9 Remote Copy for Recovery Manager
Overview
HP 3PAR Remote Copy Software helps you safeguard against disasters that might occur at one location by allowing you to keep copies of data on a separate server, which can be placed at a remote location. For example, if there were a fire or earthquake at one location, all of the data stored there could be lost unless a backup copy can be recovered from a separate location not affected by the disaster.
To maintain updated copies of data at a remote location, Remote Copy uses two HP 3PAR Storage Systems: a primary server (used for production) and a backup server, which can be located anywhere. Therefore, when disaster strikes in one location, there is always a backup of your data at the backup site.
Recovery Manager automatically detects the Remote Copy mode in use (synchronous or asynchronous periodic) and creates virtual copies as appropriate for the configured mode.
For more information, see the HP 3PAR Remote Copy Software User’s Guide.
How Remote Copy Works
When you synchronize data between a production system (the Remote Copy primary system) on one site and the backup server at another site, the systems involved perform the following steps in sequence:
NOTE: For the Recovery Manager GUI to manage virtual copies on the Remote Copy backup server, you must register the storage group using the precise server and instance names.
Synchronous Mode Remote Copy
•Recovery Manager leverages the VSS framework to freeze the I/O at the application level.
•For synchronous mode Remote Copy, the VSS provider creates a virtual copy of the storage groups and log volumes.
•At the same time on the remote backup site, the Remote Copy backup server takes a snapshot of the secondary volumes.
•The Remote Copy backup server saves the virtual copy in its repository at the remote site, and the local backup server saves a local copy of the virtual copy.
NOTE: Running Recovery Manager with synchronous mode Remote Copy requires HP 3PAR VSS Provider Software 2.1.0 or higher.
Asynchronous Periodic Mode Remote Copy
•Recovery Manager leverages the VSS framework to freeze the I/O at the application level.
•For asynchronous periodic mode Remote Copy, the VSS provider creates a virtual copy of the storage groups and log volumes.
•Remote Copy synchronizes the data on the primary server with the data on the backup server (thus updating the backup server).
•After synchronization is complete, Remote Copy creates a virtual copy (aka a snapshot) on the backup server.
•The backup server saves the virtual copy in its repository at the remote site.
•For asynchronous periodic mode Remote Copy, Recovery Manager removes the virtual copy created on the production system (the Remote Copy primary system).