Disaster recovery from older tape ?

[LOJosef]

I make weekly full backups of my servers with the D2D2T method (Disk to Disk to Tape) with ARCserve Backup 11.5 SP3.
After backup the data to the disk staging area the data will be also copied to tape. I delete the data on disk after one week, but I still have the data on tape.

Now my last backups of a Windows 2003 Server are corrupt and I want make a Disaster Recovery from an older tape.
I can’t create a “machine-specific recovery disk” for the tape backup sessions, since on the tape are the disaster recovery information corresponding to the backup sessions in the disk staging area stored , but these sessions I have already deleted.

I need the file MACHINENAME.DRF which has the definition for the backup sessions on the tape not on the disk staging area.

With the DRScanSession utility I also get from tape only the MACHINENAME.DRF file for my disk staging backup.

How can I get a correct MACHINENAME.DRF file for my backup sessions on tape or is there a possibility to manually edit a MACHINENAME.DRF file ?

 

[davidmichel]

The DR contents is always included in the full backup job. The name of the session is called DR Session. To recreate a machine specific disk from a specific full backup media, restore the DR session to the original location and rerun the DR Wizard to create the machine specific disk. If DR session is restored to an alternate location, copy the necessary contents to the machine specific disk.

 

[LOJosef]

I made a full backup of the server and I can restore the DR Session from the tape, but this DR session from tape contains the wrong (!!!) data:
it points to the backup sessions on the disk staging area (already deleted) and not to the backup sessions contained on the same tape

I don’t understand the intention of CA in this point:
The tape as a long-term storage media) contains the DR information for the disk backup (as a short-term storage media) and not for the tape backup (at D2D2T architecture)

I would have expected, that the DR Session of a server on the tape points to the data backup sessions of the server on the same tape.

 

[davidmichel]

You bring up a good point.

disk staging was first added in the 11.5 release. don't know if they just did not take it into consideration, and has been addressed in 12.0 or 12.5. I've not worked with DR in a long time so I can't say for sure.

 

[LOJosef]

I also contacted CA Support and have gotten an answer.

I nearly can believe it but its true:
You can`t use the tapes from D2D2T for Disaster Recovery because the DR session contains the information for the disk staging area sessions and not (!!) for the tape sessions.

For me the case is clear: The next backup solution will be definitively NOT CA Arcserve backup

=============
Dear mr.,
Thank you for your response. I've been testing all day to find out the best way to recover a system when a MSD is missing.

You're absolutely correct when stating that the information in the .drf file (later called .ses in release 12.5) only contains the information about the staging device.

The procedure is that when making the full backup to the staging device the in formation will be written to the directory on the server, and copied to the staging device as well.
When then the data is being migrated to tape the information in the directory will be adjusted, but the file on tape is being copied as is. and this is what later can be pulled from tape. (with the wrong information as you said).

I've found already some enhencement requests stating that this needs to be changed or made to be VERY clear to the user. In the documenation they aretalking about DRsession which you can edit the the .drf file, but this is for
windows 2000 only. For later OS, they use DRScanSession, but this doesn't allow you to alter the data, it just copies the files to diskette.

The only thing left is then to manually change the name of the media in the file. I think this is all I can do for you. Another vote for the enhencement has been raised, but a real solution won't be there when using staging.

I'm sorry, I totally agree with you that this is a shortage of the product with which someone can live if he knows it, but is dangerous for the users unaware of it.

Hope this does answer your question a bit.

Thank you,
CA Support

 

[jozne]

Hi,

We have the same kind of a problem (different program versions). Windows 2000 server with arcserve 2000 went down and I should restore it.

I want to use DRSCANSESSION.EXE and everything went good until the DRSS.LOG pointed out that I need <SERVERNAME>_CHEY file, which I don't have.

Does anyone know what it contains? or does someone have it (so I could edit it with hex editor, already edited ip files etc succesfully with that so shouldn't be a problem).
So if anyone knows where I could get that _CHEY file or could send me one, I'd be in heaven (and hopefully restoring our server).

 

[jozne]

UPDATE:

HMMMM... I made an empty file to the disk named SERVERNAME_CHEY and drscansession went to the state ->
----
Starting engine....
----
sooo.. I'm waiting... and updating to this forum if it progresses.

 

[jozne]

hmm seems out that it didn't do anything besides flooding drss.log with error message

StartTapeEngine : TSICreateTSIHandle() failed with [1722]

which has to do something with NIC drivers etc so seems that my .DRF file is bad one (tries remote DR restore). Which is a bit funny since the drscansession should do local restore with tape drive... sooo now I need .DRF etc files which doesn't try anything as remote (I assume that the tape engine doesn't try to start any RPC or so sessions and wont end up with error 1722). the DRSCANSESSION.DOC cleary points that you should start the exe right after DRW loads the first time, and in that point you DONT have NICs installed etc so why is it trying to start network related stuff is a bit mystery, my guess it's related to that .drf....