NMM V/s. NM for SQL

Hi,

Looking forward, look to use NMM - especially with the recent mods which include additional functionality for Sharepoint.



HtH

IKP

Hi Anuj,

Please see my KB article on http://powerlink.emc.com for detailed comparison of the two modules.

http://solutions.emc.com/emcsolutionview.asp?id=esg102969

Regards,

I don't see any document here on this Link

Anuj,


I concur, the document is not available via the posted link.


IKP

Strange, it works for me

Link does not work...

Ah well, as expected tables didn't turned out good... not sure if HTML tags are supported by forum so I won't try to post source... but I guess it should be pretty obvious what it says anyway.

Sir, you are great. Can you paste it here for us or mail it @ anuj@ace-data.com.

Well, it contains table so I have no idea how this will look like, but I will try. Since status is Approved I see no reason why that should not work for you guys...

Goal: When should you use NMM vs. Application specific Modules?

The EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications delivers a unified solution for protection of Microsoft Server applications. It enables EMC NetWorker to leverage Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) feature to create and manage consistent point-in-time snapshot data copies for quick recovery and off-host backup for a number of Microsoft applications.
See http://one.emc.com/clearspace/docs/DOC-9886 for the list of supported applications.
With existing modules continuing to be available and being updated, it is often difficult to understand what to advise to your customers. Clearly the more recent Microsoft applications are geared towards the VSS framework for backup and recovery. This is anticipated to be the main or only supported solution for certain applications such as SharePoint and so this may make the choice easier. However it is not quite as simple for all applications, at least not yet. In order to make this clear we will deal with each of the main applications in turn and identify the reasons for choosing the appropriate module. Before this we also need to mention the age and version of the host OS and the application. The VSS framework was first introduced with Windows XP and Windows 2003, therefore applications (and OS versions) that are older than this will not know of or be able to use VSS and so the NMM module will not be an option. If your customer is using the latest version of the application and is running on a later OS, then the choice between NMM and other modules will depend on individual circumstances and requirements.

We will start with the more common and traditional modules, the NME (Exchange) and NMSQL (SQL). Both of these modules leveraged a application specific interface, this interface was part of the product that the customer installed and was often the only method of taking an online backup of the data in a consistent and recoverable state. In both of these applications we need to compare the features and options available to this existing interface with the features that are available using VSS.

NMM (VSS) / NME Support Comparison

NME NMM
Applications Exchange Server 2007 v v
Exchange Server 2003 v v
Exchange 2000 v X
Interface Exchange Interface ESE/MAPI VSS
Topologies Traditional LAN v v
Off-host via Proxy Node X v
LAN-free via Proxy Node X v
E2K7 CCR Passive Node Backups X v
Persistent Snapshots X v
Backup Support Storage Group v v
Databases v n/a
Mailboxes / Public Folders v n/a
Ad-Hoc Backups v X
Backup Types Full v v
Copy v X
Incremental (log) v NMM 2.2
Differential v NMM 2.2
Recovery Support Storage Group v v
Database v v
Mailboxes v v
Mailbox Data v v
Recovery Types Point-in-Time v v
Roll-Forward Recovery v v
Snapshot Recoveries X v
Snapshot Rollbacks X v
Recovery to Exchange RSG E2K7/E2K3 E2K7
Exchange RSG Mailbox Browsing E2K3 NMM 2.2
Recovery to Alternate Server v NMM 2.2

In the case of Exchange the table helps to illustrate the differences between these two methods. Here you can see that in most cases NMM and VSS matches the functionality that NME and the MAPI interface offers. In some cases it can provide additional features, however there are still a few areas where NME can still offer additional functionality. However you can also see that these are expected to be included in the next significant release of NMM. Support for the next version of Exchange will only be available in NMM for example. With Exchange 2007, NMM should be the default solution due to the support for the VSS, persistent Exchange snapshots, proxy node backups (off-host & lan-free) and Exchange CCR passive node backups. NME should be recommended only if customers require incremental backups, directed recoveries or Exchange 2000 backup, although NMM will add incremental backup and directed recovery support in version 2.2.

In the case of SQL the choice is not so clear. The original application interface that is used by SQL is called VDI. This interface has a number of features that are specific to VDI and are not available through the SQL / VSS interface. As NMM relies on VSS to secure the backup, it is unable to access these features until they become available via the VSS framework. This highlights another point that also needs to be understood when using NMM. The NMM module is a Microsoft compliant module and as such needs to match the supported configurations and limitations that Microsoft supports. We are therefore restricted to those configurations and features and can only support new features or functionality when Microsoft add or extend these features
The NMSQL still has a number of the features that are commonly used by customers. These features are not available via the VSS framework and so cannot be currently supported using NMM. Unlike the Exchange and SharePoint applications, the Microsoft development team for SQL does not have a firm commitment to make all the VDI features to VSS, at least not in the near future. As a result of this we may consider adding some VDI functionality into a future NMM release. So today, if your customer wants to use the features that are available via VDI, such as Full Recovery Mode or Bulk Logging, then NMSQL is the preferred NetWorker Module. If they are using Simple Recovery Mode, then NMM would be recommended, especially as the NMM SQL feature set grows.

NMM (VSS) / NMSQL Support Comparison

NMSQL NMM SQL VSS
Applications SQL Server 2008 X86/X64/IA64 NMM 2.2 X86/X64
SQL Server 2005 X86/X64/IA64 X86/X64 X86/X64
SQL 2000 X86/IA64 No Support X86
SQL 7 X86 No Support Note 1
Interface SQL Interface VDI VSS
Topologies Traditional LAN v v v
Off-host via Proxy Node v v v
LAN-free via Proxy Node v v v
Backup Support Databases v v v
File Group v VDI Only Note 1
File v VDI Only Note 1
Backup Types Full v v v
Incremental (log) v X Note 1
Differential v X v
Recovery Types Normal (Database level only) v v v
Copy (Directed Recovery) v X v
Verify Only v VDI Only Note 1
Piecemeal (SQL 2005) v VDI Only Note 1
Partial (SQL 2000) v VDI Only Note 1
Database State Normal v v v
at Recovery No Recovery v X v
Standby v X
Log Recovery Full v v v
Any PIT v X Note 2
Logmark v X Note 2
Directed Recovery Same Server/SQL Instance v v v
Same Server/Different SQL Instance v X v
Different Server v X v
Restore with Move v X v
Restore with Rename (Copy) v X v

Note 1: Not Supported by SQL VSS Writer
Note 2: You can apply log restores via VDI after you have restored the database via VSS
Note 3: NMM22 Features to include restore of log backups

The table shows the current features that are supported with both NMM and NMSQL modules as well as any additional comments. The NMM support for SQL Server will grow in future releases as it becomes the primary NetWorker Module for all Windows Server workloads, including SQL Server.
As far as SharePoint is concerned, this benefits from the fact that it does not share the same history as Exchange or SQL. The SharePoint application is a recently developed product and was therefore developed with VSS in mind. As a result Microsoft mandates the use of VSS for SharePoint 2007 backup and recovery. There was no legacy interface, as the previous backup and recovery methods involved multiple backup solutions including a separate SQL backup. This is what the EBMS module provided. However this involved considerable knowledge of the SharePoint configuration and would require manual reconfiguration to ensure that any changes in SharePoint where correctly captured. All of the features provided in EBMS are now part of NMM (Including Granular Backup). The additional functionality provided by VSS together with the backing of Microsoft means that the NMM module is the only real choice for securing SharePoint 2007.

The same is true of Microsoft's (DPM) data protection manager and Hyper-V, virtualization software. Both of these products were developed with VSS and use VSS techniques or components as part of their normal operation. The use of NMM with either of these applications is the only alternative to provide extended protection and additional functionality. DPM is able to protect Windows data without issue, however DPM is limited when it comes to creating further copies over distance or when tape copies are required. NMM can be used directly with Hyper-V or via DPM to provide further protection in these areas. This can make a lot of sense to existing NetWorker customers or customers that already have a large heterogeneous environment.

As for other applications where NMM can provide benefits, these will once again depend on the versions that are used. The current Windows 2007 and Vista operating systems rely on VSS to protect their services, items such as Active directory services and also benefit with the use of NMM (including AD DR protection and AD granular recovery). If you simply want to use VSS to capture system state information or to secure non application based files, then this can be achieved without the use of NMM. The NetWorker client incorporated the basic VSS functionality in version 7.4.4 for the basic protection of system state and windows 2003/2007 open files. This only requires a standard client license connection, but of course does not provide any application support. This same integrated client code is also inside NMM and so it is able to for fill both roles, but with an additional licence cost.

As our customers update and move forward with their Microsoft business applications, NMM will become the choice to secure their data in a quick and fully supported fashion. With new Operating systems and updates to a number of applications due in the next 6-12 months, VSS and NMM will become a fast moving and increasingly important product for both EMC and our customers.

Thanks a ton friend

It seems to say its not much good now but you don't have any choice next year!

Hi,

It seems to me that the original question has been answered by the document - "Which of these is better to backup SQL Server? We are planning backup of Sharepoint server using SQL databases" - Sharepoint backup should be via NMM.

IKP

We have a smaller Sharepoint installation we backup by savepnpc - stop SQL backup flat files then restart backups. But our larger installation is backed up using NMM