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How networker server is selected if using save without -s and leaving /nsr/res/servers as blank?
Admin guide says:
save -s jupiter C:\myfile
If you do not specify the -s option with the save command, the file(s) will be backed up to the NetWorker server defined in the /nsr/res/servers file that comes first in alphabetical order.
I have a customer asking if he does not specify the -s option and leave /nsr/res/servers empty, how will it choose networker server?
My test enviroment has only one networker server and I used save without -s. The result is: No matter whether /nsr/res/servers is empty or not (even type an un-existing host name, such as 56343, the backup could choose the right networker server and completed the backup task successfully.
But I do not have two or more networker servers in my test enviroment. I guess the result might be different for two or more networker servers. Can anyone test this for me?
Thanks in advance.
TimQuan
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June 25th, 2013 02:00
Thanks for the reply. What you said is what I have thought.
My question is: If using save without -s and leaving /nsr/res/servers empty, will one of the networker servers be randomly picked up to own this backup task? Or the backup task will fail with error messages?
TimQuan
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June 25th, 2013 02:00
Thanks.
In EMC NetWorker Administration for UNIX and Microsoft Windows.pdf, I also found this:
For scheduled backup, If the NetWorker server performing the backup is not listed in a client¡¯s servers file, the savegroup completion report may report an error of "Probe job had unrecoverable failure(s)."
Lucky85
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June 25th, 2013 02:00
NetWorker will select one randomly, but this is true only for save commands spawned from client, normally you run backup using group from backup server side… Than backup command includes server’s name.
Lukas
bingo.1
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June 25th, 2013 02:00
The servers file is a client-site specific 'positive list' - it defines to which NW server(s) request this client is allowed to listen to. So it is best practice to have at least one entry here.
If the file is empty or in case it is missing, then any other networker server (within the same subnet?) could join and potentially add this client to his data zone and steel its data.
In general, the option '-s server' is only relevant if the client can potentially see more than one server.
If the client is allowed to choose between multiple servers, he would take the very first one from the list. We suffered from that when i brought up the old backup server for test purposes and manually initiated RMAN backups suddenly failed because the backup statements did not contain a specific NW server and the clients' servers file conatined entries for both, the old and the new server.
TimQuan
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June 25th, 2013 02:00
Anyone has more thoughts, please add!
DavidHampson-rY
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June 25th, 2013 03:00
My understanding was that the Networker client would broadcast on the local subnet and backup to the first Networker server to reply (assuming one does!) so it is not entirely random.
TimQuan
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June 25th, 2013 16:00
Your understanding sounds reasonalble. And one more thing I beleive is the candidate NetWorker Servers must have the client resource.
bingo.1
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June 25th, 2013 20:00
Due to the program package modularity abd dependencies, a NW server in fact must have the NW client and the storage node packages installed. Otherwise the backup of itsself to itself (bootstrap) would not be possible.