How to sync TSM Backups from DR to PROD in a DRM environment

[anandgmenon]

Hi Team,

We use DRM to move tapes offsite to DR where the TSM DB from PROD is restored daily.

Now we are planning a full DR Test whereby the DR TSM Server will be live for some time and the backup data from DR will have to be moved back to PROD .

What is the best option available in TSM to do this ???

 

[moon-buddy]

During your DR test, would you be backing up production data?

If this so, how many nodes and how big do you expect the backups to be? Also, during DR, would you be loading all backup data into a DR environment?

These are questions to answer, and the answer to these questions will determine how to best the TSM servers in sync'd.

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon-buddy,

please find the remarks in red

During your DR test, would you be backing up production data? - yes

If this so, how many nodes and how big do you expect the backups to be? Also, during DR, would you be loading all backup data into a DR environment? - our production environment has 36 aix nodes and the key data to be moved to DR are Oracle RMAN backups of Databases from 3 servers . each database backup will be of 300G on the average. Also we may move backup of few GPFS filesystems ( 200G ).

The backups of same databases and GPFS filesystems will have to be moved back to PROD from DR once the DR test is over .

These are questions to answer, and the answer to these questions will determine how to best the TSM servers in sync'd.​

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon-Buddy,

Is there any way by which i can export the changed data ( using the from and to timestamps ) from DR after the DR Test and import them back to the PROD TSM Server ???

 

[moon-buddy]

Hi Moon-Buddy,

Is there any way by which i can export the changed data ( using the from and to timestamps ) from DR after the DR Test and import them back to the PROD TSM Server ???

You can use export node with a time stamp to specify a date range - see 'help export node'.

Another way, but depending on how many tape volumes you used on DR and the amount of data added (this becomes very viable if you had added a very, very big amount of new data) is to update the PROD DB with the DR DB, mark all of the PROD tapes as destroyed, and recreate the PROD with the DR tapes. Remember that this process will recreate your old PROD tapes and will run a long time.

I would go with the export option (server-to-server export) with the assumption that there was a few added data.

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon-Buddy ,

Thanks for your prompt response .

Can you please confirm if the below plan of action is fine ??

1. Before the DR Test , we move the PROD Data across ( TSM DB and data )
2. DR TSM Server goes live and starts backing up the DR Servers
3. At the end of the DR Test, do export node for each server which has data to be moved back to PROD
4. Take the tapes to PROD and do the import node on respective server in PROD

If DR Test is for a week, the TSM Database in PROD will be behind a week from the DR TSM DB.

So when i import the data back to PROD after one week, will it overwrite the existing PROD DATA of those servers ???

 

[moon-buddy]

Looks OK - can you do server-to-server export so things will run faster?

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon-Buddy,

We have not yet linked the PROD and DR TSM Servers via TCP-IP .

TSM Server versions are at 6.2.4 .



When i import the data back to PROD for a production client, will it allow to import only the data for the duration of the DR Test ??? ( EG:- the PROD TSM Server database will be dated 1st Aug ( the date of DR Move ) and the data being imported back for a TSM Client will be dated 10th Aug ( the date of DR Test completion )

Is there any threat to the existing data sitting on the PROD TSM Server ???

 

[moon-buddy]

Hi Moon-Buddy,

We have not yet linked the PROD and DR TSM Servers via TCP-IP .

TSM Server versions are at 6.2.4 .



When i import the data back to PROD for a production client, will it allow to import only the data for the duration of the DR Test ??? ( EG:- the PROD TSM Server database will be dated 1st Aug ( the date of DR Move ) and the data being imported back for a TSM Client will be dated 10th Aug ( the date of DR Test completion )

Is there any threat to the existing data sitting on the PROD TSM Server ???

The data will be appended to the existing data.

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon-Buddy,

I have another thing to clarify from you.

the DR Servers have a different TCP IP name from the PROD servers , but when linked to the DR TSM Server for taking backups or doing restores , the tsm node name will be the same as that of PROD nodes.

Is this ( the TSM node names being same in PROD & DR ) enough for the export from DR to be imported back in PROD without any issues ???

 

[moon-buddy]

In a true DR, TSM server names are the same since these are not linked. In a server-to-server connection, the TSM server name can be same or different. It is sufficient to just have the nodes names the same to do exports or imports.

 

[anandgmenon]

Hi Moon Buddy ,

During the DR Move, we do the following on the DR TSM Server,

1. Restore the TSM Database.
2. Make primary storage pools ( disk , tape ) to " DESTROYED"
3. Make the Copy storage pools to "Read-Only"
4. Remove all the Client & Admin Schedules.
4. rebuild the Tape library and the drives ( as the drive and library details are different in PROD & DR)
5. Do the client restores.

Once the DR is live, we need to take backups of the DR Servers . can we define the disk storage pools and the tape pools once again on the DR TSM Server for this ?? Can we use the Vault retreive tapes lying in DR as scratch tapes for this purpose ???


Please help