Deploying DPX Backup Appliance from .ISO

Starting from version 4.14, you can install the Catalogic DPX Master Server on any physical or virtual device using a hardware-agnostic .ISO image.

Catalogic Backup Appliance is an integrated backup solution that installs DPX (the backup software) and vStor (the storage backend) on a single host – physical or virtual. The appliance is designed for fast deployment and minimal configuration: during the installation, the system automatically prepares and connects all required components, so the environment is ready to use immediately after setup.

See also.

To deploy the Catalogic DPX Master Server virtual appliance in a virtual environment, see Deploying DPX with VMware vSphere or Deploying DPX with Microsoft Hyper-V.

The installer offers two deployment scenarios:

• DPX + vStor – installs the DPX Master Server together with a vStor storage server on the same appliance.
• DPX only – installs the DPX Master Server alone.

Requirements

The hardware requirements depend on the deployment scenario you choose:

	DPX + vStor	DPX only
CPU	Four vCPUs (or equivalent physical CPUs)	Four vCPUs (or equivalent physical CPUs)
Memory (RAM)	16 GB minimum	16 GB minimum
Network	Single active network interface	Single active network interface
Disk 1 (operating system)	Minimum 70 GB	Minimum 70 GB
Disk 2 (vStor data volume)	Minimum 200 GB, raw and unformatted	Not required
Boot mode	BIOS or EFI (Secure Boot disabled)	BIOS or EFI (Secure Boot disabled)

Important.

• Do not create a filesystem on the second disk – it must remain raw and unformatted.
• If running on a VM without disk UUID support, UUIDs are created based on the physical device address.
• Do not swap disks after installation – this will break the setup. Adding additional disks later is supported.
• VMware only: set the disk.enableUUID = TRUE VM configuration parameter.

Deploying DPX Master Server Backup Appliance from .ISO

1. Download the .ISO file from the Catalogic MySupport page:

   1. Login to Catalogic MySupport using the provided credentials.

   2. From the product selection tiles, select Catalogic DPX.

   3. From the Installation & Upgrade section, select Catalogic Backup Appliance.

   4. Click the link to start downloading the .ISO file.

      

2. Once the download is complete, boot from the .ISO.

The remaining steps depend on the deployment scenario you choose at the GRUB menu:

DPX + vStor

3. From the GRUB menu, choose Install AlmaLinux 8.10 with DPX and vStor 4.16.

   

4. In the AlmaLinux Installer configuration, select the following options:

   • Select the disk for the OS installation (Disk 1). Leave the second, raw disk (Disk 2) unselected – it is reserved automatically for the vStor data volume.

   

   • Ensure the Host Name is unique within your network. Most probably, you can leave the default host name.
     Set all network parameters as desired, including IP addressing (static or DHCP).

   

   • Configure other system settings as needed, including Timezone, Keyboard Layout, etc.

5. Click the Begin Installation button.

   

The system will prepare and deploy DPX and vStor automatically. The machine will reboot twice. Total automated configuration time: approximately 30 minutes.

Note.

Interactive shell access is disabled throughout the installation process. However, you can preview the installation progress logs, authenticating as user: log with password log.

DPX only

3. From the GRUB menu, choose Install AlmaLinux 8.10 with DPX 4.16.

   

4. In the AlmaLinux Installer configuration, select the following options:

   • Select a disk for the OS installation.

   

   • Ensure the Host Name is unique within your network. Most probably, you can leave the default host name.
     Set all network parameters as desired, including IP addressing (static or DHCP).

   

   • Configure other system settings as needed, including Timezone, Keyboard Layout, etc.

5. Click the Begin Installation button.

   

The system will prepare and deploy DPX automatically. The machine will reboot twice. Total automated configuration time: approximately 30 minutes.

Note.

Interactive shell access is disabled throughout the installation process. However, you can preview the installation progress logs, authenticating as user: log with password log.

Once the installer finishes, the system is fully configured and DPX is ready to use. You can proceed with backup configuration and start protecting your data right away.

For DPX + vStor deployments, the installer has also:

• created the storage, media pools, and devices for backup jobs,
• added the vStor and GuardMode nodes to the enterprise.

See also.

For the vStor-side description of this deployment, see Deploying vStor as Part of Catalogic Backup Appliance in vStor 4.16 Documentation.