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Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

 
Cliff Brayshaw
New Member

Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

Hello all,

I'm looking for a solution for backing up SAN based data hosted on a RedHat server. The data will be copied within an EMC DMX using timefinder commands. We then want to mount the filesytems on to a proxy server which is connected to a tape library and back it up. The proxy server runs HP-UX 11i v2.3 and currently backs up data from a number of HP-UX servers.

My question is, is there a volume manger / filesystem type for RedHat that will allow me to do this?

Thanks in advance,
Cliff.
8 REPLIES 8
Steven E. Protter
Exalted Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

Shalom Cliff,

RH has several share formats that might permit remote file system mount for backup purposes.

Samba

smb.conf is where you configure the shares.

/etc/init.d/smb start

cifs client for HP-UX must be installed to have the mount work.

NFS

/etc/exports is where you configure the shares.

There are others.

Direct access to the SAN disks, might interfere with the operation of whatever application is using the LUNs. Without more detail on use, I can not recommend that course of action.

SEP
Steven E Protter
Owner of ISN Corporation
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TwoProc
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

I've used NFS for this - but - "fast" it ain't.

Is there no RH client software available for your backup software?
We are the people our parents warned us about --Jimmy Buffett
dirk dierickx
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

if you use VXVM you should be able to mount the volumes across platforms.

otherwise i don't see a way of this happening. the only thing you could do is perhaps take a raw disk backup. never tested this, though.
Cliff Brayshaw
New Member

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

Sorry I should have mentioned that what I will be backing up to tape are mirrors of the production data that have been split at a given point in time. I definately want to avoid any network backups.

What I'm also trying to avoid is the need to purchase another proxy server that runs RH so I was wondering if there was a compatible Volume Manager that would allow me to mount RH volumes on an HP-UX server.

Thanks again,
Cliff.
TwoProc
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

Dirk,

Your comment about the file systems working across platforms may not be correct. I'm not saying it isn't correct, I'm just saying it may be due to the fact that the file systems on HPUX are all big-endian and the file systems on contemporary Intel (not Itanium) are all little-endian chips, and therefore file systems as well.

It could be that with vxvm will handle this, but I don't think it will.

However Cliff, even if it does work, unless you've purchased Veritas Volume Manager already. You're definitely not going to save the cost of a server here. You'd spend far less money buying a server and putting RH5 on it than purchasing Veritas Vol Mgr. Although if VxVM does work, it would probably perform much better than NFS.

Which brings up a thought... WHY, oh WHY are *they* (IBM, HP, Dell) selling storage systems right now that are really just big Linux NFS servers. That can't be good!
We are the people our parents warned us about --Jimmy Buffett
chris huys_4
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

Hi,

Actually from vxvm/vxfs 4.0 onwards, and with formatting the vxvm luns as cds luns, which is the default from vxvm 4.0 onwards, it should be possible to "import" filesystems from UNIX to linux and probably also vice versa.

Check the following symantec whitepaper, for more info.

http://eval.veritas.com/mktginfo/products/White_Papers/Storage_Server_Management/sf_pdc_white_paper.pdf

And the following example.

solaris#umount /vol01
solaris#fscdsconv -f recov.out /dev/vx/rdsk/datadg/vol01
solaris#vxdg deport datadg

linux#vxdg import datadg
linux#fsck -F vxfs /dev/vx/rdsk/datadg/vol01
linux#mount -t vxfs /dev/vx/dsk/datadg/vol01 /vol01

NOTE: its the fscdsconv command which will convert the big endian solaris vxfs filesystem into a little endian linux vxfs filesystem that then can be imported on linux..

Greetz,
Chris
dirk dierickx
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

the question was about mounting, and vxvm/fs can do that. that doesn't mean you'll be able to use the data, but that was not the part of the question ;)
Alzhy
Honored Contributor

Re: Mounting RedHat volumes on a server running HP-UX 11i v2.3

"The data will be copied within an EMC DMX using timefinder commands" -- does this mean your RHEL Server's Data are on EMC disks and you will perform some sort of a HW snapshot/BCV and mount hat snapshot on to a "proxy" which happens to be your Backup/Tape Library server so it can be pushed to tape at native SAN speed?

I think your answer is yes. And it is "
normal" practice if you've deep pockets and client and proxy are similar platforms.

Let me find out though what Backup software you use n your HP-UX 11.23 "proxy cum backup server"?

If it is Symantec/Veritas NetBackup -- why not just employ SSO (so your Tape Librarie's tape drives -- assuming they're SAN'able - can be presented on the RHEL server?). I think the same facility exisits for the other EBUs like Data Protector, Simpana, Legato Networker, TSM.. etc.

Doing so -- you can even employ LVM snapshots on your RHEL server to get a freeze on what you want to backup locally.

VxVM CDS/VxFS is not applicable here if BCV is involved.

Hakuna Matata.