Deploying Symantec Backup Exec Off-host
Backups for Exchange Server 2007 on the
Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000
Family
Installation and Configuration Guide
By Patricia BraileySummary
Organizations that deploy Exchange Server 2007 must backup e-mail data to meet fundamental protection and recovery requirements, to keep them from consuming excessive disk capacity and to capture validated
recovery points that can be used to restore from when outages occur. IT administrators often function in more than one role, charged with Exchange, storage and data protection responsibilities. This means that
businesses of all sizes need data protection solutions that are easy to deploy and maintain, provide granular recovery capabilities, and are inexpensive to implement.
This off-host backup solution allows organizations to achieve validated backups of Exchange Server 2007 on a consistent basis, and permits administrators to restore and recover their Exchange Server 2007 environments. This document provides installation and configuration information required to deploy Symantec Backup Exec off-host backups for Exchange Server 2007 configurations on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family.
The solution focuses on the backing up and restoring the Exchange Server 2007 mailbox role and is intended for use by IT administrators at small to medium size companies responsible for Exchange, data protection or storage. The solution seamlessly integrates with Symantec Backup Exec and Microsoft Volume ShadowCopy Services (VSS), provides an easy-to-use interface, allows IT administrators to “fire and forget” and uses best-in-class replication technologies.
Contributors
The information included in this document represents the expertise, feedback and suggestions of a number of skilled practitioners. The author recognizes and sincerely thanks the following contributors and reviewers of this document: • Rudy Castillo • Naoki Hino • Larry Meese • Lisa Pampuch • Manoj Rajagopalan • Michael Shaler
Table of Contents
Solution Overview ... 2 Exchange Backup and Restore Scenarios ... 4 Hardware Requirements ... 5 Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 Family ... 5 Servers ... 6 Tape Device... 7 Storage Area Network Components ... 7 Software Requirements ... 8 Hitachi ShadowImage In‐System Replication Software ... 8 Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 ... 9 Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider ... 9 Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 and Device Manager Software ... 10 Multipathing Software ... 10Deploying the Solution ... 11
Configuring Storage ... 11
Installing and Configuring Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider ... 15
Configuring Backup Exec ... 18
Performing a Restore ... 22
Monitoring and Managing the Environment ... 24
Windows Application Log ... 24
Additional Logs to Monitor ... 25
Troubleshooting Commands ... 26
Adding Storage Groups ... 28
Deploying Symantec Backup Exec
Off-host Backups for Exchange Server
2007 on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular
Storage 2000 Family
Installation and Configuration Guide
By Patricia BraileyRegardless of company size, organizations that deploy Exchange Server 2007 for its corporate messaging needs must backup e-mail data to meet fundamental protection and recovery requirements. Exchange Server 2007 environments must be backed up regularly to keep them from consuming excessive disk capacity and to capture validated recovery points that can be used to restore from when outages occur. Maintaining acceptable user experience levels, meeting service level agreements and ensuring regulatory compliance are critical objectives for IT administrators. IT administrators often function in more than one role, charged with Exchange, storage and data protection responsibilities. This means that businesses of all sizes need data protection solutions that are easy to deploy and maintain, provide granular recovery capabilities and are inexpensive to implement. The solution described in this paper addresses each of these issues and delivers value to organizations that are challenged by managing limited backup windows.
This off-host backup solution allows organizations to achieve validated backups of Exchange Server 2007 on a consistent basis, and permits administrators to restore and recover their Exchange Server 2007 environments at the following levels:
• Full server • Storage group • User mailbox
• Individual messages or other Exchange objects
This document provides installation and configuration information required to deploy Symantec Backup Exec off-host backups for Exchange Server 2007 configurations on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family. The topics in this paper cover the prerequisites, components and procedures needed to successfully complete these tasks:
• Locate all required solution components and related documentation • Install and configure the required solution components
• Setup and test various backup and restore scenarios • Validate and manage the deployed solution
documentation. Although the documented solution in this paper used the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2100 for testing, any member of the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family provides a reliable, flexible and cost-effective storage platform for demanding applications like Exchange Server 2007.
Solution Overview
The Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider is the key component of this solution as it integrates Hitachi storage hardware and software with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Microsoft VSS requires three components: a requestor, a provider and a writer. In this solution, Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider software functions as the provider, Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 functions as the requestor, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 functions as the writer.
This white paper provides guidance on dealing with some of the protection challenges Exchange and backup administrators face, especially the need to back up a large quantity of data in a short period of time and to cost effectively overcome strict recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs). This white paper describes how to configure Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Servers to perform off-host backups of Exchange 2007 using the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider. This white paper also lists the hardware and software required to build the solution and provides links to supporting documentation needed to build out, test and validate the solution. Although this document does not provide step-by-step, detailed instructions for every task and activity required to deploy the solution, it does provide a consolidated point where practitioners can easily find and locate related materials needed to construct a functional solution.
This white paper assumes that a functioning Exchange Server 2007 environment, and also assumes that the accompanying Active Directory and storage environments are in place before the solution it describes is deployed.
The solution described in this guide includes three phases:
1. Hitachi ShadowImage® In-System Replication software pair and split 2. Backup
3. Restore
The ShadowImage pair and split phase, facilitated by Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider, reduces the backup window to only a matter of seconds. The Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider works with the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy service to create a clone, or a full copy, of the original data on a volume. The data on this clone can be backed up without disruption to the production system. Figure 1 depicts the off-host backup process used in this solution under normal operating conditions after the ShadowImage relationship is established and the initial copy process is complete.
Figure 1. Off-host Backup Process
To further liberate the Exchange server from the backup process, Backup Exec offers the advanced disk based backup option (ADBO), which moves the backup and consistency check processes from the Exchange server to the media server. The backup and consistency check processes constitute the backup phase.
During the restore phase, an individual email item can be restored in a matter of seconds by using the granular recovery technology (GRT) option and a backup-to-disk device. The GRT option is an option that is enabled for the backup phase. It lets you restore individual items from an Information Store without having to restore the whole backup.
Figure 2 illustrates the solution topology. Note that although the tape drive uses a Fibre Channel connection for testing this solution, it can be connected directly to the media server.
Figure 2. Solution Topology
The deployment of this solution requires that the Exchange databases that house user mailboxes and the associated transaction logs are properly backed up. This white paper does not address backing up system data for the mailbox server role or any other Exchange 2007 server role. The Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Administrator’s Guide contains information on how to backup your full Exchange environment.
Exchange Backup and Restore Scenarios
You can back up and restore Exchange 2007 data in several ways. The scenario you choose depends on your organizational, business, and in some cases, regulatory requirements. This white paper outlines the following backup and restore scenarios addressed by this solution:
• Disk to disk to tape backups • Disk to disk to disk backups
• Granular recovery technology restores
For more information about availability, distance and bandwidth considerations, and reference architectures for this solution, see the Protecting Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider, Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000
Family, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Symantec Backup Exec Environments white paper.
Disk to Disk to Tape Backups
In this scenario, the volumes on which the Exchange 2007 databases and logs reside are part of a shadow copy pair. Data residing on the primary volumes is copied to the secondary volumes using storage-based, disk-to-disk replication software. The pair is then split and a backup is taken from the secondary copy. The
destination of the backup is tape. Use the ADBO feature to perform the backup operations on the Backup Exec media server instead of on the Exchange server. This process is also known as performing an off-host backup.
Disk to Disk to Disk Backups
This scenario is almost the same as the disk to disk to tape backup scenario except that the destination is a backup-to-disk folder presented to the media server. Use disk as your destination for backups to recover data in a timely manner. Restoring from tape can take extended periods of time in some cases and render part or all of the Exchange environment inaccessible to users until the restore and recovery processes completes
successfully.
Granular Recovery Technology Restores
Backup Exec’s agent for Microsoft Exchange utilizes Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) allowing you to restore individual items from an Exchange information store backup without having to restore the entire backup, which eliminates the need to leverage the Exchange 2007 recovery storage group to accomplish object-level restores.
You must complete a successful backup of Exchange with the GRT functionality enabled before you can restore an individual item such as an email message from a user’s mailbox. The restored message comes from either a backup-to-disk folder or from tape. In Backup Exec, you can browse mailbox items through the
selections window when setting up the restore.
Hardware Requirements
This section describes the hardware used to deploy the protected Exchange 2007 solution described in this white paper.
Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 Family
The Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family provides a reliable, flexible, scalable and cost effective modular storage system for the Microsoft Exchange and Symantec Backup Exec protection solution described in this white paper. The 2000 family is ideal for demanding application requirements and delivers enterprise class performance, capacity and functionality at a midrange price.
The 2000 family is the only midrange storage product with symmetric active-active controllers that provide integrated, automated hardware-based, front-to-end I/O load balancing. This ensures I/O traffic to back-end disk devices is dynamically managed, balanced and shared equally across both controllers, even if the I/O load to specific logical units (LUs) is skewed. Storage administrators are no longer required to manually define specific affinities between LUs and controllers, simplifying overall administration. In addition, this new controller design is fully integrated with standard host-based multipathing, thereby eliminating mandatory requirements to implement proprietary multipathing software.
No other midrange storage product that scales beyond 100TB has a serial attached SCSI (SAS) drive
interface. The point-to-point back-end design virtually eliminates I/O transfer delays and contention associated with Fibre Channel arbitration and provides significantly higher bandwidth and I/O concurrency. It also isolates any component failures that might occur on back-end I/O paths.
The Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2100 is the 2000 family storage system used in the testing of this solution. For medium and large businesses, the 2100 is an easy-to-use, scalable, cost effective storage system for mission-critical business applications like Exchange Server 2007. Table 1 lists RAID group and LU
configuration details for the Exchange database and log volumes, the S-VOLs, the command devices and the DMLUs used in the tested deployment on the 2100.
Table 1. RAID Group and LU Configuration Details RAID Group LUN Size (GB) RAID Level RAID Type
Disk Spec Description
0 0 300 RAID-1+0 2D+2D 300GB 15K SAS Database volume for Exchange storage group 1 1 1 100 RAID-1 1D+1D 300GB 15K SAS Log volume for Exchange
storage group 1 2 2 300 RAID-1+0 2D+2D 300GB 15K SAS S-VOL for database
volume for Exchange storage group 1
3 3 100 RAID-1 1D+1D 300GB 15K SAS S-VOL for log volume for Exchange storage group 1 4 10 1 RAID-5 4D+1P 300GB 15K SAS Command device
4 11 1 RAID-5 4D+1P 300GB 15K SAS Command device
4 20 10 RAID-5 4D+1P 300GB 15K SAS DMLU
4 21 10 RAID-5 4D+1P 300GB 15K SAS DMLU
5 30 1000 RAID-5 4D+1P 300GB 15K SAS Backup to disk
Servers
Table 2 lists the servers used in this protected Exchange solution. Servers must meet specification requirements for the Exchange and Backup Exec roles they are hosting.
Table 2. Servers Deployed
Number of Servers Server Make and Model Role Memory and Processor
2 HP DL385 Mailbox servers 16GB memory, 2 x
dual-core AMD processors
1 HP DL385 Back-up Exec 12.5 media
server
16GB memory, 2x dual-core AMD processors
1 HP DL385 Domain Controller and DNS 8GB memory, 2 x dual-core AMD processors
1 HP DL385 Client Access and Hub
Transport
8GB memory, 2 x dual-core AMD processors
1 Dell PowerEdge 750 Management server – Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 software
2GB memory, 2 x Intel Xeon processors
For more information about server requirements for Exchange and Backup Exec, see the Microsoft TechNet article Planning Your Server and Storage Architecture, and the Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Servers Administrator’s Guide.
Tape Device
Depending on the size of Exchange environment that is being backed up, you need either a robotic tape library or a standalone tape drive connected to the media server. The Backup Exec installation process includes the Symantec Device Driver Installation Wizard, which helps you install the appropriate Symantec device driver for your tape library or drive. It can also be run anytime after the Backup Exec installation. The install file,
tapeinst.exe, is located in the Backup Exec for Windows Servers installation directory C:\Program Files\Symantec\Backup Exec.
Storage Area Network Components
In a small environment where the Adaptable Modular Storage 2100 system is dedicated to Exchange, it is possible to directly attach the Exchange mailbox servers and the Backup Exec media server. The 2100 has four Fibre Channel ports. If you have one Exchange mailbox server, one Backup Exec media server, and a tape library, four Fibre Channel ports are used: two for the mailbox server, one for the media server and one for the tape library. See Figure 3.
Consider using a Fibre Channel switch if any of the following conditions apply to your environment: • The 2000 family storage system is used by other applications in addition to Exchange
• You have more than one Exchange Server 2007 Mailbox server. • Additional media servers are required.
• Your backup strategies involve backing up to both disk and tape. • Additional Fibre Channel paths to a tape device are required.
Ports on a Brocade 48000 director were used in the tested deployment of this solution.
Software Requirements
The following sections describe the software applications required for this solution.
Hitachi ShadowImage In-System Replication Software
Hitachi ShadowImage In-System Replication software uses local mirroring technology to create full-volume copies or clones within the 2000 family storage system. Although ShadowImage software is the underlying technology that replicates the volumes necessary to perform an off-host backup, it cannot be used to achieve consistent, point-in-time backups of Exchange 2007 without integrating into the Microsoft VSS framework. This integration occurs through the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider, which is addressed in an upcoming section. A volume pair is created when you take the following actions:
1. Select a volume that you want to replicate. 2. Identify another volume that will contain the copy. 3. Associate the primary and secondary volumes.
4. Copy all primary volume data to the secondary volume.
When the initial copy is made, all data on the primary volume (P-VOL) is copied to the secondary volume (S-VOL). The P-VOL remains available for read and write I/O during the pair operation. The P-VOL and S-VOL remain synchronized until they are split. When the S-VOL is split from the P-VOL, it contains a mirror image of the P-VOL at that point in time.
After the pair is split, the secondary volume can be used for offline testing or analytical purposes. Because no dependencies exist between the primary and secondary volumes, each can be written to by separate hosts. Changes to both volumes are tracked so they can be re-synchronized.
The secondary volume can also be used as the source for back-ups, as is the case in this solution. The Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider uses a pre-normalization design, which requires that ShadowImage pairs be created before a backup takes place. This design leverages the resiliency of the 2000 family and its intelligent replication capabilities to deliver extremely fast backups on a consistent basis and ensures a positive experience that administrators can rely on. The ShadowImage pairs for the Exchange storage group and log LUs are created through the Hitachi VSS Provider. The provider splits the pairs during the backup operation so an off-host backup can take place.
For more information, see the ShadowImage In-System Replication User’s Guide that accompanies the software.
Symantec Backup Exec 12.5
Symantec Backup Exec for Windows Servers is data management software that provides fast, reliable backup and restore capabilities for servers and workstations across the network. The following Backup Exec options are especially relevant to this solution:
• Advanced open file option (AOFO) — Uses open file and copy technologies to alleviate issues that are sometimes encountered during backup operations, such as protecting open files and managing shortened backup windows.
• Advanced disk-based backup option (ADBO) — Provides several features including off-host backup, which moves the backup operation away from the Exchange mailbox server to the Backup Exec media server, freeing the Exchange mailbox server for other operations.
• Agent For Microsoft Exchange Server — Takes advantage of Backup Exec’s Granular Recovery
Technology (GRT) which allows you to restore individual items, such as a mail message from an Exchange Information Store without having to restore the whole storage group.
Table 3 lists Backup Exec components that must be installed to ensure successful backup and restore of Exchange 2007.
Table 3. Required Backup Exec 12.5 Components
Installation Location Components
Media server Backup Exec for Windows Servers with Service Pack 2 Tape device drivers
AOFO ADBO
Agent for Microsoft Exchange Server
Exchange server Remote Agent for Windows Systems with Service Pack 2 AOFO
Service Packs and Hotfixes
Use the Symantec Live Update feature to install the latest service pack on the media server and the remote servers. For this solution, Service Pack 2 is required. In addition, the following hotfixes are required:
• Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Servers revision 2213 hotfix 322898, Device Driver Installer, 64-bit download • Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Servers revision 2213 hotfix 324011, 64-bit download
Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider
The Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider works with Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to generate consistent point-in-time copies of data known as shadow copies. Microsoft’s VSS was introduced in Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008 contains an enhanced version of the VSS framework. The Volume Shadow Copy Service works with three main components to produce the shadow copies. Table 4 provides definitions of these components.
Table 4. Required Volume Shadow Copy Service Components
Component Description
Requestor Application, such as Backup Exec, that requests that a volume shadow copy be taken
Writer Software that is included in applications, such as Exchange, that helps provide consistent shadow copies
Provider Component that creates and maintains the shadow copies
For Exchange backups to occur on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2100, the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider must be installed on both the Exchange mailbox and Backup Exec media servers. Hardware-based shadow copy providers, like Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider, act as an interface between Microsoft VSS and the storage system. The work of creating a shadow copy is done by the 2000 family storage controller; Microsoft VSS ensures that the copy and other processes are performed in a compliant manner. Download Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider from the Symantec solutions page on the Hitachi Data Systems Web site. Click the link in the Download section on the right side of the Web page.
Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 and Device Manager Software
Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 is part of the Hitachi Basic Operating System software package. It monitors and manages Hitachi modular storage systems, including the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 family, through either a GUI or a command-line interface (CLI). Use Storage Navigator to create RAID groups and LUs and to assign those LUs to Exchange Server hosts and the media server.
Hitachi Device Manager software provides centralized management of all Hitachi storage systems, including the 2000 family. Device Manager software can link to Storage Navigator, and it has the ability to provision using storage pools, manage replication between storage systems and logically group resources for more efficient management.
Multipathing Software
Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager Advanced software bundles Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager multipathing software and Hitachi Global Link Manager software. Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager software, which is installed on the Exchange mailbox server, includes capabilities such as path failover and failback and automatic load balancing to provide higher data availability and accessibility. The Hitachi device-specific module is integrated into Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager software and can replace the generic Microsoft MPIO device-specific module that is included in Windows Server 2008. Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager software includes the following load-balancing algorithms that are especially suited for Hitachi storage systems:
• Round robin
• Extended round robin • Least I/Os
• Extended least I/Os • Least blocks
• Extended least blocks
The choice of load-balancing algorithm depends on the specific environment. If the 2000 family storage system is dedicated to Exchange 2007, in most cases the round robin algorithm provides the best overall performance. In some environments, an environment shared with other applications for example, one of the other algorithms might give the best overall performance.
The 2000 family supports active-active multipath connectivity. To obtain maximum availability, design and implement your host-storage connections so that at least two unique paths exist from the host to the storage system. Hitachi recommends the use of dual SAN fabrics, multiple HBAs and host-based multipathing software when deploying Exchange Server.
Deploying the Solution
To deploy this protected Exchange Server 2007 solution on a 2000 family storage system, perform the following high-level tasks.
1. Configure RAID groups for the secondary volumes, command devices, differential management LUs (DMLUs), and the backup-to-disk folder volume.
2. Install Backup Exec on the media server.
3. Install the Backup Exec Remote Agent on the Exchange mailbox server.
4. Install Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider on both the media server and the Exchange mailbox server. 5. Create the ShadowImage pairs using Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider.
6. Configure the backup-to-disk folder and tape device in Backup Exec. 7. Configure the backup job in Backup Exec.
These are general tasks that need to be completed for a successful deployment. Your checklist might vary based on your environment. Details about each of these steps are included in the following sections.
The specific activities and detailed processes for each of the high-level tasks mentioned above are located in documentation provided by Hitachi Data Systems and Symantec. This documentation set is required to assist with deploying the solution. For more information, see the following resources:
• Hitachi Storage Navigator Modular 2 online help
• Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Administrator’s Guide
• The companion guide that comes with the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider software • Hitachi ShadowImage In-System Replication User’s Guide that accompanies the software
Configuring Storage
Several elements must be configured on the 2000 family storage system for this protected Exchange solution. Use Storage Navigator or Device Manager for all storage configuration tasks. All of these steps must be completed before a backup job can take place.
Storage Navigator Modular 2 Software Settings
The following settings must be configured using Storage Navigator software: • Enable Host Group Security for all ports
• Enable LU Mapping mode
Primary Volumes
The LUs that house the Exchange databases and logs are called the primary volumes or P-VOLs. Follow Hitachi best practices when configuring volumes for an existing Exchange environment. For more information, see the Planning for Microsoft® Exchange Server 2007 Deployments on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 Family white paper.
RAID Groups for Secondary Volumes
The secondary volumes needed for the ShadowImage pairs are created through the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider GUI. However, the RAID groups for these volumes must be identified and configured ahead of time in Storage Navigator. Be sure to configure enough RAID groups to create ShadowImage pairs for both database and log LUs. RAID types do not need to match between RAID groups for the P-VOLs and S-VOLs. In addition, the number of disks does not need to match between the RAID groups for the P-VOLs and S-VOLs. Even the disk types, SAS and SATA, can be different between RAID groups.
However, it is important to follow a few rules when creating the LUs for the P-VOLs and S-VOLs. The block size for P-VOLs and S-VOLs must match, and they both must reside on the same storage controller. Differential Management Logical Unit
A Differential Management Logical Unit (DMLU) is an exclusive volume used for storing ShadowImage information when the storage system is powered down. Configure DMLUs before using ShadowImage software. The DMLU is like other volumes in the 2000 family storage system, but is hidden from a host. The minimum size for a DMLU is 10GB. Although only one DMLU is needed, two are recommended for
redundancy. Hitachi Data Systems recommends placing the DMLUs on separate RAID-5 groups.
Creating a DMLU
Follow these steps to create a DMLU:
1. In Storage Navigator, create a 10GB LU.
2. In the navigation tree, select Settings, then DMLU.
The Differential Management Logical Units screen displays. 3. Click Add DMLU.
The Add DMLU window displays.
4. Select the LUs that you want to assign as DMLUs and click OK. A confirmation message displays.
5. Select the Yes, I have read ... check box, then click Confirm. 6. When the success message displays, click Close.
Figure 4. Add DMLU Window
Command Devices
For this protected Exchange solution, a command device must be configured on the 2000 family storage system. A command device is a dedicated LU that is used by management software, such as Hitachi VSS Provider, to interface with the storage system. In this solution, Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider needs a
command device to issue commands to the 2000 family storage system. A command device must be assigned to both the Exchange mailbox server and the Backup Exec media server or wherever Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider is installed. As with the DMLUs, place the command device LUs on RAID-5 groups
Creating a Command Device
Follow these steps to create a command device in Storage Navigator: 1. Create an LU of size 1GB.
2. Present the LU to the host group that has connectivity to the server. 3. In the navigation tree, click Settings, then Command Devices.
The Command Devices window opens. 4. Click Add Command Device.
The Add Command Device window opens.
5. Click the created LU and click Add to add it to the command device list. 6. Click OK.
Figure 5. Add Command Device Window
Backup to Disk Folder Volume
Configure space on the 2000 family storage system for the backup to disk folder in Backup Exec. The backup-to-disk feature enables you to back up data to a folder on a hard disk. When you create a new backup-backup-to-disk folder, Backup Exec automatically assigns the name Backup-to-Disk Folder <X>, where <X> is a number that is incremented by one each time a new backup-to-disk folder is created.
When you backup to disk, Backup Exec places the data in a backup-to-disk file in the backup-to-disk folder you specify. Backup-to-disk files are virtual media where backed up data is stored. Backup-to-disk files are like any other type of media, so you can inventory, catalog, erase and restore them. Because Backup Exec recognizes the backup-to-disk folders as devices, you can view them by selecting Devices on the navigation bar. You can view the backup-to-disk files from both the Devices view and the Media view.
The backup-to-disk files display with a .bkf file extension. Each backup-to-disk folder also contains a file named changer.cfg and a file named folder.cfg, which store information about the backup-to-disk files. A subfolder with a prefix of IMG in the name is generated when a backup with the GRT option is used. See Figure 6 for a view of a backup-to-disk folder.
Figure 6. Backup-to-disk Folder Contents
Use Storage Navigator to create the RAID groups and LUs for the backup-to-disk folder, and to present the LUs to the Backup Exec media server. The size and configuration you choose for the backup-to-disk folder depends on the Exchange environment that is being backed up. You must calculate how much space to allocate based on the size of your databases and logs, the retention period you set for the backed up data and your overall backup scheme.
Installing and Configuring Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider
Install Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider on both the Exchange mailbox server and the Backup Exec media server. To complete the install process, create a file in the default installation directory C:\Program Files\Hitachi Data Systems\HwProvider, called hdsconfig.txt. This file is accessed by Hitachi
Figure 7. hdsconfig.txt File
All of the Exchange database and log LUs must be made into ShadowImage pairs before performing a VSS snapshot backup. Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider offers two mechanisms to create the initial ShadowImage pairs.
HiSchadowcmd /CheckConfig
CommandThe Hitachi VSS Hardware provider ships with this “pre-flight” feature that proactively discovers
misconfigurations within the system. The Hishadowcmd /CheckConfig command checks the 2000 family storage system configuration to make sure it is suitable for ShadowImage operations. It ensures that the command devices and DMLUs are configured properly and that mapping mode and host group security are enabled on all ports. Run this command on all servers on which Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider is installed. Figure 8 shows the output of the hishadowcmd /CheckConfig command.
Creating ShadowImage Pairs
Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider offers both a GUI and a CLI to create ShadowImage pairs.
To launch the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider CLI, click Programs > Hitachi Data Systems > Shadow Copy Provider > Shortcut to Command Prompt. To create a ShadowImage pair using the CLI, run the
hishadowcmd.exe /CreasteSVOL command. For more information about the Hitachi VSS Provider CLI, see the companion guide that comes with the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider software.
Figure 9 shows the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider Configuration GUI.
Figure 9. Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider GUI
The 2000 family storage system that the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider detects is displayed at the top of the window. The P-VOL list includes three categories:
• Local volumes — Volumes presented to the local server
• Active pairs — Active ShadowImage pairs on the 2000 family storage system • All LUs — Volumes that can be a valid P-VOL
Follow these steps to create ShadowImage pairs using the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider GUI:
1. Select Programs > Hitachi Data Systems > Shadow Copy Provider > Shadow Copy Provider configuration.
2. Select the P-VOL for which you want to establish an S-VOL. P-VOLs are listed in the Local Volumes category.
3. Under Create SVOL, choose a RAID group from the Select raid group drop-down menu. Choose a RAID group that was preconfigured to be used for S-VOL creation. The RAID level is automatically populated when the RAID group is selected.
4. Click Create SVOL.
An S-VOL LU on the 2000 family storage system is created and puts the two LUs into a pair state. After the Exchange database and log LUs are in a paired state, perform an off-host backup using the Backup Exec media server.
Configuring Backup Exec
Configure default Backup Exec settings, such as logon accounts and device and media defaults following the instructions in the Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Administrator’s Guide.
Several settings for the backup job must be configured to make an off-host snapshot backup of Exchange on the Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2100 work properly.
Advanced Open File Option
To use snapshot technologies, such as ShadowImage software, with Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider, you must install AOFO, which uses open file and copy technologies to alleviate issues that are sometimes encountered during backup operations, such as protecting open files and managing shortened backup windows. For Exchange 2007, Backup Exec automatically performs snapshot backups, so you do not need to select options for the AOFO when creating backup jobs.
Advanced Disk-based Backup Option
ADBO provides several features including off-host backup. Off-host backup moves the backup operation away from the Exchange mailbox server to the Backup Exec media server. When the backup is moved to the media server, the Exchange mailbox server is free for other operations. Off-host backup for Exchange Server backups that have the GRT option enabled are also supported.
Creating the Backup-to-disk Folder
Before you create the backup-to-disk folder, you must format the LU that is presented to the media server from the 2000 family storage system as a basic NTFS Windows partition.
For more information about options for new backup-to-disk folders, see the Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Administrator’s Guide.
Follow these steps to create a backup-to-disk folder using Backup Exec: 1. On the navigation bar, click Devices.
2. Under Backup-to-Disk Tasks in the task pane, click New folder. 3. Enter a name and the path to the backup partition created earlier. 4. Click OK.
The new backup-to-disk folder displays as an item in the Devices view.
Creating a Backup Job
You can create a backup job by using the Backup Wizard or manually by configuring the backup job properties. To launch the Backup Wizard, click the arrow next to Backup and choose New Backup Job using Wizard. Follow these steps to create a backup job manually by configuring the properties:
1. Click the arrow next to Backup on the navigation bar. 2. Select New Backup Job.
Figure 10. Backup Job Properties Window
3. Backup the Exchange information stores by following these steps:
a) Click the + next to Domains in the View by Resource tab to expand that item. b) Navigate to the mailbox server by expanding each item.
Figure 11. View by Resource NavigationTree
c) Select the check box next to the storage groups to be backed up.
Checking the box next to Microsoft Information Store selects all storage groups.
d) In the Backup Job Properties window, click Microsoft Exchange under Settings and select the following Backup Exec options:
Choose the Full – Database & Logs (flush committed logs) backup method to perform a full backup of Exchange including the databases and logs. At the end of the backup job, the Exchange transaction logs are truncated.
Check Use Backup Exec Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) to create a backup that allows you to restore individual items from an Exchange Information Store without having to restore the whole storage group. This is an alternative to using the RSG option for recovering individual items.
Select Perform consistency check before backup when using Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshot provider. The consistency check, which is run on the secondary copy,
Figure 12. Backup Settings for Microsoft Exchange
Performing a Restore
Because Exchange 2007 automatically uses VSS to facilitate backups of the information store, the restore process uses VSS as well. In this case, however, the Exchange VSS writer prepares the Exchange databases and logs for restore and the data is restored over the network from the backup device. If you are restoring to the same location or if you are using a RSG, keep in mind that performance on the Exchange server is affected.
To be successful, a restore job must have all of the required, properly backed-up data available. If you need to be able to restore individual Exchange items without using a RSG, enable the GRT option during backups. Figure 13 shows the Backup Exec Restore Job Properties window. The View by Resources tab lists items that can be restored. For Exchange resources for which the GRT option was enabled, you can navigate to
Figure 13. Restore Job Properties Window
Restoring a Single Email Message in Backup Exec
Follow these steps to set up a restore of an email message in Backup Exec: 1. Click the arrow next to the Restore tab and choose New Restore Job.
2. In the Selections pane, under View by Resource, navigate to the storage group that contains the mailbox and email message to be restored.
Completed backup jobs are listed under the storage group headings, and have descriptions of the type of backup that was performed in parentheses. For example, a full backup that was completed using ADBO has (Offhost Full) next to it.
3. Navigate to the e-mail message you wish to restore by expanding each item and then placing a check mark in the box next to the email message.
4. In the Device pane, choose the device, whether it is a backup-to-disk folder or a tape device, where the backed-up data is stored.
When the restore is complete, in addition to finding the restored item in his or her mailbox, the user sees an e-mail message in Microsoft Outlook indicating items are restored. See Figure 14 for an example of the e-mailbox restore message.
Figure 14. Mailbox Restore Message
For more information about performing restores, see the Symantec Backup Exec 12.5 for Windows Administrator’s Guide.
Monitoring and Managing the Environment
Monitoring and managing the many hardware and software components of this solution can be challenging. However, you can view error logs and run commands to troubleshoot a problem or to ensure everything is running normally.
Windows Application Log
The Windows Server 2008 application event log can be especially helpful when monitoring a VSS backup job from either the Exchange server or the Backup Exec media server. Each step of the backup process is logged in the application log, even during off-host backups when the process is moved to the media server. Figure 15 shows the application log from the Backup Exec media server. The event that is highlighted in Figure 15 notes that the consistency check that occurred during a backup job completed successfully.
Figure 15. Backup Exec Media Server Application Log
Monitor the application event log on a regular basis to make sure backups are successful. Sometimes a backup job might register as successful in Backup Exec, but a key step such as the truncation of the Exchange transaction logs did not occur. The application log includes an event noting whether logs were truncated or not.
Additional Logs to Monitor
Besides the Windows application log, the Job Monitor tab in Backup Exec includes a line item for each failed or successful job. Double-click these line items to open an .xml file with details of the job. Error messages in the jobs link to the Symantec support Web site for additional troubleshooting information. Storage Navigator also records alerts and events, but in this case from the 2000 family storage system perspective. It can be very useful for monitoring ShadowImage operations. The event log records every ShadowImage operation, and you can also check the status of the ShadowImage pairs by clicking Replication in the navigation tree. Figure 16 shows the event log in Storage Navigator.
Figure 16. Storage Navigator Event Log
Troubleshooting Commands
Two commands are especially helpful for troubleshooting your deployment.
vssadmin list providers
CommandThe vssadmin list providers command checks with the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy service to see which providers are installed on the server. It lists the name of the provider, the provider ID, and the version of the software. This can be helpful if the Backup Exec error log indicates that it cannot find an appropriate VSS provider to complete the job. Figure 17 shows the output of the vssadmin list providers command.
Figure 17. vssadmin list providers Command Output
vssadmin list writers
CommandSimilar to the list providers command, vssadmin list writers lists the subscribed VSS writers. It lists the name of the writer, the writer ID, the writer instance ID, the status and the last reported error. This can be helpful when troubleshooting Backup Exec errors relating to the Exchange writer. Errors related to the VSS writers can also be found in the Windows application log. Figure 18 shows the output of the vssadmin list writers command.
Figure 18. vssadmin list writers Command Output
Adding Storage Groups
Most Exchange environments eventually need to add storage groups due to the addition of user mailboxes. To add a new storage group, you must ensure that the backup environment is up-to-date by following these steps: • In Storage Navigator, create RAID groups on the 2000 family storage system for the S-VOLs that need to be
created for the new Exchange database and logs.
• In the Hitachi VSS Hardware Provider GUI, create the new S-VOLs for the new database and log LUs. • In Backup Exec, edit the backup job properties to include the new storage group in the backup selection.
Conclusion
The white paper documents how to deploy, configure, validate and manage an easy-to-use, cost effective data protection solution for Exchange Server 2007 and Symantec Backup Exec environments. It allows IT
administrators to use disk capacity efficiently, maintain acceptable user experience levels, meet service level agreements, and ensure regulatory compliance.
It does all this with best-in-class Hitachi storage software and hardware that integrates seamlessly into environments that rely on Exchange Server 2007 and Backup Exec software.
For more information about Hitachi products and solutions, see the Hitachi Data Systems Web site, your sales representative or a channel partner.
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