How to achieve over 2 TB/hr network backup with Integrity entry-class servers running HP-UX 11i v3

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Detailed information about the tests performed to characterize each of the potential throughput
limitations and to optimize performance is provided later in the “Identifying solution limits, stress
points, and optimal tuning” section. Overall results of the backup server characterization tests are
summarized in the “Summary of test results” section at the end of this paper.
To optimize backup and recovery operations, perform similar limit and stress point characterizations
with each customer’s specific backup server environment. This paper does not cover all the possible
backup tuning and configuration optimizations available. It does cover optimizations that are most
common and easiest to leverage to any production network backup server environment.
Test environment configuration
The base configuration and test environment used for this backup server characterization effort is a
single backup server with eight client systems providing the backup/restore data. The clients are a
mix of Integrity entry-class servers — rx2600, rx3600, and rx6600 — all running HP-UX 11i v3
Update 4 (Fusion 0903). Data backup and restore operations for this characterization were
performed over a private 1GbE network. Each of the eight client systems uses a single 1GbE NIC
port connected to the private network for transfer of backup/restore data to the backup server. The
backup server has eight 1GbE NIC ports aggregated using Auto Port Aggregation (APA) to provide a
single backup server target network IP address. Figure 1 gives a high-level view of the test
environment configuration and connectivity. The private 1GbE Ethernet network connections are
shown in red, while the FC SAN connections are shown in blue.
Figure 1: Test environment configuration