Users Guide
Table Of Contents
- About This Guide
- Dell EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition Version 5.4 User's Guide
- Introduction to ASM/ME
- Functions Provided By ASM/ME
- Supported Applications
- HIT Groups and Multiple Machine Management
- ASM/ME Smart Copies
- Smart Copy Types
- Smart Copy Operations for Template and Thin Clone Volumes
- Robust Data Recovery
- Thin-Provisioning a Volume
- SAN Data Copy Offload
- Scripts and Command Generation
- Alerts and Event Notification
- Remote Installations
- Failover Cluster Support
- ASM/ME and the Virtual Snapshot Service
- Functions Provided By ASM/ME
- Configure ASM/ME
- PS Series Group Requirements
- Windows Computer Requirements
- Required Access Controls
- VSS/VDS Service Access to the Group
- Access to Volumes and Snapshots
- iSCSI Target Connections
- Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments
- Mount Point Constraints in Cluster Environments
- ASM/ME Settings
- ASM/ME Graphical User Interface
- Start the ASM/ME GUI
- Tree Panel
- Tree Panel Behavior in Failover Cluster Environments
- Tree Panel Nodes
- Tree Panel Icons
- Group SharePoint Farm Nodes, Clusters, or Host Nodes
- About Aliases
- Customize Color Themes
- HIT Groups
- General ASM/ME Operations
- About Volumes
- Operations on Failover Clusters
- About Collections
- About Schedules
- About Smart Copies
- Restoring Data
- View Multipath Information
- View I/O Details
- Using ASM/ME with Exchange
- View Exchange Applications in ASM/ME
- Exchange Operations
- Overview of Exchange Smart Copies
- Exchange eseutil.exe Utility
- Recovery Considerations for Exchange
- Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery
- Run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Immediately
- Run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery After Smart Copy Creation
- Schedule a Global Verification Task for Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery
- Run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on a Remote Host
- View Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Status
- Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Logging and Notification
- Create Exchange Smart Copies
- Schedule Smart Copies for Exchange Components
- Recover Exchange Data
- Using ASM/ME with SQL Server
- Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V
- Using ASM/ME with SharePoint
- SharePoint Installation Considerations
- Plan to Install on a SharePoint Farm
- Example of ASM/ME Installed on a SharePoint Farm
- Example of a SharePoint Farm with a SQL Cluster
- Install ASM/ME on a SharePoint Farm
- About Changes to an Existing SharePoint Farm
- Remove a HIT Group Host From a SharePoint Farm
- Add a Writer Host to a SharePoint Farm
- Change a Writer Host in a SharePoint Farm
- Change the Writer Host and Disable the VSS Writer in a SharePoint Farm
- Respond to Changes in a SharePoint Farm
- View SharePoint Farm Components in ASM/ME
- SharePoint Smart Copies
- Restore Options for SharePoint Smart Copies
- Availability of SharePoint Data Restoration Operations
- Mount a SharePoint Smart Copy
- Restore Selected Databases from a SharePoint Smart Copy
- Restore a Database In-Place From a SharePoint Smart Copy
- Restore a Database From a SharePoint Smart Copy as a New Database
- Restore an SSA From a SharePoint Smart Copy
- Using the Command Line Interface
- Introduction to ASMCLI
- How to Use ASMCLI Commands
- General Command Syntax
- ASMCLI Command Summary
- Command Parameters
- ASMCLI Commands and Their Syntax
- ASMCLI -alert
- ASMCLI -breaksmartcopy
- ASMCLI -cloneReplica
- ASMCLI -configureASM
- ASMCLI -configureCHAP
- ASMCLI -createCollection
- ASMCLI -delete
- ASMCLI -deleteCollection
- ASMCLI -enumerateiSCSIPortals
- ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies
- ASMCLI -help
- ASMCLI -list
- ASMCLI -modifyCollection
- ASMCLI -mount
- ASMCLI -Properties
- ASMCLI -restore
- ASMCLI -selectiveRestore
- ASMCLI -shutdownsystray
- ASMCLI -shutdownverifier
- ASMCLI -smart
- ASMCLI -unmount
- ASMCLI -verify
- ASMCLI -version
- Use a Script to Create Smart Copies
- Recover a Clustered Volume From a Clone
- Index
You can create Smart Copies of direct-attached iSCSI volumes only if you install an instance of ASM/ME on the VM. Any
Smart Copies of direct-attached iSCSI volumes are application-consistent, but you cannot take an application-consistent
snapshot of the entire VM and running applications with this configuration.
● Passthrough volumes—Passthrough volumes are logged in to by the host partition but mounted only on the VM. The volume
is not seen as an iSCSI target and is not visible as such to ASM/ME or to Hyper-V.
Microsoft recommends this configuration for performance reasons, but it does not enable you to create application-
consistent Smart Copies of the applications running on these volumes.
Hyper-V Specific Operations
Hyper-V virtual machines appear under the Applications node in the tree panel. When using Hyper-V virtual machines,
ASM/ME allows you to perform the following operations:
● Create application-consistent and crash-consistent Smart Copies of virtual machines (dependent on O/S type). Note the
following constraints for Hyper-V environments:
○ Whether the copy operation is application-consistent or crash-consistent depends on the type of operating system and
whether the Integration Services (or Virtual Guest Services) are installed on the guest.
○ In a standalone Windows Server 2012 R2 or later environment, both full and copy backup types are available. In a
Windows Server 2012 R2 or later CSV environment, only the full backup type is available.
○ Volumes for highly available VMs created through SCVMM do not have user-visible mount points. However, you can
create Smart Copies of these volumes using the same procedure as any other volume.
For more information, see the Host Integration Tools for Microsoft Installation and User’s Guide.
● Define collections of virtual machines
● Set up schedules for creating Smart Copies of virtual machines
● Restore Smart Copies of virtual machines
● Restore volumes used by VMs
Smart Copies for Linux Guest Operating Systems
The Smart Copy operation follows this sequence when using a Linux guest operating system:
● ASM/ME initiates the Smart Copy operation.
● During the Smart Copy operation, the VM is frozen. Any user logged in to the VM temporarily cannot perform I/O
operations.
● When the Smart Copy operation completes, services on the VM resume automatically.
Avoid Torn Smart Copies
Dell encourages you to place related VM data sets on separate volumes that you create for their exclusive use. ASM/ME always
takes a Smart Copy of a volume. Therefore, if multiple VMs are located on a volume, all VMs are copied and all will be restored in
the restore operation.
If VMs are allowed to span multiple volumes, a Smart Copy operation could result in a torn Smart Copy. Torn Smart Copies
explains this scenario.
Hyper-V Collections
The procedure for operations on collections of virtual machines is the same as the general operations described in General
ASM/ME Operations.
NOTE: Avoid removing VMs without updating relevant collections.
86 Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V