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Protecting a standard cluster

Use the following steps to protect a standard cluster, where a single copy of data resides on a SCSI disk that is shared between cluster nodes. You will be using the Double-Take Source Connection cluster resource to protect your standard cluster.

1. If your source is a cluster, create a virtual server (including resources for an IP address, network name, and physical disk) on the source cluster. With this configuration, users will access their data from the source cluster, regardless of which node is currently in control. MSCS will handle failover between the nodes of the cluster. Double-Take Availability will handle failover between the source cluster and the target (cluster or standalone). See your Microsoft documentation if you need assistance creating a virtual server on the source cluster.

   

2. If your target is a cluster, create a virtual server (including resources for an IP address, network name, and physical disk) on the target cluster. With this configuration, if there is a source failure, the data will be available for the users from the target cluster, regardless of which node is currently in control. MSCS will handle failover between the nodes of the target cluster. Double-Take Availability will handle failover between the source (cluster or standalone) and the target cluster. See your Microsoft documentation if you need assistance creating a virtual server on the target cluster.

3. On your source, create a replication set from the Replication Console.

    

   Note:  If your source is a cluster, you need to create the replication set on the node which currently owns the group with the virtual server you want to protect.

    

1. Open the Replication Console.
2. Right-click the source in the left pane of the Replication Console and select New, Replication Set.
3. A replication set icon appears in the left pane under the source. By default, it is named New Replication Set. Rename the newly inserted replication set with a unique name by typing over the default name and pressing Enter. This process is similar to naming a new folder in Windows Explorer.

4. Expand the tree under the replication set name to view the volume and directory tree for the source.

    

   Note:  The default number of files that are listed in the right pane of the Replication Console is 2500, but this is user configurable. A larger number of file listings allows you to see more files in the Replication Console, but results in a slower display rate. A smaller number of file listings displays faster, but may not show all files contained in the directory. To change the number of files displayed, select File, Options and adjust the File Listings slider bar to the desired number.

   To hide offline files, such as those generated by snapshot applications, select File, Options and disable Display Offline Files. Offline files and folders are denoted by the arrow over the lower left corner of the folder or file icon.

    

5. Identify the data on the source associated with the group that you want to protect by selecting volumes, drives, directories, and/or specific files. Be sure and verify what files can be included in your replication set.

   

6. After selecting the data for this replication set, right-click the new replication set icon and select Save. A saved replication set icon will change from red to black.

4. If your source is a cluster, you need to create a duplicate replication set on each of the other nodes in the cluster. Because the other nodes do not currently own the files, you will not be able to browse to select the data like you did on the first node. Therefore, you will have to manually enter the replication set data.

    

   Note:  As an alternative to the following manual steps, you can stop the Double-Take service on the other nodes of the source cluster, copy the file DblTake.db from the first node to the other nodes, and then restart the Double-Take service.

    

1. Right-click the replication set created on the owning node and select Properties.

   

2. Record the exact drive and directories of each path displayed, including where the rule is included or excluded and if recursion is applied.
3. Right-click a non-owning node and select New, Replication Set.
4. Enter the exact, case-sensitive name for the replication set as specified on the owning node and press Enter.
5. Right-click the replication set that you just created and select Properties.
6. Click Add.

7. Enter the exact same replication set rules you recorded from the owning node. Be sure and mark the correct Include, Exclude and Recurse sub-directories options that need to be applied.

    

   Note:  Each replication set rule on the non-owning nodes must be identical to the replication set rule on the owning node.

    

8. After entering all of the replication set rules, save the replication set. The replication set rules will be saved even though the non-owning nodes do not have access to the locations right now. The rules will function properly when the node becomes an owner.
5. On your cluster (source and/or target), you need to disable the standard Double-Take Availability connection controls so that the MSCS resource that you will be configuring later can control the Double-Take Availability connections.

1. In the Replication Console, right-click a node of the source cluster and select Properties.

   

2. Select the Setup tab.
3. By default, the Automatically Reconnect During Source Initialization check box will be selected. Disable this option by clearing the check box.
4. Click OK to save the changes.
5. Repeat these steps on each node of the cluster(s).
6. If your source is a standalone server, establish your connection through the Connection Manager, selecting the virtual server network name for the Target Server and the virtual server IP address for the Route.
7. If your source is a cluster, establish your connection by creating and bringing online a Double-Take Source Connection resource. These instructions will vary depending on your operating system.

Establishing your connection on Windows 2003

1. From the Cluster Administrator, right-click on the group and virtual server you are protecting and select New, Resource.
• Name—Specify a name that indicates this is the Double-Take Availability virtual server connection.
• Description—You can optionally add a more detailed description for this resource.
• Resource type—Specify Double-Take Source Connection.
• Group—The resource group name should be selected. If it is not, select the correct group name.
2. Specify the following fields on the New Resource dialog box.
3. Click Next to continue.
4. Verify that all of the cluster nodes appear as Possible Owners and click Next to continue.
5. The resource is dependent on the physical disk and network name resources. Select these two resources so that the Double-Take Source Connection resource is dependent on both of them. Click Next to continue.

6. Specify your Double-Take Availability connection parameters.

   

• Replication Set—Select the Double-Take Availability replication set that you want to use. If the replication set you want to use is not listed, click Update List to refresh the list of replication sets from the source.
• Double-Take Target—Specify the name or IP address of the target. If your target is a cluster, this is the virtual name or virtual IP address of the virtual server you created on the target cluster. If your target is a standalone server, this is the name or IP address of the standalone target server.
• Target Credentials—To specify the account to use when logging on to the target, click Set and enter the user name, password and domain. The user must be a member of the Double-Take Admin security group on all nodes of the target cluster or on the standalone target server. Click OK to save the settings. If you need to clear the target credentials, click Clear then reenter new credentials.
• Source Path and Target Path—The path(s) for the replication set data from the source is displayed along with the path where the copy of the replication set data will be stored on the target. If you want to change the default target path, click on a path and manually modify the location.
7. Click Next to continue.

8. Specify your Double-Take Availability bandwidth limiting parameters.

   

• No Bandwidth Limit—Data will be transmitted using all available bandwidth.
• Fixed Bandwidth Limit—Data will be transmitted according to the user-specified bandwidth configuration. By default, the Unlimited checkbox is enabled. This configuration is identical to selecting No Bandwidth Limit. If you want to limit your bandwidth usage, clear this checkbox. To limit the bandwidth usage, enter the maximum amount of data you want to transfer per second. You can indicate it by specifying your Connection Speed and the Percentage of the bandwidth that you want to use or by entering the Transfer Rate value directly.
9. Click Next to continue.
10. Specify your Double-Take Availability orphan file parameters. By default, the orphan files feature is disabled. To enable it, select Move/Delete Orphan Files. Specify if you want to delete or move the files. If you select the move option, identify the location where these orphan files will be located. Click Next to continue.
11. Specify your Double-Take Availability compression parameters. By default, compression is disabled. To enable it, select Enable Compression. Depending on the compression algorithms available for your operating system, you may see a slider bar indicating different compression levels. Set the level from minimum to maximum compression to suit your needs. Click Next to continue.

12. Specify your Double-Take Availability mirroring settings.

    

• Full Mirror—All files in the replication set will be sent from the source to the target.
• File differences—Only those files that are different based size or date and time will be sent from the source to the target.

• Send data only if Source is newer than Target—Only those files that are newer on the source are sent to the target.

   

  Note:  If you are using a database application, do not use the newer option unless you know for certain you need it. With database applications, it is critical that all files, not just some of them that might be newer, get mirrored.

   

• Use block checksum—For those files flagged as different, the mirror performs a checksum comparison and only sends those blocks that are different.
• Calculate Replication Set size prior to mirror—Determines the size of the replication set prior to starting the mirror. The mirroring status will update the percentage complete if the replication set size is calculated.
13. Click Next to continue.

14. Specify your Double-Take Availability verification settings.

    

    • Initial Verification Start—Specify when you want a verification process to be performed. You can select the immediate date and time by clicking Now, or enter a specific Date and Time. The down arrow next to Date displays a calendar allowing easy selection of any date. Time is formatted for any AM or PM time.
    • Reverification Interval—Select this option to repeat the verification process at the specified interval. Specify an amount of time and choose minutes, hours, or days.
    • Remirror files to the target automatically—When this option is enabled, Double-Take Availability will verify the data, generate a verification log, and remirror to the target any files that are different on the source. If disabled, Double-Take Availability will verify the data and generate a verification log, but no files will be remirrored to the target.

    • Only if source file is newer than target copy—If you are remirroring files with the verification, you can specify that only files that are newer on the source than on the target are remirrored.

       

      Note:  If you are using a database application, do not use the newer option unless you know for certain you need it. With database applications, it is critical that all files, not just some of them that might be newer, get mirrored.

       

    • Use block checksum comparison/delta block transfer—When this option is enabled, Double-Take Availability only those blocks that are different will be identified in the log and/or remirrored to the target. If disabled, entire files will be identified and/or remirrored.

      Note:  Database applications may update files without changing the date, time, or file size. Therefore, if you are using database applications, you should use the block checksum comparison to ensure proper verification and remirroring.

       

15. Click Finish to complete the creation of the Double-Take Source Connection resource.
16. Bring the Double-Take Source Connection resource and the virtual server resources online.

Establishing your connection on Windows 2008

1. From the Failover Cluster Management applet, right-click on the group and virtual server you are protecting and select Add a resource, More resources, Add Double-Take Source Connection.
2. Right-click on the new resource and select Properties.
3. On the General tab, specify a Resource Name that indicates this is the Double-Take Availability virtual server connection.
4. Select the Dependencies tab. This resource is dependent on the physical disk and network name resources. Insert these two resources so that the Double-Take Source Connection resource is dependent on both of them.
5. Select the Advanced Policies tab. Verify that all of the cluster nodes appear as Possible Owners.

6. Select the Basic Connection tab and specify your Double-Take Availability connection parameters. 

   

• Replication Set—Select the Double-Take Availability replication set that you want to use. If the replication set you want to use is not listed, click Update List to refresh the list of replication sets from the source.
• Double-Take Target—Specify the name or IP address of the target. If your target is a cluster, this is the virtual name or virtual IP address of the virtual server you created on the target cluster. If your target is a standalone server, this is the name or IP address of the standalone target server.
• Target Credentials—To specify the account to use when logging on to the target, click Set and enter the user name, password and domain. The user must be a member of the Double-Take Admin security group on all nodes of the target cluster or on the standalone target server. Click OK to save the settings. If you need to clear the target credentials, click Clear then reenter new credentials.
• Source Path and Target Path—The path(s) for the replication set data from the source is displayed along with the path where the copy of the replication set data will be stored on the target. If you want to change the default target path, click on a path and manually modify the location.

7. Select the Bandwidth Limiting tab and specify your Double-Take Availability bandwidth limiting parameters. 

   

• No Bandwidth Limit—Data will be transmitted using all available bandwidth.

• Fixed Bandwidth Limit—Data will be transmitted according to the user-specified bandwidth configuration. By default, the Unlimited checkbox is enabled. This configuration is identical to selecting No Bandwidth Limit. If you want to limit your bandwidth usage, clear this checkbox. To limit the bandwidth usage, enter the maximum amount of data you want to transfer per second. You can indicate it by specifying your Connection Speed and the Percentage of the bandwidth that you want to use or by entering the Transfer Rate value directly.

8. Select the Orphans tab and specify your Double-Take Availability orphan file parameters. By default, the orphan files feature is disabled. To enable it, select Move/Delete Orphan Files. Specify if you want to delete or move the files. If you select the move option, identify the location where these orphan files will be located.

   

9. Select the Compression tab and specify your Double-Take Availability compression parameters. By default, compression is disabled. To enable it, select Enable Compression. Depending on the compression algorithms available for your operating system, you may see a slider bar indicating different compression levels. Set the level from minimum to maximum compression to suit your needs.

   

10. Select the Mirror Properties tab and specify how you want to mirror the data.

    

• Full Mirror—All files in the replication set will be sent from the source to the target.
• File differences—Only those files that are different based size or date and time will be sent from the source to the target.

• Send data only if Source is newer than Target—Only those files that are newer on the source are sent to the target.

   

  Note:  If you are using a database application, do not use the newer option unless you know for certain you need it. With database applications, it is critical that all files, not just some of them that might be newer, get mirrored.

   

• Use block checksum—For those files flagged as different, the mirror performs a checksum comparison and only sends those blocks that are different.
• Calculate Replication Set size prior to mirror—Determines the size of the replication set prior to starting the mirror. The mirroring status will update the percentage complete if the replication set size is calculated.

11. Select the Mirror Properties tab and specify how you want to mirror the data. Specify your Double-Take Availability verification settings.

    

    • Initial Verification Start—Specify when you want a verification process to be performed. You can select the immediate date and time by clicking Now, or enter a specific Date and Time. The down arrow next to Date displays a calendar allowing easy selection of any date. Time is formatted for any AM or PM time.
    • Reverification Interval—Select this option to repeat the verification process at the specified interval. Specify an amount of time and choose minutes, hours, or days.
    • Remirror files to the target automatically—When this option is enabled, Double-Take Availability will verify the data, generate a verification log, and remirror to the target any files that are different on the source. If disabled, Double-Take Availability will verify the data and generate a verification log, but no files will be remirrored to the target.

    • Only if source file is newer than target copy—If you are remirroring files with the verification, you can specify that only files that are newer on the source than on the target are remirrored.

       

      Note:  If you are using a database application, do not use the newer option unless you know for certain you need it. With database applications, it is critical that all files, not just some of them that might be newer, get mirrored.

       

    • Use block checksum comparison/delta block transfer—When this option is enabled, Double-Take Availability only those blocks that are different will be identified in the log and/or remirrored to the target. If disabled, entire files will be identified and/or remirrored.

      Note:  Database applications may update files without changing the date, time, or file size. Therefore, if you are using database applications, you should use the block checksum comparison to ensure proper verification and remirroring.

       

12. Click OK to complete the creation of the Double-Take Source Connection resource.
13. Bring the Double-Take Source Connection resource and the virtual server resources online.