Unity Veritas Restore User Experiences?

[Ginger Dillon]

Hello -

We are running Unity 4.0(5) with MSDE, Windows 2003, Exchange 2003 offbox. I am preparing the documentation for testing a restore of a Unity server using Veritas Backup Exec version 9 in a lab environment (demo license). I've read the Cisco documentation provided for a 3.1/4.0 system, but I am unsure of the exact steps and settings in Backup Exec to restore the SQL databases (primarily Unity's). I would appreciate hearing any advice or user experiences in how you achieved performing the restore. The support people who manage the backups are using full and differential. I am building a Unity disaster recovery document and would be willing to share, once we complete the full restore test. Basically, our steps will be:

1. Reimage a test server.

2. Restore from backup - last full and last differential.

3. Restore MSDE and databases.

4. Test Unity.

Thanks in advance, Ginger

[gordon.hawkins]

As far as I know, and anyone is free to correct me, directly backing up the Unity box using an app like Backup Exec is not supported.

If you want foolproof backup and resoration (believe me, I've done it more than once), use DiRT and schedule a backup to a share off-box. Then use a backup application to "flat-file" backup those files that DiRT puts there. Works like a charm.

[Ginger Dillon]

Hi Gordon -

Cisco supports Veritas Backup Exec as one of the products to backup and restore Unity. Prior to doing upgrades, I always use DiRT. However, we have one Unity server that has a 24X7 SLA and we do not want to have to stop Unity to take the DiRT backup each night. Other reasoning, restoring from DiRT requires a rebuild of the server OS where we could use Veritas for that. We also want the capability to do a file-level restore in the event a call handler or voice recording is mistakenly deleted. I do appreciate your response though. Other thoughts anyone else?

Thank you, Ginger

[Hin Lee]

Hi Ginger:

I've not had experience with Veritas but we have a doc for it (ignore the part about ics 7750)

Veritas Backup and Restore for Cisco Unity (3.1.5, 4.0) on the ICS7750

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/voiceapp/ps967/products_tech_note09186a008011a978.shtml

[Ginger Dillon]

Hi Hinho -

I had looked at this document earlier. I am incorporating the screen prints from that one pertaining to SQL into my test doc and will update with the new Veritas Backup screens as necessary, especially if there are new options to set or include. I will post any updates here.

Thanks everyone, Ginger

[gordon.hawkins]

Sure, granted. Just to clarify, DiRT does not stop Unity services.

[ashokpatel]

Very good discussion here. My experience last week that we were backing up whole drive along with SQL database backup to a tape. When we changed the bad motherboard on server, and during diagnoise of the HW, our server team also reloaded the new OS, we lost the unity. When we restored the C & D drives from Veritas backup, unity did not restared as normal since the SQL was not started. We had to perfrom a SQL blank Database command and then restore the DATAbase, every thing came back to the same stage as before without even perfroming any Dirtrestore. ( Even though we are doing DirtBackup on a weekly basis ) to free up a log file space.

[lindborg]

As the author of DiRT I just thought I'd follow up on this since I get this type of question over and over and over again - yes, using a full backup tool such as Veritas is a very good idea for straight backup/restore purposes. That's why DiRT barks at you that it's not intended as a free alternative to such tools - restoring a system from scratch to the point where it can take a call/messages takes much longer with DiRT, of course, and message restores use ExMerge which means you lose single instance messaging capabilities. This is all mentioned in the help file and training videos but I thought I'd mention it here again.

DiRTs job in the world is for doing the heavy lifting when you are migrating to new domains, new configurations (VM to UM for instance) and such - you wont get out of the driveway with full backup apps with this scenario and it's where DiRT's true power lies. As a straight up backup/restore tool and nothing else, it is not nearly as good as full backup tools on the market. It'll work but in my opinion buying a full-on system backup/restore tool that's "SQL aware" is money well spent for any system out there. DiRT is a fine alternative if you don't want to spend the money or you're moving configurations or the like, but it's not going to compare favorably in terms of speed of restore - that's why those companies can still charge money for those things...

[mimalloy]

Hi Ginger....Great discussion. Thanks. Did you ever finish that guide for doing a backup with Backup Exec? How do I get a copy? Thanks.....Mike