NSF backup strategy
Implement NSF backup strategies that are based on your requirements such as network traffic, backup window, and acceptable restore times. Information about backup strategies, and sample strategies are provided.
Your choice of NSF backup strategy includes selecting the type of backup commands to use and the type of transaction logging to be done on the Domino server. Data Protection for HCL Domino can back up transaction logs from a Domino server that has archival logging enabled. Transaction logs cannot be backed up from a Domino server that has circular or linear loop logging in effect.
Archival logging allows transaction log data to be archived on the IBM Storage Protect server so that changes to logged databases can be stored on the IBM Storage Protect server without having to run a full backup. Less frequent full database backups result because changes to logged databases are available for restore in the archived transaction log files.
The archivelog command backs up Domino transaction log files when archival logging is in effect on the Domino server. The command queries the Domino server to determine whether any log extents are ready for archiving. If so, the log files are backed up to IBM Storage Protect server storage, and the Domino server is notified of their availability for reuse.
High and low threshold values can be specified as a percentage of the log capacity to control whether log files can be archived. These values allow the command to be scheduled regularly to protect against a log full condition. The log files are archived only if the log is getting close to being full.
Consider the following information when you are choosing a backup strategy:
- When you are using archival transaction logging, the frequency of archivelog command usage depends on the size of your log and the rate of change for logged databases. Run archival transaction logging several times a day if you generate a large volume of changes at a rapid rate.
- When a DBIID for a logged database changes, the database cannot be recovered until another backup of that database is run. The incremental command detects the changed DBIID. Any changes that are recorded in the log between the DBIID change and backup are not restored if the original database is lost. The Domino server sends a message to the server console when a DBIID change occurs. It is useful to monitor the server console and run a backup when the DBIID changes.
- When you are restoring a group of logged databases for which transactions must be applied, activate them together when possible. Activating them together avoids restoring the same transaction log files multiple times. Restored transaction log files are deleted during a database recovery by the Domino server. Activating and applying logs to the database separately requires retransmitting log files for each database.
- Data Protection for HCL Domino provides backup and restore functions for the Domino databases (including template files) and associated transaction logs. However, Data Protection for HCL Domino does not provide a complete disaster recovery solution for a Domino server by itself. There are executable and configuration files that are part of the Domino server installation, which are not backed up. For example, database link files have an nsf extension but are not considered databases and are not backed up by Data Protection for HCL Domino. These files must be recovered in a disaster recovery situation. A comprehensive disaster recovery plan can be achieved using the IBM Storage Protect Backup Archive Client for your server together with Data Protection for HCL Domino.
- Personal copies (replicas) of Domino databases that are stored on Notes clients (not on the Domino server) are not protected by Data Protection for HCL Domino. You can use the IBM Storage Protect Backup-Archive Client on the Notes client to back up and restore these files or rely on Domino server replication if you must recover them.
- To restore an individual Notes document, you must restore the entire database to a different name. Choose a time when the document existed for both the restore /pit and activate /applylogs commands but before the document was deleted. Copy the required document on the Notes client.
- The IBM Storage Protect encryption, deduplication, and compression functions can be used with Data Protection for HCL Domino. For more information read the Using the application programming interface documentation on the IBM Storage Protect information center.
Sample strategies
Some strategies that you can employ are described here.
- Full backups only
- The following backup option can be implemented if your network capacity and backup window support regular full database backups:
- Perform regular Selective backups.
- Perform occasional Incremental backups to deactivate backup copies of databases that no longer exist on the Domino server.
Note: You can apply updates to the restored database from the transaction log if the log is not wrapped since the backup was run. If the log is wrapped, the attempt to apply logs fails. - Full backup plus transaction log archives
- It is often not practical to back up entire databases with each regular backup for large Domino installations. Archival logging captures changes to all logged databases in the archived transaction log files. Full database backups are run less frequently, reducing burdens on network and storage resources. To implement this strategy:
- Run regular log archives by running the archivelog command. The log file does not fill and it captures changes to logged databases.
- Run regular Incremental backups, which back up logged databases with unchanged DBIIDs.
- Run occasional Selective backups of all logged databases. The number of transaction log files to be processed during a restore is reduced.
- Issue the inarchivelog command (following Selective backups) to allow nonessential transaction log files to expire.