Configuring InfiniGuard with OpenStorage Technology (OST)

The OST presentation requires the Veritas NetBackup host application and the OST Plug-in client installation on the media server.  Plug-in clients are host operating system dependent and are supplied by Infinidat. To use the InfiniGuard DDE in OST mode, you must configure an OST storage server and LSUs on the DDE. You must also map the LSUs on the NetBackup Media Server so that NetBackup can perform backups and restore from them. Additionally, policies for optimized duplication (OST replication) need to be set on the NetBackup server.

This section details InfiniGuard configuration with OST and is a supplement to InfiniGuard 3.0 Configuration and Best Practice Guide for Veritas NetBackup; which details OST Plug-in Installation, Veritas NetBackup Configuration and Operations.

Configuring InfiniGuard DDEs for OST

To use the InfiniGuard DDE in OST mode, you must configure an OST storage server and LSUs on the DDE. You must also map the LSUs on the NetBackup Media Server so that NetBackup can perform backups and restore from them. Additionally, policies for optimized duplication (OST replication) need to be set on the NetBackup server.

Configuring the OST Authentication

To authenticate the OST storage servers on a media server, you must create local OST user credentials. After you create the OST user credentials, enter them in the backup application to authenticate OST devices on the media server.

To create OST user credentials:

1. Log in to the InfiniGuard management console.
2. Navigate to the Configuration > System > Manage Users page.
3. Click Add.
4. Specify the Username and New Password that will be used to authenticate the storage servers on the media server.
   Note: For username, alphanumeric characters are allowed, as well as underscores ( _ ) and hyphens ( - ). For password, alphanumeric characters are allowed, as well as the following special characters: ` ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) - _ = + [ { ] } \ | ; : ' “ , < . > / ? 
   Provide the same credentials on the media server. Do not include the domain name in the username.
5. Click Apply.
6. On the NetBackup management console, add credentials for the Storage Server, making sure to use the same OST username and password you entered on the InfiniGuard.

Configuring OST Backup and Replication Environment

The OST page allows you to configure the InfiniGuard to present its storage capacity as storage servers using OpenStorage (OST) technology. You can add one or more Logical Storage Units (LSUs) to a storage server. Storage servers and LSUs are compatible with backup applications that support OST, such as Veritas NetBackup. In addition, OST data can be duplicated (replicated) between InfiniGuard systems using NetBackup (see OST Data Replication).

To access the OST page, click the Configuration menu, and then click the OST tab.

The OST page contains the following tabs

• Configuring Storage Servers
• Configuring LSUs
• OST Configuration#Manage Remote Users
• OST Configuration#Target IP Mapping
• InfiniGuard NetBoost

Configuring Storage Servers

The Storage Servers page allows you to manage OST storage servers on the InfiniGuard DDE. You can view information about existing storage servers, add or edit storage servers, and delete storage servers.

To access the Storage Servers page, on the OST page, click the Storage Servers tab.

Storage Servers Page

Storage Server List

The Storage Server List displays the following information for all storage servers on the InfiniGuard DDE:

Adding a Storage Server

Add a storage server to present the storage capacity of the InfiniGuard as LSUs that are compatible with backup applications that support OST. You can add up to 100 storage servers. When adding a storage server, you must also add an LSU to the storage server. (For more information about LSUs, see OST Configuration#LSU)

To add a storage server:

1. Click Add.

The Add Storage Server page displays.

Add Storage Server Page

2. Under Add Storage Server, enter information about the storage server:

3. Select the check box for each optimized duplication target you want to duplicate the storage server to. When the storage server is duplicated, its data will be sent to all selected targets.

4. Under Logical Storage Unit, select the type of LSU to add to the new storage server:

5. (Optional) In the Description box, enter a brief description of the LSU.

6. (Optional) Select the Enable Automatic Image Replication check box to automatically replicate (duplicate) data on the LSU to a remote LSU on another InfiniGuard DDE.

Automatic Image Replication (AIR) is disabled by default. If enabled, data on an LSU is automatically replicated to a remote LSU that resides on a DDE in a different NetBackup domain. The timing of the duplication, as well as the backup images that are duplicated, are determined by the storage lifecycle policies (SLPs) configured in NetBackup.
OST AIR requires NetBackup 7.6 or higher.

7. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, select the replication target you want to replicate images to. (You can select only a single target.) When images are replicated, data will be sent to the selected target.

8. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, specify the following information:

9. Click Apply.

Editing a Storage Server

Edit a storage server to change the description of the storage server or the maximum number of allowed connections.

To edit a storage server:

1. Select the storage server and click Edit.

The Edit Storage Server page displays.

Edit Storage Server Page

2. Enter information about the storage server:

3. Select the check box for each optimized duplication target you want to duplicate the storage server to.

When the storage server is duplicated, its data will be sent to all selected targets.

4. Click Apply.

Deleting a Storage Server

Delete a storage server if it is no longer needed. When you delete a storage server, all data stored on the storage server is lost.

To delete a storage server:

1. Select the storage server in the Storage Server List.

You cannot delete a storage server if it has more than zero currently active connections. The number of active connections is displayed on the OST page (see OST Configuration#Storage Server List). Also, you cannot delete a storage server if it contains LSUs. Before deleting the storage server, you must first delete any LSUs it contains (see Deleting an LSU).

2. Click Delete.

Configuring LSUs - Logical Storage Units

The LSU page allows you to manage the logical storage units (LSUs) contained on OST storage servers on the InfiniGuard DDE. You can view information about existing LSUs, add or edit LSUs, and delete LSUs.

To access the LSU page, on the OST page, click the LSU tab.

LSU - Logical Storage Unit List page

Logical Storage Unit List

The Logical Storage Unit List displays the following information for all LSUs on the InfiniGuard DDE:

Adding an LSU

Add an LSU to a storage server to present the storage capacity of the InfiniGuard DDE as an LSU that is compatible with backup applications that supports OST. You can add an LSU with a specific capacity, or you can add an LSU that uses the available capacity of the DDE.

To add an LSU to a storage server:

1. Click Add.

The Add Logical Storage Unit page displays.

Add Logical Storage Unit Page

2. Enter information about the LSU.

3. (Optional) In the Description box, enter a brief description of the LSU.

4. (Optional) Select the Enable Automatic Image Replication check box to automatically replicate (duplicate) data on the LSU to a remote LSU on another InfiniGuard DDE.

Automatic Image Replication (AIR) is disabled by default. If enabled, data on an LSU is automatically replicated to a remote LSU that resides on an InfiniGuard DDE in a different NetBackup domain. The timing of the duplication, as well as the backup images that are duplicated, are determined by the storage lifecycle policies (SLPs) configured in NetBackup.
OST AIR requires NetBackup 7.6 or higher.

5. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, select the replication target you want to replicate images to. (You can select only a single target.) When images are replicated, data will be sent to the selected target.

6. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, specify the following information:

7. Click Apply.

Editing an LSU

Edit an LSU to change its capacity, description, or automatic image replication settings.

To edit an LSU:

1. Select the LSU and click Edit.

The Edit Logical Storage Unit page displays.

Edit Logical Storage Unit page

2. Enter information about the LSU:

3. (Optional) Select the Enable Automatic Image Replication check box to automatically replicate (duplicate) data on the LSU to a remote LSU on another InfiniGuard DDE.

Automatic Image Replication (AIR) is disabled by default. If enabled, data on an LSU is automatically replicated to a remote LSU that resides on an InfiniGuard DDE in a different NetBackup domain. The timing of the duplication, as well as the backup images that are duplicated, are determined by the storage lifecycle policies (SLPs) configured in NetBackup.

OST AIR requires NetBackup 7.6 or higher.

4. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, select the replication target you want to replicate images to. (You can select only a single target.) When images are replicated, data will be sent to the selected target.

5. If Automatic Image Replication is enabled, specify the following information:

6. Click Apply.

Deleting an LSU

Delete an LSU if it is no longer needed. When you delete an LSU, all data stored on the LSU is lost.

To delete an LSU:

1. Select the LSU in the Logical Storage Unit List.

You cannot delete an LSU if it has more than zero currently active connections. The number of active connections is displayed on the LSU page (see OST Configuration#Logical Storage Unit List).

2. (Optional) Select the Force Delete LSU check box to delete LSUs that are not empty.

Normally, you cannot delete an LSU if it contains existing backup images. If for some reason you cannot remove files from the LSU, selecting the Force Delete LSU check box allows you to delete the LSU even though it is not empty.

3. Click Delete.

Manage Remote Users

The Manage Remote Users page allows you to create and manage remote users for use with OST
Automatic Image Replication (AIR). You must configure at least one remote user before you can enable
Automatic Image Replication for an LSU (see OST Configuration#Adding an LSU). When using OST Automatic Image Replication (AIR), the remote user credentials specified on the source InfiniGuard DDE must match the local user credentials on the target (remote) InfiniGuard DDE.

To access the Manage Remote Users page, on the OST page, click the Manage Remote Users tab.

Manage Remote Users page

Manage Remote Users List

The Manage Remote Users list displays the following information for all remote users:

Adding a Remote User

Add a remote user to create OST user credentials for use with OST AIR. When you enable Automatic Image Replication for an LSU, you specify a remote user. The remote user credentials on the source InfiniGuard DDE must match the local user credentials on the target (remote) InfiniGuard DDE.

To add a remote user:

1. Click Add.

The Add Remote AIR Credential window displays.

Add Remote AIR Credential page

2. Enter information about the remote user:

3.Click Apply.

Editing a Remote User

Edit a remote user to change the user's password or description.

To edit a remote user:

1. Select the user and click Edit.

The Edit Remote Credentials window displays.

Edit Remote Credentials page

2. Enter information about the remote user:

3. Click Apply.

Deleting a Remote User

Delete a remote user if the OST user credentials are no longer needed to authenticate an LSU for Automatic Image Replication.
To delete a remote user, select the user and click Delete.

Target IP Mapping

The Target IP Mapping page allows you to map a target data IP address to route all network traffic sent to the data IP address to the specified replication IP address instead. This can be necessary if the target InfiniGuard is configured with different network interfaces (and therefore different IP addresses) for data and replication traffic (see Network).

Generally, OST traffic is routed to the data network segment. However, the OST Automatic Image Replication (AIR) and Concurrent Optimized Duplication features use the replication network segment to transmit data to the target system. (Optimized duplication can optionally use the replication channel.) When a data IP address is mapped to a replication IP address, OST traffic that is sent to one of the IP addresses is routed to the other IP address as necessary.

To access the Target IP Mapping page, on the OST page, click the Target IP Mapping tab.

Target IP Mapping page

Target IP Mapping List

The Target IP Mapping list displays the following information for all mapped IP addresses:

• Target Data IP - The mapped target data IP address.
• Target Replication IP - The replication IP address to which the data IP address is mapped.

By default, items in the list are grouped by target replication IP address. To turn off grouping, click the arrow to the right of a column heading and clear the Show in groups check box.

Mapping a Target IP Address

Add mapping for a target data IP address to route all network traffic sent to the address to the specified replication IP address instead.

To map a target IP address:

1. Click Add.

The Add Target Data IP Mapping window displays.

Add Target Data IP Mapping page

2. Enter information about the mapping:

3. Click Apply.

Editing a Mapped IP Address

Edit a mapped IP address to route traffic sent to the target data IP address to a different replication IP address.

To edit a mapped IP address:

1. Select the mapped IP address and click Edit.

The Edit Target Data IP Mapping window displays.

Edit Target Data IP Mapping page

2. In the Target Replication IP box, enter the replication IP address to map the data IP address to.

3. Click Apply.

Deleting a Mapped IP Address

Delete a mapped IP address if traffic sent to the target data IP address no longer needs to be routed to a replication IP address

To delete a mapped IP address, select the IP address and click Delete.

InfiniGuard NetBoost 

Use the NetBoost page to enable or disable InfiniGuard NetBoost. Infinidat's InfiniGuard NetBoost software accelerates backups and reduces network bandwidth requirements by distributing deduplication between the backup server and the InfiniGuard DDE.

Configuring InfiniGuard NetBoost

Availability and Requirements

InfiniGuard NetBoost Requirements
To use InfiniGuard NetBoost, all the following requirements must be met:

• Firewall port 1062 is open for IP address that is used for data transfer.
• The media server is running and is meeting the following minimum requirements:

Operating System

One of the following operating systems:

• • • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, 6, 7 (x86 64-bit)
    • SUSE Linux 11, 12, 15 (x86 64-bit)
    • Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2016, 2019 (x86 64-bit)
    • Windows Small Business Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2016, 2019 (x86 64-bit)

CPU

Greater than 2.2 GHz processor with at least 2 cores (4 cores recommended)

Memory

2 GB RAM or greater

• The OST Plug-in is installed on the media server.
• NetBoost is enabled on the InfiniGuard. (By default, NetBoost is disabled on the InfiniGuard.)
• NetBoost is enabled on the media server. By default, NetBoost is enabled on the media server when you install the OST Plug-in.

When all these requirements are met, NetBoost will be used for all OST transport between the media server and the InfiniGuard. Otherwise, normal OST transport will be used. for information about the maximum number of connections when NetBoost is enabled see, OST Configuration#Maximum Number of InfiniGuard NetBoost Jobs .

Enabling or Disabling NetBoost on the InfiniGuard

By default, InfiniGuard NetBoost is disabled on the InfiniGuard. To use NetBoost, you must enable it on the InfiniGuard.

To enable or disable NetBoost on the InfiniGuard:

1. Access the InfiniGuard DDE remote management console.

2. Navigate to the Configuration > OST > NetBoost page.

3. To enable InfiniGuard NetBoost, click the Enable Deduplication with NetBoost check box.
Or, to disable InfiniGuard NetBoost, clear the Enable Deduplication with NetBoost check box.

4. Click Apply.

5. To enable or disable encryption when sending OST data from the media server to the InfiniGuard, select the Change Encryption Type link or go to the Configuration > System > Security > Data Encryption page.
6. Select an option in the Encryption drop-down box. Encryption applies to all OST data traffic.

None

OST data is not encrypted.

Default AES 128

OST data is encrypted using AES 128-bit encryption.

Default AES 256

OST data is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption.

TLS with AES 256

OST data is encrypted using AES 256-bit encryption with Transport Layer Security (TLS)

7. If you selected any encryption option, you must install the required certificate and key files on the InfiniGuard:

• • Certificate File
  • Private Key File
  • Certificate Authority File
  • Rejection List File

To install a file, click the Browse button to browse the system and locate the file, and then click Open. Click Install to install the selected file on the InfiniGuard.

8. Click Apply.

Enabling or Disabling InfiniGuard NetBoost on the Media Server

By default, InfiniGuard NetBoost is enabled on the media server when you install the Infinidat OST Plug-in. Because use of InfiniGuard NetBoost can be enabled individually on each InfiniGuard, there is typically no need to disable NetBoost on the media server. However, you might want to disable NetBoost on an individual media server if that media server is equipped with a slow CPU or if the type of data being backed up is not easily deduplicated. Note that you may mix NetBoost-enabled and NetBoost-disabled media servers with a single InfiniGuard.

To enable or disable NetBoost on the media server:

1. Open the configuration file for editing:

Linux/Unix

/usr/INFINIDAT/INFINIDATPlugin.conf

Windows

C:\libstspiINFINIDAT.ini

2.In the configuration file, locate the IO_PATH variable.

To enable NetBoost

Set the value of the IO_PATH variable to 4. For example: IO_PATH=4

To disable NetBoost and revert to using traditional OST transport

Set the value of the IO_PATH variable to 1. For example: IO_PATH=1

3. Save and close the configuration file.

Maximum Number of InfiniGuard NetBoost Jobs

When InfiniGuard NetBoost is enabled, a maximum of 768 concurrent NetBoost jobs can be run against each DDE in the InfiniGuard.

If the connection limit is reached, one or more of the following messages (or similar) is logged in the InfiniGuard log in the /var/log/messages directory:

• VServer "hybrid-dedupe-no-encrypt" limit reached (limit 768).
• VServer "hybrid-dedupe-no-encrypt" connection limit failed due to VServer "hybrid-group".
• VServer "hybrid-group" connection limit failed due to VServer "hybrid-remote- group".
• VServer "hybrid-remote-group" limit reached (limit 768).
• VServer "hybrid-dedupe-no-encrypt" connection limit failed due to VServer "hybrid-group".
• VServer "hybrid-group" limit reached (limit 768).

In addition, NetBackup displays a message:

NetBackup - The following progress message displays:

Critical bpdm (pid=12515) image open failed: error 2060020: storage server connection limit exceeded

When the connection limit is reached on the InfiniGuard, The OST plug-in retries the connection for 300 seconds by default. If the connection cannot be established after 300 seconds, the connection times out and an error is returned.

The default connection timeout is 300 seconds.

To change the timeout value, edit the following setting:

DATA_CONNECTION_BUSY_TIMEOUT

Linux  /usr/INFINIDAT/INFINIDATplugin.conf  file

Windows C:\libstspiINFINIDAT.ini file