Windows Open File Backup tab of the Client Attributes properties on UNIX/Linux

The Windows Open File Backup properties in the NetBackup Administration Console specify whether a client uses Windows Open File Backup. The properties also specify whether Volume Snapshot Provider or Volume Shadow Copy Service is used as the snapshot provider. Snapshots are a point-in-time view of a source volume. NetBackup uses snapshots to access busy or active files during a backup job. Without a snapshot provider, active files are not accessible for backup. Figure: Windows Open File Backup tab of Client Attributes dialog box

The Windows Open File Backup tab contains the following options. Table: Windows Open File Backup tab properties Property Description

Property

Description Adds NetBackup clients only if you want to change the default settings on the Windows Open File Backup tab. By default, no clients are listed in the Client Attributes dialog box. The server uses the following Windows Open File Backup defaults for all Windows clients:

Add

Windows Open File Backup is enabled on the client. Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is used for NetBackup 7.0 clients. See Backlevel and upgraded clients that use Windows Open File Backup on UNIX/Linux.

Snapshots are taken of individual drives (Individual drive snapshot) as opposed to all drives at once (Global drive snapshot). Upon error, the snapshot is terminated (Abort backup on error).

Remove

Deletes a client from the list by selecting the client and then clicking Delete. Specifies that Windows Open File Backups be used for the selected clients. Adds clients to the list only if you want to change the default property settings. This option functions independently from the Perform Snapshot backups policy option that is available when the Snapshot Client is licensed.

Enable Windows Open File Backups

If a client is included in a policy that has the Perform Snapshot backups policy option disabled and you do not want snapshots, the Enable Windows Open File Backups for this client property must be disabled as well for the client. If both options are not disabled, a snapshot is created, though that may not be the intention of the administrator. For more information, see the NetBackup Snapshot Client Administrator's Guide. Selects the snapshot provider for the selected clients:

Use Veritas Volume Snapshot Provider (VSP) This option specifies that Veritas VSP be used as the snapshot provider. VSP is required for Windows 2000 clients and can also be used on 6.x Windows 2003 clients.

Snapshot Provider

Property

Description Use Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)

This option specifies that Microsoft VSS be used to create volume snapshots of volumes and logical drives for the selected clients. In 7.0, Microsoft VSS should be selected for all Windows clients, as VSP is not available. VSS is available for all supported Windows clients, XP SP2 and later. Configure VSS through the Microsoft VSS configuration dialog boxes. For information about performing Active Directory granular restores when using VSS, see the following topic: See Active Directory host properties on UNIX/Linux. See Backlevel and upgraded clients that use Windows Open File Backup on UNIX/Linux. Selects how snapshots are made for the selected clients:

Individual drive snapshot Specifies that the snapshot should be of an individual drive (default). When this property is enabled, snapshot creation and file backup are done sequentially on a per volume basis. For example, assume that drives C and D are to be backed up. If the Individual drive snapshot property is selected, NetBackup takes a snapshot of drive C, backs it up, and discards the snapshot. It then takes a snapshot of drive D, backs it up, and discards the snapshot.

Snapshot usage

Volume snapshots are enabled on only one drive at a time, depending on which drive is to be backed up. This mode is useful when relationships do not have to be maintained between files on the different drives. Use this configuration if snapshot creation fails when all volumes for the backup are snapshot at once when the Global drive snapshot property is enabled. Individual drive snapshot is enabled by default for all nonmultistreamed backups by using the Windows Open File Backup option.

Global drive snapshot Specifies that the snapshot is of a global drive. All the volumes that require snapshots for the backup job (or stream group for multistreamed

Property

Description backups) are taken at one time. For example, assume that drives C and D are to be backed up. In this situation, NetBackup takes a snapshot of C and D. Then NetBackup backs up Cand backs up D. NetBackup then discards the C and D snapshots. This property maintains file consistency between files in different volumes. The backup uses the same snapshot that is taken at a point in time for all volumes in the backup. Note: The Individual drive snapshot property and the Global drive snapshot property only apply to non-multistreamed backups that use Windows Open File Backup. All multistreamed backup jobs share the same volumes snapshots for the volumes in the multistreamed policy. The volume snapshots are taken in a global fashion. Selects the processing instructions that NetBackup should follow if it encounters an error during processing:

Abort backup on error Specifies that a backup aborts if it fails for a snapshot-related issue after the snapshot is created and while the backup is using the snapshot to back up open or active files on the file system. The most common reason for a problem after the snapshot is created and is in use by a backup, is that the cache storage is full. If the Abort backup on error property is checked (default), the backup job aborts with a snapshot error status if the backup detects a snapshot issue. This property does not apply to successful snapshot creation. The backup job continues regardless of whether a snapshot was successfully created for the backup job. The Abort backup on error property applies only to the snapshot errors that occur after the snapshot is successfully created and is in use by a backup job.

Snapshot error control

Disable snapshot and continue Specifies that if the snapshot becomes invalid during a backup, the

Property

Description volume snapshots for the backup are destroyed. The backup continues with Windows open file backups disabled. Regarding the file that had a problem during a backup - it may be that the file was not backed up by the backup job. The file may not be able to be restored. Note: Volume snapshots typically become invalid during the course of a backup because insufficient cache storage was allocated for the volume snapshot. Reconfigure the cache storage configuration of the Windows Open File Backup snapshot provider to a configuration that best suits your client's installation.