IDR-Option

[Elmar_Giner]

Hello,

Two questions about all the IDR preparations for BE 10d SP1:
We use Windows 2000 Server SP 4 and Windows 2003 Server SP1.
We have both, Media Servers and Remote Servers (=all AD-Memberservers) to backup with the IDR-Option.


- Do I really need first to run a full backup before I can configure IDR?
That's really complicated. e.g. we have Oracle Database Servers, which would mean to shut them down first.

- How often and when (=events) do I need to update the 2 IDR-Diskettes? After every Full Backup or when?


Please, don't simple refer to the IDR-Documentation. The doc's really confusing. By the way, I believe more and more, that the invest into the licences for IDR was a big waste of money for us.

Please feel free to ask further questions, if you need more details.
I would be really grateful for any help.

Thanks in adwance,
Elmar

[Elmar_Giner]

No ideas?

The more I look at the IDR-Option the more I think that Symantec/Veritas gave this option the wrong title.
This option hasn't much to do with intelligence.

Sorry for beeing a littlebit negative. I'm not like this normally.
But we spent a lot of money to make our backup processes easier. Now it seems that it's the total contrary.

Am I the only one, who struggles with the IDR-Option?

[Ashutosh_Tamhan]

You can prepare your IDR Cd and run your full backups but after your full backups are done you need to update the DR files on the diskettes everytime..So that the diskettes have the latest DR files because they contain a lot of important information for e.g which all backup are there on which tape etc. i.e the catalog information..

Regards, Ashutosh NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answered and would be moved to answered questions pool.

[Elmar_Giner]

Hi Ashutosh,

First a big THANK YOU for your answer.

now, I want to make sure that I understand it in the right way.
Because that's my main problem to understand the IDR-Option. That isn't really good described in the documentation:

Do you mean, that everytime I choose a Job with the Backup Settings in den Settings under "Backup Properties-->Settings-->General-->Backup Method for files-->Full Backup", I have to update mit IDR Medias - especially mit IDR-Diskettes?

If this is so. Can I do this with a automatic job or can I only do it manually with the IDR Wizard?

hope you can give me an answer to this.

Thanks in advance,
Zigi

[Sharvari_Deshmu]

Hello,


Basically for IDR the following steps need to be done:

1. Run a full backup of server
2. Create a bootable CD
3. Burn the bootable ISO image to CD
4. Create the IDR diskettes (Required for Windows XP/Windows 2003)
5. Periodically update the IDR diskettes

Now after you have run a full backup you create the Bootable CD, For Win 2003 include the ASR files on the bootable CD.

III
please do the third procedure after this

Burn the bootable ISO image to CD
Write the image to CD following directions for the software you are using to write to CD-R / CR-RW
When browsing for the file, be sure "*.ipso" or "all files" is selected under "File type" (or equivalent) and navigate to the ISO image

IV

please do the following procedure next:

A. From within Backup Exec� go to Tools> Wizards> Intelligent Disaster Recovery Preparation Wizard...

B. Select "Create Media" again then select NEXT

C. Select the computer to be protected

D. D. Select the option to create IDR diskettes only and click NEXT

E. Have 2 blank, formatted floppy diskettes ready and click NEXT

F. Label 1st disk IDR Diskette 1, insert into floppy drive and click NEXT

G. When complete, label 2nd disk IDR Diskette 2, insert into floppy drive and click NEXT

H. Reinsert IDR Diskette 1 into floppy drive to record computer specific data and click NEXT

I. Click FINISH when done. Note the reminders.

J Store the 2 IDR Diskettes along with the bootable CD in a safe place


V

Updating the IDR Diskettes after every full backup

A. From within Backup Exec� go to Tools> Wizards> Intelligent Disaster Recovery Preparation Wizard...

B. Select "Update Media" then select NEXT

C. Select IDR diskettes only and click NEXT

D. Select the computer for which this IDR set was originally created and click NEXT

E. Insert a diskette into the floppy drive (recommended: IDR Diskette 1 and click NEXT

F. Click FINISH when done

G. Store the IDR Diskettes along with the bootable CD in a safe place in case needed.

NOTE: you will need one set of media (CD and Diskettes) for each server to be protected

If you have any other questions please revert.


NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answered and would be moved to answered questions pool.

[Elmar_Giner]

Hello Sharvari,

Thank you very much for your answer.

That helped stepping through the IDR-installation.
Regarding to your last note, I have few questions and one problem:

"NOTE: you will need one set of media (CD and Diskettes) for each server to be protected"

On page 1028 at the end of the documentation, they wrote, that I'm still able to create the bootable media, when we have problems with the remote servers as long as the media server is available. Following this note, I need the media sets only for the media server as long as the *dr.-file of the remote servers are available on the media server.

Does that mean that I'm able to create - especially - the bootable CDs for remote servers when the remote server's crashed down and the media server is online? What files are necessary for the bootable CD? ASR-files, *.dr-files...?

Question about the bootable CD:
Originally we installed Windows 2003 Server without Service Pack. In the meantime we've installed Service Pack 1 on all of our 2003 Servers. For creating the bootable CD is it necessary to have a Windows CD with integrated Service Pack available or can I still use our originally CD?
What happens in a DR-case, when we only used our originally Windows CD without Service Pack 1 to create the bootable media. Can we still restore our Server in that case or have we to expect problems?
Same question regarding Windows 2000. Windows 2000 CD is with Service Pack 2 now we have Service Pack 4 installed.

Problem with creating and storing *.dr file on IDR-diskette:
We have a problem on one Windows 2000 Server storing the *dr-file on a diskette. The *dr.-file, which was created after the full server backup, is 2.4 MB big and I can't update my IDR-Diskettes because the file's too big.
Our other *dr-files are between only 40 an 600kb big. What's wrong?
How can I make sure, that the *.dr-file doesn't get so huge? Can I recreate the *.dr-file with a new full backup or do I first have to delete the old *.dr-file?

As always any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Ashutosh_Tamhan]

Hallo Zigi !
Well the DR files which are normally stored in the veritas program folder and at the alternate specified location are automatically updated by the respective full job.

Yes, you will have to manually update the IDR Diskettes using the IDR preparation wizard using the option "Update media"

Regards, Ashutosh NOTE : If we do not receive your reply within two business days, this post would be marked assumed answered and would be moved to answered questions pool.Message was edited by:
Ashutosh Tamhankar

[Elmar_Giner]

Thank you Ashutosh,

has anyone any idea to my questions above?

[tejashree_Bhate]

Hello,

You would require atleast 2 disketts to update the dr file .

Thanks.