST\\logs\\gstd.raw";

type: NSR log;

administrator: Administrators,
"group=Administrators,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NetWorker;
maximum size MB: 2;
maximum versions: 10;
runtime rendered log: ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time: ;
name: daemon.raw;
log path: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\daemon.raw";

4. Define the log resource that you want to edit:

. type: NSR log; name: log_file_name

For example, to select the daemon.raw file, type the following:

. type: NSR log; name: daemon.raw

5. To define the path and file name for the rendered log file, use the Runtime rendered log attribute.
For example, to save rendered messages to the file rendered.log in the default NetWorker logs directory on a Windows
host, type:
update runtime rendered log: "C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\rendered.log"

6. When prompted to confirm the update, type: y

7. Verify that the attribute value update succeeds:
nsradmin> print

type: NSR log;

administrator: root, "user=administrator,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NetWorker;
maximum size MB: 2;
maximum versions: 10;
runtime rendered log:C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\daemon.log ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time:;
name: daemon.raw;
log path: C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\Management\\GST\\logs\\daemon.raw;

8. Exit the nsradmin program.

Raw log file management

The NetWorker software manages the size and the rollover of the raw log files.
NetWorker automatically manages the nwsnap.raw and nsrcpd.raw files in the following ways:
● nwsnap.raw: Before a process writes messages to the nwsnap.raw file, the process checks the size of the .raw file.
The process invokes the trimming mechanism when the size of the log file is 100 MB or larger. Snapshot management
supports up to 10 .raw file versions.
● nsrcpd.raw: When the NetWorker daemons start on the machine, the startup process checks the size of the raw file. The
startup process runs the trimming mechanism when the size of the log file is 2 MB or larger. Package Manager supports 10
raw file versions.

638 Troubleshooting
NetWorker enables you to customize the maximum file size, maximum number of file versions, and the runtime rollover of the
daemon.raw, gstd.raw, networkr.raw, and Networker_server_sec_audit.raw files. Use the nsradmin program
to access the NSRLA database, and modify the attributes that define how large the log file becomes before NetWorker trims or
renames the log file.
The following table describes the resource attributes that manage the log file sizes.

Table 159. Raw log file attributes that manage log file size
Attribute Information
Maximum size MB Defines the maximum size of the log files.

Default: 500 MB

The accepted range for the attribute is 500 MB to 4000 MB. If the value is less
then 500 MB, the default value is considered.
Maximum versions Defines the maximum number of the saved log files.

When the number of copied log files reaches the maximum version value,
NetWorker removes the oldest log when a new copy of the log file is created.

Default: 10

Runtime rollover by size When set, this attribute invokes an automatic hourly check of the log file size.

When you configure the runtime rendered log attribute, NetWorker

trims the runtime rendered log file and the associated .raw
file simultaneously.

Default: disabled

Runtime rollover by time When set, this attribute runs an automatic trimming of the log file at the
defined time, regardless of the size. The accepted formats for the variable are:
HH:MM (hour:minute), day
in the week (Sunday to Saturday), and N day every month (N must be
in the range 1-31). The rollover based on the day in the week and the day in
the month happens in the first hour of the appropriate day.

When you configure the runtime rendered log attribute, NetWorker trims the
runtime rendered log file and the associated .raw file simultaneously.

Default: undefined

NOTE: After setting this attribute, restart NetWorker services for the change
to take effect.

How the trimming mechanism trims the log files differs depending on how you define the log file size management attributes.
The following table summarizes the trimming behavior.

Table 160. Raw log file attributes that manage the log file trimming mechanism
Attribute configuration Trimming behavior
When you configure runtime rollover by time or runtime ● NetWorker copies the contents of the existing
rollover by size log file to a new file with the naming
convention:daemondate_time.raw
● NetWorker truncates the existing daemon.raw to 0 MB.
NOTE: When this mechanism starts on a NetWorker
Server that is under a heavy load, this process may take
some time to complete.

When you do not configure runtime rollover by time or runtime ● NetWorker checks the log file size when the nsrexecd
rollover by size process starts on the computer.
● When the log file size exceeds the size that is defined by
the maximum size MB attribute, NetWorker renames the

Troubleshooting 639
Table 160. Raw log file attributes that manage the log file trimming mechanism (continued)
Attribute configuration Trimming behavior
existing log file to log_file_name_date_time.raw
then creates a new empty log file.
NOTE: When the nsrd daemon or NetWorker Backup
and Recover Server service runs for a long time, the size
of the log file can become much larger than the value
defined by maximum size MB.

Managing raw log file size for the daemon.raw, networkr.raw, and gstd.raw
files
To configure the NetWorker software to rollover the .raw file by time, perform the following steps.
1. Log in to the NetWorker host with root on UNIX or Administrator on Windows.
2. To access the NSRLA database, use the nsradmin program:
nsradmin -p nsrexec

3. Set the resource type to NSR log:

. type: NSR log

4. Display a list of all log file resources:

print

For example, on a Windows NMC server, output similar to the following appears:
nsradmin> print
type: NSR log;
administrator: Administrators,
"group=Administrators,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NMC Log File;
maximum size MB: 500;
maximum versions: 10;
runtime rendered log: ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time: ;
name: gstd.raw;
log path: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\Management\\GST\\logs\\gstd.raw";

type: NSR log;

administrator: Administrators,
"group=Administrators,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NetWorker;
maximum size MB: 500;
maximum versions: 10;
runtime rendered log: ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time: ;
name: daemon.raw;
log path: \
"C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\nsr\\logs\\daemon.raw";
5. Define the log resource that you want to edit:
. type: NSR log; name: log_file_name

For example, to select the gstd.raw file, type the following:

. type: NSR log; name: gstd.raw

640 Troubleshooting
6. Update the runtime rollover by time attribute with the time that you want to rollover the log file.
For example:
● To configure the gstd.raw file to rollover at 12:34 AM, type:

update runtime rollover by time: "00:34"

● To configure the gstd.raw file to rollover on Sunday, type:

update runtime rollover by time: "sunday"

● To configure the gstd.raw file to rollover on the 15th day every month, type:

update runtime rollover by time: "15 day every month"

7. When prompted to confirm the update, type: y
8. Verify that the attribute value update succeeds:
nsradmin> print

type: NSR log;

administrator: root, "user=administrator,host=bu-iddnwserver.iddlab.local";
owner: NMC Log File;
maximum size MB: 500;
maximum versions: 10;
runtime rendered log: ;
runtime rollover by size: Disabled;
runtime rollover by time: "00:34", "sunday", "15 day every month";
name: gstd.raw;
log path: C:\\Program Files\\EMC NetWorker\\Management\\GST\\logs\\gstd.raw;

9. Exit the nsradmin program.

Configuring logging levels

This section describes how to modify the logging levels of the NetWorker and NMC processes to troubleshoot issues.

Setting the troubleshoot level for NetWorker daemons

How you configure the NetWorker daemons to run in troubleshoot mode depends on the daemon.
On a NetWorker server, you can configure the nsrctld and nsrexecd to start in troubleshoot mode. The nsrctld daemon
starts other daemons, as required. To capture troubleshoot output for the daemons that the nsrctld daemon starts use the
dbgcommand.
On an NMC server, you can start the gstd daemon in troubleshoot mode.

Starting nsrctld and nsrexecd daemons in troubleshoot mode on UNIX

The nsrctld daemon is the main process for the NetWorker server. To troubleshoot problems with the NetWorker server
process, start the nsrctld process in troubleshoot mode. The nsrexecd process is the main process for NetWorker
client functions. To troubleshoot problems that are related to NetWorker client functions, start the nsrexecd process in
troubleshoot mode.
1. Log in to the NetWorker host with the root account, and then stop the NetWorker processes:
nsr_shutdown
2. From a command prompt , start the daemon, and then specify the troubleshoot level.
For example:
● To start the nsrexecd daemon in troubleshoot mode, type:

nsrexecd -D9 1>filename 2>&1

● To start the nsrctld daemon in troubleshoot mode, type the following command:

source /opt/nsr/admin/networkerrc; source /opt/nsr/admin/nsr_serverrc; nsrctld -D 9

1>filename.log 2>&1

Troubleshooting 641
 Where filename is the name of the text file that NetWorker uses to store the troubleshoot messages.
3. After you collect the necessary troubleshoot information, perform the following steps:
a. Stop the NetWorker processes by using the nsr_shutdown command.
b. Restart the processes by using the NetWorker startup script:
● On Solaris and Linux, type:
/etc/init.d/networker start
● On HP-UX, type:
/sbin/init.d/networker start
● On AIX, type:
/etc/rc.nsr

Starting the NetWorker daemons in troubleshoot mode on Windows

The NetWorker Backup and Recovery service starts the nsrctld process, which is the main process for a NetWorker
server. To troubleshoot problems with the NetWorker server process, start the nsrctld process in troubleshoot mode. The
NetWorker Remote Exec service starts the nsrexecd process which is the main process for NetWorker client functions. To
troubleshoot problems that are related to NetWorker client functions, start the nsrexecd process in troubleshoot mode.
1. Open the Services applet, services.msc.
2. Stop the NetWorker Remote Exec service.
On a NetWorker server, this also stops the NetWorker Backup and Recover service.
3. To put a nsrexecd process in troubleshoot mode:
a. Right-click the NetWorker Remote Exec service, and then select Properties.
b. In the Startup Parameters field, type -D x.
where x is a number between 1 and 99.
c. Click Start.
4. To put the nsrd process in troubleshoot mode:
a. Right-click the NetWorker Backup and Recover service, and then select Properties.
b. In the Startup Parameters field, type -D x.
where x is a number between 1 and 99.
c. Click Start.
NetWorker stores the troubleshoot information in the daemon.raw file.
After you capture the troubleshoot information, stop the NetWorker services, remove the -D parameter, and then restart the
services.

Starting the NMC server daemon in troubleshoot mode

When you can access the NMC GUI, use the Debug Level attribute in the System Options window to start the gstd daemon in
troubleshoot mode.
When you cannot access the NMC GUI, use environment variables to start the gstd daemon in troubleshoot mode.

Starting the NMC server daemon in troubleshoot mode using NMC

The gstd daemon is the main NMC server process. To troubleshoot NMC GUI issues, start the gstd daemon in troubleshoot
mode.
Log in to the NMC server with an administrator account.
1. In the NMC Console, select Setup.
2. On the Setup menu, select System Options.
3. In the Debug Level field, select a number between 1 and 20.
NMC stores the troubleshoot information in the gstd.raw file.
After you capture the troubleshoot information, stop the NetWorker services, set the Debug Level to 0, and then restart the
services.

642 Troubleshooting
Starting the NMC server daemon in troubleshoot mode using environment variables
Use environment variable to put the gstd daemon in troubleshoot mode when you cannot access the NMC GUI.

Setting the GST debug environment variable on Windows

To set the GST troubleshoot environment variable on Windows, use the Control Panel system applet on the NMC server.
1. Browse to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced Settings.
2. On the General tab, click Environment Variables.
3. In the System variables section, click New.
4. In the Variable name field, type: GST_DEBUG
5. In the Variable value field, type a number between 1 and 20.
6. Stop, and then start the EMC gstd service.
NMC stores the troubleshoot information in the gstd.raw file.
After you capture the troubleshoot information, stop the EMC gstd service, remove the environment variable from the startup
file, and then restart the EMC gstd service.

Setting the GST troubleshoot environment variable on UNIX

Use a borne shell script to put the gstd daemon in troubleshoot mode.
1. Modify the file permissions for the gst startup file. By default, the file is a read-only file.
The file location varies depending on the operating system:
● Solaris and Linux: /etc/init.d/gst
● AIX: /etc/rc.gst
2. Edit the file and specify the following at beginning of the file:
GST_DEBUG=x
export GST_DEBUG
where x is a number between 1 and 20.
3. Stop, and then restart the gstd daemon:
● Solaris and Linux: Type:
/etc/init.d/gst stop

then
/etc/init.d/gst start
● AIX: Type:
/etc/rc.gst start

then
/etc/rc.gst stop

NMC stores the troubleshoot information in the gstd.raw file.

After you capture the troubleshoot information, stop the gstd daemon, remove the environment variable from the startup file,
and then restart the gstd daemon.

Using the dbgcommand program to put NetWorker process in troubleshoot mode

Use the dbgcommand program to generate troubleshoot messages for NetWorker daemons and processes without the stopping
and starting the NetWorker daemons. You can also use the dbgcommand program to produce troubleshoot information for a
process that another process starts. For example, use the dbgcommand to put the nsrmmd process in troubleshoot mode.
1. From a command prompt on the NetWorker host, determine the process id (PID) of the daemon or process that you want to
troubleshoot.
● On Windows: To determine the PID, use the Task Manager.

Troubleshooting 643
 NOTE: If you do not see the PID for each process on the Process tab, browse to View > Select Columns, and
then select PID (Process Identifier)
● On UNIX, use the ps command. For example, to get a list of all the NetWorker processes that start with nsr, type ps
-ef | grep nsr.
2. From a command prompt, type:
dbgcommand -p PID -Debug= x

where:
● PID is the process id of the process.
● x is a number between 0 and 9.
NOTE: 0 turns off troubleshoot.

NetWorker logs the process troubleshoot information in the daemon.raw file.

To turn off troubleshoot, type:
dbgcommand -p PID -Debug= 0

Running individual clients in a group in troubleshoot mode

Modify the backup command attribute for a Client resource to send verbose backup information to the daemon.raw file, for
individual clients in a group.
Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server with a user that is a member of the Application Administrators or Database
Administrators user group.
1. From the Administration window, click Protection.
2. In the left navigation pane, click Clients.
3. Right-click the client, and then select Modify Client Properties.
4. On the Apps & Modules tab, in the Backup command attribute, type:
save -Dx
where x is a number between 1 and 99.
5. Click OK.
At the scheduled time, NetWorker logs troubleshoot information for the client backup in the daemon.raw.
When the group backup operations complete, edit the properties of the client and clear the Backup Command field.

Running client-initiated backups in troubleshoot mode from the command

line
Use the save program to perform a client-initiated backup from the command line.
On the host you want to backup, type the following command:

save -Dx file_sytem_objects

1>filename
2>&1

where:
● x is a number between 1 and 99.
● file_sytem_objects is the name of the files or directory to backup.
● filename is the name of the file that stores the troubleshoot information.
NOTE: The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about all the available backup options and
how to use the save command.

644 Troubleshooting
Running Recoveries in troubleshoot mode
You can configure NetWorker to log verbose output for recoveries when you Recovery wizard, perform Windows disaster
recoveries and by using the recover command.

Run Recovery wizard recover jobs in debug mode

You can run recover jobs that you created in the Recovery wizard by using the Recovery wizard or by using the nsrtask
program from the command line.

Running a recovery job in troubleshoot mode

To send verbose recovery information to the recovery log file, set the troubleshoot level of a recovery job.
Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server with a user that is a member of the Application Administrators or Database
Administrators user group.
1. On the Administration window, click Recover:
● To modify a scheduled recover job, select the job in the Configured Recovers section, and then select Properties.
● To configure a new recover job, select New.
NOTE: You cannot modify an expired or failed to recover job.

2. To create or modify the recover job, use the Recovery wizard. On the Select the Recovery Options window, select
Advanced Options.
3. In the Debug level attribute, select a troubleshooting level between 0 and 9.
4. Complete the remaining steps in the Recovery Wizard.
NetWorker logs the troubleshoot recovery information to the recover log file.

Running a recovery job in troubleshoot mode by using nsrtask

Use the nsrtask command to run a recovery job that is created by the Recovery wizard, from a command prompt.
1. On the NetWorker server, type: nsradmin.
2. From the nsradmin prompt:
a. Set the resource attribute to the Recover resource:
. type: nsr recover
b. Display the attributes for the Recover resource that you want to troubleshoot:
print name:recover_resource_name

where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

c. Make note of the values in the recover, recovery options, and recover stdin attributes. For example:
recover command: recover;
recover options: -a -s nw_server.corp.com -c mnd.corp.com -I - -i R;
recover stdin:
“<xml>
<browsetime>
May 30, 2013 4:49:57 PM GMT -0400
</browsetime>
<recoverpath>
C:
</recoverpath>
</xml>”;

where:
● nw_server.corp.com is the name of the NetWorker server.
● mnd.corp.com is the name of the source NetWorker client.

3. Confirm that the nsrd process can schedule the recover job:

Troubleshooting 645
 a. Update the Recover resource to start the recover job:
update: name: recover_resource_name ;start time: now
where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.
b. Exit the nsradmin application
c. Confirm that the nsrtask process starts.
If the nsrtask process does not start, the review the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker server for errors.
4. To confirm that the NetWorker server can run the recover command on the remote host, on the NetWorker server type
the following command:

nsrtask -D3 -t ‘NSR Recover’recover_resource_name

where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

5. When the nsrtask command completes, review the nsrtask output for errors.
6. To confirm that the Recovery UI sends the correct recovery arguments to the recover process:
a. On the destination client, open a command prompt.
b. Run the recover command with the recover options that the Recover resource uses.
For example:
recover -a -s nw_server.corp.com -c mnd_corp.com -I - -i R
c. At the Recover prompt, specify the value in the recover stdin attribute. Do not include the “ ,” or the ";" that
appears with the recover stdin attribute.
If the recover command appears to stop responding, then review the daemon.raw file for errors.
d. When the recover command completes, review the recover output for errors. If the recover command fails, then
review the values that are specified in the Recover resource for errors.
7. To review the details of the Recover job, use the jobquery command. From a command prompt on the NetWorker server,
type: jobquery
8. From the jobquery prompt, perform one of the following steps:
● Set the query to the Recovery resource and display the results of all recovery jobs for a Recovery resource:
print name: recover_resource_name

where recover_resource_name is the name of the Recover resource.

● Set the query to a particular jobid and display the results of the job.
print job id: jobid

Where jobid is the jobid of the Recover job that you want to review.

NOTE: Review the daemon.raw file on the NetWorker server to obtain the jobid for the recovery operation.

Running Windows BMR recoveries in troubleshoot mode

Use the WinPE registry to troubleshoot recoveries that are performed with the BMR Recovery wizard.
1. From a command prompt, type: regedit
2. In the Registry Editor, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Prefs\com\networker\win/P/E/
Wizard

646 Troubleshooting
 Figure 108. WinPE registry key to troubleshoot recoveries

3. Change the Data value in the debug_mode attribute from 0 to 1.

4. Start the BMR Recovery wizard.
The BMR Recovery Wizard logs the troubleshoot information that is related to the following in the X:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\logs\WinPE_Wizard.log file.
After you collect the troubleshoot information, to turn off troubleshoot mode, modify the data value for the debug_mode
attribute from 1 to 0.

Running client-initiated recoveries in troubleshoot mode from the command line

To perform a client started backup from the command line, use the recover program with the -D option.
For example, on the host you want to recover the data to, type the following command:
recover -Dx file_sytem_objects 1>filename 2>&1

where:
● x is a number between 1 and 99.
● file_sytem_objects is the name of the files or directory to recover.
● filename is the name of the file that stores the troubleshoot information.
NOTE: The NetWorker Command Reference Guide provides detailed information about all the available recovery options
and how to use the recover command.

Troubleshooting 647
NetWorker Authentication Service logs
This section provides an overview of the log files that are available for the NetWorker Authentication Service.

NetWorker Authentication Service log files

This section provides a summary of the log files available for the NetWorker Authentication Service.

Table 161. NetWorker Authentication Service log files

Component File name and default location Description
Installation log Linux: Contains information
about the installation
/opt/nsr/authc-server/logs/install.log of NetWorker
Authentication
Windows: Service.
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\NetWorker_date_seq_
num_AuthC..log

authc_mgmt and Linux: Contains a list

authc_config of error messages
$HOME/authc-cli.log that appeared
when a user ran
Where $HOME is the home folder for the currently logged in user. For the authc_mgmt
example, when the root and authc_config
user runs the command, the file location is /root/authc-cli.log tools.
Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-
server\logs\authc-cli.log

Authentication server Linux: Main authentication

log service log file.
/nsr/authc/logs/authc-server.log

Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\authc\tomcat\logs\authc-server.log

Audit log Linux: Contains security

audit messages
/nsr/authc/logs/authc-server-audit.log for the NetWorker
Authentication
Windows: Service.
C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\authc\tomcat\logs\authc-server-audit.log

Tomcat Access logger Linux: Contains access

information for the
/nsr/authc/logs/localhost_access_log.date.txt embedded Apache
httpd web server.
Windows:
C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-
server\tomcat\logs\localhost_access_log.date.txt

Apache Catalina log Linux: /nsr/authc/tomcat/logs/catalina.out Windows: Contain messages

C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc- for the Apache
server\tomcat\logs\catalina.date.log Tomcat core
component.

Refer to the Apache website for detailed information about the Apache Tomcat log files.

648 Troubleshooting
NetWorker Authentication Service server log file management
NetWorker Authentication Services uses the Apache log4j API to manage log files. To modify how NetWorker Authentication
Services manage the authc-server.log log file, edit the log4j.properties file:
● UNIX: The log4j.properties file is located in /nsr/authc/webapps/auth-server/WEB-INF/classes.
● Windows: The file is located in C:\Program Files\EMC\authc-server\tomcat\webapps\auth-server\WEB-
INF\classes.
This section describes how to modify the commonly used log attributes in the log4j.properties file. Apache documentation
provides more detailed information about each attribute in the log4j.properties file.

Modifying the The rootLogger.level= attribute defines the level of logging that the NetWorker Authentication Service
logging level writes to the log files and where the messages appear. By default, the NetWorker Authentication Service
sets the logging level to warn and messages appear in the log files, stdout, and in the Java application,
There are five standard log levels: debug, info, warn, error, and fatal.
To change the logging level to error, modify the rootLogger.level= attribute to appear as follows:
rootLogger.level=error
Modifying the The appender.app.policies.size.size attribute defines the maximum size of the authc-server.log file.
maximum log file When the log file reaches the maximum size, NetWorker Authentication Service renames the log file for
size archival purposes and creates log file. By default, NetWorker Authentication Service sets the maximum
size to 2000 KB.
To increase the size of the log file to 5MB, modify the appender.app.policies.size.size attribute to appear
as follows: appender.app.policies.size.size=5MB
Modifying the The appender.app.strategy.max attribute defines the number of authc-server.log rollover log files
number of that the NetWorker Authentication Service maintains. When the size of the authc-server.log
rollover log files reaches the maximum file size value, NetWorker Authentication Service copies the contents of the log file
to a new log file with the naming convention authc-server-incrementalNumber.log. By default,
NetWorker Authentication Service maintains 10 rollover log files.
To increase the number of rollover log files by 4, modify the appender.app.strategy.max attribute to
appear as follows: appender.app.strategy.max=14

CLI log file management

NetWorker Authentication Services uses the Apache log4j API to manage log files. To modify how NetWorker
Authentication Services manage the CLI log file, edit the authc-cli-log4j.properties file. On UNIX, the authc-cli-
log4j.properties file is located in /opt/nsr/authc-server/conf. On Windows, the file is located in C:\Program
Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\authc-server\conf.
This section describes how to modify the commonly used log attributes in the log4j.properties file. Apache documentation
provides more detailed information about each attribute in the log4j.properties file.
NOTE: After you make changes to the authc-cli-log4j.properties file, you must stop and start the NetWorker
Authentication Service daemon to reset the configuration settings.

Modifying the The rootLogger.level= attribute defines the level of logging that the NetWorker Authentication Service
logging level writes to the log files and where the messages appear. By default, the NetWorker Authentication Service
sets the logging level to warn and messages appear in the log files, stdout, and in the Java application,
There are five standard log levels: debug, info, warn, error, and fatal.
To change the logging level to error, modify the rootLogger.level= attribute to appear as follows:
rootLogger.level=error
Modifying the The appender.app.policies.size.size attribute defines the maximum size of the authc-cli.log file.
maximum log file When the log file reaches the maximum size, NetWorker Authentication Service renames the log file for
size archival purposes and creates a log file. By default, NetWorker Authentication Service sets the maximum
size to 100 KB.
To increase the size of the log file to 2MB, modify the appender.app.policies.size.size attribute to appear
as follows: appender.app.policies.size.size=2MB

Troubleshooting 649
Modifying the The appender.app.strategy.max attribute defines the number of authc-cli.log rollover log files that
number of the NetWorker Authentication Service maintains. When the size of the authc-cli.log reaches the
rollover log files maximum file size value, NetWorker Authentication Service copies the contents of the log file to a new
log file with the naming convention authc-cli-incrementalNumber.log. By default, NetWorker
Authentication Service maintains 10 rollover log files.
To increase the number of rollover log files to 4, modify the appender.app.strategy.max attribute to
appear as follows: appender.app.strategy.max=4

NetWorker functionality issues

This section describes workarounds for NetWorker issues.

Backup and recovery

This section covers backup and recovery operations.

Checking the NetWorker services

If you have trouble starting NetWorker programs, the services might not be running correctly. On Windows systems, determine
if these processes are running.
If they are not, start them:
● On Windows systems, go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.
● On UNIX systems, type one of the following commands:
ps -ef | grep nsr
ps -ax | grep nsr

You should receive an output similar to the following:

12217 ? S 0:09 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrexecd -s jupiter
12221 ? S 2:23 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrd
12230 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrmmdbd
12231 ? S 0:01 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrindexd
12232 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrmmd -n 1
12234 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/nsr/nsrmmd -n 2
12410 pts/8 S 0:00 grep nsr

If the NetWorker daemons do not appear, start the NetWorker daemons.

Improper font size for the Client wizard with Netscape on Solaris
When you use the Netscape browser on Solaris, the font size of the Client wizard may appear too small.
To change the font type and size:
1. Open the /usr/bin/nwwiz script file in a text editor.
2. Edit the following line to change the font size:
NSR_WIZARD_FONT_SIZE=size
3. Save and close the nwwiz file.

save: Unable to encrypt data

This message appears during a backup of a Windows host, when the host uses the encryption directive.
The daemon.raw file on the Windows host displays the following error message:

650 Troubleshooting
nsrexecd GSS critical An authentication request from NetWorker_server was denied. The 'NSR
peer information' provided did not match the one stored by Windows_host. To accept this
request, delete the 'NSR peer information' resource with the following attributes from
Windows_host's NSRLA database: name: NetWorker_server; NW instance ID: instance_id; peer
hostname: NetWorker_server
To resolve this issue, delete the NSR Peer Information resource for the NetWorker server on the Windows host.

Deleting the NSR Peer Information resource

When the local host credentials for a NetWorker host change, authentication attempts from the host to other hosts fail because
the credential information stored in the target host does not match the local host credential information that is provided by the
initiating host.
Use the nsradmin program or the Local Host window in NMC to delete the NSR Peer Information resource for the initiating
host on the target host. The next time the initiating host attempts to connect to the target host, the nsrauth authentication
process will use the current local host credentials to create a new NSR Peer Information resource for the initiating host.

Deleting the NSR Peer Information resource by using NMC

Use NMC to connect to the NetWorker server and delete the NSR Peer Information resource for a NetWorker host.
The account that you use to connect to the NetWorker server must have permission to access the NSRLA database on the
target host.
NOTE: You cannot use NMC to delete the NSR Peer Information resource for a NetWorker host that does not have an
existing client resource that is configured on the NetWorker server.
1. On the Administration window, select Hosts.
The Hosts Management window appears.
2. Right-click the NetWorker host with the NSR Peer Information resource that you want to delete, and then select Host
Details.
NOTE: The NetWorker host does not appear in the Local Hosts section when a client resource does not exist on the
NetWorker server.

The Certificate window displays a list of NSR Peer Information resources stored in the nsrexec database on the host.
3. In the Certificate pane, right-click the certificate that you want to delete, and then select Delete.
4. When prompted to confirm the delete operation, select Yes.
If you receive the error, User username on machine hostname is not on administrator list, you cannot
modify the resource until you configure the NSRLA access privileges on the target host. The section "Configuring NSRLA
access privileges" provides more information.
The target host creates a new NSR Peer Information resource for the initiating host the next time that the initiating host
attempts to establish a connection with the target host.

Deleting the NSR Peer Information resource by using nsradmin

To delete the NSR Peer Information resource for the initiating host, use the nsradmin command on the target host.
Connect to the target host with an account that has administrator access to the NSRLA database. You must configure access
privileges to the NetWorker client database.
1. Connect to the nsrexec database:
nsradmin -p nsrexec

2. Set the query type to the NSR Peer Information resource of the initiating host:
. type: nsr peer information;name:initiating_host_name

For example, if the hostname of the initiating host is pwd.corp.com, type:

. type: nsr peer information;name: pwd.corp.com
3. Display all attributes for the NSR Peer Information resource:

Troubleshooting 651
 show

4. Print the attributes for the NSR Peer Information resource and confirm that the name and peer hostname attributes
match the hostname of the initiating host:
print

5. Delete the NSR Peer Information resource:

delete

6. When prompted to confirm the delete operation, type y.

7. Exit the nsradmin program:
quit

The target host creates a new NSR Peer Information resource for the initiating host the next time that the initiating host
attempts to establish a connection with the target host.

Shut down NetWorker services prior to any significant changes to

system date
If you need to make a significant change to the system clock or date, for example, a change of more than a day, then ensure
that you shut down the NetWorker services before you make the change. NetWorker services depend heavily on the system
clock for many operations such as active sessions, volume mount and unmount operations, the expiration of save sets, and
license enforcement.

Clone ID timestamp does not reflect the time the clone was
created
To guarantee that the cloned save sets that NetWorker creates on different storage nodes do not have the same timestamp,
the NetWorker software assigns a timestamp to cloned save sets that does not reflect the actual time that NetWorker creates
the clone.

Memory usage when browsing large save sets

When you use the NetWorker User program to browse or perform a browsable recover from a large save set, such as a save set
with one million or more files, the operation may consume all the memory on the host.
The avoid this issue, perform on of the following options:
● Perform a save set recovery.
● Use the recover command, which enables you to directly browse the client file index and select the files and directories
that you want to recover. Use this option to browse large save sets or when memory is limited on the host systems.

Memory usage and nsrjobd

The nsrjobd daemon runs on the NetWorker server and is responsible for monitoring NetWorker activity during a backup or
recovery operation. Depending on the size of your backup environment, nsrjobd can require large amounts of RAM.

Media position errors encountered when auto media verify is

enabled
To verify media, the nsrmmd process must reposition the volume to read previously written data.
The first try may not always succeed and the following warning messages appear in the message window of the NetWorker
Administration window:

652 Troubleshooting
media warning: /dev/rmt2.1 moving: fsr 15: I/O error
media emergency: could not position jupiter.007 to file 44, record 16

If the server can find the correct position, media verification succeeds and a successful completion message appears:
media info: verification of volume "jupiter.007" volid 30052 succeeded.

If the media verification fails, then perform the following tasks:

● Reset the device.
● Verify the device configuration.
● Verify that NetWorker can recognize the media.
● Verify that the device operations function correctly.

The scanner program marks a volume read-only

When you use the scanner program to rebuild the index of a backup volume, the scanner program marks the volume as
read-only.
This is a safety feature that prevents NetWorker from overwriting the last save set on the backup volume.
Use the nsrmm command change the volume to write-enabled:
nsrmm -o notreadonly volume_name

The scanner program requests an entry for record size

If you use the scanner program with the -s option but without an -i or -m option, a message similar to the following may
appear:
Please enter record size for this volume ('q' to quit)

If this message appears, specify a block size that is greater than or equal to 32.

Limitations for groups containing a bootstrap

NetWorker only writes bootstrap backups to a local device. When a group backup generates a bootstrap save set, ensure that
device attached to the NetWorker server has an available volume for the bootstrap backup.

Index recovery to a different location fails

If you try to recover indexes to a directory that differs from the original location, an error message similar to the following
appears:
WARNING: The on-line index for client_name was NOT fully recovered. There may have been a
media error. You can retry the recover, or attempt to recover another version of the index.

To resolve this issue, ensure that you recover indexes to the original location then move the indexes to another directory.
Moving a client file index describes how to move indexes to another directory.

Illegal characters in configurations

When you provide a name for label templates, directives, groups, policies, and schedules, do not use the following characters:
/\*[]()$!^’"?;‘~<>&|{},

Troubleshooting 653
Inaccessible object exception error when launching NMC with Java
9
When you are running NMC with Java 9, your system displays a number of InaccessibleObjectException errors for
JButton and BasicSplitPaneUI objects in Console logs. You need to add JVM option --illegal-access=permit in Java
Control Panel of Java 9 to avoid InaccessibleObjectException errors, when launching NMC.

Error backing up large number of clients

When you use a Windows NetWorker server to back up many clients, a CMD.exe application error window may appear with a
message similar to the following:
The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000142). Click on OK to terminate the
application.
If this problem occurs, edit the Windows registry on the NetWorker server to increase the desktop heap allocation.
1. In the regedt32 application, browse to the following registry entry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Session Manager\SubSystems\
2. Edit the Windows registry key.
3. Modify the third value of the SharedSection entry to increase the heap allocation size.
In the following example, the desktop heap allocation has been changed from a value of 512 KB to 1023 KB.
The original entry, with a desktop heap allocation of 512 KB appears as:
%SystemRoot%\system32\csrss.exe ObjectDirectory=\Windows
SharedSection=1024,3072,512 Windows=On SubSystemType=Windows
ServerDll=basesrv,1 ServerDll=winsrv:UserServerDllInitialization,3
ServerDll=winsrv:ConServerDllInitialization,2 ProfileControl=Off
MaxRequestThreads=16

The updated entry, with a desktop heap allocation of 1024 KB appears as:
%SystemRoot%\system32\csrss.exe ObjectDirectory=\Windows
SharedSection=1024,3072,1024 Windows=On SubSystemType=Windows
ServerDll=basesrv,1 ServerDll=winsrv:UserServerDllInitialization,3
ServerDll=winsrv:ConServerDllInitialization,2 ProfileControl=Off
MaxRequestThreads=16

4. Restart the NetWorker server.

The Microsoft Knowledge Base article 18480 on the Microsoft website provides more information.

Hostname aliases
When you incorrectly define an alias for a client, the backup fails. Under certain conditions, such as improperly configured DNS
servers or hosts files, the NetWorker software does not create any aliases for a new client. If you use TCP/IP, ensure that you
specify the hostname and the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for a client in Aliases field of the client properties window.
When the alias field is incorrectly defined you can see the following behavior:
● Backup operations for the client fail with the following error message:
No Client resource for client_name
● NetWorker always performs backups for a client at a level full, regardless of the level of the scheduled backup.
● Automatic index management, as set up in the browse and retention policies, does not work.
● The /nsr/index directory, which contains the indexes for all the clients that are configured on the NetWorker server
contains two directories for the same client, but each directory uses a different client name.
You must update the alias field for a client to include all hosts names for the client in the following situations:
● When a host have two or more network interfaces.

654 Troubleshooting
● When sites use a mixture of short and FQDNs for the same servers, for example, mars and mars.jupiter.com.
● When the datazone uses both (Network Information Services (NIS) and DNS.
NOTE: Do not include aliases that are shared by other hosts in the datazone.

Directory pathname restrictions

A file manager (but not Windows Explorer) restriction causes errors when a pathname contains too many characters.
To avoid these errors, use a pathname that has fewer than 128 characters.

Backup of a new client defaults to level full

The first time you back up a new client, a message similar to the following appears:
client: save: There are no save sets in the media database; performing a full backup

This message indicates that NetWorker has not previously performed a back up of the specified save set. Before you can
perform an incremental or level backup on a save set, perform a full backup of the save set.
If a level full backup exists for this save set, this error message can appear in the following situations:
● The clocks on the client and server are not synchronized.
● The savegrp session begins before midnight and ends after midnight.
● Multiple client ids exist for the client.

Non-full backup of Solaris files with modified extended attributes

When you change the extended attributes for a Solaris file, but you do not modify the file, the action does not update the
change time (ctime) for the file. As a result, the NetWorker software does not know that the extended attributes for the file
have changed since the last incremental backup, and any non-full scheduled backup of the file system will not back up the file.
To ensure the file is backed up, use the touch command or otherwise modify the file so that the ctime is updated. Alternatively,
perform a manual backup of the file. Manual backups on page 328 provides more information.

Client file index errors

This section provides information about issues are related to client file indexes.

Renamed clients cannot recover old backups

The NetWorker server maintains a client file index for every client that has been backed up. When you change the name of the
client, NetWorker uses the new hostname to create a new client file index, as a result you cannot recover files that were backed
up under the old client name.
To recover data that was backed up by using the old client name, perform a directed recovery and specify the old client name
as the source host and the new client name as the destination host. Directed recoveries on page 372 provides information about
how to perform directed recoveries.

Missing client file indexes

Before you use the scanner program with the -i option, ensure that a client file index exists for the client that is associated
with each save set. If you try to recover a client file index with the scanner -i command when the client file index does not
exist, a message similar to the following appears:

scanner: File index error, file index is missing.

Please contact your system administrator to recover or recreate the index.
(severity 5, number 8)
scanner: write failed, Broken pipe

Troubleshooting 655
scanner: ssid 25312: scan complete
scanner: ssid 25312: 91 KB, 13 file(s)
scanner: done with file disk default.001

To resolve this issue, use the nsrck -L2 clientname to create a client file index for the client, then try the scanner
command again.

Check failure of client file indexes

Each time the NetWorker server starts, the startup process uses a nsrck -ML1 command to perform a level 1 consistency
check on the client file indexes. In some circumstances, this consistency check does not detect corruption in the client file
indexes. If you believe that the NetWorker server may have a corrupted client file index, run a higher level check on the index.
For example:
nsrck -L5

If the command does not resolve the index corruption, refer to Adding information about recyclable save sets to the client file
index on page 382 for more information.

No notification of client file index size growth

The NetWorker Server does not notify you when a client file index is getting too large. Monitor the system regularly to check
the size of client file indexes. Reduce the size of the client file index on page 573 provides information about how to manage the
NetWorker client file indexes.
The NetWorker Command Reference Guide or the UNIX man pages provide more information about how to use the nsrls,
nsrck, and nsrim commands to monitor and manage client file indexes.

Aborting a recovery
When you stop a recovery operation on a client, the following could occur:
● The recovery might stop immediately.
● The recover program will display a list of the files that were not recovered.
● Messages similar to the following appears, which indicates that the recovery operation did not stop cleanly:
Recover: ***Canceled***
Recover: Unable to read checksum from save stream
Recover: error recovering C:\WINDOWS\CURSORS\APPSTART.ANI
Didn't recover requested file C:\WINDOWS\CURSORS\APPSTART.ANI

xdr of win32 attributes failed for directory

This error appears when the backup operation cannot back up the directory path. The rest of the save set completes
successfully.
To resolve this problem, perform another backup of the directory.

656 Troubleshooting
Cannot create directory directory
This error message appears when you attempt to relocate data to a directory that does not exist on the target host. You can
ignore this message. The recovery process creates the new directory and completes successfully.

The All save set and duplicate drive serial numbers

The All save set, which backs up all locally mounted drives and the VSS SYSTEM save sets, uses the serial numbers assigned to
drives as part of the backup logic that determines when the backup operation should include a drive. If more than one local drive
uses the same serial number, the All save set will only back up one of the drives.
To resolve this issue, perform one of the following solutions:
● Use the DiskProbe utility to set the serial numbers to unique numbers. The DiskProbe utility is part of the Windows
Support Tools and is available for all versions of Windows supported by NetWorker software.
● Avoid using the All save set. Instead, specify each drive letter or the VSS SYSTEM save set separately. The
DISASTER_RECOVERY:\ save set on page 285 provides more information about the All save set.

No disk label errors

This error message appears when you configure a non-optical device as an optical device.
To resolve this issue, verify that the Media Type attribute in the Device resource matches the expected media for the device,
and correct if necessary.

Resolving copy violation errors

If you install the NetWorker server software on multiple hosts and more than one server uses the same NetWorker enabler code,
a message similar to the following appears in the policy reports and notifications:

--- Unsuccessful Save Sets ---

* mars:/var save: error, copy violation - servers ‘jupiter’ and ‘pluto’ have the same
software enabler code, ‘a1b2c3d4f5g6h7j8’ (13)
* mars:/var save: cannot start a backup for /var with NSR server ‘jupiter’
* mars:index save: cannot start a backup for /usr/nsr/index/mars with NSR server ‘jupiter’
* mars:index save: cannot start a backup for bootstrap with NSR server ‘jupiter’
* mars:index save: bootstrap save of server’s index and volume databases failed

To resolve this issue, perform one of the following actions:

● Remove the NetWorker server software from all hosts but one.
● Contact Dell EMC Licensing and request new licenses for each additional NetWorker server.
NOTE: After you perform one of the resolutions, stop and then restart the NetWorker services on the NetWorker server
that performs the backups.

Converting sparse files to fully allocated files

The NetWorker server determines which files are sparse by comparing the allocated blocks with the byte size. If the allocated
blocks do not account for the size of the file, NetWorker considers the file as sparse and the save operation replaces long
strings of zeros with “holes” in the recovered file.
A recovery operation may recover some files as sparse when the files were not sparse at the time of the backup operation.
Oracle databases are susceptible to this problem because they are zero-filled, fully allocated files, but are not sparse.
To workaround this issue, use the cp command to copy the file after recovery:

cp recovered_filename zero_filled_filename

This command converts a sparse file to a fully allocated file.

Troubleshooting 657
 NOTE: Ensure that you have enough free disk space to accommodate a duplicate of each copied sparse file.

Backing up large sparse files

To conserve backup media, NetWorker compresses sparse files before the save operation writes the file to the backup media.
While NetWorker compresses the file, the backup job may stop and the following message appears:
savegrp: Aborting inactive job (633).

This can occur when the backup operation does not write any data to the backup media during the compression operation and
time the backup is idle reaches the time that is specified by the group Inactivity Timeout attribute. To resolve this issue, increase
the Inactivity Timeout attribute for the backup group.
To help determine an adequate timeout limit:
1. Set the Inactivity Timeout value to zero. A value of zero results in no timeout limit.
2. Determine the time that the backup requires to complete a full save of the file system, and specify this time as the inactivity
timeout limit.

Queries using the mminfo -N command are case-sensitive

When you use the mminfo command to query the media database, the -N name option is case-sensitive. The save set name
the -N option references must match the case of the save set name that you specify in the save set attribute of the client
resource.
However, when NetWorker performs a back up of drive partitions on Windows (for example, C:\), the NetWorker server stores
the save set name in uppercase in the media database.
For example, if the save set name that represents the drive partition was typed in the client resource is lowercase c, you must
use uppercase C to query the media database:
mminfo -N C:\

Usage of multiple pool names in the mminfo command

If you specify multiple pool names in the mminfo command (for example, mminfo -avot -q "pool=<pool1>,
pool=<pool2> ......pool=<pooln>" ), the output does not indicate the absence of pools.
However, information about the existing pools is displayed.

Renamed directories and incremental backups

By default, if the name of a directory changes after a full backup, but no files or subfolders in the directory change, NetWorker
will not include the renamed directory in subsequent incremental backups.
To include renamed directories in an incremental backup, select the Backup renamed directories attribute in the Client resource.
NOTE: NetWorker will only backup renamed directories with unchanged files and subfolders only when you explicitly list
directory names in the save set attribute of the Client resource.

For example, if the save set field contains E:\ and you rename the E:\test directory to E:\test1, NetWorker does
not back up the E:\test1 directory when you enable Backup renamed directories. When the save set field contains E:
\test and you rename the E:\test directory to E:\test1, NetWorker performs a backup of the E:\test1 directory
when you enable Backup renamed directories.

Resolving names for multiple network interface cards

If any NetWorker host (client, storage node, server) has multiple network interface cards (NICs) with unique IPs and host
names, you must configure all NICs and ensure that the host names are resolvable, even if the host does not use one or more of
the NICs. Failure to have all NICs resolvable may cause problems with host connectivity to the NetWorker server.

658 Troubleshooting
Follow these steps to ensure that NetWorker uses the appropriate hostname for an IP address, and to ensure that you properly
configure the hosts file and routing table on the host:
● Set up DNS to associate each IP address with a separate name.
● Configure the hosts file and routing table on each host that has multiple NICs with the appropriate IP address.
● Configure NetWorker to use the names that you configured in the DNS and hosts file.

Configuring multiple NICs

In the following example, a dual-interface client connects to the NetWorker Server and Storage Node over interface1 which has
an IP address of 1.1.1.1 and has a dedicated connection to the Storage Node over interface2 with an IP address of 2.2.2.1. The
user wants to send all data to the Storage Node over interface2 instead of the default interface1.
1. Configure DNS with unique host names for IP addresses 1.1.1.1 and 2.2.2.1. For example, client-1 maps to 1.1.1.1 and
client-2 maps to 2.2.2.1. DNS should also be configured with unique host names for the IPs on the Storage Node. For
example, node-1 maps to 1.1.1.2 and node-2 maps to 2.2.2.2.
2. Configure the routing table on the client to route the traffic through the correct interface, and then add the two IP
addresses to the local hosts file.
3. On the NetWorker server, enter node-2 in the Storage Node Affinity List of the client. Configuring the client's storage node
affinity list provides more information.
The section on Configuring NetWorker in a multihomed environment provides more details.

Libraries entering ready state

When you start the NetWorker service or after you configure a tape library, the library does not immediately enter the Ready
state within NetWorker. This is normal behavior.

Successful save sets listed as failed in the Group Backup Details

window
Certain backup operations, such as on some NetWorker modules, create multiple sessions to perform a single backup job. If one
of these sessions fails, the Console reports that the entire backup job has failed.
To determine the status of each session, click the Show Messages button in the Failed table of the Savegroup Completion
dialog box. This information also appear in the Logs tab, under monitoring, and in the savegroup completion report.

The NetWorker Server window does not appear on HP-UX

On HP-UX, the following error message appears after you log in to the NMC server and attempt to connect to a NetWorker
server:
Unable to connect to server: Failed to contact using UDP ping

To resolve this issue:

1. In the NetWorker Console, select Setup.
2. Select Setup > System Options.
3. Unselect the RPC ping via UDP when connecting to NetWorker checkbox.

Backup fails with Win32 error 0x2

The scheduled backup of a physical node fails, if the backup start time of the virtual server and the physical node is the same.
The following error is displayed:
WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES: ERROR: Failed to save Backup Comp Doc, C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\tmp\backcomp.xml
90110:save: save of 'WINDOWS ROLES AND FEATURES:\' to server '<server_name>' failed: The
system cannot find the file specified.(Win32 error 0x2)

Troubleshooting 659
To resolve the issue, ensure that the backup start time of the virtual server and the physical node is different.

Error displaying workflow details

From the NMC GUI, when you right-click a workflow and select Show Details, the following error message appears:

Unable to obtain root job list: Unable to accept message bus block, while expecting
basic-consume method, received another method.: Message bus encountered library
exception: (unknown error)

In addition, the gstd.raw file had messages indicating that there is an error with the RabbitMQ server.

gstd NSR warning nsm: Initial jobs info RPC failed for server: <NetworkerServer> - Check
if RabbitMQ server is running!

This can occur if RPC communication with the RabbitMQ server fails because of missing exchanges such as amq.direct,
amq.fanout, amq.headers, amq.match, and so on.
To resolve the issue, do the following:
1. Shutdown NetWorker.
2. From the command prompt, type the following command to go to the directory that contains the RabbitMQ files:
● Windows: cd C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming
● Linux: /opt/nsr/rabbitmq-server-3.7.16/var
3. Type ren RabbitMQ RabbitMQ.v01 to save the existing RabbitMQ directory.
4. Start NetWorker.
After NetWorker starts, new RabbitMQ files are created.
● Windows: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\RabbitMQ
● Linux: /opt/nsr/rabbitmq-server-3.7.16/var
To verify if the missing exchanges are present, run the following commands:
Windows:

% set ERLANG_HOME=C:\PROGRA~1\EMCNET~1\nsr\rabbitmq-server-3.7.16
% set HOMEPATH=\Windows
% rabbitmqctl report

Linux:

# HOME=/nsr/rabbitmq /opt/nsr/rabbitmq-server-3.7.16/sbin/rabbitmqctl report

Back up of All Save Sets takes a long time to complete

Back up of All Save Sets might be very slow and can take a significant amount of time to complete.
This can be because of your antivirus software configurations. Check your antivirus configuration settings.

GSS-API authentication error

If there is a change in the IP address of the server, storage node, or the client, you might encounter the following authentication
error:

Authentication error; why = GSS-API credential problem

This error is resolved automatically after about an hour. There is no action required from the user.

660 Troubleshooting
NetWorker locale and code set support
The NetWorker software does not support locales that are defined by the operating system or code sets that remap characters,
which have a special meaning for file systems. Depending on the file system, the special characters may include the slash (/),
the backslash(\), the colon (:), or the period(.). De_DE.646 is an example of one unsupported locale.
The NetWorker software might not function normally after you change the locale to an unsupported locale. Client file indexes
that were created in a supported locale can become inaccessible.

Enabling service mode for NetWorker

To enable and disable access to the NetWorker Server, use the Accept new sessions and Accept new recover sessions
attributes in NMC. When you unselect these attributes, the server does not accept new backup and recovery sessions.
The NetWorker Security Configuration Guide provides more information about these attributes.
When you restrict NetWorker Server access, NetWorker takes all storage nodes offline, effectively putting NetWorker into
a service mode operational state. In this state, you can stop any external client backup and recovery requests and prevent
the start of scheduled group backups. Service mode provides you with a maintenance period where you can diagnose and
troubleshoot issues before you return the server to normal operation.
You can also enable/disable specific storage nodes or devices to prevent use and allow for service operations. Storage node
configuration on page 81 describes how to enable/disable specific storage nodes. Re-enabling a device on page 134 describes
how to enable/disable a specific device.

Resetting the NMC password for NetWorker 19.1 and

later
To reset the administrator password, create a JSON file on the NetWorker server that contains the new password in a Base64
encoded format.
1. Use Base64 encoding utilities to determine the Base64 password value for the new password.
2. Use a text editor to open the authc-local-config.json.template file, which is located in the C:\Program Files\EMC
NetWorker\nsr\authc-server \scripts folder on Windows and the /opt/nsr/authc-server/scripts
directory on Linux.
3. In the template file, perform the following steps:
a. Replace the username variable with the name of the administrator account for which you want to reset the password.
b. Replace the encoded_password variable with the base64 encoded password value.
4. Rename the authc-local-config.json.template file to authc-localconfig.json.
5. Copy the authc-local-config.json file to the Tomcat conf folder.
6. Stop and then start the services on the NetWorker server (NetWorker service and GST service).

No privileges to view NetWorker server from NMC

The NetWorker administrator will not have the privilege to view the NetWorker resources if there is a mismatch in the external
roles in the NetWorker user group and the external role displayed in NMC. The user should ensure that there is no mismatch
in the external roles attribute which is displayed in NMC and the NetWorker user group attribute. When the NetWorker server
resolves to more than one hostname, (when it has more than one alias), there are chances that the NetWorker server has
created an external role with one of the hostname. Ensure that the NetWorker server is resolved to only one hostname and
hosts entry for the NetWorker server is same in NMC and NetWorker server hosts.

Troubleshooting 661
Network and server communication errors
This section provides general, UNIX and Windows network and communication issues that you may encounter in a NetWorker
environment.
The errors that are encountered during registering a new client are as follows:
● The NetWorker sever and client running on the same box- During the registration of the client, register for the client
hostname and not for the client IP address. If the Client IP is registered, then during recovery, based on client IP address,
recovery doesn't display the backed up save set list in the browse tab.
● Networker server and client running on different box- Client IP address can be registered and recovery also proceeds
without any issues.
To help ensure successful communication between NetWorker clients and servers,
each NetWorker host configured must not have any invalid or inactive IP addresses stored in the hostname resolution service
(DNS, NIS, Active Directory, hosts file, and so on). Each IP address that maps to a host must have a configured network
interface (NIC).

Unapproved server error

If an unapproved server tries to contact a client to start a backup, a message similar to the following appears: client_name:
server_name cannot request command execution.
To provide additional servers access to the NetWorker client, perform the following steps:
1. Modify the servers file on the client and ensure that the file contains both the short name and the long name of the
server. For example, the servers file on a NetWorker client should contain these names for a NetWorker server that is named
mars in the jupiter.com domain:
mars
mars.jupiter.com
2. In the Alias attribute of the Client resource, specify both the short name and the long name, and any other applicable aliases
for the client.

Unapproved server error during client setup

If you add a Windows client to a UNIX NetWorker server, and the servers file on a Windows client does not include the UNIX
server hostname, the message similar to the following may appear:
client_name: saveset_name Host server_name cannot request command execution
client_name: saveset_name 10/13/00 11:48:26 nsrexec: Host server_name cannot request
command execution
client_name: saveset_name Permission denied

Ignore the message, and continue to add the client to the UNIX server. To avoid the message, add the UNIX server hostname to
the servers file on the client after you add the client to the UNIX server.

Server copy violation

When the Alias attribute of the Client resource for the NetWorker server does not contain all of the host names or aliases for
the NetWorker server, the NetWorker server may become disabled and an error message similar to the following appears:
nsrd: registration info event: server is disabled copy violation

To resolve this issue, add all of the server aliases that are related to any additional network interfaces to the alias list of Client
resource for the NetWorker server.

662 Troubleshooting
Remote recover access rights
You can control client recover access with attributes in the Client resource. The Remote Access attribute displays a list of the
users that can recover save sets for a client. Add or remove user names depending on the level of security the files require.
NOTE: If you type a hostname or host=hostname in the Remote Access attribute, you allow any user on that host to
recover files for the client. To enter a username without specifying the host, type user=name.

The following users have permission to recover any files on any client, regardless of the users who are listed in the Remote
Access attribute:
● ‘Root’ user on a UNIX host
● Member of the ‘Administrators’ local group on a Windows host
● Members of a ‘Application Administrator’ User group on the NetWorker Server
● Members of a NetWorker Server User group that has the ‘Change Security Settings’ privilege
Other users can only recover files for which they have read permission, which is based on file permissions at the time of backup.
Files recovered by a user other than root, operator, or the operator group are owned by that user.

NetWorker server takes a long time to restart

The consistency check of the media database, which occurs when the NetWorker server services start, can take a significant
amount of time to complete when the media database is very large. While the NetWorker server performs the consistency
check, client connections with the NetWorker server are delayed.
To reduce the size of the media management database, run the nsrim -C command when the NetWorker server is idle. Be
aware that this command may take a long time to run and that the NetWorker server will be unavailable during this time. Run
the command when the NetWorker server is not busy.
NOTE: The nsrim -C command can take a long time to complete and you cannot perform NetWorker server operations
until the command completes.
Reduce the size of the media database size on page 573 provides more information about reducing the size of the media
database.

Changing the NetWorker server address

When the IP address changes on the NetWorker server, the NetWorker hostid also changes. The authorization code assigned
to each NetWorker license depends on the hostid. When the hostid of the NetWorker server changes, you must contact Dell
EMC Licensing to generate new authorization codes based on the new hostid, then update each NetWorker license with the
new authorization code.
If you do not re-register the software with the new authorization codes within 14 days of the hostid change, the NetWorker
becomes disabled and you cannot perform any operations with the exception of recovery operations.

NOTE: If you are using DHCP, use a static IP address for the NetWorker server.

Binding to server errors

NetWorker architecture follows the client/server model, where the NetWorker servers use RPC to provide services to the
client. These services reside in daemon processes.
When the daemons start, they register with the registration service provided by the portmapper.
If the NetWorker services are not running and an operation requests a NetWorker service, a message similar to the following
may appear in the savegroup completion email:
Server not available
RPC error, no remote program registered

These messages indicate that one or more NetWorker services are not running on the NetWorker server. The following table
summarizes the startup commands that you can use to startup the services on a UNIX NetWorker server.

Troubleshooting 663
Table 162. NetWorker Startup commands
Operating system Startup command
Solaris, Linux /etc/init.d/networker start

HP-UX /sbin/init.d/networker start

AIX /etc/rc.nsr

Identifying connection lost to device

When a device loose connection with Networker server, the Device Connectivity Check (DCC) framework discovers device
unavailability. Upon discovery of the device unavailability, NetWorker server notifies the user through NMC console, Networker
logs, or by email.
The various scenarios where the devices becomes unavailable are as follows:
● Data Domain hosting the devices becomes unavailable.
● Data Domain administrator accidently deletes the MTree having the devices.
● The mount point hosting the AFTD devices becomes offline.
● The AFTD device folder is deleted accidently from the OS file system.
NOTE: Starting with NetWorker 19.3, DCC framework will be enhanced to verify the existence and availability of DD, DDCT,
and AFTD devices.
The Networker DCC framework provides the following capabilities:
● The DCC framework periodically checks the device connectivity.
● The DCC feature is enabled by default. It is visible in the diagnostic mode under NMC console.
● The NetWorker storage node reports DCC result to Networker server.
● Networker server parses the report and moves the device either to normal or suspected state and informs the broker about
the status of the device.
● If the suspect status of the device has changed, Networker server reports this event to customer, through NMC console,
NetWorker logs or through email.
The supported NetWorker device types are:
● DD and DDCT device
● AFTD device.
The limitations are as follows:
● DCC does not check the existence of savesets residing in a volume. However, it checks the existence of VolHdr file
created inside the volume to determine the device availability and accessibility.
● In case of DDCT devices , NetWorker metadata is still stored in the cloud tier volume and the actual saveset file might have
moved to the cloud storage. DCC checks the availability and accessibility of only the DDCT device and not the cloud unit
configured which may or may not be available.

Reasons for Device unreachability

There are three reasons for device unreachability and in each case we update the device state accordingly.
● DD is unavailable: If the DD is unavailable, DCC marks all the devices under that DD to Suspected state automatically. If the
DD is available again, DCC marks all the devices under that DD to Normal state automatically.
NOTE: DCC sends notifications to NMC or logs (server and storage node) for the above two scenarios. DCC does not
check the existence of M-Tree or devices if the DD is unavailable.
● M-Tree is unavailable: If M-tree is deleted, all the devices under the M-Tree is marked to Suspected state. If M-tree is
undeleted, all the devices under the M-Tree is moved to Normal state from Suspected state.
NOTE: DCC sends notifications to NMC or logs (server and storage node) for the above two scenarios. DCC does not
check the existence of the device if M-Tree is deleted.
● DD and AFTD device unavailability: By default DCC does not check for the device availability if the device is in Disabled or
Service Mode state. DCC checks for the existence of volhdr in device directory. If volhdr exists device is considered
as Available, otherwise it is considered as Unavailable. If the devices are unavailable DCC sends notification to NMC or logs
(server and storage node)

664 Troubleshooting
 NOTE: DCC feature works only when both NetWorker server and storage nodes are on 19.3 and later version. Starting with
NetWorker 19.3, the default value of DCC interval is 3 minutes.

Device Connectivity Check Configurations

Device Connectivity Check is enabled on both server and storage node by default. The default time interval is 3 minutes and
it can be extended up to 60 minutes. DCC settings can be edited either through nsradmin CLI (hidden) or through NMC in
diagnostic mode.

Settings on Server CLI and Storage Node CLI

Figure 109. Settings on Server CLI

Figure 110. Settings on Storage Node CLI

NMC Server and Storage Node Settings

To set the server in NMC, select Server properties in the Configuration tab (Diagnostic mode).

Figure 111. NMC Server settings

To set storage node in NMC, select Storage node properties in the Configuration tab (Diagnostic mode).

Troubleshooting 665
Figure 112. NMC Storage Node Settings

DCC can be enabled or disabled based on the settings of server and storage Node.

Table 163. Enabling and Disabling DCC based on Server and Storage node settings
DCC check on server DCC check on storage node Resultant DCC
On Off Off
On On On
Off On/Off Off
Interval 1 Interval 2 Whichever is greater

When DCC identifies any unreachable device due to various reasons, it moves the device to suspected state and it sets two
attributes Suspected device and Suspected mark time.
● Suspected device and suspect time attributes are set when the device state is changed to suspected state from normal
state and these attributes are cleared when the device is available.
● If there is any device that is in suspected state and is moved to service mode manually, suspected flag is cleared off and
there won't be any DCC check on that going forward. DCC starts checking this device only if it again moves to enabled
state.

New.Net and NetWorker software are incompatible

Software from New.Net, Inc. loads a dynamic link library (DLL) named newdotnet.dll, which modifies the Windows TCP/IP stack
in ways that are incompatible with NetWorker software.
This causes many NetWorker programs, including save.exe, to fail on exit. This is a New.Net problem that the NetWorker
software cannot work around. The Go!Zilla, BearShare, Mp3.com, iMesh, Babylon, Cydoor, Webshots, and gDivx products
include the New.Net software. If you suspect that the New.Net DLL is the cause of problems, uninstall the New.Net software.

NOTE: If you manually delete the newdotnet.dll file, the system will become unusable.

666 Troubleshooting
 Glossary
This glossary provides definitions for terms used in this guide.

A
access control list (ACL)
List that specifies the permissions assigned to a specific file or directory.
, See administrator.

active group
NetWorker backup group that has its Autostart attribute enabled.

administrator
Person who normally installs, configures, and maintains software on network computers, and who adds users and defines user
privileges.

Administrators group
Microsoft Windows user group whose members have the rights and privileges of users in other groups, plus the ability to create
and manage the users and groups in the domain.

advanced file type device (AFTD)

Disk storage device that uses a volume manager to enable multiple concurrent backup and recovery operations and dynamically
extend available disk space.

agent
Term used by Sun Microsystems to denote a cluster server. Also known as a package (HP-UX), and a virtual server (Microsoft).

annotation
1. Comment associated with an archive save set.
2. Comment associated with an event.

application specific module (ASM)

Program that is used in a directive to specify how a set of files or directories is to be backed up or recovered. For example,
compressasm is a NetWorker directive used to compress files.

archive
Process that backs up directories or files to an archive volume to free up disk space for regular backups. Archived data is not
recyclable. , See groom.

archive request
NetWorker resource used to schedule and manage archiving.

archive volume
Volume used to store archive data. Archive data cannot be stored on a backup volume or a clone volume.

attribute
Name or value property of a resource.

authentication
Process by which a user or software process is determined to be trusted or not trusted.

authorization
Privileges assigned to users.

Glossary 667
authorization code
Unique code that in combination with an associated enabler code unlocks the software for permanent use on a specific host
computer. , See license key.

autochanger
, See library.

auto media management

Feature that enables the storage device controlled by the NetWorker server to automatically label, mount, and overwrite a
volume it considers unlabeled.

B
backup
1. Duplicate of database or application data, or an entire computer system, stored separately from the original, which can be
used to recover the original if it is lost or damaged.
2. Operation that saves data to a volume for use as a backup.

backup cycle
Full or level 0 backup and all the subsequent incremental backups that are dependent on that backup.

Backup Operators group

Microsoft Windows user group whose members have the capability to log in to a domain from a workstation or a server, whose
data they may back up and restore. Backup Operators can also shut down servers or workstations.

backup volume
A volume used to store backup data. NetWorker backup data cannot be stored on an archive volume or a clone volume.

bootstrap
Save set that is essential for disaster recovery procedures. The bootstrap consists of three components that reside on the
NetWorker server: the media database, the resource database, and a server index.

browse policy
NetWorker policy that specifies the period of time during which backup entries are retained in the client file index. Backups
listed in the index are browsable and readily accessible for recovery.

C
canned report
Preconfigured report that can be tailored by the user.

carousel
, See library.

client
Host on a network, such as a computer, workstation, or application server whose data can be backed up and restored with the
backup server software.

client file index

Database maintained by the NetWorker server that tracks every database object, file, or file system backed up. The NetWorker
server maintains a single index file for each client computer. The tracking information is purged from the index after the browse
time of each backup expires.

client-initiated backup
, See manual backup.

668 Glossary
Client resource
NetWorker server resource that identifies the save sets to be backed up on a client. The Client resource also specifies
information about the backup, such as the schedule, browse policy, and retention policy for the save sets.

clone
1. Duplicate copy of backed-up data, which is indexed and tracked by the NetWorker server. Single save sets or entire volumes
can be cloned.
2. Type of mirror that is specific to a storage array.

clone volume
Exact duplicate of a backup or archive volume. NetWorker software can index and track four types of volumes (backup, archive,
backup clone, and archive clone). Save sets of these different types may not be intermixed on one volume. Clone volumes may
be used in exactly the same way as the original backup or archive volume.

cluster
Group of linked virtual or physical hosts, each of which is identified as a node, with shared storage that work together and
represent themselves as a single host.

common internet file system (CIFS)

Formerly known as Server Message Block (SMB). Message format used by Microsoft DOS and Windows to share files,
directories, and devices.

connection port
Port used to perform functions through a firewall.

Console application administrator

Console server user role whose members can configure features, except security features, in the Console sever application.

Console security administrator

Console server user role whose members can add Console users and assign them to Console roles.

Console server
, See NetWorker Management Console (NMC).

consolidate
To create a full backup by merging a new level 1 backup with the last full level backup.

continued save set

Save set data that is continued from a previous volume.

control zone
Group of datazones managed by the NetWorker software.

conventional storage
Storage library attached to the NetWorker server or storage node, used to store backups or snapshot backups. Also known as
secondary storage. , See primary storage.

D
daemon
Process on UNIX systems that runs in the background and performs a specified operation at predefined times or in response to
certain events.

database
1. Collection of data arranged for ease and speed of update, search, and retrieval by computer software.
2. Instance of a database management system (DBMS), which in a simple case might be a single file containing many records,
each of which contains the same set of fields.

Glossary 669
data management application (DMA)
Application that manages a backup or recovery session through an NDMP connection.

data mover (DM)

Client system or application, such as NetWorker software, that moves data during a backup, recovery, snapshot, or migration
operation. , See proxy host.

data server agent (DSA)

Functionality that enables the NetWorker server to communicate with a non-NetWorker NDMP host and package images of
save streams. For example, an NDMP host that generates proprietary save data may send that data to a NetWorker storage
device to have a save set associated with it.

data service provider (DSP)

Feature that controls access to disk storage during an NDMP back up.

datazone
Group of clients, storage devices, and storage nodes that are administered by a NetWorker server.

deduplication backup
Type of backup in which redundant data blocks are identified and only unique blocks of data are stored. When the deduplicated
data is restored, the data is returned to its original native format.

destination client
Computer to which database files are restored in a directed recovery.

device
1. Storage folder or storage unit that can contain a backup volume. A device can be a tape device, optical drive, autochanger,
or disk connected to the server or storage node.
2. General term that refers to storage hardware.
3. Access path to the physical drive, when dynamic drive sharing (DDS) is enabled.

Device Central
Interface from which one can manage all NetWorker libraries.

DFS component
1. A namespace for files and DFS links, called a DFS root.
2. A connection to a shared file or folder, called a DFS child node.
, See distributed File System (DFS).

direct access restore (DAR)

NDMP operation that can recover data in the middle of a tape set without having to parse the tape set sequentially, thereby
reducing the recovery time of large backups.

directed recovery
Method that recovers data that originated on one client host and re-creates it on a different client host, known as the
destination client.

directive
Instruction that directs NetWorker software to take special actions on a given set of files for a specified client during a backup
or recovery operation. Directives are ignored in manual (unscheduled) backups.

disaster recovery
Restore and recovery of data and business operations in the event of hardware failure or software corruption.

distributed File System (DFS)

Microsoft Windows add-on that creates a logical directory of shared directories that span multiple hosts across a network.

670 Glossary
document mode
Display mode that presents static reports such as charts or tables in a format that resembles the Print Preview mode in a PDF
viewer.

drill-down
Organization of report information by granularity. For example, within a group summary report, a client report may be viewed,
and then a report for a selected save set for that client.

drive
Hardware device through which media can be read or written to. , See device.

DSA save set

Save sets of an NDMP client that are backed up to non-NDMP tape device. , See data server agent (DSA).

dynamic drive sharing (DDS)

Feature that allows NetWorker software to recognize and use shared drives and when they are available.

E
enabler code
Unique code that activates the software:
● Evaluation enablers or temporary enablers expire after a fixed period of time.
● Base enablers unlock the basic features for software.
● Add-on enablers unlock additional features or products, for example, library support.
, See license key.

enterprise
Computers and folders organized into a tree-based visual representation.

event
Notification generated by an application that could require user action, such as the impending expiration of a software enabler
key that appears in the daemon log of the Console server.

event-based backup
, See probe-based backup.

exit code
Indicator that specifies whether a backup or recovery session succeeded. An exit code of zero (0) indicates the session
completed successfully. A nonzero exit code indicates that the session did not complete successfully.

expiration date
Date when a volume changes from read/write to read-only.

expired save set

Save set that has exceeded its browse time and has been removed from the NetWorker client file index. Expired save sets can
no longer be browsed.

F
file index
, See client file index.

file system
1. Software interface used to save, retrieve, and manage files on storage media by providing directory structures, data transfer
methods, and file association.

Glossary 671
2. Entire set of all files.
3. Method of storing files.

firewall
Security software designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network.

folder
An icon on a computer screen that can be used to access a directory.

full backup
Type of backup that backs up all data objects or files, including the transaction logs contained in databases, regardless of when
they last changed. , See level.

G
generic services toolkit (GST)
Software framework that underlies the Console server.

groom
Process that removes the original files from a local disk after a successful archive operation.

group
One or more client computers that are configured to perform a backup together, according to a single designated schedule or
set of conditions.

H
hash
Number generated from a string of text that is used to encrypt a user password. , See salted hash.

heterogeneous network
Network with systems of different platforms and operating systems that interact across the network.

high-availability system
System of multiple computers configured as cluster nodes on a network that ensures that the application services continue
despite a hardware or software failure. Each cluster node has its own IP address with private resources or disks that are
available only to that computer.

high-water mark
Percentage of disk space that, when filled, automatically starts the staging process.

host
Computer on a network.

host authentication
Encryption and verification services between NetWorker hosts. , See user authentication.

host ID
Eight-character alphanumeric number that uniquely identifies a computer.

hostname
Name or address of a physical or virtual host computer that is connected to a network.

672 Glossary
I
inactivity timeout
Time in minutes to wait before a client is considered to be unavailable for backup.

incremental backup
, See level.

individual user authentication

Process by which Console administrators restrict or grant user access to NetWorker servers, based on Console usernames.

insertion time
Time that the save set record was most recently introduced into the save set database.

Interactive mode
Console mode that displays reports (as charts or tables) that users can interact with. For example, one can sort, rearrange, and
resize columns in a table-format report that was run in this mode.

Internationalization (I18N)
Process of adapting software to accept input and output of data in various languages and locales.

J
JAR (Java Archive)
A file that contains compressed components needed for a Java applet or application.

Java
Type of high-level programming language that enables the same, unmodified Java program to run on most computer operating
systems. , See Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Java plug-in
JVM that can be used by a web browser to run Java applets.

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

Execution environment for interpreting the Java programming language. Each operating system runs a unique JVM to interpret
Java code.

jukebox
, See library.

L
label
Electronic header on a volume used for identification by a backup application.

legacy method
Use of special-case Microsoft APIs to back up and recover operating system components, services, and applications.

level
Backup configuration option that specifies how much data is saved during a scheduled or manual backup:
● A full backup backs up all data objects or files, regardless of when they last changed.
● An incremental backup backs up only data objects or files that have changed since the previous backup.

Glossary 673
library
Hardware device that contains one or more removable media drives, as well as slots for pieces of media, media access
ports, and a robotic mechanism for moving pieces of media between these components. Libraries automate media loading
and mounting functions during backup and recovery. The term library is synonymous with autochanger, autoloader, carousel,
datawheel, jukebox, and near-line storage.

library sharing
Shared access of servers and storage nodes to the individual tape drives within a library. The drives are statically assigned to
hosts.

license key
Combination of an enabler code and authorization code for a specific product release to permanently enable its use. Also called
an activation key.

License Manager (LLM)

Application that provides centralized management of product licenses.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

Set of protocols for accessing information directories.

live backup
, See rollover-only backup.

local cluster client

NetWorker client that is not bound to a physical machine, but is instead managed by a cluster manager. It is also referred to as a
logical or virtual client.

localization (L10N)
Translation and adaptation of software for the user language, time formats, and other conventions of a specific locale.

logical cluster client

, See virtual cluster client.

logical device
Virtual device used in the integration of NetWorker software with SmartMedia. Many logical devices can be assigned to a single
physical device.

low-water mark
Percentage of disk space filled that, when reached, automatically stops the migration process.

LUS
Driver used by EMC software products as a proprietary device driver that sends arbitrary SCSI commands to an autochanger.
Also known as the EMC User SCSI.

M
managed application
Program that can be monitored or administered, or both from the Console server.

managed node
Storage management application under the control of Console. For example, a system running NetWorker on a backup server or
storage node is considered to be a managed node.

man pages
Online technical reference manual, normally provided on UNIX servers, for the syntax and function of program commands that
may be issued from the command line.

674 Glossary
manual backup
Backup that a user performs from the client, also known as an unscheduled, on-demand, or ad hoc backup.

media
Physical storage, such as a disk file system or magnetic tape, to which backup data is written. , See volume.

media index
Database that contains indexed entries of storage volume location and the life cycle status of all data and volumes managed by
the NetWorker server. Also known as media database.

member
Physical host that occupies a node in a cluster environment. Each member has its own IP address.

mount
To make a volume physically available for use, such as the placement of a removable disk volume or tape into a drive for reading
or writing.

mount host
Host in a network that is used to mount storage array snapshot volumes to perform snapshot restore and rollover operations.

mount point
, See volume mount point.

multiple session
, See parallelism.

multiplex
To simultaneously write data from more than one save set to the same storage device.

N
NDMP server
Instance of one or more NDMP services, such as a data, tape, or SCSI server, that is managed by a single control connection.

NDMP service
Virtual machine that is controlled by a data management application (DMA) such as NetWorker software. Example services
include:
● Server with a directly attached storage appliance
● Storage device system with one or more tape drives
● Software process that reads two datastreams and multiplexes them into one stream

NDMP storage node

Host or open system with NDMP services. For example, Netapp Filer and EMC Filer.

near-line storage
, See library.

network attached storage (NAS)

Disk array or storage device (NAS filer) that connects directly to the messaging network or LAN interfaces and uses the
common communication protocols of TCP/IP or NDMP.

Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP)

Software component that uses TCP/IP standards to specify how heterogeneous network components communicate for the
purposes of backup, recovery, and transfer of data between storage systems.

Glossary 675
NetWorker administrator
NetWorker server user who may add, change, or delete NetWorker server users.

NetWorker application administrator

NetWorker server user who may operate NetWorker software, configure the NetWorker server, and create and modify
NetWorker resources.

NetWorker Management Console (NMC)

Software program that is used to manage NetWorker servers and clients. The NMC server also provides reporting and
monitoring capabilities for all NetWorker processes.

NetWorker security administrator

NetWorker server user who may add, change, or delete NetWorker server user groups.

NetWorker server
Computer on a network that runs the NetWorker server software, contains the online indexes, and provides backup and restore
services to the clients and storage nodes on the same network.

NetWorker Snapshot Management (NSM)

Technology that provides point-in-time snapshot copies of data. NetWorker software backs up data from the snapshot. This
allows applications to continue to write data during the backup operation, and ensures that open files are not omitted.

network file system (NFS)

Communications protocol that enables users to access shared files on different types of computers over a network.

NFS server
Host that contains exported file systems that NFS clients can access. , See network file system (NFS).

node
, See cluster.

non-critical volume
A volume that contains files that are not part of the system state or an installed service.

notification
Message sent to the NetWorker administrator about important NetWorker events.

nsrd
Master NetWorker server process.

nsrhost
Logical hostname of the NetWorker server.

O
offline backup
Backup of database objects performed while the corresponding database or instance is shut down and unavailable to users. Also
known as a cold backup.

offline restore
Automated restore that does not require the manual installation of an operating system. A bare metal recovery (BMR) is an
offline restore.

online backup
Backup of database objects performed while the corresponding database or instance is running and available to users. Also
known as a hot backup.

676 Glossary
online indexes
Databases located on the NetWorker server that contain all the information pertaining to the client backups (client file index)
and backup volumes (media index).

online restore
Restore operation that is performed from a NetWorker recover program. An online restore requires that the computer has been
booted from an installed operating system. See also offline restore.

operator
Person who performs day-to-day data storage tasks such as loading backup volumes into storage devices, monitoring volume
locations and server status, verifying backups, and labeling volumes.

override
Different backup level that is used in place of the regularly scheduled backup.

P
package
A term used by HP-UX to denote a cluster server. Also known as an agent (Sun) or virtual server (Microsoft).

parallelism
Feature that enables a maximum number of concurrent streams of data during backup or restore operations. For example,
parallelism values can be set for the NetWorker server, clients, pools, and groups.

pathname
Set of instructions to the operating system for accessing a file:
● An absolute pathname indicates how to find a file by starting from the root directory and working down the directory tree.
● A relative pathname indicates how to find a file by starting from the current location.

peer
NetWorker host that is involved in an authentication process with another NetWorker host.

permanent enabler
Enabler code that has been made permanent by the application of an authorization code. , See enabler code.

physical cluster client

Backup client that is bound to a physical host in the cluster and can have its own resources (private or local).

physical host
Node or host that forms part of a cluster.

point-in-time copy (PIT copy)

Fully usable copy of a defined collection of data, such as a consistent file system, database, or volume that contains an image of
the data as it appeared at a specific point in time. A PIT copy is also called a snapshot or shadow copy.

policy
Set of defined rules for client backups that can be applied to multiple groups. Groups have dataset, schedule, browse, and
retention policies.

pool
1. NetWorker sorting feature that assigns specific backup data to be stored on specified media volumes.
2. Collection of NetWorker backup volumes to which specific data has been backed up.

primary storage
Server storage subsystem, such as a disk array, that contains application data and any persistent snapshots of data.

Glossary 677
probe-based backup
Type of scheduled backup, also known as an event-based backup, where the NetWorker server initiates the backup only when
specified conditions are met, as determined by one or more probe settings.

proxy host
Surrogate host computer that performs backup or clone operations in place the production host by using a snapshot copy of the
production data. , See mount host.

purge
Operation that deletes file entries from the client file index.

Q
quiesce
State in which all writes to a disk are stopped and the file system cache is flushed. Quiescing the database prior to creating the
snapshot provides a transactionally consistent image that can be remounted.

R
recover
To restore data files from backup storage to a client and apply transaction (redo) logs to the data to make it consistent with a
given point-in-time.

recyclable save set

Save set whose browse and retention policies have expired. Recyclable save sets are removed from the media database.

recyclable volume
Storage volume whose data has exceeded both its browse and retention policies and is now available to be relabeled and reused.

Registry
Microsoft Windows database that centralizes all Windows settings and provides security and control of system, security, and
user account settings.

remote device
1. Storage device that is attached to a storage node that is separate from the NetWorker server.
2. Storage device at an offsite location that stores a copy of data from a primary storage device for disaster recovery.

remote procedure call (RPC)

Protocol used by the backup server to perform client requests over a network.

repository
Console database that contains configuration and reporting information.

requester
A VSS-aware application that creates and destroys a shadow copy. NetWorker software is a requester. , See shadow copy.

resource
Software component whose configurable attributes define the operational properties of the NetWorker server or its clients.
Clients, devices, schedules, groups, and policies are all NetWorker resources.

resource database
NetWorker database of information about each configured resource.

resource owner
Logical cluster host that owns the resource. If a Cluster resource, such as a shared disk, is not owned by a virtual host, it is
assumed to be owned by the physical node that hosts the resource.

678 Glossary
restore
To retrieve individual data files from backup media and copy the files to a client without applying transaction logs.

retention policy
NetWorker setting that determines the minimum period of time that backup data is retained on a storage volume and available
for recovery. After this time is exceeded, the data is eligible to be overwritten.

retrieve
To locate and recover archived files and directories.

retry mechanism
Action that NetWorker software performs when client operations fail. This situation might occur because the rate of
transmission is either low or undetectable.

role
Grant of user privileges to the Console. There are three roles: Console Application Administrator, Console Security administrator,
and the Console User. , See user groups.

roll forward
To apply transactional logs to a recovered database to restore it to a state that is consistent with a given point-in-time.

rollover
Backup of a snapshot to conventional storage media, such as disk or tape. Previously known as a live backup.

rollover-only backup
Rollover whereupon the snapshot copy is deleted. Previously known as a serverless backup, live backup, or nonpersistent
backup.

root
1. (UNIX only) UNIX superuser account.
2. (Microsoft Windows and UNIX) Highest level of the system directory structure.

S
salted hash
Added string of random data that provides a unique identifier to a user's password. , See hash.

save
NetWorker command that backs up client files to backup media volumes and makes data entries in the online index.

save set
1. Group of tiles or a file system copied to storage media by a backup or snapshot rollover operation.
2. NetWorker media database record for a specific backup or rollover.

save set consolidation

Process that performs a level 1 backup and merges it with the last full backup of a save set to create a new full backup.

save set ID (ssid)

Internal identification number assigned to a save set.

save set recover

To recover data by specifying save sets rather than by browsing and selecting files or directories.

save set status

NetWorker attribute that indicates whether a save set is browsable, recoverable, or recyclable. The save set status also
indicates whether the save set was successfully backed up.

Glossary 679
save stream
Data and save set information that is written to a storage volume during a backup. A save stream originates from a single save
set.

scanner
NetWorker command used to read a backup volume when the online indexes are not available.

scheduled backup
Type of backup that is configured to start automatically at a specified time for a group of one or more NetWorker clients. A
scheduled backup generates a bootstrap save set.

secondary storage
Storage media managed by a NetWorker server or storage node that stores conventional or snapshot data. Configure a storage
device on a NetWorker server or storage node for each secondary storage.

security event
Operation related to authorization, authentication, or configuration.

service port
Port used to listen for backup and recover requests from clients through a firewall.

shadow copy
Temporary, point-in-time copy of a volume created using VSS technology. , See VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service).

shared disk
Storage disk that is connected to multiple nodes in a cluster.

shell prompt
Cursor in a shell window where commands are typed.

silo
Repository for holding hundreds or thousands of volumes. Silo volumes are identified by bar codes, not by slot numbers.

simple network management protocol (SNMP)

Protocol used to send messages to the administrator about NetWorker events.

skip
Backup level in which designated files are not backed up. , See level.

Smart Media
EMC software application that manages media resources within a distributed environment.

snapset
, See snapshot save set.

snapshot
Point-in-time, read-only copy of specific data files, volumes, or file systems on an application host. Operations on the application
host are momentarily suspended while the snapshot is created on a proxy host. Also called a PiT copy, image, or shadow copy.

snapshot policy
Sets of rules that control the life cycle of snapshots. These rule specify the frequency of snapshot creation, how long snapshots
are retained, and which snapshots will be backed up to conventional storage media.

snapshot save set

Group of files or other data included in a single snapshot. Previously called a snapset.

680 Glossary
stage
To move data from one storage medium to a less costly medium, and later removing the data from its original location.

stand-alone
In a cluster environment, a NetWorker server that starts in noncluster (stand-alone) mode.

stand-alone device
Storage device that contains a single drive for backing up data. Stand-alone devices cannot automatically load backup volumes.

STL
Silo Tape Library.

storage node
Computer that manages physically attached storage devices or libraries, whose backup operations are administered from the
controlling NetWorker server. Typically a “remote” storage node that resides on a host other than the NetWorker server.

synthetic full backup

Backup that combines a full backup and its subsequent incremental backups to form a new full backup. Synthetic full backups
are treated the same as ordinary full backups.

T
tape service
NDMP DSP service that controls access to tape storage. A system can simultaneously host multiple tape services corresponding
to multiple backup streams.

target client
NetWorker client on which data is to be restored This may be the same as the original source client from which the data was
backed up, or it may be a different client.

target database
Database that the NetWorker server backs up as a safeguard against data loss.

target sessions
The number of simultaneous backup data streams accepted by a backup device.

temporary enabler
Code that enables operation of the software for an additional period of time beyond the evaluation period. , See enabler code.

transaction log
Record of named database transactions or list of changed files in a database, stored in a log file to execute quick restore and
rollback transactions.

transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP/IP)

Standard set of communication protocols that connects hosts on the Internet.

trap
Setting in an SNMP event management system to report errors or status messages.

U
update enabler
Code that updates software from a previous release. It expires after a fixed period of time.

user
1. A NetWorker user who can back up and recover files from a computer.

Glossary 681
2. A Console user who has standard access privileges to the Console server.

user alias
Username seen by the NetWorker server when a Console user connects to the NetWorker server.

user authentication
Feature that validates user sign-on attempts. NetWorker can validate sign-on attempts against either a central authority, such
as an LDAP database, or a local Console database. , See host authentication.

user data
Data that is generated by users, typically for the purposes of a business function. A Microsoft Word document or an Excel
spreadsheet is an example of user data.

user groups
Feature that assigns user privileges. , See role.

V
versions
Date-stamped collection of available backups for any single file.

virtual cluster client

NetWorker client that is not permanently bound to one physical host but is managed by a cluster manager. It is also referred to
as a logical cluster client or a virtual client.

virtual server
1. Server, usually a web server, that shares resources with other virtual servers on the same computer to provide low-cost
hosting services.
2. In a cluster configuration, a set of two nodes, which are physical computers, and virtual servers. Each node and virtual server
has its own IP address and network name. Each virtual server also owns a subset of shared cluster disks and is responsible
for starting cluster applications that can fail over from one cluster node to another.

virtual tape library (VTL)

Software emulation of a physical tape library storage system.

volume
1. Unit of physical storage medium, such as a disk or magnetic tape, to which backup data is written.
2. Identifiable unit of data storage that may reside on one or more computer disks.

volume ID (volid)
Internal identification that NetWorker software assigns to a backup volume.

volume mount point

Disk volume that is added into the namespace of a host disk volume. This allows multiple disk volumes to be linked into a single
directory tree, and a single disk or partition to be linked to more than one directory tree.

volume name
Name that you assign to a backup volume when it is labeled.

VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service)

Microsoft technology that creates a point-in-time snapshot of a disk volume. NetWorker software backs up data from the
snapshot. This allows applications to continue to write data during the backup operation, and ensures that open files are not
omitted.

VSS component
A subordinate unit of a writer. , See writer.

682 Glossary
W
Windows disaster recovery
Bare metal recovery of a host. NetWorker provides an automated bare metal recovery solution for Windows.

writer
Database, system service, or application code that works with VSS to provide metadata about what to back up and how to
handle VSS components and applications during backup and restore. , See VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service).

Glossary 683