Database migration considerations

You must migrate and store your database in correctly sized and appropriately configured LUNs. Use the minimum possible number of LUNs for faster backup operations and faster restore operations. You must group your databases if you do not need to restore them individually.

Determine how many LUNs you need for your SnapManager configuration and what data those LUNs hold. Then create your data configuration plan by calculating the required sizes for each LUN and the volume that contains it.

• Exchange configuration requirements
  Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Exchange Server 2007 and Exchange Server 2003 have data configuration requirements with respect to the number of Storage Groups per server, the number of databases per Storage Group, the number of databases per server, Recovery Storage Groups, Recovery Databases, and Storage Groups per virtual server.
• Rules for Exchange Server storage groups and databases enforced by the Configuration wizard
  When you configure your Exchange Server storage groups and databases for SnapManager, the Configuration wizard creates some rules for databases, transaction logs, SnapInfo directories, for sharing of LUNs or occupation of a SAN boot LUN, and Storage Group system files.
• NTFS volume mountpoints
  A volume mountpoint is a drive or volume in Windows that is mounted to a folder in the NTFS file system.
• SnapManager support for volume mountpoints
  SnapManager supports volumes mounted on Data ONTAP LUNs in certain environments. You must accommodate particular drive letter limitations, restrictions, naming conventions, and procedures for using volume mount points. Exchange Server 2003 supports only a stand-alone Windows Server 2003 configuration.
• Transaction log archiving
  SnapManager archives transaction log files using NTFS hard links, which enables conservation of disk space in storage systems and improves the system performance.
• Example Exchange configurations supported with SnapManager
  Learn about the sample configurations for single and multiple storage group and individual database restore operation that satisfy the configuration rules for SnapManager.
• Creation of LUNs on qtrees
  To avoid performance setbacks, ensure that you create your LUNs only on the qtrees that contain volumes that have UNIX as the default security type. You can check if your qtree is a UNIX qtree by using the Data ONTAP command rsh filer qtree. For more information, refer to Data ONTAP documentation.
• Storage system volume and LUN planning
  After you determine how many LUNs you need for your SnapManager configuration and what data those LUNs hold, develop your SnapManager data configuration plan and prepare storage system volumes and LUNs for use with SnapManager.
• Information needed for your SnapManager data configuration plan
  You can use a data configuration plan to determine the LUN and volume sizes that you need for your database, and record this information in one place. This helps you to create and upgrade your volumes and LUNs without failure, as well as to diagnose and resolve any issues.