XC Series Data Protection Management Console Administrator’s Guide Dell EMC Reference Architecture
Revisions Revisions Date Description November 2017 Initial release March 2018 Added set up instructions for Linux VM (section 8.7.2) The information in this publication is provided “as is.” Dell Inc. makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Revisions Table of contents 1 Solution Overview ........................................................................................................................................................6 2 Avamar and Data Domain reference architecture ........................................................................................................7 3 4 2.1 Solution architecture in ESXi ..............................................................................................................
Revisions 8.1 9 Manage Nutanix Clusters .................................................................................................................................81 8.1.1 Configure Notify and Auto-protect ..............................................................................................................82 8.1.2 Updating VM Backup Policies.....................................................................................................................83 8.
Solution Overview Dell EMC Configuration and Deployment Guide
1 Solution Overview The XC Series Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) is a cross domain application that aims to integrate Dell EMC XC appliances with Dell EMC data protection IP. A main driver of the program is the proliferation of Microsoft Hyper-V workloads and integration with Microsoft virtualization and public cloud offerings.
Avamar and Data Domain reference architecture 2 Avamar and Data Domain reference architecture DPMC offers data protection of VMs by integrating a few components, including: • • • • Avamar as a backup agent Data Domain Boost Integration for source-side deduplication of backup data Data Domain storage target DPMC, management console The solution also offers backups within multiple clusters and mixed clustered environments (Hyper-V and ESXi). 2.
2.2 Solution architecture in Hyper-V The diagram below illustrates the solution architecture for Hyper-V. Dell EMC XC Series Appliances (Hyper-V) 2.3 Solution component architecture DPMC The DPMC solution has multiple components that are managed by DPMC.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 3 Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central This section outlines the prerequisites, requirements and step-by-step instructions to deploy DPMC in a Nutanix cluster with an integrated Avamar VE. 3.1 Prerequisites For a successful deployment of DPMC, make sure the following prerequisites are met: • • • • • • 3.
3.3.1.3 Associate AVE with a Data Domain instance You must associate AVE with a Data Domain instance. NOTE: All backups initiated by DPMC are stored on the default Data Domain instance and not on the AVE. 3.3.2 System requirements To run the DPMC VM, the host system must meet the following minimum requirements: ESXi system requirements CPU 4 virtual CPUs Memory 16 GB Hard Disk 50 GB Network 1 network adapter Hyper-V system requirements 3.3.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 3. Right-click on the desired cluster and select Deploy OVF Template. 4. Select Local file and then click Browse.
5. Browse to the location of the virtual machine file and click Open. 6. Click Next.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 7. Review details and then click Next. 8. To accept the software license agreement, click Accept and then click Next.
9. Browse to the folder that will be used to assign management permissions to the DPMC VM and then click Next. 10. Select the storage location for the DPMC VM. WARNING: Do not select storage shared with Avamar VMs or proxies. Do not select any of the SATADOMs (on XCx30 appliances). 11. Click Next.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 12. Select the network that the DPMC VM will use and then click Next. 13. Enter the network information and then click Next. NOTE: Dell EMC recommends a static IP address for DPMC VM.
14. Check the Power on after deployment checkbox (optional). Review the information. If you need to make changes, click Back. If the information is correct, click Finish. The vSphere Web Client deploys the DPMC VM and displays progress in the bottom frame.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 15. In the left pane of vSphere Web Client, right-click on the DPMC VM and select Power On from the menu. 16. After a few seconds, the DPMC displays as Powered On in the Summary tab. You may need to click the Refresh button to see the power status sooner.
3.3.6 Deployment of DPMC Hyper-V Virtual Machine The process to deploy a Hyper-V DPMC Virtual Machine can be performed in Hyper-V Manager, or Virtual Machine Manager. The following sections demonstrate the deployment of a DPMC VM in Hyper-V Manager. 1. In Hyper-V Manager, on the left pane, select the host where the DPMC VM will be hosted. Right-click and select Import Virtual Machine. 2. Click Next.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 3. Click Browse to locate the DPMC VM package. 4. After the selected Folder is displayed, click Next.
5. Select the virtual machine and then click Next. 6. Select the import type and then click Next.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 7. Choose the destination for DPMC VM file on the appropriate Nutanix storage container and then click Next. WARNING: Do not select storage shared with Avamar VMs or proxies. Do not select any of the SATADOMs (on XCx30 appliances). You may need to create a new Nutanix storage container if there is not one available. 8. Choose the storage folder for the DPMC VM virtual hard disk and then click Next.
9. Review the summary. Click Previous to make any necessary changes. 10. To complete the DPMC VM import, click Finish. 11. From the Hyper-V Manager, select the DPMC VM and go to Settings.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 12. From the Virtual switch drop-down menu, select ExternalSwitch to connect the network adapter to an external switch. NOTE: You can enable a VLAN ID at this time if needed. 13. Click OK.
14. To turn on the DPMC VM, in the right pane, click Start. 15. To launch the console, right-click on the newly imported DPMC VM and select Connect.
Data Protection Management Console (DPMC) deployment and registration with Prism Central 16. In the DPMC VM console, open the configuration file for the first network interface, eth0. NOTE: For assistance with Hyper-V deployment requiring login to the DPMC filesystem, contact Dell EMC support. sudo vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 17. Edit the network configuration to set static IP address and other network information. 18.
19. Run the hostname command using your FQDN to update the host name. 20.
Linking DPMC with Prism Central 4 Linking DPMC with Prism Central DPMC works seamlessly with Prism Central and supports all ESXi and Hyper-V clusters registered with Prism Central (AHV is not supported). You can connect Prism Central after DPMC is powered on. 4.1 Powering on and launching DPMC web interface To power on and launch the DPMC web interface: 1. Launch the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client, and then log into the vCenter Server. In Hyper-V, launch the Hyper-V manager. 2. Locate the DPMC VM.
NOTE: This step associates DPMC with Prism Central for the life of the DPMC instance, which cannot be changed. 3. After DPMC is successfully connected to Prism Central, the DPMC home page is displayed.
Linking DPMC with Prism Central NOTE: The home page displays No data available because no association to Avamar has been completed for the Avamar Server.
5 Association of Avamar with DPMC Virtual Machine To associate an Avamar Virtual Edition (AVE) instance with DPMC, you need a web browser to connect to the DPMC web interface. The blank frames, displayed above, are intended to be populated with the AVE and Data Domain information. To allow DPMC to populate these frames, deploy AVE and associate it with DPMC. 1. From the Settings (gear tool) drop-down menu, select Associate with Deployed Avamar VE.
Association of Avamar with DPMC Virtual Machine The following table specifies the information provided on the DPMC Home page with AVE and Data Domain information: DPMC home page with AVE and Data Domain information Widget Information Provided Avamar Server Summary Avamar Health Avamar Host Name Avamar Version Last Validated Checkpoint License Expiration Data Domain Server Summary Data Domain Host Name Data Domain Health Data Domain OS Version Data Domain System Name Monitoring Status Avamar Metadata Storage
6 DPMC web interface menu overview The following sections describe the user interface. 6.1 Home page The home page is the main dashboard providing an overall summary of important information in the form of widgets and menu items. The home page is the default page that is displayed after logging into the system. The home page is always accessible from other pages by clicking on the Dell EMC logo on the management toolbar. 6.
DPMC web interface menu overview 6.3 Home page menu items The home page also has a drop-down menu of items available. The home page menu items are always available from the top of all pages. Home page menu items Menu item Description Home Links to Home page and additional options Alerts Links to additional menu of system alerts Help Links to Help menu items Settings (gear tool) Links to Setting options Admin Links to administrative submenu items Home page menu items 6.3.
6.3.1.2 VM submenu The VM submenu item links you to the page where you can view and interact with the VMs that are managed by the application. It contains a sortable table of VMs and other menu items. The following table is a list of items for the VMs. The VM table is sortable and filtered by one or all of the following: VM submenu items Sortable item Description VM Name Displays the VMs that are in XC cluster and managed by Prism Central.
DPMC web interface menu overview By using the Select Filter drop-down, you can select a filter to sort the VMs by Cluster Name and Backup protection. Select Filter 6.3.1.3 Cluster submenu The cluster submenu is a drop-down item in the management toolbar where you can view and interact with the XC clusters that are registered to Prism Central and managed by DPMC.
XC Series Cluster page NOTE: You can search the cluster table for any text from the Search the Table field. The Cluster page provides the option of configuring the action to perform when a new VM is detected on the cluster. You can choose from the following options: Item Description NONE No automated action is taken by DPMC. Manual configuration and protection may still be configured.
DPMC web interface menu overview 6.3.1.4 Alerts submenu The Alerts submenu item is where you can view and interact with alerts displayed by the application. The Alerts page contains a sortable table, which may be filtered by one or all of the following: Alerts submenu items Item Description Severity (Info, Warning, Critical) Severity level. Issue Short description of the reason for the alert. Time Stamp Date/time the alert was generated.
Select filter on Alerts page When alert(s) are selected in the alerts table, you have the option to Acknowledge or Resolve the selected alerts. Alert Description Acknowledge Updates the acknowledge status of the alert with the date/time and user who performed the action Resolve Updates the resolve status of the alert with the date/time and User who performed the action. You also have an option to perform the same action on all alerts or clear the selection.
DPMC web interface menu overview The second tab on this page is for events. The Event page contains a sortable table that you can filter by one or all of the following: Event page items Item Description Message Description of the event Modified by Entity that generated the event Acknowledged Acknowledgment status Time Stamped Time the event occurred Event page You can manage the events from this page (review, acknowledge and other activities).
6.3.2 Settings (gear tool) menu The Settings (gear tool) menu contains the following submenu options: Settings (gear tool) menu items Menu item Description Associate with Deployed Avamar VE This option only appears when DPMC has not been associated with an Avamar VE. Manage XC Series Clusters Monitors status and default Avamar Retention policy for each Nutanix cluster. Avamar Registration Update Avamar IP address or credentials. Backup schedule The VM backup schedule.
DPMC web interface menu overview After the association and validation is complete, the menu item to associate an existing AVE with DPMC will no longer display in the Settings (gear tool) drop-down menu. 6.3.2.2 Manage XC Series Clusters This menu item selects the monitoring status and default Avamar Retention policy for each Nutanix cluster. You can select no monitoring, notification of new unprotected VMs only or notification and auto-protection of new VMs. On this setup page, you can manage the cluster.
6.3.2.3 Avamar registration This submenu item allows you to configure the Avamar instance being managed, update the IP address or change the credentials if needed. NOTE: Updating the Avamar Registration does not update any settings on the Avamar server itself. This is to update DPMC with the correct information in the case where you have reconfigured one or more of the settings on Avamar. Avamar Registration After the Avamar registration is selected, a pop-up window is displayed.
DPMC web interface menu overview HOSTNAME 6.3.2.4 Backup schedule This menu item configures the frequency of Avamar scheduled backups for DPMC managed VMs. You can change the default as needed. Backup Schedule DPMC automatically defines a single backup schedule. The name of the Avamar backup schedule group is XC-Series-DPMC-Schedule. The default configuration for the backup schedule is to run daily backups at 10:00PM in the Avamar server’s time zone. DPMC expects less network traffic at 10PM.
Update Backup Schedule 6.3.2.5 Retention Policies This menu item provides you the ability to create new retention policies. DPMC creates the following default Avamar retention policies: • • • XC-Series-Gold (90 days) XC-Series-Silver (60 days) XC-Series-Bronze (30 days) Retention Policies After you select the Retention Policy button, a page is displayed that allows you to create a new retention policy.
DPMC web interface menu overview Add new retention To create a new retention policy, click + New Retention. After the new retention policy window opens you can provide a name for the new policy and configure the retention of the backups using one of the basic options or the advanced settings.
Create basic Retention Policy For an advanced retention policy, you may define the retention period in days, weeks, months or years for one or more of the following: • • • • 46 Dailies Weeklies Monthlies Yearlies XC Series Data Protection Management Console Administrator’s Guide | A02
DPMC web interface menu overview 6.3.2.6 On-demand Backup On-Demand backup lets you initiate a one-time backup of one or more VMs managed by DPMC including VMs across multiple clusters.
On-Demand Backup from Setting (gear tool) You can select multiple VMs or a particular VM to backup. After the on-demand backup is requested, DPMC immediately initiates the backup action on the VM requested. On-Demand Backup After you select the VM(s) that you want backed up, select Backup. Click OK to confirm or cancel to go back and review. On-demand backup confirmation window A popup window is displayed momentarily informing you that the backup job was initiated successfully.
DPMC web interface menu overview 6.3.2.7 Deploy Avamar vSphere Proxies (ESXi only) This menu item is always displayed but only applies to ESXi clusters. This menu item deploys Avamar vSphere proxies according to the Avamar Server recommendation. Proxy VMs facilitate backup activities for Avamar on ESXi clusters and are required for backing up VMs.
Launch Avamar Administrator If you want to launch the administrator from DPMC, DPMC launches a java application, which downloads the application. Avamar Administrator Java Application download The DPMC runs the administrator application, which will start the Avamar Management Console Client. After the application launches successfully, a window opens requesting the Avamar IP address and credentials.
DPMC web interface menu overview Login – Avamar Administrator After you enter the proper credentials, the Avamar Administrator Console is displayed. Avamar Administrator Console 6.3.2.9 Support Bundle This menu item provides you a way to collect logs easily from DPMC. The Support Bundle is a unified compressed support bundle or diagnostic file that is downloaded to the download folder. It includes configuration information, licensing and log files for DPMC and the Avamar server. To download the file: 1.
2. A popup is displayed requesting confirmation. Click OK. 3. After the file is generated, DPMC displays the log file downloaded in the left corner. The file is also available in the Downloads folder of the management node. 4. DPMC and Avamar logs are downloaded to the browser in a single zip archive.
DPMC web interface menu overview NOTE: Keep the DPMC Web Console open until the bundle has downloaded completely. Otherwise, the system cancels the operation. 6.3.2.10 UI Settings UI settings set the security policy of the DPMC web session. UI Settings The UI Settings allow you to change the session timeout as needed.
Session Timeout 6.3.2.11 Upgrade Software This item provides you the current build version and an easy way to upgrade the DPMC software if needed. Upgrade Software If you select the upgrade menu item, DPMC displays the current version and provides an upgrade choice.
DPMC web interface menu overview Version and upgrade choice 55 XC Series Data Protection Management Console Administrator’s Guide
Upgrade If DPMC is running the latest version, it displays a message that there is not an available version for upgrade. You can download the upgraded version of DPMC from the internet, if necessary. 6.3.3 Admin menu The home page has a drop-down Admin menu item that contains the following: • About Dell EMC • Sign Out Admin drop-down menu 6.3.3.1 About Dell EMC This menu item provides information about DPMC.
DPMC web interface menu overview About Dell EMC About Dell EMC 6.3.3.2 Sign out This menu item lets you sign out of the system. Sign Out After signing out you are returned to the DPMC login page.
DPMC login page 58 XC Series Data Protection Management Console Administrator’s Guide | A02
Initial Configuration 7 Initial Configuration After an Avamar instance is associated with DPMC, you need to deploy the proxy VM (for ESXi) or configure Avamar clients for Hyper-V. 7.1 vSphere Proxies for ESXi Avamar reduces the backup workload movement across clusters; therefore, the Avamar agent needs to be installed on the cluster that you want to back up. This is accomplished by deploying an Avamar Proxy. The proxy VM works with VMware infrastructure and is required for ESXi cluster backups/restores.
3. After you provide the change rate and backup window time, DPMC queries the cluster structure. This operation may take a few minutes because DPMC needs to retrieve all the cluster information from Avamar. After the proxy deployment recommendation is generated, DPMC creates the proxy based on the input provided. 4. Configure the Proxy VM by clicking the edit button.
Initial Configuration NOTE: If the recommendation determines that no additional proxy VM(s) are required, indicating they have already been previously deployed through DPMC or Avamar Administrator, you will see the message below. 5. Click Finish to exit the proxy deployment wizard. 6. Validate the Proxy VM configuration.
7. DPMC attempts to validate forward and reverse DNS name resolution. If successful, the system prompts you to deploy the proxy VM. 8. Submit the Proxy VM for creation after validation. 9. Status of Proxy VM creation is displayed.
Initial Configuration 10. Check the vCenter for the proxy VM deployment status. 7.1.1 DPMC behavior if no proxy is created after adding a new cluster A pop-up window is displayed every 30 seconds when DPMC detects that a new ESXi cluster has been registered to Prism Central, prompting you to complete a proxy deployment recommendation. After you have completed the steps for creating and deploying the proxy VM(s), the prompt disappears.
Deploy Avamar vSphere Proxies 7.2 Avamar client configuration in Hyper-V DPMC can install and configure the EMC Avamar Client and the EMC Avamar Backup Hyper-V VSS Plugin to an iSCSI target using Acropolis Block Services on each Windows host that exists on a cluster. This option becomes available once a Hyper-V cluster is discovered by DPMC or during initial setup. NOTE: If multiple Hyper-V clusters are discovered by DPMC at the same time, you need to perform all steps in this section for each cluster.
Initial Configuration 2. In the upper right corner of the page click on the Settings (gear tool) and select Cluster Details. 3. 65 Enter the iSCSI Data Services IP address in the field and select Save.
7.2.2 Step 1: Configure Avamar Clients DPMC performs a series of tasks to install the necessary applications correctly on all Windows hosts. NOTE: Before you follow the steps to configure the Avamar clients, you must complete the steps for Setting iSCSI Data Services IP address. 1. Log in the DPMC by entering the Prism Central login information. 2. To start step 1 of Hyper-V Cluster Setup, click on Settings (gear tool) in the upper right corner of the page and then select Configure Avamar Client.
Initial Configuration 3. Enter the local administrator credentials to initiate the client configuration on each host. NOTE: This step may take some time, depending on the number of nodes in the cluster. Do not navigate away from the page during this time. A series of automated steps are executed and completed by DPMC automatically. In the event of a failure, identify the step on which the error occurred and then manually fix it by checking the following progression.
4. A new Storage Container is created on the cluster with the name AVEContainer. To find it, go to the cluster’s Prism Web Console. 5. Navigate to the Storage page, then click Table, and then Storage Container. Volume group is created 6. A Volume Groups with a 10GB disk is created for each Windows host. To find it, go to the cluster’s Prism Web Client. 7. Navigate to Storage page, then click on Table, and then Volume Group. 8.
Initial Configuration 9. Connect Volume Group to the iSCSI Target by going to the Remote Desktop, then to the Windows Host and then open the iSCSI Initiator. 10. The new disk is then initialized and formatted with an NTFS partition as depicted in image below.
A new disk is initialized and formatted 11. The name of the disk is AVE-CLIENT-LOGS and is assigned a drive letter. To find it, open Disk Management and locate the last disk.
Initial Configuration Avamar Client and the Avamar Hyper-V VSS Plugin are installed. 12. On each host, the Avamar Client and the Avamar Hyper-V VSS Plugin are installed on the AVE-CLIENTLOGS disk. avhypervvss.
The avhypervvss.cmd configuration file is created in \Program Files\avs\var 13. Once the configuration has completed, the first step is displayed as completed in the Settings (gear tool) prompt. Proceed to Running Windows Cluster Configuration wizard before attempting step 2. 7.2.3 Running Windows Cluster Configuration wizard Once the Configure Avamar Clients process is successfully completed, the next process is to run Windows Cluster Configuration wizard. 1.
Initial Configuration 2. The first page displays all the Windows hosts that are part of the Windows Failover Cluster. Confirm that the information is correct and then click Next. 3. On the Plug-ins page, select Hyper-V VSS and then click Next.
4. Confirm that the correct Cluster Nodes are displayed and that they all have the Avamar Windows Client and the Hyper-V VSS Plug-In installed. Click Next. 5. On the Operations page, select Configure a new (federated) cluster client over SMB/CSV for all nodes. For Storage Type, select SMB. Click Next.
Initial Configuration 6. On the Prerequisites page, select IPv4 as your IP version and then click Next. 7. Before proceeding with the Cluster Client Settings section, make sure that you have an available IP address for the new Avamar cluster client VM. If no errors appear, click Next. NOTE: The cluster client name must be under 15 characters long. Dell EMC recommends that the name does not contain any special characters. Hyphens are used in the name in this example but should be avoided.
8. Under the Server Settings section, provide your Avamar server information. Use a server Name and provide an FQDN. Keep the Avamar client domain for the cluster client at the default value (/clients). If no errors appear, click Next. 9. On the Client Settings page, you are prompted for paths to two directories: var directory SYSDIR directory Provide the path to the AVEContainer. The location of the container should be: \\\AVEContainer The recommended path to use is: 76 XC Series Data Prot
Initial Configuration \\\AVEContainer\var \\\AVEContainer\etc NOTE: Notate the location of the Cluster client’s var directory because it will be used later for the final Complete Avamar Configuration step in the DPMC Web Console. 10. The final Summary page lists information that the Wizard uses to set up the Federated cluster. Confirm that the information is correct and then click Configure. 11. After the Federated Cluster is successfully created, the follow page is displayed.
NOTE: If the wizard was unsuccessful, make sure the cluster client name does not contain any special characters. 7.2.4 Step 2: Complete Avamar Configuration This is the final step in the configuration process which sets up the Avamar federated cluster. 1. Log into the DPMC by entering the Prism Central login information. 2. Click on Settings (gear tool) in the upper right corner of the page and select Complete Avamar Configuration. 3.
Initial Configuration 5. Confirm that the information is correct and then click Finish. 6. Execution above concludes Step 2. In the event of a failure at any point during the process. You can finish or fix the configuration manually by completing the following steps: a. b. c. d. e. 79 Remote Desktop onto any of the Windows Host. Navigate to the Cluster client’s var directory path. In that directory, locate the avhypervvss.cmd file. Right-click on the file and click Edit.
7. Save and exit the file. NOTE: If the configuration is completed manually, the DPMC Web Console will continue to prompt you to complete the Avamar configuration. Contact Dell.com/support for assistance.
Runtime backup management 8 Runtime backup management DPMC provides many options for runtime backup management. You can use the drop-down menu from the Settings (gear tool) to access and manage the backup activity during runtime. A list of helpful options available during runtime include: • • • • • • • Manage Nutanix Cluster Avamar Registration Backup Schedule Retention Policies On-Demand Backup Deploy Avamar vSphere Proxies (ESXi only) Launch Avamar Administrator Runtime backup management 8.
8.1.1 Configure Notify and Auto-protect The following procedure outlines the steps to configure automatic protection of VMs on a cluster through DPMC. 1. From DPMC, navigate to Home>Cluster. 2. In the upper-right corner of the page, click + Manage Clusters. 3. Select NOTIFY AND AUTO-PROTECT and the RETENTION POLICY for the cluster that you want to enable VM backups for and then click Save.
Runtime backup management You will now receive the following alerts when new VMs are created and DPMC protects them automatically Checking the VM table shows the new VM has been automatically added to the XC-Series-DPMC-Group with the default retention policy of the cluster, XC-Series-Gold in this case. NOTE: It may take up to 5 minutes before group and retention policy information populates the VM table. 8.1.
2. To enable scheduled backups for a VM check (or un-check if you want to discontinue scheduled backups) the box for Avamar Scheduled Backup and optionally select a Retention Policy if you would like a policy different from the cluster’s default value. NOTE: For Hyper-V clusters, you cannot select a retention policy for an individual VM. This must be configured at the cluster level.
Runtime backup management 8.2 Avamar Registration (runtime management) This menu item is used to update credentials used by DPMC to connect to Avamar. This option is described in detail in the Avamar Registration section. 8.3 Updating the Backup Schedule To change the automated backup schedule, from the Settings (gear tool) menu, click Backup Schedule.
The Update Backup Schedule window is displayed and lets you adjust the day of the week and the time of day that scheduled backups occur. 8.4 Managing Retention Policies 1. To create or edit retention policies, choose Retention Policies from the Settings (gear tool) menu.
Runtime backup management 2. The Retention Policy control is displayed. To create a new retention policy, click + New Retention. 3. The Create Retention Policy controls page is displayed. Type a Name for your new policy and set the Retention Period or set an End date or choose No end date to set the time for which your VM backups will be stored. Click Save after making desired entries.
4. If more retention options are desired, click the Advanced Settings button. 5. The Advanced Settings option is displayed. This provides options for setting retention periods for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly backups. Click Save after making changes. NOTE: To return to the basic settings, click Advanced Settings again.
Runtime backup management 8.5 Launch Avamar Administrator This option is described in detail in the Launch Avamar Administrator section. 8.6 On-Demand VM Backup The following procedure outlines the steps to perform an on-demand backup through DPMC. 1. Navigate to Home>VM. 2. Click on the + On-Demand Backup button in the upper right corner of VM page. 3. Select the VM that you want to backup and then click the Backup button.
4. Click OK to start the backup. 5. Backups are tracked in the Activity window of the Avamar Administrator panel. An example of successful backups is shown below.
Runtime backup management 8.7 Hyper-V Cluster – Protection of VM For Windows Server 2012 solution, Microsoft uses a failover cluster concept where the VM and the failover VM can exist in different nodes for business continuity. Failover clusters provide high availability and scalability to server workload. The DPMC solution offers protection only for VMs in the failover cluster. 8.7.
3. Click on the Linux Virtual Machines, right click the VM and select Settings. 4. In Settings, select the Management and then the Integration Service. 5. Uncheck the checkpoint.
Log location 9 Log location Logs may be easily obtained using the Support Bundle feature in the Settings (gear tool) menu but may also be collected manually in some situations. 9.1 Log Files The following is a list of log file locations. Log file Location DPMC Deployment Log /root/dell/pt/logs/deploymentlog.out DPMC Runtime Log /root/dell/pt/logs/log.out DPMC Rollover Archives /root/dell/pt/logs/log-1.out.zip /root/dell/pt/logs/log-2.out.zip /root/dell/pt/logs/log-3.out.
10 Best Practices in DPMC deployment, Association and runtime Use the following best practices for DPMC. • • • • • • • 94 Use a Static IP Forward and reverse DNS lookup defined Do not install VMs on SATADOM Have a separate dedicated Datastore for Avamar Have one Avamar instance (DPMC is basically deploying) Verify ESX and vCenter certificates Use properly registered certificates from a trusted provider that match DNS names for ESX and vCenter.
Adding New XC Series Clusters to DPMC 11 Adding New XC Series Clusters to DPMC DPMC can monitor all ESXi and Hyper-V clusters registered to the Prism Central. Registering a new cluster with Prism Central does not require deploying an additional DPMC or Avamar server, but some workflows will be triggered on DPMC to properly configure the new cluster. 11.
11.2 Hyper-V Cluster Add When a new Hyper-V cluster is added to Prism Central, DPMC prompts you to configure Avamar clients as outlined in the Avamar client configuration on Hyper-V section. Configure Avamar Clients If Avamar clients already exist for the Hyper-V hosts, the first step is marked complete automatically and you are taken to the second step. For further assistance with client configuration, contact Dell EMC support.
Health monitoring 12 Health monitoring The following sections describe health monitoring in DPMC. 12.1 Heartbeat status DPMC constantly monitors Prism Central, Avamar and Data Domain heartbeats; it displays an alert if the heartbeat is missing for any one of these components. 12.1.1 Avamar heartbeat DPMC constantly monitors the Avamar Heartbeat. If the heartbeat check fails, DPMC attempts to reconnect every 5 minutes to ensure the connection can be established.
After 30 minutes, if the heartbeat check has failed for all retries, DPMC sends an additional notification every 30 minutes that the Data Domain is disconnected. 12.1.3 Prism Central Heartbeat DPMC constantly monitors the Prism Central Heartbeat and notifies you if the application can no longer communicate with the Prism Central instance. If the heartbeat check fails, DPMC tries reconnecting, every minute for 5 minutes, to ensure the connection can be established.
Health monitoring 12.1.5 DPMC Idle status DPMC monitors the backup activity and updates the home page accordingly. However, if the DPMC does not perform any backup activity for 72 hours, it may show the Avamar Server Summary as a gray color (Health summary). DPMC constantly monitors Avamar heartbeat and backup count. One of the conditions is if there are no successful backups within 72 hours, DPMC assigns an UNKNOWN status to Avamar Server Summary.
12.3.1 Avamar metadata storage utilization DPMC provides a graphical representation from the Utilization metric gathered from Avamar. It provides a green/yellow/red status and notifications when necessary.
Health monitoring Color Utilization status percentage Red 90% or more Yellow Less than 90% and greater than or equal to 80% Green Less than 80% Gray Unknown percentage The Utilization health status circle is displayed next to the Utilization metric in the Data Domain Storage box.
13 Restoring a VM In the current DPMC release, DPMC does not offer menu items for restoring VMs. However, you can restore VMs from the Avamar management console. In order to restore VMs, launch the Avamar administrator and perform the restore operation. To launch the Avamar administrator, see the Launch Avamar Administrator section. 13.1 Example of VM Restore Avamar Backup & Restore has many options. You can go through the detail of the restore process and apply as needed.
Restoring a VM 3. The page provides a list of VMs that are being backed up and available for restore. 4. After a VM and a backup date is selected, an available image is displayed on the right side.
5. After the available image is selected, you are given the option to restore all virtual disks. 6. Right-click on the storage location to display the on-demand restore menu.
Restoring a VM The following options are displayed after clicking Restore Now: • • • 105 Restore to original virtual machine Restore to a different (existing) virtual machine Restore to a new virtual machine XC Series Data Protection Management Console Administrator’s Guide
You can also configure destinations for restore if needed.
Technical support and resources A Technical support and resources Dell.com/support is focused on meeting customer needs with proven services and support. Dell TechCenter is an online technical community where IT professionals have access to numerous resources for Dell EMC software, hardware and services. Storage Solutions Technical Documents on the Dell TechCenter provide expertise that helps to ensure customer success on Dell EMC Storage platforms.
