How to automate taking a server offline/online to the Content switch?

[mtadmin]

Hi,

We are using a Cisco content switch to load balance several servers. I am in the process of drafting backup plans for these servers which involve taking each server offline to the content switch, running the backup (and other processes), bringing the server back online, and then repeating the process for the next server in line. I’m looking for help with how best to automate taking each server offline/online to the content switch in conjunction with the backup. My initial inclination is to have a script drive this process on the server. Not being a Cisco guru, I do not know if/how I can have the server successfully take itself offline to the content switch and back again. I also do not know how I can test from the server that the content switch has indeed taken the server offline/online. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[ciscomoderator]

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If anyone else in the forum has some advice, please reply to this thread.

Thank you for posting.

[ngorenko]

I am not sure that I correctly understood the objective, but I will try to give you answer:

1. if you want to use one server as a backup for another one: you need to configure "sorry server" in CSS. In this case "sorry server" will be backup and will serve the clients only in case the primary server is not available.

2. If you have load balancing and you want to make a prophylactic of the server, you can use command "suspend" for this specific server. In this case the CSS will not assign a new session to this server, but also will not cut the existing sessions.

3. Of course for automate procedure you can write script, but if you have only one CSS, it is more easier to use direct connection, and also you can immediately to check the status of all services and servers.

[mtadmin]

Ngorenko,

Thanks for your feedback. The objective is to satisfy specific business requirements to provide automated onsite and Disaster/Recovery tape backups of the 24x7 servers connected to our content switch without any service outage. These servers are not clustered, but they are load balanced via the content switch. FDR Upstream is the shop standard for performing the backups. I've been told that I need to stop various services running on the server in order to insure that a good FDR backup is taken. Otherwise, the FDR restore may have problems with recovering a component that was active during the backup. Hence, the need to verify that the services are stopped and the server is offline to the content switch.

The objective was the basis for my initial question. I hope this clarifies things a bit. Thanks again for you help.

[mdumond]

Are you trying to automatically *no inservice* the csm config as you dynmically stop server services to take a good backup?

[mtadmin]

Per the previous threads, I am essentially trying to 1) programatically and/or via a script have a server 'suspend' itself from the content switch, 2) have that same server test that it is no longer connected to the content switch, 3) stop various NT processes, 4) run the backup, 5) restart the NT processes, and 6) have the server bring itself back online to the content switch. Not being a Cisco guru, I don't really know what can or what can't be done for items 1, 2, & 6 in the previous backup procedure from a Cisco perspective.

The bottom line is I'm charged with developing a automated procedure (ie no manual intervention allowed) to backup our servers that are load balanced to the content switch. Your feedback is appreciated.

[ngorenko]

when you add the command "suspend", you suspend the service, not server by itself. In the same server you can run several different services.

[moriarty7]

I understand your problem as it was tossed at me a couple of weeks ago. The solution that we use is to have our backup software run a script that sends an SNMP trap to the CSS to suspend all needed services and when the server is done backing up, it sends another trap to enable all needed services. The MIB provides the ability to do this easily and the mib walking command line utility is great to find what you need.

Hope this helps!

Craig