Preferred Network properties

Use the Preferred Network properties in the NetBackup Administration Console to specify to NetBackup which networks or interfaces to use for outgoing NetBackup traffic from the selected hosts. These properties apply to currently selected master servers, media servers, and clients.

The Preferred Network properties are useful in NetBackup environments that include multihomed hosts - the hosts that are connected to two or more networks, or hosts that have two or more network addresses. The properties are especially helpful to administrators who must configure an environment that includes both Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and IPv4 address families.

The Preferred Network properties compare to the Use specified network interface property in the Universal Settings properties. However, the Use specified network interface property can be used to specify only a single interface for NetBackup to use for outbound calls. The Preferred Network properties were introduced so that administrators can give more elaborate and constrictive instructions that apply to multiple individual networks, or a range of networks. For example, an administrator can configure a host to use any network except one.

Note:

Do not inadvertently configure hosts so that they cannot communicate with any other host. Use the bptestnetconn utility to determine whether the hosts can communicate as you intend.

See bptestnetconn utility to display Preferred Network information.

Figure: Preferred Network dialog box

The Preferred Network dialog box contains a list of networks and the directive that has been configured for each.

Table: Preferred Network dialog box properties

Property	Description
List of network specifications for NetBackup communications	The list of preferred networks contains the following information: The Target column lists the networks (or host names or IP addresses) that have been given specific directives. If a network is not specifically listed as a target, or if a range of addresses does not include the target, NetBackup considers the target to be available for selection. Note that if the same network considerations apply for all of the hosts, the list of directives can be identical across all hosts in the NetBackup environment. If a directive contains an address that does not apply to a particular host, that host ignores it. For example, an IPv4-only host ignores IPv6 directives, and IPv6-only hosts ignore IPv4 directives. This lets the administrator use the same Preferred Network configurations for all the hosts in the NetBackup environment. The Specified as column indicates the directive for the network: Match, Prohibited, or Only. The Source column lists source binding information to use to filter addresses. The Source property is an optional configuration property.
Ordering arrows	Select a network in the list, then click the up or down arrow to change the order of the network in the list. The order can affect which network NetBackup selects. See Order of directive processing in the Preferred Network properties.
Add	Click Add to add a network to the Preferred Network properties. The directive for the network is configured in the Add Preferred Network Settings dialog box. See Table: Add or Change Preferred Network Settings dialog box properties.
Add to all	The Add to all button is active when multiple servers are selected.
Change	Select a network in the list, then click Change to change the Preferred Network properties. The directive is changed in the Change Preferred Network Settings dialog box. See Add or Change Preferred Network Settings dialog box.
Remove	Select a network in the list, then click Remove to remove the network from the list of preferred networks.

Preferred Network properties

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