CommServe® Server Overview

The CommServe^® server is the central management system within a CommCell^® environment. All activity is coordinated and managed by the CommServe server. The CommServe system runs on a Windows^® platform and maintains a Microsoft^® SQL metadata database. This database contains all configuration information. It is important to note that Commvault^® software does not use a centralized catalog system like most other backup products. This means the metadata database on the CommServe server is considerably smaller than databases that contain catalog data.

Based on the size of an environment, the CommServe server must be scaled appropriately. For current scalability guidelines, refer to the Commvault Online Documentation section, 'Hardware Specifications for the CommServe.'

Key points regarding the CommServe server:

• For CommServe server high availability the following options are available:
  • The CommServe server can be clustered – This is recommended for larger environments where high availability is critical.
  • The CommServe server can be virtualized – This is suitable for small to mid-size environments.
• It is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that the CommServe database is properly protected. By default, every day at 10 AM, a CommServe DR backup job is conducted. This operation can be completely customized and set to run multiple times a day if required.
• All activity is conducted through the CommServe server. Therefore, it is important that communication between the CommServe server and all CommCell^® components is maintained.

CommServe^® server roles and tasks

CommServe^® Server Performance Requirements

CommServe^® server performance is essential for a well performing data protection environment. Although data is moved from client to MediaAgent or MediaAgent to MediaAgent; communication and job checkpoints are constantly occurring between CommCell^® components and the CommServe server. The CommServe server also serves other functions such as reporting, and the user experience may be impacted during peak periods of data protection operations.

CommServe Server Communication Services

During data protection jobs, the CommServe JobMgr process initiates job operations. The CVD process, which exists on all CommCell components, provides communication with all resources. As each chunk of a job completes, it must be registered in the CommServe database before the next chunk begins.

During auxiliary copy jobs, the JobMgr initiates the job and spawns the CVODS process on the CommServe server. This process is responsible for sending chunk information to the source MediaAgent and recording chunk updates from the destination MediaAgent. In Commvault V11, a good portion of this workload is distributed to on demand services on MediaAgents to assist in the workload. This offload is enabled using the 'use scalable resource allocation' setting in the auxiliary copy configuration.

During data protection and auxiliary copy jobs, the CommServe server has a substantial responsibility. Consider this when planning the resources for the CommServe server, especially in larger environments where hundreds of jobs will be running in parallel.

CommServe^® Server Processes

Log files provide the processing details of operations and are used to analyze and diagnose issues that occur in a CommCell^® environment. Having a greater knowledge of the CommServe server processes, log files, and how Commvault^® software works will help to assist when troubleshooting issues.

Primary CommServe server processes

CommServe^® Server Log Files

AppMgrSvc (AppMgrService.log)

AppMgrSvc provides access to client configuration information including applications installed on the client.

ArchPrune (DataAging.log)

The ArchPrune.exe process is initiated during data aging operations to clear out data that has exceeded retention. Job information for aged jobs is sent to the MediaAgent for pruning operations.

CVODS (AuxCopyMgr.log)

The CVODS process is responsible for communicating with the AuxCopy process on source and destination MediaAgents to control auxiliary copy operations. It controls auxiliary copy jobs and sends information on what chunk data is required to be copied.

CommServeDR (CommserveDR.log)

The CommServeDR process is responsible for coordinating all phases of the CommServe DR backup process.

CopyToCache (CopyToCache.log)

The CopyToCache process is responsible for copying updates to secondary cache locations, or when using the 'Tape to Tape' copy option in the CommCell^® console.

DistributeUpdates (DistributeSoftware.log)

The DistributeUpdates process is responsible for pushing updates to client servers. It also coordinates activity on the client using the InstallUpdates and RemoveUpdates processes.

DownloadUpdates (DownloadSoftware.log)

The DownloadUpdates process is responsible for downloading service packs and packages from the central FTP location to the primary update cache location.

EvMgrS (EvMgrS.log)

The EvMgrS is responsible for receiving messages from the EvMgrC and feeding information to the CommCell console.

IndexingService (StartRestore.log StartSynthFull.log)

The IndexingService on the CommServe server is responsible for coordinating Restore and synthetic full operations.

JobMgr (JobManager.log)

The JobMgr.exe process is responsible for initiating and controlling jobs, and communication with storage resources. It acts as the primary coordinator for all data movement operations and the JobManager.log is typically the first log to view when troubleshooting data movement problems. All starting and stopping of processes during a data movement operation are logged in the JobManager.log.

JobMgr process example: Auxiliary Copy Job
The JobMgr initiates the auxiliary copy job by communicating with the source MediaAgent to reserve storage resources for the source job. It then communicates with the destination MediaAgent to reserve destination storage resources. It subsequently communicates with the CVODS process to generate required data for the auxiliary copy job. Once the auxiliary copy job has completed the JobMgr.exe reports the job as complete.