Storage Lifecycle Policy (SLP) Cheat Sheet

Problem

Cheat sheet for SLP (Storage Lifecycle Policy)

Solution

Common SLP Related Commands

Show EMM Image list of Images that were backed up to an SLP STU [ -I / -U ]

nbstlutil list
nbstlutil list -lifecycle <name>
nbstlutil list -backupid <value>
nbstlutil list -image_state <value>
nbstlutil list -copy_state <value>
nbstlutil list -frag_state <value>
nbstlutil list -mediaid <value> -image_state 3

Activate / Inactivate SLP operations

nbstlutil inactive -lifecycle <name>
nbstlutil inactive -backupid <value>
nbstlutil active -lifecycle <name>
nbstlutil active -backupid <value>

Cancel pending operations on selected image

nbstlutil cancel -backupid <value>
nbstlutil cancel -lifecycle <name>

Show status on Incomplete copies of Lifecycle Managed images

nbstlutil stlilist -lifecycle <name>
nbstlutil stlilist -backupid <value>
nbstlutil stlilist -image_state <value>
nbstlutil stlilist -image_incomplete
nbstlutil stlilist -image_inactive

List Storage Units

bpstulist -L

List SLP Policies

Use the nbstl command to view or modify policy information.
nbstl -L                                         List the current copy of each SLP policy
nbstl -L -all_versions                    List all versions of all of the SLP policies
nbstl <SLP policy name> -L         View a particular SLP policy's configuration

States

Logging

SLP Unified (VX) Logs

Master Server

vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 111 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbemm)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 143 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (mds / Included in 111, no separate log)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 116 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbpem)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 117 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbjm )
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 118 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbrb)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 226 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbstserv)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 219 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (rem – Included in 111, no separate log)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 230 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (rdsm)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 137 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (libraries / no separate log file)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 156 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbace / no separate log file)

Media Server

vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 220 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (dps / media - Included in 222, no separate log)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 221 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (mpms / media - Included in 222, no separate log)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 202 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (stssvc /media - included in 222, no separate log)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 222 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbrmms / media)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 230 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (rdsm / media + master)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 137 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (libraries / no separate log file)
vxlogcfg -a -p 51216 -o 156 -s DebugLevel=6 -s DiagnosticLevel=6 (nbace / no separate log file)

SLP Legacy Logs

Master Server

/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/admin
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpdbm

Media Server

/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbrm
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bptm
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpdm
/usr/openv/netbackup/logs/bpbkar

Additional information to gather from the master server

/usr/openv/var/global/nbcl.conf
/usr/openv/netbackup/db/jobs/trylogs
/usr/openv/netbackup/db/error/log_<ctime>

SLPMgr and ExpMgr

SLPMgr is the top level service and manages the various subsystems that run within the nbstserv daemon.
It runs on a fixed interval (image processing interval) and while it is processing it is in a “duplication/replication session”:
The image processing interval starts when a session ends and is the amount of time to wait before starting the next session (default is 5 minutes).
The SLPMGR manages image duplications, replications, imports, and snapshots for SLPs only.

ExpMgr runs in response to:
Events submitted by REM (oid = 219) in nbemm OR by a “diskfull” status in bptm

SLPMgr and ExpMgr can and do run in parallel:
While a session is in progress a high water mark (HWM) event will be processed and not wait on the session to complete.
Only one session will be active at any given time.
Multiple HWM events can be processed in parallel.

Database Tables

DBM_Image / DBM_ImageCopy / DBM_ImageFragment
EMM_TargetSLP / EMM_TargetSLP_Volume
PEM_SLP / PEM_SLPDestinations
SLP_AttentionNeededImage / SLP_JobInfo /SLP_TargetCopyInfo / SLP_WorkGroup

How to change the duplication session interval

By default, the SLP manager in nbstserv starts a new duplication session 300 seconds after the previous session ends. The session timer can be modified without cycling nbstserv

To change from command line:
# bpsetconfig
bpsetconfig>  SLP.IMAGE_PROCESSING_INTERVAL = 600
cntrl-d

The changes made by bpsetconfig are stored in the nbcl.conf file.  Please note the nbcl.conf file should not be manually edited.

SLP Windows

With NetBackup 7.6 SLP Windows were introduced to define a start window for when an SLP policy can run.
The SLP Window definitions are stored under the following directory on the master server:
UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/db/class_internal
Windows: <install dir> \netbackup\db\class_internal

To view the policies:
bppllist SLP_Internal_Policy -L -internal

Minimum of x2 duplication sessions to complete processing for an image

The way the code works, it takes at least two dup sessions to complete processing for an image – one to kick off the dup job and one to process the results. There have been several problems reports where people have run into disk full conditions they didn’t expect because their test case filled the disk before any of the copies could be moved to eligible-for-expiration state

Create Advanced Diskpool

nbdevconfig -creatests -storage_server <server name> -stype AdvancedDisk -st 5 -media_server <media server>
tpconfig -add -storage_server <server name> -stype AdvancedDisk -sts_user_id ANYTHING -password ANYTHING -st 1
nbdevconfig -previewdv -stype AdvancedDisk -storage_server <server name> -media_server <media server> -dvlist /tmp/dvlist
nbdevconfig -createdp -stype AdvancedDisk -dp Advance_DiskPool -storage_servers <server name> -dvlist /tmp/dvlist

common_server_for_dup Setting (Default, Preferred, Required)

nbemmcmd -changesetting -common_server_for_dup < default |preferred |required> -machinename master server name

default - The default option (default) instructs NetBackup to try to match the destination media server with the source media server
preferred - The preferred option instructs NetBackup to search all matching media server selections for the source
required - The required option instructs NetBackup to search all media server selections for the matching source

LIFECYCLE_PARAMETERS

The LIFECYCLE_PARAMETERS are stored within the NetBackup NBDB database. 

MIN_GB_SIZE_PER_DUPLICATION_JOB 8 / Default value: 8 GB 
Adjusting this value, indicated in gigabytes, affects the number and size of duplication jobs. If the MIN_GB_SIZE_PER_DUPLICATION_JOB setting is small, more duplication jobs are created. If it is large, fewer, larger duplication jobs are created.

MAX_GB_SIZE_PER_DUPLICATION_JOB 25 / Default value: 25 GB
This entry controls the maximum size of a duplication job. (When a single image is larger than the maximum size, that one image will be put into its own duplication job.)

MAX_MINUTES_TIL_FORCE_SMALL_DUPLICATION_JOB 30 / Default value: 30 minutes
This value allows duplication jobs to be submitted that do not meet the minimum size criterion

DUPLICATION_SESSION_INTERVAL_MINUTES 5 / Default 5 minutes
Frequency nbstserv looks to see if enough backups have completed and decides whether or not it is time to submit a duplication job(s)

IMAGE_EXTENDED_RETRY_PERIOD_IN_HOURS 2 / Default 2 hours
After duplication of an image fails 3 times, this is the time interval between subsequent retries

DUPLICATION_GROUP_CRITERIA 0 | 1
0 = Use the SLP name / 1 = Use the duplication job priority. Use 1 to indicate that batches be created based on the duplication job priority from the SLP definition

THRESHOLD_JOB_COUNT 100
Enable/Disable logic / 0 is default (disabled) If > 0 nbstserv will check the number of Active/Queued duplication jobs. If the job count is lower than the number specified the logic will be used

SESSION_RUN_TIME_MIN 60 / Default value: 60
This setting specifies the time in minutes that will elapse before batching logic is suspended and duplication jobs are submitted under a time controlled session.

In current versions these are configured in the Master server's host properties in the SLP Parameters dialog window.

Additional Notes 

Beginning with NetBackup 7.5, you cannot specify Any_Available in the Storage Unit field of an SLP operation. It does not appear in the pick list in the user interfaces. Existing SLPs continue to execute as before if Any_Available is already used in the SLP as long as the SLP is not changed. If the SLP is edited, the Any_Available selections must be replaced with real storage units or storage unit groups before the changes can be successfully committed.

If you try to expire the image or the image copies manually that are not SLP-complete, the request fails with a 1573 error. To expire the image or images, you can do one of the following:

• Wait for the image or copy to become SLP-complete.
• Use the nbstlutil cancel command to terminate the SLP processing.
• Add the -force_not_complete option to the bpexpdate command to force the expiration even if the image or copy is not SLP-complete.

If you use an IP address for your host name and use a Storage lifecycle policy (SLP) for a backup and a duplication, your duplication jobs fail with a status 228 error. The clients with the IP address host names have to be named in a backup policy that sends data to an SLP.

In this release, NetBackup performs additional validations before it allows the creation of storage lifecycle policies. In previous versions, NetBackup allowed the creation of all SLPs with undetected errors. After a NetBackup environment is upgraded to 7.5 or later, when an administrator opens a previously permitted, but invalid SLP, the SLP must be corrected in order for it to be saved and run.

Note: NetBackup 8.1.1 - 8.2 introduced new SLP tuning parameters for AIR with the installation of an EEB. See "How to tune NetBackup Auto Image Replication (A.I.R.) operations for maximum performance" in the Related Articles section of this article for full details of these parameters and information about the EEB.