Index Cache Server

Table of Contents

Overview

Index Cache Server is an index cache sharing mechanism that saves an additional copy of the index cache for sharing purposes. This additional copy is located on one of the MediaAgent computers participating in the share. This Index Cache Server can be accessed by all participating MediaAgents.

Index Cache Server provides the following advantages:

• Eliminates the need for jobs to restart from the beginning when there is a hard failure on the Media Agent, such as an abrupt cluster failover.
• Index Cache Server also creates a more resilient Index Cache store for jobs in flight.
• Index Cache membership does not require a like OS or complex disk configuration (SAMBA/NFS/CIFS) to share the Index Cache.
• When a job is profiled to be a part of the Index Cache Server, the indexes will be copied as a part of the job in a similar fashion to a shared index cache. Index recalls will first check the Index Cache Server before restore from backup media. Indexes may be retained in the Index Cache Server longer than they would on the local Media Agents to allow for faster index recalls and more simplified infrastructure management for large environments.

Index Cache Server is supported on Windows and Unix MediaAgents.

Index Cache Server is not available for disaster recovery data protection jobs.

Prerequisites

The Index Cache location requires the following:

• Should be dedicated to the index to avoid contention with other data.
• The total amount of free space should be equal to 2 - 3% of the total amount of data protected by all MediaAgents that share the Index Cache.

Setting up and Using the Index Cache Server

Index Cache Server can be setup and used in the following sequence:

1. Create an Index Cache Server Profile
2. Enable Index Cache Sharing
3. Enable (or Disable) Index Cache Sharing for a Job

The following sections provide step-by-step instructions for Setting up and Using the Index Cache Server.

Create an Index Cache Server Profile

1.	Open the Control Panel using one of the following methods: Double-click the the icon in the toolbar From the CommCell Browser, right-click CommServe and then click Control Panel.
2.	Double click Shared Catalog Configuration.
3.	Click Add to create an Index Cache Profile.
4.	Enter the following: Enter the name of the profile in the Profile Name box. Select Index Cache Server as the Profile Type. Select the name of the MediaAgent in which the Index Cache Server will be located. Use the default properties in the Profile Properties . Click OK create the profile. You can now use this profile on a MediaAgent to share the index cache.

Enable Index Cache Sharing

1.	In the CommCell browser, expand Storage Resources and then navigate to MediaAgents. Right-click the MediaAgent that you want to setup as the Index Cache Server and then click Properties.
2.	Click on the Catalog tab.
3.	Click and enable Catalog Profile. Select Index Cache Server. Choose the Name of the profile. This is the profile that was created using the Create an Index Cache Server Profile, described above. Click OK to save the setting.

Enable (or Disable) Index Cache Sharing for a Job

1.	Right-click an File agent or subclient and click Backup to schedule a backup.
2.	In the Backup Options dialog box, click Advanced.
3.	By default, the Use shared profile if present with transaction logging option is enabled in the Catalog area. Select this option if it is not enabled. Click OK to schedule the backup.

Viewing the Index Cache in the Index Cache Server

The Index Cache directory on the MediaAgent in which the Index Cache Server is setup will contain a copy of indexes from backups from the member servers.
The MediaAgent containing the Index Cache Server will have a CatalogServer.log file in the Log Files directory.

Back to Top