NetWorker Data Zone and Hosts

Published   Read time 1 min 39 sec(s)   (2325 views).  NetWorker  

A NetWorker Data Zone consists of a single NetWorker server and its storage node(s) and client(s). Another way to define a data zone is to say it is the set of hosts managed by a single NetWorker server. This includes all hosts that have backup devices controlled by the NetWorker server and all hosts who send their backup data to those devices.

NetWorker clients may be backed up by multiple NetWorker servers and therefore may belong to multiple data zones. NetWorker servers and storage nodes may belong to only one data zone.

The NetWorker Client is the largest NetWorker software component and the fundamental host. The client's most important functions are to generate backups, push them to a NetWorker storage node, and retrieve them during a recovery. While performing a backup, the client also generates tracking information. Every host in a NetWorker data zone is a NetWorker client.

A NetWorker Storage Node is the component that physically controls a backup device and responds to requests from the NetWorker server. Storage nodes also send tracking information to the NetWorker server. The NetWorker server is always a storage node and is the default storage node for backups. The device may be either a direct-attached or SAN-accessible device. If a device is controlled by a host other than a NetWorker server, it is considered a remote device and the storage node controlling the device is referred to as a remote storage node.

The NetWorker Server is the component that stores the configuration information, such as supported clients, backup device information, when to run the backups, what data to back up, and so on. The NetWorker server also maintains the NetWorker databases that track the save sets and volumes. These include the Client File Indexes (CFI) and Media Database. There is a single NetWorker server per data zone and it must be available for any NetWorker activity to take place in that data zone. NetWorker servers have NetWorker client, storage node, and server software installed.