Create Failover Plan that will Work when you Need - Part 2

Failover is very important for all IT Pro and is High Importance Project that must have been complete and do periodical checks that works without problems. Today i will explain in depth the last part  how can start the Failover Server and Failback to the Production again without issues and downtimes.

 

 

If you would like to read the other parts in this article series please go to:

Create Failover Plan that will Work when you Need - Part 1

Create Target Proxy 

Veeam recommends to have at least one Backup Proxy in source Host and one Backup Proxy in Disaster Site. It's not required but can improve the performance in Replication and Failover Process. Believe you need it when you must start a Failover for a Server.

Now let's explain how can configure it.

  • Before start the configuration you must setup a new Server in the Disaster Recovery Site to use it as Target Proxy.
  • When you finish open Veeam Console from the Replication Server in Production Environment
  • Select BACKUP INFRASTRUCTURE
  • Select Backup Proxies

  • Right click and select Add VMWARE or HYPERV base on your infrastructure. Now will use VMWare Backup Proxy.
  • Click button Add New.

  • Type the Ip Address from the Server that setup in the first Setup. Click Next.

  • Select credentials that use for the specific server. If you don't have it select Manage Accounts and add the new credentials

  • When finish with the new credentials click Next 
  • Wait until verify credentials and Server Ip Address.
  • Click Next to start the Installation.

  • Wait to Finish and click Finish
  • Click Next without change anything.

  • Wait until Validate Server.
  • Now here you can create Network Traffic Rules 

  • ...........
  • Click Finish

Now we finish with the installation of Backup Proxy in Disaster Recovery Site. You can find the new server in the Backup Proxies

  • Go BACKUP & REPLICATION
  • Select Replications
  • Right click in Replication Job and select Edit
  • Click in Data Transfer
  • Click Choose in Source Proxy

  • Select Use the selected Backup proxy Servers only
  • Tick only in the Backup Proxy of your Production Environment. In this case i have Backup Proxy in the same Server that use for the Replication.
  • Click Ok.

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  • Click Choose in Target Proxy
  • Select Use the selected Backup proxy Servers only
  • Tick only in the Backup Proxy of your Disaster Recovery Server. In this case the backup proxy server that install before. Click OK

  • Click Finish

This is the configuration that need to use Source and Target Proxy for better performance. Start the job and check the logs to identify that use both backup proxy servers.

 

Configure DNS Entries

Until now we have configure Veeam for Replication Jobs, already have Replicate successful our Servers in Disaster Recovery Site. But let's think about that the Disaster Recovery Site has different IP Subnet and in the Part 1 discuss how can enable Re-IP in Veeam for network mapping. 

But do you have think how  can resolve DNS entry of the Failover Server? For example in Outlook we use the Server Name of Exchange Server. How can resolve the DNS for the Failover Server if it is in different IP Subnet. So the time that you will need it you will not use it because Outlook can't resolve the new IP Address of the Failover Server. 

The solution is to use round-robin. Find more details in https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc787484(v=ws.10).aspx.

To enable round-robin must configure 2 options

  1. Make sure that DNS Server has enable round-robin
  • Login in the Domain Controller
  • Open DNS Server
  • Right Click in Server Name and select Properties.
  • Go in Advance Tab and verify that the Enable round robin is checked. If not check it.

  1. Create second entry in Forward Lookup Zones with the same Computer name of the Server with the IP Address that has in Disaster Recovery Site

Start Failover

Now it's time to do a test and check if Failover works without problems

  • Because this is test scenario be sure that the production Server is power off.
  • Open Veeam Console
  • Select BACKUP & REPLICATION
  • Go in Replicas - - .> Ready

  • Right click in the Server from the right side that you must start Failover and select Failover Now
  • As you can see you have the last Restore Point of Replication. If you want different Restore Point click in button Point and select from available Restore Points.

  • Click Next. Write the Reason if you want.It's an optional

  • Click Finish.
  • Monitoring the progress until start Failover. As you can see in the printscreen.Now the Server change Ip Address because we use Re-IP when create the Job in Part 1.

  • If Failover start ping the Server with the server name and check  the ip address which return.

  • If can't ping then check your DNS Entries or wait a minute to update DNS.

 

Failback To Production

The Failover start and already all users connected in the specific user. As IT the priority is to resolve the problem with the problem Server in your Production Environment.

After hours the Production Server it's ready to be online again. How can face the gab between Failover data and probably last backup that you have restore in your Production Server?

Here comes the Failback to Production which transfer only the changes that will find between Failover Server and Production Server. Of course this job must be done after working hours.

  • Open Veeam Console
  • Select BACKUP & REPLICATION
  • Go in Replicas - - .> Ready - - >Active
  • Right click in the Server and select Failback to Production

  • Click Next

  • Select the option that you want. Suppose that we do Failback to the original VM. But the important option is to the Backup Proxies. Click in the bottom Pick backup Proxies for Data Transfer

  • Click Choose in DR Site Proxy
  • Select Use the selected Backup proxy Servers only
  • Tick only in the Backup Proxy of your Disaster Recovery  Click OK.

  • Click Choose in Prod Site Proxy
  • Select Use the selected Backup proxy Servers only
  • Tick only in the Backup Proxy of your Production Environment. In this case i have Backup Proxy in the same Server that use for the Replication.
  • Click Ok.

  • Click Next
  • Click Finish.
  • Check the progress until Complete successful
  • When the Failback complete successful click Close
  • Right click again in the Server and select Commit Failback.

  • Click Yes in the Question and wait to finish.

Now the Failover Server Failback to the Production environment with all the changes that has the Failover Server from the time that start until now.

Undo Failover

Let's say that you don't need anymore Failover with new changes because just check the Failover Plan if working.

  • Open Veeam Console
  • Select BACKUP & REPLICATION
  • Go in Replicas - - .> Ready - - >Active
  • Right click in the Server and select Undo Failover.

  • Monitoring the Logs until completed successful

 

Here we finish with the second and last Part. This is a method that can use in your environment to have a Failover Plan ready and use it when you will need it. 

I hope to find interesting and helpfully these 2 articles.

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