information related to AIR

[ankur1809]

I need some information related to AIR(auto image replication)

In my environment, we have SLP configured @originating server(backup job, a replication job) and on target server(Import job) with same name of SLP. I wanted to confirm process flow how it would be?
1. Backup  - Originating
2. Replication-originating
3. Import - Target

After this AIR is completed successfully i.e. now we have backup image on two locations. 
1.Can we restore directly to clients from target image as well?
2.I know only one command to check status of these jobs: nbstlutil stlilist -u

Is there a procedure defined that target must be disk only? target server where import job will be running should have disk storage attached?(Is it restricted?)

I see a scenario where on originating server we see backup job and a duplication job. Is that related to SLP as well.

Last but not least what is relation of MSDP with AIR? is AIR bound to MSDP only?

[Andrew_Madsen]

To answer the questions in order:

1. Once the image has been imported into the target master server's catalog you can indeed restore from it. You will also see the different versions that have been sent before to the target.
2. The nbstlutil stlilist -U will give you a granular list of the actual images that still need to be duplicated / replicated. If you just want a summary then nbstlutil report will list a summation of the SLP's that need to complete, the amount of images for those policies, and the size in MB left to process.
3. The Admin guide States that the only two types of storage are MSDP and supported OpenStorage disk appliance. Therefore it is disk to disk only. http://www.symantec.com/business/support/index?page=content&id=DOC6452 look at page 976.
4. In the answer to number 3 you can see there is the option to use an OpenStorage appliance I believe that DataDomain now falls into that category.

[ankur1809]

ok so i have got to know in my environment i do have disk appliance configured as storage at target. this is now clear to me MSDP,disk appliance,data domain can be configured in AIR.

Please make me clear about jobs initiated as well in the process of AIR: Is it backup,replication and Import only? "You will also see the different versions that have been sent before to the target" What does this mean?

One more info: Is duplication also related to AIR? what if in SLP , Backup and Duplication job is configured?

I think AIR and duplication are two different things. AIR means replicating to another target storage attached to another master server to be restored from target master server as well and duplication means duplicating to attached storage media i.e. tape library.Can be sent to offsite for disaster recovery. Kindly elaborate.

[Andrew_Madsen · Accepted solution]

The different versions question:

Since backups run more than once and are kept for more than a day you get versions of backups; files are changed, new files are added, and files are deleted. these are the versions I was talking about. If you do daily backups and you replicate them daily if you were to look on the target location you would see backups from every day until you hit the expiration date.

AIR processes:

First AIR means Automated Image Replication. So this applies to replication only (master to master) however the same optimized duplication forces are used in duplication MSDP to MSDP or MSDP to PDDO or other OpenStorage appliances. However, duplication covers a whole lot more than disk to disk as you surmised.

The SLP processes that are directly related to AIR are replication and import. However, you can have more processes in an SLP that includes one of the above. In fact you can make a cascading replication SLP. AN example is an SLP that backs up a client in location A, replicates to location B, imports in location B, and then replicates to location C.

At my previous employment we had SLPs that would backup to an MSDP, Duplicate to a PDDO, then replicate from the PDDO to another PDDO in a different data center.

So if you want to build an SLP that replicates from your primary data center to your DR data center and then spins that to tape for long term retention. You would do it this way:

SLP Primary site:

Backup > replicate to Secondary site

SLP Secondary Site:

Import > Duplicate to tape

[ankur1809]

If for eg I have a master server A on which in a SLP I have defined two jobs I.e. 1.Backup to appliance 2. Duplication to tape library. What this scenario would be? Is it a part of AIR?

[Andrew_Madsen]

No it would not be a part of AIR. It will only be a part of AIR if there is a replication step involved.

[ankur1809]

Ok, so it is a normal process of duplicating critical data,keeping a copy on tapes and then they are sent to offsite.Is this the perfect example of duplication process?

[ankur1809]

Andrew,I have read few docs related to AIR. As per my understanding : In SLP a backup job is configured and a replication job(mandatory) at source level. Same name SLP is configured on target Level as well Once replication job is completed import job starts at target level Please correct me if I am wrong at any point.

[Andrew_Madsen]

Your description two post ago is a classic example of duplication. From your most resent post that is exactly what we have been discussing for replication.

[ankur1809]

Moreover,if it would be one to many scenario then After completion of backup only one replication job will be initiated on source and considering completion of replication job import process will start at target level. If there would be a single replication job for all targets or would it be different for each targets?

[Andrew_Madsen]

With 7.6 there was introduced the target master server option. Until then if you wanted to replicate the image was replicated to all master servers that the source had credentials for. Now you can fine tune where you want jobs to go to. you may have two DR centers and only want your replication for a single client to go to DR A and the rest to go to DR B. you would have two SLP where the first client would backup to an MSDP and then replicate to DR A. The Second SLP would have the rest of the clients backup to the same MSDP and replicate to DR B.

If you wanted all images at all of your DR sites then a single SLP would suffice. Remember though SLPs can have retention periods of their own so that can drive managing different SLP as well.

[ankur1809]

Andrew, i am thankful to you that you make me this concept understood very well.