TECHNICAL REPORT

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management strategies.
Overview of Documentum 5 Server
with NetApp Storage Solutions
by Gangoor Sridhara, Network Appliance, Inc.
May, 2004 | TR 3316

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Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Introduction
2.1. Challenges
2.2. Advantages
2.3. Assumptions
3. Deployment
3.1. Documentum Deployment
3.2. Installation Procedure
3.3. Documentum Backup Using Snapshot
3.4. Data Recovery Using CYA HOTBackup Configuration
3.5. Data Recovery Using SnapRestore
3.6. Documentum Data Mirroring for Failover Using SnapMirror
4. Support for SnapLock
5. Summary
6. Database Management Information
7. Caveat
8. References

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Abstract
Content solutions enable users to collaboratively create, manage, and deliver content through the
information lifecycle (ILM). Content may include e-mail, Web pages, records, and rich media, all using one
common content platform and repository. Network Appliance (NetApp) provides enterprise storage solutions
to meet Documentum users' requirements. This document discusses the procedure required to integrate
Documentum 5 server with NetApp storage in Windows® environments with the iSCSI protocol. NetApp
helps to deliver a fast and efficient storage infrastructure in the Documentum 5 environment. NetApp
provides several features to provide quick backup/recovery, management of data, and replication of data to
the same or a remote site.

1. Overview
It is important to combine both Web content management (WCM) and document management or imaging in
the same application in an enterprise content management (ECM) area. Customers may have to solve just
document management or web content management. New requirements such as e-mail archival have
become a critical need for regulatory compliance and company archival purposes. This type of issue can be
resolved with better data management, easy backup and recovery options, and easier management and still
address the scalability issue. A NetApp storage configuration with Documentum provides an excellent
solution to enterprise content management problems.

A Documentum and Network Appliance configuration provides a comprehensive, fully supported solution to
the end users. NetApp provides storage solutions for the entire Documentum infrastructure, including the
database configuration. The NetApp solution helps to effectively manage data and information associated
with Documentum products. Specifically, this paper is intended to provide Documentum users an overview
of the deployment options that are available.

Documentum 5 server provides an ECM solution to address the document management space.
Documentum 5 allows effective collaboration or and sharing of information among different users in the
system. Documentum 5 also integrates with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in the back office for automation and e-business applications.
Documentum 5 offers several components, some of which are mentioned below.

The Docbase is the content repository, and several repositories can be linked together across logical and
geographical boundaries to form a single content repository.

Documentum Server manages the communications between clients and the Docbase and manages the
processing of scanned document input and auto rendering. A developer studio is a GUI utility used to
develop Docapps that consists of a set of business rules, workflow, document lifecycle, and security for each
Docbase. These Docapps can be migrated between Docbases, reducing the implementation time.

Documentum Foundation Class (DFC) is an object-oriented API layer that provides interfaces to a variety of
industry-standard languages and developer tools.

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Figure 1: Documentum Client/Server

Architecture

Since the applications access the content server through DFC using a client object, NetApp storage
configuration fits well with the Documentum environments.

Documentum Query Language (DQL) is similar to SQL commands and allows Documentum users to access
database data in the Documentum environment. The Documentum attributes are stored in a relational
database table, and these attributes are configurable and fully extensible. Users and developers access the
storage systems in the same way, assuming the storage type is transparent. Using NetApp storage adds
value with its Snapshot™, SnapRestore®, and SnapMirror® features.

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Figure 2: The Content Server Is the Core of the Documentum Architecture

2. Introduction
2.1. Challenges
In the competitive market, users are challenged to plan well and deploy the best possible configurations to
address their problems. Customers expect to increase the productivity of their end users and ensure the
resources are available when they are required. Customers managing these resources often encounter the
following issues:
• Managing document data and moving it across multiple remote sites

• Providing improved access to archived data

• Maintaining the integrity and security of information

• Providing high-level performance and data availability

• Providing highly effective data protection and information management

• Planning for quick backup and recovery configuration

• Addressing disaster recovery through a data replication strategy

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In order to meet these challenges, significant resources such as budget, equipment, human resources, and
skills are needed. Improper planning to meet these requirements can impact performance of the solution set,
resulting in production environment failure.

2.2. Advantages
While Documentum 5 software offers an efficient document management design, NetApp storage solution
offers the most efficient use of resources in relation to document/image management and data protection,
including a highly efficient backup and recovery solution. It also helps to address document data replication
to a remote site or within the same data center. This improves the document ILM process. Recent
regulations expect to achieve the acceptable standards set forth by recent regulations with regard to data
protection policies in force. NetApp storage solutions offer an effective way to achieve it in Documentum
environments.
• Performance—NetApp storage reduces Documentum 5 business process time compared to direct
access for document load operations for up to 50,000 documents.

• Scalability—This is an important factor, and NetApp storage easily addresses this issue.

• Availability—In application-level failover as well as storage failover, NetApp storage configurations

provide the high availability that is important in a Documentum 5 production environment.

• Backup—NetApp storage solutions offer efficient and quick backup features. NetApp filers also
allow Documentum administrators to take a Snapshot copy and optionally back up the data onto
secondary storage such as NearStore® or tape media in an offline mode. Using this method, the
Documentum server will have much less impact on performance while the backup is in progress.
The administrator can save up to 255 Snapshot copies of the data. This is equivalent of having 255
backup copies of data.

• Recoverability—Even though backing up of data is very important in an enterprise customer

environment, restoring the lost or needed data plays a critical role. Usually the recoverability
becomes a bottleneck issue. NetApp addresses this issue by having a feature called SnapRestore.
With SnapRestore, the data can be restored in a very short time irrespective of the size of the data
on the volume/file system.

• Manageability—Enterprise customer configurations are touted as complex and difficult to manage

due to their complexities. With the NetApp solution, managing the storage component becomes
very easy. The NetApp filer or NearStore may be fully integrated in a real application environment
and serving data with much less effort. It is easy to scale as the data grows.
The components of the solution are listed below:
• Filers are high-performance, industry-proven, highly available fabric-attached storage. It can be
used for consolidating data and simplifying data management. The filer comes with its well-
optimized operating system called Data ONTAP™. which offers a unified storage solution
supporting both network-centric data and storage area network configurations. For high availability
the filers can be clustered to provide a solution for mission-critical environments.

• NearStore storage solutions are cost-effective, yet high-access storage for online backup and
archive data. NearStore can be used in online backup, archiving, document storage, and disaster
recovery. NearStore runs on the same operating system, file system, and RAID protection as
NetApp filers but at a lower cost due to the disk architecture.

• Snapshot is an integral part of Data ONTAP and can make an instant image of the file system. The
Snapshot copy has read-only attributes, and the system will not allow it to be modified to protect
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the integrity of the backup copy. Data ONTAP 6.5 and later versions support 255 Snapshot copies
for backup purposes. The data from the Snapshot copies can be archived to secondary storages or
to a tape library in offline mode without affecting the Documentum server.

• SnapRestore offers an option to revert back to a point-in-time recovery from the Snapshot taken
previously. This simplifies and speeds up the process of recovery from a data loss or data
corruption scenario.

• SnapMirror allows simple, robust data replication to the same site or to remote NetApp storage.
Data can be replicated in either asynchronous mode or synchronous mode. With synchronous
SnapMirror, the configuration is limited by the distance. If the data is to be replicated to a longer
distance, the use of repeaters is required. For detailed information, refer to the related topics on our
portal.

2.3. Assumptions
For the purposes of this paper, it is assumed that the reader is familiar with Documentum products and
services and has working knowledge of Documentum tools. This paper assumes that the reader is familiar
with networking configurations. The reader is assumed to be familiar with operating system (OS)
administration. Some of the configuration setup may require the administrator or root user privileges to
complete successfully. This paper will demonstrate best practices for deploying Documentum 5 using
NetApp storage solutions to serve the critical needs of a high-availability Documentum environment.

3. Deployment
The following diagram shows a Documentum 5 server design environment used to manage document
information. Typically the Documentum server may reside on a UNIX® or Windows server, and clients
accessing the server use Documentum tools. Either a Windows domain or the workgroup may be configured
to set up Documentum 5 server on a Windows platform.

3.1. Documentum Deployment

Documentum is based on standards that enable it to integrate easily with the existing IT infrastructure. Since
Documentum APIs may be used with several applications such as FTP client, JDBC, etc., it is easy to
integrate with enterprise applications. The following figure shows a multitiered Documentum deployment
configuration where the client applications such as FTP client, Documentum Desktop, and others can
access the different components of Documentum 5 server. By deploying NetApp storage, data can be
shared across client and server machines via the network infrastructure. In the following figure, different
qtrees/volumes were created on the NetApp FAS series filer and NearStore. Database and Documentum
are installed on the NetApp storage.

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Figure 3: Multitier Documentum Deployment with NetApp Storage

3.1.1. Additional Configuration Details

The additional deployment options may be considered using third-party applications such as CYA
Technologies and Open Source utilities. Data protection can be increased by deploying CYA Technologies
to support single-object restore and the NetApp storage solution can be used to back up and restore objects
at the Docbase level or qtree or volume level. With CYA HOTBackup, single objects can be backed up or
restored from the backup.

The SnapMirror solution can be deployed to replicate CYA HOTBackup data to an environment running CYA
Virtual Standby in a disaster recovery configuration. Even in the absence of CYA configuration, the
SnapMirror option may be deployed to replicate Documentum 5 data. Each Docbase may be configured to
use a qtree. With SnapMirror, these qtrees may be replicated to a remote site in a passive configuration.

Remote mirroring from direct-attached storage to a filer using rsync can be deployed seamlessly. This rsync
utility is used to replicate a Docbase from DAS to NetApp storage at a remote site for failover and disaster
recovery scenarios.

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Documentum server uses a relational database to manage information and creates document objects. In
Documentum, an object is a component consisting of data and methods. The data consists of content files,
attributes, and relationships in the case of documents. The method is instructions for the operations
available to be performed on that data. An example of a method is print instruction. Content Assets such as
text, image, rich media, and graphics are the core of the Documentum object.
3.1.2. NetApp Storage
The NetApp storage solution supports both file- and block-based architectures. Block protocol-based
storage can be configured using the iSCSI protocol and existing network infrastructure or using FCP. The
client machine, workstation, and server data can be backed up onto a NearStore appliance.

The following figure shows the Documentum architecture in the NetApp storage environment. High-
performance fabric-attached storage (FAS) filers are used to install the Documentum and relational
database servers and data and the Documentum objects stored and archived on NearStore. Several user
transactions go through the Web server and other client applications to the Documentum 5 server and use
DocBroker, Content Server, and Docbase. Docbase is a collection of objects. Documentum stores and
archives at object level. The figure illustrates a typical Documentum architecture.

Note that on the Windows 2000 platform, we recommend using FCP or iSCSI/SnapDrive™ software to
configure the block protocol to install and configure databases on SCSI disks. Documentum objects may be
stored using either SAN or NAS configuration. Also, the customer may use CIFS Shares to configure
Documentum objects to store and archive onto the NearStore appliance.

On UNIX platforms, the database may be configured on either a NAS or a SAN configuration. Documentum
software is known to work well with network configurations. Configuring using NFS provides data sharing
among different servers and clients.

The following figure illustrates the way Documentum users can access data residing on the NetApp storage
devices. Using protocols like iSCSI, CIFS, FCP, or NFS, network connectivity to the server may be
established. With network share, it's easy to share the information across different clients. On the Windows
2000 platform, using the iSCSI configuration and SnapDrive 3.0 software, local SCSI disks can be
configured on the existing IP network infrastructure. Some of the users may use offline folders, complete
their work, and sync their data with the server at a later time. This is shown in offline folders. The data can
be archived to near-line storage such as NearStore and then archived to a tape library. The archiving
process can be configured to work in offline mode so that the server performance will not be affected.

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Figure 4: Installation and Configuration of Documentum and Database Products

This is an example of a plan and configuration for deploying Documentum 5 software. For higher data
availability, the filer can be clustered and the data can be backed up to near-line storage such as NearStore
(R200 in our test scenario). Most of the documents are archived in Documentum, and it can be archived to
NearStore to enable efficient data management and allow for quick recovery of documents when requested.
Snapshot and SnapRestore are an efficient way to back up and restore data. The SnapMirror feature offers
cost-effective data replication to a different location.

The deployment guide's objective is to define and test multiple configurations of NetApp storage in a
Documentum 5 environment. The configurations provide customers a Documentum design integrated with
NetApp storage. The assumption is that 10% of all registered users use the system concurrently. Another
objective of a deployment is to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating NetApp with complementary
solutions such as CYA Technologies or open source resources. This will help to address common
Documentum 5 administration issues.

The following figure shows configuration of Documentum with supported protocols such as FCP, NFS,
iSCSI, and SnapDrive 3.0 software. The NetApp SnapVault™ feature helps to manage data archival to
another NetApp storage appliance such as NearStore. Content Server is an object-based system and users'
manipulated data is stored as an object. Docbase is also an object and the server organizes all the objects
including Docbase.

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Figure 5: Sharing Data and Archiving to NearStore

This document provides additional information to customers who:

• Are planning to implement Documentum 5 and need to understand their options for using network-
attached storage, storage area networks, or iSCSI over IP network in a Documentum 5
environment

• Understand how to manage a database or a large number of content files

• Need a way to reduce a large backup window

• Need to architect or implement Documentum systems and provide storage, backup, recovery, and
disaster recovery solutions

3.2. Installation Procedure

Documentum 5 server may be configured with the installation directory on the NetApp storage and the data
being stored. This section describes installing Documentum binaries and configuring Documentum for
database.
3.2.1. Preinstallation Work
Documentum supports both UNIX and Windows platforms. It supports the Solaris® 8 and 9, AIX, HP-UX,
and Windows 2000 platforms. Relational databases such as Oracle® 9.2.0.x, SQL Server 2000, DB2, and
Sybase ASE 12.5 are supported in Documentum environments. Both operating systems and database
servers need to have the necessary patches installed before the product installation. The network-based
configuration is best suited to the Documentum environment and the database component to a block
protocol environment such as iSCSI/SnapDrive or FCP protocol.
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Check the preinstallation requirements of Documentum server and install the necessary patches on the
operating system. Note that SnapDrive 3.0 software requires Service Pack SP3 or later on the Windows
2000 environment. Gigabit Ethernet network connectivity between the filer or NearStore and the OS server
improves network throughput compared to regular 100Mb network. Use of Gigabit Ethernet is strongly
suggested for the database software installation and using database data while using NFS. On the Windows
2000 platform, use of iSCSI with SnapDrive 3.0 is recommended instead of using CIFS protocol for
database and for installing the Documentum server.
3.2.2. UNIX Platforms
Network Appliance supports both file system (NAS)- and block protocol (SAN)-based configurations. When a
NAS configuration is used, the best practice is to set up faster network connectivity such as Gigabit Ethernet
with full-duplex mode. Solaris 8 and Solaris 9 support the use of jumbo frames. Database and Documentum
software can be installed on filer volumes mounted as a file system. A sample mount command with options
is given below:
#mount -o intr,vers=3,proto=tcp, rw, rsize=32768, wsize=32768
filer:\vol\volname \mntpoint
When FCP configuration is used, you may configure file systems and raw devices using the LUNs created
on the filer. These LUNs are scalable and are Snapshot/SnapRestore supported. With FCP, multipath and
Veritas Volume manager options are supported. Follow the FCP configuration guide for more details on how
to set up LUNs and file systems on the Solaris platform.
3.2.3. Windows 2000 Platform
The Documentum server requires the operating system to have certain service packs to be installed for
successful installation. Windows 2000 systems should have SP3 or later service packs. SnapDrive 3.0 also
requires this patch. Network Appliance supports either network share using the CIFS protocol or block
protocol using iSCSI or FCP. SnapDrive software helps to ease the storage management to expand the disk
size and improving backup and recovery features. SnapDrive software requires configuring a faster network
such as Gigabit Ethernet. For detailed information on the setup and configuration of SnapDrive software,
refer to the Data ONTAP System Administrator's Guide.

iSCSI can be deployed using the software initiator available free from the Microsoft download site or by
using the iSCSI host-attached kit. For detailed information about the iSCSI solution, visit the NetApp portal.

If the production environment demands higher performance and high data availability for mission-critical
projects, this paper suggests deploying the FCP-based SAN solution available from Network Appliance. The
FCP-based SAN solution provides features such as multipathing and higher throughput.
3.2.4. Filer/NearStore
Documentum and relational databases can be installed on filer volumes, and Documentum objects (data)
can be stored on NearStore. For most Documentum environments, Both filer and NearStore may be able to
meet performance requirements for most Documentum configurations. If it's an enterprise mission critical
Documentum environment with heavy load on Database servers, you may have to use our high end
solutions of filers and NearStore using SAN and/or NAS solution. To use the storage space, the filer and/or
NearStore have to be configured. In order to complete this task, volumes can be created, which is similar to
a file system, and a qtree can be created on the volume. Several qtrees can reside under the same volume.
For CIFS connectivity, the filer has to be configured and CIFS sessions are running. Create CIFS Shares.
Volume, qtree, and CIFS shares can be created using either a command prompt or a GUI utility. To open a
NetApp filer GUI utility, open a browser with http://filername/na_admin/. For detailed information refer to the
Data ONTAP System Administrator's Guide.
3.2.5. Creating a Filer Volume
In order to provide much higher data protection, in Data ONTAP 6.5 and later, volumes can be created using
an optional RAID protection called double parity. For detailed information on double parity, please refer to
the Data ONTAP System Administrator's Guide. Note that it's easy to grow the volume by adding disks to an
existing volume. It is good practice not to use the root volume, which will make it easy to recover system
filers in case data recovery is needed to correct data loss or corruption.

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While creating a database, the best practice is to configure an appropriate size for the RAID group. Before
creating a volume, decide the type of data protection needed and whether to use double parity. At least
three disks are required to configure a volume using double parity, with one disk for data and the other two
for parity information.

An example is shown below to create a filer volume and review all the information and deciding the
important factors such as disk parity size, etc. Double parity is best suited to mission-critical production
environments to provide an increased level of data protection. The following figure lists the summary of
information about creating a new volume. If high data protection is required, this paper recommends
enabling double parity while creating a volume.

Figure 6: Creating a Volume

Create the needed qtree(s) on top of the volume created. Qtrees can be created either by using the filer GUI
utility or on a command line. Depending on your environment, set the necessary security type such as
"mixed," "NTFS," or "UNIX." Mixed mode type allows the qtree to have both UNIX and NTFS style attributes.
For more details about qtree and security style, refer to the Data ONTAP System Administrator's Guide.
3.2.6. Creating a CIFS Share
On a Windows platform, with volumes and qtrees configured, verify that CIFS sessions are running. If not,
set up CIFS services by running the "cifs setup" command. It is a good idea to make sure you are using
faster network connectivity such as Gigabit Ethernet with full-duplex mode. In case of FCP configuration,
refer to our FCP configuration manual for detailed information on how to set up the SAN configuration.
Create new CIFS Shares that can be used to map a network drive or to use with iSCSI LUNs.

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Figure 7: Adding a CIFS Share

In the absence of a Windows environment, there is no need for CIFS services/sessions to be running. CIFS
Shares must appropriate user permission, usually being "everyone" with "full access" to the administrator
account.

SnapDrive 3.0 software allows management of iSCSI LUNs and backup and recovery. To successfully use
SnapDrive 3.0, install either the iSCSI software initiator or the iSCSI HBA solution. Detailed information may
be obtained on Performance and Tuning of iSCSI Software, a technical report. After installing iSCSI
software, install the SnapDrive 3.0 software on the Windows supported server. To install SnapDrive, system
administrator user privileges are required. SnapDrive installation may be found on our NetApp portal.

On UNIX you can mount the file system using the NFS protocol. NetApp supports the iSCSI protocol on
Windows 2000 and Linux® platforms. For configuring and setting up the storage system, refer to the FCP
product installation guide.
3.2.7. Deployment Options
Before installing Documentum software, review the storage configuration setup such as database installation
directory, Documentum product installation directory, and the Docbase information.
3.2.7.1. Windows 2000
On a Windows 2000 platform, using SnapDrive 3.0/iSCSI, the local SCSI disks can be created and used as
local disks. During disk creation, we recommend planning for sufficient space requirement and future growth
requirements. SnapDrive software allows growing your disk space requirement as data grows. It is a good
idea to use NetApp storage as local SCSI disks using SnapDrive/iSCSI to install the database and
Documentum software and data. Documentum software may also be installed on local disks.
3.2.7.2. Solaris Platform
On the Solaris platform, either the NFS or FCP protocol may be used to configure the file system for
installing Documentum and databases such as Oracle and Sybase. Both Documentum and the database

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servers may be installed on the same file system or on different mount points. A sample mount command on
the Solaris operating system is given below:
#mount -o intr,vers=3,proto=tcp,rsize=32768,wsize=32768 filer-
gige:/vol/volname /doct
where /doct is the mount point and filer-gige is the Gigabit Ethernet network IP address of the filer to the OS
server.

Using the FCP protocol, you can create a logical unit number (LUN) container and use the OS to create the
disks and file systems. NetApp storage allows these LUNs to scale to manage the storage growth, and the
Snapshot and SnapRestore features work well with these LUNs.

AIX and HP-UX platforms work similarly to the Solaris environment. UNIX systems have to be ensured that
the latest OS patches are installed that will enable to configure and use Documentum and Oracle servers to
work well.

At this time the user is expected to be ready with the file system configured and the software may be
installed.
3.2.7.3. Database Setup
Documentum 5 supports different relational DBMS products such as Oracle 9.2.0.x on Windows, UNIX
platforms, SQL Server 2000 on the Windows platform, Sybase ASE 12.5 on the Solaris platform, and DB2
on the AIX platform. Install the database software and configure the file system for storing database data.
For detailed information on installing the database component, refer to the Documentum 5 server installation
guide. Each RDBMS product requires the user to apply the Documentum required patches or the latest
available patches from the database vendors.
3.2.7.4. Documentum 5.2 Server
Assuming that the configurations are set up correctly, the reader would have all the file systems available to
proceed with installing Documentum 5 software. In our test case, we used the Windows 2000 environment
and installed iSCSI software initiator and SnapDrive 3.0 software with fast network connectivity such as
Gigabit Ethernet with full-duplex configuration. Refer to "Integrating Documentum 5 Server with NetApp
Storage" for the Windows 2000 platform.

3.3. Documentum Backup Using Snapshot

NetApp storage can improve manageability and decrease the time needed for routine Documentum backup
operations.

Preventing data loss or recovering from data corruption involves a backup strategy. It is also important to
consider the window of time consumed to take a backup copy of all the data. As the data that needs to be
backed up grows, the backup time also increases. The backup process usually affects the system
performance. The choice between hot backup and cold backup is predominantly determined by the
allowable downtime of a customer environment. The cold backup approach relies on the fact that the
Documentum server and the database server are unavailable to the users. This type of scenario demands a
solution where the backup process can be completed very quickly. Snapshot allows taking the backup
instantly once the Documentum services are brought to offline mode. By bringing down the Documentum
services, all the relevant data is in sync with the system by flushing the metadata. Note that the database
and Documentum data and binaries also reside on the filer volume.

3.4. Data Recovery Using CYA HOTBackup Configuration

Another approach is to do online backup where the database is set in archive log mode, a Snapshot copy is
taken, and the archive logs are saved to recover the database in case of recovery efforts. We recommend
flushing the metadata before taking a Snapshot copy so that the backup copy will have consistent status
data. The test results showed that a Snapshot copy-based backup will have minimal effect on the
Documentum server and it finishes quickly.

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CYA HOTBackup enables the integrity and availability of information critical to production environments.
Using the CYA HOTBackup feature, the customer can roll back repositories to a specific point in time or
restore either single or multiple objects. In the NetApp storage deployment environments, the CYA
HOTBackup feature allows backup or restoration of a single object in a hot backup mode without affecting
the availability of the Documentum server. If the customer environment allows a shutdown of the
Documentum server and database server, a backup can be taken instantly using Snapshot. If it's scripted,
the entire operation may be over within a couple of seconds.

CYA also provides another feature called CYA Virtual Standby to provide business continuity by
incrementally sending the information from the primary server to a secondary server at a different site. To
replicate all the data efficiently, you can also use the SnapMirror solution from NetApp. For more details on
CYA products and features, visit its Web site.

Figure 8: Using CYA HOTBackup Configuration

3.5. Data Recovery Using SnapRestore

Just backing up the data is not sufficient in an enterprise configuration, and an efficient data recovery plan
must be designed. With SnapRestore, the file system may be restored quickly, no matter how large it is.
SnapRestore increases the data availability by minimizing time to recovery. An example of the configuration
is shown below.

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3.6. Documentum Data Mirroring for Failover Using SnapMirror

In addition to addressing data backup and recovery, a good data management architecture must also
address disaster recovery. Disaster recovery can be achieved using different technologies and approaches.
With SnapMirror, both Documentum object data and the database data can be easily and efficiently
replicated to a secondary site. The following figure shows a strategy of a mirrored application with no data
sharing. It is a good practice to define a strategy with downtime tolerance and adding any application
redundancy to reduce the downtime. A typical business scenario involves a need for business continuity
involving replicating data to a remote standby Documentum environment.

Failure may occur due to several reasons and a design architecture will help us to resolve any failures.
Typical failures are due to:
• Network connectivity outages

• Power failure

• Failure of hardware/software in the configuration

• Disaster at the primary site

If the Documentum 5 server and database servers are hosted on different host machines and on different
filer volumes, they have to be mirrored to the target site and recover the database if the database server
experienced a crash due to outages.

Figure 9: Documentum Data Replication Using SnapMirror

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Disaster recovery of the Documentum 5 environment can be achieved through two approaches. One
configuration uses NetApp storage for storage with mirroring features. The other one uses CYA virtual
standby for object-level mirroring with a virtual active environment configuration.

4. Support for SnapLock™

Recent regulations and business requirements have shown that some of the Documentum data needs to be
archived to a nonrewritable, nonerasable medium. NetApp storage solutions provide a feature called
SnapLock to fulfill this requirement. SnapLock is a software feature that supports WORM and the retention
date features for the documents on the file system. Once the application sets the retention date and the
read-only mode, SnapLock preserves those attributes until the retention date is reached.

This can be achieved by running a user-generated DQL statement (Documentum Query language) to set the
retention date, changing the file attribute and archiving to the SnapLock volume. SnapLock is supported by
two versions: one is the regular compliance version, which will not allow either modification of the file
attribute or decreasing the retention date, and the other version is called enterprise edition, which allows
some specific users like administrators to modify file attributes or delete the file and reclaim the space on the
SnapLock volume.

5. Summary
NetApp delivers an efficient storage solution for the successful deployment of Documentum products in new
installations or in upgrade environments. Using Snapshot, SnapRestore, and SnapMirror helps to easily
manage backup, data recovery, and data replication requirements. This document is not intended to be a
sizing guide or a complete review of Documentum products and features.

Operating Database
NetApp Supported Protocol
System Information
Sun Solaris Oracle SAN configuration may be achieved by using FCP or iSCSI
HP/UX MS SQL protocols. NAS configuration may be achieved by using NFS or
IBM AIX Server CIFS protocol. On Windows platform, SnapDrive 3.0 utility may be
Windows IBM DB2 used to manage the storage needs efficiently.
Sybase ASE
Directory Application
Comments
Servers Servers
SUN ONE J2EE Some of these applications may need block access (SAN). If SAN
Directory COM/.NET configuration is required, configure the storage using FCP or iSCSI
Oracle protocol to deploy the Documentum environment including
Internet Directory Services
Directory
Active
Directory

Support Matrix for Documentum Deployment

6. Database Management Information

This section describes some database tips to help you to manage Oracle database server. This paper
recommends replicating some database-related files such as "init.ora" and control files to a new location
other than the source path. In a nonclustered failover configuration, modify the init.ora file with new control
file information; restart the Oracle server for the changes to be effective. Create mirrored sets of online redo
log files. This can also be done using Veritas Volume Manager.
Network Appliance Inc.

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TECHNICAL REPORT

Keep online and archived redo logs in separate volumes. Keeping them in separate volumes provides some
advantages such as data protection and more flexible database recovery. Placing the redo logs in separate
volumes also simplifies the management of these files. This is especially useful in a backup and recovery
process.

To increase the Oracle server availability and prevent any emergency situations, avoid filling the volume to
capacity. In a SAN configuration, enable persistent binding so that a device entry to LUN connection will
remain consistent across the system reboots.

The NetApp Web site offers several technical papers that cover deployment of Oracle on NetApp storage.
NetApp offers a special service in conjunction with Oracle for deploying Oracle on NetApp using proven best
practices.

7. Caveat
NetApp has not tested all possible combinations of hardware platforms and storage architecture and
software options. If you use a different server OS, a different version of Documentum Server, or a different
database, then there could exist significant differences in your configurations that may alter the procedures
necessary to achieve the set objectives outlined in this document. If you find any of these procedures do not
work in your environment or need additional information, we suggest contacting the author immediately.

8. References
• Documentum on NetApp® Filers and NearStore—Business Continuance

• A Storage Networking Appliance

• The Compatibility and Configuration Guide for NetApp FCP and iSCSI Products

• Performance Tuning for iSCSI

• NetApp Filer, Data ONTAP 6.1 and later—Windows 2000 Technical FAQ

• File Recovery from Snapshot Copies

• Documentum 5 Product Manuals

Network Appliance, Inc.

© 2004 Network Appliance, Inc. All rights reserved. Specifications subject to change without notice. NetApp, the Network Appliance logo, DataFabric,
FAServer, FilerView, NearStore, NetCache, SecureShare, SnapManager, SnapMirror, SnapRestore, and WAFL are registered trademarks and
Network Appliance, ApplianceWatch, BareMetal, Camera-to-Viewer, Center-to-Edge, ContentDirector, ContentFabric, Data ONTAP, EdgeFiler,
Network Appliance Inc. HyperSAN, InfoFabric, MultiStore, NetApp Availability Assurance, NetApp ProTech Expert, NOW, NOW NetApp on the Web, RoboCache, RoboFiler,
SecureAdmin, Serving Data by Design, Smart SAN, SnapCache, SnapCopy, SnapDirector, SnapDrive, SnapFilter, SnapMigrator, Snapshot,
SnapSuite, SnapVault, SohoCache, SohoFiler, The evolution of storage, Vfiler, VFM, Virtual File Manager, and Web Filer are trademarks of Network
Appliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and
should be treated as such.
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