MAX DB 7.3.0 Backup with Veritas 5.1 staging in Background problem

[former_member348281]

Hello,

There is a SAP DB 7.3.0 database here in our site.

We are using the Veritas Netbackup 5.1 agent to make the online Backups.

We are doing one staging file at a time, after it is created Veritas agent passes the information to a tape drive, wrinting it.

What we would like to have is while the first staging is being writen to tape the second one is being created in background.

Following this we transfered the parameter (sapdb.par) file configuration:

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---

STAGING AREA: G:\Staging\stage1 50 GB

FILES PER BACKINT CALL: 1

BACKINT: C:\VERITAS\NetBackup\bin\backint.exe

PARAMETERFILE OF BACKINT: D:\VERITAS\Maxdb\SDB\Bck_cfg\initSDB.utl

HISTORY FILE: D:\sapdb\logs\backinthistory.log

INPUTFILE FOR BACKINT: D:\sapdb\logs\backint_cfg.in

OUTPUTFILE FOR BACKINT: D:\sapdb\logs\backint_cfg.out

ERRORFILE FOR BACKINT: D:\sapdb\logs\backint_cfg.err

MAXIMAL DELAY OF BACKINT CALL: 600

-

---

Best Regards

Silvia Cardoso

[roland_mallmann · Accepted solution]

Hi,

can you please tell me:

1. which exact SAP DB version you're using (incl. Build)?

2. if you're an official SAP customer, or using SAP DB as an open-source product? In the former case (SAP), I would like you to open an OSS message, in the latter, we can continue here.

Regards,

Roland

[former_member348281 · Accepted solution]

Hello Roland,

Yes, thanks for your reply and I would appreciate any help related to this subject.

Here are the information you asked:

1. SAP Max DB 7.3.0 Build 020-000-000-000, RunTime environment NT/INTEL 7.3.0 020-000-000-000.

2.We are an official SAP customer and I've already before post here in the Forum this message, a message in the SAP OSS.However SAP OSS give me a reply which didn't help very much "... this is a consulting matter and so SAP could not answer this question...".

I am doind some tests and I will send the results to SAP as soon as I have them.

I think this is a problem with this version of Max SAP DB and not with Veritas.

Thank you once more for your help.

Kind Regards

Sílvia Cardoso

[roland_mallmann · Accepted solution]

Hi again,

ok, I'll ofcourse try to help you.

Regarding your version; your Build-nr. is:

1. quite old.

2. not a normal Build version. The 3 series of '000' indicate a 'special' kernel version. Can you tell me for what purpose you received this version?

I'll ask our backup dev regarding your issue/question.

Regards,

Roland

[former_member348281 · Accepted solution]

Hello Roland,

Sorry, but you are right related to this version of Max DB. This is an old version of the Open Source Max SAP DB.I've made some more tests and this is what I verified:

I configured the backup parameter file as following:

****************Parameter file*****************************

STAGING AREA: E:StagingStage1stage1 15 GB

STAGING AREA: E:StagingStage2stage2 15 GB

FILES PER BACKINT CALL: 1

BACKINT: C:VERITASNetBackup in ackint.exe

PARAMETERFILE OF BACKINT: C:VERITASMaxDBConfiginitSDB.utl

HISTORY FILE: C:Maxdblogs ackinthistory.log

INPUTFILE FOR BACKINT: C:Maxdblogs ackint_cfg.in

OUTPUTFILE FOR BACKINT: C:Maxdblogs ackint_cfg.out

ERRORFILE FOR BACKINT: C:Maxdblogs ackint_cfg.err

MAXIMAL DELAY OF BACKINT CALL: 600

*************************************************************

But instead of having the second staging being created as the first is being backed up to tape, we had the following behaviour:

The backup created "E:StagingStage1stage1.0" -> Backed it up to tape -> then created "E:StagingStage1stage1.1" instead of creating "E:StagingStage2stage2.0" while Stage1.0 was going to tape.

I think this is not a normal behaviour and should exist a paralelism and not a sequencial behaviour of the stage and backup. I think that's the main goal of the staging.

However, this version is an old version and in the web link http://www.sapdb.org/sap_db_73.htm where the documentation is available it will not be anymore after the 31st Mar 2006,but the link http://www.mysql.com/products/maxdb/.

Kind Regards and Thanks in advance any help from you

Sílvia Cardoso

[roland_mallmann · Accepted solution]

Hello Silvia,

I noticed that a colleague from Primary Support, Ivan Levrinc, has your current OSS message and he already discussed your current situation with the relevant developer (being Tilo Heinrich).

I suggest to follow the official way (= OSS) from here on end.

Regards,

Roland

[former_member348281]

Hi Everyone!

SAP Oss had solve the problem.

First it is necessary to configure SAP DB to make more than one file in parallel- for this there is a parameter MAXBACKUPDEVS.

Then a Parallel Medium should be defined in the Mediums Backup area of SAP DB.

After that the scripts using the SAP DB engine should be configured according this configurations.

Thanks all for your cooperation and help.

Kind regards

Sílvia

[Former Member]

Hello Silvia,

You have to define a parallel backup medium within DBMGUI with two pipes, you have to define a second staging area within file sapdb.par.

If you do so, two stage files are created in parallel and as soon, as the first stage file is created completely it is backed up with the help of Backint for Oracle and Veritas, because "FILES PER BACKINT CALL" has the value 1. After that this stage file is removed and the next stage file is created on this stage, while the other stage file from the second stage is backed up with the help of Backint for Oracle and Veritas.

Thus with a parallel backup medium and a second stage file, the desired parallelism is obtained, as soon as the first stage files is created completely. With your current stage size of 50 GB, that would mean, that you are reaching the desired parallelism only after the first 50 to 100 GB of data is written to disk. So maybe you have to reduce the stage file size for.

Although this mechanism should work with 7.3.00 Build 20, I would like the recommend to upgrade the software.

Best regards,

Tilo Heinrich

SAP Labs Berlin