Carnegie Mellon

Computing Services

Backup
Implementation Proposal

Document Revision: 0.2 05/03/2006 (wcw)

2006 Carnegie Mellon University. All Rights Reserved

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Computing Services

Ideal Multi-tier backup architecture

Tier 1

Tier 2

Backup Server
For server machines

Backup Server
for client machines

Client backups

Client Restores

Tier 3

Offsite

Server backup

Restore of the client

backup server

Backups and restores are isolated per tier

For example, a client restore only goes to the backup server

for client machines; it never crosses to the backup
server for server machines

The best backup software is used at each tier (rather

than relying on a package that does everything
poorly)
This optimizes for the common operations but makes
the less common longer: if everything blew up,
youd start by restoring from off-site, then youd
restore the client backup servers before you could
start restoring the clients.

Restore from off-site of the

server backup

Tier 1: Desktop/Client Backup

Optimized for user self-service restores; assumes

variable bandwidth networking; assumes mostly file
restores

Tier 2: Server restores

Optimized for entire disk restores (generally will only do

a restore if a RAID set fails)
Can assume fast networking

Tier 3: Off-site

Encryption likely required

Much higher latency to access the data

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Computing Services

Software

Tier 1: LiveBackup

Continuous Data Protection

As changes are made, backups are saved to the cache and then sent to the server

Network friendly

Wont send duplicate data to the server

Data is compressed and encrypted before sent
Only sends changes incrementally so there isnt a big network burst when backups
happen
Uses https as a transport so backups can happen anywhere there is network
connectivity to the server

Bare metal restore

Boot CD/DVD can be made to restore a system from a blank hard drive

Users restore their own files using a native Windows interface

Unfortunately

Currently available under Windows only (though a mac port rumored)

Server doesnt scale horizontally
Reports of slowness on client machines
Software assumes strong central IT control and doesnt empower users

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Computing Services

Software

Tier 1: Stage

Stage is the existing system to back up AFS

This allows us to keep running stage
without having to either pick a package
that supports AFS or write custom code to
merge it in with another package.

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Computing Services

Software

Tier 1/2/3: TiNA

so much for the ideal model

Crosses multiple tiers as follows:

Tier 1: for Mac client backups

Tier 2: Backs up Storactive/Stage (AFS); replaces Amanda; Database plug-ins
Tier 3: Manages off-site data

Features include:

Synthentic Full

After the first backup, only the changes need to be sent over the network.
Less storage is required as you dont need to keep multiple full dumps around

Tape encryption
Good admin interface for doing restores

Unfortunately

Current version (v4.0) doesnt support mutual authn and so cant deploy until the
beta (v4.1) mutual auth is released.
Doesnt scale well horizontally yet (though rumors are things are getting better on
this front in 4.1).

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Computing Services

Implementation:

LiveBackup

Single Dell 2850 with local ACNC RAID

Initial pilot of 200 machines Plan back up all Computing Services Windows
desktops
Hardware should grow to at least 500 machines
Current desktop/laptops being backed up via ArcServ will be migrated to
LiveBackup
Single Gigabit ethernet network connection to campus network. Expected to
be on VLAN14.
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Computing Services

Implementation:

TiNA
PowerVault
132T

PowerVault
132T

Single Dell 2850 with locally attached tape drives as the primary TiNA server
Disk backup is added via NFS mount of RAID from the Storage nodes (dont want to put too many
SCSI devices on a single box)
Off-site backup is done via tape to the tape library (for now)
Network interface to campus/clients is a single Gigabit ethernet connection on VLAN10.
Network interface to storage is a single Gigabit ethernet connection to the high speed A100
internal network VLAN. This needs to be created by NG.
Each storage node will have one service connection (VLAN10) and one connection to the high
speed A100 internal network VLAN. NFS traffic will not go over the service connection.

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Computing Services

Rack Layout
Space reserved for
two additional RAID
arrays for the
storage node
PowerVault
132T

Tape drives
attached to the
servers PCI SCSI
card

PowerVault
132T

Tina Backup
Server

storage node

ACNC RAID arrays

atached to the PCI
SCSI card

Exact ordering to the diagram is not required

Machines may share the same rack
Diagram is not to scale
The main thing that matters here is that space is that 6U of space for
two RAID arrays is reserved for each storage node being installed
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Computing Services

Hardware Summary
Service

Machine

LiveBackup Server

RU

Gigabit ports

Notes

Dell 2850

ACNC RAID

Dell 2850

Tina tape Drive

Dell 132T

SCSI connection to Tina Server

Tina tape Drive

Dell 132T

SCSI connection to Tina Server

Dell 2850

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

Dell 2850

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

Dell 2850

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage Node disks

ACNC RAID

SCSI connection to storage node

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

Storage node expansion

filler

filler panel for future RAID unit

57

LiveBackup
Tina Server

Tina Storage Node

Tina Storage Node

Tina Storage Node

Totals

SCSI connection to LiveBackup Server