Archive:User Manual 4.4 - printable version

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This user manual describes the SEP sesam features. Some of these features may be restricted by the license agreement between SEP AG and the customer. In addition, some features may be limited by the backup strategy implemented at the customer's site. The limitations may be released by purchasing additional licenses or by changing the actual backup architecture. Please contact your distributor or http://www.sepsoftware.com at sales@sep.de for further information.


Introduction

Welcome to SEP sesam

SEP sesam | Backup - Restore - Disaster Recovery

The SEP sesam backup solution has been specifically designed for Server/Client environments. From a single data server to large, complex heterogeneous data centers with very large data bases and scalable Storage Area Networks (SAN), SEP sesam provides consistent, accurate, reliable and efficient backup and recovery of enterprise critical data. The modular design means that SEP sesam is perfectly adaptable for all companies, regardless of size or backup strategy from centralized to decentralized backup strategies.

To allow backup of large amounts of data in the shortest amount of time SEP sesam offers true multi-stream/multiplexed backup. From five data streams with our Standard Server offering up to 250 data streams with the Enterprise Server license. Opening up multiple streams for backups minimizes the amount of system resources for both planned and unplanned data backup tasks.

Online modules for all popular database and groupware solutions offer the ability to back up while the applications are active, providing the highest data availability possible. Restores are also possible while the apps are running, including the ability to restore single mail boxes and single mails.

SEP sesam has extremely efficient, patented algorithms. Their implementation requires only limited processor overhead, and combined with our high transfer rates (over 400GB/hr) we deliver some, if not the best, performance in the industry. SEP sesam is platform agnostic, it runs exactly the same on Linux, Unix or Microsoft. The platform independent GUI allows backup and restore in the Network, or remotely via WAN, VPN, etc.

SEP sesam supports all standard backup devices, disk, tape, tape autoloaders, tape libraries. SEP sesam delivers Virtual Tape Libraries (VTL) as a standard component of the base product. Using economical, high-performance disk drives SEP sesam delivers a lasting, sustainable solution for the backup and recovery of enterprise critical data. Disk-to-Disk-to-Tape (D2D2T) functionality delivers further enduring security for maximum performance by backup and restore.

Overview

SEP sesam is an automatic data backup system for heterogeneous computing environments. All standard tape drives, disk drives and auto loading devices are supported and can be used for backup. In order to easily and effectively construct the configuration of the system, a design based on the following six basic components was chosen.

Drive
Local or remote storage device
Loader
Robot loading the media from/to the drive
Client
Computer from which the data is backed up
Media
Repository for the saved Data
Task
Description of a Backup or Restore
Event
Start time of different activities

Additional Features:

  • Backup Server on Linux (including Novell OES), Windows, FreeBSD und Unix
  • Clients for Linux, Windows, many UNIX derivatives, NetWare (Client free support) and VMS
  • Fast and easy installation on standard O/S configurations. Less than one minute on SUSE and RedHat!
  • SEP sesam creates a test backup and restore upon installation to verify system is running
  • JAVA based graphical user interface. (GUI)Master GUI design provides full access to clients and servers
  • Support for all automated tape drives or autoloaders
  • Full, Differential, Incremental and Copy (for off-site storage) backups are possible
  • Scheduled backups using user/administrator selected events
  • Media administration and setup via GUI or Master GUI. Allows flexible media strategy and easy task selection.
  • Powerful scheduling tool
  • SEP NEWDAY allows backups to record on the same calendar day, i.e. backups started on Friday and finishing on Monday before 8 am can have the same backup day
  • event control can be used for any external applications
  • Scheduler allows development of flexible media strategies to avoid delays and missed backups
  • Selection of optimal data paths throughout the network
  • User configurable Command Line interfaces (Alarm, Pre/Post, Notify, Disaster, etc.)
  • Fast data restore via effective administration of the backup savesets and implementation of well-designed search algorithms
  • Full and selective restore to the original paths or in newly-created directories with or without preserving the original path structure
  • On-line modules for database backup DB2, Informix, MS SQL, MySQL, ORACLE, SAP R/3 and others are available, i.e. backup performed without stopping the database
  • Optimized tape backup using parallel backup streams for multiple clients; Sesam Multiplex Streaming allows up to 124 continuous backup data streams
  • Migrate from savesets on disk to tape; DISK-to-DISK-to-TAPE

Principle of SEP sesam

Let's start off with the SEP sesam principle of the interaction of the individual components of a backup. After installing the SEP sesam Server the first thing you need to do is the basic configuration. This means that before securing any data you'll have to configure the backup hardware, set up the drive groups as well as drives and initialize the media pools with the according physical and/or virtual media.


Sesam-Philosophy en.png

In order to start a backup automatically you first need a task that defines which data of which client you want to save. Additionally you'll need a medium (via a media pool) that is inside a drive (via a drive group) and finally an event to define when the backup should run.

These basic components have to be created and adjusted in the configuration phase. The menu system of SEP sesam supports the user when creating the backup jobs as well as the schedules with the according backup events. The illustration above shows this interaction. The red arrows from the media pool to the right show the direct connection of the media Pool to a drive group. This drive group has 1-N drives assigned to it.

After this the backup media (tapes, virtual disk media, changeable media, etc.) can be added to the according media pool. This means that media pools define WHERETO the backup is saved. The data source is connected directly to the backup task and states WHAT is to be saved. The interlink that connects these two components is the schedule. The schedule states WHEN the backup is executed. The backup event is then attached to the schedule and it contains the backup task and information about HOW (e.g. Full, Diff, Inc) and WHERETO (which media pool) the backup is done.

After installing SEP sesam it is recommended to proceed the basic configuration in the following order:

  1. Create the clients. Install client software on target computers to be backed up along with any online modules that are required.
  2. Define tasks (WHAT should be backed up).
  3. Define schedules (WHEN the backup takes place).
  4. Link the schedule with an event (WHAT will be backed up WHERETO and HOW).

Grouping of SEP sesam Components 4.4/en

Media Strategy 4.4/en

The SEPuler - an event calendar 4.4/en

The Backup 4.4/en

The Restore 4.4/en

Duplication and Migration 4.4/en

Storage Time Limit, Media Cycle 4.4/en

Basic Configuration

This is a step-by-step description of how to configure SEP sesam to perform a simple data backup using the components mentioned above. The detailed description of the interface elements can be found further below.

Step 1: Locations 4.4/en

Step 2: Clients 4.4/en

Step 3: Storage Hardware - Drives and Loaders 4.4/en

Step 4: Media - Data Carriers 4.4/en

Step 5: Tasks - Select what you want to backup 4.4/en

Step 6: Schedules 4.4/en

Step 7: Starting a Backup 4.4/en

Directory structure of SEP sesam software

Directory Layout/en

The SEP sesam Graphical User Interface (GUI) 4.4/en

Menu bar and Toolbar

Menueleiste 4.0 en.jpg


In the menu bar you can find the menus File, Activities, Configuration, Window and Help. Toolbar 4.4/en

File 4.4/en

Activities 4.4/en

Configuration 4.4/en

Window 4.4/en

Help 4.4/en

Components

Selection Components 4.2 en.jpg


Topology 4.4/en


The Clients 4.4/en

The DataStore 4.4/en

Loaders 4.4/en

Drives 4.4/en

Media pools 4.4/en

Media 4.4/en

Tasks

The tasks tab allows the user to set events for backups, restores, data migration and replication.

Auftraege 4.0 en.jpg


Tasks By Clients 4.4/en

Tasks By Groups 4.4/en

Backup Plans 4.4/en

Migration Tasks 4.4/en

Si3 Replications 4.4/en

Tasks As List 4.4/en

Scheduling

The chapter SEPuler describes Time Management within SEP sesam. Here is a discussion of the user interface for backup schedules, events and calendar attributes with in SEP sesam.


Zeitplanung 4.0 en.jpg


Schedules 4.4/en

Events 4.4/en

Events as list 4.4/en

Calendar Sheet 4.4/en

Job State

Jobstatus 4.0 en.jpg


Backups are an integral part of the SEP sesam information system. Only "completed" backups are displayed with a multitude of selection and filtering options.

All Results by State 4.4/en

Backups by State 4.4/en

Restores by State 4.4/en

Migrations by State 4.4/en

Media Actions by State 4.4/en

Monitoring

Monitoring provides several features, including a dashboard (displays the state and other details of your backups and restores), last backup state (shows the last status of each configured backup job), shows all running processes/daemons, and the status of all used disk drives (information on queue).

Dashboard from monitoring.png


Dashboard 4.4/en

Last Backup State 4.4/en

Processes 4.4/en

Monitoring Drives 4.4/en

Logging

Logging 4.2 en.jpg


SEP sesam creates two protocols or log files for each backup day: the status file and the day log. This information is stored as files in <SESAM ROOT>/var/prot. It can be utilized for other tasks and can be transmitted in print, email or web forms if desired by using post commands to transmit data for reporting and control if desired.


Caution: A backup day is framed by two NEWDAY events.

The selection of time interval enables restrictions to output. Start this by clicking the Show button.

State 4.4/en

Day Log 4.4/en

Error Log 4.4/en

Interfaces 4.4/en

Notification

Notification Center 4.4en/en RSS Feeds 4.4en/en

Appendix

Exclude with Regular Expressions 4.4/en

Exclude with File Patterns 4.4/en