Performance Tuning of NetBackup in UNIX platform

Here is some information on undocumented features for setting the Network Buffer Size, Data
Buffer Size, and Number of Data Buffers used by NetBackup (tm) on UNIX platforms

1. TCP/IP Network Buffer Size.

/usr/openv/netbackup/NET_BUFFER_SZ is a file containing a number indicating the TCP/IP
socket buffer size that should be used for data transfers between the NetBackup media server and
its clients. If the file does not exist, the default value used is 32032 bytes.
The default value can be changed by creating the file /usr/openv/netbackup/NET_BUFFER_SZ
on the NetBackup media server and client systems.
The /usr/openv/netbackup/NET_BUFFER_SZ file is a text file containing a single line
specifying the value of the Network Buffer Size in bytes in decimal format.
For example, a Network Buffer Size of 64KB could be configured and checked like this:
# echo "65536" > /usr/openv/netbackup/NET_BUFFER_SZ
# cat /usr/openv/netbackup/NET_BUFFER_SZ
65536
#
Specifying a larger value in the NET_BUFFER_SZ file may improve the performance of
backups and restores. It is recommended that if NET_BUFFER_SZ is used, the same value
should be set on all the NetBackup media servers and clients
2. Data Buffer Size and Number of Data Buffers
The NetBackup media server uses shared memory to buffer data between the network and the
tape drive (or between the disk and the tape drive if the NetBackup media server and client are
the same system). By default, NetBackup uses a default value of 8 x 32KB shared memory
buffers for non-multiplexed backups and 4 x 64KB for a multiplexed backup.
These buffers can be configured by creating the files
/usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS and
/usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS on the NetBackup media server.
These parameters are meant exclusively for media servers, and should not be used on a pure
master server or client.
The SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS file should contain a single line specifying the data buffer size in
bytes in decimal format.
The NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS file should contain a single line specifying the number of
data buffers in decimal format.
The value in the SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS file has to be a multiple of 1024B.
It is common to increase SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS to 256KB and NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS
to 16.
IMPORTANT: Because the data buffer size equals the tape I/O size, the value specified in
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS must not exceed the maximum tape I/O size supported by the tape
drive or operating system. This is usually 256 KB or 128 KB.
In order to configure NetBackup to use 16 x 256 KB data buffers, specify 262144 (256 x 1024)
in SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS and 16 in NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS:
# echo "262144" > /usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS
# echo "16" > /usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS
# cat /usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS
262144
# cat /usr/openv/netbackup/db/config/NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS
16
#

How to configure buffers for NetBackup in a Windows NT/2000

environment to improve performance
For most configurations, the default NetBackup buffer settings are correct and there is no need to
adjust them for the purpose of performance. Furthermore, there are factors outside of NetBackup
which effect performance and should be reviewed. Some of these external factors include Host
Bus Adapter (HBA) cards, SCSI cards, network interface card (NIC) settings, client disk I/O
speed, network latency, and tape drive I/O. All of these should be reviewed to determine their
respective impact on backup and restore speeds prior to any attempts to tune NetBackup.

On a Windows server, four different buffer settings can be modified to enhance backup
performance. Those settings are:
• NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS: The number of buffers used by NetBackup to
buffer data prior to sending it to the tape drives. The default value is 16.
• SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS: The size of each buffer setup multiplied by the
NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS value. The default value is 65536.
• NET_BUFFER_SZ: The network receive buffer on the media server. It receives
data from the client. The default value is 256K.
• Buffer_size: The size of each data package sent from the client to the media
server. The default value is 32K.

Overview:
When a backup is initiated, the client packages data of the amount specified by the Buffer_size
value, and transfers the information to the media server, which in turn, buffers that data in the
NET_BUFFER_SZ. When the NET_BUFFER_SZ is full, it transfers data to the array of space
created by a combination of NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS and SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS. As
soon as at least one of the SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS is full, assuming the drive is ready to write,
the information is written to the tape drive.

Conclusion: The bptm process is waiting to receive data from the client many thousands of
times more then the client is waiting on the bptm process. The bottleneck here is on the client.
Increasing SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS or NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS will not improve
performance. Finding out why the client is slow to pass data to the media server, is the key.
Investigate disk read performance and network throughput performance.
NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS
To change the NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS, create the
<INSTALL_PATH\NetBackup\db\config\NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS file. It should contain
the number of buffers to be created at the start of backup. If the file is not present, the default of
16 will be used.
SIZE_DATA_BUFFERS
Remember this is the size of each buffer setup on the media server, the number of which is
defined by NUMBER_DATA_BUFFERS. Exercise caution when changing the value from the
default setting as some SCSI cards, HBA cards, and tape drives cannot transfer buffers greater
than 65536 in size. After changing this value, it is important to test both backups and restores, as
sometimes data can be written at the modified size, but can not be read at the modified size.
Please review the specifications of the HBA card, SCSI card and tape drive to confirm the value
is not being exceeded.