Backup Exec RALUS Add-on [13.0.5204.1]

[chirpa]

What is it?: Backup Exec Remote Agent for Linux and UNIX servers (RALUS).

What is required: ReadyNAS x86 system (NVX,Pro,2100,3100,3200,4200,Pro2/4/6), Symantec Backup Exec with RALUS license.
(NV+/1100 are not supported)

Where to get it: BackupExec_13.0.5204.1-x86.bin (10/27/11)
Like other ReadyNAS add-ons, install it in FrontView via System>Update>Local.

How to use it: Once installed, you can see it listed in FrontView>Services>Installed Add-ons. In there, you can set the IP of your Backup Exec server, so the agent can properly announce itself to the backup server.

ReadyNAS.com article: Using the Symantec RALUS agent with the ReadyNAS

From Backup Exec server, if you create a new backup job, you should see the agent under Favorite Resources>Linux/Unix Servers. If you don’t see it right away, try stopping and starting it via FrontView. The default agent setting is to announce itself every four hours. We may add an option in FrontView to make this time shorter.



Please provide feedback of your experience with the RALUS agent. Does it resolve 'agent missing' errors in your backup jobs, does it increase performance?

[mdgm]

Does this agent work with BE 2010 or just 12.5?

Edit: just read this: RALUS AGENT for Backup EXEC 2010

Beta v13 build to try: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic ... 51&t=39894

[chirpa]

Should be backwards compatible. This is Symantec's RALUS agent, made into an add-on for ReadyNAS. For technical questions on RALUS itself, please refer to Symantec support.

[Nate15]

Dear Netgear support- and techteam

Thank you very much for your support with the ralus agent.

In this test I have saved a shut down virtual machine over the beta ralus agent to tape in be 2010. The test nas is a readynas 2100.

Backup Set Summary
Backed up 32 files in 4 directories.
Processed 55'146'633'490 bytes in 19 minutes and 50 seconds.
Throughput rate: 2652 MB/min
Compression Type: Hardware


Until now there has been no issue to saving large files. BE 2010 reports that the backup was a full success.

The next test will be to save a directory with a lot of small files to tape.

Best regards,

Nate

[Nate15]

Hello,

Here is the result from my directory test with a lot of files.

Backup Set Summary
Backed up 51840 files in 7067 directories.
Processed 13'950'528'072 bytes in 12 minutes and 50 seconds.
Throughput rate: 1037 MB/min
Compression Type: Hardware

Again there was no problem with the beta agent. BE 2010 reported that the backup job was a full success.

Best regards,

Nate

PS: Please inform when the beta agent is not beta any more.

[chirpa]

Thanks for the feedback. My own copy of BE2010 finally arrived at the office today so I can do more in-depth testing of it. I'd consider already not in beta, but just put that so people use a bit of caution updating. Not saying it won't work fine, but hasn't had thorough testing yet.

[jck_co_im]

Been using this *beta* add-on for about 2 weeks now on Backup Exec Std.2010, after upgrading from the 12.5 agent, messages in the backup log with the 12.5 agent were "You must upgrade the remote agent". Performance with this v13 beta agent is unchanged, the NAS drive is still faster than the server backing it up.

Backed up 65737 files in 4194 directories.
Processed 113878080955 bytes in 36 minutes and 11 seconds.
Throughput rate: 3001 MB/min
Compression Type: Hardware

[jck_co_im]

All the performance options like Write Cache and Journaling are turned off. The unit is a Pro Pioneer with 6 x500gb on raid6.

[rbichon]

I have also upgraded to the new beta agent as I am backing up with Backup Exec 2010. I am using the NDMP protocol and am happy to report that so far I haven't run into any issues. I was able to do a full backup of 150 GB at a rate of 416 MB/min. I was also able to do the incremental backup the following day without issue.

[mayit]

I have a newly installed ReadyNAS 3100 running in a AD environment with BE 2010. I installed the RALUS Add-on 13.0.0 and first received a :The BackupExec Add-on encountered an error during installation. message and then: Backup Exec Remote Agent has been successfully installed. message.

Great. When I try to input the BE 2010 IP address the hour glass starts and never ends. The same happens if I try to remove the Add-on.

[chirpa]

What firmware is on the 3100?

[mayit]

I have RAIDiator 4.2.12

[jck_co_im]

Hi, have upgraded from 4.2.9 to 4.2.13 on Pro Pioneer.
RALUS backups now slower at 2100mb/min instead of 3000mb/min (although it was ok the first evening, it has become sl;ower past 7days)
(have removed and re-added the plugin, no difference)
However if the Raid6 array is more reliable long term as a result of the upgrade then happy enough.
Perhaps I need to factory default to go from Ext3 to Ext4?

Automated backups using CIFS with the Readynas it's self appear unaffected.

Occasional WebDav files access/FrontView Hanging issue with web browser when trying to login (since firmware upgrade)

no issues FTP and CIFS.

[mdgm]

For the Frontview issue have you tried clearing the browser cache.

When you do get the chance moving to EXT4 would be good. This does require a factory default as you say (wipes all data, settings, everything), so you would need to backup data primarily stored on the ReadyNAS first.

[jck_co_im]

Tried clearing cache, seems to be an issue with my IE8 as works ok on Firefox.

I installed the NAS Monitor & PHP plugin to see why it had become slower and slower, turned out to be the ReadyNAS vault service keeping the cpu on the NAS at 100% all the time, now disabled.

I did some file transfer tests with a Windows File Server using the task manager to monitor LAN traffic in % as a rough guide as IO Meter not installed on it.

Copying large files with CIFS the graph sustains around 45%-50% on gigabit Lan with Jumbo Frames. This is the same as it was before the firmware upgrade.

Running Backup Exec, backing up the same files, it stays around 25%-30%. When I first installed the RALUS agent, it used to be around 45% same as CIFS.
The NAS Monitor reports the service "beremote" using 2.1mb Ram and NAS CPU at 24% usage when backup exec is running.

I've tried disabling firewall, various settings in backup exec but no difference. Looking back in the Backup Exec Logs, the data transfer rate from Windows Server is the same more or less as it was before, around 2,300mb/s. The Nas is now averaging around 1800mb/s-2,000mb/s - cosiderable slower doing a 170gig backup than it was before the firmware upgrade.

I know the NAS is capable of good performance, it's really frustrating why the RALUS agent should not push the unit to it's capability. I guess a factory default is the next thing to try, otherwise hopefully an updated RALUS in the future.