Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for Credit Union Core Processing Applications An Executive Overview of EchoStream for AIX

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Catherine Poole
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1 Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for Credit Union Core Processing Applications An Executive Overview of EchoStream for AIX

2 Introduction Continuous member service is an important deliverable for credit unions, and is probably the most obvious sign to members that a credit union has its priorities set appropriately. The right business processes, supported by a reliable information technology (IT) infrastructure, are the foundation on which continuous member service is built. The core component to this foundation is your data, and there are a variety of risks to which this data may be subject inadvertently deleted files or records (operator error), viruses or hackers that can cause data corruption or deletion, and natural disasters that may put much more than just your data at risk. What is your plan to recover your data? While data recovery has always been important, there are trends in the industry today that put your data recovery strategy in the spotlight. The continued growth in assets and members means that the impact of downtime is affecting a larger base and is therefore potentially much more costly. Members are now demanding that certain services, such as online banking and ATM, be available 24 hours a day, and outages of these services are very noticeable to an ever increasing audience. Combined with the trend towards consolidation, the cost of downtime may in fact be prohibitive. And depending upon the size of your credit union, certain regulatory requirements for data retention and disaster recovery may be adding fuel to this fire. 2

3 Issues with Legacy Recovery Technologies If you re like most credit unions, you re using some form of data protection today probably tape-based backup. Periodically, someone shuts down the core processing system to perform a backup to tape. Depending on the volume of data that is being copied, this may take several hours and requires manual intervention to set up the backup job, run it, confirm that it occurred, and then return the core processing system to operation. The backup copy may be kept locally in case data needs to be recovered in the near term, and eventually (after several weeks) it may be moved to an offsite location for archival storage purposes. The reason to make and keep copies of your data is so that, in the event of some sort of catastrophe that destroys data, you have a clean copy safely tucked away to use for recovery purposes. Leading analyst groups, such as the Gartner Group, the Enterprise Strategy Group and the Taneja Group, state that as many as 1 in 4 backup tapes suffer from some sort of problem that precludes performing a recovery. Tape is used for backup and archive because it is very inexpensive, but it is an old technology that has been available almost since the dawn of computing. There are several issues with tape-based backup: Tape-based backup is a time-intensive process that is potentially disruptive to your applications; this issue is commonly referred to as the backup window problem. Because of its impact on applications and resources, tape-based backups are usually not taken more than once a day, and often only once every several days, meaning that there are very few tape-based recovery points available for use over the course of a week; this is problematic because your data is changing very frequently (on the order of seconds or minutes) and the fewer points in time you have a copy of (for recovery purposes) the more data loss on average occurs for a given recovery; this issue is commonly referred to as the recovery point objective (RPO) problem. Once its clear that a recovery needs to occur, it takes time to perform the recovery (e.g. finding the right tape, transporting it (if its offsite), restoring it to disk, restarting the application on top of the data, etc.); this issue is commonly referred to as the recovery time objective (RTO) problem. As a storage media for backup, tape is not entirely reliable; in fact, leading analyst groups such as the Gartner Group, the Enterprise Strategy Group and the Taneja Group state that as many as 1 in 4 backup tapes suffer from some sort of problem that precludes performing a recovery. Transporting tapes to offsite facilities for archival purposes also has inherent risk. Widely publicized tape losses during physical transport (by truck) have hit large companies like Bank of America, Citigroup Inc., ChoicePoint Inc. and LexisNexis and resulted in the theft of hundreds of thousands of company records. Replication of data across secure IP-based networks is a much safer way to transport data to offsite locations for archival storage purposes. If you are driven by either business or regulatory requirements to deploy a disaster recovery solution, a pure tape-based data protection strategy can subject you to undue risk. 3

4 The Proven Solution EchoStream for AIX, from Vision Solutions, is designed to resolve the following common problems: Backup window: Data is continuously and transparently copied from designated servers (such as the one running your core processing application) throughout the day as changes occur, so you never again have to concern yourself with backup windows. Recovery Point Objective: Using a technology called continuous data protection (CDP), EchoStream will allow you to retroactively pick any previous point and generate a readable, writable snapshot of what the data looked like at the selected point; this effectively presents you with all possible recovery points to minimize data loss on recovery in a way that tape, with its limited number of recovery points, never can. Recovery Time Objective: All EchoStream restores are directly from disk, providing you with fast, reliable restores in a way that tape cannot, and your ability to pick the optimal recovery point to minimize data loss means that you will spend less time restoring the entire application environment; this effectively shortens the downtime associated with data recovery and hence the impact (on your members) and cost of an outage. Redundant Application Server: The Backup server provides a manual failover target that will allow a critical application to be rapidly restarted with access to current data (to allow processing to continue if the primary server for some reason cannot be restarted). By 2011, some form of CDP will be deployed in 80 percent of the Fortune Gartner Remote replication: EchoStream includes an ability to replicate data across IP networks so you can migrate your aged data to a remote facility without exposing it to the risks associated with the physical transport of tape-based media. EchoStream runs on IBM System p servers with AIX 5 and above and is applicable to core processing applications from vendors such as FiServ (Galaxy Plus, XP Systems), Harland Financial (ULTRADATA), and Symitar Systems (Episys) as well as any application that runs on AIX. 4

5 How Does the EchoStream Solution Work? Figure 1. The EchoStream data tap mirrors data to a local Backup server, which can then retroactively present snapshots for recovery, analysis, testing or development purposes with no impact on the Production server(s). A dedicated backup System p server is established, and can protect one or more applications running on other IBM AIX production servers that are connected to it locally via an IP-based network. EchoStream mirrors production server writes to designated Protected Storage (the storage where the application you want to protect resides) to the backup server over IP. These writes are stored in the Recovery Storage that is directly attached to the Backup server. EchoStream runs continuously in the background and does not noticeably impact the performance of the Protected Application. At any time, an administrator can go into the management interface of the Backup server, running on a separate Windows-based PC, and generate a historical view (a snapshot of the data at any randomly selected previous point in time). These historical views can then be presented to any other server on the network for the purposes of recovery or to perform any type of off-host processing. These historical views are fully read/write capable, which means that they can support off-host processing tasks like data analysis, testing, development or backup all without imposing any impact whatsoever on the Protected Application. A historical view can be presented back to the production server as well, but note that there is another option with respect to the production server, called Production Restore, which uses differencing technology to modify the Protected Storage to look like the historical view selected on the backup server. 5

6 EchoStream also supports asynchronous replication. This allows you to replicate the continuous data stream or selected historical views to a remote facility, as long as it is connected to the primary facility by an IP-based network. Replication of the continuous data stream provides full any point in time recovery capabilities at the remote site. This configuration is optimal for disaster recovery capability, since historical views created at the remote site can only be presented to servers at the remote site that are on the same LAN as the remote backup server. Replication represents a much faster, much more secure way to get your data to an offsite storage facility. To use this feature, you will need to purchase another System p server running AIX and the backup server software license at the remote site. The Correlation Between Data Age and Possibility of Re-Use/Restore It has been proven over time that most data recovery requests are for relatively recent data, and that there is a direct correlation between the age of data and the possibility that it would be required for restore purposes. Most restore requests are driven by issues such as an inadvertently deleted file or data corruption that is introduced by a virus or a hacker. Typically these problems are discovered within several hours or at most a few days from when they first occur, resulting in restore requests for more recent data. In general, the only time you may need to restore data that has already been archived would be in the event of a disaster that physically destroys computer equipment and facilities, such as an earthquake or a tornado. While it pays to be prepared against these occurrences, they are very rare. The slope of the orange line in Figure 3 varies by company type, but it reflects the general relationship in all industries between the age of data and the chance that it would need to be restored. 6

7 Most restore requests are driven by issues such as an inadvertently deleted file or data corruption that is introduced by a virus or a hacker Another key factor to note is that as data ages, it becomes less important to support the ability to restore to any point in time. Note the inflection point in the orange line in Figure 3 that occurs around Day 3. Restore requests for data drop off significantly after that point. This might suggest that you would want to manage roughly 3 days worth of your most recent data with EchoStream, migrating it to less flexible but less expensive media locally thereafter for several weeks, and then eventually storing it in an off-site facility after about 30 days. This 3 day window is referred to as the optimized recovery window. Two Sample Use Cases Using EchoStream to Provide Zero Impact Data Protection and Rapid Local Recovery In this scenario, we assume the credit union wants to solve the rapid recovery problem at the local level. They have chosen, however, not to replicate and will continue to migrate data to tape for physical shipment to an offsite location. The credit union is running Symitar Systems Episys on an IBM p5 520 with AIX 5.2 and 600GB of internal storage. This p520 will become the Production server.10% of the data changes on a monthly basis, and the overall rate of data growth is forecast at 30% per year. Based on past experience, the credit union knows that restore requests tend to drop off significantly after seven days. The credit union currently does daily incremental backups and weekly full backups using a 100 Mbit Ethernet LAN. Preparing the Episys application for a backup takes minutes. Incremental backups take roughly minutes per day, while the full backup takes between ten and fifteen hours using a small tape cartridge autoloader. To install the EchoStream solution, the credit union purchases a second IBM p5 520 running AIX 5.2 to act as the Backup server. Based on the rate of data change and forecast database growth, 1TB of Recovery Storage is purchased and housed internally to the Backup server. This Backup server is attached to the same LAN as the Production server. EchoStream is installed on the Production server and the relevant storage which underlies Episys is designated as the Protected Storage. An optimized recovery window of seven days is configured on the Backup server. An initial synchronization between the Production server and the Backup server is performed while the Production server continues to run (it is run as a background process) so that member services are not impacted. Once the initial synchronization is complete, continuous data protection is enabled. To take advantage of the capabilities of their newly implemented EchoStream solution, the credit union makes some changes to their data protection processes. With seven days of data included in the optimized recovery window, the credit union no longer needs to perform daily incrementals. Any restore requirement during that seven day period is performed instantaneously from disk and without the need to build up 7

8 An optimized recovery window of seven days is configured on the Backup server... Any restore requirement during that seven day period is performed instantaneously from disk, without the need to build up a restore image from multiple incremental backups. a restore image from multiple incremental backups, thus cutting recovery time to minutes. A weekly tape backup is still desirable to prepare for the eventual archiving of data offsite, but Episys need no longer be shut down to perform backups (other than the 20 minute backup preparation task). Once a week, a historical view is created by the Backup server and presented to a backup server, which performs the backup to tape. The credit union continues to use its existing tape backup software to perform this backup. EchoStream is compatible with all backup software packages for the purposes of historical view presentation for off-host backup. These tapes are kept onsite for two weeks, and then sent to an offsite facility for archival storage. This solution provides the credit union with the following benefits: Backups to tape are now completely decoupled from the production application so they can now be scheduled when it is convenient for the administrator without concern for impact on credit union business processes. Backups are only taken once a week now (instead of daily), taking less administrative time. Restores within the optimized recovery window occur rapidly and reliably from disk, completely resolving tape media integrity issues for near term restores. Data loss on recovery is minimized because the administrator now has access to the optimal recovery point to minimize data loss for every conceivable failure scenario (this is the RPO issue). Recovery time is shortened in several ways: no restore from tape to disk is required (the application can just be started right up on the selected historical view). a recovery point never needs to be built up from incrementals so there is less administrative overhead associated with recovery (the selected point is just immediately presented from disk). there is less time spent preparing the application for production use again after the recovery because the best recovery point to resolve the problem can be selected (e.g. if the problem is a file deletion or data corruption problem, the point right before that event occurred can be chosen). Recovery time is considerably shortened in the event of a problem with the production server: The Protected Application is simply started on the backup server, using the latest, current copy of the production data (the latest historical view). It can continue to run there until such time as the production server can be repaired and restarted. 8

9 In addition to these benefits, there is another advantage that did not exist with the previous tape based approach. Patched and upgraded applications can be tested against current production data in a manner completely decoupled from the production environment. A historical view of the current data state is created and presented to a staging server (also on the LAN) where the patched or upgraded application can be tested. Once the administrator is satisfied with the stability of the new environment, it can be deployed in production. EchoStream makes it easy to create these historical views for testing purposes, ensuring more reliable patch and upgrade processes against production environments. Archiving To Tape with A Multi-Site EchoStream Configuration In this scenario, we assume the credit union wants to solve three problems (backup window, RPO and RTO) but they also want to migrate their archival data to a remote facility with minimal risk. For the purposes of this example, we ll assume the credit union is running Harland Financials ULTRADATA on an IBM System p server with AIX 5.2. Adding to their production server, the credit union purchases a local backup server with an appropriate amount of storage, and the EchoStream software licenses. Then, to enable the remote replication capability, the credit union purchases another IBM System p server, to be located at the remote site, running the same operating system (in this case, AIX 5.3). The credit union wants to take the weekly full tape backup from disk at the remote site for archival storage. Both the local and remote backup servers are connected via an IP network. With this configuration, the only change to their former backup processes is that they now keep no tape at all at the local (production) site, only at the remote site. Tape-only backups are no longer a feasible data protection strategy in today s business environment Once a week, a historical view that represents the full backup is created on the remote-site backup server. The remote backup server then backs up the data to tape. Recoveries of data that is already archived can be restored from tape to disk on the remote backup server, and then replicated back to the local (production site) backup server. At that point, the view can be manipulated for any recovery or off-host processing purposes in the same manner as any locally created view. This solution provides the following benefits: All of the benefits of the local configuration example accrue here, including removal of the backup window, minimized data loss and much more rapid, reliable recoveries (due to rapid restores direct from disk and to the availability of the backup server as a manual failover platform). The additional advantages that accrue with the remote configuration include a fast, easy and secure way to migrate data from a local site to a remote site without incurring any of the risk associated with physical transport, and a fast, easy and secure way to get that data back to a local site on those rare occasions when a recovery from older data is required. 9

10 Recovery Time Comparisons When downtime costs you money, a rapid recovery capability presents a quantifiable return on investment opportunity. By offering a much faster and easier way to perform data recovery than that offered by tape, savings accrue not only in the area of downtime but in terms of administrative time and expertise. As shown in Figure 3 below, EchoStream can shorten recovery times by hours and even days in some cases. 10

11 Summary Any Credit Union that is experiencing rapid growth or consolidation is very likely using a suboptimal data recovery solution built around tape-based backup. This type of legacy solution potentially interrupts business processes, due to the requirement for a backup window, subjects the business to potentially significant data loss when recoveries are required, and is time consuming and labor intensive for both data protection operations and recoveries. EchoStream for AIX is a proven solution to the data recovery problem that is in use at a variety of referenceable accounts today. EchoStream leverages CDP technology to support instantaneous recoveries from disk, resulting in minimal data loss (due to its ability to present all possible recovery points), rapid, reliable recovery (due to its ability to restore immediately from disk), all while not imposing any downtime on production applications (zero impact data protection). Because EchoStream ensures that data on the backup server is always current, it can be relied upon as a manual failover platform that allows application processing to be rapidly restarted in the event of a catastrophic production server failure. In addition, EchoStream supports asynchronous replication that will allow businesses to establish cost-effective and secure multi-site disaster recovery strategies that support rapid recovery, even from archived data. EchoStream runs on IBM System p servers with AIX 5 and above and is applicable to any AIX application, but is applied most often for use with business- or mission-critical applications such as enterprise databases or file systems. 11

12 Easy. Affordable. Innovative. Vision Solutions. Vision Solutions, Inc. is the world s leading provider of high availability, disaster recovery, and data management solutions for the IBM System i market. With a portfolio that spans the industry s most innovative and trusted HA brands, Vision s itera, MIMIX, and ORION solutions keep business-critical information continuously protected and available. Affordable and easy to use, Vision products help to ensure business continuity, increase productivity, reduce operating costs, and satisfy compliance requirements. Vision also offers advanced cluster management, data management, and systems management solutions, and provides support for i5/os, Windows and AIX operating environments. As IBM s largest high availability Premier Business Partner, Vision Solutions oversees a global network of business partners and services and certified support professionals to help our customers achieve their business goals. Privately held by Thoma Cressey Bravo, Inc., Vision Solutions is headquartered in Irvine, California with offices worldwide. For more information call or toll free at , or visit visionsolutions.com Von Karman Avenue, Suite 500, Irvine, CA visionsolutions.com High Availability Disaster Recovery Systems and Data Management Copyright 2008, Vision Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. IBM and System i are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. EO_ESAIX_CreditUnion_E_080317

Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for IBM AIX Environments An Executive Overview of EchoStream for AIX

Achieving Rapid Data Recovery for IBM AIX Environments An Executive Overview of EchoStream for AIX Introduction Planning for recovery is a requirement in businesses of all sizes. In implementing an operational