Protecting VMware vCenter Server Environments › vCenter Server Replication and High Availability › The Data Recovery Process › Data Rewind

Data Rewind

The Data Rewind recovery method allows you to rewind data to a point in time before it was corrupted. The rewind process takes place on the Replica server before the reverse synchronization process starts. The Data Rewind method uses rewind points or bookmarks that enable you to reset the current data back to a previous state.

You can use this option only if you set the Recovery - Data Rewind option to On.

If this option is set to Off, the system will not register data rewind points. For more information about Data Rewind parameters (Retention Period, Max Disk Size), see the Arcserve RHA Administration Guide.

Important! The data rewind process operates in one way only - there is no replay forward. After rewind, all data subsequent to the rewind point will be lost, since data after the rewind point will be overwritten with new data.

Note: The automatic registration of the rewind points starts only after the synchronization process is completed, and the message All modifications during synchronization period are replicated appears on the Event pane. Similarly, you cannot manually set bookmarks during synchronization. In the following example, a File Server scenario is used, but the steps are the same for all scenario types.

To recover lost data using rewind points

1. Select the scenario that you want to stop from the Scenario pane on the Manager and stop it.
2. [For database applications only] Stop the database services on the Master host.
3. Select the Replica host from the scenario folder:

   Note: If multiple Replica servers participate in the required scenario, select the Replica from which you want to recover data.

4. Select Restore Data from the Tools menu or click the Restore Data button. If you are prompted for user credentials, enter the appropriate information and click OK.

   The Recovery Method page of the Restore Data Wizard opens.

5. Select one of the Rewind data options, depending on whether you want the rewind data synchronized back to the Master (option 2) or left on the Replica only (option 3).

   Notes:

   • If the user credentials you used to log in to the Manager are different than the ones required for working with the Engine on the Replica, a User credentials dialog appears, asking you to enter log on account details for the selected Replica.
   • The Include Registry Keys synchronization check box is enabled only if you activated this option before starting the scenario. If the check box is enabled, you can select it to include the synchronized Registry Keys in the recovery process.

   After you select a Rewind data option, a Recovery scenario is automatically created. This Recovery scenario will run until the end of the rewind process.

6. Click Next.

   The Rewind Point Selection page is displayed.

7. Wait until the Select Rewind Point button is enabled, and click it to view the existing rewind points.

   The Select Rewind Point dialog opens.

   The Select Rewind Point dialog displays a list of all rewind points appropriate to the application you are protecting. These include modifications of folders and files that were automatically registered by the system and user-defined bookmarks.

   The list can be filtered according to the rewind point type or other criteria, using the Filter Rewind Points pane on the left.

8. Select the required rewind point and click OK.

   Note: If you want to use a Bookmark as the rewind point, it is best practice to select the closest rewind point that indicates an actual event.

   You return to the Rewind Point Selection page, which now displays information about the rewind point you selected.

9. Click Next.

   The Synchronization Method page is displayed.

10. Select the Block Synchronization method and click Finish.

    Note: If the user credentials you used to log in to the Manager are different than the ones required for working with the Engine on the Replica, a User credentials dialog appears, asking you to enter log on account details for the selected Replica.

    Arcserve RHA rewinds the data to the point you selected. After the rewind process ends, you receive the following message in the Event pane: Rewind process is completed successfully.

    If you chose to replace the data on the Master with the data on the Replica, Arcserve RHA starts a synchronization process from the Replica to the Master. Once the process ends, the temporary Recovery scenario is stopped and then deleted.

    By default, once a data recovery occurs a Synchronization Report is generated. The Replication process can restart on the original scenario.