Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft...

Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition

User Guide

Version 3.4

Copyright 2010 Dell, Inc. All rights reserved.

EqualLogic is a registered trademark of Dell, Inc.

Dell is a trademark of Dell, Inc.

All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without written permission is strictly forbidden.

July 2010

Part Number: 110-6038-EN-R1

iii

Table of Contents

Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... ixAudience .................................................................................................................................................................... ixOrganization .............................................................................................................................................................. ixConventions ................................................................................................................................................................ xHost Integration Tools Documentation ...................................................................................................................... xOverview of EqualLogic Software ............................................................................................................................. xRelated Documentation ............................................................................................................................................ xiiTechnical Support and Customer Service................................................................................................................xiiiOnline Services........................................................................................................................................................xiii

1 Introduction to ASM/ME ..............................................................................................................................1-1About ASM/ME.......................................................................................................................................................1-1Functions Provided by ASM/ME ............................................................................................................................1-2

Objects that ASM/ME Can Copy......................................................................................................................1-2Types of Smart Copies Supported ....................................................................................................................1-3

Smart Copy Operations For Thin Clone Volumes .....................................................................................1-3Methods of Creating Smart Copies...................................................................................................................1-3Notification of Events .......................................................................................................................................1-4Quick Access to Smart Copies..........................................................................................................................1-4Robust Data Recovery ......................................................................................................................................1-5

SAN Data Copy Offload.............................................................................................................................1-5Easy Smart Copy Management.........................................................................................................................1-5Support for Scripting and Command Generation .............................................................................................1-6SAN Boot Awareness .......................................................................................................................................1-7

Failover Cluster Support..........................................................................................................................................1-7Applications Supported ...........................................................................................................................................1-8

2 Configuring ASM/ME ....................................................................................................................................2-1Installing ASM/ME .................................................................................................................................................2-1Environment Prerequisites ......................................................................................................................................2-1

Computer and Group Requirements ................................................................................................................2-2Setting Up Access Controls ..............................................................................................................................2-2Microsoft Service Access to the Group ............................................................................................................2-4Access to Volumes and Snapshots....................................................................................................................2-4iSCSI Target Connections.................................................................................................................................2-5Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments........................................................................................2-5

Considerations When Using Mount Points in Clusters ..............................................................................2-5Multiple Databases on Volumes .......................................................................................................................2-6Configuration Requirements for Clusters .........................................................................................................2-7

ASM/ME Graphical User Interface .........................................................................................................................2-8Starting the GUI ................................................................................................................................................2-8Microsoft Management Console Snap-In .........................................................................................................2-9Console Tree .....................................................................................................................................................2-9Master Nodes and Object Nodes.....................................................................................................................2-10Console Tree Icons..........................................................................................................................................2-12

Setting Properties...................................................................................................................................................2-14Setting General Properties ..............................................................................................................................2-14Setting CHAP Properties ................................................................................................................................2-16

ASM/ME User Guide Table of Contents

iv

Setting Up Global Imported Smart Copy Credentials ..............................................................................2-17Procedure for Specifying CHAP Credentials..................................................................................................2-18Setting Up VSS/VDS Credentials...................................................................................................................2-18Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials ................................................................................................2-20Setting Notification Properties........................................................................................................................2-21Setting up the Global Verification Window ...................................................................................................2-22Customizing the Console ................................................................................................................................2-23

3 Generic ASM/ME Operations ......................................................................................................................3-1Operations on Microsoft Failover Clusters..............................................................................................................3-1

Identifying Cluster Volumes in the ASM/ME GUI ..........................................................................................3-2Using ASM/ME for Smart Copy Operations...........................................................................................................3-2

Constraints for Smart Copy Procedures............................................................................................................3-2Requirements For Creating Smart Copy Sets ...................................................................................................3-3Creating Smart Copy Sets .................................................................................................................................3-3

Creating Collections ................................................................................................................................................3-5Understanding Collection Creation...................................................................................................................3-5Creating a Collection ........................................................................................................................................3-6Modifying and Deleting a Collection................................................................................................................3-8

Scheduling Smart Copy Operations.........................................................................................................................3-8Schedule Operation Under Clusters..................................................................................................................3-8Considerations When Creating Schedules ........................................................................................................3-8Configuring a Schedule.....................................................................................................................................3-9Modifying a Schedule .....................................................................................................................................3-11Deleting a Schedule ........................................................................................................................................3-11Disabling and Enabling Schedules..................................................................................................................3-12

Displaying Smart Copy Information .....................................................................................................................3-12Displaying Information ...................................................................................................................................3-12

Accessing and Restoring Data from a Smart Copy ...............................................................................................3-13Overview of Data Restoration Operations ......................................................................................................3-13Mounting a Snapshot or Clone Smart Copy Set .............................................................................................3-14Mounting a Replica Smart Copy.....................................................................................................................3-17Restoring from a Smart Copy Set ...................................................................................................................3-17

Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy ........................................................................................................3-18Constraints for Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy.........................................................................3-18Unmounting Smart Copies on a Cluster .........................................................................................................3-18Procedure for Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy...........................................................................3-18

Validating Smart Copy Sets...................................................................................................................................3-19Procedure for Validating Smart Copy Sets .....................................................................................................3-20

Deleting Individual or All Smart Copy Sets..........................................................................................................3-20Deleting Smart Copies for a Specified Object ................................................................................................3-21

Viewing Backup Documents .................................................................................................................................3-21Importing a Smart Copy on a Different Computer................................................................................................3-21

Procedure for Importing a Smart Copy...........................................................................................................3-22Where to Go Next..................................................................................................................................................3-22

4 Using ASM/ME with Microsoft Exchange ................................................................................................4-1How ASM/ME Displays Exchange Components....................................................................................................4-1

Microsoft Exchange Server Operations ............................................................................................................4-2Smart Copy Phases for Exchange Components................................................................................................4-2


v

Recovery Considerations for Microsoft Exchange ...........................................................................................4-3Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility.............................................................................................................4-4

Cluster Considerations for eseutil Utility ...................................................................................................4-4Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery .............................................................................................................4-5

Remote Host Verification .................................................................................................................................4-5Using a System as a Dedicated Verification Server .........................................................................................4-6Configuring a Verification Server.....................................................................................................................4-6

Prerequisites................................................................................................................................................4-6Configuring a Verification Server ..............................................................................................................4-7

Running Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Immediately...................................................................4-8Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Logging and Notification .............................................................4-8Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task .........................................................................4-8Determining Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Status.......................................................................4-9

Global Verification Task for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies ...........................................................................4-9Constraints for Global Verification Task..........................................................................................................4-9Creating or Modifying the Global Verification Task......................................................................................4-10Manually Creating a Global Verification Schedule........................................................................................4-11

Manually Creating a Global Verification Schedule..................................................................................4-11Creating Smart Copies of Exchange Components.................................................................................................4-12

Planning for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy Procedures ............................................................................4-12Creating Exchange Smart Copies ...................................................................................................................4-13Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery for Replicas ................................................................................4-16

Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components ..........................................................................4-17Obtaining Information about Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies .........................................................................4-20Accessing and Restoring Microsoft Exchange Data .............................................................................................4-20

Restoring Microsoft Exchange Component Data ...........................................................................................4-20Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery.....................................................................................4-20Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database ................................................................................................................4-21

Prerequisites..............................................................................................................................................4-22Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database ...................................................................................................4-22

Creating a Recovery Storage Group (Exchange 2007 and 2003)..........................................................................4-23Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group..................................................................................4-23Microsoft Exchange Version Dependencies ...................................................................................................4-23Microsoft Exchange Prerequisites ..................................................................................................................4-23

General Prerequisites for Creating a Recovery Storage Group ................................................................4-23Microsoft Exchange 2007 Prerequisites ...................................................................................................4-24Microsoft Exchange 2003 Prerequisites ...................................................................................................4-24

Creating a Recovery Storage Group on a Non-Clustered Computer (Exchange 2007 and 2003)..................4-25Creating an RSG with Microsoft Exchange 2007 ....................................................................................4-25Microsoft Exchange 2003 Single Volume Procedure ..............................................................................4-27Microsoft Exchange 2003 Multiple Volume Procedure...........................................................................4-28

Creating a Recovery Storage Group in a Failover Cluster (Exchange 2007 and 2003) .................................4-29Microsoft Exchange 2007 Procedure........................................................................................................4-30Microsoft Exchange 2003 Procedure........................................................................................................4-30Refreshing the Console Tree ....................................................................................................................4-31

Microsoft Exchange In-place Restore ...................................................................................................................4-32In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2010 ..............................................................................................4-32

Prerequisites..............................................................................................................................................4-32Fully Restoring a Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Database.......................................................................4-32

In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003 ..............................................................................4-33


vi

Prerequisites for an In-Place Restore........................................................................................................4-33Procedure for an In-Place Restore ............................................................................................................4-33

Clone and Restore All As New..............................................................................................................................4-34Prerequisites ....................................................................................................................................................4-35Importing an Exchange Smart Copy Set and Setting It Up As a New Mailbox Database .............................4-35

5 Using ASM/ME with SQL Server................................................................................................................5-1SQL Server-Specific Operations .............................................................................................................................5-1

Multiple Components in Smart Copies.............................................................................................................5-1Mounted Smart Copy Volumes that are In Use ................................................................................................5-2

Restore Options for SQL Server Smart Copies .......................................................................................................5-2Mounting and Manually Restoring SQL Server Data .............................................................................................5-4Restoring Selected SQL Server Databases ..............................................................................................................5-5Restoring all Databases............................................................................................................................................5-7Restoring All Databases as New Databases ............................................................................................................5-7

Procedure for Restoring All Databases as New Databases...............................................................................5-8Completing the Procedure for Clustered Systems ..........................................................................................5-10

6 Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V .....................................................................................................................6-1Hyper-V Support by ASM/ME................................................................................................................................6-1

Operating System Constraints...........................................................................................................................6-1Hyper-V Requirements and Constraints..................................................................................................................6-1Hyper-V Supported Configuration ..........................................................................................................................6-2Unsupported Configurations....................................................................................................................................6-3ASM/ME GUI for Hyper-V.....................................................................................................................................6-3Hyper-V Specific Operations ..................................................................................................................................6-4

Hyper-V Smart Copy Operations......................................................................................................................6-4Avoiding Multiple VMs on Volumes and Torn Smart Copies...................................................................6-4Procedure for Creating Smart Copies of Virtual Machines........................................................................6-4Behavior Differences of Smart Copy Operations on the VM.....................................................................6-4

Hyper-V Collections Operations.......................................................................................................................6-5Hyper-V Schedules Operations.........................................................................................................................6-5Hyper-V Restore Operations.............................................................................................................................6-5

In-Place Restore..........................................................................................................................................6-5Selective Restore ........................................................................................................................................6-5Procedure for Restoring a VM In-Place .....................................................................................................6-6Procedure for Selectively Restoring a VM.................................................................................................6-6Sequence of Restore Operations on the VM...............................................................................................6-6

Cluster Shared Volumes ..........................................................................................................................................6-6Changing the Coordination Node in a CSV Environment................................................................................6-7

Example 1—One CSV................................................................................................................................6-7Example 2 — Two CSVs ...........................................................................................................................6-7Changing the Coordination Node from One Node to Another...................................................................6-8

Creating Smart Copy Schedules in a CSV Environment..................................................................................6-9Restore Operations in a CSV Environment ......................................................................................................6-9

Selective Restore ........................................................................................................................................6-9In-Place Restore........................................................................................................................................6-10

7 Using the Command Line Interface ............................................................................................................7-1Introduction to the ASM/ME CLI ...........................................................................................................................7-1

General Command Syntax ................................................................................................................................7-2


vii

CLI Command Summary.........................................................................................................................................7-2Entering CLI Commands ........................................................................................................................................7-3Using CLI Commands .............................................................................................................................................7-4

ASMCLI -smart ................................................................................................................................................7-4Command Syntax........................................................................................................................................7-4Required Parameters ...................................................................................................................................7-4Common Optional Parameters....................................................................................................................7-4Optional Exchange Parameters...................................................................................................................7-5Examples.....................................................................................................................................................7-5

ASMCLI -verify -checksum -recovery .............................................................................................................7-6Command Syntax........................................................................................................................................7-6Parameters...................................................................................................................................................7-6Examples.....................................................................................................................................................7-7

ASMCLI -mount ...............................................................................................................................................7-7Command Syntax........................................................................................................................................7-7Parameters...................................................................................................................................................7-8Examples.....................................................................................................................................................7-8

ASMCLI -properties .........................................................................................................................................7-8Command Syntax........................................................................................................................................7-8Parameters...................................................................................................................................................7-9Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-10

ASMCLI -unmount .........................................................................................................................................7-10Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-10Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-10Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-11

ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies..................................................................................................................7-11Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-12Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-12Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-12

ASMCLI -restore ............................................................................................................................................7-12Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-12Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-12Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-13

ASMCLI -selectiveRestore .............................................................................................................................7-13Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-13Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-14Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-14

ASMCLI -asmcli -help....................................................................................................................................7-14Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-14

ASMCLI -list ..................................................................................................................................................7-14Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-15Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-15Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-15

ASMCLI -delete..............................................................................................................................................7-15Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-15Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-16Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-16

ASMCLI -configureASM ...............................................................................................................................7-16Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-16Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-17


viii

Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-17ASMCLI -configureCHAP .............................................................................................................................7-17

Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-17Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-17Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-17

ASMCLI -createCollection .............................................................................................................................7-18Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-18Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-18Examples...................................................................................................................................................7-18

ASMCLI -modifyCollection ...........................................................................................................................7-18Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-18Parameters.................................................................................................................................................7-18Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-19

ASMCLI -deleteCollection .............................................................................................................................7-19Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-19Parameter ..................................................................................................................................................7-19Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-19

ASMCLI -shutdownverifier............................................................................................................................7-19Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-19

ASMCLI -shutdownsystray ............................................................................................................................7-20Example ....................................................................................................................................................7-20

ASMCLI -version ...........................................................................................................................................7-20Command Syntax......................................................................................................................................7-20

Command Parameters............................................................................................................................................7-20Using a Script to Create Smart Copies ..................................................................................................................7-30

Preparing to Create the Script Commands......................................................................................................7-30Creating the Script Commands .......................................................................................................................7-30

A Recover a Clustered Volume From a Clone............................................................................................A-1

Glossary .................................................................................................................................... Glossary-1

Index................................................................................................................................................ Index-1

ix

Preface

This guide provides information for the Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition (ASM/ME) application, a component of the Host Integration Tools, a collection of applications and utilities that simplifies the configuration and administration of EqualLogic PS Series arrays.

ASM/ME is a snap-in application, integrated into the Microsoft Management Console of your computer. Your computer is connected to PS Series storage arrays across a Storage Area Network (SAN). You use ASM/ME to create and manage copies of storage objects (such as volumes or databases) located on PS Series groups.

Audience

This guide contains information for computer system administrators who are responsible for, and, depending on your site-specific configuration, have appropriate knowledge of, the following tasks:

• PS Series array and group administration.

• Windows, Windows cluster, and Windows Server operating environment administration.

• iSCSI initiator operation.

• Windows Exchange database, SQL Server database administration, or Hyper-V administration.

Organization

The organization of this guide is as follows:

• Chapter 1, Introduction to ASM/ME — provides an overview of the Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition.

• Chapter 2, Configuring ASM/ME — describes how to set up the Auto-Snapshot Manager.

• Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations — describes generic procedures for protecting data by creating and managing Smart Copies and describes how to use Smart Copies on both single systems and Windows failover clusters for data recovery.

• Chapter 4, Using ASM/ME with Microsoft Exchange — describes Exchange Server-specific procedures for protecting data by creating and managing Smart Copies and describes how to use Smart Copies for data recovery.

• Chapter 5, Using ASM/ME with SQL Server — describes SQL Server-specific procedures for protecting data by creating and managing Smart Copies and describes how to use Smart Copies for data recovery.

• Chapter 6, Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V — describes Hyper-V specific procedures for ASM/ME.

• Chapter 7, Using the Command Line Interface — describes the commands that you can enter at the Windows command prompt to perform ASM/ME operations. You can also generate commands automatically in the ASM/ME GUI, and use them to create site-specific scripts for ASM/ME operations.

• Appendix A, Recover a Clustered Volume From a Clone — describes the manual procedure for recovering a clustered volume from a clone.

• Glossary — defines storage technology terminology that is specific to EqualLogic.

ASM/ME User Guide

x

Conventions

Typographical conventions are shown in the following table.

Convention Usage

fixed width font Command, parameter, output, file name, link, button, field, URL address, or e-mail address.

bold fixed width Input to command prompt.

fixed_width_italics Indicates that you replace the variable with a command, parameter, file name, etc.

{text1 | text2} Indicates that you can choose one of the items presented.

parameter ... Trailing dots indicate that you can enter multiple parameters on a command line, separated by spaces.

option[,...] Trailing dots, preceded by a comma, indicate you can enter multiple variables, separated by commas and no spaces.

[parameter] Brackets indicate that the item inside the bracket is optional.

> A greater than symbol represents a Windows system prompt.

Host Integration Tools Documentation

Documentation for Host Integration Tools for Microsoft® Windows® systems is available on the Host Integration Tools media CD-ROM.

Dell provides the following user information for the Host Integration Tools:

• Release Notes. This guide is available in PDF format for printing or display using a PDF viewer.

• Installation and User Guide. This guide is available in PDF format for printing or display using a PDF viewer.

• Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition User Guide. This guide is available in PDF format for printing or display using a PDF viewer.

• Online Help. This context-sensitive help is available from the ASM/ME graphical user interface. Click the help buttons in menus and toolbars, or the Help icon.

• The ASM/ME user interface provides pop-up tooltips that enhance GUI content and features.

Overview of EqualLogic Software

Thank you for your interest in EqualLogic™ PS Series storage products. We hope you will find them intuitive and simple to configure and manage.

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. The features and products described next are available at no additional cost.

PS Series Software

• Firmware - Installed on each array, PS Series firmware software allows you to manage your storage environment and provides capabilities such as volume snapshots, cloning, and replication to ensure data hosted on the arrays is protected in the event of an error or disaster.

ASM/ME User Guide

xi

– Group Manager GUI: Provides a graphical user interface for managing a group.

– Group Manager CLI: Provides a command line interface for managing a group.

Manual Transfer Utility (MTU) – Runs on Windows and Linux systems and enables you to use physical media to securely transfer large amounts of data to a replication partner, facilitating replication and preventing network congestion.

Host Software for Windows

• Host Integration Tools

– Remote Setup Wizard (RSW): Initializes new PS Series arrays, configures host connections to PS Series groups, and configures and manages multipathing.

– Multipath I/O Device Specific Module (MPIO DSM): Includes a connection awareness-module that understands PS Series network load balancing and facilitates host connections to PS Series volumes.

– VSS and VDS Provider Services: Allows 3rd party backup software vendors to perform off-host backups.

– Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition (ASM/ME): ASM/ME is a VSS requesting application that uses PS Series snapshots, cloning, and replication to provide point-in-time protection of critical data for supported applications, including SQL Server, Exchange Server, Hyper-V, and NTFS file shares.

SAN HeadQuarters (SANHQ): Provides centralized monitoring, historical performance trending, and event reporting for multiple PS Series groups.

Host Software for VMware

• Storage Adapter for Site Recovery Manager (SRM): Allows SRM to understand and recognize PS Series replication for full SRM integration.

• Auto-Snapshot Manager/VMware Edition (ASM/VE): Integrates with VMware Virtual Center and PS Series snapshots to allow administrators to enable Smart Copy protection of Virtual Center folders, datastores, and virtual machines.

Current Customers Please Note: You may not be running the latest versions of the tools and software listed above. If you are under a valid warranty or support agreement for your PS Series array, you are entitled to obtain the latest updates and new releases as they become available.

ASM/ME User Guide

xii

Related Documentation

For detailed information about PS Series arrays, groups, volumes, array software, and host software, see the following documentation:

ASM/ME User Guide

xiii

Technical Support and Customer Service

Dell's support service is available to answer your questions about PS Series SAN arrays. If you have an Express Service Code, have it ready when you call. The code helps Dell's automated-support telephone system direct your call more efficiently.

Contacting Dell

Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services might not be available in your area.

For customers in the United States, call 800-945-3355.

Note: If you do not have access to an Internet connection, contact information is printed on your invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.

Use the following procedure to contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues:

1. Visit support.dell.com or the Dell support URL specified in information provided with the Dell product.

2. Select your locale. Use the locale menu or click on the link that specifies your country or region.

3. Select the required service. Click the "Contact Us" link, or select the Dell support service from the list of services provided.

4. Choose your preferred method of contacting Dell support, such as e-mail or telephone.

Online Services

You can learn about Dell products and services using the following 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.

1–1

1 Introduction to ASM/ME

You use EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition (ASM/ME) to enhance your regular computer backup operations on Microsoft Windows computers when using PS Series Groups. This is an introduction to, and overview of ASM/ME. The following topics are discussed:

• A conceptual overview of the ASM/ME.

• A functional overview of the ASM/ME.

• Third-party applications supported by the ASM/ME.

About ASM/ME

ASM/ME uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to provide a framework for backing up and restoring data in the Windows Server environment. You use ASM/ME to create fast, coordinated copies of application database volumes on your PS Series group, ensuring that the backed-up data is easy to restore and use for recovery. When you use ASM/ME the underlying Microsoft VSS operations are transparent and you make minimal use of Microsoft VSS utilities.

Figure 1-1 shows the relationship between ASM/ME and the Microsoft Windows SAN.ASM/ME

Figure 1-1: Relationship to the Microsoft VSS Copy Service

ASM/ME User Guide Introduction to ASM/ME

1–2

Table 1-1 describes the components shown in this figure.

Table 1-1: ASM/ME Relationship to the Microsoft VSS Copy Service

Callout Description

1 Writer, integrated with the application, which prepares the application for the backup operation.

2 Requestor, usually a backup application, which requests the creation of shadow copies and provides an interface for backing up and restoring data. Functions as a requestor.

3 Provider, which performs the actual backup operation (for example, storage array hardware). A PS Series Group is a provider.

ASM/ME enables you to create Smart Copies—point-in-time, consistent copies of data in a PS Series Group. While you create copies, the applications remain online and there is little impact on performance and computer availability. The time required for copying is minimized, and the data is always consistent and usable.

You can use your PS Series group to store both application data and Smart Copies to facilitate fast, space-efficient backups. To create a disaster-tolerant storage environment, configure your PS Series group for data replication and set up ASM/ME to create Smart Copies at a remote group. See the Group Administration manual for information about managing a PS Series group.

Note: ASM/ME is not a replacement for a regular and complete backup of your data to long-term media. It enhances and supplements your regular backup regimen by providing fast and efficient data recovery. You can also use your backup software to transfer the data in Smart Copies to long-term backup media. Because the applications in your production environment remain online during such transfers, ASM/ME significantly reduces your planned computer downtime.

Functions Provided by ASM/ME

You use ASM/ME in conjunction with one or more PS Series groups, enabling you to back up objects located in the Group. For example, you can back up a single volume or an entire database consisting of multiple volumes.

The resulting backup is called a Smart Copy, which consists of the following items:

• One or more Smart Copies stored on the PS Series group.

• A backup document residing on the local computer that describes the Smart Copy.

Objects that ASM/ME Can Copy

You can use ASM/ME to create Smart Copies of the following objects:

• Volume — PS Series volumes formatted using the NTFS file system. These iSCSI objects are represented by nodes in the ASM/ME Console Tree under the Volumes master node.

• Application Component — Components of SQL Server databases, Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups, or Hyper-V virtual machines. Components are represented by nodes in the ASM/ME Console Tree under the Applications master node.

• Collection — Related groups of volumes or application components. These objects are represented by nodes in the ASM/ME Console Tree under the Collections master node. Create collections of related objects that you copy frequently. This ensures that ASM/ME creates all the relevant Smart Copies simultaneously in one set.


1–3

Types of Smart Copies Supported

ASM/ME provides three types of backup operations (called Smart Copy operations) for copying your data, each with a different result, as follows:

• Snapshot — A point-in-time copy of a PS Series volume.

• Replica — A point-in-time copy of a PS Series volume. The original volume and the replica are located on different PS Series groups that might be separated at some distance for disaster tolerance. The groups and the volume must be configured for replication.

• Clone — A new volume containing the same data as the original volume at the time the clone is created.

For example, if you use ASM/ME for a snapshot Smart Copy operation on a volume, it results in a Smart Copy Set consisting of one snapshot with its associated backup document. However, if you use ASM/ME to perform a snapshot Smart Copy operation on a collection that consists of four volumes, it results in a Smart Copy Set comprising four snapshots (one for each volume) and the associated backup document.

Note: You can also create a clone of any replica, and then mount the clone to access data. This is an alternative to mounting a replica, which momentarily pauses replication until the replica set is unmounted.

Smart Copy Operations For Thin Clone Volumes

ASM/ME can create Smart Copies of volumes, including template volumes and thin clone volumes.

A template volume is a read-only, thin provisioned volume from which you can create thin clone volumes. A thin clone volume has dependencies on its template volume. Template and thin clone volumes are useful in situations where you need to create multiple volumes that have common data. This common data can be written to a volume, and that volume can be converted to a template volume. Any thin clones created from the template volume will also have that common data, and then each thin clone volume can be modified as needed. See the Group Administration Guide for more information on thin clones.

ASM/ME supports the following operations on thin clone volumes:

• Taking a snapshot.

• Replicating a thin clone volume.

• Cloning a thin clone volume, which creates a new thin clone volume under the template volume.

ASM/ME supports the following operations on template volumes:

• Creating a thin clone from the template volume.

• Cloning the template volume, which results in a new template volume.

Snapshots and replication of template volumes are not supported.

Methods of Creating Smart Copies

You can use ASM/ME to create Smart Copies in three different ways:

• On Demand — You can select a Smart Copy object and make an immediate backup copy.

• Automated Schedule — You can select Smart Copy objects and add them to a scheduled task that runs automatically to create Smart Copies. In addition to specifying objects, you can also control the timing, frequency, and number of retained copies.


1–4

• Scripts — You can use the ASM/ME CLI command line to write scripts for creating Smart Copies. See Using a Script to Create Smart Copies on page 7-30.

Notification of Events

ASM/ME provides the following three notification services:

• E-mail NotificationYou can configure ASM/ME’s integrated E-mail notification service to send e-mail when scheduled Smart Copy operations or scripts either complete successfully or fail.You are also notified of the outcome of any scheduled Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operations on Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups.

• Taskbar Notification

– Microsoft Exchange OperationsASM/ME places a yellow triangle warning icon in the Windows taskbar notification area (system tray) when a Checksum Verification or Soft Recovery event occurs. The icon is associated with a pop-up message that provides details of the event. For example, if a Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operation fails, ASM/ME displays the following message:

Exchange Verification Failed.

Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery failed for Smart Copy of Test taken at 2/25/2008 6:53:07 PM.

Check the System Event Log to determine the cause of the failure.

– All schedule failures will also be reported in the Windows taskbar notification area (system tray). The message displays the schedule name, last run time, and other details about the failed schedule.

– Failure to log into the Control Volume on the PS Series array will also be reported in the system tray.

You can dismiss all active system messages by using the -shutdownsystray parameter available in the ASM/ME CLI command line interface. See Entering CLI Commands on page 7-3.

• Windows Event Log ASM/ME posts event messages to the Windows event log, which you can view by using the Windows Computer Management console.

Quick Access to Smart Copies

You can mount a Smart Copy Set to access its data either on the originating computer or on a different computer. The mounted Smart Copy Set appears as a regular disk volume.

Note: You must configure appropriate access controls for access to the Smart Copy.

You can then restore lost data from the disk as needed. (For example, by using the data restoration functions in your backup software.) When you have finished restoring data you unmount and log off the volume.


1–5

Robust Data Recovery

ASM/ME enables you to implement different data recovery strategies, either by recovering data directly from a Smart Copy, or by using your backup software. The two principal methods of recovering data from Smart Copies are as follows:

• In-Place Recovery — A full recovery method that restores all data in a volume. You can use this recovery option for snapshot Smart Copies of generic data volumes (such as user files and folders) or for application components. Application components might consist of either Microsoft Exchange mailbox databases or SQL Server databases.

• Selective Component Recovery — A selective restore of files or information. Selective restore is supported only for components belonging to certain applications, and there are constraints on recovery methods and supported Smart Copy types. These constraints are identified in Table 1-2.

SAN Data Copy Offload

ASM/ME uses SAN Data Copy Offload to perform its selective restore operations. SAN Data Copy Offload is an EqualLogic API that accelerates file copy operations by using SCSI Extended Copy commands. SAN Data Copy Offload frees up server resources and decreases the time it takes to perform selective restores.

For example, assume there are multiple volumes residing on a PS Series group. If those volumes are mounted on a Windows server, copying a file or directory from one volume to another formerly required the host to read the relevant data from one volume, and then write that data back out to the destination volume.

With SAN Data Copy Offload, the host now sends the SCSI Extended Copy command to the volume, and the data is copied to the destination volume within the group itself, thus consuming far less CPU bandwidth and memory.

If the SCSI Extended Copy operation fails for any reason, the standard copy command is automatically used. Users do not need to perform any tasks to enable this behavior.

Figure 1-2: Selective Component Recovery Options

Application Recovery Option Copy Type

SQL Server Selective database restore. Snapshot

SQL Server Restore all databases as new (side-by-side restore). Snapshot and Clone

SQL Server Clone and restore all databases as new (side-by-side restore). Replica

Microsoft Exchange Recovery Mailbox Database (for brick level restores in Microsoft Exchange 2010).

Recovery Storage Group (for brick level restores in Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003).

Snapshot and Clone

Microsoft Exchange Clone and Create Recovery Mailbox Database (brick level restore for Microsoft Exchange 2010).

Clone and Create Recovery Storage Group (brick level restore for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003).

Replica

Hyper-V Selective VM restore. Snapshot

Easy Smart Copy Management

ASM/ME enables you to manage your Smart Copies by:


1–6

• Modifying, deleting, or temporarily suspending Smart Copy schedules.

• Modifying or deleting collections.

• Deleting either individual Smart Copies or all Smart Copies associated with a specific object.

You can use either the ASM/ME GUI or the PS Series Group Manager GUI to view the snapshots, replicas, and clones created by a Smart Copy operation.

Support for Scripting and Command Generation

ASM/ME provides a command line interface, details of which are provided in Chapter 7, Using the Command Line Interface. The context menus and Actions pane of the ASM/ME GUI provide options to automatically generate an ASM/ME command based on the options that you select for an ASM/ME operation.

You can use this feature to generate a syntactically-complete command that you can then cut-and-paste to the Windows command prompt, or incorporate into site-specific scripts. The example procedure shown in Figure 1-3 demonstrates how you generate a command by using the ASM/ME GUI:

Figure 1-3: ASM/ME Command Generation Options

1. Click a node in the ASM/ME console tree pane to highlight and select it (callout 1).

2. Click this option, which appears in the Actions pane: Generate Create Smart Copy Set Command, (callout 2).

3. Enter the Smart Copy options. (See Requirements For Creating Smart Copy Sets on page 3-3.)

4. After you enter your specifications for a Smart Copy Set, the following dialog box appears: Generate Command Line to Create Smart Copy. Copy the command from this dialog box.

5. Click Close to end the procedure, or Back to generate a different command by changing your Smart Copy Set specification.

Depending on the current state of objects listed in the ASM/ME Console Tree Pane, you can generate commands for the following ASM/ME operations:


1–7

• Create Smart Copy Set

• Checksum and Recovery

• Unmount and Logoff

• Mount

• Mount as read-Only

• Restore All

• Selective Restore (only for SQL Server and Hyper-V).

See Using a Script to Create Smart Copies on page 7-30 for a procedure that describes how to script scheduled Smart Copies and integrate the schedule into your regular backup schedule script.

SAN Boot Awareness

Because Windows Server supports SAN boot volumes, the properties pane for volume nodes includes a field named Boot Device. This field identifies whether the selected volume node represents a boot device. If the volume is a boot device, the following constraints apply:

• You can create a Smart Copy of the boot volume only if the volume does not contain application components such as an Exchange Storage Group or an SQL Server database.

• Boot volumes cannot be added to collections.

• The Unmount and Logoff operation is disabled.

• If you create a snapshot of the boot volume, the Restore operation is disabled.

Failover Cluster Support

When installed on a computer that is a cluster node in a Microsoft Failover Cluster, you can use ASM/ME to perform certain operations on cluster resources owned by the installation node. In the cluster, you can access Smart Copy backup documents from any cluster node. In the event of a node failover scheduled ASM/ME tasks will also fail over to the surviving node.

See also the Host Integration Tools User’s Guide and Host Integration Tools Release Notes for more information about clusters.

ASM/ME supports Windows Failover Cluster configurations of two or more nodes, but functions best on a two node or Active/Passive cluster. In an Active/Active cluster, if one node fails or is taken offline, the other node in the cluster takes over for the failed node.

Dell recommends that you follow the Microsoft best practices for failover cluster configuration guidelines. See the following website for best practices:

http://www.msexchange.org/tutorials/Implementing-Two-Node-Cluster-Windows-2003-Enterprise.html

See Operations on Microsoft Failover Clusters on page 3-1 for additional cluster-specific considerations. Configuration Requirements for Clusters on page 2-7 describes procedures for configuring ASM/ME to work with clusters.


1–8

Applications Supported

The EqualLogic Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition supports Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, 2007 and 2003, SQL server, and Hyper-V, subject to the constraints described in this section. See the Host Integration Tools Release Notes for a list of supported versions.

Microsoft Exchange Server Support

The Host Integration Tools installer verifies that a supported version of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, 2007, or 2003 exists on the target installation computer. If ASM/ME detects an unsupported version of Microsoft Exchange Server, a red arrow is displayed next to the application in the ASM/ME console tree. If the installed version is not supported, you have the following options:

• Cancel the ASM/ME installation and update Microsoft Exchange Server.

• Proceed with the ASM/ME installation. In this case, ASM/ME operations that are specific to Microsoft Exchange Server will not function until you have updated to a supported version.

SQL Server Support

Although it is not detected during installation, ASM/ME verifies the compatibility of the installed version of SQL Server. If the ASM/ME detects an unsupported version of SQL Server, a red arrow is displayed next to the application in the ASM/ME console. The Applications writer node is disabled if the installed version and service pack level of SQL Server is unsupported.

See the product requirements in the Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide.

Hyper-V Support

The Hyper-V virtualization technology is a component add-on to Windows Server systems that provides the software infrastructure and management tools by which users can create and manage a virtualized server computing environment. When installed on a computer running Hyper-V, ASM/ME enables you to create point-in-time Smart Copies of virtual machines (VMs) from which you can recover user data or entire VMs.

2–1

2 Configuring ASM/ME

Before using ASM/ME, you should configure it and set your preferences for its operation at your site. Before you begin setting up and using ASM/ME, read the latest Release Notes for information about ASM/ME that was not available when this guide was published.

Information about using ASM/ME’s functions is provided in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

The following information is provided:

• Installing ASM/ME on page 2-1

• Environment Prerequisites on page 2-1

• ASM/ME Graphical User Interface on page 2-8

• Setting Properties on page 2-14

Information about using ASM/ME with specific applications is provided in the following locations:

• Chapter 4, Using ASM/ME with Microsoft Exchange

• Chapter 5, Using ASM/ME with SQL Server

• Chapter 6, Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V

Installing ASM/ME

ASM/ME is a component of the Host Integration Tools. You install it as described in the Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide.

Environment Prerequisites

Before you begin using ASM/ME to create and manage Smart Copies, you must complete the tasks described in Table 2-1. Some of these tasks are described in more detail in the following sections if there are SAN configuration requirements that are specific to using ASM/ME.

Table 2-1: ASM/ME Configuration Tasks

Task Information

Install ASM/ME on a computer that meets the requirements in Computer and Group Requirements on page 2-2.

Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide

Configure a PS Series group either by using Remote Setup Wizard or by using a serial cable and the setup utility.

Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide

Create volumes on the SAN. Use the Group Manager GUI, as described in Group Administration.

Configure the correct access control records between the volumes and the group and the computer.

Setting Up Access Controls on page 2-2

Connect to the volumes through an iSCSI initiator. iSCSI Target Connections on page 2-5

Make the volumes accessible to the computer by formatting the partition, if necessary and assigning a mount point or drive letter (label).

Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments on page 2-5

ASM/ME User Guide Configuring ASM/ME

2–2

Computer and Group Requirements

The Windows computer on which you want to run ASM/ME must meet the requirements described in Table 2-2 to create Smart Copies in a PS Series group:

Table 2-2: Requirements for Creating Smart Copies

Requirement Description

Supported Environment Make sure that your computer meets the requirements specified in the Release Notes.

Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator (service portion)

You must install the service portion of the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator, even if you are not using the initiator for iSCSI traffic. A supported version is provided with the Host Integration Tools kit, and is available on the Microsoft Web site.

Microsoft server (VSS or VDS) access to the group

Microsoft services running on the computer must have access to the group. See Microsoft Service Access to the Group on page 2-4 for more information.

iSCSI access to the volumes The computer must have the group IP address configured as an iSCSI discovery address. In addition, to connect to an iSCSI target associated with a volume or snapshot, the computer must match one of the volume’s access control records configured in the group. See Access to Volumes and Snapshots on page 2-4 for information on setting up access control records in a group.

The PS Series group must meet the requirements described in Table 2-3 for use with ASM/ME:

Table 2-3: PS Series Group Requirements

Requirement Description

One or more PS Series groups Groups must run under the firmware revision specified in the Release Notes.

Volumes with snapshot reserve Volumes must have snapshot space reserved to create snapshots. Refer to the description of the topic of Snapshot Reserve in the guide titled: Group Administration.

Replication configuration To create volume replicas, you must have the group and volume configured for replication. Refer to the chapters about the topic of Replication in the guide titled: Group Administration.

Setting Up Access Controls

To make sure that you have the correct access controls between a computer and a new PS Series group, use the Remote Setup Wizard to create the group. Alternatively, if you have an existing PS Series Group, use the Remote Setup Wizard to configure access to the group.

Optionally, start using the volumes for applications. For example, configure Microsoft Exchange or an SQL Server database on the volumes.

Multiple Databases on Volumes on page 2-6

Table 2-1: (Continued) ASM/ME Configuration Tasks

Task Information


2–3

Table 2-4 lists the access controls required by ASM/ME.

Table 2-4: Required Access Control

Access Type Description

Group IP address as iSCSI target discovery address

This enables the computer to discover targets presented by a PS Series group. The group IP address must be configured as a discovery address in the iSCSI initiator management interface. You can do this in one of the following ways:

• Use the Remote Setup Wizard to create a group, which also configures the group IP address as the Discovery address. See the Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide for more information.

• Use the Remote Setup Wizard to configure computer access to a group. See the Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide for more information.

• Manually add the group IP address to the initiator discovery list.

VSS/VDS access Microsoft services running on a computer must be able to automatically log in to the vss-control volume on the computer. A VSS/VDS access control record must exist on the group, and the computer must have access credentials, configured through Remote Setup Wizard or ASM/ME, that match the record. Usually, CHAP credentials are used.See Microsoft Service Access to the Group on page 2-4 for more information.

Volume access If you will be creating Smart Copies of a volume, the computer must be logged in to the volume. To do this, the computer must present credentials that match one of the volume’s access control records. If CHAP is used, you must specify the CHAP credentials when logging in to the volume. If the volume was created using Storage Manager for SANs, the access controls between the computer and target are set up automatically.See Access to Volumes and Snapshots on page 2-4 for more information.

Global Smart Copy access on other computers (Optional)

If you plan to transport Smart Copies to a computer that is different than the one that created the Smart Copies, you can set up access controls that enable other computers to access the Smart Copies. Specify the global Smart Copy access credentials using the ASM/ME CHAP Properties dialog box. See Setting Up Global Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-17 for more information.

Smart Copy access on the computer When a computer attempts to import a Smart Copy, it must automatically present credentials that match one of the Smart Copy’s access control records. Specify the Smart Copy access credentials using the ASM/ME CHAP Properties dialog box. When you perform this operation on a computer that did not create the Smart Copy, use the same CHAP credentials set for global Smart Copy access on the originating computer. See Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-20 for more information.


2–4

Microsoft Service Access to the Group

If a computer will be creating or importing Smart Copies, you must make sure that Microsoft services (VSS and VDS) that are running on the computer are able to access the group for management purposes, without user intervention.

In a group, VSS/VDS access control records are used to restrict Microsoft service access to the group, according to IP address, iSCSI initiator name, CHAP user name and password, or any combination of the three. A computer must meet all the requirements in one record in order for Microsoft services to access the group.

There are two ways you can make sure Microsoft service access to a group:

• Use the Remote Setup Wizard on the computer to initialize an array and create a new group. See Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide for more information.The wizard will set up a VSS/VDS access control record and local CHAP account in the group and also configure matching CHAP credentials on the computer.

• Use the Remote Setup Wizard to configure computer access to an existing group. You will be prompted for the CHAP credentials. See Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide for more information.

Access to Volumes and Snapshots

A computer must be connected (logged in) to the PS Series group volumes for which it will be creating Smart Copies. For example, use the iSCSI initiator control panel to log in to the volume. If you use CHAP for authentication, you must supply this information when logging in to the volume.

In addition, when a computer imports a Smart Copy Set, it must be able to connect (log in) to it. However, this must occur without user intervention.

Note: For a computer to discover the iSCSI targets (volumes or snapshots) in a group, you must configure the group IP address as the iSCSI discovery address. You can run the Remote Setup Wizard on the computer to initialize an array and create or expand a group or to configure computer access to the group. You can also specify the iSCSI discovery address by using the iSCSI initiator control panel.

A group uses access control records to restrict computer access to a volume or its snapshots. A record (up to 16 for a volume and its snapshots) can restrict access according to IP address, initiator name, CHAP user name (and password), or any combination of the three. A computer must meet all the requirements in a record to access the volume or snapshot.

A volume and its snapshots share a list of access control records. A record can apply to the volume, the volume snapshots, or both. For example, you could create one record that allows access only to the volume and create another record that allows access only to the volume snapshots.

There are two methods for ensuring computer access to a volume or its snapshots:

• If you create a volume with Storage Manager for SANs, it automatically sets up matching access controls in the group and on the computer. No further action is needed to ensure computer access to the volume or its snapshots.

• If you create a volume with the Group Manager GUI or CLI, you must manually set up one or more access control records that enable computer access to the volume or its snapshots. Also, if you are using CHAP to restrict computer access, you must set up a local CHAP account or configure a RADIUS server that already has the CHAP account configured. See the PS Series Group Administration manual for more information about setting up access control records and creating local CHAP accounts.


2–5

On the computer, 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 will automatically use this CHAP user name and password when importing any Smart Copies from the group. See Setting CHAP Properties on page 2-16 for more information.

iSCSI Target Connections

Use the iSCSI initiator console to log in to a PS Series group volume or snapshot (iSCSI target). For discovery, the group IP address must be configured as the iSCSI target discovery address.

To log in to a volume, the computer must match an access control record that is configured in the group, as described in Access to Volumes and Snapshots on page 2-4. If access to the volume is being authenticated with CHAP, enter the correct CHAP user name and password in the iSCSI initiator console when logging in to the volume.

Once you are logged in to a volume, the volume appears as a regular iSCSI disk.

Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments

To make a volume accessible to the computer, you can use Windows utilities to either assign a drive letter to it, or assign a mount point to it. A mount point is a drive attached to an empty folder on an NTFS volume. A mount point functions the same as a normal drive, but is assigned a label or name instead of a drive letter. Although Windows allows you to mount a volume on multiple mount points, you should mount a Smart Copy only on a single mount point.

Note: Unmounting a volume or Smart Copy using ASM/ME unmounts all existing mount points.

The general Windows Server procedure for assigning drive letters or mount points is as follows:

1. Select the Windows Disk Management utility.

2. Right-click the desired volume.

3. Follow the wizard to assign a drive letter or mount point.

Windows also supports a command-line utility called mountvol.exe for assigning mount points and drive letters to a volume. See your Windows documentation for details.

Considerations When Using Mount Points in Clusters

In a cluster, the provision of available drive letters for a volume operation (such as mounting a snapshot or creating an RSG) is subject to the following restrictions:

• ASM/ME excludes drive letters that are used by (potentially) failed-over disks.

• ASM/ME excludes the drive letter assigned to the quorum disk.

Once you have mounted your volumes, you can then use your application to create a database on one or more volumes.

Note: Dell recommends following best practices when configuring databases on volumes. See Multiple Databases on Volumes on page 2-6 for more information.


2–6

Windows Server prevents you from switching mount points between clustered and non-clustered disks. If the volume containing the mount point is a clustered volume, but the Smart Copy that you are attempting to mount is not a clustered volume then the mount operation fails. ASM/ME displays an error message informing you that the mount operation is unsupported.

For example, ASM/ME supports neither of the following operations:

• Using the system drive (C:\) to host a mount point for a volume, which is set as a clustered disk

• Using a clustered volume (X:\) to host a new volume that is not set as a clustered disk

Consider this constraint carefully when applying recovery strategies for Microsoft SQL Server and for Microsoft Exchange Server. For more information, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/280297

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/947021

Multiple Databases on Volumes

ASM/ME’s Smart Copy operations occur on a per-volume basis. Dell recommends that you place related data sets on separate volumes that you create for their exclusive use. When you create copies of an Application component, ASM/ME automatically includes all necessary volumes in the Smart Copy operation.

Avoid locating data items for multiple data sets or virtual machines on the same volume, if those data sets or virtual machines also span other volumes. If you share a single volume between multiple data sets and then copy a single data set, the resulting Smart Copy Set unavoidably includes all data items on the volume. This means that it includes partial data for any other data set on the same volume. Such Smart Copies are considered torn (incomplete) with respect to the partial database.

Consider the example configuration shown in Figure 2-1. You use ASM/ME to copy the data set indicated by callout 1. This data set consists of data items spanning Volumes and. The resulting Smart Copy Set (and, with the same data set as callout 1) contains a full copy of the data set.

Figure 2-1: Complete Smart Copy Set

Consider the example configuration in Figure 2-2. Here, there are two data sets spanning three volumes. Volume contains data items from two different data sets (callouts 1 and 2).


2–7

Figure 2-2: Torn Smart Copy Set

You use ASM/ME to copy Dataset1, indicated by callout 1. However, ASM/ME performs its Smart Copy operations only on complete volumes. Therefore, ASM/ME must include all data items on Volume , even though some of these data items are part of a different data set (Dataset2, indicated by callout 2).

The resulting Smart Copy Set (and) contains all of Dataset1, as indicated by callout 1. It also contains the partial data set indicated by callout 2. This partial data set is referred to as a torn data set because it does not contain all the files in the source dataset. If you use this torn Smart Copy Set to restore Dataset1, you will also partially overwrite Dataset2, potentially destroying live data on your production computer.

When you have a torn Smart Copy Set, you can restore data only from those data sets that you know to be complete in the Smart Copy Set. This process can take longer, depending on the size of the files you restore from the Smart Copy Set. Because of the risk of data loss, and the more complicated recovery procedure, Dell recommends that you avoid spanning different data sets across common volumes.

Configuration Requirements for Clusters

When you install the Host Integration Tools (including ASM/ME) on a running cluster, the steps described in this section occur during installation.

If you join a computer into a cluster as a node, you must use the manual procedures described as follows:

1. Install the same revision of the Host Integration Tools on every cluster node that you intend to use for Smart Copy and data recovery operations.

2. Set up shared network folders for the backup documents and collection definitions on a shared volume that is accessible to all cluster nodes.

Note: If you create the shared folder on a clustered iSCSI volume on your PS Series group, ASM/ME identifies the volume as a supported volume on the cluster node that owns the share. However, it prevents you from restoring data from any Smart Copies of the shared volume.

3. Using the ASM/ME properties dialog (described in Setting Properties on page 2-14), specify the Auto-Snapshot Manager Document Directory. Specify the UNC path for the shared volume instead of the default location. You specify the network share name by using UNC format:


2–8

(\\server-name\shared-resource-pathname).

If you are using replication in the cluster, all nodes need to have access to the PS Series group that is the replication partner. Run the Remote Setup Wizard on each node of the cluster to add access to the group that is the replication partner. The Remote Setup Wizard is described in the Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide.

ASM/ME Graphical User Interface

ASM/ME provides both graphical and command-line interfaces (CLI). For information about the CLI, see Chapter 7, Using the Command Line Interface. This section describes features of the ASM/ME graphical user interface (GUI).

Starting the GUI

To start ASM/ME, from the Microsoft Windows Start Menu, click Programs, then EqualLogic, then Auto-Snapshot Manager.

ASM/ME displays its main window (Figure 2-3).

Figure 2-3: ASM/ME Main Window

Table 2-5 describes the GUI features that are identified by the numbered callouts in Figure 2-3:

Table 2-5: ASM/ME GUI Main Window Features

Callout Description

1 The Console Tree Panel. This panel contains a collapsing branched structure of related groups of clickable objects on which you can perform many different operations.

2 The ASM/ME Console Tree. The ASM/ME Console tree consists of related groups of objects (or nodes) organized in a branching tree structure. Depending on the status of a node, you are presented with a menu of actions in the Actions Panel (callout 4). For more information, see Console Tree on page 2-9.


2–9

Microsoft Management Console Snap-In

You install ASM/ME as a snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). The appearance and behavior of the ASM/ME interface is consistent with the MMC. As you use ASM/ME, you will occasionally see messages and dialogs generated by the underlying MMC interface.

Because of timeouts in communication between ASM/ME and MMC you might see a dialog from the MMC informing you that the ASM/ME snap-in is not responding. Generally, you can dismiss this warning by clicking on the cancel button and continue using ASM/ME. If there is a more serious problem preventing ASM/ME from completing an operation, MMC initiates an error state.If an hourglass icon overlays any of the GUI icons, it means that an operation is in progress. You should not start another operation until the current operation is complete. Doing so might cause ASM/ME to stop responding.

Console Tree

The structure and content of the Console Tree reflects the relationships between objects such as volumes and collections and their current status for ASM/ME operations. You initiate operations by clicking on supported objects under the master nodes and then selecting an ASM/ME operation.

Not all objects in the Console Tree are available for ASM/ME operations, and the available operations change depending on the current state of an object. For example, if a Smart Copy is mounted, its icon has a white-on-blue “i” overlay, indicating that it is in use. The mounted volume related to this Smart Copy also has a white-on-blue “i” overlay. In this state, your only available operations are as follows:

• For the Smart Copy:

– Unmount and Logoff (or generate a command for this operation).

– View backup document.

3 The Properties Pane. When you select a node in the Console Tree Pane, ASM/ME displays detailed status information about that node in its Properties Pane. Important properties are bolded. If a text string is too long to display in the available space, ASM/ME provides tooltips (pop-up messages) that contain the entire string. (You can also use the scrollbars or resize the panes as required by dragging the window border or pane borders.)Data in the Properties Pane is referenced in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations. You can copy text strings, such as object identifiers, from the Properties pane to use in commands and scripts.

4 The Actions Pane. When you select a node in the Console Tree (callout 2), available operations for that node appear in the Actions Pane. You can start an operation by clicking on an action. Operations are described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.You can also display the actions available for a node by invoking its context menu. To do this, you click the node to select it, and then click the right mouse button (RMB) to display the context menu. Unavailable operations are disabled.

Note: The context menus and Action Pane are dynamic. The selectable options change, depending on the state of the selected node.

Table 2-5: ASM/ME GUI Main Window Features (Continued)

Callout Description


2–10

• For the mounted volume:

– Unmount and Logoff (or generate a command for this operation).

– Set read-write.

When you use the Unmount and Logoff option, the Smart Copy becomes available for all other Smart Copy operations (such as Restore or Delete).

Note: When using ASM/ME in a cluster, there are other constraints on operations depending on the status of the object. For example, you must place a clustered volume in maintenance mode before you can unmount and logoff.

Click the plus sign (+) to expand a branch and the minus sign (-) to collapse a branch. The top-level objects in the Console Tree are referred to as master nodes.

For each node (for example, a volume or collection) you can:

• Right-click the node to display the context menu of available operations.

• Select the node to see the available operations in the Actions pane. Not all nodes support actions.

Depending on the node you select, ASM/ME might display a refresh icon. When you perform operations using ASM/ME (for example, importing Smart Copies), you might need to refresh the Pane to display the outcome. To refresh the entire ASM/ME GUI, click Auto-Snapshot Manager (the top-most item) in the console pane, then click Refresh.

The behavior of the Console Tree differs if you are running ASM/ME in a Failover cluster environment:

• Resources that are not owned by a node are displayed in the Console Tree as unsupported or may not be shown at all.

• The ASM/ME GUI does not dynamically update the status of the nodes in response to cluster changes. If you change the ownership of a cluster resource using the cluster administration tools or if a failover occurs, the user needs to refresh the ASM/ME Console Tree to display the proper state.

• Exchange writer and SQL writer are described by virtual name under applications.

Master Nodes and Object Nodes

Nodes in the ASM/ME Console Tree represent objects and components of objects on which you can perform operations such as creating Smart Copies. Not all nodes support operations. The availability of a node for a specific operation is indicated by the state of its icon (see Console Tree Icons on page 2-12).

Table 2-6 describes the ASM/ME master nodes.

Table 2-6: ASM/ME Master Nodes

Master Node Type Description

Applications Installed applications for which a VSS writer is available, such as Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, or Hyper-V. You can create simultaneous Smart Copies of all the application databases or of an individual database.

On a cluster node that does not own the application cluster resources, the properties for the application writer will warn that the application service is not running on that node.


2–11

Volumes Disks connected to the computer, including PS Series volumes that are assigned a drive letter. Select a drive letter to display detailed information about the disk, including whether it supports Smart Copies. You can create a snapshot, replica, or clone, or create a schedule for the volume. You cannot perform Smart Copy operations on a CD-ROM disk, floppy disk, or a system disk or a cluster quorum disk.

On a cluster node, if the node does not own the physical disk resources for the volume, the volume will be shown as an unsupported volume or may not appear at all in the Console Tree.

Collections A set of related databases enabling you to simultaneously create Smart Copies of multiple volumes or applications. Expand a collection to display the volumes or application nodes comprising the collection.You can create, modify, or delete a collection, create a Smart Copy Set for the collection, or configure a schedule for the collection.

On a cluster node that does not own the physical disk resources which are required for actions on the collection, the collection properties will include warnings that required components and volumes could not be found on that node.

Schedules Designated times, dates, and frequency for creating Smart Copies. When configured, the Global Verification Task appears under this master node. (See Creating or Modifying the Global Verification Task on page 4-10).

On a cluster node, schedules that depend on cluster resources can only be edited on the node that currently owns those resources. However, any changes made are replicated to all possible owner nodes for the resources.

Smart Copies Smart Copy sets for individual volumes, collections, and applications. Depending on the type of Smart Copy Set, you can mount it and restore data. You can also:

• Delete a Smart Copy Set.

• Display the backup document for the Smart Copy Set.

• Validate the Smart Copy with reference to a connected PS Series group. If the validation operation fails, the Smart copy is classified as broken or unreachable. (See Validating Smart Copy Sets on page 3-19.)

Smart Copy Sets are organized under the original object (volume, collection, or application). Each Smart Copy Set 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.

Customer Support Support information and a link to the EqualLogic customer support site.

Table 2-6: ASM/ME Master Nodes (Continued)

Master Node Type Description


2–12

Console Tree Icons

Nodes in the ASM/ME Console Tree are represented by both text labels and icons. The color and shape of some icons varies, depending the state of the component associated with that node. For example a node that is all gray in color does not support certain ASM/ME operations.

Table 2-7 provides an explanation for the icons depending on the state of the component associated with the node.

Table 2-7: ASM/ME Icons

Icon Definition

The ASM/ME root in the Console Tree.

Applications master node. Supported applications, such as SQL server, are listed under this node.

Application Node. The application is supported and functioning correctly (green triangle).

Application Node. The application is not supported or not functioning correctly (red triangle). On a cluster node, this may also indicate that the node is not the current owner of the application cluster resources.

Server node under Application node. Shows the computer that runs the application.

Application Component (gray cog). This icon represents an application component (such as an SQL database or an Exchange Storage Group) residing on a volume that is not supported for Smart Copy operations.

Application Component (blue cog, gray hub). This icon represents an application component (such as an SQL database or an Exchange Storage Group) residing on a volume which is supported for Smart Copies. ASM/ME implicitly includes all supported subcomponents in a Smart Copy.

Application Subcomponent (gray cog, blue hub). 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.

Volumes master node (The Windows disk drive icon). Volumes visible to ASM/ME are listed under this node.

Volume node (gray). The volume is not supported for ASM/ME operations. On a cluster node, this may also indicate that the node is currently not the owner of the physical disk cluster resource for the volume.

Base volume or mounted clone (blue disk node). The volume is supported for ASM/ME operations.

Snapshot volume, mounted and in use (blue disk node with white “i” overlay).

Collections master node. Defined collections are listed under this node. Individual collections are indicated using the same icon.

Smart Copies master node (blue filing cabinet). Current reachable Smart Copies are listed under this node.

Template volume.


2–13

Thin clone volume.

Mounted template volume. (The “i” overlay stands for “in use”).

Mounted thin clone volume. (The “i” overlay stands for “in use”).

Clone Smart Copy.

Mounted Clone Smart Copy. (The “i” overlay stands for “in use”).

Non-VSS Smart Copy.

Non-VSS Smart Copy that is imported. For example, a Clone and Restore All as New operation on a replica would result in this icon.

Volumes in a Smart Copy (gray camera). This represents the individual volumes included in a Smart Copy Set.

Smart Copy Snapshot (camera).

Mounted Snapshot. (The “i” overlay stands for “in use”).

Replica Smart Copy.

Mounted Replica. (The “i” overlay stands for “in use”).

Customer Support.

Broken Smart Copies (orange disk with white question mark).

Unreachable Smart Copies (blue disk with white question mark). This icon is also used on a cluster node, for schedules and Smart Copy Sets, if the node does not own the affected cluster resources.

Hourglass overlay, indicates an operation in progress. Do not start any other operations while this icon is visible.

Schedules master node. Smart Copy schedules are listed under this node.

Table 2-7: ASM/ME Icons (Continued)

Icon Definition


2–14

Setting Properties

Table 2-8 defines the properties for ASM/ME you can set.

Table 2-8: ASM/ME Properties

Property Description

General properties Enables you to select the default location of backup documents and collection files and whether to automatically validate the Smart Copies when ASM/ME is started. See Setting General Properties on page 2-14.

CHAP properties Enables you to specify CHAP credentials for VSS or VDS access to groups and computer access to Smart Copies for importing. See Setting CHAP Properties on page 2-16.

Notification properties Enables you to specify where to send e-mail notification of completed scheduled operations. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21.

Verification properties Enables you to specify a preferred period in which ASM/ME performs regularly scheduled operations such as Checksum Verification. See Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22.

Note: Use only ASCII characters when specifying CHAP user names and passwords (secrets), PS Series group names, member names, administrative passwords, and group membership passwords.

Setting General Properties

Each Smart Copy Set and each collection have a corresponding descriptive backup document that is used for transporting and importing Smart Copies. You can specify the location for the folder that will store these documents. If you intend to transport Smart Copies, consider specifying a shared file system accessible to all the computers that may import the transported Smart Copy Sets.

In a cluster, you can specify a folder (directory) either as a non-clustered or clustered resource. You must first use Windows cluster utilities to create the folder and make it available to the cluster nodes.

The GUI is used to specify the parent folder in which the Shadows and Collections folders are created, whether that parent folder is a UNC path in the cluster environment or a regular file path in the normal environment.

Note: If you specify a shared folder located on a clustered iSCSI volume, you can create Smart Copies of that volume, but cannot restore data from the volume (otherwise the folder might be overwritten).You can use ASM/ME to set VSS provider properties even if you are using a third-party backup application as a VSS requestor.

When setting general properties, you can specify the options listed in Table 2-9.


2–15

Note: In a cluster, these properties must be set on each node in the cluster that will be performing ASM actions.

Table 2-9: Options for Setting ASM/ME Properties

Option Description

Enable backup validation on startup

Specifies whether to automatically validate the Smart Copies when ASM/ME is started. Validation verifies that the Smart Copies described in the backup documents still exist on the PS Series group. Dell recommends that you enable this setting because it can help you detect problems.

Enable iSCSI portal verification on startup

Specifies whether ASM/ME will check that it can connect to arrays to which it previously connected when last active. Dell recommends that you enable this setting because it can help you detect problems.

Show Smart Copy conversion wizard if older Smart Copies are found

Specifies whether to automatically launch the conversion wizard if ASM/ME finds Smart Copies that you created by using an older version ofASM/ME.

Create Smart Copies online When Smart Copies are created, ASM/ME creates them in an offline state on the PS Series group, and automatically sets them online when mounting them. Select this option if you want Smart Copies to be set online in the PS Series Group after they are created. You need to select this option if you create Smart Copies with ASM/ME Version 3.4 or later and mount them on another Windows computer running an older version of ASM/ME.

Use the following procedure to change the default location of backup documents and set the properties described in Table 2-9.

1. Select Auto-Snapshot Manager in the console pane.

2. Click Properties in the Actions pane.The ASM/ME Properties dialog box is displayed, with the General tab active by default (Figure 2-4).


2–16

Figure 2-4: ASM/ME Properties - General

3. For a single-system configuration, you can change the location of Auto-Snapshot Manager Document Directory. Do not change the location of Smart Copy documents if you have configured remote verification. See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5. Continue with step 5.

4. If you have a cluster, backup documents should use a network shared folder. ASM/ME expects you to enter the UNC-format name of this network shared folder, in a format such as:\\ClustersystemFS\H$\VSS Requestor\The network shared folder is accessed from all cluster nodes.

5. Specify any other desired options as detailed in Table 2-9.

6. Click OK when you are finished.

Setting CHAP Properties

Use the following procedures to display and set CHAP properties. This includes CHAP credentials for VSS or VDS access to groups and computer access to enable the import of Smart Copies.

Use the following procedure to display CHAP properties:

1. Select Auto-Snapshot Manager in the Console Pane and click Properties in the Actions pane.

2. Click the CHAP tab (Figure 2-5). The CHAP Properties dialog box shows which groups your computer can access, as follows:

– Global Smart Copy access refers to access controls that allow other computers to access (import) Smart Copies created on this computer. See Setting Up Global Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-17 for more information.

– For each group, VDS/VSS access refers to the CHAP credentials that Microsoft services running on the computer use to access the group. If credentials have not been specified, not set appears. See Setting Up VSS/VDS Credentials on page 2-18 for more information.


2–17

– For each group, Smart Copy access refers to the CHAP credentials that this computer must present to access (import) Smart Copies. If credentials have not been specified, not set appears. See Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-20.

Figure 2-5: ASM/ME Properties - CHAP

Setting Up Global Imported Smart Copy Credentials

When a computer imports a Smart Copy, it must automatically present credentials that match one of the Smart Copy’s access control records. ASM/ME enables you to set up access controls that allow other computers to import Smart Copies. An additional access control record is created with the specified CHAP credentials, and the record is applied to all Smart Copies created by the originating computer.

Set these credentials only if you want to transport Smart Copies to a different computer than the one that created them. The importing computer is required to use the global access credentials in the access controls for importing Smart Copies, as described in Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-20.

Note: You must configure CHAP for the Group, either locally or through a RADIUS server. See the PS Series Group Administration manual for information.

You need the data specified in Table 2-10 to complete the procedure.

Table 2-10: Data for Imported Smart Copy Credentials

Data Description

CHAP user name The CHAP user name that Microsoft services running on the computer will use to access the group. Use only alphanumeric ASCII characters. Be sure the CHAP user name matches a VSS/VDS access control record and CHAP account in the group.

CHAP password Enter the password that Microsoft services running on the computer will use to access the group. Make sure the password matches a VSS/VDS access control record and CHAP account in the group. The CHAP password must contain 12 to 16 ASCII alphanumeric characters.


2–18

Procedure for Specifying CHAP Credentials

Use the following procedure to specify the CHAP credentials for global access. This procedure automatically sets up a new access control record using the credentials that you specify for each Smart Copy that the computer creates.


2. Click the CHAP tab (Figure 2-5). Select Global Smart Copy access and then click Modify.

3. Specify a CHAP user name and password in the Global Smart Copy Access Credentials dialog box (Figure 2-6). Click OK when you are finished.

Figure 2-6: Global Smart Copy Access Credentials

Setting Up VSS/VDS Credentials

Microsoft services running on a computer must be able to automatically log in to the vss-control volume on the array. A VSS/VDS access control record must exist in the group, and the computer must have access credentials that match the record. Usually, CHAP credentials are used.

Note: If you used the Remote Setup Wizard to create a group or set up computer access to the group, VSS/VDS access between the computer and group is already set up.


Note: In a cluster, this must be done on each node in the cluster that will be accessing PS Series arrays.

Table 2-11: Data for VSS/VDS Credentials

Data Description

Group name Name of the group that Microsoft services will access.

CHAP user name The CHAP user name that Microsoft services running on the computer will use to access the group. Use only alphanumeric ASCII characters. Make sure the CHAP user name matches a VSS/VDS access control record and CHAP account in the group.

CHAP password Enter the password that Microsoft services running on the computer will use to access the group. Be sure the password matches a VSS/VDS access control record and CHAP account in the group. The CHAP password must contain 12 to 16 ASCII alphanumeric characters.


2–19

Use the following procedure to set or modify VSS/VDS CHAP credentials:


2. Click the CHAP tab in the ASM/ME Properties dialog box (Figure 2-5).

3. Click Add group.

The VDS/VSS Access Credentials dialog box is displayed (Figure 2-7).

Figure 2-7: VDS/VSS Access Credentials - New Group

4. Enter the group name, the CHAP user name and the password that Microsoft services running on the computer will use to access the group.

5. Click OK to store the Microsoft service access credentials for group access.

6. To modify the existing user name or password used by Microsoft services, click VDS/VSS access, then click Modify. Select the group.

The VSS/VSS Access Credentials dialog box (Figure 2-8) is displayed.


2–20

Figure 2-8: VSS/VDS Access Credentials - Modify

7. Modify the CHAP user name and password, as necessary, in the VDS/VSS Access Credentials dialog box. Click OK when you are finished.

See the PS Series Group Administration manual for information about setting up VSS/VDS access control records.

Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials

When a computer imports a Smart Copy using ASM/ME, it must automatically present credentials that match one of the Smart Copy’s access control records, without user intervention.

When using this procedure on a computer that did not create the Smart Copies, you must specify the same CHAP user name and password that was configured for global Smart Copy access on the originating computer.


Use the following procedure to specify CHAP credentials for Smart Copy access:


2. Click the CHAP tab in the ASM/ME Properties dialog box (Figure 2-5).

3. Select Smart Copy access under the group, and then click Modify.

4. Specify the CHAP user name and password in the Smart Copy Access Credentials dialog box (Figure 2-9). Click OK when you are finished.


2–21

Figure 2-9: Smart Copy Access Credentials

Setting Notification Properties

If you set up schedules for Smart Copy operations, ASM/ME can notify you when scheduled operations complete or fail. See Scheduling Smart Copy Operations on page 3-8.

Note: If you use automated processing of incoming mail, (such as junk mail processing), configure the recipient mail account to make sure that ASM/ME notification messages are handled appropriately.


Table 2-12: ASM/ME Notification Options

Option Description

SMTP server SMTP server that is used to handle e-mail.

E-mail From Address “From” address to use in the e-mail (optional). The From address can be any name you want, to help you (or the recipients) easily identify the source. It can be the name of the Windows Server running ASM/ME, or the PS Series group name, or any other name you want to create, followed by the e-mail domain.

E-mail Recipient List Comma-separated list of e-mail addresses to which notification notices will be sent.

E-mail Subject Line Subject for the e-mail.

Send e-mail notification if task fails

Whether to send notification when operations complete successfully, or when they fail, or both.

Send e-mail notification when task succeeds

Whether to send notification when operations complete successfully, or when they fail, or both.

Use the following procedure to set up e-mail notification.

Note: If you are running a cluster, it is recommended that you set up e-mail notification for every node in the cluster.

1. Select Auto-Snapshot Manager in the Console Pane and click Properties in the Actions pane. Then, click the Notification tab (Figure 2-10).


2–22

Figure 2-10: ASM/ME Properties - Notification

2. Specify the information detailed in Table 2-12.

3. Optionally, click Apply to apply the changes, then click Send Test E-mail to test the configuration.

4. Click OK when you are finished.

Setting up the Global Verification Window

When you configure Global Verification, you need the data specified in Table 2-13 to complete the procedure.

Table 2-13: Options for Global Verification

Option Description

Exchange Global Verification Window A configurable core time period in which ASM/ME can perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on Smart Copies of Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups. You typically specify a range of time that corresponds with a period of low computer usage (off-peak times) to make best use of computer resources.

Verify newest Smart Copies first Verifies the Smart Copies beginning with the chronologically most recent and ending with the oldest.

Verify oldest Smart Copies first Verifies the Smart Copies beginning with the chronologically oldest and ending with the most recent.

Send e-mail when verification time exceeds creation interval

Causes a notification email to be sent to the default e-mail account if the time required to complete an operation exceeds the schedule’s frequency of Smart Copy creation. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21.

Combine creation and verification e-mails when possible.

Enables you to concatenate e-mails to reduce the volume of mail.

Use the following procedure to configure Global Verification:


2–23

1. Select ASM/ME in the Console tree pane and click Properties in the Actions pane. Then, click the Verification tab shown in Figure 2-11.

Figure 2-11: ASM/ME Properties, Verification Tab

2. Enter the Start time using the following format: HH:MM[PM|AM].

3. Enter the End time using the same format. The end time must be at least three hours later than the start time.

4. Specify the Verification Processing Order options.

5. Specify the E-mail Options.

Note: If you are running in a cluster, you should consider setting verification e-mail notices for each node in the cluster.

6. Click OK to confirm the settings and close the ASM/ME properties dialog.

After you have configured the Global Verification Window, you might want to set up a Global Verification Task to automatically verify copies during the Global Verification Window. See Global Verification Task for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies on page 4-9.

Customizing the Console

You can change the appearance of the ASM/ME console. For example, you can set the console mode, rename the console, and display or hide the Actions panel, among other options. You can save your custom ASM/ME console settings by exporting them to a file.

Note: ASM/ME is a snap-in application that runs in the context of a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) GUI. Some menu items apply to MMC, but not to ASM/ME. The following procedures discuss only the menus and customizations specific to ASM/ME.

Use the following procedure to customize the view:

1. Click View, then Customize. The Customize View dialog box appears (Figure 2-12).


2–24

Figure 2-12: Customize View

2. Specify the following:

– Which nodes to display in its Console Tree window.

– Which snap-ins to display.

3. When you are done, click OK.

Alternatively, in the main console window you can show or hide the Console Tree or the Actions panel by clicking the Show/Hide Console Tree icon ( ) or the Show/Hide Action Pane icon ( ).

3–1

3 Generic ASM/ME Operations

The life cycle of a Smart Copy is described, from creating a Smart Copy through restoring data and managing Smart Copies, in this chapter. These operations are not specific to applications, but describe generic use of ASM/ME on storage objects such as iSCSI volumes that contain user data.


• Operations on Microsoft Failover Clusters on page 3-1

• Using ASM/ME for Smart Copy Operations on page 3-2

• Creating Collections on page 3-5

• Scheduling Smart Copy Operations on page 3-8

• Displaying Smart Copy Information on page 3-12

• Accessing and Restoring Data from a Smart Copy on page 3-13

• Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy on page 3-18

• Validating Smart Copy Sets on page 3-19

• Deleting Individual or All Smart Copy Sets on page 3-20

• Viewing Backup Documents on page 3-21

• Importing a Smart Copy on a Different Computer on page 3-21

• Where to Go Next on page 3-22

For application-specific operations, see the following:




Operations on Microsoft Failover Clusters

You can install the Host Integration Tools on any cluster nodes that you intend to use for recovery operations. When you install ASM/ME (as part of the Host Integration Tools) on computers that are nodes in a Microsoft Failover Cluster, the following operations are enabled:

• You can create Smart Copies and configure schedules of iSCSI volumes or application components that are designated as a cluster resource. You must run ASM/ME on the cluster node that currently owns the cluster resource to perform these actions.

• You can perform all ASM/ME operations on any attached PS Series iSCSI objects (volumes or application components), if the object is not designated as a cluster resource.

• When ASM/ME is installed on the cluster node that owns the quorum disk, you can access and display information for the cluster quorum disk. In the ASM/ME GUI, the cluster quorum disk is identified by the grayed-out volume icon. However, if the node owns the quorum disk, all of the PS Series array information is shown in the properties. Also, the context menu actions for volumes are shown, but disabled with the explanation that the volume is the quorum disk.

• After you use the cluster-available administration tools to manually place a mounted iSCSI volume in maintenance mode, you can use the Unmount and Logoff operation.

ASM/ME User Guide Generic ASM/ME Operations

3–2

• For Microsoft Exchange application components on supported volumes owned by the node that is running ASM/ME, you can run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery.

• You can restore data from Smart Copies, if the affected cluster resource volumes are owned by the cluster node.

On Windows Server 2003, cluster management is performed using the Cluster Administrator. On Windows Server 2008, cluster management is performed using the Failover Cluster Management utility. On either operating system, use the snap-ins or the corresponding command line utilities to create and configure clusters.

Identifying Cluster Volumes in the ASM/ME GUI

The cluster quorum disk might be located on the array. Although ASM/ME recognizes the quorum disk, it does not allow certain actions, such as Smart Copies, to be performed.

If the disk is an owned cluster resource there is no difference in the properties shown from the unclustered disk. The action-related differences (clustered/unclustered/owned/not owned/quorum) are shown as grayed-out with “(Disabled: <reason>)” appended to the action in the context menu and action pane.

The differences are primarily in what actions are enabled or disabled and whether the reasons are cluster-related.

The state of the volume’s physical disk resource (owned/unowned) determines the status after failover.

Using ASM/ME for Smart Copy Operations

You can perform a Smart Copy operation on an individual volume, a collection, or an application. The resulting Smart Copy Set consists of the following:

• 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.

Even if the Smart Copy operation involves only a single volume, the result is still considered a Smart Copy Set.

After you create a Smart Copy, you can then import and mount the Smart Copy Set, restore the original object from the Smart Copy, or restore the Smart Copy to a new location.

You can create Smart Copy Sets instantly or you can schedule the Smart Copy operation, as described in Scheduling Smart Copy Operations on page 3-8.

Constraints for Smart Copy Procedures

The following constraints apply to specific Smart Copy procedures:

• If you create or schedule a replica Smart Copy, ASM/ME allows the operation to proceed, but displays a warning that you cannot use the resulting Smart Copy for a restore operation. (You cannot use the replica for an In Place restore operation.)

• If you make changes to the layout of data in a volume, and you have a Smart Copy that predates the layout changes, you cannot use that Smart Copy to recover data. Attempting to recover the data might cause data loss on the original volume.

• In clustered environments, these constraints apply to Smart Copies:


3–3

– Smart Copies are visible to all nodes even though the node might not be able to use the Smart Copy for recovery. (That is, ownership of resources is not required to see the Smart Copies).

– Smart Copies appear as unreachable in the console tree.

• The following constraints apply to Smart Copies of thin clones and template volumes:

– For thin clones, ASM/ME supports the creation of snapshots, clones, and replicas. These will be displayed under the Smart Copies folder after they are created.

– For template volumes, ASM/ME supports the creation of thin clones and clones, which will appear under the Smart Copies folder after they are created.

– Replication of a thin clone volume through ASM/ME is possible when its template volume has been replicated through the Group Manager GUI. Replication for template volumes is not supported in ASM/ME.

Requirements For Creating Smart Copy Sets

Before you can create a Smart Copy Set, verify the following requirements:

• The computer must meet the requirements described in Computer and Group Requirements on page 2-2.

• The computer must be logged in to each iSCSI volume that comprises the Smart Copy object, as described in iSCSI Target Connections on page 2-5.

• The iSCSI volumes must have drive letters assigned, as described in Volume Mount Point and Drive Letter Assignments on page 2-5.

• If you are creating a snapshot Smart Copy Set, the PS Series volume must have snapshot space reserved.

If you are creating a replica Smart Copy Set, you must have replication configured between two PS Series groups and on the volumes. The primary group must be available and ready to start replication on the volumes. Otherwise, the operation results in an error. For information about using the Group Manager, see the Group Administration manual.

• If you are creating a clone Smart Copy Set, there must be free space on the PS Series group equal to the size of the original volumes.

Note: If you want to create a Smart Copy Set for a volume, component, or collection that affects cluster resources, you must be using the node that owns the cluster resources.

Creating Smart Copy Sets

When you create Smart Copy Sets, you can select from the options described in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1: Smart Copy Options

Smart Copy Type Smart Copy Description

Snapshot Creates a snapshot for each volume comprising the original object. For example, if the original object is a volume, the resulting Smart Copy Set will contain one snapshot. If the original object consists of a collection of two volumes, the resulting Smart Copy Set will contain two snapshots.

Clone Creates a new volume for each volume comprising the original object.


3–4

Note: Thin Clone is also a Smart Copy Type, but this option only pertains to template volumes.

Use the following procedure to create a Smart Copy Set:

1. Select the object, either a volume, collection, or application.

2. Click Create Smart Copy Set. In the Actions pane, ASM/ME displays the Create Smart Copy dialog box (Figure 3-1).

Figure 3-1: Creating a Smart Copy

3. Select a snapshot, clone, or replica Smart Copy.

Note: When you create a clone, select the Mount Clone option to automatically mount the clone. You can specify the drive or mount path on the next screen.

4. Select the backup behavior type: copy or full.

5. (Optional) Enter text describing the Smart Copy Set. This information will appear in the backup document.

Replica Creates a replica for each volume comprising the original object on the PS Series group configured as a replication partner for the original objects. Each volume that is part of the original object must already be configured for replication in the group.

Backup Type Specifies the backup behavior type that you want to create, either copy or full. This determines the behavior of the Smart Copy operation on the application log file. The actual backup behavior is application dependent.

Table 3-1: Smart Copy Options

Smart Copy Type Smart Copy Description


3–5

6. Click Next to proceed. ASM/ME displays the Summary screen (Figure 3-2).

Figure 3-2: Create Smart Copy Set - Summary

7. Verify the settings displayed in the Summary screen. If the information is correct, click Create. If not, click Back and make any changes.

Smart Copies appear under the Smart Copies node in the ASM/ME Console Tree. After creating a Smart Copy Set, you can display its details, as described in Displaying Smart Copy Information on page 3-12.

To access the data in the Smart Copy Set, see Accessing and Restoring Data from a Smart Copy on page 3-13.

Creating Collections

ASM/ME enables you to define a logical collection of volumes, applications, or application components. You can then perform Smart Copy operations on the entire collection.

Be careful when selecting the components of a collection. Dell recommends creating collections only for objects that are logical to restore as a group; for example, all the application components for a database. You should avoid creating collections that contain volumes for multiple databases, or collections that include database volumes and volumes used by other, unrelated applications. Make sure your collections support your intended backup (to long-term media) and restore plans.

Understanding Collection Creation

Before you create a collection, consider the following constraints:

• You can include in the collection only volumes that support Smart Copies.

• Boot volumes cannot be added to collections.

• You can include an application or one or more of its components in the Applications node. ASM/ME selects all the required volumes automatically. You cannot unselect these required volumes. However, you can:

– Add individual volumes to the collection.

– Select a different application.


3–6

– Select individual volumes.

• You can include volumes individually, however if you do not select all the volumes used by an application, you risk creating a torn Smart Copy when you create a Smart Copy Set of the collection. See Multiple Databases on Volumes on page 2-6.

• You can modify a collection at any time, such as by adding the remaining volumes used by an application or removing unrelated or unwanted volumes.

Creating a Collection

Use the following procedure to create a collection:

1. Right-click or select the Collections node in the ASM/ME Console pane and select Create Collection in the Actions pane. ASM/ME displays the Collection name dialog (Figure 3-3).

Figure 3-3: Create New Collection – Name

2. Specify a unique, alphanumeric name for the collection and click Next. ASM/ME displays the Components dialog (Figure 3-4).


3–7

Figure 3-4: Create New Collection – Components

3. Select the volumes or application components to include in the collection. ASM/ME automatically includes required components.

4. Click Next. ASM/ME displays the Summary dialog (Figure 3-5). This dialog lists the default settings that will be used when ASM/ME creates Smart Copies of the collection components. Click Create to create the collection.

Figure 3-5: Create New Collection – Summary

The new collection is displayed in the ASM/ME Console tree under Collections. Select the collection name to display its details.

When you have created a collection, you can create Smart Copies of the collection volumes as described in Creating Smart Copy Sets on page 3-3. Smart Copy Sets for collections are located under the collection name under Smart Copies in the ASM/ME Console tree.


3–8

Modifying and Deleting a Collection

Use the following procedure to modify or delete a collection:

1. Expand Collections in the ASM/ME Console Tree and right-click the collection name.

2. Select the desired operation from the menu.

Note: If a collection is renamed, any Smart Copies and schedules of the collection will be updated to refer to the renamed collection. Schedule names will not be automatically modified, but can be changed by selecting the Modify Schedule option for the affected schedule.

Scheduling Smart Copy Operations

You can set up a schedule to perform snapshot and replica Smart Copy operations on a regular basis.

If you set up schedules for Smart Copy operations, ASM/ME notifies you when scheduled operations complete or fail. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21 for more information.

You can control the frequency of copies to a maximum frequency of one copy every five minutes. You can also control how many Smart Copies ASM/ME preserves concurrently. However, you should be aware that high-frequency Smart Copies might have a significant performance impact. Monitor and tune your schedule to balance performance against desired service levels.

Note: Schedules can be created for thin clone volumes, but not for template volumes, since they are read-only.

Schedule Operation Under Clusters

ASM/ME creates, modifies, and deletes scheduled tasks on all cluster nodes that can potentially own any of the target objects included in the scheduled task (such as volumes or application components). If a cluster node fails or goes offline at the time of the scheduled event, the schedule fails over to whichever node becomes the owner of the target objects.

Tasks are scheduled on all nodes by default, but fail silently on all nodes that are not the current owner of the target objects in the cluster resources affected.

If a failover cluster manager is used to remove a possible owner of a disk that is part of a schedule, any changes will not be propagated. Only the current owner of the resource, volume or component is entitled to delete the schedule.

Considerations When Creating Schedules

Consider the following when creating schedules:

• If you have not configured notification, you will see a message asking if you want to configure these settings. You can choose not to configure notification although Dell does not recommend this practice. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21.

• You can schedule either snapshot or replica Smart Copy operations. You cannot create clones by using a schedule.

• The backup type for the Smart Copy operation is either copy or full. This determines the behavior of the Smart Copy operation on the application log file. The actual backup type and behavior is application dependent.


3–9

• You can specify the maximum number of retained snapshots or replicas created by the schedule. Snapshots and replicas are also limited by the snapshot reserve and replica reserve configured on the PS Series group. See the Group Administration guide for details.

• You can specify a computer account under which the schedule runs. This dialog is displayed any time you create or modify a schedule, prompting you to supply account information as follows:

– The SYSTEM login. Do not specify the SYSTEM account if you are also performing verification on a remote verification server.

– A specified user account. You can use your current login or specify a different account as the run account for the schedule. The account that you specify must have appropriate access to the backup documents.

• In clusters, you cannot create a schedule for the quorum disk.

Configuring a Schedule

Use the worksheet in Table 3-2 to plan for schedules.

Table 3-2: Worksheet for Configuring a Schedule

Planning Item Description User Data

Name of schedule Assigned name

Frequency of Smart Copy Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or one-time

Time of Smart Copy Copy Start Time HH:MM

Copy Start Day

Copy Start Month

Copy Repeat Time HH:MM

Schedule Start Date/Time

Schedule End Date/Time

Type of Smart Copy Snapshot or Replica

Backup Type Copy or Full

Keep Count Setting Maximum number of snapshots to keep. Use the drop-down menu to specify a number between 0 and 64.

Run task as system user Allows you to specify the SYSTEM login as the account under which this operation runs. Do not specify the SYSTEM account if you are also performing verification on a remote verification server.

Note: Do not specify this option if the schedule is for objects that affect cluster resources.


3–10

Use the following procedure to configure a schedule:

1. Select or right-click the object (application, collection, or volume) and click Configure New Schedule. ASM/ME displays the Configure e-mail notification dialog box (Figure 3-6). Supply the details for e-mail notification and click Next.

Figure 3-6: Configure Schedule-E-mail Notification

2. ASM/ME displays the Schedule Task dialog box (Figure 3-7).

Run task as specified user

Allows you to use the current login or to specify an account as the run account for the operation. You must provide the following information:

User Name. Specify an account name for the account under which this operation will run. (The account that you specify must have appropriate access to the backup documents).

Password. Type the account password.

Confirm password. Retype the account password to confirm it.

If you are using a cluster node and the schedule includes items that are related to cluster resources, you must specify a user account that belongs to the Domain Administrator group.

Table 3-2: Worksheet for Configuring a Schedule (Continued)



3–11

Figure 3-7: Schedule Task

Specify the schedule name and the frequency at which the schedule will run, either one time only, every day, every week, or monthly. In addition, you can configure the schedule to run multiple times during a single day.Optionally, enter a comment about the schedule.

3. Click Next. ASM/ME displays a series of dialog boxes, depending on the frequency you selected in Step 2. Specify the data from your planning worksheet.

4. Click Next to continue. The following dialog box appears: Provide User Account Information. Select one of the Windows user account options and enter the name and password.

5. Click Finish to create the schedule.

Modifying a Schedule

When you have created a schedule, you can modify its time and frequency. You cannot modify the original Smart Copy options, with the exception of adjusting the keep count to control how many Smart Copies are retained concurrently.

You can also temporarily disable a schedule while you modify it. See Disabling and Enabling Schedules on page 3-12.

Use the following procedure to modify a schedule:

1. Select or right-click the schedule and click Modify Schedule.

2. Modify the timing and frequency of the schedule.

3. Click Create to modify the schedule.

Deleting a Schedule

When you have created a schedule, you can delete it at any time. You can also temporarily disable a schedule instead of deleting it. See Disabling and Enabling Schedules on page 3-12.

Use the following procedure to delete a schedule:


3–12

1. Select or right-click the schedule and click Delete Schedule.

2. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Disabling and Enabling Schedules

You can disable a schedule to temporarily prevent the schedule from running as planned. When you want the schedule to run, you can enable it and it starts at the next due date and time. Use the following procedure to disable and then enable a schedule:

1. Select or right-click the schedule and click Disable Schedule.In the ASM/ME Properties pane, the Schedule Status field changes to Disabled.

2. Select or right-click the schedule and click Enable Schedule.In the ASM/ME Properties pane, the Schedule Status field changes to Enabled, and it will start at the due date and time.

You can also modify or delete a schedule while it is disabled. See Modifying a Schedule on page 3-11 and Deleting a Schedule.

Displaying Smart Copy Information

The ASM/ME GUI provides you with information about Smart Copies and the current status of a Smart Copy.

The ASM/ME Console tree provides the following information:

• Smart Copies created from individual volumes are located under the volume name (for example, E:\).

• Smart Copies of a specific collection are located under the collection name.

• Smart Copies of an application component are located under the component name.

• Smart Copies are located under the Unreachable node when ASM/ME cannot validate their backup documents against the storage array. This can happen when a connection to a volume or array is lost or deleted.A Smart Copy Set is permanently broken if ASM/ME cannot validate it because any part of the Smart Copy Set is missing (such as a missing snapshot). See Setting General Properties on page 2-14 for more information about backup documents. See Validating Smart Copy Sets on page 3-19 for more information about validating Smart Copies.A Smart Copy made from a clustered environment may also appear as unreachable.

The ASM/ME Smart Copies Properties window provides a definition of the Smart Copy icons so that you can determine the type and current status of a Smart Copy. For example, you can easily determine whether the Smart Copy is a clone, and whether the clone is mounted or not. Within a Smart Copy Set, icons are used to identify the type of Smart Copy, as shown in Table 2-7.

Displaying Information

Use the following procedure to display information about all the Smart Copy Sets:


3–13

1. Select Smart Copies in the ASM/ME Console Tree. ASM/ME displays the Smart Copies window (Figure 3-8) in the Properties pane.

Figure 3-8: ASM/ME Smart Copies

2. To obtain information about an individual snapshot, clone, or replica, select it in the Console pane. ASM/ME provides detailed information in the Properties pane.

You can view snapshots and clones on the PS Series group where they reside. You can view replicas from either the primary or the secondary group.

Accessing and Restoring Data from a Smart Copy

Accessing and restoring data consists of the following procedures:

• Mounting a Snapshot or Clone Smart Copy Set on page 3-14

• Mounting a Replica Smart Copy on page 3-17

• Restoring from a Smart Copy Set on page 3-17

There are some dependencies on the restoration procedures, which are described in the following section.

Overview of Data Restoration Operations

How you access or restore data from a Smart Copy Set depends on the original object (volume, collection, or application components) and the result of the Smart Copy operation (snapshot, replica, or clone).

Depending on the components that comprise the original object, each Smart Copy Set can include one or more volume snapshots, replicas, or clones created at the same time. This is because collections and applications can have multiple components (for example, multiple volumes or databases).


3–14

Options for accessing data include:

• Quickly restore the original object from a Smart Copy Set. (Applies to Smart Copy Sets that contain volume snapshots or database snapshots.)

• Restore a portion of the original object from a Smart Copy Set. (Applies to Smart Copy Sets that contain database snapshots.)

• Mount a Smart Copy Set as read-only. (Applies to Smart Copy Sets that contain volume replicas or database replicas.)

• Instead of mounting a replica Smart Copy Set as read-only, you can also clone any replica, and then mount the clone. Then replication will not be disrupted. (Applies to any replica).

• Restore the original object in a new location. (Applies to Smart Copy Sets that contain database snapshots and database clones.)

• Clone and restore the original object in a new location. (Applies to Smart Copy Sets that contain database replicas.)

Note: If you make changes to a volume layout, and you have a Smart Copy that predates the layout changes, you cannot use that Smart Copy to recover data. Attempting to recover the data might cause data loss on the production volume.

Note: You can mount or restore data from a Smart Copy of a volume that contained mount points at the time that you created the Smart Copy. However, the restored mount points will always reference the same volumes that they referenced at the point in time when you created the Smart Copy. You must manually change the restored mount points if you want them to reference different volumes, such as another mounted Smart Copy.

Mounting a Snapshot or Clone Smart Copy Set

Use the Mount option to access the data in a snapshot or clone Smart Copy Set created from volumes or application components. Mounting a Smart Copy Set makes the contents accessible (for reading and potentially writing) to the computer. The Mount option supports both Windows drive letters and mount points. A mount point is an empty folder on an existing NTFS file system that server as an access point for a new mounted file system.

When you mount a Smart Copy Set, the following conditions apply:

• During the procedure, ASM/ME repeatedly displays the Select Volume Label dialog for each object (such as a volume) in the Smart Copy Set. You can specify either a drive letter or a mount point on which to mount the snapshot or clone, or you can choose not to mount it. However, you must mount at least one snapshot or clone in the Smart Copy Set.

• The snapshots or clones appear as disks with an assigned drive letter or mount point, and you can copy data from them.

• To mount a Smart Copy Set, the computer must have the security credentials to access the Smart Copies in the set. If CHAP is used to restrict computer access to Smart Copies in the group, but the credentials are not stored on the computer, a dialog box is displayed, prompting you for the user name and password. See Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-20 for more information about automatically supplying the CHAP credentials.

• As part of the mount operation, ASM/ME will automatically set the Smart Copy online on the PS Series group.

• You should always use Unmount and Logoff to remove the mounted Smart Copy Set as soon as you have finished recovering data.

Prerequisites


3–15

Before performing the procedure for mounting a Smart Copy Set, you must meet the following prerequisites:

• Identify the snapshot or Smart Copy Set that you want to mount.

• Choose the drive letters or mount points that you will use.

If you intend to use a mount point, you can create an empty NTFS folder or use the Browse button to navigate to a location where you can create a new folder by clicking the Make New Folder button before performing these steps.

Procedure for Mounting a Smart Copy

Note: Use the following procedure to mount a Smart Copy Set.

1. Select a Smart Copy the ASM/ME Console pane and click Mount in the ASM/ME Actions pane. ASM/ME displays the warning dialog shown in Figure 3-9.

Figure 3-9: Mount Smart Copy Warning

2. Depending on the number of objects in the Smart Copy Set, ASM/ME displays one or more Select Volume Label dialogs. (Figure 3-10).

Figure 3-10: Select a Volume Label


3–16

3. Select the volume label by either of two methods:

– Click on Assign the following driver letter:, then pull down the desired drive letter on which to mount the Smart Copy. (The option not to mount the snapshot or clone is disabled.)

– Click on Mount in the following empty NTFS folder. You are then prompted to browse for an empty folder to use as the mount point.

4. Repeat Step 3 for each volume if there are additional volumes in the Smart Copy Set.

5. Click Finish. As the Smart Copy Set is mounted, a progress bar is displayed.

After ASM/ME mounts a Smart Copy, it continues to appear under Smart Copies in the Console pane, but now a blue “i” overlays the icon, indicating that it is in use.

For each mounted snapshot or clone in the Smart Copy Set, the assigned drive letter or mount point is displayed after its icon, as shown by the selected Smart Copy in Figure 3-11.

Figure 3-11: Mounted Smart Copy Set

Volumes on mount points are shown as a new console branch (callout 1). The snapshot details change to show the volume mappings (callout 2). The mounted Smart Copy also appears as a new volume under Volumes in the Console pane and also has an “i” superimposed over the icon.

Note: By default, backup documents created by ASM/ME are saved as files with a “.bcd” extension. After a Smart Copy Set is mounted, the backup document extension is changed to “.pvss” (post-VSS).

Mounting Smart Copies in a Cluster


3–17

If you want the mounted Smart Copies to be available to all nodes in a cluster, Dell recommends that you perform additional manual steps to make the mounted Smart Copy accessible to other nodes in the cluster in the event of a failover:

1. An iSCSI session is started only for the current node by ASM/ME. You should use the iSCSI initiator to log on to the target for the mounted Smart Copy for each of the nodes that may need to access the Smart Copy. For information about the iSCSI initiator, see iSCSI Target Connections on page 2-5.

2. Add a physical disk resource for the mounted Smart Copy using the Microsoft Cluster Management utilities so that ownership can transfer to a passive node in the event of a failover.

Mounting a Replica Smart Copy

Use the following procedure to mount a replica Smart Copy Set as a read-only volume:

1. Select the Smart Copy Set in the Console pane and click Mount as read-only. Depending on the number of objects in the Smart Copy Set, one or more dialog boxes appear, similar to that shown in Figure 3-10.

2. Specify the drive letter on which to mount the Smart Copy. The option not to mount the replica is disabled. Click Finish.ASM/ME displays the same dialog box for each subsequent replica in the set.

3. Specify the drive letter on which to mount the replica, or choose not to mount it. You must mount at least one replica in the Smart Copy Set.

4. Click Next until you have processed all the replicas in the Smart Copy Set, then click Finish. ASM/ME displays a progress bar as it mounts the Smart Copy Set.

The Smart Copy Set is mounted, and it continues to appear under Smart Copies in the Console pane with a blue “i” on the icon indicating that it is in use.

The menu options to unmount and logoff from the volume node and Smart Copy node also provide you with the option to delete the Smart Copy.

Note: Once a replica is mounted, replication is temporarily paused until the replica set is unmounted and demoted. As an alternative to disrupting replication, you can also clone the replica, and then mount the clone.

Restoring from a Smart Copy Set

When a Smart Copy is mounted, you can restore data. For snapshot Smart Copy Sets created from volumes or volume collections that do not involve databases, the restore operation replaces the current data in the volumes with the data in the Smart Copy Set.

Use the following procedure to restore a volume or collection of volumes from a Smart Copy Set:

1. Select the snapshot Smart Copy Set and click Restore in the Actions pane.

2. Confirm that you want to restore the volume or collection from the selected Smart Copy Set.

The volume or volume collection is restored to the contents represented by the selected Smart Copy Set. The Smart Copy Set continues to exist, and you can restore from it as often as necessary.


3–18

For clustered systems, restore options are enabled only when appropriate. You cannot restore from Smart Copies of volume containing the shared folder.

Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy

When you have mounted a Smart Copy and you have finished any restoration operations, you can unmount and logoff the Smart Copy. As part of the unmount operation, ASM/ME will automatically set the Smart Copy offline on the PS Series group.

Constraints for Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy

The following constraints apply:

• Unmounting and logging off a Smart Copy automatically breaks VSS control of the Smart Copy. You can no longer manage the copy by using Microsoft utilities, however, you can manage it by using ASM/ME.

• If the Smart Copy is a snapshot, you can delete the snapshot as part of the unmount and logoff operation.

• If the mounted volume is a snapshot, and there are additional mounted snapshots from the same Smart Copy Set, the option to delete the Smart Copy Set is disabled. To delete the Smart Copy Set, do the following:

– Unmount and log off all the corresponding volumes.

– Delete the Smart Copy that contains all the volumes.

For replica Smart Copies, you have two options for unmounting and logging off a replica as follows:

• 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.

Unmounting Smart Copies on a Cluster

The following considerations apply to unmounting Smart Copies on a cluster:

• Smart Copies must not be in use.

• Volumes must be put into maintenance mode, if they are cluster resources, using the appropriate procedure depending on the version of product and server (Windows Server 2003 or 2008 Cluster Administrative tools). If you are permanently unmounting or deleting the volumes, then you also need to remove any dependencies on the volumes' physical disk resources and delete the physical disk resources using the Cluster Administration tools.

• If the Unmount and Logoff was temporary, after remounting the volumes, take them out of maintenance mode.

• The node must own all cluster resources in the cluster resource group.

Procedure for Unmounting and Logging Off a Smart Copy

Use the following procedure to unmount and log off a Smart Copy:

1. Click the mounted Smart Copy (callout 1 in Figure 3-12).


3–19

Figure 3-12: Selecting a Mounted Smart Copy

2. Click the action titled Unmount and Logoff in the Actions pane (callout 2 in Figure 3-12). ASM/ME displays the Unmount and Logoff dialog.

3. Optionally, delete the snapshot from the PS Series group represented by this volume. (Because the selected volume is a mounted snapshot, and not a clone, you have the option to select the snapshot for deletion as soon as it is no longer mounted. Check the box to delete the snapshot.)

4. Click Logoff and Delete to proceed with the operation.

Validating Smart Copy Sets

A Smart Copy Set consists of a backup document residing on the computer, describing one or more Smart Copies stored on a PS Series group. Under certain circumstances, the Smart Copy object stored on the group might become temporarily or permanently disconnected from the computer. For example:

• If the PS Series group runs out of snapshot space, a Smart Copy might be deleted.

• If a scheduled keep count is exceeded, an older Smart Copy might be deleted.

Under such circumstances, the backup document on the computer becomes unusable.

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 Copy Sets.

Note: Validating a Smart Copy Set is not the same process as Verification of a Smart Copy Set. The verification operation is specific to Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups.

You can configure ASM/ME to validate all Smart Copies automatically during startup. Enable automatic validation by modifying ASM/ME’s General Properties, as described in Setting General Properties on page 2-14.


3–20

Procedure for Validating Smart Copy Sets

Use the following procedure to manually validate all the Smart Copy Sets:

1. Right-click Smart Copies in the Console pane, and click Validate storage for backup documents in the Actions pane.

2. If all the Smart Copies exist on the PS Series groups, ASM/ME displays a verification message.

If any Smart Copies no longer exist or cannot be found, ASM/ME displays the message “Verification completed successfully.”

3. Click Refresh to update the ASM/ME Console Tree. Smart Copies are reorganized as follows:

Category Description

Broken Smart Copies A Smart Copy Set is permanently broken if ASM/ME cannot validate it because any part of the Smart Copy Set is missing (such as a missing snapshot). ASM/ME moves broken Smart Copies to a new location called Broken in the Console Tree.

Unreachable Smart Copies If ASM/ME cannot reach a PS Series group during validation, it creates a new folder named: Unreachable. Smart Copies that ASM/ME could not validate are placed in that folder.

A Smart Copy made on a cluster also may appear as unreachable. However, in most cases it will not be listed under the Unreachable node but as a Smart Copy node using the unreachable icon instead of the normal volume or application icon.

4. Examine the broken or unreachable Smart Copies and correct the condition that prevented ASM/ME from validating the Smart Copies. You should also delete broken Smart Copies and (if necessary) create replacement Smart Copies immediately to maintain your service level.

Deleting Individual or All Smart Copy Sets

Deleting a Smart Copy Set permanently removes the backup document and deletes the associated Smart Copies (such as snapshots) from the PS Series group. You can also delete all Smart Copies associated with a specific object such as a collection.

Use the following procedure to delete an individual Smart Copy Set:

1. Select the Smart Copy in the Console pane.

2. Click Delete in the Actions pane. ASM/ME displays a warning message, prompting you to confirm the deletion.

Note: If you are on a cluster node and the selected Smart Copy Set is mounted as a cluster physical disk resource, the Delete action is disabled. To enable it, you must either put the physical disk resources for the volumes in the Smart Copy Set into maintenance mode or remove the physical disk resources from the cluster using the Cluster Administration tools.

3. Click Yes to confirm. If the Smart Copy is currently mounted, the mounted volume is also deleted.


3–21

Deleting Smart Copies for a Specified Object

You can also delete all the Smart Copies for a specific object, such as a volume or collection as follows:

1. Select the object under the master Smart Copies node.

2. Click Delete All Smart Copies in the Actions pane.

Note: On a cluster node, any mounted Smart Copies that are cluster physical disk resource and not in maintenance mode will not be deleted.

Viewing Backup Documents

Each Smart Copy Set created with ASM/ME includes a backup document that describes the Smart Copies in the set. A backup document must exist on a computer for ASM/ME to access the Smart Copy Set.

Use the following procedure to view a backup document:

1. Right-click the Smart Copy Set under Smart Copies in the Console pane, and select View Backup Document. ASM/ME displays the Backup Document window (Figure 3-13).

2. Click Save As to save the document to a different file; for example, to transport the backup document to a different computer.

Figure 3-13: Backup Document

Importing a Smart Copy on a Different Computer

If you want to access a Smart Copy from a different computer than the one that created it with ASM/ME, the other computer must have access to the backup document created on the original computer, and must meet the requirements described in Computer and Group Requirements on page 2-2.


3–22

To enable another computer to access a Smart Copy you must configure the computer to which the Smart Copy Set will be transported as follows:

• Install ASM/ME on the computer.

• Make sure that the computer meets the following requirements:

– Microsoft services running on the computer must be able to access the group. See Microsoft Service Access to the Group on page 2-4 for more information.

– Smart Copy credentials must be set. See Setting Up Imported Smart Copy Credentials on page 2-20.

– The computer must have the appropriate VSS/VDS credentials configured. Setting Up VSS/VDS Credentials on page 2-18.

Procedure for Importing a Smart Copy

Use the following procedure to import a Smart Copy:

1. Start the iSCSI initiator console by double-clicking on its desktop icon.

2. Enter the group IP address as the Target Portal address. This enables the computer to “discover” the iSCSI targets presented by the group. Do not log in to a target because login occurs automatically.

3. Copy the backup document to the importing computer, or make the backup document available to a file share that is accessible by the importing computer.

4. Start ASM/ME on the importing computer.

5. Select the Smart Copy Set in the Console pane and click Attach External Smart Copy. ASM/ME displays a folder browser dialog.

6. Browse for the location of the backup document and click it. ASM/ME places the document in the default backup document location (specified in General Properties).

If you cannot access a particular Smart Copy, it might be because the computer does not have the right security credentials or because part of the Smart Copy Set is missing. Make sure the importing computer is configured correctly.

Where to Go Next

When you create a Smart Copy Set with ASM/ME, the Smart Copies are visible in the PS Series Group Manager GUI and CLI. For troubleshooting, you might need to access and manage a Smart Copy from the PS Series group.

Dell recommends that you manage Smart Copies from ASM/ME or the VSS requestor that created them, not the PS Series group.

If you are also running an application such as SQL server or Microsoft Exchange, you should also read the relevant application-specific chapter:





3–23

To create scripts or programs that enhance your site-specific backup procedures, see Chapter 7, Using the Command Line Interface.

4–1

4 Using ASM/ME with Microsoft Exchange

ASM/ME supports Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2007, and 2003. Depending on the version of Exchange that you are running, data recovery procedures vary slightly.

ASM/ME operations that are not specific to applications such as Microsoft Exchange are described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

See Chapter 6, Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V if you intend to run Microsoft Exchange with a Hyper-V virtual machine. In such configurations, some ASM/ME operations are constrained.


• How ASM/ME Displays Exchange Components on page 4-1

• Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on page 4-5

• Global Verification Task for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies on page 4-9

• Creating Smart Copies of Exchange Components on page 4-12

• Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components on page 4-17

• Obtaining Information about Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies on page 4-20

• Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery on page 4-20

• Microsoft Exchange In-place Restore on page 4-32

• Clone and Restore All As New on page 4-34

How ASM/ME Displays Exchange Components

ASM/ME displays the Microsoft Exchange Writer as a supported application under the Applications node in the Console tree.

For Microsoft Exchange 2010, in addition to the Microsoft Exchange Writer, ASM/ME also displays the Microsoft Exchange Replica Writer (Exchange Replication Service) under the Applications node.

For example, assume you are running a two-node Data Availability Group (DAG). One mailbox database, MD1, is mounted on Server A, the first node. Two other mailbox databases, MD2 and MD3, are mounted on Server B, the second node. Since Server A and Server B replicate to one another, the instance of ASM/ME running on Server A displays two applications under the Applications Node:

1. The Microsoft Exchange Replica Writer (Exchange Replication Service) expands to display the two mailbox database replicas, MD2 and MD3.

2. The Microsoft Exchange Writer (Exchange Information Store) expands to display MD1.

Similarly, an instance of ASM/ME running on Server B displays two applications under the Applications Node:

1. The Microsoft Exchange Replica Writer (Exchange Replication Service) expands to display the MD1 replica.

ASM/ME User Guide Using ASM/ME with Microsoft Exchange

4–2

2. The Microsoft Exchange Writer (Exchange Information Store) expands to display MD2 and MD3.

Microsoft Exchange Server Operations

Table 4-1 lists the general Exchange-related tasks you can perform using ASM/ME.

Table 4-1: General ASM/ME Tasks You Can Perform in Exchange Environments

Task See Section

Create application-consistent Smart Copies of mailbox databases (for Microsoft Exchange 2010), storage groups (for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003), volumes and collections.

Creating Smart Copies of Exchange Components on page 4-12

Set up Smart Copy schedules. Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components on page 4-17

Perform In-Place or Brick-Level restores to recover and restore Exchange data.

Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery on page 4-20

Use a command line for creating site-specific scripts. Using a Script to Create Smart Copies on page 7-30

For Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2007, you can clone a mailbox database or storage group from a source Exchange server, and then set it up on a new Exchange server.

Clone and Restore All As New on page 4-34

Note: ASM/ME does not replace your offline backup operations. It augments your backup operations by providing options for fast recovery. For example, you can recover a mail store within minutes of a loss of online data.

Smart Copy Phases for Exchange Components

The Smart Copy life cycle consists of three phases:

• Creation—Phase 1In the context of ASM/ME, a backup copy of an Exchange component is called a Smart Copy Set. You can control how many Smart Copies you want to keep and when or where (local computer or remote computer) you want to verify Smart Copies.A Smart Copy Set contains one of the copy types described in Table 3-1.

• Verification—Phase 2You can perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on Smart Copies to ensure their consistency as potential recovery backup copies. You can run this procedure locally or remotely, in one of the following ways:

• Interactively, at the time of Smart Copy creation or by running the operation manually at a later time.

• As part of a scheduled operation.

• By using command lines or scripts.

See Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task on page 4-8 for more information.

• You can run remote Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery by using a dedicated verification server. See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5 for more information.


4–3

• Recovery—Phase 3You can recover data from Smart Copies, using one of the following options:

• In Place recovery - A point in time restoration of all data in an entire mailbox database or storage group.

• Brick Level recovery - Use a Recovery Mailbox Database (for Microsoft Exchange 2010) or a Recovery Storage Group (for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003) to set a Smart Copy snapshot online and recover information lost from production computers. (See Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery on page 4-20.)

Recovery Considerations for Microsoft Exchange

Consider the following when using ASM/ME features in conjunction with your backup software to provide the desired level of recovery service:

• A Smart Copy of a mailbox database (for Exchange 2010) or a storage group (for Exchange 2007 and 2003) will automatically include a copy of its logs and mailstores. You cannot create Smart Copies of individual logs and mailstores.

• For Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003, you can only make copies of objects in the ASM/ME console tree that contain complete Exchange Storage Groups, such as:

– Application nodes

– Volume nodes

– Collection nodes

• You can create Exchange Smart Copies of backup type Copy. Backup type Copy is functionally equivalent to a VSS copy. This backup type provides better support for third-party backup application software, which depends on log file availability as part of a complete recovery strategy.

• You can only create Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies and collections if all mailbox databases and logs are located on a PS Series group. In the ASM/ME GUI, under the console tree pane, unsupported nodes are indicated by icons that are gray.

• ASM/ME does not allow torn Smart Copies (See Multiple Databases on Volumes on page 2-6). A scheduled task will fail if it will result in a torn Exchange Smart Copy.

• ASM/ME prevents you from creating a multiple writer Smart Copy Set where the Exchange Writer and the SQL Server are included in a Smart Copy Set. This is detected whether you create the Smart Copy from a volume, an application, or a collection. ASM/ME also detects multiple writer Smart Copy Sets when you attempt to create schedules for such objects. If a multiple writer schedule runs, a warning is included in the notification e-mail.It is possible to create an invalid (multiple writer) configuration after a schedule was created. If you do this, the schedule will fail when it runs.

• If you create a Smart Copy Set that contains multiple Exchange components from the same writer, ASM/ME displays a warning but allows the operation to proceed. Dell recommends that you always configure your mailbox databases (for Microsoft Exchange 2010) or storage groups (for Microsoft Exchange 2007 or 2003) on separate volumes. This ensures that if you do need to restore data, you will restore only the damaged component. If you configure multiple Exchange mailbox databases or storage groups on a single volume, all are restored even if only one was damaged.


4–4

• If you use Microsoft Exchange utilities to relocate mailbox database or storage group components, and you have a Smart Copy that predates the change, you cannot use that Smart Copy to recover data. Instead, use a Recovery Mailbox Database (for Microsoft Exchange 2010) or a Recovery Storage Group (for Microsoft Exchange 2007 or 2003) created from that Smart Copy. See Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery on page 4-20.

Note: If you are running ASM/ME on a cluster node and the Exchange Server is clustered, you can only perform recovery actions if the node is the owner node of the Exchange Server cluster resource group.

Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility

The ASM/ME backup wizard, scheduler wizard, and checksum and recovery operation all provide an option to specify the location of the Microsoft Exchange Server eseutil.exe utility.

ASM/ME uses this Exchange utility to verify data integrity. The path defaults to the standard Exchange installation as follows:

C:\Program Files\Exchsrvr\bin\eseutil.exe

If the eseutil.exe utility is not at the default location, you are prompted to specify a path before you can perform any relevant Exchange-specific operations. See the Microsoft Exchange documentation for information about eseutil.

To reduce the I/O load created by Checksum Verification, you can add a one second delay after a specified number of I/Os. You do this by specifying a registry key value as follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\EqualLogic\ASM\Settings]"EseutilThrottle"=dword:00001000

For example, if you specify a registry value of 1000, it results in a one second sleep after every 1000 Checksum Verification I/Os. The range for this value is 100 to 100000.

Cluster Considerations for eseutil Utility

In a cluster, you must make sure that the same version of eseutil.exe utility is available on all nodes on which you want to run remote verification. See Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility for more information. When configuring remote verification, specify the UNC-format name for any cluster node that you designate as a remote verification server.

Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery runs on all nodes in the cluster but verification normally operates only on verification tasks related to target objects that are owned by a specific node.

Schedule tasks are executed successfully by the cluster node that owns the required cluster resources. The task terminates without error on all other cluster nodes. The preferred owner lists for cluster resources and cluster groups are created by the users with the Cluster Administration tools and determine the order in which nodes inherit cluster resources when failures occur.

Therefore, if global verification is being done on a cluster node, it will process the Smart Copies that are targeted for global verification and for which it owns the required cluster resources. If it is running remote verification, it will process all of the Smart Copies targeted for remote verification for which it does not own the required cluster resources.


4–5

Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery

For Smart Copies of Microsoft Exchange components, you have the option to configure and schedule Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery. These data integrity verification features are described as follows:

• Checksum Verification – Verifies the integrity of all files in the Smart Copy by using page Checksum Verification.

• Soft Recovery – Configures the Smart Copy to replay the transaction logs, bringing the databases to a clean shutdown state.

When you create a Smart Copy, you can select the following Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery options:

• Immediately after Smart Copy creation – Run the operation immediately. If you select this option, the operation is disabled the next time the window is displayed, if Checksum Verification completed successfully. If you are running on a cluster, the node must own the cluster resources.

• Global verification window – Run the operation as part of the scheduled Global Verification Task. You can modify the window for the Global Verification task if required. If you are running on a cluster, the node must own cluster resources required at the time that it selects a Smart Copy targeted for global verification to be processed.

• On a remote host – Run the operation as part of the Global Verification Task on a remote verification server. If you are running on a cluster, the node must not own cluster resources required at the time that it selects a Smart Copy targeted for remote verification to be processed.

If you choose to run either or both operations immediately, the Smart Copy creation operation reports the status of the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operations. If an error occurred during execution, Smart Copy creation operation displays the error type. ASM/ME updates the Smart Copy node properties to reflect the changed state.

When a scheduled Global Verification Task operation executes, ASM/ME updates the Smart Copy node to show that Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery is in progress. A soon as the operation is complete, ASM/ME updates the Smart Copy node to show the result.

Note: If you notice I/O performance problems when running checksum verification, consider changing the eseutil.exe registry key value. This procedure is defined in Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility on page 4-4.

Remote Host Verification

You can optionally perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on a remote computer. Remote Host verification requires the following configuration:

• Two computers with the same installed versions of the following application software:

– ASM/ME

– Exchange Management Tools

• A shared network folder or drive to provide a Smart Copy repository

One of the hosts functions as the creator server, creating Smart Copies, the second computer acts as the verification server running a Global Verification Task that verifies all unverified Exchange Smart Copies.


4–6

Note: The remote verifier can only do verification if it does not own the cluster resources that are the source for the Smart Copies. This does not apply to Data Availability Group or Cluster Continuous Replication configurations in Exchange, since volumes are not cluster resources and each node owns its own volumes.

The Global Verification window can differ between the local and remote servers. For example, you might configure verification during an offpeak Global Verification window on the creator server, such as the default 8:00PM to 6:00AM window. You might then configure the creator server to run verification on the remote computer, setting the verification server’s Global Verification window to 24 hours.

You can run remote verification operations manually, you can schedule them individually, or you can schedule them as part of a Global Verification Task. See the following sections for more information:

• Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components on page 4-17

• Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22

Using a System as a Dedicated Verification Server

To make the best use of computer resources, you can configure a computer to run only the Global Verification Task, taking the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery workload off your production computers. See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5. You specify a Global Verification window that is specific to the verification server. This typically a much longer time period than for a creator server, because the creator server is in the production environment.

Using a dedicated verification server enables you to process a greater number of Smart Copies, improving your recovery options and service level. The verification server might be co-located with Smart Copy creator servers, or it might be at a geographically remote location. However, the verification server requires access to the SAN on which you create and maintain Smart Copies.

Configuring a Verification Server

Prerequisites

• Install the same release of Host Integration Tools on both the verification server and on the Smart Copy creator servers.

• Install the Exchange Management Tools for the same release of Microsoft Exchange Server as is installed on the Smart Copy creator servers. Maintain version parity on creator and verification servers, including the latest hotfixes available from Microsoft.

• Ensure that the verification server and any creator servers are part of the same Microsoft Windows domain.

• Ensure that the verification server and any creator servers that it serves are able to access a shared location for Smart Copies.

• Ensure that there is an appropriate network access and bandwidth to process the Global Verification Tasks of client computers.

• Ensure there is a UNC or shared location.


4–7

Configuring a Verification Server

1. Start the Remote Setup Wizard (described in Host Integration Tools Installation and User Guide) to enable the verification server to access the storage array group.

2. Find the location of the shared Smart Copy copy folder on the creator server, as follows:

a. Launch ASM/ME and in the Console Tree, click the ASM/ME node.

b. Click Properties.

c. Find the path specified as the default location of Smart Copy (under the General Properties tab). In a cluster, this is the UNC path.

d. Copy the path to a text file or write it down.

e. Click on Cancel to close the Properties window.

3. Configure the Volume Access Control List on the PS Series group so that the verification server has access only to snapshots, and not to the original volume. See the Creating Access Control Records procedure described in the Volume Management section of the Group Manager GUI online help.

4. Map a drive on the verification server to the shared shadow copy folder that you identified in Step 2. Use the same drive letter if possible.

5. Point ASM/ME to the shared shadow copy folder on the verification server:

a. Launch ASM/ME and in the Console Tree, click the ASM/ME node.

b. Click Properties and click the General Properties tab.

c. Specify the path to the shared folder that you defined in Step 3. (Make sure that the drive letter specifies the local mount point.)

d. Close the Properties window and update the properties by clicking OK. ASM/ME finds the Smart Copies on the creator server and updates the Console Tree. Because these Smart Copies are not found on the local computer, ASM/ME displays a blue question mark icon against the node.

6. Set up a Global Verification Task on the verification server, using the procedure described in Global Verification Task for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies on page 4-9, except for the following steps:

a. Select the following option: Process Smart Copies created by another host in the dialog titled: Create or Modify Global Verification Task.

b. Consider setting the Global Verification window to the maximum possible 24-hour period if the sole purpose of the verification server is Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery.

c. Specify a user account that has appropriate permission to access the Smart Copies (according to the shared folder settings).


4–8

The verification server now watches the shared folder and processes any unverified Smart Copies according to the local Global Verification window. When you select a Smart Copy, its verification status is indicated in the Properties window.

Running Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Immediately

The following considerations apply when you run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery immediately after creating a Smart Copy Set of an Exchange component:

• If you do not select Microsoft Exchange Storage component operations at the time you create a Smart Copy Set, you can select Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operations from the Smart Copy node. This option is available only if you did not already run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery, or if you ran it, but one of the operations failed.

• If the Smart Copy is already mounted, ASM/ME sets its access state to Read-Write (if the Smart Copy is not already set to Read-Write).

• If an error occurs during execution, the Smart Copy creation operation displays the error type and includes a summary in the notification e-mail (see Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21).

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 e-mails into a single message, or receive two separate notifications. Use the ASM/ME Properties-Notification tab to configure this option. If configured, see Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21. If you configure notification e-mail, a partial log from the most recent run is attached to the email.

Any errors that occur during Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery operations are logged in the event log. A running log is maintained by the verifier at the following location:

Program Files\Equallogic\Logs\EqlExVerifier.log

To avoid consuming excessive disk space, ASM/ME creates a new log file when the current file exceeds 10MB. The old log file saved in previous log is saved at the following location:

Program Files\Equallogic\Logs\EqlExVerifier_0.log

ASM/ME maintains two log files only: the current log, and the preceding log. If you need to retain older logs, use the Windows Task Scheduler to copy the log to another location.

Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task

When you select a valid Microsoft Exchange Component, the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery option is included in the context menu options for Smart Copy Sets and in the Actions Pane.

The option is visible only if you have not already run a Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery (or if you ran a Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery but either or both did not complete successfully). To use this option, do the following:

1. Click [+] (plus) to expand the Smart Copy node until an Exchange component Smart Copy Set is visible.


4–9

2. Right-click a Smart Copy node and click the right mouse button to display the context menu options. (If the Verification and Recovery option is not at the top of the menu, see the following procedure.)

3. Click the first option, Verification and Recovery.

4. In the Options dialog, you can do the following:

– Choose to perform a Checksum Verification, a Soft Recovery, or both. If you select Soft Recovery, the Smart Copy is made writeable.

– Specify a path to the eseutil.exe utility if it is not located in the default Windows Exchange installation folder. See Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility on page 4-4 for more information.

ASM/ME displays a dialog indicating that Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery started in the background. You can continue with other operations.

When the operation completes, ASM/ME refreshes the console tree and displays the new status of the Smart Copy Set in the Properties Pane. The duration of the operation is also provided, to assist you in future planning.

Note: The volume is temporarily mounted in the background, but that status does not appear in the console tree unless you refresh the tree while the verification is in progress.

Determining Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Status

If you have performed Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on a Smart Copy Set, the option is no longer available in the context menu. To find the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery status of a Smart Copy, do the following:

1. Click [+] (plus) in the Console Tree to expand the Smart Copy node until a Smart Copy Set is visible.

2. Select the Smart Copy node to display its properties in the Properties Pane.

The following properties will confirm its status as follows:

• Checksum Verification State - Successfully Verified (Duration)

• Soft Recovery State - Successful (Duration)

Global Verification Task for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies

The Global Verification Task is a scheduled background activity that you can run from any designated user account. The user account that you specify should have the appropriate read access to the backup documents that you want to verify. Otherwise, you can choose to run the operation from the computer’s Administrator account. The Global Verification Task performs Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery processing on any Exchange Smart Copy that you have included in the schedule. See Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components on page 4-17.

When you configure ASM/ME, you can set up a Global Verification Schedule to run the Global Verification Task. See Setting Properties on page 2-14.

Constraints for Global Verification Task

The Global Verification Task attempts to verify all Smart Copies, subject to the following constraints:


4–10

• Smart Copies are verified serially. You can specify whether to begin processing with the newest copies, or the oldest copies (chronological sequence).

• If a running 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.

• If a common file share is used by several hosts running Global Verification Tasks during the same or overlapping window (either in a non-cluster configuration, or an Exchange CCR or DAG cluster configuration), then a different backup document location folder should be configured for each of the hosts to avoid any issues in accessing backup documents.

• Any operations that cannot run in the time available are postponed to the next start time. These operations will run first.

Notes: Creating a schedule does not guarantee that all backup documents are always verified. You must make sure that operations are completed successfully and that there is adequate time available.If the node running Global Verification Task fails over, the global Verification task on the inheriting node may not process all of the existing unverified Smart Copies until the next time that it is scheduled to run. You can force the Global Verification Task to restart on the inheriting node using ASM/ME.

Creating or Modifying the Global Verification Task

When you select the master Schedules node and master Smart Copies node, you have options to create or modify the Global Verification Task. You can also use the following options to create or modify the Global Verification Task on a verification server, which is a server that is dedicated to the verification operation:

• Create Global Verification Task – This option is displayed only if the Global Verification Task does not exist. If it does exist, a node titled: Global_Verification_Task is displayed in the ASM/ME console tree under the Schedules master node.

• Modify Global Verification Task – This option is displayed only if the Global Verification Task exists. If it does not exist, there is no Global_Verification_Task node in the console tree under the Schedules master node.

If you want to support failover of the Global Verification Task processing in a cluster configuration, you must create a Global Verification Task on each node that is a potential owner node for an Exchange Server Cluster Group. Additionally, you need to manually propagate any changes to the Global Verification Task to the possible owner nodes if you want them to be synchronized. This requirement is different than that for other scheduled tasks.

ASM/ME creates a Global Verification Task automatically the first time you either create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy or create a schedule of Smart Copies, providing the following conditions apply:

• No preceding version of a Global Verification Task exists under the Schedules master node.

• When creating the Smart Copy Set, you select the local Global Verification window as the scheduled verification time.


4–11

Manually Creating a Global Verification Schedule

Table 4-2 describes the options you can choose from when manually creating a Global Verification Schedule.

Table 4-2: Global Verification Task Schedule Options

Option Description

Process Smart Copies Created by this host

Processes only Smart Copies created on the local computer.

Process Smart Copies Created by another host

Processes Smart Copies created on a remote computer. (See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5).

Start Time The start time of the local Global Verification window, which is the time period during which the Global Verification Task runs. Typically, you specify a time of low computer usage to make best use of computer resources. The Start Time must precede the End time by three hours or more. If the Start Time and End Time are the same the window is 24 consecutive hours (full time verification).

End Time The end time of the local Global Verification window. This time must be at least three hours later than the start time.

Eseutil location The path to the Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe utility (a database maintenance program), if it is not located at its default installation path.

Run task as system user Choose this option to specify the SYSTEM login as the account under which the operation runs. Do not specify the SYSTEM account if you are also performing verification on a remote verification server.

Run task as specified user Choose this option to use the current login or to specify an account as the run account for the operation. You must provide the following information:

User Name - Specify an account name for the account under which this operation will run. (The account that you specify must have appropriate access to the backup documents).

Password - Type the account password. ASM/ME uses the password only during schedule creation and the password is not retained.

Manually Creating a Global Verification Schedule

1. Expand the master Schedules node (You can also click the master Smart Copy node). Check whether the following schedule node exists: Global_Verification_Task. Proceed with Step 2 if it does not exist.

2. Select Create Global Verification Task in the ASM/ME Actions Pane. The following dialog box appears: Create or Modify Global Verification Task.

3. Select from the time options described in Table 4-2

The following dialog box appears: Provide User Account Information. (This dialog is displayed any time you create or modify a schedule).

4. Select from the user account options described in Table 4-2.


4–12

5. Click Create to begin creating the Global Verification Task. In the ASM/ME Console Pane, the Global_Verification_Task node appears under the master Schedules node. This node represents the Global Verification Task.

When you have created the Global Verification Task, you can select it to display the following options the ASM/ME Actions Pane:

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.

Delete the Schedule Deletes that schedule. No scheduled verification is performed until you create a new schedule manually or specify scheduled verification for a newly-created Smart Copy. The Global Verification times remain as specified in the last schedule that you created.

When scheduled, the Global Verification Task runs as a process named EqlExVerifier.exe, which you can examine by using the Windows Task Manager. Only one instance of the EqlExVerifier.exe process runs as the automated Global Verification Task on a computer at any time. You can launch two more instances of EqlExVerifier.exe manually, or three instances if the automated Global Verification Task is not currently running.

Creating Smart Copies of Exchange Components

Smart Copy operations differ for Microsoft Exchange components. For example, if you create a Smart Copy of a Microsoft Exchange 2010 mailbox database, you are prompted to select whether you want to perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery. You can create Smart Copies of mailbox databases (for Microsoft Exchange 2010), storage groups (for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003), volumes and collections.

Planning for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy Procedures

Use Table 4-3 to plan for Smart Copies of an Exchange component.

Table 4-3: Worksheet for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies


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 described in Step 4.

Backup Type Select Copy. This is the only supported backup type.


4–13

Creating Exchange Smart Copies

You can use the worksheet in Table 4-3 as an aid in creating Exchange Smart Copies.

1. Select a supported Exchange component node under the Applications, Volumes, or Collections master node.

User Comments Optionally, enter text describing the Smart Copy Set. This information will appear in the backup document.

Checksum Verification

Verifies the integrity of databases in the Smart Copy by using the eseutil.exe database maintenance utility.

Soft Recovery Brings all databases to a clean shutdown. For Exchange replicas, immediate Soft Recovery is not available.

Eseutil Location If the location of the eseutil.exe utility is not in its default installation as indicated in the text field, specify the path to its location.(See Microsoft Exchange eseutil.exe Utility on page 4-4.)

Perform Task Specify the time and method of running Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery. Select from the following options:

Immediately after Smart Copy creation. Specify this option to start Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery as soon as Smart Copy creation is complete. This option is not available for Microsoft Exchange Storage Group replicas.

Global verification window. Specify this option to use the Global Verification Window times that you configured into ASM/ME in Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22. You can also use this option to change the Global Verification times. You must specify a minimum period of three hours.If you change the Global Verification times, the changes apply to the local computer only, and affect all other scheduled verifications

On a Remote host preconfigured to perform Exchange verification.

Specify this option to schedule Global Verification on a remote computer. The remote computer must be configured to run the operation. (See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5).

Table 4-3: Worksheet for Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies (Continued)



4–14

2. Click Create Smart Copy Set. ASM/ME displays the Create Smart Copy dialog box (Figure 4-1).

Figure 4-1: Create Smart Copy

3. Select a Smart Copy type, Backup Type, and optionally enter a description.

4. Click Next to proceed.

a. If you are creating a snapshot or a clone, ASM/ME displays the Data Verification and Soft Recovery Options dialog box.

b. If you are creating a replica, ASM/ME displays the Exchange Replica Verification Options dialog box (Figure 4-2). Select the verification method and click Next.

Note: See Accessing and Restoring Microsoft Exchange Data on page 4-20 for more information.

Figure 4-2: Exchange Replica Verification Options

5. Select from the options in the Data Verification and Soft Recovery Options dialog box (Figure 4-3).


4–15

a. If you deselect both the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery options, the dialog box is grayed out. Click Next and proceed to Step 7.

b. If you select either the Checksum Verification option, the Soft Recovery option, or both of them, verify the EseUtil location, select when to perform the tasks, and click Next. ASM/ME displays the Provide User Account Information dialog box.

Figure 4-3: Data Verification and Soft Recovery Options

Note: If you need to change the remote Global Verification window, you must change it on the remote computer.

6. If you choose to run the task as a system user, click Next. To run the task as a specified user, enter your Windows credentials and click Next.

Figure 4-4: Provide User Account Information

7. Verify the settings displayed in the Summary screen (Figure 4-5). If the information is correct, click Finish.


4–16

Figure 4-5: Create Smart Copy Set Summary

After creating a Smart Copy Set, you can display its details, as described in Obtaining Information about Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies on page 4-20.

To access the data in the Smart Copy Set, see Accessing and Restoring Microsoft Exchange Data on page 4-20.

Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery for Replicas

If the target Smart Copy is a replica of an Exchange component, rather than a snapshot or clone, the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery procedure is different. Volume replication is a continuous process and ASM/ME provides options to perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery without disrupting replication. For Microsoft Exchange replicas only, the option to perform Checksum Verification is not available immediately after you create a Smart Copy.

Note: More information on running a Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery is provided in Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task on page 4-8.

The process of configuring volume replication is described in detail in the Group Administration Guide.

The following Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery options are available during replica smart copy operations:

• Clone and Verify - Creates a clone of the replicated volume and performs Checksum Verification only on the clone.This procedure requires storage capacity on the secondary group that is at least the same size as the replica. (That is, if the replica is 500GB, you will need 500GB of available space). Use the Group Manager GUI to examine and, if necessary, make space available on the secondary group.The advantage of using a clone is that it does not disrupt ongoing data replication from the base volume to the replica. The replication process continues while the clone undergoes Checksum Verification.

Note: Soft Recovery runs on the original Smart Copy during a restore operation.


4–17

• Promote and Verify - Temporarily promotes the replica, making it functionally equivalent to the base volume. ASM/ME performs Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on the promoted replica.

This process has the advantage of not requiring any additional storage capacity on the secondary group. However, data replication is paused during Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery, making the promoted replica a point-in-time copy of the base volume.

Note: Scheduled replications will fail during Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery of a promoted replica because replication is paused.

This operation allows you to run a Soft Recovery on the original Smart Copy before you begin a data restore.When Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery is complete, ASM/ME automatically demotes the replica and replication resumes. Any scheduled operations on the volume also resume.

• Defer Verification - Defers Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery to a later time. You can start the procedure manually or create a schedule at some future time.

Note: If you defer Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery permanently, you might find that the replica is corrupted and unusable when you try to restore data from the replica to the base volume.

Scheduling Smart Copies for Microsoft Exchange Components


Table 4-4: Data Required for Scheduling Smart Copies of Exchange Components

Option Description

Configure E-mail Notification for Scheduled Tasks

SMTP Server SMTP server that is used to handle e-mail.

E-mail From Address “From” address to use in the e-mail (optional). The From address can be any name you want, to help you (or the recipients) easily identify the source. It can be the name of the Windows Server running ASM/ME, or the PS Series group name, or any other name you want to create, followed by the e-mail domain.

E-mail Recipient List Comma-separated list of e-mail addresses to which notifications will be sent.

E-mail Subject Line Subject for the e-mail.

Notify on Failure Whether or not to send a notification when operations fail.

Notify on Success Whether or not to send a notification when operations succeed.

Schedule Name and Frequency

Task name A unique name for this schedule.

Schedule frequency Frequency at which the schedule will run, optionally:

• Daily or more frequent (multiple times during a single day)

• Weekly

• Monthly

• One time only


4–18

Scheduling a Smart Copy

You can use Table 4-4 to assist you in creating Smart Copy schedules for Exchange components. To create a Smart Copy schedule:

Comment Comment about the schedule (optional).

Advanced Schedule Options

Start Date Date to start schedule.

End Date (Optional) date to end schedule.

Repeat options Whether you want the schedule to repeat as follows:

• Every hour or minute for a specified integer

• Until a specific time

• For a specific duration in hours and/or minutes

Smart Copy Options

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 backup type is Copy by default.

Keep Count Setting Specify the maximum number of snapshots or replicas to keep. Snapshots and replicas are also limited by the snapshot reserve and replica reserve configured on the PS Series group. See the Group Administration guide for details.

Data Verification and Soft Recovery

Perform Checksum Verification

Indicate preference.

Perform Soft Recovery Indicate preference.

eseutil.exe utility Specify the location of the eseutil.exe utility.

User Account Information

Run task as system user Choose this option to specify the SYSTEM login as the account under which this operation runs. Do not specify the SYSTEM account if you are also performing verification on a remote verification server or in a cluster. In a cluster, the user that is a member of the Domain Administrator group must be specified.

Run task as specified user

Choose this option to use the current login or to specify an account as the run account for the operation. You must provide the following information:

User Name - Specify an account name for the account under which this operation will run. (The account that you specify must have appropriate access to the backup documents). In a cluster, this user must be a member of the Domain Administration group.

Password - Type the account password.

Confirm password - Retype the account password to confirm it.

Table 4-4: Data Required for Scheduling Smart Copies of Exchange Components (Continued)

Option Description


4–19

1. Right-click the Exchange component and click Configure New Schedule. The following dialog box appears: Configure e-mail notification for scheduled tasks.

2. Enter the notification settings, or check Receive no e-mail notifications from scheduled tasks and click Next. The following dialog box appears: Schedule Name and Frequency.

3. Enter the task name and schedule frequency. Click Next to proceed. Depending on the frequency that you select in Step 3, ASM/ME displays one of the following dialogs:

– Daily Schedule Settings

– Weekly Schedule Settings

– Monthly Schedule Settings

– Schedule Settings

4. Specify the required day, date, hour, and recurrence as required and click Next. The following dialog box appears: Advanced Schedule Settings.

5. Enter the advanced schedule options (described in Table 4-4.)

Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Smart Copy Options.

6. Select from the Smart Copy options (described in Table 4-4.)

Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Data Verification and Soft Recovery.

7. Select from the options as required (described in Table 4-4).If you select either Checksum Verification or Perform Soft Recovery, you can also specify when and where ASM/ME should perform the task as follows:

– Immediately after Smart Copy creation.

– During the Global Verification window.

– On a remote verification host.

Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Provide User Account Information. (This dialog box is displayed any time you create or modify a schedule).

8. Select from the user account options described in Table 4-4.

9. Click Create to create the schedule.

Note: In a cluster, this scheduled task is created on all nodes that are possible owners of the Exchange Server cluster resource group. This does not apply to Exchange 2010 Data Availability Groups or Exchange 2007 Continuous Cluster Replication.


4–20

Obtaining Information about Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies

When you view the Properties Pane for Exchange Smart Copies only, the current status of Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery is displayed (see Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task on page 4-8). The contents of the value fields are shown as follows:

Property Value

Checksum Verification Successfully Verified (Duration: N seconds)

Soft Recovery Successful (Duration: N seconds)

Accessing and Restoring Microsoft Exchange Data

How you access or restore data from a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy Set depends on the original object (volume, collection, or application components) and the Smart Copy type (snapshot, replica, or clone).

Depending on the components that comprise the original object, each Smart Copy Set can include one or more volume snapshots, replicas, or clones created at the same time. This is because collections and applications can have multiple components (for example, multiple volumes or databases).

Restoring Microsoft Exchange Component Data

For replica Smart Copy Sets of application components or collections, you can:

• Mount the replicas as read-only volumes. The backup document for the Smart Copy Set is deleted, and you cannot repeat this operation. The replicas continue to exist on the PS Series group. See Mounting a Replica Smart Copy on page 3-17.

For clone Smart Copy Sets of application components or collections, you can:

• Mount the clones. The backup document for the Smart Copy Set is deleted, and you cannot repeat this operation.

Using ASM/ME for Microsoft Exchange Data Recovery

There are three types of data recovery for Exchange components:

• In-place Restore—A point in time restoration of all data in an entire mailbox database or storage group.

• Brick-level Restore—Recover data for a specific mailbox database, or specific components within a storage group. Set a Smart Copy snapshot online and recover lost information from that Smart Copy. ASM/ME allows you to create Recovery Mailbox Databases (for Exchange 2010) and Recovery Storage Groups (For Exchange 2007 and 2003) in order to perform data recovery tasks using Microsoft Exchange utilities.

• Clone and Restore All as New—For Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2007, you can clone a mailbox database or storage group from a source Exchange server, and then set it up on another Exchange server.

Note: Consider backing up your Smart Copy backup documents to a network share or another location from which you can recover them easily as part of a disaster recovery plan.

Table 4-5 lists the different data recovery procedures for various versions of Exchange.

Table 4-5: ASM/ME Data Recovery Procedures for Exchange

Data Recovery Type

Exchange Version

Related ASM/ME Procedure

Database Configuration

SeeSection

In-Place Restore 2010 Fully restore an Exchange mailbox database

N/A In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2010 on page 4-32

2007 Fully restore an Exchange storage group

N/A In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003 on page 4-33

2003 Fully restore an Exchange storage group

N/A In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003 on page 4-33

Brick-level Restore

2010 Create a Recovery Mailbox Database

N/A. In Exchange 2010, volumes and mailbox databases are not cluster resources.

Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database on page 4-21

2007 Create a Recovery Storage Group

Non-clustered computer Creating an RSG with Microsoft Exchange 2007 on page 4-25

Failover cluster Microsoft Exchange 2007 Procedure on page 4-30

2003 Create a Recovery Storage Group

Single volume on a non-clustered computer

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Single Volume Procedure on page 4-27

Multiple volumes on a non-clustered computer

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Multiple Volume Procedure on page 4-28

Failover cluster Microsoft Exchange 2003 Procedure on page 4-30

Clone and Restore All as New

2010 Importing a Smart Copy Set and setting it up as a new mailbox database

N/A Importing an Exchange Smart Copy Set and Setting It Up As a New Mailbox Database on page 4-35

2007 Importing a Smart Copy Set and setting it up as a new mailbox database

N/A Importing an Exchange Smart Copy Set and Setting It Up As a New Mailbox Database on page 4-35


4–21

Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database

Recovery Mailbox Databases (RMD) are a feature of Microsoft Exchange 2010 that enable you to mount a copy of a mailbox database to a Microsoft Exchange Server. Then you can recover mailboxes while the live mail store remains online.


4–22

ASM/ME allows you to create an RMD and mount it, making it available for use by Exchange utilities. Immediately after you create an RMD, you can launch the Microsoft Exchange Management Console directly from the ASM/ME UI to perform Exchange administration and data recovery tasks. For more information on this utility, see the documentation for the Microsoft Exchange Console.

Exchange does not allow more than one RMD to be mounted on one server at a time. If you create an RMD from a Smart Copy Set, ASM/ME determines whether there is an existing RMD and offers to remove it for you.

While you can replace an existing RMD with another, you cannot use ASM/ME to delete an RMD and clean up either the directories that were created or the mailstore and log files that contain the RMD data. If you remove an RMD manually using the Exchange utilities, you are also left in the same state and are told to manually remove these items. This situation also occurs if you unmount and logoff the Smart Copy Set used for the RMD.

Note: Users should conform to Microsoft Exchange best practices for creating mailbox databases to avoid data recovery problems. For example, Exchange does not support creating mailbox database files in the root directory of a volume. However, if you to create the database file in the root directory of a volume that is mounted at a mount point, as opposed to a drive letter, the action will succeed. When creating a recovery mailbox database (for Exchange 2010) or a recovery storage group (for Exchange 2007), if you specify a drive letter instead of a mount point for the Smart Copy Set, ASM/ME will not be able to complete the creation task. This is because Exchange will return a error stating that it cannot store mailbox database files (.edb) in a root directory.

Prerequisites

• At least one mailbox database must exist under the ASM/ME Applications Node.

• You must create a Smart Copy of the mailbox database, volume, or collection that you want to include in the RMD.

• You should run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on the Smart Copy Set. This is not required, but is recommended to ensure the integrity of the Smart Copy Set. As a minimum, Soft Recovery will be run if you use the Smart Copy to recover data. See Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task on page 4-8.

Note: Running Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery verifies data integrity, but as a result, it can take a longer time to complete data restoration.

Creating a Recovery Mailbox Database

1. Right-click the Smart Copy and select the option: Create Recovery Mailbox Database. The following dialog box appears: Create a Recovery Mailbox Database.

2. If you hav not yet performed Checksum Verification on the Smart Copy, you are warned and given the option to continue anyway. Check the box: Continue Without Checksum Verification. Click Next. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Mailbox Database.

3. Select the mailbox database and click Next. The following dialog box appears: Select Volume Label.

4. Specify a drive letter or an NTFS folder for the mount point. Click Next. The following dialog box appears: Review Recovery Mailbox Database Configuration.

5. If an existing RMD is found, check the box: Remove existing Recovery Mailbox Database. Click Next. The following dialog box appears: Recovery Mailbox Database Creation Complete.


4–23

Note: After you click Next, ASM/ME automatically deletes the existing RMD, unmounts the Smart Copy from which it was created, creates the new one, and performs Soft Recovery.

6. Click the Launch Exchange Management Shell link to perform data recovery tasks using Exchange utilities.

7. Click Finish to exit the wizard. The Volumes node in the console tree will be refreshed to show the newly mounted volume for the RMD. The Smart Copies node will also be refreshed to show which Smart Copies are in use.

Creating a Recovery Storage Group (Exchange 2007 and 2003)

Recovery Storage Groups (RSG) are a feature of Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003 that enable you to mount a copy of a mailbox store to a Microsoft Exchange Server. For example, you can recover data from the restored mailbox store while the live store remains online.

Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group

The following constraints apply when you create an RSG:

• Creating the RSG consumes snapshot reserve space.

• If you create an RSG from a Smart Copy, you should not use that same Smart Copy for an in-place restore operation.

Microsoft Exchange Version Dependencies

The procedure for creating an RSG varies depending on which version of Microsoft Exchange is installed, and whether the configuration is clustered or non-clustered:

• Microsoft Exchange 2007 provides features that ASM/ME uses to automate the creation process.

• With Microsoft Exchange 2003, some manual steps are required to create an RSG.

• When running on a Failover Cluster, there are some additional steps required, and these steps will vary depending on the version of Microsoft Exchange that is installed.

The following sections describe these different scenarios:

• Creating a Recovery Storage Group on a Non-Clustered Computer (Exchange 2007 and 2003) on page 4-25

• Creating a Recovery Storage Group in a Failover Cluster (Exchange 2007 and 2003) on page 4-29

Microsoft Exchange Prerequisites

There are different prerequisites for creating an RSG, depending on the version of Microsoft Exchange you are running.

General Prerequisites for Creating a Recovery Storage Group

To create an RSG, you must meet the following prerequisites (regardless of whether you are running Microsoft Exchange 2007 or 2003):


4–24

• At least one Exchange Storage Group with appropriate mail stores must exist under the ASM/ME Applications Node.

• You must create a Smart Copy Set comprising all the objects in the target Exchange Storage Group that you want to include in the RSG. This Smart Copy Set can contain more than one mail store of an Exchange Storage Group.

• You should run Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on the Smart Copy Set. This is not required, but is recommended to ensure the integrity of the Smart Copy Set. As a minimum, Soft Recovery will be run if you use the Smart Copy to recover data. See Running the Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Task on page 4-8.

Note: Running Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery verifies data integrity, but as a result, it can take a longer time to complete data restoration.

Microsoft Exchange 2007 Prerequisites

For Exchange 2007, you can create an RSG within ASM/ME and mount the RSG, making it available for use by Exchange disaster recovery services. For Exchange 2003, you must use Microsoft Exchange utilities to create the RSG.

RSGs created within Microsoft Exchange 2007 are not visible under the Exchange Server node as normal storage groups in ASM/ME. However, if you attempt to create an RSG from a Smart Copy Set, ASM/ME determines whether there is an existing RSG and offers to remove it for you.

While you can replace an existing RSG with another from within ASM/ME, you cannot use ASM/ME to delete an RSG and clean up either the directories that were created or the mailstore and log files that contain the RSG data. If you remove an RSG manually using the Exchange tools, you are also left in the same state and are told to manually remove these items. This situation also occurs if you unmount and logoff the Smart Copy Set used for the RSG.

To delete or otherwise administer an RSG, use the following Exchange utilities:

• The Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant (exTRA) GUI for Exchange 2007.

• The Exchange Management Shell for Exchange 2007.

When you configure an RSG by using ASM/ME, you have the option to launch these utilities to perform maintenance operations immediately after you create the RSG. For more information, see the Help and documentation for the Microsoft Exchange Console.

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Prerequisites

For Microsoft Exchange 2003, some manual steps are required to complete the procedure. If an RSG already exists, you must remove it manually using the Exchange System Manager before performing the other manual steps.

These steps differ depending on how you configure your storage groups as follows:

• If the databases in the Storage Group are all located on the same volume, the procedure involves using hard links when creating the recovery storage group.

Databases are sometimes on different volumes, but logs and system files (that is, a storage group) are located on the same volume.


4–25

• If the databases in the Storage Group are located on multiple volumes, the procedure consolidates the databases by copying them to a temporary location when creating the recovery storage group.

• When you create a recovery storage group, Microsoft Exchange determines the database file names based on the name of the mail database. The resulting name might not be identical to the file names of the production database (or the associated Smart Copy Set). If the database names are not identical and you start the mail store, Exchange does not mount the restored files. Instead, it creates new database files that are empty. Make sure that you compare the recovery Storage Group file names with the file names in the directory that you specify, and rename the files if necessary.

These differences are reflected in the way that windows and options are presented during the procedure.

Creating a Recovery Storage Group on a Non-Clustered Computer (Exchange 2007 and 2003)

The sequence for creating an RSG varies depending on whether you are running Microsoft Exchange 2003 or 2007. Refer to the following sections, as appropriate.

ExchangeVersion

DatabaseConfiguration

See Section

2007 All Creating an RSG with Microsoft Exchange 2007 on page 4-25

2003 Single Volume(Exchange and data stores are on the same volume)

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Single Volume Procedure on page 4-27

2003 Multiple Volumes (Exchange and data stores are not all on the same volume)

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Multiple Volume Procedure on page 4-28

Creating an RSG with Microsoft Exchange 2007

Use the following procedure to create an RSG using Microsoft Exchange 2007.

1. Click the Smart Copy to highlight and select it.

2. Select the option to Create Recovery Storage Group from the Actions Pane (or from the context menu by pressing the right mouse button). ASM/ME loads the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard and displays its first dialog box, which contains the warnings described in Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group on page 4-23. You are also warned if you have not yet performed Checksum Verification on the selected Smart Copy.

3. Select from the following options in the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard:

– Click Cancel if you want to abort the RSG creation to run Checksum Verification.

– Click the checkbox to acknowledge that you want to continue.

– Click Next to proceed.The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Storage Group.

4. Select from the following options in the Select Exchange Storage Group dialog box:


4–26

– The storage group is listed in the top pane, which is titled: Select Storage Group.

– For a selected Exchange Storage Group, its mail stores are displayed in the bottom pane, which is titled: Select Mail Stores. Click one or more Mail Stores to highlight and select them. (Use Shift-Click or Ctrl-Click to make multiple selections). You must select at least one mail store.

5. Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Volume Label. You are prompted to accept the default drive letter as a mount point for the RSG. Alternatively, specify any unassigned volume label, or you can specify an empty NTFS folder to be used as a mount point. Additionally, you can choose whether you want to specify Read-Write for the volume.

This dialog is repeated if there are multiple volumes. Click Next to proceed to each subsequent dialog page for additional volumes.

6. Click Next on the final dialog box. ASM/ME then mounts the selected Smart Copy volumes as you specified. The following dialog box appears: Select RSG location and mailstores to mount (Figure 4-6).

Figure 4-6: Select RSG Dialog

You have the following options:

– If an existing RSG is detected, check Remove existing RSG for ASM/ME to delete the existing RSG and create the new one. If you do not check the box, you cannot proceed with creating a new RSG for the same Exchange Storage Group components.

– Specify a path for the new recovery storage group.

7. Click Next to proceed. ASM/ME deletes the existing RSG if one exists, unmounts the Smart Copy from which it was created, and creates and mounts the new RSG volume, making it writeable in the process (if these options were previously specified).

8. The following dialog box appears: Recovery Storage Group Creation Complete. The name of the recovery storage group is the original Exchange Storage Group name, prefixed with the string EqlRSG. You are also reminded to use the Unmount and Logoff procedure on the mounted Smart Copy Set to clean up after you have finished using the RSG.In this dialog, you have the following options:

– Launch the Microsoft Exchange Troubleshooting Assistant (exTRA) GUI.


4–27

– Launch the Exchange Management Shell.

9. Click Finish to end the procedure. ASM/ME refreshes the nodes in its console tree. You will see that there is a new mounted volume for the RSG, marked with an “i” icon, indicating that it is mounted. The Smart Copy Set is also marked with an “i” icon, indicating that it is in use.

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Single Volume Procedure

Use the following procedure to create an RSG using Microsoft Exchange 2003 in the case where data stores and logs are located on a single volume.


2. Select the option to Create Recovery Storage Group from the Actions Pane (or from the context menu by pressing the right mouse button). ASM/ME starts the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard and displays its first dialog box, which contains the warnings described in Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group on page 4-23. You are also warned if you have not yet performed Checksum Verification on the selected Smart Copy.



– Click in the checkbox to acknowledge that you want to continue.

– Click Next to proceed.

The selected Smart Copy volumes are mounted and the following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Storage Group.

4. Select from the following options in the Select Exchange Storage Group dialog box:


– For a selected Exchange Storage Group, its mail stores are displayed in the bottom pane, which is titled: Select mail Stores. Click one or more Mail Stores to highlight and select them. (Use Shift-Click or Ctrl-Click to make multiple selections). You must select at least one mail store.

Click Next. ASM/ME creates hard links to the databases.

When you create a recovery storage group, Microsoft Exchange determines the database file names based on the name of the mail database. Compare the RSG database file names with the file names in the folder that you specify and rename them if necessary.

5. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Volume Label. You are prompted to accept the default drive letter as a mount point for the RSG. Alternatively, specify any unassigned volume label, or you can specify an empty NTFS folder to be used as a mount point. Additionally, you can choose whether you want to specify Read-Write for the volume. Click Next to proceed to each subsequent dialog page for additional volumes.

6. Click Next on the final Select Exchange Volume Label dialog box.

The following dialog box appears: Create a Recovery Storage Group. This dialog box lists the steps you must perform manually:


4–28

– You are prompted to launch the Microsoft Exchange System Manager by clicking on the hyperlink embedded in the dialog.

– Use the Microsoft Exchange system manager to manually create a Recovery Storage Group (RSG). Create a single new directory under the drive letter listed in the manual steps on this dialog box.

– Add the mailstores to the Recovery Storage Group, but do not mount them. (The files will be hard linked.)

7. Check the box to confirm that you have performed the operation.

8. Specify the RSG path, which defaults to the drive named in Step 2 of the manual steps on this dialog box. ASM/ME verifies that state of the directory is as expected. ASM/ME will not overwrite existing files of the same name. You are prompted to either clean up the directory or specify an alternate location.

9. Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Recovery Storage Group Creation Complete.

10. Click Finish to proceed. ASM/ME refreshes the nodes in its console tree. You will see that there is a new mounted volume for the RSG, marked with an “i” icon, indicating that it is mounted. The Smart Copy Set is also marked with an “i” icon, indicating that it is mounted.

11. You can now use Microsoft Exchange system manager to mount mail stores. When you have finished with the restoration, use the Unmount and Logoff option to remove the mounted Smart Copy. This option cleans out the RSG.

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Multiple Volume Procedure

Use the following procedure to create an RSG using Microsoft Exchange 2003 in the case where data stores and logs are located on multiple volumes.


2. Select the option to Create Recovery Storage Group from the Actions Pane (or from the context menu by pressing the right mouse button). ASM/ME starts the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard and displays its first dialog screen, which contains the warnings described in (Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group on page 4-23). You are also warned if you have not yet performed Checksum Verification on the selected Smart Copy. Select from the following options in the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard:



– Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Storage Group.

4. Select from the following options in the Select Exchange Storage Group dialog:




4–29

5. Because the Storage Group databases are not located on the same volume, ASM/ME must consolidate the databases in a single location. ASM/ME detects the multiple volumes and displays a warning similar to the following:

File copy warning: Databases of selected mail stores span multiple volumes.All database files will be copied to a single new folder. The copy could take a long time based on the file size.1. “Mailstore1” uses volumes ‘B:\’2. “Mailstore2” uses volumes ‘A:\’3. “Mailstore3” uses volumes ‘A:\’

6. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Volume Label. You are prompted to accept the default drive letter as a mount point for the RSG. Alternatively, specify any unassigned volume label, or you can specify an empty NTFS folder to be used as a mount point. Additionally, you can choose whether you want to specify Read-Write for the volume. This dialog is repeated for multiple volumes.

Click Next to proceed to each subsequent dialog page for additional volumes.

7. Click Next on the final Select Exchange Volume Label dialog page.ASM/ME automatically creates a temporary mount point in the background, and imports the Smart Copy.

8. The following dialog box appears: Create A Recovery Storage Group. You are prompted to manually launch the Microsoft Exchange system manager by using the hyperlink embedded in the dialog.

9. Use the Microsoft Exchange system manager to create a Recovery Storage Group on a volume that has sufficient free space (not a mounted Smart Copy Drive). ASM/ME informs you of the approximate size required for all databases in the Recovery Storage Group. Allow for some additional space to account for the on-disk file size difference.

10. Add the specified mailstores to the RSG and check the box to confirm that you have performed the operation.

11. Specify the RSG location that you chose previously. Because ASM/ME has no knowledge of the name of the volume you selected, it defaults to My Computer. Browse to the correct location. (You are locked out of any unsupported mount points.)ASM/ME will not overwrite existing files of the same name. You are prompted to either clean up the directory or specify an alternate location.

12. Click Next to proceed. ASM/ME completes the following operations in the background:

– Copies the database files to the location specified in Step 9, listing the files and sizes in the process so that you can estimate progress.

– Defers Soft Recovery until the copy is complete.

– Automatically performs an Unmount and Logoff operation.

13. The following message appears: Recovery Storage Group Creation Complete.

Creating a Recovery Storage Group in a Failover Cluster (Exchange 2007 and 2003)

The procedures for creating an RSG in a Failover cluster vary depending on which version of Microsoft Exchange you are running.


4–30

Microsoft Exchange 2007 Procedure

If you have a Failover Cluster configuration, and are using Microsoft Exchange 2007, the procedure for creating an RSG is virtually identical to the steps for creating an RSG on a non-clustered system running Exchange 2007, with these differences:

• If a Recovery Storage Group exists, you must manually delete any Microsoft Exchange Database Instance resources for mailbox stores in the existing RSG using the Cluster Administrator. During the RSG creation process you must confirm the checkbox to remove existing recovery storage groups on the Select RSG location and devices to mount dialog, as shown in Figure 4-6.

• If you want the RSG to work correctly if the node on which you created it fails over, you must manually add the drive/mount point that you specified as a physical disk resource to the Exchange Resource Group using the Cluster Administrator (after completing the Create an RSG wizard).

See Creating a Recovery Storage Group on a Non-Clustered Computer (Exchange 2007 and 2003) on page 4-25 for the basic RSG creation procedure.

Microsoft Exchange 2003 Procedure

If you have a Failover Cluster configuration, and are using Microsoft Exchange 2003, ASM/ME requires you to complete several manual steps to create an RSG.

Note: Operations involving use of the Cluster Administration utility can result in loss of data. Make sure that you can correctly identify any disks, volumes, and mount points specified for operations.

When performing cluster administration operations, mailservers cannot connect to data volumes during the operation and while data volumes are offline. This temporarily might affect a user's access to data until the operation is complete.

Use the following steps to create an RSG in a Failover cluster using Microsoft Exchange 2003:


2. Select the option to Create Recovery Storage Group from the Actions Pane. (or from the context menu by pressing the right mouse button). ASM/ME loads the Create Recovery Storage Group Wizard and displays its first dialog screen, which contains the warnings described in (Constraints When Creating a Recovery Storage Group on page 4-23). You are also warned if you have not yet performed Checksum Verification on the selected Smart Copy.




– Click Next to proceed. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Storage Group. ASM/ME creates and mounts the RSG volume, making it writable in the process. Note that this sequence is different for a cluster than for a single computer.

4. Select from the following options in the Select Exchange Storage Group dialog:



4–31


5. The following dialog box appears: Select Exchange Volume Label. You are prompted to accept the default drive letter as a mount point for the RSG. Alternatively, specify any unassigned volume label, or you can specify an empty NTFS folder to be used as a mount point. Additionally, you can choose whether you want to specify Read-Write for the volume. This dialog is repeated for multiple volumes. Click Next to proceed to each subsequent dialog page for additional volumes.

6. Click Next on the final dialog page. The following dialog box appears: Create A Recovery Storage Group. This dialog box lists the steps that you must perform manually, separate from ASM/ME.

Note: Failure to use the Cluster Administrator tool properly could result in damage to the Exchange data stores. Use this tool with caution.

These are the manual steps that you must perform:

- Launch the Cluster Administrator.

- Using the Cluster Administrator, add the Smart Copy volume or mount point as a physical disk resource to the Exchange Server group and set it online.

- Launch the Exchange Server manager by using the hyperlink embedded in the dialog.

- Create a new RSG. Choose a single new directory on the Smart Copy volume or mount point for the transaction logs and system path. The drive letter is the one that is in the instruction for manual step 4 on the Create a Recovery Storage Group dialog.

- Add the desired mailstores to the RSG (but do not try to mount them at this time) and check the box to confirm that you have performed the operation.

- Specify the path of the RSG location that you created using the Exchange Server Manager.

Note: If you do not specify the correct location for the RSG, the Next button is disabled. You must specify the correct location to continue.

7. Click Next to proceed.

8. The following dialog box appears: Recovery Storage Group Creation Complete. This dialog box reminds you to do the following:Launch the Exchange Management Shell for Exchange 2003.

9. Click Finish to end the procedure. ASM/ME refreshes the nodes in its console tree. You will see that there is a new mounted volume for the RSG, marked with an “i” icon, indicating that it is mounted.

Refreshing the Console Tree

Cluster resources might take some time to appear in option lists. Be sure that you refresh the GUI if a resource appears to be missing. (You might need to wait up to a minute before the object is displayed.) If the resource does not appear after you refresh the GUI, follow these steps:

1. Click the iSCSI Initiator icon to display its properties page.

2. Click the Targets tab and verify that the expected target is present.


4–32

Microsoft Exchange In-place Restore

ASM/ME allows you to perform In-place restores for all supported versions of Exchange. An In-place restore is a point in time restoration of all data in an entire mailbox database or storage group.

In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2010

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 Set. This time is specified by the value of the property named: Smart Copy Set created.

During the restoration, any mailbox databases included in the Smart Copy Set are set offline—and inaccessible to users. You have the option to set mailbox databases back online automatically when the restoration is complete. Alternatively, you can specify that the mailbox databases remain offline. This is useful if you need to perform additional operations before you allow users to access them.

You can use the Restore All option to fully restore an Exchange mailbox database from a Smart Copy Set.

Prerequisites

• You should warn users in advance of the impending downtime.

• The Soft Recovery status of the Smart Copy Set must be successful. See Determining Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Status on page 4-9.

In a Database Availability Group, the restore should only be performed on the node that has the master copy of the mailbox database. Replication to the other copies of the mailbox database will be suspended automatically. You must use the Exchange Update-MailboxDatabaseCopy cmdlet on each of the nodes that has a copy of the restored mailbox database to resume replication.

Fully Restoring a Microsoft Exchange Mailbox Database

1. In the Console Tree, click [+] (plus) to expand the Smart Copy node until the Smart Copy Set for a Microsoft Exchange mailbox database is visible.

2. Select a Smart Copy node to display the context menu options. Click the Restore All option. The following dialog box appears: Restore Exchange Mailbox Database from a Smart Copy Set.

Note: This dialog warns you of the following:

– During the restore, ASM/ME unmounts all mail stores included in the Smart Copy Set, if they are currently mounted.

– When successfully restored, the mail stores are automatically remounted. The data is in the same state as it was when the Smart Copy Set was created.

3. Click Next. The following dialog box appears: Select Mailbox Database restore options.

Select one of the following options in the Restore Options pane:

– Mount all mail stores in the Smart Copy Set after the restoration is complete.

– Do not mount the mail stores after the restoration is complete. This enables you to selectively apply log files and mount mail stores.


4–33

Note: This option is disabled in a cluster configuration if the Exchange Server is clustered.

The Mailbox Database information pane lists the mail stores that will be unmounted during the restore operation.

4. Click the button to begin the restoration.

5. ASM/ME starts the recovery operation and displays a series of progress dialogs, indicating the status of the sequential steps in the recovery operation.

6. A final dialog confirms successful completion of the restore operation, and warns you to refresh the Exchange System Manager application to include the restored mailbox databases.

7. When the operation is complete, ASM/ME refreshes the console tree nodes. You should clean up any modified Smart Copies.

In-place Restore for Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2003

Use the Restore All option to fully restore an Exchange Storage Group database collection from a Smart Copy Set.

All the database items (such as mail stores) contained in the storage group are restored back to the time that you created the Smart Copy Set. This time is specified by the value of the property named: Smart Copy Set created.

If the Smart Copy Set contains multiple storage groups, all its groups are restored. During the restoration, any volumes containing database items are set offline, and are inaccessible to users. You have the option to set volumes back online automatically when the restoration is complete. Alternatively, you can specify that the volumes remain offline. Keeping volumes offline is useful if you need to perform additional operations before you allow users to access the databases.

Prerequisites for an In-Place Restore

The following prerequisites apply to this operation:

• You should warn users in advance of the impending downtime.

• The Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery status of the Smart Copy Set must be successful. See Determining Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery Status on page 4-9.

Note: In a cluster, the restore can only be performed on the node that is the current owner of the Exchange cluster resource group.

Procedure for an In-Place Restore

Use the following procedure to fully restore a Microsoft Exchange Storage Group:

1. In the Console Tree, click [+] (plus) to expand the Smart Copy node until the Smart Copy Set for a Microsoft Exchange Storage Group is visible.

2. Select a Smart Copy node to display the context menu options. Click the Restore All option.

3. The following dialog box appears: Restore Exchange Storage Group from a Smart Copy Set. This dialog box warns you of the following:


4–34

– During the restore, ASM/ME unmounts all mail stores included in the Smart Copy Set, if they are currently mounted.

– When successfully restored, the mail stores are remounted. The data is in the same state as it was when the Smart Copy Set was created.

In a cluster, all of the cluster physical disk resources for volumes in the Smart Copy Set are placed in maintenance mode and set offline for the duration of the restore operation to prevent failover of the Exchange Server cluster resource group. After completion of the restore operation, the cluster physical disk resources are set online and taken out of maintenance mode.

Note: This does not apply to Exchange 2007 Cluster Continuous Replication configurations.

4. Click Next to proceed. ASM/ME displays the Restore Options dialog. The Properties Pane indicates which mail stores (database components) are set offline during the restore operation. You have the following options:

– Mount the restored database components after the restoration is complete. All volumes are mounted.

– Leave the restored database components unmounted after the restoration is complete. This enables you to perform any necessary preparation work, such as manually applying log file changes, before you mount the volumes.

Note: This option is disabled in a cluster configuration if the Exchange Server is clustered.

5. Click the Restore button to begin the restoration.

6. ASM/ME starts the recovery operation as a background operation, so that you can continue with other operations. You will see a series of progress dialogs, indicating the status of the sequential steps in the recovery operation.

7. A final dialog confirms successful completion of the restore operation, and warns you to refresh the Exchange System Manager application to include the restored storage groups.

8. When the operation is complete, ASM/ME refreshes the console tree nodes. You should clean up any modified Smart Copies.

If the Exchange Server is clustered, the cluster physical disk resources for the volumes are placed in maintenance mode and are set off-line until the restore completes.

Clone and Restore All As New

For Microsoft Exchange 2010 and 2007, the Clone and Restore All as New feature allows you to clone a mailbox database from a source Exchange server, and then set it up as a new mailbox database on a target Exchange server. This option is available for standalone and clustered configurations for which replication is not set up between the source and target Exchange servers.

The source Smart Copy Set is imported into the target server using the Attach External Smart Copy menu option from the ASM/ME instance running on the target server. Once the Smart Copy Set is imported successfully, the Clone and Restore All As New option becomes available. At this point, the Create Recovery Storage Group (For Exchange 2007) actions and Create Recovery Mailbox Database actions (for Exchange 2010) are not supported for the imported Smart Copy Set.

When performing the Clone and Restore All As New operation on Exchange 2010, you must specify a new name for the mailbox database, as well as a drive letter or mount point for it. For Exchange 2007 configurations, you can


4–35

use the storage group and mail store database names from the Smart Copy, or you can specify new ones. Once the operation completes, the new mailbox database (Exchange 2010) or storage group and mail stores (Exchange 2007) will appear under the Applications Node on the target server and you can perform regular ASM/ME actions on them, such as creating Smart Copy Sets or setting up a Smart Copy Schedule. The new clone will appear under the Smart Copies node.

Restrictions

• The Clone and Restore All as New action can only be performed once for a given mailbox database. To repeat this action, you must use the Exchange Management tools to remove the previous mailbox database (for Exchange 2010), and remove both the mailbox database and its storage group for Exchange 2007.

• The Clone and Restore All as New action can only be performed for configurations that comply with Microsoft Exchange mailbox database portability rules for Exchange 2010 and 2007.

Prerequisites

• The source and target Exchange Servers must be hosted on machines that are part of the same domain.

• Using the Remote Setup Wizard, make sure that the host for the target server can access the PS Series array.

• Ensure that the host for the target server can access the volumes and snapshots containing the Exchange components.

Importing an Exchange Smart Copy Set and Setting It Up As a New Mailbox Database

1. On the ASM/ME instance running on the target server, right-click the Smart Copies node and select Attach External Smart Copy. The Select a transportable Smart Copy Set dialog box appears.

2. Navigate to the location of the Smart Copy’s backup document and click Open. The Smart Copy is imported into the target server and and appears under the Smart Copies node of ASM/ME.

Note: The Smart Copy Set will be displayed with a question mark icon under the Smart Copies node. This indicates that the mailbox databases or storage groups from which the Smart Copy Set was created do not exist on the target server.

3. Right-click the imported Smart Copy Set and select Clone and Restore All as New. The Restore All As New Wizard appears.

Note: If Checksum Verification was not performed on the Smart Copy Set, the user is warned and given the opportunity to continue anyway. However, it is recommended that you exit the wizard and perform Checksum Verification on the Smart Copy Set. You can do this by right-clicking the original Smart Copy on the source server and selecting Verification and Recovery. If Soft Recovery was not performed, it will be performed on the clone of the imported Smart Copy Set, and not on the original Smart Copy Set.

4. Assign a drive letter for the new volume, or specify a mount point and click Next. The Restore As New Mailbox Database dialog box appears.

5. For Exchange 2010, specify a new mailbox database name and click Restore. For Exchange 2007, specify both a new mailbox database name and a storage group to add it to. Click Restore. The new mailbox database will be created on the local Exchange server.

6. Right-click the Auto-Snapshot Manager icon and click Refresh. The clone will appear under the Smart Copies node, and the new mailbox database will appear under the Applications node.


4–36

Note: The user must manually change the account information for mailboxes in the mailbox database using the appropriate Exchange PowerShell cmdlets to make it functional on the new server. These actions can also be performed using the Exchange Management Console Recipient Configuration\Mailbox node context menu.

5–1

5 Using ASM/ME with SQL Server

Certain ASM/ME operations are specific to SQL Server, and some operations behave differently when Smart Copy Sets include SQL Server components.

The following information is discussed:

• SQL Server-Specific Operations on page 5-1

• Restore Options for SQL Server Smart Copies on page 5-2

• Mounting and Manually Restoring SQL Server Data on page 5-4

• Restoring Selected SQL Server Databases on page 5-5

• Restoring all Databases on page 5-7

• Restoring All Databases as New Databases on page 5-7

ASM/ME operations that are not specific to SQL Server are described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

SQL Server-Specific Operations

The following sections describe some SQL Server-specific steps that differ from basic ASM/ME procedures.

Note: See Chapter 6, Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V if you intend to run SQL Server with a Hyper-V virtual machine. In such configurations, some ASM/ME operations are constrained.

Multiple Components in Smart Copies

If you use ASM/ME to create a Smart Copy Set or a schedule that includes multiple SQL Server components (multiple databases sharing similar volumes), ASM/ME displays the warning dialog shown in Figure 5-1.

Figure 5-1: Multiple Components Warning Dialog

This dialog warns you that during restore operations, all components are set offline even if you need to restore only one component.

ASM/ME User Guide Using ASM/ME with SQL Server

5–2

Mounted Smart Copy Volumes that are In Use

During restore operations, you might not be able to unmount and log off recently mounted Smart Copies because the volumes are in use. ASM/ME displays the message In use by application next to Unmount and Logoff and the option is disabled.

Use the following procedure to unmount and logoff the volumes:

1. Right-click the relevant SQL Server database under Applications and click Detach Database in the context menu.

2. Right-click the ASM/ME node and click Refresh.

3. Select the mounted Smart Copies (indicated by the in-use “i” overlay) and click Unmount and Logoff in the ASM/ME Actions pane.

Restore Options for SQL Server Smart Copies

Table 5-1 summarizes the copy and restore operations that are specific to SQL Server components according to the Smart Copy type and Backup Type.

The Smart Copy Backup Type will have direct impact on the SQL database log file as follows:

• Full—Specifying this Backup Type will put a checkpoint in the SQL database log file that lets the database know there was a backup operation at that point in time. This is useful when applying additional transaction log backups during a Smart Copy restore operation.

• Copy—Specifying this Backup Type does nothing to the SQL database log file, and is best used when creating a Smart Copy of a database that is not intended for restores. For example, you can specify this Backup Type for a database used as a reporting or data mining copy that will be discarded.

Note: For SQL Server 2000, ASM/ME supports only the full backup type.

Table 5-1: Restore Options for SQL Server Components

Smart Copy Type Backup Type Restore Options

Snapshot copy or full Mount

Restore individual databases. (Apply logs option also available for the full backup type.)

Restore all

Restore all as new

Clone copy or full Mount

Restore all as new

Replica N/A Clone and restore all as new

Clone replicas, creating new volumes

Table 5-1 shows the following:

• Restore options for snapshot Smart Copies created from SQL Server database components.


5–3

• Restore options for clone Smart Copy Sets of application components or collections.

• Restore options for replica Smart Copy Sets of SQL Server components or collections.

Table 5-2: Smart Copy Restore Operations

Option Description

Snapshot Smart Copy Restore Options

Mount Mounts the snapshots in the Smart Copy Set as volumes but does not mount the database. By default, the snapshots are not mounted with read-write access. You can optionally select read-write access during the mount operation.

Note: When you mount a snapshot with read-write access, it continues to use the snapshot reserve of the base volume.You can only mount a snapshot made on the same SQL version (for example, a snapshot of SQL 2005 database will not mount on SQL 2008).

Restore individual database

This option takes one or more original databases offline and performs a fast point-in-time restore of the databases that you select. You can apply additional log files during the restore process for more granularity.

Note: This option also applies when the Smart Copy Set consists of databases that share the same volumes (not a recommended practice). The restore operation replaces the current data in the volumes with the data from the snapshot in the Smart Copy Set. The process restores (copies) only the database-specific files to the appropriate volumes, making this a potentially slower operation than a full, in-place restore.

Restore all This option replaces all the volume data and restores all the databases included in the Smart Copy Set. From the volume perspective, this is considered a fast restore because the process rolls back all the databases entirely.

Restore all as new This option creates new databases (with new volumes on new mount points) containing the data in the snapshots at the time the Smart Copy Set was created.You can use this option for side-by-side database restores to recover object data in a production database without taking the database offline.

Clone Smart Copy Restore Options

Mount This option mounts the clones in the Smart Copy as volumes but does not mount the database. By default, the volumes are not mounted with read-write access. You can optionally select read-write access during the mount operation.

Restore all as new This option creates new databases (with new volumes on new mount points) that contain the data in the snapshots at the time the Smart Copy Set was created. You can use this option for side-by-side database restores to recover object data in a production database without taking the database offline.

Replica Smart Copy Restore Options

Mount the replicas as read-only volumes

This option 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.


5–4

Mounting and Manually Restoring SQL Server Data

The Mount option supports both Windows drive letters and mount points. A mount point is an empty folder on an existing NTFS file system that server as an access point for a new mounted file system.

When you mount a SQL Server Smart Copy Set, the following conditions apply:

• During the procedure, ASM/ME repeatedly displays the Select Volume Label dialog for each object (such as a volume) in the Smart Copy Set. You can specify either a drive letter or a mount point on which to mount the snapshot or clone, or you can choose not to mount it. However, you must mount at least one snapshot or clone in the Smart Copy Set.

• The snapshots or clones appear as disks with an assigned drive letter or mount point, and you can copy data from them.

Prerequisites

Before performing the procedure for mounting a SQL Server Smart Copy Set, the following prerequisites apply:

• Identify the snapshot or Smart Copy Set that you want to mount.

• Choose the drive letters or mount points that you will use.

Procedure for Mounting a Snapshot or Smart Copy Set

Use the following procedure to mount SQL Server Smart Copies:

1. Click the Smart Copy to select it.

2. Click the Mount option. The following dialog box appears: Mount Smart Copy (Figure 5-2).

Figure 5-2: Mount Smart Copy Dialog

Clone and restore all as new

This option 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.

Table 5-2: Smart Copy Restore Operations (Continued)

Option Description


5–5

3. Review the warnings and recommendations and click Next. The following dialog box appears: Select Volume Label (Figure 5-3).

4. Select the volume label by either of two methods:

- Click on Assign the following driver letter:, then pull down the desired drive letter on which to mount the Smart Copy. (The option not to mount the snapshot or clone is disabled.)

- Click on Mount in the following empty NTFS folder. You are then prompted to browse for an empty folder to use as the mount point.

5. Repeat Step 3 for each volume if there are additional volumes in the Smart Copy Set.

6. Set the volume to read-write when mounted, enabling you to make changes to the volume. (You can also set the volume read-write after it is mounted.)

Figure 5-3: Select Volume Label

7. Verify the identity of the original and the mounted copy before making any changes. (The volume appears as a normal mounted disk, accessible under the Windows My Computer icon. It has the same name as the original.)

What to Do Next

When the volume is mounted:

• Restore data as necessary.

• Use the unmount and logoff option in the Actions pane to remove the mounted volume. You can optionally delete the Smart Copy.

Restoring Selected SQL Server Databases

Use the following procedure to restore a Smart Copy Set that consists of a subset of SQL Server databases:

1. Click the Smart Copy in the ASM/ME Console pane to select it.

2. Click Restore Selected Databases in the ASM/ME Actions panel.


5–6

The following dialog box appears: Select Databases (Figure 5-4).

Figure 5-4: Select Databases

3. Select one or more of the database listed in the top panel. Click Next.

4. The Restore Database dialog box appears (Figure 5-5).

Figure 5-5: Restore Database (Individual) Dialog

5. Select from the following options:

– Apply Logs. This option enables you to perform custom restore operations without recovery such as manually applying the database transaction logs to the restored database.

– Fully Recover. Use this option to completely restore the database to the contents represented by the Smart Copy Set. You can fully recover a database regardless of the Backup Type used when the Smart Copy Set was created.


5–7

6. Click Restore to begin the database restore operation. When the operation is complete, ASM/ME displays the following message: Restore completed successfully.

If the SQL Server is clustered, the cluster physical disk resource for the volume containing the database to be restored is placed in maintenance mode until the restore completes.

Restoring all Databases

If a Smart Copy Set contains copies of several databases, you can restore all databases in a single operation. Use the following procedure:

1. Click the Smart Copy Set to select it.

2. Click the option named Restore All. ASM/ME displays a series of progress windows for steps such as setting volumes offline and later, back online.

3. Wait until the ASM/ME displays the following message:Database restored. Refresh the database management GUI to see the restored database

If the SQL Server is clustered, the cluster physical disk resources for the volumes are placed in maintenance mode until the restore completes.

Restoring All Databases as New Databases

Instead of restoring your production databases, you can restore the Smart Copies as new databases. You can use these new databases to perform a side-by-side restore operation, whereby you can compare the databases and make changes at a higher granularity. (Or you can use the new databases for some other purpose without disrupting the originals.)

You need the data from the planning worksheet in to complete this procedure.

Table 5-3: Worksheet for Restoring All Databases as New

Item Description User Data

Smart Copy Type

Restore as New Select option for a snapshot or clone Smart Copy Set.

Clone and Restore as New Select option for a replica Smart Copy Set.

Volume Mapping

Drive Letter Drive letter or NTFS folder mount point for the new volume.

Restore as New Database

New Database Name If required, modify the new database name. ASM/ME appends the string _new to the original database name to ensure that it is not confused with the original.


5–8

Procedure for Restoring All Databases as New Databases

Use the following procedure to restore all the databases in a Smart Copy Set as new databases:

1. Click the Smart Copy Set to select it.

2. In the ASM/ME Actions Pane, click on Restore All as New.

The following dialog box appears: Volume Mapping (Figure 5-6).

Make Database Server to use

Enter the name of an SQL Server instance that will serve the new database, if different from the instance serving the original database.

On a cluster, this is the network name of the clustered SQL server. The current node must be the owner of the SQL Server Resource Group.

Make database READ ONLY after the attach

Choose whether to make the new database read-only. Use this option if you do not want users to accidentally make changes to the new database; for example, if you plan to make side-by-side restorations to the original database.

TSQL Command for attaching the database

This field shows the SQL Server commands that execute to create the new database. Optionally, you can add custom actions to the command.

On a cluster on a Windows Server 2008 operating system, this command will not be executed by ASM/ME. There are several manual steps that you must perform before attaching to the database. You can Then use this command to attach to the database.

Table 5-3: Worksheet for Restoring All Databases as New (Continued)

Item Description User Data


5–9

Figure 5-6: Volume Mapping Dialog

3. If ASM/ME detects that the SQL Server specified as the database server to use is clustered, then it displays a dialog identifying three manual steps that you must perform to complete the restore operation. ASM/ME mounts the volumes containing the databases to be restored and performs the iSCSI logon for the current node and any possible owner nodes that are configured to access the PS Series Group.

You must acknowledge this dialog by clicking OK.

4. Select a drive letter for the new volume and click Next. (Repeat this step for each volume in the original Smart Copy Set.) The following dialog box appears: Restore As New Database (Figure 5-7).

Figure 5-7: Restore As New Database Dialog

5. Select from the options (see Table 5-3).

You repeat this step for each database in the Smart Copy Set.


5–10

6. Click Restore to begin the database restoration. ASM/ME displays the following message when the procedure is complete:

New database created successfully. Refresh database management GUI to see the restored database.

The new database appears as a volume node under the ASM/ME Volumes master node in the console tree. Its icon has an “i” overlay, indicating that it is mounted and in-use. The Smart Copy Set is similarly marked.

Completing the Procedure for Clustered Systems

If ASM/ME had detected that the SQL Server specified as the database server to use is clustered, clicking Restore will mount only the volumes for the databases. To complete the restore, you must perform the cluster and SQL management actions listed in the Restore As New Database dialog box as follows:

1. Use the appropriate cluster utility (Failover Cluster Management for Windows Server 2008, Cluster Manager for Windows Server 2003) to add the volumes or mount points for the restored databases as physical resources to the SQL Server cluster group.

2. Add the physical disk resources to the dependencies for the SQL Server resource.

3. Attach the databases using the SQL Server Management Studio or the TSQL commands shown on the Restore as New wizard page.

6–1

6 Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V

Some ASM/ME operations are specific to Hyper-V, and some operations behave differently when Smart Copy Sets include Hyper-V virtual machine components. ASM/ME operations that are not specific to Hyper-V are described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

Hyper-V enables you to run a client virtual machine (also called a guest O/S) in child partitions. The combination of O/S, resources, applications, and storage space as a virtual hard drive (VHD) comprises a virtual machine (VM). Hyper-V supports different O/S instances in each VM.


• Hyper-V Support by ASM/ME on page 6-1

• Hyper-V Requirements and Constraints on page 6-1

• Hyper-V Supported Configuration on page 6-2

• ASM/ME GUI for Hyper-V on page 6-3

• Hyper-V Specific Operations on page 6-4

Hyper-V Support by ASM/ME

Hyper-V requires specific hardware. To install and run Hyper-V, you must have an x64 computer running the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008. Other operating systems, including different Windows versions and Linux can participate as a guest O/S. Specific configurations of Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista which have the optional Microsoft Integration Services (or Virtual Guest Services) and other requisite software installed are considered Hyper-V aware. Also, specific applications, such as Microsoft Exchange, are qualified as being Hyper-V aware.

See the Host Integration Tools Release Notes for a list of the operating systems that are supported by ASM/ME.

When installed on a computer running Hyper-V, ASM/ME enables you to create point-in-time Smart Copies of VMs from which you can recover user data or entire VMs. Smart Copies are crash consistent, unless the VM is running both an O/S and an application that has awareness of Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). In such cases, you can create application-consistent Smart Copies.

Operating System Constraints

The following operating system constraints apply to Hyper-V:

• The Hyper-V computer that hosts ASM/ME must be a 64-bit server running Windows Server 2008.

• Your computer must comply with any BIOS setting requirements specified by Microsoft.

• Windows XP and Windows 2000 are not Hyper-V aware, so you can take only crash-consistent Smart Copies. ASM/ME must put the VM into a “save state” before you can take a Smart Copy.

Hyper-V Requirements and Constraints

The following is a list of Hyper-V requirements and constraints, as it applies to ASM/ME:

ASM/ME User Guide Using ASM/ME with Hyper-V

6–2

• Integration Services (Virtual Guest Services) components must be installed on every Windows guest operating system to support online backup and data exchange. See the Microsoft Hyper-V documentation for installation information about Integration Services.

• ASM/ME is constrained and limited by the current functions offered by the Hyper-V VSS writer. (That is, it can only support those operations currently supported by the Hyper-V writer).

• You can choose to install an instance of ASM/ME within the VM if you want these features.

If you choose to run SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange within a virtual machine, you do not benefit from some features that ASM/ME offers in support of SQL and Microsoft Exchange. You only get a copy and restore of the entire virtual machine (so, in the case of Microsoft Exchange, ASM/ME options such as Recovery Storage Groups and Verification are not available).

• As with operations on SQL and Microsoft Exchange, ASM/ME automatically detects multiple-writer objects prevents you from creating a multiple writer Smart Copy Set.

See the Host Integration Tools Release Notes for the most recent constraints for ASM/ME support of Hyper-V.

Hyper-V Supported Configuration

Dell supports only one configuration for ASM/ME support of Hyper-V for full Smart Copies. 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.

This configuration is shown in Figure 6-1.

Figure 6-1: Hyper-V Configuration Supported by ASM/ME


6–3

Table 6-1 describes this configuration.

Table 6-1: Supported Hyper-V Configuration

Host Operating System

ASM/ME is installed under the host operating system, providing the Smart Copy operations for all guest operating systems in their respective partitions.

Callout Description

1 ASM/ME acts as a backup requestor.

2 Hyper-V functions as the writer.

3 The Microsoft VSS Copy Service is the backup provider.

4 The guest operating systems connect to the PS Series group through the iSCSI initiator installed under the host operating system.

Guest Operating System

5 The guest operating system has the Backup Integration Services (Virtual Guest Services) component installed to facilitated copies of the partition and its data. Not all guest operating systems support the Integration Services.

PS Series Array

6 The boot volume for each guest operating system is a virtual hard drive (VHD) on an iSCSI volume located in a PS Series group.

7 The PS Series Group also contains virtual hard drives (VHD) on iSCSI volumes for user data or application databases such as Microsoft SQL or Microsoft Exchange that are accessed by the guest operating environment.

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 is 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.

You can create Smart Copies of direct-attached iSCSI volumes only if you install an instance of ASM/ME on the VM. In this case, any Smart Copies of direct-attached iSCSI volumes are application-consistent, but there is no way to take an application consistent snapshot of the entire VM and running applications with this configuration.

• Passthrough Volumes

Passthrough volumes are logged into by the host partition but mounted only on the VM. In this case, 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.

ASM/ME GUI for Hyper-V

When used with Hyper-V operations on VMs, the ASM/ME GUI indicates the following information:


6–4

• Instances of virtual machines on participating computers appear as applications under the Applications node in the console tree.

• In the properties pane, the property “VM is running” indicates the presence and state of a virtual machine.

Hyper-V Specific Operations

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).

• 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.

Hyper-V Smart Copy Operations

The following constraints apply to Smart Copy operations of virtual machines:

• Whether the copy operation is application-consistent or crash-consistent is dependent on the type of O/S and whether the Integration Services (or Virtual Guest Services) are installed on the guest.

• Replicas are not supported.

• Only a full copy type is allowed.

• Clones are unsupported because attempting to restore from a cloned VM creates a duplicate virtual machine, which cannot coexist with the original machine on the network.

Avoiding Multiple VMs on Volumes and Torn Smart Copies

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 VM that is “torn”. Multiple Databases on Volumes on page 2-6 explains this scenario.

Dell encourages you to place related VM data sets on separate volumes that you create for their exclusive use.

Procedure for Creating Smart Copies of Virtual Machines

The procedure for creating Smart Copies is the same as the generic operations described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations, except that clones are not supported.

Behavior Differences of Smart Copy Operations on the VM

If the guest O/S is running Windows Server 2003,Windows Server 2008, or Windows Vista, with Integration Services (Virtual Guest Services) installed, the Smart Copy operation includes the following sequence:

• The Hyper-V management console displays a message confirming that it is performing the Smart Copy operation.

• The VM remains online.

• ASM/ME creates the Smart Copy.


6–5

• When the Smart Copy operation completes, services on the guest O/S return automatically.

If the guest O/S is running Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux, the Smart Copy operation includes the following sequence:

• ASM/ME initiates the Smart Copy operation.

• During the Smart Copy operation, the VM is put into a frozen state. Any user logged into the VM will experience the temporary inability to do I/O operations.

• When the Smart Copy operation completes, services on the VM resume automatically.

Hyper-V Collections Operations

The procedure for operations on collections of virtual machines is the same as the generic operations described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

Note: You should avoid removing VMs without updating relevant collections.

Hyper-V Schedules Operations

The procedure for scheduling Smart Copies of virtual machines is the same as the generic operations described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations, except that if a VM is offline, it is still copied in its offline state. The Smart Copy will be made of whatever shutdown state the VM is in. If the VM was shutdown cleanly then the Smart Copy will be application-consistent. If the VM crashed or was powered off without a shutdown, then the Smart Copy will be crash-consistent.

Note: Schedules will fail if you remove a VM permanently without updating any schedules or scheduled collections of which that VM was previously a member.

Hyper-V Restore Operations

ASM/ME supports two types of data restoration for virtual machines as shown in Table 6-2.

Table 6-2: Restore Operations for Hyper-V

Operation Menu Option

In-Place Restore Restore All

Selective Restore Restore selected VMs

For a description of these restoration operations, see Robust Data Recovery on page 1-5.

In-Place Restore

With an in-place restore operation, you can restore all VMs in the Smart Copy. This type of operation restores all data on all PS Series volumes used by all VMs included in the Smart Copy. For in-place restore operations, all VMs on the volumes being restored will experience a service interruption. This operation is similar to the Restore operation for SQL Server databases as described in Chapter 5, Restoring all Databases, except that some options that are available for SQL Server database restores are not available for VMs.

Selective Restore

With a selective restore operation, you specify one or more VMs you want restored. This operation is similar to the Restore operation for SQL Server databases as described in Restoring Selected SQL Server Databases on page 5-5.


6–6

The large VHD file size affects the time to complete the selective restore. The default size of a VHD is 127GB, but such large file sizes will take some time to copy and restore. Therefore, consider reducing the volume size to the optimum required for the application and user space.

Procedure for Restoring a VM In-Place

1. Right-click the desired VM Smart Copy in the ASM/ME GUI and select Restore All. A confirmation dialog box box appears.

2. Click Yes.

Note: ASM/ME only permits selective restores—not in-place restores—of VMs on CSVs.

Procedure for Selectively Restoring a VM

1. Right-click the desired VM Smart Copy in the ASM/ME GUI and select Restore selected VMs. The Select Virtual Machines dialog box appears.

2. Select the virtual machine you are restoring and click Restore. When the restore operation is finished, a message appears, stating that the operation completed succesfully.

Sequence of Restore Operations on the VM

Restore operations are always disruptive regardless of the type of guest O/S that is installed in the VM. The restore operation has the following sequence:

• The Hyper-V management console displays a message confirming that it is performing the restore operation.

• The VM is taken offline and is deleted by the VSS writer. If you are running a remote desktop to the guest, the remote desktop session is terminated.

• ASM/ME restores the VM files.

• When the Restore operation completes, the VM is registered with the Hyper-V service, which adds it to the list of VMs in the Hyper-V management console. If the VM was running before the restore operation was initiated, ASM/ME will restart the VM.

• If the VM crashed and you then initiated a restore operation to recover it, then the VM is left in the powered-off state by the ASM/ME restore operation.

Cluster Shared Volumes

Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) is a feature of Windows failover clustering available for Windows Server 2008 R2 for use with Hyper-V. CSVs greatly simplify a typical failover cluster configuration because each cluster node can access CSVs to manage files and perform read and write operations on them. Therefore multiple nodes can host or run VMs residing on the same CSV.

In a CSV configuration, a coordination node is responsible for performing backups and restores of the VMs stored on the CSV. The coordination node can easily and frequently be changed from one node to another. While a node in a CSV configuration is set to be the coordination node, it becomes the temporary owner of the CSV and the VMs that reside on it. The remaining nodes in the cluster can still access the CSV.

While a backup operation is in progress, I/O from all the other cluster nodes is temporarily redirected through the coordination node. The redirected I/O state can be viewed from the Windows Failover Cluster Manager.


6–7

Changing the Coordination Node in a CSV Environment

Example 1—One CSV

Assume you are running a 2-node, CSV-enabled failover cluster with one CSV. Node 1 is the coordination node. Node 1 is running two VMs—VM1 and VM2. Node 2 is also running two VMs—VM3 and VM4. Assume that VM1 and VM4 reside on a CSV, while VMs 2 and 3 reside on standard volumes.

Since all cluster nodes can access a CSV, both instances of ASM/ME will display the CSV. CSVs appear at C:\ClusterStorage\Volume#, where # is a decimal number determined by Windows. Windows enforces this same mount point path for the CSV on each cluster node. The ASM/ME instance on Node 1 will display VMs 1 and 2 in blue under the Applications node. Although VM4 manages files on the same CSV, the ASM/ME instance running on Node 1 will not display VM4, since VM4 runs on Node 2.

The ASM/ME instance running on Node 2 will display VM3, which resides on a standard volume, in blue. VM4, which resides on the CSV, will be gray. Smart Copy operations for VM4 are disabled until you change the coordination node from Node 1 to Node 2. This is an easy, one-step process. Assuming there are Smart Copies of VM4 on Node 2, you can still perform restore operations for VM4 even while Node 2 is not the coordination node. This is because the restore operation automatically moves the coordination node as needed.

Once the coordination node moves to Node 2, VM1 on the ASM/ME instance running on Node 1 will become gray and its Smart Copy operations are disabled. You will still be able to perform restore operations on VM1. To enable Smart Copy operations for VM1, you will need to make Node 1 the coordination node once again.

Example 2 — Two CSVs

Assume you are running a 2-node, CSV-enabled failover cluster with two CSVs—CSV1 and CSV2. Also assume the following:

• Node 1 is running two VMs—VM1 and VM3.

• Node 1 is also the coordination node for CSV1.

• Node 2 is running VM2 and VM4.

• Node 2 is also the coordination node for CSV2.

• VM1 and VM2 reside on CSV1.

• VM3 and VM4 reside on CSV2.

Figure 6-2 shows this configuration.


6–8

Figure 6-2: Example of a Failover Cluster with Two CSVs

The ASM/ME instance running on Node 1 will display VM1, VM3, and CSV1 in blue. CSV2 will be displayed, but it will be grey. Similarly, the ASM/ME instance on Node 2 will display VM2, VM4, and CSV2 in blue, while CSV1 will be grey.

To create Smart Copies of VM1 and VM3, Node 1 will need to become the coordination node for both CSV1 and CSV2. Similarly, to create Smart Copies of VM2 and VM4, Node 2 will need to become the coordination node for both CSV1 and CSV2.

Changing the Coordination Node from One Node to Another

Making a cluster node the coordination node can be done automatically if you create a Smart Copy Schedule for a VM. When the schedule runs, the coordination node changes automatically.

To manually change the coordination node within the ASM/ME GUI:

1. From the ASM/ME instance running on the node that you want to be the coordination node, right-click the CSV in the Volumes node and select Make Cluster Shared Volume Local. Any VMs that reside on the CSV will become blue and you can now perform Smart Copy operations on them.

Note: Alternately, from the ASM/ME instance running on the node that you want to be the coordination node, you can right-click any VM that resides on the CSV (even though it is gray) and select Make Cluster Shared Volumes Local. If the files on the VM reside on more than one CSV, then all of the relevant CSVs will become blue.

2. From the ASM/ME instance running on the previous coordination node, right-click the Auto-Snapshot Manager icon from the console tree and select Refresh. Any VMs that reside on the CSV will become gray, even though they continue to run on that node. They become gray because Smart Copy operations for VMs


6–9

residing on CSVs are disabled until that node becomes the coordination node.Creating Smart Copies in a CSV Environment

• You can create Smart Copies for all VMs in a CSV environment.

See Hyper-V Smart Copy Operations on page 6-4 for procedural information on creating Smart Copies.

• You cannot create a Smart Copy (or a Smart Copy Schedule) for a CSV from any node, including the coordination node, in a CSV-enabled failover cluster. Since VMs can move between nodes independently of each other and the coordination node, there is no guarantee of what VMs will be included in the Smart Copy if it runs as a schedule. Therefore all potential Smart Copies of a CSV will be torn. However, you can create Smart Copies and schedules for all other PS Series volumes in the cluster.

See Hyper-V Smart Copy Operations on page 6-4 for procedural information on creating Smart Copies.

• A CSV and any VMs that reside on a CSV cannot be added to a collection. This functionality is disabled because there is no guarantee that all the VMs in a collection will remain together—the number of VMs writing to the CSV can change, and the coordination node itself can constantly change. All other volumes and VMs in the cluster can be added to a collection, and you can create Smart Copies of those collections.

The procedure for operations on collections of virtual machines is the same as the generic operations described in Chapter 3, Generic ASM/ME Operations.

Creating Smart Copy Schedules in a CSV Environment

You can create Smart Copy Schedules for all VMs in a CSV-enabled failover cluster. However, you cannot create a Smart Copy Schedule of a CSV itself from any of the cluster nodes, including the coordination node.

ASM/ME determines the list of CSVs required for creating Smart Copies and makes the current node—the node on which the VM is running—the coordination node in order to create the Smart Copy. Once the schedule completes, the new Smart Copy appears under the Smart Copies node of ASM/ME. The cluster node where the schedule ran is now the coordination node for the CSV.

If any of the CSVs cannot have their coordination node moved to the current node, an error is generated and the operation is aborted. This can occur if a Smart Copy is in progress for the CSV on another cluster node.

Therefore, for VMs that are stored on the same CSV but run on different cluster nodes, ensure that their Smart Copy schedules do not overlap. VSS cannot take two snapshots of the same CSV at the same time.

Restore Operations in a CSV Environment

Selective Restore

Assume you are running a 2-node cluster, where VM1 runs on Node 1, and VM2 runs on Node 2. Both VM1 and VM2 store files on a CSV. You can only perform a selective restore of those VMs from the nodes that own them. Ownership of a VM is determined by the ownership of the VM’s cluster resources. For example, if you moved VM1 to Node 2, then you can restore VM1 on Node 2.

Performing a selective restore of a VM with files stored on a CSV does not modify any other VMs that store files on the same CSV—only the VM you are restoring will be affected. In the example above, restoring VM1 will not affect VM2, even though they are both on the same CSV.

Even if a VM is running on a node that is not the coordination node, you can perform a selective restore of that VM. The operation will automatically make Node 1 the coordination node in order for the restore to take place.


6–10

See Procedure for Restoring a VM In-Place on page 6-6 for how to selectively restore a VM stored on a CSV.

In-Place Restore

Every copy of a CSV is essentially a torn Smart Copy. Therefore ASM/ME does not permit in-place restores of CSVs.

7–1

7 Using the Command Line Interface

This section describes the command line and scripting options provided by the ASM/ME command line interface. The following topics are included:

• Introduction to the ASM/ME CLI on page 7-1

• CLI Command Summary on page 7-2

• Entering CLI Commands on page 7-3

• Using CLI Commands on page 7-4

• Command Parameters on page 7-20

• Using a Script to Create Smart Copies on page 7-30

Introduction to the ASM/ME CLI

ASM/ME provides you with a set of commands (ASMCLI) that you can execute at the Windows command prompt instead of using the GUI for Smart Copy operations. You can also use these commands to create your own site-specific scripts for Smart Copy operations.

You can also generate complex commands automatically by using menu options in the ASM/ME GUI as described in Support for Scripting and Command Generation on page 1-6. The auto-generate option automatically copies the long text strings that identify objects such as volumes and schedules and builds them into syntactically-correct commands. This feature aids you in using the command line or scripting. You do not need to manually type long commands and you can aggregate the auto-generated commands into scripts by copying and pasting the commands into a text editor.

Note: On a cluster, if the action for which you want to generate a command is disabled, the action to automatically generate the command is also disabled. If you manually create the commands for these actions, you will need to add Cluster Management actions to your scripts to resolve any cluster related issues for the command to execute successfully.

Use the ASMCLI command set to do the following operations:

– Create Smart Copies.

– Checksum Verification and Soft recovery for Microsoft Exchange only.

– Delete Smart Copies.

– Mount a Smart Copy.

– Unmount a Smart Copy.

– Restore a Smart Copy (perform a full restore or a selective restore of certain files. Selective restore is only supported for SQL Server and Hyper-V components).

– List supported volumes, collections, and components.

– Configure ASM/ME properties.

ASM/ME User Guide Using the Command Line Interface

7–2

– Create, modify, and delete collections.

– Configure CHAP credientials.

– Retrieve ASMCLI version information

– Enumerate Smart Copies for specific volumes, components, or collections.

– Safely shut down the current instance of the Global Verification Task.

– Close all instances of verifier notification pop-up dialogs that appear in the Windows taskbar notification area.

General Command Syntax

The general command syntax is as follows:

command [-|/]sub_command required_parameter=“argument” optional_parameter...

The following constraints apply to the syntax:

• [-|/]sub_command — Prefix subcommands with a dash (-) or a forward slash (/).

• “argument”— An argument requires quotation marks only when the argument variable contains an embedded space.

• Arguments consist of the following:

– A unique identifier assigned to an object, such as a volume or a collection.

– A keyword, such as copy or full.

– A user-defined string, such as a time or a comment.

• Several parameters are mutually exclusive. The command parser automatically ignores any redundant parameters.

The following command example demonstrates the syntax of a typical command that you might use to create a Smart Copy schedule.

> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID=ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748 -objectID=Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256} -shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14

CLI Command Summary

Table 7-1 provides an alphabetical summary of the commands and describes the function of each command.

Table 7-1: ASM/ME CLI Subcommands

Subcommanda Function

-asmcli -help Lists all of the commands in the ASM CLI, including the parameters and options that can be specified for each one. Typing asmcli -? will also retrieve the same information.


7–3

Entering CLI 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.

Note: You cannot run the executables named EqlVdsHwPrv.exe, EqlVss.exe, or EqlExVerifier.exe in command line mode.

You execute a command by starting the Windows Server command prompt by using one of the following methods:

1. Click Start, then Command Prompt.

2. Click Start, then Run. Then type cmd.In the command window, you can change directory to

-configureASM Set one or more ASM properties.

-configureCHAP Specify the CHAP username and secret for a group.

-createCollection Create new collections of volumes or components.

-delete Delete Smart Copies.

-deleteCollection Delete existing collections of volumes or components.

-enumerateSmartCopies Enumerate or list all the Smart Copies usable for the restore commands supported for a specified Smart Copy source object.

-list List supported the components, volumes, and collections.

-modifyCollection Modify existing collections of volumes or components.

-mount Mount Smart Copies.

-properties Specify the -properties subcommand to list the properties of an existing Smart Copy backup document. You can specify the backup document by using the –document=, –volume=, -component=, or -collection= parameters.

-restore Restore volumes in place from an existing backup document.

-selectiveRestore Restore one or more selected components from a backup document. This operation is supported for SQL Server databases and Hyper-V virtual machines.

-shutdownverifier Safely shuts down the current Global Verification Task. This subcommand accepts the -timeout=nnn parameter, which specifies the time before a shutdown.

-shutdownsystray Closes any verification failure notifications currently showing in the Windows taskbar notification area.

-smart Create Smart Copies of supported components on PS Series groups.

-unmount Unmount Smart Copies.

-verify Run Checksum Verification or Soft Recovery (or both) for an existing Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy backup document. You must also specify -recovery, -checksum, or both options.

-version Displays the ASM/ME version that you are running, as well as the build date.

a. You must prefix subcommands and parameters with either a hyphen (-) or a forward slash (/)

Table 7-1: ASM/ME CLI Subcommands (Continued)

Subcommanda Function


7–4

C:\Program Files\EqualLogic\bin or add the ASM/ME CLI commands folder to your path by editing your Windows PATH environment variable.

Using CLI Commands

The following sections list the command and subcommand combinations.

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. Use the -list command to obtain information about available objects and their object identifiers.

Note: On a cluster, this command fails if the target is the cluster quorum disk or is a physical disk resource not owned by the cluster node on which you execute the command.

Command Syntax

The following is an example of the -smart command syntax:

ASMCLI -smart {-objectID=”identifier” | -volume={”drive_letter” | mnt-pnt} | -collection=”collection_name” | -component=”component_name”}] -scheduleID=”schedule_identifier” -shadowType=Transportable -backupType={copy | full} -snapshotType={Snapshot | Clone | Replica | ThinClone}[-location=“[{* | drive_letterA;drive_letterB;... | mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...}]”][-keepCount=nn][-checksum] [-recovery] [-offpeak] [-remote][-ignorelogoutfail][-comment=“comment_string”--@] [-cloneandverify] [-promoteandverify] [-NoEmail]

The preceding command (and the examples shown in the following sections) contains line breaks where long strings wrap. Do not insert line breaks in actual commands.

Required Parameters

The following list specifies the minimum parameters that you must specify to create a syntactically-correct command. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

-backupType= -component=

-objectID= -scheduleID=

-shadowType= -volume=

Common Optional Parameters

The following parameters are optional. Include these parameters to perform specific operations. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

-comment=“comment_string”--@

-keepcount=nn

-NoEmail


7–5

Optional Exchange Parameters

The following Exchange parameters are optional. Include these parameters to perform specific operations. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

-checksum -cloneandverify

-offpeak -ignorelogoutfail

-promoteandverify -recovery

-remote

Examples

1. Use the following command to create a Smart Copy—specifically, a thin clone—from the template volume with an object identifier string of Psv{18a09060-ccb0-3c27-24b4-e4f5aa8f2643;1048576} and then mount it to the K drive: > ASMCLI -smart -email -objectid="Psv{18a09060-ccb0-3c27-24b4-e4f5aa8f2643;1048576}" -shadowtype=Transportable -backuptype=copy -snapshottype=ThinClone -location="K:\"

2. Use the following command to create a Smart Copy of the volume with an object identifier string of Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256}:> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748" -objectID="Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256} -shadowType=Transportable backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14

3. Use the following command to create a Smart Copy of an SQL Server database with the component identifier string of: Component{38951b83-4249-4a16-8962-563d8de79c92}:> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748" -objectID="Component{38951b83-4249-4a16-8962-563d8de79c92}"-shadowType=Transportable backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14

4. Use the following command to create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy with Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery after creation:> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748" -objectID="Component{38951b83-4249-4a16-8962-563d8de79c92}"-shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14 -checksum -recovery

5. Use the following command to create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy and perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery during the offpeak Global Verification times. (See Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22):> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748" -objectID="Component{38951b83-4249-4a16-8962-563d8de79c92}" -shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14 -checksum -recovery -offpeak


7–6

6. Use the following command to create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy for volume F:\ with Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery during the offpeak Global Verification times (See Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22):> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="ee05bb76-6ccc-431a-99b9-37886a1d7748" -volume=F:\ -shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14 -checksum -recovery -offpeak

7. Use the following command to create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy for the group named MyStorageGroup with Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery during the Global Verification window. This command specifies a value for the -scheduleID= parameter:> ASMCLI -smart -scheduleID="00000000-1111-2222-3333-00000000" -component="MyStorageGroup" -shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14 -checksum -recovery -offpeak

8. Use the following command to create a Microsoft Exchange Smart Copy for MyStorageGroup and perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery during the global verification window. > ASMCLI -smart -component="MyStorageGroup" -shadowType=Transportable -backupType=copy -snapshotType=Snapshot -keepCount=14-checksum -recovery -offpeak

ASMCLI -verify -checksum -recovery

The -verify subcommand is used with Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies. It can be used as follows:

• Using the -checksum parameter to verify an existing backup document. When you use this command, no new Smart Copies are created.

• Using the -recovery parameter to verify and soft recover from existing backup document. When you use this command, no new Smart Copies are created.

• Using both the -checksum and the -recovery parameters.

Use optional parameters to control the selection of backup documents, the version, and the location for Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery.

Command Syntax

The command syntax is as follows:

ASMCLI -verify [{-document=“path” | volume={”drive_letter” | mnt-pnt} | -collection={“collection_name” | -component=“component_name”}][{-useLatest | -useEarliest}] -ignorelogoutfail [{-checksum | -recovery}] -offpeak -remote [-NoEmail]

Parameters

The available parameters are as follows. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

-collection=collection_ name -component=component_name

-document=“path” -ignorelogoutfail

-NoEmail -offpeak

-remote -useEarliest


7–7

Examples

1. Use the following command to run a Checksum Verification on the backup document named a6d7-e5f8-124.bcd:> ASMCLI -verify -document=”C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\ Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256}\a6d7-e5f8-124.bcd” -checksum

2. Use the following command to schedule a Checksum Verification on the backup document a6d7-e5f8-124.bcd during offpeak Global Verification times:> ASMCLI -verify -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\ Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256}\a6d7-e5f8-124.bcd” -checksum -offpeak

3. Use the following command to schedule a Checksum Verification on the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for volume F:\, during the off peak Global Verification times:> ASMCLI -verify -volume=F:\ -useLatest -checksum -offpeak

4. Use the following command to schedule a Checksum Verification on the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange storage group named EXStorageGroup. The operation is scheduled to run during the offpeak Global Verification times:> ASMCLI -verify -component="EXStorageGroup" -useEarliest -checksum -offpeak

5. Use the following command to 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

6. Use the following command to 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.bcd” -recovery -remote”

7. Use the following command to run a Soft Recovery on the most recently created backup document for the Exchange storage group named MyStorageGroup: > ASMCLI -verify -component=“MyStorageGroup” -recovery -useLatest

ASMCLI -mount

Specify the -mount subcommand to mount an existing Smart Copy.

Use optional parameters to mount multiple volumes and control the selection of volumes, the version.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -mount -location=“[{* | drive_letterA;drive_letterB;... |mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...}]” [{-document=“path” | -volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt”} | -collection=“collection_name” |

-useLatest -volume={"drive" | "mount_point"}


7–8

-objectID=”identifier” | -component=“component_name”}] [{-useLatest | -useEarliest}] -email -retry=n -readwrite

Parameters


-collection=“collection_name” -collection=“collection_name”

-component=“component_name” -document=“path”

-email -location=”[* | drive_letterA;drive_letterB;... | mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...]”

-readwrite -retry=n

-useEarliest -useLatest

-volume={"drive"|"mount_point"} -objectID=”identifier”

Examples

1. Use the following command to mount the Smart Copy backup document named e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd on drive D:> ASMCLI -mount -document=“C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{18A09060-3BE0-3FA8-0A7A-E4120000E045;32256}\e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd” -location=D:\

2. Use the following command to 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”

3. Use the following command to mount the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for volume F:\ on drive Q:> ASMCLI -mount -volume=F:\ -useLatest -location=“Q:\”

4. Use the following command to mount the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Microsoft Exchange storage group named Storage2Group on drive Q:> ASMCLI -mount -component=“Storage2Group” -useEarliest -location=“Q:\”

ASMCLI -properties

Specify the -properties subcommand to list the properties of an existing Smart Copy backup document.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -properties [-document=“path” |-volume={”drive_letter”|“mnt-pnt”} | -collection=“collection_name” | -objectID=”identifier” | -component=“component_name”] [-useLatest | -useEarliest]


7–9

The following data is provided in the output from this command, depending on the parameters that you specify. Each property is preceded by the specified identification string.

Table 7-2: Identifiers for ASMCLI Properties

Identifier Smart Copy Property

-document= Path name of Smart Copy Set backup document.

-creationtimestamp= Creation timestamp.

-OriginatingObject= Name of the supported volume, component, or collection from which the Smart Copy was created.

-OriginatingHost= Host name of the machine on which the Smart Copy was created.

–snapshottype= Snapshot type (snapshot, replica, clone, or thin clone).

-backupType= Backup Type (copy or full).

–Snapshotcount= Number of snapshots contained in the Smart Copy Set.

–OriginalVolumes= Semicolon delimited list of the original volumes from which the Smart Copy Set was created.

–SmartCopyStatus= Current state of the Smart Copy Set (broken, unreachable, mounted, or available).

–MountPoints= If the Smart Copy is mounted, a semicolon delimited list of the mount points.

–Application= Application type (Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, Hyper-V, or File system).

–ChecksumVerification= Checksum Verification state. (Microsoft Exchange only).

–SoftRecovery= Soft Recovery state (Microsoft Exchange only).

–ReplicationStatus If the snapshot type is a replica, this indicator shows the current status of the replication process using one of the following strings:

-ApplicationConsistent Indicates whether the snapshot is application consistent (True or False).

Parameters


-collection=“collection_name” -component=“component_name”

-document=“path” -useEarliest

-useLatest -volume={"drive"|"mount_point"}

-objectID=”identifier”

• Disabled; The replica set containing this replica is promoted to access a different replica.

• 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.


7–10

Examples

1. Use the following command to list the properties for the Smart Copy backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd.> ASMCLI -properties -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd"

2. The following command also lists the properties for the Smart Copy backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd.> ASMCLI -properties -document="PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd"

3. Use the following command to list the properties for the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\. > ASMCLI -properties -volume=F:\ -useLatest

4. Use the following command to list the properties for the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange storage group named MyStorageGroup. > ASMCLI -properties -component="MyStorageGroup" -useEarliest

ASMCLI -unmount

Specify the -unmount subcommand to unmount and log off a volume.

Use optional parameters to unmount multiple volumes and control the selection of volumes, and the Smart Copy version. You can optionally delete the Smart Copy on successful completion of the operation.

Note: On a cluster, this command fails if:

– The target is the cluster quorum disk.

– The target is a physical disk resource that has not been placed in maintenance mode.

– The target is a physical disk resource that is not owned by this node.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -unmount [{-document=“path” | -location=“[drive_letterA;drive_letterB;... | mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...]”}|-volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt”}| -collection=“collection_name” | -objectID=”identifier”| -component=“component_name”] [{-useLatest | -useEarliest}] -ignorelogoutfail -email -retry=n -deletesnap

Parameters




7–11

Examples

1. Use the following command to unmount all of the volumes mounted from backup document named e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd:> ASMCLI -unmount -document=“PSV{18A09060- 3BE0-3FA8-0A7A-E4120000E045;32256}\e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd”

2. Use the following command to unmount the volume mounted from backup document e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd. The location of the mount point is D:\TestServer:> ASMCLI -unmount -location=“D:\TestServer”

3. Use the following command to unmount the volume from the Smart Copy backup document e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd that was mounted at drive E:> ASMCLI -unmount -location=E:\

4. Use the following command to unmount the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\ from its current mount point:> ASMCLI -unmount -volume=F:\ -useLatest

5. Use the following command to unmount the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange storage group named Storage4Group from its current mount point:> ASMCLI -unmount -component=“Storage4Group” -useEarliest

ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies

The -enumerateSmartCopies subcommand enumerates or lists the Smart Copy Sets of a specified component that can be used with the restore and selective restore commands. This subcommand omits Smart Copy Sets that cannot be used for restore operations, such as Smart Copies that are unreachable, or in a temporary state (such as having checksum verification in progress).

This command outputs the timestamp for when the Smart Copy Set was created, as well as the relative backup document pathname for each backup document that supports the restore and selective restore commands. A summary line reports the total number of documents found, and the number of documents that are usable for the restore commands supported for the Smart Copy source object.

Note: The document pathname can be used for the -document parameter of the restore commands. The pathname does not include the shadows folder portion of the path.

-deletesnap -document=“path”

-email -ignorelogoutfail

-location=“[{drive_ltrA;drive_ltrB;.. | mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...}]”

-retry=n


-volume={"drive" | "mount_point"} -objectID=”identifier”


7–12

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies [{-volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt”} | -collection=“collection_name” |-objectID=”identifier” | -component=“component_name”}]

Parameters


-component=“component_name” -collection=“collection_name”

-objectID=”identifier” -volume={"drive" | "mount_point"}

Example

1. Use the following command to enumerate all of the backup documents for component DB1. > ASMCLI -enumerateSmartCopies -component=DB1

ASMCLI -restore

Specify the -restore subcommand to perform an in-place restore of a Smart Copy Set. An in-place restore copies the entire content of the Smart Copy Set to its original volumes, overwriting their content.

Use optional parameters to restore multiple volumes and control the selection of volumes, and the version of Smart Copy.




– The target is a physical disk resource that is not owned by this node or is a physical disk that is used to store Smart Copy Set backup documents.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -restore [{-document=“path” | -volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt”} |-collection=“collection_name” | -objectID=”identifier”|-component=“component_name”}] [{-useLatest | -useEarliest}] [-ignorelogoutfail] [-email] [-retry=n] [-applylogs]

Parameters


-applylogs -collection=“collection_name”


7–13

Examples

1. Use the following command to restore all of the volumes in place from backup document e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd:> ASMCLI -restore -document=“PSV{18A09060-3BE0-3FA8-0A7A-E4120000E045;32256}\e2b3-f1a3-234.bcd”

2. Use the following command to restore volume F:\ in place from the most recent backup document created for it:> ASMCLI -restore -volume=F:\ -useLatest

3. Use the following command to restore all of the volumes in place from the oldest backup document created for the Exchange storage group named MyStorageGroup:> ASMCLI -restore -component=“MyStorageGroup” -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.

Use optional parameters to restore multiple volumes and control the selection of volumes, and the version of Smart Copy.




– The target is a physical disk resource that is not owned by this node or is a physical disk that is used to store Smart Copy Set backup documents.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -selectiveRestore [{-document=“path” | -volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt”} | -collection=“collection_name” | -objectID=”identifier”}] -selections=”Component{objectID};...”[{-useLatest | -useEarliest}][-email] [-retry=n] [-applylogs]

-component=“component_name” -document=“path”


-retry=n -useEarliest




7–14

Parameters


-applylogs -collection=“collection_name”

-document=“path” -selections=“Component{objectID};...”


-retry=n -useEarliest



Note: You can get the object ID for any supported component, volume, and collection by executing the –list command with the –components, -volume, -collections, and –showObjectID options.

Examples

1. Use the following command to restore the specified components (SQL Server DB1 and DB3) from backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd:> ASMCLI -selectiverestore -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd" -selections="Component{mysqlserver_DB1}; Component{mysqlserver_DB3}"

2. Use the following command to restore the Hyper-V virtual machine with object ID Component{2F27806B-9BBB-4194-A61E-59D14831483F} from backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd:> ASMCLI -selectiverestore -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd" -selections="Component{2F27806B-9BBB-4194-A61E-59D14831483F}"

ASMCLI -asmcli -help

Specify the -asmcli -help subcommand to view all of the commands in the ASMCLI, including the parameters and options that can be specified for each one. Typing -asmcli -? will also retrieve the same information.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -asmcli -help

You can also type the following command:

ASMCLI -asmcli -?

ASMCLI -list

Specify the -list subcommand to identify supported volumes, collections, and components. You can also obtain an object’s unique identifiers and use the identifiers as required in commands or scripts.


7–15

You can obtain additional properties for the volumes, components, and collections by using the -showprops parameter.

Use the redirect option (>) in the Windows command prompt to save the output from the -list command to a file for later editing.

Note: On a cluster, the -list command shows only the volumes and components for the node on which you execute the command owns the related physical disk resources.

Command Syntax

The command syntax is as follows. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

ASMCLI -list -volumes -collections -components -showObjectID -showprops

Parameters


-collections -components

-showObjectID -showprops

-volumes

Examples

1. Use the following command to display a list all of the volumes, collections, and components with their object IDs to the console> ASMCLI -list -volumes -collections -components -showObjectID

2. Use the following command to display a list all existing collections to the console:> ASMCLI -list -collections

3. Use the following command to display a list all of the supported volumes to the console:> ASMCLI -list

ASMCLI -delete

Specify the -delete subcommand to delete an existing Smart Copy and all its data.

Use optional parameters to specify the smart copy set to delete by:

• Backup document path

• Originating volume or component or collection with the useLatest or useEarliest option.

Command Syntax



7–16

ASMCLI -delete [{-document=“path” | -volume={“drive_letter” |”mnt-pnt” | -collection=“collection_name” | -component=“component_name” |-objectID=”identifier”}] [{-useLatest | -useEarliest |-all}] -email -retry=n

Parameters



-document=“path” -email


-volume={"drive"|"mount_point"} -objectID=”identifier”

-all

Examples

1. Use the following command to delete the Smart Copy backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd. > ASMCLI -delete -document="C:\BackupDocs\Shadows\PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd"

2. This command delete the Smart Copy backup document 6666-7777-888.bcd. > ASMCLI -delete document="PSV{11111111-2222-3333-4444-555555555555}\6666-7777-888.bcd"

3. This command deletes the most recent Smart Copy backup document available for F:\> ASMCLI -delete -volume=F:\ -useLatest

4. This command deletes the oldest Smart Copy backup document available for the Exchange storage group named MyStorageGroup. > ASMCLI -delete -component="MyStorageGroup" -useEarliest -location="Q:\"

ASMCLI -configureASM

Specify the -configureASM subcommand to set one or more ASM properties from the command line. If no properties are specified, the current values are output for all of the properties. Each property is validated and the output shows results for each property.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -configureasm -documentFolder=“path” -emailRecipientList=“email_address” -emailSenderAddress=“email_address” -smtpHost={“hostname” |“ipaddress”} -emailSubjectLine=“text” -sendOnFailure={“Yes”|“No”} -sendOnSuccess={“Yes”|“No”} | -combineNotification={“Yes”|“No”}|-sendTestMail


7–17

Parameters


-combineNotification={“Yes”|“No”} -smtpHost={“hostname” |“ipaddress”}

-documentFolder=“path” | -emailRecipientList=“email_address”

-emailSenderAddress=“email_address” -emailSubjectLine=“text”

-sendOnFailure={“Yes”|“No”} -sendOnSuccess={“Yes”|“No”}

-sendTestMail

Examples

1. The following example displays all of the properties that can be configured and their current values. > ASMCLI -configureASM

2. The following example changes the subject line used for email notifications, turns off email notification for successful command, and leave all other parameters unchanged.> ASMCLI -configureASM -emailSubjectLine="Script Execution Results" -sendOnSuccess=No

ASMCLI -configureCHAP

The -configureCHAP command specifies the CHAP username and secret for a group.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -configurechap -group="name" | -chapUser="name" | -secret=password | -vssvds | -smartcopy

Parameters


-chapUser=“name” -group=“name”

-secret=password -smartcopy

-vssvds

Example

1. The following example sets the credentials that ASM/ME uses for management access to TestGroup to username and password. > ASMCLI -configureCHAP -group=TestGroup -chapuser=username -secret=password -vssvds


7–18

ASMCLI -createCollection

The -createCollection command creates and validates a new collection from a list of volumes or components.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -createcollection -collection="collection_name" [-volume={"drive" | "mount_point"} -component=”component_name”]

Parameters



-volume={"drive" | "mount_point"}

Examples

1. The following example creates a collection Test Collection 1 containing volumes e:\ and F:\ and will add any components contained on the volumes.> ASMCLI -createcollection -collection="Test Collection 1" -volume=e:\;f:\

2. The following example create a collection Test Collection 2 containing components Storage Group A and Storage Group B and will add the volumes for the components to the collection. > ASMCLI -createcollection -collection="Test Collection 2" -component="Storage Group A;Storage Group B"

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.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -modifycollection -collection="collection_name" [-volume={"drive" | "mount_point"} | -component=”component_name”][-newname]

Parameters



-newname=“collection_name” -volume={"drive" | "mount_point"}


7–19

Example

1. The following example modifies the collection Test Collection 1 by changing its definition to volumes e:\ and f:\ and will add any components contained on the new volumes.> ASMCLI -modifycollection -collection="Test Collection 1" -volume=e:\;f:\

ASMCLI -deleteCollection

The -deleteCollection command deletes an existing collection specified by name.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -deletecollection -collection="collection_name"

Parameter

The available parameter is as follows. For a description of these parameters, see Command Parameters on page 7-20.

-collection=“collection_name”

Example

The following example delete the collection Test Collection if it exists.> ASMCLI -deletecollection -collection="Test Collection"

ASMCLI -shutdownverifier

The –shutdownverifier subcommand accepts one optional parameter which is –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.

Example

The following example stops the current Global Verification Task after 300 seconds:>ASMCLI –shutdownverifier -timeout=300

If you do not specify a value for -timeout=, ASMCLI waits until no other verifier processes (EqlExVerifier.exe) are running.

If ASMCLI times out before the verifier process ends, the shutdown request is cancelled. ASMCLI waits for all verifier instances to end before it terminates or times out, even though it causes only the Global Verification task instance to shutdown.

Note: If you are running remote verification, run the command on the verification server.


7–20

ASMCLI -shutdownsystray

By default, ASM/ME displays warning icons in the Windows Taskbar Notification Area (See Notification of Events on page 1-4). Each warning icon is associated with a pop-up message describing an ASM/ME event, such as a failed Checksum Verification operation.

Example

The following example stops event notification and removes any current event warning icons:> ASMCLI –shutdownsystray

ASMCLI -version

The -version command displays the ASM/ME version that you are running, as well as the build date.

Command Syntax


ASMCLI -version

This command will output the version number and build date. For example, the output could be as follows:

Version=3.4.0.5202Build Date=3/23/2010 12:20:28 AM

Command Parameters

The following command options are used with the ASM/ME subcommands.

all

used with: delete subcommand

Specify the -all parameter to delete all Smart Copies for the specified target (Collection, Volume, or Component). This will have no effect if the –document or -objectid parameter is specified.

applylogs

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, which is assumed if you do not specify a value for -backupType=.


7–21

chapUser=name

used with: configureCHAP subcommand

Designates the username that identifies a valid CHAP user.

checksum

used with: smart, verify subcommands

Specify -checksum to perform Checksum Verification on a Smart Copy. You can use this command only when making copies of Microsoft Exchange objects.

You can specify the -checksum subcommand together with the -recovery subcommand option to do both operations simultaneously. If you do not specify either the -smart or -verify subcommands, the -checksum parameter is ignored.

Optionally specify -offpeak to schedule Checksum Verification during the offpeak Global Verification times. See Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22.

cloneandverify


Specify -cloneandverify to perform checksum verification on a temporary Exchange replica clone to not pause replication. This flag will cause the tool to ignore the -recovery flag.

collection=collection_name

used with: smart, verify, mount, properties, unmount, restore, createcollection, modifycollection, deletecollection subcommands

Specify the -collection= parameter with a collection name as an alternative to specifying an -objectID=.You can obtain the collection name from the ASM/ME GUI Collections node by browsing an individual collection’s properties. Alternatively, use the following command to display of all Collection names:

> ASMCLI -list -collections -showobjectid

The -collection= parameter and the -objectID= parameter are mutually exclusive and the command parser processes the first valid parameter, ignoring any subsequent parameters.

If used with the modifycollection or deletecollection subcommands, the -collection parameter specifies a name that uniquely identifies the collection. If a collection with the name specified does not exist, the command will fail. When used with the createcollectionsubcommand, if a name is specified for a collection that already exists, the command will fail.

collections

used with: list subcommand

Specify the -collections parameter to display all supported collections.


7–22

combineNotification={“yes”|“no”}

used with: configureASM subcommand

Specifies whether smart copy creation and Exchange verification emails are combined into a single email before being sent.

comment=“comment_string”--@


Specify the -comment= parameter to add a comment string to the command, such as a description of the operation. Terminate the string with the sequence: --@. The limit is 75 characters.

component=component_name

used with: smart, verify, mount, properties, unmount, restore, createcollection, modifycollection subcommands

Specify the -component= parameter with the originating component name, such as a Microsoft Exchange storage group name. If the component name string contains an embedded space, you must enclose the string in quotation marks (“”).You can obtain the component name from the ASM/ME GUI Applications node by browsing an individual component’s properties. Alternatively, use the following command to display all component names:

> ASMCLI -list -components -showobjectid

The -component= parameter and the -objectID= parameter are mutually exclusive and the command parser processes the first valid parameter, ignoring any subsequent parameters.

The -component= parameter is an alternative to using the -document= parameter, the -volume= parameter or the -collection= parameter. If you redundantly specify either a document path or a volume letter, the command parser ignores the redundant parameter.

When used with the createcollection or modifycollection subcommands, the -component parameter identifies a semicolon-delimited list of supported component specified by name. If this parameter is used, the -volume= parameter cannot be used.

components


Specify the -components parameter to display all supported components such as Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups.

deletesnap

used with: unmount subcommand

Specify the -deletesnap parameter to delete the Smart Copy Set from which the target volume was unmounted.


7–23

If the Smart Copy Set contains multiple volumes this parameter has the following effect:

• It unmounts all volumes included in the Smart Copy that are currently mounted.

• It deletes all the volumes included in the Smart Copy regardless of their current mount status.

document=“path”

used with: verify, mount, properties, unmount, restore, selectiveRestore subcommands

Specify the -document= parameter with the full path to a backup (*.bcd) document that you want to verify or mount. If any path variables contain embedded spaces, you must enclose the variable in quotation marks (“”).You need only specify the unique portion of the path following the PS Series volume identifier (Ps Vol ID), including the file name, and the folder in which the file is stored.

documentFolder=“path”


Designates the full directory path to folder where the smart copy backup document and collection definition folders are located.

group=”name”


Designates the name of the group for which credentials will be specified.

email

used with: mount, restore, unmount, selectiveRestore, delete subcommands

Specify the -email parameter to send an e-mail message confirming the status of the operation. The e-mail is sent using the configuration rules established during ASM/ME configuration. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21.

emailRecipientList=“email_address”


Specifies a semicolon delimited list of email addresses to whom email should be sent when certain ASM/ME actions are performed.

emailSenderAddress=“email_address”


Specifies the email address from whom email should be sent when ASM/ME actions that support sending email are performed.

emailSubjectLine=“text”



7–24

A text string to be used as the subject line for emails sent when ASM/ME actions that support sending email are performed.

ignorelogoutfail

used with: smart, verify, unmount, restore subcommands

(This parameter is restricted to Windows Server 2008)

Specify the-ignorelogoutfail parameter to change the default command behavior for logout failures. By default, the unmount operation is aborted if it encounters a logout failure and all retry attempts are exhausted. When you specify -ignorelogoutfail, the unmount operation forces the logout.Caution: To avoid a risk of data corruption, make sure that no files are open on the volume that you intend to unmount.

keepcount=nn


Specify -keepcount=nn where the value of nn is an integer in the range 0-99. This value indicates the maximum number of Smart Copy backup documents retained at any one time. If you not specify a value for -keepcount, a default value of 8 backup documents is assumed.

The -keepcount queue operates on a chronological first-in-first-out basis. If you create a Smart Copy causing the number of current Smart Copies to exceed the value of -keepcount, the oldest Smart Copy backup document is deleted.

You must specify the -scheduleID= parameter when specifying -keepcount=, otherwise the keep count limit is not maintained and Smart Copies are created until there is insufficient space. Specify a unique schedule identifier, using an 8-4-4-4-12 hexadecimal format. For example:

-scheduleID="00000000-1111-2222-3333-000000000000"

location=“[{* | drive_letterA;drive_letterB;... | mnt-pnt;mnt-pnt;...}]”

used with: smart, mount, unmount subcommands

Specify the -location= parameter with the location of one or more volumes or document paths as follows:

• A wildcard (*) mounts the volumes in the Smart Copy at any available drive letters.

• An ordered list of drive letters (such as G:\) with each drive letter delimited by a semicolon (;).

• 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. If any path variables contain embedded spaces, you must enclose the variable in quotation marks (“”).


7–25

The list of volumes in an existing collection is sorted into ascending alphabetical order when the Smart Copy is created. For example, if the Smart Copy set contains volumes originally mounted at E:\, F:\Mount Point A , and G:\ and the -location=T:\;S:\;H:\ then the Smart Copies of volumes E:\ will be mounted as T:\, F:\Mount Point A will be mounted as S:\, and G:\ will be mounted as H:\.

newname=

used with: modifycollection subcommand

Specifies a new collection name. This name must be valid and not be identical to another existing collection name. If a collection is renamed, and Smart Copies and Schedules of the collection will be updated to refer to the renamed collection. Schedule names will not be automatically modified, but can be changed by selecting the Modify Schedule option for the affected schedule.

NoEmail


Overrides the registry settings for e-mail notifications.

objectID=

used with: smart, mount, unmount, restore, properties, delete, and selectiveRestore subcommands

Specify the -objectID= parameter with an object identifier for an existing object. Use the -list command to display object identifiers. For example:

> ASMCLI -list -volumes -collections -components -showObjectID

Depending on the operation that you want to perform, specify one of the following parameter values:

• Volume Operations — Specify a PS Series volume identifier (Ps Vol ID). A volume identifier has the following format: Psv{hex-string}. For example:

Psv{18a09060-3be0-3fa8-0a7a-e4120000e045;32256}

You can obtain the Ps Vol ID from the ASM/ME GUI Volumes node by browsing an individual volume’s properties. Alternatively, use the following command to display the Ps Vol ID for all supported volumes:> ASMCLI -list -volumes -showobjectid

• Application Component Operations — Specify a component name. A component name has the following format: Component{hex-string}. For example:Component{38951b83-4249-4a16-8962-563d8de79c92}.You can obtain the component name from the ASM/ME GUI Applications node by browsing an individual component’s properties. 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}


7–26

You can obtain the collection name from the ASM/ME GUI Collections node by browsing an individual collection’s properties. Alternatively, use the following command to display of all Collection names:

> ASMCLI -list -collections -showobjectid

When you specify an -objectID= parameter, the command parser ignores any subsequent -volume=, -collection=, and -component= parameters.

offpeak


Specify the -offpeak parameter to schedule Checksum Verification during the offpeak Global Verification times (predicted periods of low computer use). When you specify -offpeak, you must also specify the -checksum parameter.

You can specify that this parameter can be used with the -smart command if you specify either -checksum or -verify, or both.

You can also specify the -offpeak parameter with the -verify command.

If you do not specify either the -offpeak parameter or the -remote parameter, Checksum Verification begins immediately after Smart Copy completion.

promoteandverify


Specify -promoteandverify to perform checksum verification directly on a promoted Exchange replica which will pause replication until the operation has completed.

readwrite

used with: mount subcommand

Specify the -readwrite parameter to enable both reads from and writes to the mounted volume. If not specified, the volume is mounted read-only.

recovery


Specify -recovery to perform checksum verification or Soft Recovery (or both) on the Smart Copy. You can use this command only when making copies of Microsoft Exchange objects.

You can specify the -recovery subcommand together with the -checksum subcommand option to do both operations simultaneously. If you do not specify either the –smart or –verify subcommands are not specified, the -recovery parameter is ignored.


7–27

retry=n

used with: mount, unmount, restore subcommands

Specify the -retry= parameter with an integer value indicating the number of times to retry the operation if unsuccessful.

remote


Specify the -remote parameter to schedule Checksum Verification on a remote computer instead of the local computer. If configured on the remote computer, Checksum Verification (and Soft Recovery, if specified), runs during the offpeak Global Verification times. Configure the remote computer to find and verify the newly-created backup document.

You can specify that this parameter can be used with the -smart command if you specify either -checksum or -verify or both.

You can also specify the -remote parameter with the -verify command.

If you do not specify the -remote parameter, Checksum Verification begins immediately after Smart Copy completion.

Global Verification schedule times default to 8:00 PM to 6:00AM local time. You can change this time by adjusting the Global Verification window in the ASM/ME GUI. See Setting up the Global Verification Window on page 2-22.

See Remote Host Verification on page 4-5 for information about configuring the remote computer.

scheduleID=


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

You must enclose the Schedule ID in quotation marks if it contains and embedded space.

selections=

used with: selectiveRestore subcommand

Specify the -selections= parameter with “Component{}” , where the object ID for the component to be restored is placed within the braces. A semilcolon delimited list of object IDs may also be specified.

You can get the object ID for any supported component, volume, and collection by executing the –list command with the –components, -volume, -collections, and –showObjectID options.


7–28

secret=password


Specifies the password that was established for the CHAP user.

sendOnFailure={“Yes”|“No”}


Specifies whether email is to be sent when ASM/ME actions that support sending email fail.

sendOnSuccess={“Yes”|“No”}


Specifies whether email is to be sent when ASM/ME actions that support sending email are successfully performed.

sendTestMail


Sends a test email immediately after configuring ASM/ME. This is to test email settings. A recipient list will be included in the test email.

shadowType=


Specify the type of Smart Copy to create. In the current release, ASM/ME supports only Transportable types and you can omit this parameter because ASMCLI assumes a Transportable type.

showObjectID


Specify the -showObjectID parameter to display the unique object identifiers for each object.

showprops


Specify the -showprops parameter to display the following object properties in the output:

• For lists of volumes, the output includes the volume type, PS Series volume name, and read-only setting.

• For lists of collections, the output includes all component names and volumes included in the collection.

• For lists of components the output includes the original volume list and application type (such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server).

smartcopy


7–29


Indicates that the credentials apply to snapshot access.

smtpHost={“host_name” |“ipaddress”


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.

snapshotType=


Specify the required form of Smart Copy. You can specify a value of snapshot, clone, replica, or ThinClone if your storage is configured to support these options. The default value is snapshot, which is assumed if you do not specify a value for -snapshotType=.

useEarliest

used with: verify, mount, properties, unmount, delete, restore subcommands

Specify the -useEarliest parameter to use the chronologically earliest Smart Copy. The -useLatest parameter is the default, and is assumed if you do not specify either -useLatest or -useEarliest.You can use the -useEarliest parameter only if you specified the -volume= parameter, the -component= parameter, or the -collection= parameter.

useLatest

used with: verify, mount, properties, unmount, delete, restore subcommands

Specify the -useLatest parameter to use the chronologically latest Smart Copy. The -useLatest parameter is the default, and is assumed if you do not specify either -useLatest or -useEarliest.You can use the -useLatest parameter only if you specified the -volume= parameter, the -component= parameter, or the -collection= parameter.

volume=

used with: smart, verify, mount, properties, unmount, restore, selectiveRestore, createcollection, modifycollection subcommands

Specify the -volume= parameter with the path for a mount point or a drive letter of a volume as an alternative to specifying an -objectID=. Typical drive letter values are G:\ and Z:\.You can obtain the drive letter from the ASM/ME GUI Volumes node by browsing an individual volume’s properties. Alternatively, use the following command to display all supported drive letters:

> ASMCLI -list -volumes -showobjectid


7–30

The -volume= parameter and the -objectID= parameter are mutually exclusive and the command parser processes the first valid parameter, ignoring any subsequent parameters.

The -volume= parameter is an alternative to using the -document= parameter. If you redundantly specify either a path, or a collection name, the command parser ignores the redundant parameter.

For the mount command, the -useEarliest or -useLatest parameter determines which specific backup document is mounted. The -useLatest parameter is the default, and is assumed if you do not specify either -useLatest or -useEarliest.

When used with the createcollection or modifycollection subcommands, the -volume parameter identifies a semicolon-delimited list of volumes specified as drive letters or mount points. If this parameter is used, the -component= parameter cannot be used.

volumes


Specify the -volumes parameter to display all supported volumes.If you do not specify the -volumes parameter, the -collections parameter, or the -components= parameter, the command parser assumes a value of -volumes as the default.

vssvds


Indicates that the credentials apply to management access.

Using a Script to Create Smart Copies

If you use scripts for running backups or performing other background operations, you can also schedule Smart Copy creation by adding an ASMCLI command to your existing script.

Preparing to Create the Script Commands

Prepare to create the script as follows:

• Review the information in Scheduling Smart Copy Operations on page 3-8 for more information.

• Optionally, configure e-mail notification to alert you if scheduled Smart Copy operations fail. See Setting Notification Properties on page 2-21.

• Review the available command parameters described in ASMCLI -smart on page 7-4 and decide which parameters you want to use in your script.

Creating the Script Commands

Use the following procedure to add an ASM/ME command to your backup script:

1. Use the procedure described in Scheduling Smart Copy Operations on page 3-8 to create a temporary Smart Copy schedule. This schedule is your template and should include all the attributes you want to use in your script.


7–31

2. Click the newly-created temporary schedule to display its properties in the ASM/ME Properties pane.

3. Click the line labeled Arguments to highlight and select it. (A tooltip displays the complete line.)This line contains the command line to run the schedule, and identifies the schedule ID.

4. Click the right mouse button to display the context menu and select the option titled: Copy to Clipboard.

5. Paste the command into a text editor, such as Windows Notepad. The format of the pasted command line is similar to the following:

Property Value

Arguments -scheduleID="c5542376-f55a-489a-93f4-2580dc74f6ac" -objectid="Component{25d980e3-ca4c-4177-9846-7844f708d97d}" -comment=backup schedule--@ -shadowtype=Transportable -backuptype=copy -snapshottype=Snapshot -keepcount=10 -hide -checksum -recovery -offpeak

6. Delete the following words: Property, Value, and Arguments.

7. Add the full ASMCLI command path to the beginning of the text, making sure it precedes the pasted text. By default, this path is in the folder where you installed the Host Integration Tools kit as follows:

C:\Program Files\EqualLogic\bin\ASMCLI.exe

8. Change the values for the following parameters if required:

• -backupType, which is either full or copy.

• -snapshotType, which is either Snapshot or Replica.

• -keepCount, which is an integer in the range 0-99 indicating the maximum number of Smart Copy backup documents retained at any one time. (A default value of 8 backup documents is assumed).You must specify the -scheduleID= parameter when specifying -keepcount=, otherwise the keep count limit is not maintained and Smart Copies are created until there is insufficient space. Specify a unique schedule identifier, using an 8-4-4-4-12 hexadecimal format. For example:

-scheduleID="00000000-1111-2222-3333-000000000000"

9. Test the command before executing it in a production environment as follows:

• Open a command prompt and paste the command.

• Identify and correct any typographical errors or incorrect ID values.

• Verify that you receive e-mail notification during this test. (If configured).

• Check the ASM/ME GUI to verify that a Smart Copy Set was created.

10. Merge the command line into your existing script.


7–32

11. Delete the temporary schedule you created in ASM/ME by selecting the schedule node and clicking on Delete Schedule in the ASM/ME Actions pane. (If you do not delete the temporary schedule, it will run as specified, potentially interfering with your scripted scheduler and creating unexpected Smart Copy Sets.)

12. Repeat Steps 1-11 to add more scheduled Smart Copy operations to your backup script.

A–1

A Recover a Clustered Volume From a Clone

If a volume is lost or damaged, and there is no snapshot 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. The following procedure can be used to replace a volume that is a cluster resource with a clone.

1. In Windows Cluster Administrator, set the disk offline.

2. In Cluster Manager, remove the disk from the application group.

3. Unmount the disk from its mount point. This can be done with the mountvol utility, which is part of the Windows operating system.

4. In Cluster Manager, delete the disk from the cluster.

5. Using the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator, logout from the origial disk from each node.

6. In the Group Manager, set the volume offline or delete it.

7. In the Group Manager, bring the clone online.

8. Using the Microsoft iSCSI Initiator, log onto the clone from each cluster node.

9. In Cluster Manager, add the clone to the cluster.

10. Recreate the mount point (if needed).

11. In Cluster Manager, add the clone to the application group.

12. In Cluster Manager, recreate the application dependencies.

13. In Cluster Manager, bring the application online.

Glossary–1

Glossary

This glossary defines the storage technology terminology that is specific to EqualLogic. If a term has unique meaning in the context of hardware or of a specific software application, that context is indicated.

See The SNIA Dictionary (http://www.snia.org/education/dictionary/) for definitions of any industry-standard storage terms used in this manual.

.bcd

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The file extension used by ASM to identify a Smart Copy backup document.

.pvss

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The file extension used by ASM to identify a Smart Copy backup document that has been mounted at least once.

access control list (ACL)

A list of permissions attached to an object such as a storage volume. See access control record.

access control record

Means by which you restrict/control access to a PS Series volume. To ensure that only authorized computers and users can access a PS Series volume (iSCSI target), use access control records. You can restrict volume access by using any combination of specific IP addresses, iSCSI initiators, or CHAP user name and password (secret).

access credentials

Identity information that is checked against access control records. A computer must match the credentials specified in an access control record in order to connect to a volume. See access control record.

active control module

(hardware) In a dual control module array, the control module that is actively serving I/O on a network. If it ceases to function, it fails over to the secondary control module. See secondary control module.

application component

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Any part of an application that ASM supports for Smart Copy operations.

application component (node)

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Objects in the ASM console tree that represent components of software applications, such as SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange.

applications

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Installed applications for which a VSS writer is available, such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server.

applications master node

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The location of applications and their components in the ASM console tree.

apply logs

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) An ASM option that enables you to apply database transaction logs manually to a restored database.

array

(hardware) A PS Series storage array is a completely self-contained storage unit that includes multiple disk drives configured in a highly available RAID set with dual control modules and redundant power supplies and cooling modules.

http://www.snia.org/education/dictionary/

Group Administration Glossary

Glossary–2

array serial number

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A unique PS Series array identification string that is encoded in the array's hardware. See service tag.

ASM/ME

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Auto-Snapshot Manager/Microsoft Edition, a snap-in console application for the Microsoft Management Console that enables you to administer Smart Copies.

ASM/VE

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Auto-Snapshot Manager/VMware Edition, a web-based application that works with VMware virtual environments to enable you to administer Smart Copies.

ASMCLI

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A set of Smart Copy operation commands that you can execute at the Windows command prompt.

automatic RAID configuration

Internal process that configures the user-selected RAID policy on a member's disk array.

backup document

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A file residing on the host that describes a Smart Copy on the PS Series array.

backup type

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Specifies the backup behavior type that you want to create, either copy or full.

backup validation on startup

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Automatically validate Smart Copies when ASM is started.

bandwidth

Rate at which an I/O subsystem or component can transfer bytes of data. Also called the transfer rate.

base volume

1. (Auto-Snapshot Manager) A PS series array volume mounted on the computer and reachable through its Windows-assigned drive letter (such as G:) or mount point.

2. (Group Manager) A volume that has snapshots. Snapshots depend on the base volume. If the base volume is destroyed, the snapshots have been removed.

broken smart copies

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Smart Copies for which the storage on the array has been deleted, or is unreachable.

CHAP

Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol, a network login protocol that uses an encrypted challenge-response mechanism. Used to limit access to volumes and snapshots to hosts that supply the correct account name and password. CHAP is also used for login/administrator accounts. See access credentials.

CHAP account

An account that uses CHAP configured locally or on an external RADIUS server.

CHAP properties

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) An ASM configuration option that enables you to specify CHAP credentials for VSS or VDS access to groups and for computer access to Smart Copies for importing.

checksum verification

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The process of verifying the integrity of Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies. You use the Windows eseutil.exe, a database maintenance utility.


Glossary–3

cloning

The process of creating a new copy of an object such as a volume. The new object is the same type and has the same contents as the original. Contrast with a thin clone.

collection

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Related groups of volumes or application components. These objects are represented by nodes in the ASM Console Tree under the Collections master node. Create collections of related volumes that you copy frequently. This ensures that ASM creates all the relevant Smart Copies simultaneously in one set. Create, modify, or delete a collection, create a Smart Copy Set for the collection, or configure a schedule for the collection.

command generation

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The process of using the ASM GUI to generate an ASMCLI command.

console pane

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The section of the ASM GUI that contains the console tree. This pane contains a collapsing, branched structure of related groups of clickable objects on which you can perform many different operations. See console tree.

console tree

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A hierarchical structure of branched nodes representing objects on which ASM can perform operations. Nodes represent objects such as applications, volumes, and collections. The ASM console tree consists of related groups of objects (nodes) organized in a branching tree structure. Depending on the status of a node, you are presented with a menu of actions in the Actions Pane. See console pane.

control module

(hardware) The processor and interface component in a PS Series array. A control module contains the PS Series firmware in flash memory and provides temporary power continuity for data stored in cache memory. It has multiple network interfaces and an optional serial port. An array can contain two hot-swappable, dual redundant controllers. The active control module serves I/O, while the secondary control module mirrors data in its cache.

cooling module

(hardware) Hot-swappable hardware component, optionally integrated with a power supply, that provides cooling to a PS Series array. Arrays are shipped with redundant cooling modules. An array can continue to operate if one cooling module fails.

defer verification

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) When creating a replica, this operation causes ASM to defer Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery of Microsoft Exchange Smart Copies to a later time. Invoke the procedure manually or create a schedule at some future time.

delegated space

(Group Manager) Space on a group set aside to store received replicas for a partner.

demote

(Group Manager) Convert a volume in a replication configuration into a replica set.

device-specific module (DSM)

(Host Integration Tools) A plug-in for Microsoft Windows device driver module. For multipath implementation on PS Series arrays, you use EqualLogic Multipath I/O DSM in conjunction with Microsoft MPIO. It provides the EHCMservice.exe user mode Windows service, and the eqldsm.sys kernel mode driver.

DSM

See device-specific module (DSM).

failback

(Group Manager) Replicating only the volume changes (delta) from the secondary group to the primary group and then returning to original replication configuration.


Glossary–4

failback baseline

Date and time at which the data in the failback snapshot is identical to the data represented by the most recent replica.

failback replica set

(Group Manager) Temporary replica set created by demoting a volume as part of a failback operation. You can also create failback thin clone replica sets. See demote.

failback snapshot (baseline)

(Group Manager) A snapshot on the primary group containing the same data as the most recent complete replica, defining the failback baseline. A failback snapshot enables you to fail back to the primary group by replicating only the changes made to the recovery volume.

fan tray

(hardware) See cooling module.

global Smart Copy access

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Refers to access controls that allow other computers to access (import) Smart Copies created on a particular computer.

global verification task

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A scheduled background activity that you can run from any designated user account. The Global Verification Task performs Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery processing on Exchange Smart Copies.

global verification window

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A time period in which ASM can perform Checksum Verification and Soft Recovery on Smart Copies of Microsoft Exchange Storage Groups and mailbox databases. You typically specify a range of time that corresponds with a period of low system usage (off-peak times) to make best use of server resources.

group

See PS Series group.

group access

1. (Auto-Snapshot Manager).The process of enabling computer access to a PS Series Group by configuring and supplying credentials. See access credentials and CHAP.

2. (Group Manager) Access to the Group Manager UIs for management purposes. Access the GUI or CLI though the network. You can access the CLI through the optional serial port on the controller.

3. (hardware) Access to the group storage. iSCSI initiators access group iSCSI targets through the group IP address (discovery address). Access to a specific target is controlled through the access controls assigned to the target.

group administrator

An account on a PS Series group that has permission to manage all features and objects in a PS Series group, including configuring replication partners. The default group administrator account is grpadmin. See pool administrator.

group IP address

The network address that iSCSI initiators use to discover iSCSI targets and administrators use to access the group. See management IP address

group member

See member.


Glossary–5

group name

A unique identifier assigned to a group.

Host Integration Tools

(HIT) A suite of applications that enable you to configure and manage an array. It includes ASM/ME, DSM (Multipath I/O Device Specific Module), and RSW (Remote Setup Wizard).

hot-swap

(hardware) Removing a redundant component and installing a replacement while the array is running.

imported Smart Copy credentials

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) When a computer imports a Smart Copy, it must automatically present default credentials that match one of the Smart Copy’s access control records.

iSCSI host bus adapter (HBA)

(hardware) An iSCSI initiator implemented as a physical I/O adapter through which a computer connects to a physical storage device such as a volume.

iSCSI portal verification

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Verifying that ASM can connect to arrays to which it previously connected when last active.

jumbo frames

Ethernet frames capable of more than 1,500 bytes of payload (MTU). Enabling jumbo frames might improve performance on certain configurations.

keep count

1. (Auto-Snapshot Manager) The maximum number of snapshots or replicas retained by a Smart Copy schedule.

2. (Group Manager) The user-established limit on the number of snapshots or replicas created by using a schedule on the PS Series group.

latency

The time required to complete a specific I/O operation.

load balancing

Automatic distribution of I/O across resources to improve performance.

local replication reserve

(Group Manager) Storage space on a primary group that is used to record changes to a volume when replication is configured, and optionally to store a failback snapshot for a volume.

management IP address

In a group with a management network configured and enabled, an address used exclusively to log into the Group Manager GUI or CLI.

management network

An optional management network separates iSCSI traffic (volume I/O) from management traffic (GUI and CLI sessions, and other group management communications and intergroup operations).

manual restore

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Mounting a Smart Copy and manually restoring data items.


Glossary–6

manual transfer replication

(Host Integration Tools, Group Manager) Replication done through transportable media instead of over a network. Used in cases where the network link between replication partners is too slow or otherwise unsuitable for transferring large amounts of data.

Manual Transfer Utility

A stand-alone utility from EqualLogic that performs volume replication using transportable media, instead of the network. The utility has both graphical and command line user interfaces.

member

A PS Series array configured into a PS Series group. Groups can have several members.

member name

The unique name used to identify a specific member within a group.

membership password

The password required to add an array to a group, making it a member of the group.

merging pools

(Group Manager) The process of moving all the members and volumes from a source pool to a destination pool, deleting the source pool on completion.

mount

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) To create a connection to an iSCSI volume (clone, replica, or snapshot) and make its file system accessible to the operating environment.

MPIO

Acronym for multipath I/O. Multiple connections from an iSCSI initiator to targets on a PS Series Group over the network to provide redundancy and enhance performance. See device-specific module (DSM).

MPIO properties tab

(HIT) A EqualLogic-specific tab on the iSCSI Initiator properties page that provides status information about multipathing sessions. See MPIO.

notification

(Auto-Snapshot Manager, Group Manager) The method that a group uses to inform you of significant events through e-mail, remote syslog files, and SNMP traps.

path failover

(hardware, Host Integration Tools) Relocating data traffic from a failed network path to a functional network path. This can occur automatically if the computer's software and hardware is configured for failover. MPIO provides server-side path failover.

path uptime

The elapsed time during which a session is active, displayed in the MPIO properties tab.

pool

Storage space provided by one to four group members. You assign volumes to a specific pool and load balancing operates only within pools. See load balancing and merging pools

pool administrator

(Group Manager) An account on a PS Series group that has permission to manage objects only in a specific pool or set of pools for a group. Compare to group administrator.

power supply

(hardware) Hot-swappable hardware component, sometimes integrated with a cooling module, that enables you to connect a PS Series array to a source of power. Arrays are shipped with redundant power supplies. An array can


Glossary–7

continue to operate if one power supply fails. Dell recommends that you connect power supplies to different sources of power, preferably on separate circuits.

primary group

(Group Manager) In a replication partnership the group containing the original volume. See secondary group.

primary volume

(Group Manager) A volume configured for replication to a replication partner.

promote

(Group Manager) To convert a replica set in a replication configuration into a volume. See demote.

PS Series array

A single EqualLogic iSCSI storage unit, usually configured as a PS Series Group. You can join multiple PS Series arrays into a larger PS Series Group and manage them as a single iSCSI SAN.

PS Series group

An iSCSI storage entity comprised of one or more PS Series storage arrays that you access through a single IP address and manage as a storage area network (SAN).

Queue-depth reporting

(SAN HQ) The average number of outstanding I/O operations at the start of each incoming I/O operation.

RAID policy

The type of RAID level (such as RAID 10 or RAID 6) that you configure for a member, coupled with the sparing policy (spares or no spares).

read-only account

(Group Manager) An administration account that only provides read-only access to group information.

recovery volume

Temporary volume created by promoting an inbound replica set as part of a failover operation. You can also create recovery template volumes and recovery thin clones. See promote.

replica

A point-in-time representation of a PS Series volume. The original volume and its replica are located on different PS Series groups (replication partners) potentially separated at some geographical distance to facilitate disaster tolerance.

replica collection

(Group Manager) The set of replicas resulting from each replication of a volume collection.

replica collection set

(Group Manager) The set of replica collections for a volume collection.

replication partner

(Group Manager) A group that is configured to send or receive replicas from another partner.

replica reserve

(Group Manager) Portion of the delegated space on a replication partner that is set aside for the replica sets for a specific volume. You configure the replica reserve for the volume on the primary group, but the actual replica reserve is on the secondary group.

replica set

(Group Manager) Set of complete replicas for a volume, template volume, or thin clone volume.


Glossary–8

replication

(Group Manager) Copying volume data (only deltas) from the primary group, where the volume is stored, to the secondary group. Groups can be an unlimited distance apart. You can recover data from the secondary group, if necessary.

restore

1. (Auto-Snapshot Manager) The process of recovering data from a Smart Copy.

2. (Group Manager) The process of restoring the contents of a volume from a snapshot.

RSW

(HIT) Remote Setup Wizard, a graphical user interface (GUI) that enables you to configure a PS-Series array after you install the Host Integration Tools.

SAN HeadQuarters

(SAN HQ) Enables you to monitor multiple PS Series groups from a single graphical interface. It gathers and formats performance data and other important group information.

secondary control module

(hardware) Mirrors cache data from the active control module. If the active control module ceases to function, the secondary takes over network operations. See active control module.

secondary group

(Group Manager) In a replication configuration, the group that receives replicas of a source volume. See primary group.

service tag

(Group Manager) A unique ID assigned by Dell to particular equipment, for use by customer service.

shrink (volume)

(Group Manager) Decreasing the reported size of a volume.

Smart Copy

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) Point-in-time, application-consistent copy of objects in a PS Series group. Smart Copies can be of type snapshot, clone, or replica, depending on the edition of Auto-Snapshot Manager that you are using.

snapshot

A point-in-time representation of a PS Series iSCSI volume. Seen on the network as an iSCSI target. This is maintained in an array as deltas from the original volume.

snapshot collection

A set of snapshots resulting from a snapshot operation on a volume collection. See volume collection.

spare disk

(hardware) An unused disk in a PS Series array that is used automatically to replace a failed disk.

storage pool

(Group Manager) See pool.

template volume

Read-only volume from which you create thin clones.

thin clone

Volume that shares space with a template volume. Thin clones provide an efficient use of storage space for configurations with multiple volumes that have a large amount of common data.


Glossary–9

thin provisioning

(Group Manager) The process optimizing use of storage space in a group through over-allocation. An object (such as a volume) is attributed less physical space than is reported by the group to any computer that is connected to the volume.

torn Smart Copy

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) The resulting Smart Copy that contains only partial data. The partial data set is referred to as torn because it does not contain all the files in a particular data set. This situation can occur when you attempt to do a Smart Copy of data sets that span multiple volumes.

transportable

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A characteristic of a Smart Copy that enables it to be created on one computer and then moved to another computer to be used.

unmanaged space

Delegated space capacity on the secondary group that is no longer accessible from the primary group.

vacate

(Group Manager) To remove a member from a group while the member remains online.

volume

Storage allocated by a PS Series group as an addressable iSCSI target.

volume collection

(Group Manager) A number of volumes grouped together for purposes of performing operations on the volumes simultaneously. See also snapshot collection and replica collection.

volume administrator

An account on a PS Series group that has permission to manage a quota of storage in one or more pools. A volume administrator can perform any volume operations, including replication, within their quota limit.

volume reserve

(Group Manager) Amount of space allocated to a volume from free pool space. Without thin provisioning, volume reserve is the same as reported size.

vss-control volume

(Auto-Snapshot Manager) A special logical volume that enables Microsoft VSS/VDS services to communicate with a PS Series array. The vss-control volume appears as a non-initialized disk in the Windows Disk Management interface.

Index–1

Index

A

accessPS series group 2-2setting up controls 2-2snapshot 2-4volume 2-2, 2-4

access control 2-2overview 2-3records 2-5, 2-17

CHAP accounts 2-4controlling access by Microsoft services 2-4

accountspecified user 4-11SYSTEM 4-11username 4-11

ACLSee access control

Actions pane 2-8, 2-10

administrationusing the CLI 7-3using the GUI 2-8

all parameter 7-20

applicationbackup 4-3component, defined 1-2components icon 2-12identifier 7-9master node 4-13master node icon 2-12Microsoft Exchange 4-1node 2-10subcomponent icon 2-12

ApplicationConsistent identifier 7-9

apply logs 5-6

applylogs parameter 7-12, 7-14, 7-20

as new database restore 1-5

ASM/ME 2-14, 4-2actions pane 2-8backup documents location

changing 2-14

CHAP properties 2-14, 2-16collection icon 2-12configuring e-mail notification 2-21configuring VSS/VDS credentials 2-19console tree 2-8context menu 2-9creating collection 3-5deleting Smart Copies 3-20eseutil.exe 4-4general properties 2-14global import credentials 2-17GUI 2-8hourglass icon 2-9Hyper-V 6-1icons table 2-12installing 2-1main window 2-8master node 2-9, 2-10Microsoft Exchange features 4-2node 2-8notification properties 2-14object 2-8object node 2-10preparing to use 2-1properties pane 2-9properties, notification 4-8refreshing the GUI 2-10requirements 2-2root node 2-12SAN boot awareness 1-7setting properties 2-14SQL Server 5-1starting 2-8stops responding 2-9transporting Smart Copy 3-21verification properties 2-14

ASMCLI 1-6, 2-8accessing 7-3bin folder 7-3command summary 7-2commands folder 7-4defined 7-1entering commands 7-3operations 7-1parameters

-all 7-16, 7-20

ASM/ME User Guide Index

Index–2

-applylogs 7-12, 7-14, 7-20, 7-21-backupType 7-4, 7-20-checksum 7-5, 7-21-cloneandverify 7-21-collection 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-10, 7-16, 7-21-collections 7-10, 7-15, 7-21-combineNotification 7-22-comment 7-22-component 7-4, 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-10, 7-16, 7-22-components 7-15, 7-22-deletesnap 7-11, 7-22-document 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-16, 7-23-documentFolder 7-23-email 7-8, 7-11, 7-16, 7-23-emailRecipientList 7-23-emailSenderAddress 7-23-emailSubjectLine 7-23-group 7-23-ignorelogoutfail 7-24-keepcount 7-4, 7-24-location 7-8, 7-11, 7-24-newname 7-25-NoEmail 7-4, 7-6, 7-25-objectID 7-4, 7-25-offpeak 7-5, 7-6, 7-26-promoteandverify 7-26-readwrite 7-8, 7-26-recovery 7-5, 7-26-remote 7-5, 7-6, 7-27-retry 7-8, 7-11, 7-27-scheduleID 7-27-secret 7-28-selections 7-27-sendOnFailure 7-28-sendOnSuccess 7-28-sendTestMail 7-28-shadowType 7-4, 7-28-showObjectID 7-28-showprops 7-15, 7-28-smartcopy 7-28-smtpHost 7-29-snapshotType 7-29-useEarliest 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29-useLatest 7-7, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29-volume 7-4, 7-7, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29-volumes 7-15, 7-30-vssvds 7-30

subcommands-asmcli -help 7-2, 7-14-configureASM 7-3, 7-16

-configureCHAP 7-3, 7-17-createCollection 7-3, 7-18-delete 7-3, 7-15-deleteCollection 7-3, 7-19-enumerateSmartCopies 7-3, 7-11-list 7-3, 7-14-modifyCollection 7-3, 7-18-mount 7-3, 7-7-properties 7-3, 7-8-restore 7-3, 7-12-selectiveRestore 7-3, 7-13-shutdownsystray 1-4, 7-3, 7-20-shutdownverifier 7-3, 7-19-smart 7-3, 7-4-unmount 7-3, 7-10-verify 7-3, 7-6

syntax 7-2, 7-4

asmcli -help subcommand 7-2, 7-14

Auto-Snapshot ManagerSee ASM/ME

B

backup 2-14application 4-3type 4-12

copy 4-3

backup documents 7-3configuring location 2-14displaying 3-21saving 3-21viewing 2-9

backupType identifier 7-9

backupType parameter 7-4, 7-20

bootSAN 1-7

brick level recovery 1-5

broken Smart Copies 3-20icon 2-13

C

CHAPconfiguring 7-17creating accounts 2-4credentials 2-3properties 2-14, 2-16

chapUser parameter 7-21


Index–3

checksum parameter 7-5, 7-6, 7-21

Checksum Verification 4-5, 4-6, 4-17, 4-33, 7-9Global Verification task 4-6, 4-9I/O load 4-4log 4-8notification 4-8remote host 4-5running 4-8running immediately 4-8

client VM 6-1

clone 4-12and recovery 1-5and restore 5-4and restore as new 1-5and RSG 1-5defined 1-3recovery options 1-5

cloneandverify parameter 7-21

clusterbest practices 1-7completing restore operations of SQL Server 5-10considerations for Microsoft Exchange 4-4considerations when using moint points 2-5constraints on operations 2-10creating a precovery storage group 4-29identifying in the ASM/ME GUI 3-2indication in ASM/ME icons 2-12mounting Smart Copies in 3-17operations that can be performed by ASM/ME 3-1schedule operations 3-8setting a network shared folder 2-16specifying folders as clustered resources 2-14SQL Server volumes 5-7support for Failover Cluster 1-7supporting Global Verification Task 4-10unmounting Smart Copies in 3-18

Cluster Shared Volumescoordination node 6-6in-place restore 6-10overview 6-6selective restore 6-9Smart Copies 6-9Smart Copy schedules 6-9

collectioncreating 3-5, 3-6creating Smart Copy Sets 3-7defined 1-2

deleting 3-8managing 1-6master node 2-12modifying 3-8node 2-11parameter 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-10, 7-16, 7-21

collections parameter 7-15, 7-21

combineNotification parameter 7-22

commandentering 7-3examples 7-7, 7-8, 7-11, 7-12, 7-13, 7-14, 7-15generating 7-1prompt 7-3summary 7-2syntax 7-4

command line interface 2-8, 7-1

comment parameter 7-4, 7-22

component parameter 7-4, 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-10, 7-16, 7-22

componentsnode icon 2-12parameter 7-15, 7-22

computeraccess controls 2-3requirements 2-2

configureASM subcommand 7-3, 7-16

configureCHAP subcommand 7-3

configuringreplication 2-2

connectingiSCSI target 2-5to volume 2-5

console tree 2-8pane 2-8using 2-9

context menu 2-9, 2-10

conversion wizard 2-15

copyBackup Type 4-3log 4-8

createCollection subcommand 7-3

creatingGlobal Verification Task 4-10


Index–4

Recovery Storage Group 4-25, 4-29Smart Copies 3-4

creationtimestamp identifier 7-9

creator server 4-6

credentials 2-3, 2-16, 2-17global import 2-17

CSVSee Cluster Shared Volumes

D

databrick level recovery 1-5clone and restore as new 1-5clone and RSG 1-5Microsoft Exchange recovery options 1-5moving 4-4partial file recovery 1-5recovering Exchange 4-20recovery 1-5restore as new 1-5selective recovery 1-5SQL Server recovery options 1-5torn data set 2-7

databasesrestoring all 5-7restoring all as new 5-7torn 2-6

dedicated verification server 4-6

defer verification 4-17

delete subcommand 7-3, 7-15

deleteCollection subcommand 7-3

deletesnap parameter 7-11, 7-22

deleting Smart Copies 1-6, 3-20, 7-15

disaster recovery services 4-24

discoveryaddress 2-3list 2-3

diskformatting 2-1node icon 2-12volume, mounted 1-4

displayingbackup documents 3-21Smart Copies 3-12

in PS Series group 3-22

document identifier 7-9

document parameter 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-23

documentFolder parameter 7-23

drive letter assignments 2-5

E

email parameter 7-8, 7-11, 7-16, 7-23

emailRecipientList parameter 7-23

emailSenderAddress parameter 7-23

emailSubjectLine parameter 7-23

enumerateSmartCopies subcommand 7-11

environmentsupported 2-2

EqlExVerifier.exe 4-12

EqlExVerifier.log 4-8

eseutileseutil.exe 4-4, 4-5eseutilthrottle 4-4registry key 4-4throttle value 4-4throttling 4-4

examples, command 7-5, 7-7, 7-8, 7-10, 7-11, 7-12, 7-13, 7-14, 7-15

exTRA 4-24

F

Failover ClusterSee Microsoft Failover Cluster

formatting partitions 2-1

fully recover 5-6

G

general properties 2-14

generating commands 7-1

global import credentials 2-17

Global Smart Copy access 2-16

Global Verification Task 4-5, 4-6, 4-9considerations 4-9creating 4-7creating or modifying 4-10


Index–5

EqlExVerifier.exe 4-12Global Verification Window 4-5, 4-6, 4-13

groupaccess 2-2parameter 7-23requirements 2-2

Group Manager GUI 2-4

guest O/S 6-1

H

hotfixes 4-6

hourglass 2-9

Hyper-V 6-1collection operations 6-5operating system constraints 6-1operations 6-4requirements 6-1restore operations 6-5schedules operations 6-5Smart Copy operation 6-4supported configurations 6-1unsupported configurations 6-3using with ASM/ME 6-1

I

I/O 4-5load 4-4

iconconsole tree 2-12disk 2-12refresh 2-10snapshot 2-12

identifierApplication 7-9ApplicationConsistent 7-9backupType 7-9Checksum Verification 7-9creationtimestamp 7-9document 7-9MountPoints 7-9OriginalVolumes 7-9OriginatingHost 7-9ReplicationStatus 7-9Smart Copy properties 7-9SmartCopyStatus 7-9Snapshotcount 7-9

snapshotType 7-9SoftRecovery 7-9

ignorelogoutfail parameter 7-5, 7-6, 7-11, 7-24

importSmart Copy credentials 2-17

importing Smart Copies 2-4

initiatorname 2-4

in-placerecovery 1-5restore 4-32restore, prerequisites 4-33

installingASM/ME 2-1Microsoft Exchange Server 1-8SQL Server 1-8

iSCSI initiator 2-3connecting to volume 2-5requirements 2-2

iSCSI Targetconnecting 2-5

K

keepcount parameter 7-4, 7-24

L

layout 4-4

list subcommand 7-3, 7-14

location parameter 7-8, 7-11, 7-24

logChecksum Verification 4-8maintained copy 4-8new 4-8size 4-8Soft Recovery 4-8

M

mail stores 4-24

main window, ASM/ME 2-8

managing Smart Copies 1-5

manual restore 5-4

master node 2-9, 2-10collection 2-12


Index–6

iconSmart Copies 2-12

volume icon 2-12

Microsoft Exchangeapplication node 4-1ASM/ME features 4-2brick level recovery 1-5changing volume layout 4-4Clone and Restore All As New 4-34clone and RSG 1-5considerations 4-3disaster recovery services 4-24eseutil.exe 4-4in-place restore 4-32installing 1-8management tools 4-5, 4-6, 4-24recovery 1-5, 4-3, 4-20Recovery Mailbox Database 4-21Recovery Storage Group 1-5, 4-23restore all 4-33Smart Copies 4-2Smart Copy operations 4-12Smart Copy schedules 4-17utilities 4-24verification 4-2

Microsoft Failover Clustercreating a recovery storage group 4-30differences in behavior in console tree 2-10management utility 3-2operations 3-1procedure for creating a recovery storage group

4-23support 1-7

Microsoft Management Console 2-9and ASM/ME 2-23

Microsoft servicescreating access controls 2-4

MMCSee Microsoft Management Console

modifyCollection subcommand 7-3, 7-18

mount 1-4command 7-7replicas 5-3SQL Server volume 5-3subcommand 7-3

Mount Clone option 3-4

mount points 2-5, 3-14, 5-4

MountPoints identifier 7-9

moving data 4-4

multi-componentrestore operation 4-3

multiple databases 2-6

multiple writerSmart Copy 4-3, 6-2

N

network folder, shared. 4-5

network shared folderspecifying 2-16

newname parameter 7-25

node 2-8application 2-10, 4-1collection 2-11components icon 2-12master 2-9object 2-10root 2-12schedule 2-11server 2-12Smart Copies 2-11, 2-12subcomponent icon 2-12volume 2-11

NoEmail parameter 7-4, 7-6

notificationASM/ME properties 4-8Checksum Verification 4-8properties 2-14Soft recovery 4-8

O

object 2-8node 2-10

objectID parameter 7-4, 7-25

offpeak 4-6parameter 7-5, 7-6, 7-26

operations, command line 7-1

OriginalVolumes 7-9

OriginatingHost 7-9


Index–7

P

panel borders 2-9

panesresizing 2-9

partial database 2-6

partitions 2-1

path variable 7-6, 7-23

performance 4-4I/O 4-5

per-volume 2-6

portal verification 2-15

preparing to use ASM/ME 2-1

prerequisitesin-place restore 4-33verification server 4-6

promote and verify 4-17

propertiesCHAP 2-16pane 2-9, 4-20setting 2-14, 7-16subcommand 7-8

properties subcommand 7-3

property identifier 7-9

PS Seriesgroup requirements 2-2

Q

quorum disk 3-1

R

read-write mode 2-10

readwrite parameter 7-8, 7-26

recoveryclone and restore as new. 1-5clone and RSG 1-5in-place 1-5Microsoft Exchange 4-3, 4-20Microsoft Exchange options 1-5, 4-21parameter 7-5, 7-6, 7-26restore as new 1-5selective component 1-5SQL Server options 1-5

Recovery Mailbox Databasecreating 4-21, 4-22prerequisites 4-22

Recovery Storage Group 1-5, 4-23constraints 4-23creating 4-25, 4-29recovery 1-5version dependencies 4-23Wizard 4-25, 4-27, 4-28, 4-30

refresh icon 2-10

remote host 4-5, 4-13verification 4-5

remote parameter 7-5, 7-6, 7-27

Remote Setup Wizardsetting access controls 2-4

replica 2-2, 4-12defer verification 4-17defined 1-3promote and verify 4-17recovery options 1-5

ReplicationStatus identifier 7-9

requirementsASM/ME 2-2computer 2-2initiator 2-2iSCSI access 2-2operating system 2-2PS Series group 2-2

reservesnapshot 2-2

resizing panes 2-9

restoreall 4-33, 5-3all databases 5-7all databases as new 5-7as new 1-5, 5-3clone and restore 1-5command 7-12Hyper-V 6-5in-place 1-5Microsoft Exchange data 1-5multi-component 4-3selective 1-5single database 5-5SQL Server 5-3


Index–8

SQL Server data 1-5SQL Server options 5-2subcommand 7-3

restoringdatabases, all 5-7databases, all as new 5-7Exchange data 4-20volume 3-17volume collection 3-17

retry parameter 7-8, 7-11, 7-27

RMDSee Recovery Mailbox Database

root node 2-12

RSGSee Recovery Storage Group

S

SAN Boot Awareness 1-7

SAN Data Copy Offload 1-5

saving backup documents to a file 3-21

schedulemanaging 1-6node 2-11suspending 1-6

schedules node 4-11

scheduling Smart Copy operations 3-8

scripting 7-1

scrollbars 2-9

secret parameter 7-28

selections parameter 7-27

selective component recovery 1-5

selective database restore 1-5

selectiveRestore subcommand 7-13

sendOnFailure parameter 7-28

sendOnSuccess parameter 7-28

sendTestMail parameter 7-28

serveraccessing snapshot 2-4accessing volume 2-4creator 4-6node 2-12

verification 4-6

set read-write 2-10

setting properties 2-14

shadow copy folder 4-7

shadowType parameter 7-4, 7-28

shared folder 4-7

shared network folder 4-5

showObjectID parameter 7-15, 7-28

showprops parameter 7-15, 7-28

shutdownsystray subcommand 1-4, 7-3

shutdownverifier subcommand 7-3

Smart Copy 2-6accessing data 3-13, 4-16accessing Exchange data 4-20broken 3-20clones, restore operations 4-20, 5-3converting old 2-15copying data from 3-14, 5-4creating 2-11, 3-4, 3-5deleting 1-6, 3-20, 7-15displaying 3-12displaying Exchange 4-20displaying in PS Series group 3-22Hyper-V 6-4import credentials 2-17importing 2-4, 4-16managing 1-5, 2-11master node 2-12Microsoft Exchange 4-2, 4-12mounting and unmounting 1-4, 3-14multiple writer 4-3, 6-2node 2-11, 2-12, 4-11properties 7-9replicas, restore operations 4-20, 5-3restoring from 3-17schedules, managing 1-6scheduling 3-8snapshot, restore operations 5-2torn 2-6, 4-3transporting 2-17, 3-21, 4-16validating 3-19

smart subcommand 7-3

smartcopy parameter 7-28

SmartCopyStatus 7-9


Index–9

smtpHost parameter 7-29

snap-inASM/ME snap-in 2-9

snapshot 4-12access 2-4defined 1-3recovery options 1-5reserve 2-2server access 2-4volume icon 2-12

Snapshotcount identifier 7-9

snapshotType identifier 7-9

Soft Recovery 4-5, 4-6, 4-17, 4-32, 4-33Global Verification Task 4-9Global Verification task 4-6log 4-8notification 4-8running 4-8running immediately 4-8

SoftRecovery identifier 7-9

softwarebackup 4-3

spanningvolume 2-6

specified user 4-11

SQL Serverapply logs 5-6ASM/ME specific operations 5-1clone and restore 5-4fully recover 5-6installing 1-8manual restore 5-4mount replicas 5-3recovery options 1-5restore all 5-3restore all databases 5-7restore all databases as new 5-7restore as new 5-3restore operations 5-3restore options 5-2restore single database 5-5using with ASM/ME 5-1

Storage GroupSmart Copy 4-13

Storage Manager for SANs 2-3, 2-4

subcomponentnode icon 2-12

supportedenvironment 2-2

syntaxgeneral command syntax 7-2

SYSTEM account 4-11

T

target 2-3

template volumeoverview 1-3Smart Copy operations 3-3

thin cloneoverview 1-3replication 3-3Smart Copy operations 1-3, 3-3Smart Copy schedules 3-8snapshotType parameter 7-29

tooltips 2-9

torndata set 2-7database 2-6Smart Copies 2-6, 4-3Smart Copy 2-6virtual machine 6-4

transporting Smart Copies 2-17, 3-21

U

UNC format 2-16

unmount 1-4

unmount and logoff 2-9

unmount subcommand 7-3, 7-10

Unreachable Smart Copies 2-13

useEarliest parameter 7-6, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29

useLatest parameter 7-7, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29

usercomments 4-13name 4-11

V

validating Smart Copy Sets 3-19

validation 2-15


Index–10

variablecollection_name 7-6, 7-21drive_letter 7-7path 7-6, 7-23

VDS 2-2access 2-16access control 2-3Provider 1-8

verification 4-5global task 4-6Microsoft Exchange 4-2portal 2-15properties 2-14remote host 4-5, 4-13server 4-6

prerequisites 4-6

verify subcommand 7-3, 7-6

version parity 4-6

version subcommand 7-3

VHD 6-1, 6-2

view backup document 2-9

virtual hard driveSee VHD

virtual machineSee VM

VM 6-1

volumeaccess 2-2, 2-4collection, restoring 3-17defined 1-2layout, changing 4-4master node icon 2-12mounted 1-4multiple databases 2-6node 2-11parameter 7-4, 7-7, 7-8, 7-9, 7-11, 7-16, 7-29read-write 2-10restoring 3-17server access 2-4spanning 2-6

Volume Access Control List 4-7

volumes parameter 7-30

VSS 2-2, 6-1access 2-16

access control 2-3control 2-3copy 4-3group access, defined 2-4

VSS/VDS credentialsconfiguring 2-19

vssvds parameter 7-30

W

writermultiple 4-3, 6-2

Date post:	07-Nov-2019
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	4 times
Download:	0 times