Planning CA ARCserve Backup Installations › Global Dashboard Considerations

Global Dashboard Considerations

The CA ARCserve Backup base product includes support for Global Dashboard operations.

Configuration of Global Dashboard can be performed during or after installation of CA ARCserve Backup. However, before you configure Global Dashboard, consider the following:

• Which server within your Global Dashboard environment will be configured as the Central Primary Server?

  There can only be one Central Primary Server in a Global Dashboard environment.

  • When selecting the Central Primary Server, the main consideration should be database size. Ensure the selected Central Primary Server is capable of storing dashboard data received from all registered Branch Primary Servers.
  • Server performance should also be considered when selecting the Central Primary Server to help ensure fast, efficient, and reliable data interface between the Central Primary Server and all associated Branch Primary Servers.
  • Database type should also be considered when selecting the Central Primary Server.

    For Global Dashboard, the Central Primary Server only supports Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008/2008 R2. It does not support Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 Express and Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

• Which servers within your Global Dashboard environment will be configured as Branch Primary Servers?

  At each server location, the Branch Primary Server must be a primary/stand-alone server within the CA ARCserve Backup domain (not a domain member server).

• During the configuration process, the CA ARCserve Backup database engine will be shut down for a few minutes. Plan your installation at a convenient and non-intrusive time when there are no CA ARCserve Backup jobs scheduled.
• In a Global Dashboard domain, if you are demoting a Branch Primary Server to a member server or changing which primary server will be configured as the Central Primary Server, you may want to continue to use the collected information from the old primary server. Global Dashboard lets you export (and save) this information from the old primary server and import it into the new primary server.

License Requirements:

• To enable Global Dashboard capabilities, you must have a valid CA ARCserve Backup Global Dashboard license at the Central Primary Server, with multiple license counts to include all registered Branch Primary Servers. (Branch Primary Servers do not need to install a Global Dashboard license).
• Each registered Branch Primary Server will then occupy one count of the Global Dashboard license. If the registered branch count exceeds the maximum limit of the license, new branch sites will not be allowed to register to that Central Primary Server.
• A license status check will then be performed for each of the following scenarios
  • When registering a branch site
  • When re-registering a branch site
  • When performing full data synchronization
  • When performing incremental synchronization
• If the license status check fails, you will need to obtain additional licenses or re-allocate your existing licenses, to enable data synchronization to the Central Primary Server. (The status of each branch site license is displayed on the Central Manager dialog).
• Note: Deleting a branch server from the Central Manager will release the license count occupied by that branch and allow you to re-assign that license count to a different branch server.