Storage Foundation 8.0 Quick Recovery Solutions Guide for Microsoft Exchange - Windows

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (8.0)
Platform: Windows
  1. Introducing Quick Recovery for Microsoft Exchange
    1.  
      About Quick Recovery snapshot solutions
    2.  
      Advantages of Quick Recovery snapshots
    3.  
      Quick Recovery process
    4. About the components used in Quick Recovery
      1.  
        FlashSnap and FastResync
      2. Integration with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service
        1.  
          The VSS framework
    5.  
      About the Solutions Configuration Center
    6.  
      Starting the Configuration Center
    7.  
      Solutions wizard logs
  2. Planning a Quick Recovery snapshot solution for Exchange
    1. System requirements
      1.  
        Storage requirements
    2. Methods of implementing Quick Recovery snapshots
      1.  
        About the Quick Recovery Configuration Wizard
      2.  
        About the VSS Exchange Snapshot Scheduler Wizard
      3.  
        About the VSS Snapshot and Snapback wizards and the vxsnap utility
    3.  
      Planning your Quick Recovery solution
    4.  
      Backup types for snapshot sets
    5.  
      About logs
    6. Recommendations and best practices
      1.  
        Recommendations for Exchange storage configuration
      2.  
        Recommendations for maintenance and backups
      3.  
        SFW cluster considerations
      4. Exchange 2010 Database Availability Group (DAG) considerations
        1.  
          Using snapshot schedules in a DAG
        2.  
          Guidelines for creating passive copy snapshots in a DAG
        3.  
          Recovery in a DAG
      5.  
        Microsoft cluster considerations
      6.  
        Volume Replicator considerations
  3. Configuring Exchange for Quick Recovery snapshots
    1.  
      Tasks for configuring Exchange storage
    2.  
      Reviewing the prerequisites
    3.  
      Reviewing the configuration for Exchange 2010
    4.  
      Creating dynamic disk groups
    5.  
      Creating dynamic volumes
    6.  
      Pointing the database and log paths to the SFW volumes
  4. Implementing Exchange snapshot sets with the configuration wizard
    1. About the Quick Recovery Configuration Wizard
      1.  
        About snapshot sets
      2. About snapshot templates
        1.  
          Templates and multiple components
        2.  
          Templates and schedule start dates
    2.  
      Tasks for implementing snapshot sets with the configuration wizard
    3.  
      Reviewing the prerequisites
    4. Scheduling Exchange snapshot sets
      1.  
        System Selection panel details
      2.  
        Instance Selection panel details
      3.  
        Mount Details panel details
      4.  
        Synchronizing Schedules panel details
      5.  
        Template Selection panel details
      6.  
        Number of Snapshot Sets panel details
      7.  
        Snapshot Volume Assignment panel details
      8.  
        Snapshot Schedule panel details
      9.  
        Specifying snapshot schedule details
      10.  
        Summary panel details
      11.  
        Template Implementation panel
    5.  
      Administering or troubleshooting scheduled snapshots
  5. Scheduling or creating an individual snapshot set for Exchange
    1.  
      About scheduling or creating an individual snapshot set
    2.  
      Tasks to schedule a new snapshot
    3.  
      Tasks to create a one-time snapshot set
    4.  
      Reviewing the prerequisites
    5.  
      Preparing the snapshot mirrors
    6.  
      Scheduling a snapshot set
    7.  
      Creating a one-time snapshot set
    8. Refreshing a snapshot set
      1.  
        Reattaching the split-mirror snapshots
  6. Maintaining or troubleshooting snapshots
    1.  
      Viewing the status of scheduled snapshots
    2.  
      Troubleshooting scheduled snapshots
    3.  
      Deleting or modifying schedules
    4.  
      Synchronizing schedules after adding a cluster node
  7. Recovering Exchange mailbox databases
    1.  
      About recovery using Quick Recovery snapshots
    2.  
      Tasks for recovery using Quick Recovery snapshots
    3.  
      Prerequisites for recovery
    4.  
      Recovery using an Exchange 2010 passive copy snapshot in a Database Availability Group (DAG)
    5.  
      Recovery for Exchange 2010 using the VSS Restore Wizard
    6.  
      Recovery for Exchange 2010 using the vxsnap utility
    7.  
      Post-recovery steps
  8. Recovering after hardware failure
    1. About recovery after hardware failure
      1.  
        Recovery scenarios
      2.  
        Recovery tasks
    2.  
      Tasks for recovering after hardware failure
    3.  
      Reviewing the prerequisites
    4.  
      Reviewing the sample configuration for Exchange 2010
    5. Scenario I: Database and transaction logs volumes are missing
      1.  
        Identifying the missing volumes (Scenario I)
      2.  
        Deleting missing volumes from Storage Foundation
      3.  
        Replacing hardware and adding disks to the dynamic disk group
      4.  
        Changing the drive letter or mount points of the snapshot volumes
      5.  
        Restoring the Exchange 2010 mailbox database to the point in time
      6.  
        Refreshing the snapshot set (Scenario I)
    6. Scenario II: Database volumes missing, transaction logs are available
      1.  
        Identifying the missing volumes (Scenario II)
      2.  
        Deleting missing volumes from Storage Foundation
      3.  
        Replacing hardware and adding disks to the dynamic disk group
      4.  
        Changing the drive letter or mount points of the snapshot volumes
      5.  
        Restoring the Exchange 2010 mailbox database to the point in time
      6.  
        Recovering the Exchange 2010 mailbox database to the point of failure
      7.  
        Refreshing the snapshot set (Scenario II)
    7.  
      Refreshing the snapshot set
    8. Refreshing the snapshot set on the current disks
      1.  
        Reattaching healthy snapshot volumes
      2.  
        Clearing the snapshot association for volumes whose drive letters or mount points were reassigned
      3.  
        Creating snapshot mirrors of volumes whose drive letters or mount points were reassigned
      4.  
        Creating the new snapshot set
    9. Moving the production volumes to different disks and refreshing the snapshot set
      1.  
        Reattaching healthy snapshot volumes
      2.  
        Clearing the snapshot association for volumes whose drive letters or mount points were reassigned
      3.  
        Adding mirrors to volumes whose drive letters or mount points were reassigned
      4.  
        Creating snapshot mirrors of volumes whose drive letters or mount points were reassigned
      5.  
        Creating the new snapshot set
  9. Vxsnap utility command line reference for Exchange
    1.  
      About the vxsnap utility
    2. Vxsnap keywords
      1.  
        vxsnap prepare
      2.  
        vxsnap create
      3.  
        vxsnap reattach
      4. vxsnap restore
        1.  
          Recovery after hardware failure

The VSS framework

There are four components to the VSS framework: Requestor, Writer, Provider, and the Volume Shadow Copy Service itself.

Table: VSS framework components

Component

Action

Volume Shadow Copy Service

Talks to and coordinates the Requestor, Provider, and Writer.

Requestor

As a Requestor, the vxsnap component of FlashSnap notifies the VSS coordinator to initiate the VSS request to prepare Exchange for quiescing and later requests that the snapshot process begin.

Writer

As Writers, VSS-enabled applications such as Exchange respond to requests to prepare and participate in the generation of snapshots, provide success/failure status, and provide information about the application including what is to be backed up and restored, and restore strategy.

The Exchange 2010 VSS Writer has two instances, the Store Writer and the Replication Writer.

The Store Writer is available on any mailbox server and is responsible for backup/restore of active databases.

The Replication Writer is available on the passive node of a DAG server. The Replication Writer supports backup functionality for a selected database where the snapshot is taken against the replicated instance of the database and transaction log files. The Replication Writer is supported by SFW Flashsnap for snapshot and schedule snapshot operations but not for restore operations.

Provider

As a Provider, FlashSnap creates the persistent snapshot.

The following figure shows the steps in the Volume Shadow Copy Service Process.

Figure: The Volume Shadow Copy Service process

The Volume Shadow Copy Service process

FlashSnap integrates with Volume Shadow Copy Service as both a VSS Requestor and a VSS Provider.

The following steps occur, in the order presented, during the snapshot process:

  • Acting as a VSS Requestor, FlashSnap notifies the VSS coordinator service to prepare for a split-mirror snapshot of an Exchange database.

  • The VSS coordinator service calls the Exchange VSS Writer to find out which volumes contain the databases and transaction logs.

  • The VSS coordinator service notifies the FlashSnap VSS Provider to prepare for the snapshot.

  • Acting as a VSS Requestor, FlashSnap requests that the VSS coordinator service begin the snapshot call.

  • The VSS coordinator service notifies the Exchange VSS Writer to quiesce and freeze the databases in preparation for the snapshot. When this is accomplished, the Exchange Writer informs the VSS coordinator service to proceed.

  • The VSS coordinator service calls the FlashSnap Provider to create the split-mirror snapshot by detaching the snapshot volume from the original volume. The snapshot process takes a maximum of 10 seconds. After the snapshot volume is detached, the FlashSnap Provider informs the VSS coordinator service to proceed.

  • The VSS coordinator service notifies the Exchange Writer to thaw (release the freeze) and resume normal I/O.

The following steps occur, in the order presented, during the restore process:

  • Acting as a VSS Requestor, FlashSnap notifies the VSS coordinator service to prepare for a restore operation.

  • The VSS coordinator service calls the Exchange VSS Writer, which prepares for the restore operation.

  • The FlashSnap utility restores the snapshot volumes. After the snapback operation completes, the FlashSnap utility informs the VSS coordinator service to proceed.

  • The VSS coordinator service notifies the Exchange Writer to process the post-restore operations.