Send documentation comments to mdsfeedback-doc@cisco.com.
23-11
Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide
OL-6965-03, Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 2.x
Chapter 23 Configuring Intelligent Storage Services
NASB
Note You cannot simultaneously configure the intelligent services SANTap and NASB on a single
SSM.

NASB

As of Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 2.1(1), SSMs support Network-Accelerated Serverless Backup
(NASB).
Data movement in the fabric uses considerable processor cycles that can cause client applications to slow
down noticeably. Offloading data movement operations to a media server allows the client applications
to run normally even during a backup operation. Media servers can further offload the data movement
operation to NASB devices, which allows the media server to focus on the coordination functions needed
to complete the backup.
Most backups performed today are server-free. In server-free backups, the application server is not
involved in moving the data. The data can be moved by either a media server or an NASB device.
When the media server is the data mover, it moves the data between the disks and the tapes. The backup
application runs on both the client device and the media server. However, the backup application in the
client device performs minimal tasks for the backup operation.
The media server performs the following backup operations:
•Manages disks as well as one or more tape backup devices.
•Contacts the client devices to retrieve the list of logical blocks that need to be backed up.
•Performs data movement from disk to tape media based on the logical block list provided by the
client device.
The backup application in the client device maps the data to be backed up and creates the logical block
list associated with the data. The movement of data from the physical disks to the backup device (tape)
is not performed by the client device. This reduces substantial load on the client device.
An example configuration is shown in Figure 23-5. The media server moves the data directly between
the storage disks and the tape devices during backups.