Itzikr's Blog

We have just released Appsync 3.7 and there are some new, exciting features in this release

Application Feature Support

Reporting on Affected Entities of Volume Groups
• Applies only to Oracle and UNIX file systems
• Applies to non-clustered Volume Groups in AIX and LINUX
• Provides the ability to detect and report filesystems and/or Oracle databases which are considered “affected entities” when laid out on the same Volume Group
• Warning occurs during restore only
– i.e. when restoring a database, if there are other file systems or databases using the same volume group, a warning occurs identifying what will also be restored, as AppSync restores the entire VG

Windows Clustered File Systems

• Extending cluster support (previously just SQL) to Windows file systems (WSFC)
• Supports protection, mounting, restoring, and repurposing
• This feature mounts the clustered file system as a cluster resource, back to the production or to an alternate cluster
• Supports restores to either node, irrespective if a failover has occurred
– Does not require making the original node active before the restore
• Supports repurposing multiple clustered file systems together

VMWare NFS Datastore Support
• Supports Linux file systems and Oracle on vmdks on NFS datastores
• Unity, VNX file, and VMAX eNAS are supported back-end arrays
• All typical Oracle protection workflows are supported (standalone, RAC on ASM, file system, and mixed ASM/FS, etc.)
• Exclusions:
– Repurposing
– Clustered file system
– VSS applications, i.e. SQL, Exchange, and Windows file systems

UNIX Freeze Command Support
• Ability to provide application consistency for UNIX file systems
• Supports the Linux freeze command for ext3, ext4, and xfs
• Supports the AIX freeze command for jfs2
• Reduces the FSCK time during mount/restore for larger file systems

Storage Feature Support

Dell SC Storage Support

• Providing the ability to use AppSync to create and manage copies of production data residing on
Dell SC arrays (always refer to the latest ESM for specific models supported)
– All typical applications and operating systems are supported
– Dell Storage Manager (Enterprise manager) managing the environment is a pre-requisite
– Local block (FC and iSCSI) protection, mount, and unount use cases are supported
– VM & Granular File restore is allowed (typical/normal restore is not available)
• Excludes:
– Repurposing
– Remote copies for block devices
– NFS mounted devices
TCE / Usability Improvements
/

ESRS Gateway Integration & Information Gathering
The Dell EMC ESRS GW MFT services must be registered within AppSync
in order to send the collected data for diagnostic purposes
– see next slide for a screenshot on configuration…
• Collects both static and dynamic information
– Static: SW versions, configuration data, hosts, storage, and applications
– Dynamic: performance, copy information, and capacity consumed
• The data is pushed to ESRS and then back to Dell EMC
• Ability to integrate with the Dell EMC Secure Remote Services Gateway
• Provides an easy way to configure and manage ESRS integration

ESRS GW Configuration

VMAX In-Use Devices

Provides a list all devices currently in-use by AppSync
• Navigate to Settings > Storage Infrastructure,
highlight the array, then click on the “Number of Devices” number, which is blue in color,
• This provides a pop-up with a series of details, such as:
– Physical Device Name
– In-Use for Replication
– Storage Group or Storage Pool Name

Enhanced VMAX Storage Group Level Control

Navigate to Settings > Storage Infrastructure, highlight the array, then click Manage Copy Storage
• Ability to terminate AppSync created clone sessions when using a VMAX storage group, during the de-configuration of that particular storage group
– Applies to v2 only (SnapVX session copies are terminated automatically on the back-end after clicking Expire within AppSync)
• Deleting devices in the pool that AppSync created/provisioned only applies to v2 as well

MAX – No Stale Copies
• Ensures snapshots are terminated and removed after no longer being active
• Ensures that if a phase fails the copy is cleaned up/removed
– e.g. if an unmount, expire, or run copy fails, the “stale” copy is cleaned up automatically
• A scheduled maintenance is being incorporated into AppSync, to include cleaning stale snapshots that no longer reside on the array
– Often occurring during a job failure which may leave snapshots on the array, which are not actually being used
• No GUI changes are necessary/required – automatically handled by AppSync

AppSync Server Enhancements
• Avoid Delays due to Mapping
– Prevents timeouts during the mapping phase causing jobs to fail (e.g. when delays occur during large virtual
disk mapping phases)
• Scheduled backup of AppSync database
– Documentation steps on how to setup and run a scheduled backup of the internal database using Windows scheduler
• Install Check for Busy Ports
– Check occurs during installation identifying if any ports required are in-use
• Install Check for Memory
– Check occurs during installation identifying if the server has enough memory

Recovery Retry Option for Oracle Mounted Copies

– Ability to recover Oracle applications after a mount & recover process completes (existing mounted copy)
– Prevents the need to unmount and then re-mount with the configured options
– Suitable for when the recovery phase fails, or when needing to re-run recovery with different options, such as
SPFile creation, etc…
– See “Oracle Robustness Improvements – 3 of 4” slide for screen shots

• Improved SMI-S Requirements Documentation
– Specifically relating to when using the Silver/Gold Service Plans
– This documentation note explains the need for having the same SMI-S provider utilized for both local and remote arrays

• Disable Copy Expiration
– Ability to mark a copy to be saved, and never expired during normal copy expiration rotation
– Select copy > Expire > Rotation > then choose to Disable (will keep copy) or Enable (will expire next rotation cycle as appropriate)

Hide LDAP Group Support Option
– Removed unsupported LDAP Group configuration options from GUI
• Change Callout Timeout Settings
– Ability to modify the timeout setting’s parameter for “callout” scripts under both Service Plan and Repurposing
“Advanced Plan Settings

Oracle Robustness Improvements

Support for Multiple Redundant Control File Protection
– Ability to have one to three (multiple/redundant) control file copies to protect against corruption
– Gets created either on the primary ASM disk group or the data file system
• ADR Folder Support
– Ability to use the folder specified in the ADR configuration to be used for the logs instead of the /tmp folder
– Preserves the ADR location for diagnostic logs
• Support for Unique DBIDs per Multiple Same Oracle DB Copies
– Utilizes the DBNEWID (nid) utility
• Ability to Disable Archive Log Mode during Mount
– Ability to disable archivelog mode
– Applies to mount host only…does not change mode on source
• Found under Mount options > Advanced Recovery Options

Ability to Automatically Create an SPFile from the Init File
– Ability to copy the init file parameters into a spfile and
optionally store in an ASM diskgroup
• Support for the “BIGFILE” Option
– Supports the “bigfile” option when creating the tempfile
– When selected, only one tempfile will be allowed
• Oracle Clean Shutdown
– Will now use a three-phase approach of “shutdown abort;
startup restrict; shutdown immediate” to ensures all
transactions are properly terminated, and all I/O channels are
appropriately closed as opposed to just “shutdown
immediate.

Oracle Recover Retry Option
– Ability to re-run recovery as its own step, rather than having to unmount and remount with recovery
– Supported with both service plans and repurposing workflows

Ability to Map and Protect the Different Archive Log Destinations

– Selected by the user in AppSync’s Oracle workflows’ Create Copy page

› Supported using both the service plan and 1st generation repurposing workflows

› Protects all the archivelog destinations by default

› Option to specify one or more Oracle archivelog destinations

• Ability to Protect Large BCT Files

– Ability to access the BCT file for RMAN catalog feature post mount

› The file is copied as part of archivelog protection in AppSync and will no longer reside in AppSync persistence

› Available at the archivelog destination of the mounted copy instead of the temporary location (/tmp) on the mount host

• Proper BCT File Location Confirmation

– Error message is displayed if the BCT location in the Oracle DB and the actual location don’t match

Oracle Event Logging

Support Links

AppSync product page on support.emc.com – https://support.emc.com/products/25364_AppSync
• AppSync Support Matrix – https://elabnavigator.emc.com/vault/pdf/EMC_AppSync.pdf
• AppSync CSE Team Email DL – appsync.cse.team@emc.com
• AppSync Training path –
https://education.emc.com/content/_common/docs/NPR/NPR_AppSync_Directory.pdf