Operation Manager Snapshot Backup Configuration Questions

[kofchur]

A customer of ours wants to install Operations Manager 4.1 on a Windows 2008 VM.  I'm recommending that they go with snapshot based backups because their current backups are taking up to 4 hours, and this is only going to get worse because they are growing at a pretty fast rate.  With regards to the configuration of snapshot based backups, I have a few questions after reading KB articles, forums and other documentation:

1) What needs to be on a LUN?  All the documentation I have read unanimously says the database needs to be on a LUN, however, I have only read in one place (KB 3011237) that says both the database AND Performance Advisor data need to be in a LUN.  This makes sense to me, for how else will you be able to include PA data in a snapshot?

2) Assuming that both DFM database and PA data need to be on a Netapp LUN, this raises a second question:  Can they be on separate LUNs or do they need to be on the same LUN?  If they can be on separate LUNs, does Snapdrive then take consistency group snapshots?

3) The LUNs need to be RDM to the VM?  I believe thisis the case, for how else will Snapdrive function.  This fact is lacking in official documentation.

4) Are RDM LUNs in an OpsMgr/VM environment supported for Windows Snapdrive for snapshot backups?  I have only read in these forums that is was for UNIX.

Thanks!  Your comments would be much appreciated.  Please feel free to add more info that you think I have missed or need to know.

[adaikkap · Accepted solution]

1) What needs to be on a LUN?  All the documentation I have read unanimously says the database needs to be on a LUN, however, I have only read in one place (KB 3011237) that says both the database AND Performance Advisor data need to be in a LUN.  This makes sense to me, for how else will you be able to include PA data in a snapshot?

Yes, infact 3 things needs to be in a single LUN, db, and the script-plugin directory.

2) Assuming that both DFM database and PA data need to be on a Netapp LUN, this raises a second question:  Can they be on separate LUNs or do they need to be on the same LUN?  If they can be on separate LUNs, does Snapdrive then take consistency group snapshots?

No, its on a single LUN.

3) The LUNs need to be RDM to the VM?  I believe thisis the case, for how else will Snapdrive function.  This fact is lacking in official documentation.

It can also be a iscsi using software initiators, or even a RDM.

4) Are RDM LUNs in an OpsMgr/VM environment supported for Windows Snapdrive for snapshot backups?  I have only read in these forums that is was for UNIX.

I think so, if snapdrive supports that it should work in operations manger too.

Regards

adai

[kofchur]

Thanks for the fast and thorough response!  This really needs to get into the documentation about what needs to be in a LUN and that they have to be on the same LUN.  I would never had guessed the script-plugin directory needed to be in a LUN as well.  Thanks again!

Also, going to a snapshot based backup would elimiated having a separate backup directory, because it is all withing the same LUN, right?

[adaikkap]

>Also, going to a snapshot based backup would elimiated having a separate backup directory, because it is all withing the same LUN, right?

Yes, but in the install dir it would still remain, which you may decide to keep it or not.

Use the dfm dataset setup cli to move or copy the stuff using the appropriate cli switch.

Regards

adai

[fenton]

There is a KB that describes how to setup Snapshot based backup - I agree though it should be in the main documentation

https://kb.netapp.com/support/index?page=content&id=1011875

[kofchur]

Thanks, fenton.  I have read this and it, for the most part, covers everything but it leaves out 2 very important facts:

1) the script-plugins directory needs to be on a LUN as well and

2) all three (data, perfdata, script-plugins) need to be on the same LUN.

On 2, some might be tempted to break out the data and perfdata directories for performance reasons.

[michaeldparker]

Hi All,

I had been wanting to enable the snapshot backup myself, but had no idea where to start and hadn't had the opportunity to research it.  Using all the information from this post, I've set it up and seems to work great!  Thanks.

I have a couple of questions still though.  When I perform dfm backup diag,  a couple of the lines are this:

Allowed Backup Types:       Snapshot (sndb), Archive (ndb)

Database Mirror Status:     Disabled

Mirror location:

So, I do want to mirror this to my DR.  To accomplish that I set up a dataset in DFM and assigned a mirror policy to it.  All looks good, I see the mirrored data, etc, except Database Mirror Status still shows as Disabled.  I don't think that really matters I suppose, but is there a better way to set this mirror up?

Lastly, I am not mirroring my DFM vm to the DR because installing the binaries is so easy I figure I can stand up a new server within an hour is I needed to.  How do I use the snapshot to restore the DB to the new VM?  Is there a best way I should accomplish this?

Thanks

Michael

[kofchur]

Michael,

I have never mirrored the database before, however, it seems that you need to use the "dfm datastore mirror" command to make your dataset.  Did you create your dataset via the NMC?

[michaeldparker]

Thanks for the reply.  I missed that dfm command, but I bet you are right.  I'll play around with it and see what I can do with it.

Thanks!

[adaikkap]

You can export the backup taken in .sndb to .ndb and copy it over to the new VM.

The cli is dfm backup export.

Regards

adai

[michaeldparker]

Very good. Thanks for the command. I’ll have to try that once I get my snaps working again. I have another post out because when I run dfm bakup diag, this command thinks my perfdata is on the D drive. All other methods I run, show it on the E where it is supposed to be. Thought?

Thanks

[michaeldparker]

I got all my problems fixed for the day.  The cli "dfm backup export" command works like a champ.  Thanks for the input.

[adaikkap]

The DR procedure is documented under the following topic.

http://<dfmserver-ip-or-name>:8080/dfm/

Control Center->Help->General Help->Maintenance->Disaster Recovery Support.

Regards

adai