Data Protection Manager for Exchange 2010 and the IBM Storwize V7000 with SAN Based Replica Creation and Recovery

Transcription

1 Data Protection Manager for Exchange 2010 and the IBM Storwize V7000 with SAN Based Replica Creation and Recovery Installation and Configuration Guide Revised: July 2011 Version: Exchange 2010 backup with DPM 2010 and IBM Storwize V7000 Page 1 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

2 Table of Contents Introduction... 3 Target Environment IBM System x Servers... 6 Target Audience and Assumptions... 7 Solution Description... 7 Data Protection Manager Overview and Features... 9 Backup Methods and Performance Storage Planning Using DPM Custom Volumes DPM Exchange Storage Calculator Storwize V7000 Features Non-Disruptive Data Migration Thin Provisioning Volume Mirroring Installing DPM DPM Configuration Configure the Storage Pool Install DPM Agents on the protected servers Create Protection Groups SAN based replica creation Prepare the Replica with Storwize V7000 FlashCopy Steps to create the Replica manually DPM Restore Operations SAN based restore Prepare the snapshots for restore Steps to restore the Exchange database Conclusion Appendix A. Resources Configuring a dedicated DPM backup network Planning and deployment Administration and operations Appendix B. Installation Screens Disclaimer Page 2 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

3 Introduction Data Protection Manger 2010 (DPM) is part of the Microsoft System Center family providing disk-based backup and restore for Exchange, SQL, Hyper-V, SharePoint and file systems. Data is backed up using Microsoft s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) software provider at the hosts and transferred over the network to the DPM server. The benefit of snapshots is minimal impact on running applications, allowing nearly continuous data protection during business hours. The provides a reliable, flexible, and intelligent storage platform for Exchange and DPM, backed by advanced and proven technology and features. The is an advanced modular storage system with the ability to virtualize external SAN-attached storage and its own internal storage. The Storwize V7000 disk system is built on the proven IBM SAN Volume Controller (SVC) platform and utilizes cutting edge data protection and virtualization technology from the IBM DS8000 enterprise class storage family. Key benefits of the for this solution include: High performance as a proven Exchange storage platform IBM FlashCopy for SAN based data movement Flexibility of non-disruptive data migration iscsi or Fibre Channel connectivity options Efficiency of thin provisioning Availability of volume mirroring By taking advantage of the Storwize V7000 FlashCopy function, some of the network bandwidth concerns associated with large DPM data transfers can be alleviated. This guide covers Exchange database replica creation and recovery using storage based snapshots to move data rather than the Ethernet network. Whenever DPM or Exchange data needs to be relocated, it can be migrated to other disk storage pools or tiers while the applications and backups continue running. Thin provisioning allows the deployment of very large virtual drives behind the DPM storage pools, while only using the capacity that is currently needed. Volume mirroring offers another layer of array based redundancy for mission critical data, offering seamless high availability if a volume goes offline. By participating in Microsoft s Windows Server Certification and the Exchange Solution Reviewed Program Storage (ESRP), the Storwize V7000 is a proven storage platform for enterprise class Exchange 2010 deployments. The following ESRP documents provide detailed capacity and performance guidelines for medium to large Exchange 2010 configurations: 32,000 Mailbox Exchange 2010 ESRP 60,000 Mailbox Exchange 2010 ESRP Target Environment The disk system targets medium businesses to large enterprise customers seeking enterprise-level reliability and availability. Storage virtualization, like server Page 3 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

4 virtualization, is now one of the key foundations for building a flexible and reliable infrastructure solution that allows companies to better align their business and IT needs. Storage Virtualization allows an organization to implement pools of storage across physically separate disk systems. The Storwize V7000 is even capable of virtualizing storage from different vendors. Storage can be provisioned from these pools and migrated between pools without any downtime for the attached hosts. It provides a single set of tools for advanced copy functions such as instant copy and remote mirroring solutions. The end result is simplified management from a single interface, regardless of the underlying storage hardware. The virtualization of storage provides several benefits for storage administrators and management including: Combining storage capacity from multiple heterogeneous disk systems into a single reservoir that can be managed as a business resource rather than separate boxes Helps increase storage utilization by providing host applications with more flexible access to capacity Improves productivity of storage administrators by enabling management of heterogeneous storage systems using a common interface Improves application availability by insulating host applications from changes to the underlying physical storage infrastructure Enables a tiered storage environment where the cost of storage can be matched to the value of data, and easily migrated between those tiers Supports advanced copy services from higher-cost to lower-cost devices and across storage systems from multiple vendors The disk system consists of both hardware and software. The modular hardware enclosures include integrated drives of varying form factors, including both hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD). The solution also provides external storage virtualization, making it possible to integrate with and manage heterogeneous storage along with the Storwize V7000 storage. The Storwize V7000 system is designed to allow quick and efficient storage deployment, thanks to an easy to use Graphical User Interface (GUI), integrated drives, and interoperability with nearly any back-end SAN attached storage. The new web-based GUI in figure 1 below runs on the Storwize V7000 system so there is no longer a separate console server or management software installation required. The Storwize V7000 consists of a control enclosure and optionally up to 9 expansion enclosures. The system also supports intermixing 3.5" and 2.5" type controller and expansion Page 4 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

5 enclosures. Each enclosure houses two canisters; Control enclosures contain two Node canisters and expansion enclosures contain two Expansion canisters. The system provides a choice of up to 120 x 3.5 inch or 240 x 2.5 inch Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives for the internal storage and uses SAS cables and connectors to attach to the optional expansion enclosures. In addition to the hard disk drives, there are also solid-state drives (SSD s) available, which are small form factor 2.5 inch drives. Figure 1 The new web-based interface The Storwize V7000 also includes a new function called Easy Tier. This function takes advantage of the high performance solid-state drives, by automatically moving the most active data from hard disk drives to solid-state drives using a very sophisticated algorithm. There is also an option to enable monitoring of a specific storage pool, and Easy Tier will evaluate and predict how SSD drives will improve performance. This allows storage administrators to determine the potential benefit before purchasing SSD drives. When virtualizing external storage arrays can provide up to 32PB of usable capacity. The Storwize V7000 supports a large range of external disk systems similar to what the SVC supports today. The Storwize V7000 includes flexible host connectivity options with support for 8GB Fibre Channel or 10GbE iscsi sessions. This is an important capability, considering many IT infrastructures are mixed or migrating to newer and faster storage networking technologies. Page 5 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

6 In addition, there is also a full array of advanced features including: Seamless data migration, to internal or external arrays Thin provisioning Volume mirroring, thin mirroring Global and Metro Mirror replication, in box or between two Storwize V7000s FlashCopy with 256 targets, cascaded, incremental, space efficient (thin provisioned) Integration with Tivoli Productivity Center More detailed information on the Storwize V7000 disk system can be found in the IBM Storwize V7000 Introduction and Implementation guide Redbook at: Another excellent resource is the Information Center at: IBM System x Servers IBM System x3650 M3 servers were used for this solution. The x3650 M3 offers outstanding performance for your mission-critical applications. Its energy-efficient design supports more cores, memory and data capacity in a scalable 2U package that s easy to service and manage. With more computing power per watt and the latest Intel Xeon processors, you can reduce costs while maintaining speed and availability. Key features include: Energy efficient 2U chassis Up to two 3.33 GHz six-core (3.46 GHz four-core) Intel Xeon 5600 series processors with QuickPath Interconnect technology, up to 1333 MHz memory access speed. Up to 192 GB RDIMMs or 48 GB UDIMMs high-performance, new-generation DDR-3 memory Internal storage flexibility with up to " hot-swap SAS/SATA HDDs or SSDs Up to 4 PCIe slots The x3650 M3 makes an excellent choice for an Exchange 2010 server that can meet the growth and availability needs of the medium to large environments. More information on the IBM System x3650 can be found at: Page 6 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

7 Target Audience and Assumptions This document is for IT and storage professionals with the following experience: Windows Server 2008 and R2 administration and monitoring Exchange Server 2010 backup and restore concepts General SAN, disk systems, connectivity, monitoring, and terminology Microsoft VSS framework features, utilities, and functionality Basic SVC or Storwize V7000 concepts and administration Detailed descriptions of the setup and management of these systems is beyond the scope of this document. This includes Storwize V7000 setup and administration tasks, which are covered in the Installation and Users Guides available on the IBM website. Solution Description The test environment for this paper included the following: Exchange Server 2010 Data Protection Manager 2010 Windows Server 2008 R2 Microsoft Loadgen (Exchange load generator) IBM system x3650 M2 servers disk system IBM SDDDSM multipathing software (for Fibre Channel) Although this solution uses Exchange as a sample application for DPM, it does not go into every detail regarding Exchange backup and restore options. Figure 2 below summarizes the solution and test configurations used. All Exchange and DPM storage is hosted on the IBM Storwize V7000 disk system. The Windows Server hosts can be connected to the via Fibre Channel or iscsi. As a side note, for solutions that can make use of a hardware provider, the IBM VSS hardware provider version 4.2 or later supports both Fibre Channel and iscsi VSS operations. For Fibre Channel connectivity, the IBM SDDDSM multi-pathing software must be used to manage the multiple paths. Use the latest version available from the IBM.com download site. The SDDDSM installer automatically checks for and installs the Microsoft MPIO feature. For iscsi sessions, use the built-in Microsoft iscsi initiator with the Microsoft MPIO feature to enable multi-path support. Page 7 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

8 Figure 2 and DPM Test Environment Page 8 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

9 Data Protection Manager 2010 This guide is based on IBM ISV solution lab proof of concept testing and is supplemented by information from the Microsoft DPM installation and administration guides. The Microsoft documentation provides more in-depth information and should be reviewed and followed in conjunction with the procedures in this guide. Links to specific DPM 2010 documentation are included in the sections below and Appendix A. For the most up to date information and additional details on DPM for Exchange, please see the following Microsoft page: Overview and Features DPM 2010 is designed around ease of use, targeting existing Exchange administrator knowledge. By using intuitive wizards and interfaces, administrators can manage backups and allocate storage without having to be backup or storage experts. Since DPM is designed for Exchange, it includes the backup and restore features Exchange administrators have requested. Some of these features include: Support for standalone and replication based Exchange configurations Offloaded ESEUTIL consistency checking (runs on the DPM server) Alternate restore locations Individual mailbox restore capability Backups of active or passive DAG databases (restores must be active) Ability to manually shrink or automatically grow volumes DPM creates an initial replica of the Exchange database and then uses a mix of transaction log replication and block-level synchronization, along with the Exchange VSS Writer, to provide reliable application aware backup and recovery. After the initial replica is created, two ongoing processes maintain the backups: Exchange transaction logs are synchronized to the DPM server as scheduled, in as close as 15 minute increments. This is where the nearly continuous data protection takes place An express full backup runs as scheduled, using the Exchange VSS writer, and only sends the changed blocks to the DPM server. The DPM server can maintain up to 512 shadow copies of the Exchange databases Page 9 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

10 DPM restore options also have the busy Exchange administrator in mind, providing the flexibility and recoverability enterprise environments demand. The restore options include: Restore to the original server and file location Restore a copy to an alternate server or location SAN based recovery using hardware snapshots Use of the Recovery Storage Group (RSG) or Recovery Database (RDB) Copy database files to tape for archiving or portability Restore individual mailboxes (requires entire database restore to RSG or RDB first) Lossless recovery using synchronized logs on the DPM server combined with replay of the surviving logs on the Exchange server Backup Methods and Performance It is significant to note that although DPM 2010 uses the VSS framework (software provider) for the backups, it does not support the use of storage vendor s VSS hardware providers (except for Hyper-V full virtual machine backups). As a result, we are unable to utilize the IBM FlashCopy function with the IBM VSS Hardware Provider for Exchange aware VSS backups. The use of a VSS hardware provider and snapshots would offer benefits such as backup performance, snapshot portability, and reduced impact on network and server resources. Without support for a VSS hardware provider, the impact on network performance becomes a concern. Alternatives include adding a dedicated backup network for the DPM server and all protected servers, or scheduling the initial replica creation during off hours. There are also options within DPM to throttle network usage, however this can increase the time it takes to create the replica and cause scheduling conflicts. There is also a supported manual method of creating replicas and restoring databases using storage based snapshots; this method is covered later in the document. Storage Planning A complete coverage of DPM storage planning is beyond the scope of this document. Microsoft provides comprehensive DPM storage pool planning information that covers capacity calculation, disk configurations, and the use of custom volumes. This detailed information can be found at: In this section we summarize some DPM storage best practices and concepts: Storage pool capacity depends on a combination of the protected data size, daily recovery point size, volume data growth rate, and retention range goals Recovery point size is the total size of changes made to data in one day Retention range is the number of days to store recovery points of data on disk As a basic starting point, Microsoft recommends making the storage pool twice the size of the protected data. This is based on a daily recovery point size of 10 percent of the data with a retention range of 10 days. Use the DPM storage calculator to calculate a more precise capacity plan based on a specific environment For most deployments, DPM recommends a RAID 5 configuration. RAID 5 offers a good balance of cost, capacity, reliability, and performance for the DPM storage pools Page 10 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

11 To complete the initial configuration and enable backups, the DPM configuration requires at least one volume added to the storage pool. Separate volumes for the replica and recovery points are recommend Use of extensible storage or thin provisioning is recommended so that space can be efficiently managed DPM uses Windows dynamic volumes for the storage pool and GPT disks are recommended, allowing larger volume sizes and expansion or shrinkage as needed Using DPM Custom Volumes Custom volumes in DPM 2010 are volumes that are not in the normal storage pool. They can be assigned to a specific protection group member, and designated for that member s replicas and recovery points. Essentially, it provides the most control over where the backed up data is stored. The following are some key points regarding custom volumes: Ideal for storage tiering when certain types of data require different drive classes or storage locations A protection group member cannot have a mix of storage pool and custom volumes Any volume that is attached to the DPM server can be used, except for the volume containing system and program files Two volumes must be defined for the protected member to use custom volumes; one for the replica and one for the recovery points Custom volumes are assigned during creation of the protection group DPM is not able to manage the space in custom volumes like it does with DPM storage pool volumes. If a volume is running low on space, the size must manually be changed with Windows Disk Management After a volume is configured for a storage group member, whether storage pool or custom volume, it cannot be change to a different type. To change storage types, the protection group member must be removed and added back to the group Custom volumes are recommended when using the SAN based manual replica creation and recovery methods. DPM Exchange Storage Calculator Microsoft provides a DPM for Exchange storage calculator (Excel based) which helps plan the storage and server sizing for a specific environment. The calculator also helps plan backup windows according to an organization s service level agreements (SLAs). By using the Microsoft provided calculator, the DPM environment can be deployed in the most efficient and supported configuration. A full explanation of how to use the storage calculator is well documented by Microsoft and available for download here: f610cd02dc51&displaylang=en Page 11 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

12 Storwize V7000 Features Non-Disruptive Data Migration The offers robust and reliable data migration, based on the well-known and proven performance of the IBM SAN Volume Controller. Non-disruptive data migration is available between internal drives of varying tiers, or any externally virtualized storage arrays. The power of this feature comes from the ability to migrate seamlessly while applications, including continuous backups such as DPM 2010, continue to run. Often a storage administrator needs to migrate data to utilize different tiers, balance a workload, move to a new storage system, or migrate from older backend storage to the Storwize V7000. Instead of taking the applications offline, and having to mount new volumes, the LUNs remain connected to the server and available. Note: To migrate data between Storwize V7000 storage pools, both pools must use the same extent size. If the pools have different extent sizing, then Storwize V7000 volume mirroring can be used to migrate the data. Volume mirroring is covered in a section below. As illustrated below, the volume can easily be migrated to a different Storwize V7000 storage pool by following the Migrate Volume wizard in the management console. Figure 3 Page 12 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

13 Thin Provisioning When planning and creating the DPM storage pool volumes, thin provisioning is recommended. Since the DPM storage pool normally requires large volumes, it makes sense to setup volumes that only use the space that is currently needed. With thin provisioning, Exchange databases or the DPM storage pool can be initially allocated with very large volumes, while only a small portion of the capacity is actually used. The volume can be set to automatically expand (recommended) or be manually controlled. In either case, the system provides alerts to notify administrators. Physical capacity is then added dynamically as database, replica, or recovery point volumes demand it. This results in easier management of volume growth and more efficient use of physical storage. Volume Mirroring The provides a function called volume mirroring which enables a volume to have two physical copies. Each volume copy can belong to a different storage pool and can reside on different physical storage systems. Each copy is identical. Although the Storwize V7000 supports all popular RAID levels, when a disk fails, the array rebuild can impact performance significantly. Volume mirroring provides highly available performance in such situations. When a host system issues a write to a mirrored volume the Storwize V7000 will write the data to both copies. When a host system issues a read to a mirrored volume it will automatically pick one of the copies to read. If one of the mirrored volume copies is unavailable the system will automatically use the alternate copy without any downtime for the host system. When the mirrored volume copy is repaired it will resynchronize the data. A mirrored volume can be converted into a non-mirrored volume by simply deleting one copy or by splitting one copy to create a new non-mirrored volume. The mirrored volume copy can be any type: image, striped, sequential, or thin provisioned. The two copies can be completely different volume types. Using mirrored volumes can be helpful when migrating volumes between storage pools that have different extent sizes. It also provides a way to migrate fully allocated volumes to thin provisioned volumes without any host outages. The Storwize V7000 also offers thin mirroring, where both sides of the mirror are thin provisioned volumes. Page 13 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

14 Installing DPM 2010 This section provides an overview of the installation process. For more detailed information please refer to the detailed DPM 2010 installation documentation which can be found here: The DPM server installation automatically checks for and installs prerequisite software. For specific information on hardware and software prerequisites, see the DPM Quick Start guide and pre-deployment checklist at the following links: Note: DPM requires a SQL Server 2008 SP1 (or later) instance for the DPM database. The setup wizard prompts to install a dedicated SQL Server 2008 instance on the DPM server, or asks for connection details for a remote SQL Server 2008 instance. Once the aforementioned documents have been reviewed and the environment is prepared, complete the following steps: 1. Logon as administrator and launch the install executable on the DPM server 2. Specify the file extract location. Click Install to extract files and begin the install 3. Complete the installation wizard steps, which are self-explanatory and easy to follow 4. After the install completes, review the summary page and verify there are no errors 5. Reboot the DPM server to complete the installation and apply all changes Note: For reference, the DPM installation screens are provided in Appendix B. After the DPM server is installed, there are several configuration steps that must be completed before the system is ready to start protecting Exchange data. Proceed to the next section to configure the DPM server and prepare the servers as DPM protected systems. DPM Configuration This section covers the required configuration of the DPM server and agents. More detailed information can be found here: Configure the Storage Pool 1. Provision the V7000 volume(s) as planned for the DPM storage pool. For the initial setup configure at least one volume 2. From the Start menu > All Programs > Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2010, select Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager The DPM administration console opens, as shown below Page 14 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

15 Figure 4 View of DPM 2010 Administrator Console Note: When adding a disk to the pool, DPM can only use the available capacity on the disk. It does not delete any existing data or partitions on the disk or use any available space in existing partitions. DPM only uses capacity from the volumes it creates. The volumes must be Windows dynamic volumes; if they are not then DPM will convert them to dynamic. 4. To add disks to the storage pool, click Management on the navigation bar, and select the Disks tab 5. In the Actions pane, select Add. The following dialog box appears Figure 5 Page 15 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

16 6. Select one or more disks and click Add, then OK Install DPM Agents on the protected servers The recommended installation process outlined below is a push install over the network and is for systems in the same domain or that have 2 way trusts established if in different domains. If permission or network connectivity issues prevent the agent installation, then perform a manual installation on the protected server. Verify the firewalls on the servers are configured correctly as mentioned below. If the agent still fails to install, the steps to perform a manual protection agent installation can be found here: Firewall Note: If using the Windows or other firewall on the servers, configure it to allow DPM client-server communications. Configure it to allow TCP traffic on port 135, and allow the DPM service and protection agent access. The steps to configure the Windows firewall for DPM can be found here: 1. From the DPM console navigation bar, select Management, and then the Agents tab 2. Choose Install from the Actions pane, the install wizard opens Figure 6 Page 16 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

17 3. Click Install agents, and Next. Add the server(s) as shown below and click Next Figure 7 4. Enter an account with administrative rights on the protected server, click Next Figure 8 Page 17 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

18 5. Choose the restart method, and click Next Figure 9 6. Review the agent installation summary, and click Install to finish Figure 10 Page 18 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

19 7. On the final Installation page, the Task tab shows the installation results. The results can also be viewed from the DPM console, Management area, Agents tab Create Protection Groups Protection groups are a group of server data sources to be backed up, and share a common backup configuration. A protection group is essentially a backup policy. After the group is created and the replica completes (immediately or scheduled) the backups will start running as specified. Some of the design considerations of protection groups are included in the DPM Exchange storage calculator and TechNet links provided in the planning section above. In general, group them based on similar requirements such as organization or business unit SLAs, network performance, and data or application types. ESEUTIL Note: If the deployment will run Exchange Eseutil integrity checking on the DPM server (recommended) the following files must be manually copied to the C:\program files\microsoft DPM\DPM\bin on the DPM server before running the Protection Group wizard: - Ese.dll - Eseutil.dll Open the DPM administration console, and follow the below steps to create the group(s): 1. Go to Protection on the navigation bar, and click the Create Protection Group action 2. The Create New Protection Group Wizard appears as shown below, click Next to continue Figure 11 Page 19 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

20 3. At the Select Protection Group Type page, choose Servers and click Next Figure Choose the specific data to protect, and click Next Figure 13 Page 20 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

21 5. Enter a name for the group and specify the protection method. The tape option will be grayed out unless a tape library was configured. Click Next to continue Figure Choose where the integrity check (Eseutil) will run. Running it on the DPM server is recommended for performance reasons. Click Next to continue Figure 15 Page 21 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

22 7. Specify the databases for full backups, and for copy backups. Stand-alone Exchange servers only have the full option. For DAGs, ensure that only one DB copy is configured for a full backup, it can be either the active or passive database copy. Click Next Figure Specify retention range and frequency of backups. Click Next to continue Figure 17 Page 22 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

23 9. Review disk space allocation. This is based on the detected size of data sources in the group. Click Modify to change the sizing or specify custom volumes. Click Next Figure Choose the replica creation method. Automatically over the network is the default. Note the option is available to schedule it for non-peak hours. Click Next Figure 19 Page 23 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

24 11. Select the consistency checking options, and click Next Figure Verify the settings are correct. Click on the optimize performance link to make changes to network synchronization (see step 13 below). Click Create Group to finish. Figure 21 Page 24 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

25 13. A view of the optimize performance window Figure Watch the status of the tasks as they complete, and verify there are no errors Figure 23 Page 25 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

26 15. View of the Protection pane after the group is successfully created. The replica creation in this example is scheduled for after hours. Figure 24 SAN based replica creation So far this solution has relied entirely on an Ethernet network to transfer all data. However, there is a supported manual method that utilizes SAN vendor storage based snapshots, in this case the Storwize V7000 FlashCopy function. Although it requires some manual steps, this LAN-free approach can be worthwhile if network utilization remains a concern. This method was fully tested with the Storwize V7000 FlashCopy function and the steps are outlined below. Note: It is not necessary to install the IBM VSS Hardware provider as this process uses manual snapshot creation and volume mapping. Keep in mind that for some of the steps there may be alternate configuration options that could be used, however we did not test every possible combination. Following the exact steps and order as presented below is recommended for best results. Also note that some of these steps differ from what is in the Microsoft documentation for SAN based replica creation and restore. There was limited information available on the exact steps for this feature. The steps below outline a known good configuration that was validated during IBM proof of concept testing. Page 26 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

27 Taking an array level snap shot of the database and log files, although not the same as an Exchange aware VSS snapshot, does provide a usable point in time copy of the data, that is available immediately. After the replica is copied, DPM does a consistency check and synchronizes any differences since the clone was created, resulting in an application consistent backup copy with minimal network impact. Prepare the Replica with Storwize V7000 FlashCopy Follow the below steps on the Storwize V7000 to create the FlashCopy snapshots of Exchange database and log volumes. 1. Verify which volumes are being used by the Exchange databases and log volumes for the server(s) being protected. 2. From the Copy Services section, right click the appropriate volumes and select New Clone as shown in figure 25. Do this for both the Database and log volumes. Figure Expand the plus icon to view the snapshot progress as illustrated below. By right clicking on the snapshot and choosing properties, the background copy speed can be changed. Increasing the speed will allow the clone to complete faster. Page 27 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

28 Figure Although the cloned volume is available immediately and the snapshot can be mapped to a host, the file copy from snapshot volume to DPM storage will be faster if you wait until the clone background copy finishes. 5. From the Volumes section, map the newly created snapshot volumes to the DPM server. 6. In Windows Disk Manger, bring the mounted snapshot volumes online. Steps to create the Replica manually The following steps cover creation of a DPM Protection Group for manual replica creation. The process involves taking snapshots of the Exchange data volumes, mounting them to the DPM server, and manually copying the Exchange database and log data to the appropriate DPM storage folders. 1. Provision Storwize V7000 volumes for use as custom volumes in DPM. Create one for the replica volume and one for the recovery point volume. 2. Map the volumes to the DPM server, bring them online in Disk Manager as dynamic disks, and format them. 3. In the DPM console, Management section, Disks tab - add these volumes to the DPM pool. We experienced better results if we added them to the DPM pool first, and then specified them as custom volumes during the DPM Protection Group wizard. 4. From the DPM protection tab, create a new Protection Group following the same wizard process as covered earlier. However this time, at the storage configuration section, click the Modify button to edit the storage options. Specify separate custom volumes for the replica and recovery point locations as shown below. Page 28 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

29 Figure Choose the manual option for replica creation. 6. After clicking Finish, the status of the Protection Group should show as "Manual replica creation pending 7. On the custom volume designated for replicas, DPM creates a file structure with the name of the protected server, a folder named Full, and subdirectories based on the Exchange server's database and log volumes and paths. This is the location the replica database and log files need to be manually copied to. 8. Using Windows Explorer, copy the contents of the database volume from the attached snapshot drive to the replica path mentioned in step 7 above and as shown in figure 28 below. Maintain the same directory structure as on the protected server. Copying the catalog data file (Exchange index) is not needed, DPM will not include it as part of the restore. 9. Copy the Exchange log files in the same manner. Page 29 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

30 Figure After the data is copied, go to the DPM Protection section, right click on the database and chose perform consistency check. This will synchronize any differences since the snapshot was taken. Note that this part of the process does use the network, however since the changes are minimal, network utilization is low. 11. Verify the Protection Group member s status is green after the consistency check. 12. After the replica is created, the snapshots should be cleaned up by un-mapping them from the DPM server, and deleting them from the Storwize V7000. Page 30 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

31 DPM Restore Operations The primary purpose of this white paper is to share the installation and configuration best practices for DPM implementations using the, and to validate the features work as expected. Covering every backup and restore option, as well as the day to day DPM administration, is beyond the scope of the paper. Proof of concept backup and restore operations were tested to ensure DPM functionality with the Storwize V7000. The backup operations for DPM have been covered earlier in the document by showing how to configure a DPM protection group, which is essentially activation of a continuous protection policy. In this section we provide an overview of the DPM restore process, using SAN based database restore as an example. The key operational tasks include configuring and managing continuous backups, troubleshooting errors, performing restore requests and ensuring adequate storage capacity. For full coverage of all backup, restore, and administration options, please reference the DPM operations guide available here: SAN based restore This method is the most complicated restore type with DPM due to the manual preparation steps required. The recovery process is similar if restoring a database or mailbox over the network, which uses the same recover wizard screens but requires less manual drive preparation. The LAN-free restore testing consisted of both direct database restores to the original Exchange server location, and restores to a network folder on the Exchange server. Both of these methods are similar, except the restore to network folder requires additional manual steps of dismounting databases and copying the data from the restored folder location to the Exchange data directories. Complete the following steps for a SAN based recovery: Prepare the snapshots for restore 1. On the Storwize V7000, verify which volumes are being used by the DPM server as custom volumes. 2. Create snapshots of the DPM Replica volume(s), using the same process used to create snapshots of the Exchange volumes earlier. 3. Map the snapshot(s) to the Exchange server, and bring them online in Disk Manager with drive letters. Page 31 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

32 Steps to restore the Exchange database 1. If restoring to the original database location, in the Exchange management console you must set the database properties to allow overwrite. DPM automatically dismounts the database during the restore process. 2. From the DPM console, Recovery tab, select the database and a previous point in time. Note: DPM will not allow a restore of the most recent database backup if using the SAN restore method. Figure In the right side panel, select Restore to start the Recovery Wizard. Page 32 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

33 4. Select Recover to original Exchange server location and click Next. Figure In the SAN Recovery section, check the box labeled Enable SAN based recovery using hardware snapshots and click Next. Figure 31 Page 33 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

34 6. Verify the summary page details are correct and click Finish. 7. The progress of the recovery can be monitored from the DPM Monitoring tab as shown below. Figure 32 Conclusion The system configurations described here are designed to address demanding enterprise requirements for highly available systems running Microsoft Exchange Microsoft VSS technology is designed to enable continuous point-in-time copies of Exchange databases and replicas, while minimizing the traditional load on production Exchange servers. IBM servers and disk systems like the Storwize V7000 are designed to provide the processing throughput, interoperability, advanced availability and management features needed in larger Exchange deployments. The IBM FlashCopy function takes advantage of the DPM SAN based replica creation and recovery feature, helping minimize network traffic during large data transfers. Microsoft s DPM 2010 server for Exchange, combined with the, is designed to support true fault and disaster tolerance. The combination forms a highly available platform for mission critical Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 deployments. Page 34 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

35 Appendix A. Resources Configuring a dedicated DPM backup network Planning and deployment f610cd02dc51&displaylang=en Administration and operations a0a7f14a3cf3 Page 35 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

36 Appendix B. Installation Screens For reference, this section provides a view of the DPM Server installation screens in the order they appear. Page 36 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

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42 Page 42 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

43 Page 43 Copyright IBM Corp. 2011

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