Download Recovery Solution database Restore

Recovery Solution 6.2 Infrastructure
Backup and Restore
White Paper
June 13, 2006
© 2006 Altiris Inc. All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................... 1
Introduction ................................................................................... 1
Recovery Solution 6.0 Infrastructure ............................................ 2
Recovery Solution Infrastructure Changes in 6.1 and 6.2 ............ 3
Backup .......................................................................................... 4
Notification Server database Backup ............................................ 4
Recovery Solution database Backup ............................................ 5
Data Files Backup ........................................................................ 5
Restore .......................................................................................... 6
Notification Server database Restore ........................................... 6
Recovery Solution database Restore ............................................ 6
Load Balancer Configuration Restore ........................................... 6
Data Files Restore ....................................................................... 6
Appendix A: Recovery Solution 6.0 database Backup and Restore
...................................................................................................... 8
Backing up the server .................................................................. 8
Backing up without a SQL backup agent .................................... 8
Backing Up W ith Software That Includes a SQL Backup Agent .. 9
Restoring the server from a backup ............................................ 10
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INTRODUCTION
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Starting from Recovery Solution 6.1, with introduction of Recovery
Solution clusters and data files mirroring, backup procedure described in
Recovery Solution 6.0 Administrator’s Guide (Administration > Network
and Server Functions > “Backing Up the Server” section) is no longer
complete. This document describes additional steps that need to be done
in order to obtain a complete backup of Recovery Solution infrastructure.
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RECOVERY SOLUTION
6.0 INFRASTRUCTURE
In Recovery Solution 6.0, Recovery Solution server was always installed
on the same computer as the Notification Server, and there was one -toone correspondence between Recovery Solution and Notification Server.
Both Notification Server and Recovery Solution databases could be
placed onto remote SQL servers, so the infrastructure could be
distributed.
Notification Server database only contained information about rollout
policies, collections and reports, and Recovery Solution database
contained all information about Recovery So lution users and their
snapshots.
So, to take a complete snapshot of Recovery Solution 6.0 installation,
one had to back up the following pieces of information:
1. Recovery Solution Database
2. Recovery Solution data files (AKA BLOBs)
3. Names and contents of Recovery Solution Users and Recovery
Solution Admins groups—these were implemented as local W indows
groups on the Recovery Solution Server computer, so generally it
was suggested to simply back up the complete Recovery Solution
Server computer.
4. In addition, if the Recovery Solution database was stored on a
remote SQL server, it was needed to back up “Linked Server” entry
on the Notification Server computer’s SQL Server. If the complete
computer backup was made (as suggested in the previous bullet),
this was achieved automatically.
5. (Optional, not mentioned in documentation.) Exports of custom
Notification Server items like collections of Recovery Solution
computers, rollout policies, and so on. Note that these are not critical
for successful Recovery Solution oper ation.
Recovery Solution 6.0 Administrator’s Guide contains “Backing Up the
Server” and “Restoring the Server From a Backup” sections (both under
“Administration > Network and Server Functions”); they describe backup
and restore procedures step by step. Ap pendix A in this document
contains the complete text of these sections.
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RECOVERY SOLUTION
INFRASTRUCTURE
CHANGES IN 6.1 AND
6.2
Starting from Recovery Solution 6.1, the following major changes are
introduced:
1. Recovery Solution clusters, which replace and e nhance Recovery
Solution servers. A cluster may have one or several Recovery
Solution servers, which can be installed remotely. A cluster’s
Recovery Solution database can be also located on a remote SQL
server.
2. One Notification Server can now manage many R ecovery Solution
clusters.
3. Notification Server database is now much more involved in storing
the Recovery Solution data (for example, list of Recovery Solution
clusters, Recovery Solution agent, and Recovery Solution cluster
settings).
4. Recovery Solution data files mirroring—now there can be several
copies of data files; these copies are synchronized between
themselves either synchronously or asynchronously (by means of an
Recovery Solution server job).
5. An optional load balancer device, which can be “attache d” to the
cluster. It is used to distribute client requests among the cluster’s
servers.
So in generic case, the Recovery Solution infrastructure can be now
heavily distributed:




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SQL Server computer with Notification Server database.
Windows Server computer with Notification Server and Recovery
Solution Solution.
Every Recovery Solution cluster can have its own SQL Server
computer with Recovery Solution database.
Number of Recovery Solution Server computers. Every such
computer has its own local W indows group for Recovery Solution
users; it also has ODBC DSN string for communication with the
Recovery Solution database computer.
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BACKUP
Generally, to get a _complete_ snapshot of an Recovery Solution 6.2
installation, one must back up the following pieces of inf ormation:
1. On the computer with SQL Server that hosts the Notification Server
database:
a. The Notification Server database. Either the complete database
must be backed up, or only Recovery Solution -related data.
Section below describes this in more details.
b. “LinkedServer” entries to SQL Server computers with Recovery
Solution databases. SQL Server Enterprise Manager allows doing
this easily via right-click on “Linked Servers” node in the EM
console, and selecting “Export List...” menu item.
2. On computers with SQL Servers that host Recovery Solution
databases (for all Recovery Solution clusters):
a. The Recovery Solution database.
b. List of created logins. This list can be seen under Security \Logins
node in the EM console. Right click provides “Export List...” menu
item.
3. For every Recovery Solution cluster, Recovery Solution data files
must be backed up as well.
4. For clusters that use load balancers, load balancer configuration
must be backed up. Since this information is balancer -dependent,
there is no step-by-step instruction for backup procedure. Refer to
the specific load balancer’s documentation.
It’s vital to store the backed up databases and Recovery Solution data
files to a safe location (e.g. a tape or an off -site storage).
Notification Server database Backup
If Notification Server is only used to host the Recovery Solution
installation, you may back up the complete Notification Server database.
Notification Server database can be backed up using approaches
described in Appendix A. Note that if the SQL Backup Age nt is not used
then SQL Server that hosts the Notification Server database must be
stopped, which will make the Notification Server non -operable for the
duration of Notification Server database backup.
But if there are several solutions installed, it’s not feasible to back up the
complete Notification Server database, as in case of disaster the whole
database will have to be restored, possibly overriding other solution’s
settings. For this scenario, a set of SQL scripts was developed:

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Backup_All_RS_Clusters.sql—creates a backup database named
RS_Backup_DB, then backs up all Recovery Solution clusters-related
data into that database.
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


Restore_All_RS_Clusters.sql—restores information about all
Recovery Solution clusters from the RS_Backup_DB.
Backup_Single_RS_Cluster.sql—backs up information about a single
cluster.
Create_RS_Backup_DB.sql—creates an empty RS_Backup_DB.
Should be called before Backup_Single_RS_Cluster.sql in cases
when there is no backup database.
Every script has a comment in the beginning, desc ribing its usage.
Scripts should be provided along with this document. Please contact
Altiris Recovery Solution Support if not.
Recovery Solution database Backup
For every Recovery Solution cluster, its Recovery Solution database
must be backed up. Refer to Appendix A for step-by-step instructions, as
this procedure is not changed since Recovery Solution 6.0.
Data Files Backup
For every Recovery Solution cluster, its data files must be backed up. In
Recovery Solution 6.0, there was only one copy of data fil es. In
Recovery Solution 6.2, if there are several storage groups, data files
synchronization job must be executed prior to backup, to ensure that all
storage groups contain up-to-date copies of the data files. After the
synchronization job is complete, on ly one copy of the data files (from any
group) should be backed up. All servers in the clusters must be stopped
or disabled during this process, to ensure data integrity.
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RESTORE
If only the Recovery Solution database or the data files got corrupted,
there is no need to restore the Notification Server database. In such
cases skip the “Notification Server database Restore” section.
Similarly, if only the Notification Server database got corrupted, there is
no need to restore the Recovery Solution databases o r data files of
Recovery Solution clusters.
Note, however, that if the Notification Server database is restored from
an old backup, then the restored database will not contain information
about recently created Recovery Solution clusters and their settings .
Presently (Recovery Solution 6.2) there is no automatic way to recover
such orphan clusters, however per request SQL queries can be supplied
to do this.
Notification Server database Restore
If the whole Notification Server database was backed up, it can be
restored using approach described in Appendix A, “ Restoring the Server
From a Backup” section. Simply substitute the Notification Server
database name instead of Recovery Solution database name.
If either of backup SQL scripts was used, then the appropr iate restore
script should be used to restore either all or a specific Recovery Solution
cluster.
Recovery Solution database Restore
The Recovery Solution database can be restored using approach
described in Appendix A, “Restoring the Server From a Backup” section.
Load Balancer Configuration Restore
Since in Recovery Solution 6.1 the load balancer device configuration
(such as adding the nodes) must be performed manually, backup and
restore must also be performed manually. W hat exactly should be
backed up and restored is balancer-dependent, generally information
about nodes and about protocols/ports should be preserved and
restored.
Note that any changes to the restored configuration, such as balancer
address, must be reflected in the Recovery Solution clus ter settings UI in
the Altiris Console.
Data Files Restore
Appendix A, “Restoring the Server From a Backup” section, contains
information about restoring the data files. It’s suggested to back up the
data files along with the Recovery Solution database, an d also restore
these two pieces of information together.
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If data files mirroring is utilized in Recovery Solution 6.2 installation,
then it’s only needed to restore the files to the main storage group. Other
groups will be synchronized, either (for synchro nous groups)
automatically on the background or (for asynchronous groups) during the
next synchronization job.
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APPENDIX A:
RECOVERY SOLUTION
6.0 DATABASE
BACKUP AND
RESTORE
Backing up the server
It is strongly recommended that you back up the server to re movable
storage on a regular basis.
The procedure for backing up the server might be different depending on
the backup software you use. It is best to use backup software that
includes both a SQL backup agent and an open files agent.
Important: Whichever method you use, back up the database files first
and then the protected data (BLOB) files. Also, because Recovery
Solution uses the local Windows accounts database, the entire computer
must be backed up.
Backing up without a SQL backup agent
Follow these steps if your backup software does not include a SQL
backup agent. You might also need to refer to the instructions for your
backup software.
1. Stop the service for Recovery Solution, following the instructions in
"Stopping and Starting the Server".
2. Do one of the following.
If the server is running Microsoft SQL Server
a. Open SQL Enterprise Manager.
b. In the Console Tree (usually on the left side), expand SQL Server
Group, the name of the server, and then Databases.
c. Select the database for Recovery Solution.
By default, it is named AeXCRDatabase.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
In the Details Pane, under Backup, click Backup Database.
Under Backup, click Database—complete.
Under Destination, click the Add button.
In the Click Backup Destination dialog, click File name.
Specify the full path and file name. You can use the ... button to
locate a path.
The path is where the database backup will go. The file name is
the file that you will have your backup software back up.
i.
j.
k.
l.
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Click OK.
Click Overwrite existing media.
Click OK to start the backup.
Have your backup software back up the file you created.
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If the server is running MSDE
a. Open an MS-DOS style command prompt.
b. Change to the BINN subfolder of the folder containing the MSDE
program files. You can use a command such as the following.
CD /D "D:\MSSQL7\BINN"
c. Enter the following command.
OSQL.EXE -U sa -P -n -Q "BACKUP DATABASE
AeXCRDatabase TO DISK = 'e:\AeXCRDatabase.dat'"
AeXCRDatabase is the default name of the database. If your
installation of Recovery Solution uses a different database name,
make the appropriate changes in the above command. The path
and file name specified at the end can be modifi ed to any
appropriate location.
This command could be scheduled through Windows Task
Scheduler or the AT command-line program. Database backups
can also be scheduled using a SQL script. For details, see the
Microsoft knowledge base article Q241397, which is available on
the Microsoft W eb site (http://www.microsoft.com).
3. Back up the file named BACKUP.uml from the program files folder for
Recovery Solution Server (by default, C:\Program
Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Client Recovery Server).
This file contains account information that is required for protected
computer users to access the server. Some backup programs can
back up this file while it is in use, but others might not be able to. It is
safest to back up the file while the service for Recovery S olution is
not running.
4. Once the above files are backed up, use W indows Control Panel to
restart the service for Recovery Solution.
5. Use your backup software to back up the protected data (BLOB) files.
They are usually in a folder named AeXCRData.
Backing Up With Software That Includes a SQL Backup
Agent
Follow these steps if your backup software includes a SQL backup
agent. You might also need to refer to the instructions for your backup
software.
1. Back up the database files for Recovery Solution. By default, these
are the following.
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


The main data file is AeXCRDatabase_Data.MDF, in a folder
named AeXCRData.
You might have additional data files. Typically the next name
would be AeXCRDatabase_Data.NDF.
The log file is AeXCRDatabase_Log.LDF, in a folder nam ed
AeXCRLog.
2. Back up the protected data (BLOB) files.
They are usually in a folder named AeXCRData.
Restoring the server from a backup
This section describes how to restore the server from a backup. For
instructions on creating a backup, see “Backing Up The Server”.
If you used a SQL agent to back up the server "live," then you can
recover the entire computer, including W indows, SQL Server and its
databases, Recovery Solution, and the protected data files.
If you used SQL Server directly to back up the database to disk and then
to tape, use the following procedure to restore your database.
1. Stop the service for Recovery Solution, following the instructions in
“Stopping and Starting the Server”.
2. Do one of the following.
If the server is running Microsoft SQL Server
a. Open SQL Enterprise Manager.
b. In the Console Tree (usually on the left side), expand SQL Server
Group, the name of the server, and then Databases.
c. Select the database for Recovery Solution.
By default, it is named AeXCRDatabase.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
In the Details Pane, under Backup, click Restore database.
For Restore, click From device, then click Select Devices.
For Restore from, click Disk, then click Add.
Specify the file name of the backed up database, then click OK.
Click OK again to return to the Restore dat abase screen.
Click the Options tab.
Click Force restore over existing database.
Click OK.
If the server is running MSDE
a. Open an MS-DOS style command prompt.
b. Change to the BINN subfolder of the folder containing the MSDE
program files. You can use a command such as the following.
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CD /D "D:\MSSQL7\BINN"
c. Enter the following commands.
OSQL.EXE -U sa -P -n -Q "DROP DATABASE AeXCRDatabase"
OSQL.EXE -U sa -P -n -Q "RESTORE DATABASE
AeXCRDatabase FROM DISK = 'e:\AeXCRDatabase.dat'"
AeXCRDatabase is the default name of the database. If your
installation of Recovery Solution uses a different database name,
make the appropriate changes in the above commands. The path
and file name specified at the end should point to the existing
database backup file.
3. Once the database restoration is complete, restore the BLOB files
back to their original location.
4. Restore the file BACKUP.UML to the program files folder for
Recovery Solution Server (by default, C:\Program
Files\Altiris\Notification Server\Client Recovery Server).
5. Use W indows Control Panel to restart the service for Recovery
Solution.
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