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Media Agent OS refresh, from window to Linux!!

  • 17 October 2021
  • 7 replies
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A
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Hi there,

Will it be possible to replace a window MA to with LInux? I mean h/w refresh along with OS change!

Thanks,

Anuj

 

 

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Best answer by jgeorges 18 October 2021, 00:24

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Bart
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1 did that for a media agent , yes.
But the main question would be: what are you currently using on the media agent? I mean for example: 

“Limitations if you want to use CV with Hypervisors:

  • Live browse operations using Linux MediaAgents are supported only for the NTFS file system.

  • Dynamic volumes are not supported.

  • You cannot restore files with advanced encryption attributes using a Linux MediaAgent. For live browse of IntelliSnap backups, you must use a Windows MediaAgent to browse. The ACL of NTFS files is preserved during cross-platform restore operations only if the destination client is installed with Windows.”

J
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Hi @Anuj ,

 

It is possible yes.

As mentioned by Bart, consider whats in use and if those can easily be presented to Linux OS from a Windows OS (i.e. DDB, Indexes, Storage, Content Indexing (This ones not supported on Linux so hopefully not)). 

The safest and easiest method of a MA Refresh is to build your new Linux MA with new Hostname/Client name, deploy it within Commvault (for a moment you’ll have two) and begin migrating things across like Storage and DDBs.
Once everything is moved over, you can begin to decommision the old Windows MA.

Moving the DDB:
https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/expert/12577_moving_deduplication_database_to_another_mediaagent.html

Moving a Mountpath:
https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/expert/9302_moving_mount_path.html
(supported source/destination targets)
https://documentation.commvault.com/11.24/expert/9303_moving_mount_path_support.html

 

Cheers,
Jase

L
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Hello !

Now I am in this situation where I have a windows MA with its locally attached NTFS volumes in its disk library, and I have a brand new server running Linux to replace this MA, that has is internal disks read to be ‘configured’.

The target is to move all the backup flow from the current windows MA to the linux MA (and dismiss the old windows MA then).

 

Thanks to this post I thought I could perform Commvault ‘move’ operations between the windows and linux MA, to have few reconfiguration to perform.

Following the last link regarding moving mount path support, I noticed this : 

Additional Information

  • Cross-platform move mount path operation is not supported. You cannot move a mount path from Windows to Linux or from Linux to Windows.

So, Move Mount Path is not supported from Windows to Linux ?

As I don’t have a test environment for this, I don’t want to test on my active Prod if I can go through.

I’m a bit confused, then, so I’m looking for feedback.

Mike Struening RETIRED
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@Laurent , you’re likely better off doing an Aux Copy of the data to another library/Mount path that’s on a Linux MA, physically move the hardware, then Aux copy back as needed.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-struening
L
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Hi @Mike Struening and thanks for the feedback.

Maybe my case is different.

I have my windows MA with its internal big disks configured as disk library.

I have my new linux MA with its own internal big disks that I plan to use as the target disk library.

 

I cannot physically detach anything from the windows MA and plug it to the linux MA.

I can only change configurations inside Commvault, perform copies, or moves of DDB/index/Mount Paths.

I have already replaced some windows MAs by new windows MAs, and it’s just a question of sharing MPs to new MPs, then moving MPs, DDBs, indexes, and it’s (almost) done.

But bended by the management’s fashion to replace Windows by Linux got me to much more question marks than solutions..  😁 

L
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Important notice that I forgot to mention : my windows MA hosts a GDSP, to which 2 DSPs are attached to, and also GlobalSecondaryCopy for the tape library. This last one is not really a problem, because tapes are already known and can be moved from one MA to the other.

 

Maybe this seems to look more like a new topic we should initiate from my first answer ?

L
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Hi @Laurent 

I think the easiest way is to setup your new Linux MA’s and their storage and new Global policies and then decide if you perform auxiliary copies from Windows MA’s to Linux MA’s based on the standard policies you have and then promote. If retention is short, maybe forget about auxiliary copy and reassign the subclients to the new StoragePools, scheduling a full for the first job and once the legacy jobs on Media Agents Windows has expired, time for cleanup! Basically this is what Mike has suggested you earlier.

Depending on your tape library type, if it is directly attached  you can follow this procedure: https://documentation.commvault.com/11.26/expert/9944_library_operations_configuration.html#change-mediaagent-host-associated-with-library

 

 

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