Snapshot Agents USER GUIDE

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Snapshot Agents

USER GUIDE

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FalconStor

®

Snapshot Agents User Guide

FalconStor Software, Inc.

2 Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 2S01 Melville, NY 11747

Phone: 631-777-5188 Fax: 631-501-7633

Web site: www.falconstor.com

FalconStor Software, IPStor, TimeView, and TimeMark are either registered trademarks or trademarks of FalconStor Software, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

FalconStor Software reserves the right to make changes in the information contained in this publication without prior notice. The reader should in all cases consult FalconStor Software to determine whether any such changes have been made.

User Guide content for individual agents may change between major product versions of FalconStor CDP/NSS in order to reflect agent updates released via patches. In this guide and its table of contents, the heading for changed content will be followed by “(updated Month Year)”.

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Snapshot Agents User Guide

Introduction . . . 1

User interface . . . .3

General installation requirements (updated June 2014) . . . .3

Additional resources . . . .5

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® VSS. . . 6

Storage configuration guidelines . . . .8

Install the snapshot agent . . . .8

Silent install . . . .9

Configure the snapshot agent . . . .10

Snapshot options . . . .10

Advanced options . . . .11

Batch file options . . . .12

Manage the trace log . . . .12

Create a diagnostic X-ray file . . . .13

Test the snapshot agent . . . .14

History and event logs . . . .14

Remove snapshot agent software . . . .14

Error codes . . . .15

Hardware Provider Service Errors in the Windows event log . . . .17

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® Exchange . . . 19

Storage configuration guidelines . . . .19

Configure the snapshot agent options . . . .21

Monitor tab . . . .22

Configure service-enabled devices . . . .23

Test the snapshot agent (updated March 2014) . . . .23

Confirm snapshot status . . . .23

Purge log utility . . . .25

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® SQL Server® . . . 27

Guidelines . . . .27

Requirements . . . .28

Requirements for VMware environments . . . .28

Database Security options . . . .31

Database Options tab . . . .33

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Batch Files tab . . . .37

Transaction log backup best practice . . . .39

The <databasename>.hisu file . . . .40

Test the snapshot agent . . . .40

Recover a database manually . . . .41

Command line interface . . . .43

Create a diagnostic X-ray file . . . .45

Snapshot Agent for Oracle® . . . 46

Support for file systems . . . .46

Install on Windows . . . .47

Silent install . . . .47

Install on Linux . . . .48

Install on AIX . . . .48

Install on Solaris . . . .49

Configure the snapshot agent on a Windows machine . . . .50

Database Security options . . . .51

Batch file options . . . .52

Monitor options. . . .53

Manage the trace log . . . .54

Configure the snapshot agent on a Solaris machine . . . .55

Configure ASM disks . . . .56

Configure the Oracle Listener . . . .57

Configure the snapshot agent on a Linux or AIX machine . . . .57

(Unix only) Add root user to database groups . . . .59

(Unix only) Set root user’s PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH . . . .60

Turn on Oracle archive logging . . . .61

Protect and recover Oracle databases . . . .63

Database design with virtual devices . . . .63

Data backup and protection scenarios . . . .63

TimeMark . . . .63

TimeMark Copy . . . .64

TimeView . . . .64

Replication . . . .65

TimeMark rollback . . . .65

Complete backup using a TimeView or TimeMark Copy . . . .66

Recovery scenarios . . . .66

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Automatic recovery . . . .68

Manual recovery. . . .68

Snapshot Agent for FileSystems. . . 70

Install on Linux and AIX . . . .71

Configure snapshot agent options . . . .72

Update registry for service-enabled devices . . . .74

Snapshot Agent for MySQL . . . 75

Test the file system agent (updated March 2014) . . . .77

Snapshot Agent for IBM® DB2® Universal Database . . . 78

Install the snapshot agent on AIX . . . .78

Add root user to database groups . . . .79

Set root user’s PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH . . . .80

Test the snapshot agent (updated April 2014) . . . .81

Log information . . . .81

Snapshot Agent for Lotus Notes

®

/Domino

®

. . . 83

Install on Windows (updated June 2014) . . . .83

Configure the snapshot agent on a Windows machine . . . .86

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Introduction

Today’s businesses put increasing demands on information and databases, resulting in the need for 24x7 availability and high performance. However, ever-growing capacity presents significant challenges to meeting these requirements. One of the most important issues identified by system administrators is the amount of time associated with backup - and more important, recovery. Recovering

corrupted or lost data can cause extreme downtime for hours or even days.

Because it takes a significant amount of time to copy large amounts of data to tape (or other media), data on the source device can change before copying is complete. As a result, the data written to tape represents changes over a period of time and does not have point-in-time consistency with the source. This means WKDWWKHUHLV no guarantee that the data written to tape can be meaningfully restored.

This is where FalconStor snapshot agents come in. Snapshot agents installed on host machines coordinate the process of taking snapshots, safely and reliably copying data as of a point in time with transactional integrity. Snapshots can be used for data copy, third-party backup, and as the basis for disaster recovery.

Snapshot agents work seamlessly with FalconStor® Continuous Data Protector

(CDP) and Network Storage Server (NSS) options for TimeMark®_snapshots,

replication, snapshot copy, ZeroImpact backup, and FalconStor® HyperTrac Backup

Accelerator, all of which are based on snapshot technology.

FalconStor provides a snapshot agent for all supported database and messaging applications. The agent can use the functions or capabilities provided by the application to perform I/O quiescence before a snapshot is taken. The snapshot agent coordinates the operation between the application and the FalconStor snapshot system to bring the data to a consistent state and put databases into backup mode before the snapshot is created on the server side. Taking a snapshot is an instantaneous operation - it does not take any time because it is just a change of state.

Snapshot agents reside on client hosts, which are remote from the server on which the snapshot mechanism operates. Coordination between the client and the server occurs in one of two possible forms.

• For in-band solutions, where the protected disk is the primary disk for the application and snapshot notification has been enabled on the disk, or selected in the schedule for automatic snapshots or when a manual snapshot is created, the server sends a snapshot notification to the client based on a scheduled operation or on-demand from the server console. The snapshot agent quiesces the database or messaging application and then returns a status to the server. The server creates the snapshot and informs the agent that the snapshot has been created. The agent then releases the application to normal operation.

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Introduction

that was provisioned by the server. The server then returns a “success” message to DiskSafe, which notifies the snapshot agent to release the data image to normal operation.

Applications can immediately recognize and use data images created with the assistance of snapshot agents. Without snapshot agents to help achieve

quiescence, data images might be seen as corrupted or otherwise unrecognizable when mounted. The snapshot agent is a critical component for creating usable snapshots.

When replication is used in conjunction with snapshot agents, a copy of each snapshot - a replica - is maintained for off-host processing. Not only can the replica be backed up, but data can be changed for testing, “what if” analysis, or training purposes. Systems can be resynchronized quickly and easily with no impact on the production server.

Snapshot agents help simplify many data management tasks, meeting the requirements of high availability and high performance in today’s workplace. The following agents are available:

• Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® VSS

• Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® Exchange

• Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® SQL Server®

• Snapshot Agent for Oracle®

• Snapshot Agent for FileSystems

• Snapshot Agent for MySQL

• Snapshot Agent for IBM® DB2® Universal Database

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Introduction

User interface

Microsoft Windows-based agents provide a configuration utility for the purpose of specifying backup or database settings, mount points, and application/database server access information. Options vary per agent.

Agents for other operating systems provide command-line configuration.

The Windows-based configuration utility includes a drop-down menu displayed from the icon in the upper left corner of the utility window. The following support options are available:

• X-ray - The X-ray feature collects technical information - such as storage server messages and a snapshot of the server’s current configuration and environment - for diagnostic purposes. Taking an X-ray generates a .cab file that you can send to FalconStor Technical Support for analysis.

• Trace log - The trace log collects information on agent activity, depending upon the level of detail requested by Technical Support. Log file content varies for each snapshot agent.

General installation requirements

(updated June 2014)

A snapshot agent can be installed on any client machine that has the ability to connect to the storage server.The items below apply to installation of any snapshot agent that is part of an in-band solution. Silent install is supported for all agents. Additional requirements and Installation details are included in agent-specific sections of this guide.

You can download software builds, patches, and documentation related to your FalconStor product from the FalconStor Customer Support Portal at

support.falconstor.com (account required). Click the View Builds, Patches, & Documentation link in the GA Releases area to complete a simple search form and display available downloads.

• Install and configure an iSCSI initiator or Fibre Channel HBA on the client machine. Launch the iSCSI initiator and identify the storage server as the target server.

• In order to install a snapshot agent, you must be an administrator or have administrator privileges on the client machine.

• On the storage server, make sure the client machine has been added as a SAN Client in the FalconStor Management Console.

• Assess the requirements of each database or messaging system in order to determine how many resources are required. For instance, databases typically require data files to be on a separate disk from log files; in this case, two resources are required.

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Introduction

Migrate the database/messaging system files you want to protect to the new resources.

• Create a Snapshot Resource on each SAN Resource.

• Continuing on the storage server, create a group for each client machine’s SAN Resources. In the FalconStor management console, groups (also referred to as snapshot groups) are listed below the Logical Resources object.

Doing this ensures transactional integrity for database and messaging files that reside on multiple disks. Whenever a snapshot is triggered, a snapshot is taken for each resource in the group.

• Before you install the snapshot agent, install the FalconStor®_Intelligent Management Agent (IMA). IMA enables the client machine to access storage server resources and manages notifications from the storage server.

If IMA is not detected when snapshot agent installation begins, an error message will be displayed. You will need to cancel the procedure, install IMA, and then repeat snapshot agent installation.

The SAN Disk Manager (SDM) user interface is provided on Windows machines. The Intelligent Management Agent User Guide includes details for operating IMA on Windows and Linux clients.

• Install and configure the snapshot agent that corresponds to your database/ application (such as Microsoft Exchange, SQL, or Oracle).

• For in-band solutions, you must also install the Snapshot Agent for

FileSystems with all Windows snapshot agents except the Snapshot Agent for VSS.

Except for this requirement, FalconStor does not recommend installing multiple snapshot agents on the same host, as this may cause conflicts during the snapshot process that result in snapshot failure.

For details about snapshot agent installation as part of an out-of-band solution such as FalconStor DiskSafe™, refer to the user guide for that solution.

Notes:

• If you have an out-of-band FalconStor CDP solution and FalconStor DiskSafe™ was previously installed on the client machine, IMA is already installed.

• If you plan to take snapshots of a volume that uses a mount point path instead of a drive letter and you will be using FalconStor NSS with a Windows snapshot agent (other than the Snapshot Agent for VSS), you must add a registry value in order for IMA to recognize the path value. In the Windows Registry Editor, navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FalconStor\IMA\CurrentVersion\. Add a DWORD (32-bit) value with the name USEMOUNTPT and set the value to 1.

Note: In this guide, storage server refers to the FalconStor storage server, whose

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Introduction

Additional resources

This guide supports the latest version of each snapshot agent.

Snapshot agents are designed to work with FalconStor®_{Continuous Data Protector}

(CDP) and FalconStor Network Storage Server (NSS). For more information, refer to the CDP/NSS User Guide.

CDP and NSS support use of snapshot agents on most major platforms. For specific support information, refer to the Snapshot Agent Release Notes and the

Certification Matrix on the FalconStor website.

Note that the product release notes and patch descriptions can include information that may not appear in the user guide. Be sure to review all available documents. If you need technical support, create a support ticket on the FalconStor Customer Support portal.

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Snapshot Agent for Microsoft

®

VSS

The FalconStor® Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® Volume Shadow Copy Service

(VSS) protects VSS-aware application drives with full point-in-time consistency. Users are always able to fully access the data, while the backup software sees a stable, read-only snapshot image.

When snapshot notification has been enabled on the protected disk, or selected in the schedule for automatic snapshots or when a manual snapshot is created, the CDP/NSS server sends a snapshot notification to the application server running the snapshot agent before the snapshot is taken.

After the VSS snapshot agent creates a snapshot of application data, the snapshot is mounted as a temporary snapshot view device and assigned to the host. (A snapshot may be referred to as a TimeMark; a mounted snapshot may be referred to as a TimeView.) The snapshot agent requestor clears read-only and hidden flags and saves writer metadata to each volume. The hardware provider performs

additional cleanup and then tells CDP/NSS to unassign and delete the mounted snapshot; data from the mounted snapshot is then saved.

The VSS snapshot agent can be used on a VMware virtual machine either by

assigning data LUNs directly to the virtual machine from NSS, or by implementing an out-of-band solution for protecting local data storage using FalconStor® DiskSafe.

The VSS snapshot agent can also create snapshots of Cluster-Shared Volumes (CSVs) that are part of an NSS solution that protects Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V clusters.

Microsoft VSS provides the backup infrastructure for Microsoft Windows operating systems, using a set of extensible application programming interfaces (APIs) to create consistent point-in-time copies of application data (shadow copies) across multiple volumes, regardless of the snapshot technology or application, by

coordinating with business applications, filesystem services, backup applications, fast recovery solutions, and storage hardware.

The FalconStor Snapshot Agent for VSS takes consistent point-in-time snapshots of VSS-aware application data and communicates with FalconStor® Continuous Data

Protector (CDP) and FalconStor® Network Storage Server (NSS) using its own

requestor and hardware provider. The hardware provider creates snapshot volumes and is compatible with any third-party VSS requestor.

Microsoft VSS consists of four components:

• Requestors that start the VSS backup or restore operation and manage metadata.

• Writers that prepare applications for backups and restores. • Hardware Providers that create the snapshot shadow copies by

communicating with hardware.

• VSS Service - The Windows service that controls VSS operations by coordinating the other components.

The VSS snapshot agent is designed to make backups uniform across applications. Some writers have distinct behaviors.

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Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® VSS

Microsoft®_Exchange

For snapshots of Exchange databases and log files on shadow copy devices, the snapshot agent can verify the checksum of the database and log files on the

snapshot view, similar to the way this occurs for FalconStor® IntegrityTrac. Snapshot

verification may take a long time to complete and can be disabled in the snapshot agent configuration tool (refer to ‘Configure the snapshot agent’).

Refer to the Certification Matrix on the FalconStor website to determine the versions of Exchange supported by the Snapshot Agent for VSS.

Microsoft® _Hyper-V

In order to use the VSS agent with a virtual machine, Hyper-V integration tools must be installed; otherwise, the virtual machine is temporarily suspended and saved to the disk while a snapshot is being created. When snapshot view devices are assigned to the host during a full backup, the Hyper-V writer will roll back each virtual machine to the same point in time.

In a Hyper-V cluster using CSVs, the snapshot agent identifies the master node in the cluster and takes a snapshot of that node.

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Storage configuration guidelines

• Microsoft VSS supports devices formatted in NTFS or ReFS. • Microsoft VSS limits the number of volumes in a group to 64.

• All devices in a snapshot group must be assigned to the same client(s) • In order to replicate Microsoft VSS snapshots, the TimeMark option must be

enabled on the primary and replica CDP/NSS virtual disks.

• When Continuous Replication is enabled on a device assigned to the client, the Create Primary TimeMark and Synchronize Replica TimeMark options must be selected in order to ensure synchronous VSS snapshots on both the primary and replica CDP and NSS resources. This is necessary

because VSS snapshots contain additional VSS data that will be replicated only if these options are selected.

• If an application database and its log files are saved to different SAN resources, they must be joined to the same snapshot group in order for both resources to be backed up at the same time. The snapshot must be

triggered at the group level. • Dynamic disks are not supported.

Install the snapshot agent

Complete the required steps described in ‘General installation requirements’.

Installation requires the following:

• The client machine must support Microsoft VSS.

• The storage array used by the client must support SCSI commands required by Microsoft VSS, such as page 0x80 and 0x83 SCSI inquiry commands. Contact your storage array provider to verify.

To install the snapshot agent: 1. Run the installation file.

2. When prompted, enter your license keycode.

The snapshot agent license must be activated (registered with FalconStor). If your computer has an Internet connection, the license is activated as soon as you enter your keycode and click Next. However, if your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable or if your computer has no Internet connection, your license will not be activated. You must activate your license within 30 days.

Note: Do not install the Snapshot Agent for VSS with non-VSS agents; i.e., do

not install the Snapshot Agent for Microsoft Exchange if the Snapshot Agent for VSS is installed. Refer to the Snapshot Agent Release Notes to identify the snapshot agents that are compatible with your installed applications and databases.

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If your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable, your license will be activated automatically the next time the snapshot agent is invoked, assuming you have an Internet connection then. You can also add your license through IMA.

If your computer has no Internet connection, you can perform offline activation using IMA (refer to the Intelligent Management Agent User Guide).

3. When done, click Finish.

The snapshot agent will be installed to the same directory as IMA.

After the installation completes, the configuration utility launches automatically.

Silent install

Silent install is supported for snapshot agents. To install the agent in silent mode, perform the following steps:

1. Download the package from the FalconStor Support Portal and extract the agent package.

2. From the command line, navigate to the folder to which you extracted the package.

3. Install the Intelligent Management Agent: cd ima

setup.exe /s cd ..

4. Install the snapshot agent: setup /s

or

setupsilent.bat

When installing the snapshot agent in silent mode on any 64-bit platform, run setupsilent.bat from the AMD64 directory.

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Configure the snapshot agent

After the installation completes, a configuration utility launches.

Complete configuration as described below. When you are done, click OK to save the changes you made in all tabs and either keep the utility open or exit. Click Cancel to exit the utility and discard any changes.

To access this utility at a later time, select Start --> Programs --> FalconStor --> Configuration for Snapshot Agent for VSS, which runs vsscfg.exe.

Snapshot options

Perform a full

backup The Snapshot tab allows you to configure or disable full and copy backups. Each writer decides how to handle a copy backup, but transaction log files are not usually truncated.

• Always (the default) - Always perform a full backup.

• Between the following times - If snapshot notification occurs between the times you specify, the snapshot will be a full backup.

• Every Nth snapshot - Snapshots are counted, with the first snapshot following a full backup designated as 1. When the count reaches the number you specify, that snapshot will be a full backup. For example, if you set the value to 5, every fifth snapshot will be a full backup.

Note that if you revise this value to a lower number and the count is currently higher, the next backup will be a full backup, after which the count will restart. • Never - Always perform a copy backup.

Run database or application verification

You can specify when the Snapshot View should be verified during the snapshot process. Currently, verification is compatible only with Microsoft Exchange. When verification is enabled, the agent checks to see if Exchange is involved after

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snapshot creation is finished. You can disable this option if the process takes too much time. For Exchange snapshots, the snapshot agent will verify the checksum of the database and log files on the Snapshot View, similar to IntegrityTrac.

• Always (the default) - Always run the verification.

• After a full backup - Run the verification if the current snapshot is a full backup.

• Never - Never run the verification.

Advanced options

Use the advanced options to further refine snapshot configuration.

• VSS mount point directory - the directory on which snapshot view volumes are mounted. Drive letters are not assigned to these volumes.

• CDP/SafeCache timeout - set to 180 seconds (3 minutes) by default. Specify the number of seconds the hardware provider should wait for the storage server to flush the CDP journal/SafeCache resource when asked to import (create) a snapshot view volume. Since this process is potentially time consuming, the maximum setting is 86400 seconds (24 hours). • Exchange object verification timeout in minutes - set to 360 minutes by

default. If this timeout is exceeded before the agent has verified the Exchange database, the agent will stop the verification process the snapshot will fail.

• Allow snapshot of mount point volumes - enabled by default, which sets a registry value for IMA. When this option is enabled, the snapshot agent can identify path information for volumes mounted to directories.

• Storage Server for import operations - set to Automatic by default. In most cases this option should not be changed. However, if the client is registered

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Batch file options

On the Batch Files tab, indicate if you want to run batch files before and/or after each snapshot.

In order to run batch files, you must enter an administrative user name and password for the local computer.

Click the Create/Edit button and use Notepad to generate batch files.

Manage the trace log

The trace log is a diagnostic tool used by Technical Support to help solve system problems. Each trace log contains technical information about your system as well as system messages and is updated whenever a snapshot occurs. Some of the messages that appear in the trace log are also sent to the Windows Event Log. Do not adjust the trace log setting unless you are requested to do so by a Technical Support representative. The configuration utility lets you maximize the level of detail that is displayed.

1. Click the icon in the upper left corner of the configuration utility and select Settings in the menu.

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2. Select the Specify Trace Log level checkbox to maximize the level of detail displayed for agent activity.

The value in the text box will change to 10. The trace log will include a list of the databases that have been backed up and other information that can be used to provide support.

The log will reflect the change after the next snapshot is taken.

Create a diagnostic X-ray file

The X-ray feature collects technical information - such as storage server messages and a snapshot of the server’s current configuration and environment - for diagnostic purposes. Taking an X-ray generates a file (Agent.cab) that you can send to

FalconStor Technical Support for analysis.

1. Click the icon in the upper left corner of the configuration utility and select Take X-ray in the menu.

2. Browse to and select the location to which the .cab file should be generated, and optionally change the default file name.

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Test the snapshot agent

In order to understand how to view VSS snapshots in the FalconStor Management Console, create a manual snapshot of a virtual drive. To confirm that data in the snapshot is valid, create a TimeView from the snapshot and assign it to the client, then review the data.

1. In the console, select the virtual drive you want to use (under Logical Resources --> SAN Resources).

Right-click the drive and select TimeMark/CDP --> Create. 2. Click OK.

3. In the console, select the TimeMark tab for the resource, then click the Timestamp column.

The new snapshot should appear at the top of the list, with Yes with VSS in the Quiescent column.

Values in the TimeView column can be available (data is present), none (there is no data), or in use (the mounted snapshot is active).

History and event logs

Snapshot agent events/history are recorded in the Microsoft Windows Event Log as Snapshot Agent events.

If you are using a VSS snapshot agent build higher than 600, the hardware provider also logs events through the snapshot agent.

Remove snapshot agent software

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Error codes

Error

Code Type Text Probable Cause Suggested Action

General

1002 Warning Shadow copies will not be

assigned during backup Some of the volumes in the snapshot set are on dynamic disks.

Move all volumes to basic disks.

1003 Warning Not running consistency

check on snapshot The agent is configured to not perform consistency check.

The agent configuration tool has a few options for this. Check that it is set correctly.

1004 Error Failed to acquire lock, or another backup or restore is running

Another backup (snapshot) or restore operation is in progress.

Only one backup or restore operation is allowed at a time.

1005 Error Out of memory The system is out of

memory. Check the system resources. 1006 Error Error writing registry

values The user does not have administrator rights on the local machine or the registry has been modified manually.

Check the user rights and that the registry has not been modified manually. If the registry has been changed, reinstall the agent.

1007 Error One or more volumes in

the set are not formatted NTFS

Some of the volumes in the snapshot set are on non-NTFS volumes.

All volumes in the set need to be formatted NTFS. Move all non-NTFS volumes to NTFS.

1012 Error HWP service is not started Agent installation or HWP service configuration may not be complete.

Check the HWP service configuration to see if it can be started manually.

Virtual Disk Service

1101 Error Failed to load VDS The virtual disk service

may hang when busy. Close all agents and the Microsoft disk management MMC, stop the virtual disk service and retry.

1102 Error Failed to clear volume

flags The virtual disk service may be busy or the TimeView may not be

Check the integrity of the TimeView and retry if it is good.

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1103 Error Failed to add volume

access path The virtual disk service may be busy or there is already a volume mounted to the mount point.

Check that nothing is already mounted in the mount point directory and retry.

1104 Error Disk rescan failed The virtual disk service

may be busy. Close all agents and the Microsoft disk management MMC and stop the virtual disk service.

1105 Error Error finding volume The TimeView may not be

assigned or there may be a problem with iSCSI or FC connection.

Make sure the volume is visible from Microsoft disk management MMC.

Volume Shadow Copy Service

1201 Error Error with a writer or its

status One or more writers is in a failed state or reported invalid status.

Check the status of all applications included in the snapshot set.

1202 Error Error with VSS

asynchronous call VSS has failed. Check the status of VSS and retry.

1203 Error Error during

PrepareForBackup VSS or a writer has failed or has exceeded the timeout.

Check the status of VSS and all applications included in the snapshot set. Set the registry value “PrepareForBackupTimeout” to a higher timeout if needed.

1205 Error Error initializing VSS VSS has failed. Check the status of VSS

and retry.

1206 Error Error creating snapshot

set VSS has failed. Check the status of VSS and retry.

1207 Error Error adding volume to

snapshot set The volume is not on an NSS/CDP disk or HWP has failed.

Check the status of the HWP service and that the volume is on a valid NSS/ CDP disk.

Error

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Hardware Provider Service Errors in the Windows event log

1208 Error Error committing snapshot

set VSS, a writer or the hardware provider has failed or has exceeded the timeout.

Check the status of VSS, all applications included in the snapshot set and of the HWP. Set the registry value “DoSnapshotTimeout” to a higher timeout if needed.

1209 Error Error saving requestor or

writer metadata Error retrieving or saving metadata Check if the log indicates that a writer has failed or if there was a problem saving files/creating directories

1211 Error Error retrieving snapshot

device properties VSS has failed. Check the status of VSS and retry.

1212 Error Error adding component

for backup VSS or a writer has failed. Check the status of VSS and of all applications included in the snapshot set.

1213 Error Error setting file restore

status VSS or a writer has failed. Check the status of VSS and of all applications included in the snapshot set.

1218 Error Failed to create examine

writer metadata object VSS has failed. Check the status of VSS and retry.

1221 Error Error reporting backup

complete VSS or a writer has failed or has exceeded the timeout.

Check the status of VSS and all applications included in the snapshot set. Set the registry value “BackupCompleteTimeout” to a higher timeout if needed.

Error

Code Type Text Probable Cause Suggested Action

5000 Error Failed to load IMA DLL IMA DLL is missing. Check that file “isclirpc.dll” is in the IMA directory.

Error

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5002 Error DiskSafe return code was

unexpected DiskSafe returned an unknown error. Verify that DiskSafe is installed and running. 5003 Error The snapshot set contains

a mix of in-band and DiskSafe devices

In-band and DiskSafe devices are in the same snapshot set.

Take snapshots of Snap in-band and DiskSafe devices separately.

5004 Error Error preparing LUN There might be a storage

or configuration error. Check the storage server for any errors.

5005 Info Shadow copy LUN

information Informational None

5006 Error The storage server took

too long to assign the shadow copy LUN

A storage server error occurred or the

SafeCache timeout is too low.

Check the storage server for any errors. If using a CDP SafeCache, increase the timeout in the agent configuration tool.

5007 Error Error assigning shadow

copy LUN This is due to IMA, storage server, or a connectivity error.

Check the storage server and IMA for any errors.

assigned successfully Informational None

5009 Warning Error removing the

shadow copy LUN The operation will be retried later. None

5010 Error Error removing the

shadow copy LUN This is due to a storage server error. Check the storage server for any errors.

removed successfully Informational None

5012 Error Error taking the snapshot This is due to a storage

server error. Check the storage server for any errors.

5013 Info Snapshot taken

successfully Informational None

5014 Error DiskSafe reports that at least one of the disks is not in sync

DiskSafe could not keep the mirror in sync during the snapshot process.

Check that DiskSafe device configuration can support the bandwidth needed to keep mirror in sync during snapshot.

Error

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Snapshot Agent for

Microsoft

®

Exchange

The FalconStor®_{Snapshot Agent for Microsoft Exchange enables FalconStor CDP/}

NSS to protect Exchange databases with point-in-time consistency. Users are always able to fully access the data, while the backup software sees a stable, read-only snapshot image.

Microsoft Exchange requires quiescent snapshots. In order for this to occur, the Snapshot Notification option must be enabled on the protected resource or selected in the schedule for automatic snapshots or when a manual snapshot is created (refer to the CDP/NSS User Guide). When a snapshot is triggered and snapshot notification is enabled, the FalconStor system notifies the application server running the snapshot agent to stop writing data to the database in order for the snapshot to be taken. The snapshot agent briefly puts the database into backup mode and notifies the FalconStor system that the snapshot can be performed. The application server is again notified once the snapshot has completed, and the snapshot agent takes the database out of backup mode.

Using backup software, a backup of the snapshot image can be performed at high speed while Microsoft Exchange operates in normal mode. While the backup software is reading data from the snapshot image, changes that occur to the database will not affect what gets written.

The snapshot agent will be triggered automatically whenever a snapshot operation occurs on the Microsoft Exchange drive.

Storage configuration guidelines

Before you install the snapshot agent, apply Microsoft's best practice for Exchange storage configuration.

These items should be on the same disk: • Exchange log

• System path

These items should be together, on a separate disk: • Exchange database

• Exchange streaming database

Note: If you are using Microsoft Exchange 2010 or Exchange 2013, you must use

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Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® Exchange

Install the snapshot agent

Complete required steps described in ‘General installation requirements (updated June 2014)’.

Installation requires the following:

• Install the snapshot agent on the machine where Exchange Server is running.

• Start the Exchange Server before you install the snapshot agent.

• Only one active Exchange Virtual Server per node is supported; a snapshot group should not include multiple virtual servers on the same node.

To install the snapshot agent: 1. Run the installation file.

The snapshot agent license must be activated (registered with FalconStor). If your computer has an Internet connection, the license is activated as soon as you enter your keycode and click Next. However, if your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable or if your computer has no Internet connection, your license will not be activated. You must activate your license within 30 days so that you can continue to use the snapshot agent.

If your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable, your license will be activated automatically the next time the snapshot agent is invoked, assuming you have an Internet connection then. You can also add your license through IMA.

If your computer has no Internet connection, you can perform offline activation using IMA (refer to the Intelligent Management Agent User Guide).

3. When done, click Finish.

Silent install

Silent install is supported for snapshot agents. To install the agent in silent mode, complete the following steps:

setup.exe /s cd ..

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or

setupsilent.bat

Configure the snapshot agent options

Configuration is not required. The snapshot agent includes a utility that lets you configure optional features.

To run the utility, select Start --> All Programs --> FalconStor --> Configuration for Snapshot Agent for Microsoft Exchange.

When you are done, click OK to save the changes you made in all tabs and either keep the utility open or exit. Click Cancel to exit the utility and discard any changes.

Batch file options

On the Batch Files tab, indicate if you want to run batch files before and/or after each snapshot.

In order to run batch files, you must enter an administrative user name and password for the local computer.

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Monitor tab

By default, the snapshot agent looks for databases based on information passed from IMA. This tab allows you to override the default drives on which databases are located.

Manage the trace log

The trace log is a diagnostic tool used by Technical Support to help solve system problems. Each trace log contains technical information about your system as well as system messages and is updated whenever a snapshot occurs. Some of the messages that appear in the trace log are also sent to the Windows Event Log. Do not adjust trace log settings unless you are requested to do so by a Technical Support representative. The configuration utility lets you maximize the level of detail that is displayed.

1. Click the icon in the upper left corner of the configuration utility and select Settings in the menu.

2. Select Set Agent Trace On to maximize the level of detail displayed for agent activity in the trace log.

The value in the text box will change to 10 and is not editable. Increasing the level of detail will display a list of the databases that have been backed up, as well as information that can be used to provide support. The log will reflect the change after the next snapshot is taken.

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Configure service-enabled devices

If you are using a service-enabled device (SED) and you have preserved the physical device’s inquiry string (this is set when you create the SED in the

FalconStor Management Console), you need to modify the ExAgent.ini file that is created under the directory when the snapshot agent is installed. In the ExAgent.ini file, you must use the DriveOverride option to specify the drive letter(s) to which the SED is mounted. For example: DriveOverride=E: or DriveOverride=E:;F:;. Also, if you want to send snapshot results to a third-party management system, you will have to use the Exchange configuration utility to enter the User Name and Password of a member of the local administrators group. This user account does not need permission from the Exchange Administrator; it is only used to run the pre-script (exchpre.bat) and post-pre-script (exchpost.bat) that are saved in the IMA installation folder. You do not need to run these scripts unless you want to send snapshot results to a third-party management system.

Test the snapshot agent

(updated March 2014)

To test the snapshot agent, create a manual snapshot of a virtual drive from the FalconStor Management Console. To do this, right-click a SAN Resource and select TimeMark/CDP --> Create.

To confirm that data in the snapshot is valid, create a TimeView from the snapshot and assign it to the client, then review the data.

Refer to the CDP/NSS User Guide for details on these procedures.

Confirm snapshot status

To confirm the Exchange snapshot process, you can check the Windows Event log. The snapshot agent will send the backup command to each storage group on the protected disk. You can find these logs after the appctrl event:

1. The snapshot agent sends the full backup command to the storage group and then Exchange Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) starts the full backup process. 2. Exchange ESE checks the log files and the checkpoint.

3. Exchange ESE processes the log files. The snapshot agent will not request to truncate the log to affect other Exchange backup processes.

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4. Exchange ESE completes the backup process on a storage group. You may see the same process on another storage group.

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Purge log utility

If you are using the Snapshot Agent for MS Exchange to protect your Exchange environment but do not have third-party backup software to help purge the

Exchange log files, you can use the ISPurgeExLog utility to clean up Exchange log files.

Before you run the utility, check the Windows Application Event Log to make sure the latest snapshot was taken successfully. You can also dump the MS Exchange Checkpoint file using ESEUTIL.exe and check the timestamp of “FullBackup Time” to view the record of the last snapshot date and time.

The Microsoft Exchange log file is generated based on each Exchange Storage Group; run the utility on each group. In addition, you can schedule a batch job with the following command inside the batch file:

For Microsoft Exchange 2007:

ISPurgeExLog64 "F:\Exchsrvr\System\E00.chk" "F:\Exchsrvr\log" –v You must specify the location of the checkpoint file and log directory.

Syntax: ISPurgeExLog "<Checkpoint File>" "<Exchange Log directory>" [Options]]

Option Description

-b#hour The number of hour(s) before the recorded

checkpoint time, maximum 96 hours. For example, -b04, -b16, default is -b24.

-c Use the last checkpoint log file date/time if it is earlier than the last full backup date/time

-hHour From 00 to 23. For example, -h04, -h16. Execute purge only when run within a specific hour (hh:00-hh:59)

-i Ignore the last full backup timestamp on CCR passive node. Works with -c option.

-p Preview the purge list without actually deleting the log(s).

-r"reportFileName” Additional report file is generated.

-s"StorageGroupName"

Storage Group Name in Report File.

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It is recommended that you run the purge utility once a day, maintaining 24 hours of log files after each log purge. After the purge, you can examine the log file directory and make sure older log files are deleted. There is also an ISPurge.log file created containing the history of each ISPurgeExLog execution.

Remove snapshot agent software

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Snapshot Agent for

Microsoft

®

SQL Server

®

The Snapshot Agent for Microsoft SQL Server enables FalconStor CDP/NSS to protect Microsoft SQL Server databases on protected disks with point-in-time consistency. Users always have full access to the database, while backup software sees a stable, read-only snapshot image.

When snapshot notification has been enabled on the protected disk, or selected in the schedule for automatic snapshots or when a manual snapshot is created, the CDP/NSS server sends a snapshot notification to the server running the snapshot agent before the snapshot is taken. The snapshot agent quiesces all databases or messaging application and then returns a status to the server. The server creates the snapshot and informs the agent that the snapshot has been created. The agent then releases the application to normal operation.

A snapshot can be taken of a database only if the disk on which the database instance resides is protected. Refer to the CDP/NSS User Guide.

By default, the snapshot agent performs a full backup of all databases. The configuration utility allows you to choose different backup options for different SQL instances, and lets you exclude less critical databases from snapshots.

Backup software can back up the snapshot image at high speed while Microsoft SQL Server operates in normal mode. Because the contents of the snapshot image are guaranteed never to change, the backup is consistent, ensuring transactional integrity. When backup software reads data from the snapshot image, changes that occur in the database do not affect what gets written.

The snapshot agent includes a utility that allows you to recover a single database, as well as a command line interface.

The Snapshot Agent for Microsoft SQL Server is supported for various Windows Server platforms. For specific version information, refer to the Certification Matrix on the FalconStor website.

Guidelines

Procedures related to the points below are performed using the FalconStor Management Console. Refer to the CDP/NSS User Guide for details.

• If you have more than one snapshot group and have databases that are related to each other, or if applications are sharing databases that reside on different disks, join all related disks to the same snapshot group in order to have their snapshots taken on the same schedule.

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Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® SQL Server®

• In order to ensure better restore functionality, it is advisable to take a snapshot of the transaction log and the database at the same time.

This is important, because if the transaction log has not been backed up at the point when a snapshot is taken of the database, point-in-time restore will not be possible.

If transaction logs and databases must be in a different group or if they must have different snapshot schedules, manage schedules so the transaction log snapshot is taken before the database snapshot.

• Ensure that snapshots begin at least 30 minutes apart. Snapshots scheduled too close together may fail or may be inconsistent.

• In order to expedite the snapshot process, schedule snapshots to occur during periods of lower activity.

Requirements

Complete the required steps described in ‘General installation requirements (updated June 2014)’. In addition:

• You need to know the database instance name.

• You need to know the database administrator password if the default policy is Windows authentication and the current Windows login account does not have enough access rights.

• Start SQL Server before you install the snapshot agent.

• The Snapshot Agent for FileSystems must be installed on the same machine unless you have an out-of-band FalconStor Continuous Data Protection (CDP) solution that includes FalconStor DiskSafe 3.70 or higher. • In order to take snapshots for SQL Server 2012, you must add the NT

AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account to the sysadmin server role because Local System is not automatically provisioned. Doing this allows the snapshot agent to retrieve essential SQL server information when taking a snapshot.

Requirements for VMware environments

The following items are required in order to protect SQL databases in VMware environments.

• For an in-band solution (LUNs are provisioned to the ESX server from FalconStor NSS):

• Install FalconStor®_{Snapshot Director for VMware}®_{vSphere on the ESX} server (refer to the Snapshot Director User Guide).

• Install IMA and the snapshot agent on individual VMs.

• On each VM, configure IMA to specify override drives. These are the drives on the VM that you want to protect. If you do not do this, applications may not be quiesced correctly.

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Override drives should include any other drives that contain databases or other application data that should be quiesced before snapshots are taken.

• For an out-of-band solution (LUNs are provisioned directly to VMs):

if DiskSafe 3.80 or higher is installed on VMs, it is not necessary to specify override drives for mount points. Remove override drives from IMA, if they exist. Refer to the DiskSafe User Guide for details.

To manage override drive settings, execute the following commands in the command line on the VM:

• To specify override drives:

iscmcli setoverridedrive -d "<drive_list>"

where <drive_list> is a list of drive letters separated by semi-colons. For example:

iscmcli setoverridedrive -d "C:;E:;F:;" • To view the list of current override drives:

iscmcli getoverridedrive

If no override drives have been set, the command returns no output. • To delete current override drive settings:

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Install the snapshot agent

To install the snapshot agent:

1. Run the installation file on the machine on which the SQL Server database is running.

You must activate the snapshot license (register it with FalconStor). If your computer has an Internet connection, this will occur automatically after you enter your keycode and click Next. However, if your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable or if your computer has no Internet connection, automatic activation is not possible. You must activate your license within 30 days so that you can continue to use the snapshot agent.

If your Internet connection is temporarily unavailable, automatic activation will occur the next time the snapshot agent is invoked, assuming you have an Internet connection then. You can also add your license through IMA.

If your computer has no Internet connection, you can perform offline activation using IMA.

3. When installation is complete, click Finish.

After the installation completes, the configuration utility launches automatically.

Silent install

Silent install is supported for snapshot agents. To install the agent in silent mode, complete the following steps:

setup.exe /s cd ..

or

setupsilent.bat

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Configure the snapshot agent

Complete configuration as described below. When you are done, click OK to save the changes you made in all tabs and either keep the utility open or exit. Click Cancel to exit the utility and discard any changes.

To run the utility at a later time, select Start --> All Programs --> FalconStor --> Configuration for Snapshot Agent for Microsoft SQL Server.

Database Security options

The snapshot agent supports multiple instances of Microsoft SQL on the same server. In order for the snapshot agent to communicate with an instance, you have to register the instance with the snapshot agent from this utility tab.

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1. Click Add to add a SQL instance. The Database Login screen displays.

2. Select the virtual server or host on which the instance is located. If the SQL server is in a cluster, select the name of the virtual server on which the SQL instance was created. If the server is not in a cluster, select the local host name. The drop-down list displays the virtual server name and the host name detected in the registry.

3. In the Instance field, MSSQLSERVER will be displayed if the server uses the default instance. If the SQL instance is not displayed, enter it here or select it in the drop-down list.

You can use the Services console (Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services) to check instance names. In this console, the instance name will be listed in parentheses. For example, if the service name is shown as SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER), its instance name is MSSQLSERVER. If you have another instance, another service, such as SQL Server (INSTANCE1), will be listed. In this example, the SQL instance name is INSTANCE1.

4. Provide connection credentials:

For Windows Authentication mode, user name and password are not required. Select the Trusted Connection - Windows Authentication checkbox to avoid storing credentials in connection strings.

OR, for SQL Server authentication mode, enter the database user name and password of an account that has access to the database.

5. When you are done, click Verify to allow the snapshot agent to attempt to connect to the instance using the provided credentials.

If connection is successful, the Verify button changes to OK.

After you have added a SQL instance, you can change its information or remove it. To do this, select a SQL instance in the list and then:

• Click Edit to modify its information in the Database Login dialog. • Click Remove to delete it.

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Database Options tab

For each database in a selected instance, the Database Options tab provides information and lets you specify a location for the transaction log backup directory.

1. Select an instance from the drop-down list.

The Database count and Total values are displayed. 2. Select a database from the drop-down list.

The database directory, transaction log directory, and storage server ID are displayed automatically.

If the database is not on a direct-connected CDP/NSS device, Not on Storage Server Device will be displayed in the Storage Server field.

3. The utility is designed to let you specify a transaction log Backup directory for all databases in the selected instance, or for individual databases. It is

recommended that you store transaction log backups separately from the transaction log and the database.

In addition, it is recommended that if you have two database instances, choose a different backup directory for each.

Click the Browse button next to the Transaction log backup directory field and select a backup directory location. Manually entering a directory location is not

Note: Ensure there is enough disk space for transaction log backups, based

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• To specify this directory as the transaction log backup directory for all databases, respond Yes to the “Change entry for all databases in this instance?” message.

• To specify this directory as the transaction log backup directory only for the selected database, respond No to the “change entry” message.

• If you do not see the “change entry” message, the directory selection will apply only to the selected database.

Additional options for transaction log backup are available (refer to ‘Transaction log backup best practice’).

Notes:

• If you click in the Transaction log backup directory field but do not make a selection, the message “Change entry for all databases in this instance?” may be displayed when you continue with another action. Click No to close the message box.

• If a warning “Transaction log backup directory is not on a storage device” is displayed when you select a directory, you can ignore the message if

• DiskSafe is in use and the directory is on the disk being mirrored; • A virtual machine is being used and the directory is on a disk that

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Advanced Options tab

The Advanced Options tab allows you to choose a backup option for all databases in the selected instance and lets you exclude individual databases from that option.

Notes:

About checkpoint mode:

• The three system databases (Master, MSDB, and Model) are always backed up using checkpoint mode.

• During backup, the database will not be “frozen” or put in hit backup mode. • If the “checkpoint only” option is selected, excluded databases will be

ignored.

About the copy-only option:

• Applies only to databases configured for Full recovery.

• Snapshots can be taken several times a day, providing more frequent data protection points.

• This option does not interfere with third-party backup software operations; however, if third-party backup software processing prevents a database from being put in backup mode, the copy-only snapshot may not be completed. Instead, the database will be backed up using checkpoint mode. To avoid this, make sure that backup schedules do not overlap. • Allows you to perform Rollback recovery using a TimeMark or file copy

recovery from a TimeView.

• Does not back up the transaction log. As a result, point-in-time recovery (between TimeMarks) is not available: the database can be restored only to the time the snapshot was taken.

About full backup and/or copy-only full backup options:

• During backup, the database is put in hot backup mode and is read-only until the snapshot is completed. Backup time varies between a few seconds and 8 minutes, but is usually completed quickly. If the database is large and/or busy; backup may take up to 8 minutes to complete, but this rarely occurs.

• The snapshot agent will perform a checkpoint flush on excluded databases for overall snapshot consistency.

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1. Select one backup option. Full backup is selected by default:

• Full backup of all databases - The snapshot agent performs a full SQL Server snapshot backup of selected databases, regardless of their recovery model. Choose this option if the database has critical importance and/or requires point-in-time recovery.

Make sure the recovery model is set to Full.

It is not recommended to perform full backup on a database whose recovery model is set to Simple.

• Full backup, but checkpoint only on databases when recovery model set to Simple - The snapshot agent performs a full backup on selected databases except for those whose recovery model is set to Simple; for those, a

checkpoint backup is performed.

Note that checkpoint backup does not back up the transaction log. As a result, point-in-time recovery (between TimeMarks) is not available: the database can be restored only to the time the snapshot was taken.

• Do checkpoint only on all databases - If the instance includes a large number of databases, choose this option to save time. Do not exclude any databases. • Copy-only, full backup of all databases - The snapshot agent performs a full

backup of selected databases but does not notify SQL that backup has occurred.

2. You can select the option to Perform a transaction log backup for every snapshot. Refer to ‘Transaction log backup best practice’ for more information.

When transaction log backup is performed along with full backup, the transaction log is backed up first, and then the database. As soon as backup is completed, the transaction log is truncated (not shrunk) automatically.

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3. The Database Selection area lists all databases discovered in the selected instance. You can exclude specific databases from the selected backup operation. To do this, select a SQL instance from the drop-down list, which includes only those instances that have been registered with the snapshot agent using this utility.

All databases in the instance are selected by default. Uncheck any database(s) that the snapshot agent should exclude from the selected backup operation. Use the Select All/Deselect All checkbox to select or deselect all databases at the same time.

If you create additional databases after completing initial agent configuration and want to exclude any of them from the selected backup option, run the

configuration utility again and deselect them here.

Batch Files tab

Use this tab to indicate if you want to run batch files before and/or after each snapshot, and allows you to create a pre- or post-batch file in Notepad.

1. Select the checkbox if you want to run batch files before and/or after the snapshot agent.

2. Enter an administrative user name and password for the local computer. 3. Click the appropriate Create/Edit button to open Notepad and create/save the

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Monitor tab

By default, the snapshot agent looks for databases based on information passed from IMA. If the default drives (as seen in the Database Options tab) are incorrect or if no drives are listed, this tab allows you to identify the drives on which databases are located.

1. Select the option if you want the snapshot agent to look for databases elsewhere than in the default drive(s).

For example, if a database is located on a SAN disk that is mounted to an NTFS folder such as E:\database, you need to identify that drive here.

2. Type the drives on which your databases are located; separate multiple drive names with a semicolon (for example D:;E:;F:).

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Transaction log backup best practice

Transaction log backups make it possible to perform a point-in-time restore. When you install FalconStor Database Recovery for Microsoft SQL Server, you can configure a transaction log backup to occur immediately before a full backup (refer to the Database Recovery for Microsoft SQL Server section in the Recovery Agents User Guide).

Best practice recommendations include:

• Put the transaction log backup command in a batch file called <your file name>.bat.

For example:

fsssrest.exe -tlb -d "*" -i "ESX40W2K8DEVHAR"

• Schedule the snapshot agent to perform a normal full backup during a SQL server non-peak period.

• Use the Windows Task Scheduler to run your transaction log backup more frequently but make sure two processes do not execute at the same time. For example:

If the snapshot agent is scheduled to perform a full backup at 2am every day, use the Microsoft Task Scheduler to run the <your file name>.bat file every hour on the half hour.

How frequently you want to perform transaction log backup depends upon how you want to restore data and how much data loss you can afford. • Make sure the directory to which transaction log backups are saved has

enough disk space, based on the amount of data changes.

• If the transaction log size is large, we recommend performing transaction log backup between full backups, using the fsssrest tool (refer to

‘Command line interface’). For example:

Note: Transaction log backup can occur only after the first full backup has

Snapshot Agents USER GUIDE

Snapshot Agents

USER GUIDE

FalconStor

Snapshot Agents User Guide

Contents

Introduction . . . 1

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® VSS. . . 6

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® Exchange . . . 19

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft® SQL Server® . . . 27

Snapshot Agent for Oracle® . . . 46

Snapshot Agent for FileSystems. . . 70

Snapshot Agent for MySQL . . . 75

Snapshot Agent for IBM® DB2® Universal Database . . . 78

Snapshot Agent for Lotus Notes

/Domino

. . . 83

Introduction

User interface

General installation requirements

Additional resources

Snapshot Agent for Microsoft

VSS

Storage configuration guidelines

Install the snapshot agent

Silent install

Configure the snapshot agent

Snapshot options

Advanced options

Batch file options

Manage the trace log

Create a diagnostic X-ray file

Test the snapshot agent

History and event logs

Remove snapshot agent software

Error codes

Hardware Provider Service Errors in the Windows event log

Snapshot Agent for

Microsoft

Exchange

Storage configuration guidelines

Install the snapshot agent

Silent install

Configure the snapshot agent options

Batch file options

Monitor tab

Manage the trace log

Configure service-enabled devices

Test the snapshot agent

Confirm snapshot status

Purge log utility

Remove snapshot agent software

Snapshot Agent for

Microsoft

SQL Server

Guidelines

Requirements

Requirements for VMware environments

Install the snapshot agent

Silent install

Configure the snapshot agent

Database Security options

Database Options tab

Advanced Options tab

Batch Files tab

Monitor tab

Transaction log backup best practice