On Tue, Feb 21, 2006 at 11:14:15AM -0500, Martin, Jonathan (Contractor) wrote:
> Can someone please give me an idea of what storage units are used for?
> I mean, I know I've got one per media server and another for disk based
> storage, but I've recently taken over a remote site who uses a storage
> unit to "customize" their database backups by "reserving" a certain
> media server for this one backup policy that uses this one Storage Unit.
> I've found yet another site who is using one storage unit per policy?!
> I'm in no way a "guru" but most of this seems off kilter.  Can someone
> give me a real world example of the proper implementation of Storage
> Units?!  Alternately, a link to an overview would be helpful.

We start with one storage unit per media server for tape drive access
(shared storage option).  We then add Disk Staging Storage Units for
each media server.  In cases where we want to push specific data to one
DSSU versus another, we create separate DSSUs - we have this for large
databases (to ensure that they can always recover from the DSSU) and for
very large clients (so they don't fill the shared DSSUs).

Other people do it differently.  There are lots of "correct" ways.
There are also probably lots of "incorrect" ways.    One storage unit
per policy may make perfect sense depending on how the policies are set.
If they also have 1 policy per host, I'd question their sanities :-)
If they can group their policies so it's one per media server, then it
makes perfect sense.

The nice thing about NetBackup is that it's very flexible.  The bad
thing about NetBackup is that it's very flexible.

        .../Ed

-- 
Ed Wilts, Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:ewilts AT ewilts DOT org