How to Install NetBackup 8.x/9.x on CentOS 8 or RHEL 8 Single Node
If you’re the one who keeps your backup server running on a freshly minted CentOS 8 or RHEL 8 box, this is for you. We’ll walk through the exact steps to get NetBackup up and humming without the usual headaches that come with mixing an old‑school backup product onto a new‑era OS.
1. Prep the machine
Why? The installer pulls in a handful of packages that don’t exist in the default repositories. If you skip this, the install will stall halfway through.
sudo dnf update -y # make sure everything is fresh sudo dnf install epel-release -y # we’ll need some EPEL goodies
Drop the epel-release first because it gives us libaio, which NetBackup loves (and that’s not in base RHEL 8). Then:
sudo dnf install libaio glibc-static \
gcc make binutils -y
If you’re on a minimal install, you’ll also need the development tools for the build scripts that come with the installer.
2. Disable SELinux temporarily
NetBackup’s installer isn’t 100 % SELinux‑aware on RHEL 8. A quick toggle gets it past the first hurdle and keeps things quiet while we finish.
sudo setenforce 0 # switch to permissive mode
You can re‑enable it later with setenforce 1 once everything’s running smoothly.
3. Unpack the installer
Grab the NetBackup ISO or ZIP from your vendor portal and copy the payload to /tmp. Extract it:
cd /tmp unzip netbackup8-9-x64.zip -d nb_install
Inside you’ll find a install script that actually does the heavy lifting.
4. Run the installer
NetBackup will ask for a few things. For a single‑node setup you can keep most defaults, but be mindful of the “product selection” screen: only tick "Server" and "Client" if you truly need them. Skipping unnecessary modules saves space.
cd nb_install sudo ./install -s /var/netbackup
The -s flag tells it where to install; /var/netbackup is the conventional location. The script will:
1. Install all required RPMs.
2. Create necessary users (nb, nbadmin).
3. Set up initial directories and permissions.
5. Post‑install tweaks
a. Re‑enable SELinux in permissive mode
You’re not ready to crank it back to enforcing just yet; leave it in permissive until you confirm everything works.
sudo setenforce 0
b. Turn off firewall for the demo (optional)
If this is a test box and you don’t need network isolation, let NetBackup breathe:
sudo systemctl stop firewalld sudo systemctl disable firewalld
Feel free to re‑enable it later and just open the ports that NetBackup uses (4512, 4513, etc.).
6. Verify the service
sudo systemctl status netbackup
The output should show Active: active (running). If you see a bunch of “cannot find” errors, check /var/opt/BMC/NetBackup/logs for clues.
Real‑world snag I’ve seen
After an ill‑timed driver update on a RHEL 8 server, the NetBackup service would crash with Segmentation fault. The culprit turned out to be an incompatible kernel module that clashed with the libaio version shipped in EPEL. Downgrading to the stock CentOS 8 libaio-0.3.112-10.el8.x86_64 fixed it—no magic, just a version mismatch.
7. Clean up
Once you’re sure the installer didn’t leave any stray files:
sudo rm -rf /tmp/nb_install
That’s all there is to it. You’ve got NetBackup on CentOS 8/RHEL 8 single node, ready for backups and restores.
