Data Domain: DDBoostFS Plug-In Application Validation and Best Practices for Commvault Simpana v10 or v11

Setup BoostFS

Mount the BoostFS file system on the media agent (Linux box).

Example: opt/emc/boostfs/bin/boostfs mount -d <ddr_hostname> -s <storage_unit> /mnt/bfs_mp/

Initiating a backup

Perform these three steps:

1. Set up a disk library to a BoostFS mount point
2. Set up a Storage Policy
3. Set up a subclient

Setting up a disk library

In the Simpana CommCell Console, create a disk library.

1. Under Storage Resources > Libraries, right-click Libraries > Add > Disk Library
2. Choose a library name, the media agent on which BoostFS was mounted, and the Disk Device is the location of the BoostFS mount point on the media agent.

Set up a storage policy

1. Under Policies, right-click Storage Policies > New Storage Policy
2. Choose the BoostFS disk library that is being used
3. Choose the media agent where BoostFS is mounted

The number of streams here has no significance as far as BoostFS streams are concerned. Leave it as default.

4. Under the New Storage Policy created, right-click Primary (Snap) > Properties
5. Under the Advanced tab, clear the Enabled software compression on clients checkbox to disable Commvault compression as a best practice when using with BoostFS
6. Set up a sub-client to choose which data for backup
7. Set the Client Computers from where the backups should be done (in this example the client and the media agent are the same machine)
8. Choose the File System, right-click defaultBackupSet > All Tasks > New Subclient. This leads to the Subclient Properties window, you can also create new backup sets if needed. (The Commvault Admin should know how to do this.)
9. Under the General tab, choose a name for this sub-client. A sub-client specifies what data on the clients should be backed up.
10. Under the Content tab, choose the files or directories to be backed up.
11. Under the Data Storage Policy, under Storage Device tab, choose the Storage Policy for this backup as the appropriate BoostFS storage policy. 

12. Under the Data Transfer Option, under Storage Device tab, choose Off for software compression.

13. After choosing all the configuration options under all specified tabs, click OK 

Performance: Commvault Simpana

The following chart shows the write and read performance for this application with BoostFS compared to the same workload over NFS. The percentages represent the amount of incremental performance measured in our labs for this use case, write figures are based on multiple databased backups (0-3) with a change rate of 10%.
 

Best Practices Commvault Simpana

1. Disable software compression and encryption for better data deduplication
2. Enable multiple streams for greater throughput, up to 63 streams per BoostFS

How to turn off Compression In Commvault.

1. Primary Global > Storage Policy Copy properties > Advanced > Disable 
2. Subclient Properties of default > Storage Device > Data Transfer Option >Software Compression > Disable

How to turn off Encryption in Commvault

1. Subclient Properties > Storage Device > Encryption > set to None

Extra settings to check 

1. Primary Global > Storage Policy Copy properties > Data Paths > Data Path Properties > Block Size (should be set to 512KB)

June 2023 
Commvault joined the Dell Data Domain Boost SDK program, and we have been working on developing an integration between the products. After completing the testing and validation with Dell, Commvault released the first version of this integration known as the Data Domain Boost Access library in May (for CPR2023 - FR30). This release focuses on security (no network shares or mount points), speed (more optimized than using BoostFS), and reliability (better handling of connection limits).

This release is targeted towards customers that are using the Commvault data format (our deduplication and compression). In this scenario, you can convert to this new Boost Access library if you are using network shares or BoostFS today. When we apply our deduplication and compression (but not encryption), writing to the DD in this way offers a balanced outcome. These methods improve performance by avoiding a huge amount of read or rehydration of the jobs from the Data Domain to the MA and back to the Data Domain. In DASH Full, we avoid the rehydration, and we rewrite the new full with metadata deduped references. Overall, we write and read approximately 90% less data into the DD thus many of the volume load issues are relieved.

Some best practices for using Commvault with Dell Data Domain Boost Access library

• Turn Commvault compression and deduplication on. 
•  Do not use Commvault Encryption on the data written to the Data Domain. 
• Use the encryption on the Dell device side but this is going to come with a performance impact. 
• Set the value of the "Do not Deduplicate against objects older than n days option to 30 days."
• Use a 512KB block size which is optimal for a second copy to cloud (and the same as what the integration defaults to) 
• Windows MAs are supported (although the Dell SDK is a little faster on Linux)
• The SDK supports more threads (512 vs 256), and integration has internal handling to not go over the limit.

Links to Commvault documents:

• Creating Data Domain Boost Storage
• Data Domain Boost Storage Library
• Converting Data Domain Disk Library to Data Domain Boost Access
• Best Practices for Data Domain Boost Access

• Data Domain: DD Boost Best Practices for Commvault v11
• Data Domain: Commvault Configure Data Domain Boost on Disk Libraries using Dell Data Domain
• Dell PowerProtect DD Series Appliances with Commvault
• Deployment and configuration of Dell DD Boost - File System (BoostFS) for Windows and Linux application hosts white paper
• Data Domain: How to troubleshoot BoostFS Installation, configuration and mount issues
• BoostFS Drivers & Downloads
• BoostFS Configuration Guides  
• eLAB Compatibility Guide for Simpana