Dell EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/ Microsoft Edition Version 5.
Notes, cautions, and warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. © 2020 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Preface About This Guide Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for Microsoft (HIT/Microsoft) enable you to manage and configure PS Series storage arrays from the servers that use them. From initializing new arrays to creating application-consistent snapshots, HIT/Microsoft exposes a wide variety of management capabilities to administrators. Revision History Document Number 110-6319-EN Revision Date Description R1 April 2020 Version 5.
Contents 1 Introduction to ASM/ME............................................................................................................... 9 Functions Provided By ASM/ME........................................................................................................................................ 9 Supported Applications...................................................................................................................................................
Tree Panel Behavior in Failover Cluster Environments .............................................................................................31 Tree Panel Nodes........................................................................................................................................................... 31 Tree Panel Icons............................................................................................................................................................
Deleting Smart Copies.................................................................................................................................................. 53 View Backup Documents..............................................................................................................................................53 Importing a Smart Copy................................................................................................................................................
Unsupported Configurations.........................................................................................................................................81 Hyper-V Specific Operations.............................................................................................................................................. 81 Smart Copies for Linux Guest Operating Systems....................................................................................................
ASMCLI -configureCHAP............................................................................................................................................. 111 ASMCLI -createCollection........................................................................................................................................... 112 ASMCLI -delete.............................................................................................................................................................
1 Introduction to ASM/ME Dell EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition (ASM/ME) enables you to create fast, space-efficient, point-in-time copies of Dell EqualLogic volumes as part of a backup and recovery strategy for your data. You can quickly back up and restore Dell EqualLogic volumes on multiple Windows machines, and manage multiple hosts from a single graphical user interface. ASM/ME is a component of the Host Integration Tools, so it is installed when you install the Host Integration Tools.
HIT Groups allow you to create and manage Smart Copies and Smart Copy schedules on all your hosts, and simultaneously edit settings on multiple hosts. When a new host is added to a HIT Group, the Host Integration Tools (including ASM/ME) are automatically installed on the host. See HIT Groups for more information.
• Cloning the template volume, which results in a new template volume NOTE: Snapshots and replication of template volumes are not supported. Robust Data Recovery ASM/ME enables you to implement different data recovery strategies by recovering data directly from a Smart Copy. The principal methods of recovering data from Smart Copies are: • • • In-Place Recovery—A full recovery method that restores all data in a volume.
Scripts and Command Generation ASM/ME provides a command-line interface, described in Using the Command Line Interface. The ASM/ME GUI provides an option to automatically generate the syntax for an ASM/ME command, based on the options that you select for an ASM/ME operation. For example, you can select a Smart Copy and then generate the syntactically complete command for mounting it. (The option to generate the command is available in the menu bar or as a right-click menu option.
Remote Installations You can install the Host Integration Tools (including ASM/ME) on remote hosts, run the installer on each host, and continuously monitor and respond to prompts typical of an installation wizard, without having to log in to each host separately. Two methods for remote installations improve performance and save the amount of time typically required for large-scale installations.
Figure 2. Relationship to the VSS Copy Service Table 1. ASM/ME Relationship to the VSS Copy Service Callout Description 1 VSS Writer, integrated with the application, which prepares the application for the backup or restore operation. Supported applications are SQL Server, Exchange, SharePoint (not shown) and Hyper-V. 2 VSS Requestor, usually a backup application, which requests the creation of shadow copies and provides an interface for backing up and restoring data. ASM/ME functions as a requestor.
2 Configure ASM/ME Before using ASM/ME, complete the tasks described in the following table. Table 2. ASM/ME Configuration Tasks Task Reference Install ASM/ME on a computer that meets the requirements in See the Host Integration Tools Installation and User’s Guide. Windows Computer Requirements Configure a PS Series group with either the Remote Setup Wizard (RSW) or a serial cable and the setup utility See the Host Integration Tools Installation and User’s Guide.
Windows Computer Requirements The Windows computer on which you want to run ASM/ME must meet the requirements described in the following table to create Smart Copies in a PS Series group. Table 4. Requirements for Creating Smart Copies Requirement Description Supported environment Your computer must meet the requirements specified in the Host Integration Tools for Microsoft Release Notes.
Access Type Description (Optional) Global Smart Copy access on other computers To allow a computer to import Smart Copies from a different computer than the one that created them, you can set up access controls that enable other computers to access the Smart Copies. Specify the global Smart Copy access credentials by selecting PS Group Access, then Smart Copy access in the ASM/ME. See PS Group Access Settings for more information.
If CHAP is required for computer access to the volume, you can supply the CHAP user name and password in the iSCSI initiator control panel when logging in to the volume. If CHAP is required for computer access to volume snapshots (for importing), you must use the ASM/ME or the Remote Setup Wizard to specify the CHAP user name and password. The computer automatically uses this CHAP user name and password when importing any Smart Copies from the PS Series group.
ASM/ME Settings If you manage more than one host, you can change the ASM/ME settings on multiple hosts in a single operation. Use only ASCII characters when specifying CHAP credentials, PS Series group names, member names, administrative passwords, and group membership passwords. The following table describes the ASM/ME settings. Table 6.
Option Description • • Do not change the location of Smart Copy documents if you have configured remote verification. See Run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on a Remote Host. Cluster nodes must always use a shared folder so it can be accessed from all nodes, and the same backup document directory path must be used. The only exception to this requirement is Exchange CCR or DAG clusters. For example, if Node 1 stores backup documents on \\server\share \subdirectory1, Node 2 must also store backup
moved. Untagged collections (those for which the original host cannot be determined) are copied to the new location, but also left in the original location. Backup Document Directories for Standalone (Non-Clustered) Hosts A host that is not part of a cluster or a SharePoint farm should have its own backup document directory for storing backup documents. The hosts should use different directories for storing their backup documents.
Table 8. Email Notification Settings Option Description Send email alerts checkbox Select this box to receive email about alerts. To specify which alerts are emailed, see Alert Settings. SMTP Server IP address of the SMTP server in your environment. You must specify a server that will send email alerts. SMTP Failback Port Default port is 25. If the connection port on your SMTP server is not 25, specify the value here.
Alert Name Description Default Collection Multiple Writers or Component Error A component contains multiple application writers or a component error occurred preventing an operation Yes ASMCLI Initialization Failed ASMCLI initialization has failed Yes Smart Copy Mount Failed An attempt to mount a Smart Copy has failed Yes Volume Unmount Failed An attempt to unmount a volume has failed Yes Smart Copy Delete Failed An attempt to delete a Smart Copy has failed Yes Restore Failed An attempt t
Configure Alert Settings 1. In the navigation area, click Settings. 2. Click the Alert Settings tab. For information about the types of alerts, see Alert Settings. 3. Select or clear the checkbox next to each alert and click Save. If you manage multiple hosts and want to make the same changes to multiple hosts, multiselect the hosts in the middle panel. The changes affect all selected hosts. HIT/Microsoft highlights any settings that differ across the hosts.
If you used the Remote Setup Wizard to create a group, that group displays in the PS Group Access window. You can add more groups or delete groups as needed.
2. Click the PS Group Access tab. 3. Click Add PS Group. 4. In the Group Settings panel, enter the group name and IP address in the fields. 5. If your host system uses HBAs on a dedicated network (instead of a software initiator) to access your groups, select the Use Host Bus Adapters checkbox. 6. Click Save. Press F1 to view online help for any of these dialog boxes. To restore settings to their current saved state, click Discard.
Configure PowerShell/SMP Access 1. In the navigation area, click Settings. 2. Click the PS Group Access tab. 3. Select the relevant group and click PowerShell/SMP access. 4. Enter the group management IP address (this is the group IP address, unless the group has a management network configured). 5. (Optional) Select the checkbox to enable single sign-on. If selected, no user name or password is required. NOTE: To use single sign-on, the PS Series group must be running PS Series firmware version 6.
Configure Failover Policy Settings When you have configured multiple data pathways, it is appropriate to configure MPIO DSM to balance data traffic loads across the pathways. Choose from: • • • Least Queue Depth—(Recommended) MPIO DSM sends SAN data traffic packets out to each available connection, with preference given to the connection that is least busy at the time it requests the I/O. This option is appropriate for most installations.
3 ASM/ME Graphical User Interface This chapter describes features of the ASM/ME graphical user interface (GUI). Topics: • • • Start the ASM/ME GUI Tree Panel Customize Color Themes Start the ASM/ME GUI To start ASM/ME, click Start, → All Programs →EqualLogic → Auto-Snapshot Manager. The ASM/ME dashboard is displayed, as in the following figure. Figure 3. ASM/ME Dashboard The following sections describe the GUI features in the ASM/ME dashboard.
• • • • • • • Collections—Displays the number of collections ASM/ME is managing. Click in this area to display a view of all the collections and their properties. Selecting this area of the dashboard automatically selects the Collections node in the tree panel. Schedules—Displays the number of Smart Copy schedules that have been created. Click in this area to view the schedule details. Selecting this area of the dashboard automatically selects the Schedules node in the tree panel.
• • • • View —Toggles the view between Hosts or Settings. Selecting the navigation buttons described in Callout 6_ Navigation Area also changes the view. You can also use this menu option to display or remove the Actions toolbar. Launch —Opens to iSCSI Initiator, Remote Setup Wizard, SAN Headquarters, Windows Disk Manager, Windows Event Viewer, or Windows Storage Manager for SANs. Customize —Changes the display properties and colors of the ASM/ME GUI. Help —Opens the online help system or collects logs.
you select a non-host-based node, such as the All Hosts node or Configuration Warnings node, only the host running ASM is refreshed. Regardless of the object selected, press Ctrl+F5 to refresh all the hosts in the HIT Group. Table 15.
Node Description Smart Copies Smart Copies are organized under the original object (volume, collection, or application). Each Smart Copy is assigned a timestamp. The replicas, clones, or snapshots in the set also have a timestamp. On a cluster node, some actions on a Smart Copy Set are restricted to the node that owns the cluster resources that the Smart Copy set depends on.
Icon Definition Application subcomponent—This icon represents an application subcomponent residing on a PS Series array volume. You cannot select subcomponents for Smart Copy operations. When you select an Application component for a Smart Copy operation, ASM/ME implicitly includes its supported subcomponents. SharePoint content database—This icon represents a content database that is part of a SharePoint farm.
Assign SharePoint Farms, Clusters, and Host Nodes in the Same SharePoint Farm to a Group Host and cluster nodes that make up a SharePoint farm are automatically assigned to the same group by ASM/ME when you add any node in the unit to a group. Each farm will have the clusters listed beneath it and the hosts that make up the cluster listed beneath that node. Individual hosts that are members of the farm are displayed under the farm node.
Assign an Alias to a Cluster Node 1. Select the cluster node from the Hosts list. 2. Perform one of the following steps: • • Click Set Cluster Alias along the top of the window. Click the node and select Set Cluster Alias. 3. In the New Alias for Cluster cluster-name dialog box, type a new alias for the node and click OK. The cluster name in the Hosts list is replaced by the new alias. Assign an Alias to a Host Node 1. Select the host node from the Hosts list. 2.
4 HIT Groups Using a HIT Group, you can manage multiple hosts from any machine running ASM/ME. Topics: • • • Overview of HIT Groups Create a HIT Group — Overview Edit ASM/ME Settings on Hosts in a HIT Group Overview of HIT Groups A HIT Group contains one or more hosts that you manage from ASM/ME. For example, if an administrator needs to back up and create a Smart Copy for multiple machines, the administrator can perform all ASM/ME Smart Copy operations from a single instance of ASM/ME.
HIT Groups in Cluster Environments In cluster environments, all cluster nodes in a HIT Group have a reciprocal relationship. Adding cluster Node B to the ASM/ME instance on cluster Node A will automatically add cluster Node A to the ASM/ME instance on cluster Node B. You must always add an entire cluster to a HIT Group as opposed to a subset of cluster nodes. ASM/ME will then automatically set up the trust relationship between each cluster node.
Figure 6. Two-Cluster HIT Group Managed from a Remote Host In this figure, assume you use the Add Hosts option from the ASM/ME instance on the non-clustered host to add all six cluster nodes from the two clusters. ASM/ME automatically sets up the trust relationships, indicated by the different arrows. On the non-clustered host, nodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are added at the same time to the non-clustered host. The non-clustered host can manage all nodes on each cluster.
Figure 7. Two-Cluster HIT Group Managed From a Cluster In the previous figure, assume further that you use the Add Hosts option from the ASM/ME instance on Node 1 to add Node 4 to it. If ASM/ME is not installed on nodes 4, 5, and 6, ASM first sets up the appropriate trust relationships between nodes 4, 5, and 6. This process is indicated by the bidirectional arrows. After you add Node 4 to Node 1, you can then manage all of Cluster B’s nodes from Node 1.
Create a HIT Group With the Add Hosts Wizard 1. Click the Add Hosts button to start the Add Hosts wizard. 2. Select the list of hosts that you want to add to the HIT Group using one of the following methods, then click Next. • • • Discover through PS Series group—When you select this option, ASM/ME queries any PS Series groups that are connected to any current HIT Group members (including the local host), and displays all of the hosts connected to those groups.
5 General ASM/ME Operations This chapter explains general operations you can perform with ASM/ME, including creating Smart Copies, scheduling Smart Copy operations, and restoring a volume using a Smart Copy.
• • • • In the Properties panel, click the Volume name to open the Windows Explorer dialog box. In the Smart Copy panel, click the underlined number in the Smart Copy Count field to view details about the Smart Copies of the volume. In the tree panel, the selected Smart Copy is highlighted. In the PS Details panel, click the name of the PS Series group to launch its Group Manager GUI. In any panel, click the Help icon to display a tool tip describing the terms used in that panel.
• • • • • • • Propagation of changes to all cluster nodes—When deleting, disabling, enabling, or modifying schedules on clusters, the changes are automatically made on all cluster nodes. Change detection by ASM/ME—If you make changes with the cluster manager, such as changing the owner of a resource, ASM/ME automatically detects the change. Change all ASM/ME operations on any attached PS Series iSCSI object (volumes or application components) when an object is not designated as a cluster resource.
2. Specify a unique, alphanumeric name for the collection. If you want to create a volume-based collection, select the checkbox and click Next. ASM/ME displays the Components dialog box. See Volume-Based Collections for more information. 3. Select the volumes or application components to include in the collection. ASM/ME automatically includes required components. 4. Click Next. The Summary dialog box opens.
Recommendations for Schedule Creation • • Schedules with a very high frequency of Smart Copy creation might have a significant impact on performance, so you should modify the schedule accordingly. Dell recommends that you configure notification for schedules, although it is not required. See Notification Settings for more information. Constraints for Schedules • • Schedules can be created for thin clone volumes, but not for template volumes, because they are read-only.
c) Change the user account information. Click Update. Delete a Schedule 1. Right-click the schedule and click Delete Schedule. 2. Click Yes to confirm the deletion. You can also temporarily disable a schedule instead of deleting it. See Disable a Schedule. Enable a Schedule To enable the schedule, right-click on the schedule and select Enable Schedule. The schedule runs at the next possible date and time. To modify or delete a schedule while it is disabled. See Modify a Schedule and Delete a Schedule.
About Smart Copies A Smart Copy is a snapshot, clone, or replica of an individual volume, application component, or a collection. Examples of application components include an Exchange mailbox database, anSQL Server database, or a Hyper-V virtual machine. A Smart Copy consists of the following objects: • • One or more snapshots, replicas, or clones, depending on the type of Smart Copy operation and the original object. A backup document, describing the Smart Copy.
Figure 8. Complete Smart Copy Consider the configuration shown in the following figure. In this example, two data sets span three volumes. Volume B contains data from two different data sets (Callouts 1 and 2). Figure 9. Torn Smart Copy You can use ASM/ME to copy Component1, indicated by Callout 1. However, ASM/ME performs its Smart Copy operations only on complete volumes.
• • • • • • • The computer must meet the requirements described in Windows Computer Requirements. The computer must be logged in to each iSCSI volume that comprises the Smart Copy object, as described in iSCSI Target Connections. The iSCSI volumes must have drive letters assigned, as described in Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments. If you are creating a snapshot Smart Copy, the PS Series volume must have snapshot space reserved.
• (Optional) Specify text describing the Smart Copy set. This information shows in the backup document. 5. Click Next. The Summary screen opens. 6. Verify the settings displayed in the Summary screen. If the information is correct, click Create. If not, click Back to make changes. The Smart Copies display under the Smart Copies node in the ASM/ME tree panel. After creating a Smart Copy Set, you can display its details, as described in View Volume Details.
Table 18. Locations of Smart Copies Under the Smart Copies Node Smart Copy of Object Type Location Comments Individual volumes Under the associated volume name For example, a Smart Copy of volume E:\ is shown under the Smart Copy node, under the name E:\.
Validating a Smart Copy set is not the same process as Verification of a Smart Copy Set. The verification operation is specific to Exchange components. ASM/ME validates Smart Copy sets to ensure that all backup documents on the computer relate to existing Smart Copies that are located on the PS Series group. A validation operation processes the entire Smart Copies folder. You cannot validate individual Smart Copies.
• See Smart Copy Access. The target computer has the appropriate VSS/VDS credentials configured. • See VSS/VDS Settings. If the target computer is running Windows Server 2012 or later, SMP access must be configured. See PowerShell and SMP Access. Import a Smart Copy 1. In the Smart Copies node in the tree panel, right-click the appropriate Smart Copy and click Import External Smart Copy. The Select a transportable Smart Copy dialog box opens. 2. Browse to the backup document and click Open.
Options for accessing data include: • • • • • • Quickly restore the original object from a Smart Copy—Applies to Smart Copies that contain volume snapshots or database snapshots. Restore a portion of the original object from a Smart Copy—Applies to Smart Copies that contain database snapshots. Mount a Smart Copy as read-only—Applies to replicas, or Smart Copies that contain replicas of volumes or databases. Clone any replica and then mount the clone. Replication is not disrupted—Applies to any replica.
a) Click Next if multiple volumes are in the Smart Copy (for example, if the Smart Copy is a collection with multiple volumes). Repeat this step for each volume you want to mount. b) Click Mount. As the Smart Copy is mounted, a progress dialog box opens. The newly mounted volume appears in the Volumes node of the tree panel, with a blue ioverlay to indicate that it is in use.
For replica Smart Copies, you have two options for unmounting and logging off a replica: • • Unmount and Logoff—Unmounts, logs off, and demotes the replica set. Delete—Unmounts, logs off, and demotes the replica set as necessary. It then deletes the replica unless it is the most recent replica in the replica set. In the latter case, it is necessary to retain the replica to ensure consistency of the replica set.
View I/O Details You can take a closer look at the multipath information by clicking the IO Details node under the MultiPath node. A screen opens to display the following information: • • • • A time line that you can adjust to specify the amount of data shown in the chart below the time line. A drop-down list from which you can choose to display all volumes or a specific volume.
6 Using ASM/ME with Exchange ASM/ME supports Microsoft Exchange 2013 and 2016. See the Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for Microsoft Release Notes for specific release versions. Depending on your particular configuration and the version of Exchange that you are running, data recovery procedures might vary. See Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V if you intend to run Exchange with a Hyper-V virtual machine. In such configurations, some ASM/ME operations are constrained.
Table 19. Exchange Operations Task See Section Create application-consistent Smart Copies of mailbox databases (for Exchange 2013 and 2016), volumes and collections. Create Exchange Smart Copies Set up Smart Copy schedules. Schedule Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components Perform In-Place or Brick-Level restores to recover Recover Microsoft Exchange Data and restore Exchange data. Use a command line for creating site-specific scripts.
Recovery Considerations for Exchange • • • • ASM/ME does not allow torn Smart Copies. A scheduled task fails when it results in a torn Exchange Smart Copy. See Torn Smart Copies for an explanation of torn Smart Copies. ASM/ME prevents you from creating a multiple writer Smart Copy sets where the Exchange Writer and the SQL server are included in a Smart Copy set. This condition is detected whether you create the Smart Copy from a volume, an application, or a collection.
Run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery After Smart Copy Creation If you did not select the options to perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery while you created a Smart Copy, you can perform these operations from the Smart Copies node. The Verification and Recovery option is only visible if you have not already run this task, or if you ran a Verification and Recovery task but it did not complete successfully. To run the Verification and Recovery task from the Smart Copies node: 1.
• • • • • Smart Copies are verified serially. You can specify whether to begin processing with the newest copies, or the oldest copies (chronological sequence). If running a verification operation takes longer than the time allotted in the schedule (that is, it exceeds the specified end time), the operation is not terminated. The operation runs to completion but no new operations are started.
Table 21. Right-Click Options for the Global Verification Schedule Option Description Run Now Ignores the scheduled start time and launches the Global Verification task immediately. Modify the schedule Displays the Create or Modify Global Verification Task dialog box. Delete the Schedule Deletes the Global Verification schedule. No scheduled verification is performed until you create a new schedule manually or specify scheduled verification for a newly created Smart Copy.
• • • • The verification server and any servers that created the Smart Copies are part of the same Windows domain. The verification server and any servers that created the Smart Copies are able to access a shared location for Smart Copies. Network access and bandwidth are available to process the Global Verification tasks of client computers. A UNC or shared location exists.
Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Logging and Notification Your notification preferences for Smart Copy creation also apply to Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operations. However, you have the option to combine the Checksum Verification notification and the Soft Recovery notification emails into a single message, or receive two separate notifications. Use the ASM/ME Notification Settings tab to configure this option. See Notification Settings.
Table 22. Exchange Smart Copy Options Planning Item Description Snapshot Creates a snapshot for each volume comprising the original object. Clone Creates a new volume (clone) for each volume comprising the original object. Replica Creates a replica for each volume comprising the original object on a PS Series group configured as a replication partner for the original volumes. If you select Replica, ASM/ME displays an additional option dialog box described in step 4. Backup Type Select Copy.
This operation is supported on both local and remote hosts. The remote host must have access to the replication partner group. Make sure the volume on the source group does not have an access control record that allows the remote host to access it, because that access could result in data corruption. This process has the advantage of not requiring any additional storage capacity on the secondary group.
Option Type Attribute Description • • Advanced Schedule Options Comment (Optional) Comment about the schedule. Start Date Date to start schedule. End Date (Optional) Date to end schedule. Repeat options Repeat a schedule as follows: • • • Smart Copy Options Specify either a snapshot or replica (if your PS Series group is configured for replication). You cannot create clones by using a schedule. Backup Type The default backup type is Copy.
Set depends on the original object (volume, collection, or application components) and the Smart Copy type (snapshot, replica, or clone). The restore options available to you depend on the Smart Copy type. For snapshots and clones, you can manually restore data by mounting a Smart Copy. After it is mounted, you can copy files from it.
Fully Restore an Exchange Database You can perform an in-place restore operation so a mailbox database is fully restored back to the time that you created the Smart Copy. During the restoration, any mailbox databases included in the Smart Copy set are set offline, and are inaccessible to users. You have the option to set mailbox databases back online automatically when the restoration completes. Alternatively, you can specify that the mailbox databases remain offline.
Prerequisites for Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database • • • • • At least one mailbox database must exist under the ASM/ME Applications node. Create a Smart Copy of the mailbox database, volume, or collection that you want to include in the RMD. For Smart Copies of a collection, make sure that the volumes you want to use for the RMD are not already mounted. You cannot perform this operation on a public folders database. Dell Recommends running Checksum verification and Soft recovery on the Smart Copy.
• You cannot perform this operation on a public folders database. Clone and Restore As New 1. Expand the Smart Copies node. 2. Ensure that any volume you want to use is not already mounted. If it is, unmount it before proceeding. 3. Right-click the Smart Copy Set and select Clone and Restore as New. The Restore All As New wizard opens. If Checksum Verification was not performed on the Smart Copy Set, you are warned and given the opportunity to continue anyway.
7 Using ASM/ME with SQL Server ASM/ME supports SQL Server 2014, 2016 and 2017. See the Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for Microsoft Release Notes for specific release versions. Certain ASM/ME operations are specific to SQL Server and some operations behave differently when Smart Copy sets include SQL Server components. ASM/ME operations that are not specific to SQL Server are described in General ASM/ME Operations. NOTE: ASM/ME does not support creating Smart Copies of SQL Availability Groups.
Smart Copy Type Replica Backup Type copy or full Restore Options • • Restore as new Restore selected databases • • • • Mount as read-only Clone and restore as new Clone a replica, which creates a new volume Restore selected databases only The Backup type has a direct impact on the SQL database log file as follows: • • Full—Specifying this Backup type puts a checkpoint in the SQL database log file that lets the database know a backup operation occurred at that point in time.
Replica Smart Copy Restore Options • • • • Mount the replicas as read-only volumes—Mounts the replicas and deletes the backup document for the Smart Copy set. You cannot repeat this operation. The replicas continue to exist on the PS Series group. Clone and restore as new—Creates and mounts clones of the replicas in the Smart Copy set and allows you to perform a side-by-side restore on the original database from the files in the mounted clone. This option preserves the Smart Copy replication schedule.
When the operation completes, ASM/ME displays the following message: Restore completed successfully. Restore All Databases If a Smart Copy Set contains copies of several databases, you can restore all databases in a single operation. 1. Under the Smart Copies node, right-click the relevant Smart Copy and select Restore All. ASM/ME displays its progress for steps such as setting volumes offline and later, back online.
3. Select one or more of databases that you want to restore as new. Click Next. The Select Volume Label dialog box opens. 4. Select a drive letter or mount point for the volume and click Next. You can specify a mount point with either a relative path, which is combined with the value in the mount root field, or a full path, which is used exactly as specified. The mount point is validated as you enter the data.
8 Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V Hyper-V enables you to create a virtualized server computing environment. When ASM/ME is installed on a system running Hyper-V, you can create point-in-time Smart Copies of entire VMs from which you can recover data. Smart Copies are crash-consistent, unless the VM is running both an O/S and application that has awareness of Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). In such cases, you can create application-consistent Smart Copies.
Hyper-V Supported Configuration Dell supports only one configuration for ASM/ME support of Hyper-V for full Smart Copies, illustrated in the following figure. In this scenario: • • • Application data is stored on a VHD that is contained in an iSCSI target provisioned on the host. The VM boots to the VHD on the iSCSI target provisioned on the host. VSS-based backup of the VMs from the host O/S is supported. Figure 10. Hyper-V Configuration Supported By ASM/ME Table 29.
Unsupported Configurations The following Hyper-V configurations are not supported by ASM/ME for copy or restore operations: • • Direct-attach volumes—Directly attaching iSCSI volumes to the VM are not supported because such targets are not visible to the ASM/ME installation in the Hyper-V host partition. Therefore, you cannot create application-consistent copies of the applications running on the VM.
Smart Copy Schedules for Hyper-V The procedure for scheduling Smart Copies of virtual machines is the same as the general operations described in General ASM/ME Operations, except that if a VM is offline, it is still copied in its offline state. The shutdown state affects the Smart Copy as follows: • • When a VM shuts down cleanly, the Smart Copy is application-consistent. When a VM has crashed or is powered off without a shutdown, the Smart Copy is crash-consistent.
If the snapshot reserve space is low, a warning is displayed. 2. Click Next if the snapshot reserve space is low. Otherwise, go step 3. The Select Virtual Machines dialog box opens. 3. Select one or more virtual machines and click Next. The Select Mount Location dialog box opens. 4. Perform one of the following steps: • • Click the Next button to select the path in the Mount folder root field. Click the Browse button next to the Mount folder root field to navigate to a different path. 5.
Smart Copies of CSVs When you take a Smart Copy of a CSV on Windows Server 2012 or later, the operating system handles the application quiescence (not ASM/ME). Therefore, Smart Copies of a CSV are application-consistent, and contain all virtual machines that reside on the CSV including those that are running on other cluster nodes. The procedure for creating Smart Copies is the same as the generic operations described in Generic ASM/ME Operations.
Clone and Restore As New The Clone and Restore as New operation is available for replicas. It is the same as the Restore As New option, except that the operation begins by cloning the replica in to avoid interfering with the replication process. The clone is then mounted and a new VM is created from the .vhd file on the mounted clone. Like the Restore as New option, this operation creates a new VM that will be local and non-clustered, so no restrictions apply.
9 Using ASM/ME with SharePoint ASM/ME supports SharePoint 2013 SP1 through SharePoint 2016, with the operating system and SQL Server versions listed in the Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for Microsoft Release Notes. ASM/ME can discover and manage an entire SharePoint farm, assuming that the farm components reported by the SharePoint VSS writer are stored on Dell EqualLogic volumes. You can view individual hosts, volumes, content databases, and search indices within the farm.
Figure 11. ASM/ME Installation on a SharePoint Farm In the previous figure, the SharePoint VSS writer is enabled and running on Application Server 1, also referred to as the writer host. All databases and search indices on Application Server 1, Application Server 2, SQL Server 1, and SQL Server 2 are using Dell EqualLogic storage. ASM/ME is first installed on Application Server 1 since it is the writer host. The SharePoint VSS writer provides ASM/ME with an overall view of the farm layout.
Example of a SharePoint Farm with a SQL Cluster The following figure shows an ASM/ME deployment on a SharePoint farm that contains a SQL cluster. Figure 12. ASM/ME Installation on a SharePoint Farm with a SQL Cluster In the previous figure, the SharePoint VSS writer is enabled and running on Application Server 1, also referred to as the writer host. All databases and search indices on Application Server 1, Application Server 2, and the SQL cluster are using Dell EqualLogic storage.
After this initial HIT Group has been created, ASM/ME recognizes that the SQL host added is in fact part of a cluster, and automatically prompts you to add the rest of the cluster nodes to the HIT Group using the Add Hosts wizard. During this process, ASM/ME is automatically installed on the other two cluster nodes and the appropriate trust relationships are set up.
• • • Runs SQL databases used in the farm Has Office Search enabled Has SharePoint Search enabled When you change a writer host in a SharePoint farm, the new host must use the same shared backup document directory specified on all other farm hosts. Similarly, you must also specify the farm administrator domain account for the Run ASM Services As option on the General Settings page of the ASM/ME instance of the new writer host.
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\nn\BIN\STSADM.exe –o unregisterwsswriter Respond to Changes in a SharePoint Farm You can change the configuration of a SharePoint farm environment. When you do, Smart Copy schedules and the ASM/ME GUI automatically refresh their view before executing. You can manually refresh the view to guarantee that all SharePoint farm changes are updated.
SharePoint Smart Copies You can create Smart Copies of the following SharePoint components: • • • • An entire SharePoint farm A set of all content databases Individual databases Search Service Application (SSA)—SharePoint 2013 and 2016 NOTE: Limit the number of databases in a Smart Copy collection to 34 or fewer. If you have more than 34 databases, spread them among multiple hosts in the farm. For more information, see the following article: support.microsoft.
Create a Smart Copy of All Content Databases To create a Smart Copy of all content databases: 1. Navigate to the HIT Group host on which the SharePoint VSS writer is running. 2. Expand the Applications node. 3. Expand the SharePoint Farm node. 4. Right-click the Content Databases folder and select Create Content Databases Smart Copy. The Create Smart Copy wizard opens. 5.
NOTE: SharePoint farms can have many SSAs. To create a Smart Copy of all SSAs for a farm, create a Smart Copy of the entire SharePoint farm (see Create a Smart Copy of an Entire SharePoint Farm). 1. Navigate to the HIT Group host on which the SharePoint VSS writer is running. 2. Expand the Applications node. 3. Expand the SharePoint Farm node. 4. Expand the Search folder. 5.
SharePoint Component Type Data Restoration Options Search database • • Mount Restore As New Other databases • • Mount Restore As New Table 33.
SharePoint Component Type Data Restoration Options Other databases • • Mount As Read-Only Clone Availability of SharePoint Data Restoration Operations Within the ASM GUI, some data restoration operations can only be initiated from certain HIT Group members: • • • • • Restore Selected Database operation—Must be initiated in the ASM/ME GUI on the HIT Group host on which the SharePoint VSS Writer is running.
6. Click Close when the operation completes. Restore a Database In-Place From a SharePoint Smart Copy To restore a database in-place from a SharePoint Smart Copy: 1. Navigate to the HIT Group host on which the SharePoint VSS writer is running. 2. Expand the Smart Copies node for the writer host. 3. Right-click the Smart Copy and select Restore All. ASM/ME displays its progress for steps such as setting volumes offline and later, back online.
The Restore Search Service Application from Smart Copy dialog box opens, displaying the list of search components that will be restored. 4. Click Next. The dialog box displays the restore steps and requirements for the restore operation to succeed. 5. Click Restore. ASM/ME displays the progress of the operation. 6. Click Close when the operation completes.
10 Using the Command Line Interface This chapter describes the command line and scripting options provided by the ASM/ME command line interface (ASMCLI).
How to Use ASMCLI Commands The ASMCLI executable is located under the default installation folder, or the folder that you specified for ASM/ME during installation. The default folder is C:\Program Files\EqualLogic\bin. You execute a command by starting the Windows command prompt: 1. Click Start → Run. Then type cmd. 2. In the command window, change the directory to C:\Program Files\EqualLogic\bin or add the ASM/ME CLI commands folder to your path by editing your Windows PATH environment variable.
Table 36. ASM/ME CLI Subcommands Subcommand Function -alert Display a list of alerts, or enable and disable specific alerts. -breaksmartcopy VSS automatically sets volume attribute values when a Smart Copy is created, and automatically reverts these changes for a mount or restore operation. This command allows you to undo these changes on demand. ‑cloneReplica Create a clone of a replica. ‑configureASM Set one or more ASM properties.
• • Used with: restore subcommand Specify the ‑applylogs parameter to apply SQL Server logs when restoring SQL Server volumes. This option is ignored for non‑SQL Server Smart Copies. backupType= • • Used with: smart subcommand Specify the type of backup method to use when creating the Smart Copy. In the current release, you can specify a value of either copy or full. The default value is copy. category= • • Used with: alert subcommand Specify the category of alerts you would like to view.
Terminate the string with the sequence: $CLI$‑@. The limit is 75 characters. component= component_name • • • • • Used with: smart, verify, mount, properties, unmount, restore, selectiveRestore, createcollection, modifycollection subcommands Specify the ‑component= parameter with the originating component name, such as an Exchange mailbox database name. If the component name string contains an embedded space, you must enclose the string in quotation marks ("").
To receive email notifications, you must ensure that both alert and email notification settings have been configured. For smart and verify subcommands, the email parameter is set by default. See Notification Settings. emailRecipientList= “email_address” • • Used with: configureASM subcommand Specifies a semicolon-delimited list of email addresses to whom email should be sent when certain ASM/ME actions are performed.
• • • • One or more mount point paths at which the volumes in the Smart Copy backup document should be mounted. Each path is delimited by a semicolon (;). When specifying the ‑location parameter, you can enter either the wildcard, or a semicolon‑delimited list that can contain both drive letters and path names of mount points. The ‑location parameter is optional for everything but template volumes. To omit a Smart Copy, enter a semicolon at its position in the list.
Alternatively, use the following command to display all component names: ASMCLI ‑list ‑components ‑showobjectid • Collection Operations — Specify a collection name. A collection name has the following format: Collection {ascii_string} For example: • Collection{exchange_collection} You can obtain the collection name from the ASM/ME GUI Collections node by browsing an individual collection’s properties.
• Specify the ‑scheduleID= parameter with a schedule identifier (Schedule ID) for an existing schedule. • • • You can obtain this identifier by browsing a schedule’s properties in the ASM/ME GUI. Click the right mouse button to copy the Schedule ID to the clipboard. A typical Schedule ID has the following format: ee05bb76‑6ccc‑431a‑99b9‑37886a1d7748 Enclose the Schedule ID in quotation marks if it contains an embedded space.
• Specifies the fully qualified name or IP address of the SMTP Host to be used to send email when ASM/ME actions that support sending email are performed. smtpport= • • Used with: configureASM subcommand This port will be used as a fallback port if the SMTP Server port cannot be accessed. ssa Used with: smart subcommand Optionally specify the -ssa parameter to select either a Search Service Application (SSA) name or an SSA ID, for which to create the Smart Copy.
• Setting this parameter to yes specifies that the operation will not fail even if a database, VM, or Exchange store associated with a volume in the collection cannot be found. For example, assume a collection that contains a volume named vol1, associated with an SQL database called DB1. If you delete DB1 and then create a Smart Copy of the collection, the operation will succeed even though DB1 is no longer associated with vol1.
For -category, enter either the category name (Informational, Warning, or Critical) or the abbreviation (I for Informational, W for Warning, or C for Critical). For a description of the parameters, see Command Parameters.
Command Syntax ASMCLI ‑cloneReplica [{‑document="path" | ‑volume={"drive"|"mount_point" | ‑component="component_name" | ‑collection="collection_name"| ‑objectID="identifier"}] [{‑useLatest | ‑useEarliest] For a description of the parameters, see Command Parameters. Example Create a clone of the most-recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\. > ASMCLI ‑cloneReplica ‑volume=F:\ ‑useLatest ASMCLI -configureASM Specify the ‑configureASM subcommand to set one or more ASM properties from the command l
> ASMCLI -configureCHAP -group=TestGroup -chapuser=username -secret=password -vssvds ASMCLI -createCollection The ‑createCollection command creates and validates a new collection from a list of volumes or components. ASMCLI handles collection creation differently than the ASM/ME GUI . If you use ASMCLI to create a collection and specify a list of volumes, the collection will contain all the volumes and every component that is fully contained on those volumes.
• > ASMCLI -delete -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\ PSV{11111111‑2222‑3333‑4444‑555555555555}\6666‑7777‑888.bcd" Delete the Smart Copy backup document 6666‑7777‑888.bcd. • • > ASMCLI -delete document="PSV{11111111‑2222‑3333‑4444‑555555555555\ 6666‑7777‑888.bcd" Delete the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\> ASMCLI -delete -volume=F:\ -useLatest Delete the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange mailbox database named MyMailboxDatabase.
Command Syntax ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies [{-volume={"drive_letter" |"mount_point"} | -component="component_name"} | -collection="collection_name" | -writer="writer_name" | -objectID="identifier"] For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters.
• > ASMCLI -list List all of the configured SharePoint writers: > ASMCLI -list ASMCLI -modifyCollection The ‑modifyCollection command modifies an existing collection by replacing the current definition with a list of volumes or components, if the list constitutes a valid collection. If the modification fails validation, the original definition is unchanged.
• Mount the Smart Copy backup document named e2b3‑f1a3‑234.bcd at the mount point D:\Data2Server • > ASMCLI ‑mount ‑document= "PSV{18A09060‑3BE0‑3FA8‑0A7A‑E4120000E045;32256}\ e2b3‑f1a3‑234.bcd" ‑location="D:\Data2Server" Mount the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for volume F:\ on drive Q:\ • > ASMCLI ‑mount ‑volume=F:\ ‑useLatest ‑location="Q:\" Mount the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange mailbox database named Mailbox2Database on drive Q:\: > ASMCLI ‑mount
Identifier Smart Copy Property • • • • • • -ApplicationConsistent Disabled—Replication is in progress. The replica has been deleted on the PS Series group. Disabled—Invalid replica Disabled—Replication is in progress Disabled—The replica set containing this replica is promoted Disabled—Could not connect to remote group Valid replica Indicates whether the snapshot is application consistent (True or False). Examples • List the properties for the Smart Copy backup document 6666‑7777‑888.bcd.
> ASMCLI -restore -volume=F:\ -useLatest Restore all of the volumes in place from the oldest backup document created for the Exchange mailbox database named MyMailboxDatabase: • > ASMCLI -restore ‑component="MyMailboxDatabase" -useEarliest ASMCLI -selectiveRestore Specify the ‑selectiveRestore subcommand to restore one or more selected components from a backup document. This operation is supported for SQL Server databases and Hyper‑V virtual machines.
ASMCLI -shutdownverifier The -shutdownverifier subcommand accepts one optional parameter: –timeout= nnn. The variable nnn is an integer in the range 0–999 specifying the number of seconds that ASMCLI should wait for the Global Verification task to terminate. ASMCLI -smart Specify the ‑smart subcommand to create a snapshot, clone, or replica of an object such as a volume. You can use this command only on supported components residing on PS Series storage arrays.
Optional Exchange Parameters The following parameters are optional for Exchange: -checksum -recovery -cloneandverify | -promoteandverify -offpeak | -remote -ignorelogoutfail Optional SharePoint Parameter If you have SharePoint installed, you can use the following parameter to specify whether to create a Smart Copy of the full SharePoint farm or a component of the farm: -spcategory=farm | content Examples • Create a thin-clone Smart Copy from the template volume with an object identifier string of Psv{18a
• Create an Exchange Smart Copy for the group named MyMailboxDatabase and run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery during the Global Verification window.
• Unmount the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\ from its current mount point: > ASMCLI -unmount -volume=F:\ -useLatest • Unmount the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange mailbox database named MyMailboxDatabase from its current mount point: > ASMCLI -unmount -component="Mailbox4Database" -useEarliest ASMCLI -verify The -verify subcommand is used with Exchange Smart Copies in the following scenarios: • Using the ‑checksum parameter to verify an existing bac
• Run a Soft Recovery on the backup document e2b3‑f1a3‑234.bcd: > ASMCLI -verify -document= "C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{18A09060‑3BE0‑3FA8‑0A7A‑E4120000E045;32256}\ e2b3‑f1a3‑234.bcd" -recovery • Schedule a Soft Recovery on the backup document named e2b3‑f1a3‑234.bcd. The document is located on a remote computer: ASMCLI -verify -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{18A09060\ 3BE0‑3FA8‑0A7A‑E4120000E045;32256}\e2b3‑f1a3‑234.
This line contains the command line to run the schedule, and identifies the schedule ID. 4. Right-click the field and select Copy. 5. Paste the command into a text editor, such as Notepad. The following table shows an example of a command that you can copy and paste when you right-click the Arguments property. Table 38.
A Recover a Clustered Volume From a Clone If a volume is lost or damaged, and no snapshot is available from which to restore it, a clone of the volume can be mounted in its place, which will effectively restore it. If the volume is a cluster resource, however, this operation is complicated by the Cluster Manager, which will not recognize the clone as being identical to the original volume. Use the following procedure to replace a volume that is a cluster resource with a clone. 1.
Index A access control CHAP accounts control access to snapshots 17 access control record configure to match a group computer 18 access controls CHAP accounts control access to volumes 17 manage Microsoft services 17 PS-Series group 16 required 16 setting up 16 ACL, See access controls Actions toolbar GUI objects 30 Actions Toolbar 30 Add Host Wizard create HIT group 41 alert settings 22 Alert settings configure 24 alias assign to a cluster node 36 assign to a Cluster node 35 assign to a host node 35, 36 as
ASMCLI (continued) subcommand parameters (continued) email 103 emailRecipientList= 104 emailSenderAddress= 104 emailSubjectLine= 104 enable= 104 enableall= 104 enableEmails= 104 group= 103 ignorelogoutfail 104 keepcount= 104 location= 104 locationroot= 105 newname= 105 NoEmail 105 nosignatureupdate 105 objectID= 105 offpeak 106 promoteandverify 106 readwrite 106 recovery 106 remote 106 retry= 106 scheduleID= 106 secret= 107 selections= 107 sendOnFailure= 107 sendOnSuccess 107 sendTestMail 107 shadowType= 10
cluster (continued) check access to Backup Document directory 20 clustered resource folders 21 CSV-enabled clusters create Smart Copy 83 delete an alias 36 environments HIT groups 38 failover support 13 multiple cluster management non-clustered host 38 network shared folder 21 operations through ASM/ME 43 restore in-place 84 schedule operations 46 SQL Server volumes 76 VSS requestor warnings 20 Cluster assign to a group 35 cluster mount points environment constraints 18 cluster node assign an alias 36 Clust
Exchange (continued) Smart Copy options (continued) perform task 67 Replica 67 snapshot 67 Soft Recovery 67 user comments 67 Soft Recovery 61 F fail over only 28 failover cluster operations 43 Failover Cluster support 13 G Global Actions toolbar 30 Global Verification schedule create system account 63 create user account 63 Global verification task remote host run soft recovery 64 Global Verification task constraints 62 create 62 EqlExVerifier.
Local Hosts node 33 local system ASM Services 21 M mailbox database create Exchange Smart Copy 66 menu bar top-level options 30 Microsoft Failover Cluster, See failover cluster mount SharePoint Smart Copy 96 snapshot 55 mount points cluster environments constraints 18 mounted Smart Copy cluster nodes accessibility 56 MPIO connections settings 28 multipath 27 settings 19, 27 multipath display information 57 MultiPath node 34 N network configure 28 network connections configure 28 network shared folder 21 n
restore cluster in-place 84 CSV operations 84 Hyper-V operations 82 in-place 11 SharePoint data 96 SharePoint Smart Copies 94 SharePoint Smart Copy database in-place 97 selected database 96 SharePoint Smart Copy database as new 97 SharePoint Smart Copy Search Service Application 97 Smart Copy data 56 VM in-place 82 Restore as New clone 84 snapshot 84 Round Robin 28 RSW create a new group 17 S SAN Data Copy Offload 11 schedule create for Smart Copy 46 delete 47 disable 47 enable 47 modify 46 schedules about
Smart Copy (continued) create (continued) run Checksum Verification 62 run Soft Recovery 62 use a script 123 create a schedule 46 create during thin-provisioning create online 20 CSV 84 CSV Collection 84 CSV-enabled cluster 83 data restore 54, 56 delete 53 delete all Smart Copies 53 delete Smart Copy 53 Exchange options 66 Exchange overview 60 Hyper-V point-in-time Smart Copy 79 schedules 82 import outside a HIT Group 54 target computer prerequisites 53 import external Smart Copy 54 import within a HIT Grou
SQL Server (continued) databases restore all 77 mount replicas 76 Restore All 75 Restore as New 75 Restore Selected Database 75 Smart Copy mount 76 mount points 75 restore options 74 version compatibility 74 SSO enable 27 status bar 31 Storage Manager for SANS 16 synchronous replication 51 SyncRep, See synchronous replication T template volume overview 10 Smart Copy 10 Template volume 34 thin clone replication 50 Smart Copy schedules 46 thin clone volume overview 10 Smart Copy 10 Thin clone volume 34 thin-
volume (continued) Exchange (continued) relocate components 61 iSCSI access 16 maximum sessions 28 mount points 18 rethin modify schedule 46 rethinning PowerShell cmdlet 11 Smart Copy properties 51 thin-provisioning restrictions 43 undelete 51 view details 42 volume rethin utility 11 volume rethinning, See thin-provisioning volume shadow copy service VSS 13 Volume view customize color themes cylinders 36 pie charts 36 volumes about 42 Volumes list node 34 VSS access control record 26 access controls 16 ASM/
