Implement QSnap with Recovery Director

Use Recovery Director to create a replication and tape backup from the same QSnap snapshot

Use Recovery Director to create a local and remote replication with tape backup for the same volume

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Use Recovery Director to create a replication and tape backup from the same QSnap snapshot

"I want to create a local replication of my data volumes so that I can quickly recover my volumes in case of disaster, or create a remote copy that can be used to build a stand-by server. I also want to keep the point-in-time backup of each snapshot."

This implementation allows you to create snapshot-based replication, even if an expensive hardware snapshot system is not available and a tape backup from the same version of snapshot without extra administration work. The backup job can be moved to a BCV on a remote machine using either the ProxyHost or Image Level ProxyHost iDataAgent.

The following steps briefly describe the configuration procedure for this implementation scenario.

Requirements
Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To create a replication and tape backup from the same QSnap snapshot
1. Identify the scratch volumes that will be used to host the replication data. These volumes will also be used as the BCV or Clone for the backup. The volumes can reside on either the local machine for quick recovery purpose or on a remote machine for disaster recovery purposes.

Create the Scratch Volume Pool that will contain these scratch volumes.
2. Create the QR policy for the QR volume creation.

In the QR Policy screen, select QSnap as the Snapshot Engine Type.

Select the LAN Copy Manager on the machine where scratch volumes reside.
3. Identify a Storage Policy that can be used for the backup. If the destination machine is a remote machine, it is recommended to install the MediaAgent on that remote machine so that the backup will be a LAN free backup.
4. Create the Snapshot Volume Unit (SVU) and the Snapshot Management Workflow.

Although they can be created separately through the 'classic' method, the Workflow Configuration Wizard for Recovery Director simplifies the process considerably. The Configuration Wizard leads you through all the required configuration tasks in sequence, and will prompt you to correct any potential conflicts, or to supply any missing information, while displaying help content in each Wizard screen. The Wizard can be launched by right-clicking Recovery Director, selecting All Tasks, then Workflow Wizard.

There are three major sections to the Wizard:
  1. Configure the volumes and Snapshot engine.

    In this section, the source volumes, the destination volumes, the Snapshot engine and the destination host information are specified. The Add App feature which extends the functionality of the QR Agent is available through Recovery Director. In this case we will use SQL database volumes as the example.
  1. Configure the associations.

    In this section the information previously specified is used to configure the subclients for the QR Agent and the selected backup iDataAgent(s). As you can see, the subclient content of the QR Agent and the ProxyHost iDataAgent have been populated. The specified QR volume will automatically be used as the BCV or Clone for the ProxyHost iDataAgent. Other subclient proprieties (Storage Policy, Pre/Post commands, compression, etc.) can be configured in this section as well.

  1. Summary and schedule options for the Workflow.

    In this section, a summary of the configured Workflow is presented. You have the option to create a new Workflow, edit/delete an existing Workflow or schedule the Workflow. (The Workflow can also be scheduled after you exit the Wizard.) Very rich scheduling options are provided for the Workflow, as well as the data protection options of the associated Agents (QR Agent and the ProxyHost iDataAgent in this example.)

5. Schedule the Workflow or launch the Workflow immediately. Each Workflow starts with a QR job. This job can consist of a snapshot only or include QR Volume creation. With the Generic Enabler, this QR job merely launches the customized hardware snapshot scripts and populates the CommServe database. After the QR job is completed, Job Manager will launch any scheduled backup job(s) automatically. After all the Workflow component phases are executed (see Step 1) the entire Workflow is considered complete. The Workflow can be scheduled to repeat.
6. After each Workflow, the same version of data has been replicated to disk and backed up to tape as well. Although the QR Agent does not save the point-in-time data, the backup does. Therefore you now have the following flexibility to recover the data:
  • Run Quick Recovery. If the QR volume(s) reside on the local machine, the data can be recovered in seconds in case of disk failure or data corruption.
  • Copy Back. The data on the QR volume(s) can be transferred back to the source volume by using the Copy Back feature.
  • Restore from tape. This is particularly useful if the point-in-time data is needed. Another benefit of this type of recovery is that an individual file or folder can be recovered quickly.
7. Data Aging (Archive Pruning) is still managed by each individual association (through QR Policy for the QR Agent and Storage Policy for backup iDataAgents).

Use Recovery Director to create a local and remote replication with tape backup for the same volume

"I want to create a local replication of my data volumes so that I can quickly recover my volumes in case of disaster. Also I want to keep a remote copy and keep updating it. For both the local and remote copy, I want to keep a point-in-time backup of each snapshot."

While a remote replication is maintained through remote QR Copy for the purpose of disaster recovery, a local QR volume of the same source volume can be created so that Quick Recovery can be accomplished within a few seconds in case of disk error or data corruption. The QR Agent subclient content overlap feature manages replicating the same source volume using two different subclients, each with its own schedule. Integrating the tape backup together with the local QR volume creation will allow a point-in-time recovery without interrupting the application.

The following steps briefly describe the configuration procedure for this implementation scenario. For the purpose of introduction, the classic method will be used here to create the Snap Volume Unit (SVU) and Workflow.

Requirements

Required Capability: See Capabilities and Permitted Actions

To create a local and remote replication with tape backup for the same volume
1. Create a Workflow to replicate the data to remote volumes. (This is the same procedure described in Use Recovery Director to create a replication and tape backup from the same QSnap snapshot above.)

In the QR Agent tab of the Add Schedule screen, select Incrementally update QR Volumes.
2. Create another Workflow that will replicate the same data to local volumes. If the classic method is used to create this Workflow, the following steps are required:
  1. Create a Scratch Volume Pool.
  1. Create a QR Policy.
  1. Create the Snapshot Volume Unit (SVU).
    • Select Recovery Director, then right-click Snap Volume Units, and select Create New Unit.
    • Right-click the created SVU and select Manage Unit.
  1. Click Add Volume or Add App to configure the volume pairs.
  1. Click Add Association to configure the subclients for the QR Agent and backup iDataAgent(s). In the selection window, click QR Agent and then OK.
  1. In the QR Subclient General Properties window, select the Disable Incremental Update of QR Volumes option. (This is to make sure the full copy on the same source volume will not interrupt the incremental change tracking of another Workflow that was created in the first step.)

    After configuring other subclient properties, click Apply to save the configuration.
  1. Click Add Association again to configure the backup iDataAgents. Since the same volumes have been configured as ProxyHost iDataAgent Subclient Content, only a different backup iDataAgent can be used here. We will use Image Level ProxyHost iDataAgent for this example.
  1. Create the Workflow and associate the created SVU.
    • Select Recovery Director, then right-click Snapshot Management Workflows, and select Create New Workflow.
    • From the SVU drop-down list, select the newly created SVU.
    • Select an Image Level ProxyHost backup, since it has been added as an association.
3. Both Workflows can be scheduled or launched immediately. It is important to mention that QR copy from these two Workflows can be run simultaneously because they attempt to copy from the same source volume. The job manager will manage any schedule conflict.
4. After each Workflow, the same version of data has been replicated to disk and backed up to tape as well. Although the QR Agent does not save the point-in-time data, the backup does, providing the flexibility to recover the data:
  • Run Quick Recovery from the local QR volumes in case of disk failure or data corruption.
  • Copy Back: The data on the QR volume can be transferred back to the source volume by using the Copy Back feature.
  • Restore from tape: This is particularly useful if the point-in-time data is needed. Another benefit of this type of recovery is that an individual file or folder can be recovered quickly.