Summary
Replicate Open Storage Server (OSS) backup data to an alternate OSS server by using Windows Distributed File System (DFS) Replication. DFS Replication involves setup outside DPX.
Symptoms
User wants to use Windows DFS Replication for DPX OSS data, and later be able to recover using the Alternate Secondary feature of DPX.
Resolution
Following is the procedure:
1. Set up a DFS Replication Group containing two Windows DPX OSS Servers, a primary and an alternate. The DFS Replication setup process is done outside DPX. For help with DFS Replication setup, see the following online articles from Microsoft:
• “DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication Overview” at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj127250.aspx
• “What's New in DFS Replication and DFS Namespaces in Windows Server” at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn281957.aspx
Note the following:
• The Primary OSS Server and the Alternate OSS Server need to be on the same domain.
• DFS Namespace and DFS Replication need to be added to the Primary OSS Server.
• DFS Replication needs to be added to the Alternate OSS Server.
• An example of a Configure.txt file is shown in the “Additional Information” section below.
2. Configure the Replication schedule. To do so, see the following online article from Microsoft:
• “Edit Replication Schedules and Bandwidth” at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732278.aspx
3. In DPX, run a block backup job or agentless backup job to the primary OSS Server. After the backup to the primary server competes, the backup instance is automatically replicated to the alternate OSS server by using Windows DFS Replication.
The timing of the replication task is controlled by a DFS-R schedule which the user can set. To configure the Replication schedule, see step 2, above.
4. When desired, run a restore job from the OSS alternate secondary. The procedures for restoring from an OSS alternate secondary are similar to those for a NetApp alternate secondary, and are documented in the DPX User's Guide.
• Agent-based: In the Block Restore window, change the secondary node reference by right-clicking a backup instance and selecting “Alternate Secondary Node”. For details, see “Instant Access Mapping to a NetApp Alternate Secondary” in “Chapter 11: Instant Access to Data” in the DPX User's Guide.
• Agentless: Use the VMware Restore Wizard and, in Step 3, navigate to the “Alternate Secondary” section on the “Select Source” page. For details, see “Restoring VMware” in “Chapter 15: Agentless VMware Backup to NetApp Storage” in the DPX User's Guide.
Note that at the time of restore, the recovery point on the alternate secondary must still exist in the DPX Catalog.