Improving Time to perform a Vault Server Backup

There have been reports that automatic Vault Server backups (Windows Scheduled Tasks) are taking several hours longer after moving Vault Server to a Windows Server 2008 operating system. However the performance when backing up through the ADMS console is much better!

Background: In Windows Server 2008 Microsoft has changed the behaviour of tasks and there is also a change of the priority of each process. In Windows Server 2003 a scheduled Windows task is created with Priority "Normal". However in Windows Server 2008 the priority of the tasks is "7" which is below "Normal" Priority.

The solution is to make sure that the scheduled Windows task is running with a higher Priority.

The Priority can not be set on a task directly but there is a workaround:

• Go to Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler
• Find the task which is executing the Vault Server backup
• On Action Menu go to Export... > Save the file as *.xml
• Open the .xml file in Notepad
• Find the line <Priority>7</Priority>
• Change the value of the Priority from 7 to a higher value like 4 or 5
• Save the .xml file
• Delete the Scheduled Task for the Vault Server Backup
• In the Actions Menu go to Import Task and choose your modified .xml File

Your task will now run with a higher Priority and speed up the Vault Server backup time.

This is an extract from the Cracking the Vault, Manufacturing Community Blog

Emergency Backup and Restore Routine

You may find yourself in the situation where, for an environmental reason, it is not possible to take a supported Backup from your ADMS Console. The following steps should only be carried out as a last resort when all other avenues have been explored.

On a clean machine (Restoring Machine)

• Install Vault Server on a new machine.
• After a successful installation, Start the ADMS Console.
• Delete the Vault Database (Right click on the Database > Delete).
• Tools > Detach Master Vault.
• In Windows Explorer, navigate to the SQL Data folder where the Database files are configured to reside. By Default this is going to be something like "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.AUTODESKVAULT\MSSQL\DATA" (This location will vary depending on your Operating System).
• Delete these files KnowledgeVaultMaster.mdf and KnowledgeVaultMaster_log.ldf.

What Does The Backup Validation (-VAL) Switch Do

We had a query recently from a customer asking why their backup was taking different times every night and what does the -VAL switch actually do. They compared the times listed in the ADMSConsolelog files for different nights that the Validation was running.

05.01.2011 01:27:17 Validating backup databases ... 2/3
05.01.2011 02:01:32 Validating backup databases ... 3/3

01.01.2011 01:57:37 Validating backup databases ... 2/3
01.01.2011 03:25:20 Validating backup databases ... 3/3

Firstly the -VAL Validation runs as a background process. Therefore, other higher priority processes can easily cause the backup time to vary.

Regarding what the Validation actually does, it does two things. It compares the backed up database to the live SQL database via SQL. It also compares the checksum for each individual file in the Filestore with the backed up Filestore. If there is a mismatch, it will report the error in the ADMSConsolelog file.

This is an extract from the Cracking the Vault, Manufacturing Community Blog

Backup to a Remote Location

Normally with Vault you create a batch routine to create a backup on the same server (Local Disk). It is however possible to backup the Vault to another drive on another machine, to do this you will need to make the following changes:

1. Go into the ADMS (Autodesk Data Management Server) console on the server > Tools > Administration > Advanced Settings > Settings > change the Impersonation Settings to your Domain Admin User and Password (or a user with permissions to the location you wish to Backup to).

2. Next go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > find SQL Server (Autodesk Vault) > right click > Properties > Log On > change This account to the same Domain Admin User and Password.

3. Finally modify your Backup BAT file to include your network location instead of the current Local Disk and Run accordingly.

Check your Vault Backup NOW

When running Autodesk Data Management Server, you should use the tools provided within the software to create a Backup. The Backup tools create a complete snapshot of the Vault Database, Filestore and Custom Content Centre Libraries that can be archived to tape using your existing company Backup software.

The Backup tool provides a series of command line driven features that can be run on the server via a batch routine. The Batch Routine should be Run Every Day after the Vault users have finished working and it should Complete prior to the start of main Company Backup. As the amount of data in the Vault increases, you should re-check the timings to ensure the ADMS Backup completes before the main backup begins. Automate the backup by configuring a Windows Scheduled Task to run the Batch Routine every day. Be aware that the Scheduled Task is authenticated by a Windows user. If the password for the Windows user is changed, the Scheduled Task and therefore the Vault Backup will fail.

Do not assume that your IT Department are backing up the server and all data is recoverable. Archiving live SQL databases may not be possible with your backup software. Without the Databases, the Vault Filestore is not usable. Vault data restoration should be detailed specifically within your Company Disaster Recovery Plan. Test your Backup and know that should the worst happen you can Restore the data with the minimum of delay.

See Micro Concepts Technical Document - TD0170 - ADMS2011 Server Backup