Deploying a Linux Access Node for VMware Using vCenter

You can deploy a VMware Linux access node using the Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) template provided by Commvault. You can use the Linux access node to perform VM backup, live browse and file recovery operations, with support for ext2, ext3, ext4, XFS, JFS, HFS, HFS Plus, and Btrfs file systems (subvolumes). You can also browse VM data from a backup for the source VM.

Before You Begin

• Before creating the access node for Linux file restores, ensure that the CommServe server and Virtual Server Agent have the latest service pack updates.

• Use the latest available version of the Access Node and MediaAgent template. The template version must match the Commvault software service pack version.

• To verify the supported VMware software versions, see System Requirements.

• Ensure that the ESX server where you deploy the access node meets the following requirements:

  • 2 vCPUs

  • 16 GB of RAM

  • A 37 GB thin-provisioned or thick-provisioned disk

  • A 200 GB thin-provisioned or thick-provisioned disk

  • A 100 GB thin-provisioned or thick-provisioned disk

• Verify that the VMware servers, the CommServe server and machine where you deploy the access node can communicate with each other.

• If a firewall is used, see Entering Required Firewall Settings.

• The virtualization client must refer to a vCenter user with permissions defined as described in Permissions for vCenter User Accounts.

• The following vSphere permissions are required to enable deployment or reconfiguration of a Linux access node:

  Category	Available Permissions
  vApp	Import
  vApp	vApp application configuration
  vApp	vApp instance configuration

• The following Commvault permissions must be assigned to the CommServe user account in the CommCell Console:

  Category	Permission	Usage
  Global	Administrative Management	Enables the CommServe user (identified as CS User Name below) to deploy the Linux access node in the CommServe environment.
  Client	Agent Management	Enables the Linux access node to be added to a client computer group.

• The Linux access node supports live browse and restore of NTFS files from a Linux MediaAgent. For more information, see NTFS Live Browse for Restores Using a Linux MediaAgent.

• For file indexing and live browse to succeed, the Linux access node must be at the same operating system as the Linux VM or higher. For example, to browse a VM at RHEL 9, the Linux access node must be at RHEL 9 or higher.

• For RHEL/OEL/Rocky 9.x XFS 5.12, for file indexing and live browse of Linux VMs, the VSA and MediaAgent must be at the same Commvault release.

• Live recovery is only supported for recovery from backups using magnetic disk libraries, not from backups to tape libraries.

• Live browse and file recovery operations are not supported for XFS realtime subvolumes.

• The Linux access node supports NFS version 3 for guest file restores.

• The Linux access node runs on Oracle Linux 9.x that supports Btrfs file systems.

• To perform a live browse of files on RedHat Enterprise Linux or Oracle Linux 9.x VMs, you must deploy Commvault software Feature Release 24 or a corresponding recent version of the Access Node and MediaAgent OVA.

Procedure

1. Download the Access Node and MediaAgent OVA template for your appropriate Commvault release, and save it to a location that is accessible from the vCenter.

2. In vCenter, click the File menu and select Deploy OVF Template.

   The Deploy OVF Template wizard appears and displays the Select an OVA template page.

   Note

   You must deploy the OVA from the vCenter, not from the ESX host. Do not deploy the OVA inside a vApp.

3. Browse to the location of the Access Node and MediaAgent template file, select the file, and then click Next.

   The Select a name and folder page appears.

4. Enter a name for the virtual machine (for example, VM_LinuxAccessNode), select a location, and then click Next.

   The Select a compute resource page appears.

5. Select a resource pool (optional) and an ESX server, and then click Next.

   The Review details page appears.

6. Review the template details, and then click Next.

   The Configuration page appears.

7. Select a deployment configuration from the following options, and then click Next.

   The Select storage page appears.

   Size	Number of vCPUs	Memory Size	Software Installation Disk Size	Deduplication Storage Disk Size	Recommended Workload
   Extra Small	2 virtual CPUs	16 GB	200 GB	100 GB	50TB BETB
   Small	4 virtual CPUs	24 GB	300 GB	200 GB	100TB BETB
   Medium	8 virtual CPUs	32 GB	400 GB	300 GB	150TB BETB
   Large	12 virtual CPUs	48 GB	700 GB	600 GB	300TB BETB
   Extra Large	16 virtual CPUs	64 GB	1.2 TB	1 TB	500TB BETB

8. Select the virtual disk format, select a datastore, and then click Next.

   The Select networks page appears.

9. Select the source and destination networks, and then click Next.

   The Customize template page appears.

10. Enter the following information:

    • Disk Size Configuration:

      • Software installation disk size: The disk size for software installation is set according to the sizing option selected. These values override the disk sizing options provided as part of our template.

      • Deduplication storage disk size: The disk size for deduplication is set according to the sizing option selected. These values override the disk sizing options provided as part of our template.

        Note

        Commvault recommends that you do not modify this value.

    • CS Configuration:

      • CS Hostname/IP: Host name or IP address for the CommServe system. This entry is case-sensitive.

        Note

        • The host name for the CommServe is found in the CommServe Host Name field of the CommServe Client Properties dialog box (go to the CommCell Browser, right-click the CommServe client machine, click Properties, and then select the General tab). This entry is case-sensitive.

        • If a firewall is used, you must enter the Network Gateway Host Name in the CS Hostname/IP field.

      • CS Authcode: Users can use the auth code to register the Linux access node with CommServe. When using this field, you do not need to provide a username and password.

        Note

        For any CommCell (company), you can get the AuthCode from the Commcell (company) page under the Manage section.

      • Client Name: Short name for the virtual machine (for example, VM_LinuxAccessNode).

      • Client Hostname: Host name or IP address for the client. If you are using a static IP Address, then enter a resolvable hostname.

      • Client Group Name: Name of a client computer group; the Linux access node is assigned to this group if the group exists (the name is case sensitive and should not have any whitespaces).

    • Networking:

      Note

      Specify the following values if you are deploying the Linux access node using a static IP address or with DHCP server. These values override the DNS configuration obtained from the DHCP servers.

      • Use DHCP: Select this option or enter values for the Static IP Address, Netmask, and Gateway.

      • DNS Search Suffix: Identifiers for domains to be supported. You can enter multiple search suffixes separated by commas.

      • Primary DNS Server: IP address for the primary name server.

      • Secondary DNS Server: IP address for the secondary name server.

    • OS Configuration:

      • New password for 'root': Password for the root user of the virtual machine.

    • Advanced Configuration (optional):

      • CS Username: User name for the CommCell Console.

      • CS Password: Password for the CommCell Console user.

      • Additional route configuration: Configuration to redirect traffic through a user-defined IP route.

      • Linux Timezone: Name of the timezone to be set for the client. This entry is case-sensitive and must match the exact name provided for UNIX operating systems.

      • NTP Server hostname: Fully-Qualified Domain Name(FQDN) of the NTP server with which the client will synchronize local time.

11. After verifying the information, click Next.

12. On the Ready to Complete dialog, review the deployment options and click Finish.

13. Power ON the VM.

    Note

    If you experience connection issues after deployment, you can add fully qualified host names and IP addresses for the access node and the CommServe server to the /etc/hosts files for both machines so that both systems can resolve host names locally.

What To Do Next

Perform the following additional tasks:

1. Verifying Registration for VMware Linux Access Node.

2. Review Cache Requirements to ensure that there is sufficient space for file recovery data.

3. Optional: Instead of deploying a separate Linux access node, you can convert a Linux MediaAgent to a Linux Access Node.

4. Optional: By default, automatic updates are applied daily for security updates. To modify the security level, perform the following steps after the access node has been deployed:

   1. Modify the /etc/dnf/automatic.conf file to use one of the following options with the upgrade_type option, as shown in the last line of the following example:

   [commands]
   #  What kind of upgrade to perform:
   # default                            = all available upgrades
   # security                           = only the security upgrades
   upgrade_type = security

   2. Run the systemctl restart dnf-automatic command to apply the specified upgrade level.