7 Storage Backup

7.1 Introduction

Each stub on primary storage is linked to a corresponding MWI file on secondary storage. During the normal process of migration and demigration the relationship between stub and MWI file is maintained.

The recommendations below ensure that the consistency of this relationship is maintained even after files are restored from backup.

7.2 Backup Planning

Ensure that the restoration of stubs is included as part of your backup & restore test regimen.

When using Scrub policies, ensure the Scrub grace period is sufficient to cover the time from when a backup is taken to when the restore and Post-Restore Revalidate steps are completed (see below).

It is strongly recommended to set the global minimum grace period accordingly to guard against the accidental creation of scrub policies with insufficient grace. To update this setting, see §5.10 .

Important: It will NOT be possible to safely restore stubs from a backup set taken more than one grace period ago.

7.2.1 Additional Planning

To complement standard backup and recovery solutions, and to allow the widest range of recovery options, it is recommended to schedule a ‘Create DrTool File From Source’ Policy to run after each migration.

7.3 Restore Process

1. Suspend the scheduler in FileFly Admin Portal
2. Restore the primary volume
3. Run a ‘Post-Restore Revalidate’ policy against the primary volume

• To ensure all stubs are revalidated, run this policy against the entire primary volume, NOT simply against the migration source
• This policy is not required when only WORM destinations are in use

1. Restart the scheduler in FileFly Admin Portal

If restoring the primary volume to a different server (a server with a different FQDN), the following preparatory steps will also be required:

1. On the ‘Servers’ tab, retire the old server (unless it is still in use for other volumes)

2. Install FileFly Agent on the new server

1. Update Admin Portal Sources as required to refer to the FQDN of the new server
2. Perform the restore process as above

7.4 Platform-specific Considerations

7.4.1 Windows

Most enterprise Windows backup software will respect the Offline flag. Refer to the backup software user guide for options regarding Offline files.

When testing backup software configuration, test that backup of stubs does not cause unwanted demigration.

7.4.2 NetApp Filers

Please consult §4.3.5 for information regarding snapshot restore on Cluster-mode NetApp Filers.