Redirected Restore Examples

This section provides examples of configuring NetBackup to allow clients to restore files that were backed up by other clients. These example methods can be required when a client connects through a gateway or has multiple Ethernet connections. In all cases, the client you are restoring to must have an image-catalog directory on the master server in

or be a member of an existing NetBackup policy.

In the following examples:

• restore_to_client is the client that is requesting the restore.
• backed_up_client is the client that created the backups that the requesting client wants to restore.

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  Note    You must be a root user for any of the steps that must be performed on the NetBackup server. You may also have to be a root user to make the changes on the client.

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Example 1

Assume you must restore files to restore_to_client that were backed up from backed_up_client. The restore_to_client and backed_up_client names are those specified by the NetBackup client name setting on the clients.

In the nominal case, follow these steps to perform the restore:

1. Log in as root on the NetBackup server and either:
   • Edit /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/restore_to_client so it includes the name of backed_up_client. Or,
   • Run the touch command on the following file:

   /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/No.Restrictions 

2. Log in on restore_to_client and change the NetBackup client name on the client to backed_up_client.
3. Restore the file.
4. Undo the changes made on the server and client.

Example 2

This example explains how the altnames file can provide restore capabilities to clients that do not use their own host name when connecting to the NetBackup server.

By default, the NetBackup client name of the requesting client must match the peer name used in the connection to the NetBackup server. When the NetBackup client name is the host name for the client and matches the peer name (normal case), this requirement is met.

However, problems arise when clients connect to multiple Ethernets or connect to the NetBackup server through a gateway. Consider the configuration in the following figure:

Example Restore from Token Ring Client

In this example network, restore requests coming from clients alf, cheech, and chong are routed through the TCP gateway. Because the gateway uses its own peer name rather than the client host names for connection to the NetBackup server, NetBackup refuses the requests. This means that clients cannot restore even their own files.

To correct this situation proceed as follows:

1. Determine the peer name of the gateway:
   1. Attempt a restore from the client in question. In this example, the request fails with an error message similar to the following:

   client is not validated to use the server

   2. Examine the NetBackup problems report and identify the peer name used on the request. Entries in the report will be similar to:

   01/29/03 08:25:03 bpserver - request from invalid

   server or client bilbo.dvlp.null.com

   In this example, the peer name is bilbo.dvlp.null.com.

2. After determining the peer name, create the following file on the NetBackup master server:
      /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/peername

   In our example, the file is:

   
      /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/bilbo.dvlp.null.com
3. Edit the peername file to include the desired client names.

   For example, if you leave the file /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/bilbo.dvlp.null.com empty, clients alf, cheech, and chong can all access the backups corresponding to their NetBackup client name setting. See Allowing a Single Client to Perform Redirected Restores.

   If you add the names cheech and chong to the file, you give these two clients access to NetBackup file restores, but exclude alf. See Allowing a Single Client to Perform Redirected Restores.

   Note that this example requires no changes on the clients.

4. Restore the files.

Example 3

If you cannot restore files with a redirected client restore using the altnames file, perform troubleshooting using the following steps:

1. On the NetBackup master server, add the VERBOSE entry to the bp.conf file.
2. Create the debug log directory for bprd by running:
      mkdir /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bprd
3. On the NetBackup server, stop the NetBackup request daemon, bprd, and restart it in verbose mode by running:
      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bprdreq -terminate
      /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bprd -verbose

   This ensures that bprd logs information regarding client requests.

4. On restore_to_client, attempt the file restore.
5. On the NetBackup server, identify the peer-name connection used by restore_to_client.

   Examine the failure as logged in the All Log Entries report or examine the bprd debug log:

   
      /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bprd/log.date

   to identify the failing name combination.

6. Perform one of the following on the NetBackup server:
   • Enter the following commands

   mkdir -p /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames

   touch /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/No.Restrictions

   This lets any restore_to_client access any backed_up_client backups by changing its NetBackup client name setting to specify the backed_up_client client.

   • Run the touch command on the /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/peername file. This lets restore_to_client access any backed_up_client backups by changing its NetBackup client name setting to specify the backed_up_client client.
   • Add the backed_up_client name to the /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/peername file. This lets restore_to_client access only the backups created on backed_up_client.
7. On restore_to_client, change the NetBackup client name setting in the user interface to match what is specified on backed_up_client.
8. Restore the files from restore_to_client.
9. Perform the following:
   • Delete the VERBOSE entry from the /usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file on the master server.
   • Delete /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bprd and its contents.
10. To undo the changes:
    • Delete /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/peer.or.hostname (if you created it)
    • Delete /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/No.Restrictions (if you created it)
    • On restore_to_client, restore the NetBackup client name setting to its original value.