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Most Common DKCE Storage Solutions

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Solutions » DKCE Common Solutions » Most Common DKCE Storage Solutions

The following are the most commonly requested storage related solutions. Preparing Storage for DataKeeper Usage Preparing Storage for DataKeeper Usage Summary This video explains the procedure for creating/preparing storage for Datakeeper. It also addresses…

Disk-to-Disk

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » Disk-to-Disk

This is a simple one server, two disks configuration, mirroring Volume X on Server A to Volume Y on Server A. The volumes that are used for Disk-to-Disk replication can’t also be configured to replicate to another system. *Disk to Disk does not support mirrors…

One-to-One

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » One-to-One

This is a simple one source, one target configuration, mirroring Volume X across the network. In addition to providing a second physical copy of the data, DataKeeper also provides the ability to switch over the mirror which allows the data to become active on the…

Many-to-One

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » Many-to-One

This configuration involves multiple source servers replicating one (or more) volumes to the same target system. In this configuration, each volume being replicated to the target server must have a unique drive letter. Note: This is actually two One-to-One…

How to add a newly-created volume to DataKeeper

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » How to add a newly-created volume to DataKeeper

After a new volume has been created, formatted, and assigned a drive letter, run the following command from the command line in order to be able to start using the volume for mirror and job creation: From a CMD prompt: “%ExtMirrBase%\EMCMD” .…

Connecting to a Server

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » Connecting to a Server

Use this dialog to connect to the server of your choice. You may enter the IP address, system NetBIOS name or the full system domain name for the server. Click Connect to select it.

Failed to Create Mirror

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Failed to Create Mirror

User Interface – Failed to Create Mirror – Application Event Log Error/Message Logged in the Application Event Log: File: .\GuiThread.cpp Line: 3099 Attempt to connect to remote system REMOTESERVER failed with error 5. Please ensure that the local…

How to Obtain a License

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Installation Guide » About DataKeeper Licensing » How to Obtain a License

Obtaining and Installing the License Activating Your License The final screen of the InstallShield installation utility displays the Host ID of your server. The Host ID, along with the Entitlement ID (Authorization Code) that was provided with your DataKeeper…

How to Install a License

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Installation Guide » About DataKeeper Licensing » How to Install a License

Installing Your License Perform the following steps on each node of the cluster. Install your license using one of the followings: Placing a license file directly On each system, copy the license file to the C:\Windows\SysWOW64\LKLicense . If you have…

One-to-Many (Multiple Targets)

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » One-to-Many (Multiple Targets)

This configuration involves one primary (source) system replicating one (or more) volume(s) to two different target systems across the network. This is referred to as a multiple target configuration. Note that there are two mirrors that are completely independent…

Access to Designated Volume Denied

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Access to Designated Volume Denied

If access to the designated volume is denied, then check whether you are attempting to create the mirror while other applications are accessing the volume. During Mirror Creation, the volumes must be locked on the target system for exclusive access by the SIOS…

Inability to Create a Mirror

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Inability to Create a Mirror

Question Why can’t I create a mirror? Answer The common cause of this problem is that the volume on either source or target is in use by another process. Stop the process that is accessing the volume and try again. The SIOS DataKeeper software requires…

N-Shared-Disk Replicated to One

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » N-Shared-Disk Replicated to One

This configuration allows you to replicate the shared volume(s) of the primary site to a remote system across the network. This configuration is ideal for providing local failover within the Primary Site and disaster recovery protection should the entire Primary…

Add a Node to the Cluster

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Add a Node to the Cluster

When adding a node to a cluster, uncheck the Add all eligible storage to the cluster checkbox. It is checked by default. If it is not unchecked it will cause all of the storage that is configured with DataKeeper to be turned into Cluster storage and all roles in…

How to Replace A DKCE Node

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » How to Replace A DKCE Node

Replacing a node in a Windows Failover Cluster that uses DataKeeper Cluster Edition mirrored volumes involves making the following changes: Move any DataKeeper Volume resources from the node being replaced to another node in the cluster Using the registry editor,…

Unable to Determine Previous Install Path

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Unable to Determine Previous Install Path

Installation – Fatal Error: Unable to Determine Previous Install Path Error/Message Fatal Error: Unable to determine previous install path. DataKeeper cannot be uninstalled or reinstalled. Description When performing a “Repair” or…

User Interface – Failed to Create Mirror

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » User Interface – Failed to Create Mirror

User Interface – Failed to Create Mirror, Event ID 137 Error/Message Failed to create the mirror. Event Id: 137 System Event Log Unable to initialize mirror on the target machine. Volume Device: Source Volume: E Target Machine: 10.17.103.135 Target Volume:…

N-Shared-Disk Replicated to N-Shared-Disk

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » N-Shared-Disk Replicated to N-Shared-Disk

This configuration replicates data between sites where each site utilizes shared storage. Steps to be replicated from the picture above: Create a shared volume between the first two nodes within the “Primary Site”. Storage (Shared Volume) 1…

Extending a Single SQL Server Node to a Cluster

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Extending a Single SQL Server Node to a Cluster

This guide explains how to install a single SQL Server node and extend it to a clustered node. Please read this document carefully prior to installation. Planning Steps: Start with a Microsoft SQL Server standalone node, where data resides on the C drive. Note:…

Directory for Bitmap Must Be Created Prior to Relocation

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Restrictions » Directory for Bitmap Must Be Created Prior to Relocation

Description If you choose to relocate the bitmap file from the default location (%EXTMIRRBASE%\Bitmaps), you must first create the new directory before changing the location in the registry and rebooting the system.

N-Shared-Disk Replicated to Multiple N-Shared-Disk Targets

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » N-Shared-Disk Replicated to Multiple N-Shared-Disk Targets

This is a complex configuration which combines the aspects of replicating a shared storage environment to multiple shared targets. Note that the number of systems in the Primary Site does not have to equal the number of systems in the Remote Site. Also note that…

Extending a Clustered DataKeeper Volume to a Node Outside the Cluster

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Extending a Clustered DataKeeper Volume to a Node Outside the Cluster

DataKeeper Volume cluster resources can be extended to a DR Node for Disaster Recovery purposes. In the event of a complete failure of all systems in the cluster, data will be accessible on the DR Node (referred to as the “DR Node”). Here you will find instructions…

Extending a Traditional 2-Node Cluster to a Shared-Replicated Configuration

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Extending a Traditional 2-Node Cluster to a Shared-Replicated Configuration

Add a Shared Node Using Windows Server 2008R2 or 2012 When using Windows Server 2008R2 or 2012, a 1×1 2-Node replicated cluster using DataKeeper Volumes can be extended to a 2×1 shared and replicated 3-Node cluster by using either of the following…

Using DataKeeper Cluster Edition to Enable Multi-Site Hyper-V Clusters

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Using DataKeeper Cluster Edition to Enable Multi-Site Hyper-V Clusters

Prerequisite Familiarity with Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Windows Failover Cluster Server Management and Hyper-V Virtual Management procedures and commands is highly recommended. Note: DataKeeper ClusterCluster Edition does not support Cluster Shared Volumes;…

Configuration of Data Replication From a Cluster Node to External DR Site

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » Configuration of Data Replication From a Cluster Node to External DR Site

For more information, see Extending a clustered datakeeper volume to a node outside the cluster.

Add a New Disk / DK Volume to an Existing Clustered SQL Role

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Add a New Disk / DK Volume to an Existing Clustered SQL Role

When adding an additional disk to an existing cluster, the dependency relationship must be verified and configured manually based on the following requirements: The IP Address and the Disk Resource/DataKeeper Volume do not depend on anything The SQL Network Name…

Extending a Traditional 2-Node WSFC Cluster to a Third Node via DataKeeper

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Extending a Traditional 2-Node WSFC Cluster to a Third Node via DataKeeper

When replicating from a WSFC 2-node cluster to a third node via DataKeeper, the following tasks are required: Replace the existing WSFC physical disk resource with a DataKeeper volume resource that supports data replication. Change the quorum type to Node…

How to create a DK Replicated Volume that has Multiple Targets via CLI

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » How to create a DK Replicated Volume that has Multiple Targets via CLI

The environment in this example looks like this: PRIMARY (10.0.2.100) – in AZ1 SECONDARY (10.0.3.100) – in AZ2 DR (10.0.1.10) – in a different Region *The Goals: • To create a synchronous mirror from PRIMARY to SECONDARY and an…

Using SIOS DataKeeper Standard Edition To Provide Disaster Recovery For Hyper-V Virtual Machines

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Using SIOS DataKeeper Standard Edition To Provide Disaster Recovery For Hyper-V Virtual Machines

Considerations When preparing a Hyper-V environment that spans subnets, subnetting may need to be taken into consideration for any applications that are running inside the virtual machine. Some applications “hard code” IP addresses into their…

Using DKCE to Enable Multi-Site File Share Resources with Windows Server 2008R2 WSFC

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Using DKCE to Enable Multi-Site File Share Resources with Windows Server 2008R2 WSFC

Use the following procedure to protect File Share resources using SIOS DataKeeper and Microsoft Failover Cluster (WSFC). *IMPORTANT NOTE: DataKeeper Cluster Edition registration with Failover Cluster is automatic and occurs 60 seconds after detecting a Failover…

Extending a Traditional 2-Node WSFC SQL Server Cluster to a Third Node via DataKeeper

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Extending a Traditional 2-Node WSFC SQL Server Cluster to a Third Node via DataKeeper

When replicating from a WSFC SQL Server 2-node cluster to a third node via DataKeeper, the following tasks are required: Replace the existing WSFC physical disk resource with a DataKeeper volume resource that supports data replication. Change the quorum type to…

How to cluster SAP ASCS and ERS on Windows in AWS using WSFC with SIOS DataKeeper

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » How to cluster SAP ASCS and ERS on Windows in AWS using WSFC with SIOS DataKeeper

Introduction The following is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to cluster SAP ASCS and ERS running on Windows in the AWS cloud. The examples assume that there are two nodes in the cluster (SIOS1, SIOS2) and each node resides in a different availability zone in…

Step 4: Format the EBS Volumes

Earlier we added additional EBS volumes to each cluster node. The nodes also have an ephemeral drive attached to them. The volumes can be initialized either MBR or GPT. Initialize the Disk Format the Volumes Once they are initialized, format each volume NTFS and…

Using Disk Management

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Administration » Using Disk Management

When using the Windows Disk Management utility to access SIOS DataKeeper volumes, please note the following: Using Disk Management to delete partitions that are being mirrored is not supported. Deleting a partition that is part of a SIOS DataKeeper mirror will yield…

Volumes Unavailable for Mirroring

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Volumes Unavailable for Mirroring

Question Why are some of my volumes not available for mirroring? Answer The SIOS DataKeeper service filters out the following types of disk partitions: Windows system volume Volume(s) that contain the Windows pagefile Non-NTFS formatted volumes (e.g. FAT,…

Volume Considerations

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Understanding Replication » Volume Considerations

SIOS DataKeeper primary and secondary systems have three types of volumes: system, non-mirrored and mirrored. During mirroring operations, system and non-mirrored volumes are not affected and the user has full access to all applications and data on these…

Getting Started

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started

Choose Your Configuration DataKeeper can be utilized in a number of different configurations to facilitate a number of different functions including: Provide a second physical copy of your data Extend an existing WSFC cluster to a remote DR site Eliminate…

Synchronous and Asynchronous Mirroring

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Understanding Replication » Synchronous and Asynchronous Mirroring

SIOS DataKeeper employs both asynchronous and synchronous mirroring schemes. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages between synchronous and asynchronous mirroring is essential to the correct operation of SIOS DataKeeper. Synchronous Mirroring With synchronous…

SQL FCI on Workgroup Clusters

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Restrictions » SQL FCI on Workgroup Clusters

According to Microsoft, SQL Server failover cluster instance (FCI) requires the cluster nodes to be domain joined. Due to this restriction SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition cannot be used to protect Microsoft SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances in a workgroup…

Switchover in an N-Shared x N-Shared Configuration

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Switchover in an N-Shared x N-Shared Configuration

In a multi-shared storage environment between two sites (as shown in the diagram below), each server in each site has access to the storage being shared between the servers at that site. When a DataKeeper mirror is created, one server in each site will be designated…

DataKeeper GUI (SDRSnapIn) Message Catalog

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Message Catalogs » DataKeeper GUI (SDRSnapIn) Message Catalog

Use Control F to search for a specific error code. Code Severity Message Cause Action 0 Error SDRDataKeeperService: Mirror creation failed, rolling back the job endpoint. 0 Warning…

Extensive Write Considerations

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Administration » Extensive Write Considerations

SIOS DataKeeper allows a volume that is being resynced to be accessed and written to. During Resync, DataKeeper makes multiple passes through the bitmap, synchronizing the data corresponding to each dirty bit found. While this is happening, writes that occur on the…

Using the -proxy option with EMCMD

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Using EMCMD with SIOS DataKeeper » Using the -proxy option with EMCMD

All EMCMD requests can be routed through a “proxy” DataKeeper service. To do this, append the options –proxy – to the end of the EMCMD command line. The should be given using the same format as the option. EMCMD will open a connection to the first,…

Resynchronization

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Understanding Replication » Resynchronization

SIOS DataKeeper Resynchronization SIOS DataKeeper performs resynchronization through the use of a bitmap file (intent log). It allocates memory that is used to keep track of “dirty” or “clean” blocks. When a full resync begins, SIOS DataKeeper…

Performance Tuning

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » Performance Tuning

Please refer to the following topics for ways to improve SIOS DataKeeper performance. SIOS DataKeeper Intent Log – SIOS DataKeeper uses an intent log (also referred to as a bitmap file) to track changes made to the source, or to the target volume when the target…

Split-Brain Issue and Recovery

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Split-Brain Issue and Recovery

When protecting DataKeeper volume resources in Microsoft WSFC, if all nodes are included in the cluster split-brain recovery should occur automatically. However, in a Node Outside the Cluster scenario a split-brain may occur if network connectivity is lost to the DR…

Adding a Shared System

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Working With Shared Volumes » Adding a Shared System

To add a shared system to either the source or target side of a mirror, you must be connected to that system. You can connect to the system prior to starting the Manage Shared Volumes dialog, or you can click Connect to Server from within the dialog. In either case,…

Step 1: Provision Servers

Pick an Instance Type It is important to pick an instance that has Instance Store Storage attached, also known as ephemeral disks. We will use this disk to store the DataKeeper bitmap file as described later in the documentation. A list of support instance types can…

DataKeeper Driver (ExtMirr) Message Catalog

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Message Catalogs » DataKeeper Driver (ExtMirr) Message Catalog

Use Control F to search for a specific error code. Code Severity Message Cause Action 1 Info The SteelEye DataKeeper driver version 7.0 has started successfully. 2 Error The…

Network Bandwidth

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » Network Bandwidth

Because DataKeeper can replicate data across any available network, special consideration must be given to the question, “Is there sufficient bandwidth to successfully replicate the volume and keep the mirror in the mirroring state as the source volume is updated…

Initial Synchronization of Data Across the LAN or WAN

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » WAN Considerations » Initial Synchronization of Data Across the LAN or WAN

When replicating large amounts of data over a WAN link, it is desirable to avoid full resynchronizations which can consume large amounts of network bandwidth and time. DataKeeper avoids almost all full resyncs by using its bitmap technology. However, the initial…

DataKeeper Volume Resource Private Properties

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » DataKeeper Volume Resource Private Properties

A DataKeeper Volume resource includes several private properties that are used by DataKeeper Cluster Edition. Among these properties are: VolumeLetter (REG_SZ) – the volume letter that is replicated by DataKeeper and associated with this DataKeeper Volume…

High-Speed Storage Best Practices

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » High-Speed Storage Best Practices

Configure Bitmaps If the DataKeeper default bitmap location (%ExtMirrBase%\Bitmaps) is not located on high-speed storage, you should move the bitmaps to a high-speed storage device in order to eliminate I/O bottlenecks with bitmap access. To do this, allocate a small…

Read and Write Operations

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Understanding Replication » Read and Write Operations

After the volume mirror is created and the two drives on the primary and secondary servers are synchronized, the following events occur: The system locks out all user access to the target volume; reads and writes are not allowed to the target volume. The source…

Safe Creation of a Shared-Storage Volume Resource

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Configuring Mirrors » Safe Creation of a Shared-Storage Volume Resource

DataKeeper allows mirrors to be created on shared volumes where more than one system has access to the same physical storage. The shared volume can be on the source side of the mirror or on the target side. Note: Dynamic disks are not supported with Shared Storage…

Managing Shared Volumes

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Working With Shared Volumes » Managing Shared Volumes

Once your mirrors have been created, DataKeeper allows you to manage your shared volumes. By choosing Manage Shared Volumes from the DataKeeper GUI, you can add another system, which is sharing a mirrored volume, to a job. It also allows you to remove a shared system…

IMPORTANT NOTICE

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Release Notes » IMPORTANT NOTICE

During a review of the current releases of LifeKeeper for Windows and DataKeeper Cluster Edition, we discovered a memory leak issue in ExtMirrSvc.exe within DataKeeper. This issue is limited to LifeKeeper for Windows and DataKeeper versions 8.8.0 and…

PREPARETOBECOMETARGET

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Using EMCMD with SIOS DataKeeper » PREPARETOBECOMETARGET

EMCMD PREPARETOBECOMETARGET This command should only be used to recover from a Split-Brain condition. It should be run on the system where the mirror is to become a target and is only valid on a mirror source. This command causes the mirror to be deleted and the…

Creating Mirrors With Shared Volumes

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Configuring Mirrors » Creating Mirrors With Shared Volumes

In order to properly configure DataKeeper in a shared volume configuration, use the DataKeeper GUI to connect to all systems where the shared volumes are configured. When connected, the DataKeeper GUI uses hardware signatures to automatically detect which volumes are…

Server Login Accounts and Passwords Must Be Same on Each Server in the Cluster

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Server Login Accounts and Passwords Must Be Same on Each Server in the Cluster

The DataKeeper GUI cannot connect to the target server in a cluster if server Login Accounts and Passwords are different on each server. Error Message An Error Code 1326 will appear in the Application log (Note: The Error Code may also be a 2 with Event ID…

Windows Server 2012 -- Simultaneous Move of Multiple Clustered File Server Roles Can Result in DataKeeper Switchover Failures

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Windows Server 2012 Specific Issues » Windows Server 2012 -- Simultaneous Move of Multiple Clustered File Server Roles Can Result in DataKeeper Switchover Failures

Description If more than one File Server role is created in Failover Clustering, each of which is using one or more DataKeeper Volume resources for storage, errors can occur if two or more roles are manually moved from one node to another simultaneously. In some…

Upgrading SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Installation Guide » Upgrading SIOS DataKeeper Cluster Edition

Upgrading DataKeeper Cluster Edition from previous versions of DataKeeper Cluster Edition is very straightforward. Simply run the installation process outlined below on all systems. The upgrade process stops the DataKeeper Service, copies the new files to the…

Running chkdsk on Cluster Volumes during Cluster Volume Online

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Running chkdsk on Cluster Volumes during Cluster Volume Online

DataKeeper runs chkdsk on all mirrored volumes prior to the volume being available for use. There is a numeric Cluster Property named DiskRunChkDsk associated with each DataKeeper Volume resource created. DataKeeper now creates a new flag DiskRunChkDsk in Windows…

Creating a Mirror

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Configuring Mirrors » Creating a Mirror

Preparing Storage for Datakeeper Usage Summary: This video explains the procedure for creating/preparing storage for Datakeeper. It also addresses creating a mirror between both Source and Target nodes. For additional information regarding storage in conjunction…

DataKeeper Service (ExtMirrSvc) Message Catalog

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Message Catalogs » DataKeeper Service (ExtMirrSvc) Message Catalog

Use Control F to search for a specific error code. Code Severity Message Cause/Action 17 Info The SIOS DataKeeper Service version %1 is starting. 18 Warning The SIOS DataKeeper Service has been…

ReadOnly Host Caching

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Deploying DataKeeper Cluster Edition in Azure » ReadOnly Host Caching

According to this Microsoft article, caching is not recommended on disks hosting SQL/Server log files. If the workload is heavily utilizing the underlying disks (any other application than SQL/Server), disk caching should also be set to none. Please refer to…

Installing and Using DataKeeper Cluster Edition on Windows Server 2008 R2 / 2012 Core Platforms

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering » Installing and Using DataKeeper Cluster Edition on Windows Server 2008 R2 / 2012 Core Platforms

Prepare the servers. Install Windows Server 2008 R2/2012 Core on two servers, configure IP, join a domain, configure firewall for remote administration, configure the server for remote access and install the Failover Cluster feature. Server Core Installation…

Creation of iSCSI Virtual Disks

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Using Microsoft iSCSI Target With DataKeeper on Windows 2012 » Creation of iSCSI Virtual Disks

Perform the following on the primary server, wherever the iSCSI Target server is online at the moment. From Server Manager, navigate to File and Storage Services and select iSCSI. Click on the link “To create an iSCSI virtual disk, start the New iSCSI Virtual Disk…

Hyper-V Host Cluster Error

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Hyper-V Host Cluster Error

Failover Cluster Error After Changing Virtual Machine Configuration While VM Is Clustered Description If Failover Cluster Manager is used to modify the VM configuration while the VM is clustered such as adding a Network Interface to the VM, “Refresh Virtual…

Split-Brain FAQs

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Split-Brain FAQs

Scenario I am using DataKeeper in a non-cluster environment. I am mirroring from Server1 at one site to Server2 at a second site. Communication is broken due to site-to-site VPN, and I need to fail over from Server1 to Server2. I cannot access Server1 from anywhere.…

DataKeeper Target Snapshot

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » DataKeeper Target Snapshot

Overview DataKeeper’s target snapshot feature, integrated with both DataKeeper and DataKeeper Cluster Edition, is the process of creating point in time copies of replicated volumes allowing access to data on a standby cluster node without interrupting data…

Mirroring with Dynamic Disks

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Mirroring with Dynamic Disks

When changing from a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk, the underlying volume GUID may be changed by the OS upon reboot. This will cause a DataKeeper mirror to break. Suggested Action When mirroring with dynamic disks, your dynamic volumes should be created and a reboot…

Break

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Working With Mirrors » Break

Breaking a mirror is similar to the Pause and Unlock function. It suspends mirror operation and unlocks the target volume for read/write access. The difference is that the Break operation marks all bits in the DataKeeper Intent Log as dirty, which forces a full…

AWS Cross Region Support

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Deploying DataKeeper Cluster Edition in AWS » AWS Cross Region Support

The diagram above generally shows an active/source node (in green) synchronously replicating to a passive node, both existing in the same region (Region A). Synchronous replication can also be used for cross region support. However, asynchronous replication is…

SIOS DataKeeper Intent Log

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Understanding Replication » SIOS DataKeeper Intent Log

SIOS DataKeeper uses an intent log (also referred to as a bitmap file) to track changes made to the source, or to target volume during times that the target is unlocked. This log is a persistent record of write requests which have not yet been committed to both…

DataKeeper Intent Log files on AWS Ephemeral Storage

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » DataKeeper Intent Log files on AWS Ephemeral Storage

DataKeeper systems that are running on AWS instances which are configured with local instance storage (i.e. ephemeral disks) can use the instance storage to store DataKeeper intent log files (i.e. bitmap files). It is important to be sure that when using AWS ephemeral…

Setting Up SIOS DataKeeper

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Getting Started » Setting Up SIOS DataKeeper

Setting Up SIOS DataKeeper Follow these steps to start using SIOS DataKeeper: Connect to the servers you wish to configure for replication. You can select Connect to Server from the Action pull down menu, right-click on the job folder in the left panel tree…

Event Log Considerations

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Administration » Event Log Considerations

It is important that SIOS DataKeeper be able to write to the Event Log. You should ensure that the Event Log does not become full. One way to accomplish this is to set the Event Log to overwrite events as needed: Open the Event Log. Right-click on System Log…

DataKeeper Failover Clustering Resource DLL (DataKeeperVolume) Message Catalog

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Message Catalogs » DataKeeper Failover Clustering Resource DLL (DataKeeperVolume) Message Catalog

Use Control F to search for a specific error code. Code Severity Message Cause/Action 17 Info DataKeeper Cluster Resource ‘Online’ operation for Volume ‘Y:’ was successful. 18 …

Step 10: Second Cluster Node Installation

The first cluster node installation completed without too much effort. In a normal cluster where all the cluster nodes reside in the same subnet, the installation of the second cluster node would run just as smoothly. However, because this is AWS and the nodes reside…

Network Disconnect

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Network Disconnect

Scenario #1 In a 2-Node, non-clustering configuration (1×1) replicating a 100TB volume between Source server and Target server over a WAN connection, the network goes down for twenty minutes. Question In this scenario, what would happen to the Mirror State with…

Deploying DataKeeper Cluster Edition in Azure

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Deploying DataKeeper Cluster Edition in Azure

DEPLOYING MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 2017 FAILOVER CLUSTERS IN AZURE RESOURCE MANAGER (ARM) Before beginning, make sure you read the DataKeeper Cluster Edition Release Notes for the latest information. It is highly recommended that you read and understand the DataKeeper…

Deploying a File Server Failover Cluster Instance using the Azure Portal

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Configure a File Server Cluster in Azure Spanning Multiple Availability Zones(AZ) » Deploying a File Server Failover Cluster Instance using the Azure Portal

To build a 2-node File Server Failover Cluster Instance in Azure, we are going to assume you have a basic Virtual Network based on Azure Resource Manager and you have at least one virtual machine up and running and configured as a Domain Controller. Once you have a…

Switchover and Failover with Multiple Targets

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Configuring Mirrors » Switchover and Failover with Multiple Targets

In a multiple target configuration, it is important to understand how DataKeeper mirrors will work in the following scenarios: Manual switchover to a target server Source server failure followed by a manual switchover to a target server Example: In the…

DataKeeper Volume Resize

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Working With Mirrors » DataKeeper Volume Resize

DataKeeper allows users to extend and shrink their DataKeeper volumes dynamically while retaining mirror settings. Once the resize is complete, a partial resync will be performed. Note: This resize procedure should be performed on only one volume at a time. !WARNING …

CONTINUEMIRROR

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Using EMCMD with SIOS DataKeeper » CONTINUEMIRROR

EMCMD CONTINUEMIRROR [] This command forces a paused or broken mirror to resume mirroring. On successful completion of the resync (full or partial), the mirror state is changed to Mirroring. This command will not automatically relock the target volume if it is…

Solutions

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Solutions

- Cloud Environment - How to properly use AWS instance storage (ephemeral storage/disk) If SIOS AMIs are not being deployed on an AWS server, these disk initialization steps must be considered. This was introduced with Windows 2016 and continues in later…

Components

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Components

DataKeeper Components SIOS DataKeeper for Windows is comprised of the following components: DataKeeper Driver (ExtMirr.sys) – The DataKeeper Driver is a kernel mode driver and is responsible for all mirroring activity between the mirror…

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Quick Start Guide

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Quick Start Guide

This topic provides step-by-step instructions for installing and configuring DataKeeper Cluster Edition. The series of steps includes links to the documentation that describe each step in detail. Prerequisites and Installation Read the DataKeeper Cluster Edition…

WSFC 2012 Cluster Creation Default Setting Issue

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Troubleshooting » Known Issues and Workarounds » Windows Server 2012 Specific Issues » WSFC 2012 Cluster Creation Default Setting Issue

Description During the cluster creation process in Windows Server 2012, Microsoft has added a new option to automatically consume all disks and manage them through Failover Clustering. As a result, any attempts to create a mirror in DataKeeper will fail and a message…

Step: 8 Configure DataKeeper

It is now time to use DataKeeper to replicate the EBS volume(s) between each of the cluster nodes and to register the DataKeeper Volume Resource(s) in the cluster’s Available Storage. The steps below only need to be run on one of the cluster nodes. Connect to…

Using Volume Shadow Copy

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Using Volume Shadow Copy

Question Can Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) be Used with DataKeeper Volumes? Answer VSS Shadow Copy can be enabled for DataKeeper volumes. However, the following guidelines apply: VSS snapshot images must not be stored on a DataKeeper volume. Storing VSS snapshots on…

Manual Deployment of a SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Deploying DataKeeper Cluster Edition in AWS » Manual Deployment of a SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance

*DISCLAIMER: While the following completely covers the high availability portion within the scope of our product, this is a setup “guide” only and should be adapted to your own configuration. *Please refer to the AWS Marketplace for a list of supported…

Deploy an Active Directory Domain Controller in Azure

DataKeeper Cluster Edition in a Cloud Environment » Configure a File Server Cluster in Azure Spanning Multiple Availability Zones(AZ) » Deploy an Active Directory Domain Controller in Azure

Deploy a Virtual Machine that will work as a Domain Controller for the cluster that is going to be deployed. This step can be skipped if there is a Domain Controller already configured. *This Virtual Machine running a Domain Controller should be in a different…

Firewall Configurations

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » Configuration » Firewall Configurations

SIOS DataKeeper cannot function properly if the firewall settings for the source and target machines are not configured correctly. This means you will need to configure a rule for inbound and outbound connections on each server running SIOS DataKeeper as well as any…

DataKeeper Service Log On ID and Password Selection

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » DataKeeper Service Log On ID and Password Selection

During a new DataKeeper installation setup, the user will be prompted for a DataKeeper Service Log On ID and Password. The DataKeeper Service uses authenticated connections to perform volume switchovers and make mirror role changes across multiple servers. The Log On…

Error Messages Log

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » FAQs » Error Messages Log

Question Where does DataKeeper log error messages? Answer DataKeeper events are logged in the Windows Application Event Log and the Windows System Event Log. Here is a breakdown of the messages you can look for. Application Event Log: Source = ExtMirrSvc –…

Silent Installation

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Installation Guide » Installation » Silent Installation

!When creating a response file, ensure that ALL dialog boxes have been responded to, including the final dialog box specifying when the system should reboot. Not providing a response for all dialog boxes will result in a faulty response file. To resolve a faulty…

Pause and Unlock

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Working With Mirrors » Pause and Unlock

This command pauses the mirror and unlocks the volume on the target system. You may wish to unlock the target volume in order to make a backup of the volume. Warning: Any writes to the target volume while it is unlocked will be lost when the mirror is…

Clustering

DataKeeper Cluster Edition Technical Documentation » User Guide » Clustering

Running chkdsk on Cluster Volumes during Cluster Volume Online Creating a DataKeeper Volume Resource in WSFC Manual Creation of a Mirror in WSFC DataKeeper Volume Resource Health Check DataKeeper Volume Resource Private Properties Extending a Clustered DataKeeper…