PowerScale OneFS API Reference

NDMP backup and recovery

In OneFS, you can back up and recover file-system data through the Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP). From a backup server, you can direct backup and recovery processes between a cluster and backup devices such as tape devices, media servers, and virtual tape libraries (VTLs).

OneFS supports both three-way and two-way NDMP backup models.

Two-way NDMP backup is faster than the three-way NDMP backup. It is also the most efficient method in terms of cluster resource consumption. However, a two-way NDMP backup requires that you attach one or more Backup Accelerator nodes to the cluster.

In both the two-way and three-way NDMP backup models, file history data is transferred from the cluster to the backup server. Before a backup begins, OneFS creates a snapshot of the targeted directory, then backs up the snapshot, which ensures that the backup image represents a specific point in time.

You do not must activate a SnapshotIQ license on the cluster to perform NDMP backups. If you have activated a SnapshotIQ license on the cluster, you can generate a snapshot through the SnapshotIQ tool, and then back up the same snapshot. If you back up a SnapshotIQ snapshot, OneFS does not create another snapshot for the backup.

You can also back up WORM domains through NDMP.