Dell Appassure 5 User Guide

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B199
Scheduling replication
You can use the replication scheduler to set a time, such as on a specific day or during off-peak hours, for 
transferring replicated data from the source core to the target.
To  s c h e d u l e  r e p l i c a t i o n
1 On the AppAssure Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2 On the Replication tab, click the drop-down menu next to the core for which you want schedule 
replication, and then click Schedule.
The Replication Schedule for [CoreName] opens.
3 Select from one of the following three options:
• At All Times. Replicates after every new snapshot, checksum check, and attachability check, and 
after the nightly jobs complete.
• Daily (Start Replication only during the specified time period). Begins replicating only within 
the time range provided.
aIn the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication should begin.
bIn the To text box, enter the latest time at which replication should begin.
•Custom. Replicates only within the time range provided at the time of week specified.
a Next to Weekdays, in the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication 
should occur on a weekday; and then in the To text box, enter the latest time at which 
replication should occur on a weekday.
b Next to Weekends, in the From text box, enter the earliest time at which replication 
should occur on weekends; and then in the To text box, enter the latest time at which 
replication should occur on weekends.
4Click Save.
The schedule is applied to all replication to the selected target core.
Using the Copy function to create a seed drive
If you chose not to create a seed drive when you configured replication, you can create a seed drive using the 
Copy function in the protected machine drop-down menu.
To use the Copy function to create a seed drive
1 In the AppAssure Core Console of the source core, click the Replication tab.
2 Under Outgoing Replication, expand the Core that protects the machine for which you want to create a 
seed drive, and then select the machine.
3 In the table heading, click the drop-down menu, and then click Copy.
4 On the Seed Drive Location page, use the Location type drop-down list to select from the following 
destination types:
•Local
•Network 
•Cloud
5 Enter the details for the archive as described in the following table based on the location type you 
selected in Step c.
NOTE: If replication is in progress when the scheduled time ends, the replication job completes 
after the allotted time period. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B200 6Click Next.
7 On the Seed Drive Options page, enter the information as described in the following table. Table 106. Archive details
Option Text Box Description
Local Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, d:\work\archive.
Network Output location Enter the location for the output. It is used to define the 
location path where you want the archive to reside; for 
example, \\servername\sharename.
User Name Enter a user name. It is used to establish logon credentials for 
the network share.
Password Enter a password for the network path. It is used to establish 
logon credentials for the network share. 
Cloud Account Select an account from the drop-down list.
NOTE: To select a cloud account, you must first have added it 
in the Core Console. For more information, see Adding a cloud 
account.
Container Select a container associated with your account from the drop-
down menu.
Folder Name Enter a name for the folder in which the archived data is to be 
saved. The default name is AppAssure-5-Archive-[DATE 
CREATED]-[TIME CREATED]
Table 107. Seed drive options
Item Description
Maximum Size Large archives of data can be divided into multiple segments. Select the 
maximum amount of space you want to reserve for creating the seed drive 
by doing one of the following:
•Select Entire Target to reserve all available space in the path 
provided on the Seed Drive Location page (for example, if the 
location is D:\work\archive, all of the available space on the D: drive 
is reserved).
•Select the blank text box, enter an amount, and then select a unit of 
measurement from the drop-down list to customize the maximum 
space you want to reserve.
Customer ID (optional) Optionally, enter the customer ID that was assigned to you by the service 
provider.
Recycle action In the event the path already contains a seed drive, select one of the 
following options:
•Do not reuse. Does not overwrite or clear any existing seed data 
from the location. If the location is not empty, the seed drive write 
will fail.
•Replace this Core. Overwrites any pre-existing seed data pertaining 
to this core but leaves the data for other cores intact.
•Erase completely. Clears all seed data from the directory before 
writing the seed drive.
Comment Enter a comment that describes the seed drive.
Add all Agents to Seed 
DriveSelect this option to replicate all protected machines on the source core 
using the seed drive. This option is selected by default. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B201 8 Do one of the following:
•If you cleared the Add all Agents to Seed Drive check box, click Next.
•If you selected Add all Agents to Seed Drive, go to Step 10.
9 On the Machines page, select the protected machines you want to create a seed drive.
10 Click Finish.
Monitoring replication
When replication is set up, you can monitor the status of replication tasks for the source and target cores. You 
can refresh status information, view replication details, and more.
To monitor replication
1 In the Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2 On this tab, you can view information about and monitor the status of replication tasks as described in 
the following table.Build RP chains (fix 
orphans)Select this option to replicate the entire recovery point chain to the seed 
drive. This option is selected by default.
NOTE: Typical seeding in AppAssure 5.4.x replicates only the latest recovery 
point to the seed drive, which reduces the amount of time and space 
required for creating the seed drive. Opting to build recovery point (RP) 
chains to the seed drive requires enough space on the seed drive to store the 
latest recovery points from the specified protected machine or machines, 
and may take additional time to complete the task.
Use compatible format Select this option to create the seed drive in a format that is compatible 
with both new and older versions of the AppAssure Core.
NOTE: The current seed drive format is not compatible with 5.3.x versions 
of the Core. Archives created in AppAssure 5.3.x are compatible with 
AppAssure 5.4.x and later.
Table 108. Replication tasks
Section Description Available Actions
Pending Replication 
RequestsLists your customer ID, email address, 
and host name when a replication 
request is submitted to a third-party 
service provider. It is listed here until 
the request is accepted by the MSP.In the drop-down menu, click Ignore to 
ignore or reject the request.
Outstanding Seed 
DrivesLists seed drives that have been 
written but not yet consumed by the 
target core. It includes the remote 
core name, date on which it was 
created, and the date range.In the drop-down menu, click Abandon 
to abandon or cancel the seed process. Table 107. Seed drive options
Item Description 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B202 Outgoing Replication Lists all target cores to which the 
source core is replicating. It includes 
the target core name, the state of 
existence, the number of machines 
being replicated, and the progress of a 
replication transmission.On a source core, in the drop-down 
menu, you can select the following 
options:
•Details. Lists the ID, URL, 
display name, state, customer 
ID, email address, and 
comments for the replicated 
core.
•Change Settings. Lists the 
display name and lets you edit 
the host and port for the target 
core.
• Delete. Lets you delete the 
target core from the source 
core. Doing so ceases all 
replication to this core.
• Schedule. Lets you set a 
customized schedule for 
replication to this target core.
• Add Machines. Lets you select 
a host from a drop-down list, 
select protected machines for 
replication, and create a seed 
drive for the new protected 
machine’s initial transfer.
Incoming Replication Lists all source machines from which 
the target receives replicated data. It 
includes the remote core name, state, 
machines, and progress.On a target core, in the drop-down 
menu, you can select the following 
options:
•Details. Lists the ID, host 
name, customer ID, email 
address, and comments for the 
replicated core.
•Consume. Consumes the initial 
data from the seed drive and 
saves it to the local repository.
• Delete. Lets you delete the 
source core from the target 
core. Doing so ceases all 
replication from this core. Table 108. Replication tasks
Section Description Available Actions 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B203
Pausing and resuming replication
You can pause replication temporarily for the source (outgoing) or target (incoming) cores.
To pause and resume replication
1 In the Core Console, click the Replication tab.
2Use the bracket (>) to expand the appropriate source or target core.
3 Select the protected machine or machines for which you want to pause replication, click the drop-down 
menu next to Agent Name, and then click Pause to pause replication temporarily.
The status of the machine reads as “Established (paused)” in the State column.
4 To resume replication, select the paused agent, click the Agent Name drop-down menu, and then click 
Resume.
Forcing replication
Complete the steps in the following procedure to force replication from either the source or the target core.
To  f o r c e  r e p l i c a t i o n
1 On the AppAssure Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2Use the bracket (>) to expand the appropriate source or target core.
3 Do one of the following:
•Click the drop-down menu next to the protected machine for which you want to force replication, 
and then click Fo rc e.
•Select the protected machine or machines for which you want to force replication, click the drop-
down menu next to the machine name, and then click Fo rc e.
4 In the dialog box, you can optionally select restore orphaned Recovery Point chains to repair any 
orphaned chains of recovery points from this machine on the target core.
5Click Ye s. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B204
Managing settings for outgoing replication
The changes made to these settings affect the data transfer to all target cores associated with this source core.
To manage settings for outgoing replication
1 In the Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2Click Settings.
3 In the Replication Settings window, edit the replication settings as described in the following table.
4Click Save.
Changing target core settings
AppAssure lets you change the host and port settings for individual target cores.
To change target core settings
1 On the AppAssure Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Next to the appropriate target core, click the drop down menu, and then click Change Settings.
The Settings window appears.
3 Edit any of the options described in the following table.
4Click Save. Table 109. Replication settings
Option Description
Cache lifetime (seconds) Specify the amount of time between each target-core status 
request performed by the source core.
Volume image session timeout 
(minutes)Specify the amount of time the source core spends attempting 
to transfer a volume image to the target core.
Maximum parallel streams Specify the number of network connections permitted to be 
used by a single protected machine to replicate that machine’s 
data at one time.
Maximum transfer speed (MB/s) Specify the speed limit for transferring the replicated data.
Table 110. Target core settings
Option Description
Host Enter the host for the target core.
Port Enter a port for the target core to use for communication with the source core.
NOTE: The default port is 8006. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B205
Setting replication priority for a protected machine
Complete the steps below to edit the settings that prioritize when a protected machine replicates.
To set replication priority for a protected machine
1 From the AppAssure Core Console, click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Next to the target core, click the bracket (>) to expand the replicating protected machines.
3 Click the drop-down menu for the protected machine you want to prioritize, and then click Settings.
4 Use the Priority drop-down list to select one of the following options. You can choose from 1 (Highest) to 
10 (Lowest). The default setting is 5.
5Click Save.
Removing replication
You can discontinue replication and remove protected machines from replication in several ways. The options 
include:
•Removing a protected machine from replication on the source core
•Removing a protected machine on the target core
•Removing a target core from replication
•Removing a source core from replication
Removing a protected machine from replication on 
the source core
Complete the steps in this procedure to remove a protected machine from replication on the source core.
To remove a protected machine from replication on the source core
1 From the source core, open the AppAssure Core Console, and click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Expand the Outgoing Replication section.
3 In the drop-down menu for the protected machine machine that you want to remove from replication, 
click Delete.
4 In the Outgoing Replication dialog box, click Ye s to confirm deletion.
NOTE: Removing a source core results in the removal of all replicated protected machines 
protected by that core. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B206
Removing a protected machine on the target core
Complete the steps in this procedure to remove a protected machine on the target core.
To remove a protected machine on the target core
1 On the target core, open the AppAssure Core Console, and click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Expand the Incoming Replication section.
3 In the drop-down menu for the protected machine that you want to remove from replication, click 
Delete.
4 If you want to delete all replicated recovery points received from that machine as well as remove the 
protected machine, select With Recovery Points.
5 In the Incoming Replication dialog box, click Ye s to confirm deletion.
Removing a target core from replication
Complete the steps in this procedure to remove a target core from replication.
To remove a target core from replication
1 On the source core, open the AppAssure Core Console, and click to the Replication tab or icon.
2 Under Outgoing Replication, click the drop-down menu next to the remote core that you want to delete, 
and click Delete.
3 In the Outgoing Replication dialog box, click Ye s to confirm deletion.
Removing a source core from replication
Complete the steps in this procedure to remove a source core from replication.
To remove a source core from replication
1 On the target core, open the AppAssure Core Console, and click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Under Incoming Replication, in the drop-down menu, click Delete.
3 If you want to delete all replicated recovery points received from that machine as well as remove the 
source core, select With Recovery Points.
4 In the Incoming Replication dialog box, click Ye s to confirm deletion.
NOTE: Removing a source core results in the removal of all replicated protected machines protected by 
that core. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B207
Recovering replicated data
“Day-to-day” replication functionality is maintained on the source core, while only the target core is capable of 
completing the functions necessary for disaster recovery.
For disaster recovery, the target core can use the replicated recovery points to recover the protected machines 
and core. You can perform the following recovery options from the target core:
•Mount recovery points. For more information, see Mounting a recovery point.
•Roll back to recovery points. For more information, see Restoring volumes from a recovery point or 
Restoring volumes for a Linux machine using the command line.
•Perform a virtual machine (VM) export. For more information, see Exporting data to a Windows-based 
virtual machine.
•Perform a bare metal restore (BMR). For more information, see Performing a bare metal restore for 
Windows machines.
•Perform Failback (in the event you have a Failover/Failback replication environment set up). For more 
information, see Pe rf orm in g f a ilb ac k.
Understanding failover and failback
When you encounter a disaster situation in which your source core and associated protected machine have 
failed, you can enable failover in AppAssure to switch protection to your identical failover (target) core and 
launch a new (replicated) protected machine identical to the failed machine. Once your source core and 
protected machines have been repaired, you can then perform failback to restore the data from the failed-over 
core and protected machine back to the source core and protected machine. In AppAssure, failover and failback 
involve the following procedures.
• Setting up your environment for failover. See the section, Setting up an environment for failover.
• Perform failover for the target core and associated protected machine. See the section, Pe rf orm in g 
failover on the target core.
• Restore a source core by performing failback. See the section, Pe rfo rmi n g f ai lb ack.
Setting up an environment for failover
Setting up your environment for failover requires that you have a source and target AppAssure Core and 
associated protected machine set up for replication. Complete the steps in this procedure to set up replication 
for failover.
To set up an environment for failover
1 Install an AppAssure Core for the source and install an AppAssure Core for the target. For more 
information, see the Dell AppAssure Installation and Upgrade Guide.
2 Install the AppAssure Agent software for any machine to be protected by the source core. For more 
information, see the Dell AppAssure Installation and Upgrade Guide.
3 Create one repository on the source core and one repository on the target core. For more information, 
see Creating a repository.
4 Add the machine for protection under the source core. For more information, see Protecting a machine.
5 Set up replication from the source to target core and replicate the protected machine with all recovery 
points. Follow the instructions in the section Replicating to a self-managed target core to add the target 
core to which to replicate. 
						

							Dell AppAssure User Guide
Version 5.4.3 Revision B208
Performing failover on the target core
When you encounter a disaster situation in which your source core and associated protected machines have 
failed, you can enable failover in AppAssure to switch protection to your identical failover (target) core. The 
target core becomes the only core protecting the data in your environment, and you then launch a new 
protected machine to temporarily replace the failed machine.
Before you perform this procedure, you must complete the steps in Setting up an environment for failover.
To perform failover on the target core
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console on the target core, and click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Under Incoming Replication, expand the details of the selected source core.
3 Click the drop-down menu for the preferred protected machine, and then click Fa il  Over.
The Fail Over dialog box appears and lists the next steps required for completing a failover.
•To discontinue any in-progress replication tasks for this protected machine, select Cancel 
replication job if running.
4Click Continue.
5 In the left navigation area, under Protected Machines, select the machine that has the associated 
AppAssure protected machine with recovery points.
6 Export the backup recovery point information on that protected machine to a virtual machine. For more 
information, see Exporting data to a Windows-based virtual machine.
7 Start the virtual machine that now includes the exported backup information. You need to wait for the 
device driver software to be installed.
8 Reboot the virtual machine and wait for the AppAssure Agent service to start.
9 Go back to the AppAssure Core Console for the target core and verify that the new protected machine 
appears in the left navigation area under Protected Machines and on the Replication tab under Incoming 
Replication.
10 Force multiple snapshots, and verify they complete correctly. For more information, see Forcing a 
snapshot.
11 You can now proceed with performing failback. See the following section, Performing failback.
Performing failback
After you repair or replace the failed original source core and protected machines, you need to move the data 
from your failed-over machines to restore the source machines.
To  p e r f o r m  f a i l b a c k
1 Navigate to the AppAssure Core Console on the target core, and click the Replication tab or icon.
2 Under Incoming Replication, select the failover protected machine and expand the details.
3 On the Actions menu, click Fail Back.
The Fail Back dialog box opens to describe the steps you need to follow before you click the Continue 
button to complete failback.
4Click Cancel.
5 If the failed-over machine is running Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange Server, stop those 
services.
6 Force a snapshot of the machine. For more information, see Forcing a snapshot.
7 Shut down the failed-over machine.