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Converting a Linux MediaAgent to a Linux Access Node for VMware

A Linux MediaAgent can be installed as a guest agent on a virtual or physical machine to provide backup services for Linux virtual machines. To enable extended file system support, a Linux MediaAgent running on a supported Linux guest operating system can be transformed into an access node. This enables the Linux MediaAgent to mount virtual machine backup data for Live Browse and Live Recovery operations, without requiring that granular recovery metadata be collected during backups.

A Linux access node can be used with any of the hypervisors supported by the Virtual Server Agent. For hypervisors that support Linux access nodes, the Virtual Server Agent role can be enabled on the MediaAgent.

Note

  • UNIX virtual or physical machine running one of the operating system and kernels listed in System Requirements for Block-Level Backup for UNIX can be automatically configured as a Linux access node, without the need to perform a manual conversion.

  • If the Linux access node is based on the same VM template or image as the guest virtual machine or instance, then live browse of files and folders on the guest VM might fail as a result of UUID conflicts with physical volumes (PVs) on the access node. For more information, see the Troubleshooting information in Automatic Configuration of a MediaAgent as a Linux Access Node.

Before You Begin

  • The machine must have both MediaAgent and Virtual Server Agent packages installed.

  • To deploy this solution on a new Linux machine, install the Linux MediaAgent and file system agent in restore only mode as described in Installing Restore Only Agents.

  • Ensure that RPC services are running (for example, rpcbind).

  • Do not configure the Linux access node from the same VM template as VMs being backed up, or that was cloned from the same VM.

  • The Logical Volume Management (LVM) package must be installed on the Linux MediaAgent to enable browsing files and folders on UNIX VMs.

  • For OpenStack, the following packages must be installed on MediaAgent that is converted to a Linux access node:

Operating System Support

  • This solution is supported for a Linux MediaAgent on a virtual or physical machine running any of the following operating systems:

    • Oracle Linux 8.x, or 9.x

    • Oracle Linux 7.x with kernel 3.8.13.x (Intel Pentium or compatible minimum required)

    • Oracle Linux 7.x with kernel 3.8.13.x (x64)

    • Oracle Linux 6 Update 6 with kernel 3.8.13-68.1.3.el6uek.x86_64 (Intel Pentium or compatible minimum required)

    • Oracle Linux 6 Update 6 with kernel 3.8.13-68.1.3.el6uek.x86_64 (x64)

    • Oracle Linux 6 Update 4 with kernel 2.6.39-400 (Intel Pentium or compatible minimum required)

    • Oracle Linux 6 Update 4 with kernel 2.6.39-400 (x64)

    • Oracle Linux 6 Update 4 (OEL6U4) Red Hat Compatible Kernel

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.x, or 9.x

      Note

      To use a RHEL 8 or 9 VM or Oracle Linux VM that is configured to use the UEFI Secure Boot method as a Linux access node, you must enroll Commvault keys with the UEFI MOK (Machine Owned Key) list on the VM. For more information, see Use Commvault Driver Modules on a Linux Computer with UEFI Secure Boot Option Enabled.

    • Rocky Linux 8.x or 9.x

File System Support

The Linux access node supports live browse and file recovery for the following file systems:

  • ext2

  • ext3

  • ext4

  • XFS

  • JFS

  • HFS

  • HFS Plus

  • Btrfs

Notes

  • Live browse and file recovery operations are not supported for XFS realtime subvolumes.

  • With Service Pack 8 or later, live browse and recovery is supported for subvolumes of Btrfs file systems.

Procedure

  1. Download and install XFS file system packages on the machine where the Linux MediaAgent is installed.

  2. Add a disk or volume with the XFS file system and create the following mount point for cache data:

    • For FBR cache: 40 GB minimum

  3. Stop Commvault services.

  4. Add the following required registry keys to configure FBR mount paths:

    • For /etc/CommVaultRegistry/Galaxy/Instance001/Session/.properties:

      nFBRDELAYEDINIT

      1

      nFBRSkipFsck

      1

      dFBRDIR

      Path for the FBR cache mount point

      sLNFBR

      /opt/commvault/Base/libCvBlkFBR.so (if not already present)

      Note

      Do not set the path for the FBR cache mount point to the root directory or to the Commvault ransomware protection-enabled directory.

  5. Start Commvault services.

  6. Run the following script to validate the configuration and settings: 

    /opt/commvault/Base/cvfbr_validate.sh

  7. When prompted, provide administrator management user login credentials for the CommCell Console.

Result

After validating the configurations, the script marks the Linux MediaAgent as a Linux access node, and the MediaAgent can be used for Live Browse and Live Recovery operations.

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