Commvault

DR Backup - Commvault Command Center™

Owned by Carl Brault (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Nov 30, 2021 by tdopko@commvault.com (Unlicensed)
5 min read

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By default, every day at 10:00 AM, the CommServe DR backup process is executed. This process first exports the CommServe SQL database to a local folder path. An export process then copies the folder's content to a user-defined drive letter or UNC path. A backup phase subsequently backs up the DR Metadata to the first defined storage target. If a secondary tape target is configured, a copy of the DR Metadata is sent offsite to a secondary location. Schedules and export location are customizable in the DR Backup applet in the Maintenance section of the Commvault Command Center™.

Additionally, a copy of the DR backup can be uploaded to Commvault® Cloud Services, which guarantees that an offline copy exists and is accessible during recovery if a disaster was to occur.

CommServe® DR backup process overview





Database Staging Export

During the staging export phase, the system stores the export files in the following location:

  • V11 upgraded environment:

<install path>\CommVault\Simpana\CommServeDR

  • V11 New Installation:

<install path>\CommVault\Content Store\CommServeDR

Export

The Export process copies the content of the \CommServeDR folder to the user defined export location. A drive letter or UNC path can be defined. The export location should NOT be on the local CommServe server. If a standby CommServe server is available, define the export location to a share on the standby server.


By default, five metadata backups are retained in the export location. It is recommended to have enough disk space to maintain one weeks' worth of DR exports and adjust the number of exports to the DR backup schedule frequency.




Configure and Run DR Backups

DR backups are automatically configured and scheduled upon software installation. The default settings and schedule can be edited to fit your needs, and manual DR backups can be executed on demand if needed.




To access CommServe DR settings

1 - Expand Manage | System.

2 - Click Maintenance.



3 - Click DR backup (Daily) to access the DR backup settings.

4 - Click the gear icon to edit DR backup settings.



5 - Set to number of metadata backups to keep.

6 - Select the type of destination to use.

7 - Provide the share UNC path.

8 - Provide credentials with access permissions to the destination.

9 - Set the time of execution.

10 - Enable to run multiple DR backup per day.

11 - Set the frequency at which the backup will be executed.

12 - Click to save changes.



To manually run a DR backup

1 - Expand Manage | System.

2 - Click Maintenance.



3 - Click to access the DR backup settings.

4 - Click to execute a backup.



5 - Select the backup type and additional backup options.

6 - Click to launch the job.



DR Backups to the Cloud

Commvault® offers a free cloud service that allows DR backups to be uploaded to the cloud. The service stores the last successful metadata backup in Microsoft Azure, and if needed can be downloaded from https://cloud.commvault.com. This ensures that a recent copy of the database is offsite and cannot be accessed by a rogue process such as a ransomware attack.




To configure DR backups to Commvault® cloud

1 - Expand Manage | System.

2 - Click Maintenance.



3 - Click DR backup (Daily) to access the DR backup settings.

4 - Click to edit DR backup settings.



5 - Toggle the switch to enable DR Backups to the cloud.

6 - Provide the cloud services account credentials.

7 - Click Save to apply changes.



DR Backups to a Cloud Storage Target

For several versions, Commvault® software provided the ability to send backups to a cloud storage. It required a configured storage target with a supported cloud vendor. The DR backups were therefore stored in the storage using Commvault® software proprietary chunk format. If a disaster was to occur, accessing the DR backup required to be accomplished using a tool called Commvault® Media Explorer, provided by Commvault® support. This added additional steps and required to spend time to catalog the content of chunks.

In order to improve the process, service pack 15 introduced the option to send a copy of the DR backup in its native format to a cloud storage. This removes the requirement to use Media Explorer to index the chunks. The administrator simply needs to connect to the cloud storage and download the DR backup copy.

Please note that the cloud storage must first be created before configuring DR backups.




To configure DR backups to a cloud storage target

1 - Expand Manage | System.

2 - Click Maintenance.



3 - Click DR backup (Daily) to access the DR backup settings.

4 - Click to edit DR backup settings.



5 - Slide to send a copy to a cloud storage target.

6 - Select the storage target and the vendor.



Backup Frequency

By default, the DR backup runs once a day at 10:00 AM. The time the backup runs can be modified, and the DR backup can be scheduled to run multiple times a day.
Consider the following key points regarding the scheduling time and frequency of DR backups:

  • If tapes are being sent off-site daily prior to 10:00 AM then the default DR backup time is not adequate. Alter the default schedule so the backup can complete, and DR tapes can be exported from the library prior to media being sent off-site.
  • The DR Metadata is essential to recover protected data. If backups are conducted at night and auxiliary copies are run during the day, consider setting up a second schedule after auxiliary copies complete.



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