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Product: NetBackup System Administrator's Help  

Method 3: Automatic Failover to Alternate Server

NetBackup allows the administrator to configure automatic restore failover to an alternate server, if the original server is temporarily inaccessible. Once configured, this method does not require administrator intervention.

Some examples of when to use this method are:

  • Two or more servers are sharing a robot and each has connected drives. When a restore is requested, one of the servers is temporarily inaccessible.
  • Two or more servers have standalone drives of the same type. When a restore is requested, one of the servers is temporarily inaccessible.

In these instances, inaccessible means that the connection between bprd on the master server and bptm on the original server (through bpcd) fails. Possible reasons for the failure are:

  • Original server is down.
  • Original server is up but bpcd on that server is not responding (for example, if the connection is refused or access is denied).
  • Original server is up and bpcd is ok but bptm is having problems (for example, if vmd is down or bptm cannot find the required tape).
    • Note   Note    The failover uses only failover hosts that are listed in the NetBackup configuration (see the following procedure). By default, no servers are listed so NetBackup does not perform the automatic failover.

To enable the automatic failover to an alternate server:

  1. Modify the NetBackup configuration on the master server:
    On a UNIX NetBackup server:
    As root user, add the following entry to the /usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file:

        FAILOVER_RESTORE_MEDIA_SERVERS = failed_host host1 host2 ... hostN
    where:
    failed_host is the server that is not operational.
    host1 ... hostN are the servers that provide failover capabilities.
    On a Windows NetBackup server, this is specified through the NetBackup Administration interface on the master server.
    When automatic failover is necessary for a given server, NetBackup searches through the relevant FAILOVER_RESTORE_MEDIA_SERVERS list from left to right to determine the first server eligible to perform the restore.
    Note   Note    There can be multiple FAILOVER_RESTORE_MEDIA_SERVERS entries and each entry can have multiple servers. However, a NetBackup server can be a failed_host in only one entry.
  2. Stop and restart the NetBackup Request daemon on the master server.
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Product: NetBackup System Administrator's Help  
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