Jeff HarbertPrincipal Storage Consultant,GlassHouse Technologies

In this presentation, you’ll learnabout the five most prevalentbackup failures— and explainswhat you can do about them.

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5 Things That Will Mess UpYour Backups—and How toAvoid Them

5 Things That Will Mess Up Your Backups – and How to

Avoid Them

Jeff HarbertJeff HarbertPrincipal Storage Consultant

GlassHouse Technologies

Avoid Them

Agenda• Today, we will discuss:

• Importance of backups• Causes of backup failures• Ways to reduce backup failures

Do Backups Matter?

How many people here

How many people here

Which do you (and yourpeople here

know they have backup

failures?

people here have had restore

failures?

(and your management)

care about more?

Backups Only Matter If You Care About Restoring Data

• Data cannot be recovered if it wasn’t backed up initially• Missing servers or data • Missing servers or data • Backup failures

• Successful backups are the best defense against failed restores• Higher success rates increase recoverability

• Technology and process are both required to minimize backup failures• Technology alone will not ensure high success levels

Backups Will Fail…But Addressing These Issues

Minimizes the Impact

1. Operational controlsp

2. Hidden problems

3. Technology mismatches

4. Performance bottlenecks

5. Reporting visibility

1. Operational Errors Are Common Causes of Backup

Failures

Initial ConfigurationFile listing

Change ControlOrphaned serversFile listing

Job schedulesClient name

Orphaned serversTemporary changes become

permanent

TroubleshootingMisaligned skill-sets

Lack of defined escalation process

Access ControlToo many “chefs”

Limited accountability

Operational Errors Can Be Minimized

• Configuration• Standardize configurations• Test backups prior to “go-live”Ch C l• Change Control• Include backups as part of system deployment• Develop and maintain master client list• Track all changes to configuration

• Troubleshooting• Document and maintain problem resolution steps• Clearly define escalation path

• Access Control• Limit number of administrative-level users

2. What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

• “Hidden” problems are those issues that don’t generate error messages• Usually revealed at the worst possible time – during y p g

restore attempts• A “hidden problem” becomes obvious when there is no

data available to restore

• Usually result from configuration issues• Missing servers• Missing data / files• Scripting / synchronization issues

• Partial backups are failures!• Skipped files may be critical to application

Hidden Problems Will Cause Data Loss

• Missing backups are nearly impossible to t k ith t t l track without external reporting tools

• Partial backups must be investigated to determine what was skipped

Visibility and Understanding Are the Keys to Avoiding

Hidden Problems• Provide comprehensive reporting for the

end usersend users• More of them = more eyes to identify an issue• Track servers and data on daily basis• Exception alerting if systems are missed

• Understand your environment• What are you backing up and when?• Are there any dependencies for the backups?

• Resolve partial backups• Perform periodic, random restore tests

3. Throwing Technology At the Problem Won’t Always Help

• Resource contention• Imbalanced implementation of new components (i.e.

new media servers without new tape drives)

• Performance bottlenecks• Installation of components that introduce new

bottlenecks (i.e. inline encryption device)

• Misaligned service levels• Inappropriate solution for business requirements

(i.e. backing up flat db files without backup app integration)

Strategic Approach to Backup Minimizes Data Loss

• Technology should align with business requirements• IT and businesses must work together

• Modular, scalable design should be implemented• Accommodating incremental growth should be part of

initial design

• Understanding the environment deployed reduces ad-hoc solutions• Predictive analysis prevents last-minute/emergency

deployments

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4. Performance Bottlenecks Cause Failures When Not

Properly Managed• Bottlenecks exist in all environments

• Properly architected solutions identify bottlenecks and • Properly architected solutions identify bottlenecks and design within these parameters

• Properly maintained environments monitor and react when bottlenecks cause issues

• Bottlenecks are only an issue when backups fail or tasks cannot complete• Jobs run out of window• Tape copies cannot be sent offsite in timely fashion

Pushing the Bottleneck

I.I.Client NetworkClient Network

InterfacesInterfaces

II.II.Backup ServerBackup ServerPerformancePerformance

III.Backup

Application

IV.IV.DiskDisk--basedbased

PerformancePerformance

V.Physical Tape

DrivesInterfacesInterfaces PerformancePerformance Application PerformancePerformance Drives

Goal is to have the tape drives be the bottleneck

Management of Bottlenecks Is an Ongoing Process

• Establish baseline performance metrics for backup components

Network server tape/disk throughput• Network, server, tape/disk throughput

• Determine if performance meets requirements for existing environment• If not, re-architecting the environment may be necessary

• Monitor performance on a regular basis• Bottlenecks may shift as environment grows

5. Ignorance is Not Bliss

• What you don’t know CAN hurt you!• If data is not backed up, it cannot be restored

• Backup failures will cause restore failures

• Backup is not a “set it and forget” application • Requires constant attention

• Reporting and monitoring are essential

• Most backup apps have traditionally struggled with reporting• Often require scripting or command-line integration

• Trending is a manual process

Reports Should be Tailored to the Needs of the Organization

Backups executed in the last 24 hours

ServerABacked Up Files KB Sched Type Policy---------------- -------- -------- ------------ ------------01/27/2009 18:15 2737 462780 Differential ServerA

ServerBBacked Up Files KB Sched Type Policy---------------- -------- -------- ------------ ------------01/27/2009 18:09 681 305850 Differential ServerB

ServerC

ServerDBacked Up Files KB Sched Type Policy---------------- -------- -------- ------------ ------------01/28/2009 05:00 1 96768 User

Example of scripted report Example of 3rd Party Report

If You Have No Reporting Capability Today, Do Something

• First steps• Manual reports can be run from most backup apps• Set up simple scripts to email job failures• Set-up simple scripts to email job failures

• Examine 3rd party reporting tools• Most provide visual presentation of data, historic

trending, and capacity analysis • Separates reporting capabilities from application

knowledge

Parting Shots: What Should You Do?

1. Implement operational controls to reduce user errors

• Documented processes and standard configuration

2. Proactively mitigate potential hidden issues by addressing known concerns (like partial backups) and addressing known concerns (like partial backups) and tracking activity

3. Assess backup architecture• Identify bottlenecks and technology mismatches that

negatively impact environment• Does the solution meet business requirements?

4. Re-architect backup environment to minimizebottlenecks and improve data recoverability

5. Implement reporting capabilities• If you don’t know what’s happening, how can you fix it?

Thank you!

Jeff HarbertP i i l C lt tPrincipal Consultant

GlassHouse Technologieswww.glasshouse.com

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