Using ActiveDR with SAP HANA

SAP
Audience
Public
Product
FlashBlade
FlashArray
FlashStack
FlashBlade > Purity//FB
FlashArray > Purity//FA
Technology Integrations
SAP
Source Type
Documentation

The following sections describe how to configure and test ActiveDR with SAP HANA. These sections assume that the primary and secondary sites are already configured to work with FlashArray pods.

Note: All workflow examples are for scale-up deployments.

Here are the minimum requirements to configure ActiveDR with SAP HANA:

  • The same SAP HANA version deployed at two sites with the secondary site configured for failover.

  • (Optional) System replication for SAP HANA high availability and storage replication for SAP HANA disaster recovery. See ActiveDR and SAP HANA System Replication for more details.

Deployment and Disaster Recovery Configuration

The following steps must be completed using the Everpure user interface (GUI or CLI) to initiate ActiveDR replication.

Configuring ActiveDR for SAP HANA involves the following general steps:

  1. Create volumes at the primary site.

  2. Configure SAP HANA to store files on FlashArray volumes at the primary site.

  3. Move the primary site's volumes into a pod.

  4. Create an ActiveDR replica link between the source pod and the target replication pod on the secondary FlashArray.

Configure the ActiveDR Primary Site Pod in the Everpure User Interface

To configure the primary site pod:

  1. From the primary site's Everpure user interface, select Storage in the navigation pane, and then select the Pods tab.

    Figure 1. The Pods tab in the Everpure user interface

  2. Click the + icon in the Pods group to create a new pod.

  3. In the Name field in the Create Pod dialogue box, enter a name for the pod, and then click Create. The pod appears in the Pods group.

    Figure 2. Creating the pod

  4. In the Pods group, select the name of the pod that was created to display the Pod management view.

    Figure 3. The Pod management view

  5. In the Volumes group, click the ellipsis, and then click Move In to display the Move Volumes In dialogue box.

    Figure 4. Moving the volumes

  6. Select the SAP HANA volumes that will be moved into the pod, and then click Move. The volumes appear in the Volumes group using the naming convention, <pod name>::<volume name>.

    Figure 5. Moving volumes into a pod
    Figure 6. Displaying the volumes in a pod

The primary site pod is now configured with the database data and log volumes. The next step is to create a replica link to the remote site's FlashArray, which enables ActiveDR replication.

Create a Replica Link in the Everpure User Interface

  1. From the remote site's Everpure user interface, select Protection in the navigation pane.

  2. In the Array Connections group, click the ellipsis, and then select Get Connection Key.

    Figure 7. Getting a connection key on the Array tab

  3. In the Connection Key dialog box, click Copy to copy the connection key to the clipboard.

    Figure 8. The connection key dialogue box

  4. Return to the primary site's Everpure FlashArray user interface and navigate to the Protection tab.

  5. In the Array Connections group, click the ellipsis, and then select Connect Array.

    Figure 9. Protection view for the primary site FlashArray

  6. In the Connect Array dialogue box, enter or select the following information:

    • Management Address: The IP address of the remote site's FlashArray.

    • Type: Select Async Replication from the drop-down list.

    • Connection Key: Paste the connection key that you copied from step 3 into the remote site's Everpure user interface.

    • Replication Transport: Select Ethernet (IP) from the drop-down list.

    • Encrypted: Select the button to toggle replication encryption on or off.

    Figure 10. Connecting the primary and secondary arrays

  7. Click Connect.

    The secondary site array now appears in the Array Connections group.

    Figure 11. Displaying the secondary site in the Array Connections group

  8. In the Pod Replica Links group for the pod that was just created, click the ellipsis, and then select Create.

    Figure 12. Creating a replica link for the previously created pod

  9. In the Create Replica Link dialogue box, select the remote site FlashArray from the Remote Array drop-down list, and then select a remote pod.

    Figure 13. Creating the replica link
    Note: If a pod hasn't been created on the remote site's FlashArray, click Create Remote Pod, enter a pod name in the Name field, and then click OK.
    Figure 14. Naming the pod

  10. Select Create.

    Figure 15. Finalizing the replica link

    Once a replica link has been created from the primary site's pod to the secondary site's pod, the primary site's pod begins a baseline replication of the volumes to the secondary site's pod. During a baseline replication operation, the primary site FlashArray replicates the volumes to the secondary site, which, depending on the size of the data, can take a significant amount of time. The status of the baselining progress can be monitored in the Status field in the Pod Replica Links group. When the baseline replication completes, the Status field changes from "baselining" to "replicating."

    Figure 16. The pod status shows baselining.
    Figure 17. The pod status shows replicating

    In addition to monitoring the pod replica link status at the primary site, the replica link status can also be monitored in the secondary site's Everpure user interface in the Pod Replica Links group.

    Figure 18. Monitoring the pod replica link status on the secondary site's FlashArray

  11. (Optional) Connect your DR hosts to the target pod volumes on the replication target FlashArray. Although the volumes within the target pod are write-disabled, you can pre-connect them to hosts at the target FlashArray system to reduce the number of steps required during a failover.