Data Protection for PowerMax 2500 and 8500 with PowerProtect Data Manager and PowerProtect Data Domain
Download PDFTue, 30 Apr 2024 12:59:29 -0000
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Summary
Dell’s next-gen Dell PowerMax systems – the PowerMax 2500 and PowerMax 8500, were added to the PowerMax family for organizations that need trusted and innovative enterprise storage with unparalleled performance, scalability, and security at scale without compromise. Based on NVMe dynamic fabric technology, the next-gen PowerMax systems eliminate traditional storage boundaries in every dimension — performance, scalability, capacity, and security — to meet the increasing demands of traditional workloads and next-generation cloud-based applications.
Data protection for Storage Arrays is the next-generation storage array block volume data protection solution with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager or PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance. PowerProtect Data Manager enhances protection by sending data directly to the Dell PowerProtect Data Domain appliances to gain benefits from unmatched efficiency, deduplication, performance, and scalability. Together with Data Manager, PowerProtect Data Domain is the ultimate protection storage appliance with broad backup software ecosystem support.
Data Protection for PowerMax 2500 and PowerMax 8500 with PowerProtect Data Manager and PowerProtect Data Domain
Figure 1. Data Protection for PowerMax 2500 and PowerMax 8500 with PowerProtect Data Manager
In continuation of our data protection support for Storage Arrays, data protection for PowerMax 2500 and 8500 is supported starting with Data Manager version 19.17. With this ability, you can use Data Manager to back up and restore the Storage Groups within the next-generation PowerMax arrays.
By using Data Manager, application owners gain the advantage of centralized management and orchestration for backups and recoveries for multiple PowerMax arrays. For enhanced performance, Data Manager uses an external block volume Protection Engine as a Data Mover for backing up and recovering Storage groups within PowerMax arrays. Recoveries are fast, and there is little to no impact on your applications or databases. The combination of PowerMax and Data Manager delivers data protection that is simple, secure, and flexible for protecting the Storage Groups in PowerMax arrays.
To protect Storage Groups on PowerMax storage arrays, Data Manager provides the following features and benefits:
- Centralized management of multiple PowerMax arrays
- Fully automated backup and recovery of Storage Groups
- Direct integration with PowerMax arrays through Dell Unisphere
- No separate Storage Direct Protection agent is required for integration with PowerMax
- Performance scale-out architecture using an external lightweight block volume Protection Engine
- Protection Engine integration as Data Mover for enhanced backup and restore performance
- Simple and easy configuration to protect the PowerMax Storage Groups
- Leverage the DDBoost protocol to send data to PowerProtect Data Domain appliances. The backup target can be a physical or virtual PowerProtect Data Domain appliance.
- Supports incremental and full backups to PowerProtect Data Domain. Integration with the Snapshot bitmap API to perform incremental backups
- Automated pre- and post-secure scripting for application consistency
- Multiple backup/restore streams even for a single very large volume
- Data Immutability with Retention Lock support (Governance and Compliance)
- No impact on PowerMax resources during backup and recovery
- Low-performance impact with encryption over wire
- Centralized backup of the Storage Groups along with replication and DD Cloud Tiering
- Centralized management of backup scheduling, lifecycle management, monitoring, reporting, and alerting
- Centralized full restore to original or alternate Storage Groups or PowerMax arrays
- A single protection platform for PowerMax storage arrays along with other modern and traditional asset sources
- Supports only block volumes and is not supported for mainframe CKD devices
Data Protection operations for PowerMax
Data Manager includes a new integration for end-to-end orchestration of backup and recovery of PowerMax storage resources, which are Storage Groups. The storage array data protection service includes multiple modules to:
- Discover the PowerMax storage array Storage Groups
- Perform backups to PowerProtect Data Domain
- Perform restores of Storage Groups to original or alternate PowerMax arrays
Discovering PowerMax asset source and assets
PowerMax arrays are discovered in Data Manager by adding the Unisphere for PowerMax as an asset source. When Unisphere is added, Data Manager discovers all the PowerMax arrays (2500 and 8500) managed by Unisphere. The user can then select the required PowerMax array and choose the Enable Management option from More Actions. When the initial discovery is successful, the Storage Groups in the PowerMax array are available as assets in the Data Manager UI for protection. By default, discovery happens automatically after adding the asset source. The subsequent discoveries can be either manual or scheduled.
Protecting Storage Groups with PowerProtect Data Manager and PowerProtect Data Domain
Data Manager supports backing up the Storage Groups from the PowerMax arrays using a protection policy. Data Manager uses external block volume Protection Engines as data movers to perform backups of storage groups. The block volume Protection Engine divides the volume into chunks and assigns each chunk to a stream for backup.
Figure 2. Performing a backup to the PowerProtect Data Domain
The following figure shows the high-level user workflow to protect resources (Storage Groups) on PowerMax arrays using Data Manager:
Figure 3. High-level user workflow to protect Storage Groups with Data Manager
Recovering Storage Groups with PowerProtect Data Manager
Data Manager supports restoring Storage Groups from the Data Domain to the original or an alternate Storage Group/PowerMax array. Data Manager uses external block volume Protection Engines as data movers to perform restores of storage groups.
Figure 4. Performing a restore from the PowerProtect Data Domain
The following figure shows the high-level user workflow to restore resources (Storage Groups) to PowerMax arrays using Data Manager:
Figure 5. High-level user workflow to restore Storage Groups with Data Manager
References
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Dell Technologies Data Protection for VMware Telco Cloud Platform
Fri, 28 Apr 2023 19:38:15 -0000
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Summary
Any modernized infrastructure undoubtedly requires a data protection strategy to avoid downtime, prevent data loss, and recover quickly in case of a disaster. Dell Technologies provides effective data protection solutions to help organizations solve a number of significant challenges. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is one of the effective data protection solutions to protect VMware Telco Cloud Platform management/workload cluster components and application workloads.
Protecting VMware Telco Cloud Platform with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager
VMware Telco Cloud Platform is a modernization solution that deploys cloud-native and virtual network functions consistently, at web-scale speed, and without disruption. VMware Telco Cloud Platform is a cloud-native platform that empowers communication service providers (CSPs) to manage virtual network functions (VNFs) and Containerized Network Functions (CNFs) across the core, far edge radio access network (RAN), enterprise edge, and cloud with efficiency, scalability, and agility. Telco Cloud Platform provides the framework to deploy and manage VNFs and CNFs quickly and efficiently across distributed 5G networks. You can run VNFs and CNFs from dozens of vendors, on any cloud, with holistic visibility, orchestration, and operational consistency.
Telco Cloud Platform is powered by field-proven compute and networking coupled with VMware Telco Cloud Automation and a telco-grade Kubernetes distribution. VMware Telco Cloud Platform empowers CSPs to modernize their 5G networks so they can rapidly deploy and efficiently operate multi-vendor CNFs and VNFs. The compute and networking, which are supplied by VMware vSphere and VMware NSX-T Data Center, enable CSPs to run both CNFs and VNFs on consistent horizontal infrastructure. The Kubernetes distribution—VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid—is designed to support telecommunications use cases.
The essentials include:
- Software-defined data protection: Provides flexible data protection and compliance across applications and cloud-native IT environments
- Unique protection: Ensures availability of all your Telco Cloud Platform components and workloads without business disruption
- Autonomous operations: Automated discovery and protection of databases, virtual machines, file systems and Kubernetes containers
- Efficient protection: Protects data directly to Dell PowerProtect DD series appliances with optional replication to secure Cyber Recovery vault
- Self-service backup and restore: Enables data owners from their native interfaces
- PowerProtect Data Manager Appliance: Integrated data protection platform that combines Data Manager software in a single appliance
- OTEL Assurance: Validated by Dell’s Open Telco Ecosystem Lab
The key capabilities are:
- Protection for the entire VMware Telco Cloud Platform stack including your mission critical applications
- VM image and file-level protection for the management/workload clusters components or instances
- Namespace level/PVC protection for TKG cluster workloads
- VMware virtual machines in a reliable and efficient manner using the Transparent Snapshot Data Mover (TSDM) mechanism.
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager
PowerProtect Data Manager software is an enterprise solution that provides software-defined data protection, deduplication, operational agility, self-service, and IT governance. Data Manager gives you valuable insight into protected on-premises and in-cloud workloads, applications, file systems, and virtual machines (VMs). Plus, complete oversight and governance to ensure compliance.
Designed with operational simplicity and agility in mind, Data Manager enables the protection of traditional workloads including Oracle, Exchange, SQL, SAP HANA and file systems as well as Kubernetes containers and virtual environments. Restore data on-premises or in the cloud. Governance control ensures IT compliance, making even the strictest service level objectives obtainable.
PowerProtect Data Manager key features include the following:
- Software-defined data protection with integrated deduplication, replication, and reuse
- Data backup and recovery self-service operations from native applications that are combined with central IT governance
- Multicloud optimization with integrated Cloud Tiering
- SaaS-based monitoring and reporting
- Modern services-based architecture for ease of deployment, scaling, and updating
PowerProtect Data Manager for VMware Telco Cloud Platform
The PowerProtect Data Manager is a virtual appliance that can be deployed on or outside of VMware Telco Cloud Platform environment to protect the management and workload components and application workload data.
Figure 1. PowerProtect Data Manager protecting VMware Telco Cloud Platform
PowerProtect Data Manager is integrated with PowerProtect DD series appliances as the protection target where the backups are stored. A PowerProtect DD series appliance can be a physical or virtual appliance.
In addition to being deployable stand-alone, PowerProtect Data Manager is available as an integrated appliance, the Dell PowerProtect Data Manager appliance. The Data Manager Appliance offers an integrated data protection platform that combines protection storage with PowerProtect Data Manager software and cloud readiness – all in a single appliance. The Data Manager Appliance provides a unified user experience and automates discovery and protection of databases, VMs, file systems, and Kubernetes containers.
Optionally, data can be replicated from a production DD series appliance to another DD series appliance or to a DD series appliance in Cyber Recovery vault using the Dell PowerProtect Cyber Recovery solution. PowerProtect Cyber Recovery provides proven, modern, and intelligent protection to isolate critical data, identify suspicious activity, and accelerate data recovery, allowing you to resume normal business operations quickly.
PowerProtect Cyber Recovery key features include the following:
- Operational air gap with data isolation and immutability
- CyberSense analytics and Machine Learning monitor data integrity
- Accelerate cyber and ransomware attack data recovery
Data Protection methods for VMware Telco Cloud Platform infrastructure components and application workloads
For VMware Telco Cloud Platform management domain (Management workload cluster), the following table shows the core components and the backup methods used.
TCP component | Backup/Restore method |
Management vCenter server | File level |
NSX-T Manager nodes | File level |
vRealize Log Insight | VM Image level |
vRealize Operations Manager | VM Image level |
vRealize Orchestrator | VM Image level |
Telco Cloud Automation Manager | File level |
Telco Cloud Automation Control plane | File level |
Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Management cluster | VM Image level |
For VMware Telco Cloud Platform workload domain (Management workload cluster), the following table shows the core components and the backup/restore methods used.
TCP component | Backup/Restore method |
Workload vCenter server | File level |
NSX-T Manager nodes | File level |
vRealize Log Insight | VM Image level |
vRealize Orchestrator | VM Image level |
Telco Cloud Automation Control plane | File level |
For VMware Telco Cloud Platform general purpose VMs (Management workload cluster), the following table shows the core components and the backup/restore methods used.
Other component (examples) | Backup/Restore method |
DNS, NTP, DHCP, Web servers, database, filesystem | VM Image level /File level/database |
Harbor registry, other registry | VM Image level or File level |
Customized applications on VM’s/Tanzu Kubernetes Grid | Namespace/PVC or Image level |
For the VMware Telco Cloud Platform compute workload domain (Workload cluster), the following table shows the core components and the backup/restore methods used.
TCP component | Backup/Restore method |
Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) | VM level (TSDM) or File level or File/DB level |
Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Workload cluster (CNFs) | Namespace and PVC level with application consistency |
The following table shows the backup system components protection.
Backup component | Backup/Restore method |
Backup Staging VM | File level |
Backup Server (PowerProtect Data Manager) | PowerProtect Data Manager disaster recovery process |
PowerProtect DD series appliances | Replication to another DD series appliance or DD series appliance in Cyber Recovery vault |
Protecting management/workload cluster components and VNFs using image-level or file system backup
The management and workload cluster vCenter servers are integrated with Data Manager and discovered as an asset source after being registered with PowerProtect Data Manager. PowerProtect Data Manager discovers the management workload domain components and application workload (VNFs) as virtual-machine assets for protection. Data Manager can protect VMware virtual machines in a reliable and efficient manner using the Transparent Snapshot Data Mover (TSDM) mechanism. Transparent Snapshots simplifies VM image backups for near-zero impact to your VMs or VM resources – and it works with any VMware supported storage. For more details about TSDM, see the technical white paper PowerProtect Data Manager: VMware Virtual Machine Protection Using Transparent Snapshots.
Protecting TKG cluster workloads (CNFs)
With PowerProtect Data Manager, the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid cluster workloads, such as namespaces and Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs) on Telco Cloud Platform, are protected efficiently using the Velero component and cProxy pod (data mover). When the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid cluster is added as an asset source in PowerProtect Data Manager and discovery is complete, the associated namespaces are available as assets for protection. The PowerProtect Data Manager supports agentless, application-consistent backups of database applications that reside in Kubernetes pods. The PowerProtect Data Manager provides a standardized way to quiesce a supported database, back up the data from that database, and then return the database to operation.
Protecting the SFTP server (Staging VM)
For file level-based backup of VMware Telco Cloud Platform components, the respective VMware Telco Cloud Platform management and compute workload component dump is created and sent to an SFTP target (staging VM). Later, the SFTP target (staging VM) is protected using a file system agent-based backup method with PowerProtect Data Manager.
Dell Technologies enables you to simplify the experience of adopting modern data protection. PowerProtect Data Manager enables users to protect, manage, and recover data in on-premises, virtualized, and cloud deployments. This platform provides centralized governance that helps mitigate risk and assures compliance of SLAs and SLOs through simple protection workflows. PowerProtect Data Manager is one of the effective solutions to protect VMware vSphere components and application workload data on VMware Telco Cloud Platform.
Note: This document focuses on protecting the CNFs and VNFs on VMware Telco Cloud Platform infrastructure, however it can also be used to protect other VNFs and CNFs as well as VMware components outside of the VMware Telco Cloud Platform infrastructure.
Assurance provided by OTEL
The Open Telecom Ecosystem Lab (OTEL) accelerates and simplifies the creation of an open, modern telecom ecosystem. By validating complex technical solutions through our virtual and physical OTEL labs, we’re helping partners reduce the costs and risk of deployment while opening new 5G and cloud native opportunities.
OTEL offerings driving the open 5G opportunity:
- Partner/Industry Certification -- Self-Certification that enables independent software vendors to de-risk deployments and make the ecosystem consumable. Also, Joint-Certification improves outcomes and business value by verifying ecosystem partner compatibility.
- Solution Validation -- End-to-end CSP and telecom partner solution validation, life-cycle management, and enhanced service support.
- Proof of Concept -- Work with partners and CSPs to develop early evaluation and sand box development to drive ecosystem adoption.
- Demonstration and Training -- Showcase new capabilities and support technical training activities.
To learn more about our Open Telecommunication Ecosystem Lab please see additional resources at: OTEL (Open Telecom Ecosystem Labs).
Technical References
The following Dell Technologies resources provide additional information about PowerProtect Data Manager:
The following VMware resources provide additional information about VMware Telco Cloud Platform:
The following Dell Technologies resources provide additional information about OTEL and VMware Telco Cloud Platform:
Dell PowerScale: Data Protection with Dell NetWorker using NDMP
Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:05:51 -0000
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NetWorker for PowerScale data protection
Dell NetWorker is an enterprise-class cross-platform data protection software solution for file servers, application servers, and database management systems across the network. NetWorker supports a wide range of data protection options, including Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) support for NAS storage devices. Dell PowerScale NAS storage integration with NetWorker software provides esteemed data protection and recovery capabilities for enterprises of all sizes in a secure way.
NetWorker software uses NDMP functionality to enable access to storage in a heterogeneous network environment. NDMP uses TCP/IP to control the movement of the data and specifies various device drivers to store the data on devices.
Three main components support NDMP data operations with the NetWorker software: NDMP Data Server (PowerScale), NDMP Tape Server (the host with the backup device to which NetWorker writes the NDMP data), and the Data Management Agent or DMA (in which the NetWorker server is the DMA).
NDMP Features with Dell NetWorker
Multistreaming
NetWorker 9.0.1 and later supports multistreaming for up to 32 streams for Isilon OneFS 8.0 and later backups. NetWorker uses the client parallelism value that is defined for a PowerScale client to determine how many backups run concurrently.
IPv6
NetWorker storage nodes support IPv6 communications with a NetWorker server. By default, NDMP backup and recovery operations use IPv6 to create the data connection between the NDMP data server and mover server.
Checkpoint restart
The PowerScale filers create a snapshot of the file system before the backup. The save set is generated from the snapshot.
Volume Based Backup (vbb) supports
Data Access in Real Time (DART) version 5.5 and later.
Direct Access Recovery (DAR) and Dynamic Direct Access Recovery (DDAR)
DAR and DDAR send file information from the NAS filer to the NetWorker server.
Methods to configure the NDMP Data Server and the NDMP Tape Server to perform backups and recoveries
NDMP local backup (Direct-NDMP)
In an NDMP local backup (Direct-NDMP), the NDMP Data Server (NAS) sends data to a locally attached tape device or library.
NDMP backups to non-NDMP devices (NDMP-DSA)
NetWorker software writes NDMP data to non-NDMP devices, including tape, virtual tape, AFTD, and Dell PowerProtect DD series appliances. A backup of NDMP data to a non-NDMP device is performed in one of two ways:
- NDMP data sent to non-NDMP devices that are local to the NetWorker server
- NDMP data sent to non-NDMP devices that reside on a NetWorker storage node
NDMP data sent to non-NDMP devices that are local to the NetWorker servers has the following characteristics:
- The backup data traverses the network between the NetWorker server and the NDMP data server.
- The metadata, the NDMP control information, and the file history (FH) remains local to the NetWorker server and still traverse the network.
NDMP backups can be configured to write data to a NetWorker storage node in one of two ways:
- Immediate save (nsrdsa_save runs on storage node)
- Non-immediate save (nsrdsa_save runs on NetWorker Server)
Immediate save (nsrdsa_save runs on storage node)
The nsrdsa_save backup command runs on the NetWorker storage node. The NetWorker software uses TCP/IP and shared memory to communicate between the nsrdsa_save and nsrmmd processes.
Non-immediate save (nsrdsa_save runs on NetWorker Server)
By default, NDMP backups to a non-NDMP device use non-immediate save. When configuring an NDMP backup to use non-immediate save, the following actions occur:
- The nsrdsa_save backup command runs on the NetWorker server.
- The nsrdsa_save process uses TCP/IP to read the data in a local buffer.
- The nsrdsa_save process transmits the data to the nsrmmd process on the storage node.
- The nsrmmd process writes the data to the storage device.
Three-party backup
A three-party or three-way backup sends NDMP data to an NDMP Tape Server, however the NDMP Data Server and the NDMP Tape Server are not the same physical host.
There are two main types of three-party backups:
- In the first scenario, NetWorker sends the NDMP data to non-NDMP devices (NDMP-DSA). The NDMP Data Server and the NDMP Tape Server reside on different physical hosts. The NDMP Tape Server is always a NetWorker Server or a NetWorker Storage Node. Hence, NDMP-DSA is also a three-way NDMP backup.
- In the second scenario, NetWorker sends NDMP data to NDMP devices. The data flows from the NDMP Data Server to the NDMP Tape Server and then to a library that is locally attached to the NDMP Tape Server. In this configuration, the NDMP save sets cannot be archived
Dynamic drive sharing
Dynamic Drive Sharing (DDS) is a feature that provides NetWorker software with the ability to recognize shared physical tape drives.
DDS enables NetWorker software to perform the following operations:
- Skip the shared tape drives that are in use
- Route the backups or recoveries to other available shared tape drives
Benefits of DDS
Enabling DDS on a NetWorker system provides these benefits:
- Reduces storage costs
- Reduces LAN traffic
- Provides fault tolerance
- Provides configuration over a greater distance
References
Author: Vinod Kumaresan