Backup Exec 12.5 Continuous Protection and an remote destination

[LasseF]

Hi

We are using Backup Exec 12.5 with Continuous Protection Server. We have 4 different locations/departments. The servers from the 3 branch offices uses the Continuous Protection Agent to transfer their data to the server at our head quarter. The 4 departments are connected through a MPLS network.
I now want to install a new server at one of the branch offices, and configure CPS so that the data from all 4 departments, are transferred to the new server. What is the correct way of doing this?

I am looking for good ideas to solve the task.

/Lasse

[ereid20]

Lasse,

I take it that your 3 branch office are concidered Business Server (Where user data is stored) and the other server is considered a Protection Server where the CPS Admin Console, index service and database is stored.  The Protection Server is where you probably configured the storage locations for your branch office to CDP.  If your looking to change your storage location from your current protection server to a new protection server do the following.....

1. On the new server install CPS with all features including Admin Console.  When prompted for the backup group type in the name of you existing backup group.
 
2. Once your new CPS Protection Server is up and running, log in to either Protection Server and launch CPS Admin Console.  At this point you want to create a new backup destination that points to resources on the new Protection Server.

3. Reconfigure your existing jobs to point to the new backup destination, what will happen at this point is that your jobs replication will start all over at the new location.  A faster way of getting this done is backing up the data to tape and restoring it at the new location (Pre-Staging the data) and then turning on your jobs.

Please let me know if you have further questions..... My current CPS environment is 80-remote sites and three CPS Protection Servers with one CPS Master Server hosting the data base.

Eric Reid

[LasseF]

Hi Eric

Thanks for your input. You are correct, the 3 branch offices are considered Business Server and the server at our HQ is considered a Protection Server.

I think I might have left out a small detail in my first message :) I would like to synchronize the servers to both locations, so we end up with two servers containing all the data, located in two different physical locations.

I hope this makes sense.

/Lasse

[ereid20]

Lasse,

Ok, here is what I did to configure a replicated Protection Server......

1. Create a storage location that points to a share on the new Protection Server.
2. Create a new job with the selection of the protected data sitting on your original Protection Server location. (Do not select the data from your Business Server).


Example: 

Protection Server #1 (PS1) is your original CPS Management Server, this server runs the Data Base and is also used as a Protection Server.  This Protection Server has either a local attached storage or a SAN storage pressence that is uses to store all the data from your 3 Business Servers.  For instance, your Protection Server has an S: Drive, on this S: Drive you create a directory called S:\CDP_Storage_Location_1, this location is used to configure your storage location on Protection Server #1.  When you create your backup job for each server, your asked for the stroge location, in this field you will state "CDP_Storage_Location_1".  Once your jobs are configured, when you run your jobs either manually or scheduled, the job will create subfolders inside of S:\CDP_Storage_Location_1, CPS will automatically name each folder the name of the server and create sub-folders underneath each one representing the root directory of each backup selection list, see example bellow.........

S:\CDP_Storage_Location_1
            \BackupServer1
                    C
                    D
            \BackupServer2
                    C
                    D
            \BackupServer3
                    C
                    D

After you install CPS on your new Protection Server (Protection Server #2), login PS2 and create a directory called CDP_Storage_Location_2, this should be created on either large enough direct attached storage or SAN.  Once you create the directory, run CPS Admin Console and configure a new Storage location, the storage location will be a the one you previously created.  Now you need to configure another backup job that now backs up the CDP_Storage_Location_1.   When you create the job you will utilize CDP_Storage_Location_2 to protect the resource.  In the end you would have a replicated configuration and partnership between PS1 and PS2, everything that is written to PS1 is then written to PS2.

Depending on your protection SLA you can tailer your jobs to run at certain times of the day, including configuring Snapshots and then subsequently sending data to tape for offsite storage.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need further assisstance.

Thanks,

Eric Reid

[LasseF]

Hi Eric

Yet again, thank you for the reply.

Your idea is not bad, have been thinking about it my self. But I encountered a problem when trying it out.

We have the following setup:
S:\CDP_Storage_Location_1
            \BackupServer1
                    C
                    D
            \BackupServer2
                    C
                    D
The job for BackupServer1 and BackupServer2 runs continuously during the day and stops at 11:40 in the evening. Currently I send the data to tape at 00:00.
My original idea was to send the data to CDP_Storage_Location_2 while the data was being written to tape on CDP_Storage_Location_1, but that is not possible, since I can't have a running CPS job while Backup Exec is running.

One way to solve the problem would properly be to have both jobs run continuously during the day. Meaning that BackupServer1 and BackupServer2 sends data to CDP_Storage_Location_1 and then it sends it on to CDP_Storage_Location_2.
I am just a bit worried that it might cause to much traffic on the network but I am not sure.

/Lasse

[LasseF]

I just did a test.

I have a job for BackupServer1 and BackupServer2 both running continuously. I then created a new job with CDP_Storage_Location_2 as destination and selected the CDP_Storage_Location_1 as source.
SOURCE:
S:\CDP_Storage_Location_1
            \BackupServer1
                    C
                    D
            \BackupServer2
                    C
                    D
DESTINATION:
S:\CDP_Storage_Location_2
            \CDP_Storage_Location_1
                        \BackupServer1
                                C
                                D
                        \BackupServer2
                                C
                                D
When the new job starts it fails instantly with the following error message:
The pair on source computer 'CDP_SERVER1', destionation computer 'CDP_Server2' for job 'CDP_Server2' failed to start. : The pair on source computer 'CDP_SERVER1', destination computer 'CDP_SERVER2' for the job 'CDP_SERVER2' failed to start because 'BackupServer1' is currently modifying its source.