NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Solutions
NetApp-certified MetroCluster SolutionsMetroCluster, included with NetApp's ONTAP storage operating system, is high-availability and disaster recovery software that combines array-based clustering with synchronous replication to provide rapid, zero data loss disaster recovery between datacenters separated by up to 185 miles (300km). By synchronously mirroring volumes between storage controllers, MetroCluster allows zero Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and under two-minute Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for mission-critical applications. MetroCluster supports SAN and NAS hosts, is available in 2-, 4- and 8-node configurations, and integrates with NetApp SnapMirror for asynchronous, near-zero data lass protection for datacenters separated by longer distances. Storage costs are kept at a minimum via inline data reduction technologies including deduplication, compression, and compaction.

Progent offers online or onsite access to a NetApp subject matter expert with NCIE, NCDA and NASAP certifications who can provide advanced support to help you design, deploy, manage, optimize, update or troubleshoot a disaster recovery solution based on NetApp MetroCluster technology. Progent also offers support for other NetApp SAN and NAS storage solutions including ONTAP, SnapMirror, SnapVault and Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV), FlexPod private cloud converged infrastructure, Virtual Storage Console, MultiStore, vFiler, OnCommand Unified Manager Core with OnCommand Reporting and OnCommand Insight, plus NetApp's hybrid Flash FAS, all Flash AFF, V-Series and N-Series hardware portfolio. (See NetApp SAN Integration Consulting.)

Key Features of NetApp MetroCluster
MetroCluster provides local high-availability (HA) and rapid, single-command remote disaster recovery (DR) for an organization's storage infrastructure by connecting two clusters, one each at two geographically separated datacenters, in a bi-directional peered storage network where you can quickly switchover either cluster to handle the storage and services of the other cluster in addition its own workloads. By running the Storage Virtual Machines (SVMs) from the offline cluster on the surviving cluster, MetroCluster allows continuous access to data during an outage of a storage cluster or datacenter.

In a four-node configuration, each datacenter has a two-node failover cluster configured as a high-availability (HA) pair with mirrored non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) and multipath storage between the two local nodes. If either node in an HA pair stops working, automatic failover allows the surviving local partner to take over the offline node's operation without incurring downtime. For DR clusters at separate sites, MetroCluster supports active-active and active-passive configurations. In an active-active configuration, both sites serve independent workloads during normal operation. In an active-passive (or active standby) deployment, the cluster at a selected primary site hosts all application workloads in a steady state and switchover only occurs from the protected primary site to the backup site. In this mode, no switchover is required if the secondary site fails but resource utilization is relatively low. You can also configure local HA pairs to operate in active-passive mode.

NetApp MetroCluster Consultants

NetApp's MetroCluster supports bi-directional active-active disaster recovery for optima resource utilization

Switchover between clusters at different datacenters and failover between nodes in a datacenter's cluster can be planned (e.g. for non-intrusive maintenance, testing or upgrades) or unplanned, as in a site disaster. Switchback is the process by which the surviving cluster in one datacenter returns switched-over resources to the original cluster at the other datacenter. Giveback, or failback, is the process by which an offline node in local cluster is returned to a steady operational state.

To provide zero RPO disaster recovery, MetroCluster uses synchronous replication between storage clusters so that any change made at one datacenter is automatically propagated to the other datacenter. The replication process includes storage replication with NetApp SyncMirror, nonvolatile NVRAM replication, and replication of the cluster configuration. For MetroCluster to preserve the identity of the storage access paths during switchover, you must set up an L2 spanned Ethernet network and a single SAN fabric across the two datacenter sites.

MetroCluster requires both datacenters to have the same hardware and disk configurations. A variety of components from multiple vendors are supported. In a four-node deployment, each cluster uses NetApp's standard clustered Data ONTAP cluster interconnects, usually a switchless, back-to-back connection between the two HA nodes. Two Fibre Channel (FC) or FCIP switches at each datacenter connect to the HA nodes via FC initiators and FC-VI interfaces and connect to storage with SAS-to-FC bridges. (Direct-attached configurations do not require FC switches.) This allows all nodes in both clusters to see all the storage. Brocade FC switches supported by MetroCluster allow DR clusters to be up to 185 miles apart. The Clustered Data ONTAP storage OS supports both switchless configurations and a variety of cluster interconnect switches.

NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Consultants

Core components and connections for a 4-node MetroCluster configuration

How Progent Can Help You with MetroCluster and Other NetApp Storage Solutions
Progent's team of seasoned IT consultants can help you plan, deploy, manage, upgrade, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery solution built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you design a two-node, four-node or eight-node topology for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your functional requirements and IT budget. Progent can make sure you follow best practices for installing your MetroCluster environment by providing help with tasks such as assigning disk pools and shelf IDs, arranging aggregate and plexes layout, provisioning NetApp FlexVol volumes, configuring NetApp Snapshot, provisioning Cisco and Brocade switches, implementing a tiebreaker, and setting up a TCP/IP configuration replication network between your peered clusters. Progent can also help you streamline the management of your MetroCluster ecosystem and non-disruptively test your disaster recovery solution to prove compliance with industry standards and government regulations. In addition, Progent offers FlexPod integration consulting to help you incorporate MetroCluster into a resilient private cloud infrastructure that consolidates servers, network fabric and storage assets for hosting critical applications.

Progent can provide as-needed expertise to guide you through occasional technical roadblocks and also offers comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing. Progent offers remote and on-premises consulting services and gives you easy access to the breadth and depth of knowledge of more than 100 veteran subject matter experts. In addition to offering the support of a NetApp-certified network architect, Progent can provide the services of a Cisco-certified CCIE network infrastructure consultant, a VMware VCDX-certified virtual networking expert, a Microsoft-certified Exchange specialist, a Citrix-certified XenDesktop consultant, and other IT consulting experts.

Additional Zero-Downtime Technologies Supported by Progent's Consultants
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified consulting experts can assist your business to implement an efficient, high-availability environment that resolves key challenges covering a broad range of infrastructure solutions and processes such as:

Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's business continuity planning engineers can show you how to design a business continuity strategy that will allow you to resume IT functionality in the event of an information network disaster. Progent can assist you to define a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that includes scheduled disaster recovery evaluations and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized professionals can also help you build an affordable, non-stop system architecture that addresses availability issues involving a wide range of network technologies and procedures. To read more, go to Business Continuity Consulting.

Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services
ProSight Data Protection Services offer small and mid-sized organizations an affordable end-to-end service for secure backup/disaster recovery. Available at a low monthly rate, ProSight DPS automates your backup activities and enables fast recovery of critical files, apps and virtual machines that have become lost or damaged as a result of component failures, software bugs, disasters, human error, or malware attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services can help you back up, recover and restore files, folders, apps, system images, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images/. Critical data can be backed up on the cloud, to an on-promises storage device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery consultants can deliver world-class expertise to configure ProSight DPS to be compliant with government and industry regulatory standards such as HIPPA, FIRPA, and PCI and, when necessary, can assist you to recover your business-critical data. Find out more about ProSight Data Protection Services Managed Cloud Backup.

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consultants can assist you to design a disaster recovery solution built around Microsoft's latest Failover Clustering tools such as Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent recovery, Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance storage clusters using low-cost hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for improving the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while reducing TCO and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical deployment of a failover cluster quorum witness. To learn more, go to Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support.

Microsoft Server 2012 Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 brought enterprise-class fault tolerance and system recovery to Microsoft's failover clustering solution. Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 adds to this foundation and delivers significant enhancements that offer more scalability, better storage availability for server applications, simpler management, faster failover, and additional flexibility for designing clusters. To find out more, go to Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clustering Consulting and Support.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a component of VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and test a repeatable workflow for restoring services quickly after a breakdown. SRM supports centrally managed and automated recovery, application mobility, and non-disruptive site migration, failback and re-protect. SRM also allows non-intrusive testing for site recovery, updates and fixes and can produce reports to confirm complete service restoration, validate SLAs and demonstrate compliance. Progent offers the support of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consulting expert to help your organization to plan, deploy, test and manage a DR system based on VMware Site Recovery Manager.

Network Load Balancing
Progent provides fault tolerant load balancing support covering network load balancing, load balanced programs, network backbone routing, and content dispatching technology including F5 Networks 3DNS. Fault tolerant load balancing products for which Progent can provide consulting services include Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Distributed Director and ACNS, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. To learn more, see High Availability Load Balancing.

High-Availability Colocation
Progent's Data Center consultants can help you select high availability data centers that match the specific requirements of your business. High availability off-site data centers are especially attractive to small and mid-size companies due to of their affordability and convenience in comparison to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Trying to create an in-house data center that offers even a basic degree of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for the majority of small businesses. Progent can show you how to get all the advantages of 24x7 colocation facilities by providing a complete range of engineering and support services. To learn more, visit Fault Tolerant Data Centers Expertise.

Non-stop Branch Office Networking
Progent’s multi-site connectivity engineers can help companies achieve fault tolerant multi-site connections via fully redundant networks featuring automatic failover. Progent’s Cisco-premier CCIE engineers can plan and implement ultra-reliable Inter-office connections based on fault tolerant EIGRP routers or fault tolerant OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how redundant connections and automatic fail-over offers economical non-stop interoffice connectivity. To learn more, go to Fault Tolerant Interoffice Networking.

Non-stop Internet Connections
Progent's Cisco-authorized IT professionals can help you design an economical, high availability Internet connection solution that can achieve non-stop Internet connectivity through a broad array of high availability Internet network technologies including high availability BGP, automatic fail-over, and multiple Internet Service Providers. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert professionals to show you how to apply the most advanced technology for fault tolerant Internet access to create an economical, fully redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other features to deliver zero-downtime Internet connections. To read more, go to High Availability Internet Access Architecture.

Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting
Progent offers affordable remote access to engineers with expertise in a wide array of utilities and technologies that deliver solutions for protecting Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux physical and virtual servers and desktops plus laptops and handhelds. Progent can provide help for leading backup platforms such as Acronis, Symantec Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, CrashPlan PRO, Double-Take Backup, MozyPro, Retrospect for Macintosh, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery, and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent's consultants can assist your company to install, enhance, or maintain data backup systems for a variety of architectures such as on-premises, edge to datacenter, cloud, or hybrid. For details, go to Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting and Support Services.

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Restore Consulting
Progent's expert Microsoft SCDPM engineers can assist you to develop a practical business continuity strategy, implement a cost-effective high-availability IT infrastructure, install a SCDPM-based recovery system, comprehensively test your DPM system, train your IT staff or regular consultants how to maintain Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager, or provide extensive IT support outsourcing including remote housing of virtual or physical SCDPM servers in Progent's secure data center facility. For more information, see Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting Services.

Barracuda Backup Cloud and Offsite Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription backup/restore platform for small and mid-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup solution can incorporate a purpose-built hardware appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar functionality but which uses your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards critical company data produced on-premises, at one or more remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster protection, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any location with a Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants can provide a wide range of consulting support services to assist your business to design, configure, manage and repair a backup and disaster recovery solution built on Barracuda Backup. For details, visit Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consultants.

Altaro VM Backup Software for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup provides small and mid-size businesses a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and recovering Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines (VMs). Altaro VM Backup can be used for on-premises, remote, distributed, and cloud environments and also enables low-cost backup to Azure storage. Top features include state-of-the-art inline deduplication to cut backup storage requirements, Continuous Data Protection with backup intervals as short as five minutes for reducing your exposure to data loss, advanced encryption, item-level restore capability for specific files and emails, extensive support for Windows Server CSV and for VMware vCenter for handling larger environments, and the ability to leverage Microsoft VSS technology to back up online VMs without downtime. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and offers a wide array of consulting services to assist you to design, install, manage and troubleshoot a backup/restore system based on Altaro VM Backup. For details, see Altaro VM Backup Consulting.

Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Data Backup
Double-Take publishes a family of products intended to provide small and midsize businesses a variety of cost-effective alternatives for replicating and recovering vital workloads including Exchange, SQL, Blackberry, and Microsoft Office SharePoint. Progent’s disaster recovery planning consultants have extensive backgrounds incorporating Double-Take products into small business IT networks to achieve a high state of availability and disaster recovery readiness at an affordable cost. For more information, see Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.

CRISC-Premier IT Risk Management
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification program was initiated by ISACA to verify a consultant's ability to plan, implement, and support IS controls to reduce network risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified consultant to help you to create and execute a business continuity plan based on leading practices promoted by CRISC and geared to match your organization's risk appetite, business objectives, and budgetary guidelines. To learn more, go to CRISC-Certified network risk management experts.

Contact Progent for NetApp SAN Storage Solutions
If you are looking for expertise to help you design, deploy or troubleshoot a SAN storage solution based on NetApp technology, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

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