Managing Systems and Workgroups: A Guide for HP-UX System Administrators

Planning a Workgroup

Distributing Backups

Chapter 2124

Distributing Backups

In a workgroup conﬁguration, where large numbers of systems are

involved it is frequently most efﬁcient to centralize backup

administration. In this way you can control the backup process and

ensure that the data important to your organization is always

appropriately backed up.

Using HP OpenView OmniBack II for Backup

If you are backing up large numbers of systems, the HP OmniBack

software product can be particularly useful. HP OmniBack is faster than

other methods of backup. It also can do the following:

• centralize backup administration

• allow large numbers of systems to backed up while unattended

• create a database of backup information

• allow customization for different parts of your organization

Using HP OmniBack II involves setting up a database server and

running HP OmniBack II software that directs and records the backup

process for clients.

The following illustration shows a server running OmniBack II software

administering the backup process. The server sends individually tailored

backup instructions over the network to speciﬁed clients. The clients

then send the data to backed up to storage media, such as DDS tape or

DLT tape drives, which can either be connected directly to the server or

to one or more of the clients. The clients then return a record of the

backup to the server so the backup process can be reviewed and

monitored. For a detailed description, see the HP OpenView OmniBack II

Administrator’s Guide.

For more information on the various different methods of backing up, see

“Backing Up Data” on page 674.