What are the recommended settings for EMC® Data Domain® disk libraries?

Commvault works best with EMC Data Domain disk libraries if you minimize how often Commvault accesses the disk library.

Apply the following recommended settings to each MediaAgent associated with the disk library:

Prevent Data Pruning During Peak Backup Times

This procedure prevents physical pruning of data during peak backup times. However, it provides enough time for pruning to run outside of the peak times so that the disk library does not run out of space.

For information on creating operation rules in a Blackout window, see Setting Operation Rules in a Blackout Window.

Minimize the Number of Volumes on the MediaAgent and the Frequency of Volume Size Updates

1. On the ribbon in the CommCell Console, click the Storage tab, and then click Media Management.

   The Media Management Configuration dialog box appears.

2. On the Service Configuration tab, set both of the following parameters:

   Note

   If you have upgraded from V 9.0 to the current version, the Interval between volume size update requests and the Number of volumes for size update parameters are available on the Data Aging tab.

   • For Number of volumes for size update, type 50.

     You can use a value other than 50, but it should be a small value.

   • For Interval between volume size update requests, type 2880.

     The value 2880 minutes = 2 days.

3. Click OK.

Prevent SMB/CIFS Session Leaks on the Windows Operating System

In addition to the recommended settings for each MediaAgent, consult the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

"SMB/CIFS sessions leak in Windows Vista, in Windows Server 2008, in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2", http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2537589

Setup the Necessary Permissions for Accessing NFS Exports

While using data domain storage as NFS exports, enable the Map root users to anonymous UID/GID (root_squash) option from the DataDomain Console. This will prevent Auxiliary Copy and Data Aging jobs running on the Data Domain mount path from failing with 'permission denied' errors.

Mount with nolock Option

You must mount with the nolock option when you create the mount path on a device.

Deduplication with NFS Export

When using Commvault deduplication with NFS export, use NFS version 4 (NFSv4). Although Commvault software supports both NFSv3 or NFSv4, Data domain does not support NFSv3 with NLM.

Can I configure Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) on Disk Libraries using EMC® Data Domain®?

Yes, Data Domain Boost on Data Domain physical boxes and Data Domain Virtual Edition is supported on Windows and Linux MediaAgents.

Configuration - Linux

Use the following steps to make sure that the device is mounted in the MediaAgent, before configuring the library.

1. Install the FUSE File system and its dependencies on the MediaAgent. (The product was tested using FUSE version: fuse-2.8.3-4.el6.x86_64.rpm*.)

   Note

   Make sure that the FUSE version is compatible with the DD Boost File system version.

2. Install the DD Boost file system RPM on the MediaAgent. (The product was tested using DD Boost file system versions: DDBoostFS-1.0.0.1-539441.rhel.x86_64.rpm and DDBoostFS-1.0.0.2-542445.rhel.x86_64.rpm*.)

   You can verify the installation from the following location:

   /opt/emc/boostfs

3. Run the following commands from the following location:

   /opt/emc/boostfs/bin

   Set the lock box between the Data Domain storage unit and MediaAgent using the following command:

   boostfs lockbox set -s <Storage-unit> -d <data-domain-system> -u <storage-unit-username>

   Mount this storage unit on the MediaAgent using the following command:

   boostfs mount -d <data-domain-system> -s <Storage-unit> <mount-point>

4. Configure a disk library using the above storage unit mount point as the mount path for the library.

* If you have a different version, contact Commvault customer support to verify compatibility.

Configuration - Windows

Use the following steps to make sure that the device is mounted in the MediaAgent, before configuring the library.

1. Install the BoostFS on the MediaAgent.

2. Run the following commands to configure the lock box.

   boostfs lockbox set -u sysadmin -d <DD Boost-IP> -s <Storage-unit> -l <lock-box-location>

   For example:

   C:\Windows\system32>boostfs lockbox set -u sysadmin -d 111.11.11.11 -s MyStorage -l C:\Boostfs\Lockbox\boostfs.lockbox
   Enter storage unit user password:
   Enter storage unit user password again to confirm:
   Lockbox entry set

3. Run the following command to mount the Storage Unit from EMC.

   boostfs mount -d <DD Boost-IP> -s <Storage-unit> -l <lock-box-location>

   For example:

   C:\Windows\system32>boostfs mount -d 111.11.11.11 -s MyStorage -l C:\Boostfs\Lockbox\boostfs.lockbox

4. Configure a disk library using the storage unit mount point as the mount path for the library.

Known Issues

When you backup data to the Data Domain Virtual Edition, the post compression space is reported incorrectly.