SAN Backup Best Practices Chuck Roman Nearline Storage Technical Advocate Hewlett-Packard 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice
Planning a Backup SAN Tradeoffs, Tradeoffs, Tradeoffs usually, Less time = more money More hosts on the SAN = faster backups More hosts on the SAN = less stability Tape-only SAN island or disk and tape SAN? Hardware support ISV support 2
Adding more hosts to the SAN Advantage: in general, a SAN-attached host backs up data faster than a LAN-attached host Disadvantage: cost each SAN-attached host requires at least one HBA, at least one switch port, and possibly additional ISV licenses Disadvantage: instability the more hosts there are in a SAN, the more likely it is that one (or more) will disrupt a backup/restore operation Recommendation: balance speed requirements with budget; configure and manage SAN to minimize instability 3
Backup SAN Plan checklist Topology map logical SAN topology and fabric interconnects Configuration layout physical layout of entire implementation Storage map how is the storage configured (RAID, device-level access controls, etc) Zoning map which nodes or ports can see each other ISV implementation plan what nodes/licenses will be needed 4
Configuring the Backup SAN Document cabling, WWNs, etc on configuration layout If using Cisco switches, use VSANs to minimize disruptions when you have to reconfigure the SAN Zone the SAN so that only necessary hosts have access to the backup devices Use device-level access controls on backup devices to further refine and limit host access Setup ISV application to protect against collisions when accessing backup devices 5
Zoning considerations Host-centric zoning Each host has a zone of its own, containing the host and all the storage devices it must access For further protection, give each host two zones: one for disk storage and one for tape storage Isolates events on the SAN, simplifying troubleshooting Storage-centric zoning Each storage device is in a zone with all of the hosts that access it OS-centric zoning Hosts running the same Operating System are grouped together in a zone with the storage they each access 6
Access Control Example W3 W1 W4 W5 W2 1 0 3 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 11 10 13 12 15 14 Robo t U1 U2 U3 U5 U4 7
HP Secure Manager ESL Basic Secure Manager Included with Command View ESL Allows all or nothing access to library components Advanced Secure Manager Additional license on top of Command View ESL Allows component-level access control Point-and-click GUI for easy configuration 8
HP Secure Manager ESL Interface Manager Automatic Mode Will not map more than two drives per FC port Maps drives based on position within library Enforces firmware and configuration rules in EBS Design Guide Interface Manager Manual Mode Needed for mixed topologies Needed for attachment to multiple fabrics Needed if your OS or ISV have special LUN mapping requirements Most effective with Advanced Secure Manager 9
Data Protector Access Control After SAN is configured, run DP Device Auto Configuration Wizard Creates lock names for library devices Requires library and tape drives to report their serial numbers Not available on all platforms Cell Manager controls access to devices based on lock names 10
Simplicity with EBS 1-2-3 The first step in implementing an EBS solution is to consult the EBS Compatibility Matrix ( go to www.hp.com/go/ebs and select EBS Compatibility matrix) This EBS design guide is the second step in implementing your Enterprise Backup Solution. This guide describes the EBS hardware configurations currently supported and how to efficiently and effectively provide shared tape library backup in a heterogeneous SAN environment (go to www.hp.com/go/ebs and select technical documentation) The third step in implementing your Enterprise Backup Solution is installing and configuring your backup application or backup software. Rules and recommendations for individual backup applications and software may be found in separate implementation guides ( go to www.hp.com/go/ebs and select technical documentation) Don t forget the HP SAN Design Guide for general SAN rules and tips (go to www.hp.com/go/san and select SAN Design Guide) 11
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