Welcome to NetWorker Fundamentals.

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Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 1

This course covers an overview of NetWorker architecture, features, and functionality. A detailed
discussion of NetWorker backup and recovery functions is also covered.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 2

This module focuses on the NetWorker solution for backup and recovery. It provides an overview of
NetWorker data protection functions and benefits of the NetWorker solution and its use cases.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 3

Adoption of new technology results in changing business needs and is common in most organizations. It
leads to data growth.
With increase in data and new technology, additional resources need to be deployed to manage the
workload. This in turn increases the cost involved in management.
Recovery objectives are becoming increasingly stringent and span everything from individual files to
applications to complete system recovery.
Apart from the data growth issues faced in a data center, there is an additional overhead to support
multiple diverse platforms and applications.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 4

NetWorker is a cross-platform, client/server application that provides the ability to remotely manage all
NetWorker servers from a web enabled, graphical interface.
Some of the common reasons organizations choose NetWorker for their backup management solution
are:

• It provides centralized control of traditional and deduplicated backups along with cloud data protection
using a common management interface.

• By leveraging Data Domain deduplication, NetWorker helps users reduce the amount of disk storage
needed to retain and protect data without adding administrative complexity. It also provides a common
management interface for deduplicated backup.

• NetWorker provides support for backup and recovery of virtual clients with guest level backups.
NetWorker supports VMware image-level backups and block based backups for Microsoft Hyper-V.

• It provides fast, secure, and granular disaster recovery to ensure required service levels are met and
helps keep the business running.

• It provides NetWorker application modules for fast, online, automated, and reliable backup and
recovery of database, messaging, content, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications.

• NetWorker accelerates backup and recovery with security, and scalability to meet demanding service
level requirements.

• NetWorker provides the same enterprise-level user experience whether data is residing within the data
center or on the public cloud. When integrated with Dell EMC CloudBoost and Data Domain Cloud Tier,
it delivers highly efficient and secure long-term retention of backups in leading private or public cloud
offerings.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 5

NetWorker performs various data protection functions. Let’s take a look at each of these functions and
review how NetWorker supports them.

A backup is a copy of production data created and retained for the sole purpose of recovering deleted or
corrupted data. NetWorker provides a scalable solution to manage and schedule backups for a small
network or an entire enterprise, and enables you to automate and configure this process for speed and
efficiency.

Tracking and reporting is a process of storing and accessing information about the backups. NetWorker
saves and tracks information, such as the location and volumes of the backup, the client that generates
the backup, the backup creation date and time, and the backup type.

Recovery is a process of restoring data to a given point-in-time. NetWorker makes this process possible
from anywhere within the NetWorker datazone. This feature enables users to retrieve a single file or an
entire file system.

Aging determines the length of time that the backup data is available for recovery. NetWorker allows you
to specify how long individual copies of data are maintained.

Staging is a process of moving backup data from one storage volume to another.

Cloning is similar to staging. However, instead of moving data it simply makes a copy of it. This copy or
clone can then be managed independently with its own retention time.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 6

A save set is one or more files, directories, file systems, or application-generated data residing on a
NetWorker client, that is backed up as a unit to a NetWorker storage node or backup device.
A save stream is a single save set in the process of being backed up.
A volume is a physical piece of media, such as a magnetic tape or a file system directory, to which
backup data is written.

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A pool contains a collection of NetWorker-labeled volumes.
A protection group is a NetWorker resource that defines a set of data sources to protect, such as clients,
VMware objects, or save sets.
Data protection policies enable you to protect client data automatically throughout the data protection
lifecycle.

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Workflows define a list of actions that are performed sequentially or concurrently. A workflow can be as
simple as a single action that applies to a finite list of client resources, or it can be a complex chain of
actions that apply to a dynamically changing list of resources, with some actions occurring sequentially
and others occurring concurrently.
Actions are the key resources in a workflow for a data protection policy. An action defines the data
protection operation to be performed, such as backup or clone.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 9

NetWorker provides network-based backup protection that functions in LAN, WAN, and SAN
environments on open system protocols, including TCP/IP, Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP),
and NFS/CIFS.

NetWorker uses the client-server model which distributes the workload and improves performance. It is
supported on various operating systems as listed in the NetWorker Software Compatibility Guide. The
supported platforms seamlessly co-exist within the datazone. For example, a Microsoft NetWorker client
can back up to a Linux NetWorker storage node and vice versa.
Note that a NetWorker datazone is composed of a single NetWorker server, its clients, and storage nodes.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 10

The EMC Licensing Solution, available in NetWorker 9.0 and later, is an EMC licensing standard that
stores all licensing information for the environment in one license file. This is stored on both the
NetWorker server and the EMC License server. The components that are required to set up the EMC
Licensing Solution include :

• EMC License server

• License file

• LMTOOLS (Windows) or lmgrd (Linux) which manages the License server.

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A data center may experience various challenges like data growth and complex environments, with the
overhead of providing protection to multiple diverse platforms and applications. NetWorker overcomes
these challenges through its backup and recovery software which centralizes, automates, and accelerates
data backup and recovery across an IT environment. It easily scales for support of small to very large
complex organizations. NetWorker delivers protection for a wide variety of computing and storage
environments which includes SAN, WAN, NAS and DAS. It provides protection for various operating
systems, virtual environments, and critical business applications. It also supports backup storage options
which include tape, virtual tape, disk arrays, deduplication systems, and cloud storage.

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Infrastructures may experience contention issues where physical servers compete for resources.
NetWorker overcomes this by providing support for VMware image-level backups with NVP and block
based backups of Microsoft Hyper-V using NetWorker Module for Microsoft(NMM). Backup data can be
stored on deduplication devices such as Data Domain.

These methods can be employed to reduce complexity in the backup environment, the impact of backups
on production servers and the backup storage requirements.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 13

This module introduced the NetWorker solution for backup and recovery. It also provided an overview of
NetWorker data protection functions, benefits and features of the NetWorker solution and use cases.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 14

This module focuses on the NetWorker software components and their roles, and NetWorker control data
types and resources.

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The three primary types of NetWorker hosts in a NetWorker datazone are the NetWorker server, storage
node(s), and clients.

NetWorker server is a collection of processes and programs that are installed on a host that performs
NetWorker services. The NetWorker Server also acts as a storage node and can control multiple remote
storage nodes.

NetWorker client is a physical computer where you install the NetWorker client software. The NetWorker
client computer can be any computer in a datazone that contains data, you want to back up. The NMC
server, NetWorker server, and NetWorker storage node hosts are also NetWorker clients.

NetWorker can back up data to local devices on a NetWorker server or remote devices on a storage
node. A storage node controls storage devices, such as tape drives, disk devices, autochangers, and
silos.

A single NetWorker server along with its storage nodes and clients, forms a NetWorker datazone within
which data is protected. An enterprise may have more than one NetWorker datazone. However,
NetWorker servers and storage nodes may belong to only one datazone. NetWorker clients may be
backed up by multiple NetWorker servers and therefore may belong to multiple datazones.

Additionally, NetWorker provides the ability to create multiple restricted datazones (RDZ) on a single
NetWorker server to support multi-tenancy requirements of organizations like IT service providers and
cloud hosting providers.

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The NetWorker server is a physical or virtual machine that manages the datazone and facilitates client
backups and recoveries.

The NetWorker server stores the configuration information for the datazone including client configurations,
devices, policies, and schedules in its resource database.

Additionally, the server hosts the media database which is responsible for tracking volume and save set
location information.

Finally, the NetWorker server tracks the contents of all save sets backed up from all clients in its client file
indexes.

There can only be one NetWorker server per datazone and it must be available for any NetWorker activity
to be supported in that datazone. The NetWorker server has the NetWorker client, storage node, and
server software installed and is configured to automatically back up its databases and client file indexes to
ensure recoverability in the event of a disaster.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 17

The most fundamental component of NetWorker software is the NetWorker client. The NetWorker client
software contains all of the functionality needed for communication with the NetWorker datazone. Because
of this every host in a datazone must have the NetWorker client software installed, including the
NetWorker server and storage nodes.

The client’s most important functions are to generate backups called save sets, push them to a NetWorker
storage node or device, and retrieve them during a recovery.

While performing a backup, the client also generates tracking information, including the file and directory
names in the backup and the time of the backup. This data is sent to the server where it is stored and
used to facilitate browsable point-in-time recoveries.

Additionally, the client software contains graphical user interfaces or command line utilities that allow
users to manually perform backup and recovery operations from the client.

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NetWorker storage nodes are dedicated hosts with directly-attached or SAN/LAN accessible devices to
support the storage of backup data.

During a backup, a NetWorker client sends backup data to a particular storage node based on that client’s
configuration. The storage node organizes the client’s data and writes the client’s data to one of its
devices.

Storage nodes also send tracking information about the save sets written to the volume during the backup
to the NetWorker server. This information is used for future backups as well as for recoveries.

During a recovery, the client reads from the storage node. The storage node provides the device that
contains the necessary volume.

The NetWorker server is always a storage node and is the default storage node for backups. A NetWorker
server can manage many storage nodes, but a NetWorker storage node can be managed by only one
NetWorker server. In other words, a storage node cannot exist in two datazones at the same time. Storage
node hosts have both the NetWorker client and storage node software installed on them.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 19

The NetWorker Management Console (NMC) server or Console server is a Java-based web application
and database server. The NMC server manages all NetWorker servers and clients. The NMC server also
provides reporting and monitoring capabilities for all NetWorker servers and clients in the backup
environment. NMC server relies on the NetWorker Authentication Service for user account authentication.

The Console server provides a global view of the NetWorker environment, allowing you to centrally
configure and manage one or more NetWorker datazones, as well as run a number of preconfigured and
customizable reports.

The Console server gathers information about backups from the datazone and can be hosted on the
NetWorker server or on a separate host. One NetWorker Management Console server can be used to
manage multiple NetWorker servers and datazones across an enterprise.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 20

NetWorker control data collectively represents the NetWorker configuration information and the backup
tracking information stored on the NetWorker server.

The Client File Indexes (CFIs) are the NetWorker databases that track each file or pathname in a client’s
backup, allowing clients to browse their backups for files from a particular PIT. The NetWorker server
creates and maintains one client file index per client.

The Media Database is the NetWorker database used to track the backups and the volumes they are
stored on.

The Resource Database contains the NetWorker configuration resource files.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 21

Resources are used to configure and define objects within a NetWorker environment.

Each configurable component in NetWorker is represented by a resource and there can be multiple
configurations for each type. Examples of resource types include clients, devices, tape libraries, and
policies.

Nearly, all NetWorker resources are stored on and managed by the NetWorker server in the resource
database.

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The NetWorker server maintains tracking information for save sets and volumes in a client file index for
each client and in the media database.

The Client File Index (CFI) is the database maintained by the NetWorker server that tracks each backed
up save set. The CFI information answers the question - "What files were backed up and when?" for each
client. The NetWorker server maintains a single index file for each client computer. The NetWorker server
is also a client and has its own index file. The CFI information is used to support browsable recoveries
using file selection and allows clients to easily recover files to a specific PIT.

The Media Database tracks the NetWorker labeled volumes, the save sets in the volumes, and the life
cycle status of the save sets and volumes. The NetWorker server uses the media database records to
determine which volumes are needed for backing up and recovering data.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 23

This module focused on NetWorker software components which include Networker server, client, and
storage node and their roles. It also covered NetWorker control data types and resources.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 24

This module focuses on providing an overview of NetWorker backup and recovery operations and also the
features of NetWorker. It also covers NetWorker security features.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 25

This lesson covers an overview of the NetWorker backup workflow, supported backup levels, interfaces
for running backups, and supported devices. It also provides an overview of cloning and staging
operations.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 26

Backup is a process of creating a copy of production data for the sole purpose of recovery in the event of
loss or corruption. The backup destination can be another directory on the same system, or another
server, or some other type of storage media.

NetWorker manages the backup data, which includes client data and tracking information and directs it to
the destination. NetWorker also enables you to automate and schedule the backup process.

During NetWorker backup, the NetWorker client pushes the data to the destination storage node, where it
formats the data and writes it to a volume in a backup device which it manages. Once the data is written to
a volume, the storage node and the backup client send the tracking information to the NetWorker server.
The NetWorker server is always responsible for storing the tracking information.

With Client Direct, the client sends data directly to the target device bypassing the storage node.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 27

NetWorker allows you to perform two types of backups which include server-initiated and client-initiated
backup.

A server-initiated backup is started from the NetWorker server and is configured to start automatically
through the use of NetWorker policies and workflows. Server-initiated backups may also be started
manually either by using the NetWorker Management Console or the command line.

A client-initiated backup is started from a NetWorker client and is a manual process that the user
performs. It is usually a one-time event and is performed using the NetWorker User GUI or a backup
command.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 28

Server-initiated backups are scheduled backups that are run automatically according to policy workflows
and actions that determine how and when a client is backed up. The administrator defines the data to be
backed up for each host using a NetWorker client resource. Next, they assign those client resources to
backup groups and design workflows that define the actions or tasks to be performed for that group. The
administrator also decides the backup pool to which the data will be directed, and also the workflow
schedule.

A server-initiated backup can be started manually either from the NetWorker Administration window or the
command line.

The example shown here is the Filesystem Backup policy displayed in the NetWorker Administration
Monitoring window. The policy has a backup action called backup.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 29

Client-initiated backups are useful for one-time, ad-hoc backups. The user specifies which files,
directories, and file systems to save. Client-initiated backups have a backup level of manual instead of the
backup levels of full or incremental. Client-initiated backups can be performed on Microsoft Windows
clients using NetWorker User (winworkr.exe) GUI. On all platforms, the save command can be executed
directly from the command line on any NetWorker client to initiate a backup.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 30

NetWorker allows you to specify the level of the backup to be performed during a scheduled backup.
Different backup levels enable you to balance the amount of time that is required to complete a backup
with the number of volumes that are required to recover from a disk failure. The backup levels available in
NetWorker include:

• Full backup, which results in a back up of all files, regardless of whether the files have changed. The
advantage of a full backup is faster recovery.

• Incremental backup results in the back up of the files that have changed since the last backup,
regardless of the level of the last backup. The advantages are, it is typically faster than a full backup,
results in less load on the server, and uses less backup storage space than a full backup.

• Cumulative incremental backup results in the back up of all files that have changed since the last full
backup. The advantages are, it is typically faster than a full backup, results in less load on the server,
and uses the least amount of space.

• Logs only backup performs a backup of database transaction logs that are created by a NetWorker
module. The advantages are, it is faster than a full or incremental backup and there is less load on the
server.

• Synthetic full backup is created by the back up of all data that has changed since the last full backup
and subsequent incremental backups. The advantages are, provides faster backups than a full backup,
faster recovery, less load on the server, client, and network, and requires fewer volumes for recovery.

• Skip backup skips the scheduled backup.

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NetWorker software supports a variety of different backup media. NetWorker supports tape and virtual
tape, Advanced File Type, Data Domain, and cloud storage devices.

• Tapes include tape drives and cartridges which may be physical or virtual.

• Advanced file type devices also known as AFTD, refers to an existing file system directory
configured in NetWorker as a backup to disk resource. Once the device resource is configured,
NetWorker uses the directory as a backup volume.

• DD Boost devices are the Data Domain storage systems that have the DD Boost feature enabled.
Backup data stored on a DD Boost device is in deduplicated format.

• Cloud devices support backup to cloud. Cloud devices are specific to cloud storage services, such as
Atmos, CloudBoost, and Data Domain Cloud Tier.

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NetWorker uses media pools and volume labels to sort backup and clone data on media. Media pool is a
specific collection of volumes to which the NetWorker server writes data. A volume is identified with a
unique label based on user configurable label templates. Media pools act as filters that tell the NetWorker
server which backup volumes should receive specific data. The NetWorker server uses media pools along
with label templates to track what data is on which specific volume.

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Cloning is the process of copying save sets or a volume of save sets to another volume. It is used to
create a duplicate copy of backup data securely offsite. It creates identical copies of save sets in case of
damage to original media. No volume contains more than one instance of a save set. Cloning can be done
either manually or automatically.

During the backup operation, the save sets are backed up from the production host to the backup pool.
The cloning operation reads save sets from a volume within a backup pool and writes the data to a volume
on a clone pool. The target volume can be the same media type or a different media type than the original.
You can clone save sets multiple times, but NetWorker must write each clone to a separate volume. The
cloning operation validates that NetWorker can read the backup data successfully in the media database
and on the media volume, which provides additional assurance to recover the data.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 34

Staging is the process of copying backup data from one volume to another volume and then removing the
data from the original location. Staging save sets from a primary backup device ensures that there is
always sufficient disk space available on the primary device to store backup data.

Staging is often used to move save sets from advanced file type devices to long term storage media, such
as tape. Staging allows the movement of files with least recent backup data to tapes. This helps free up
space on the disk for subsequent backups.

The difference between a clone and a stage operation is that in staging, the save sets are moved from one
volume to another. The resulting save set is identical to the original data, but in a different location.

Copyright © 2017 Dell Inc. NetWorker Fundamentals 35

This lesson covers an overview of recovery, its types, and interfaces.

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A recovery restores data to its original state at a specific point-in-time. Recoverable data includes files,
directories, file systems, or application data.

During a recovery operation, the backup data is retrieved from the device to the storage node, the storage
node then passes the backup data to the NetWorker client. Once the data is received, the client and the
storage node send the tracking information to the NetWorker server. NetWorker ensures necessary
security to avoid recovery of data by unauthorized persons. Files can be recovered to a directory other
than the directory from which they were backed up.

Recovered files retain the modification time and permissions they had when they were backed up. The
modification time does not change when the file is recovered.

Where supported, data may be recovered from the backup device directly to the client, bypassing the
storage node.

Recoveries are manual processes and can be categorized by the method used to recover the data. There
are three types of recoveries: browsable, save set, and directed.

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Browsable recovery is the most flexible and easy method of recovering data. It is a file selection recovery
method that uses the client file index to gather information about backups. Only those files for which the
user has read permission can be recovered.

During the recovery, the user selects the set of files and directories to be recovered. When recovering an
entire directory or file system, a point-in-time recovery is automatically performed. This restores the
directory or file system to the way it looked as of the most recent backup. You can also recover a version
of a file other than the most recent version.

Consider using a browsable recovery when you want to recover only the files that you mark for recovery
and no other files. Also, when you don’t know the exact name of a file, the file can be located by browsing
through the file system. Because of the point-in-time feature, browsable recovery is useful when the most
recent backup is not a full backup and files have been deleted or renamed since the full backup.

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A save set recovery allows you to recover data from a save set rather than browsing and marking data
for recovery. A save set recovery can be performed at any time for any save set. Data that can be
recovered includes individual files, directories, and entire save sets.

Since a save set recovery does not utilize client file index information, it does not perform a point-in-time
recovery. Recovering to a specific point-in-time using save set recoveries may require multiple recovery
operations followed by manual deletion and renaming of files.

A save set recovery is useful when recovering an entire save set or a large number of files from a single
save set. It is also commonly used when information about the save set being recovered is no longer in
the client file index.

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Directed recovery is defined as a recovery in which the data that was backed up from one computer is
recovered to another. Because backed up data has a specific data format, the source and destination
clients must have similar operating systems and file system formats. Additionally, specific access rights
are required to perform directed recoveries.

A directed recovery is useful when you cannot log on to the source client to perform the recovery, you
want to perform all recoveries from a single NetWorker client, or you want to transfer files from one
computer to another. The directed recovery capability gives you a high degree of flexibility and
convenience in recovering and redirecting data.

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NetWorker provides several interfaces for performing recoveries.

NetWorker provides the Recovery Wizard that allows the administrator to perform most NetWorker
recoveries through the NetWorker Management Console, without having to log into the client or any other
application. The Recovery Wizard supports browsable, save set, and directed recoveries. With the Wizard,
you can schedule recoveries and create and save a configuration that you can reuse and modify later.
Note that the wizard does not support cross-platform recoveries.

For Microsoft Windows clients, recoveries can be performed using the NetWorker User GUI on the
NetWorker client. The graphical user interfaces allow the user to mark one or more items for recovery.

Recoveries can be performed from the command line on any NetWorker client, by running the recover
command. This option is available for all platforms.

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NetWorker server recovery involves recovering portions or all of the NetWorker control data, or completely
rebuilding the NetWorker server, including its client data. It is used when the NetWorker databases or
client file indexes are destroyed or corrupted. Once each day, the bootstrap save set, containing media
database and resource information, and the client file indexes are backed up. Recovery of the bootstrap
save set is required to recover a NetWorker server. Recovery of individual client file index save sets is
optional. If the benefits of an individual client file index are not immediately necessary, then you may
decide not to recover a client's CFI, especially if the index is extremely large.

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This lesson covers some of the additional features and capabilities that make NetWorker a flexible backup
management solution. It also covers NetWorker security features.

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The parallel save streams (PSS) feature in NetWorker enables maximum utilization of all available save
streams at any given time regardless of the number of specified save points. Client parallelism is fully
utilized for all save points, thus increasing backup throughput written to backend media.

With PSS, a single save set entry can be backed up in multiple, parallel save streams. A save set is split
into several save points, each taking a separate save session or stream. Only as many streams as the
client parallelism permits are running at any given time. As a backup on a stream finishes, the stream is
reclaimed and may be reallocated.

PSS is implemented for both UNIX and Windows platforms for file system type backups. Checkpoint
restart is not supported when you use PSS.

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Storing backup data on deduplication devices significantly reduces the amount of storage capacity that is
required for backups. NetWorker supports deduplication by integrating with Data Domain.

Data Domain can be used for deduplicated backup storage in several ways, including virtual tape and
AFTD devices. When integrated with Data Domain through the use of the NetWorker Data Domain device
type, DD Boost technology is used. This significantly increases backup performance by performing the
deduplication process on the backup client, and reduces the amount of data traveling over the network to
the Data Domain system.

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Using the checkpoint restart feature of NetWorker may prevent the re-run of an entire backup when a
failure is encountered. When checkpoint restart is enabled, failed backup operations can be restarted at a
known good point prior to the point-of-failure. A known good point is defined as a point in the backup data
stream where the data is successfully written to the save set and that data can be located and accessed
by subsequent recovery operations. This prevents the files and directories that have already been backed
up from being backed up again.

If the checkpoint restart feature is disabled, then a failure encountered during a scheduled backup
operation might require a re-run of an entire backup save set. This can be costly when a limited backup
window is available.

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The Client Direct feature enables NetWorker clients to back up directly to AFTDs or DD Boost devices,
bypassing the storage node in the backup path. Client Direct reduces bandwidth usage as the backup data
travels directly from the client to the storage device. Also, any bottlenecks at the storage node are
avoided. For Client Direct backups, the storage node manages the devices, but does not handle the
backup data.

By default, the Client Direct feature is enabled for a client. Client Direct clients require a network
connection and remote access to the storage device such as a CIFS or NFS path. If a Client Direct backup
cannot be performed, then a traditional backup through the storage node is performed.

With DD Boost backups using Client Direct, the deduplication processing occurs on the client.

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NetWorker block based backups (BBB) are high-performance backups which are supported on Windows
and Linux. During block based backups, the backup application scans a volume or a disk in a file system,
and backs up all the blocks that are in use in the file system.

Block based incremental backups use the Change Block Tracking (CBT) driver to identify the changed
blocks, and back up only the changed blocks. Block based full and incremental backups are fast backups
with reduced backup times, because the backup process backs up only the occupied disk blocks and
changed disk blocks respectively.

Block based backups use Client Direct and support only AFTD and Data Domain as target devices.

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NetWorker Snapshot Management (NSM) provides point-in-time snapshot copies of data that can be
tracked and managed from NetWorker. NetWorker software backs up data from the snapshot. This allows
applications to continue to write data during the backup operation and ensures that open files are not
omitted. You can leverage snapshots for impact-free backups by using a server other than the production
host to perform backups to backup media. This alternate proxy host or mount host will take on the
performance burden of backups instead of the production server.

NSM provides snapshot restore and recovery capabilities to retrieve data directly from a snapshot or from
a clone copy. Data on disk can be replaced from a snapshot by performing a rollback restore.

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In an environment without multiplexing, only one stream of data is written to a tape device at any given
time. This situation is not ideal because as more clients perform simultaneous backups, the tape drive’s
throughput is not optimized.

One of the ways that Networker achieves backup efficiency with tapes is by interleaving or multiplexing
multiple backups onto a backup device. Multiplexing enables more than one save stream to write to the
same device at the same time. This allows the device to write to the volume at the collective data rate of
the save streams, up to the maximum data rate of the device.

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Open Tape Format (OTF) is a data format that allows multiplexed, heterogeneous data to reside on the
same tape volume.

As shown on the slide, clients wrap their backup data into packages containing platform-independent data,
which are called save set chunks, before sending them to the storage node. The storage node receives
the packages and arranges them in media records and files.

These are then stored in tape volumes. The way the storage node organizes the data is also platform-
independent allowing any NetWorker storage node to read the data. Through the use of Open Tape
Format, a NetWorker storage node can be migrated to a host running a different operating system.

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Restricted datazones provide NetWorker administrators with the ability to organize a NetWorker
environment into a multi-tenancy configuration. Restricted datazones allow multiple tenants to share a
single NetWorker environment. In a multi-tenancy configuration, each restricted datazone contains one
RDZ NetWorker server and other associated NetWorker resources. This offers users who need to provide
backup services to various clients an ability to create logical datazones within a backup environment. This
is particularly useful with service providers managing multiple tenants within a single infrastructure. Global
administrators oversee the setup and management of several restricted datazones and assign tenant
administrators with access to a restricted datazone. A tenant administrator can only manage NetWorker
resources within an assigned restricted datazone.

The restricted datazone feature results in autonomy for tenants in a hosted or service provider
environment, and a simplified experience for NetWorker administrators.

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Security is an essential component of NetWorker and is accomplished in several ways:

• Resource update logging provides tracking of all resource changes made on a NetWorker server. The
security audit logging feature records auditable security events related to the security and integrity of
the NetWorker datazone. This information is useful for accountability where there are multiple
NetWorker administrators, for security in the event of a system intrusion and for general auditing of
modifications. In addition to these two logs, NetWorker maintains log files that allow users to trace the
sequence of activities for the NetWorker server, Console server, and NetWorker clients.

• Access control features to the NetWorker infrastructure include token-based authentication and role-
based authorization of users. NetWorker hosts and daemons use the nsrauth GSS mechanism to
authenticate components and to verify hosts. Firewalls monitor all traffic flow between two or more
networks, and allow only authorized traffic as defined by administrative policies.

• Through the use of user authentication and authorization, user access to backup data for restores can
be restricted. Security from disclosure of backup data can also be enabled through the use of
encryption. When enabled, the data is encrypted on the client as the save stream is generated.

• Secure communications involve HTTPS, self-signed certificates, secure channels, and firewalls for
protecting the information that is being communicated.

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NetWorker uses AuthC, the NetWorker Authentication Service, to provide token-based authentication for
NMC and CLI users. Token-based authentication enables users to securely connect to the NMC server.
Authenticated users can then perform secure administrative functions and backup and recovery
operations.

AuthC is a web-based application installed on each NetWorker server. It uses a local database and
optionally an LDAP or Active Directory (AD) server, for authentication of external users.

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CloudBoost enables long-term retention of backups to public or private cloud storage.

A NetWorker with CloudBoost environment can extend on-site data protection to the cloud with the
following solutions:

• Backup to the cloud

• Backup to cloud directly with the Networker Linux client

• Backup in the cloud using Amazon EC2 and Amazon S3

• Backup in the cloud using Microsoft Azure port up to 6 PB of addressable backend storage.

CloudBoost decouples metadata from data, which removes a bottleneck for cloud reads and writes.
Encryption keys, metadata, and file system information are housed separately from the data. All advanced
data services, such as chunking, encryption, in-line deduplication, compression, and bulk data transfers
are performed separately from the metadata. The CloudBoost library is used to achieve data deduplication
before transferring data to the cloud, similar to Data Domain.

NetWorker can back up directly to the cloud without cloning data first to a staging server. The CloudBoost
appliance is a device type in NetWorker 9.0.1 or later.

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To store backup data on a Data Domain Cloud Tier, first the data is backed up to the active tier using a
NetWorker Data Domain device (DD boost). Then, the data to be moved to the Cloud Tier is identified
according to a data movement policy defined in a Data Domain Cloud Tier device that is the target of a
clone action. Since an external application, NetWorker, is directing the movement of Data Domain data, an
app-based policy is defined.

The app-based policy is used implicitly as the data movement policy. The app-based data movement
policy tells Data Domain that the save sets being cloned are eligible for moving to the cloud.

Two types of NetWorker devices need to be created to implement NetWorker integration with Data
Domain Cloud Tier - the first one is a Data Domain device and the second one is a Data Domain Cloud
Tier device.

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NetWorker provides support for backup and recovery of VMware virtual clients in two ways - guest level
backups and NetWorker VMware Protection. With a guest backup, the virtual machine is treated like a
normal backup client with the NetWorker client software installed on the host virtual machine.

NetWorker provides the NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) option for image-level backups. Virtual
machines are backed up without installing backup agents on every virtual machine and are not impacted
by backup processing. Image-level and file-level recoveries can be performed.

With the NVP solution the NetWorker server drives all operations. Data is protected under the control of
the NetWorker server. The natively-driven vProxies send data to Data Domain storage in native VMDK
format. The VMDK data format is kept as long as the data remains on a Data Domain device. The backup
environment is easily scaled by adding vProxies. The NetWorker server manages the data protection
environment using policies along with the screens and wizards provided by NMC for backup configuration,
recoveries, monitoring, and troubleshooting. There is also a FLR web user interface that works with the
NetWorker server to provide file level recovery from image backups.

As illustrated in the diagram, when using clone controlled replication or CCR, backup data can be
replicated to a second Data Domain system while still maintaining the native VMDK format. Less time is
required to complete backups and recoveries as there is no CDSF overhead. However, if tape or AFTD
storage is required, backup data can be replicated from Data Domain storage to tape under the control of
the NetWorker server.

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To protect Hyper-V environments, NetWorker leverages the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service
(VSS) to deliver snapshot-based protection and recovery for the entire Hyper-V server environment,
including parent and child partitions (guests).

At the parent level, NetWorker simplifies full protection for the Hyper-V physical server. Users can easily
back up and recover the server operating system, system state, data volumes, and Hyper-V configuration
database. Leveraging the Hyper-V VSS Writer, NetWorker with NetWorker Module for Microsoft also
executes full-image backups or snapshots of Hyper-V child partitions. Within the child partition, NetWorker
executes application-consistent backups of Microsoft Exchange, SQL, and SharePoint. Application-aware
backups provide fine-grain recovery with application log management to ensure maximum flexibility in
data recovery. Support for off-host backup of child partitions removes the impact of backup from
production Hyper-V servers. The persistent snapshot management of NetWorker enables fast and efficient
snapshot restore and rollback for quick Hyper-V recovery. Hyper-V data saved on secondary media such
as disk, virtual tape, or tape is also quickly recovered in a single step when needed. To ensure
recoverability in dynamic virtual environments, data can be directed to original or alternate locations.

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EMC NetWorker application modules act with third-party applications, together with NetWorker, to provide
a comprehensive data storage management system. NetWorker modules allow applications to be backed
up in a consistent state.

NetWorker application modules fully integrate with the third-party vendor-specific APIs, eliminating the
need to develop or maintain custom backup and recovery scripts. They provide fast, online, automated,
and reliable granular backup and recovery for popular database, messaging, content, and ERP
applications.

Available NetWorker application modules include the modules listed on the slide.

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This module covered an overview of backup and recovery operations and additional features of
NetWorker.

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This module focuses on NetWorker management tools and procedures to run a simple backup, recovery,
and generate a few basic reports using NetWorker management console.

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NetWorker provides administrative interfaces, including GUI and command line interfaces, to manage,
configure, and monitor the NetWorker server.

NetWorker Management Console (NMC) provides a global view of all NetWorker servers involved in a
backup environment.

In addition to the Console, two other administrative interfaces may be available depending on whether the
user is on a UNIX or Windows host.

nsradmin is a command line utility used to view, create, delete, and modify resources.

nsrwatch, available only on UNIX hosts, is a monitoring tool used to view current device operations,
active sessions, messages concerning recent activity, and any pending messages such as an unfulfilled
volume mount request.

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In addition to providing centralized event and reporting capabilities, NMC provides an easy access to each
managed NetWorker server in an environment for administration functions including configuring clients,
devices and other resources. It also enables the administrator in scheduling, running, and monitoring the
backups.

With NMC, NetWorker can be administered from any host having a supported web browser. For example,
you can administer a Linux NetWorker server from a Windows machine and vice versa. NetWorker also
provides many command line utilities.

Let’s see the functions of each NMC window.

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NetWorker is highly configurable. With its many configuration points, NetWorker can be tailored to meet
the unique backup requirements for a specific backup environments. The Protection window is used to
access most of the NetWorker resources for configuring backups. Configuration is simplified through the
use of wizards for creating various backup resources, such as clients, groups, and policies.

Note that the Devices window is used to configure and manage backup devices.

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From the NetWorker Administration Monitoring window, the system administrator can view the status
of completed backups and those that are in progress. This window also provides an option to look at alerts
and log messages, and manually start policies and workflows. Also, alerts and log messages are
displayed in panels at the bottom of every window in NetWorker Administration.

Note that the Media window is used to manage pools and to view information contained in the media
database and client file indexes.

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The Hosts window helps to manage all hosts known to the NetWorker server as well as package
management activities. The options available in this window provide the administrator with information up
front about each of the hosts in the environment.

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In the Server window you will find the resources related to NetWorker server administration including
notifications, registrations, restricted data zones, and user groups. In every NetWorker Administration
window, clicking the NetWorker server in the tree on the left pane, displays information about the
NetWorker server in the middle pane and lists links to NetWorker resources and support in the right pane.

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To facilitate NetWorker administration, a number of reports are available through the NMC reports feature.
Data for preparing the reports on backup and recovery operations is gathered from the managed
NetWorker servers and maintained in the NMC server database. Customized reports can also be created
using this feature.

A report can be displayed in a number of different formats, including a table and several types of charts.
Reports can be printed and also can be exported onto a file in one of several different formats.

NetWorker drill-down reports enable the user to double-click items within the report to view more detailed
information.

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Many environments do not have centralized monitoring and alerting across backup solutions and
supporting infrastructures.

Data Protection Advisor provides advanced capabilities for your Networker environment which includes:

• Centralized monitoring and reporting across the backup environment with long term trending
capabilities to improve planning, provisioning, utilization, and chargeback.

• Monitoring of capacity utilization, CPU utilization, memory, and port performance which provides
insight into performance bottlenecks.

• Deduplication statistics highlight which clients could be benefited from deduplication.

• Analysis of the impact of policy or configuration changes for rapid troubleshooting.

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This module covered the key tools required for administering, configuring and monitoring NetWorker
servers. It also provided an overview of the procedure for creating backup and recovery using NMC and
generating simple reports.

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This course covered Networker solution, architecture, features, licensing, terminology, and theory of
operations which includes backup and recovery. It also covered Networker management option and its
capabilities.

This concludes the training.

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