Novell® eDirectoryTM is designed to provide fault tolerance for the tree through replication, so that if one server is not available, other servers can provide access. Replication is the primary method for protecting eDirectory.
Replication, however, is not possible in a single-server environment. Also, replication might not provide a complete restore of individual servers in case of a server hardware failure or other damage, or in the event of a disaster such as a fire or flood in which you lose multiple servers. Backing up eDirectory on each server increases the fault tolerance for your network.
eDirectory 8.7 introduced a new backup and restore utility called the eDirectory Backup eMTool to back up the eDirectory database on your individual servers. It has the following benefits:
Provides hot continuous backup. You can back up your server without closing the eDirectory database, and you still get a complete backup.
Supports a quick restore of an individual server. This is especially helpful in the event of hardware failure.
Scalable. You can back up a server whose eDirectory database contains tens or hundreds of millions of objects. The speed of the backup process is limited mainly by I/O channel bandwidth.
Can support a quick restore of the tree, when used with replica planning and DSMASTER servers. Even without using DSMASTER servers, some level of recovery for the tree should be possible. See Using DSMASTER Servers as Part of Disaster Recovery Planning.
Lets you perform tasks remotely. You can perform most backup and restore tasks in a browser using iManager, inside or outside the firewall. You can perform advanced tasks remotely using the eMBox Client, a command line Java client, with access behind the firewall or through a VPN.
Lets you back up related files. You can back up files on the server that are related to the database, such as stream files, and any files you specify (such as autoexec.ncf) in an include file.
Can restore eDirectory to the state it was in at the moment before it went down, if you use continuous roll-forward logging. See Using Roll-Forward Logs.
Makes hardware upgrade simpler. Doing a cold backup and then restoring the eDirectory database is an easy way to transfer the server's identity to a new machine or safeguard it while you make changes such as RAM upgrades. See Upgrading Hardware or Replacing a Server.
Works within the distributed nature of eDirectory. You can ensure that a restored server matches the synchronization state that other servers in the tree expect by turning on continuous roll-forward logging.
Allows unattended backups. You can create batch files to run unattended backups through the eMBox Client.
The new eDirectory Backup eMTool is designed to give you a complete backup and restore of the database and associated files on an individual server. It does not support backup and restore for individual objects or sections of the tree.
Also, it must be used in conjunction with file system backups to put the eDirectory backup files safely on tape.
This chapter contains the following topics: