Skip Headers
Oracle® Secure Backup Installation Guide
Release 10.1

Part Number B14235-05
Go to Documentation Home
Home
Go to Book List
Book List
Go to Table of Contents
Contents
Go to Index
Index
Go to Master Index
Master Index
Go to Feedback page
Contact Us

Go to previous page
Previous
Go to next page
Next
View PDF

3 Configuring a Domain and Devices on Windows

This chapter describes configuring libraries and tape drives for use by Oracle Secure Backup and setting up an administrative domain.

Note:

The configuration tasks described in this chapter are to be performed after the installation process described in Chapter 2, "Installing Oracle Secure Backup on Windows" is complete. These configuration tasks are not required as part of the initial installation process, but may be required to make use of the software.

This chapter covers the following topics:

3.1 Configuring Libraries and Tape Drives on Windows: Overview

This section assumes that your Windows system uses libraries and tape drives that need to be configured for use with Oracle Secure Backup. This section describes how to perform the following tasks:

  1. Establish your administrative domain so that media servers can be associated with their attached devices.

    "Configuring an Administrative Domain on Windows: Overview" describes how to perform this task.

  2. Assign user-defined names to your devices (optional).

    "Assigning Oracle Secure Backup Device Names on Windows" describes how to perform this task.

  3. Inventory your devices.

    "Taking Inventory of Tape Devices on Windows" describes how to perform this task.

  4. Configure Network Attached Storage (NAS) tape drives and libraries, if any.

    "Configuring NAS Libraries and Tape Drives on Windows" describes how to perform this task.

Before proceeding to these tasks, review the conceptual information in the following sections:

3.1.1 About Oracle Secure Backup Logical Unit Numbers

In addition to obtaining SCSI device information, each tape drive or tape library is assigned an Oracle Secure Backup logical unit number during the configuration process. This number, which must be between 0 and 31, is used to generate unique device names during device configuration. On Windows, Oracle Secure Backup logical unit numbers are assigned by the Oracle Secure Backup device driver. Values for devices of each type (library or tape drive) are assigned sequentially, starting from 0, and this number is used as part of the device name. Tape libraries are thus named obl0, obl1, obl2 and so on. Tape drives are named similarly, obt0, obt1, obt2 and so on.

Note:

  • The Oracle Secure Backup logical unit number should not be confused with the SCSI logical unit number (SCSI LUN). The SCSI LUN is part of the hardware address of the device, while the Oracle Secure Backup logical unit number is part of the device special file name.

  • In the device name for tape libraries, the character l is a lower-case L, not a number 1.

3.1.2 About Fibre Channel Shared Devices

Unlike SCSI, which is a host-centric protocol, Fibre Channel is a storage architecture alternative in which tape libraries and tape drives are typically shared among multiple Oracle Secure Backup media servers. A Fibre Channel-attached tape drive or library often has multiple attachments, one for each host that can directly access it. You can use the chdev command in obtool to attach the same device to multiple hosts on a network.

Oracle Secure Backup can automatically arbitrate usage of shared devices so that no two users attempt to access a device independently of one another.

You configure Fibre Channel devices on Oracle Secure Backup in the same way that you configure SCSI and NAS devices.

See Also:

Oracle Secure Backup Reference to learn more about the chdev command

3.2 Configuring an Administrative Domain on Windows: Overview

After Oracle Secure Backup has been installed on all the hosts in your network, you can use Oracle Secure Backup to configure your administrative domain. This involves configuring all media servers, client hosts, and NAS filers.

Use the --access ob option with the mkhost command to configure an Oracle Secure Backup host. The administrative server is configured by default during the installation process.

Note:

In the following example, assume that you have an administrative server/media server called BELLA, a media server called storabck05, and a client host called dlsun1976.

To configure an administrative domain:

  1. Log on to Windows as the Administrator user or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.

  2. To open Oracle Secure Backup, click the Start button and select Programs, Oracle Secure Backup, and Oracle Secure Backup Command Line Interface.

    The ob> prompt displays.

  3. Include a media server in your administrative domain. Specify options for access type, role, and IP address. For example:

    ob> mkhost --access ob --role mediaserver --ip 133.2.22.59 storabck05
    
    
  4. Include a client host in your administrative domain. Specify options for access type, role, and IP address. For example:

    ob> mkhost --access ob --role client --ip 143.15.235.140 dlsun1976
    
    
  5. List the names and attributes of all the hosts in your administrative domain. For example:

    ob> lshost
    BELLA            admin,mediaserver,client          (via OB)   in service
    dlsun1976          client                            (via OB)   in service
    storabck05       mediaserver                       (via OB)   in service
    
    

Note:

You can also configure your administrative domain—or perform any of the other procedures in this chapter—with the Oracle Secure Backup Web tool. See the Oracle Secure Backup Administrator's Guide for more information.

3.2.1 Configuring NAS Filers

You can configure NAS filers as members of the administrative domain. Use the --access ndmp option with the mkhost command to configure an NAS filer. Under NAS, storage devices are made LAN-addressable, freeing stored data from a direct attachment to a specific locale.

The administrative server communicates with and manages NAS filers, which do not have Oracle Secure Backup installed, over Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP). NDMP defines a standard TCP/IP-based protocol for backing up and restoring data on heterogeneous networks, regardless of operating system or platform. NDMP minimizes demands on network resources, enables local backups and restores to tape, and allows for centralized management and control.

Note:

In the following example, assume you have an administrative server/media server called BELLA and an NAS filer called mynasfiler5.

To configure an NAS filer:

  1. Log on to Windows as the Administrator user or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.

  2. To open Oracle Secure Backup, click the Start button and select Programs, Oracle Secure Backup, and Oracle Secure Backup Command Line Interface.

    The ob> prompt displays.

  3. Include an NAS filer in your administrative domain. Specify options for access type, role, IP address, and NDMP password. For example:

    ob> mkhost --access ndmp --role mediaserver --ip 138.1.14.128 --ndmppass mypassword
    mynasfiler5
    

    Note:

    Oracle Secure Backup typically provides a default NDMP password for configuration of NAS filers. Alternatively, you can set the password as the --ndmppass option of the mkhost command.
  4. List the names and attributes of all the hosts in your administrative domain. For example:

    ob> lshost
    BELLA            admin,mediaserver,client          (via OB)   in service
    dlsun1976          client                            (via OB)   in service
    mynasfiler5      mediaserver                       (via NDMP) in service
    storabck05       mediaserver                       (via OB)   in service
    

3.3 Assigning Oracle Secure Backup Device Names on Windows

After you have established your administrative domain, you can configure any attached libraries and tape drives. Oracle Secure Backup supports both SCSI and Fibre Channel-connected devices, as well as NAS libraries and tape drives. Names for Oracle Secure Backup devices are user-defined.

In the following example, assume you have a combined administrative server and media server called BELLA with an attached library named obl0 and tape drive named obt0. The example uses obtool commands for device configuration, although you can also use the Oracle Secure Backup Web tool or Oracle Enterprise Manager to assign Oracle Secure Backup device names.

Note:

Disable any system software that scans and opens arbitrary SCSI targets before configuring Oracle Secure Backup tape devices. If Oracle Secure Backup has to contend with other system software (such as monitoring software) for access to tape libraries and drives, then unexpected behavior can result.
  1. If you are already logged on to Oracle Secure Backup, skip to Step 3.

    Otherwise, log on to Windows as the Administrator user or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.

  2. To open Oracle Secure Backup, click the Start button and select Programs, Oracle Secure Backup, and Oracle Secure Backup Command Line Interface.

    The ob> prompt displays.

  3. Create an Oracle Secure Backup device object and assign it a user-defined name for the tape library. Specify options for the device type and media server. The following example assigns the name tc-lib to tape library obl0:

    ob> mkdev --type library --attach BELLA://./obl0 tc-lib
    
    
  4. Create an Oracle Secure Backup device object and assign it a user-defined name for the tape drive. The following example assigns the name tc-tape to tape drive obt0:

    ob> mkdev --type tape --library tc-lib --dte 1 --attach BELLA://./obt0 tc-tape
    
    

    Note:

    Oracle Secure Backup identifies each tape drive within a library by its data transfer element (DTE) number. You must specify a dte if library is specified. DTEs are numbered 1 through n.
  5. Check configuration information for both devices. For example:

    ob> lsdev -l
    
    

    In this example, the command displays the following output:

    tc-lib:
        Device type:            library
        Model:                  [none]
        In service:             yes
        Debug mode:             no
        Barcode reader:         default (hardware-selected)
        Barcodes required:      no
        Auto clean:             no
        Clean interval:         (not set)
        Clean using emptiest:   no
        UUID:                   ca196e5e-af6d-4978-9172-3dadb5d50ec7
        Attachment 1:
            Host:               BELLA
            Raw device:         //./obl0
    tc-tape:
        Device type:            tape
        Model:                  [none]
        In service:             yes
        Library:                tc-lib
        DTE:                    1
        Automount:              yes
        Error rate:             8
        Query frequency:        1207KB (1236976 bytes) (from driver)
        Debug mode:             no
        Blocking factor:        (default)
        Max blocking factor:    (default)
        Current tape:           2
        Use list:               all
        Drive usage:            none
        Cleaning required:      no
        UUID:                   d367a0dd-549c-4b99-9557-d9fc16d9d2c5
        Attachment 1:
            Host:               BELLA
            Raw device:         //./obt0
    

Note:

Device special files for tape libraries are named obln by default, where n is a number (the Oracle Secure Backup logical unit number, which on Windows is assigned automatically by the Oracle Secure Backup Windows device driver). For example, in the preceding output, the name of the device special file for the tape library (the value for the Raw device) is //./obl0. Note that the third character in the device special file name is a lower-case letter L, not the number 1.

3.4 Taking Inventory of Tape Devices on Windows

Now that your devices are configured, use Oracle Secure Backup to take inventory of the volumes in your tape library.

  1. If you are already logged on to Oracle Secure Backup, skip to Step 3.

  2. To open Oracle Secure Backup, click the Start button and select Programs, Oracle Secure Backup, and Oracle Secure Backup Command Line Interface.

    The ob> prompt displays.

  3. Specify the name of the library of which you are taking inventory. For example:

    ob> inventory -L tc-lib
    
    

    You can obtain library names by running the lsdev command.

  4. List all the volumes in the library. For example:

    ob> lsvol -L tc-lib
    
    

    In this example, the command displays the following output:

    Inventory of library tc-lib:
        in    3:             barcode 00000153
        in    4:             barcode 00000154
        in    5:             barcode 000005
        in    6:             barcode 00000151
        in    7:             barcode 00000134
        in    8:             barcode 00000133
        in    9:             barcode 00000131
        in    10:            barcode 00000130
        in    11:            barcode 00000129
        in    12:            barcode 00000128
        in    15:            occupied
        in    dte:           barcode 00000152, lastse 2
    

3.5 Configuring NAS Libraries and Tape Drives on Windows

This section explains how to configure the libraries and tape drives attached to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) filer so that Oracle Secure Backup can communicate with the filer and back up files on the filer to a tape drive.

Libraries and tape devices attached to NAS filers are automatically configured by the operating system on which the NAS device runs. Both SCSI device and Fibre Channel configurations occur automatically.

Libraries and tape drives must still be made accessible to the Oracle Secure Backup software. You accomplish this task by performing device discovery on each of the NAS filers in the administrative domain.

Note:

An administrative server can use an NAS filer with attached devices as a media server.

3.5.1 Making NAS Device Names Accessible to Oracle Secure Backup

Oracle Secure Backup can detect devices attached to NAS filers that are part of an administrative domain and, based on this information, automatically update the domain's device configuration.

To discover NAS device names and make them accessible to Oracle Secure Backup, complete the following steps:

  1. If you are already logged on to Oracle Secure Backup, skip to Step 3.

    Otherwise, log on to Windows as the Administrator user or as a user that is a member of the Administrators group.

  2. To open Oracle Secure Backup, click the Start button and select Programs, Oracle Secure Backup, and Oracle Secure Backup Command Line Interface.

    The ob> prompt displays.

  3. Detect changes in device configuration and update the administrative domain for a media server called mynasfiler5, which was configured previously using mkhost. See "Configuring NAS Filers" for more information.

    ob> discoverdev --verbose --host mynasfiler5
    
    

    In this example, the command displays the following output:

    Info: beginning device discovery for mynasfiler5.
    Info: connecting to mynasfiler5
    
    Info: devices found on mynasfiler5:
       Info: ATL     1500            ...
          Info: mc3  attrs= [none]
             Info: WWN: [none]
             Info: SN:  PMC13A0007
       Info: Quantum SDLT220...
          Info: nrst7a  attrs= norewind raw
             Info: WWN: [none]
             Info: SN:  CXB45H1313
       Info: Quantum SDLT220...
          Info: nrst8a  attrs= norewind raw
             Info: WWN: [none]
             Info: SN:  PKB51H0286
     
       mynasfiler5_mc3  (new library)
          WWN: [none]
          new attach-point on mynasfiler5, rawname mc3
     
       mynasfiler5_nrst7a  (new drive)
          WWN: [none]
          new attach-point on mynasfiler5, rawname nrst7a
     
       mynasfiler5_nrst8a  (new drive)
          WWN: [none]
          new attach-point on mynasfiler5, rawname nrst8a
    
    

    Note:

    By convention, NAS library names are characterized by mc and NAS tape drives are characterized by nrst.
  4. List summary device information. For example:

    ob> lsdev
    
    

    obtool displays output similar to the following:

    library    mynasfiler5_mc3      not in service
    drive      mynasfiler5_nrst7a   not in service
    drive      mynasfiler5_nrst8a   not in service
    library    tc-lib               in service
      drive 1  tc-tape              in service
    
    

    Unless you change a device's default policy value, every newly discovered device is by default placed in the not in service state.

    Note:

    The device names assigned automatically by Oracle Secure Backup are predicated on library and tape drive names reported by the NAS device. These names tend to be long and unwieldy. Consider renaming NAS library and tape drives to more concise names. The long names are used in this example.
  5. Specify the name of the library in which the first tape drive resides. For example:

    ob> chdev --library mynasfiler5_mc3 --dte 1 mynasfiler5_nrst7a
    
    
  6. Specify the name of the library in which the second tape drive resides. For example:

    ob> chdev --library mynasfiler5_mc3 --dte 2 mynasfiler5_nrst8a
    
    
  7. Notice that none of the devices are in service. Put the library and tape drives in service. For example:

    ob> chdev --inservice mynasfiler5_mc3 mynasfiler5_nrst7a mynasfiler5_nrst8a
    
    
  8. List the library and devices now in service. For example:

    ob> lsdev mynasfiler5_mc3
    
    

    In this example, the command displays the following output:

    library    mynasfiler5_mc3      in service
      drive 1  mynasfiler5_nrst7a   in service
      drive 2  mynasfiler5_nrst8a   in service
    
    

    You may choose to take another inventory of your system at this point. For instructions, see "Taking Inventory of Tape Devices on Windows".