SMSAP Windows: "Storage side file system restore" and "protecting backups"

[mweinstabl]

Hello everyone,

recently Ive installed the SMSAP on one of our Testsystems. After creating the profile, the snapmanager told me that "storage side file system restore" isnt possible since some files are on the same drive as the database files. OK, I wiped the blocking files, but the system still wants to make a "file based restore", which takes a couple hours. I also made a "verify" of the profile (now without any warnings), but that changed nothing.

Also I cant find the option to protect my backups (the checkbox is always gray).

So, my two questions are: Is "storage side file system restore" and "protecting backups" possible with Windows?

Here is some tech info:

- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

- SnapManager SAP 3.2

- Oracle 11.2.0.2.0

- SnapDrive 6.4.1

[himanshp]

Hello,

Storage side file system restore is possible with windows in which all the LUNs used by the file system are restored on the storage system. If storage side file system restore can not be performed because of some foreign files or nested LUNs path then only host side file copy restore is done. Can you take a fresh backup and do a restore preview and see what is getting reported..

Also, you don't see the protect option beacuse policy driven data protection by integrating with OnCommand is not supported with Windows. However SMSAP also allows protection through post-backup task processing scripts to Vault or mirror the backups from primary to secondary storage system. SMSAP will automatically run this script after a backup.

Thanks,

Himanshu

[mweinstabl]

Hello Himanshu,

thanks for your help.

I just made a backup, and went into the restore wizard, but the "Attempt volume restore" is still gray. The profile "Verify" is ok. No warning about any foreign files on the database lun.

The configuration regarding volumes and luns is like this:

volume1: lun1 with the database files.

volume2: lun2 with the oracle archives

              lun3 with some SAP special files

              lun4 with the oracle executables

              lun5 with the SAP executables

Best regards,

Michael

[himanshp]

Hello Michael,

Volume based restore aka Fast restore is not possible on Windows. It's different from storage side filesystem restore.

In case of volume restore the entire storage system volume is reverted back to a snapshot. including files, file systems or LUNs that were not considered part of the backup on the volume.

When a storage side file system restore is performed in a SAN environment, all of the LUNs used by the filesystem will be restored on the storage system.

Given below are other limitations on Windows:

Follwoing SnapManager features, platforms, and Oracle technologies are not supported on Windows.

• Policy-based data protection available with the integration of the NetApp Management Console

data protection capability.

• RBAC available with the integration of Operations Manager.

• Fast restore or volume-based SnapRestore (VBSR).

• Clone split operation.

• Oracle RAC using any protocol.

• Oracle ASM using any protocol.

• Oracle Direct NFS (dNFS).

Regards,
Himanshu

[mweinstabl]

Hello Himanshu,

so basically, neither of my needed/wanted SMSAP features is (directly) available using Windows?!?!

Is anything planned in the near future to implement those, because, except for calming BRBACKUP/BRARCHIVE, I dont see any big advantage compared to a self written script to backup the database.

Best regards,

Michael