File Library and File Jukebox relocation in DP

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Summary
The current versions of Data Protector, DP 5.5, 6.0 and 6.1, allow backup and restore in ESX
VMware environments.
An issue hereby is, that VMware does not support SAN attached tape libraries on the ESX Server
system. Only smaller SCSI tape libraries can be directly attached to the ESX server.
Therefore VMware backups to tape media in an Enterprise Backup Solution (EBS) usually go
through the LAN. This is also true when Disk Staging is implemented, which means a backup is
done to disk, followed by an Object Copy from disk to tape media.
To avoid the data going through the LAN, Data Protector supports Zero Downtime Backup (ZDB)
for the VMware clients as well as the VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB). In both cases the
data to backup is mounted on a separate Backup or Proxy Server host. This host is no VMware
client, but it is attached to the same SAN and in addition can access any Tape Library in the
SAN.
If ZDB or VCB backups are not possible, for example because the used Disk Array is not an EVA
or XP, the following document explains a possible alternate solution.
The idea is not to move the data through the LAN, but to move the media from one library to an
other. This can be done by either using a File Jukebox and exporting and importing the file media
- or by using a File Library.
As File Library media cannot be exported/imported, we just 'move the complete library'.
This document describes how this was done during an Enterprise Backup Solution (EBS)
implementation.
In this particular case we relocated LUN’s after DP had written backups upon them. The DP logical
device - a File Device or Jukebox definition - was adapted in such a way that a copy to tape could be
executed without passing any data over the LAN.
This LAN-free backup solution in an ESX VMware setup with f.i. V-motion, allows swift backups
of huge data volumes even with database integrations.
Although this document will dig deep into this technical issue by the use of some practical cases as
encountered during the EBS implementation, the described methodology can easily be ported to
solve similar issues.
The value of this document lies in “one doesn’t need to invent it himself, let’s leverage” while
performing or quoting specific consultancy tasks.