Manage protection groups
A protection group protects a set of VMs or physical devices. You can create the following protection groups based on the disaster recovery method:
Storage replication protection group—You assign VMs attached to the same storage pool (a LUN in a storage array) based on a protection policy. It replicates the VM data stored on a LUN in the local storage array to a LUN in a remote storage array through array-based replication when failure occurs.
When you create a protection group, you must associate a protected site and recovery site with the protection group, specify the host pools of the sites, and configure resource mapping relations.
Resource mapping relations associate the resources used by the protected VMs in the protected site with the sources in the recovery site. When VMs are recovered in the recovery site, the resources they use are automatically replaced with the resources of the recovery site. You can create vSwitch mappings, port profile mappings, and storage mappings. For UIS Manager to replicate data between two LUNs, specify them in a storage mapping.
Disk backup protection group—You assign VMs or production nodes installed with disaster recovery client software to a protection group to protect them based on a disaster recovery policy. Disk backup protection groups can be of the standalone, dual-node, or cluster type. VMs or production nodes in a standalone protection group run independently. VMs or production nodes in a dual-node or cluster protection group must have shared storage to store the data that can be accessed by all VMs or production nodes in the group. A disk backup protection group supports the following scenarios:
Homogeneous scenario—UIS Manager management platforms with the same version run in the protected and recovery sites to protect the VMs on the UIS Manager. In a homogeneous scenario, you must specify the protected site and recovery site, specify the VMs installed with disaster recovery client software in the protected site as the protected objects, select a disaster recovery policy, and then configure network resource mapping relations between these sites.
Heterogeneous scenario—UIS Manager protects the VMs on a UIS Manager with a lower version or VMs or physical devices on other platforms, and recovers them on a UIS Manager platform with a higher version. In a heterogeneous scenario, you use a local site as the recovery site, specify the VMs or production nodes installed with disaster recovery client software as the protected objects, select a disaster recovery policy, and then configure production node network resources in the recovery site.
Prerequisites
Deleting a protection group also deletes the resource mapping relations and the recovery plans associated with the protection group. Make sure the recovery plans are not running.
Make sure the VMs or production nodes have disaster recovery client software installed before adding them to a disk backup protection group.
Restrictions and guidelines
The priority of a VM can be modified only when the site is operating correctly and the number of VMs is greater than 1. If you delete a VM when modifying its priority, UIS Manager reloads the VM list.
You must configure a minimum of one storage mapping, one vSwitch mapping, and one port profile mapping.
Before cloning or converting a VM installed with the disaster recovery client to a template, delete file AentSystenmInfo.ini in the installation path of the disaster recovery client.
Do not edit the configuration of the VMs in protection groups in a production environment, unless necessary. Especially, do not perform hardware operations such as adding a vNIC or disk to the VM. If you must edit a VM in a protection group, remove that VM from the group first. After the configuration takes effect, add the VM to the protection group again.
You cannot create both SRA storage mappings and non-SRA storage mappings for the same protection group.
Add a protection group
Restrictions and guidelines
VMs with CD-ROM or floppy drives cannot be added to a protection group. To add such a VM to a protection group, unmount the CD-ROM and floppy drives from the VM.
To expand or add disks for a protected production node, you must first remove the production node from its protection group. After you finish disk expansion, reassign the production node to the protection group for the system to back up the expanded or added disks.
You can edit the priorities of VMs in a protection group only when the site is in normal state and the number of VMs is larger than 1. If you delete a VM while the system is editing the VM priorities, the system will refresh the VM list and reload VM data.
You must configure a minimum of one storage mapping, one vSwitch mapping, and one port profile mapping for a storage replication protection group.
For a disk backup protection group, you only need to configure the destination storage for the recovery site. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
For a disk backup protection group, you only need to configure a vSwitch and port profile for a VM in the recovery site if no protected site is specified (heterogeneous scenario). If a protected site is specified (homogeneous scenario), you must configure network relationships for the VMs in both the protected site and recovery site. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
VMs with USB, PCI, SR_IOV, GPU, VGPU, or TPM devices and VMs with physical CPU bindings cannot be added to a disk backup protection group. To add such a VM to a protection group, remove the USB, PCI, SR_IOV, GPU, VGPU, and TPM devices or physical CPU bindings from the VM. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
If a Windows VM or production node has multiple disks, you must format the disks on its guest OS before you configure disk backup. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
A minimum of one storage mapping, one vSwitch mapping, and one port profile mapping is required.
You cannot edit a disaster recovery policy if it has been assigned to protection groups. You can only create a new disaster recovery policy as needed. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click Add Protection Group.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters," and then click Next.
To add a storage mapping:
Drag
to a protection group box below this icon.
In the dialog box that opens, select a storage pool type and storage type, and then click Next.
Select the storage devices to which the protected site and recovery site are attached, respectively. Click OK.
To add a vSwitch mapping:
Drag
to a protection group box below this icon.
In the dialog box that opens, select a protected site vSwitch and a recovery site vSwitch, and then click OK.
To add a port profile mapping:
Drag
to a protection group box below this icon.
In the dialog box that opens, select a protected site port profile and a recovery site port profile, and then click OK.
Click Finish.
Edit a protection group
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click the
icon for a protection group.
Configure the parameters as described in "Parameters," and then click Next.
Click Finish.
Delete a protection group
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click the
icon for a protection group.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Edit resource mapping relations
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click the
icon for a protection group.
To add a resource mapping relation, drag the
, 
, or 
icon.
To delete a resource mapping relation, right-click on a resource mapping relation, and then select Delete.
Add VMs to a protection group
Restrictions and guidelines
For disk backup protection groups:
If a protection group provides the dual-node service, you must add two VMs or production nodes and configure one as the master.
If a protection group provides the cluster service, you must add at least three VMs or production nodes and configure one as the master.
You can create multiple shared disks for a cluster or dual-node protection group.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Select a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click Add VM.
Select a VM, and then click OK.
For a disk backup dual-node or cluster protection group, select a VM or production node, click Set as Master, and then click Next to configure shared disk settings.
Click OK.
Edit VMs in a protection group
Restrictions and guidelines
The priority of a VM can be modified only when the site is operating correctly and the number of VMs is greater than 1.
If you delete a VM when modifying its priority, UIS Manager reloads the VM list.
The priority of a VM in a disk backup-based disaster recovery protection group cannot be changed.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Select a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click Edit Priority. Drag a VM up or down to edit its priority.
Click OK.
Remove a VM from a protection group
Restrictions and guidelines
Production nodes in a dual-node or cluster protection group cannot be removed.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Select a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the
icon for a VM, or select the target VMs, and then click Delete VMs.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Synchronize VMs in a protection group
Restrictions and guidelines
A protection group can be synchronized only when the recovery site is in normal state and the recovery plan for the protection group is in ready or initialized state.
When you synchronize a protection group, VMs in the protection group will also be synchronized.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Select a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the
icon for a VM, or select one or multiple VMs, and then click Synchronize VMs in Group.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Deploy backup settings
|
|
This feature is applicable to only disk backup protection groups. |
If the backup state of a production node is Not Configured, you can perform this task to redeploy backup settings to the production node, including the disaster recovery policy of the corresponding protection group and destination storage pool.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the
icon for a production node.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Start the backup task
|
|
This feature is applicable to only disk backup protection groups. |
If the backup state of a VM is Suspended, perform this task to start the backup task for the VM.
To start the backup task:
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the
icon for a VM.
In the dialog box that opens, click OK.
Restore a VM from a disk backup snapshot
|
|
This feature is applicable to only disk backup-based disaster recovery protection groups. |
Restrictions and guidelines
To restore VMs in a protection group from snapshots, you must enable granular storage for the protection group.
You cannot restore a VM from the last disk backup snapshot in a data set.
This task can only be performed in the recovery site. It cannot be performed in the protection site.
When you select a host for VM creation in a protection group, you can select only a host attached to the destination storage pool specified in the protection group. If the protection group uses local storage, you can select only the current host.
When you select a storage pool for VM creation, you can select only file storage on the destination host. RBD and block storage are not supported.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click a VM name.
Click the
icon to expand the snapshot list on the VM disk backup details page.
Click the
icon.
Enter a VM name, select a time point, and select a destination host and a destination storage pool.
Click OK.
Set the disk bus type
|
|
This feature is applicable to only disk backup protection groups. |
Perform this task to set the disk bus type for a recovered VM.
Restrictions and guidelines
The disk bus type configuration takes effect after a recovered VM starts up.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the
icon for a VM.
In the dialog box that opens, select a bus type and then click OK.
Display disk information about a production node or VM
|
|
This feature is applicable to only disk backup protection groups. |
Perform this task to view detailed information about the disk backup tasks performed based on a disaster recovery policy for a production node or VM.
Procedure
On the top navigation bar, click Services, and then select SRM > Protection Groups from the left navigation pane.
Click a protection group. The VMs in the protection group will be displayed in the Protected VMs area.
Click the name of a VM or production node to view its information.
Parameters
Storage replication protection groups
Basic Info
Name: Enter the name of the protection group. The name must be unique in UIS Manager.
Protected site: Click
to select a protected site to associate with the protection group.
Recovery Site: Click
to select a recovery site to associate with the protection group.
Original Host Pool: Click
to select a host pool for the protected site.
Target Host Pool: Click
to select a host pool for the recovery site.
Service Type: Select a service type for the VMs or production nodes in the protection group.
UIS SRM—Protects only VMs managed by UIS.
SRM As a Service—Protects VMs incorporated by CloudOS.
Auto VM Protection: A VM is automatically added to a protection group when the following conditions are met:
The VM is not created through DRX fast deployment or DRX fast clone.
The storage pool, vSwitch, and port profile used by the VM belong to the protection group.
No VM with the same name exists in the protection group.
The VM does not use any USB devices, PCI devices, passthrough NICs, TPM devices, optical drives, or floppy drives, and is not bound with any physical CPUs.
Mapping Relationship: Drag the corresponding icon to add a storage mapping, vSwitch mapping, or port profile mapping. You can create only shared file system mappings for storage arrays that do not support SRAs.
Edit Priority: Drag a VM up or down to modify its priority. The priorities of the VMs in a protection group are determined by the order in which they are added to the protection group. The VM that is added to the protection group the first has the highest priority.
Synchronize VMs in Group: Synchronize the VMs in the protection group to the recovery site. VMs can be synchronized only when the protected site is operating correctly and the recovery plans for the protection group are in ready or initializing state.
Disk backup protection groups
Basic Info
Disaster Recovery Type: Select Disk Backup as the disaster recovery type.
Name: Enter the name of the protection group. The name must be unique in UIS Manager.
Protected Site: Click
to select a protected site to associate with the protection group.
Recovery Site: Click
to select a recovery site to associate with the protection group.
Original Host Pool: Click
to select a host pool for the protected site.
Target Host Pool: Click
to select a host pool for the recovery site.
Service Type: Select a service type for the VMs or production nodes in the protection group.
Standalone—The VMs or production nodes in the protection group run independently of each other.
Dual-Node—The protection group has two VMs or production nodes, with one as the master. You must add two VMs or production nodes at a time to the protection group.
Cluster—The VMs or production nodes in the protection group run as a cluster. You must add a minimum of three VMs or production nodes at a time to the protection group.
Disaster Recovery Policy: Select a disaster recovery policy.
Disaster Recovery Policy
Synchronization Interval: Set the interval between two data synchronization processes. You can set different intervals for different disks.
Schedule: Set a schedule for data synchronization. If no data change occurs during nighttime, you can configure the system to synchronize data at daytime.
Backup Speed Limit: Set the data backup speed limit. You can set a backup speed limit for each client when multiple clients perform data backup. This can decrease network resource usage but increases the backup time.
Snapshot Interval: Set a snapshot interval. Set a smaller value if the client data to backup changes frequently.
Schedule: Set a schedule for taking snapshots. If no data change occurs during nighttime, you can configure the system to take snapshots at daytime to save bandwidth and storage space.
Save Snapshots: Select a snapshot saving mode. Options include By Snapshot Count and By Retention Time.
Max. Snapshots per Data Set: When the number of snapshots reaches this limit, the system creates new images for the selected disk partition and volume and generates a new data set. All the policy parameters in the new data set are the same as those in the old data set. This option is required if you select By Snapshot Count from the Save Snapshots field.
Snapshot Retention Time: Set the retention time for snapshots taken during the backup process. The snapshots taken earlier than the retention time will be merged into one snapshot. If multiple snapshots are taken in a day, the snapshots are automatically merged into one snapshot, but the snapshots taken in the most recent 24 hours are not merged. This feature enables the system to get as more snapshots as possible when a VM fails. This option is required if you select By Retention Time from the Save Snapshots field.
Complete Data Set: Set the maximum number of backups (a complete image and its snapshots) to store on the storage medium. The system deletes the oldest data when the number of complete data sets exceeds the limit. A data set will not be deleted if a snapshot in the data set is being used by a recovery plan.
Backup Mode: Select a backup mode.
Thin—Backs up only valid data on the disk.
Full—Backs up the entire disk, no matter whether data exists on the disk. This mode is time consuming and occupies storage space. Please use it with caution.
Data Check Mode: Select a data check mode.
Simplified—Checks only valid data on the disk.
Full—Checks the entire disk, no matter whether data exists on the disk. This mode is time consuming and occupies storage space. Please use it with caution.
Granular Storage: You can restore VMs from snapshots after enabling granular storage.
Mapping Relationship
Destination Cluster: Select the destination cluster that the protection group uses in the recovery site.
Destination Host: Select the destination host that the protection group uses in the recovery site. The host must have settings of a vSwitch whose network type is backup.
Destination Storage Pool: Select the destination storage pool that the protection group uses in the recovery site. All backup data is stored in the storage pool. The host to which the storage pool is attached must be a storage node, and storage media settings have been deployed to the storage pool.
Network: Select the virtual network to which the protection group is attached in the recovery site.
Add VMs to a protection group
Select a VM or production node
IP Address: IP address of the VM or production node.
Actions: Configure the VM or production node as the master or remove the master role of the VM or production node. (Applicable to only disk backup protection groups.)
Set shared disk (applicable to only disk backup protection groups):
Disk Info: VM or production node information. You must select disks of the same type for VMs or production nodes in a protection group of the dual-node or cluster type.
Partition Size: Disk partition size.
Display disk information about a production node or VM
Backup task information
Backup State: State of the disk backup task configured in a disaster recovery policy.
Not Configured: The system has failed to deploy backup settings because of frequent disk backup task executions.
Running: Disk backup is in progress. The disk backup process includes the following stages: initialization, full-disk imaging, synchronization, snapshot, data verification, idle. A recovery plan can be executed only if disk backup is in running (idle) state.
Suspended: The disk backup task has been suspended for some reason, frequent disk operations for example.
Abnormal: The disk backup task is abnormal for some reason, sustained network interruption for example.
Description: Description of the VM or production node.
Protection Group: Protection group to which the VM or production node belongs.
Service Type: Service type of the VM or production node.
Snapshot
Data Sets: Number of complete data sets that have been created by the current disk backup task.
Snapshots: Number of snapshots that have been created by the current disk backup task.
Snapshot Period: Time period between the first snapshot and the most recent snapshot.
Disk
Disk Info: Disk partitions of the VM or production node.
Partition Size: Disk partition size.