Enterprise Vault database mirroring best practises

[goatboy]

Hi  

Running EV 9.0.2 and SQL 2008. We're looking to introduce a second SQL server and set up database mirroring between them for DR.

For internal reasons, we have to have separate instance names on the production and DR database servers.

I am looking to the best way to set this up.

Idea:

1. Use a SQL alias instead of the real database server name. e.g. instead of realservername\myinstance, use alias\myinstance

To achieve this, follow:

Changing the name of the SQL server used by Enterprise Vault.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH136318

Case 2 looks like the closest scenario, which points to doing all the steps here except step 1:

How to move the Enterprise Vault (EV) SQL databases from one SQL server to another.

http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH35744

2. On all the EV/CA/DA servers, use the 64bit version of cliconfg.exe and ODBC to point alias\myinstance to realservername\myinstance

3. In the event of DR, on all the EV/CA/DA servers, use the 64bit version of cliconfg.exe and ODBC to point alias\myinstance to realDRservername\myinstanceDR

Comments/criticisms/ideas welcome!

[Dave_Baird]

..from what I've read in the forums, this should work and does seem to be supported by Symantec. 

See this:  https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/moving-databases-new-sql-servers

I'll be following responses to this with interest..

Dave

[goatboy · Accepted solution]

I set this up and it worked fine. Here's the procedure and notes for interested parties:

1. Put all indexes and vaultstores in read only mode (for safety)

2. Stop all EV/CA/DA services on all app servers

3. On an EV server, open cliconfg.exe (for 64 bit systems, make sure you use C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cliconfg.exe)

4. Change the Server alias from xxxxxxx\xxxxxxxx to EVSQL\EVSQLINSTANCE (pick a suitable server\alias instance name)

5. Open regedit and navigate to HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\KVS\Enterprise Vault\Directory\DirectoryService

6. Change the SQL Server Name entry from xxxxxxx\xxxxxxxx to EVSQL\EVSQLINSTANCE

7. Repeat steps 3-6 on all EV servers

8. On the EV server in Step 3, start the Admin and Directory services only

9. In the EV VAC, go to VaultStore Groups. For each Vaultstore, do a properties, then click the database tab and change the SQL Server entry from xxxxxxx\xxxxxxxx to EVSQL\EVSQLINSTANCE. Confirm in the Properties of Enterprise Vault (at the top of the VAC) that database entry has been changed.

10. Wait a few minutes for replication

11. Start EV services on all EV/CA/DA and check that CA/DA clients connect OK, review Event Logs for errors, confirming retrieval, etc.

12. Take the indexes and vaultstores out of read only mode, confirm archiving works

Setting ODBC to use the alias name did not work. No big deal, in DR this will need to be manually changed to the DR mirrored server/instance real name. Also when in DR, need to change the cliconfg.exe server name (leaving the alias name alone)

Last point, as per http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH35744, seems that in DR you will have to manually change the MonitoringSettings value in the Directory database. I will test that shortly when we do a DR test.

[JesusWept3]

Just remember that when you do upgrades you will have to disable mirroring, because the upgrade attempts to put the databases in to Single User Mode, which you cannot do when mirroring is enabled

[goatboy]

Thanks, that is documented here: http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=TECH64763

BTW, the DR test (failover to the mirrored SQL server) worked fine.