Cisco Unified MeetingPlace

Document ID: 63589

Contents

Introduction
Prerequisites
      Requirements
      Components Used
      Conventions
Patch Installation Procedure
      Install the FTP Patch
      Configure FTP Backup
      Sample Session of netbackupconfig
      Use Command Prompts to Run an FTP Backup
Sample Sessions
      FTP Backup (Sample Session)
      FTP Backup (Sample Session of Concurrent FTP Backups)
      FTP Backup (Sample Session of an Incorrectly Configured FTP Server)
Use Cisco MeetingTime Backup Controls to Run an FTP Backup
FTP Backup Time
Diagnostics
Backup Image Archive on FTP Server
Restore Procedure (Technical Support and Partners Only)
Compatibility with Other Patches and Upgrades
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Introduction

The FTP backup script is a direct replacement for the tape backup script. It transfers a copy of the MeetingPlace system database to a backup server that runs an FTP service. It can be initiated on demand or regularly scheduled in the same way as the tape backup.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Readers of this document should have knowledge of these topics:

Backup Server Requirements

• The backup server is a machine (any machine running an FTP service) accessible to the MeetingPlace server.

• The FTP user account assigned to MeetingPlace requires file creation, rename, delete, upload and download privileges in the target backup directory.

• Assume the aggregate set of backup files may take 4GB of space in the target directory (3GB for previous backups plus, transiently, 1GB for a backup in progress).

Network Requirements

• There are no specific requirements for latency or bandwidth. However, high latency, packet loss, or low bandwidth availability, delays the data transfer.

Basic Requirements for FTP Backup

• At least 10 Mbits LAN

  Note: If the backup server is a MeetingPlace gateway machine, the FTP backup should be run during light traffic hours.

Components Used

The information in this document is based on this software version:

• MeetingPlace Server 8112 Version 5.1

Conventions

For more information on document conventions, refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions.

Patch Installation Procedure

Before you install the FTP patch, you should obtain the information listed here. You need this information to complete the installation:

• IP address of the backup FTP server

• FTP login name

• FTP login password

• PATH on FTP server—the directory on the FTP server for the backup files. This may be '.' if the default login directory is the backup directory.

To install this FTP backup patch, you need to set up the FTP server that you normally use to download patches using your modem with this account, and assign it a directory in which to place files that are to be downloaded:

• FTP account name: tech

• Password: Latitude

Install the FTP Patch

Use these steps to download the FTP patch:

1. Place the ftpbackup.tar.z file that you obtain from the Cisco Software download site into the FTP directory assigned to the tech user.

2. Modem into the MeetingPlace server that you want to install this patch.

3. Enter the command download -h pcslip-modem FTPbackup.tar.z.

Configure FTP Backup

Once installed, issue the csc level command netbackupconfig in order to set the configuration. It shows the current configuration and allows you to enter new parameters. The parameters that you have to enter are those that you collect in the Patch Installation Procedure section of this document. This command also runs FTP and checks for a successful login, and so tests the configuration. These are the steps to configure the FTP backup:

1. At the tech prompt, type the command line interface (CLI) command su to get to the csc level.

2. Enter the Password of the Day (POD).

3. Enter y when prompted "Do you wish to modify the configuration?"

4. Enter the IP address of the backup FTP server.

5. Enter the FTP Login Name when prompted.

6. Enter the FTP Login Password when prompted.

7. Enter the path on FTP Server when prompted.

   Note: The directory names used for the path should be separated by a forward slash (UNIX convention), not a back slash (Windows convention) even if the target machine is running Windows.

   Note: The backup configuration file is in the /lat/etc/netbackup.conf directory.

Sample Session of netbackupconfig

longleat:csc$ netbackupconfig
Current configuration (minus password):
IPADDR = 10.10.3.177
USER = tech
PATH = .

Do you wish to modify the configuration (y/[n])? y
IP address of FTP server: [10.10.3.177] 10.10.1.204
FTP login name: [tech] root
FTP login password: [********] Latitude
Path on FTP server (use '.' for none): [.]
Testing...PASSED
Save new values? ([y]/n) y
Done

Use Command Prompts to Run an FTP Backup

Complete these steps:

1. Log in to MeetingPlace as technician (for example, tech$ prompt) through a telnet session or Hyper Terminal.

2. Enter the backup command.

3. If a backup is already running, the server displays this error on the screen:

   A network backup appears to be running already.

4. Wait for the FTP backup to finish. For more information, refer to the FTP Backup Time section of this document.

5. Once the FTP backup is finished, the screen shows:

   Network backup is complete.

Sample Sessions

FTP Backup (Sample Session)

user name: tech
Password:
Last login: Mon Apr 14 18:08:29 from Unknown-HostName
*************************************************************************
*                             MeetingPlace(tm)                          *
*                       by Latitude Communications                      *
*                                                                       *
*           Copyright (c) 1993-2003 Latitude Communications, Inc.       *
*                           All rights reserved.                        *
*************************************************************************
Conference server 5.1.0   S/N: 1F757
Mon Apr 14 20:59:43 PDT 2003
bigfoot:tech$ backup
Mon Apr 14 20:59:46 PDT 2003 Entering network backup script
Using partition 2e for working space
Mon Apr 14 21:03:27 PDT 2003 Network backup is complete
bigfoot:tech$

FTP Backup (Sample Session of Concurrent FTP Backups)

bigfoot:tech$ backup
Mon Apr 14 21:26:20 PDT 2003 Entering network backup script
umount: /backup: Device busy
A network backup appears to be running already.
bigfoot:tech$

FTP Backup (Sample Session of an Incorrectly Configured FTP Server)

maudite:tech$ backup
Mon Apr 14 21:29:38 PDT 2003 Entering network backup script
FTP: connect: Connection refused
Problem with FTP configuration:
Not connected.
Not connected.
maudite:tech$

Use Cisco MeetingTime Backup Controls to Run an FTP Backup

The procedure to schedule the backup with the help of Cisco MeetingTime is the same as the Tape Backup procedure described in the Cisco MeetingServer 5.1 System Manager's Guide (Chapter 6)(SMG).

FTP Backup Time

Under optimum conditions, that is, a non-congested 100Mb or better data connection, low latency and very low load on the server, the backup can complete in less than 1/2 hour. However, an hour is probably more typical. If the server is heavily loaded or if the network link is slow, it may take several hours. There is no specific time limit and the backup does not fail because the link is slow. You can monitor progress if you observe the size of the data file on the target machine.

Diagnostics

The patch version of the script has no active alarming mechanism in case of failure. When executed manually, error messages indicate failure and Network backup is complete indicates success. When executed automatically, status of the last backup can be checked with the help of Cisco MeetingTime. All successful completions are logged in the system message file, /usr/adm/messages. It is prudent to periodically check the target backup directory to make sure backup files are present and have appropriate modification dates.

Backup Image Archive on FTP Server

The script deposits a database backup image called mpbackup.tgz in the configured directory on the configured target machine. The previous backup is renamed to mpbackup1.tgz and the one before that is mpbackup2.tgz. The backup script only maintains the three latest images. The customer may choose to archive the images with the help of the tools of their choice.

Restore Procedure (Technical Support and Partners Only)

Complete these steps:

1. At the tech prompt, issue the CLI command su to get to the csc level.

2. Enter the POD.

3. Issue the CLI command down, to down the server.

4. At the csc$ prompt, enter cd /lat/db.

5. Remove the current database: /bin/rm -f *

6. Use FTP to retrieve the desired image (mpbackup.tgz). Enter these:

   • ftp <ip address>

   • Name: <login name>

   • Password: <password>

   • bin

   • cd <path>

   • get mpbackup.tgz

   • Wait for the transfer to finish (maybe 30 minutes for a LAN connection).

   • Quit

7. Extract the database, tar xzf mpbackup.tgz.

8. Delete the image, rm mpbackup.tgz.

9. Start the recover script in the background (in lat/db dir) to regenerate the key files and configure the system with the recover -y > recover.out 2>& command.

10. Wait for the recover to finish (up to 12 hours for a large database [for example, 200k users, 250k conf records], but typically much less). You can hang up and dial back in if desired. You can monitor the progress with the tail -f recover.out command.

11. When done, enter restart enable.

Compatibility with Other Patches and Upgrades

Follow-on patches should not affect this patch unless they change the backup command. The tape retention patch would overwrite this patch because of changes the backup command. A full system upgrade overwrites this patch.

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