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Recovering your Alike installation (pre v2.06)
Please note, this article is specific to Alike versions prior to v2.06.
Alike is designed to get you up and running quickly so you can back up and restore XenServer guest VMs. This initial configuration will let you recover guests if the XenServer host or guest fails for any reason. However, in the case of catastrophic failure, you'll want a way to restore from a Alike install--and this may mean you won't have any of the hardware Alike was once running on. Please note, this article covers Alike Free and Alike Standard installations.
Fortunately, Alike Standard is designed so the vast majority of its data is stored in large files that are convenient to send to tape or send offsite. These files comprise Alike's data store, whose location can be configured in the UI. You'll see a set of files under your data store directory with the ".bdb" extension. By default, they are 2gigs each in size, and more of them are created when Alike needs more storage.
Additionally, crucial metadata about your backups is stored in the "dbs" directory of your installation. These files contain important information on VM names, versions, backup times, system preferences, and licensing. After every Optimize job is completed, these files are copied to your BDB directory. This ensures that in the event of a start-over recovery, you have copies of the dbs available for restore. It is recommended that you run Optimize at least weekly if you do not have another means to back up your DBs directory.
Follow these steps to restore Alike to a new server:
1) Install a fresh copy of Alike on the new server. Please note, you must use the same version of Alike that was running on the previous installation.
Important: In order for your old databases to work in your new installation, your installation paths must be identical. For example, if your old Alike installation was in "C:\Program Files\Quorum Software\Alike", your new installation must also be in that same path. This is also true for Alike's data store location. If for any reason you cannot preserve your old installation path, please complete these instructions then contact QuorumSoft Support and they will be able to correct the situation.
2) Open the Alike UI and click on the lower-right hand 'traffic light' icon, and stop all services.
3) Close the UI.
4) Copy the contents of your archived "dbs" directory into your new install dir "dbs".
5) Re-open the Alike UI, and start your services normally.
If there are any problems, please check your Alike logs first. They should indicate the nature of the problem. Often, a consistency check of the data store is required before Alike can be used again. This will be noted in the log files.
You will now be able to restore your VMs. It's worth rehearsing this procedure regularly to make sure you are ready to perform it in the case of emergency.