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Note: Where necessary, all references to the NetBackup 6.0 Installations Guides are intentional. These guides
contain steps that are the same for upgrades to NetBackup 6.5.
■ Verify that the volumes on your disk staging storage unit (DSSU) have more than 1% of available disk space.
VERITAS
Upgrades to 6.5.x require that certain files get duplicated. If a DSSU volume has less than 1% of available disk
space, errors can occur.
This section contains critical information to help you prepare your NetBackup environment before you begin the
upgrade process. Symantec strongly recommends that you review and follow the information outlined in these
sections to help ensure a successful upgrade.
Note: Depending on the size of your environment, these steps can take an extended amount of time. Symantec
recommends that you schedule these steps well in advance of your upgrade date.
■ “Verifying servers”
■ “Verifying network infrastructure”
■ Hostname/DNS resolution and Routing/Connectivity
■ Network Address Translation (NAT)
■ “Verifying the integrity of NetBackup 5.x catalogs”
■ “Verifying NetBackup 5.x on UNIX clusters”
Verifying servers
■ Ensure that the servers list defined on the master server does not contain any media servers that are not valid.
The NetBackup 6.5 installation requires that the nbpushdata command be run after servers are upgraded. This
command gathers media and device configuration information from each server. If any invalid server names are
listed, it can cause errors during the upgrade.
■ For UNIX systems, verify each SERVER and MEDIA_SERVER entry in the
/usr/openv/netbackup/bp.conf file lists a host name that is valid and accessible.
■ For Windows systems, launch the NetBackup Administration Console and go to Host Properties > Master
Servers. Open the Properties for the master server and go to the Servers section and verify each host name
listed is valid and accessible.
■ To understand how NetBackup 6.5 uses SERVER and MEDIA_SERVER entries, see the following TechNote:
http://entsupport.symantec.com/docs/293038
■ Ensure that there are no non-active media servers assigned to any storage units. Review the output of the
bpstulist command to make sure all media servers assigned to the storage unit are valid and accessible. Any
storage units that are no longer valid must be removed.
■ For UNIX systems, run the following command:
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd/bpstulist -U
■ For Windows systems, run the following command:
<install_path>\netbackup\bin\admincmd\bpstulist -U
Note: If AppareNet is used, it is recommended that this step be done with help from Symantec Enterprise
Technical Services. The AppareNet software can be downloaded from the following URL:
http://www.apparentnetworks.com/sas/300/
Note: Beginning with NetBackup 6.5, Veritas Security Services and its associated acronym (VxSS) are replaced
by Symantec Product Authentication and Authorization.
■ Check to see if the Shared Storage Option (SSO) will be used for drive sharing between NetBackup 6.x and
NetBackup 5.x media servers. It is important to note that in NetBackup 6.x, the EMM server is responsible for
granting a SSO resource. In NetBackup 5.x, the media server itself is responsible for SSO tape drive selection.
This can lead to slower drive selection performance in larger environments. Refer to “Phased upgrade” on
page 19 and TechNote 282271.
■ During the upgrade, all valid NetBackup Master and Media servers must be online.
■ For clustered systems, ensure that your cluster is configured correctly before you upgrade to 6.5. For complete
details, refer to TechNote 285699: Checklist and general information for upgrading a clustered environment
from NetBackup 5.x to NetBackup 6.x.
■ The CLIENT_NAME entry in each host’s bp.conf file or registry should match its respective host name.
NetBackup uses a string compare to resolve host names prior to using DNS to resolve host name.
For media servers, the client name must match the SERVER= or the MEDIA_SERVER= entry on the media
server. Otherwise, some services on the media server will not start.
Warning: Repair any inconsistencies discovered with NBCC before continuing with your upgrade. Failure to complete
this step may result in a failed upgrade.
Repairing inconsistencies must be done with help from Symantec Enterprise Technical Services. This can be a
time-consuming process; however, it is strongly recommended that you perform this prior to attempting an
upgrade.
The time needed to analyze the NetBackup Catalog Check output and fix any inconsistencies cannot be predicted.
Therefore, Symantec recommends that you wait until you are finished working with Symantec Support before
scheduling the upgrade.
VERITAS
Best practices
The following sequence highlights the order in which you should install NetBackup software when upgrading from
one version of NetBackup to another.
a Master server
b Media servers
c NetBackup Remote Administration consoles
(If supporting older releases, refer to the NetBackup 6.5 Administrator’s Guides for information on how to
implement multiple versions.)
d NetBackup clients - After you have successfully upgraded your master servers and media servers to
NetBackup 6.5, you can then upgrade your clients to NetBackup 6.5.
e Any NetBackup add-on products. The following should be considered for each add-on product:
■ When upgrading the Veritas Storage Migrator (VSM) product, you must upgrade incrementally to each
major and minor release to upgrade to 6.5. For example, systems running VSM 4.5 must first upgrade
to 5.0, then next to 5.1, then next to 6.0, and finally to 6.5. You cannot skip a version when upgrading
VSM.
■ When upgrading NetBackup Vault, you can upgrade to the same version levels as is suggested for
NetBackup.
■ When upgrading NetBackup Advanced Reporter, refer to TechNote 281578, “How to preserve
NetBackup Advanced Reporter (NBAR) data before upgrading to NetBackup 6.x” for a better
understanding of what you should do before you finish your upgrade to NetBackup 6.5.
Symantec PBX
NetBackup versions 6.0 and later require Symantec Private Branch Exchange (PBX) to operate. NetBackup versions
earlier than 6.0 did not require PBX. However, you may have other Veritas or Symantec products installed in your
current NetBackup 5.x environment that require this software. VERITAS
Windows systems
Regardless of whether PBX already exists in your current NetBackup 5.x environment, the upgrade to NetBackup
6.5.x installs or upgrades PBX automatically.
UNIX systems
If PBX is not installed in your current NetBackup 5.x environment, the upgrade to NetBackup 6.5.x automatically
prompts you to install PBX during the upgrade.
If PBX already exists in your current NetBackup 5.x environment, you may need to upgrade it before you upgrade to
NetBackup 6.5.
■ Check the installed PBX version by entering the following:
cat /opt/VRTSpbx/build_version
Take the appropriate action as follows:
■ For versions 1.2.x - 1.3.24.x, you must first upgrade PBX from the NetBackup 6.5 ICS CD or DVD before you
upgrade to NetBackup 6.5.
■ For versions 1.3.25.x or later, no PBX upgrade is required.
Note: Symantec recommends that you perform these backups onto removable media and then physically
remove the media to a secure location.
Caution: To install the 6.5.x software, you will be directed to follow specific steps in a specific section of the
NetBackup 6.0 Installation Guides. It is important that you perform only those steps in the referenced sections.
■ On UNIX systems:
Perform steps 4 - 14 as described in the section “Upgrading NetBackup Server Software” in “Chapter 3” of
the NetBackup 6.0 Installation Guide for UNIX and Linux.
Note: If you have not yet installed PBX, or have not verified the currently installed version, please do so
now. Refer to ““Symantec PBX” on page 12.
■ On Windows systems:
Start at step 3 in the appropriate NetBackup server installation or upgrade procedure as described in the
section “Installing or Upgrading NetBackup” in “Chapter 2” of the NetBackup 6.0 Installation Guide for
Windows.
Caution: For clusters, do not run the clusterconfig command during an upgrade.
Caution: Do not start any backups at this time. Your NetBackup environment is not ready to perform backup
operations until after you have completed all the steps and procedures in this document.
9 Verify that NetBackup policies are still deactivated. You can do this using the Administrator’s Console.
10 If the NetBackup storage units defined with a virtual name other than the NetBackup virtual name as described
in TechNote 276122. With NetBackup 6.0 and above, this is known as an app_cluster. The app_cluster name
must be created for each virtual application name (excluding the NetBackup virtual name).
■ Note first the path to the nbemmcmd utility:
For UNIX systems: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/admincmd
For Windows systems: <install_path>\veritas\netbackup\bin\admincmd
■ On the master server, run the following commands for each app_cluster defined:
nbemmcmd -addhost
-machinename <appcluster_name>
-machinetype app_cluster
-netbackupversion 6.5
■ For each media server in the app_cluster, run the following commands:
nbemmcmd -updatehost
-add_server_to_app_cluster
-machinename <media_server_name>
-machinetype media
-clustername <appcluster_name>
-netbackupversion 6.5
■ Finally, if the master server is also eligible to host the app_cluster storage unit, run the following
commands:
nbemmcmd -updatehost
-add_server_to_app_cluster
-machinename <master_server_name>
-machinetype master
-clustername <appcluster_name>
-netbackupversion 6.5
11 This step applies only to Windows systems with media server names that begin with an underscore (e.g.
_mediaserverA). You must complete this step before you run the nbpushdata command.
Note: If you want to simulate the pushdata commands described in Step 17, add the flag -preview to the
nbpushdata command. Simulating the command tests the network connectivity to affected media servers and logs
output to the pushdata log.
Note: For NetBackup 6.5GA, it is recommended that the pmf retry count be left at 0.
■ Tru64 Truclusters: NetBackup must first be shut down and then restarted under Trucluster control as
follows:
# /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bp.kill_all
# /usr/sbin/caa_start <netbackup profile name>
20 If performing a phased upgrade: For each NetBackup media server that remains at 5.1MP7 and that shares
drives (the NetBackup Shared Storage Option (SSO)), invoke the following command on the master server:
nbemmcmd -updatehost -scanability 0 -machinetype media -masterserver master_name -machinename
media_name
Replace master_name with the name of the master server and media_name with the name of the 5.1 media
server.
This completes the process to configure them so they are not scan hosts. For more information, see “Scan hosts
for NetBackup 5.1 media servers that share drives” on page 20.
Note: When you upgrade these servers in the future, be sure to use the nbemmcmd to set their scanability factors
to 5 (the default). If you do not do so, the servers will not function as scan hosts.
21 Upgrade the clients in your environment. Refer to, “Upgrading Clients After Servers Are Upgraded” in Chapter 3
of the NetBackup 6.0 Installation Guides.
Note: Clients that are upgraded to 6.5.x cannot be backed up using 5.x media servers.
22 Stop and then restart NetBackup services. Although the system devices now reside in the EMM database, the
devices are not recognized until NetBackup services are stopped and restarted.
■ For VCS and clustered systems, stop and restart NetBackup services as follows:
■ Stop NetBackup services.
■ Run the following command to update the ASA server name:
On UNIX systems:
/usr/openv/db/bin/nbdb_admin -vxdbms_nb_server emmservername
On Windows systems:
<install_path>\netbackup\bin\nbdb_admin -vxdbms_nb_server emmservername
■ Restart NetBackup services.
Note: With NetBackup 6.5, cold catalog backups will shut down the EMM database as any normal cold database
application allowing no connections until the backup process completes. It is recommended that you use the
HOT catalog backup option.
After upgrading
■ If you have application clusters running in your NetBackup environment, the performance could be affected. To
address any performance issues related to application clusters, refer to TechNote 285451.
■ Remember that if you are writing unified logs to a different directory other than the default, you must run the
vxlogcfg command to point the logs to the new directory after the upgrade.
Refer to TechNote 281360 for complete details.
■ Remember that when you upgrade NetBackup, the VSP cache settings for the master server are overwritten. If
you are using the VSP cache, you must reset the settings after the upgrade is finished.
■ Do not perform device discovery on NetBackup 5.1 media servers. Discovery operations may consume so much
time that the Device Configuration Wizard times out before discovery completes. If you must add devices to
NetBackup 5.1 media servers, do so manually. To add devices, you can use:
■ The NetBackup Administration Console. See "Adding a robot" and "Adding or changing a drive" in the
following:
■ NetBackup Administrator's Guide for UNIX and Linux, Volume I
■ NetBackup Administrator's Guide for Windows, Volume I
■ The tpconfig command. See:
■ NetBackup Commands for UNIX and Linux
■ NetBackup Commands for Windows
Shared drives
If you use shared drives (NetBackup Shared Storage Option), map out all of the relationships between media servers,
shared drives, and device paths so you can determine your share groups. (A share group is a group of media servers
and the drives they share.)
When you upgrade, Symantec recommends that you upgrade media servers in groups based on specific criteria, one
such criteria being media servers that share the same drives.
See “Media server upgrade groupings” on page 20.
■ Then, for the media servers than were not upgraded when you upgraded the master server, upgrade them in
groups to the same release level as your master server as described in “Media server upgrade groupings” on
page 20.
VERITAS
Upgrading in phases based on media server groups reduces the potential for problems and greatly increases the
likelihood that you can run a mixed server level environment.
Note: For performance reasons, Symantec recommends that scan hosts should be the same release level as the
master server.
For a media server share group in which all of the media servers cannot be upgraded at the same time you upgrade
your master server, do the following:
■ Upgrade at least two of them to the same release level as the master server. NetBackup assigns the default
scanability factor to them.
If the scan hosts become unavailable, the shared drives will be unavailable for use until a scan host becomes
available again. Upgrading at least two media servers in a share group provides some redundancy.
■ Configure the 5.1MP7 media servers in the share group so they are not scan hosts. You then can upgrade these
5.1MP7 media servers at some future time.
The following list identifies the NetBackup documents that you may need to reference before and during your
upgrade.
The following list describes the changes that were implemented for each revision of this document.
■ Revision A
■ Initial release
■ Revision B
■ Expanded the information about running the NBCC utility.
■ Added new appendix about phased upgrade planning.
■ Added recommendation to upgrade to NetBackup 6.5.2 or later, which was the most recent release available
when Revision B of this TechNote was published.
■ Revision C
■ Updated the URL to download the NBCC utility.
■ Revision D - March 6, 2009
■ Updated the nbemmcmd command syntax so it includes the correct option for a cluster name. See Step 10
on page 14.