DRM: Restore Win2K3 server from DB + Copypool tapes

[pichelman]

Hi,

Starting from a high level view:
I'm trying to restore a single server from a daily backup using our COPYPOOL tapes from the previous night.

I have volhist, decfg, etc. - my tapes are loaded and present in the DR library - all details in place so far.

I tried restoring a single server's C$ drive with ASR/Sys state using the TSM process - TSM ASR diskette, TSMCLI CD and Slipstreamed Win2K3 CD w/ Ethernet drivers, etc.

The DR server boots DHCP from the DR-TSM server, the process works well until I need to restore.

However, when I chose "Restore from server" - I was receving lots of "unavailable on server" messages when restoring C$.

I ran a "query filespace" on my server & "query content" of my copy vols and found that there was nothing in my restored DB on the DR-TSM server for C$?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

tsm: WMNATCHTSM>q file HADES

Node Name Filespace FSID Platform Filespace Is Files- Capacity Pct
Name Type pace (MB) Util
Unicode?
--------------- ----------- ---- -------- --------- --------- ----------- -----
HADES SYSTEM 1 WinNT SYSTEM Yes 0.0 0.0
STATE
HADES SYSTEM 2 WinNT SYSTEM Yes 0.0 0.0
SERVICES
HADES ASR 3 WinNT NTFS Yes 0.0 0.0
HADES \\hades\d$ 4 WinNT NTFS Yes 307,194.0 95.4

tsm: WMNATCHTSM>q con WS0044L2 file=\\hades\c$ type=backup
Session established with server WMNATCHTSM: Windows
Server Version 5, Release 5, Level 1.0
Server date/time: 11/24/2008 09:48:11 Last access: 11/24/2008 08:32:18

ANR2034E QUERY CONTENT: No match found using this criteria.
ANS8001I Return code 11.

tsm: WMNATCHTSM>q con WS0053L2 file=\\hades\c$ type=backup
ANR2034E QUERY CONTENT: No match found using this criteria.
ANS8001I Return code 11.



And here is the "same" query on my Production server:
(Notice the C$ drive data is there - why? )

tsm: WMNATCHTSM>q file HADES

Node Name Filespace FSID Platform Filespace Is Files- Capacity Pct
Name Type pace (MB) Util
Unicode?
--------------- ----------- ---- -------- --------- --------- ----------- -----
HADES SYSTEM 1 WinNT SYSTEM Yes 0.0 0.0
STATE
HADES SYSTEM 2 WinNT SYSTEM Yes 0.0 0.0
SERVICES
HADES ASR 3 WinNT NTFS Yes 0.0 0.0
HADES \\hades\d$ 4 WinNT NTFS Yes 307,194.0 97.4
HADES \\hades\c$ 5 WinNT NTFS Yes 70,002.0 68.4

Has the data for my tapes been reclaimed or I missed a backup of C$.
Anyway - for some reason I didn't have the data I needed from a daily backup - COPYPOOL tapes for my DR restore....

I suppose I better look at the dsmsched.log for the server I am restoring and verify C$ was backed up that day!

Any other comments or help?

Thanks in advance.

-P

 

[moon-buddy]

I am a little confused.

Are you trying to restore a W2K3 NODE? If this is the case, why are you using a previous DB backup along with the TSM Server's config files and using the COPYPOOL?

 

[pichelman]

Hi,

Sorry to confuse.
I am new to DR and trying to make sense of getting the latest data for any server.

I have two TSM servers.
One is in production and one is our DR server - that will be moved offsite.

I have used the daily DB to restore the production DB to the DR TSM server.
I have volhist, devfg,etc all configured and the tape drive has the tapes loaded and in listed as library vols.

I am trying to restore w/ the Daily COPYPOOL backups that run incremental forever oj the production machine and I thought are supposed to backup my C$, ASR(System & state/services) and D$ every day.
That is how I have scheduled my backups on this server.

My Copypool tapes do not have my C$ drive but have my D$ drive changes.
Oops - I think I realize what I am trying to explain....
I think I have to have "all" of my copypool tapes for retore?
There are a few in our Offsite vault.

tsm: WMNATCHTSM>q drm

Volume Name State Last Update Automated
Date/Time LibName
---------------- ----------------- ------------------- ----------------
WS0003L2 Vault 08/25/2008 15:24:15
WS0004L2 Vault 11/19/2008 11:26:17
WS0005L2 Vault 08/25/2008 15:25:17
WS0006L2 Vault 10/21/2008 18:00:13
WS0009L2 Vault 11/11/2008 12:52:04
WS0011L2 Vault 11/12/2008 12:44:25
WS0012L2 Vault 11/17/2008 12:47:10
WS0013L2 Vault 10/29/2008 12:49:52
WS0014L2 Vault 11/20/2008 14:00:40
WS0017L2 Vault 11/20/2008 14:02:09
WS0022L2 Vault 11/21/2008 12:55:35
WS0027L2 Vault 11/13/2008 12:29:56
WS0028L2 Vault 11/18/2008 10:33:23
WS0031L2 Vault 10/29/2008 12:55:09
WS0035L2 Vault 11/06/2008 13:58:41
WS0036L2 Vault 09/04/2008 13:05:15
WS0044L2 Vault 10/30/2008 15:43:01
WS0048L2 Vault 11/04/2008 12:40:09
WS0050L2 Vault 11/04/2008 12:51:47
WS0053L2 Vault retrieve 10/30/2008 15:47:39
WS0061L2 Vault 10/22/2008 13:01:58
WS0065L2 Vault 10/20/2008 13:00:50
WS0072L2 Vault 10/23/2008 09:28:46
WS0074L2 Vault 11/14/2008 12:51:47
WS0090L3 Vault 11/06/2008 14:00:21
WS0101L2 Vault 10/24/2008 13:19:52
WS0102L2 Vault 10/24/2008 13:21:06
WS0104L2 Vault 10/27/2008 13:09:30
WS0105L2 Vault 11/07/2008 12:35:00
WS0107L2 Vault 10/28/2008 10:51:53
WS0108L2 Vault 11/10/2008 13:06:53
WS0112L2 Vault retrieve 11/14/2008 12:54:25
WS0114L2 Vault 11/18/2008 10:52:04
WS0115L2 Vault retrieve 11/18/2008 10:55:02
WS0117L2 Vault retrieve 11/19/2008 11:37:38
WS0030L2 Vault 11/21/2008 12:56:53
WS0020L2 Vault 11/20/2008 14:03:57
WS0038L2 Vault 11/19/2008 11:35:19
WS0116L2 Vault 11/18/2008 10:58:12
WS0113L2 Vault 11/17/2008 12:55:27


My question is if we have a DR situation and we run incremental forever(w/ 32 days retention) and backupsets monthly - how do I restore the latest copies of our data?

Sorry for bad explanation and the lack of expertise.
Any help is appreciated.

-P

 

[moon-buddy]

For a DR to be successful, you need to have all of your copypool tapes loaded or made available to the DR tape library or tape drive.

Restore the DB to the DR TSM Server using the saved configuration files.

When you try to restore a node, TSM will ask for the required tape if you have a manual tape drive, or it will load the necessary tapes if ALL of the copy pool (offsite) tapes are in the DR tape library. By default, TSM will always look for the last active backup.

 

[pichelman]

Hi Moon buddy,

Thanks for the reply.
Yep - I realized I'll need all my tapes - but since my reclamation hasn't trimmed the nuimber down yet and I really don't want to ask for all our TSM tapes from our offsite facility....

I wanted to know if I could test a restore of a Win2K3 OS - C drive & ASR-sys state/services from a limited number of tapes.

Here is what I figured out I could run on my TSM server in order to get just the tapes I want for my server restore:

select VOLUME_NAME, FILESPACE_NAME from VOLUMEUSAGE where NODE_N
AME='HADES' and COPY_TYPE='BACKUP'

I thought this should work since I jmust want tapes to restore a specific node.
Any further thoughts?

Thanks again for your help.

-P

 

[pichelman]

Hi Again,

Looks like it isn't that easy to choose what tapes the server can be restored from with our implementation or maybe with any - in refernce to my last post and command.

Appears that when we run the "Restore from TSM Server" - the TSM/ASR process for restoring a Winds 2003 server....

I receive "unavailable" on server" for all our DR Server's C$ files & ASR.

Ok - so I check to see what tapes the client needs for the restore in the Server activity logs.

And I find that the client restore server is asking for "one" of our onsite/LTOPOOL(Primary/In the library) tapes! Why?

One reason may be because it appears that "not" all of our Daily incremental/onsite data is being backed up to our COPYPOOL tapes?
We run an admin script everyday that does this:

Daily_admin script(Mon - Fri):
----------------------------

PARALLEL
backup stg LTOPOOL1 COPYPOOL1 wait=yes
backup stg DISKPOOL COPYPOOL1 wait=yes
backup stg FILEPOOL1 COPYPOOL1 wait=yes
backup stg ARCHIVEPOOL COPYPOOL1 wait=yes
SERIAL
ba db devc=ltoclass1 t=f wait=yes
prepare wait=yes
del volh t=STGNew todate=-90
del volh t=STGReuse todate=-90
del volh t=STGDelete todate=-90
del volh t=dbb todate=-8
expire inv wait=yes



And now I an wondering what I should do next to copy all of our data to the copypool tapes?

I started running "backup stg LTOPOOL1 COPYPOOL1" - since my restore asked for an LTOPOOL tape but...it came back and said there was nothing to copy/backup?

Then, I ran the next command manually:
backup stg DISKPOOL COPYPOOL1

Could our data reside in our "FILEPOOL" as well?

Please help if possible - we are having an audit on Mon and I am trying to get TSM DR straightened out and at least restore one Win2K3 server!!!

Thanks in advance.

-P

 

[Justin]

Pichelman, can you clarify that you are doing the following that moon-buddy mentioned:

>> Restore the DB to the DR TSM Server using the saved configuration files.

I believe part of your test should be recovering the production TSM server database onto the DR TSM Server so that your DR TSM Server is up-to-date on what and where files exist on tape. Then your DR TSM Server db should be able to properly handle your restore requests. I hadn't seen you clearly state that you were doing this. Hope this helps.

 

[pichelman]

Hi Justin,

Yes, I have restored the production server DB to the DR server again - I used last night's DB backup.

I am afraid I can't duplicate the diskpool, filepool or ltopool/oniste tapes on the DR server - not enough slots in the DR tape library only holds 11 tapes.

The Production TSM server has a 3582(22 slots), the DR server has a 3581.
The Production server is hooked to a SAN and has lots of disk space for diskpool and filepool.

The DR server has 300GB total disk space and I have not rebuilt the diskpool since it is 550GB on the production server, the filepool is 1.8TB.

But, that doesn't matter correct?
I still don't understand why our client server restore asking for an onsite tape?
I assume it is becuase my backup storage pool commands have not duplicated all my date to my copypool tapes, correct?

Please advise!
Thanks.

-P

 

[moon-buddy]

In a DR scenario, are you using the DR script created from a "prepare" command?

If you are, then TSM should only ask for offsite tapes if you have been backing up your online tapes. There is no need for a multiple slot library as you can load tapes manually if needed.

By the way, you don't need to have a diskpool if you have the right "prepare" script and offsite tapes. All is needed is a diskpool for holding the DB. Restores will be from tape drive to node directly.

 

[pichelman]

Hi Moon Buddy,

Thanks for the quick response - I'll look over my plan files and run them.
I have exploded my Prepare file with the planexp.vbs.

I am new to TSM DRM - but I think I know how to go thru each file and make sure they are run to completion in TSM.
Appreciate the help.

-P

 

[Justin]

Pichelman,

Not a DRM expert here, but trying to work this through anyhow.

In your scenario the production server and all primary tapes are destoryed and you have to recover from copy tapes correct? Perhaps you are not making your server aware of the fact that the primary tapes as far as the DR Recovery Server is concerned are destroyed?

Perhaps you could try the following on the recovery server:
Mark copy storage pool volumes retrieved from vault as available.
Mark copy storage pool volumes that cannot be obtained as unavailable.
Mark primary storage pool volumes as destroyed.

This is based on my findings in the admin guide at: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/tivihelp/v1r1/index.jsp
Storage Manager for Windows Server
--Administrator's Guide
----Protecting the Server
------Chapter 24. Using Disaster Recovery Manager
--------Recovering From a Disaster
----------Server Recovery Scenario
------------11.
--------------h. Mark copy storage pool volumes retrieved from vault as available.
--------------i. Mark copy storage pool volumes that cannot be obtained as unavailable.
--------------j. Mark primary storage pool volumes as destroyed.

 

[pichelman]

Hi Justin/Moon Buddy,

Yes, you both are right.
I understand now that I don't need an autoloader/library to restore.

And I've executed the plan files and now have all the info that Justin mentioned about destroying tapes, etc.

Yes - that is why my client was asking for the onsite tapes - now I understand!
Now my restore is working properly.

Thank-you both for the help!

-P