Chapter 6. Configuring a NetWorker Server
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## Chapter 6. Configuring a NetWorker Server

This chapter covers the system administration tasks for configuring the NetWorker server. These configuration tasks include

- using NetWorker preconfigured settings

- configuring backup groups

- setting up backup schedules

- creating browse and retention policies

- using directives

- configuring a server`s clients

- fine-tuning server settings

| Tip: Set up the groups, backup schedules, policies, and directives before you configure any clients. After you have created these custom configurations, apply them to specific clients in the Clients window. You can also edit the configurations that are in use by existing clients.

## Using NetWorker Preconfigured Settings

NetWorker is shipped with easy-to-use preconfigured settings, which are choices NetWorker has established for backing up the clients on your network. You can use these preconfigured selections, change them, or create your own configurations. Using these preconfigured settings, you can start backing up your data as soon as you install NetWorker.

After it is installed on a server, NetWorker backs up the NetWorker server as a client of itself using these preconfigured settings. If you are backing up other client systems to your server, all you have to do (after installing NetWorker on the clients) is add the clients by using the Clients window. (Open the Clients window by selecting the “Clients” command from the Customize pulldown menu.) NetWorker can then back up your clients using the preconfigured settings.

Your NetWorker server and newly created clients have these preconfigured settings, unless you select otherwise:

Schedule |  | The client uses the Default schedule of a full backup every Sunday and an incremental backup on the other days of the week. The Default schedule is described in detail in the section “Using NetWorker Preconfigured Backup Schedules” in Chapter 5.
Browse policy |  | The browse policy for entries in the client's online file index is one month. This means that entries for the client's files remain in the file index and can be browsed and recovered in the Recover window for one month before they are automatically removed. For information about the browse policy, see “Determining Browse and Retention Policies (Index Policies)” in Chapter 5.
Retention policy |  | The retention policy for the client's media index is one year. This means that information concerning the names of the backup volumes containing save sets generated by clients is retained for one year. Files can be recovered for up to one year, providing the backup volumes are not overwritten with new backups.
Directive |  | The client uses the Default directive which skips `core` and `.o` files and backs up only the relevant information in the NFS® based swap files. It also backs up your mail files without ever making any changes to them.
Group |  | The client is in the Default backup group which has a start time of 3:33 a.m. To enable the scheduled backup to take place at 3:33 a.m. every day, change the Autostart feature to Enabled in the Groups window.
Save set |  | The preconfigured selection is All. All of the local client filesystems are backed up.
Recover access |  | This field is blank, meaning that only the client itself can recover its backed-up files.

The NetWorker server is listed in the Clients scrolling list prior to creating any clients because the server is automatically created as a client of itself when NetWorker is installed. To back up the NetWorker server as a client of itself using the preconfigured settings, all you have to do is enable the Autostart feature of the Default group in the Groups window.

## Configuring Backup Groups

NetWorker allows you to bundle clients into backup groups. This feature allows you to easily schedule clients to be backed up at different times. A client can be in one or many backup groups. Backup groups allow you to stagger the backup times of groups of clients to avoid overloading the server.

NetWorker is shipped with a preconfigured backup group named Default. When a client is added, it automatically belongs to the Default backup group.

The automatic backup of the Default group starts at 3:33 a.m. If this backup start time suits your needs, you do not need to change it. You must enable the Default group before automatic backups take place. You can make changes to the Default group, but you cannot delete it.

If you have a large number of clients, or if you prefer to start backing up certain systems at different times, you can easily do so. For example, you may want to start the backup of the engineering department systems at four o'clock in the morning, and all the other clients on the network at midnight.

You can have any number of backup groups on your NetWorker server. The clients in each backup group start their automatic backups according to the start time of the group.

After creating a new backup group in the Groups window, you assign clients to the group in the Clients window. Because it is more expeditious to create backup schedules, policies, and directives before configuring any clients, the Clients window is discussed later in this chapter. This section explains

- creating a backup group

- changing a backup time

- deleting a backup group

### Creating a Backup Group

Create a backup group and set the group backup start time in the Groups window. Select “Groups” from the Customize pulldown menu (shown in Figure 6-1) to open the Groups window.

Figure 6-1. Customize Pulldown Menu

The Groups window appears, as shown in Figure 6-2.

Figure 6-2. Groups Window

Use features of this window as follows:

Groups scrolling list |  | View names of all backup groups known to the NetWorker server. Selecting a group name in the scrolling list displays its name in the Name field and its backup start time in the Start time field.
Name field |  | View the name of the group selected in the Groups scrolling list. Use this field to enter the name of a new group after you click the Create button.
Autostart |  | Disable, enable, or immediately initiate a network-wide backup. To allow NetWorker to back up your clients in the Default group you must select Enabled from the Autostart choices. Enabled: Allows the network-wide backup of the highlighted group to start at the scheduled time Disabled: Prevents network-wide backup of the group from starting. Start now: Initiates the network-wide backup of the group immediately, instead of at the scheduled start time.
Start time field |  | View the time NetWorker starts the backup of the clients in the group currently selected in the Groups scrolling list. The Default group is preconfigured to back up at 3:33 am.
Client retries field |  | Use the sliding bar or enter the number of times NetWorker should attempt to back up a failed client during a scheduled backup. For example, if you enter the number four, and a client fails to back up, NetWorker will attempt to back up that client as many as four times.
Clones choices |  | Click Yes to automatically clone the data being backed up for a group. Click No if you do not want to clone the data being backed up in a group. Cloning a backup during execution means that you are writing simultaneously to two different backup volumes, the normal one and the clone. The data written to each volume for a particular save set is identical.
| Note: To clone data you need NetWorker TurboPak that provides support for concurrent devices. To determine if your site has this option, see the release notes.
Clone pool field |  | Enter the name of a pool or use the arrow button to select a clone pool from the scrolling list to which the cloned data will be backed up.

To create a new group and assign a backup start time to the group, follow these steps:

1. Open the Groups window in the Customize menu.

2. Click the Create button. Notice that the Name field displays an editable line.

3. Enter a new group name into the Name field. Choose a name that describes the systems in the group, either by department or schedule.

4. Select “Enabled” from the Autostart choices.

5. Delete the time in the Start time field and enter a new time, using the 24-hour clock convention. (For example, 10 p.m. is entered as “22:00.”)

   | Note: Normally, you should schedule the start time for each group far enough apart so that one group can complete backing up before the next group starts. This action is not required if you are using a short backup window and many devices.

6. Use the Client retries sliding bar to set a value for the number of times NetWorker should attempt backing up a failed client.

   NetWorker normally tries to back up a client in a group once during a scheduled backup. If NetWorker cannot back up a client in a group (because the client is down, for example), it does not try again unless you configure it to do so.

   Select the sliding bar with the mouse and move it to the right or left. The number of times NetWorker tries again to back up the failed client appears in the Client retries field.

7. Click No or Yes in the Clones field. If you click Yes, select or add the name of the clone pool in the Clone pool field.

8. Click the Apply button to apply the changes. The new group name appears in the Groups scrolling list.

   If you make a mistake, clear your changes and start over by clicking the Reset button.

   | Note: The error message `user` user_name`needs to be on administrator`s list` means that you do not have permission to make configuration changes. See “Adding or Changing Administrators” later in this chapter for more information.

When you are finished creating a backup group and setting the start time for it, the group appears as a checkbox in the Clients window. You then assign clients to the group using the Clients window. See the section “Configuring a Server's Clients” later in this chapter for more information.

### Changing a Backup Time

To change the backup start time for a group, follow these steps:

1. Open the Groups window in the Customize menu.

2. Select the group from the Groups scrolling list for which you wish to change the backup time.

3. Delete the time in the Start time field and enter a new time, using the 24-hour clock convention. (For example, 11 p.m. is entered as “23:00.”)

4. Click the Apply button to apply the changes.

   If you make a mistake, clear your changes and start over by clicking the Reset button.

### Deleting a Backup Group

NetWorker does not let you delete a backup group if any clients are assigned to it. Before you try to delete a group, make sure no clients are assigned to the group in the Clients window.

To delete a group, follow these steps:

1. Open the Group Control window in the Server menu to make sure that no clients are assigned to the group you want to delete.

   If clients are assigned to the group, use the Clients window to delete the all clients, or to change each client's group affiliation.

2. Open the Groups window in the Customize menu.

3. Select the name of the group you want to delete from the Groups scrolling list.

4. Click the Delete button. An `Ok to delete?` message appears.

5. Select OK to delete the group. If no clients belong to the group, the group name disappears from the Groups scrolling list.

   If any clients belong to the group you are trying to delete, you see the message`The group` group`is still used by some clients`. Select OK to dismiss the message. To delete the group, you must first remove the clients from the group using the Clients window, then repeat this procedure.

## Setting Up the Backup Schedules

NetWorker automatically backs up all the clients in a group, starting at the time you specify in the Groups window. The level and schedule of the backup is determined by the individual backup schedule of the client.

| Note: For background information on schedules, see “Determining Backup Schedules” in Chapter 5.

You create backup schedules for the clients in the Schedules window. To open the Schedules window, select “Schedules” from the Customize pulldown menu (shown in Figure 6-1 earlier in this chapter). The Schedules window appears, as shown in Figure 6-3.

Figure 6-3. Schedules Window

The features of this window have these functions:

Schedules scrolling list |  | Displays the names of the schedules known to the NetWorker server, including the five preconfigured backup schedules and any schedules that you create. The five preconfigured schedules are described in “Using NetWorker Preconfigured Backup Schedules” in Chapter 5.
Name field |  | Displays the name of the currently selected schedule. Use the Name field to enter the name of a new schedule after you click the Create button.
Period choices |  | Lets you set the calendars to a weekly or monthly period. If you select Week, you set the schedule for one week, and that same schedule appears in all the calendar weeks. If you select Month and set the schedule for one month, the same schedule applies to all the calendar months. Previous Month buttons Click to view the previous month's backup schedule in the calendars. Each time you click the Previous Month button, NetWorker displays two months further back in the calendar year. Current Month button Click to view this month's and next month's backup schedules in the calendars. Next Month button Click to view the upcoming month's backup schedules in the calendars. Each time you click the Next Month button, NetWorker displays the next two months further ahead in the calendar year.
Calendars |  | Display the day of the month and the backup level that is scheduled for that day. An asterisk (*) next to a backup level means you have forced a different level (an override) on that day. For example, suppose you scheduled a full backup on every Monday of the month, but the second Monday is a holiday. You can force a “skip backup” for the second Monday, and force a full backup on Tuesday instead. The date on each calendar day is followed by a forward slash (/) and either a number or character signifying the level and kind of backup for that day: f: full backup 1-9: level one through nine backups i: incremental backup *: skip scheduled backup

Before using this window to set up a schedule, decide what schedule best fits the needs of your network, based on the backup levels that NetWorker supports. See “Determining Backup Schedules” in Chapter 5.

| Note: You can make changes to an existing schedule, but you cannot change its name. If you want to change the name of a schedule, you must delete it and recreate it, giving it a new name.

### Creating a New Backup Schedule

To create a backup schedule, follow these steps:

1. Choose “Schedules” from the Customize pulldown menu.

2. In the Schedules window, click the Create button to create a schedule.

3. Enter a name for the new schedule into the Name field.

4. Choose a weekly or monthly period for the schedule.

5. Place the cursor on a calendar day, and select it to pull down the Backup level menu. Set the backup level for each day (or week, or month):

   - Press the `F` key for a full backup on a calendar day.

   - Press the `I` key for an incremental backup on a calendar day.

   - Press the `S` key to skip a backup on a calendar day.

   - Press any number key between `1` and `9` for a level backup.

   - Select the “Overrides” command from the Backup level menu to bring up the Overrides menu. Then press the corresponding speed key for an override on a calendar day.

   - To remove an existing override, pull down the Overrides menu and press `R`.

   | Note: For more information on the Overrides menu, see the next section, “Example 1: A Weekly Schedule.”

6. When you are done, click the Apply button to create the new schedule.

You can set up as many NetWorker backup schedules as you want, as long as each has a unique name. To assign a backup schedule to a client, use the Clients window, as explained in“Configuring a Server's Clients” later in this chapter.

### Example 1: A Weekly Schedule

This schedule is suitable for NetWorker clients with files that change often. You want to do a full backup every Monday because a weekly full backup makes recovery from a disaster easier. Also, someone can change backup volumes and monitor the server on Mondays. The other days of the week, incremental backups protect the daily changes. You are going to name the backup schedule “Monday Full” to remind yourself that this schedule does a full backup every week, on Mondays.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Schedules window.

2. Click the Create button.

3. Enter `Monday Full` into the Name field.

4. Select the Week button, if it is not already selected.

5. In the current month calendar, select any Sunday and pull down the Backup Level menu, as shown in Figure 6-4.

   Figure 6-4. Selecting a Backup Level

6. Select “incr” from the menu.

   Notice all the Sundays of the calendar change to a backup level “i,” which means incremental backup.

Now set the calendar to do a full backup every Monday:

1. In the current month calendar, select any Monday, and pull down the Backup level menu.

2. Select “full” from the menu.

3. Click Apply to save the schedule.

   | Note: The error message `user` user_name`needs to be on administrator's list` means that you do not have permission to make configuration changes. See the section “Adding or Changing Administrators” later in this chapter for more information.

Notice that all the Mondays in both calendars now display “f” next to the date, indicating that a full backup takes place instead of the incremental backup.

Scroll through all the months, and notice that the schedule you set up for the current month is maintained throughout the entire calendar.

### Example 2: A Monthly Schedule

This monthly schedule is for the clients with files that do not change very much, and therefore need a full backup only once a month. A full backup takes place on the first day of the month. In the middle of the month, a level 5 backup backs up all the files that have changed since the full backup. All the other days of the month, an incremental backup protects any daily changes.

You name this schedule “Monthly Fulls” to remind you that this schedule does a full backup only once a month. You are going to skip the level 5 backup with an override on January 16, because it is a company holiday, and force the backup on January 17 instead.

Follow these steps:

1. Open the Schedules window.

2. Click the Create button.

3. Enter `Monthly Fulls` into the Name field.

4. Click the Monthly button, if it is not already selected.

   Notice that the months are already set up to do a full backup on the first day.

| Note: When you set up one month in the Schedules window, that setup applies to all calendar months, and carries over from year to year. Likewise, if you set up a weekly schedule, it applies for all calendar weeks. This system allows you to plan all the weeks or months in one session, without having to repeat the process every week or month.

Now set the month for a level 5 backup on the sixteenth day:

1. In the current month, select the sixteenth day (16/i).

2. Select “5” from the Backup level menu.

Scroll through the months, and notice that the monthly schedule is carried through every month: a full backup on the first day, a level 5 on the sixteenth day, and incremental backups on the other days of the month.

Now you are going to override the scheduled level 5 backup on January 16 with a level “skip,” to skip the backup for that day, and schedule the level 5 backup on January 17. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Previous Month or Next Month buttons to display the January calendar.

2. In the January calendar, select the sixteenth day.

3. Pull down the Backup level menu, shown in Figure 6-4, and select “Overrides.”

4. Slide the cursor to the right, to display the Overrides menu, as shown in Figure 6-5.

   Figure 6-5. Overrides Menu

5. Select “skip*” from the Overrides menu.

6. Select the seventeenth day in the January calendar.

7. Select “5*” from the Overrides menu.

8. Click Apply to save the schedule.

Notice that the date on January 16 displays an “s*,” indicating you have forced a “skip backup” instruction for that day. The date on January 17 displays a “5*” to indicate a level 5 backup takes place instead of the incremental.

| Note: Any override must be scheduled explicitly each time. In other words, an override does not automatically repeat in a monthly or weekly period.

## Creating Browse and Retention Policies

This section describes how to create browse and retention policies that automatically manage the online indexes. Use the Policies window to create browse policies for managing the file index entries and retention policies for managing the media index entries. A single policy (preconfigured or one you create yourself) can be used as either a browse or retention policy.

| Note: For background information on browse and retention policies, see “Determining Browse and Retention Policies (Index Policies)” in Chapter 5. You can also manage the indexes manually using the Indexes and Volume Management windows. Manual index management and index management concepts are described in detail in “Determining Browse and Retention Policies (Index Policies)” in Chapter 5; procedures are explained in “Monitoring and Managing Index Disk Space Usage” in Chapter 8.

If you create new policies for automatic index management using the Policies window, the policies appear as selections for both the browse and retention policies in the Clients window. Every client requires both a Browse and retention policy. When you select browse and retention policies in the Clients window, you are telling NetWorker the minimum time period for data to remain browsable and recoverable for that client.

| Note: NetWorker includes five preconfigured policies: Week, Month, Quarter, Year, and Decade. The section “NetWorker Preconfigured Browse and Media Retention Policies” in Chapter 5 describes these policies.

To create policies for automatic index management, open the Policies window by selecting “Policies” from the Customize pulldown menu (shown in Figure 6-1). The Policies window is shown in Figure 6-6.

Figure 6-6. Policies Window

The features of this window have these functions:

Policies scrolling list |  | Lists all policies known to the NetWorker server. When a policy is highlighted in the scrolling list, its name, period, and number of periods appear in the lower section of the window. If you have not created any new policies, the scrolling list displays five preconfigured policies: Decade, Month, Quarter, Week, Year.
Name field |  | Displays the name of the currently selected policy. Use the Name field to enter the name of a new policy after you click the Create button.
Period field |  | Displays the period of time you want the policy to apply. Use the arrow button to display the Periods scrolling list, in which you choose a time period.
Number of periods field |  | Displays the number of periods applied to the policy. Use the arrow buttons to select the number of periods you want. For example, if you choose Years for the Period, and 10 for the Number of periods, and you apply it as a browse policy in the Clients window, NetWorker automatically removes index entries from the online file index that have been in the index for more than ten years.

To create a new policy, follow these steps:

1. Click the Create button.

2. Enter a name for the policy in the Name field.

3. Select a Period for the policy.

4. Select the Number of periods for the policy by clicking the counter or entering a number in the field.

5. Click the Apply button to finish the process.

   The newly created policy appears in the Policies window scrolling list and in the Clients window as both a browse policy and a retention policy.

   If you make a mistake, click the Reset button to reset the window to where it was before the last Apply.

   Enter any name for the policy that you want. It is useful to describe the time period to help you remember the length of the policy. For example, when you specify Quarter as a browse policy for a client, it is easy to tell that the entries are kept in the online file index for three months.

Follow these steps to delete a policy:

1. Highlight the desired policy in the scrolling list.

2. Click the Delete button. A warning message appears asking if it is OK to delete the selected policy.

3. Click Yes if you wish to delete the policy.

| Tip: You are not allowed to delete either policies that are currently in use or the preconfigured policies.

Follow these steps to change a policy:

1. Highlight the desired policy in the scrolling list.

2. Select the Period and Number of periods for the policy. The name cannot be changed.

3. Click the Apply button to change the policy.

| Note: A policy cannot be changed so that the client browse policy exceeds its retention policy: an entry must be removed from the file index before it can be marked recyclable or removed from the media index.

## Using Directives

In a typical directory tree, many files do not need to be backed up: for example, `core` files that are generated when a process terminates abnormally, or object files (“.o” files), which are easily regenerated from source code. You probably do not want to waste backup volumes or network bandwidth backing up these files. Also, if your network is slow or busy, you can compress client files to use fewer backup volumes and less network bandwidth backing up its files.

NetWorker can process individual client files in very efficient methods through directives. A directive contains instructions that assist the backup process. Sometimes the directives require execution of special commands called Application Specific Modules (ASMs).

| Note: NetWorker works fine if you use the preconfigured directives without changing them. If you are an advanced user, and want to add custom directives, please read the `nsr` reference page as well as this section.

You have lots of flexibility in using directives. For example, you can apply backup instructions to specific directories in the filesystem. You can use pattern matching to apply the instructions to specific files in the directory tree. For example, using “skip: *.o” skips the backup on any file that has a suffix of “.o” in the directory to which the “skip: *.o” directive applies.

NetWorker is shipped with four sets of preconfigured directives:

DOS standard directives |  | Use when you are backing up DOS clients.
NetWare standard directives |  | Use when you are backing up NetWare clients.
Unix standard directives |  | Use for most of your backups and when you do not need one of the other specialized directives.
Unix with compression directives |  | Use when you want to compress your backup data. Compressing client files saves you media space and network bandwidth, but it takes more time and CPU cycles on the client. Overall, the entire network may back up faster if all the clients are compressing their files, and the parallelism is set appropriately.
| Caution: If your backup device compresses data, do not use both NetWorker's `compressasm` directive and the device's data compression feature at the same time.

Each set of directives includes the most important and most useful backup instructions. For example, they apply the directive “+skip: core” to the `root` directory (/), thus skipping the backup of all `core` files throughout the directory tree. They contain a `swapasm` directive to back up the relevant information about all NFS® based and local swap files, but not the data in them. They also contain a `mailasm` directive to ensure that your mail files are backed up, yet not marked as read.

To display the Directives window, select “Directives” from the Customize pulldown menu. The Directives window is shown in Figure 6-7.

Figure 6-7. Directives Window

The features of this window have these functions:

Directives scrolling list |  | Lists directives known to the NetWorker server
Name field |  | Displays the name of the currently selected directive. Use the Name field to enter the name of a new directive, after you click the Create button.
Directive field |  | Displays syntax for the currently selected set of directives. Each directive is preceded by the directory to which it applies (for example, << /tmp >>).

To create a set of directives or add a single line of instruction, follow these steps:

1. Click the Create button. The Directive scrolling list changes to allow you to change the name and contents of the directive.

2. Type your instructions directly into the Directive field.

   The correct syntax for directives is explained in more detail in the `nsr` reference page.

   To change a directive, press the Change button and edit the window.

3. After you add a directive or set of directives, click the Apply button to apply the change.

For more information about directives, and the algorithm used to apply directives when both server and clients have directives, see the `nsr` reference page.

## Configuring a Server's Clients

Before a client can communicate with the NetWorker server, it must have the NetWorker client software installed and the client must recognize the server. See “Installing NetWorker Software on Clients” in Chapter 2 for instructions. After the software has been successfully installed on the client and the client recognizes the server, you can configure the NetWorker server for that client.

NetWorker is shipped with easy-to-use preconfigured settings described in the section “Using NetWorker Preconfigured Settings” at the beginning of this chapter. When you configure a client manually, you choose:

- NetWorker server, if you have more than one

- backup schedule

- browse policy and a retention policy

- directive

- backup group (none, one, or many)

- client files NetWorker should back up, if not all of them

- other systems, if any, that are allowed to recover the client's files

The Clients pulldown menu, shown in Figure 6-8, contains commands for adding, configuring, and monitoring NetWorker clients and their associated save sets.

Figure 6-8. Clients Menu

Use the Clients window, shown in Figure 6-9, to apply the configurations (which include schedules, browse and retention policies, directives, and groups) directly to each client. The Clients window also provides you with the flexibility of scheduling large client filesystems individually and the ability to restrict access to client files. Figure 6-9 shows this window with NetWorker preconfigured settings.

Figure 6-9. Clients Window

| Note: When you install NetWorker, the server automatically becomes a client of itself. NetWorker automatically adds the server's hostname to the Clients window. You simply need to enable the Autostart feature in the Groups window for NetWorker to back up the server according to the preconfigured settings.

The features of this window have these functions:

Clients scrolling list |  | Lists all the NetWorker clients configured for the NetWorker server. The NetWorker server is automatically listed in the Clients scrolling list before any clients are created.
Name field |  | Displays the hostname of the currently selected client.
Server field |  | Displays the hostname of the currently selected NetWorker server.
Archive services choices |  | If you have purchased the NetWorker Archive product. you can enable or disable archiving. All NetWorker backup clients automatically become archive enabled after the archive application is installed.
Schedule field |  | Displays all the schedules known to the NetWorker server, including the five preconfigured schedules shipped with NetWorker. Any other schedule you create using the Schedules window also appears here as choice.
Browse policy field |  | Displays the chosen schedule for the selected client. The preconfigured selection is the Default schedule, which performs a full backup every Sunday and an incremental backup every other day of the week. Use the arrow button to access the Schedule scrolling list. The list displays the preconfigured schedules and any new schedules created in the Schedules window.
Retention policy field |  | Displays the chosen retention policy for the selected client. The retention policy determines how long the save sets on a volume are recoverable before the volume is available for recycling. The preconfigured selection for a client is the Year retention policy: the names of the backup volumes are retained for one year in the media index. Files can be recovered from the backup volumes for up to one year, unless the volumes are overwritten. Use the arrow button to access the Retention policy scrolling list that contains the preconfigured policies and any new policies previously created in the Policies window.
| Note: NetWorker does not allow a client's Browse policy to exceed the Retention policy because if a volume is recycled, the online file index entries are no longer useful. For example, choosing one month for the Browse policy and one week for the Retention policy generates an error message.
Directive field |  | Displays the directives recognized by the NetWorker server, including the four sets of preconfigured directives shipped with NetWorker, and any new ones you create using the Directives window. The preconfigured selection is the Default directive, which skips `core` and `.o` files and backs up only the relevant information in the NFS-based swap files. It also backs up mail files without making any changes to their access time. Use the arrow button to access the Directive scrolling list that contains the preconfigured directives and any new directives previously created in the Directives window.
Group choices |  | Displays all the backup groups known to the NetWorker server. Select a group for each client. By default the client belongs to the Default group, which has a start time of 3:33 a.m. To enable the scheduled backup to take place at 3:33 a.m. every morning, make sure the Autostart feature is Enabled in the Groups window.
Save set field |  | Lists individual client save sets (which typically comprise one or more client filesystems) for the selected NetWorker client. Enter the name of a client filesystem if you want to back up only that filesystem's data. The preconfigured selection is “All,” which backs up all of the client's local filesystems. The Save set scrolling list displays all of the filesystems entered for a NetWorker client.
Remote access field |  | When this field is blank, only the client itself can recover its backed-up fields. For specific users or another client to have access to a client's data, enter their user@hostname in this field. You may also enter a NIS netgroup name.

The lower part of the Clients window contains the fields shown in Figure 6-10.

Figure 6-10. Clients Window, Lower Part

Use these fields as follows:

Remote user field |  | Restrict a client's permissions by entering the client's user name. NetWorker uses the user name in this field to execute `save` and `savefs` on a client during a scheduled backup. When this field is blank, the user name, by default, is root.
Password field |  | Use this field only if the client is a PC running NetWare. Enter the password used by the NetWorker server to log into the client system, so that it can back up its file during a scheduled backup. If you enter a password in this field, you must also enter a user name in the Remote user field.
Aliases field |  | Use this field to enter an unlimited number of aliases for a selected NetWorker client. List all of a client's aliases to help eliminate failed saves due to unrecognized or mismatched client names on the network.
Archive users field |  | Enter user names in this field only if you purchase the NetWorker Archive product. If you are not sure whether your site has NetWorker Archive, consult the `nodelock` file.

NetWorker clients can manually back up and recover files from a NetWorker server and can browse the online file index entries for files. A client may not browse and recover any other client files, unless specifically configured to do so. Normally clients can also be backed up on a regularly scheduled, network-wide backup.

The rest of this section explains

- adding a new client

- scheduling large client filesystems

- removing a client

### Adding a New Client

To configure a client, make a selection for

- NetWorker server, if you have more than one

- backup schedule

- browse and retention policies

- directive

- backup group (one or many)

- individual client filesystems (rather than all the client's filesystems)

To configure a new NetWorker client, follow these steps:

1. Open the Clients window.

2. Click the Create button.

3. Enter the new client hostname into the Name field.

4. Add the client to one or more backup groups by checking the Group choices.

5. Select a schedule from the Schedule choices.

6. Select both a browse and a retention policy for the client indexes. You can use the preconfigured policies of Quarter for the Browse policy and Year for the Retention policy.

7. Select a set of directives for the client.

8. Click Ok.

If you try to add more clients to your NetWorker server beyond the number you have purchased, this error message appears:

    Too many clients - maximum is number.

| Note: Every time you add a new client to NetWorker, it is a good idea to check if NetWorker can access the client in order to back up its files. Use the `savegroup –p` command at the system prompt to see a preview of a group backup without actually backing up any files. See “Previewing a Group Backup” in Chapter 8 for information.

#### Selecting Client Files to Be Backed Up

Choose which files you want NetWorker to back up for the client. If you want all the client's files to be backed up, leave the word “All” in the Save set field. If you want only a specific filesystem to be backed up, follow these steps:

1. Select “All” in the Save set scrolling list.

2. Click the delete button.

3. Enter the pathname for the filesystem that you want backed up into the Save set field. Figure 6-11 shows an example.

   Figure 6-11. Example Pathname for Filesystem to Be Backed Up

4. Click the add button. The pathname appears in the Save set scrolling list.

   | Tip: Use this feature to schedule filesystems to be backed up at different times. For example, if a client has a large amount of data, you can schedule its filesystems separately for backup. For more information, see the section “Scheduling Large Client Filesystems” later in this chapter.

All NetWorker clients are preconfigured so that only the client itself can browse or recover its own files. If your company is concerned about security, do not change the recover access.

#### Giving Other Systems Access to a Client's Files

To give other systems access to the client's files, follow these steps:

1. In the Remote access field, enter the hostname of the system or netgroup name to which you are giving access to the client's files, as shown in Figure 6-12.

   Figure 6-12. Remote Access

2. Click the add button next to the Remote access scrolling list.

   The hostnames or netgroup names (if you are using NIS) of any systems allowed to browse and recover the client's files appear in the Remote access scrolling list for that client.

3. If desired, make entries in the remaining fields in the Clients window: Remote user, Password, and Aliases. See earlier in this section for explanations of these fields.

4. Click the Apply button to apply the selections and to add the new client to the NetWorker server.

The new client appears in the Clients scrolling list. If you make a mistake, click the Reset button to display the previous set of choices.

### Scheduling Large Client Filesystems

At a conservative backup rate of 300 KB per second for an 8 mm tape, a full backup of a client with 5 GB of data in several filesystems would take about five hours to complete. Consequently, it may not be convenient to complete a scheduled, unattended, full backup for this client, because of the amount of time it takes.

You can, however, schedule the client filesystems to be backed up at different times. You may want to consider this when you have several very large filesystems, or a large number of small filesystems. By separating the client's filesystems into ifferent backup groups, you can still save the client's files without trying to do a time-consuming full backup that requires many changes of the backup volumes.

The Save set scrolling list in the Clients window, shown in Figure 6-9, displays the filesystems that NetWorker backs up for the client. All the filesystems are backed up at the same time, as long as the keyword All is left in the list.

To back up filesystems individually, you add and configure the same client twice in the Clients window. Configure the first client to back up half its local filesystems with one backup schedule in one group, and configure the second (duplicate) client to back up the other half of its local filesystems with a second backup schedule in another group.

The example below illustrates how to schedule a client's filesystems separately. First, find out the names and sizes of the locally mounted client filesystems with the `df`(1) command:

    % df -lk
    Filesystem                 Type  kbytes     use   avail %use  Mounted on
    /dev/root                   efs   31270   12549   18721  40%  /
    /dev/usr                    efs 1125799  546991  578808  49%  /usr
    /dev/dsk/lv6                efs 4581709 4318432  263277  94%  /repo
    /dev/dsk/lv4                efs 4581709 3678982  902727  80%  /online
    /dev/dsk/dks1d3s6           efs  929736  846320   83416  91%  /d2
    /dev/dsk/dks2d3s7           efs 1357229 1190607  166622  88%  /d1
    /dev/dsk/dks1d3s0           efs   15737     204   15533   1%  /tmp

The largest filesystems are `/repo` and `/online`, with 4581709 KB of space.

Next, estimate how long it would take to back up one of these filesystems on 8 mm tape:

- 4581709 KB / 400 KB/second = 11454 seconds

- 11454 seconds/ 60 seconds/minute = 190.9 minutes

You can repeat the same exercise for all the filesystems in order to decide how to separate them into different backup schedules.

Next, create two new backup schedules in the Schedules window:

- Create the first schedule, “Monday Full,” which performs a full backup on Mondays and incremental backups the rest of the week.

- Create a second schedule, “Wednesday Full,” which performs a full backup on Wednesdays and incremental backups the rest of the week.

Each full backup should take less than three hours to complete.

Next, use the Clients window to configure the client:

1. Open the Clients window.

2. In the Clients scrolling list, select the client whose filesystems you are dividing into different backup schedules. If the client has not already been added to the scrolling list, click Create to add the new client.

3. Configure the client by choosing a backup group, backup and retention policies, directive, and the “Monday Full” schedule.

4. Delete “All” from the Save set list and add the filesystems you want to back up on the “Monday Full” schedule: `/`, `/usr`, `/repo`, and `/tmp`.

5. Click the Apply button.

Now follow the same procedure for the remaining filesystems, which you back up on the “Wednesday Full” schedule.

1. Click the Create button to add the client a second time with different filesystems scheduled.

2. Configure the client by choosing the backup group, backup and retention policies, and directive; make sure you choose the “Wednesday Full” schedule for it.

3. Delete “All” from the Save set field, and enter each filesystem you want to back up on the “Wednesday Full” schedule: `/online`, `/d2`, and `/d1`.

4. Click the Apply button.

   NetWorker now backs up the filesystems on the client disks using two separate schedules, making it possible to run unattended full backups on this client.

| Caution: When you use the filesystem scheduling feature, make sure you do not leave any filesystems off the Save set list. Any filesystem left off the list is never backed up.

### Removing a Client

To remove a client's access to the server, follow these steps:

1. Select the name of the client in the Clients scrolling list of the Clients window.

2. Click the delete button. NetWorker asks for a confirmation to delete the client.

Deleting a client means that the client cannot back up its files to the NetWorker server or recover its files. The backup history for the client still remains in the file index and media index, until you specifically remove the entries. See “Removing a Backup Volume” in Chapter 7 for instructions on how to remove the backup history for a client from the indexes.

## Fine-Tuning Server Settings

Setting up your server requires a minimal amount of configuring after you first install and run NetWorker. Preconfigured settings enable you to immediately back up your server and clients to a backup device connected to the server.

You also have a high degree of control over the performance and security of your backups with the configuration choices available in the Server window. Use the Server window to change server parallelism, use devices concurrently, add or change NetWorker administrators, and provide important company and product information.

To open the Server window, select “Server Setup” from the Server pulldown menu, as shown in Figure 6-13.

Figure 6-13. Server Menu

The Server window is shown in Figure 6-14.

Figure 6-14. Server Window

If necessary, use the scroll bar to the right side of the window to view the entire contents of the Server window.

The features of this window have these functions:

Name field |  | Displays the name of the current NetWorker server. If you have more than one NetWorker server on the network, and you wish to change servers, use the Change Server dialog box.
Version field |  | Displays the version of the software currently installed on the NetWorker server.
Parallelism field |  | Displays the number of clients backing up in parallel. Set the parallelism by using the mouse to slide the bar to the left or right, or enter the number in the Parallelism field. If you have purchased the TurboPak option, the maximum value for parallelism is 64; if you have not, the maximum value is 16.
Active devices field |  | Contains the maximum number of media devices NetWorker can use concurrently. An active device is one that the NetWorker server uses for backups and recovers. Use the slide bar to set the value, or enter the number in the Active devices field. The value for the maximum number of concurrent devices is 16.
| Note: The Active devices and Sessions per device fields are available only if you purchase NetWorker TurboPak. See “Setting Concurrent Device Use” in this chapter for more information.
Sessions per device field |  | Displays the target number of save sessions accepted by an active device. Use the slide bar to set the value, or enter the number in the Sessions per device field.
| Tip: You can configure your backups so that one device is reserved for recoveries only. For example, if Parallelism is 12, and Active devices is 3, you can set the Sessions per device to 6. These settings mean that two of the devices handle all of the incoming save sets and the third device remains available for performing a recovery.
Manual saves choices |  | Use these choices to enable and disable manual saves performed by clients on the network. When the Disabled toggle button is selected, you prevent all NetWorker clients from performing a manual backup, giving the administrator more control over the backup devices and location of the backed-up data. When the Enabled toggle button is selected, any NetWorker client can perform a manual backup.
Administrator scrolling list |  | Lists users or user groups who have permission to change the configuration of the NetWorker server. To add a user name, enter the name in the Administrator field, then click the add button.

The remainder of the window contains fields for entering customer information required for registering NetWorker. Silicon Graphics does not use these fields for this purpose.

The rest of this section explains

- changing parallelism

- setting concurrent device use

- adding or changing administrators

- changing the NetWorker server

### Changing Parallelism

A NetWorker server can back up files from many clients in parallel and can multiplex the files onto the same backup volume. This feature supplies a steady stream of files to the server, enabling the backup devices to operate efficiently. Use the Parallelism field in the Server window to optimize the efficiency of your server by controlling the number of clients that back up their files at any one time.

| Note: If you have purchased the TurboPak option, the maximum value for parallelism is 64; if you have not, the maximum value is 16.

| Tip: If the server takes too long to back up all the clients, increase the parallelism. If the server is so busy backing up clients it is not available for any other tasks, decrease the parallelism. If the server runs out of swap space or memory, decrease the parallelism.

To change the number of clients that can simultaneously back up their files to the NetWorker server, follow these steps:

1. Open the Server window by selecting “Server Setup” from the Server pulldown menu.

2. Select the Parallelism sliding bar and move it to the right or left to display the value you want, or enter the value in the field.

3. Click the Apply button.

When one client finishes a backup, another client can start a backup. However, the number of clients allowed to back up at one time cannot exceed the parallelism setting. Presume a case in which there are eight NetWorker client and one server, and parallelism is set to four. In this case, after the first client finishes a backup, the fifth client will start, so that a total of four clients are backing up at one time. That is, any four clients may back up at any one time.

| Tip: To turn off the parallelism so that only one client can back up to the server at a time, set the Parallelism value to one.

### Setting Concurrent Device Use

In addition to setting the number of clients backing up in parallel to a NetWorker server, you can configure the server to back up to several devices concurrently. The devices operate simultaneously to back up data, thus speeding backups and recovers. To do so, use the Parallelism, Active devices, and Sessions per device fields in the Server Setup window. Figure 6-15 shows these fields. The values in these fields control the backup traffic from the NetWorker server to the media devices.

| Note: You must purchase NetWorker TurboPak to back up to devices concurrently.

Figure 6-15. Parallelism, Active devices, and Sessions per device Fields

Enter the maximum number of active devices and the desired number of sessions per device. A save session is generated when a client starts a backup.

- The Active devices value sets the maximum number of backup devices NetWorker uses concurrently for backups. An active device is one the NetWorker server uses for backups or recovers. The maximum number of concurrent devices is 16.

- The Sessions per device value is the target number of save sessions accepted by an active device. If a device is receiving the maximum number of save sessions, the server sends the next session to the next underutilized backup device. If all devices are receiving the target number of sessions, NetWorker overrides the Sessions per device value and forces the backup onto the device with the least activity.

To configure the NetWorker server to back up to devices concurrently, follow these steps:

1. Open the Server window by selecting “Server Setup” from the Server menu.

2. Set the Parallelism value. (See “Changing Parallelism” earlier in this section.)

3. Select the Active devices slide bar and move it to the right or left to display the value you want.

4. Select the Sessions per device slide bar and move it to the right or left to display the value you want.

5. Click the Apply button.

| Note: To distribute your client backups evenly across the available backup devices, divide the number entered in the Parallelism field by the number in the Active devices field. Then enter that number into the Sessions per device field. For example, if you entered 8 in the Parallelism field, and you entered 2 in the Active devices field, enter the number 4 in the Sessions per device field.

### Adding or Changing Administrators

NetWorker is shipped with preconfigured settings so that only root@server_name on the server has permission to change system configuration. You can add, delete, or change permissions to give system administration privileges to other users or user groups. When using NetWorker for the first time, run it as root to add user or netgroup names to the Administrator list.

To change the administrator setting, follow these steps:

1. Open the Server window by selecting “Server Setup” from the Server menu.

2. Enter the new user name or NIS (Network Information Service) netgroup name into the Administrator field. The netgroup names must be preceded by an ampersand (&) in the Administrator field.

   For example, you can restrict administrator access to a particular machine with the command `root@server_name`.

3. Click the add button. (The change button lets you change the currently selected name.)

   Figure 6-16. Changing Administrators

4. Click the Apply button to apply the changes.

To delete a name from the Administrator list, follow these steps:

1. Select the name in the scrolling list.

2. Click the delete button.

3. Click the Apply button.

Every user or user group listed in the Administrator scrolling list has permission to modify the NetWorker server configuration.

| Note: The error message `user` user_name`` `needs to be on administrator's list` means you do not have permission to make configuration changes.

### Changing the NetWorker Server

This section describes how to use the Change Server dialog box to change to another NetWorker server on your network, if you have more than one server. Follow these steps:

1. To open the Change Server dialog box, select “Change” from the Server pulldown menu, or click the Change Server speedbar button, as shown in Figure 6-17.

   Figure 6-17. Opening the Change Server Dialog Box

   Figure 6-18 shows the Change Server dialog box.

   Figure 6-18. Change Server Dialog Box

2. Use the Update Server List button to display all of the NetWorker servers on your network, if necessary.

3. Highlight the hostname of the desired server in the Server scrolling list, or enter a valid hostname in the Server field.

4. Click Ok to complete the operation and close the window.

Prev | Table of Contents | Next
Chapter 5. NetWorker Configuration and Policy Issues |  | Chapter 7. Configuring and Managing Volumes and Backup Devices