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Articles
Q. What is Microsoft System Center
Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007?
by John Savill
3.03.08
DPM 2007 is Microsoft's data protection platform and
offers both continuous data protection and tape-based archiving.
DPM 2007 offers share-level and volume-level protection for Windows
servers and desktops. It also backs up and restores some information for
Exchange Server, SQL Server, SharePoint, and servers running Virtual
Server 2005 R2 SP1. Each protected server's DPM agent sends data changes
and application-transaction information (such as Exchange transaction
logs) to the DPM server according to a defined schedule. You don't have
to configure DPM 2007 to gather specific information, you just input
which application unit to protect and DPM knows which files to capture
to protect relevant data.
DPM offers various data protection topologies. The most popular is using
DPM-accessible attached storage, or iSCSI- or fiber-connected
SAN-based-storage to backup system data. Don't use USB- or
FireWire-connected storage. You can periodically write this disk-based
backup to tape for archiving, or even use DPM to write directly to tape
without any DPM disk usage. However, writing DPM directly to tape gives
the poorest restoration experience, and limits DPM's self-restoration
features.
DPM data restoration is easy because its application knowledge allows
granular restoration. For example, you can restore Exchange storage
group data, a store, or even an individual mailbox.
Another very cool DPM 2007 feature is bare-metal restoration. DPM 2007
can restore a server without requiring any other resources.
Q. Should I install a Microsoft System
Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007 agent on my guest OS virtual
server?
by John Savill
3.04.08
It depends on what you want to protect. If you install a
DPM agent on the virtual server's main DPM 2007 administrator console,
you can choose only which virtual machines to protect. You can't protect
any virtual machine applications. If you deploy the agent in the guest
operating system, you can protect everything the virtual machine runs.
For example, if the virtual machine runs Microsoft SQL Server, you can
protect the databases and capture the transaction log data.
There are also licensing considerations. If you deploy the DPM agent in
the guest operating systems they each need an agent license.
This doesn't mean that the virtual-server protection is inconsistent.
Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 has a recursive VSS writer, so when DPM 2007
asks the virtual server for a snapshot, the request is passed to all
virtual-machine VSS writers so you get a consistent data backup.
Q. How does Microsoft System Center
Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2007 protect my server
data?
by John Savill
3.05.08
DPM 2007 not only protects file-based information; it
also protects information from some applications, such as Exchange, SQL
Server, and SharePoint. This protection is facilitated by the virtual
shadow copy service (VSS), which utilizes OS VSS writers to ensure that
disk information is in a consistent state when a VSS request is made.
DPM 2007 works by leveraging both the OS VSS writers and the Exchange
2003 and 2007, SQL Server 2000 and 2005, SharePoint 2007, and Virtual
Server 2005 R2 S1 VSS writers, which capture application-specific
information and ensure data consistency.
DPM 2007 then uses block-level filters (not file-system filters) to look
for changed blocks marked for storage and bit-masked protected data.
These changed blocks are sent to DPM 2007 at the configured interval
(this process is known as Express Full Backup).
In addition, SQL Server and Exchange transaction logs are also sent to
DPM, which can be used for more-frequent restoration purposes.
For a great presentation on how DPM 2007 works with VSS, see "How
DPM 2007 protects data."
Q. What is the Microsoft Assessment
and Planning Solution Accelerator (MAP)?
by John Savill
3.06.08
MAP is designed to assess an organization's readiness
for the latest Microsoft operating systems and virtualization
technologies.
The MAP February 2008 release is available at "Microsoft
Assessment and Planning," and consists of four components:
- Server migration reports and proposals (Windows Server 2008)
- Server consolidation reports and proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2
and Hyper-V)
- Application virtualization assessment reports (Microsoft Application
Virtualization 4.5)
- Windows Vista SP1 and Microsoft Office 2007 hardware assessment
reports and proposals
Through a mixture of technologies (mainly Windows Management
Instrumentation (WMI) and remote registry), the agent-less inventory
component facilitates the reports. The reports capture key Windows
2000-and-above metrics, feeds the information into an analysis
component, and reports on infrastructure readiness for Server 2008,
Vista SP1, and virtualization.
Microsoft has a good MAP blog at "Microsoft Assessment and
Planning Team Blog & Virtualization."
Q. What are the Microsoft
Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) guides?
by John Savill
3.07.08
Microsoft's IPD site details the IPD guides,
which focus on planning and deploying Windows Server 2008 and
virtualization.
The guides are broken down into a Word document and a PowerPoint
presentation, which walk through the planning and deployment process of
each technology. Each guide provides a technical decision follow
definition through the planning process, a list of decisions to be made,
the commonly available options and considerations, and how these
considerations and options relate to the business cost, complexity. Each
guide also analyzes how to gather all the pertinent business information
to ensure the technical solution meets all requirements.
Guides are currently available for:
- Selecting the Right Virtualization Technology
- Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization
- Windows Server Virtualization
- Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services
- Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services
- Windows Deployment Services
Events & Resources
Best Practices in
Virtualization
Are you considering virtualizing your environment? This
white paper examines the value of four types of virtualization software
and discusses the challenges of managing mixed environments. It also
includes a case study of a company moving to integrated management of
virtual and physical machines. Understand the problems they faced and
how virtualization solved those problems.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/wp/kace/virtualization/?code=031208er
New Business Intelligence
Update!
Want to keep abreast of the latest SQL Server business
intelligence (BI) news, views, tips, and techniques? Subscribe to
Essential BI UPDATE, a new biweekly business intelligence email
newsletter from SQL Server Magazine. You’ll get how-to
information, industry trends, commentary by experts, valuable insight
into BI Reporting Services, and more. Subscribe today--it's free!
http://www.sqlmag.com/email/dsp_SubscribeConfirmation.cfm
E-Discovery Web Seminar--March 20th
(12:00 PM EDT)
How can you effectively prepare to meet e-discovery
needs without breaking your messaging budget? What do you need to know
to plan a robust e-discovery strategy? In this Webcast, Paul Robichaux
explores the world of e-discovery and explains what to look for--and
what to look out for--when planning your system.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/seminars/sherpasoftware/ediscovery/?partnerref=031208er
Featured White Paper
Deploy Windows Server 2008 with System
Center--Reduce your configuration time
Server administrators used to install Windows Server
manually and then spend hours configuring the server. Learn how to
simplify and automate OS deployments with System Center Configuration
Manager 2007. This white paper helps you get started in unifying your
server and client deployment tools.
http://www.windowsitpro.com/Whitepapers/Index.cfm?fuseaction=ShowWP&WPID=b8f3c936-b024-47f4-b484-8ad537285a80&code=031208er
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