HPE Synergy composer DR recovery

[CadenLange]

Hi

When a Synergy composer is restored from backup is there any parts of the configurations that might need to be manually reconfigured.

I'm specifically interested if all the previously installed certificates are restored from backup or if these will need to be re-installed after the recovery and if things like the settings for Cisco ACI integration, vCenter servers, SAN managers, Storage arrays etc are all fully restored and don't need any further actions to get their integration restored to a working state.

Thanks

[Sahana_S]

Hello @CadenLange ,

The custom SSL certificates may not be restored and could be revert to self-signed ones.

During a restore operation, the appliance reconciles the data in the backup file with the current state of the managed environment.
There are some discrepancies that a restore operation cannot resolve automatically; for example, if servers were added after the backup file was created.
The network configuration on these servers is unknown to the appliance after a restore and could result in duplicate MAC addresses and World-Wide Names (WWNs), as a result.

After a restore operation completes, you must manually resolve any remaining alerts and add these servers back into the appliance to eliminate the risk of duplicate IDs.
You must also perform manual cleanup of hardware (servers, interconnects, and enclosures) if server profiles are forcibly unassigned or the hardware is forcibly removed without first being unconfigured.

Upload the firmware bundles used by your server profiles, enclosures, and logical interconnects. These resources were not saved as part of the backup file.
See the Firmware baseline setting of each profile to determine the file name for the required baseline.

Thanks,
Sahana S

[CadenLange]

Thanks
When you say “ You must also perform manual cleanup of hardware (servers, interconnects, and enclosures) if server profiles are forcibly unassigned or the hardware is forcibly removed without first being unconfigured.” This would only be necessary if the backup file was taken prior to such activities being completed!? If we can guarantee that the backup contains the latest configuration and the Interconnects being correctly configured, then there is no risk of servers or interconnects being restored into a non-operational state?

Thanks

[Sahana_S]

Yes, you are correct.

Manual cleanup of hardware components such as servers, interconnects, and enclosures is usually required only if the backup file was made before such procedures (e.g., forced unassignment of server profiles or forced hardware removal) were correctly finished and reconciled. If the backup file has the most recent and correct configuration, the chances of returning servers or interconnects to a non-operational condition are low.

Thanks,
Sahana S

[CadenLange]

@Sahana_S Well ok, but even a ‘low’ chance of a service outage when restoring a composer from backup is still concerning. My understanding was that restoring OneView from backup would never overwrite the running configuration but would instead simply create warnings and errors identifying the mis-matched configuration settings. Is that not the reality?
Or perhaps I have misunderstood your reply.
Thanks

[Sahana_S]

Hello @CadenLange ,

Restoring an appliance from a backup file replaces all management data and most configuration settings with the data and settings in the backup file, including user names and passwords, audit logs, and cryptography mode, but does not include the appliance network settings.

For more information please refer to this guide, I hope this helps.

Thanks,
Sahana S

[CadenLange]

Hi @Sahana_S 

Many thanks again for the assistance and the link - that was very useful.

The guide states "The state of the managed environment is likely to be different from the state of the environment at the time the backup file was created. After the restore operation, the appliance uses alerts to report any discrepancies that it cannot resolve automatically."

If a OneView administrator has created and added new Networks to an Uplink Set after the backup file was created, would a restore of the backup file result in these networks being automatically deleted? Or would it just be reported as a descrepancy that it cannot resolve automatically as deleting these networks would impact the production environment. 

The scenario i'm discussing here is when the Synergy infrastrcuture and servers are all healthy and still serving data - it is only the OneView composers that are being restored following a Synergy Appliance cluster failure. I want to ensure that restoing a composer in these circumstances is not going to be detremental to the servers that are still serving data.

Again - thanks for your assistance here.

[Sahana_S · Accepted solution]

Hello @CadenLange ,

When you restore a Synergy Composer from a backup, active hardware configurations are not immediately deleted or modified. Instead, if the appliance is unable to reconcile the disparities automatically, it will detect them and notify you as an alert. Live infrastructure (networking, storage, and servers) continues to operate as usual.

Thanks,
Sahana S

If you feel this was helpful please click the KUDOS! thumb below!

[CadenLange]

@Sahana_S 

Many thanks!

[Sunitha_Mod]

Hello @CadenLange,

That's Excellent! 

We are delighted to hear your concern has been addressed.