RE: [Xen-users] Backing up Xen DomU's - Tape Drive - LVM

["Joseph L. Casale" <jcasale@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Idea 1,
>
> Backup the machines as images (lvm snapshot?) and backup to a tape
> drive. However the 2003 SBS server will be running Exchange server and
> backing up the image while it runs is obviously not going to be
> possible
> as the databases will be in an open state? So I am wondering if pausing
> the DomU's and then backing them up to disk would work? (using xm
> pause). However what if the database was being written to at that some
> of the data could still be in memory? I would need to make a true
> snapshot of the whole disk including what is in memory to make this
> work?  Is this possible are any of you guy doing this? Another idea
> could be to make a script to unmount all the database and schedule the
> backup to run at the time the db's have stopped.

Unless you pause and backup *everything* that's a bad idea. Don't unmount the 
db's and snap then, the filesystem is still open. It's still the same as 
unmounting then pulling the chord out of the wall. You also need to perform 
online backups of the exchange DB's to flush the transaction logs. If you want 
to snap with LVM, shut the SBS machine off...

>
> Idea 2,
>
> Back up traditionally using a scsi tape drive. I am wondering if i
> attached the SCSI tape drive to the Dom0 would the DomU's be able to
> access the drive? I would obviously have to schedule the backups at
> different times otherwise the tape drive would be in use by the other
> DomU, if one DomU is using the tape drive would the other DomU's get
> some sort of busy signal if they attempted to use it?
>
> Note, the server is only mainly going to be used during business hours
> some evening work etc, but no one is ever going to be using the server
> at like 3AM so pausing the DomU's at that time should not cause a
> problem.
>
> Any ideas? Does anyone else have any suggestions / solutions I have not
> thought about?

Take your full image of the SBS system after its all configured and working 
while it is *off*. Keep that for DR. Backup the DB's to tape using an agent or 
ntbackup using whatever method you are comfortable with such as PCI passthrough 
of a scsi card with the tape on it (if that works) or Amanda with an agent on 
the SBS box (You could always use NTBackup to script a full online backup to a 
file) and mount the CIFS shared directory from your Dom0 and backup it up....


HTH,
jlc

_______________________________________________
Xen-users mailing list
Xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-users