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Overview

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The SEP sesam backup and recovery solution provides a full cluster support for Micro Focus OES Linux/NetWare environments to ensure high availability and manageability of critical network resources. This solutions suits a complex IT environments and requires a profound knowledge of Micro Focus administration.

With SEP sesam you can fully back up NSS volumes (including trustees). If the data is lost or damaged, the volumes can be easily restored using the GUI restore wizard. Also the migration to the similar file structure on the Micro Focus OES platform is possible.

This article describes backup options for Micro Focus OES cluster environments with SEP sesam. For details on the Micro Focus services requirements, connection (TSA protocol) and detailed backup procedure, see SEP sesam README for Micro Focus OES Linux and OES Netware.

License requirements

There are not special licenses required to back up Micro Focus cluster environments, however, each clustered resource (e.g., GroupWise service, NSS, etc.) SEP sesam recognizes as a server, and therefore a SEP sesam Client license is required. The number of client licenses depends completely on the number of Micro Focus resources that need to be backed up.

Optionally, a license for the backup devices and online backup modules can be added to the SEP sesam backup Server. This way the backup of the Micro Focus cluster can be easily incorporated into a comprehensive backup design and architecture. This allows a fast recreation of the most important components of your environment.

Depending on the desired response times and functionality required, the licenses for the storage devices in SAN might also be taken into account.

For details on SEP sesam licensing and the list of licenses, see Licensing.

Configuring a Micro Focus cluster

A Micro Focus cluster consists of several physical cluster nodes, sharing a common access to the storage device(s) used by the backup server. Note that a cluster should contain 3+ nodes to achieve an optimal performance.

In the examples, the services such as iPrint, eDirectory, GroupWise and NSS are described as resources.

Standard 3-node cluster example

Standard 3nodecluster.jpg

You can configure a Micro Focus cluster in several ways. In practice, the two most often utilized methods are the automatic Fail Over or a Load cluster.

With the Fail Over method, the access to a resource can be manually specified or automatically assigned (moved) from one cluster node to another. Node failure is the typical reason that a resource is reassigned. In the process, the availability of the desired resource is not interrupted and is fully accessible to system users. To the physical load or main cluster a task is assigned to insure that cluster assets are utilized efficiently. In the event of heavy activity, the load cluster divides processes and shares resources among the cluster nodes to provide efficient management of the entire cluster environment. The availability of the required resources is therefore normally assured.

In order to provide a fast, reliable backup of the Micro Focus resources, you must design a concept and configuration for implementing SEP sesam as well as determining the basis for accessing, backing up and restoring the data. Connection to a Micro Focus service can be achieved using the SMS/TSA protocol. An overriding requirement to successfully implement a properly running cluster backup solution with SEP sesam is a technically correct installation of the Micro Focus cluster TSAs. For details, see SEP sesam README for Micro Focus OES Linux and OES Netware.

Configuring LAN backup

The following example provides a typical backup configuration. The resources are listed on each node.

The SEP sesam backup Server can be used on a computer running OES2 and automatically assumes direct communication to the desired resources. In this example, the Micro Focus Storage Management Data Register (SMDR) is running on the SEP sesam OES2 server and allows the backup of both NetWare and Linux resources on the OES2 server.

  • On a Micro Focus cluster the access is provided using the Storage Management Services (SMS) architecture for utilizing the TSAs to access all running resources.
  • The various SMS Target Service Agents (TSAs) have a system access to data from resources, i.e., eDirectory, iFolder, GroupWise or NSS file systems.
  • The SMS architecture allows communication between the cluster resources to provide Failover and Fallback functionality.
  • The installation of various programs on the node or within the resource is not required, and no change in the cluster environments is needed. A cluster backup using NetWare or OES2 is supported.

Cluster LAN backup example

OES-Cluster lan backup.jpg

To test the correct communication path and the TSA reachability (rights management), see Checking the reachability of the TSA services.

Now you can create a backup task in the SEP sesam GUI to complete your backup. SEP sesam GUI allows you to configure a complete backup schema for your environment. Every resource that need to be backed up must be entered in the GUI to become an integral part of the backup. For details, see SEP sesam README for Micro Focus OES Linux and OES Netware.

Cluster LAN data mover backup

In the above example for a standard 3-node cluster, the SEP sesam Server is also the SMDR. The SMDR is designated by SEP sesam as the Micro Focus data mover. This configuration serves both, the backup, and in the event of a node failure or transfer of a resource to a new node, the restore path.

It is also possible to install the Micro Focus SMDR and SMS as standalone services. However, in such implementation another Micro Focus OES server that acts as the data mover is required. The SEP sesam Server can be used on Windows, Linux or Unix clustered systems.

OES-Cluster 2 lan datamover backup.jpg

In the above configuration an OES2 Linux server is installed with the SEP sesam Client and is designated and used as the Micro Focus data mover. The data stream is then transferred to the appointed cluster node and further transferred using the TSA to the SEP sesam Client (server). The further communication and data transfer is completed using the SEP Transfer Protocol (STP). This configuration suits both, the backup and restore of the resource data in the event of failover or transfer of the resources.

Alternatively, the Micro Focus cluster nodes as a data mover can be used when the cluster is using OES Linux. In this case, the nodes have to be configured with a SEP sesam Client and set up in the SEP sesam GUI as clients configured with the Micro Focus data mover functionality.

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This is a less reliable backup and restore solution because the node also works as the SEP Micro Focus data mover.

Configuring Micro Focus cluster LAN-free backup

TSA is a network protocol which ensures, for example, if in case of a backup an access to the eDirectory is required, that the data from the resource is directed (depending on definition) to the relevant data mover and then to the designated backup location on the SEP sesam Server (disk, tape, NAS, SAN, etc.)

A LAN-free backup in a Micro Focus cluster environment is also possible and provides additional performance advantages. In this case, the each Micro Focus cluster node from the previous examples has to be configured as a SEP sesam Client. Next, a location has to be specified in the SAN to direct the backup data stream to a new, LAN-free device. This is performed by utilizing the SEP sesam SAN Remote Device module.

Using the SEP sesam Remote Device Server for LAN-free backups

The remote device function (tape or disk) allows the backup of data to a device that is directly attached to the backup client (e.g., Micro Focus cluster node). With this extended functionality the diverse remote environments can utilize attached hardware and a highly efficient backup concept can be developed and implemented saving both time and maximizing ROI of current hardware. Further the central management of the data of remote data and servers is allowed.

The complete data transfer is done via Remote Device Server (RDS) and only the control and protocol (meta) data are transmitted and stored on the main SEP sesam Server. Note that the SEP sesam RDS and the SEP sesam Server can run on different operating systems.

The Remote Device and Remote Device Server concept is available for implementation in SAN environments for LAN-free backup solutions. SEP sesam SAN environments are defined as data stored within the SAN, i.e., stored on the drives within the SAN.

In the below example, the data stream flow and the communication paths for LAN-free backup in a Micro Focus cluster are shown.

LAN-free backup in a Micro Focus cluster (SAN)

OES-Cluster 3 SAN backup.jpg


See also

SEP sesam README for Micro Focus OES Linux and OES NetwareBackup principles using SEP sesam in a Micro Focus OES environment