Stop restores from second appliance

[Stanleyj]

I currently have two 5200 appliances in our datacenter.  Backups run to appliance 1 first and then duplicated to appliance 2. 

Appliance 2 is set to be taken to our dr site in a few weeks. 

My issue is that i have noticed when I do a file restore sometimes it comes from appliance 1 and sometimes it comes from appliance 2.  When appliance 2 is taken offsite i dont want restores to come from it because it is going to be comming across the WAN.

Do i not have this scenario configured correctly and thats why appliance 2 is viewed as a valid media server for current restores?

[Mark_Solutions]

A restore will generally be done from the Primary copy

I guess you are using Storage Lifecycle Policies for the duplications so just check that you havent done something that sets the duplicated copy to be set as primary

That should be all that is needed but if this is not the case get back to us

[VirtualED]

It is possible that you have load balancing turned on via your storage server.  So the OST layer is selecting varying media servers to perform the restore operation.  If that is the case, the easiest way to limit which media server is used for restore is to temporarily uncheck the credentials for the other media servers prior to performing the restore operation.

The credential can be found on the Admin console:

Media and Device Management -> Credentials -> Storage Servers -> Open the properties of the Storage Server and uncheck all the other media servers you don't want used during the restore.

[Stanleyj]

Yes i am using SLP's but im not sure exactly how you would set one job as primary over another.  I see the job priority but that is set to 0 for all jobs. 

in my slp i have one backup and two duplications.  All three i guess you could say are left justified meaning none are indented.  Is that how you set the jobs primary status? the placement of the distination?

I also am now noticing since i moved the second appliance offsite that some of my tape backups are running very slow.The tape librarys are directly attached to my onsite appliance but when i look at the jobs it shows my second appliance as the media server.

Is the backup to tape actually comming from my second appliance also? 

[Mark_Solutions]

It certainly looks that way - you need to indent the last duplication (select it in the SLP and select the -> button to indent it to the right so that it duplicates from the first duplica copy.

Hope this helps

[Stanleyj]

Let me give some more information about the SLP just to make sure im clear on how to configure these.

My onsite appliance should be the primary backup.

My offiste appliance should be a duplication

My tape backup is a duplicatoin also

I want my tapes to be duplicated from the onsite appliance.  So should my slp be configured:

Backup is first and left justified

           Tape duplication is second and indented under the onsite appliance

DR duplication is third and left justifed

Would this work?

[Mark_Solutions]

What you have there looks OK apart from the possibility that it will do inline copies as both come from the primary copy.

Tp prevent this add a line to your LIFECYCLE_PARAMETERS file on the Master Server:

DISABLE_ITC_LOGIC 1

Take a look at this tech note which may help:

http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH156228

You were right about not being able to set the Primary copy - my brain was thinking about the Vault option so please take VirtualED's advice on that point

Hope this helps - sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this

[Stanleyj]

If i follow virtualED's advice then basically what im going to do is remove my second appliance as a valid media server.  Because i have two storage units I will set both of them to use my "onsite' appliance as the media server for both. 

This would explain why even though i remove duplications to the second appliance i still see it listed as a media server during duplications to tape. 

Thanks for the KB on the LIFECYCLE_PARAMETERS.  that did help explain its purpose and i will be implementing that here shorlty. 

[Mark_Solutions]

Keep us informed of how it goes and dont forget once satisfied to mark a comment as a solution if you feel it has sorted it out for you so that the thread is closed off

[Stanleyj]

Now my duplication jobs are failing because they are unable to find media server in EMM database.  So yes the changes i made do work by removing the media server but now how do i stop the duplications from still trying to use the wrong media server.

[Chad_Wansing2]

What you want to do is limit what media servers can use what storage pools in your storage unit configuration.  Also, remember that we only restore from a primary copy.  I would be careful with your SLP's and make sure that your primary copy is always local and the copy2/non-primary is at the remote site.

-Chad