Restore Data - Lotus Notes/Domino Server - Full System Restore

Topics | How To | Full System Restore | Related Topics

Overview

Lotus Domino Server Recovery

Lotus Domino Server iDataAgents

Notes Database iDataAgent

Notes Document iDataAgent

Overview

Normally, if databases are lost or removed, they are recovered from the archives using the normal restore procedures described in Restore Backup Data. However, when there is a severe software and/or hardware problem there are two means of recovering: a full Lotus Domino Server restore and a full system restore. The difference between the two is the severity of the problem.

When all of the Notes data in a partition or the active extent of the transaction log in a Domino Server partition is corrupted, the partition must be restored. For information on restoring a Lotus Domino Server partition, refer to Lotus Domino Server Recovery.

When the client system (software, hardware, hard drives, etc.) is damaged or destroyed a full system restore may be required. A full system restore is the process of fully restoring a client computer’s file system, registry (where applicable), applications, and data, either to the original computer or to a different one. Full system restores can be helpful, for example, when you want to create a computer that duplicates another computer’s configuration and data, or necessary, for example, when you need to re-establish a computer’s configuration and data after a catastrophic system failure.

A full system restore of a Domino server starts with a file system restore using the File System iDataAgent software. This restores the entire server including operating system, registry information, and the Lotus Domino Server program files which include the Domino Server software that was installed on the computer and the notes.ini and server.id files. Once this is done you can use the Notes Database iDataAgent to restore Notes databases. See Perform a Full System Restore for step-by-step instructions.

Lotus Domino Server Recovery

A full Lotus Domino Server restore is the process by which all of the Notes data in a Domino Server partition is restored. Although you can restore all of the documents in a Lotus Notes database using the Notes Document iDataAgent, if you restore a database this way, some database properties are lost. We recommend that you back up Notes databases with the Notes Database iDataAgent (even if you are also using the Notes Document iDataAgent) so that you can restore the databases with all of their properties.

Lotus Notes Database iDataAgent

To enable you to fully recover Notes databases, the Notes Database iDataAgent provides a Disaster Recovery feature which makes it possible to restore and replay transactions when the active extent of the transaction log is lost. Disaster Recovery uses the TRANSLOG_RECREATE_LOGCTRL parameter in the notes.ini file. Because this parameter is not recognized by versions of Domino Server prior to 5.0.3, the Disaster Recovery option cannot be used with older versions of Domino Server. Note that for normal restores (i.e., when the active extent exists in the transaction log directory), there is no difference between older and newer versions of Domino Server.

Restoring a Lotus Domino Server with the Disaster Recovery Option

The transaction log of a Domino Server partition consists of a number of files known as extents. A numerically named series of log extents, each occupying 64 MB, is created when archive logging is first enabled on the Domino Server. The number of extent files created is determined by the value of the user-configured Maximum Log Space parameter in the server document. For example, if you set Maximum Log Space to 500 MB, Domino creates 500 MB worth of extents to ensure that the required amount of space is available to the transaction log. Initially, these files are inactive and do not contain any transaction records. Transactions for all databases within the partition are written to one extent file, the transaction log's active extent. When this file is full, it becomes inactive, and transactions are written to the next extent in the series.

Normally, when a database is restored, Domino brings it up to date by replaying transactions that occurred after the last database backup job. If these transactions are not available in the transaction log directory, the Notes API asks the system to retrieve the necessary log extents from backup. However, if the active extent of the transaction log is lost, Domino Server or the Notes API may not work, and old logs can't be played back. In this case, you must follow the Disaster Recovery procedure. Using this procedure, you can restore the most recently archived log extent, making it possible to recreate the log control file, retrieve the necessary transaction logs from backup, and replay the transactions. See Restore a Lotus Domino Server with the Disaster Recovery Option for step-by-step instructions.

Warning

Use the Disaster Recovery option only when the current log file is irretrievably lost. Do not modify or delete the contents of the transaction log directory unless you are sure that disaster recovery is necessary.

You can also recover a Lotus Notes database from a log sequence prior to the current log sequence by creating the nUSEBROWSETIMEFORDR registry key. Use this registry key only when you have recreated the log sequence (i.e., restarted the Domino Server with an empty log directory), have backed up log extents from the new log sequence, and require the restore and full recovery of all Lotus Notes databases to a point-in-time prior to the backup of the new log sequence.

Restoring a Lotus Domino Server without the Disaster Recovery Option

Use this procedure for all logging styles or when using archive logging mode with versions of Domino Server before 5.03. See Restore a Lotus Domino Server without the Disaster Recovery Option for step-by-step instructions.

This procedure restores databases (.nsf files) only. It does not restore or replay transaction logs.

 

Lotus Notes Document iDataAgent

The Notes Document iDataAgent is not intended for full Lotus Domino Server restore and does not include a specific Disaster Recovery feature. If your file system and Domino Server executables are intact, you can restore Notes Document data using the normal browse and restore procedures. If your entire system is corrupted, you must perform a full system restore. See Perform a Full System Restore for step-by-step instructions.

Performing a Lotus Domino Server Recovery for Notes Document

A full system restore of a Domino server starts with a file system restore using the File System iDataAgent software. See Disaster Recovery for information on the appropriate file system full system restore procedure.

After restoring the rest of the server, continue the full system restore procedure on your Notes databases by using whichever Notes iDataAgent you previously used to back up your data. If you have backed up your databases using both iDataAgents, we recommend using the Notes Database iDataAgent for large restore jobs. See Perform a Lotus Domino Server Recovery for Notes Document for step-by-step instructions.

Perform a Full System Restore

To perform a full system restore:

  1. Follow the instructions for the appropriate file system to perform a full restore of the Domino Server computer. See Disaster Recovery for information on the appropriate file system full system restore procedure.
  2. After the File System restore job, the computer reboots.

    Do not start Domino Server. If Domino is configured as an automatic service, stop the server.

  3. Continue with the Lotus Domino Server Recovery procedure (below) that applies to your version of Lotus Domino Server.

Restore a Lotus Domino Server with the Disaster Recovery Option (5.0.3 and later)

Before You Begin

Review the following to avoid common problems:

To perform Lotus Domino Server Recovery with the Disaster Recovery option:

  1. If Domino Server is configured to run as a service with the Automatic option, change the Domino Server service property to Manual.
  2. This procedure requires a clean Notes API environment to complete successfully. To ensure that there is a clean environment, reboot the Domino Server computer.
  3. If there is software currently running on the server that may attempt to access Notes databases, such as Virus Scan, disable it at this time.
    The steps that follow must be performed separately for each Domino Server partition that you want to restore./td>
  4. Add the following line to the notes.ini file of the partitionthat you want to restore:

    TRANSLOG_RECREATE_LOGCTRL=1

    The Lotus Notes client software has its own notes.ini file, as does each Domino Server partition. There may be multiple notes.ini files on the computer to which you are restoring. Make sure that you are modifying the notes.ini file of the partition that you want to restore.

    If you add this line at the end of the notes.ini file, be sure to add a new line (i.e., press Enter) after this line. Note that the value of this parameter is reset to 0 automatically after the disaster recovery process completes. It is not necessary to delete this from the .ini file.

  5. Make sure that the transaction log directory is clean. (You can find the path to the log directory by checking the TRANSLOG_Path parameter in the partition's notes.ini file. If this is a relative path, it must be appended to the path listed in the Directory parameter.) Delete any remaining log files and the log control file. Alternately, you can delete the log directory altogether. In this case, the disaster recovery process creates a new log directory.
  6. Browse the backup data and select those databases that you want to restore. Select the Disaster Recovery / Media Recovery (to another machine) option in the Advanced Restore Options dialog box in addition to any other restore options that you want.
    We strongly recommend that you select all databases and choose the Unconditional overwrite option. Databases that are not restored during disaster recovery can be restored later on, but you will be unable to replay transactions from the archived transaction log that affect these databases. In other words, any changes made to these databases between the last database backup prior to failure and disaster recovery will be lost.

    If you do not want to restore all databases at this time, be sure to restore the Notes system databases (e.g., Names.nsf) first.
  7. When restoring encrypted data, refer to Using Data Encryption.
  8. Run the restore job. When it is finished, check that it has completed successfully.
  9. Start up Domino Server. If the server runs as a service, you can change the service property to Automatic.
  10. Perform a full backup of all databases in the partition. (You can do this by right-clicking the partition in the CommCell Browser, clicking All Tasks, and then clicking Backup All Subclients.)
    You must do both a database backup and a transaction log backup to avoid future data loss. Databases must be successfully backed up before you back up transaction logs.
  11. Perform a transaction log backup job.

Restore a Lotus Domino Server without the Disaster Recovery Option (pre-5.0.3)

Before You Begin

Review the following to avoid common problems:

To perform Lotus Domino Server Recovery without the Disaster Recovery option:

  1. If Domino Server is configured to run as a service with the Automatic option, change the Domino Server service property to Manual.
  2. This procedure requires a clean Notes API environment to complete successfully. To ensure that there is a clean environment, reboot the Domino Server computer.
  3. If there is software currently running on the server that may attempt to access Notes databases, such as Virus Scan, disable it at this time.
    The steps that follow must be performed separately for each Domino Server partition that you want to restore.
  4. If logging is enabled, make sure that the transaction log directory is clean. (You can find the path to the log directory by checking the TRANSLOG_Path parameter in the partition's notes.ini file. If this is a relative path, it must be appended to the path listed in the Directory parameter.) Delete any remaining log files and the log control file.
  5. Browse the backup data and select those databases that you want to restore. DO NOT select the Disaster Recovery option in the Advanced Restore Options dialog box.
  6. When restoring encrypted data, refer to Using Data Encryption.
  7. Run the restore job.

    If logging is enabled, when the restore finishes the job status is Failed, and you may see error messages similar to the following:

    "Recovery Manager: Database is not latest copy. - 5109"

    You can safely ignore the error messages. Additionally, unless the job failed for reasons unrelated to disaster recovery, the status is incorrect (i.e., the partition's databases were actually restored successfully). The error messages and Failed status appear for the following reason: Because older versions of Domino Server don't recognize the TRANSLOG_RECREATE_LOGCTRL parameter, the original transaction log is not restored. Instead, Domino creates a new transaction log with a new logID. After the Notes databases are restored, the Lotus Notes iDataAgent tries to replay transactions. Since the log has been replaced, transactions cannot be replayed, and the restore job will fail.

    Confirm that your databases were successfully restored.

  8. Start up Domino Server. If the server runs as a service, you can change the service property to Automatic.
  9. Perform a full backup of all databases in the partition. (You can do this by right-clicking the partition in the CommCell Browser, clicking All Tasks, and then clicking Backup All Subclients.)
    You must run both a database backup job and a transaction log backup job to avoid future data loss. Databases must be successfully backed up before you back up transaction logs.
  10. Perform a transaction log backup job.

Perform a Lotus Domino Server Recovery for Notes Document

To perform Lotus Domino Server Recovery:

  1. Perform a full system restore using the File System iDataAgent. Use the instructions in Disaster Recovery for the appropriate file system.
    After a File System restore job, the computer reboots. If you are restoring with the Notes Database iDataAgent, DO NOT start the Domino Server. If Domino is configured as an automatic service, stop the server.
  2. If there is software currently running on the server that may attempt to access the data, such as Virus Scan, disable it at this time.
  3. For the purpose of a restore, you must disable transaction logging. Edit the notes.ini file so that it contains the following:

    TRANSLOG_Status = 0

  4. Perform a full restore of all databases and/or documents from the Lotus Domino Server using the most current backup that is valid.
  5. If you disabled transaction logging in Step 3, re-enable it now.
    In some circumstances of transaction log corruption it may be necessary to delete and re-create the transaction logs. You must determine whether the existing transaction logs can be used. Your Lotus Notes administrator must determine whether the existing transaction logs can be used.
  6. If desired, enable any software that was disabled in Step 2.
  7. Perform a full backup of the Lotus Domino Server to ensure the existence of a current archive.

Back To Top