Technical Report FlexPod Datacenter with Commvault · Commvault Simpana is an enterprise-level data...

Technical Report

FlexPod Datacenter with Commvault Commvault Integration with SnapMirror in ONTAP 9.1

Aaron Kirk, NetApp

March 2017 | TR-4578

2 FlexPod Datacenter with Commvault © 2017 NetApp, Inc. All Rights Reserved. © 2016 NetApp, Inc. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................. 3

2 FlexPod Datacenter Architecture ........................................................................................................ 3

3 Commvault IntelliSnap and NetApp .................................................................................................... 5

3.1 IntelliSnap .......................................................................................................................................................5

4 Commvault and FlexPod Configuration ............................................................................................. 6

4.1 FlexPod Configuration ....................................................................................................................................6

4.2 OnCommand Configuration ............................................................................................................................7

4.3 Commvault Simpana Configuration ................................................................................................................9

4.4 Create a NetApp Snapshot Copy with Commvault ....................................................................................... 13

4.5 Initiate a SnapMirror Update with Commvault ............................................................................................... 13

References ................................................................................................................................................. 14

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1) FlexPod Datacenter architecture. ....................................................................................................................4

Figure 2) Commvault initiation of SnapMirror updates. ..................................................................................................4

Figure 3) NetApp Snapshot copy to tape........................................................................................................................5


1 Executive Summary

Data is at the core of every business and becomes more important every year. Therefore, data loss for

any reason can set a business back. Protecting against the loss of business-critical data should be one of

the highest priorities of IT administrators and business leaders. To protect against a wide variety of

potential outages, you must have a validated strategy for backing up and restoring data.

FlexPod®, a NetApp® and Cisco collaboration, is an excellent solution for any workload that a business

runs. A NetApp All Flash FAS cluster that runs in a FlexPod environment can integrate seamlessly into

the NetApp Data Fabric. Such a system can take advantage of NetApp Snapshot®, SnapMirror®, and

SnapVault® technologies in addition to many other NetApp data protection products. FlexPod also

integrates with many different backup applications. These backup applications work seamlessly with

FlexPod and virtualized environments to create a robust disaster recovery plan for business-critical data

that is stored on a FlexPod system.

FlexPod Datacenter with VMware vSphere integrates seamlessly with Commvault Simpana software to

create backups of data and initiate SnapMirror updates. This configuration makes a secondary copy of

the data available if the primary copy becomes unavailable. Primary copies of the data can also be copied

to a NetApp AltaVault™ appliance to enable simple movement of data to the cloud.

2 FlexPod Datacenter Architecture

To help customers transform their data centers into a shared infrastructure model, Cisco and NetApp

have validated and verified many FlexPod architectures based on different business needs. The FlexPod

portfolio includes the following features:

• Best practice architectural design

• Workload sizing and scaling guidance

• Implementation and deployment instructions

• Technical specifications

• Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs) and NetApp Verified Architectures (NVAs), covering a wide variety of use cases

FlexPod supports tight integration with virtualized and cloud infrastructures, making it a logical choice for

long-term investment. FlexPod also provides a uniform approach to IT architecture, offering a well-

characterized and documented shared pool of resources for application workloads. FlexPod delivers

operational efficiency and consistency, with the versatility to meet a standard variety of SLAs and IT

initiatives.

For more information about the FlexPod architecture that is used in this technical report, see these CVDs:

• FlexPod Datacenter with vSphere 6.0 Deployment Guide

• FlexPod Datacenter with vSphere 6.0 Design Guide

This FlexPod architecture was designed with a NetApp AFF8040 switchless cluster, Cisco Nexus 9000

switches, and a Cisco UCS 5108 chassis with Cisco 6248UP fabric interconnects, as seen in Figure 1.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_esxi60_n9k.html

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_esxi60_n9k_design.html


Figure 1) FlexPod Datacenter architecture.

The primary FlexPod deployment was provisioned with a single tenant running a VMware environment

that could be backed up to the secondary FlexPod system with NetApp SnapMirror. Commvault was

configured in a management environment that had access to both FlexPod systems. Commvault initiated

SnapMirror updates to the two clusters through NetApp OnCommand® Unified Manager.

Figure 2) Commvault initiation of SnapMirror updates.


3 Commvault IntelliSnap and NetApp

Commvault Simpana is an enterprise-level data management application that is designed to back up,

archive, restore, and index data. This software enables enterprises to maintain business continuity

through data management activities. Production data is backed up, secure, and available for use if the

primary copy of the data is lost or corrupted. Commvault Simpana is managed from the CommCell, a

central point of management that monitors media servers, clients, and protection policies in a web

interface. MediaAgents handle the individual tasks of moving data between two locations when

necessary.

Because Commvault Simpana is integrated with NetApp, it can take advantage of the data protection

capabilities that are built into the NetApp ONTAP® software. This integration allows Commvault to instruct

the NetApp controller to create NetApp Snapshot copies. Those Snapshot copies can then be mirrored

with SnapMirror or SnapVault and be integrated with applications so that the applications can restore

from the available Snapshot copies. By integrating with NetApp controllers, storage efficiencies that are

built into ONTAP, such as compression, deduplication, and compaction, are preserved and your business

can use available hardware more efficiently.

3.1 IntelliSnap

IntelliSnap is the backup product that allows Commvault to create point-in-time snapshots of the data by

accessing the array. Production data can be temporarily quiesced, the NetApp cluster can create a

Snapshot copy, and the application can continue performing normally. IntelliSnap integrates with NetApp

OnCommand Unified Manager to let the controller know when to create a Snapshot copy that is then

mounted on a media server for any necessary Commvault operations. The following sections describe

some use cases for Commvault IntelliSnap software.

Backup to Tape

Commvault enables businesses to move NetApp Snapshot copies to a tape library. In this configuration

(Figure 3), a Commvault MediaAgent triggers the Snapshot copy on the NetApp appliance and copies it

to a tape device that is mapped on the MediaAgent virtual machine (VM).

Figure 3) NetApp Snapshot copy to tape.

Backup to AltaVault

NetApp AltaVault storage enables you to securely back up data to the cloud at up to 90% lower cost than

for on-premises backup solutions. With AltaVault, you have the power to tap into cloud economics,

preserve your investments in backup infrastructure, and meet backup and recovery SLAs.

AltaVault is a disk storage optimization system that integrates with many different cloud storage providers

and different backup applications, such as Commvault. AltaVault provides a NAS or CIFS share that can

be mapped as a local drive on a Commvault media server. When the media server copies data to its

mounted drive, the AltaVault appliance begins moving that data to the cloud. A backup to AltaVault is very


similar to a backup-to-tape scenario, except that AltaVault moves data to the cloud over time and reduces

the on-premises storage footprint.

SnapMirror and SnapVault

Commvault integration with NetApp and OnCommand Unified Manager allows a Commvault server to

trigger a SnapMirror or SnapVault update between two NetApp controllers. In this configuration, the

Commvault server provides a simple interface to the native data protection features that are available in

ONTAP. The configuration seen in Figure 2) is validated in this technical report.

4 Commvault and FlexPod Configuration

4.1 FlexPod Configuration

In lab testing for this project, two base FlexPod Datacenters were used. The FlexPod deployment guide

demonstrates how to configure your base FlexPod:

• FlexPod Datacenter with VMware vSphere 6.0

In addition to the base FlexPod configuration, you must complete the following configurations.

Create Intercluster Network Interfaces

Before creating a peering relationship, you must create intercluster network interfaces. For more

information about cluster peering, see the following documentation:

• NetApp ONTAP Cluster Peering Information

To create intercluster network interfaces, complete the following steps:

1. Create the intercluster network interfaces in the primary cluster.

net int create -vserver primary -lif node01-peer -role intercluster -home-node primary-01

-home-port a0a-3434 -address 172.21.178.100 -netmask 255.255.255.0 -status-admin up

net int create -vserver primary -lif node02-peer -role intercluster -home-node primary-02


2. Create the intercluster network interfaces in the secondary cluster.

net int create -vserver primary -lif node01-peer -role intercluster -home-node secondary-01


net int create -vserver primary -lif node02-peer -role intercluster -home-node secondary-02


Create a Cluster Peering Relationship

To create a cluster peering relationship, complete the following steps:

1. To configure the peer’s IP addresses, run the following command on the primary cluster:

cluster peer create -peer-addrs 172.21.178.101,172.21.178.102 -address-family ipv4

2. When prompted, enter the password that is entered on the secondary cluster to complete the peering relationship.

3. To configure the peer’s IP addresses, run the following command on the secondary cluster:

cluster peer create -peer-addrs 172.21.178.100,172.21.178.101 -address-family ipv4

4. Reenter the password when prompted to complete the cluster peering configuration.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_esxi60_n9k.html

http://docs.netapp.com/ontap-9/topic/com.netapp.doc.onc-sm-help/GUID-442313ED-6487-45ED-A62F-593C963BA30C.html?resultof=%22%63%6c%75%73%74%65%72%22%20%22%70%65%65%72%22%20


5. Run the cluster peer show command to verify that the cluster peering relationship is properly

configured.

primary::> cluster peer show -instance

Peer Cluster Name: secondary

Remote Intercluster Addresses: 172.21.178.101, 172.21.178.102

Availability of the Remote Cluster: Available

Remote Cluster Name: sqlpri

Active IP Addresses: 172.21.178.101, 172.21.178.102

Cluster Serial Number: 1-80-000099

Remote Cluster Nodes: secondary-01, secondary-02

Remote Cluster Health: true

Unreachable Local Nodes: -

Address Family of Relationship: ipv4

Authentication Status Administrative: use-authentication

Authentication Status Operational: ok

Last Update Time: 2/6/2017 11:26:45

IPspace for the Relationship: Default

Create a Storage Virtual Machine Peer Relationship

To create a storage virtual machine (SVM, previously known as Vserver) peer relationship, complete the

following steps:

1. To create an SVM peer relationship, run the following command on the primary cluster:

vserver peer create -vserver primaryCommvault -peer-vserver secondaryCommvault -applications

snapmirror -peer-cluster secondary

2. To accept the SVM peer relationship, run the following command on the secondary cluster:

vserver peer accept -vserver secondaryCommvault -peer-vserver primaryCommvault

4.2 OnCommand Configuration

Commvault communicates with NetApp OnCommand Unified Manager to create a NetApp SnapMirror

relationship. To configure OnCommand properly, complete the following steps:

1. Add both clusters to OnCommand Unified Manager.

2. Add resource pools for both clusters by selecting Storage > Resource Pools in OnCommand Unified Manager.


3. Create SVM associates by selecting Storage > Storage Virtual Machine Associations in OnCommand Unified Manager.

In this technical report, a single association was created between the source and the destination, with

SnapMirror checked in the Create Storage Virtual Machine Associations dialog box.


4.3 Commvault Simpana Configuration

Commvault software was configured on three separate Windows VMs for this report. On the first VM,

CommServe CommCell and MediaAgent were installed. On the second VM, MediaAgent was installed.

On the third VM, Virtual Server was installed to connect Commvault to VMware vCenter.

Commvault and VMware vCenter Configuration

To configure Commvault to back up a FlexPod VMware environment by creating a SnapMirror

relationship with a secondary NetApp cluster, complete the following steps:

1. To add VMware vCenter, right-click Client Computers and navigate to New Client > Virtualization > VMware vCenter. To allow Commvault to communicate with VMware vCenter, provide the appropriate details.

Commvault and NetApp Configuration

1. Select Storage > Array Management and add OnCommand Unified Manager.

a. Select NetApp in the Snap Vendor category.

b. Provide the user account credentials.

c. Select OnCommand Unified Manager as the type.

2. In the Array Management dialog box, click Add and provide the IP address and login credentials for the primary cluster. Select Primary to indicate that it is the primary file server.

3. Click OK to add the array.

4. In the Array Management dialog box, click Add and provide the IP address and login credentials for the secondary cluster.

5. Click OK to add the array.

6. Expand Client Computers and right-click the primary cluster that was added in the Array Management dialog box. Click Properties.


7. Under the Storage Virtual Machine tab, click Detect to find the SVMs on the cluster. Check the box for the SVMs to add to Commvault. For this report, the primary infrastructure SVM was added from the primary cluster.

8. Click OK.

9. Right-click the secondary cluster that was added in the Array Management dialog box and click Properties.

10. Under the Storage Virtual Machine tab, detect the SVMs on the secondary cluster and add the data SVM from the cluster.

At this point, the client computers in Commvault should show the VMware vCenter instance, two NetApp

clusters, two NetApp SVMs, and any Commvault MediaAgents that were configured, as seen in the

following screenshot.

Additional Commvault Configurations

For additional Commvault configurations, complete the following steps:

1. Add a disk library under Storage Resources. This location is on one of the Windows hosts where Commvault is installed. The library is not used when creating a SnapMirror backup.

2. Right-click Policies > Storage Policies and create a new storage policy. Select the defaults except for the following settings:

a. Provide the storage policy name.

b. Select the library that was created in step 1.

c. When prompted to Select a MediaAgent, select the VM where the MediaAgent was installed.

d. Select the instance of OnCommand Unified Manager that was added previously.

e. Click Finish to create the storage policy.

3. Right-click the storage policy that was just created. Select All Tasks > Create New Snapshot Copy. Accept all defaults except for the following settings:

a. Under the General tab, select Mirror as the protection type.

b. Under the General tab, verify that the MediaAgent is set to the VM where the Commvault MediaAgent was installed.

c. Under the General tab, verify that the library that was created in step 1 is selected for Library.

d. Under the Copy Policy tab, select Primary (Snap) as the source copy.


e. Under the Provisioning tab, select SnapMirror Destination as the provisioning policy.

f. In Resource Pool Info, select the cluster to be configured as the SnapMirror destination. Click Add.

4. Select Client Computers > the VMware vCenter instance that was added > Virtual Center > VMware and right-click DefaultBackupSet. Select New Subclient.

a. Under the General tab, provide a subclient name.


b. Under the Content tab, select Browse, and select Datastores and Datastore Clusters in the drop-down list. Then select the datastores where VMs are deployed and click OK.

c. In the Filters tab, click Add to open the Add Rule dialog box.

d. In the Add Rule dialog box, click the three dots to browse the VMs that can be backed up. In the Browse dialog box, select Datastores and Datastore Clusters and choose the NetApp datastore where VMs are deployed.

e. Click OK to close the Browse dialog box and the Add Rule dialog box.

f. Under the Storage Device tab, select the storage policy that was created previously.

g. Under the IntelliSnap Operations tab, check the IntelliSnap box and select NetApp as the Available Snap Engine.


h. Under the Advanced Options tab, click Add under the proxy ESX server, select an ESX server, and click OK.

i. Click OK to add the new subclient.

j. After adding the new subclient, you can then associate the subclient with a backup schedule. For this report, Do Not Schedule was selected so that a backup is created only on demand.

Commvault is now configured and is ready to create Snapshot and SnapMirror relationships between the

two NetApp clusters.

4.4 Create a NetApp Snapshot Copy with Commvault

To create a new Snapshot copy on the NetApp cluster, complete the following steps:

1. Expand Client Computers, the VMware vCenter instance that was added previously, Virtual Server, and VMware, and click DefaultBackupSet.

2. Right-click the subclient that was created previously and select Backup.

3. Choose an Incremental backup and select Immediate to run the backup now.

4. Click OK to begin the backup.

Note: A full copy is created the first time, even if an incremental backup is requested.

The Job Controller tab in Commvault shows the currently running backup jobs. Upon completion, a

Snapshot copy can be seen on the NetApp array by using the snap show command.

4.5 Initiate a SnapMirror Update with Commvault

To trigger a SnapMirror update, right-click the storage policy that was created and select All Tasks > Run

Auxiliary Copy.


References

The following references were used in this technical report:

• FlexPod Datacenter CVD http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_esxi60_n9k.pdf

• Commvault IntelliSnap for NetApp https://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/v11/article?p=products/netapp/c_netapp_overview.htm

• Commvault IntelliSnap for VMware http://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/v11/article?p=products/vs_vmware/snap/deployment.htm

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_esxi60_n9k.pdf

https://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/v11/article?p=products/netapp/c_netapp_overview.htm

http://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/v11/article?p=products/vs_vmware/snap/deployment.htm


Refer to the Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT) on the NetApp Support site to validate that the exact product and feature versions described in this document are supported for your specific environment. The NetApp IMT defines the product components and versions that can be used to construct configurations that are supported by NetApp. Specific results depend on each customer’s installation in accordance with published specifications.

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