Back up NAS file systems using Network Data Management Protocol

Tivoli® Storage Manager Windows, AIX®, and Solaris backup-archive clients can use Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) to efficiently back up and restore network attached storage (NAS) file system images. The file system images can be backed up to, or be restored from, automated tape drives or libraries that are locally attached to Network Appliance or EMC Celerra NAS file servers, or to or from tape drives or libraries that are locally attached to a Tivoli Storage Manager server.

NDMP support is available only on IBM® Tivoli Storage Manager Extended Edition.

Incremental backup can also be used to back up NAS file system snapshots. See the incremental command and snapshotroot, snapdiff, createnewbase, and diffsnapshot options for more information.

After configuring NDMP support, the server connects to the NAS device and uses NDMP to initiate, control, and monitor each backup and restore operation. The NAS device performs outboard data transfer to and from the NAS file system to a locally attached library.

Filer to server data transfer is available for NAS devices that support NDMP Version 4.

The benefits of performing backups using NDMP include the following:

• LAN-free data transfer.
• High performance and scalable backups and restores.
• Backup to local tape devices without network traffic.

The following support is provided:

• Full file system image backup of all files within a NAS file system.
• Differential file system image backup of all files that have changed since the last full image backup.
• Parallel backup and restore operations when processing multiple NAS file systems.
• Choice of interfaces to initiate, monitor, or cancel backup and restore operations:
  • Web client
  • Backup-archive client command interface
  • Administrative client command line interface (backup and restore operations can be scheduled using the administrative command scheduler)
  • Administrative Web client

The following functions are not supported:

• Archive and retrieve
• Client scheduling. Use server commands to schedule a NAS backup.
• Detection of damaged files.
• Data-transfer operations for NAS data stored by Tivoli Storage Manager:
  • Migration
  • Reclamation
  • Export
  • Backup set generation