How to Perform Efficient File Server Recovery with HubStor
Traditionally, backup systems will make a copy of whatever is on the
source system, and in a recovery scenario, the backup system will
recover the full copy onto the source system. However, source systems
(in this case, enterprise file systems) are known to contain 80-90%
inactive data. This means that 80-90% of a restore job is spent
recovering old data that is important, but not mission critical in an
immediate recovery objective.
The problem is exacerbated as companies look to use the cloud as an offsite data protection for their backups. If the backup is restoring the entire copy in a recovery scenario, not only does the customer pay for all the data transfer and storage activity in cloud economics to fetch the large backups containing mostly old data, but they also incur the large hit on their network connection to download the backup.
Traditional cloud backup best practices mitigate having to restore from the cloud by recommending that you keep a local cache copy of your backups for a short time period. However, this can be expensive and requires added administration time to configure and maintain.
With HubStor, there is a more efficient solution to this problem.
HubStor is an archive system or secondary storage tier in the cloud with the ability to have stubs/shortcuts in the source file system that seamlessly recall the original file. Like a backup, HubStor captures a point-in-time snapshot of the source system on a regular schedule. In essence, HubStor maintains a synthetic full backup in the cloud: In each snapshot/crawl of the source file system, the incremental changes (any changes to security Access Control List (ACL), folder structures, item versions, new items) are merged into the archive / secondary storage tier. Then, in a data loss scenario on the source file system, HubStor offers administrators the flexibility of recovering a portion of the dataset from the archive/secondary storage tier as full originals and another portion of the dataset as stubs/shortcuts.
In a recovery scenario, this method has the following advantages:
The problem is exacerbated as companies look to use the cloud as an offsite data protection for their backups. If the backup is restoring the entire copy in a recovery scenario, not only does the customer pay for all the data transfer and storage activity in cloud economics to fetch the large backups containing mostly old data, but they also incur the large hit on their network connection to download the backup.
Traditional cloud backup best practices mitigate having to restore from the cloud by recommending that you keep a local cache copy of your backups for a short time period. However, this can be expensive and requires added administration time to configure and maintain.
With HubStor, there is a more efficient solution to this problem.
HubStor is an archive system or secondary storage tier in the cloud with the ability to have stubs/shortcuts in the source file system that seamlessly recall the original file. Like a backup, HubStor captures a point-in-time snapshot of the source system on a regular schedule. In essence, HubStor maintains a synthetic full backup in the cloud: In each snapshot/crawl of the source file system, the incremental changes (any changes to security Access Control List (ACL), folder structures, item versions, new items) are merged into the archive / secondary storage tier. Then, in a data loss scenario on the source file system, HubStor offers administrators the flexibility of recovering a portion of the dataset from the archive/secondary storage tier as full originals and another portion of the dataset as stubs/shortcuts.
In a recovery scenario, this method has the following advantages:
- It provides faster recovery since you can restore the most recent
two or three days of data as originals (which is what users need to
remain productive) with everything else restoring as stubs. This way,
users have access to the entire dataset, and you only had to physically
recover a few days worth of data (a fast Recovery Time Objective).
- It avoids plugging up your network connection by not having to
download all the older, less active data (which also means not having to
pay unnecessary data transfer fees).
- Finally, it avoids you having the expense and hassle of storing and
managing a local cache copy of your backups so as to reduce data volumes
that you must recover from a cloud backup.
The following is an example of how you can use HubStor's Export Utility to perform an efficient file server recovery:
Assumptions
Your target file share has been backed up/archived into HubStor.
- Your target file share has experienced data loss and needs recovery.
- Your target file share's Windows Server(s) has the Retrieval Service installed. See OVERVIEW OF SEAMLESS STUBBING AND THE RETRIEVAL SERVICE.
- You have launched the Export Utility, authenticated, have 'Access
All Items' authorization, and are running the Export Utility in 'Admin
Mode.'
If you need instructions on how to perform export jobs using the Export Utility, see HOW TO USE THE EXPORT UTILITY (FOR ADMINS).
First Pass Export/Recovery Job
The first pass is simply a 'Restore Stubs' job.
In configuring it as shown in the screen shot below, upon selecting the 'Run Export' button, HubStor will restore the in-scope data to the destination entirely as stubs. Since this operation involves no download activity of blobs from the cloud, it will execute quickly. Users can then immediately see and access their data via stubs.
In configuring it as shown in the screen shot below, upon selecting the 'Run Export' button, HubStor will restore the in-scope data to the destination entirely as stubs. Since this operation involves no download activity of blobs from the cloud, it will execute quickly. Users can then immediately see and access their data via stubs.
Recovering in this manner will bring back the folder structure. You
could also use 'Restore ACLs' in conjunction to set the original
Security ACLs. All of the item versions will be stubs/shortcuts as in
the following example:
Second Pass Export/Recovery Job
You might just perform your recovery entirely as stubs, but it is
recommended that you restore the most recent few days or weeks of data
back to the original files since this will be more convenient for your
users. To restore a subset of the data back to the original files, you
will need to execute a second restore job.
In this second restore job, you will use the Admin Export Mode called 'Specific Range.' Use the same settings as the prior export job, except this time disable 'Restore Stubs' since you want full originals to be recovered.
Next, select the start and end dates for the range of originals. The start date is how far back you want original files. For the end date, select tomorrow's date to get up to the latest item versions available in HubStor.
In this second restore job, you will use the Admin Export Mode called 'Specific Range.' Use the same settings as the prior export job, except this time disable 'Restore Stubs' since you want full originals to be recovered.
Next, select the start and end dates for the range of originals. The start date is how far back you want original files. For the end date, select tomorrow's date to get up to the latest item versions available in HubStor.
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