UCBackup FAQ - Commvault

See also:

How Do Commvault VM Backups Work?

Commvault Glossary

General
How do I restore data?
What hours is Commvault available?
How can I tell if my backups are running successfully?
Can you explain the Commvault CABS (Client, Agent, Backupset, Subclients) hierarchy?
Virtual Server
File-based backup
What is the difference between regular and synthetic full backups?
What is the relationship between the Admin Console and the Command Center?
VMware-based backups
What systems are eligible for VMware-based backups?
What do I need to restore data?
Why am I still getting billed for backups on a VM I retired last month?
Why did my VM backup fail with "Change tracking cannot be enabled when snapshots are present"?
Can I launch backups from my system or another scheduling tool instead of using the Commvault scheduler?
Are network shares backed up?
File-based backups
Installation
Do I need to request firewall changes to use Commvault?
Are SELinux changes required to run Commvault?
Why does my Unix or Mac system install in /opt/commvault2?
Configuration
Are network shares backed up?
Are redirected folders backed up?
Why aren't my changes to subclient content/filters working?
What happens if we include the same folder in two subclients?
Are files excluded from a non-default subclient included in the default subclient?
Why does my Windows system have so much backup data?
Do I need to upgrade my Commvault software?
Why can't I see Mac systems?
Why am I seeing failed files on successful Mac backups?
Why is my Mac full backup larger than my system?
How can I determine my computer's name in Commvault?
How can I check if my computer is talking to the Commvault server?
How long is data retained if I stop running backups?
Can I launch backups from my system or another scheduling tool instead of using the Commvault scheduler?
Commvault across the client life-cycle
What happens to my backups when I retire a system?
Can I have special retention for a retiring server?
What happens if I rebuild/replace a system with a Commvault agent installed?
Security
Are backups encrypted?
Windows
Linux/Unix
Commvault off campus
Can I use Commvault when I am away from campus?
Can I use Commvault to back up my personal (non-University) computer?

General
How do I restore data?
Full-system recovery of a virtual server - contact the Berkeley IT Cloud Team
Berkeley IT managed server - contact your system administrator - Berkeley IT Unix or Berkeley IT Windows
All others - see Restoring Data from Commvault for instructions. If you have problems, please contact UCBackup.

For after-hours emergencies, please submit a ticket to the appropriate group, then call the Service Desk at (510) 664-9000 and ask them to page that
group's on-call team member.
What hours is Commvault available?
The system will normally be available 24x7 except for a maintenance window on Thursday afternoons; scheduled outages outside the maintenance
window will be posted on UCBackup News and approved through the campus change management process.

On system patching weeks, the Commvault maintenance window is from 11:30AM to 3:30PM. On all other weeks, the Commvault maintenance window is
noon to 2:00PM. System patches are applied on:

the Thursday after the third Tuesday for the cv0 test/dev environment
the Thursday after the fourth Tuesday for the cv1 production environment

How can I tell if my backups are running successfully?

UCBackup sends weekly reports to the technical contact which include the last successful backup date. Daily reports (either for all systems or for
backups with problems) and/or requests sent to other users are available upon request.
You can check job history in the Command Center web interface:
In most cases, all you need to do is look at recent job history for your server.
1. Go to Protect File Servers
2. Click on the server you want. If you have a lot of servers, you can use the search bar in the upper-right of the screen to find the
one you want.
3. The "Recovery points" calendar recent history

Circled days have backups; click on a date to show backup time(s) below the calendar.
If you cannot find the information you want, you can dig down to the subclient level for additional details. For clients with multiple
subclients, you will need to check each one.
1. Go to Manage Servers
2. Next to the Servers page title, click "Infrastructure" and select "All" from the pull-down menu to display all servers.

3. Click on the server you want. If you have a lot of servers, you can use the search bar in the upper-right of the screen to find the
one you want.
4. Click "View jobs" near the top of the screen.
5. By default, jobs for the last three months are displayed. There is a pull-down menu to change the time period.
6. Jobs are listed with date and status. You can also click on the job ID for additional details. Note: If your client has multiple
subclients (this is uncommon), each subclient's backups will be listed separately.

Can you explain the Commvault CABS (Client, Agent, Backupset, Subclients) hierarchy?
The client is a system with Commvault software installed.
The agent is a particular type of Commvault software installed on a client. There may be multiple agents on one client (for example, file and
database backup agents).
The backupset is a collection of backup data. Multiple backupsets exist independently of each other - separate backups and data retention. In
most cases, there is only one backupset per client/agent combination.
A subclient is a set of backup specifications, backed up as a unit and following the same policies (such as retention). A backupset is made up of
one or more subclients. In many cases, the first subclient (often called "default") is special - it will include anything not defined in other subclients.
Some types of agents also use an instance as a further level of division. For example, some database agents use separate instances for each
database.

Here are the most common examples:

Virtual Server
Client - VMware vCenter
 Agent - VMware Virtual Server Agent
Backupset - "default"
Subclient - a set of multiple virtual servers that back up together (also called a "VM Group"). They may or may not be related

File-based backup
Client - the computer to be backed up
Agent - filesystem agent (separate agents exist for Windows/MacOS/Linux)
Backupset - "defaultBackupSet"
Subclient - the "default" subclient is used for most data, but additional subclients may be defined if there is some data with special retention
requirements or you need a complex set of include/exclude rules

What is the difference between regular and synthetic full backups?

A regular full backup runs on the client and backs up everything that is configured for backup.

A synthetic full backup runs on the server, and assembles a new "full" backup using the last full and all following incremental backups. This saves a lot of
work on the client is the most common way for UCBackup to run full backups. In most cases, an incremental backup is also run with a synthetic full to
back up recent changes.

What is the relationship between the Admin Console and the Command Center?
The web interface to Commvault was originally called the Admin Console but was renamed Command Center in early 2019. However, it is still accessed
at https://sim-pw01.ist.berkeley.edu/adminconsole

VMware-based backups
What systems are eligible for VMware-based backups?
Virtual machines in the Berkeley IT managed ESX environments in the EWH and SDSC datacenters (Note: VMware-based backups are not
available in the MDC datacenter). See Commvault Service Comparison for different roles/capabilities for differences between Berkeley IT
managed and customer-managed VMs.
Customer managed VMware clusters. Please see Using Commvault in Your VMware Environment for network and security requirements.

What do I need to restore data?

File-level restores require that the VM have either VMware tools or Commvault agent software installed. For larger restores, the Commvault agent is
recommended.

Whole-VM restores do not require an agent. For VMs living in the Berkeley IT Cloud, full-VM restores must be requested from Berkeley IT.

Why am I still getting billed for backups on a VM I retired last month?

In most cases, multiple VMs are backed up in the same backup job. We cannot delete individual VM data from a job, so in most cases VM data will be
kept according to normal retention time. Our standard retention is 35 days, so most VMs will continue to see backup bills for one month after other
charges stop.

We encourage you to contact UCBackup in advance when you are planning to retire a VM if you would like shorter or longer retention.

Why did my VM backup fail with "Change tracking cannot be enabled when snapshots are
present"?
You cannot run the initial backup for a VM if it has existing snapshots. Once the snapshot is deleted, backups should work normally.

Once you have completed the initial backup, adding snapshots does not interfere with backups.

Can I launch backups from my system or another scheduling tool instead of using the
Commvault scheduler?
This is possible but requires additional setup by the UCBackup team. Please send a request to [email protected] for assistance.

Are network shares backed up?

Network shares cannot be backed up with VMware-based backups. However, you can use VMware-based backups for local drives and also run a file-
level client to back up network shares.

Warning: Because VMware-based backups create images of local drives, if you mount an NFS filesystem on top of a directory that contains files, the files
"hidden under" the NFS mount will still be included in your backups.

File-based backups
Installation

Do I need to request firewall changes to use Commvault?

All connections are initiated on the client side, so for most people no firewall changes are necessary. If you are one of the few customers with an outgoing
firewall, your firewall administrator will need to allow the following access:

From: All of your systems that will use the Commvault client agent software.
To: Commvault servers:
Host 128.32.249.85
Host 192.58.221.191
Network 128.32.15.32/27
Network 192.107.102.160/27
TCP Ports: 8403 through 8413

Are SELinux changes required to run Commvault?

In some situations if SELinux is in Enforcing mode it may need to be configured to allow Commvault. Please see https://documentation.commvault.com
/commvault/v11/article?p=24204.htm for additional information.

Why does my Unix or Mac system install in /opt/commvault2?

Although there is rarely a need, it is possible to install multiple Commvault clients on the same system. With multiple installs, it will add a number onto the
install and log directories to keep them separate.

It is possible to use cvpkgrm to uninstall individual versions if the software still exists; please contact UCBackup if you need assistance.

If you manually delete an /opt/commvault directory, Commvault will still "remember" that installation and will not reuse it. To clean up in these cases,
UCBackup recommends removing all Commvault versions, cleaning the inventory, and re-installing:

1. Run cvpkgrm for each existing /opt/commvault directory. You will be prompted to choose a software instance to remove; it is cleanest to choose
the one matching the number of your /opt/commvault directory (instance 001 for the non-numbered /opt/commvault)
2. Delete any remaining /opt/commvault and /var/log/commvault directories.
3. Delete /etc/CommVaultRegistry
4. Re-install Commvault.

Configuration

Are network shares backed up?

By default, network shares are not backed up. However, you can explicitly add network share names to your backup Content.

Note that Commvault normally runs as root (Linux) or the system account (Windows) and may not have permission to access all data on network
shares. In this case, you should create separate backup Subclient(s) for network shares which run as a user with permissions on the share. See Commva
ult File-Level Backup Configuration or contact UCBackup for assistance.

Are redirected folders backed up?

Many new desktop/laptop systems are set up with standard folders such as Desktop and Documents kept out on a network drive. This allows you to
access your files from different computers. Because these folders are not actually on your computer, Commvault does not back them up. However, the
network shares themselves should be backed up - contact ITCS for help recovering your data.

Why aren't my changes to subclient content/filters working?

Changes to content/filters take effect with the next Full (including Synthetic Full) backup. Try running new full backups for your subclients, and if it is still
having problems please contact us at [email protected]
What happens if we include the same folder in two subclients?
Commvault will not let you explicitly include the same folder in two subclients within a single backupset, but it can happen if you specify your subclient
contents with wildcards.

If this happens, your data will be backed up separately under both subclients. This is usually not what you want, so be careful when using wildcards to
specify contents!

Are files excluded from a non-default subclient included in the default subclient?
When there are multiple subclients defined, the default subclient backs up "everything else" - things that are not part of other subclients. It still applies it's
own content/filter definitions, but excludes data defined in other subclients.

If you create a subclient "MyData" with contents C:\Include and filters out C:\Include\Exclude, will C:\Include\Exclude show up in the default subclient?

The answer is no - Commvault will see that C:\Include is part of the MyData subclient so exclude it from the default subclient, regardless of any filters with
MyData.

However, if you want to, you can create another subclient that contains C:\Include\Exclude (or some part of it).

Note: If you use wildcards in your content/exclusions, you may get different behaviour (which may be either a problem or a creative solution!). Contact
UCBackup if you need help with special configurations.

Why does my Windows system have so much backup data?

The most common culprit is the Windows SystemState metadata - the registry, event logs, etc. These are not regular files and are backed up via Windows
tools. The SystemState is ofter 10-20GB and can be even larger.

Commvault requires periodic full system backups - UCBackup normally runs "Synthetic Full" backups weekly, which run entirely within the Commvault
server and generate a new Full based on the previous full and the incremental backups that followed it. This can save a lot of time and overhead for large
systems. However, after generating a Synthetic Full, as part of the next incremental backup Commvault will run a full backup of the SystemState. On
smaller clients, maintaining several full SystemState backups can be larger than the rest of the backup data.

If you want to reduce your SystemState-related charges, there are a few options:

If you don't need to back up SystemState, it can be excluded from backup - see Commvault Backup Configuration Quick-Start
For small systems, we can switch you to run client-side Full backups instead of Synthetic Fulls. This eliminates the need for an extra
SystemState full backup, but will put more load on your system during full backups.
For large systems where client-side Full backups aren't practical, we can work with you to split up your backup into a system portion (Windows
drive and SystemState) that uses client-side Fulls and a user-data portion that users Synthetic Full backups.

Do I need to upgrade my Commvault software?

Commvault updates are automatically pushed out from the server. Our standard maintenance window is noon to 2PM on Thursdays, with updates usually
occurring monthly. Because personal desktop/laptop endpoint systems may be offline during the scheduled maintenance, they automatically check for
updates every few days.

If there are problems with automatic software updates, UCBackup will contact you. The most common problems are low disk space or being unable to
install due to pending operating-system updates.

Why can't I see Mac systems?

Commvault classifies MacOS as Unix, so if you viewing servers by platform look at Unix to find your Mac systems.

Why am I seeing failed files on successful Mac backups?

If you are running MacOS 10.14 or newer, you must grant Full Disk Access permissions to Commvault.

In most cases, you can set this through System Preferences (under the menu). Administrator permissions are required to change settings.

1. Open System Preferences and navigate to Security and Privacy Privacy

 2. On the left side of the display, find and click on Full Disk Access. If you do not see Full Disk Access, you may be running an older MacOS version.

3. On the right side, ensure the check box for "cvlaunchd" is selected. You may need to first click the lock at the bottom of the window to be able to
make changes.

Note: If your department uses Mobile Device Management (MDM), please see http://documentation.commvault.com/commvault/v11_sp17/article?
p=102909.htm for configuration instructions.

Why is my Mac full backup larger than my system?

Newer MacOS versions split your system into read-only and read-write partitions but make the two appear as one. We have seen some cases where
Commvault does not recognize this configuration and ends up creating duplicate backups of some data. If you think this has happened to you, please
contact UCBackup for help reviewing your system and setting up a workaround.

How can I determine my computer's name in Commvault?

By default, Commvault will try to use your computer name as its client name, but you can override this. To find your configured computer name:

Windows: Launch the Commvault Process Manager application (required Administrator privileges) and look for the "Client Name" on the General
tab. If you don't have Administrator access, there are a number of places you can look under your Commvault installation folder (usually C:
\Program Files\Commvault\ContentStore) - for example look for Machine information at top of Log Files\CVD.log
Linux: Run "/usr/bin/commvault status" and look for the Display Name.
MacOS: Launch the Terminal app (under Applications Utilities). When the terminal window opens, run "/usr/local/bin/commvault status" and look
for the Display Name.

How can I check if my computer is talking to the Commvault server?

You can check connectivity in the Command Center web interface. You can access this from any computer, not just the one you want to check.

Note: Off-campus connectivity to Commvault requires the use of the campus VPN service for both backup/restore and management interfaces.

Find the computer to check under Protect File Servers. Click the icon and select Check Readiness. Commvault will test connectivity between the
client and various Commvault servers, then report success or list connectivity failures.

Note: Systems running vmware-based backups will only show up in this list if they have a Commvault agent installed on the VM; an agent is not required
for backup but may be used for restores. The readiness check will test the Commvault agent but not the VMware configuration.

How long is data retained if I stop running backups?

Note: The information in this section is specifically for file-based backups and does not apply to VMware-based and database backups..

In most cases, the last backup cycle (the last full backup plus any incremental backups that followed it) will be kept indefinitely by Commvault. Note: UCBa
ckup policy is to delete old Commvault backup data after 18 months of inactivity unless other arrangements have been made.

However, there are a lot of variables (did you uninstall Commvault? Are you using a backup schedule that generates periodic Synthetic Full backups even
without new data?) and in a few scenarios the last backup cycle may age out according to normal retention time.

We strongly encourage you to contact UCBackup when you are stopping backups to let us know what you want to happen to your data. We can delete it
immediately, ensure it ages out according to policy, maintain backup data indefinitely, or meet special requests such as "Keep my last backup for 6 months"
Can I launch backups from my system or another scheduling tool instead of using the
Commvault scheduler?
This is possible but requires additional setup by the UCBackup team. Please send a request to [email protected] for assistance.

Commvault across the client life-cycle

What happens to my backups when I retire a system?
For VMware-based backups, all backups including the final backup will normally age out according to normal retention policy.

For agent-based backups, the answer varies depending on your exact configuration and factors such as whether you uninstalled Commvault before retiring
the server. We encourage you to let UCBackup know about the retiring server so we can ensure proper handling.

Can I have special retention for a retiring server?

Yes, in most cases. If possible, please contact UCBackup before retiring your server - it is much easier to create special retention backups than to change
retention later.

For VMware-based backups, backup retention normally cannot be reduced because multiple VM backups are grouped together - but if you are anticipating
VM retirment, let us know and we can isolate your VM and backups after this change can be deleted early.

For agent-based backups, backups can be deleted or a final backup held longer.

What happens if I rebuild/replace a system with a Commvault agent installed?

We have seen cases where Commvault seamlessly recognizes that you have the same system, and other cases where it thinks there are now two distinct
systems with the same name. We have not yet found a way to predict which will happen, though we suspect it is related to unique hardware or VM
identifiers.

If you end up with two identical clients, you should still be able to restore older data - you will just need to restore from the old system and specify that you
want to restore to the new system instead of restoring in-place.

If you need assistance understanding what happened to your systems or restoring after a system replacement, please contact UCBackup.

Security
Are backups encrypted?
UCBackup normally configures all backups to be encrypted on the network and at rest. Encryption keys are managed by Commvault itself.

As an extra precaution, customers using Commvault software agents for backups (as opposed to VMware-based backups) can set a flag to prevent
unencrypted backups.

Windows
1. Start the Registry Editor on the client computer where you want to enforce encryption.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\GalaxyInstallerFlags.
3. Right-click GalaxyInstallerFlags, and then go to New > DWORD.
4. In the Value Name box, type ForceClientEncryption
5. In the Value Data box, type 1.
6. Restart Commvault services.

Linux/Unix
1. On the client computer where you want to enforce encryption create the /etc/.CvForceClientEncryption file.
2. Restart Commvault services.
Commvault off campus
Can I use Commvault when I am away from campus?
Off-campus connectivity to Commvault requires the use of the campus VPN service for both backup/restore and management interfaces. If you are at a
remote site not using VPN, please contact UCBackup to discuss options.

Unlike it's predecessor TSM/Spectrum Protect, Commvault usually works pretty well for remote backups, though you may see more jobs fail and restart
due to network interruptions. However, we strongly encourage you to run your initial backup from an on-campus wired network connection. If this is not
possible, we encourage you to minimize the amount of data to be backed up (see Configuring Commvault Backups) and be patient - it can take a several
backup sessions over multiple days to get a complete system backup.

When Using the Commvault Command Center you can manage both on-campus and off-campus systems.

Can I use Commvault to back up my personal (non-University) computer?

Commvault is intended to back up University-owned systems, and University data should be stored on University-owned systems. If you need to access
University data from personal systems, consider the use of bConnected sharing tools like bDrive or Box.