vRanger 7.8 - Integration Guide for EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost)

Configuring Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover

If an interface group is configured, when the EMC® Data Domain® system receives data from the backup server clients, the data transfer is load balanced and distributed as separate jobs on the private network, providing higher input and output throughput, especially for customers who use multiple 1 GbE connections.

Create an interface group on the Data Domain system by adding existing interfaces to the group and registering the Data Domain system with vRanger, as described in the following steps.

1	Verify that the interfaces have been created with the net command.

2	Add the interfaces into the group.

# ddboost ifgroup add interface 192.168.1.1

# ddboost ifgroup add interface 192.168.1.2

# ddboost ifgroup add interface 192.168.1.3

# ddboost ifgroup add interface 192.168.1.4

 

NOTE: Only one interface group can be created and this group cannot be named.

3	Select one interface on the Data Domain system to register with vRanger.

Quest recommends that you create a failover-aggregated interface and register that interface with vRanger.

It is not mandatory to have one of the interfaces in the ifgroup registered with vRanger. An interface that is not part of the ifgroup can also be used to register with vRanger.

 

NOTE: EMC recommends that you register the interface with a resolvable name using DNS or any other name resolution mechanism.

The interface registered with vRanger is used by vRanger and the DD Boost Library to communicate with the Data Domain system. If this interface is not available, backups to that Data Domain system are not possible.

4	Enable the feature on the Data Domain system:

# ddboost ifgroup enable

5	Verify the configuration of the Data Domain system:

# ddboost ifgroup show config

Interface

-------------

192.168.1.1

192.168.1.2

192.168.1.3

192.168.1.4

-------------

After the interface group is set up, you can add or delete interfaces from the group. You can manage Advanced Load Balancing and Link Failover — an interface group — by using the ddboost ifgroup command or from the Enterprise Manager Data Management > DD Boost view. For more information, see the EMC Data Domain Operating System Administration Guide.

Configuring replication

With EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), vRanger can control replication between multiple EMC® Data Domain® systems and provide backup administrators with a single point of management for tracking all backups and duplicate copies. This configuration lets you efficiently create disaster recovery (DR) copies of your backups over the WAN, and track all the copies using the vRanger catalog for easy recovery.

Enabling replication

When using EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™) with vRanger, replication is configured through the vRanger interface. For instructions on enabling replication, see Configuring repository replication.

Enabling low-bandwidth optimization

To enable the low-bandwidth option, enter:

# ddboost file-replication option set low-bw-optim enabled

Low bandwidth optimization enabled for replication.

Enabling or disabling the low-bandwidth optimization option does not require a restart of the EMC® Data Domain® file system. After enabling low-bandwidth optimization, however, you need to run a full cleaning cycle on the Data Domain system for it to be effective.

Low-bandwidth optimization can be monitored and managed with the command ddboost file replication or from the Enterprise Manager Data Management > DD Boost view. For more information, see the EMC Data Domain Operating System Administration Guide.

No configuration changes are necessary on the backup server as this feature is transparent to the data protection applications.

Notes:

•	Enabling this feature takes additional resources — CPU and memory — on the Data Domain system; Quest recommends that you use this option only when replication is being done over low-bandwidth networks with less than 6 Mbps aggregate bandwidth.

•	For more information on this feature, see the EMC Data Domain Operating System Administration Guide.

•	The low-bandwidth option for replication is supported only for standalone Data Domain systems.

Enabling encrypted file replication

To enable the encrypted file-replication option, enter:

# ddboost file-replication option set encryption enabled

The output indicates that the encryption you requested was enabled.

For more information, see the command ddboost file-replication.

No configuration changes are necessary on the backup server as this feature is transparent to the data protection application. Turning on this feature takes additional resources — CPU and memory — on an EMC® Data Domain® system.

Notes:

•	Enabling or disabling the encrypted file replication option does not require a restart of the Data Domain file system.

•	For more information on this feature, see the EMC Data Domain Operating System Administration Guide.

Installing vRanger

vRanger system requirements

Before installing vRanger and EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), ensure that you read and understand the requirements and limitations of both products. The following topics summarize the system requirements for vRanger.

IMPORTANT: The following information is a summary. Before implementing vRanger, review the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

For vRanger and DD Boost to integrate, you must use the following versions:

•

vRanger

•	At least one EMC® Data Domain® device running:

▪	Data Domain OS 5.7 — requires vRanger 7.5 or later

▪	Data Domain OS 6.0— requires vRanger 7.6.4 or later

▪	Data Domain OS 6.1— requires vRanger 7.6.4 or later

vRanger system requirements

Installing vRanger

Before installing vRanger and EMC® Data Domain® Boost (DD Boost™), ensure that you read and understand the requirements and limitations of both products. The following topics summarize the system requirements for vRanger.

IMPORTANT: The following information is a summary. Before implementing vRanger, review the Quest vRanger Installation/Upgrade Guide.

For vRanger and DD Boost to integrate, you must use the following versions:

•

vRanger

•	At least one EMC® Data Domain® device running:

▪	Data Domain OS 5.7 — requires vRanger 7.5 or later

▪	Data Domain OS 6.0— requires vRanger 7.6.4 or later

▪	Data Domain OS 6.1— requires vRanger 7.6.4 or later