Backup and Recovery for Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 on HP BladeSystem

Microsoft? Exchange Server 2003 (Exchange) on HP BladeSystem provides a high-performance, high-availability messaging environment that is easy to operate and manage. The business information stored on this platform is a mission-critical resource that must be protected to meet regulatory and corporate-mandated information retention requirements. This white paper describes a range of backup and restore solutions designed to protect this information, and outlines key support considerations.

Backup solutions for Exchange deployed on HP BladeSystem are similar to those used for conventional rack mount or tower servers, allowing databases to be backed up to tape, disk, or virtual tape over fibre channel SAN or Ethernet. This white paper describes testing carried out by HP on a broad range of these solutions and presents key configuration and deployment considerations. Test results are specific to particular test scenarios but should scale to comparably configured production environments.

This white paper
This white paper assumes that readers are familiar with the general Exchange backup and restore process, which is not reviewed in detail. Since readers are primarily interested in backup and restore solutions for Exchange on HP BladeSystem, they should be familiar with HP BladeSystem terminology.

This white paper contains information on the following topics:
- HP BladeSystem interconnects ? How HP BladeSystem servers achieve fibre channel and Ethernet connectivity
- Exchange backup and restore methodologies ? Outlines common methods for backing up and restoring Exchange databases and logs, with particular emphasis on the streaming API backup methodology featured in this white paper
- Testing backup targets ? Lists the backup targets tested by HP and describes the test environment
- Tape as a backup target ? ? Examines a conventional tope solution; discusses whether to use separate HBAs for disk and tape access; describes the benefits of the Storport driver model ? Emphasizes the importance of using compatible software, firmware, and drivers ? Describes the relative merits of setting concurrency to one or higher ? Outlines the testing carried out and the tools used (baseline read and write tests, baseline backup tests with NUL devices, and testing with tape as a backup target) ? Details a backup job where reads were not well balanced; suggests how throughput can be improved
- Virtual library as a backup target ? Outlines the HP StorageWorks 6000 Virtual Library System (VLS6000) and describes how it was tested

HP BladeSystem interconnects
One of the key considerations when selecting a solution for backing up and restoring Exchange databases on HP BladeSystem is understanding the interconnects ? how servers in an HP BladeSystem enclosure connect to the rest of the environment and how Exchange data can be moved from primary storage to backup media. The following interconnect technologies are available for HP BladeSystem p-Class enclosures:
- Fibre channel Through an optional fibre channel adapter, HP BladeSystem servers can support up to two 2 Gb fibre channel ports.
- Ethernet Two or four Ethernet connections are standard on HP BladeSystem servers. HP ProLiant BL20p, BL25p and BL45p server blades each have four 1 Gb Ethernet interfaces; the HP ProLiant BL35p server blade has two 1 Gb interfaces. From each server, these interconnects are routed through the backplane of the enclosure to either pass-through connections or to integrated SAN or Ethernet switches. Half of each server's Ethernet and fibre channel connections are routed to switches on the left of the enclosure and half to switches on the right; as a result, each server is connected to two separate Ethernet and fibre channel switches. While dual Ethernet and SAN switches can help the implementation of a fault-tolerant configuration, the level of fault tolerance provided by a particular configuration depends on details that are outside the scope of this white paper.

Exchange backup and restore methodologies
There are three common methods of backing up Exchange databases and logs.
- Offline ? through a backup application such as HP OpenView Storage Data Protector (Data Protector); no Backup agent is used
- Online ? through a Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) solution, such as HP StorageWorks Fast Recovery Solution (FRS)
- Online ? through an Exchange Server streaming API-based solution such as Data Protector; a Backup agent is used