Front Office for NetBackup Guide Self-service backup & restore

Front Office for NetBackup Guide Self-service backup & restore Last updated August 6 2014

Contents 1.0 Solution Positioning... 3 1.1 For Service Providers... 3 1.2 For Enterprises... 3 2.0 Standard Services... 3 2.1 Client Inventory Driven Services (mixed platforms)... 4 2.1.1 Protect Machine... 4 2.1.2 Restore VM... 4 2.1.3 Restore File / Folder... 5 2.1.4 Backup Now... 5 2.1.5 Unprotect Machine... 6 2.2 vcloud Driven Services... 6 2.2.1 Protect Machine... 6 2.2.2 Restore VM... 7 2.2.3 Restore File / Folder... 7 2.2.4 Backup Now... 8 2.2.5 Unprotect Machine... 9 2.2.6 Register VM for File Restore... 9 3.0 Custom Services... 10 4.0 Reports... 10 4.1 Standard Reports... 10 4.2 Custom Reports... 10 5.0 Integrating With Existing Portals... 11 5.1 Using the Front Office API... 11 5.2 Click through links to Front Office... 12 5.3 Embedding Front Office Forms... 12 6.0 Solution Architecture & Technical Requirements... 13 6.1 Hardware / Software Requirements... 13 6.1.1 Hardware... 13 6.1.2 Software... 14 7.0 Appendix End-Point Platform Support... 15 8.0 Appendix 2 - Screen Shots... 16 8.1 Standard Services with Configurable Forms and Workflow... 16 8.2 Multi-tenancy and Seamless Integration to VMware vcloud... 16 8.3 Segregated Services across Users / Business Units... 17 8.4 Automated Policy Management and Data Segregation... 17 8.5 Customizable reports... 18 8.6 Self Service File / Folder Restore... 18 Page 2

1.0 Solution Positioning 1.1 For Service Providers Providing back-up and restore services to multiple tenants utilizing virtualized environments is a challenge for many Service Providers. Enabling self-service and automating tenant requests for backup and restore puts the tenant in control and significantly reduces provisioning costs. Front Office combined with VMware and NetBackup delivers such a solution. Multiple tenants access a customized self-service portal through which requests to backup and restore VMware objects can be intuitively made, and the status of their protected environments tracked and reported on. Service providers gain from automated provisioning of backup and restore requests whilst ensuring strict separation and security between tenant environments. Tenants gain control and visibility over what is protected. 1.2 For Enterprises Managing backups and restores for many thousands of end points across multiple locations/datacenters is a task that typically requires a team of specialists. Effecting changes to policies can be a time consuming, error prone manual activity that could leave vital resources unprotected. Enabling a simplified self-service portal, reduces complexity and errors, and automates a significant number of manual policy change activities. It also enables non-backup specialists, such as central service desk teams, to carry out backup and recovery related tasks in a controlled and audited environment. Front Office for NetBackup offers a scalable, highly configurable solution for mixed platform, multilocational estates. It puts complex policy management tasks safely in the hands of support staff not trained in the complexities of NetBackup administration. 2.0 Standard Services Logging into Front Office allows access to the pre-configured standard services and reports via the home page. There are two broad categories of services and related reports, these are: Client Inventory Driven Services for mixed end point enviroments where details of what end points can be backed up and by whom are held at Front Office (usually synced on a scheduled basis from a master repository e.g. CMDB). Page 3

vcloud Driven for vcloud only environments where tenant end points are organized within vorgs / logical datacenters and Front Office integrates directly with vcloud to determine who can backup what. Both sets of services can be multi-tenant aware and support multple location / datacenters and multiple NetBackup master servers. 2.1 Client Inventory Driven Services (mixed platforms) 2.1.1 Protect Machine This service creates a policy based on a predefined template that will backup selected machines on a schedule. On selecting Protect Machine, a form is displayed with the fields: Select machine to backup all machines in the Machine table available for backup are displayed in a list; a single machine can be selected. Already protected machines are indicated by an icon. Service Level the policy settings for the backup e.g. the frequency and retention period for the new backup (requires configuration via Front Office admin and NBU console). Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Create a new policy based on a template or add to a policy if a policy exists. Update the home page protected / unprotected panels. 2.1.2 Restore VM This service allows a previously protected VM to be restored to the original location. The type of backup available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. On selecting Restore VM, a form is displayed with the fields: Select VM - the machines that are protected, either through a policy or as a one-off. A single VM can be selected. An adjacent icon indicates the type of backup and a location in brackets indicates it is replicated. Backup date - a date on which to base the search. Results will reflect +/- 7 days. Select backup - a list of all the backup images for the selected VM. Confirm overwrite if exists - If a VM with the same name already exists in the requested location, the user is required to confirm that an over-write is acceptable. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Front Office will then: Restore the selected VM to its original location. Start the VM Email the requester notifying of success or failure. Page 4

2.1.3 Restore File / Folder This service allows a file or folder from a protected VM to be restored to a Windows or Unix machine. The type of backup available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. It can be restored to its original location or a sub folder within the original location. Note: the machine must have the NetBackup agent installed, which is a requirement for any file or folder restore. On selecting Restore File or Folder, a form is displayed with the fields: Backup date - a date on which to base the search. Results will reflect +/- 7 days. Select machine to restore from - the machines that are protected, either through a policy or as a one-off. A single machine can be selected. File selection type - option to browse a list or search by name. Depending on File selection type: Browse for file or folder - o Tree view displays with root nodes of the backup dates in the specified date range. Subsequent folders / files are available as single select. o Folders will be listed alpha-sorted, followed by files alpha-sorted. Files display with sub nodes giving size and last modified date. o The type of backup (full, incremental or cumulative) available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. Search for file or folder - o A list of backups and the type (full, incremental or cumulative) in the data range is displayed for selection in a filter. o Files or folders can be searched by name. Search will automatically wildcard if Partial Match (default) is selected for Search Type. If Exact Match is selected, wildcard will not automatically be added but the user can still add their own. o Files are sorted by path. o Results are capped at 500 records, with a message shown. o User are prevented from only searching by * or * and spaces. o Results can be filtered by size, or restricted to folders only Restore to original location? - By default the file or folder will be restored to the original location but the user can choose for it to be restored to a new sub folder. Confirm overwrite if exists - The user is required to confirm that an over-write is acceptable if a file or folder with the same name already exists. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Front Office will then: Restore the file or folder to the Windows or Unix machine. Email the requester notifying of success or failure. 2.1.4 Backup Now This is similar to Protect Machine but the backup is immediate and happens only once i.e. no backup schedule is created. On selecting Backup Now, a form is displayed with the fields: Page 5

Select machine to backup all machines in the Machine table available for backup are displayed in a list and a single machine can be selected. Already protected machines are indicated by an icon. Backup retention the retention period for the new backup. Retention periods are configured and editable in NetBackup. The Listbox Item Code must match the NetBackup Retention Level and the Listbox Item Description should be the Retention Period (requires configuration). Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Create a temporary policy, which runs immediately and is then deleted. Email the requester notifying of success or failure. 2.1.5 Unprotect Machine This service removes a currently protected vcloud object from the backup schedule. On selecting Remove Backup, a form is displayed with the fields: Select machines to unprotect* shows the machines that are protected. Already protected nodes within the machine list are indicated by an icon. Multiple selections may be made. The machine list is retrieved via an adapter. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Either update the policy or if all items are removed, delete the policy. This will be done for non-replication and replication location policies, as appropriate. Update the home page protected / unprotected panels. 2.2 vcloud Driven Services 2.2.1 Protect Machine This service creates a policy based on a predefined template that will backup selected vcloud objects on a schedule. On selecting Protect Machine, a form is displayed with the fields: Select location (region) - all the available regions but if they are not configured for a region an appropriate message is displayed (requires configuration via Front Office admin console). Select backup items all vdcs/vapps/vms available in vcloud for backup displayed in a tree list. Multiple selections at any level can be made; selecting a vdc or vapp selects all child nodes. Already protected nodes within the tree view are indicated by an icon. The vcloud structure is dynamically retrieved via integration adapter. Backup retention the retention period for the new backup. Retention periods are configured and editable in NetBackup. The Listbox Item Code must match the NetBackup Retention Level and the Listbox Item Description should be the Retention Period (requires configuration). Page 6

Replicate backup? offers the option for the backup to be replicated to another region. Note: the user does not need to be configured in that region. If selected, a list of secondary locations / regions is displayed. Available locations are sourced via an adapter, using values from Integration Settings. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Create a new policy based on a template or add to a policy if a policy exists. Update the home page protected / unprotected panels. The policy name always contains the client vorg name, the retention period and the region. 2.2.2 Restore VM This service allows a previously protected VM to be restored, either to the original or an alternative (existing) location within vcloud. The type of backup available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. On selecting Restore VM, a form is displayed with the fields: Select location (region) - all the available regions but if they are not configured for a region an appropriate message is displayed (requires configuration via Front Office admin console). Backup date - a date on which to base the search. Results will reflect +/- 7 days. Select VM to restore - the vdcs/vapps/vms within a tree view that are protected, either through a policy or as a one-off. A single VM can be selected. An adjacent icon indicates the type of backup and a location in brackets indicates it is replicated. The vcloud structure is retrieved via an adapter. Restore to vapp: Original or Other location. If Other is selected, all vdcs and vapps available in vcloud are displayed in a tree list. Replicated restores are always restore to Other. If a VM with the same name already exists in the requested location, the user is required to confirm that an over-write is acceptable. The vcloud structure is dynamically retrieved via integration adapter. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Front Office will then: If local, restore the selected VM to the specified restore location. Email the requester notifying of success or failure. If replicated, email the system administrator with information about the selected VM and the required vapp to restore to, for manual resolution. 2.2.3 Restore File / Folder This service allows a file or folder from a protected VM to be restored to a Windows or Unix machine. The type of backup available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. It will be restored to its original location. Page 7

Note: the VM must have the NetBackup agent installed, which is a requirement for any file or folder restore. On selecting Restore File or Folder, a form is displayed with the fields: Select location (region) - all the available regions but if they are not configured for a region an appropriate message is displayed (requires configuration via Front Office admin console). Backup date - a date on which to base the search. Results will reflect +/- 7 days. Select VM to restore from - the vdcs/vapps/vms within a tree view that are protected, either through a policy or as a one-off. A single VM can be selected. An adjacent icon indicates the type of backup and a location in brackets indicates it is replicated. The vcloud structure is dynamically retrieved via integration adapter. File selection type - option to browse a list or search by name. Depending on File selection type: Browse for file or folder - o Tree view displays with root nodes of the backup dates in the specified date range. o Subsequent folders / files are available as single select. Folders will be listed alpha-sorted, followed by files alpha-sorted. Files display with sub nodes giving size and last modified date. o The type of backup (full, incremental or cumulative) available for a given date / time is indicated to the user. Search for file or folder - o A list of backups and the type (full, incremental or cumulative) in the data range is displayed for selection in a filter. o Files or folders can be searched by name. Search will automatically wildcard if Partial Match (default) is selected for Search Type. If Exact Match is selected, wildcard will not automatically be added but the user can still add their own. o Files are sorted by path. o Results are capped at 500 records, with a message shown. o User are prevented from only searching by * or * and spaces. o Results can be filtered by size, or restricted to folders only Confirm overwrite if exists - The user is required to confirm that an over-write is acceptable if a file or folder with the same name already exists. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Front Office will then: Restore the file or folder to the Windows or Unix machine. Email the requester notifying of success or failure. 2.2.4 Backup Now This is similar to Protect Machine but the backup is immediate and happens only once i.e. no backup schedule is created. On selecting Backup Now, a form is displayed with the fields: Page 8

Select location (region) - all the available regions but if they are not configured for a region an appropriate message is displayed (requires configuration via Front Office admin console). Select backup items all vdcs/vapps/vms available in vcloud for backup displayed in a tree view. Multiple selections at any level can be made; selecting a vdc or vapp selects all child nodes. Already protected nodes within the tree list are indicated by an icon. The vcloud structure is dynamically retrieved via integration adapter. Backup retention the retention period for the new backup. Retention periods are configured and editable in NetBackup. The Listbox Item Code must match the NetBackup Retention Level and the Listbox Item Description should be the Retention Period. See Error! Reference source not found. for details. Replicate backup? offers the option for the backup to be replicated to another region. Note: the user does not need to be configured in that region. If selected, a list of secondary locations / regions is displayed. Available locations sourced via an adapter, using values from Integration Settings. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Create a temporary policy, which runs immediately and is then deleted. Email the requester notifying of success or failure. 2.2.5 Unprotect Machine This service removes a currently protected vcloud object from the backup schedule. On selecting Unprotect Machine, a form is displayed with the fields: Select location (region) - all the available regions but if they are not configured for a region an appropriate message is displayed (requires configuration via Front Office admin console). Select backups to remove the vdcs/vapps/vms within a tree view that are protected via a policy. Multiple selections at any level can be made; selecting a vdc or vapp selects all child nodes. Already protected nodes within the tree list are indicated by an icon. The vcloud structure is dynamically retrieved via integration adapter. Your reference a text entry field to allow any appropriate reference to be associated. Once submitted, Front Office will then: Either update the policy or if all items are removed, delete the policy. This will be done for non-replication and replication location policies, as appropriate. Update the home page protected / unprotected panels. 2.2.6 Register VM for File Restore This service can be used where first time networking NetBackup / vcloud is required. This request is not integrated to NetBackup but sends an email to a specified endpoint for manual action. This is considered a non-standard service so is not included in the out-of-the-box end user offering, however it is available as a template request type if needed. Page 9

3.0 Custom Services All the standard services can be customized to meet specific requirement, such as backup service levels and policy segregation. Front Office provides a point and click edit for service catalog items, their associated forms and workflow. Additionally, changes to the adapter scripts may be required to drive NetBackup commands. Biomni is also looking to extend the number of standard out-of-the-box services with each version. If a customer wishes to add their own additional services there are a number of key steps to follow, many of which can be undertaken with limited solution training. What NetBackup services can be configured in Front Office? Any action that is supported via the command line interface of NetBackup can be configured in Front Office. Any operation that requires access to the end-point (server) is not supported. 4.0 Reports 4.1 Standard Reports The Solution includes a number of Pre-configured panels; you can remove any that you are not using from Admin > Service Catalog > Service Catalog within the portal. Protected In the Client Inventory driven Solution, a list of the tenant s machines that are included in scheduled policies. Unprotected In the Client Inventory driven Solution, a list of the tenant s Machines that are not part of a scheduled backup policy. vcloud Protected In the vcloud driven Solution, a list of the tenant s vcloud VMs that are included in scheduled policies. vcloud Unprotected In the vcloud driven Solution, a list of the tenant s vcloud VMs that are not part of a scheduled backup policy. 4.2 Custom Reports A panel displaying categorised reports exported from OpsCenter is available. These reports need to be firstly configured in OpsCenter and exported to a Front Office accessable location. Page 10

5.0 Integrating With Existing Portals Where integration with an existing portal is required, three broad approaches are available: 1. Request import using the web services API to drive automatic submission of backup and restore requests against NetBackup 2. Click through portal to portal integration using targeted page links within Front Office to navigate users to specific page to carry out desired action 3. UI mash-up using the request forms of Front Office presented within portlets of the primary portal and seeded with data from the primary portal 5.1 Using the Front Office API The Front Office API is SOAP web services based allowing automated actions to be made against Front Office from an external system. Included in this API is request submit which allows any configured request type to be submitted through to fulfillment workflow, with the required request payload. For example, calling the request submit API with the backup now request type, with the required client machine identifier and retention level, will automatically initiate an immediate backup within NetBackup. Note: all information required to carry out the action must be provided in the correct format. A.Net SDK is also available. Call Front Office web service API with request XML (.Net SDK also available) Select location, client, backup retention/service level Customer Portal / Wflow Http/s Backup Request (XML) Web Service API Front Office translates into CLI commands and manages policy updates across multiple master servers Front Office for NetBackup SSH/remote p shell CLI NetBackup Master Servers Backup Policies IMPORTING REQUESTS VIA API Page 11

5.2 Click through links to Front Office All service requests available via the UI are directly addressable via share links. This allows external portals to route users into specific target pages of Front Office. Users must be authenticated at Front Office and some form of single sign-on is usually implemented with the initiating / master portal. Front Office supports Federated Single Sign-On via the WS- Federation Passive Protocol. It is implemented with Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation (WIF), and uses SAML tokens for claims transfer. 5.3 Embedding Front Office Forms Front Office forms can be embedded within another portal e.g. within an IFrame, if window sizes and theme/style sheet is configured to accommodate (e.g. not top banner/menu). Additionally, forms can be loaded or seeded with information via the request import API and users routed to the newly created draft request within the embedded portlet. Page 12

6.0 Solution Architecture & Technical Requirements 80/443 Front Office Web App 1433 1433 Front Office Database 1433 Front Office WS API NetBackup Adaptor Database Extract / Load CMDB of clients (Physical, vcenter, Hyper- V) 80/443 Front Office Service 1433 VMware vcloud (via REST API) 80/443 80/443 443 NetBackup Adapter Windows (Remote Powershell) 5985/5986 UNIX/LINUX (SSH) 22 Windows NetBackup Master Server Linux/Unix NetBackup Master Server Front Office Web / App Server(s) Front Office Database Server NBU Servers etc 6.1 Hardware / Software Requirements 6.1.1 Hardware Large (100+ concurrent users) Medium (20-100 concurrent users) Small (under 20 concurrent users) Min. 2 x Web/App Servers 8GB RAM Quad Core processor 5GB storage 1 x Web/App Server 6GB RAM Quad Core processor 5GB storage 1 x Web/App/DB Server 6GB RAM Quad Core processor 20GB storage 1 x DB Server 16GB RAM Quad Core processor 100GB storage 1 x DB Server 8GB RAM Quad Core processor 50GB storage Note: Additional web/app servers can be added to increase scalability Clustering the database server provides extra resilience but not extra scalability LAN connectivity between web/app and DB should be low latency Page 13

6.1.2 Software Web / App Server Pre-requisites Microsoft Windows Server running IIS with ASP.Net enabled Microsoft.NET Framework version 4.5 Database Server Pre-requisites Microsoft Windows Server Microsoft SQL Server Legend Microsoft SQL Server (32/64bit) Recommended SQL Server 2005 O Supported O SQL Server 2008 O Not supported X SQL Server 2008 R2 SQL Server 2012 Server Operating Systems Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 (32/64bit) Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows 8, 7, Vista & XP X O X Client Browsers Internet Explorer 7 Internet Explorer 8 1 Internet Explorer 9 Internet Explorer 10 Internet Explorer 11 Firefox Chrome X O Safari O 1 not suitable for request fulfilment configuration Page 14

7.0 Appendix End-Point Platform Support End Point Type Operation Supported Notes Physical Windows Whole Machine Backup Requires agent Physical Windows Whole Machine Recovery (Bare Metal Restore) Not supported Physical Windows File/Folder Recovery Requires agent Physical Unix/Linux Whole Machine Backup Requires agent Physical Unix/Linux Whole Machine Recovery (Bare Metal Restore) Not supported Physical Unix/Linux File/Folder Recovery Requires agent VMware vcloud VM backup With dynamic vcloud vorg browser VMware vcloud Whole VDC or vapp Backup With dynamic vcloud vorg browser VMware vcloud VM recovery With dynamic vcloud vorg browser + restore to alternate vapp VMware vcloud vapp recovery Not currently supported on roadmap VMware vcloud File recovery Requires agent and DNS configuration between NBU and end-point VMware vcenter VMware vcenter VM backup VM recovery VMware vcenter File recovery Requires agent MS Hyper-V MS Hyper-V VM backup VM recovery MS Hyper-V File recovery Requires agent Other hyper visors VM backup Supported as physical (requires agent) Other hyper visors VM restore Not supported Other hyper visors File recovery Requires agent Page 15

8.0 Appendix 2 - Screen Shots 8.1 Standard Services with Configurable Forms and Workflow 8.2 Multi-tenancy and Seamless Integration to VMware vcloud Page 16

8.3 Segregated Services across Users / Business Units 8.4 Automated Policy Management and Data Segregation Page 17

8.5 Customizable reports 8.6 Self Service File / Folder Restore Page 18