Conference decwet::networker

    J(ohn?),
    
    1) Can I backup ADVFS clones created outside ASE service?
    
    Yes, you can. But the method you describe is not the "standard" one. In
    my case, the two ASE disk services are starting via the crontab a
    "backup" script. This script is doing exactly what you describe in your
    note, but is ending with a "savegrp" remote shell command to the NSR server.
    
    The two services are WELL defined as "Cluster service", are listing all
    the CLONED filesystems in the saveset field of DECnsr and the NSR group
    of these services iS NOT enabled, such that it is the crontab which
    takes the initiative to start the backup.
    
    You should not touch to /etc/fstab. One very important point with NSR
    is the fact that the IP alias in the /etc/hosts MUST be equal to thee
    ASE service name, and MUST be listed first after the IP address.
    
    If you prefer, you can also "enables" the NSR group let's say a half
    hour after the crontab has started its own script such that you are
    sure the cloning is done. But in that case, it becomes difficult to
    know when you can remove the clones as the script is not aware of the
    end of the backup.
    
    Hope it helps you,
    
    Manu.

    Manu,
    
    Thanks very much for your prompt reply and yes it does help.
    
    I'm still not sure that creating clone filesets of filesets defined as
    part of an ASE disk service is "supported by ASE engineering"
    ASE documentation says that all file systems that are part of an ASE
    disk service should defined under ASE ref. ASE conference.
    
    However you've obviously implemented at a number of sites what the
    users want without problems.
    
    Thanks again for your help
    
    Jane

    Jane (I guessed John :-( ),
    
>>    I'm still not sure that creating clone filesets of filesets defined as
>>    part of an ASE disk service is "supported by ASE engineering"
>>    ASE documentation says that all file systems that are part of an
>>    ASE disk service should defined under ASE ref. ASE conference.
    
    All is supported if YOU are able to support it and is not violating the
    mandatory rules of a product. Now, if you create a clone, and mount
    this clone on a specific mount point, you can be facing the problem
    that a relocation is needed during the time the backup is running. So,
    you should foresee in the ASE stop script the stopping of the backup
    and the dismounting of the cloned filesystem. I can provide you a
    script which is detecting any clone created on a ASE filesystem and
    dismount it automatically.
    
    Kind regards,
    
    Manu.

    Manu,
    
    I guessed that the reason one should not have file systems outside of
    an ASE Disk service is to ensure that failover takes place.
    
    I have written scripts to umount and delete all clones (using showfsets
    of all files in /etc/fdmns).  To ensure the clones umounted, if the
    umount failed I used to losf to check the processes using the clone
    areas and killed them.
    
    Have you used a similar method?
    
    Thanks and regards,
    
    Jane

    
    Yes, Jane,
    
    I did exactly what you describe with lsof also...
    

Manu,

You said that:

"All is supported if YOU are able to support it and is not violating the
    mandatory rules of a product."

But the ASE product requires as part of its mandatory rules that any and all
storage associated with a service be configured as part of that service
(i.e. be made known to ASE).


You and I both know that there are workarounds that are functional, but when
you make statements about what is supported, it is important to keep in mind
that there is a distinction between "works" and "is supported".

Kevin

    Kevin,
    
    I agree on the principles you indicate, but NOT concerning the
    particular topic of this note which concerns the ADVFS clones.
    
    The ADVFS clones were NOT backup'ed by NetWorker at the beginning
    (V3.2), and I reported the problem at that time. You then produced a
    patch which regards an ADVFS clone just as another fset of a domain 
    present in the ASE configuration DB. 
    
    So, if you consider that an ADVFS clone is not supported by NetWorker,
    then I should really conclude that the integration of ASE-LSM-ADVFS and
    NetWorker is yet poorer than I thought, ... but I am sure you don't.
    
    Regards, Manu.