How to architecturally configure these components together

[Hanry Zhou]

HP MSL8096(4XLTO4 FC Drives), NetApp filer FAS3050, HP StorageWorks 32 port switch, SyncSort backup tool to backup a number of Window servers.

All data from Window servers will be first dumped to the filer, and staty there after 14 days, data will be backedup to the tape library via FC connections

My questions, in this scenario how these 4 compoents should be connected?

Should all 4 drives be connected to switch 4 switch ports individually?

should HBA port on backup server be connected to a switch port?

should FC port on the filer be connected to a switch port?

Should NetApp filer and/or the backup server have to see all 4 drives?

How zoning should be done?

Thank you very much for your inputs!

[TTr]

There are a lot of details missing here.

What backup software is driving this?

How much data?

You need a backup server to drive the backup activities and maybe

> All data from Window servers will be first dumped to the filer

How? Straight copy? Via fiber or LAN? How is the data situated, volumes (logical disks) or CIFS shares?
Where does the source data physically reside?

Volumes or CIFS shares would determine how you get the data out of the filers and to the tape library. With CIFS you can copy from the filer straight to the tape library using NDMP on the filer. With volumes, you need a server to read the filer volumes and write to the tape drives via fiber.

[Steven Clementi · Accepted solution]

"Should all 4 drives be connected to switch 4 switch ports individually?"

Yes, otherwise you will not be able to access the drive.

"should HBA port on backup server be connected to a switch port?"

Yes, otherwise you will not be able to access the drives.

"should FC port on the filer be connected to a switch port?"

Yes, otherwise you will not be able to access the storage.

"Should NetApp filer and/or the backup server have to see all 4 drives?"

If you need to backup to all 4 drives, then yes... at the very least, the backup server should see all 4 drives.

"How zoning should be done?"

Here is where it gets tricky. All zoning should be based on a single initiator/target. Depending on how much management control you want...

Scenario 1:
zone1: backup server (initiator), tape drive 1 (target)
zone2: backup server, tape drive 2
zone3: backup server, tape drive 3
zone4: backup server, tape drive 4
zone5: backup server, filer

Scenario 2:
zone1: backup server, tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4
zone2: backup server, filer


Scenario 3:
zone1: backup server, tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4, filer

Scenario1 = least amount of potential issues (best practice)
Scenario2 = "ok" compromise management nightmare vs. potential issues
Scenario3 = most amount of potential issues (bad practice)

Questions:

Will the windows servers directly dump their files to the filer? I assume that this is network based.

Does the filer have any options to do backup to tape? if so and you want to utilize, you may need additional zoning depending upon which way you go.


Steven

[Hanry Zhou]

> What backup software is driving this?
SyncSort running on Window 2003

How much data?
Not exactly sure, but let's say 10T.

You need a backup server to drive the backup activities and maybe

> All data from Window servers will be first dumped to the filer

All data from each individual server will be backedup via LAN onto the filer, and thhis process is managed by the backup software by running agent on each one of Windows. Data will be suited as volumes on the filer.

I understand volumes on the filer could be backed to the tape library. but still, please let me know all my questions.

[Hanry Zhou]

Steven,
Your answers are very much helpful, and thanks so much.

>Does the filer have any options to do backup to tape? if so and you want to utilize, you may need >additional zoning depending upon which way you go.
Yes. The filer has the option to backup to tape, and I guess, thatâ s why I need to make the filer to see all drives. Am I correct?

Then I need both the backup serer, and the filer to be able to see all drives, what addition zoning I should perform, in addition to these zonings you have just said?

[Steven Clementi]

Scenario 1:
zone1: backup server (initiator), tape drive 1 (target)
zone2: backup server, tape drive 2
zone3: backup server, tape drive 3
zone4: backup server, tape drive 4
zone5: backup server, filer
zone6: filer, tape drive 1
zone7: filer, tape drive 2
zone8: filer, tape drive 3
zone9: filer, tape drive 4

Scenario 2:
zone1: backup server, tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4
zone2: backup server, filer
zone3: filer, tape1, tape2, tape3, tape4