Configuration of FalconStor RecoveryTrac

Please refer to the steps below on the Configuration of FalconStor RecoveryTrac

What is RecoveryTrac

RecoverTracTM is a disaster recovery automation tool that extends the functionality of business continuity disaster recovery (BCDR) solutions for customers using FalconStor storage servers, offering service-oriented recovery for both physical and virtual server infrastructures.

RecoverTrac allows administrators to create jobs that manage the recovery process for multiple host machines for rapid recovery of files, databases, systems, and entire sites, eliminating complex, time-consuming, and error-prone failover and failback operations.

The RecoverTrac solution maps servers, applications, networking storage, and failover procedures from source/production sites to recovery sites, automating the logistics that allow business operations to resume at recovery sites.

Preparation of Windows Server

  1. Prepare a clean Windows 2012R2 Server with latest patches installed – Cannot be Domain Controller or Workstation
  2. Change the ISCSI Service startup to automatic and start it manually
Set-Service –Name MSiSCSI –Computer DEV-SF01 –StartupType “Automatic”
Get-Service | ? name -like "*iscsi*" | Start-Service

Preparation of VMware ESXi Host in DR

Click on Software iSCSI

Configuration of FalconStor RecoveryTrac

Enabled ISCSI, and add the IP Address of Falconstor CDP in DR.

Note down the ISCSI Alias – iqn.1998-01.com.vmware:nuc2-6e349548 to be added in FalconStor ISCSI Target later

Preparation of FalconStor CDP in DR

Verify ISCSI is enabled

Right click SAN Client – Add to create a new ISCSI Target

Enable ISCSI and Create Default ISCSI Target

Add the ISCSI Alias of ESXi Host

Select Allow Unauthenticated Access

Enter the Client Name, Client Type = VMware, and IP Address of ESXi Host

Check Enable Persistent Reservation

Review the configuration and click Finish

Intelligent Management Agent (IMA)

The Intelligent Management Agent (IMA) is a utility that works with many FalconStor host applications, including snapshot agents and DiskSafe.

Using IMA, you can perform a number of different tasks, including adding and deleting storage servers, changing protocol settings, and allocating virtual devices.

  1. Download IMA-SDM-3.01-837-Windows.exe from FalconStor Portal and install it by accepting default settings on ReceoveryTrac Server

  2. Register to FalconStor CDP in DR Site when prompted

Installation and Configuration of Falconstor RecoveryTrac

Download and install RecoveryTac 3.00 Build 1522 by accepting all default settings

Right Click and select Configuration Wizard

Make DR as Local Site

Register both CDPVA in Production & DR Site

Skil this page as we are not going to use vCenter in DR Site

Register the ESXi Hypervisor

Click Next to continue

Click Add Physical and fill up the Server Name, IP Address with Credential with Site = Source

Click Add to enter the IP Address of the source Server and click Next

Click Next

Click Add and select the SAN Client for the protected server

Enter the Credential to login to Source Falconstor CDP

Click Next

Select the boot device

Click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Right click on Host Images-UAT-WIN2016 to select Add Vitual Machine for Host

Select ESXi Host in DR and Click Create VM

Enter Virtual Machine Name, Number of CPU, Memory, Datastore and Operating System and Add a vNIC for the Recovery VM. Click OK to continue

Verify the newly created recovery VM is selected and click OK to continue

Enter the IP Address assigned to the recovery VM with Windows Credential. Click Next

Enter the IP Address assigned to the recovery VM

Click Add and select Create a new SAN Client on the selected Storage Server for this machine when the job runs

Enter the credential to login to Falconstor CDP at DR

Click Next

Add the SAN Resource in Falconstor CDP in DR, and select the Boot Device

Click Finish

Click Finish

Verify that both Source & DR Machine are created successfully in UAT-WIN2016

Recovery Job

Right click on Recovery Job and select Add Recovery Job

Click Next

Enter Job Name and Select the Host Image

Highlight the Image Name, and click Edit

Select the Protected Machine

Select the Recovery Machine

Click Finish

Verify the status is Configured and click Next

Click Next

Click Next to accept the default settings

Click Next to continue

Click Finish

Run Recovery Job

Right click on the new Recovery Job and select Run Job

Click Next

Uncheck the following

  • Replicate Before Failover – the latest snapshot will be used
  • Install VM Tools – Not required VM Tools to be installed as the source machine is VM
  • Preserve Snapshot during Rollback

Wait for the Recovery VM to power on in ESXi Host in DR Site

Verify the VM is booted from RAW Disk presented from Falconstor CDP

Refer to the log below to understand the detail processes

RecoverTrac Events

Event Type TimeStamp Type Name Session Operation Description
Information 11/23/20 17:34:37 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Power on the VM (DR-WIN-2016) succeeded.
Information 11/23/20 17:34:34 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Disk devices were successfully assigned to virtual machine (DR-WIN-2016) on hypervisor (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:34 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Test Recovery Succeeded for Host (UAT-WIN2016) to Machine (DR-WIN-2016).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:34 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Powering on the recovery host (UAT-WIN2016) machine (DR-WIN-2016).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:32 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Assigning RDM/pass-through disk devices (RTracTV-DEV-SF01[fsadmin]-RTTMP_20201123173049-0-1 (33)) to virtual machine (DR-WIN-2016) on hypervisor (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:31 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Assigning disk devices to virtual machine (DR-WIN-2016) on hypervisor (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:31 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Rescanning HBA on hypervisor (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:26 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Mounted snapshot disk device RTracTV-DEV-SF01[fsadmin]-RTTMP_20201123173049-0-1 (ID=33) was assigned to client (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:25 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Assigning mounted snapshot disk devices on storage server (10.10.10.110) to (NUC2)…
Information 11/23/20 17:34:25 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Found pre-existing mounted snapshot disk for disk device DR-DS_WIN-2016 (ID=31) using snapshot (20201123172952) on storage server (10.10.10.110).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:25 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Creating mounted snapshot disk device RTracTV-NUC2-RTTMP_20201123173049-0-1 from disk device DR-DS_WIN-2016 (ID=31) snapshot (20201123172952) on storage server (10.10.10.110).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:24 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Inspecting/removing any left over disk devices from virtual machine (DR-WIN-2016) on hypervisor (NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:24 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Validating current disk device assignments for job/script(NUC2).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:23 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Verifying disk device information on storage server (UAT-CDP02)…
Information 11/23/20 17:34:23 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Assigning devices to recovery host.
Information 11/23/20 17:34:20 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Creating temporary virtual machine (DR-WIN-2016).
Information 11/23/20 17:34:20 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Dismounted boot device with OS conversion changes from RecoverTrac.
Information 11/23/20 17:34:19 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Host OS image on boot device converted. Record the timestamp of the converted OS mounted snapshot.
Information 11/23/20 17:34:19 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Preserving OS conversion changes during dismount of boot devices from RecoverTrac.
Information 11/23/20 17:31:23 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Retrieving network configuration needed for OS conversion.
Information 11/23/20 17:31:23 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test OS devices are mounted to RecoverTrac and are ready for Recovery.
Information 11/23/20 17:31:23 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Performing OS conversion of the boot device for host (UAT-WIN2016).
Information 11/23/20 17:31:07 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Mounted snapshot disk device RTracTV-DEV-SF01[fsadmin]-RTTMP_20201123173049-0-1 (ID=33) was assigned to client (DEV-SF01[fsadmin]).
Information 11/23/20 17:31:05 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Creating mounted snapshot disk device RTracTV-DEV-SF01[fsadmin]-RTTMP_20201123173049-0-1 from disk device DR-DS_WIN-2016 (ID=31) snapshot (20201123172952) on storage server (10.10.10.110).
Information 11/23/20 17:31:05 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Assigning mounted snapshot disk devices on storage server (10.10.10.110) to (DEV-SF01[fsadmin])…
Information 11/23/20 17:31:04 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Removing previous job/script disk devices.
Information 11/23/20 17:30:54 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Validating current disk device assignments for job/script(DEV-SF01[fsadmin]).
Information 11/23/20 17:30:53 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Verifying recovery VM host (DR-WIN-2016) state.
Information 11/23/20 17:30:53 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Verifying disk device information on storage server (UAT-CDP02)…
Information 11/23/20 17:30:53 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Checking power state for recovery host (UAT-WIN2016) machine (DR-WIN-2016).
Information 11/23/20 17:30:53 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Mounting the boot device to RecoverTrac for OS conversion.
Information 11/23/20 17:30:52 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Verifying recovery host status.
Information 11/23/20 17:30:51 Job TEST-UAT-2016 2 Test Recovery job initial check for host UAT-WIN2016…

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