vRanger 7.8.5 - Integration Guide for DR Series Disk Backup Appliance

Configuring vRanger

vRanger requires some basic configuration before data protection can begin. The bulk of this configuration is driven by the Startup Wizard which starts the first time the application is opened. For more information, see the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

The following lists the primary configurations you need to make.

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Add source servers: Before you can begin backups, you must add one or more source objects to the vRanger inventory. Source objects can include VMware® vCenter™ or ESXi™ hosts, Hyper-V® clusters or hosts, or physical machines.

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Add vRanger virtual appliances (VAs): vRanger VAs allow you to distribute the backup workload and gain direct access to target VM’s storage for improved performance.


	IMPORTANT: To be able to run in Deduplication Mode, the vRanger VA should be configured with four vCPUs and 2 GB of RAM. This configuration lets you run four backup jobs per VA.

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Add repositories: Repositories are where vRanger stores the savepoints created by each backup job. For the purposes of this integration, a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository should be used.

Adding a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository

The Quest DR Series disk-based data protection appliances optimize storage utilization and reduce network bandwidth requirements with in-line deduplication, server-side compression, and compressed and deduplicated replication.

The Quest DR Series supports CIFS, NFS, and RDA protocols. The RDA protocol provides a logical disk interface for the DR Series system. The RDA protocol also enables better coordination and integration between vRanger and the DR Series system and provides for client-side deduplication of vRanger backups.


	NOTE: Quest recommends that you use the RDA protocol when using a Quest DR Series system as a repository.

For more information about the Quest DR Series systems, see the Quest DR Series System Administrator Guide.

This topic describes the process for adding a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository. The following procedure assumes that:

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You have a properly configured the Quest DR Series appliance that is accessible to the vRanger machine.

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You created at least one storage container to be used as a Logical Storage Unit. When creating the storage container, use the options:

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Connection type: RDA

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RDA type: RDS

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You have designated an RDA User account.

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You configured your firewall to enable the following TCP ports.

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	NOTE: For information on setting up the preceding configurations, see your Quest DR Series documentation.

To add a Quest DR Series system as a Quest RDA repository:

In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA).

In the Add Quest Rapid Access Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:

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Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.

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Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.

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DNS Name or IP: Enter the DNS name or IP address of the Quest DR Series system.

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RDA Username: Enter a user account that can be used to log in to the device. On the Quest DR Series system, only one user account exists, and the user ID for that account is backup_user. You can only change the password for this account; you cannot create an account or delete the existing account.

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RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account — the default is: St0r@ge!

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Logical Storage Unit: Enter the name of the storage container. Ensure that the container is created before you add the device. You cannot add the device if the specified container does not exist on the device. When creating the storage container, use the options:

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Connection type: RDA

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RDA type: RDS

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Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.

Click OK.

The connection to the repository is tested and the repository is added to the My Repositories pane and the Repository Information dialog box.

vRanger checks the configured repository location for existing manifest data to identify existing savepoints.

If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:

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Import as Read-Only: To import all savepoint data into the vRanger database, but only for restores, click this button. You cannot back up data to this repository.

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Import: To import all savepoint data into the vRanger database, click this button. vRanger is able to use the repository for backups and restores. vRanger requires read and write access to the directory.

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Overwrite: To retain the savepoint data on the disk and not import it into vRanger, click this button. vRanger ignores the existence of the existing savepoint data and treats the repository as new.

Configuring repository replication

Replication is configured through the My Repositories pane of the vRanger interface.


	TIP: For more information on repository replication, see the Quest DR Series System Administrator Guide.

The following procedure assumes that:

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You have configured at least one Quest RDA repository in vRanger.

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At least one other Quest DR Series appliance with RDA is available in your environment to serve as the replication target. You do not have to add this device to vRanger.

To configure Replication:

In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Configure Replication.

In the Configure Replication dialog box, complete the following fields:

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Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.

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Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.

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DNS Name or IP: The DNS name or IP address of the Quest DR Series system.

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RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account.

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Connection type: RDA

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RDA type: RDS

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Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.

Click OK .

The connection to the device is tested and the device is added as a repository is added to the My Repositories pane and the Repository Information dialog box.

After replication is configured for a repository, the Configure Replication option is disabled for that repository.


	IMPORTANT: After a repository is configured for replication, you must select a synchronization method before replication occurs. For more information, see Managing repository replication.