Virtual TapeServer 8.0 Configuration Guide

46 | Enabling and Configuring Role Swapping
• Ownership of virtual tapes is not stored, so there is no way to inform the administrator of
either system of the originator of the virtual tape.
• Remote export jobs push virtual tapes from one system to another. It is your
responsibility to disable the remote export jobs on current primary server (at the
production site) and enable them on the current secondary server when swapping roles. If
you do not disable all jobs on the production site, data may be overwritten.
How to configure servers and swap roles
Though there are a variety of reasons to configure your environment for role swapping, there
are two scenarios that dictate the steps you can perform:
• The primary server becomes unavailable and the secondary server must assume
production responsibilities. Eventually, the primary server will resume production
responsibilities. This may be the case if you must take a site offline for maintenance or if
you are testing DR procedures.
• The primary server or site becomes permanently unavailable.
The following procedures provide an overview of the steps you must perform for each scenario.
The primary server is referred to as “Server A” and the secondary server is referred to as
“Server B” for simplicity.
Note Some steps in the following procedures are provided in section of this chapter.
However, some steps are provided in the Quick Start Guide and online help. It is
recommended that you display and review this documentation before beginning.
To configure servers and swap roles
1. Configure network settings and TCP/IP security as described in Configuring network
settings and TCP/IP security on page 48. This step includes configuration of the primary
server (Server A) and secondary server (Server B).
2. Configure Server A to export data to Server B:
a. Enable Data Replication licensing using the VTS web interface as described in
Enabling Licensed Features on page 15.
b. Configure the rep_ parameters in the configuration file as described in Configuring
settings for remote export jobs on page 53.
c. Export virtual tapes to Server B by creating and running remote export jobs. This is
described in
Replicating a virtual tape using a remote export job on page 54.
Note If virtual tapes are exported to Server B after the Server A has been in
production, new remote export jobs may take a long time to complete.
3. Configure Server B in preparation of role swapping:
a. Make sure ports on Server B are set to virtual for ports to be connected to host
servers. (Host servers will use these ports to write data to VTLs and VTDs.) See
Configuring Ports on page 19 for more information.
b. Connect the host servers to Server B. Refer to the Quick Start Guide for cabling
instructions.
c. Configure VTLs and VTDs to match those on Server A. See Creating and Managing
VTLs and VTDs on page 21 for more information.