Automated IBM Storage Protect server failover for data recovery
If you use IBM Storage® Protect SnapshotData Protection for Exchange ServerData Protection for SQL Server with the IBM® Storage Protect configuration, IBM Storage Protect SnapshotData Protection for Exchange ServerData Protection for SQL Server can automatically fail over to the failover server for data recovery when there is an outage on the IBM Storage Protect server.
The IBM Storage Protect server that IBM Storage Protect SnapshotData Protection for Exchange ServerData Protection for SQL Server connects to for backup services is called the primary server. If the primary server is set up for node replication, the client node data on the primary server can be replicated to another IBM Storage Protect server, which is the secondary server.
- Data Protection node
- IBM Storage Protect Snapshot node
- VSS requestor node (also called the DSM agent node)
- Remote DSM agent node (for offloaded backups to the primary server)
- Exchange Server Database Availability Group (DAG) node for backups of databases in a DAG
- AlwaysOn node (for backups of availability databases in an AlwaysOn Availability Group on SQL Server 2012 and later versions)
During normal operations, connection information for the secondary server is automatically sent to IBM Storage Protect SnapshotData Protection for Exchange ServerData Protection for SQL Server from the primary server. The secondary server information is saved to the client options file (dsm.opt). No manual intervention is required by you to add the information for the secondary server.
Each time the backup-archive client logs on to the server for backup services, it attempts to contact the primary server. If the primary server is unavailable, the backup-archive client automatically fails over to the secondary server. In failover mode, you can restore data that is replicated to the secondary server. When the primary server is online again, the backup-archive client automatically fails back to the primary server the next time the backup-archive client connects to the server.
- IBM Storage Protect Snapshot must be at least at version 4.1 level or later.
- Data Protection for Exchange Server must be at least at version 7.1 level or later.
- Data Protection for SQL Server must be at least at version 7.1 level or later.
- The primary server, secondary server, and backup-archive client must be at least at version 7.1 level or later.
- The primary and secondary servers must be set up for node replication.
- The following nodes must be configured for replication with the
replstate=enabledoption in each node definition on the server:- Data Protection node
- IBM Storage Protect Snapshot node
- VSS requestor node
- Remote DSM agent node for offloaded backups
- DAG node, if applicable
- AlwaysOn node, if applicable
- Before the connection information for the secondary server can be sent to IBM Storage Protect
SnapshotData Protection for Exchange ServerData Protection for SQL Server, the following processes must occur:
- You must back up data at least one time to the primary server.
- The following nodes must be replicated at least one time to the secondary server:
- IBM Storage Protect Snapshot node
- Data Protection node
- DAG node, if applicable
- AlwaysOn node, if applicable
- Any operation that requires data to be stored on the IBM Storage Protect server, such as backup operations, are not available. You can use only data recovery functions, such as restore or query operations.
- Schedules are not replicated to the secondary server. Therefore, schedules are not run while the primary server is unavailable.
- If the primary server goes down before or during node replication, the most recent backup data is not successfully replicated to the secondary server. The replication status of the file space is not current. If you restore data in failover mode and the replication status is not current, the recovered data might not be usable. You must wait until the primary server comes back online before you can restore the data.