Setting up data mover nodes with the vSphere plug-in GUI

If you offload backup workloads to a vStorage backup server in a vSphere environment, you can use the Data Mover wizard to set up a series of data mover nodes to run the operation and move the data to the IBM Spectrum Protect server.

Before you begin

Setting up data movers nodes requires configuration changes, starting the necessary services, and verifying the setup.

You can carry out these tasks using the plug-in GUI, which simplifies and speeds up the creation of a series of data mover nodes. Alternatively, you can carry out the work manually, for further information, see Manually setting up the data mover nodes in a vSphere environment.

In a standard Data Protection for VMware environment, a separate dsm.opt file (Windows) or dsm.sys file stanza (Linux) is used for each data mover node. When multiple data mover nodes on a vStorage Backup Server are used for data deduplication, and these nodes have authority to move data for the same datacenter node, then each dsm.opt file or dsm.sys file stanza must include a different value for the dedupcachepath option.

A physical data mover node typically uses the SAN to back up and restore data. If you configure the data mover node to directly access the storage volumes, turn off automatic drive letter assignment. If you do not turn off letter assignments, the client on the data mover node might corrupt the Raw Data Mapping (RDM) of the virtual disks. If the RDM of the virtual disks is corrupted, backups fail.

Restriction: Data Protection for VMware does not support scheduling the vStorage Backup Server (that is used as the data mover) to back up itself. Make sure that the vStorage Backup Server is excluded from its own schedules. Use a different vStorage Backup Server to perform the backup of a VM that contains a vStorage Backup Server.

If you need to carry out any of the above adjustments, consult the topic "Manually setting up the data mover nodes in a vSphere environment."

About this task

Use the vSphere plug-in to configure data mover nodes.

Procedure

  1. From the vSphere plug-in, select IBM Spectrum Protect .
  2. In the Configure tab, select Data Movers.
  3. In the Add Data Mover panel, select a datacenter from the drop-down menu.
  4. Edit, as required, the following fields:
    • Data mover name: A node name, already filled with a suggested name based on node prefix, the datacenter node name, data mover name, and an incrementing number.
    • Data mover host name
    • vCenter User, already filled in with the name of the user that registered the plug-in.
    • vCenter password

    Click Add when settings are complete.

  5. The Results screen shows:
    • The name of the configured data mover.
    • The location of the options file. You can configure the data mover by editing this file.
    • The location of the log files.
    • The default options that were used.
  6. You can now test the data mover using the IBM Spectrum Protect > Configure Data Movers tab. You can also verify the installation by selecting the data mover, and clicking Verify, or by checking the status the next time a data mover is added.
  7. You can add the data mover to a schedule using the IBM Spectrum Protect > Schedules tab.