Recovery Points for CDR - How To

Topics | How To

Configure CDR Recovery Points

Create a Recovery Point Using CDR

Delete a Recovery Point Using CDR

Mount or Share a Recovery Point Using CDR

Unmount or Unshare a Recovery Point Using CDR

Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points

Back up a Recovery Point Using CDR

Configure a Replication Set for Pre/Post Processes for Recovery Point Creation

Specify a Snap Engine

Change Account for Executing Pre/Post Commands (Recovery Points) (CDR on Windows only)

Fan-In:

Create a Recovery Point Using CDR in a Fan-In Configuration

Delete a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Mount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Unmount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points in a Fan-In Configuration

Configure CDR Recovery Points

Related Topics:

• Create a Recovery Point Using CDR

Required Capability: Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure CDR for Recovery Points:

1. For Consistent Recovery Points involving supported application, you must Configure CDR to Replicate Application Data.
2. Right-click a Replication Set and select Properties.
   • In the Replication Set Properties (Replication Options) tab, select Allow Recovery Points.
   • In the Maximum Number of Recovery Points field, specify the maximum number to retain.

     Ensure that the destination volume specified for each Replication Pair has sufficient space for the maximum number of snapshots that will be created and retained. If you decrease this number for a Replication Set with existing Recovery Points, the system will start deleting the oldest Recovery Points in the order they were created until the newly specified maximum number is reached. For additional considerations, see Delete a Recovery Point Using CDR. For a listing of the maximum number the system allows for each operating system and snapshot type, see Maximum Number of Recovery Points.

   • You can configure CDR on Windows to automatically mount the snapshots from the latest Recovery Point when they are created. (This is not available for ONTAP Snapshots.) You can configure CDR on UNIX, which automatically mounts every snapshot by default, to automatically create a symbolic link to the mount points it creates. To do this, select the Auto-Mount snapshots after Recovery Point Creation option, then click Enter Mount Points. In the Enter Mount Points dialog, click the Mount Point column for each Destination Path and do one of the following:
     • For Windows, do one of the following for each snapshot to be mounted:
       • specify a drive letter (e.g., G:) to which to mount the snapshot. Ensure that you specify an unused drive letter.
       • type a mount point name (e.g., G:\mountpoint1) to which the snapshot will be mounted.
     • For UNIX, type a name for the symbolic link to the mount point that will be created by the system.

     Even though you specify the mount point for a recovery point on a UNC path, this mount point is ignored when a recovery point is created on a UNC path.

   • For Windows, select a Snap Engine Type. (For UNIX, the selection of a Snap Engine Type comes later in this procedure.)
   • In the Pre/Post Process tab, specify any Pre/Post Recovery Point commands to be run. Refer to Configure Pre/Post Processing.
3. If you will be backing up Recovery Points, see Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points.
4. Click OK to save your changes.
5. It is recommended that you also see Space Check for the Quick Recovery and ContinuousDataReplicator Agents and configure the Disk Space Low alert to provide warning that the destination computer, and the cache volume in particular, is running out of disk space, which will ultimately cause all recovery points to be deleted.

6. For UNIX, CDR software automatically recognizes the File Systems configured on the destination computer and detects the appropriate snap engine. For more information on supported snap engines, see Snapshot Engines - Support.

Create a Recovery Point Using CDR

Before You Begin

• Recovery Points cannot be created until you Configure CDR Recovery Points.
• This procedure is not for Fan-In configurations; instead see Create a Recovery Point Using CDR in a Fan-In Configuration.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To create a Recovery Point:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set, and select Create Recovery Points.
2. From the Create Recovery Point dialog box, select the type, and whether to create the Recovery Point immediately or schedule it. See Scheduling for general information.
3. In addition, you can select the option of backing up Recovery Points. If you select this option, click Enter Backup Details to select the type of backup as well as any Advanced Options.
4. When you are finished, click OK.
5. If you opted to schedule Recovery Point creation, the Schedule Details dialog will appear. Specify the details for your schedule; click Options for additional choices. When you are satisfied, click OK.

Delete a Recovery Point Using CDR

Before You Begin

• You cannot delete a Recovery Point that is currently mounted or shared. See Unmount or Unshare a Recovery Point Using CDR.
• When Recovery Points are deleted manually, there are some restrictions and system behavior differences depending on the operating system; for more information, see Deleting Recovery Points.
• Deleting a Recovery Point will remove its corresponding snapshots as well as the Recovery Point Creation History.
• This procedure is not for Fan-In configurations; instead see Delete a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To delete a Recovery Point:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set, and select Browse Recovery Points.
2. From the Recovery Points dialog box, select a Recovery Point and click Delete.

Mount or Share a Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics:

• Mounting or Sharing Recovery Point Snapshots

Before You Begin:

• For Windows, you can configure a Replication Set so that the snapshots that comprise the latest Recovery Point will be automatically mounted when it is created, or, once Recovery Points have been created, you can select an existing Recovery Point and mount its snapshots. These snapshots can also be shared, but they must be mounted first.
• For UNIX, mount points are automatically created for all Recovery Points, and they are also automatically mounted, so this procedure is used to create a symbolic link to the mount path.
• This procedure is not for Fan-In configurations; instead see Mount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure a Replication Set so that its Recovery Points are automatically mounted:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set for which at least one Replication Pair has already been created, and select Properties.
2. From the Replication Options tab of the Replication Set Properties screen, select the Auto-Mount snapshots after Recovery Point Creation option.

   For a Fan-In configuration for CDR on Windows, this parameter can be set on the destination computer, from the Fan-In tab of the CDR Properties screen, in the Recovery Points section, and will affect all Replication Sets that use that computer as a Fan-In destination. This is not available for ONTAP Snapshots.

3. Click Enter Mountpoints.
4. In the Enter Mount Points dialog, click the Mount Point column for each Destination Path and do one of the following:
   • For Windows, do one of the following for each snapshot to be mounted:
     • specify a drive letter (e.g., G:) to which the snapshot will be mounted. Ensure that you specify an unused drive letter.
     • type a mount point name (e.g., G:\mountpoint1) to which the snapshot will be mounted.
   • For UNIX, type a name for the symbolic link to the mount point created by the system.
5. Click OK.

To mount or share the snapshots of an existing Recovery Point, for CDR on Windows:

1. In the CommCell Browser, perform a Browse operation for one of the following:
   • Replication Set
   • CDR Agent
   • Client
   • Application iDataAgent (Exchange, SQL, Oracle)
2. Do one of the following, depending on which object you browsed:
   • From the Recovery Points dialog, select a Recovery Point and click View Snapshots. In the Snapshots dialog box, select a snapshot and click Mount.
   • In the Browse window, right-click the snapshot to be mounted, and select Mount Snapshot.
3. Do one of the following:
   • specify a drive letter (e.g., G:) to which to mount the Recovery Point. Ensure that you specify an unused drive letter.
   • type a mount point name (e.g., C:\mountpoint1) for the Recovery Point.
4. If you want to create a share, do one of the following, depending on which object you browsed:
   • In the Snapshots dialog box, select a mounted snapshot and click Share.
   • In the Browse window, right-click the mounted snapshot to be shared, and select Create Network Share.
   In the Enter Share Name dialog, type a name for the share and click OK.

   You cannot share the snapshots of a Replication Set configured for Fan-in. A share is automatically created on the NetApp filer when the recovery point is created. The path to this share can be displayed when the recovery point is browsed. This share can be used to manually mount the recovery point to a windows drive.

5. Close the Snapshots dialog or Browse window.

Unmount or Unshare a Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics:

• Mounting or Sharing Recovery Point Snapshots

Before You Begin

• For Windows only, the snapshots that comprise a Recovery Point can be shared, but they must be mounted first. Conversely, a snapshot must be unshared before it can be unmounted.
• This procedure is not for Fan-In configurations; instead see Unmount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To unshare the snapshots of a Recovery Point (CDR on Windows only):

1. In the CommCell Browser, perform a Browse operation for one of the following:
   • Replication Set
   • CDR Agent
   • Client
   • Application iDataAgent (Exchange, SQL, Oracle)
2. Do one of the following, depending on which object you browsed:
   • From the Recovery Points dialog, select a Recovery Point and click View Snapshots. In the Snapshots dialog box, select a shared snapshot and click Unshare.
   • In the Browse window, right-click a mounted snapshot, and select Delete Network Share.
3. Close the Snapshots dialog or Browse window.

To unmount the snapshots of a Recovery Point:

1. In the CommCell Browser, perform a Browse operation for one of the following:
   • Replication Set
   • CDR Agent
   • Client
   • Application iDataAgent (Exchange, SQL, Oracle)
2. Do one of the following, depending on which object you browsed:
   • From the Recovery Points dialog, select a Recovery Point and click View Snapshots. In the Snapshots dialog box, select a mounted snapshot and click Unmount.
   • In the Browse window, right-click a mounted snapshot, and select Unmount Snapshot.
3. Close the Snapshots dialog or Browse window.

Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points

Related Topics:

• Recovery Points - Backups of Recovery Points

Required Capability: Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure ContinuousDataReplicator (CDR) for backups of Recovery Points:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set, and select Properties. In the Replication Set Properties (Storage Policy) tab, select Back up Recovery Points, and specify a Storage Policy and Backup Set for the destination machine.
2. Click OK to save your changes.

To perform backups of a Recovery Point, see Back up a Recovery Point Using CDR. If you change the Storage Policy for a Replication Set, the next backup will be converted to a full.

Back up a Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics

• Recovery Points - Backups of Recovery Points

Before You Begin

• Before you can perform backups of Recovery Points, you must first Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points.
• You can either configure a Replication Set so that its Recovery Points are backed up when they are created, or you can select an existing Recovery Point and back it up on-demand.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure Recovery Points to be backed up when they are created:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set, and select Create Recovery Points.
2. From the Create Recovery Point dialog, make your selections for Recovery Point Type and Job Initiation, then select Back up Recovery Point.
3. Click Enter Backup Details to select the type of backup from the Enter Backup Details dialog.
4. From the Enter Backup Details dialog, click Advanced to display the Advanced Backup Options dialog, from which you can select additional options for the backup operation.
5. When you are finished, click OK to exit each of the dialog boxes.

To perform a full backup of an existing Recovery Point on-demand:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click a Replication Set, and select Browse Recovery Points.
2. From the Recovery Points dialog, select a Recovery Point and click Backup.
3. An immediate full backup is performed for each of the snapshots that comprise the selected Recovery Point; in addition, the next backup performed will be converted to a full backup.

Configure a Replication Set for Pre/Post Processes for Recovery Point Creation

Related Topics

• Recovery Points

Before You Begin

• It is recommended to not configure a pre/post process for a Replication Set that is currently replicating data.
• Verify that there are no pre/post processes already assigned for the Replication Set.
• Pre-process commands will be executed only when the necessary resources (e.g., media, library, drive, etc.) are available.

Required Capability: Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure a Replication Set for Pre/Post processes for Recovery Point creation:

1. In the CommCell Browser, right-click the Replication Set for which you want to configure a pre/post process, then click Properties from the shortcut menu.
2. In the Properties dialog box, click the Pre/Post Process tab.
3. Click inside the space that corresponds to one of the following phases and type the full path of the process that you want executed during that phase. Alternatively, click Browse to locate the process (applicable only for paths that do not contain any spaces).
   • Pre-Recovery Point Command
   • Post-Recovery Point Command
4. In the User Account dialog box, select Use Local System Account, or select Impersonate User and enter a user name and password. Click OK.
5. Click OK to save your changes and close the Pre/Post Process tab of the Properties dialog box.

Specify a Snap Engine

Before You Begin

• Review Snapshot Engines - Support
• In the source computer:
  • For Windows 2003 or higher, VSS is used as the default snap engine.
  • For Windows 2000, QSnap is used as the default snap engine.
• This procedure only applies to the destination computer.

Required Capability: Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To specify a snap engine on Windows to the destination computer:

1. In the CommCell Browser, right-click the Replication Set on the source computer and select Properties.
2. In the Replication Options tab, select one of the choices in the Select Snap Engine Type for Recovery Point Creation section.
3. Click OK to save your changes.

   On UNIX, CDR software automatically recognizes the File Systems configured on the destination computer and detects the appropriate snap engine. For more information on supported snap engines, see Snapshot Engines - Support.

Change Account for Executing Pre/Post Commands (Recovery Points)

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To change a user account for executing pre/post commands for creating Recovery Points for CDR on Windows:

1. From the CommCell Browser, expand the tree to view the Replication Set for the affected ContinuousDataReplicator agent.
2. Right-click the appropriate Replication Set and select Properties.
3. In the Replication Set Properties dialog box, select the Pre/Post Process tab.
4. From the Pre/Post Process tab, click Change.
5. From the User Account dialog box, select one of the account options. If you select Impersonate User, type the appropriate user name and password.
6. Click OK to save the settings.

Create a Recovery Point Using CDR in a Fan-In Configuration

Related Topics:

• Using ContinuousDataReplicator in a Fan-In Configuration

Before You Begin

• Recovery Points cannot be created until you Configure CDR Recovery Points. Note that for Workstation Backup Agent, Recovery Point creation is enabled by default.
• This procedure is only for Fan-In configurations.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To create a Recovery Point for a Fan-In configuration:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click the destination client, and select Browse Destination Volumes.
2. In the Browse Destination Volumes window, right-click a destination volume, and select Create Recovery Point.
3. From the Create Recovery Point dialog box, select whether to create the Recovery Point immediately or schedule it. See Scheduling for general information.
4. In addition, you can select the option of backing up Recovery Points. If you select this option, click Enter Backup Details to select the type of backup as well as any Advanced Options.
5. When you are finished, click OK.
6. If you opted to schedule Recovery Point creation, the Schedule Details dialog will appear. Specify the details for your schedule; click Options for additional choices. When you are satisfied, click OK.

Delete a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics:

• Using ContinuousDataReplicator in a Fan-In Configuration

Before You Begin

• Deleting a Recovery Point will remove its corresponding snapshots as well as the Recovery Point Creation History.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To delete a Fan-In Recovery Point:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click ContinuousDataReplicator on the destination client, and select Browse Destination Volumes.
2. In the Browse Destination Volumes window, right-click a Recovery Point, and select Delete.

Mount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics:

• Using ContinuousDataReplicator in a Fan-In Configuration

Before you Begin:

• You can configure CDR so that the snapshots that comprise the latest Fan-In Recovery Point will be automatically mounted when it is created. This will affect all Replication Sets that use the computer as a Fan-In destination. Alternately, once Recovery Points have been created, you can select an existing Recovery Point and mount its snapshots.

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure CDR to automatically mount snapshots for Fan-In Recovery Points:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click ContinuousDataReplicator on the destination client, and select Properties.
2. From the Fan-In tab, select the Recovery Points tab, and select the Auto-Mount snapshots after Recovery Point Creation option.

   Mounting of ONTAP snapshots is not supported in a Fan-In configuration.

3. Click Enter Mountpoints.
4. In the Enter Mount Points dialog, click the Mount Point column for each Destination Path and specify a drive letter (e.g., G:) to which the snapshot will be mounted.

   Ensure that you specify an unused drive letter. Do not specify mount points for a UNC path. If you specify the mount point for a recovery point on a UNC path, this mount point is ignored when a recovery point is created on a UNC path. A share is automatically created on the NetApp filer when the recovery point is created. The path to this share can be displayed when the recovery point is browsed. This share can be used to manually mount the recovery point to a windows drive.

5. Click OK.

To mount the snapshots of an existing Fan-In Recovery Point, for CDR on Windows:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click ContinuousDataReplicator on the destination client, and select Browse Destination Volumes.
2. In the Browse Destination Volumes window, right-click a Recovery Point, and select Mount.
3. Specify a drive letter (e.g., G:) to which to mount the Recovery Point. Ensure that you specify an unused drive letter. Mount points are not supported in a Fan-In configuration.
4. Close the Browse Destination Volumes window.

Unmount a Fan-In Recovery Point Using CDR

Related Topics:

• Using ContinuousDataReplicator in a Fan-In Configuration

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To unmount the snapshots of a Fan-In Recovery Point:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click ContinuousDataReplicator on the destination client, and select Browse Destination Volumes.
2. In the Browse Destination Volumes window, right-click a Recovery Point, and select Unmount.
3. Close the Browse Destination Volumes window.

Configure CDR for Backups of Recovery Points in a Fan-In Configuration

Related Topics:

• Using ContinuousDataReplicator in a Fan-In Configuration

Required Capability: Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To configure CDR for backups of Recovery Points in a Fan-In configuration:

1. From the CommCell Browser, right-click ContinuousDataReplicator on the destination client, and select Properties.
2. From the Fan-In tab, select Back up Recovery Points, and specify a Storage Policy for the destination machine.
3. Click OK to save your changes.

To perform backups of a Recovery Point, see Back up a Recovery Point Using CDR. If you change the Storage Policy, the next backup will be converted to a full.

Back to Top