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Data Protector client on Debian based systems

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If you need to install the Data Protector client software on a Debian based system, you will recognize no derivate is listed in the support matrix as supported version and the Debian Linux 6.0 (x64) and 7.0 (x64), and Ubuntu 12.x (x64) are supported only. However, if you require a disk agent installed on a Debian derivate (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_distributions), you need to implement a workaround in order to run the push installation over the Data Protector Installation Server, otherwise the installation might fail. Please note: this workaround is not supported currently by HP.

  • Install package “alien” using the command apt-get install alien
  • Install package “rpm” using the command apt-get install rpm
  • Move the rpm binary using the command mv /usr/bin/rpm /usr/bin/rpm-org
  • Create and edit the new file /usr/bin/rpm, i.e using the command vi /usr/bin/rpm
  • Content of the new file 
    #!/bin/sh 
    /usr/bin/rpm-org --force-debian $@
  • After you saved the changes made, flag the file as “executable”: chmod +x /usr/bin/rpm

Once you have implemented this workaround, you can push the disk agent using Data Protector GUI onto the new client.

Data Protector 9.02 features explained

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In December HP released the new Data Protector version 9.02. With this release additional features were implemented. Some of the new features are explained in more detail below.

New Data Protector features:

  • Pausing and Resuming Backup Jobs
  • Reporting for Capacity Based Licensing
  • VMware GRE for 3PAR Snapshots
  • StoreOnce CoFC and Federated Catalyst
  • Data Domain Replication
  • IBM Mainframe Support
  • Recent Platform changes
  • Cell Server Support for MS Failover Cluster on Windows 2012 and Windows 2012R2
  • HP Backup Navigator
  • HP DP Management Pack
  • HP DP Smart Plug-In für HP Operation Manager

Pausing and resuming backup jobs:
As part of the “Adaptive Backup and Recovery Initiative” Data Protector 9.02 now supports automated pausing and resuming of backup jobs. In case a backup starts, flagged with high prority, a backup with lower priority is paused automatically. This helps to protect your critical data with higher priority. After the job has been finished the job with the lower priority is resumed. For backups of type file system, Oracle and VMware, the backup is continued at the stage when paused. For all other backup types the whole object is restarted. The feature is supported on backup jobs only, not working for copy or replication jobs. In addition pause and resume are not available for B2D devices (StoreOnce Backup System, DD Boost, Smart Cache und Cloud).

Reporting for Capacity Based Licensing:
So far and when using the capacity based licensing model in Data Protector there was no license report available to display the usage consumed by backups. With Data Protector 9.02, now there is a calculation available to be used for capacity planning. With the command omnicc -check_licenses -detail you can report the used capacity. For the math the last successful completed backup is used. Backups with expired protection are not taken into account.

VMware GRE for 3PAR Snapshots:
With the feature “Granular Recovery Extension” – GRE – for 3PAR snapshots a fast solution to recover single items from VMware backup is implemented. This is working with the use of the vCenter plug-in and the zero downtime backup integration (ZDB) for the backup of virtual machines. GRE can be used for incremental, differential and full backups in CBT or non-CBT mode.

StoreOnce CoFC and Federated Catalyst:
With the introduction of StoreOnce firmware 3.12, the features from the release are supported in Data Protector 9.02. With CoFC it becomes possible to use Catalyst over Fibre Channel for backups and restores on all models with FC support and firmware 3.12 installed. CoFC was first introduced for StoreOnce 6X00 systems and now made available to single node systems too. With Federated Catalyst the load balancing for backups on StoreOnce 6X00 models was enhanced to include up to 8 nodes. The quota support for NAS shares and VTL (Catalyst already available in previous version) might be an interesting feature for service provider.

Data Domain Replication:
Data Domain DD Boost backup already was available in previous versions of Data Protector. With Data Protector 9.02 the replication for Data Domain appliances is now supported, the implementation is similiar to StoreOnce Catalyst replication. All Data Domain models featuring DD OS 5.4 and 5.5 are supported. For the replication Data Protector sessions can be replicated only, the replication of media or objects is not possible.

IBM Mainframe Support:
With Data Protector 9.02 the filesystem backup for IBM System z (z/OS 2.1, RHEL 6.3, SUSE 11.3 and z/VM) was introduced. This new feature allows the Open System backup for Mainframe filesystems (HFS and zFS filesystems) with less costs. Please keep in mind that a Media Agent is not available, the backup is done over network.

Recent Platform changes:
For a list of enhanced platforms in Data Protector 9.02, please refer to the “Platform and Integration Support Matrix (Platform_Integrtn_SptMtx.pdf). An Online version is available here: http://softwaresupport.hp.com.

Cell Server Support for MS Failover Cluster on Windows 2012 and Windows 2012R2:
A new feature is the support for a Cell Manager running on MS Failover Cluster on Windows 2012 or Windows 2012 R2. Please keep in mind, that the installation of a new “cluster-aware” cell server is available through installation server only. In order to run the cell server in cluster-aware mode you first need to install an installation server with Data Protector version 9.00 followed by the patch bundle 9.02. Now you can copy the depot files onto your prepared Windows 2012 or Windows 2012 R2 cluster and start the cluster-aware installation as usual. In case you want to start the installation from a network share, make sure all nodes in the cluster can access the depot files without a password prompt.

HP Backup Navigator:
Some features of HP Backup Navigator were enhanced in version 9.0. Advanced Monitoring, Reporting and Trend Analysis for virtual machines are available. In addition more predefined reports are implemented and the installation compared to version 8.XX is easier. With the new license “Backup Navigator Single Cell Manager Edition” a more attractive price for the enterprise reporting application in smaller environments was introduced as well (product number: H7U58AAE –HP Backup Navigator 1 Cell/10TB SW E-LTU).

HP DP Management Pack:
The Data Protector Management Pack for Microsoft SCOM was enhanced too. With the new version the monitoring of Data Protector environments with virtual machines becomes available.

HP DP Smart Plug-In für HP Operation Manager:
A new feature for Data Protector is the “Data Protector Smart Plug-In for HP Operation Manager”. It allows to discover and visualize Data Protector environments. In addition monitoring of availability and performance, identifying problems, displaying information and recommendations to solve problems are the main focus of the plug-in.

Five Minutes to run your Data Protector Installation Server on Linux

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In order to install the Data Protector client software on Linux based systems and on HP-UX, you need to have a server with the installation server package installed. With an installation server you are able to distribute the software onto new clients or to upgrade existing clients (push installation). I use a virtual machine with a basic installation and no graphical interface in these cases. The installation server is supported on RedHat, CentOS, Oracle Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (details and version information can be found in matrix: Platform_Integrtn_SptMtx.pdf). With the documentation below I show you how to install or upgrade the Data Protector Linux Installation Server. This includes the removal of an older major version and will not take more than five minutes in total.

Remove older Data Protector version:

cp /opt/omni/.omnirc /tmp/.omnirc.sav
rpm -qa | grep -i ob2 > /tmp/removeOB2
for PACKAGE in `cat /tmp/removeOB2`; do rpm -e $PACKAGE --nodeps --noscripts; done;
cp /etc/services /tmp/services.bak
cat /etc/services | sed -e "s/omni/\#omni/" > /tmp/services.new
cp /tmp/services.new /etc/services
rm /etc/xinetd.d/omni 
rm -r /etc/opt/omni
rm -r /opt/omni
rm -r /var/opt/omni
rm /tmp/removeOB2
rm /tmp/services.new

Comment: This is not the recommended way to uninstall Data Protector, but the fastest method. Keep in mind that Data Protector site specific patches or other hotfixes may not have been installed with the “OB2” string in the package description.

Install new Data Protector version (Installation Server only):

mkdir /dpinstall                                           (*)
mkdir /dpinstall/dp9
mkdir /dpinstall/dp9pb
copy ISO file to /dpinstall                                (**) 
copy patch bundle file to /dpinstall                       (***)
mount -o loop /dpinstall/TD586-15021.iso /dpinstall/dp9
/dpinstall/dp9/LOCAL_INSTALL/omnisetup.sh -IS
umount /dpinstall/dp9
tar -xvf DPLNXBDL_00902.tar -C /dpinstall/dp9pb/
cd /dpinstall/dp9pb
./omnisetup.sh -bundleadd b902
cd /
rm -r /dpinstall
cp /tmp/.omnirc.sav /opt/omni/.omnirc                      (****)

* or any other folder with sufficient space
** e.g. TD586-15021.iso – Data Protector 9.00 Linux – use winscp to copy the file
*** e.g. DPLNXBDL_00902.tar – Data Protector 9.02 Linux – use winscp to copy the file
**** if file exists – see remove older version of Data Protector

In the example it is assumed that a patch bundle needs to be installed in addition. If no patch bundle is available the steps 3, 5, 9, 10 and 11 are not required. After the installation it is recommend to check the content of the file .omnirc; at least the variable OB2_SSH_ENABLED=1 in file /opt/omni/.omnirc is required in order to distribute new clients using Data Protector GUI. If the file does not exist you can create it from template – cp /opt/omni/.omnirc.TMPL /opt/omni/.omnirc. If additional updates are available copy the patches onto the server and decompress using command tar. A rpm package and text file will be generated. Within the text files the command to install the patch can be found. Please keep in mind, Data Protector patches will be installed using a special order; for details see https://www.data-protector.org/wordpress/2013/06/basics-installation-order-patches/.

Register Installation Server in Data Protector Cell:

omnicc -export_is <installation server>                    (*)
omnicc -import_is <installation server>                    (**)

* This step is required only if the server was already an installation server
** Use the name of the server (FQDN) for “installation server”

If this installation server was already used in the past to install the Data Protector client software, you now can use it to upgrade your existing client using the Data Protector GUI. If this installation server is your first installation server you need to configure SSH based authentication first.

Create public/private rsa key pair:

ssh-keygen                                                 (*)
ssh <client - short name>                                  (**) 
ssh <client - FQDN name>                                   (**) 
ssh <client - IP address>                                  (**) 
Add public key                                             (***)

* Answer the questions to generate the “key pair”
** You can cancel the login once you accepted the host key for the client
*** Use ssh to login into the new client and add the public key from the installation server (cat /root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub) into the file /root/.ssh/authorized_keys

It is assumed that defaults will be used when using the command ssh-keygen. Furthermore it is assumed that all defaults were used for the SSH configuration and paths.

Data Protector Webinar – Adaptive Backup and Recovery

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On January 29th HP is holding a webinar featuring Gartner analyst Dave Russell: Adaptive Backup and Recovery.
Key topics to be discussed on 29.01.2015:

  • Key trends affecting backup and recovery requirements of a modern data center
  • Top challenges and the solutions to address these
  • Adaptive Backup and Recovery – a smarter approach to data protection from HP

The webinar starts on Thursday January 29th, at 6pm (9am PST, 6pm CET). Questions will be answered during the webinar.

All topics to be discussed can be reviewed when following the link below, this includes the registration for the webinar. Link: http://www.autonomy.com/work/events/seminars/event/live_webcast_featuring_gartner_analyst_dave_russell_adaptive_backup_and_recovery–2015-01-29–seminar.

HP is looking forward to your participation.

HP Backup Navigator and BRICK

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I often get questions whether it makes sense to use HP Backup Navigator or BRICK for monitoring and reporting of HP Data Protector environments. Many users are already familiar with the tool “Backup Related Information Collector and Keeper” and use it on a regular basis in their environment. What benefits and advantages can HP Backup Navigator offer compared with BRICK?

The most important difference is that HP Backup Navigator is an integrated web-based solution for analyzing, trending, troubleshooting and reporting on Data Protector for both physical and virtual infrastructures. BRICK statically collects information about the Data Protector environment using a command line interface and presents the information graphically.

Executive Summary: HP Backup Navigator provides a quick and easy way to implement analytics, trending and reporting for HP Data Protector backup environments. For more information, quick specs, white papers and documentation, see: http://www.hp.com/go/dataprotector and http://www.autonomy.com/adaptivebackup/backup-navigator. Additionally, HP Backup Navigator is offered with an Instant-On 60 day license, allowing customers to immediately put HP Backup Navigator into operation and evaluate its fit within the overall business assurance strategy of the organization.

In order to demonstrate the differences, the table below compares the features of both solutions.

  HP Backup Navigator BRICK
Purpose
  • Highly interactive and intuitive web-based reporting application
  • Combines strong visualization and real-time operational analytics to simplify and optimize the backup and recovery experience for HP Data Protector environments
  • Provide business assurance insight for both physical and virtual environments
  • Application to document the backup and recovery environment
  • Statically collect information on the environment
Use Case
  • HP Backup Navigator is suitable for clients with enhanced requirements for reporting
  • End-to-end insight into the physical and logical data protection infrastructure make it possible for the administrator and also a company’s executive to make smarter decisions in implementing a backup and recovery process
  • BRICK is suitable for customers who want to use a static snapshot of their environment and the generated result as system documentation
  • The tool is intended for administrators of a Data Protector environment
Intelligent Dashboards
  • Intelligent interactive dashboards
  • Multi-user; users can customize their own dashboards to filter, change and modify views
  • Dashboard reports are based on more than 75 key performance indicators of the backup and recovery process
  • 3 static dashboards (reports) included
Real-Time Predictive Analytics
  • Delivers foresight into the backup and recovery process based on trending, forecasting and modeling algorithms
  • HP Backup Navigator’s foresight algorithms reveal future performance deficiencies, capacity gaps and requirements specific to the data set characteristics, infrastructure capabilities, and organizational requirements
  • Not available
Rapid Root-Cause Analysis and Problem Solving
  • Proactively detect and address potential resource conflicts and systematic/systemic issues before they cascade into outages and data loss that negatively impact business operations
  • Evaluate data protection issues for both physical and virtual environments
  • Root cause analysis is not available
  • Can show systematic/systemic issues, but expertise from a Data Protector expert required to interprets these issues
  • Does not reveal data protection issues specific to virtual environments
Collaboration and Cross-System Support
  • Automates the report creation process, allowing them to be scheduled and shared with stakeholders within the organization, or securely isolated and made available to external customers relying on the backup and recovery service
  • The same information can be exported in a variety of formats (PDF, XLSX, CSV, DOCX, PPTX und HTML) for inclusion into other organizational systems
  • Reports are pre-canned and cannot be modified
  • Reports cannot be shared with stakeholders or isolated for external access
  • Reports cannot be converted into other formats. Results are generated as HTML only
Flexible Reporting
  • Extensible reports can be customized and tailored to match the specific needs of the operator, organization or customer
  • Flexible reports include the data protection details necessary for decision-making and taking appropriate and decisive action
  • New reports, not shipped with the solution, can be created and added easily to support unique business needs and requirements
  • Reports are pre-canned and cannot be modified
  • Pre-canned reports offer very limited customization
  • New reports are not user created and require developer support from the creator
“What-if” Scenario Evaluation
  • Get intelligent insights into current backup and recovery operations before new datasets are included into the process
  • Use insights to determine whether or not service-level agreements remain achievable, the impacts to the backup infrastructure and the best ways to balance the demands of new datasets within the existing infrastructure
  • Model and compare the impacts of using dataset reduction features (i.e. deduplication) on existing data without enabling the feature
  • Data protection scenario modeling and reports are not available
  • Statically collected information from various reports could be used for modeling, with expertise from a Data Protector expert
Automation
  • Automated data gathering for one to many backup and recovery environments
  • E-mail subscription for reports available; reports are sent automatically without user interaction required
  • Automation using “cron” or “task scheduler” is possible
  • No support for e-mail subscription for specific parts in BRICK
Number of Reports
  • > 100 predefined and customizable reports available
  • Custom reports can be easily created and integrated into the solution
  • < 20 static reports available
Multi-Cell Support
  • All reports support Multi-Cell environments
  • Not Available, limited to one Data Protector cell only
Multi-User Support
  • Support for user defined dashboards and favorites
  • HP Backup Navigator as a commercial reporting package allow multiple user roles, such as admin, management, and executive real time report access
  • Not supported and not available
Licensing
  • Capacity-based licensing model
  • Single Cell Manager Edition available
  • Evaluation with Instant-On 60 day license possible
  • No license required
Hardware / Software
  • Requires additional server (virtual or physical) and includes different components
  • One binary, no installation nor additional hardware required
Support
  • Provided by HP based on customer support agreement
  • Best effort / community based support