HA Pair
Summary
HA Pair is basically two controllers which both have connection to their own and partner shelves. When one of the controllers fails, the other one takes over. It’s called Cluster Failover (CFO). Controller NVRAMs are mirrored over NVRAM interconnect link. So even the data which hasn’t been committed to disks isn’t lost.
Note: HA Pair can’t failover when disk shelf fails, because partner doesn’t have a copy to service requests from.
Mirrored HA Pair
Summary
You can think of a Mirrored HA Pair as HA Pair with SyncMirror between the systems. You can implement almost the same configuration on HA pair with SyncMirror inside (not between) each system (because the odds of the whole storage system (controller + shelves) going down is highly unlikely). But it can give you more peace of mind if it’s mirrored between two system.
It cannot failover like MetroCluster, when one of the storage systems goes down. The whole process is manual. The reasonable question here is why it cannot failover if it has a copy of all the data? Because MetroCluster is a separate functionality, which performs all the checks and carry out a cutover to a mirror. It’s called Cluster Failover on Disaster (CFOD). SyncMirror is only a mirroring facility and doesn’t even know that cluster exists.
MetroCluster
Summary
MetroCluster provides failover on a storage system level. It uses the same SyncMirror feature beneath it to mirror data between two storage systems (instead of two shelves of the same system as in pure SyncMirror implementation). Now even if a storage controller fails together with all of its storage, you are safe. The other system takes over and continues to service requests.
HA Pair can’t failover when disk shelf fails, because partner doesn’t have a copy to service requests from.
Information
- Reference: NetApp Training - Fast Track 101: NetApp Portfolio
After Disaster Recovery, let’s consider Continuous Availability. Customers must be able to recover critical applications after a system failure seamlessly and instantaneously. Critical applications include financial applications and manufacturing operations, which must be continuously available with near-zero RTO and zero RPO. NetApp MetroCluster is a unique array-based clustering solution that can extend up to 200km and enable a zero RPO (no data loss) with zero or near-zero RTO.
MetroCluster enhances the built-in redundancy of NetApp hardware and software, providing an additional layer of protection for the entire storage and host environment. MetroCluster seamlessly maintains application and virtual infrastructure availability when storage outages occur (whether the outage is due to a network connectivity issue, loss of power, a problem with cooling systems, a storage array shutdown, or an operational error). Most MetroCluster customers report that their users experience no application interruption when a cluster recovery occurs.
MetroCluster enables single command fail over for seamless cutover of applications that is transparent to the end user.
It supports a distance of up to 100 kilometers.
Integrated Data Protection
Information
- Reference: NetApp Training - Fast Track 101: NetApp Portfolio
When discussing data protection strategies with your customers, you should consider the overall NetApp data protection portfolio, which we call NetApp Integrated Data Protection. NetApp Integrated Data Protection enables customers to:
- Deliver backup
- High availability
- Business continuity
- Continuous availability
from a single platform. It is a single suite of integrated products that works across all NetApp solutions and with non NetApp storage. Your customers can use a single platform for all data protection, the process of building, implementing, and managing data protection over time is simpler, because they have fewer systems from fewer vendors to install and manage. And because the portfolio uses NetApp storage efficiency technology, cost and complexity can be up to 50% lower than for competitive solutions.
NetApp Snapshot copies are the answer to shrinking backup windows. They are nearly instantaneous, and as a result do not impact the application. As a result, multiple Snapshot copies can be made per day - hourly or even more often. They are the primary solution for protecting against user errors or data corruption.
MetroCluster is NetApp’s solution for Continuous Availability, enabling zero data loss in the event of wide variety of failure scenarios. MetroCluster, in conjunction with VMware’s HA and Fault Tolerance capabilities, give your customers continuous availability of their ESX servers and storage. For single failures, the storage systems will perform an automated, transparent failover. MetroCluster has been certified with VMware’s High Availability and Fault Tolerant solutions.
SnapMirror provides asynchronous mirroring across unlimited distances to enable Disaster Recovery from a secondary site. SnapMirror, in conjunction with VMware’s Site Recovery Manager, delivers automated, global failover of the entire virtual environment to a recovery site, and integrates with SnapMirror and FlexClone.
NetApp enables your customers to use less expensive SATA drives as nearline storage, and lower-cost controllers for asymmetric backups and backup consolidation from multiple sources. NetApp solutions enable rapid search and retrieval of backup data, and also support the re-use of backup data for other business uses via our unique, near-zero impact FlexClones.
NetApp enables your customers to perform flexible backup vaulting: Disk to Disk to Tape, full tape management as well as full cataloging of disk and tape backups. In addition, NetApp allows your customers to choose how they want to manage their data protection workflows. Your customers can use NetApp products such as SnapProtect for end-to-end backup management including catalog and disk-to-disk-to-tape; and for specific applications your customers can leverage the SnapManager software.
Considering the Overall Data Protection Portfolio
- Reference: NetApp Training - Fast Track 101: NetApp Portfolio
NetApp Integrated Data Protection enables customers to deliver high availability, business continuity, continuous availability, and backup and compliance from a single platform. A single platform that works across all NetApp solutions and with non NetApp storage. Because customers can use a single platform for all data protection, the process of building, implementing, and managing data protection over time is simpler, because they have fewer systems from fewer vendors to install and manage. And because the portfolio uses NetApp storage efficiency technology, cost and complexity can be up to 50% lower than for competitive solutions. For example, a customer can use MetroCluster to provide a zero RPO and then replicate data with SnapVault software to a remote site for long-term backup and recovery. If the customer later decides to implement long-distance disaster recovery with a short RPO, the customer can use SnapMirror software to do so.
Other Posts in this Series
See the NetApp From the Ground Up - A Beginner’s Guide - Index post for links to all of the posts in this series.
As always, if you have any questions or have a topic that you would like me to discuss, please feel free to post a comment at the bottom of this blog entry, e-mail at will@oznetnerd.com, or drop me a message on Reddit (OzNetNerd).
Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and not those of my employer.
Leave a comment