Creating device pools for Microsoft Cluster Servers

When Backup Exec is installed on a cluster, it creates default device pools named All Devices (<Node Name>) for each node in the cluster. If a node has storage devices, those storage devices are automatically assigned to All Devices (<Node Name>), which is also the default destination device on that node when you create backup or restore jobs. However, to allow jobs to run on the storage devices attached to a failover node after a failover occurs, you must create a device pool that includes the storage devices from all of the nodes. If the cluster is also configured with tape devices on a shared SCSI bus, then add the tape device name used by each node to the device pool. You must also select this device pool as the destination device for all jobs that you want to be restarted.

You can create either a single device pool, or you can create device pools for device or media types so that when jobs fail over they can be restarted on "like" devices and media.

To create a device pool for a cluster

  1. From the controlling node, open Backup Exec.

  2. Create a new device pool.

    See Creating device pools.

  3. Add storage devices and then exit Backup Exec. If there are tape devices on a shared SCSI bus, then add the tape device name used by each node.

    See Adding devices to a device pool.

  4. Using the cluster administrator, move the Backup Exec resource group to the next appropriate node.

  5. Open Backup Exec, add storage devices for this node to the previous device pool and then exit Backup Exec. If there are tape devices on a shared SCSI bus, then add the tape device name used by each node.

  6. Repeat step 4 and step 5 for each node in the cluster.