Release Notes

5 Configuring Dell Storage Manager for High Availability | 3272-BP-DSM
1 Basic protection
To protect Dell Storage Manager, there are some initial steps that should be taken to provide the bare
minimum protection of the Data Collector and its SQL database.
1.1 Virtual machine
Current guidance from the DSM documentation recommends that for best results, the Data Collector be
installed onto a Windows Server
®
virtual machine. High availability features of the VMware and Hyper-V
®
hypervisors are discussed in section 2.
1.2 Redundant storage
The DSM Data Collector virtual machine should be backed by redundant storage. Since array-based storage
can offer up to five nines of availability, as well as snapshots, replication, and other data-protection features,
the virtual machine data is best protected within a storage array. Also, where possible, it is recommended to
store the Data Collector virtual machine on storage outside of the failure domain. For example, store the VM
on redundant storage outside of the arrays that DSM is managing, such as a data center management
cluster.
However, in environments where only local storage is available, additional precautions are required to ensure
the local storage is redundant, such as using RAID or drive mirroring. In addition, to protect against multiple
drive failures in a single host, multiple copies of the Data Collector virtual machine should be kept using a
feature such as Hyper-V Replica as discussed in section 2.
Important: The Data Collector that runs the VASA provider, as well as the vCenter
®
server for the
environment, should never be stored within a VMware vVol storage container. This is because the VASA
provider within DSM is responsible for all Virtual Volume bind and unbind operations required for powering
on and off virtual machines. If DSM becomes unavailable, virtual machines cannot be powered on, but
existing virtual machines that are already bound to the protocol endpoint will keep running.
1.3 Snapshots
The Data Collector should have a regular array snapshot schedule assigned to take periodic backups of both
the Data Collector and its associated SQL database server. The actual snapshot schedule and retention
policy will vary depending on the organization’s recovery point objectives (RPO), but the bare minimum
should be a daily snapshot.
However, when using VMware vVols, the snapshot frequency should be increased depending on how
frequently storage changes occur within the environment. Keep in mind that the VASA provider data is stored
within the Data Collector SQL database, so the frequency of the snapshots should align with how often
configuration changes are made. For example, if virtual machine storage configuration changes are made
hourly, then the schedule should take snapshots of both the Data Collector and the SQL database hourly.
However, if the environment is static, snapshots can be taken less frequently.