VERITAS VERTEX Initiative

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1 VERITAS VERTEX Initiative Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative? A1. The VERITAS VERTEX Initiative is a set of NetBackup solutions from VERITAS that will deliver alternate backup methods developed around the methodology of frozen image, or snapshot backups. This approach to backup and recovery represents the future of data protection. The ultimate goal of this set of solutions is to make backup windows irrelevant and make recovery windows a fraction of what they are today. Q2. What is a frozen image or snapshot? A2. Frozen image or snapshot can be broadly characterized as any technology that presents a consistent point-in-time view of changing data. Frozen images or snapshot can be produced by hardware and software implementations. Software Most software implementations use a technique known as Copy-on-Write (CoW) to produce a point-in-time data copy. Examples of this would be VERITAS FlashBackup and VERITAS File System (VxFS) Storage Checkpoints (used with the VERITAS NetBackup for Oracle Advanced BLI Agent). Hardware Most hardware implementations create a second copy (or more) of data. This process is called mirroring as the data is an exact copy of the data that already exists on the disk. Examples of this would be solutions such as EMC s Timefinder and HP s Business Copy XP. Frozen image is fundamental to any type of storage network-based backup operation. One of the key design goals behind the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative is to allow both non-veritas and VERITAS frozen image or snapshot methods to be integrated quickly. This gives NetBackup a unique advantage: flexibility and integration. Q3. What VERITAS products are part of the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative? A3. In phase 1, the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative (announced at VERITAS VISION 2000) solutions set will include the following: Hardware Snapshot Products VERITAS NetBackup for EMC Symmetrix Integration with TimeFinder VERITAS NetBackup for HP XP 256 Integration with Business Copy XP Software Snapshot Products VERITAS NetBackup FlashBackup VERITAS NetBackup for Oracle Advanced BLI Agent SAN Snapshot Products NEW! VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent (NetBackup 4.0V) snapshot combined with server free backup directly from disk to tape. Copyright 2000 VERITAS Software. All rights reserved. VERITAS, VERITAS SOFTWARE, the VERITAS logo, Business Without Interruption, VERITAS, The Data Availability Company, VERITAS NetBackup, VERITAS File System, VERITAS NetBackup FlashBackup, VERITAS Volume Manager, and VERITAS SANPoint Control are trademarks or registered trademarks of VERITAS Software Corporation in the US and/or other countries. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

2 In phase 2, the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative (to be announced in the second half of 2001) solutions set will be expanded to include the following: Hardware Snapshot Products VERITAS NetBackup support for EMC, Sun, HP, Compaq, HDS, and IBM solutions Software Snapshot Products VERITAS NetBackup for Oracle Advanced BLI Agent - 2nd Generation NetBackup support for snapshot functionality in Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange (API level integration) SAN Snapshot Products More support for 3PC engines, applications, and platforms Q4. Does this mean these products need to be used together? A4. While VERITAS is currently developing integration points between several of the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative products, each product can exist separately and provide breakthrough functionality to environments struggling to meet their backup windows. For example, FlashBackup can be used in Solaris or HP-UX environments to provide a huge improvement in backup performance to environments with millions of small files by significantly reducing the performance impact caused by standard backup methods. On the restore side, FlashBackup can restore individual files rather than restoring entire data volumes. Q5. Who needs VERITAS VERTEX Initiative solutions? A5. Enterprise clients with applications that cannot tolerate any backup overhead (e.g., within the Oracle instance) and cannot tolerate downtime for backups can benefit from any of the solutions in the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative product set. These solutions are alternatives to traditional backup and recovery techniques. Q6. When will the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative solutions set be available? A6. All the products in phase 1 of the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative are currently available with the exception of the NetBackup 4.0V and the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent. This solution is currently in beta and will be ready for release in January of Phase 2 of the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative will be available on a controlled release schedule in January of Q7. Are there any hardware restrictions with any of the products in the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative solutions set? A7. All libraries and disk arrays supported by NetBackup today will be supported by VERITAS VERTEX Initiative Solutions Set. Q8. What release of Oracle do I need to have to run with VERITAS Oracle solutions under the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative? A8. Oracle 8i Q9. What databases will be supported besides Oracle? A9. Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange are the next planned databases to be added to the VERITAS VERTEX Initiative product set. Many other popular databases on the market currently do not have the ability to quiesce themselves in order for a snapshot to be taken. Once a database vendor supports snapshot, then VERITAS NetBackup can back it that databases data.

3 VERITAS NetBackup 4.0V and the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent Q10. What is VERITAS NetBackup 4.0V? A10. NetBackup 4.0V is a new NetBackup release for Solaris only. This release will support the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent, a solution that allows backup data to move from disk directly to tape in a SAN environment. This process happens without the involvement of an application or database server. VERITAS calls this process server free backup. Q11. What is server free backup? A11. Server free backup is a term used to describe the process of moving the I/O overhead associated with backing up data away from a production database or application server and onto either another server dedicated to perform backup, or an intelligent SAN device. Using a dedicated server, such as a NetBackup media server, as a data mover is called an off-host backup. Additionally, copy managers are also referred to as third-party copy engines. The backup application instructs the data-mover about what blocks to move, using the SCSI Third-Party Copy or Extended Copy protocol, and the data-mover does the bulk of the work. CPU cycle use and I/O on the server are drastically reduced. This increases data throughput, reduces time required for backup, and frees the server for other tasks. The primary objective of server free and off-host backup is to eliminate the performance overhead caused by copying data from disk to tape media, resulting in better system performance and availability. Q12. What specific components do I need to run NetBackup 4.0V and the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent? A12. Users must have Solaris 2.6, 2.7, or 2.8. The environment must include a NetBackup server and a NetBackup client (the client could be the media server itself). Optionally, the VERITAS File System 3.4 or VERITAS Volume Manager 3.1 to run those native snapshot features. A supported third-party copy engine. Q13. What Frozen Image or Snapshots will be supported by the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent? A13. In its initial release, the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent will support the following frozen image or snapshot methods: VERITAS NetBackup FlashBackup (Driver Only, which comes native with the product) VERITAS Volume Manager 3.1 Snapshots VERITAS File System 3.4 Snapshots known as Storage Checkpoints The NetBackup Flashbackup snapshot driver (not the entire product) will be included with the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent. Users must have the VERITAS File System and Volume Manger running in order to use those snapshot techniques. Q14. Who needs server free backup? A14. Enterprise clients with applications that cannot tolerate any backup overhead (e.g., within the Oracle instance) and cannot tolerate downtime for backups will benefit from VERITAS NetBackup 4.0v and the VERITAS ServerFree Agent.

4 Q15. What are the key benefits of server free backup? A15. The key benefits of a server free backup are: Reduced I/O and CPU on the server Improved backup and restore performance SAN Investment Leverage Q16. How does the restore process work with the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent? A16. The restore operation is not performed to the frozen image. A restore is conducted in traditional restore sense. The data is read from tape and written directly to the target device. If there is no tape unit connected to the production host then the restore will be performed across the LAN. Q17. What data movement methods will the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent support? A17. The VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent has two data movement methods: Method 1 Currently known as Media Server Copy (MSC). MSC uses all the capabilities of the standard NetBackup Media server. MSC allows data mappings to be sent over the LAN while the actual data path uses fibre channel. The net result is that the overhead related to I/O processing is relegated off of the production server to a dedicated backup server. Method 2 True Third Part Copy (3PC). 3PC utilizes the SCSI Extended Copy (XCOPY) protocol that is typically seen today embedded in to SCSI to fibre channel bridges. In a similar fashion to MSC, 3PC allows the I/O processing to be relegated away from the production host to a dedicated SAN hardware device. Q18. Why use media server copy or true 3PC copy? A18. Media Server Copy supports all of the functions supported by a standard NetBackup media server. For example, Multiplexing and Checkpoint Restart. These functions are not possible when using True 3PC. Q19. What other operating systems are planned besides Solaris? A19. Windows 2000 and HP-UX are in development with NetBackup 4.1. Other platforms will be supported based on market demand. Q20. Will the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent include support for VERITAS SAN Management tools like VERITAS SANPoint Control? A20. The process of supporting NetBackup with other VERITAS SAN Management tools is scheduled for the second half of Q21. Do I need the VERITAS File System to run the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent? A21. No, neither the VERITAS File System or the Volume Manager are required. The primary advantage provided by having either the file system or volume manager is that frozen images need to be mapped only one time. Q22. What kind of safeguard exists to guarantee data integrity? A22. The key to data integrity with this backup solution is accurate data mapping. Through integration with the file system, VERITAS is able to guarantee that specific data is backed up and recovered. The accuracy of mapping is paramount to achieving reliable off-host backup. File and volume information needs to de-composed to physically disk locations. This means that a backup and recovery solution must be able to accurately map through the file system and volume manager to get the low level physical information. Any mapping implementation must be able to compensate for logical re-organization (such as file system or volume reorganization, and degraded RAID 5) in order to guarantee that data is correctly mapped and the right data is being backed up.

5 Q23. What standards does the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent use given that there are no real SAN standards? A23. The VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent supports the SCSI Extended Copy Command, a SNIA defined protocol that has been sent to the ANSI T-10 Standards board for approval. All the major storage vendors have embraced this command. The original SCSI XCOPY specification resulted from work done within the Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA) working groups ( and is currently under consideration by the ANSI T10 committee for formal standardization. Q24. Will we see the SCSI Extended Copy Command functionality be embedded into other SAN devices? A24. VERITAS supports the SCSI Extended Copy Command in either supported FC/SCSI devices or in a NetBackup media server. In the future, VERITAS will be able to take advantage of SCSI Extended Copy Command engines that reside in other SAN hardware devices like tape libraries or fibre channel switches. Q25. What FC/SCSI devices will VERITAS support in the initial release of VERITAS NetBackup 4.0V and the VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent A25. Initially, VERITAS will support FC/SCSI devices from Chaparral, Pathlight, and Crossroads. Q26. Do I need to connect both my disk and tape to one of the FC/SCSI devices? A26. No. Only the tape unit has to reside on the data mover. This means that initially most tape units used will be SCSI. Expect to see this change as the XCOPY service is moved to switches, intelligent hubs and native fibre tape units. You will also see Third Party Copy or XCOPY appliances emerging from the current SCSI/Fibre bridge providers. Q27. Does this new backup method need extra catalog space to store SCSI extended information? A27. There is no requirement for SCSI extended information to be saved. The only difference between a traditional backup and a MSC or 3PC backup is the changed blocks that must be saved. This does add entries to the catalogs for files that have additional blocks that must be saved. Q28. Do other vendors offer server free or serverless backups? A28. Other vendors are claiming to have off-host or server free backup techniques. However, all have incomplete, compromised solutions that do not begin to address the issues (i.e., Consistent mapping and selectivity of frozen image) that VERITAS NetBackup ServerFree Agent does today.

6 Glossary Mirroring: is a capability where every write to a volume is reflected identically in a primary volume and a secondary volume. Generally, most logical volume managers provide mirroring capabilities that include configuring a mirror (in or out), splitting a mirror and syncing a mirror back to the original image. Mirroring capabilities differ from vendor to vendor in the efficiency of their resyncing operations, the number of possible mirrors or the naming of split mirrors. Splitting a mirror in preparation for backup involves first notifying applications that a backup is imminent, giving them a chance to halt I/O and synchronize operations. Once quiesce is complete, the mirror split can occur and the application can be resumed. At this point, the mirror can be backed up. Mirroring is considered a resource intensive operation because each mirror consumes as much space as the primary image. FC/SCSI device: a storage device that converts Fibre Channel into SCSI. These devices are mostly used with tape libraries, but can also be used with legacy disk products that have SCSI attachments. Copy-on-Write (CoW): a snapshot technique that provides a frozen image of a file system by injecting a driver into the software management stack. As with mirroring, a signal is sent to the application requesting synchronization and quiesce. After applications are quieted, a signal is sent to the file system to activate the snapshot driver. After activating the driver, applications are allowed to continue. While active, the snapshot driver traps all writes to the protected file system. Before allowing any writes, the snapshot driver copies the contents of all blocks affected by the write request to a cache and marks in a bitmap that the blocks have been rewritten. All writes after the first are allowed to complete because the initial contents of the blocks have been recorded in cache. SCSI Extended Copy Command (XCOPY): The SCSI Extended Copy Command or XCOPY is a block-oriented command that can cause device-to-device data movement. Storage Area Network (SAN): A dedicated, high speed network that generally uses fibre channel to connect servers and storage devices. Third Party Copy (3PC):. The copying of data from an inexpensive hardware device rather than on an application host. The major idea for this process came from efforts seeking to offload work that is considered an unnecessary burden to application platforms.