D-RP-OE-A-24 Questions and Answers

To meet the requirement of keeping a local copy of the production data in a RecoverPoint environment with VNX(SE) clusters, the administrator can add a local copy into the existing Consistency Group. This action does not require deleting and reconfiguring the existing Consistency Group or upgrading the license. Here are the steps:

Access Unisphere for RecoverPoint: Log into the Unisphere interface for RecoverPoint management.

Navigate to the Consistency Group: Find the Consistency Group that needs the local copy.

Add a Local Copy: Use the option to add a copy into the selected Consistency Group.

Configure the Local Copy: Specify the settings for the local copy, such as the Journal volume and RPO settings.

Apply Changes: Save the changes to implement the local replication.

This process allows the administrator to enhance the data protection strategy by adding a local copy for operational recovery or other business needs without disrupting the existing remote replication setup1.

To reduce the impact of the initial volume synchronization on production applications in a Dell RecoverPoint system, the config_link_policy command can be used with the regulate_application=yes parameter.This command configures the link policy for a Consistency Group and allows for the regulation of I/O to minimize the impact on production applications during synchronization1.

The process involves:

Identifying the Consistency Group: Determine the name of the Consistency Group that contains the production volume you wish to regulate.

Running the command: Execute the config_link_policy command with the appropriate parameters, including the Consistency Group name and the copies involved.

Setting regulate_application=yes: This parameter tells the system to regulate the application I/O, which helps to manage the load on production applications during the initial synchronization.

Monitoring the impact: After applying the command, monitor the production applications to ensure that the impact of the synchronization is minimized as intended.

This command is part of the RecoverPoint CLI and is used to manage the performance impact of replication activities on production environments1.

To identify whether physical or virtual RPAs are in use on a specific cluster using Unisphere for RecoverPoint, follow these steps:

Navigate to RPA Clusters: In Unisphere, locate and click on the ‘RPA clusters’ section.

Select Cluster Name: Find and select the specific cluster you want to investigate.

View RPA Details: Click on the ‘RPAs’ option to view detailed information about the RPAs associated with the selected cluster.

This process will provide you with the necessary information to determine the type of RPAs (physical or virtual) that are being used within the specified cluster1.

When a VPLEX distributed device is selected during the RecoverPoint Consistency Group Creation wizard, the option to create a MetroPoint Consistency Group becomes available. This is because MetroPoint is a feature that leverages VPLEX distributed devices for enhanced data protection and disaster recovery capabilities. The steps involved in this process typically include:

Selecting the VPLEX distributed device: During the creation of a Consistency Group, you choose the VPLEX distributed device as the source of replication.

MetroPoint option appears: Once a VPLEX distributed device is selected, the wizard presents the option to create a MetroPoint Consistency Group.

Configuring the MetroPoint Consistency Group: If you choose to create a MetroPoint Consistency Group, you will then configure the necessary settings, such as replication mode and RPO (Recovery Point Objective).

Finalizing the setup: After configuring the settings, you finalize the creation of the Consistency Group, which now has the enhanced capabilities provided by the MetroPoint feature1.

MetroPoint Consistency Groups are designed to provide continuous data protection and availability across multiple sites, combining the benefits of VPLEX Metro with the third-site replication provided by RecoverPoint1.

Changing the link compression setting on a RecoverPoint Consistency Group can result in a temporary high-load on the system. This is because when compression is enabled or settings are changed, the system needs to compress the existing data before it can be transmitted, which requires additional processing power and can temporarily increase the load on the RecoverPoint Appliances (RPAs).

The process involves:

The administrator changes the link compression setting in the Consistency Group configuration.

The RPAs begin compressing the data that needs to be replicated across the network.

This compression process increases the CPU and memory usage on the RPAs, leading to a temporary high-load situation.

Once the initial compression is completed, the system load returns to normal levels, and replication continues with the new compression setting in effect.

It’s important to note that while the system is under high-load, there might be a temporary impact on performance, but this does not affect the integrity of the replication or the Journal history.The system is designed to handle such temporary increases in load without losing any critical data1.

In Dell RecoverPoint, a Consistency Group is built from one or more replication sets.Each replication set consists of a production volume plus any local or remote copy volumes to which it is replicating1. Since the mission-critical application is stored on three volumes, and each volume will be part of a replication set, the Consistency Group for the application will contain three replication sets.This ensures that all three volumes are protected and replicated as part of the RecoverPoint protection strategy1.

It’s important to note that the number of replication sets in a Consistency Group is equal to the number of production volumes being replicated.Therefore, if an application spans multiple volumes, each volume will be part of its own replication set within the Consistency Group1.

In a RecoverPoint/EX cluster, the administrator can add volumes from an unlicensed array as a repository volume.The repository volume is used for internal RecoverPoint operations, such as storing metadata and system information necessary for the RecoverPoint cluster to function1.

The repository volume does not require a license as it is not part of the data replication path and does not store user data. This allows the administrator to utilize storage from an unlicensed array for this purpose.However, for journal and copy volumes, which are directly involved in data protection and replication, a licensed array is required to ensure proper functionality and support1.

It is important to note that while the repository can be on an unlicensed array, all other volumes involved in replication (such as journal and copy volumes) must be on licensed arrays.This ensures compliance with licensing agreements and enables full support and functionality of the RecoverPoint system1.

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, it is always best to consult the latest official Dell RecoverPoint documentation or contact Dell EMC support directly1.

When using the CLI to create a new Consistency Group in RecoverPoint, after initiating the process with the create_group command, the next step involves adding volumes to the group. The add_replication_volume command is used to add a volume to a Consistency Group as a replication volume.This command specifies the volume to be replicated and associates it with the newly created group1.

The sequence of commands would typically follow this pattern:

Run create_group to initiate the creation of a new Consistency Group.

Run add_replication_volume to add each production volume that needs to be replicated within the Consistency Group.

Additional commands would follow to configure the properties of the Consistency Group and its replication sets1.

It’s important to note that the add_group_set command is used for different purposes, such as grouping multiple Consistency Groups together, and the create_replication_volume and create_production_copy commands are not standard commands in the RecoverPoint CLI for this context1.

In Dell RecoverPoint, a Bookmark is a user-created point-in-time image that can be tied to specific application events. This feature allows users to mark a particular point in time within the continuous data protection timeline of RecoverPoint, which can be used for recovery purposes. Here’s how it works:

User Command: A user issues a command to create a Bookmark, typically through the RecoverPoint management interface or via scripting.

Tied to Application Events: The Bookmark can be associated with specific application events, such as before and after a significant update or batch process.

Point-in-Time Image: The Bookmark represents a point-in-time image of the data at the moment the Bookmark was created.

Recovery: In the event of data corruption or loss, the Bookmark can be used to recover data to the exact state it was in at the time of the Bookmark.

Bookmarks are an integral part of RecoverPoint’s data protection capabilities, providing flexibility and precision for data recovery operations1.

The Dell EMC RecoverPoint Gen6 appliance contains two slots for I/O modules. For Slot1, the supported I/O modules are 10-Gb optical fiber and 10-Gb twisted copper pair.This means that Slot1 can accommodate either 10 GbE optical or 10 GbE copper I/O modules1.

The I/O modules are network interface cards with the following characteristics:

10-GB OPTICAL FIBER MODULE: 4 ports, Ethernet network type, supported speed of 10 Gb, wire type of optical fiber (SFP+).

10-GB TWISTED COPPER PAIR MODULE: 4 ports, Ethernet network type, supported speed of 10 Gb, wire type of BASE-T twisted copper pair1.

These modules provide the necessary connectivity for the RecoverPoint appliance to manage replication setup and operations, ensuring efficient data protection and disaster recovery capabilities1.

After running the balance_load command on a RecoverPoint cluster, if the administrator did not capture the output, the RecoverPoint Cluster Load report can be found at the specific URL provided by the RecoverPoint management interface.The correct URL format to access this report is https://Cluster_Management_IP/info/load_balancing/, where Cluster_Management_IP is replaced with the actual IP address of the RecoverPoint cluster management interface 1.

The steps to locate the report are

The Locking ID for a RecoverPoint/EX license is typically associated with a unique identifier of the RecoverPoint system itself. This ID ensures that the license is applied to the correct system and is not interchangeable with other systems or components.The RecoverPoint System ID serves as this unique identifier, which is used to lock the license to a specific RecoverPoint installation1.

It’s important to note that licensing information can be complex and may vary depending on the specific configuration and version of the RecoverPoint system.For the most accurate and up-to-date information, it is always best to consult the latest official Dell RecoverPoint documentation or contact Dell EMC support directly1.