Using simplivity backup as failback

[jfer2022]

Hello,

Just checking to see how reliable a simplivity backup would be if we had to restore it.  We are looking at option if we have a Microsoft server with SQL installed and we stop SQL services and power the server down and take a simplivty backup of it. Then power the server back up and run our upgrades etc. If we had to roll back to that backup that we took when it was powered down, would this bring it back to the exact state that it was in when we powered it down? are there any special ways we need to back it up when doing this? Because we would have SQL services off this would mean no transactions are hitting the server. 

Normally I power down and do a normal backup using simplivity crash consistent with all servers SQL or not. Or does Application consistent need to be used if backing up a VM with SQL server on it even if SQL services are off? And it seems VM snapshot is an option when doing this so is this just essentially taking a VM snapshot using simplivity? 

I"m trying to understand the most foolproof and efficient way to knowing we have an excellent backup so if we need to roll back to it, we will not have any issues. 

Any help on this subject or how you would approach it is much appreciated. 

Thank you,

[kevin458w]

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@jfer2022 wrote:

Hello,

Just checking to see how reliable a simplivity backup would be if we had to restore it.  We are looking at option if we have a Microsoft server with SQL installed and we stop SQL services and power the server down and take a simplivty backup of it. Then power the server back up and run our upgrades etc. If we had to roll back to that backup that we took when it was powered down, would this bring it back to the exact state that it was in when we powered it down? are there any special ways we need to back it up when doing this? Because we would have SQL services off this would mean no transactions are hitting the server. 

Normally I power down and do a normal backup using simplivity crash consistent with all servers SQL or not. Or does Application consistent need to be used if backing up a VM with SQL server on it even if SQL services are off? And it seems VM snapshot is an option when doing this so is this just essentially taking a VM snapshot using simplivity? 

I"m trying to understand the most foolproof and efficient way to knowing we have an excellent backup so if we need to roll back to it, we will not have any issues. 

Any help on this subject or how you would approach it is much appreciated. 

Thank you,

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For optimal SQL Server backups, prioritize application-consistent backups over powering down the server. Application-consistent backups minimize downtime and data loss by coordinating with SQL Server. Utilize Simplivity's features for application-consistent backups and regularly test restorations.

[prezidentj33]

So this is better than shutting down SQL services, powering the VM down and then taking a backup and using that as the fallback if we have to revert to that backup? Also when selecting application consistent and doing a live backup and choosing "VM Snapshot" is this the same as just doing a vmware Snapshot but its using simplivity instead? Or what is the difference here?

Also if we DO, use application consistent we are able to do this with a live backup while machine is one and it will be just as good of a restore if server was powered down? Just trying to make more sense of using application consistent backup and we would want to use it for point in time recovery.

When restoring a VM from simplivity backup (not overwriting original VM as it would be powered down) is there any gotchas when restoring it? If we power it on and it has same original name and ip etc. Is having to unjoin and rejoin domain usually required or no?

Thank you,

[Joshua610]

Hello, 

- Yes, using application-consistent backups with SimpliVity allows you to perform live backups while the machine is running, and these backups are just as reliable for restores as if the server were powered down.

Application-Consistent Backups: These ensure that the application data is in a consistent state by quiescing the application and completing all pending I/O operations before taking the backup. This is particularly useful for databases like SQL Servers, as it ensures data integrity and makes the restore process smoother.

Live Backup: You can perform application-consistent backups while the VM is running. This ensures that the backup is as good as if the server were powered down, making it suitable for point-in-time recovery

More information regarding back-ups is provided via the Administration Guide: 

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00005173en_us&page=GUID-67E84213-792F-4021-9CAD-E4FE492C1047.html&docLocale=en_US

[prezidentj33]

Hello,

One last question. If we needed to failback to a simplivity backup, whether it was a Application aware powered on VM or a powered down VM, to restore this in place of the one that is existing, Do we just power down the one we want to rid of, then restore the backup we took and power it on and everything should be back to the way it was? Is there any quirks or gotchas here? unjoin/rejoin domain have to happen or?  

Thank you for the input.

[Joshua610]

Easily accomplished for one of the steps in "restoring a VM from a Back Up" one is provided the options: 

Option	Description
Create a new virtual machine	Creates a new virtual machine from the selected backup.
Create a new VM template	Creates a new virtual machine template from the selected backup.
Replace existing virtual machine	Replaces an existing virtual machine from the selected backup.
Replace existing VM template	Replaces an existing virtual machine from the selected backup. This option replaces a template with a virtual machine even if you select a VM template.

 Feel free to read further: 

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00005173en_us&page=GUID-22BBA4E0-8B3C-4382-B806-C8B500640C27.html

If any further questions remain feel free to let me know - thank you. 

[prezidentj33]

Hello,

If we want to use application consistent backup, you have the 2 options to use. VM snapshot does it keep a snapshot of the VM as if I were to just do a VM snapshot of the VM normally in Vcenter? If this is the way it works it would have a bunch of snapshots due to the backups in a backup schedule. Or does it use the VM snapshot method but I won't see a VM snapshot if I look at the VM and see if it has snapshots in Vcenter?

Is the VSS method better in this case or is it more common to use VM snapshot via simplivity application consistent backup?  

[Joshua610]

You are correct - Lots of snapshots = more space consumption. It mentioned that in the guide as well under Backup strategy considerations: 

"VMware snapshots are supported, but not recommended for normal production use. Snapshots consume a significant amount of disk space and a virtual machine with several existing snapshots can cause backup failures. Retain only the most recent snapshot on a virtual machine."

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00005173en_us&docLocale=en_US&page=GUID-FF3CDFC4-CC47-4911-95C5-451AB72A48AF.html

From there if you go to the next page and find even more information regarding "Application-consistent backups & VSS". 

https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=sd00005173en_us&page=GUID-0C318E75-E293-4745-9E05-1D4467A1347E.html

Go as deep into that guide as you see fit and let me know if I can be of any assistance or if you have everything you need, thank you. 

[Joshua610]

Hello,

Let us know if you were able to resolve the issue.

If you have no further query, and you are satisfied with the answer then kindly mark the topic as Solved so that it is helpful for all community members.