Recommended IBM Spectrum Protect policy settings
When you use Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server, verify that the policy contains the recommended settings.
Policy settings
| Setting | Definition | Recommended actions | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | A policy domain contains policy sets, management classes, and copy groups. | Create a policy domain on the IBM Spectrum Protect™ server to be used exclusively for Exchange Server backups. | |
| Policy sets | Policy sets contain management classes (which contain copy groups) that determine the rules by which protected Exchange Server backups are run and managed. | Define the policy set to the policy domain to which protected Exchange Server backups belong. The policy set must be activated and only one policy set can be active in the policy domain. | |
| Management class | A management class is a policy object that users can bind to each file to specify how the file is managed. | Ensure that you plan your backup strategy before you define management classes. Define a management class for backups on local shadow volumes, and a management class for backups on IBM Spectrum Protect server storage. Important: Because VSS backup processing requires sufficient storage space to create
shadow volumes, ensure that you specify verexists=N+1 to keep
n backups on local shadow volumes.
You can have five active backups of the same database because legacy backups on IBM Spectrum Protect server storage, VSS backups on IBM Spectrum Protect server storage (Copy and Full), and VSS backups on local shadow volumes (Copy and Full) all have different IBM Spectrum Protect server naming. Therefore, each can have their own management class. |
Different management classes provide the opportunity for specialized policies for each
storage destination. For example, you can maintain six versions of local VSS backups of a particular
database (verexists=6) while you maintain only two versions of the same database
on IBM Spectrum
Protect server storage
(verexists=2). In addition, you can create a separate management class for copy backup types for use in long-term storage. Such policies can maximize storage resources and provide more control over your storage strategy. |
| Storage pool | A storage pool is a named set of storage volumes and the destination that is used by the IBM Spectrum Protect server to store data. | Use collocation if backups are stored on removable media. Specify collocation by file space
(define stgpool COLlocate=FILespace) if you plan to restore
multiple Exchange databases in parallel. Tip: As a best practice, use collocation because
data for any one database is stored within one IBM Spectrum
Protect server file space.
|
A single restore operation can require a full backup, a differential backup, and multiple incremental backups. |
Copy Group Parameters
A copy group controls how backup versions are generated, located, and expired. Define the copy group as a backup copy group and not as an archive copy group. Because Data Protection for Exchange Server stores all objects as backup objects on IBM Spectrum Protect in backup storage pools, an archive copy group is not required, although an archive copy group can exist.
The following backup copy group parameters significantly influence your backup policy:
- VERExists
Determines the maximum number of Exchange Server database backup versions to retain for the databases that exist on the protected Exchange Server system.
- VERDeleted
- Determines the maximum number of Exchange Server database backup versions to retain for
the databases that were deleted from the protected Exchange Server system after they were backed up by
IBM Spectrum
Protect.
The VERDeleted copy group parameter can control both differential and incremental backups. In the case of differential backups, the VERDeleted parameter applies when a new full backup is done (which deactivates an active differential backup) until the next differential backup is done. To maintain consistent version-expiration behavior, you can set the VERDeleted and VERDeleted parameters to the same value in the management class used for differential backups.
Note: If you set the VERDeleted parameter to nolimit, the expiration of backup versions is controlled instead by the time-based retention parameters RETExtra and RETOnly.
- RETExtra
- Determines the number of days to retain an Exchange Server database backup version after that version becomes inactive.
- RETOnly
- Determines the number of days to retain the last Exchange Server database backup version of a database
that was deleted from the protected Exchange Server system.
The RETOnly parameter applies to all backup types, including incremental backup objects that can never have more than one version because they are always uniquely named with a unique time stamp. However, all legacy backup objects for an Exchange Server database are deactivated when a new full backup of that Exchange Server database is completed. VSS backup objects remain active.
The retention period that is set in the RETOnly parameter controls the expiration of incremental backup objects. When you set the value of the RETOnly parameter for incremental backups, the value must be, at a minimum, as long as the value that is set for the full backup on which the incremental backup depends. You can use the same management class for incremental backups and the full backup objects (that are retained the longest) to ensure that an adequate value is used. However, when a new legacy full backup of that Exchange Server database is completed, all legacy backup objects for an Exchange Server database are deactivated. In this scenario, VSS backup objects remain active.
- MODE, SERialization, FREQuency
- These parameter settings do not apply to Data Protection for Exchange Server. Therefore, you can accept the default
values.
When you plan a backup strategy, as a best practice, consult with the IBM Spectrum Protect server administrator about recommended parameter settings.