Backup mtree on data domain?

If I understand correctly, you wish to use Avamar to write data from your Records Management software to Data Domain, correct?  Is this DD already integrated with Avamar?  If so, Avamar has created its own mtree.  You can DD replication to copy this mtree to another DD and you can also use DD snapshots on this mtree.  Note, however, that Avamar will be able to manage the snapshot process - you'll need to do this from the DD CLI or Web GUI.

Let us know if that helps!

Karl

they way i understand is that you are writing to an mtree either via CIFS or NFS and trying to protect that via Avamar ?  Assumption is that you are using Avamar internal storage or what's the point to back it to DD again via Avamar ? If you have a system with Avamar agent, you could mount CIFS/NFS connection from DD and back it up with Avamar agent.

Hey Karl, yes Avamar is integrated with the DD, but what you described is not what I am wanting to do.  Our Records Management software has a plug-in to use a Data Dmain as a location, via an mtree and share we create for this purpose, to shirt archive data off to and be able to take advantage of the deduplication the DD provides instead of utilizing storage space on the SAN, etc.  We will also configure the mtree to replicate the data to a DD at our DR site.

I want to be able to backup the mtree for the Records Management archive data to protect against data corruption and longer (export to tape) of the data.  Yes the Records Management software has policies in place for the life of the data but if the archive data get's corrupted somehow the DD will just replicate that same corruption from PD > DR.  So I want to be able to backup the data via Avamar.

I was looking to see if I am able to backup the data via Avamar.  I didn't know if I was able to possibly configure NDMP or would I have to rely just on DD snapshots.

Hope I explained things better and not made things confusing any more

dynamo, correct.  I am writing to an mtree via cifs and I want to backup that cifs/mtree via Avamar. Avamar is using the DD as a storage location but the reason why I want to backup the cifs/mtree is to protect against data corruption and long term archival off to tape.  If we don't have backup copies then if some sort of data corruption happens then we would not be able to recover.  With replication, if something happens to the data then that same corruption or whatever will just be replicated to our DR DD as well.

I forgot about configuring a system with an Avamar agent to backup a UNC path -  I am already doing that with something else.  The only thing is backing up this way is it's not my most preferred method simply because of having to remember to go back to that system the backup was performed through to do any restores or management.  But if this is what I have to do to get what I want then this will have to be it - if no other option.

I was looking to see if anyone else knew backing up an mtree/cifs share on a DD via Avamar was available or had any other ideas such as yours.

thanks!

i can't think of any other options, you don't typically backup your backup.

dynamox, let me try explaining a different way because I am not wanting to backing up a backup.

We have a server (vm) that is hosting our records management software, several actually but there is only one in question with what I am referencing.  The portion of the Records Management software that holds the actual data saves the data to disk, for instance right now on the vm it is the F: drive - which is housed on our SAN.  You can then specify in the software if you want data that is ever so old to be moved to a different location.  A different location could be a different drive on the vm, or in our case we are going to place the data on a cifs share on the Data Domain.  We are going to use the Data Domain simply because of the de-duplication the Data Domain offers and not take up more disk space like the data would if it were on the SAN without de-dupe.

this isn't really to much different than my NAS cifs servers on the SAN except that the Data Domain, as far as I can tell and why I am asking this question, does not have a way to backup that cifs share for the records archived data.  the only difference is with my file shares hosted on the NAS, I am able to use NDMP to backup my fileshare data.

Yes there is DD replication that we will be configuring but if something were to happen to the data I could potentially loose all of the data because I don't have a backup of that data - if corruption or whatever was bad enough.  Hence again as to why I am asking if anyone know of a way to backup data that is house on a data domain - completely outside of Avamar.  I am asking if anyone knows of a way with Avamar simply because Avamar is our backup software and if I were able to backup via Avamar then it would be easier to manage rather than having a backup done one way for server(s) X and then via Avamar for server(s) Y.

I don't think Data Domain is the right tool for this job. Data Domain isn't designed to be backed up. I would think SAN-level de-dupe on lower-tier storage would be a better option.

I agree.  You might consider a product like ATMOS or ECS instead.  With ATMOS, you could write the data to a tenant once, then the data is protected from corruption.  ATMOS keeps multiple replicas of the object and protects them against corruption and can reduce the number of replicas over time.

how long is your retention requirement ? Have you considered increasing retention on system created snapshots on replica mtree.