Technical Note

Restoring Dell EMC Avamar Checkpoint Backups

from a Dell EMC Data Domain System After a
Single Node Avamar Failure

300-015-218
REV 03
February 2018

l Revision history...................................................................................................... 2
l Purpose.................................................................................................................. 2
l Related documentation...........................................................................................2
l Performing a checkpoint restore............................................................................ 2
Technical Note

Revision history
Review the revision history of this document.

Revision Date Description

01 July 10, 2013 First release of this
document.

02 September 23, 2013 Added additional checkpoint

after restore operation is
completed.

03 February 23, 2018 Various edits throughout.

Purpose
This technical note provides the steps to restore an Avamar checkpoint from a Data
Domain system in the event the single node Avamar server fails.
Avamar checkpoint backup support allows Avamar checkpoints to be stored on a Data
Domain system (using DD OS 5.3 or later). These checkpoints are then used if
disaster recovery is required.
This option is only available on a single node Avamar server or an Avamar Virtual
Edition server. The backup option for Avamar checkpoint support is configured
through the Avamar Administrator, but the restore option is only available through Dell
EMC Professional Services.

Related documentation
The publications in this section provide additional information.
l The Avamar Administration Guide provides details on system migration and
replacement, as well as other Avamar backup, restore, and administration tasks.
l The Avamar and Data Domain Integration Guide provides details on configuring a
Data Domain system for use with an Avamar server.
l The Avamar Technical Addendum provides reference details on server scripts and
commands.

Performing a checkpoint restore

If you have created Avamar checkpoint backups on a Data Domain system, you can
restore a checkpoint (GSAN) to a new single node Avamar server in the event the
original single node Avamar server fails.
Before you begin
Use this procedure for the following scenario:
l You have a valid checkpoint for a single node Avamar server on a Data Domain
system target.
l The single node Avamar server that failed has been replaced.
l The replacement Avamar server is a new server with no backup data or metadata.

2 Restoring Avamar Checkpoint Backups from a Data Domain System After a Single Node Avamar
Failure Technical Note
l Avamar 7.0 or later is installed on the replacement Avamar server.
l The replacement Avamar server is the same size as or larger than the original
Avamar server.
l The replacement Avamar server must have the same data partition count as the
original Avamar server.

Note

The cprestore script is used in step 2 for the restore operation. The cprestore
command completes the following tasks:
l Creates NFS export on DD system.
l Mounts DD NFS export on Avamar server.
l copies GSAN backup files from backup on DD system to the corresponding
Avamar server checkpoint directory in each data partition.
l Undoes NFS mount and export.

Procedure
1. Log in to the Avamar server as root and from a CLI prompt, query available
GSAN backups by typing: ddrmaint cp-backup-list --full --ddr-
server=Data_Domain_system --ddr-user=DD_Boost_user_name --ddr-
password=DD_Boost_user_password
Where:
l Data_Domain_system is the Data Domain system with the single node
Avamar server checkpoint backup.
l DD_Boost_user_name is the DD Boost user account used for Avamar and
Data Domain system integration.
l DD_Boost_user_password is the DD Boost user account password used for
Avamar and Data Domain system integration.
The output will be similar to the following example:

================== Checkpoint ==================

Avamar Server Name : a4dpe223d
Avamar Server MTree/LSU : avamar-1346892530
Data Domain System Name : griffin-dd10.asl.lab.emc.com
Avamar Client Path : /MC_SYSTEM/avamar-1346892530
Avamar Client ID : 8b75468f70dc8ff0fa2e5118cec8ecdddf7fccee
Checkpoint Name : cp.20120919184604
Checkpoint Backup Date : 2012-09-19 11:51:12
Data Partitions : 6
Attached Data Domain systems : griffin-dd10.asl.lab.emc.com

2. Restore the GSAN backups on the Data Domain system (requires the Data
Domain server name and credentials of the default GSAN backups target Data
Domain system) by typing the following command on the Avamar server: /usr/
local/avamar/bin/cprestore --hfscreatetime=Avamar_ID --ddr-
server=Data_Domain_system --ddr-user=DD_Boost_user_name --
cptag=Checkpoint_name
Where:
l Avamar_ID is determined from Avamar Server, for example, MTree/
LSU:avamar-1346892530. The value is 1346892530.

Performing a checkpoint restore 3

Technical Note

l Data_Domain_system is the Data Domain system with the single node

Avamar server checkpoint backup. In the previous checkpoint output
example, the value is griffin-dd10.asl.lab.emc.com.
l DD_Boost_user_name is the DD Boost user account used for Avamar and
Data Domain system integration. In the previous checkpoint output example,
the value is avamar.
l Checkpoint_name is the checkpoint name. In the previous checkpoint output
example, the value is cp.20120919184604.

3. Stop the Avamar server by typing the following command: dpnctl stop
4. Type Y to the confirmation message, Do you wish to shut down the
local instance of EMS?
5. To initiate a rollback, type the following command: dpnctl start --
force_rollback

A message appears that the GSAN was shutdown.

6. In the list of choices that appears, select option 3, Select a specific
checkpoint to which to roll back.
7. Wait for the rollback to complete.
The rollback might take up to one hour, depending on the amount of data
present in the Avamar server. When the rollback is complete, the command
prompt returns.
8. Open the user-defined temporary file created during the rollback and verify that
the rollback successfully completed without errors.
The Avamar server automatically restarts after a successful rollback.
9. Create a checkpoint on the Avamar server:
a. In Avamar Administrator, click Server.
The Server window appears.
b. Select Checkpoint Management > Actions > Create Checkpoint
The Create Checkpoint dialog box shows the progress of the operation.
c. When the Create Checkpoint dialog box shows that the checkpoint is
complete, click Close.
10. Validate the checkpoint:
a. On the Checkpoint Management tab of the Server window, select the new
checkpoint.
b. Select Actions > Validate Checkpoint.
c. In the Validation Type dialog box, select Full from the list and click OK.

4 Restoring Avamar Checkpoint Backups from a Data Domain System After a Single Node Avamar
Failure Technical Note
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Published February 2018

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Performing a checkpoint restore 5