Recovery Manager for AD Disaster Recovery Edition 10.0.1 - User Guide

Consolidating backup registration data

When there are two or more instances of the Recovery Manager Console deployed in your environment, each of these instances has its own dedicated backup registration database that stores information about created backups. Recovery Manager for Active Directory allows you to consolidate backup information from multiple backup registration databases on a single Recovery Manager for Active Directory computer. The main user scenario for using this functionality is to make this data available to Forest Recovery Console. So, Forest Recovery Console must be installed together with Recovery Manager Console on the computer that hosts consolidated backup database to access and use the backup files created by all other Recovery Manager for Active Directory instances installed in your environment.

This functionality as well as the Fault Tolerance feature is based on the Recovery Manager Remote API Access service and PowerShell commands. The Recovery Manager Remote API Access service is an optional feature and must be selected when installing Recovery Manager for Active Directory Disaster Recovery Edition version 10.0.1. When the backup replication is enabled, the current console connects to the Recovery Manager Remote API Access service on the remote RMAD console, then imports the data.

Configure replication of backup information in Recovery Manager Console

This section describes how to configure replication of backup information from remote consoles to the local backup storage.

To add a remote console to the local console and force the replication of backup information

1. Open the local Recovery Manager for Active Directory console.

2. Right-click Remote Consoles under the Replication node and select Add Console.

3. In the Add Replication Console dialog, specify a host name where the RMAD console that will be used as a replication source is installed.
4. Select Replicate backup information only(Backups mode). This option lets you replicate backup information from the replication source.
   
5. Supply the credentials for the replication task. These credentials will be used to connect the source console that you have just added.
   

   NOTE: The account used for the replication task must be a member of the local Administrators group on the local RMAD console.

6. Now the source console instance is added and shown in the right pane.
7. Set the console replication status to Enabled in the right pane.

8. To start the replication, right-click Remote Consoles and press Replicate. This option forces the replication for all consoles in the list, not only for the selected one .
   

9. To change the console properties, right-click the console instance from the list in the right pane and select Properties.

10. To remove the console instance from the replication console list, right-click the instance and click Remove.

Replication status

• If the data replication is finished successfully, the status in the console instances list is changed to "Success".
• The replication may fail with the error "Cannot connect to Recovery Manager for Active Directory on the specified computer." in the following cases:
  • If the target computer does not exist or Recovery Manager for Active Directory is not installed on the specified host.
  • If the Recovery Manager Remote API Access service is not installed or stopped
  • If you experience network connection problems
  • If the account that is used for the replication task is blocked, etc.

To view the replication history

1. Open the local Recovery Manager for Active Directory console.
2. Click History under the Replication node to view the list of replication sessions.
3. If you click a replication session, the right pane shows all remote consoles that are involved in the specified replication session.
4. To remove one or more replication sessions from the list, right-click the session node and select Delete. Multi-select is possible.

To create a replication schedule

1. In the Recovery Manager for Active Directory console, right-click Remote Consoles under the Replication node and select Properties.
2. In the Replication Properties dialog, you can create the replication schedule. For that, click Modify..., then click New... in the Recovery Manager Replication Job dialog to create a trigger for the schedule.
   
3. Make sure that the Schedule enabled option is selected in the Replication Properties dialog.
4. Provide a user account that will be used to start the replication schedule task using Select Account... in the Replication Properties dialog. Minimum requirements for the account are listed above depending on the replication mode.
5. Click OK.

Monitoring Recovery Manager for Active Directory

Recovery Manager for Active Directory release package contains RMAD Management Pack for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) that allows you to monitor the backup and restore operations performed by Recovery Manager for Active Directory. Also the Management Pack is used to check the health and availability of the Recovery Manager Console instances, Computer Collections and computers added to Computer Collections.

There are two editions of RMAD Management Packs for SCOM: Regular and Limited. By default, it is recommended to use the Regular edition of Management Pack.

Limited Management Pack contains reduced health state dashboards in comparison with the Regular edition. Only the RMAD event log is used for alert generating to reduce the computational load produced by the Management Pack.

• Supported versions of Microsoft Operations Manager
• Importing Management Pack
• Rules provided in Microsoft System Center Operations Manager
• Health dashboards

Supported versions of Microsoft Operations Manager

This Management Pack is designed for the following versions of Microsoft Operations Manager:

• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 R2
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012 SP1
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2012
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 SP1

Importing Management Pack

To start using the Management Pack, you need to import it into Microsoft Operations Manager as described in the example below. For more information about importing, using, and removing Management Packs, refer to the documentation supplied with your version of Microsoft Operations Manager.

To import the Management Pack into Microsoft System Center Operations Manager

1. Start System Center Operations Manager Operations Console.
2. From the main menu, select Go | Administration.
3. In the left pane, right-click the Management Packs node, and then click Import Management Packs on the shortcut menu.
4. On the Select Management Packs page, click the Add button, and then click Add from disk.
5. If you are prompted to search the online catalog for the dependencies the Management Pack may have, click No.
6. Browse to select the Quest.Recovery.Manager.for.Active.Directory.mp or Quest.Recovery.Manager.for.Active.Directory.Limited.mp file supplied in the Recovery Manager for Active Directory Disaster Recovery Edition distribution package. When you are finished, click Open.
7. Click Install and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Management Pack installation.

It is required to configure Recovery Manager for Active Directory 8.7 or earlier versions to start working with RMAD Management Pack for SCOM.

To configure Recovery Manager for Active Directory 8.7 or earlier versions

1. Open the Recovery Manager Console.
2. In the console tree, expand the Computer Collections node.
3. Right-click the Computer Collection you want to monitor by using this Management Pack, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.
4. In the dialog box that opens, click the Log tab.
5. Make sure that you
   • Select the Application Log check box.
   • Select Everything from the What to record drop-down list.
   • Clear the Create event upon warnings or errors only check box.
6. When you are finished, click OK to close the dialog box.