IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager Prerequisites

2.1. IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager Prerequisites

Before you install Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager, ensure your system meets the minimum hardware, software and operating system requirements. Review the following prerequisite information before attempting to perform any installation tasks.

_Minimum hardware requirements

Table 2.1 Minimum hardware requirements:

Note: Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager also supports hardware that is required when using the Windows System Provider or a Microsoft-compliant software or hardware VSS Provider.

- In order to use the hardware provider provided by IBM Storage, you will have to obtain the optional FlashCopy License for your storage. FlashCopy feature on your storage must be enabled prior to using your IBM storage hardware provider. For more information about enabling FlashCopy on your IBM Storage please refer to your storage documentation.

- If using hardware provider a sufficient free space capacity must be present on your storage to accommodate for storing flashcopies. The amount of space will depend on your storage, as well your business requirements.

_Minimum software and operating system requirements

Table 2.2 Minimum software and operating system requirements

Note:
v 1 Datacenter, Enterprise, and Standard Editions
v 2 Exchange Server 2007 is supported on Windows Server x64 editions only and requires Service Pack 1 (or later) with Update Rollup 8 (or later)
v 3 These software applications are also required:
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
- Microsoft Chart Controls for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
- Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2008
- Windows PowerShell 1.0 (or later) is recommended (but not required) in order to create and run PowerShell scripts.

IBM Tivoli FlashCopy Manager for SQL & Microsoft VSS integration

2. IBM Tivoli FlashCopy Manager for SQL & Microsoft VSS integration

The Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager integrates with Microsoft VSS - Volume Shadow Copy Services - to protect MS SQL Server databases & logs. Tivoli FlashCopy manager help you back up and restore data to and from local shadow volumes with automated tasks, utilities, and interfaces.

_Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services - MS VSS Service

The Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is a Microsoft component that is provided with the Windows operating system. VSS manages and directs the Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager VSS requestor and other VSS software applications.
Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager backup and restore operations use the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service technology to produce online snapshots (point-in-time consistent copies) of Exchange or SQL data, and to restore those snapshots to a specified location. The Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager VSS operations are implemented through the VSS requestor, which communicates with the VSS Service to access the Exchange or SQL data.
These are the VSS software applications that the VSS Service manages and directs:

_VSS writer
This is the software application that places the persistent information for the shadow copy on the specified volume(s).
For Exchange data, the Microsoft Exchange Server contains the writer components and requires no configuration.
For SQL data, Microsoft SQL Server contains the writer components (SqlServerWriter). It is installed with the SQL Server software and requires the following minor configuration tasks:
1. The SqlServerWriter service should be set to ″Automatic.″ This enables the service to start automatically when the machine is rebooted.
2. Start the SqlServerWriter service.
_VSS requestor
This is the software application that commands a shadow copy be created of a specified volume. The VSS requestor is provided by Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager and is installed with the Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager software.

_VSS provider
This is the application that actually produces the shadow copy and also manages the volumes where the Exchange or SQL data resides. A system provider (such as the one included with the Microsoft Windows operating system), a software provider, or a hardware provider (such as one shipped with a storage system) can be a provider. Configuration requirements are based upon the type of VSS provider used in your environment. For Example:
- If you are using the Windows VSS System Provider, no configuration is required.
- If you plan to perform VSS Instant Restores, be aware that DS8000, SAN Volume Controller, and XIV Gen 2 are the only storage subsystems that support VSS Instant Restores and require a VSS provider. Therefore, if you use DS8000 or SAN Volume Controller storage subsystems, you must install and configure IBM System Storage Support for Microsoft Virtual Disk and Volume Shadow Copy Services as your VSS hardware provider in order to perform VSS Instant Restore. If you use XIV Gen 2, you must install and configure IBM XIV VSS HW Provider.
- If you are using a VSS software provider, consult the documentation provided with your VSS software provider.

IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager

1.3. IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager

In today’s business world, where application servers are operational 24 hours a day, the data on these servers must be fully protected. You can’t afford to lose any data, but you also can’t afford to stop these critical systems for hours so you can protect the data adequately.As the amount of data that needs protecting continues to grow exponentially and the need to keep the downtime associated with backup to an absolute minimum, IT processes are at their breaking point.
Data volume snapshot technologies, such as IBM FlashCopy®, can help minimize the impact caused by backups and provide near instant restore capabilities. Many storage systems are now equipped with volume snapshot tools, however these hardware-based snap-shot technologies provide only “crash-consistent” copies of data. Many business-critical applications, including those that rely on a relational database, need an additional snapshot process to ensure that all parts of a data transaction are flushed from memory and committed to disk prior to the snapshot to ensure you have a usable, consistent copy of the data.
IBM Tivoli®Storage FlashCopy Manager can help deliver the highest levels of protection for mission critical IBM DB2®, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft® Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server applications via integrated application-aware snapshot backup and restore capabilities. This is achieved through the exploitation of advanced IBM storage hardware snapshot technology to create a high performance, low impact application data protection solution.
IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager is an easy to install, configure and deploy package that seamlessly integrates with IBM System Storage^TM DS8000®, IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller and IBM XIV® Storage System products. For Microsoft Windows® environments, Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager also supports other Microsoft VolumeShadow Copy Services (VSS)-capable hardware such as IBM System Storage DS3000, DS4000®, and DS5000. The snapshots captured by Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager can be retained as backups on local disk, and with optional integration with TivoliStorage Manager, customers can leverage the full range of advanced data protection and data reduction capabilities such as data deduplication, progressive incremental backup, hierarchical storage management and centrally managed policy based administration.

1.2. IBM System Storage DS8000 FlashCopy Usages

1.2. IBM System Storage DS8000 FlashCopy Usages

As it takes only a few seconds to establish the FlashCopy relationships for tens to hundreds or more volume pairs. The copy is then immediately available for both read and write access. In a 24×7 environment, the quickness of the FlashCopy operation allows us to use FlashCopy in very large environments and to take multiple FlashCopies of the same volume for use with different applications. Some of the different uses of FlashCopy are shown in Figure 1-2.

Figure 1-2 FlashCopy different uses

FlashCopy is suitable for the following:
_ Production backup system:
A FlashCopy of the production data allows data recovery from an older level of data. This might be necessary due to a user error or a logical application error. Let us assume that a user deleted accidentally a customer record. The production backup system could work with a FlashCopy of the data. The necessary part of the customer data can be exported and then be imported into the production environment. Thus, the production continues, and while a specific problem is being fixed, the majority of the users can work with the application without recognizing any problems.The FlashCopy of the data could also be used by system operations to re-establish production in case of any server errors.
_ Data backup system:

A FlashCopy of the production data allows the client to create backups with the shortest possible application outage. The main reason for data backup is to provide protection in case of source data loss due to disaster, hardware failure, software failure, or user errors. As FlashCopy restore or revert operation can usually be achieved into seconds, it can reduce the recovery time dramatically.
_ Data mining system:

A FlashCopy of the data can be used for data analysis, thus avoiding performance impacts for the production system due to long running data mining tasks.
_ Test system:

Test environments created by FlashCopy can be used by the development team to test new application functions with real production data - hence, a faster test setup process.
_ Integration system:

New application releases (for example, SAP releases) are likely to be tested prior to putting them onto a production server. By using FlashCopy, a copy of the production data can be established and used for integration tests. With the capability to reverse a FlashCopy, a previously created FlashCopy can be used within seconds to bring production back to the level of data it had at the time when the FlashCopy was taken.

1.1. IBM System Storage DS8000 FlashCopy.

The Point-in-Time Copy feature, which includes FlashCopy, enables you to create full volume copies of data in a storage unit. When you set up a FlashCopy operation, a relationship is established between the source and target volumes, and a bitmap of the source volume is created. Once this relationship and bitmap are created, the target volume can be accessed as though all the data had been physically copied. While a relationship between the source and target volume exists, optionally, a background process copies the tracks from the source to the target volume.
When a FlashCopy operation is invoked, it takes only a few seconds to complete the process of establishing the FlashCopy pair and creating the necessary control bitmaps. Thereafter, you have access to a point-in-time copy of the source volume. As soon as the pair has been established, you can read and write to both the source and target volumes. Figure 1-1 illustrates the functionality of DS8000 FlashCopy.
The background copy may have a slight impact to your application because the physical copy needs some storage resources, but the impact is minimal because the host I/O is prior to the background copy. And if you want, you can issue FlashCopy with the no background copy option.

1. IBM System Storage DS8000 Copy Services

1. IBM System Storage DS8000 Copy Services

Copy Services are a collection of functions that provide for disaster recovery, data migration, and data duplication functions. There are two primary types of Copy Services functions: Point-in-Time Copy and Remote Mirror and Copy.
Generally, the Point-in-Time Copy functions are used for data duplication, and the Remote Mirror and Copy functions are used for data migration and disaster recovery.
With the Copy Services functions, for example, you can create backup data with little or no disruption to your application, and you can back up your application data to the remote site for disaster recovery.
Copy Services run on the DS8000 Storage Unit and support open systems and System z environments. A subset of these functions is supported also on the previous generation of disk storage systems, the IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server (ESS).
Many design characteristics of the DS8000 and its data copying and mirroring capabilities contribute to the protection of your data, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (24×7).
The main optional licensed functions of Copy Services are:
_ FlashCopy, which is a point-in-time copy function
_ Remote Mirror and Copy functions, previously known as Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC), which include:
- Metro Mirror, previously known as Synchronous PPRC
- Global Copy, previously known as PPRC Extended Distance
- Global Mirror, previously known as Asynchronous PPRC
- 3-site Metro/Global Mirror with Incremental Resync
_ z/OS Global Mirror, previously known as Extended Remote Copy (XRC)
_ z/OS Metro/Global Mirror across three sites

IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager Tutorial

IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager Tutorial

As databases & mail servers are becoming more critical, crash consistent snapshot is no more doing the trick for the 24×7 enterprise. Enterprises are no more able to risk losing these few non committed transactions that might be in processing while the snapshot happen. These missing transactions can be very expensive to lose, or even can render your database snapshot useless.
IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager work with IBM Storage FlashCopy Functionality to provide a transaction consistent snapshot that can be used for an instantaneous restore at a later time or just to send backup to tape with a very short backup window.
As IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager has just been released few weeks back & not much resource on it are available, I have decided to share my own guide with you online. Below is the tutorial agenda & I will try to get all these chapters online as soon as possible. My tutorial will focus on protecting MS SQL on DS8000, but it can be used as a guide for most other IBM storages & for protecting MS Exchange as well.

1) http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/1-ibm-system-storage-ds8000-copy.html
 
   1.1 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/1.html
   1.2 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/12-ibm-system-storage-ds8000-flashcopy.html
   1.3 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-tivoli-storage-flashcopy-manager_28.html
2) http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-tivoli-flashcopy-manager-for-sql.html
  
   2.1 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-tivoli-storage-flashcopy-manager_6969.html
   2.2 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-tivoli-storage-flashcopy-manager_8025.html
3) http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-system-storage-ds8100-preperation.html
   3.1 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/creating-vssfree-and-vssreserved-pools.html
   3.2 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-system-storage-ds8000-cim-agent.html
   3.3 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ds8000-cim-agent-for-hmc-enablement.html
   3.4 http://princephanindra.blogspot.com/2011/07/ibm-system-storage-ds8000-cim-agent-for.html