Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
Revisions The following table describes the release history of this Technical Report. Report Date Document Revision 1.0 July 2010 Initial Release 2.0 December 2011 New Auto-Snapshot Manager UI 3.0 December 2012 New Auto-Snapshot Manager 4.5 Release 4.0 September 2013 New Auto-Snapshot Manager 4.6 Release THIS WHITE PAPER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND TECHNICAL INACCURACIES.
Table of contents Revisions ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Preface ..............................................................................................
C VSS-control troubleshooting tips ......................................................................................................................................... 36 D Remote host verification setup ............................................................................................................................................. 38 E D.1 Using a system as a dedicated verification server ................................................................................................
Acknowledgements Authored by: Daniel J. Curran WWW.DELL.COM/PSseries Preface Dell EqualLogic™ PS Series arrays optimize resources by automating performance and network load balancing. Additionally, PS Series arrays offer all-inclusive array management software, host software, and free firmware updates.
1 Introduction Database protection and disaster recovery are among the top concerns for Exchange Server administrators. Requirements for reducing database backup windows and restore times continue as demands for continuous Exchange Server uptime is increasing. PS Series arrays provide administrators the ability to create volume based copies of data using snapshots, clones and replicas. These copies are known as “point-in-time” copies of volume data.
2 ASM / ME – Exchange Server integration Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition utilizes Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) architecture to provide application integration with SAN copy operations, Figure 1. During the VSS operation flow, Auto-Snapshot Manager initiates the process by requesting the Exchange Server VSS Writer to prepare a database for a Smart Copy operation.
information including snapshot reserve and in-use statistics, collection and schedule information, and individual Smart Copy information. The bar (4) above the center and hosts view will list actions available for a selected object. Actions include operations including host management, schedule creation, Smart Copy creation, restore options for a Smart Copy, etc.
3 Overview of HIT groups A HIT Group is a group of one or more hosts that you are managing from ASM/ME. HIT Groups are useful because they allow you to manage multiple hosts from any machine that is running ASM/ME. For example, if an administrator has to manage and backup Microsoft Exchange mailbox databases residing on multiple servers, they can create a HIT Group on a single instance of ASM/ME and manage multiple servers from there.
4 HIT groups in non-DAG environments In non-DAG environments, HIT Groups are host-specific. That is, adding host B to the ASM/ME instance on host A does not automatically add host A to the ASM/ME instance on host B. A HIT Group can also consist of one host. Adding multiple hosts to manage is optional; you can also just run ASM/ME from a single host and manage that local host. 10 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
5 HIT groups in DAG environments In DAG environments, all DAG nodes in a HIT Group have a reciprocal relationship. That is, adding DAG node B to the ASM/ME instance on DAG node A will automatically add DAG node A to the ASM/ME instance on DAG node B. You must always add an entire DAG to a HIT Group as opposed to a subset of DAG nodes. ASM/ME will then automatically set up the trust relationship between each DAG node.
Figure 3 5.3 Smart Copy behavior options Snapshot Smart Copy Snapshot Smart Copies are point-in-time copies of Exchange Database and log files at the time of the Smart Copy operation. Snapshots are the most space-efficient form of a Database Smart Copy and therefore multiple copies of snapshots can be stored and used for restore operations. In the PS Series Group Manager GUI, snapshot Smart Copies are shown under each base volume from which they were created.
With ASM/ME, smart copy clones can be used for restoring to an Exchange Recovery Mailbox Database allowing Brick / Item level restores, or create exact copies of Database environments for testing and development scenarios. 5.5 Replica Smart Copy Replicas can be used to offload Smart Copy storage as well as checksum and soft recovery operations to the remote site. Note: Replicas cannot be used to restore the original volume (Restore All).
6 Setup and Configuration Best Practices This section details some best practices for using Auto-Snapshot Manager with PS Series groups and Exchange Server. 6.1 Database File Layout To create Exchange Server Database Smart Copies with ASM/ME, all of the Database files must reside on PS Series storage so that ASM/ME recognizes all the underlying volumes that make up the Database object. PS Series groups create volume-based data copies. All the volume data will be protected during a Smart Copy operation.
6.2 Storage resource management This section describes how ASM/ME and Smart Copies use storage resources and suggests some best practices for monitoring and managing space used by Smart Copy sets on the PS Series group. • Snapshot Smart Copies use the snapshot reserve space allocated to the volume. You can monitor and change the snapshot reserve value for each volume that makes up an Exchange Server Database.
Best Practices: Size replication space and network bandwidth according to your network needs. Only use the Mount as Read-only option for temporary use and be sure to un-mount and demote when finished to continue replication on that Smart Copy Set. 16 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
7 Creating Exchange Server database Smart Copies Your business needs will determine the type of Smart Copy to create using ASM/ME. • If the objective is fast recovery of Exchange Server Databases, use snapshot Smart Copies because they consume minimal storage resources and can be used to quickly roll back the original database volumes for a complete recovery strategy.
1. Unless you have a database availability group (DAG) that has two or more copies the recommended configuration is to keep Database files on their own volumes separate from logs, see: Understanding Exchange LUN Architecture. Choose the Smart Copy type and the behavior based on the planned usage of the Smart Copy (Database restore, Recovery Mailbox Database, or another use). Note: ASM/ME does not support torn Smart Copies.
• On a Remote host preconfigured to perform Exchange verification. Specify this option to schedule Global Verification on a remote host. The remote host must be configured to run the operation. See: Appendix D – Remote Host Verification Setup Note: if you need to change the remote Global Verification window, you must change it on the remote host. Figure 6 Data verification and Soft Recovery options 3. Click Next and verify the settings displayed in the Summary screen. (Figure 7) 4.
Figure 7 7.2 Summary screen Displaying Smart Copies To display information about the Smart Copy set, select Smart Copies. The ASM/ME Smart Copies window appears (Figure 8) 20 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
Figure 8 21 ASM Smart Copies window TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
8 Restoring Exchange Server databases with Smart Copies There are various methods to restore and recover Exchange Server Databases using Smart Copies. The underlying PS Series architecture can either restore a volume from a Smart Copy (Restore All) or mount a Smart Copy online to a host as a new volume (Create Recovery Mailbox Database). Both of these operations have many different Exchange Server Database restore possibilities.
9 Exchange Server database restore scenarios The following sections discuss Exchange Server Database restore scenarios and how to apply each of the restore options (Figure 9). Some scenarios may use multiple Smart Copy restore options but each option can have a different effect on the restore. Please read through the next sections carefully to understand how each Smart Copy restore option will affect the Exchange Server Database environment. Figure 9 9.
the host and Exchange Server. At the same time, the PS Series group creates an additional snapshot of the Mailbox Database volume state before restoring the Smart Copy. This snapshot appears offline in the PS Series Group Manager GUI and can be used for debugging problems that may have caused the Mailbox Database corruption or failure. The Restore All Mailbox Database restore has two options (Figure 10): • Mount all mail stores after restore.
Note: Recovery Mailbox Databases shouldn't be used when you have to recover public folder content, when you have to restore entire servers, or when you have to restore multiple databases. For more information see the following URL: Recovery Databases http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd876954.aspx Restore Data Using a Recovery Database http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee332351.aspx ASM/ME recognizes the new Mailbox Database files and automatically performs a selective restore operation.
Figure 12 Select RDB drive letter or mount point ASM/ME displays a dialog titled: Review recovery mailbox database configuration (Figure 13). You have the following options: 1. If an existing RDB is detected, you are prompted to delete it. If you do not delete the existing RDB, you cannot proceed with creating a new RDB. 2. Confirm the path for the new recovery mailbox database. Click Next> to proceed. ASM/ME creates and mounts the RDB volume, making it writable in the process. 26 TR1059 | V4.
Figure 13 Review recovery mailbox database configuration ASM/ME displays a dialog titled: Recovery Creation Complete (Figure 14). Launch Exchange Management Shell link opens Exchange Management Shell to perform mailbox or mail item recovery. You are also prompted to use the dismount and Logoff procedure on the mounted Smart Copy set when done. 27 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
Figure 14 9.3 Recovery Creation Complete Single Item Recovery Using Exchange Management Shell Click on the Launch Exchange Management Shell link (Figure 14) to be presented with Exchange Management Shell (Figure 15). Figure 15 28 Recovery with Exchange Management shell TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
You can use Power Shell commands to extract data from an RDB. After extraction, the data can be exported to a folder or merged into an existing mailbox. The name of the recovery mailbox database is the original Exchange Mailbox Database name, followed by recovery database. For New-MailboxRestoreRequest command parameters both required and optional please visit this link: New-MailboxRestoreRequest http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff829875.
Figure 17 Remove recovery database The last step in the clean-up process is to use the dismount and Logoff procedure on the mounted Smart Copy set when done (Figure 18). 30 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
Figure 18 31 Unmount and Logoff TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
10 Summary Auto-Snapshot Manager / Microsoft Edition can substantially increase Exchange Server data availability by using PS Series data protection technologies. Smart Copy snapshots, clones, and replicas all play a vital role in robust Exchange Server protection scenarios for on-demand data recovery and Exchange Server Mailbox Database restores. Although using ASM/ME will increase Exchange Server data availability, it is not considered an alternative to long-term backup methods.
A Glossary PS Series Group Manager GUI – A Java-based user interface to manage the PS series Mailbox Database. Auto-Snapshot Manager GUI – A host-based management interface to create and manage Smart Copies of Exchange Server Mailbox Databases and NTFS volumes. Smart Copy – An application-consistent copy of an Exchange Server Mailbox Database. Smart Copy types include snapshots, clones, and replicas.
B Command line options If you have existing scripts for running backups or performing other background operations, you can also schedule the creation of smart copy sets by adding an ASM/ME command to the script. Scripting ASM/ME v4.6 ASM/ME v4.6 has enabled much of the functionality of the GUI into the command line interface.
Figure 20 Smart Copy command line Scripts like this can be created for other Smart Copy operations and used accordingly. For a detailed description of script commands and sample usage, see the Host Integration Tools for Windows v4.6 User Guide. 35 TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
C VSS-control troubleshooting tips ASM/ME uses CHAP authentication to communicate with the PS Series group. The authentication user name and password must be the same on the host running Auto-Snapshot Manager and the PS Series group. If the PS Series group IP address is not already in the groups listed under PS Group Access on the settings tab in Auto-Snapshot Manager, add the IP address of the PS Series group you would like to connect to and add the CHAP username and password (Figure 21).
Figure 21 37 PS Group Access TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
D Remote host verification setup You can optionally perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on a remote host. Remote Host verification requires the following configuration: • • • • Two host systems with the same installed versions of the following application software: Auto-Snapshot Manager. Exchange Management Tools. A shared network folder or drive to provide a Smart Copy repository.
D.2 Prerequisites for a verification server A verification server has the following prerequisites: • You must install the same release of Host Integration Tools on both the verification server and on the Smart Copy creator servers. This includes all required applications such as the iSCSI initiators. • You must install the Exchange Management Tools for the same release of Microsoft Exchange Server as is installed on the Smart Copy creator servers.
c. Under the Auto-Snapshot Manager Document Directory, specify the path to the shared folder that you defined in Step 4. (Ensure that the drive letter specifies the local mount point.) d. Specify a domain account under Run ASM Service AS: the account will be granted “Log on as a service” privilege on selected hosts. e. Click Save. 6. Set up a Global Verification Task on the verification server, using the following steps: a.
E Exchange 2013 data protection versus Exchange 2010 A Smart Copy of a mailbox database (for Exchange 2010 and 2013) will function exactly the same on both versions. Exchange 2013 adds the ability to create Smart Copies of Public Folders and restore Public Folders. The Restore-Mailbox command has been replaced with the New-MailboxRestoreRequest in Exchange 2013 although it could be used in later versions of Exchange 2010. The steps to use the restoremailbox command in Exchange 2010 are listed below.
Figure 23 Recovery with Exchange Management Shell You can use the cmdlet to extract data from an RDB. After extraction, the data can be exported to a folder or merged into an existing mailbox. The name of the recovery mailbox database is the original Exchange Mailbox Database name, followed by recovery database. For restore-mailbox command parameters both required and optional please visit this link: RestoreMailbox http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb125218.
Figure 24 43 Recovery folder in Outlook TR1059 | V4.0 | Exchange 2013 Data Protection with EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition 4.
Technical support and customer service Dell support service is available to answer your questions about PS Series SAN arrays. Contacting Dell 1. If you have an Express Service Code, have it ready. The code helps the Dell automated support telephone system direct your call more efficiently. 2. If you are a customer in the United States or Canada in need of technical support, call 1-800-945-3355. If not, go to Step 3. 3. Visit support.dell.com/equallogic. 4.
Dell Online Services You can learn about Dell products and services using this procedure: 1. Visit http://www.dell.com or the URL specified in any Dell product information. 2. Use the locale menu or click on the link that specifies your country or region. Dell EqualLogic Storage Solutions To learn more about Dell EqualLogic products and new releases being planned, visit the Dell EqualLogic TechCenter site: http://delltechcenter.com/page/EqualLogic.
