Protect SAP HANA Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with SEP sesam

Transcription

1 Protect SAP HANA Based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with SEP sesam Many companies of different sizes and from all sectors of industry already use SAP s inmemory appliance, HANA benefiting from quicker transactions, analysis, planning, as well as forecast and trend evaluation. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) is the recommended and supported OS for SAP HANA. SEP sesam Hybrid Backup is a certified backup and recovery solution to protect SAP HANA. SAP, SUSE and SEP share a long term partnership and combining their industry-leading ITinfrastructure and application technologies to provide a complete data protection for the SAP HANA environment. This paper describes the benefits of using SEP sesam for the backup of SAP HANA on a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. 1/12

2 Solution Components SAP HANA combines database, data processing, and application platform capabilities in-memory. SAP HANA is a completely re-imagined platform for real-time business. It takes full advantage of the latest hardware technologies by combining columnar data storage, massively parallel processing (MPP) and in-memory computing and uses optimized software design to provide libraries for predictive, planning, text processing, spatial and business analytics. Regardless of the industry SAP HANA can provide high-speed, real-time insights into your business. The SAP HANA database holds its data in memory for high performance, but it also uses persistent storage to provide a fallback in case an error happens. For example, after a power failure, the database can be restarted like any disk-based database and the work can be continued. To protect the data against hardware and logical failures, backups are required. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is a secure and reliable open-source operating system, proven to reduce costs, increase availability and improve system performance. It is the only operating system optimized for all mission-critical SAP software solutions and appliances. Right from the start, SAP relied on the widely used Linux platform to optimize the use of its in-memory technology, and it brought SUSE on board as a development and innovation partner, collaborating to create SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. SEP sesam Hybrid Backup is a comprehensive SAP and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server certified backup solution that integrates seamlessly into any IT-environment. SEP offers cost effective, scalable and reliable backup and restore solutions for SAP HANA. 2/12

3 Key Features and Functions: A Closer Look The base operating system SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is a collection of software and services for SAP users who are running their SAP applications on Linux. Let's have a look what is included as part of the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications: Included Software Components: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SUSE Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension is an integrated suite of open source clustering technologies to implement highly available physical and virtual Linux clusters. SAP Installation Wizard for automated extendable installation workflow, providing seamless integration of SAP applications, operating system installation and additional customer or partner workflows / tools like the SEP sesam Hybrid Backup solution. Support for large workloads, to optimize paging behavior of Linux for large memory intensive applications ClamSAP for cost-efficient, cross-platform thread protection with help of ClamAV and the SAP NetWeaver Virus Scanning API Services Extended service pack support to allow users to install new service packs for 18 months instead of 6 months 3/12

4 SUSE Linux Enterprise Priority Support for 24x7 support from SAP and SUSE, provided seamlessly through the SAP ticket system SAP HANA Data Protection SAP HANA is an in-memory database, which means all data is processed in the main memory. Therefore particular attention should be paid to avoid data loss. SAP HANA writes regular save points using persistent storage volumes for log information and data. With save points and log writing, the SAP HANA system can fully recover from power failures, but it does not help to prevent losing the persistent storage itself through some damage or if a logical error occurs, or even when the whole SAP HANA server is not available anymore. A comprehensive data protection of a SAP HANA environment includes replication (for disaster recovery purposes) and backup to protect the database against willful or mistakenly happened data corruption or data deletion. Backups are necessary to insure against disk failures to make it possible to reset the database to an earlier point in time to prevent data loss from logical errors to provide protection beyond replication Backups are also useful in scenarios like copying a database or for a secure fallback after a failed installation of updates. Backups can be performed while the database is online. SAP HANA itself controls the backup with help of SAP HANA Studio where two destination types are available: File backs up the database to files in the file system BACKINT backs up the database using a third-party backup tool like SEP sesam The SAP BACKINT interface makes certain that all activities are defined and managed. 4/12

5 SEP sesam Hybrid Backup SEP sesam is designed as enterprise backup software. The solution supports all common operating systems, virtualization platforms, applications, databases and storage technologies. Backups, restores, and disaster recoveries are extremely fast and easy to implement and to perform. It allows to replace other backup solutions into a single pane-ofglass. SEP sesam is certified for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Even the SEP sesam backup server can be deployed on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. SEP sesam allows system administrators to manage multiple backup servers and optimize the use of bandwidth and backup targets like disk arrays including SAN and NAS, tape drives and autoloaders. Due to SEP sesam s multistreaming and deduplication feature all this is done with market leading performance. SEP sesam is highly scalable and offers advanced features such as encryption, the creation and management of multiple backup copies in different locations and disaster recovery capability. SEP sesam for SAP HANA - Backup and Recovery Backups can be triggered using the SAP HANA Studio, the DBA Cockpit in BW, SQL script commands or 3rd party tools. They are not automatically run by the SAP HANA system. The most convenient way is to use the SEP sesam scheduler or the HANA administration tool SAP HANA Studio. SEP sesam includes the ability to backup SAP HANA using the SAP BACKINT API, therefore no additional software agents are needed to complete the backup environment. The communication of the SAP HANA database through the BACKINT for SAP HANA interface with SEP sesam uses pipes to back up the content of the database and performs all the actions needed to write the backup data to external storage. 5/12

6 Benefits of the integration between SAP HANA and SEP sesam: SAP HANA using backup to disk SAP HANA using BACKINT with SEP sesam Data and Log backup Yes Yes Backup scheduling Not available in SAP HANA Studio. External schedulers can be used in conjunction with scripts (SQL Yes, SAP HANA backup and restore jobs can be configured with SEP sesam. interface) Manual backups Yes: SAP HANA Studio, SQL commands (hdbsql), external scheduler triggering Yes: SAP HANA Studio, SQL commands (hdbsql), external scheduler triggering Backup of configuration files No Yes Point in Time recovery Yes Yes Recovery to a specific Yes Yes data backup Backup Media and No Yes Capacity Management Data Encryption No Yes Multi Copy and Retention Management No Yes SAP HANA - using backup to disk By implementing new IT-technologies it is necessary to think through the whole process regarding data recovery. Using SAP HANA, administrators have to care on all management aspects including the availability of the backup storage, proper storage management, providing enough backup space, cleaning out old backups, performance optimization, firewall settings, keeping track of retention times and data migration. Performed backups have not linkage. This approach makes backup and recovery a two stage process. For administrators, fulfilling recovery time objectives (RTOs) becomes a challange. SAP HANA using BACKINT with SEP sesam to provide a simpler and better approach for data protection Once SAP HANA has been configured as required, backups can be initiated from either the SAP HANA Studio console or the SEP sesam backup server. The SAP HANA Studio monitors the details of the individual backup jobs in real time. The SEP sesam components are processing the SAP BRTOOLS requests which are passed via the BACKINT API. 6/12

7 SEP sesam BACKINT support provides an easy to manage method to protect SAP data. The SEP sesam backup catalog defines the parameters for the backup jobs and how they will be executed - including all details regarding the backup clients and backup agents, the backup media information and the backup schedule. Backup tasks can be parallelized as desired, depending on the type of SEP sesam backup server. As backup storage units may be different (disks, including VTLs, tape drives, tape libraries), SEP sesam supports the creation of storage pools. It automatically uses free backup media to ensure that all backup jobs will be performed. SEP sesam establishes sessions for the backup, inquire or recover process. The data is directly transferred to and from the SEP sesam backup media. Backup results are stored in the SEP media catalog to allow an efficient inquiry of existing save-sets and a highperformance recovery. The status of the HANA backup and recovery tasks are monitored by SEP sesam. In the event there are any problems with the backup or recovery, most issues can be controlled and corrected using the SEP sesam Management Interface. In addition SEP sesam offers an extensive list of commands to implement the most complete and user modifiable backup topology possible. 7/12

8 Overview of the BACKINT Implementation with SEP sesam Turn-Key SAP HANA Backup Implementation SEP sesam Backup Server is installed together with SAP HANA based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. 8/12

9 Professional SAP HANA Backup Implementation SEP sesam Backup Server and SAP HANA are installed on separate SUSE Linux Enterprise Servers. 9/12

10 Data Recovery SAP HANA Studio offers three options for restore: Recover the database to its most recent state This option recovers the database to a state as close as possible to the current time. This recovery option uses the following data: The most recent data backup Log backups made since the most recent data backup Log area Recover the database to the following point in time This recovery option uses the following data: The last data backup available before the specified point in time Log backups made since the data backup to be used Log area Note: If a point in time in the future is specified, the effect will be the same as recovering the database to the most recent state. Recover the database to a specific data backup This recovery option uses the following data: The specified data backup Note: Log entries are not replayed, either from the log backups or from the log area. All log entries that still exist in the log area are deleted. In a recovery SAP HANA shuts down the database and recovers the data and log files in one recovery operation. SAP HANA Studio offers various options to explore the backup history of the environment, for example backup statistics, data and files sizes, data throughput during backup tasks as well as the backup date and time, along with the time it took the backup to complete. The backup history can either be fetched from the local SAP HANA backup catalog or from the SEP sesam backup server, e.g. in case of a lost SAP HANA backup catalog. The inquiry is done via the BACKINT API. In addition to the SAP HANA Studio the SAP BRTOOLS allow to explore the backup history and to recover the databases with SEP sesam. 10/12

11 Further Interesting Topics for Backup and Restore Data-Deduplication The regular backup of SAP HANA databases creates save-sets which may differ only in some data regions. Therefore a data-deduplication is recommended to safe space in the backup target pool. SEP s Si3 Inline-Deduplication technology organizes the incoming data into fragments or blocks for analysis. The matching algorithm identifies even blocks which are moved. A hash algorithm generates definitive hash values that clearly identifies the values in the deduplication store. The obvious advantage of the inline-deduplication is to allow the most efficient data transfer: only blocks which are not already stored must be transferred. Deduplication must always take place before compression or before encryption. SEP sesam deduplication can only be used in conjunction with disk storage. Multi Location Data Storage & Encryption In some countries it is required by law to store critical data in a different location from the production data storage site or data center. The SAP HANA database is the place where the most important business data reside. SEP sesam offers the ability to electronically set up a remote data store to help meet these requirements. Currently, SAP HANA does not offer backup encryption. SEP sesam offers the level of encryption needed to secure confidential business information. Note: Encryption should be activated for all media that circulates within and outside the business premises. Our advanced backup technology is optimized with multi-streaming capability, compression, encryption, and deduplication of data. All these criteria must be considered when data is stored on the backup media. 11/12

12 Conclusion SAP HANA is a high-speed in-memory database for mission-critical enterprise applications. Therefore users need a SAP certified data protection solution for the SAP HANA database. Customers should demand the highest efficiency and performance in its SAP HANA environment while minimizing the cost (TCO) is an essential component of any backup design. SAP customers require and SEP sesam delivers an enterprise backup solution on which they can rely on to minimize the risk of data loss and insure business continuity. Together with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, as basis for SAP HANA, customers get the best solution for this mission-critical environment. For more information, visit or Trademarks SAP HANA from SAP AG; SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from SUSE Linux GmbH; SEP sesam from SEP AG 12/12