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      Incremental Backup Failure Scenario after DR Restore

      Problem:

      After completing a restoration from the disaster recovery (DR) server following a disaster, users may encounter an issue where incremental backups fail on the DR server, even though a full backup has been taken on the primary server.

      Cause:

      Incremental backups fail with the message Full backup not found in the database. Please run a full backup. This is because the DR service doesn't update client databases with the DR server's new IP address after a disaster recovery restore.

      Sources affected:

      The following types of data sources require a full backup to be triggered on the DR server:

      1. Filesystem - Windows NTFS/ReFS and Windows Template

      2. Database - Microsoft SQL server

      The following types of data sources do not require a full backup to be triggered on the DR server:

      1. Filesystem - NDMP, NFS / iSCSI / Lustre, Network / CIFS share and Linux.

      2. Database - Oracle on Windows, Linux and PostgreSQL

      3. Hypervisor - Microsoft Hyper-V server and VMWare

      Solution:

      To resolve this issue and allow incremental backups to succeed after restoring data and systems from a DR server, follow these steps:

      1. Identify affected sources: Determine which sources require a full backup on the DR server after DR restore. Refer to the list of affected sources provided above.

      2. Trigger full backup: For each identified source, trigger a full backup on the DR server. This will ensure that the necessary backup data is available for incremental backups to proceed successfully.

      3. Configure mounted directory: For sources of type NFS / iSCSI / Lustre, reconfigure the mounted directory on the DR server after DR restore process is complete. This step is crucial for the success of all subsequent backups, including both full and incremental backups. Neglecting this step can lead to backup failures and inconsistencies.

      Additional Notes:

      • The Windows system state and Microsoft Hyper-V source does not support incremental backups.

      • For Oracle databases on Windows and Linux, incremental backups can be performed directly after DR restore without the need for a full backup on the DR server.

      • For VMware hypervisors, incremental backups can be performed after DR restore without the need for a full backup on the DR server.

      By following these guidelines, you can ensure that incremental backups succeed after DR restore and maintain data protection continuity for your critical systems.