How-To: Using Veritas CloudPoint With FlashArray
Protecting Data on FlashArray with CloudPoint
Veritas CloudPoint™ is a backup and recovery enterprise software which is capable of leveraging FlashArray snapshot functionality for backup purposes. The FlashArray's capabilities are exposed to CloudPoint through plug-ins. A CloudPoint plugin is a Python module responsible for asset discovery and actions performed on discovered and configured assets. CloudPoint includes the plug-in for Pure Storage FlashArray. Using CloudPoint, FlashArrays may be easily deployed to create crash-consistent snapshots. For details how to configure FlashArray with CloudPoint see How-To: Configuring FlashArray with Veritas CloudPoint.
FlashArray snapshot may be manually and automatically managed. The manual method requires administrator's interaction with CloudPoint whereas the automated snapshot management is obtained by creating a policy and applying it to FlashArray volumes.
Interactive Disk Snapshot Management (Manual)
Identifying Disk For Snapshot
When there are multiple FlashArrays configured with CloudPoint with duplicate volume names (volume with the same name exists on two or more arrays) the disks for snapshots need to be properly identified by obtaining disk's serial number and comparing it to the disk ID in Details window of the selected asset (disk). The serial number of FlashArray volume is embedded into the asset ID assigned by CloudPoint.
Obtaining Disk Serial Number on FlashArray
Disk's serial number may be acquired on FlashArray using Command Line Interface, Graphical User Interface and REST API.
Command Line Interface
Execute purevol list <volume_name> command. See Figure 1.
Example:
purevol list vol01
Figure 1.
Graphical User Interface
Select Storage ➤ Volumes or Storage ➤ Volumes ➤ <volume_name>
See Figure 2.
Figure 2.
REST API
The GET volume/{volume} REST API returns the selected volume's serial number.
{
"source": null,
"serial": "38BEABEBECBB412400011010",
"created": "2017-08-16T10:24:57Z",
"name": "vol01",
"size": 17592186044416
}
Locating Volume Serial Number in CloudPoint
The volume serial number corresponds to the ID field in CloudPoint. See Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Creating Snapshot
From the CloudPoint Dashboard screen, in the Environment card select Disks and click Manage. See Figure 4.
Figure 4.
In the Asset Management select the disk for snapshot and on the Details page choose Create Snapshot. Provide snapshot's name and optionally description. See Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Verifying Snapshot Completion
The successful FlashArray snapshot completion may be verified using CloudPoint as well FlashArray. To examine created snapshot select Disks in the Environment card and click Manage - see Figure 1. In the Asset Management page select the disk with snapshots and View Snapshots option. The number in parenthesis following View Snapshots option indicates the number of snapshot for a particular asset (FlashArray volume). Additionally, from the CloudPoint Dashboard in the Notification area (bell symbol) job information will be available. For more details Job Log should be examined - see Figure 6. The CloudPoint created snapshot will be named volume_name.snapshot_name, for example snapshot called Snap01 on vol01 will be called vol01.Snap01. The snapshot with the same name will also be created on FlashArray.
Restoring From Snapshot
For FlashArray CloudPoint supports a restore from snapshot which will overwrite the existing volume.
Before restoring from snapshot the target volume must be unmounted on the host operating system.
To restore the FlashArray volume from snapshot select Manage in Snapshots card to display assets which have been protected. See Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Choose disk to be restored and in the Details pane click View Snapshots, select snapshot to be restored and click Restore. In the Restore dialog provide Restore Job Name and select Overwrite existing radio button. See Figure 7.
Figure 7.
The job may be monitored in Explore Jobs Log or in the notification area.
Deleting Snapshots
To manually delete CloudPoint managed snapshot select Manage in Snapshots card to display assets which have been protected. See Figure 6.
Choose disk and in the Details pane click View Snapshots, select snapshot to be deleted and click Delete. See Figure 8.
Figure 8.
Snapshots deleted by CloudPoint are not eradicated on FlashArray and may be recovered for 24 hours from the deletion time.
Do not delete CloudPoint managed snapshots directly on FlashArray.
Policy Managed Snapshots (Automatic)
CloudPoint offers convenient means of automating the asset protection by creating policies. Policies define the asset protection level, simplify and reduce asset protection administrative tasks. Multiple policies may be created and more than one policy may be assigned to a single asset.
Creating Policies
To create a new policy click Manage in Administration card and New Policy. See Figure 6. Select New Policy and in the New Policy page provide the required information; the Storage Level must be selected as Disk to enable FlashArray volume policy assignment. See Figure 9.
Figure 9.
The policy shown in Figure 9 retains 24 snapshots which are taken every hour.
Once the policy is created, it may be applied to FlashArray volumes (assets) by selecting Disks/Manage in Environment card, choosing disk which will be subjected to the policy or policies, clicking Assign Selected or Assign All if more than one policy is checked. See Figure 10.
When there are multiple FlashArrays configured with CloudPoint with duplicate volume names (volume with the same name exists on two or more arrays) to properly identify disk for snapshot one must obtain the disk's serial number and compare it to the disk ID in Details window of the selected asset (disk). See Identifying Disk For Snapshot section.
Figure 10.
Job status may be monitored utilizing the same methods used for manual (interactive) snapshot creation process. CloudPoint automatically (policy) created snapshots will be named volume_name.policy_name_timestamp-nnnn, for example vol01.Golden20180426160000-2048
Restoring from Snapshots
The process of restoring from snapshot is independent of the method used to create snapshot (manual or automatic) and is described in Restoring From Snapshot section.
Deleting Snapshots
Automatically created snapshots will be removed based on the retention defined in the policy applied to an asset.
Snapshots deleted by CloudPoint are not eradicated on FlashArray and may be recovered for 24 hours from the deletion time.
Do not delete CloudPoint managed snapshots directly on FlashArray.