Storage+and+Backup

Although a tedious and far from glamorous function of an IT Department, backups are critical to retrieving and restoring files and folders and even bringing servers back from the dead. A lively discussion on backups will include information on solutions in place at different metro locations, methods of backups used within a district or a site, how to handle disaster recovery, and how requests for data restores are processed within the IT Department. We want to hear what works and doesn’t work in your environment. Come and be a part of the discussion!
 * Storage and Backup:**

Facilitators: Stefanie Morrow, Papillion–LaVista School District (smorrow@paplv.org) Jonathan Becker, Omaha Public Schools (jonathan.becker@ops.org)

-- Notes --

PLV - Symantec Backup Exec
MPS - CommVault. Uses a round robin solution with DataD Duplication

Methods of Backup (Site, Building, Central Offices):
PLV - Each school building has their own server and their backups stay onsite. Central Office backups are stored onsite at CO. Financial department has stated that in the case of disaster recovery, the systems that we MUST have in place are supported and managed by ESU3. Any data at the buildings is not critical enough to warrant a DR solution. PLV also utilizes Volume Shadow Copies (VSS) as has instructed tech coordinators how to restore data using VSS

OPS - HS and MS each have their own servers so backups stay on site. Each site runs BackupExec. CommVault is used at the TAC building.

MPS - CommVault is utilized and centrally managed.

Disaster Recovery:
CB - has spare sites that can be utilized in case of disaster recovery, data center is starting at one of the high schools, another high school will be used as a redundant site. Should one site go down, network routes will automatically adjust to bring online the secondary site. Just now starting to set up their DR site.

OPS - kids could be moved to different sites, but not aware of a plan. How do you plan logistically for disaster recovery? Where do students go, where do staff sit.

MPS - Uses cloud computing in their environment. With the Stoneware application, students and staff could go home and remote in to continue working, they would not need to be onsite.

Data Restore (How do requests come in, how are they handled by staff?)
PLV - Requests come in through the helpdesk and clarifications are usually sent back to the requestor MPS - uses their helpdesk to sent scripted replies to the requestor about where the restore needs to come from. OPS - offsite restores are filtered to their building technician. Buildings manage their own timeframe on how long to keep data.

Sidebar: Millard pushes out OS and subsequest applications using: Microsoft Development Toolkit (MDT) Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIT)

They create a golden district image without drivers (and no sysprep) and then using workflows push out applications to the comptuers that are deployed at each site. Deployment servers are set at each site.