Installing vRanger
• Adding a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository
Before installing vRanger and the DR Series appliance, ensure that you read and understand the requirements and operation of both products. The following topics summarize the system requirements for vRanger. The information is a summary only. Before implementing vRanger, review the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
IMPORTANT: You must use a supported version of vRanger and the DR Series system. For more information, see Product requirements for integration.
Minimum hardware requirements
The minimum hardware requirements to run vRanger can vary widely based on several factors. Therefore, you should not do a large-scale implementation without first completing a scoping and sizing exercise.
The following describes the hardware recommendations for the vRanger physical machine:
The following describes the hardware recommendations for using vRanger in a VM:
Requirements for physical backup and restore
When backing up from and restoring to a physical server, vRanger uses a client run on that server to perform backup and restore operations. To process the backup workload effectively, the physical server must meet the following requirements:
Any combination equaling four cores of CPUs are recommended. Example one quad-core CPU; two dual-core CPUs.
Additional requirement for repository replication
If you set up repository replication, increase the Task Timeout setting beyond the default 24 hours for the initial synchronization. If the initial synchronization involves the transfer of many terabytes of data, you might need to increase the task timeout to over a hundred hours.
1 On the Main toolbar, click Tools > Options.
2 Under the My Jobs node, click Configuration.
3 In the Timeout section, change the Task Timeout field to 100 or more, depending on the size of the environment.
After the initial synchronization of the repositories is finished, you can update this field to an appropriate number.
Supported operating systems for installation
The following operating systems are supported for installation of vRanger.
Windows 10a Windows Server 2012 R2bd b. Windows 2008 R2 SP1 requires Windows Management Framework 3.0. Refer to Known Issue VR-177 in the vRanger Release Notes for more information. c.The Windows Storage Server edition is not supported as an installation platform for vRanger. d. Before installing vRanger on Windows Server 2012 R2, the updates listed in Additional required software must be installed.
In addition to a supported version of Windows� and a supported VMware� Infrastructure, you may need some additional software components, depending on your configuration.
• Microsoft� .NET Framework: vRanger requires the .NET Framework 4.5. The vRanger installer installs it if not detected.
• SQL Server: [Optional] vRanger utilizes two SQL Server� databases for application functionality. vRanger can install a local version of SQL Express 2014 SP3 or you can choose to install the vRanger databases on your own SQL instance.
• Windows PowerShell 3 or above.If you are installing vRanger on Windows 2008 R2 SP1, you will need to install Windows PowerShell 3 or above before installing vRanger
• vRanger virtual appliance (VA): The vRanger VA is a small, pre-packaged Linux� distribution that serves as a platform for vRanger operations away from the vRanger server. vRanger uses the VA for the following functions:
▪ Replication to and from VMware� ESXi� hosts.
▪ File-level restore (FLR) from Linux machines.
▪ Optionally for backups and restores.
• Updates for Windows Server 2012 R2: Before installing vRanger on Windows Server 2012 R2, ensure that the Windows updates listed below are installed:
Installing vRanger
The installation of vRanger has several options. Unless you have a valid reason not to, accept the defaults wherever possible. The installation follows this sequence:
1 Launch the installer, and accept the vRanger license.
The install process does not continue until the license is accepted.
2 Enter the credentials under which the vRanger services should run.
The credentials used need to have local administrator privileges on the vRanger machine.
3 Choose an installation directory.
4 Select the vRanger database.
You may choose to install vRanger with a new instance of SQL Server� Express or on an existing SQL Server.
5 Configure the runtime credentials for the vRanger Database.
6 [Optional] Install the vRanger Catalog Service.
For more information, see the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.
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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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:
• You have a properly configured the Quest DR Series appliance that is accessible to the vRanger machine.
• You created at least one storage container to be used as a Logical Storage Unit. When creating the storage container, use the options:
• You have designated an RDA User account.
• You configured your firewall to enable the following TCP ports.
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:
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA).
2 In the Add Quest Rapid Access Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
▪ Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.
▪ Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.
▪ DNS Name or IP: Enter the DNS name or IP address of the Quest DR Series system.
▪ 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.
▪ RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account — the default is: St0r@ge!
▪ 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:
▪ Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.
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.
4 If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
▪ 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:
• You have configured at least one Quest RDA repository in vRanger.
• 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.
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Configure Replication.
2 In the Configure Replication dialog box, complete the following fields:
▪ Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.
▪ Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.
▪ DNS Name or IP: The DNS name or IP address of the Quest DR Series system.
▪ 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.
▪ RDA Password: Enter the password for the user account.
▪ 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:
▪ Port Number: Leave this value at 0 to use the default.
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.
Editing a replication configuration
You may edit an existing replication configuration to update credentials or timeout values. You may also use the Edit Repository Details dialog box to view free space for the repository.
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Edit Replication Configuration.
2 In the Edit Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) dialog box, edit any of the following fields:
3 Alternatively, view the Free Space field for up-to-date information about this repository.
4 If you edited any of the fields, click Update.
Managing repository replication
vRanger supports repository replication. Repositories configured for replication can be synchronized in one of three ways:
• Automatically, after a successful backup task to that repository.
• As a separate job on a scheduled basis.
• Manually, using the Synchronize option.
Configuring a repository for automatic replication
When a managed repository is configured for savepoint replication, and a backup task completes successfully, each savepoint is also replicated to the replication repository.
To enable automatic savepoint replication:
1 From the Tools menu on the vRanger toolbar, select Options.
2 Under the Repositories node, select Replication.
TIP: You may also right-click the target repository in the My Repositories pane, and select Repository Replication Options.
3 Select Enable savepoint replication for a successful backup job task, and click Ok.
Scheduling repository synchronization
When using scheduled repository synchronization, savepoints are replicated to the replication repository according to a configured schedule.
NOTE: When scheduling repository synchronization, ensure that the synchronization activity does not occur at the same time as backup jobs using the synchronized repository.
To schedule a repository synchronization:
1 From the Tools menu on the vRanger toolbar, select Options.
2 Under the Repositories node, select Replication.
3 In the Repository Replication Configuration pane, find the Repository Name column, and select the applicable repository.
The repositories listed are the target repositories.
4 Select Schedule repository synchronization.
5 Configure the replication schedule as desired, using the following information as a guide.
a Start: In the drop-down list, select the time for the replication task to begin.
b Recurrence Pattern: Establish how often the changes should be synchronized. There are five options within this section:
▫ Daily: The daily option can be scheduled to synchronize the repository every weekday or every x number of days.
▫ Weekly: Repository synchronization can be configured to run on weekly intervals, from every week to every 99 weeks. The day of the week on which to run synchronization tasks can be configured.
▫ Monthly: The monthly option offers the following configurations:
x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the day of the month on which the synchronization job occurs.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the monthly interval — for example, every two months sets the job to run every other month.
- The [f] [d] of every [y] month(s):
f can be either: first, second, third, fourth or last.
d can be: weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
y can be any value from 1 to 99. This value determines the monthly interval — for example, every two months sets the synchronization task to run every other month.
▫ Yearly: The yearly option offers the following configurations:
m is any month of the year. This value determines the month of the year in which the synchronization occurs.
x can be any value from 1 to 31. This value determines the day of the month on which the synchronization occurs.
f can be either: first, second, third, fourth, or last.
d can be: day, weekday, weekend day, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.
m is any month of the year. This value determines the month of the year in which the synchronization occurs.
▫ Interval: The interval option lets you select the number of days, hours, and minutes that should pass between synchronization jobs. The interval selected must be greater than or equal to five minutes.
6 Click OK to schedule the job.
Synchronizing a repository manually
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click the source or replication repository, and select Synchronize.
2 When the confirmation prompt appears, click Yes.
Disabling repository replication
To disable repository replication:
▪ From the Tools menu on the vRanger toolbar, select Options. Under the Repositories node, select Replication.
▪ Right-click the replication repository, and select Repository Replication Options.
2 Clear the check box for Enable savepoint replication for a successful backup job task or Schedule repository synchronization, or both.
Replication is disabled as indicated by a red circle icon containing a white exclamation point.
Changing a replication repository to a primary repository
If your primary repository becomes corrupt or otherwise unavailable, you can quickly change your replication repository to a primary repository to continue backup and recovery operations.
To change a replication repository to a primary repository:
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click the replication repository, and click Remove.
3 In the My Repositories pane, click Add.
4 Select the applicable repository type.
5 Complete the Add Repository dialog box, and click OK.
6 When vRanger detects that the repository being added contains savepoint data and displays the Warning: Existing Repository Found dialog box, click Import to reconfigure the repository as a primary repository.
Removing a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository
The process for removing a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository is the same as removing any other repository type.
To remove a Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository:
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click the Quest Rapid Data Access (RDA) repository, and select Remove.
The Remove Repository dialog box appears, showing the savepoints in the selected repository.
When removing a repository, you have the option of keeping the savepoints on disk or deleting them. To remove the storage unit associated with the repository, you need to remove the savepoints. If replication is configured for this repository, you are also given the option to delete the savepoints in the replicated repository.
2 Select Delete all savepoints in this repository.
CAUTION: This step deletes the savepoints from the repository disk, not just the vRanger database. Exercise caution when deleting savepoints.
3 To delete the savepoints in a replicated repository, select Delete all savepoints in replication repository.
5 When the Delete Savepoints dialog box appears, click OK.
The savepoints are deleted, along with the storage unit associated with the repository.
Adding a Quest DR Series system as a CIFS repository
NOTE: Adding a Quest DR Series system as a CIFS repository does not take advantage of the full function of the DR Series system. Quest recommends adding the DR Series as an RDA repository.
To add a Quest DR Series system as a CIFS repository:
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > Windows Share (CIFS).
2 In the Add Windows Network Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
▪ Repository Name: Enter a name for the repository.
▪ Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.
▪ User Name and Password: Enter the credentials for accessing the CIFS share.
▪ Security Protocol: Select a protocol, NTLM (default) or NTLMv2.
▪ Server: Enter the UNC path to the applicable repository directory. Alternatively, you may enter a partial path and click Browse to find the target directory.
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.
4 If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
Adding a Quest DR Series system as an NFS repository
To add a Quest DR Series system as an NFS repository:
1 In the My Repositories pane, right-click anywhere, and click Add > NFS.
2 In the Add Network File Share Repository dialog box, complete the following fields:
▪ Repository Name: Enter a descriptive name for the repository.
▪ Description: [Optional] Enter a long-form description for the repository.
▪ DNS Name or IP: Enter the IP or FQDN for the repository.
▪ Export Directory: Specify the export directory, which is similar in concept to a network share. You must create a target subdirectory in the export directory.
▪ Target Directory: Enter a subdirectory of the NFS export directory. This directory is the location to which savepoints are written.
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.
4 If vRanger finds existing savepoints, click the applicable button:
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
▪ 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.
NOTE: For instructions on additional configurations and scheduling backup jobs, see the Quest vRanger User’s Guide.
Maintaining your DR Series appliance
• Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Performing scheduled disk space reclamation operations are recommended as a method for recovering disk space from system containers in which files were deleted as a result of deduplication. The best method is to schedule a time when you can run the Cleaner on your DR Series system with no other planned processes running. Alternately, another method lets the Cleaner process on the DR Series system run whenever it determines that there are no active data ingests.
To schedule Cleaner operations on your system:
1 Select Schedules > Cleaner Schedule.
2 Click Schedule to create a schedule, or click Edit Schedule to modify an existing schedule.
3 Select or modify the Start Time and Stop Time setpoint values using the Hour and Minutes drop-down lists to create a Cleaner schedule.
4 Click Set Schedule for the system to accept your Cleaner schedule, or click Cancel to display the Cleaner Schedule page.
The current Cleaner Status is represented on the Dashboard page in the System Information pane as one of the three following states:
• Pending: Displayed when there is any scheduled window set and the current time is outside the scheduled window for the Cleaner operation.
• Running: Displayed when the Cleaner operation is running during a scheduled window.
• Idle: Displayed only if there is no Cleaner operation running during a scheduled window.
Quest recommends that you do not schedule the running of any Cleaner operations during the same time period when replication or ingest operations are running. Failure to follow this practice affects the time required to complete the system operations and impacts your DR Series system performance.
To display additional Cleaner statistics, you can use the DR Series system CLI stats --cleaner command to show Cleaner statistics.
For more information about DR Series system CLI commands, see the Quest DR Series System Command Line Reference Guide.
The Dashboard page contains system status indicators for the current state of the DR Series system (System State), current hardware state (HW State), current number of system alerts (Number of Alerts), and current number of system events (Number of Events). After backup jobs have run, the DR Series tracks Capacity, Storage Savings, and Throughput on the DR Series dashboard. This information is valuable in understanding the benefits the DR Series.
• Capacity: Used space and free space available in percentage and total (in gibibytes or tebibytes).
• Storage Savings: Total savings in percentage based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
• Throughput: For reads and writes in volume based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
Maintaining your DR Series appliance
• Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Performing scheduled disk space reclamation operations are recommended as a method for recovering disk space from system containers in which files were deleted as a result of deduplication. The best method is to schedule a time when you can run the Cleaner on your DR Series system with no other planned processes running. Alternately, another method lets the Cleaner process on the DR Series system run whenever it determines that there are no active data ingests.
To schedule Cleaner operations on your system:
1 Select Schedules > Cleaner Schedule.
2 Click Schedule to create a schedule, or click Edit Schedule to modify an existing schedule.
3 Select or modify the Start Time and Stop Time setpoint values using the Hour and Minutes drop-down lists to create a Cleaner schedule.
4 Click Set Schedule for the system to accept your Cleaner schedule, or click Cancel to display the Cleaner Schedule page.
The current Cleaner Status is represented on the Dashboard page in the System Information pane as one of the three following states:
• Pending: Displayed when there is any scheduled window set and the current time is outside the scheduled window for the Cleaner operation.
• Running: Displayed when the Cleaner operation is running during a scheduled window.
• Idle: Displayed only if there is no Cleaner operation running during a scheduled window.
Quest recommends that you do not schedule the running of any Cleaner operations during the same time period when replication or ingest operations are running. Failure to follow this practice affects the time required to complete the system operations and impacts your DR Series system performance.
To display additional Cleaner statistics, you can use the DR Series system CLI stats --cleaner command to show Cleaner statistics.
For more information about DR Series system CLI commands, see the Quest DR Series System Command Line Reference Guide.
The Dashboard page contains system status indicators for the current state of the DR Series system (System State), current hardware state (HW State), current number of system alerts (Number of Alerts), and current number of system events (Number of Events). After backup jobs have run, the DR Series tracks Capacity, Storage Savings, and Throughput on the DR Series dashboard. This information is valuable in understanding the benefits the DR Series.
• Capacity: Used space and free space available in percentage and total (in gibibytes or tebibytes).
• Storage Savings: Total savings in percentage based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
• Throughput: For reads and writes in volume based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
Maintaining your DR Series appliance
• Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Setting up the DR Series Cleaner
Performing scheduled disk space reclamation operations are recommended as a method for recovering disk space from system containers in which files were deleted as a result of deduplication. The best method is to schedule a time when you can run the Cleaner on your DR Series system with no other planned processes running. Alternately, another method lets the Cleaner process on the DR Series system run whenever it determines that there are no active data ingests.
To schedule Cleaner operations on your system:
1 Select Schedules > Cleaner Schedule.
2 Click Schedule to create a schedule, or click Edit Schedule to modify an existing schedule.
3 Select or modify the Start Time and Stop Time setpoint values using the Hour and Minutes drop-down lists to create a Cleaner schedule.
4 Click Set Schedule for the system to accept your Cleaner schedule, or click Cancel to display the Cleaner Schedule page.
The current Cleaner Status is represented on the Dashboard page in the System Information pane as one of the three following states:
• Pending: Displayed when there is any scheduled window set and the current time is outside the scheduled window for the Cleaner operation.
• Running: Displayed when the Cleaner operation is running during a scheduled window.
• Idle: Displayed only if there is no Cleaner operation running during a scheduled window.
Quest recommends that you do not schedule the running of any Cleaner operations during the same time period when replication or ingest operations are running. Failure to follow this practice affects the time required to complete the system operations and impacts your DR Series system performance.
To display additional Cleaner statistics, you can use the DR Series system CLI stats --cleaner command to show Cleaner statistics.
For more information about DR Series system CLI commands, see the Quest DR Series System Command Line Reference Guide.
The Dashboard page contains system status indicators for the current state of the DR Series system (System State), current hardware state (HW State), current number of system alerts (Number of Alerts), and current number of system events (Number of Events). After backup jobs have run, the DR Series tracks Capacity, Storage Savings, and Throughput on the DR Series dashboard. This information is valuable in understanding the benefits the DR Series.
• Capacity: Used space and free space available in percentage and total (in gibibytes or tebibytes).
• Storage Savings: Total savings in percentage based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
• Throughput: For reads and writes in volume based on time (in minutes), which can be displayed in 1h (one hour — the default), 1d (one day), 5d (five days), 1m (one month), or 1y (one year) durations.
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